Changed Fate 3

There was a prophet named Cassandra.

She predicted the fall of Troy, but the king did not believe her. Ultimately, Troy was destroyed.

Of course, the king had his excuses.

Apollo, after being rejected by Cassandra, spitefully stripped her of her “persuasiveness.” That curse clearly played a part in why no one believed her prophecies.

But…

‘Well.’

Even if she had been persuasive, it probably wouldn’t have changed much.

After all, who wants to believe an ominous prophecy?

Even people who pay for a fortune teller storm out the moment they hear something bad, calling them frauds.

Would the king of Troy really just accept certain ruin with a calm nod?

Of course not.’

Just like me right now.

“Haha… How about calming down a little? I didn’t come here to fight, Sir Lion.”

“It’s not about fighting. I just want to check whether I can trust you.”

When I replied coldly, the guy, who had looked flustered at first, let out a faint chuckle.

As if his panicked act had been a performance.

“Don’t you already know? The elder’s abilities.”

“Yeah, I know that old man’s tricks. He’s a master at messing with people’s lives.”

Despite my sarcastic remark, he didn’t react much and simply asked back quietly.

“Then why did you stop?”

It hit the mark.

“You could’ve just passed me and headed to the sanctuary. Why did you stop?”

“……”

“You know it in your heart, too, don’t you, Sir Lion? You know you’ll regret it if you don’t listen to the elders’ advice.”

I wanted to deny it.

I wanted to say that I only intended to hear what the old man had to say, and that even false information is still useful. I planned to use it to figure out the old man’s intentions.

I wanted to say that, but as he just said, I knew deep down.

That wasn’t the real reason.

“And you asked whether I’d live or die here, right? I haven’t heard directly from the elder. Still… I don’t really see myself dying here today. Considering how this conversation’s going…”

“…….”

“So, would you mind letting go? It’s getting a bit suffocating.”

Ha…

“Bullshit.”

I used my free hand to remove his mask.

Rrip—!

The face behind the mask was remarkably ordinary.

A Beastman in his mid-30s that you could see anywhere in the city…

Tch, I wondered if it might be a face I knew.

“Haha… were you that curious about my face?”

Seeing him remain completely unfazed even with his face exposed, I asked quietly.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“Anything.”

“If you worked under that old man, you must know about the ‘Records,’ right?”

“Of course.”

“Why do you guys keep talking about choices that change the future? You’re the ones saying nothing will change anyway.”

Whether I believe in fate or not doesn’t matter.

I just want to know why these damn destiny fanatics keep acting like this.

“Hmm… that is a very difficult question. Would you mind if the answer is a bit long?”

“Just say it.”

“Let’s say a man is in a bar, playing a simple card game with the other patrons. But the dealer accidentally hands out the cards in the wrong order.”

I wondered what kind of nonsense he was spouting, but I decided to stayed quiet for now.

“If the cards had been dealt in order, he would have received a very weak hand. But because of the mistake, he gets a great one. The others are too drunk to notice. So he keeps quiet and takes advantage of it.”

Still didn’t get it.

“Then let me ask you.”

He asked,

“In that situation, was his original fate to receive the bad hand, or the good one?”

I didn’t understand the point of the question, but the answer was easy.

“The good one. The dealer’s mistake was part of fate too.”

“Haha, good answer. You’re quick to understand.”

Honestly, I didn’t understand at all.

But—

“Like you said, even a reversed fate is still fate.”

“And…”

“What we’re doing now is trying to deal the cards ‘wrong.’ So someone can get a slightly better hand in a very small round.”

I didn’t fully grasp the logic, but I got what he was implying.

So I asked,

“So what happened to that guy?”

He looked a little surprised, then smirked.

“In the end, he lost big at that gambling table. But thanks to that good hand, he reduced his losses a little.”

“So even with reversed fate, he still couldn’t avoid losing.”

“Exactly.” He smiled like a teacher giving a sticker to a student for doing a good job.

“But don’t worry too much. After winning and losing repeatedly, that man eventually grows into someone much greater in the distant future.”

Obviously, that wasn’t comforting.

It only made me resolve one thing.

“Now, decide. You’ve already been dealt your cards, Sir Lion.”

Yeah.

To never discuss this kind of crap with these destiny freaks again.

***

Silence stretched between us, tangible even amid the black smoke and scalding heat.

Finally, he couldn’t bear it any longer and spoke first.

“Is it really that hard to decide?”

“……”

“Think of it simply. If you had to lose either your car or your house, wouldn’t everyone choose the car?”

Maybe.

For most people, a house is more valuable.

But there are always exceptions.

I’m the one who decides what’s worth more.

Yeah. So—

“I’ve decided.”

After a long deliberation, I made my choice, and a deep curiosity flickered in his pupils.

“What will you choose?”

Weren’t you acting like you knew everything just now?

Looking into his eyes, I felt a strange sense of gratification and shrugged my shoulders.

“Why should I tell you?”

Since I had no more business with him, I simply dropped him into the burning District 7.

“……?”

“Now, get lost.”

“Ugh…? Ack! Aaaaaah!”

Geez, it’s not like you’d die from falling from here.

Seeing him freak out in genuine shock, it was clear he hadn’t seen this particular future coming at all.

Boom—!

Watching him fall into the sea of fire felt like years of stress melting away. I let out a long sigh, but the relief didn’t last.

“Whew…”

A weight far heavier than the relief I’d just felt settled in my heart. Still, there was nothing I could do.

“…….”

After standing blankly on the wall for a long while after dropping him, I began to run again.

The sanctuary or District 7.

Toward the destination I had chosen after my long deliberation.

***

Even though his body had long since begun to cramp, Sven Parav remained tucked inside the cramped but comforting wardrobe. He’d already decided that, even if he soiled himself, he wouldn’t come out until everything was over.

But…

However, maybe it was too optimistic of him to expect the same from his companion.

“Excuse me…”

“Ah… is something wrong?”Sven Parab asked

“C-could I step out for just a moment?”

“Eh…? Outside is dangerous…”

“I know… but just for a second…”

His wardrobe companion, Lyris Marone, continued to shake her legs nervously.

Even Parav, who normally struggled to pick up on social cues, understood why she was trying to leave the wardrobe.

“…Please be quick.”

Opening the wardrobe even for a moment made him anxious, but he couldn’t exactly stop a woman’s biological needs. So, he opened the wardrobe door as quickly and silently as possible.

And then…

“I’ll just go to the next room and come right back!”

Marone left for the next room to take care of business, and during that brief interval, Sven Parab waited with the wardrobe door closed.

Slid.

His companion went to the next room to take care of her situation, and Parav shut the door to wait, even if only for a short while. It creaked open about four minutes later, later than he’d expected.

“Mr. Parab…! It’s a fire! A fire!”

“Pardon…?”

“The entire eastern part of District 7 is engulfed in flames!”

If it’s eastern District 7, that’s the direction of District 8… Did some ‘incident’ occur over there?

“Mr. Parab, come out and take a look!”

“…Huh?”

“Just come take a look. It doesn’t seem to be stopping… Maybe this whole area will start burning too.”

“Ah…”

“Not ‘ah’! We might have to evacuate and move somewhere else, you know?”

“I… I see…?”

Despite Lyris Marone’s words, he had absolutely no intention of leaving the wardrobe.

Still, he did feel a bit uneasy…

“Could you… close the wardrobe door for just a moment…?”

“…What?” Marone Froze

“Just for a moment, please.” he reassured, closing the door himself.

Badump.

The sound of the door closing finally calmed his anxiously pounding heart.

Clack!

Sure, Marone immediately opened the door again, but that brief moment of peace was enough for him to confirm something.

It didn’t matter whether the eastern area was burning or not. As long as he stayed in the wardrobe, he’d be safe. It wasn’t just a feeling anymore, but an absolute certainty that filled his body.

Of course, if anyone else heard his theory, they’d probably think something was wrong with his head.

‘Yeah. I’ve got to trust my instincts.’

Nevertheless, his intuition had saved him many times. Even Jandel the Giant trusted it and relied on it from time to time.

Therefore—

“It’s fine, Miss Marone. We’ll be safe here.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“You’re a mage, and I’m a paladin. If we take turns using our abilities, even if the whole city burns down, we can at least keep this one wardrobe from catching fire.”

It wasn’t completely unreasonable.

Paladins had powers like barriers, shields, and holy enchantments. Mages were no different.

“Hmm…”

Marrone even seemed receptive to his reasoning—maybe it made more sense than blindly trusting his intuition. Parav didn’t let the opportunity slip by.

“Aren’t the Noarkans swarming the streets right now? It’s too dangerous to move. And even if we decide later, it won’t be too late once the fire reaches us. The flames will keep the enemies from getting to us anyway.”

“Ah… that makes sense too. Then let’s stay put and watch for now…”

Marrone was just about to decide to stay in the wardrobe and endure a little longer when, suddenly, her head snapped toward the window and froze.

At first he wondered what was wrong—

“……Kyaaahhh!”

The moment a piercing scream echoed from outside the window, he understood.

“Captain! I found a girl hiding here!”

“Aaaah! P-please, spare me…!”

“Hahaha! She’s begging for her life. What should we do?”

The moment he heard that exchange, his heart dropped.

Thump!

No… it can’t be. Please, no…

He prayed over and over in his head—

“Mr. Parav…!”

Thump!

“…W-we have to save her!”

As always, his ominous premonition didn’t miss its mark.

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