Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 281 The Prophet

The bandaged man slowly walked to Miriam's side, looked at the unconscious Miriam, and remained still for a while.

His only exposed right eye kept flashing with complex emotions.

The bandaged man bent down as if to touch Miriam, but hesitated and finally withdrew his hand. Then he carefully placed the longsword he had used to kill the Crimson Arbiter next to Miriam.

Now is not the time.
The bandaged man, seemingly conveying these messages with his somewhat lonely figure, turned around and vanished without a trace with a fleeting flash of lightning.

The bandaged man's encounter with Miriam was both accidental and inevitable. His goal was the same: the Obsidian Magic Tower's stronghold at Erles Academy.

The Obsidian Magic Tower is undoubtedly a magic academy with a long history. The reason why the name of this academy sounds a bit strange is precisely because it inherits a history that is too long.

Before the existence of magical particles was definitively observed, in what could be described as a chaotic "ancient" world teeming with demons, there existed a school of mages that claimed to draw magical power from the heavens by building towering structures to get as close to them as possible.

The most impressive spectacle created by the then-prosperous Sky School was the "Obsidian Magic Tower," which could be faintly seen from a higher vantage point at Erles Academy on a clear day.

Although the Obsidian Magic Tower has inevitably declined due to the near obsolescence of the sky magic system, as long as that black tower, which still forms part of the academy's campus, stands, the academy will continue to hold a place in the world of magic.

Therefore, the Obsidian Magic Tower is not a place where intruders with ulterior motives can come and go as they please.

Therefore, the bandaged man seized the opportunity presented by the chaos in Ers to approach a high-ranking member of the Black Tower he had been eyeing for a long time.

Inside a temporary tower building erected with great pomp by the staff of the Obsidian Magic Tower, the bandaged man arrived at his destination silently and without hindrance.

The door opened, revealing a dimly lit and cramped room. Behind a faintly glowing crystal ball was a terrifying face, aged beyond recognition, resembling that of a demon.

The elderly woman Empa, who currently works at the Obsidian Magic Tower, has a more recognizable title: "The Prophet".

Empa, who displayed a talent for prophetic magic from a very young age, was renowned for the accuracy of his predictions in his youth.

At first, her prophecies were small in scale and relatively general. But as her abilities increased, the frequency, scale, and detail of her prophecies began to rise steadily.

But it was during those years when Empa's fame was at its peak.

Suddenly, Empa's prophecies began to fail.

Initially, Empa's accuracy in predicting minor events was reliable, except for major ones. However, as time went on, the accuracy of her predictions became increasingly questionable, regardless of the specific events.

Even now, she remains that "prophet." However, the term originates from "a prophet with an accuracy rate of only 20%."

Hearing the footsteps entering, the elderly Empa felt only a sense of dejection.

I did not foresee your arrival.

Without looking up, she stared intently at the crystal ball in front of her. A moment later, as if throwing a tantrum, Empa pushed the crystal ball to the ground, causing it to crack.

Only at this moment did she finally turn her gaze to the bandaged man who appeared in front of her.

then
"Ahhhhh! Ahhhhh!"

Suddenly, Empa let out a violent shriek.

The shriek didn't sound like a cry for help after sensing danger; it sounded more like the joy of finally finding something that had been searched for for a long time.

"Ahhhhhh—it's you! I get it, I finally get it!"

Eunpa, who already looked very old, suddenly had a glint of light in his eyes as he stared straight at the bandaged man.

"As expected. My prophecies are all correct! I can still see the direction of 'fate.' It's you—no, not just you—whose prophecies only come true in one out of five. Therefore, there must be multiple beings like you interfering with the course of this world!"

Suddenly enraged, Empa's face revealed boundless joy as she hurriedly pounced on the ground to pick up her crystal ball again.

Perhaps because nothing could be seen in the cracked crystal ball, Empa's mood became dejected again.

"It's too late, really too late."

The question that had troubled her for half her life was answered, even in the "final moments" of her life, but it was clearly too late.

"Is it really that easy to be recognized?"

After entering the room, he remained silent, only watching the bandaged man perform for Enpa and making muffled noises.

It was a deep, resonant voice, tinged with a hint of helplessness.

Even though he had bound himself up like a mummy, on this day, both Miriam before and Empa now seemed to recognize him at a glance.

"In short, Prophet Empa, your power is far too extraordinary. It will likely become an obstacle on my path in the future, so..."

After clearing his throat slightly, the bandaged man continued speaking in a muffled voice, which was due to being bound in bandages.

"Hehe. Hehehehehe."

Empa let out a low laugh, exhaling softly as if relieved. His previously ghostly expression softened into a benevolent one.
"To finally glimpse a corner of the world's truth and obtain a clear answer is enough for me. It's far better than dying in ignorance. So, I don't hate you. It's just a pity I should have realized this sooner. But when comparing myself to the whole world, who could have imagined that the problem wasn't with myself, but with the world itself?"

Empa raised her head, looked into the bandaged man's single eye, and decided to face death with equanimity.

Then the bandaged man spoke with very complicated emotions.
"I'm not telling you to shut up because you know too much. Letting you roam freely would indeed be an obstacle for me, but... once you become my companion, that won't be. Therefore, I invite you to walk with me, Prophet Empa. If you wish to witness the world's truest face..."

The bandaged man reached out his hand to Enpa.

After staring at the other person for a long time and confirming that this was not a last-minute trick, Enpa suddenly shouted again.

"Your Majesty! Thank you for your guidance!"

In an instant, Enpa seemed to have become more than ten years younger, and thus accepted the bandaged man's invitation.

The staff of the Obsidian Magic Tower discovered that their Granny Empa had suddenly disappeared after everything had temporarily calmed down.

I don't know how much time has passed.

The Prince's Guard Camp, centered around the "Leviathan Institute," is located at Ers College.

Ann, who was also in a coma like Miriam, seemed to be seeing things that had happened in the past in her hazy state. Although it was not as complicated as the childhood of a certain professor, Ann had also experienced a lot of ups and downs when she was young.

Most of these upheavals are related to her mother, Princess Vivian.

Back in the World Tree space, Anne spoke of Princess Vivian's story rather casually. However, the reality of court intrigue was far more perilous.

Even Princess Vivian, who possessed extraordinary powers, became extremely weak after giving birth to Anne, nearly facing a life-threatening crisis. Furthermore, due to certain events, Vivian, feeling she could not trust her husband, King Vientria of the Holy Kingdom of Libera, ultimately chose to flee into seclusion with her newborn daughter.

Given this past, it would be strange if Anne, who was sent back to the palace after Princess Vivian's death, had a good situation.

Despite the repeated dangers faced by his daughter, King Vintria was not indifferent to her plight.

Tragically, Princess Vivian's forced retreat proved that the king had already completely lost control of his inner court. He didn't even know who his "enemy" was.

It was in this situation that one day, a girl who looked quite similar to her appeared in front of Ann.

Celestine Vientria.

These are the servants, guards, playmates, and doubles that King Vientria carefully selected for Anne.

At first, Anne did not accept Celestine. Or rather, Anne, who had only ever recognized her mother since childhood, was unable to accept anyone else.

However, Celestine, who seemed to lack a bit of common sense and didn't quite understand her own position or status, and was even more unaware of the concept of distance, kept melting Anne's heart with her naturally cheerful personality.

Almost two years later, Celestine was injured by a vase that "accidentally" fell from a height while protecting Anne. Anne finally opened up to Celestine.

Looking back, Celestine has unknowingly become the person who has spent the most time with Anne, besides her mother.

When faced with Anne, who was finally willing to confide in her more, Celestine asked the question that had been bothering her for a long time.

"Your Highness, why do you always look so unhappy?"

Ann couldn't quite remember exactly how she answered.

Because she was too shy and didn't talk much over the years, her speech abilities may have deteriorated significantly. Therefore, when she speaks, she will likely miss the point and speak haltingly.

In any case, her idea was conveyed to Celestine.

She didn't like it here, she didn't like the palace, she wanted to see her mother, she wanted to go back to her real "home".

Upon hearing Anne's words, Celestine patted her now-immense chest and assured Anne that she knew the palace very well. Therefore, she was certain she could fulfill Her Highness's wish.

It can only be said that being young does not cover up all the problems.

Furthermore, Celestine, this young girl, does indeed have some...
So, in the following days, the two of them really began to plan how to escape from the palace. They even "meticulously" planned that after escaping the palace, they would use the valuables they had secretly saved to exchange for a carriage and head north.

Then, unsurprisingly, the plan failed.

The two who were trying to escape the palace were captured on the spot.

This was the first time in her life that Anne had been caught doing something wrong, and she was quite at a loss. However, as a princess, even if she were punished by the king, it would only be to a minor degree.

The one who was truly whipped was Celestine.

In fact, instigating the princess to escape from the palace under the guise of Celestine is extremely heinous. This suggests that Celestine's background is not simple, and her appearance as Anne's substitute gives her a certain irreplaceable quality.

Otherwise, even if she didn't simply vanish into thin air, it would be impossible for Celestine to return to Anne's side.

Ultimately, after Anne's persistent pleas whenever she had the chance, King Vientria, who harbored complex feelings towards Anne and her mother, finally sent Celestine back to Anne's side.

In just over six months, and with most of that time spent recovering from injury, Celestine seems to have matured a bit.

But within a few days, she revealed that she was still "Celesteine" at heart.

"It was just a mistake last time, Your Highness! There won't be any problems this time. I can definitely help you achieve your wish!"

This time, however, Ann simply shook her head.

Using language she was already quite familiar with, Ann expressed that her wish had been fulfilled.

Then, he asked Celestine if she, who usually seemed so optimistic, ever had worries or wishes she wanted to fulfill.

"My wish?"

Celestine crossed her arms, pondered for a long time, and then slowly spoke.

"I wish I could be a princess like Your Highness."

Celestine, who shares the same surname "Vientria" with the royal family of Libera, thought of the indescribable sorrow on her parents' faces when she was chosen as the princess's attendant.

Naively, she felt the problem might lie with herself. If she could be more ambitious and become the princess herself, not just a shadow, perhaps everything would be different.

Like this time, if she were a princess, she could have walked out of the palace as an ordinary older sister, with An, who was practically like a younger sister to her.

but.
"No, no, there's really nothing there."

After six months of reflection, even Celestine realized that, contrary to her naiveté, many things were destined to be impossible. So, she simply waved her hands quickly, trying to cover up the embarrassment she had caused by speaking loudly.

That's probably why she didn't hear a voice, completely drowned out by hers, speaking softly.

"You have fulfilled my wish, so I will definitely fulfill yours as well."

Inside the room, An slowly opened her eyes, returning from her dream to reality, and saw a familiar figure by her bedside displaying an angry expression.

Perhaps because she was still dreaming, Anne's weak voice called out the name not "Adeline," but a name that had not appeared for several years.

"Celeste"

(End of this chapter)