“Prophet, huh……”I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the letter.The interactions within The Saga of Mirielin were never identical even if you played through multiple runs.According to Mir Corp., the developer of the game, each NPC had ultra-high-performance AI and randomization applied so that every playthrough would feel new and unpredictable.And from my own experience, that was true — except for the basic main storyline and key sub-quests, small divergences always appeared.The “prophet” case was the most extreme example.In some runs, the prophet’s existence appeared only as a rumor. In others, there wasn’t even a trace of such a person.Finding that strange, I tried all sorts of tests to uncover the prophet’s true identity — but in the end, I failed.And now, through this unexpected chance, I’d finally caught the thread.I turned the letter over in my hand and nodded slowly.‘I can roughly guess what’s going on.’Prophet Joshua.She spread the “revelations” she received to the world through the novels she wrote. But because she had been born with an incurable disease, she likely didn’t live long.And in-game, her lifespan was controlled by RNG — different every run.In some runs, she would live a long time, her prophetic novels spreading far and wide. In others, her illness would worsen, and she would die much earlier.That’s why depending on the playthrough, rumors of her might or might not reach the player’s ears.And what mattered right now was that she was almost cured.I finished thinking and tucked the letter inside my jacket.“I’ll read it later.”From my gameplay experience, Joshua’s prophecies were absolute.Not the kind of prediction that could be right or wrong — every one of them always came true.Perhaps that was only natural.‘Her lifespan and the prophecies born from it were themselves proof — the very mechanism that fixed the RNG of each run.’In other words, Prophet Joshua was the anchor that stabilized a given world line’s randomness.Anyway—‘In this situation, which has already diverged from the original progression of The Saga of Mirielin, Joshua’s prophecies will be invaluable.’Someday I’ll make time to visit the Izelin Kingdom myself, or wait until she enrolls in the Union, and then meet her in person.When I took the letter, Josefin smiled contentedly.“Yes, my sister will be pleased. If you have time, please write her a reply. She said she’d love to meet you one day.”“I’ll look forward to that day.”I nodded with a faint smile.***The underworld — Durhen District.An alliance of over ten organizations united in rebellion against Panopticon, the ruler of the underworld.They called themselves the Resistance.In a dim hideout where its leaders had gathered, a woman quietly opened her crimson eyes.“Hmm… so that’s how it is.”Creak—.The bat hovering near her ear flapped away, and Carmilla shrugged lightly.She examined her hands front and back, checking whether her manicure had dried properly.Between the red-glowing nails, tiny rubies were set like droplets of blood.“Well, I’d already suspected as much.”Carmilla slowly curled her elegant fingers into a fist.‘Ain Soph Fingard.’A descendant of the great sage Azolte Fingard, who led the golden age of ancient humanity — and the only remaining archmage of the human race.She hadn’t seen any sign of him for decades, and yet… so he was hiding there.Of course. To obstruct her authority, it would take someone of that caliber.Still, she never would have imagined that an archmage of his level would settle down teaching children at some academy.“Amusing… truly amusing.”Her eyes gleamed; her lips twisted faintly.Two of her vassals had been sacrificed, but it hardly mattered.Such followers could be replaced anytime, given enough time.The information she’d gained in exchange was worth hundreds of times more.And now, there would be no need for Gilean to reprimand her for “acting on her own.”After all — she had discovered the true identity of the Union’s chairman.As she mused, a faint groan rose from beneath her feet.“Ugh…”Carmilla frowned irritably and looked down.“Keep still before I kill you. What, am I heavy?”“N-no, ma’am!”She dug her heel into the man’s back.Useless lumps of flesh — couldn’t even serve properly as furniture.For a moment she considered crushing them all into pulp, but—‘If I kill them all, I’ll have no pawns left to carry out my plan.’After all, she was only stationed on the Isles to oversee the rebellion against Panopticon’s rule.Still, she found herself fond of this shadowy archipelago.It was far from the human-swarming continent — and above all, the isles were saturated with primordial mana.And there was even one boy here who intrigued her a little.“Gulados.”At her call, a figure emerged from the darkness.“Yes, my lady.”The man’s face looked half-melted, as if eaten away by severe burns.“How goes the mass production?”“We have secured the manufacturing facility in secret and are installing the equipment. Once the raw materials arrive, we can begin mass production within a few months.”Mass production of Dark Magic Stones.Originally, a Dark Magic Stone was a by-product of a high-ranking demon — a dangerous thing.And now that material was entering the “mass production” stage.Of course, these were inferior products — they didn’t instantly turn animals into monsters or humans into demons upon contact.Unlike the raw Dark Magic Stones that crippled or ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) killed the user after one use, these diluted versions were adjusted to amplify power only when needed.They were relatively more stable, and thanks to mass production, could be distributed to far more operatives.‘In fact, this method is far more efficient than using the original stones outright.’A few rampaging monsters lost to demonization were less valuable than thousands of soldiers who could temporarily enhance their power at will.Strategically and tactically, these “drugs” had far higher utility.That didn’t mean they were safe — far from it.Each use slightly damaged the user’s internal mana circuits, and in the end, they’d die from magic-energy addiction.The difference was merely between dying instantly or slowly.But from Carmilla’s point of view, such details were trivial.All that mattered was that they were controllable — and a more efficient means of attack.“Good. Contact me when the materials are ready. What about the girl you said you were recruiting?”Coincidentally, a being capable of advancing the entire plan by several years had been discovered — a girl possessing the “Evil Eye of Replication.”If they kidnapped her and brought her under their control, it would be a tremendous gain.Gulados replied,“She is currently under protection at Panopticon’s western branch.”“Oh, there? Should I go fetch her myself?”“There’s no need. They’re already investing money and effort to raise her diligently. We need only wait until she’s ripe — and then take the fruit.”***The midterm exam for the Basic Swordsmanship class was conducted in practical form.Nothing grand — just scoring the standard physical-fitness categories:Push-ups, sit-ups, running, and so on.Strength, endurance, stamina — the total scores were used to determine pass or fail.“Loen de Valis — pass.”This testing format had Professor Zimmer’s influence all over it.Since my physical stats were still at an ordinary level, a more detailed grading system made it harder for me to get an A.Of course, for grade differentiation, we couldn’t keep this lenient setup until finals.But by then, Professor Verdandi would have returned from her suspension, so I’d think about that later.For now, I’d use Zimmer’s generous scoring to maintain my grades — and build my body as much as possible before Verdandi’s return.I clenched my fist and examined my arms — a little more flesh and muscle were starting to appear.‘Recently, my growth has sped up.’Daily morning training combined with the growth bonus from the Martial Artist trait.On top of that, I was wearing growth-assistance items that added extra stats. Naturally, my pace had accelerated.Moreover, it felt like changes were occurring not just in raw stats, but in my physical body itself.Probably the sensation of my stats momentarily rising through demonic energy had lingered, aiding my muscle development — that was my guess.Gaurel, being from a mountain race, of course passed easily.But—“Garfield, fail.”Garfield didn’t meet the passing criteria.Sixty push-ups in two minutes, sixty-five sit-ups, and a three-kilometer run in fifteen minutes.Not impossible, but a bit much for Garfield’s build.“Huff… huff.”“Still, your record improved slightly from last time. You’re doing well, so keep working hard.”“Y-yes, Professor.”Garfield came back to me.I patted his shoulder in encouragement.“You’ll manage it next time.”With Garfield finished, the physical exam ended.Professor Zimmer checked his watch briefly, then nodded.“That will be all for today. There’s still plenty of time left, but you may disperse.”Dismissed right after the test — classic Zimmer.Students cheered and began packing up their swords and bags, leaving the drill field in small groups.“Garfield, how about we stop by a café on the way back? We can go over the Divine Studies test results.”We had some time to spare, and it’d be nice to relax while roughly grading the test we’d taken earlier.“Hoho, sounds good.”I was just about to leave the field with Garfield when—“Hey, over there.”Gaurel suddenly tapped my shoulder and pointed.I turned around.Freya was approaching with her aides.She gave me a polite nod and spoke carefully.“Loen, do you have a moment?”“What is it?”“It’s nothing major. I just wanted to offer a small token of thanks regarding the Sports Festival. If you have time, please visit my office. Otherwise, tell me when you’re free, and I’ll come to the Student Council Office.”I ran through my schedule quickly in my head, then replied.“No need to trouble yourself coming over. I’ll visit your office this evening.”

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