Chapter 111: Light of Dawn Part 1

“Why do you think I’m telling you this?”

“To clean up the mess?”

“Yes. More precisely, because you are trying to clean it up.”

So if I’d just ignored it, she wouldn’t have come to me?

Should I be grateful for that, or just annoyed?

One thing’s for sure.

“First off, put that hood back on. It’s distracting.”

“That reaction kind of hurts, you know.”

Even if our conversation gave me some clarity, the Oracle still made me uneasy.

She looked so unnecessarily like Alice, it threw me off.

But no, it couldn’t be her.

“What exactly is wrong with my face? I hate to brag, but I’m quite the beauty.”

The Oracle grumbled as she pulled her hood back on. I did feel a little bad, since this was really my issue, not hers.

Of course, I hadn’t forgotten that the last time we met, she accused me of being an impostor and threatened me with a card the moment she saw me.

“I’m just prettier, that’s all.”

“……”

Yuna said proudly.

Alice glanced at Yuna briefly, like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing, then quietly adjusted her hood to hide her face.

Even she couldn’t argue with that.

“Hmm, now that’s easier on the eyes.”

“You really are rude.”

“We’re not exactly on friendly terms, are we?”

And I didn’t want to be, either.

“Alright then, one more question. Why did you come find me?”

“Like I said earlier, because you’re trying to take responsibility for this mess—”

“No, not that. There has to be a reason you came to me. Right? Oracle. Someone who sees the future wouldn’t just show up for no reason.”

“……”

The Oracle didn’t appear until the later stages of the game.

She only began to act when the game neared its end—

In other words, not until the final boss of a given scenario had been decided.

So I could understand why she would show herself to me now.

But what I couldn’t understand was why it had to be at this exact moment.

“Is there some kind of restriction? Why don’t you act directly or try to stop things yourself?”

There were two major problems with how the Oracle worked.

As I mentioned, she didn’t step in until things had already gotten this bad.

And even then, she never took direct action to prevent them.

In the game, she was just another mysterious supporting character, and that was fine.

But things are different now.

“It’s not like you’re powerless either.”

The Oracle came to me—

Because I was trying to stop Kult Hereticus.

The target had changed from Lobelia to me, but the overall picture remained the same.

However, there was one key difference. A massive one.

“Wouldn’t it be more effective to take action yourself than to try convincing me?”

The Oracle was stronger than I was.

That’s how I knew for sure.

It wasn’t that only Lobelia could handle the task—

It was that the Oracle wouldn’t do it herself, not that she couldn’t.

“Before we go any further, you need to explain why. From the way you talk, it sounds like you know what kind of person I am. And I’m not the type to move based on the words of someone who might stab me in the back.”

“……”

Even setting aside her resemblance to Alice, the Oracle was suspicious as hell.

She had that creepy, scheming vibe that made people uncomfortable.

“Are you thinking something extremely petty and personal right now?”

“Nope.”

“Hmph… Well, fine. I guess I can tell you.”

The Oracle gave a slight shrug and then pulled out a tarot card from her coat again.

Its name was “The World”.

“What do you think I use to see the future?”

“Well… the most plausible explanation I can think of is an awakened ability.”

And it was precisely because of that theory that I could separate the Oracle from Alice in my mind.

Even if Alice’s magic hadn’t been fully analyzed, it was clearly a type of illusion magic.

It had nothing to do with foresight as a power.

“Incorrect. Strictly speaking, I don’t even ‘see’ the future.”

“Then…?”

I asked cautiously.

Because there was a chance that the Oracle might be in a situation similar to mine.

The future I know comes from the game’s story and characters.

So what about the Oracle?

Could she also have been reincarnated?

“I’m connected to the World. This world operates under fixed causes and consequences, and I’m the only one who can observe them.”

The way the Oracle saw the world was similar to mine.

But I only knew possible outcomes based on past memories. I wasn’t as precise as she was.

From her wording, it even sounded like she could still observe the future as it changed.

“I can see the causes of events, the chain of consequences they trigger, and the resulting outcomes. That was something even the Prophet couldn’t escape; it was inevitable.”

“The past tense… does that mean something changed?”

“Yes. The Prophet, along with a few others, has gained the ability to deviate from the original flow and alter the world.”

The Oracle spun the card in her hand.

It was “The World” card now reversed.

I’ve heard that tarot cards have different meanings depending on whether they’re upright or reversed, but I didn’t know the specifics.

Still, if a card named “The World” was flipped upside down, it couldn’t be a good sign.

“Regardless of that, the flow of the world still tends to repeat itself. Do you know why that is?”

“…Because people don’t change.”

“That’s right. Especially those with unwavering convictions.”

What are the odds that a devout priest who prays every day suddenly skips a prayer one day?

If that action was tied to a deeply held belief or ideology, the probability drops exponentially.

And the final boss candidates in this game? They were the kind who would throw away even themselves to change the world.

“But I can no longer read the Prophet’s future. To be exact, I can’t derive a conclusion from the current flow anymore.”

“For example?”

“I saw a peaceful afternoon tea scene, only for it to be followed immediately by a vision of Helena’s heart being ripped out as he laughed maniacally. But then, that future vanished, and it ended as nothing more than a pleasant tea time between siblings.”

A chilling example.

It was probably one of the futures the Oracle had directly observed.

So what did her vision actually mean?

“The future is changing in real time?”

“Yes. The Prophet is such a powerful being that he can defy even predetermined fate. Right on the cusp of success, he acts impulsively to widen the range of possibilities. For someone like me, who can only observe fragmented futures, it’s impossible to predict a solid outcome.”

Because he knew someone was watching. He kept changing the future.

This was a countermeasure against the Oracle.

“But… is all of this really just to deal with me?”

Given how extreme the example she gave was, it seemed too drastic.

It didn’t feel like something Kult would normally do. Even if it was spontaneous, it carried way too much risk.

Which meant… Kult wasn’t just targeting the Oracle.

“He’s after both you and me.”

“Good. That simplifies things.”

This wasn’t just about the future anymore. It was a move aimed at someone like me, who acted based on character logic.

“We have to work together.”

“So does that mean you’re joining us in trying to stop Kult?”

“Yes. Why? Isn’t that obvious?”

Earlier, I asked why the Oracle didn’t act first.

It wasn’t because I wanted her to go into battle alone. I was asking why she couldn’t make a move.

But now? She’s speaking as if there were never any restrictions on her.

Am I missing something?

“…Can I ask one more thing?”

“So many questions. Fine, go ahead.”

For all her quirks, the Oracle was still acting for the sake of the world.

Just the fact that she provided crucial information for me as Lobelia’s ally made that clear.

But she never gives direct help in any scenario.

If it’s not because of some kind of restriction, then what’s the reason?

A thought suddenly crossed my mind.

“Are there situations where you can’t see the flow or outcome at all?”

“……”

The game ends with Lobelia becoming emperor.

Along the way, she crushed rival imperial members or took down terrorists to earn her place, but the most important part was left out.

That part was the imperial monster.

“What about Abraham’s future?”

I meant the emperor….Abraham’s situation.

The game never revealed it. But back then, it didn’t matter.

The emperor was aging, and he intentionally made his successors compete for the throne.

If you assume he stepped down peacefully because Lobelia had both legitimacy and power, it wouldn’t be strange.

But… what if that wasn’t it?

“You once predicted that Her Highness would be beheaded, right?”

“Is that a problem?”

“In the future I know, that never happened.”

According to the Oracle, Lobelia was destined to be beheaded by Abraham. But no one else knew that.

Which meant…

“That’s none of your concern. Or do you plan on repeating mistakes like this again and again?”

“……”

That meant the only one who could change that fate was the Oracle.

She hadn’t avoided direct involvement in the game. Far from it.

“Don’t interfere with me. This is for the sake of the world.”

She was burning brighter than anyone, in places no one could see.

***

Before anything else, I told Lobelia everything I’d learned.

In a situation where every hand counts, there’s no point in hiding anything. If Kult had already started moving, we needed to use every tool at our disposal.

I had planned to tell her about the Oracle too, but since the Oracle strongly opposed it, I had to take the trouble of dressing up the story a bit.

“You always bring the most outrageous things with you. It’s like you’re a walking plague.”

“I’m the one suffering, though.”

“And yet, you always act like the victim. But when all’s said and done, you end up walking away with the biggest reward. Like some skilled con artist.”

“…….”

“Haha, just kidding. Half-kidding.”

Lobelia looked like she was about to laugh, then suddenly stood up from her seat.

“Then we’ll make our own moves as well. That’ll help create more variables, don’t you think?”

And with that, she declared that she would take the lead and become our voice.

She really was the main character.

How reassuring.

There’s probably no need to worry about her. And so, I turned to the next person.

***

The Andvaranaut Merchant Guild.

Even if Cattleya’s individual strength was lacking, she had a natural talent for handling people.

“Would it be possible for you to send some people to focus on the area around the Hereticus Marquisate? Even simple sightings would be helpful at this point.”

“What will you give me in return?”

“I’ll tell you how I tricked the Second Prince last time.”

“Alright, deal.”

It felt like a waste to use it here, but by playing one of my trump cards, I managed to gain her active cooperation.

Well, I still had the antidote recipe, so things should be fine for now.

***

Emily, whom I had asked to prepare an artificial heart in case things went wrong, shook her head regretfully.

“I’m sorry. It’s still incomplete. I really tried to finish it as fast as I could… But, Johan, what happened earlier?”

“It was nothing. I just ran into someone unpleasant, that’s all.”

“Oh, I see.”

I frowned as I pointed to the Oracle standing next to me.

Emily gave a small nod with a neutral expression.

“For now, could you at least give me the part that’s finished? Things are getting urgent. Actually, no….Emily, could you do me a favor instead?”

“Yes.”

“It’s about… well—huh? Thanks.”

I ended up entrusting Emily with a major task out of the blue, but there was no helping it.

If Kult had begun to move, it was bound to sweep through everything in an instant.

Fortunately, Emily nodded without a trace of concern, as if she had no second thoughts.

“So this is your plan. You’re already thinking about what happens after failure…”

“Let’s be honest. How the hell am I supposed to stop that Kult bastard? Oracle, do you have a way to stop him?”

“I did, but you ruined it. Because you interfered with the Knight, we lost track of him.”

“Ah, so that was what the Dietrich incident was about.”

“Which is why we’re now forced to rely on your plan, aren’t we?”

“I see.”

Apparently, Dietrich had been the key to the Oracle’s plan.

As expected, we just didn’t get along.

Every move we made seemed to clash with each other.

“He’ll show up on his own.”

“And your basis for that?”

“I don’t look at short-term futures. I look at people.”

“……Was that comment meant for me to hear, by any chance?”

There was no need to guide Dietrich.

He would find his own way.

All we needed to do was prepare a grand display to light his path and keep him from losing his direction.