Chapter 199-200– The Goddess' Prophecy
"The Goddess' Prophecy?"
"It is a book containing the words left by the goddess in ancient times. It also serves as proof of the queen's identity."
I remembered briefly hearing about prophetic books in a past life. But what followed was something I had never heard before.
"Proof?"
"The goddess we follow, Louis Noir, was the first elf, but she was not the first queen."
"Then?"
"It is said that the words of the goddess could not be heard by just any elf. In ancient times, when the goddess descended to Elora, only one elf could hear her words."
Iril continued speaking softly, tracing her memories.
"The elf copied all the words and prophecies she heard from the goddess into a book. She guided the other elves according to its contents and naturally rose to the position of leader."
"So the elf who wrote the prophecy became the first queen?"
"Yes. When the queen at the time passed her position to her daughter, she also gave her the goddess' book of prophecy. Her daughter, who succeeded her, later passed the book to her own daughter. In this way, as it was passed down, the prophecy became a symbol of the queendom."
"Then the queen has the book of prophecy now?"
She nodded slowly.
"At some point, the goddess disappeared, and now the meaning of the book has become even more important. It is no longer just a token the queen holds. The person who possesses the book of prophecy becomes the queen."
"So you mean that when the queen hands over her book of prophecy, the elf who receives it becomes queen immediately? Even if she isn't her daughter?"
"That's right. Elves must follow the words and prophecies left by the goddess, so forcibly taking the prophecy is meaningless. But it is still an important item."
As I said before, I had heard of prophetic books, but I had no idea they were so valuable.
Well, there was no reason for the elves to explain this to me, an outsider. But how could something useless if taken by force be the queen's weakness?
When I asked this, Iril's answer came immediately.
"A few years after you died in my past life, Mama showed me a book of prophecy. She said I, too, would one day succeed to the throne, so I needed to understand the book of prophecy."
"…"
"To be honest, I have no interest in being the queen, but I was curious about her book of prophecy. I wanted to see what was inside, but she stopped me, saying I absolutely couldn't."
It was strange. The queen said Iril need to know the prophecy but hide the details.
"Why?"
"At that time, Momma said the contents must never be leaked. If other elves find out, we will lose everything we have."
"Lose everything?"
"I was still young, so she might have revealed information unintentionally. Above all, she said she'd show it to me when I was ready to accept the truth."
'What exactly was that truth? It must be something the current Iril shouldn't know yet and requires mental preparation.'
"I don't know what she was afraid of, but considering how determined she was back then, it was probably very important."
I completely agreed with what Iril said. The queen herself even warned that everything could be lost if it were discovered.
"That's right. I wish I could check the contents of the prophecy."
After thinking for a moment, I jumped up from the bed.
"Let's go to Kiella and plan together. You sweated a lot, right? Iril, wash first… No. Let's both wash quickly, then go."
"Huh? Together?"
"Yes, quickly."
Iril looked up, her eyes wide with embarrassment. I grabbed her hand and quickly dragged her into the bathroom.
…
…
[MC POV]
Knock…Knock…!
-…
Knock…Knock…!
"Who is it at this hour…?!"
An irritated voice came from beyond the door. Then the door opened, and Kiella appeared.
"Oh, princess?! What are you doing now… trying to keep me from sleeping again? Uh, Dayke?"
I entered her room with Iril and explained the conversation I had just had with her.
"There is something other elves shouldn't know? What exactly is written in the book of prophecy? Is there more than just the words of the goddess?"
As expected, I asked Kiella, who muttered, if this was something unfamiliar even to the Supreme Court Justice.
"What do you think? Doesn't this sound like information that could be a weakness for the queen?"
"Now that I think about it, when the topic of her prophecy came up during a conversation with the queen, she seemed strangely wary. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but hearing this now makes me even more suspicious."
"Is that so? I want to check the prophecy myself, but I thought I'd need your help, Kiella, so I came."
"That's it. I was surprised because I thought the princess had come to talk to me again."
I didn't know why that was surprising, but before I could ask, Kiella spoke first.
"Princess, do you know where the book of prophecy is?"
"There's a secret door in Mama's room. She took it out from inside when she showed me the book of prophecy."
"It's a bit tricky since it's the queen's room."
When I said this, holding my chin, Kiella's eyes turned to me.
"I can help the queen vacate the room. She has plans for a meal tomorrow, so if she's planning another scheme, we can buy time by talking."
"Really? That sounds workable."
"The problem is the guards on the way to the room… Even as a princess, they won't let you enter the queen's empty room."
It would be best to get in without being noticed by the gatekeepers.
'How to get in without being caught…??'
Fortunately, there was a suitable way.
"It's okay. I think I can do it."
…
…
Next day.
"Iril, let's go."
"Yes."
After exchanging glances, we moved carefully.
The two of us pressed against the wall, crouching low, holding our shoes in our hands instead of wearing them, and slowly edged forward.
Even though we might have looked like petty thieves, there was nothing to say. Still, both Iril and I were more nervous than ever.
Then, right then—
"Sigh…!"
Iril covered her mouth at the sound of approaching footsteps. Shoe heels clicked closer, and a maid appeared around the corner of the hallway.
"…"
Silence hung between the three of us, tense and thick. Then the maid broke it while speaking with a serious expression.
"That's right. I needed to arrange the plants in the garden. Why do I forget so often these days?"
She passed between me and Iril. Her face was bright and refreshed.
As the maid disappeared from sight, Iril exhaled the breath she had been holding.
"Whoa… I guess we really are invisible."
As she said, we truly were invisible to others. Thanks to the invisibility pills I had purchased from the app. If we just take it, not only can others not see us, they can't even hear us.
It would have been better if it were a skill usable at any time, rather than a pill, but since the number of uses was limited, it had to be saved for the decisive moment.
Then why was Iril still scared, knowing we wouldn't be caught? No matter how much I reassured her, she couldn't calm down and kept shaking, which made me nervous too.
"How could this happen…" she whispered.
"I told you. If you take that medicine, you'll never be caught."
"Where did you get this?"
"If we're going to talk, let's do the job first. The effect lasts only an hour, so we need to see the book of prophecy and return quickly."
We passed the guards standing in the hallway leading to the queen's room and reached our destination safely.
When Iril unlocked the door using the master key she always carried, a luxurious room unfolded before my eyes. It was unlike any other rooms in the castle.
Of course, since there was more urgent business, I called out.
"Iril, where is the secret door?"
"Wait a minute… What did Momma do here…?"
She stood in front of a large bookshelf along one wall, running her fingers over the books stacked there.
"I found it!"
As she pulled out a seemingly ordinary book, a rattling sound came from the bookshelf.
It sounded like large cogs turning.
The bookshelf slowly moved aside, revealing a hidden door.
"Okay, good job."
"Huh? But there's no door handle."
"Really?"
"Did something like this exist back then? I don't remember, so I don't know how to open it."
The book was so important that the queen didn't even show it to her daughter, so it wasn't surprising that she had reinforced its security.
The problem was figuring out how to open it.
'I need to get out of here before the medicine wears off…'
I tried to calm my anxious heart while thinking of a way forward.
"Huh!"
Iril suddenly bit the tip of her index finger. She bit hard enough for blood to flow.
Without even glancing at me, she smeared her blood on the handleless door.
Creck…!!
Suddenly, an intense light emanated from the door.
A moment later, the light vanished, and the blood she had applied was completely gone, as if the door had absorbed it.
Grumble…!!
"Oh, it's open! What a relief!"
"How did you know?"
"Well, since the book of prophecy is the queen's token, I thought it would somehow prove that she is the queen. Nothing is more certain than blood, so I tried using my blood. I thought maybe my blood would work too—and it did!"
She was in a daze, speaking with great excitement.
I felt equally thrilled, so I stroked her head.
"Good job, Iril!"
"Ah! Yes, yes…"
She wasn't used to being praised like that. Her cheeks flushed red whenever she got embarrassed while explaining excitedly.
I wanted to praise her more, but time was limited. I used my healing hands to treat her fingers and hurried inside.
The secret room was neither wide nor deep enough for two or three people. Because of this, as soon as we entered, our goal came into view.
"There it is!"
An old, thick book rested in a glass tube, like something in a museum.
Suspecting there might be a security spell, I opened the lid and picked up the book of prophecy while wearing the magic-nullifying necklace.
"…What is this?"
When I opened it, the letters were written in a strange, messy script.
When I first came to this world, I could somehow read and write here, but the characters in the prophetic book were so unfamiliar that I couldn't even guess their meaning.
"This is the language of the ancient elves. I learned it from the head maid and know how to read it, so I'll take a look!"
"Really? Thank goodness I'm holding this necklace too."
"What's this?"
"There may be security magic, so this blocks it. Now, quickly."
Iril took the necklace and the book, flipping through the pages to check the contents.
"How is it?"
"It's almost all transcriptions of what the goddess usually says. Nothing particularly problematic… Ah!"
"Why?"
"It contains the goddess's prophecy about the devil!"
I had a premonition something decisive was coming, so I focused on her voice.
"When Elora overflows with laziness and pleasure and the moon turns red… This is what we know. It's about human warriors and elves working together to defeat the demon king with Harmoniere, the sword of harmony left behind by the goddess…"
"Huh?!"
"So when the body of the evil one who has been targeting this land is burned away… Hmph!"
Iril, reading the prophecy, suddenly covered her mouth with her right hand—a habit she had when startled enough to scream.
"What's wrong? What does it say?"
Sensing something unusual, I urged her to continue. Soon, I heard Iril's trembling voice.
"Harmoniere will completely belong to the warrior, and the warrior will become the leader of Elora, and eternal peace will remain in this land."