I was at a loss for words.
To be honest, I didn’t know how to respond.
‘Knows the future?’
…Well, as a transmigrant, she obviously would know.
The problem was, she knew the future that I also knew.
Still, her self-assuredness in making such claims was due to her ignorance of my being a transmigrant.
Perhaps, she thought that seducing me would give her high chances of success, but frankly, I couldn’t think of an appropriate way to counter her move.
There were two choices: either play dumb and let Silvia sway me, or reveal that I am a transmigrant and collaborate with her to conquer the world.
Each choice had its distinct advantages and disadvantages.
If I just let myself get swayed, all I’d need to do is support her from behind. Like setting an auto-hunt, she’d deal with the events by herself. But the downside was that I’d have to maintain the uncomfortable illusion.
On the other hand, revealing that I’m a transmigrant would certainly be less suffocating, but it would undoubtedly lead to much inconvenience. It would be tantamount to a declaration that I intend to take the role of the protagonist just like Silvia.
Ultimately, the choice boiled down to a preference in approach.
Therefore, I chose the first option.
“…You can see the future?”
I asked her with feigned ignorance.
I was genuinely curious about how Silvia intended to seduce me.
From watching the original story so many times, I had developed a strange sense of inner intimacy with her. More importantly, I wanted to see how she would handle the twisted developments of the story.
Besides, I had already made up my mind to support the protagonist from behind when we met. Moreover, the distortion of the future was partly my fault, which gave me some sense of guilt.
Additionally, the current situation was intriguingly fascinating. Who could simply pass up a chance where you’re an extra in the original story, but the protagonist attempts to seduce you?
Silvia gulped and replied.
“Yes.”
“How am I supposed to believe that?”
“…I can prove it.”
“Prove it?”
“Yes.”
She continued with a strangely trembling voice, claiming that she would prove it.
What an intriguing development.
As I was thinking this, Silvia asked:
“Do you know about Kalmas?”
“The land beyond the borders?”
“Yes, to enter Kalmas, one must cross the ‘Order’s Chain,’ an ancient passage built by elves, which, as far as I understand, is directly managed by the Grand Lord.”
“…That’s true…”
“That passage is going to collapse soon. Precisely one month from now.”
“……”
Of course, I already knew this.
The original story began when the passage to Kalmas collapsed.
Even though I was aware, her confident demeanor while saying this was cute and amusing, so I listened seriously to her warnings with a grave expression.
Silvia observed my expression briefly and continued confidently.
“When the Order’s Chain collapses, the actual invasion will begin. Rifts will appear across the entire continent, monsters will flood the land, and diseases and chaos will ensue.”
“… …”
“Lord Six’s territory, Blackmore, will become a true Magic Realm, and that is only the start. Following Blackmore, the eastern continent and the Imperial realm will fall into crisis sequentially. The onset of calamity will plunge the empire — no, the entire continent — into chaos. Moreover, the Seeds of Doom scattered across the continent will sprout, and beings from the Outer Sea will descend. If left unchecked, the continent will hurtle towards destruction.”
I narrowed my eyes and stared at her.
I knew everything she said was true, but I couldn’t afford to drop my act of suspicion just yet, for the sake of natural progression.
Moreover, I was curious to see how she would react if I continued to doubt her.
Thus, I lowered my voice as much as possible.
“Preposterous. You’re only spewing nonsense.”
Silvia was startled again but quickly regained her composure and met my gaze firmly.
“Does the Grand Lord not possess Insight Vision? I assume Lord Six must know about it.”
“…How do you know that?”
“As I’ve already said, I know the future of this world. You can confront the Grand Lord directly to confirm the truth of my words. Would that not suffice as proof?”
True, there’s no better lie detector than Arkhan.
I had used her Insight Vision to persuade Arkhan when I first met her. In that sense, Silvia’s current judgment was excellent. By dropping well-timed future information, she had raised alarm and provided a means to verify the truth, which made it hard to disbelieve.
As I remained silent, Silvia seemed to think the momentum had shifted to her side and suggested with a slightly excited voice.
“Use me.”
Oh my, this is frustrating.
I had to struggle to keep a serious expression as laughter threatened to burst out. The anxiety Silvia felt caused her to ramble.
“If there’s an enemy to be cut down, I’ll do it for you. If there’s information you need, I’ll provide it all. I’ll be your sharpest sword, my Lord.”
“…”
“You won’t regret it. That, I can promise.”
I folded my arms and looked down at Silvia.
If all she had said was true, hiring Silvia would indeed leave me with no reason to regret it.
After all, the protagonist of the original story was akin to a cheat code, and it would be inconvenient for both of us if the world were to perish, so it would be much better to have the protagonist at my side and adjust the situation to my liking.
However, there was something crucial I had to confirm first.
I asked quietly.
“One more question.”
“Yes?”
“Can you handle paperwork?”
“…?”
Silvia blinked in surprise.
As far as I remember, she was an accountant who had been through the ringer at a rogue company before being transmigrated.
Meaning she was extremely skilled at paperwork.
Sure enough.
“Of course.”
Without hesitation, Silvia nodded. Without further thought, I turned around and said.
“Let’s go.”
“…Yes!”
Meanwhile.
“…”
In the corner of the banquet hall, a woman sat trembling while idly swirling her teacup. It was Odette Freya, the fake saint of the Star Sect.
She recalled the recent events with a pale face.
Silvia, the woman who claimed to know the future, was unusually knowledgeable about various aspects of the world.
Initially, she doubted these claims, but Silvia’s abilities had already been verified multiple times.
The Star Sect, including Odette, had put considerable effort into recruiting her.
After all, having advance knowledge of the future was an invaluable ability that defied valuation.
Things were going smoothly until everything went awry.
Silvia abruptly cut ties with the Star Sect and joined forces with the 6th Lord, who was on the worst terms with the Sect.
“…Has the 6th Lord already left the palace?”
“Yes, I heard he departed for Blackmore a while ago.”
“Silvia went with him, right?”
“That’s correct.”
Upon hearing the last bit, Odette’s expression hardened.
In the past, Luke Richter would have been nothing more than a lowly bastard noble who had gotten lucky by becoming a Lord in the eyes of the Star Sect.
But that was a grave mistake.
“…What exactly have you been doing all this time?”
Odette began recalling the profiles of those who had stepped forward as supporters of the 6th Lord during the formal ceremony. Each one of them was a formidable power and purportedly neutral entities.
Then, for some reason, they suddenly switched sides and began supporting the 6th Lord.
If it had been just one or two powers, it would not have been frightening, but this was far from that.
There were too many of them, and each was a heavyweight that bore significant responsibility in the continent.
Particularly, the stress was unbearable when, among them, the White-Haired Tribe and even the Emperor himself declared their support.
“…What do you plan to do now?”
Odette asked the bishop sitting beside her with a sigh.
“Silvia can see the future! What does it mean that someone with such abilities is now siding with the 6th Lord?”
“Maybe she judged that there is no hope for our side and decided to join them instead.”
“So what are we going to do now? You know as well as I do, if we continue this way, there will be no salvation for either of us.”
Odette was a fake saint, having deceived the empire’s populace by impersonating the true saint. This was an undeniable fraud — a scam under the guise of divine authority.
Not only that, but the 6th Lord was aware of this fact, and the real saint, who should have died a long time ago, was among his companions.
If things continued like this, there would be no salvation. Once the truth came out, the Star Sect’s influence would dwindle, and all related individuals would be executed for desecration of the sacred.
Even if they confessed everything now and tried to join the side of the 6th Lord, it wouldn’t change the past. The karmic debt accumulated was too deep, leading to the same end of execution, effectively leaving them stranded at the edge of a cliff.
They needed a way out.
However, with the majority of the forces already siding with the 6th Lord, they needed a new power that remained neutral.
A power that harbored animosity towards the 6th Lord, was one of the major pillars of the empire, and also maintained not hostile but friendly relations with the Star Sect.
“…The Richter family is the only one left.”
The Richter family.
Their choice was rational.
Luke Richter, after all, was a bastard child of the Richter family. They would naturally possess extensive information about him, and as a family that could be considered the center of the noble faction, their influence was far from insignificant. What’s more, they harbored strong animosity towards the bastard Luke Richter.
It was a power that fit all conditions.
That was why they had deliberately attended the ennoblement ceremony of their sworn nemesis, the 6th Lord. It was an excuse to make secret contact with the Richter family.
Moreover, the Countess of the Richter family was known to be a devout believer, making it an ideal opportunity.
“Goodness gracious! Lady Odette, how long has it been since we last met?”
“Countess, it’s been a while. How have you been?”
“My goodness, thanks to you, I’ve been doing well.”
“Countess, if you don’t mind, may I sit with you for a moment? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Of course, let’s enjoy some tea as we talk.”
The meeting went smoothly. They had many touchpoints with the Countess, and especially since she was well-known for donating substantial funds to the Star Sect, her devout faith was unmatched.
Through her, they planned to prepare a countermeasure against the 6th Lord.
Odette took a sip of tea and cautiously opened the conversation.
“Actually, I wanted to ask you something, Countess.”
“What is it?”
“I have a few questions about the 6th Lord, Luke Richter.”
The cheerful smile on the Countess’s face stiffened at those words.
“As you know, Countess, the relations between the Star Sect and the 6th Lord are not favorable.”
“Yes, they aren’t.”
“I have an unpleasant favor to ask, but I will need your help. I believe this is essential for the future of the empire… for peace.”
“…”
“The noble faction doesn’t seem to view the 6th Lord favorably either. If the Star Sect and the noble faction were to join hands, we could…”
“Hmph.”
The Countess sneered coldly.
Her lips were trembling, as though she were thoroughly disgusted.
“I think we’ve had enough conversation for today.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll take my leave first.”
“Countess? Please, give this another thought…”
“Lady Odette.”
The Countess’s eyes, which were now glaring at Odette, sparkled eerily.
“Do not cross the line.”
“Excuse me?”
“This is a warning. I don’t know what your intentions are, but if you even mention the name of that lunatic, Luke Richter, in front of me once more, I will reconsider the relationship between the Star Sect and the Richter family.”
“…”
Odette was dumbfounded by the immense chaos before her.
She couldn’t comprehend it.
What kind of relationship was this, where mentioning a name could provoke such a strong reaction?
And that too, from her, the Star Sect’s own saint?
“I shall take my leave.”
The Countess snapped her fan shut sharply and got up and left. And that was the end of it.
