Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

[The morning after I suffered from the Awakening Fever, I went to my father crying my eyes out. I told him not to die, that he was in danger. Father just thought I had a nightmare and let it pass.]

[Two days later, my father was the target of an assassination attempt.]

[Of course, it failed. I didn’t share any opinion that influenced the event, but from that moment, I realized that what I was seeing was a part of future possibilities.]

I calmly read the letter and asked a question.

“…Since when have you seen me?”

I wanted to know when I, as a person, had appeared in her dreams.

[This is the first time. To be precise, I saw you for the first time in this situation.]

[Soon, there will be fires in the Capital and monsters will appear. And this isn’t something that can normally be stopped. A high-ranking noble with the means to mobilize private forces and interfere with the entire Capital would be needed.]

“Ah.”

I let out an exclamation, nodding my head.

Because one unclear thing had finally been resolved.

“So that’s why you caught them all?”

[Yes. Of course, I didn’t intend to do something so extreme from the beginning. Since I can see the changed possibilities, I tried various actions and observed whether the future would change. But as the day drew nearer and nothing changed at all, I started to get anxious and, hmm… ended up using a rather aggressive method.]

The content was bold, despite the soft handwriting.

It wasn’t a perfect prophetic power. No matter how much of the future she saw, she couldn’t tell who would cause the catastrophe, so she just rounded up everyone who possibly could.

So this was the reason Alletus had been accused of treason.

Still, a question remained.

“Didn’t you say you can’t see the outcome? Then how did you know something like this would happen?”

[Because all of this is part of the process.]

“?”

[I’ve changed so, so many things until now. It might sound like I’m praising myself, but from minor administrative reorganizations to every critical aspect of national power. Since the day I gained the ability of prophecy, I’ve worked tirelessly without skipping a single day. You could say the Empire before and after I entered politics is an entirely different nation.]

“You’ve worked hard.”

[I’m glad to be acknowledged.]

…I was simply reading a series of letters, yet I felt as though I was actually having a conversation, getting real answers to real questions. Strange.

[There’s a reason I started at the age of ten. I’ve seen the distant future.]

[A tragic future that could not be changed or reversed.]

[Dozens of calamities will come. Some have already brushed past us.]

“Can you give me an example?”

[Do you know about the plague that spread from Eolan, the one where seven out of ten people died if they caught it? It was a horrible event that wiped out half of the Empire.]

“…I’ve never even heard of it. Must’ve been something from decades ago.”

[No, it happened three years ago.]

“What?”

[It’s natural you don’t know. I stopped it before it even began. People in Eolan were curious as to why dozens of epidemic research facilities were suddenly established in their city, but once I said it was my doing, they just let it go.]

“…”

There was a reason the Empire had enjoyed such a long era of peace.

That was just one example. Who knows how many disasters had been prevented. Even if the power of prophecy was incomplete, it was nearly invincible when it came to running a country, not some stock or coin market.

[I saw the flames in the Capital then too. I thought I had prepared enough… but this disaster is hard to stop. No matter what I try, no matter how extreme the methods, the outcome doesn’t change.]

“I see. I understand why you came to me.”

I answered while looking at the maid with an expression of disbelief.

“But I don’t understand why you chose me. What can I possibly do in the process leading to the future you saw? I’m just a kid struggling to survive each day.”

[Well… I kept seeing you so often, I wanted to try betting on you.]

“…What?”

The letter, which began with an absurd opening, contained even more absurd content.

[Jern, you always appear from the possibilities after I’ve bound all the nobles in this incident. Without fail.]

[At first, during a meeting with a knight, you somehow cleverly manipulated the situation to get introduced to me and tried to press me on why I was investigating Count Alletus.]

[If I had brushed that off, you likely wouldn’t have had any chance to act. But you immediately sensed there was something and started moving.]

[You even, out of 106 possible outcomes, were certain I was a prophet in 21 of them.]

[There was even one case where you tried to assassinate me.]

“I…did?”

[Yes. I can’t share the details, but I will say this. It was more daring and terrifying than any assassination attempt I’ve ever seen.]

No way.

What must have happened in the future for me to end up trying to assassinate the Princess?

I felt as though I were sitting on a bed of nails.

[Do you know the kinds of things you did in all those possibilities? You opened the sea gate and flooded the city, you supported a fake traitor, impersonated the Crimson Circle, and in one version, even brought them in for real- honestly, I started to wonder if you weren’t a disaster yourself.]

“…I’m sorry.”

[It’s alright. Because I could tell that your goal, in the end, was for the Empire, for everyone. Along the way, I got so curious about what kind of person you were that I… couldn’t resist looking into you.]

“Is it even possible to investigate someone like me, an orphan with nothing?”

[Yes. It’s difficult, but there are ways.]

If even the Princess called the method difficult, I couldn’t begin to imagine what kind of means she had used.

[I’m sorry to say this, but both you and I. Though our goals were the same, we failed completely. That’s when I thought, what if we tried cooperating, just once?]

“Thank you for the compliment. I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I’ll do my best.”

I didn’t fully understand.

But whatever else was unclear, one thing was certain. This time, I couldn’t let things go. I had to get information about myself from the Princess.

There was a reason I had to.

The clothing of the woman drawn in the letter, the one holding me, was by no means that of a commoner.

‘I had a feeling, but still…’

The odds were high that my veiled past was connected to the deep sea.

Looking at Ren, the trigger for falling is closely related to the Fallen and actually affects them. I absolutely had to know about it.

[Whew, finally! Really, finally.]

When she said that, the tone of the letter shifted meaningfully. The handwriting, slightly messy, conveyed her emotions.

“What do you mean by that?”

[Jern. Do you know how hard it is to get your cooperation? If I just ask for help, you pretend to listen, then go to Lumia and have her investigate me. If I try mixing in subtle threats, then I can’t even catch you with prophecy anymore. And if I try offering material compensation, you think, ‘Hmm, the Princess is asking me for help and even offering money? Something’s off,’ and then you start getting suspicious again, out of all those possibilities, after checking every single one, this was the only way I found that actually worked. To lay bare all my secrets and beg you for help!]

[This method of communicating through letters, you know, it’s not supposed to work like this. We only pulled it off because I had hundreds of conversations just to figure out what to say here. From your perspective, it’s not even a thirty-minute talk, but for me, I spent three straight days without rest figuring out how to say all this…]

“I don’t even know what to say… I’m sorry.”

I must have been incredibly difficult in the future.

Well, if the Princess herself came asking to talk, I’d probably have examined every possible outcome too.

Fortunately, the Princess had only been venting. From the next letter onward, the tone had returned to a gentle one.

[Please don’t apologize. I don’t expect an apology for something you haven’t done. Rather, I sincerely thank you for your help.]

[No matter the method, please find the noble who has betrayed us.]

[I will take full responsibility for everything that follows.]

They were reassuring words. But I couldn’t help asking.

“I understand you can’t see the outcome, but you said you can see the process…”

[Yes.]

The reason the Princess had gone to such trouble to recruit me was simple.

[When you help, the problem gets solved.] 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

I could do it.

*

“Lastly, please take this bag.”

I received the bag the maid handed to me.

“She said everything you’ll need is inside.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

The maid rose from her seat, and as I packed away the thick stack of letters, I asked something that had been on my mind.

“By the way, Sharmia nim. From the latter half, wasn’t it no longer necessary to write on paper? Were there really that many outcomes where I didn’t catch on?”

“No, you always noticed.”

“Then why go through the trouble…?”

“I just wanted to tease you a little. Sorry.”

“Ah, I see…”

Sharmia laughed playfully and left the tea house.

No matter how close they were, there was no way she would have revealed the secret of being a prophet to a maid. So from the moment it became clear she was one, it could only have been the Princess herself.

The lack of knights must have been an expression of confidence. She had confirmed through dozens of possible outcomes that there was no danger, so she had come in person.

It looked like she had purposefully applied makeup as well. With a sigh, I opened the bag.

There were various tools inside. The most unusual was a black metal mask.

There were also necklaces, some kind of badges, and other items. Each had a note attached explaining its purpose, which I read one by one.

[This is an artifact inscribed with perception-interference magic. When you wear this mask, you’ll appear taller, so people won’t think you’re a child. And yes, I’m giving it to you. You don’t need to try to replicate it.]

[This is the official badge of the Empire’s Inspector General. If you show this to the guards, they’ll open the gates even at dawn. I’ve already informed them, so put on the black mask and bring people from the Inspection Bureau.]

[This is your ID. Yes. You may continue using it.]

[If you need to report anything, use this orb.]

It wasn’t a lie that she had conversed with me for a really long time.

Exactly what I needed, with detailed instructions on where and how to use them, were all here.

[I don’t mean to say I don’t trust you, but I have my own backup plans in place, so don’t feel too pressured. Act freely.]

[Here are the conditions:

1. The traitor doesn’t know they are a traitor.

I don’t understand what that means either, but that’s the biggest issue.

I’ve interrogated them several times, but every single one of them truly believes they’re innocent. I’m certain the traitor is among them, but if they don’t know they’re the culprit, then interrogations are mostly meaningless.

This is why, even with prophecy, I can’t see who commits the act in the end. I only see the process.

2. There’s a high possibility the organization known as Crimson Circle is involved.

I’m not sure how they’re connected yet.

But at the very least, it’s not someone impersonating them.

3. The time limit must not exceed one week.

Originally, the incident should’ve already occurred, but I’ve halted it by forcibly accusing someone of treason.

The nobles who don’t understand what’s going on will start getting angry and lodging formal complaints in a week.

If we don’t find the culprit by then, well, it’ll be unstoppable. It’ll happen, just in a different form.

Please. For the future of the Empire, if you lend your strength, I’ll help you with one matter in return, Jern.]

“Hmm.”

The traitor doesn’t know they’re a traitor.

First, I made sure no one was watching me, then put on the black mask.

Next, I went to the counter to confirm something.

“The bill, please.”

“Y-yes…?”

The staff member was startled the moment they saw me, glancing around nervously.

“E-excuse me, which table were you at?”

“Where that child was sitting.”

“Ah, I see! So you’re the father. My apologies…”

So that’s about how I look now, huh.

The employee’s gaze wasn’t aimed at my head but far above it. That must be where my face appears to them.

“Thank you!”

I responded to the greeting and rubbed the mask as I stepped out.

…This really is an incredible item. I could understand why my future self would try to replicate it.

Walking through the streets of the Capital, I went over the conditions and objectives listed on the notes once more.

The number of nobles listed was around twenty-one.

Among them was Alletus’s name.

“They don’t know, huh…”

The simplest conclusion pieced together in my mind was that someone with a kind of Inner World capable of deceiving others without their knowledge was manipulating the nobles.

I couldn’t jump to conclusions. If the Princess had investigated them personally, she wouldn’t have used something as crude as asking, “Are you a traitor? Yes or no?”

She must have conducted a thorough examination before concluding that all of them appeared clean.

Still, the biggest reason the Princess chose me was likely this.

A Fallen can recognize another Fallen. As long as it’s not a world greater than their own.

Even Decay, who lived within eternal frost, existed in a world smaller than mine.

At the very least, I had to check whether they were being controlled.

That was something only I could do.

“Alright.”

After much deliberation, I made my decision and headed for the Inspection Bureau.

One hour later.

Bang!

“Defendant Alletus, open the door!”

“…?”

I knocked on the door of Alletus’s estate, leading dozens of inspectors.

…Suppressing my guilt with effort, I convinced myself.

Because this was something that had to be done.

*

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