Destination(1)

The goddess of the stars gave Prab a divine revelation in the form of a prophetic dream.

The content was that I would die in the near future—and at the hands of the Expedition Force I was just starting to trust.

Badump Badump

My warrior’s heart pounded with the sense of danger.

But first I calmly confirmed it.

“Are you sure?”

“…Huh?”

“I’m asking if you’re absolutely certain that I die. In that dream.”

It was quite the cliché in modern media.

Like how they show the actor getting shot in the trailer, but in the movie it turns out he was wearing a bulletproof vest the whole time and the story would end happily ever after.

“I’m… not certain.”

Even in a situation where a definitive answer was crucial, this guy was being indecisive.

“No matter how much potion were used on your body, they didn’t work at all.”

Potions didn’t work, huh…

Tsk, that’s a bit troublesome.

Am I… really going to die?

Honestly, it didn’t feel real at all.

My mind was simply a mess.

What should I do?

The first idea that came to mind was simple.

Just like I’d use the trick for Amelia’s older sister, maybe I could use the same trick here too.

But then again, I had this nagging doubt:

If it was the kind of prophecy I could avoid with a trick… would the goddess have even shown it to me?

No, wait. Why would something like this happen in the first place?

Wasn’t the expedition’s goal to get me back alive?

Damn it, what kind of nonsense is this first thing in the morning—?

“…Baron!”

As I was desperately trying to figure out what to do, Parab shook me by the shoulders.

“Did you not hear me? This isn’t the time to be standing around! You need to run!”

“Run…?”

“The goddess said it too! This destiny is not written in stone yet. What kind of future we face is up to us.”

In other words, the future can change depending on our actions…

“And… why are you only telling me this now?”

“Uh… Well… That’s a good question…?”

Sigh… he should’ve led with that.

Now I understand why this guy is always getting bullied by others.

By ‘it’s not written in stone yet,’ Leatlas is probably referring to the Records Stone.

I quickly finished assessing the situation.

Leatlas is one of the three major gods representing this world. Given that, if she says the future can be changed, it must be true.

This changes things.

‘Huh, so it’s not as big a deal as I thought.’

More like a red flag popping up in the ‘Traffic Light Ring,’ I guess?

I know a negative event is coming, but if it’s the kind that can be altered, then I can handle it.

Yeah, so…

“Thanks for the warning. But I’ll stay here.”

I politely declined Parab’s advice to flee immediately.

The reason was simple:

“I’ll handle this problem myself, so just tell me everything. What exactly did you see in the dream? Don’t spear any details.”

Running away has never solved anything.
***
When I returned to where my comrades were, Amelia abruptly spoke up.

“You looked pretty serious there. Was it an important conversation?”

“Not really. It was nothing.”

At my vague answer, Amelia didn’t press further.

She just pursed her lips, glared at me for a moment, then sharply turned her head away.

“…….”

…Is she sulking?

I didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily before I had everything sorted out in my head.

So I reluctantly brought it up.

A little indirectly, which was unusual for a barbarian.

“Emily, what would you do if I were in danger of being executed by the Commander?”

“…..?”

At first, she looked at me like I was spouting nonsense, but then she suddenly gritted her teeth.

“Are those bastards… plotting something like that?”

“It’s not confirmed yet. So, your answer?”

Amelia responded as if the question were obvious.

“I’m going to stop them. With everything I have.”

“There are over a hundred people over there.”

“I told you. I’ll stop them with everything I’ve got.”

Amelia’s voice was filled with determination.

Yeah, I figured that’s what she’d say…

As grateful as I was, I had a bitter taste in my mouth.

Because in the end, this wasn’t just about me dying.

If that situation really happens, all the people around me are going to get caught up in it.

‘…Should I have just run away?’

The thought crossed my mind, but I shook off the weakness.

Running might’ve only made things worse.

‘For now, let’s wait and see. There’s still time before the event happens.’

I knew that because I had derived three pieces of evidence from Parab’s dream.

1. The location was an island.

Judging by the description, it sounded like Village Chief Island.

But we hadn’t arrived there yet, so the event hadn’t happened.

2. It wasn’t during the rainy season.

Meaning, we have at least a few days of guaranteed safety…

3. For some reason, Erwin had short hair in the dream.

In other words, I already knew the deadline.

So, there’s still plenty of time to consider escape.

“All aboard!”
After that, we left the Library Island according to the Royal Force’s schedule and boarded the ship.

Our Temporary Squad 4 didn’t board our usual ship, but instead split up among three military vessels to improve our chances of surviving the rainy season at its peak.

‘It’s only the third day, but it’s insane.’

Monsters were literally pouring from the sky.

But the defensive magic circles inscribed on the military warships ensured that we took no damage.

Boom! Crash! BOOM!

The monsters slammed into the barrier and plunged into the ocean, their blood trailing down the sides.

“Surprisingly, it’s not as troublesome as expected. Evost! What’s the mana consumption rate per hour —does it match the calculations?”

“Yes! Everything is running smoothly!””

The three ships began slicing through the silver waves at full speed.

Most monsters crashed into the barrier and fell into the sea, but not all.

Marine monsters pursued relentlessly, while flying monsters harassed us from the air.

Grooooooaaaaar—!

At one point, a Hipramagent emerged from below the water to grab our ship.

“ A Mobilaus!”

Even a Level 2 giant sea monster appeared.

But none of it was a real problem.

These were warships, built for battle.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Dozens of mana cannons mounted on the ships roared continuously, blasting a path forward.

Moreover, the military-grade magical propulsion systems—far superior to those on my ship – were working at full capacity, increasing our speed.

“Imaze Nula Kini Pitia!”

The mages used the magic circles on the ships to fire offensive spells.

The ice-breaking devices attached to the bow, designed to help the ship traverse frozen stretches of sea, were whirring away—grinding up all the small monsters in our path.

‘…Just how much would a ship like this cost?’

It was on a completely different level from the warships I’d boarded during the Dark Continent expedition.

Their purposes were fundamentally different—those were for transporting as many people as possible, while these were built purely for naval combat.

Six hours, twelve hours, eighteen hours later…

A little over a day after leaving the Library Island, it happened.

“Commander! The destination is in sight!”

Our destination came into view.

****

118th day since entering the labyrinth.

We truly made it through the peak of the rainy season and arrived at the Village Chief’s Island and without a single casualty.

So, the only question left was:

“Count Saintred, what now? Are we disembarking and entering the island?”

There were still three days left until the rainy season ended.

Well, it seemed like the rainy season was beginning to peak, and monster activity had slightly decreased, but…

“No, we’ll wait here until the rainy season ends.”

Jerome chose to stay aboard.

It seemed that after experiencing the rainy season, he had decided it would be too dangerous to disembark now.

He should’ve just trusted me from the start

“Wouldn’t it have been better to come after the rainy season ended, like I said?”

“There’s no telling how long our journey here will last. If we have to brave the rainy season one day, it’s better to experience it when we’re prepared.”

Well, I had nothing to say to that.

Now that he’d gone through it himself, he’d be able to make the most accurate calls in an emergency.

“Besides, one of our expedition team’s missions is to study this floor. We must return and report everything to the royal court —including the anomaly that supposedly occurs at the end of the rainy season.”

Even if he says that, from my perspective, it all just feels like unnecessary hardship. But I guess a soldier would think differently.
There was even a knight assigned specifically to document combat engagements.

‘So, we’ll just have to hold out on the ship until the rainy season ends…’

Because of that, Erwen became crucial.

Even if the rainy season ended, as long as her hair remained intact, the prophetic dream wouldn’t come true.

“Erwin, by any chance, are you planning to trim your hair short?”

“Huh? I like it the way it is now… But if you, um, prefer it that way…”

“What kind of nonsense is that?! I like long hair! Don’t even think about cutting it! Got it?!”

“Ah… Yes! I won’t cut it at all!!!”

Okay, with that settled, there’s no way she’d willingly get a haircut now…

Even if all my hair burned off and I went bald, I must protect her hair at all costs.

Just as I was steeling myself with that resolve, Aynar suddenly shouted.

“Oh! Bjorn, so you’re into that?!”

Into what?

What the hell does that mean?

I scoffed and tried to laugh it off, but for some reason, Amelia was giving me a knowing look.

“Hm, I never thought that’d be your type, Jandel.”

…Do I really have to explain this?

I had no idea, but Raven, who made eye contact with me, cleared her throat and began twirling her curly hair that reached down to her chest with her index finger.

“Ahem, ahem…!”

Ah, whatever.

Let them think what they want. It’s not important anyway.

I already had enough on my mind—no point wasting mental energy on this.

“I’m going to sleep for a while. Don’t disturb me until the shift order comes.”

So, to avoid interruptions, I went into the cabin, lay down on the bed, closed my eyes, and organized my thoughts.

‘No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like they came here with orders to kill me… So why would an execution happen out of nowhere…?’

How in the world did things escalate to that point?

‘I have a feeling the Village Chief might be involved…’

I had no concrete evidence, but that was the first thought that came to mind.

After all, I had suspicions about the village chief.

I have a theory that he might have a way to possess another person’s body—like some kind of evil spirit.

‘If he really does have such a power… then it’s entirely possible.’

In fact, there were two versions of this scenario.

One, if Commander Jerome Saintred had been possessed.

And the other…

‘If I had been possessed.’

Both scenarios could explain why the Expedition Force would execute me.

Therefore, the most important question now was:

‘So, how do I prevent that situation?’

Assuming my hypothesis was correct, I racked my brain for countermeasures.

‘Since Erwin’s hair was short in the dream…’

What if I just shaved it all off right now?

Wouldn’t that make the vision impossible?

‘…No way.’

The goddess already said the future could be changed. Something as trivial as hair length wouldn’t make a meaningful difference.

Something.

Yeah, something—

Unless there was a much bigger change.

Flash—!

Suddenly, a thought struck my mind like a bolt of lightning.

Maybe I was overcomplicating things.

‘Since the goblin’s prophetic dream showed Jerome Saintred killing me…’

Wouldn’t everything be solved if I just got rid of him?

Continue reading more chapters at henprogressive.com