In a dark room, a few people were gathered. The lighting was dim, and each one wore a hood and a mask, their cloaks being large enough to conceal not just their bodies but also their attires. Nothing distinguishable could be noted from them, and even their voices seemed generic and unremarkable. The robes and cloaks were equally dark but a generic sort of dark, appearing to look like those one would find anywhere. Truly, aside from the fact that they wore masks with them and also had gloves on their hands, there was nothing at all that was really distinguishable. Even the way the spoke was done in a way where they could have come from nobility or among the commoners.
The room itself was an underground room. Its walls were completely cobblestone, a sort of generic type that one would expect of any cellar of any inn, tavern, or other sort of establishment. The furniture was worn, not quite fancy but not quite cheap, with no distinguishing marks at all. Truly, if such a place was used for criminal plots, should it be uncovered there was nothing there to lead back to who used it, or what it had been used for. But perhaps that just showed the professionalism and diligence of the criminals there.
"We have received quite a few 'special requests' lately" one mentioned, with just the tiniest tinge of excitement in her voice. "Especially regarding Ruthil, Azralia, Siymic, Ordon, and Vastria".
"Not Diaboria as well?" a man with an inquisitive tone asked. His voice made his very question feel as if it was five question in one.
"Diaboria has too much competition. Besides, business is always good there, thanks to the number of travelers that pass through it" a younger man said, letting out a sigh as if such an answer was obvious.
"Did the clients ask for all of them to come pristine? There are a few of these I would love to 'sample' before we sell" an unsavory woman mentioned, with clear no good in her voice.
"You sound like the Influence of the Demon King is already getting to you. Do not cost us money" an uptight voice said, as he glared at the woman.
These five were the ones who had gathered in this room in secret, as they discussed their next plans. A number of papers were scattered across the table, as well as some sketches. Some of them clothed, some of them naked. Among the latter were various individuals, including a lot of children. Numbers were written below, the estimated prices they were going to advertise for them. Incidentally, on average the ones with sketches of them naked were priced higher. Because these no good scum could prove and assert that they were "untouched" and therefore deserved a higher price.
Apparently, the more they could confirm about the quality of the 'goods', the easier it was to find buyers. That said, a few had been singled out for another reason.
"These three have had multiple requests made of them, so we may need to hold an auction to see who will be the highest bidder".
They dare not name who they were, but for Kuroki and Riku, it was likely obvious. They had run afoul of Valiance and were staying with Amyris, and so both Valiance and Sebas had dark intentions for them.
As for Juno, certain individuals had requested "lesser beings" to make use of for their pleasure and for venting. It was not the first time these clients had made such a request, nor would it likely be the last either. Their informants had tipped them off about Juno, so they had been monitoring him carefully. But the boy was unnaturally aware, and there was another group after him as well which kept his alertness at full. So far any attempt to even set the stage had failed, and they were clearly better then the average adventurer their rank. At the very least, they were D-Rank rather then F-Rank, but possibly even C-Rank.
Some of their spies, the best of the best, had yet to be detected however, and were even able to complete these sketches. However, there was one mark upon these sketches that gave them away. For the signature authorizing them, instead of a name, was a stamp in the shape of a cherry with a road in the background.
These people were members of Cherry Road, a criminal organization that had sprung up in the Frontier recently. Although still a relatively new organization, they were established within the various frontier cities, and had eyes and assets everywhere. Their network had taken a bit of a hit in recent years when a brat named Ozlo joined the adventurer guild staff in Azralia, but they were still able to operate in that city. They just no longer had access to a corrupt member of the Adventurer's Guild administration there.
They were also aware of the current events that were going on, such as the E-Rank up exam. They had made sure to throw stink on another party as well, so this looked like petty retaliation. The funding from some clients also helped. But in truth, it was just setting the stage for their operation. They wished to kidnap the requested brats while on the exam, hopefully before some other organization got less patient and decided to strike.
As for others, this included Juno as well. The boy was beginning to be a pain, and they were going to cost them more then he was worth if they didn't act quick. And he was worth a lot.
There were also two new potential targets as well. Unlike Juno, Kuroki, and Riku however, only clothed images of them were available. It was a Dog Beastkin and Elf pair with no known connections to the city, yet were quite good looking and would sell for a lot. Low risk, high reward. At least, that was what it should have been. But the two dogs the Dog Beastkin Tamer had with him were always on alert, and often noticed their agents. And the Elf must have been a priest with some level of divine favor, because as much as he experienced misfortune, the three times while he was on his own, misfortune befell the agents that went after him.
Furthermore, it seemed that knights were now patrolling the city more frequently, as well as experienced adventurers. Apparently, a quest for high rankers to patrol the areas near the dark woods had been posted, and it was a perpetual repeating quest, so that meant there were more high ranking adventurers that might decide to step in if they acted too blatently.
"I see I see, so it seems like we might need to actually get a bit active and involved then" the excited lady said. "Personally, I am more interested in the guard for that catboy. I wonder if they are actually secretly from some noble line, or maybe fallen nobles. He looks like he specializes in defense, but I wonder if that is really the case? Fighting him might be interesting".
"Do you realize the level of trouble that would be?" the inquisitive man asked.
"The one we should focus on is obvious. Kuroki is the one with the most potential buyers right now, and the most funding to go after".
"But what about that one brat recently making a name for himself? Lania?"
"I wouldn't mind any of the younger ones, so long as I get to be the one to make them fall into despair" the unsavory woman commented.
"Uhg. Can you just focus on business? In any case, they are scattered in different cities. So I don't see why we have to choose just one. Lets try and get them all with the resources we have in each city, plus a bit extra sent to each, and make a huge profit all at once".
The uptight man suggested something that then got them all into agreement. He wished he had co-workers that were easier to deal with, but they did traffic in people. The demand for kids especially has gone up lately, and it was hard to find normal people who were interested in such work. Especially those who held a passion for it that made them excel like the five of them had. As annoying as the others were, they were also passionate. And that passion motivated them and increased the efficiency and successfulness of their work. A motivated worker would go far.
As such, he had no choice but to endure it in the name of profit. And so the five of them began to get to work.
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At the same time, within the Ivory Tower of a far away city, The Oracle sat upon his bed. Although born a commoner, he was the Oracle, and therefore had an almost ridiculous amount of clothes to wear, even just to sleep in, so he did not lay on his bed or sleep in the nude. Plus, he was thirty years old, so he was not a child anymore and no longer grew anyways, he only looked like one. His burden to bear in exchange for hosting the divine power that made him an Oracle.
He had been pondering the recent shift in predictions and the timeline. He currently did not have all his memories, so he had no idea the full extent of things, but even his current self was someone who could figure enough out.
Is the shift in timelines due to the arrival of a new Demon King? This has never happened in the past after all, so I dont see why it would happen now. Then, is something else going on? Perhaps...a time traveler?
While he pondered such things, he viewed the various timelines. Unlike his Awakened Self, the number of lines he saw was reduced when he checked the Looms of Fate. The golden threads revealed much, but he still felt as if something was hidden. Of course, he had been "questioned" about these changes too, as his masters made sure to pry that information from him when they could. But in the end, they only had as much as his current self did.
His current robes were long, but not as ridiculously long as some of them. They only went to his knees, making it unclear if he was wearing anything else or note. He had taken off his shoes and socks as he was on his bed, and watched as the setting sun. It was a sort of peaceful night, in no small part due to how busy the church was. Especially when they heard a rather famous and influential member was coming here, to see the Oracle personally. Supposedly, she would arrive tomorrow, so the Dark Side of the Church was just as busy, dealing with various background checks and beefing up security. They seemed almost afraid of her, or rather, the risk she could pose.
Perhaps that was why he heard commotion outside right now. It sounded very busy out there, but despite the fact he was basically a slave, he wasn't made to do the work since they had to at least pretend that everything was okay and normal. The Oracle was a public figure after all, and if it was discovered he had been frocibly enslaved for twenty years, both the Church, and especially the Dark Side of the Church, would suffer for it.
That was why, using poor health due to holding in such divine power as an excuse, he was almost never allowed outside the Ivory Tower, and rarely even outside of his room. He got to his feet and walked to the window, placing his hand on it as he gazed upon the city below, and the lands in the distance.
"...how I long for my suffering to come to an end..."
His bitter, melancholy voice was lost to the commotion outside. The window shocked him a bit, a little "warning" from the security system of his room. It was designed to make sure he would never leave this room without permission, no matter what. It would rather kill him even then see him escape.
As he considered all his potential methods, the commotion grew to a point where it was quite blatently outside of his door. The Oracle was incapable of opening the doors himself, so he didn't even bother to approach them. His voice would never make it out of the barrier after all. The door had enough defensive enchantments to stop a highly evolved troll variant from battering it down, so without authorization, it wouldn't budge anyways. He daydreamed a bit that it was someone who had come to rescue him, or to end his life. Either one more preferable then his current situation, even if he did have his own plans set in motion.
And yet, to his shock, the doors were thrown open in a huge show of force. The barriers around the room recoiled a bit, but still remained stable. And yet, the doors were blatantly open, giving The Oracle quite the shock. Within all the time he had been here, not a single person had ever done that before.
And furthermore, he had never seen such a thing happen in any potential futures. In that moment, something was triggered, and his full memories returned to him.
Hmm, what the...wait, what the hell is going on?!
But even with his full memories, this was still an anomaly. These events never occurred in any potential future. The Oracle could only guess as to the reasons these events were hidden from him, as seven figures entered.
The first was a dashing blonde haired boy who appeared to be about eleven or twelve. Even for noble standards, his dress was fancy, and this was his travel armor. He had half plate on, but while it had a few chips and signs of repair, it sparkled brilliantly. The sword as his side was similar, it looked a bit worn but repaired, and made to look as fantastic as when it was first forged. He even wore a cloak, and his sapphire blue eyes radiated with energy.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
The next was a boy who appeared a year or two younger. He wore a dark raincoat, but the Oracle could sense the magic within it. That said, he couldn't learn specifics s it clearly disrupted those who tried to inquire about it. He wore rainboots as well, though they were a bit short and looked like he could possibly kick them off his own feet if he wanted to. He had silver white hair that seemed a bit messy, and sapphire blue eyes as well. His ears also gave him away as a Half-Elf. But furthermore, the Oracle sensed an almost divine presence within him.
Who is he? This presence...a godblade?
He then looked at the two people behind each of those first two. One of them was clearly dressed like a butler, the one behind the price. That said, he was only fourteen years old, and his attire was clearly changed for the shorter weather, with the long pants being shorts and the sleeves being shorter as well. Meanwhile, the other was an older man who looked like it could be the white haired boy's grandfather. The Oracle wasn't sure why he thought of that before father and son, but that just felt right to think, that they were grandpa and grandson. However, he did recognize the person. Sebastian LeCross, the current butler for the head of the LeCross family, who supposedly helped to deal with spies and deal with criminal organizations and enemy agents in secret. Very loyal and connected to the crown. And supposedly, the butlers for the heads of the LeCross family were all loyal and strong.
Its a family that had risen to power in just the last generation or two as well, so there were many secrets and rumors about them.
However, the last three people surprised him most of all.
"I see. Not just a Prince, and representatives for the LeCross family, but even the three heroes summoned to this world. I am honored by such attendence, although I am sorry you had to see me in such a state. We were not expecting anyone to come today".
The Oracle greeted them with grace, making sure to curtsy properly. His collar was already invisible to view by others, another safeguard of it that activated on its own.
"This was an unplanned, impromptu visit by us. You need not worry. Although I am surprised the people here would so boldly stand in the way of a prince".
He was the Fourth Prince of the Ronia Kingdom. Prince Astazia Regaliaz. Known by some as the Heroic Prince.
"Allow me to introduce my companions. My butler, Leoas, and then a representative and his attending grandson, Sebastian and Aruu. Then, of course, the three heroes of our country".
The three heroes seemed a bit shocked when they saw the Oracle. There were two boys and one girl in front of him, but it looked like the girl was the one who typically took charge.
"I thought the Oracle was around thirty?"
"He is. The divine power tends to burn through one's body. He actually got out relatively unscathed by just losing the ability to grow and age" the Prince told her. "In fact, he might be one of the longest lasting Oracles as a result, even if the Church is overly cautious with this one it feels like. It looks like he barely even leaves the room. What is this, a prison?"
The collar discreetly gave him a little buzz at those words, a clear warning to sway him off, or else.
"My small frame makes me weaker than most, and unfortunately it seems like it likely won't change, at least until you defeat the Demon King. They wont let any risk come to me while he is on the loose".
"I see. You have quite a gift with words. I would love to continue this another time, but unfortunately as you said, we must prioritize the Demon King right now".
Wait, what? Does he know? I haven't seen any futures about this though...I wonder if its just the protection the Royal Family gets, but also...
The Oracle looked at Aruu, the boy who radiated the presence of a godblade. If The Oracle was right, this boy might have the power to even go toe to toe with the Black Dog. Possibly even beat him. However, there was another, far more concerning thing.
I can't see his future...at all?!
For some reason, he was entirely incapable of reading Aruu's future. In this room, with these leylines, and under the moonlit sky at that, his powers should have been great. And yet, the boy in front of him...he wasn't even able to get a sense it was being shielded from prying eyes, like the Royal Family. No, it was just one big blank.
I see...he is one of the Hidden. Between his power as a Godblade wielder, and powers as a Hidden, that would explain it. Godblades are always annoying to try and get Oracles for as is, since they are considered equal to my own power.
As both came from Divine Sources, it was as if they canceled each other out. It was not the first time the Oracle had experienced such a thing.
However, he had never once experienced a total blackout before. It just meant resistance or difficulty, or the feeling of hitting a sort of wall. But this was more like a gap, an abyss, one that can't even be looked at. With others he would eventually be able to glimpse something, even just distorted fragments. But for the first time ever, he couldn't see so much as a single image of someone's future.
For the first time, the Oracle honestly could not be sure about anything that could happen here, since he was imprisoned within this room. This room, which was connected to a huge ritual setup that enhanced his powers, which already were more powerful then those of a normal Oracle.
And there was no way the person in front of him didn't know that. This was not something born of accident or coincidence. Their words earlier hinted that they knew of his situation. They likely stormed in here, knowing the Dark Side of the Church would be actively controlling him if it was a normal, scheduled encounter. And they held a power which also prevented him from glimpsing the future of someone entirely, or at least the half-elf did.
Wait, then why did I assume he was one of the Hidden? I see...perhaps only his future is hidden from me, but my Divine Intuition isn't being negated?
In these short few moments, the Oracle realized all of this.
"I take it you came here with the heroes, hoping for a prophecy that will foretell what the Demon King is up to? Or perhaps one to best utilize the powers of the Hero?"
"That is part of it yes, we need knowledge of many fragments of the future. As many as you have, in fact. We would also like to formally ask you to join the Hero's Party to help stop the Demon King as well, since your holy powers are unmatched and you could provide real-time predictions potentially. We also need to ask you about some more...private matters. I am afraid we will need to use a special type of magic to wipe your memories afterwards".
"Memory wiping magic huh?" The Oracle said, as the noose around his neck made it oh so clear he was not to accept any such offers of joining them on their journey.
"Yes. Things that can't be made public, after all. We also want to know of other potential allies to recruit".
The prince seemed to know something major, and even knew the Oracle had his memories checked by the Dark Side of the Church regularly. Naturally, this was against the law of this kingdom, but the Oracle had no way of telling anyone thanks to his collar.
Before their conversation could go on any further however, a few others busted into the room.
"What the hell is going on here?!" the Black Dog barked.
"Why are you all in the Holy Oracle's chamber?!" an important looking man shouted. "He isn't even fully dressed! You didn't even let him put on underwear!"
The Oracle sort of wanted to punch the important looking man in the face, given he was blatantly a pervert. The Oracle's shortest robes, even the casual ones, nearly reached his knees. Most just straight up were too tall for even a 3 meter tall giant, their length to show his prestige and worth, so there was no way in hell anyone could tell that normally.
Apparently the prince didn't notice this. "Oh, how would you know that? His robes are so long, it's impossible to even tell if he is wearing shorts or not, let alone underwear. What a peculiar ability you have to be able to tell that from a glance just now".
While the important looking man became flustered, the Black Dog tensed up a bit. It seems he recognized the cool headed knowledge the blonde haired boy had, yet his gaze often directed towards the white haired boy. Even though he was about ten meters away from the boy, and the boy himself didn't seem to have a visible weapon on him, he was on guard. The Black Dog seemed to sense that he was within the boy's attack range. And he recognized the danger he possessed.
"I am the fourth prince of this kingdom, the Kingdom of Ronia" the blonde haired boy said. The moment he did, the Black Dog and the important looking man both had shock on their faces, but then got on one knee and bowed their head. Even in this situation, they could not ignore being in the presence of royalty.
The Oracle smirked at the Black Dog, who seemed to get even more irritated.
"We simply need an extensive list of all future events that he can get for us, especially regarding the Demon King and allies we can recruit to fight them, and then the eight of us will be on our way to form that party. Having three heroes is either a good omen or a bad one, so we need the best, as well as real time updates about the future. YOu understand all this of course, as it is necessary to protect humanity and defeat the Demon King".
The prince unleashed his words, each one full of confidence and ability. It was obvious he was not joking. Only one hero had ever been summoned in the past, but this time, multiple heroes were summoning by multiple kingdoms. It was unusual, odd, and almost certainly was a herald for a great conflict.
And yet, the two of them realized he meant to take the Oracle. And that was not something they could do. Both belonged to the Dark Side of the Church. They knew if he got out, and somehow found a way out of his collar, or if the collar was found, it would be their heads. After all, what they used was a far more dangerous and painful illegal enslavement collar. With modified and advanced functions as well. The moment it was discovered, and the Oracle freed, all of their heads would go straight to the chopping block. They might even investigate how previous Oracles died, which would be incredibly problematic.
They had never expected the fourth prince to just charge in like this. It was incredibly unlike royal etiquette, but The Black Dog found it hard to bring up a counterpoint too, as the white haired half elf seemed to be giving the slightest of cues that he might attack. All faints of course, but given the danger he sensed from the boy, it was incredibly distracting and unnerving. The grandpa wasn't much better either, and the young butler felt dangerous as well to the Black Dog.
"The Oracle is very sickly! And his powers don't work as well outside of the Ivory Tower, or even his room. I am afraid he cannot make such a journey!"
"I dunno, maybe he just needs more fresh air. He has been cooped up inside all this time after all".
"Hmm. Only a fool actually thinks such nonsense actually has an impact on health. If anything, its full of bacteria, which given his weakened state could just make him sick, or worse".
The important looking man seemed to be biting back, unaware of the danger that Aruu possessed. Either way, a crowd was beginning to form, and they were starting to hear things. Many of them not being connected to the Dark Side of the Church, which meant the Black Dog and the Important man had to be careful with what they did.
"And yet, staying in here, away from everyone, doesn't seem to be helping either. If anything, it only seems to be hurting".
"And you overstep your bounds, my prince. The Oracle is under the sole care of the Church. Your own laws clearly state a division between Church and State".
The important looking man wasn't just there for show. The Black Dog was happy for this, even if he couldn't actually remember the guy's name right now. Still, their opponent was a prince, and someone who was extremely dangerous. They needed to tread carefully.
The Heroes meanwhile looked a bit unsure of what was going on. They had ended up taking a backseat to all this, but it was clear to them that there was tension between them.
The prince was sure that there might be some trouble, but what is this? Are they fighting over The Oracle? And why...why do I see those here?
When she turned around, she could see them. Countless chains within the room, though apparently visible only to her. They were translucent, and everyone seemed able to walk right through them. But when the Oracle moved, they moved out of his way or with him. They seemed to all eventually lead back to his wrists, ankles, and neck. Especially the neck, it was as if he had a noose made of chains, with so many of them wrapped together and merging into one another.
She could tell something was abnormal here. Something strange and wrong. And it looked to her like The Oracle was more of a prisoner here then in their care. The room itself gave her the impression of being a gilded cage. Everything he could want was in this room. He even had his own bath, something most people in the world did not have. And that was despite this room being near the top, meaning they had paid hundreds of gold coins just to have it so he could bathe without leaving his room. It wasn't even a basin bath but a proper marble tub bath too.
And yet, in the corner of her eye, she swore she saw the tiniest of cracks.
She then looked at the Black Dog. The Oracle seemed to smirk ever so slightly when he saw him forced to bow and be humble, which probably spoke a great deal of their relationship. Neither did anything overt though, and the Oracle never said a word.
No, perhaps he is under some sort of spell that prevents him from saying anything about his situation.
Considering that, she felt like they had entered a rather dangerous situation. If they were not careful, they might end up getting burned bad.
Still, it appeared that all this time on their home turf wasn't exactly the best idea, as more people came. They wore armor, had swords at their waist, and had the holy symbol of the Church engraved upon their armor.
"Come now Prince, you know you can't do this" the leader smugly said as she walked forward. "The Oracle must be cared for here. We will accomodate you in any other way we can, as we too seek the defeat of the Demon King, but please be reasonable".
The moment he said that, a smile flashed across the Prince's face and light sparked in his eyes.
"Then we will just need some private time with him to talk out all the details regarding confidential matters, since we cant risk them leaking after all. There, we have an agreement".
The moment that was said, the commander seemed to hesitate for a moment, reflecting upon her words. She realized instantly that this had been his true aim from the start. He knew they would never let them take the Oracle, so instead he forced them to say those words.
Shit, he got us good. I can't just take back what I said either. I mentioned the Demon King to show our devotion and direct him towards more serious matters then fighting with us, but he was looking exactly for that. This fourth prince, the rumors were really true then. He is a negotiating prodigy. Perhaps the rumors of him forcing the Empire into taking a deal where they clearly did not come out on top were true then.
"Come everyone, we must leave them to their private talk, so that the Oracle can get an extensive rest sooner" she said. The Black Dog looked annoyed, but he relented. He knew this was the best way they could end things at this time, since they were absolutely unprepared for them and didn't have the people, or the forces, necessary to cover this up using darker schemes.
Still, the way that deal was made was quite shady.
How did the Prince know exactly when the Crusaders would show up and what they would say?
It seemed like this group would be made of those who they would need to be wary of. The Prince, and Aruu. What shady deal did they make? Why did such a powerhouse come here? And how did they go unnoticed by everyone?
These were all questions he would need to have answered, especially to avoid the Oracle being taken from them in the future.
It seemed that there was a lot of information he was going to have to hunt down.