CH 101

Boom! Thud!

Glasses were the first to shatter and chairs toppled over.

“Argh!”

“Aaahhrgh!”

Next, people who were caught off guard fell.

“Why is it shaking again? What about the protective spell on the palace?”

“Madam, be careful!”

“He fell and hurt himself badly. Someone help him!”

“His Majesty, we must protect the Emperor!”

The Grand Hall quickly became an abyss.

“Can you really save us, this world?”

The High Priest continued, his voice trembling.

‘I knew it, you’re asking me to save the world after all.’

If you’re planning to say it, at least say it properly. You’re making people frustrated.

“Kuk……….”

“Are you okay?”

At that moment, the High Priest bent over, clutching his chest.

Before I could do anything, Argention was there to support him.

After a moment, the High Priest raised his head and his face was pale.

His eyes were closed and his body was limp as if he had lost consciousness.

“High Priest, come to your senses.”

“Kuluk!”

After a moment, he coughed loudly and opened his eyes.

“Are you alright? Even if you are old, shouldn’t you have a long life ahead of you?”

“I like the way you talk. I should live long enough to talk to you.”

“Then why are you here in such poor health?”

“I am in the best of health.”

The high priest who had been talking to Argention stared at me.

“This is my punishment for daring to reveal what the gods have not authorized.”

“What’s that……….”

“I thought he’d pretend he didn’t hear me if I whispered it over the din, but the god Helios is indeed a just man.”

Thump! Thud!

Before the High Priest could finish, a loud vibration rose from the floor again.

“Alas, time is running out………….”

The High Priest took a few shaky steps toward me.

Then he whispered so only I could hear.

“The future that the god Helios has shown me has never been wrong. If there was one exception, it was you, Miss Roselina.”

“That’s it………….”

Because I have changed my destiny.

Hearing the High Priest’s words, I nodded absentmindedly for a moment, almost retorting.

“Is that it?”

“Nothing, I’m just rambling, go ahead.” (High Priest)

“I usually receive prophecies through dreams. Not long ago, I dreamed of countless lives returning to God’s side.” (High Priest)

Finally, he got to the point.

I narrowed my eyes and listened to the High Priest.

“Tragedy has struck beyond the will of the gods, and I have despaired and grieved over the prophecies. It was a tragedy that I could not change, no matter what I did.”

“Is this the place where it happened?”

“Yes, this is the place, and I saw you standing here.”

The High Priest’s eyes bore into mine.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“By any chance, in that prophecy………… what happened to my father and brother?”

“They were the first to return to the arms of god.”

‘Oh………….?’

That’s what I saw in the Preview of the Catastrophe skill.

I narrowed my eyes at the High Priest’s answer.

But it was only for a moment, and I looked up at him again.

‘If I make a mistake today, I will lose my father and Leodor.’

So I have to be as clear-headed and calm as anyone.

“I thought that would be sad for you, too, so I’ve come to ask you to make the prophecy………… to change the future.” (High Priest)

“It’s the right thing to do, even if the High Priestess didn’t ask me to do it.” (Roselina)

“However, there is a caveat………… ugh!” (High Priest)

The High Priest grabbed his chest again and staggered.

This time, Argention was one step ahead of me, supporting the High Priest.

“High Priest, are you okay?”

“No …………… he has already passed out.”

[A special quest has occurred. Would you like to confirm?]

Just then, a notification popped up.

“A special quest?”

I had never seen one before, so I quickly accepted.

[Save the life of the High Priest!

Enoch Joffrey has violated his duties as a High Priest and has leaked information.

This is a grave offense for which he deserves to die.

But the merciful god Helios wants to give his faithful servant, High Priest Enoch Joffrey, one more chance.

High Priest Enoch Joffrey’s life depends on what you do.

Prevent a tragedy from befalling the palace, and save his life!

-Conditions: Stop the catastrophe the way the High Priest wants.

-Reward: The survival of High Priest Enoch Joffrey, the enthusiastic support of all the temples established on the continent.

‘Ugh. What’s all this?’

I frowned and stared at the quest.

‘What the High Priest wants… how am I supposed to know?’

The High Priest who’s supposed to tell me has passed out.

Besides, the reward wasn’t exactly appealing.

‘The enthusiastic support of every temple on the continent? Where do I use this? They’ll be a pain in the ass to deal with.’

If I get the endorsement of the temple, I’ll be able to take the Saint route.

I had no intention of becoming a saint.

‘I’m related to an ancient witch, so becoming a saint would be ridiculous.’

I was tempted to decline the quest, but the condition of the High Priest’s survival bothered me.

‘He’s a sly old man, but I feel bad for him.’

It’s a job I’m going to do anyway, so if it saves the life of someone I’ve never even spoken to before, it’s a good thing.

I accepted the quest with a grimace.

Kwaaang! Zzzzzzzz!

As if on cue, the floor of the Grand Hall began to crack.

“What the hell is going on?”

“An earthquake in the Imperial Palace! Has the god Helios abandoned us?”

“High Priest, where is the High Priest?”

“Master of the Magic Tower, help us!”

Kwaaaaaaah!

The people who had been screaming in the midst of the chaos suddenly fell silent.

A bizarre wail, the likes of which I had never heard before, came from the cracks.

“What is this, what is this? Did I hear it wrong?”

“You must be mistaken. There’s no way a monster can be heard from the bottom of the imperial palace…………”

“Haha, yes, you must have heard it wrong!”

If so many people heard it at the same time, they must have heard it right.

But faced with fear for the first time in their lives, they had a mental breakdown.

But it was short-lived.

Thump! Thump!

Thud!

The head of a giant demon appeared through a crack in the floor of the Grand Hall.

It was indescribably terrifying.

“Oh. My God…………….”

“My God, is what I’m seeing really in front of me true?”

“I’m not sure, is this just a dream?”

“If I had known this was going to happen today, I would have spent a fortune……………”

Amidst the cries of terror, the creature gradually emerged.

It clutched at the ground, flexing and extending its arms, leaping on the recoil.

Thud!

The creature landed with a sound that was light for its massive size.

Its head almost touched the chandelier.

Kwaaaaaaah!

It let out a long roar.

The terrified people froze, unable to run away.

‘No matter how you look at it, it’s not like a normal demon.’

I observed the beast carefully.

It was markedly different from the beasts I’d seen in the imperial hunting grounds.

‘There’s something I need to do before I can deal with it.’

I turned to Argention, who was assisting the High Priest.

“Argention, I have a favor to ask.”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“You made a shield out of the aether before. Can you do it again?”

“To protect the people? I’d rather deal with the demon before it gets to them.”

Argention blinked at me.

“What? You have a similar mindset to mine.”

But right now, I had more important things to do than deal with the demon.

‘I must protect my father and Leodor.’

To change the future, I have to do something I hadn’t done before.

Asking Argention for help was one of them.

“Suppose we improve the image of Palesdon in the meantime?”

I blurted out something to convince Argention, and his eyes widened.

Aah.

“Even at a moment like this, you only think of me.” (Argention)

“What?” (Roselina)

“It’s nothing.” (Argention)

I thought Argention muttered something, but I couldn’t hear it over the howling of the creature.

But I could make out his answer.

A transparent membrane swirled around me, spreading out into the Great Hall.

“Thank you.”

Seeing that the etheric shield had enveloped my father and Leodor, I approached the creature.

[Do you wish to activate the skill ?]

‘Yes. I’ll take all the buffs I can get.’

I pulled out the slingshot from my inventory and gripped it tightly.

In the meantime, the people had come to their senses, and the palace knights, led by the Emperor, had surrounded the creature.

‘But it won’t do any good.’

If their attack had worked, the High Priest wouldn’t have come this far.

“Stand back, it’s dangerous!”

I shouted, opening my skill window.

[Skill  is activated!]

-Calix. Take the people surrounding the demon.

-Rose, where are you? We need to avoid it first…………

-That way we can prevent casualties. Hurry!

But the next moment.

Kwahhhhhhhhhh!

The monster roared wildly, and the knights were knocked off their feet.

It seemed that none of them were killed thanks to the etheric shield that Argention had put up.

“Fall back! Fall back!”

I jumped in front of the creature to prevent casualties.

“Roselina!”

“Rose!”

I could hear voices calling to me from behind, but I couldn’t be bothered.

Krrrrr~

The giant demon looked at me, drooling.

And then.

“Huh?”