Chapter 22: The Star and Aquamarine (2)

“It is not a widely known story, but they say a prophecy was once delivered a very long time ago.”

Aqua, turning back to us, cleared his throat and continued.

“A malevolent star will rise in the sky, and the Wall will fall.”

He spoke in a rather solemn tone, as if trying to reenact the prophecy itself.

“Offer the God of Water his hidden trident. Only he can save us.”

But that was short-lived, as Aqua momentarily hesitated.

“……If you do not follow this.”

“The City of Water will also fall along with the Wall.”

So I finished it for him.

“…You know it well.”

“It’s how I make a living.”

It meant that the threat of the Demon King's army this time would not be limited to the usual commotion beyond the Wall, but would reach all the way here to the southernmost city of Stout.

In other words.

“Are you saying the Wall will be breached?”

“Perhaps.”

“What’s that about.”

Ibi crossed her arms and let out a scoff, as if to say, ‘does that even make sense?’

“So, you’re saying we’re all f*cked?”

To be precise, we were already f*cked.

However, Ibi's reaction was understandable in a way.

The Wall had not been breached even once in the more than a thousand years since it was first built.

So, no matter what was happening beyond it, the idea of the Wall falling was simply unimaginable to the people here.

They would just make a fuss and it would blow over, just as it had for over a thousand years.

Not just Ibi, but probably most people thought this way.

“Do you seriously believe that story?”

“I did not.”

Thus, Aqua nodded as if he understood her reaction.

“Putting aside the fact that it’s not something we want to believe, there was crucially no proof.”

But I knew it wasn't just some baseless rumor.

“Proof?”

Because I had, in fact, seen such a future myself.

“All prophecies are left as records. But among the records we keep, there was no prophecy with such content.”

“Then it’s just nonsense, isn’t it.”

“But not long ago, a malevolent star appeared in the sky. It was the first malevolent star observed since the Age of Gods.”

Oh, for reference, the identity (?) of that malevolent star was me.

Nice to meet you.

“Then, not long after, news came from the Wall.”

“…Isn’t that just a coincidence?”

“I hope so too, but even if it is, it is a coincidence that can no longer be ignored.”

“No, you said you manage everything, didn't you? The records or whatever.”

“Not everything.”

Right?

I looked at Aqua as I said this, and he immediately nodded in affirmation.

“The original great temple was first built outside the city.”

Where we would be heading.

“But it was destroyed during the ‘War of Independence,’ and we brought some of the remaining materials to rebuild it here.”

Suddenly, just as I heard the sound of a die rolling, a window popped up informing me of a successful [History] check.

War of Independence.

Through this long war, the 12 cities gained independence from the Empire, which led to the Empire’s fall.

It was one of those occasional dice checks that helped with understanding the world's lore.

“So, if the prophecy is true, its record might have been lost along with the temple back then. Is that it?”

“Yes. It is a possibility we cannot dismiss.”

“…….”

At Aqua’s answer, Ibi and Rine looked up at the same time, their gazes fixed on the same spot.

“…It doesn’t exactly look like a trident.”

The spear in Stareon's hand, which was just a normal spear with a single point.

“That is why everyone thought the legend of the trident lacked credibility.”

It was said that later generations, especially bards, probably thought that using an ordinary spear like the one in the statue would diminish the god's majesty, and thus believed it to be a creative fabrication.

“But, everything changed when the malevolent star appeared.”

Until now.

“According to the legend, to prevent the trident from falling into the hands of the unworthy, a clue to its whereabouts was entrusted to the greatest warrior for safekeeping.”

And recently, we had encountered that legendary great warrior.

“…Don’t tell me, the Drunkard?”

As Ibi immediately noticed.

“Although he was turned into an undead by another’s greed, he was without a doubt a great warrior of Stout.”

It would not be strange at all for such a person to be entrusted with the trident, Aqua said.

“And you found a stone slab written in Ancient Elvish in his very tomb.”

Like a puzzle piece that fits perfectly into a vacant spot.

“Seeing that stone slab, I was finally convinced.”

That all of this was not a simple coincidence.

And indeed, it wasn’t.

“So… the stone slab we brought is the clue to that trident?”

“Of course, we will have to decipher the details to know for sure, but… yes. That is what I believe.”

“Can you even decipher it? You said it was a language used in the Age of Gods.”

“Many records from the Age of Gods were also written in Ancient Elvish.”

Aqua replied instantly.

“That is why one must also learn Ancient Elvish to become a High Priest.”

Although it was now a virtually dead language and couldn't be mastered perfectly, he said it could be deciphered if he took his time with a dictionary by his side.

“So it will take some time, but… it will be possible.”

One day.

After one day, Aqua would tell us the deciphered contents of the stone slab.

That was what I had experienced, and.

--

Main Quest 「My Antediluvian Baby」

Wait for one day for Aqua to decipher the stone slab.

--

That was the quest description in the first place.

* * *

“Hey. Do you really believe that?”

As soon as we left the great temple, Ibi glanced around for a moment before throwing this question at me.

“That we’re all f*cked just because some star appeared in the sky?”

“Who knows.”

Actually, we’re already f*cked.

Since I couldn’t answer like that,

“Most interesting fictions are based on some degree of fact.”

“Ah, what the hell are you talking about again? So is it real or fake?”

“Meaning it could be real or it could be fake.”

“You’re full of sh*t.”

I shrugged my shoulders and played dumb, but it seemed Ibi didn't like my answer.

“You should have just let them believe that nonsense and sold that rock when you had the chance. But you just handed it over for free?”

If she didn't believe in gods or anything, would she believe in a prophecy?

From Ibi’s perspective, it must have looked like we just missed a golden opportunity to rip someone off for a worthless rock.

“Hey, Elf. What do you think? I’m right, aren’t I?”

“My master…”

“Rine.”

“…If that is what Sir Yubin decided, then I believe his judgment is correct.”

“Hah. Right, my mistake for asking.”

Shall we guess what’s written on that rock?

Ibi, shaking her head, quickly continued.

“If we’re lucky, it’ll say ‘An alcoholic lies here.’ Otherwise, it’ll probably have a recipe for some tasty bar snacks. Ah, now that would actually be useful.”

A recipe for bar snacks from the Age of Gods.

That in itself would be quite valuable.

“You know what the worst case is? It really talks about some trident or whatever and tells you where to go to find it, and when you go there, it tells you to go somewhere else to find it, and when you go there, it tells you to bring something this time, and when you bring it, it tells you to go somewhere else again, and after all that f*cking running around like a dog, the trident never existed in the first place.”

What is this, some old game quest?

“Even though the legendary trident didn't exist, the effort we put into finding it was our real trident! It was to make us realize that we are strong enough to overcome this crisis even without a trident! It's obvious they'll pull that sh*t.”

“Why are you being so specific? Have you experienced it before?”

“Do you have to experience it to know? These things are all the same. Look, you just scribble some meaningless words, and future generations will over-interpret it on their own and bust their asses. What a cost-effective prank, right? I'd do it too.”

It was a very interesting speculation, but to get straight to the point, it was wrong.

The trident was real.

It was also an item worthy of being called a holy relic, personally used by Stareon.

However, the idea that the purpose of the prophecy was a prank wasn’t entirely wrong either.

To be precise, it was more like someone had played a prank in the middle of it.

“Well, anyway, we'll find out once it's deciphered.”

Even if I spoiled it here, she wouldn't believe me anyway, and she’d find out soon enough.

For now, we had to wait a day, and there was much to do in the meantime.

And the very first thing to do among them was, of course.

“Shopping?”

“We earned a decent amount from the dungeon, didn't we? Time to spend it.”

“That’s the first thing you’ve said that makes any sense.”

Ibi grinned, looking pleased.

“So? What should we eat? I heard they have amazing liquor here.”

“Is eating your top priority?”

“Then what, should we go buy some clothes? …Ah, right. Forget everything else, you should do something about that thing you’ve got over your face. Never mind looking like a beggar, you look like a robber.”

“…I should, of course.”

I couldn't go around dressed like a highwayman forever, and more than anything, it was just uncomfortable for me.

So I was planning on getting rid of this mask on this occasion as well.

But, that was a lower priority.

Creeak──

The sound of a rusty hinge echoed.

The moment I opened the door of a shop with a shabby sign bearing a hexagram, located in a deserted alley.

“Welcome─”

A listless greeting, enough to make the listener feel sluggish, came from within.

Unsurprisingly, the owner didn't move an inch from the counter, resting his chin on his hand without even glancing our way.

“I’m looking for an artifact.”

“They’re all over there.”

Naturally, his expression was one of clear annoyance.

No matter how I looked at it, he didn't seem to have any intention of doing business, and in fact, there was a part in the in-game dialogue with him where he openly revealed that mindset.

You don't seem to want to do business?

Those who bother to come to a secluded place like this will buy what they need regardless of what I do.

Well, he did have a point.

The riff-raff look at my attitude.

The real ones look at the goods, not my attitude.

Come to think of it, his pride wasn't entirely baseless either.

“…What’s with that bastard?”

However, to Ibi, who didn't know the circumstances… no, even if she did know, it would have just seemed like a situation where she was being blatantly ignored.

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

Perhaps that's why Ibi suddenly nudged my arm with her elbow and whispered in a small voice.

“That guy doesn't seem to have any intention of doing business… Should we just rob him?”

“…Huh?”

“Listen carefully. First, you and the elf sing a song or do something to draw his attention. Then, while that's happening, I’ll sneak up from behind──”

“Whoa, whoa. I get it, but calm down for a second.”

It would be a lie to say the proposal wasn't tempting, but this place couldn't be robbed.

There was no need to, either.

“Just watch for now.”

Saying this, I walked straight to the counter and placed an item I took from my pocket onto it.

At that, the owner, who had glanced at it with a bored expression.

“…!?”

Jumped in surprise and quickly straightened his posture.

“What the…”

Then he began to stare at it intently with disbelieving eyes.

“…Hey, where did you get this?”

A raw magic stone.

“I’m looking for a craftsman who can handle this magic stone.”

I raised one corner of my mouth into a smirk.

“Could that be you?”