I immediately teleported back to my clearing in the forest. While I had saved her life, she was still a [Godly Emissary], and one I didn’t know. If she was there, Sylvia might be too. Without the sunlight, her abilities wouldn’t be as devastating, but if she could cancel [Authority], she would be able to prevent me from teleporting away. It was safer not to engage at all. I would be missing out on Anatoly’s information, but I didn’t really need it. I would be fine on my own.
“Hello,” said a voice to my right, interrupting my train of thought.
I barely stopped myself from jumping when I looked over to see Patience sitting down on one of the more cleanly cut stumps and smiling at me. I almost teleported away again, but something about the look on her face stopped me. I did a quick scan of my surroundings with my senses, detecting nothing. Not trusting that, I cast [Dispel] in a sphere around me to cover the entire clearing. There was still nothing.
“I am alone, and I mean you no harm,” said Patience. “I have no intention of betraying the one who saved my life.”
“What do you want?” I asked. “How did you know I would be here? And how did you talk in my head from so far away?”
“I would be happy to answer all of those questions, but I’m afraid I’m still weak from my time in prison, and this stump isn’t exactly comfortable. Would you mind if we changed locations?”
I took a more thorough look at the woman before me. While she was in slightly better shape than she had been when Lust was carrying her, she was still incredibly thin, and though she tried to hide it, her hands were trembling lightly in their place on her lap. She didn’t seem to be lying, so I acquiesced.
“Where?” I asked.
She did not respond, simply gesturing to the side as a pitch-black portal appeared. I leapt backwards and shielded myself, preparing to attack whatever came through, only to be surprised at the figure that emerged from the darkness.
“Lucy!” said Anatoly. “Good to see you again! Care to come inside?”
“...Alright,” I said.
A minute later, we were in a cozy sitting above the main bookstore with four armchairs and a small table between them. Patience was now reclining in one chair, and Anatoly was pouring two cups of tea, and a third full of what seemed to be blood, though not elf blood by the smell. He set the cups down leaned back into his own chair, sipping his tea with a satisfied expression.
“So,-” I started.
“I can see the future,” said Patience. “That’s how I knew were you were going to be, and is also the reason I wish to speak with you. As for the long range telepathy, it’s just one of my divine skills. It’s only one-way, unfortunately, but it’s been useful.”
“...I see,” I replied. “What do you mean you see the future? Like you get prophecies? Or you can just look into the future whenever you want? Or-”
“My skill’s name is called [Laplace’s Angel],” she said. “I believe that should have some meaning to you.”
“Yes…” I said slowly. “But-”
“You’re right, it’s not possible,” she interrupted. “It’s imperfect, and frustratingly so. Oh, and don’t worry, I’ll stop interrupting you now.”
I closed my mouth, having been about to mention that very issue.
“Unlike its demonic counterpart which looks at physical objects, [Laplace’s Angel] looks at living creatures,” she continued. “This unfortunately means that inanimate things like the weather can throw off my predictions. More often than not though, those types of things don’t affect anything beyond the precise times at which events occur, which is rarely too important. More infuriating than those mild inconsistencies though is that my skill doesn’t take itself into account. By that I mean that anytime I act on what I’ve seen, the future changes drastically in ways I never imagined, and I need to re-evaluate everything.”
“The butterfly effect,” I muttered.
“Precisely,” she responded.
“Then why are you telling me all this?” I asked. “Isn’t the future changing more and more with every word you say?”
“No,” she said. “Because I planned to tell you this. Even if [Laplace’s Angel] for some reason stopped working, I would still be having this very same conversation with you. I resolved myself to do this, and therefore these actions have already been accounted for, and do not change anything.”
“That’s- That sounds like cheating,” I said.
She grimaced. “I wish it were as simple as it sounded. It took nearly the entire year I was imprisoned to get to this point. And if I stray from the plan I’ve made, everything will change, which is not ideal, because the future I see at the moment is one I would very much like to see come into fruition.”
“And I assume I’m not allowed to ask what that future is,”
“You will win,” she said. “You will win and get your wish. After much trial and error, I’ve discovered that your victory is the most ideal, so every action I am taking now is working to ensure it.”
“Unless I get struck by a stray lightning bolt in a natural storm,” I said with a smirk.
She smiled. “Yes, unless that happens.”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“I’d offer to speak under the influence of a Truth Orb, but between your own ability, and your experience with Greed, I don’t think you would trust it.”
“No, probably not,” I said.
“For what it’s worth, I trust her,” said Anatoly. “And what I said back in the prison was not a lie. I am on your side, and I would be, even without Angelina’s input. By the way, you should drink up. Blood dries rather quickly, and it would be a shame to let such a fine vintage go bad.”
I grabbed my previously untouched cup and took a tentative sip. It was indeed a fine vintage. It had a strong flavor that I thought reminded me a bit of bacon, though that might just have been because bacon was the only human food I had eaten recently.
“It’s good,” I said. “Ancient though, I guess, since I didn’t get a notification.”
“Correct,” he said, smiling. “In addition to keeping vials of my own blood to sell, I also have a few vials of other blood in case I had to host vampire guests. That particular blood came from a powerful beastman warrior of the boar tribe.”
“Huh,” I said. I guess I hadn’t been imagining the taste of bacon.
“I have quite a few more containers full of good blood, and another vial of my own. Remind me to give them to you before you leave.”
“Will do,” I said before taking another sip. “But back to business, is there anything else you can tell me about the future?”
“Lust’s arm is gone for good,” said Angelina. “But the rest of him is perfectly fine. Unfortunately, this won’t have much of an effect on his threat level, but you’ll be able to overcome him. I can also tell you where you should go next to get stronger. Finding that out was the reason you came here in the first place.”
“It was, yes. Where do you recommend I go?”
“Go to the Western Continent. Seek out the Baek Clan. You will know what to do when you get there.”
I nodded. “Anything else?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “However, I would like to request a favor from you.”
“What is it?”
“Escort me through Rio Azul so that I may speak with Wrath and fulfill the deal I offered when you rescued me.”
“I suppose… but why me?” I asked. “I get that it’s probably some weird future thing, but why can’t you have Anatoly or Natalya take you?”
“Because I want you to see him,” she said. “You should know what you’re up against. Wrath is by far the strongest of the Sins at the moment. Seeing him will give you a more solid goal for you to aspire toward. Don’t bother trying to use your railgun on him. He cannot be killed.”
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“What do you mean when you say he can’t be killed?”
“Even if he is reduced to ashes, he will regenerate. And his regeneration is a divine skill, and therefore not dependent on mana, so it never runs out.”
“Then how am I supposed to defeat him?” I demanded.
“You can’t,” she said simply. “Don’t even bother trying. Your friend Sylvia would be able to stop his regeneration, but even then it would be difficult. I estimate that he has gained approximately 60 levels since becoming a Demon King, and you know very well what that says about his stats. Even without his regeneration, he would be an unbeatable foe. But you do not need to worry about him. I will make sure of that.”
“...I don’t like that answer,” I said.
“I know, but you’ll have to live with it,” she said. “We should get moving soon. The time is near.”
“So soon?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied. “We need to be back on that hill within the next five minutes.”
“I will open a portal there for you,” said Anatoly. “I know that you’d rather not make such a long portal so soon before seeing the strongest Demon King.”
“Thank you,” said Patience. “Once we are there, Lucy, you will need to escort me to the castle. You won’t follow me all the way, but your [Astral Projection] will.”
I frowned as a thought occurred to me. “How do I know you’re not working for Wrath, and that you’re not just delivering me to him?”
“You don’t,” she said. “You don’t have to trust me either. You’ll come along anyways, since you’re confident you can escape if I betray you.”
“I don’t like this,” I said.
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “No one likes it when their future is all planned out. Especially not you.”
“Yeah, I don’t,” I agreed. “I don’t like being manipulated.”
“I don’t like manipulating people either, but this is the best way to save innocent lives.”
There wasn’t anything I could say to refute that, so I just glared at her in silence. Her being able to see the future didn’t bother me that much. I wasn’t so insecure that I thought that someone else knowing what I was going to do meant I didn’t have free will. What was pissing me off was that she was using her knowledge of the future to manipulate me. And there wasn’t anything I could do about it. No matter how I chose to react, she would have already taken it into account. And of course, her skill had taken that thought process into account to determine that I wouldn’t attack her.
I would, of course, go with her to see Wrath. I was curious to see how strong he was, and, as she said, with [Authority], I was no longer worried about being trapped. It was technically possible for Sylvia to be waiting on the other side of the portal, and that I would just get captured again, but I figured that the odds of that were low enough it wasn’t worth considering.
My main problem would be what came after that. What was she planning on doing to Wrath? What would she do afterward? She told me to go to the Western Continent, but she didn’t tell me exactly when. Depending on what she did to Wrath, I might want to stay here a bit longer. Maybe I could make her my Thrall. At that moment, I made up my mind to do just that. She probably already knew it was coming, and possibly already had a plan to prevent it, but even so, if she was telling the truth about still supporting me, then it wasn’t a big deal.
“Almost time to go,” said Anatoly.
With a long groan, Angelina slowly pulled herself up from her slouched position, and very shakily, she stood up.
“Are you going to be able to make it there in your condition?” I asked.
“That’s why you’ll be coming with me,” she said. “I’ll need a bit of assistance walking.”
“...Fine. Let’s just get going then.”
Anatoly looked at Angelina, and after receiving a nod of confirmation, he started forming the portal.
“Stop by again before you head to the West,” he said while the void beside him expanded. “I have a few things for you, and that blood.”
“I will,” I said. “See you in a bit.”
The portal dropped us off in almost the exact same spot that I had encountered Lust and Patience two days prior. Patience was a step behind me, and when she stepped out, she closed her eyes and took a long breath, swaying slightly in the wind. When she finally opened her eyes, she looked at me, her unwavering brown eyes contrasting her frail body.
“Let’s go,” she said.
I didn’t bother waiting for her to attempt to stumble her way down the mountain, instead picking her up with [Telekinesis] and flying down. When we got nearer to the city, I activated [Greater Invisibility] for both of us and we flew over the lightly guarded walls without issue. As we drew nearer to the great castle in the center that straddled the river for which the city was named, Angelina reached out and gently tapped my shoulder.
Let’s get back to the ground, she sent.
We were still a fair distance out, but I did as she requested, assuming she had some sort of reason. I aimed for an empty alleyway, and double checked my surroundings before setting us down.
Disable the invisibility, she said. And there’s no need for a disguise. No one here will recognize you.
“Why did we stop so far out?” I asked as our forms popped back into existence.
“Go see for yourself,” she replied. “Walk toward the keep for a bit. I’ll wait here for you to return.”
I eyed her suspiciously, but walked out of the alleyway anyway. At first, I didn’t notice anything. The city seemed normal; maybe a bit dirty, but overall, nothing was amiss. However, when I got within a few hundred feet of the walls of the castle, I froze as I felt the familiar tingle of aura pass over me. It was an aura user’s [Sphere of Influence], and it was enormous. It was cleary coming from the direction of the castle, but there was no one in sight who could be using the skill, which meant it had to have been coming from inside. Even if they were just inside the wall, the radius of their sphere was nearly the size of the Fist God Casimir’s but if it was as I suspected, and this was Wrath’s, it would be coming from the center, which was much further in.
I turned around and walked back out, hoping that the rival Demon King hadn’t noticed. With such a large area, he had to have hundreds, if not thousands within, so he probably wouldn’t have, but the mere possibility added a great weight to my shoulders that made me want to vacate the city as soon as possible.
“That’s insane,” I said when I returned to Patience. “How are you going to stop that?”
“Very insane,” she said, ignoring my question. “Now, cast your spell, so that we may go in.”
“...Stop doing that,” I said.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “That will be the last time.”
My [Astral Projection] skill was not a true astral projection. I’m not actually sure why the System decided to call it that. It was essentially just a combination of illusion and space magic that let me make a false body of wind and light that I could manipulate over great distances. It was perfect for scouting dangerous places, but I hadn’t had much chance to use it since my lower level days Dungeon diving with Natalya’s supervision. I was glad I had it now though, because I didn’t want to get too close to whatever monster was creating that [Sphere of Influence]. He might be able to move faster than I could react, rendering [Authority] useless.
After casting the spell, I immediately became invisible again and flew outside of the city while my double kept Angelina company. She did not move until I had sat down and started actively controlling my projection.
“Let us go,” she said.
Using [Astral Projection] as a beacon, I cast [Telekinesis] and [Greater Invisibility] on the frail woman once again. It would not be effective against the [Sphere of Influence], as my aura control was too weak to counter it, but it would let us bypass the guards, and since Patience didn’t object, it seemed that it would be mostly safe from the king as well.
Go there, said Angelina, pointing to a garden on the right.
There was only one person in the garden; a tan young man in rich, but simple clothing whose eyes followed us as if the invisibility spell was nonexistent. He stood in front of a large mausoleum covered in flowers, and there was dirt on his knees. He had a sword at his hip, but he did not draw it, instead just watching as we descended and landed in front of him. I dispelled the spell, and he was not at all surprised when we suddenly appeared before him.
“I thought you escaped,” he said, scowling. “What are you doing back here? And who are you? An enemy, judging by the fact that you won’t meet me in person.”
“I’ve come to congratulate you on your victory,” said Angelina with a smile.
“Cut the bullshit,” he snapped. “Why are you really here? Tell me the truth or you’ll lose more than just your tongue this time.”
The smile melted from her face. “Give up,” she said. “Even if you win, your wish is impossible.”
“What the hell are you-?” he started
“Bringing back the dead is not possible, even for the gods,” said Angelina loudly.
“You’re lying,” he said angrily. “Wrath told me he would personally make sure it happened if I won.”
“He lied. He can bring back their bodies, but their souls have moved on. Even if he forcibly brought them back, they would no longer be the same people that you once knew.”
“Shut up!” he shouted. “You have no idea what you’re talking about!”
“You know it’s true,” said Angelina. “You know what I can do. I’ve seen it happen.”
“You’re lying!” he screamed. “You’re just trying to make me give up.”
“I am trying to make you give up, but that does not mean it is not true,” she replied. “Continuing to seek out this futile dream will only result in pain and destruction for all. If you wish to live a happy life, you need to let go.”
“I won’t fall for your lies,” said Wrath, drawing his sword. “Get on your knees and beg for forgiveness and I’ll spare your life.” He pointed the sword at my projection. “You too. Get your real self over here. Don’t make me come find you.”
“Hell no,” I said through my illusion.
He glared at my face for a few seconds. “I’ve memorized your face. If I ever see it again, I will kill you without hesitation.”
“You can try,” I said.
And try he did. He swung his sword too quickly for me to see, and suddenly, I was back in my own body, my projection gone. It did not hurt in the slightest, but it did take away my eyes on the situation. I immediately recast the spell and sent it flying at full speed back toward the castle. Angelina had probably planned this. She didn’t want me to see whatever secret skill she was going to use to take care of the unkillable man. If that were the case, then my new projection still wouldn’t make it in time, but I might still arrive soon enough to extract her and bring her back to me.
Less than a minute later, I arrived back within the city, and not long after that, I was once again overlooking the castle. I didn’t bother with the invisibility this time, drawing shouts of alarm from the guards nearby, but I didn’t care. I needed to get to Angelina before she got away.
My projection zipped over the castle and descended on the garden just in time to see a flash of silver as Wrath swung his sword and Patience’s head went flying.