------------------
[Translator - Tangrine ]
[Proofreader - Seeker ]
------------------
Chapter - 12: Traveler from Another Dimension
-“The first daughter of Libra discerns truth, the second sees the future, and the third reads minds.”
When did it begin? When did all the prophets of the Pantheon fall silent?
The second daughter of Libra, who once plucked out her own eyes to see the future.
The Corvus, who prophesied the coming of heroes.
Even the Hospice, who foresaw the end of the dying by foreseeing their lifespan.
None of them spoke again.
The second daughter collapsed after seven days and nights of silent prayer.
The Corvus threw themselves against the rocks in mass suicide.
The Hospice closed the church and vanished.
The future had shut itself.
That’s what some at the Pantheon whispered.
No longer would humans be granted the ability to foresee what lies ahead.
That’s what many priests, priestesses, and heroes came to believe.
But the truth was far more horrifying.
-“Out of mere curiosity, I read the thoughts of the second daughter. It was a very reckless thing to do."
I read her mind.
And I came to regret glimpsing a future I was never meant to see.
The world will end.
As if all the prosperity painstakingly built over the ages had been a lie.
It will collapse in an instant.
It’s as if the world itself has set an expiration date for humanity.
And it brings about that end with malice and precision.
What prophet could ever bear to reveal such a fate?
It’s a truth one couldn’t speak aloud, even to oneself.
Because the moment the future becomes known, despair would spread.
And that alone would be another form of destruction.
-“A revelation came down upon the Temple of Libra. A divine message that the mark of a hero has been found.”
What hero could prevent such a doomed future?
The world had already been determined to collapse so cruelly.
However, one cannot simply ignore a revelation from the gods.
A hero headed into the forest. He found a blind girl in the forest and brought her to the temple.
And the moment I heard her name.
I realized that there was still hope left in this world.
-“Priscilla. The witch destined to end the world came to the temple… having lost all her powers.”
It was strange.
In the future I had stolen a glimpse of, this was never a possibility.
Her fate had always been to be slain by a hero of ‘justice’ who could not ignore evil and destroy the world.
I spied on the witch's thoughts.
This time, not out of curiosity but responsibility.
If I could discover why her fate had changed, perhaps the destined destruction could be changed as well.
The only name of hope that was glimpsed in the witch's mind was──.
-"Gigachad."
It was Gigachad.
-“She believes that the one who invited her to this temple was someone named Gigachad.”
An anomalous entity that never appeared in any version of the future.
It wasn’t difficult to infer that this being had forged the ‘revelation’.
If it were truly a malicious force, then perhaps a new kind of destruction had entered our world.
The God of Libra is generous to those who arrive at understanding on their own.
Soon after, a new revelation came to me.
-“The revelation was… about you?”
-“Yes, that’s correct.”
-“I thought the God of Libra had chosen silence.”
-“Had you not changed the future, that would’ve remained true.”
-“Well, fair enough. It all worked out in the end.”
-“Thank you for understanding.”
The traveler from another dimension, who had heard the explanation up to that point, turned to look out the window of the carriage as if he had lost interest.
The carriage jolted.
A silence settled inside as it made its way toward the temple.
Everyone inside had begun to doze off, nodding in slumber.
‘...’
As I explained everything to the traveler who had come to save this world.
I chose to conceal one truth.
The God of Libra intends to appoint Priscilla as the next priestess of Libra.
'Poor Priscilla. I hope you will one day open your eyes to the truth. I hope you will not regret or blame yourself for the future that has now disappeared.'
The God of Libra takes away one thing and grants another.
Those who are most blind often come to see the clearest.
Perhaps… our traveler from another dimension will find himself in a troubling situation.
She has an excessive affection and obsession with the hallucination called 'Gigachad'.
If she finds out the truth, she will definitely cling to the traveler.
‘I only hope you will not think poorly of her.’
Yes, I’m sorry I kept the truth from you…but my god is fair above all things.
It was you who changed Priscilla’s fate. You pretend that you’re afraid of failing again.
You tell yourself, ‘Only I can change my own future.’ But the truth is, you are still the world’s orchestrator.
You were the one who saved the world. The one who saved Priscilla.
You took pity on her who would live as a blind person, and you guided her to the temple.
You need to face yourself, not just her. So, when everything is over.
When the end of this world can finally be described with the phrase, ‘and they lived happily ever after’.
I hope that you may reach a rightful and happy ending.
‘May the fairness of Libra be with you.’
=======
“My lord. We’ve arrived at the Temple of Libra.”
“Yaaawn…. We’re already here?”
Sleeping in the carriage left my whole body stiff.
My back hurt, and my rear even more.
The priestess of Libra, who had stepped out ahead of me, scanned the area with practiced caution and then escorted me.
She was doing her hero’s role quite dutifully.
‘Come to think of it, she never did explain why she was cross-dressing.’
-“Too many people know my face as a priestess. If they see someone with similar features but male, they’re unlikely to suspect anything.”
-“Ahh, I see.”
Honestly, I had assumed it was just some perverted hobby, like sneaking into men’s restrooms or locker rooms.
It's not like you've only tried cross-dressing once or twice.
“……”
“You used the men’s facilities, didn’t you?”
“I only used them because I had to, being in disguise. You can read my thoughts, so you know
I’m not lying.”
“So? Did you look?”
“I had no indecent thoughts whatsoever.”
“So you did look. You looked.”
A crossdressing pervert priestess of Libra… The temple’s future looked bleak.
She seemed like she wanted to argue in her head but I had turned off the telepathy.
Her ability was mind-reading, not actual two-way telepathy.
“……”
“Hero of Libra. Where shall we go now? I’m eager to inform the great gods of Libra that I have inherited the divine name of ‘Nosferatu.’”
“Sigh… New oath rituals are held in the sanctuary. I’ll guide you there.”
“I am most grateful, Hero of Libra.”
“…Please, stop mocking me.”
“Huh? I’m not sure what you mean.”
I was the only one who knew about her mind-reading ability.
In other words, I could harass her without risk of being sued.
I was just thinking about things.
That’s all. Just thoughts.
“……”
“Ha ha, the Hero of Libra is quite the silent type.”
Ahh… This is oddly addictive.
So this is the weakness of telepaths—mental harassment.
“…If you’re not careful with your thoughts, you’ll regret it someday.”
“Thank you for the wise words. I always try to be mindful not to sin in thought, word, or deed, so there’s no need to worry too much about me.”
We walked in silence through the temple for a long while.
It was a magnificent space worthy of the name of the temple of the gods, with ancient and magnificent pillars that you would see at a Greek ruin, depicting scenes from mythology, and even a giant statue of a god.
Between the pillars, many heroes and priests were running around busily.
What stood out most was the number of them who bore disabilities—an eye missing, a single arm, one leg.
It felt as if every disabled person across the continent had gathered here.
“The god of Libra is fair, but that doesn’t mean everyone is granted the same power.”
Priestess starts explaining.
“What one receives depends on the meaning they place in their loss.”
“A painter who’s lost their right arm will be granted something different from a swordsman who’s lost the same.”
“Even a left-handed person’s right hand and a right-handed person’s right hand are not the same.”
It was a surprisingly thought-provoking idea.
My gaze drifted to Priscilla, who had been silent ever since our initial greeting, quietly trailing behind the priestess.
Having relinquished all her power as a great witch, I wondered what kind of divine gift she would be granted now.
Just as I was about to ask using telepathy, the priestess spoke first.
“We’ve arrived. This is the chapel where the new oath is to be made.”
“The stained glass is beautiful.”
“The officiating priest is already waiting. Please do not behave irreverently before the gods.”
“Naturally.”
The priestess looked at me with barely hidden anxiety.
But I was confident. I wouldn’t do anything inappropriate.
------------------
[Translator - Tangrine ]
[Proofreader - Seeker ]
------------------
