Chapter 138 - 137: He Carries Both Hope and Disaster

Chapter 138: Chapter 137: He Carries Both Hope and Disaster

Every time Li Ye left a place, the local commander would compile a dossier on him and send it to the rear and the front lines.

Aragon’s reputation was changing by the minute.

...

Cedar City was originally a border city of the Sassan Empire, but it was now the temporary capital of the allied forces of humans, elves, and Beastmen.

Behind the city, on one side, lay the Endless Forest, the ancestral land of the elves and home to the Elf Race’s Life Ancient Tree;

on the other side was the Giant Beast Wasteland, the seat of the Beastman Royal Court.

Further beyond that was the end of the continent—an endless ocean.

If the Undead Army managed to break through to Cedar City, it would mean the end of all three races, as there were no defensible positions left beyond it.

Whether human, elf, or Beastman, none could survive in the ocean.

...

「Cedar City.」

The Sassan Empire’s Emperor Angus Diaz, Elf Queen Lucia Olivia, and Beastman King Grom had formed a tripartite coalition government responsible for all of the alliance’s affairs.

...

"Black hair and black eyes. Suspected to be Aragon, a disciple of Gandalf, who came from the Land of the Dead. He defeated Luo Ao Neil and Peter King with stunning power and bested the Elf Race’s Divine Archer Shabei in archery..."

"Aragon suspects he’s from a parallel world, having arrived here while researching the Forbidden Magic, the Wheel of Space-Time..."

"Aragon possesses the Holy Purifying Cloth, an artifact from the Ancient Era, and knows many ancient secrets..."

...

One report after another arrived from the front lines. Every single one was about Aragon, and everyone’s assessment of him was different.

From Marshal Luo Ao’s initial suspicion to the generals on the front lines becoming utterly convinced of his identity, only five days had passed.

This put the leaders of the alliance in a difficult position.

When they had first heard news of Aragon, they had sought out many surviving ancient texts, hoping to verify his true identity.

After all, no matter how scarce the information in ancient texts was, debunking someone’s claims should have been easy enough.

But in just a few short days, Aragon’s origin story had shifted from the Ancient Era to a parallel world, and all their preparations seemed to have been for nothing...

...

"Lucia, Grom, what do you two think?" asked the human emperor, Angus. "How should we handle this Aragon?"

"A very clever young man. He skillfully used the time delay to change people’s impression of him and patch the holes in his origin story," said Elf Queen Lucia. "Perhaps Luo Ao’s suspicion made him realize his claim of being from the Ancient Era was flawed, so he immediately fabricated a story about a parallel world."

"So, you don’t believe his story?" Angus asked.

"Your Majesty doesn’t believe it either, does he?" Lucia shook her head and smiled. "I don’t believe in so many coincidences. When something that was full of holes suddenly becomes perfect, it almost certainly means it was fabricated.

That young man, Aragon, made the kind of mistake only a clever person would.

He shouldn’t have patched it up himself; he should have let us investigate his origin step by step. But he didn’t dare, because he knew he might be exposed if we investigated.

And he was too hasty. He wanted so badly to make his story perfect that he lost the patience a proper con man should have..."

"Alright, I was thinking the same thing," Angus said with a smile. "But how do we explain his formidable power and the Holy Artifact he wields?

Or rather, what is his motive?

A person must have a motive for their actions, right?

If he were after a royal title, with his current power, we could easily grant him one. There would be no need for him to go to such great lengths.

Most importantly, from beginning to end, he has acted with great nobility—inheriting the will of Gandalf, searching for the Child of Destiny, and helping us defeat the Undead.

He hasn’t shown any self-interest. His only stated goal is to return to his original world after helping us overcome the Undead Calamity.

It’s as if he’s a true Savior, which defies common sense..."

"It does defy common sense," the Elf Queen sighed. "Admittedly, there are many selfless people in the world, but even they have their own desires and needs."

"Perhaps what he desires is fame!" said Beastman King Grom. "Just like a Beastman Warrior strives to be number one, there are many sages in the human world who would rather die than give up the chance for a reputation that will last through the ages.

In my opinion, he’s just a coward. He’s avoiding the battlefield, choosing the safest possible way to build his renown..."

Cabinet Minister Tang Lade said nothing, merely fiddling with the Purifying Cloths that had been sent back with the reports from the front.

Angus didn’t agree with the Beastman King’s assessment. He looked to his cabinet minister. "Tang Lade, do you have any suggestions?"

"Your Majesty, I have indeed made some discoveries," said Tang Lade. "I think I’ve guessed his motive..."

Just then, the voice of a Messenger from outside the door interrupted Tang Lade. "Your Majesty, Astrologer Floyd requests an audience! He says he has something very important to report..."

"Let him in." Angus smiled and turned to the Elf Queen and the Beastman King. "You two, Tang Lade, perhaps we should hear the Astrologer’s opinion."

Floyd was an old man in his sixties who had divined the news of the Divine Fragment.

Furthermore, the alliance had already found a piece of the Angel’s Heart, verifying the powerful Light Power it contained. As a result, the Astrologer had won everyone’s respect and trust, and his status in the alliance was far higher than that of the cabinet minister.

Floyd was normally a very spirited old man.

But as he entered the Council Hall, his expression was flustered and his face was deathly pale. He looked utterly disheveled, even staggering as he walked as if he might fall at any moment. Traces of blood stained his white beard, and specks of it dotted his sky-blue astrologer’s robe.

Seeing Floyd’s condition, Angus’s heart sank. "Floyd, what’s wrong? Has there been some new development with the Undead?"

"Your Majesty, I have divined Aragon’s origin," Floyd said, a slight tremor in his voice. It was impossible to tell if it was from excitement or fear.

"What is his origin?" Angus asked tensely, sitting up straight.

"Your Majesty, he truly does not belong to this world," Floyd said.

"What?" Angus was stunned.

"He’s really from the Ancient Era?"

"He’s from a parallel world?"

The Elf Queen and the Beastman King asked at the same time.

"My three respected sovereigns, I have already paid a great price just to divine that he does not belong to this world. Even so, I could not determine where exactly he comes from, or what his identity is!" Floyd said respectfully. "His fate seems to be shrouded in layers of fog. In him, I saw two diametrically opposed omens: hope and disaster."

"Hope and disaster?" Angus frowned. "How can that be?"

"It’s likely because of the immense power he himself possesses!" Elf Queen Lucia interpreted the divinatory result with her own reasoning. "Uncontrollable power can bring both hope and disaster. Perhaps which one it will be depends on our attitude toward him..."

"That makes sense." Angus nodded in agreement. "It seems we’ll have to be a bit nicer to Aragon.

"Your Majesty, my Queen, Your Highness," Floyd interrupted their train of thought, "the information about Aragon is not the most important part. While divining Aragon’s fate, I also saw another outsider. She, too, does not belong to this world. And she arrived a month earlier than Aragon."

At that, the expression on everyone’s face changed.

Angus asked in shock, "There’s another outsider?"

"Is she from the same place as Aragon?" Lucia asked.

"Is she as powerful as Aragon?" Grom asked.

"Like Aragon, that outsider’s fate is also shrouded in layers of fog," said Floyd. "But in her, I saw an endless, boundless desire. As for whether she is powerful, I could not divine it."

Angus was puzzled. "Desire? What kind of desire?"

"I do not know." Floyd shook his head. "But I urge Your Majesty to be wary of this other outsider. Typically, those consumed by desire are not good people. Moreover, she has been in this world for a month without revealing any information about herself. I fear she truly harbors ill intentions."

"Angus, I don’t like people who hide and sneak around," Beastman King Grom grunted. "Compared to her, Aragon is clearly far more forthright."

"Floyd, can you pinpoint the first outsider’s location?" Angus asked.

"Your Majesty, I cannot find her location." Floyd shook his head. "Just as I cannot locate the Divine Fragment, people who possess a powerful fate interfere with the results of a Divination."

"Pure maidens can sense the location of the Divine Fragment," Angus said. "Isn’t there some special condition that would allow us to find this other outsider?"

"Perhaps those with strong desires will be drawn to her," Floyd said. "Your Majesty could try looking in that direction."

"Alright." Angus rubbed his temples. One Aragon was already giving him a headache, and now there was another outsider. ’He hated any and all destabilizing factors.’

"Your Majesty, I believe Aragon can be trusted," Cabinet Minister Tang Lade suddenly spoke up. "He is not lying."

"Why?" Angus asked.

"The Purifying Cloth is evolving," Tang Lade said. "You may not have noticed, but the strength of the cloths sent with reports from different times has been changing. The newest Purifying Cloth is at least five times tougher and stronger than the earlier ones."

As he spoke, he took a few steps forward and handed two Purifying Cloths to Angus.

Angus was a powerful Warrior. He forcefully tried to tear the two different Purifying Cloths and indeed felt a clear difference between them.

He then passed the Purifying Cloths to the Elf Queen beside him.

Tang Lade continued his analysis. "Your Majesty, Aragon said that the more people who use the Purifying Cloth, the stronger the Holy Artifact will become.

He might be trying to awaken the Holy Artifact’s power this way. This is perhaps his ultimate goal.

Combined with the results of Floyd’s Divination, I suspect he wants to use the Holy Artifact’s power to return to his original world.

Of course, it’s also possible he wants to use the powerful Holy Artifact to dominate the world, but either way, he can be trusted. Because in order to achieve his goal, he must help humanity defeat the Undead..."