The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 436

Inside the Sacred Relic.

Mora spoke with a serious look.

‘I’ll say it again. Abandon your friends.’

Don’t even think about going outside; just stay here.

Abandon your companions and pursue your own interests.

She emphasized once more that there was no other way.

There was quite a lot of meaning behind those words.

‘If I don’t go to support them, will all three of them die?’

Mora said that the incident of the two black mages launching an attack outside was a turning point, and that from this point, fate would be somewhat determined.

She was saying that the uncertain future would become somewhat fixed.

In other words, Mora was saying that she knew what would happen in the future.

‘In the future that Mora saw, do they all die?’

In that future, her companions would die.

That’s why she was so adamant about telling her to abandon them.

‘Yes. If you make the choice not to go help, they will all die.’

As expected.

‘After the great turning point of Hoderiam and Jenarin’s attack, the future splits into 1,432 paths.’

1,432.

She didn’t know how the future would change, so she couldn’t tell if that number was large or small.

A comparison was needed.

‘Before the turning point… before the attack of the two black mages, how many paths did the future split into?’

‘3,472,821.’

‘3.5 million…?’

‘Yes.’

It was a shocking number.

The future was so diverse and complex.

She could somewhat grasp how small the number 1,400 was.

‘If it’s reduced from 3.5 million to 1,400… it’s a significant turning point. I understand. Please continue.’

Mora nodded slightly and began to explain again.

‘After the turning point, the future is divided into a 7:3 ratio depending on whether you go to support them or not.’

A 7:3 ratio meant a ratio of about 1000:450.

‘In 1,032 futures, you chose to help your friends. In 440 futures, you chose to abandon them.’

Mora’s expression darkened.

‘And in the 1,032 futures where you went to help your friends, you lose to Veil in all 1,032 of them.’

‘……All of them?’

‘Yes. There isn’t a single exception. There are no variables. You are brutally killed by Veil.’

Mora lowered her head with a solemn expression.

‘In 103 futures, you are swallowed whole by Veil. In 207 futures, you are captured by Veil and absorbed. And in 529 futures… you fight bravely, but ultimately lose and turn to dust.’

Mora’s voice trembled slightly.

Her lips also trembled slightly, as if she was forcing herself to recall a terrible memory.

‘Besides that, you are brutally killed in a total of 32 ways.’

’32 ways… There are so many ways to die.’

How could one die in 32 different ways?

She couldn’t even imagine it.

‘If you go to support them now, everything will end. Your death and the death of this world will be decided.’

‘……’

Mora’s expression was very serious.

It was a sincere look that didn’t leave any room for jokes.

‘If I don’t go out to support them, do I win?’

What about the 440 futures where she didn’t go to support them?

If all 1,032 futures were death, would all 440 futures be survival?

‘You can win.’

Her expression wasn’t very good for someone who was saying she could win.

Why was that?

The reason was soon apparent.

‘Out of the 440 futures where you don’t go to support them, you succeed in defeating Veil in 8 of them.’

‘……Only 8?’

Unlike the 1,032 deaths waiting in 1,032 futures, only 8 victories awaited her in 440 futures.

432 futures were death.

‘Even if I choose to stay, the survival rate is less than 5%… If you calculate the overall survival rate, it’s less than 1%.’

Out of 1,432 futures, 1,424 futures were death.

The survival rate was only 0.6%.

‘I don’t think it’s a worthwhile number to abandon my friends for.’

Compared to 0.6%, 5% was a high number. But in reality, it wasn’t much different.

In a win-or-lose binary match, a 5% win rate was practically a 0% win rate.

‘It’s not about looking at the overall survival rate. The important thing is that there is absolutely no possibility on one side.’

Mora’s eyes gleamed.

‘The future and fate are easier to change than you think. If there is even a 0.00001% chance, the future can be changed. But if there is no possibility at all… if the possibility is 0%, the future will never change.’

If she stayed here, there was a chance to win somehow, but if she went out, she would definitely die.

That’s what she was saying.

‘That’s why I told you. Don’t go out of here, and leave the remaining time to me.’

Mora took a step closer to her.

‘That way, you can finally go to one of the 8 futures where you win.’

‘Is getting help from Mora a condition for going to the 8 futures where I win?’

‘My help is one of the necessary conditions. There are various other conditions as well.’

‘……I see.’

Her head ached.

Her head was so complicated that she couldn’t answer without organizing her thoughts.

‘Take your time to think. As you may have already noticed, I have slowed down time since I sensed the black mages’ attack. You have about 5 minutes… that much time.’

As Mora said, time inside the Sacred Relic was extremely slow.

It was already flowing slowly, but now it was flowing even slower.

Five minutes inside here would only be about 5 seconds outside.

Five minutes was enough time to organize her thoughts.

‘……One. May I ask a question?’

While she was organizing her thoughts.

A question suddenly popped into her head.

‘What is it?’

‘The 1,032 futures you mentioned earlier… the 1,032 futures where I make the choice to go outside.’

She understood Mora’s words 100%.

In short, the current situation was like a game.

A story-based game where the next scenario changes depending on her choices.

The only difference was that there were hundreds, thousands, or even billions of choices.

The core was somewhat consistent.

If she made a certain choice, she could never go to the other side.

Thinking of it that way made it easier to understand.

‘Is the condition for going to that future exactly ‘me going outside’?’

‘What do you mean by that?’

Perhaps it was because she understood it so easily. A very simple question filled her head.

‘I’m asking if the condition is me going outside, or if the condition is me helping my friends.’

A choice usually has an important ‘keyword’.

The sentence ‘I go outside and help my friends’ is a combination of two sentences.

Going outside and helping friends.

Which of these two is the important key word?

If her guess was correct, wouldn’t ‘going outside’ be important?

‘Going outside. That’s the key. There are no restrictions on helping your friends.’

‘……I see, so that’s it.’

So, going outside was the key.

‘If I go outside, what problem arises and how does it lead to my death?’

If she went outside, for what reason and how would it lead to her death?

‘The two black mages currently confronting your companions outside, Jenarin and Hoderiam, are under Veil’s surveillance magic. It’s a magic that allows him to share all the senses of the target, including their five senses.’

‘Sensory sharing… Is it similar to the magic used on familiars?’

‘It’s similar.’

Mora nodded and continued.

‘If you go outside now, Veil will find out about your existence. Veil will see you and immediately realize that you are the true successor of the Vaitener lineage, and he will begin to move in earnest to deal with you. And……’

‘I won’t be able to close the gap in power and will be defeated. Is that it?’

‘That’s right.’

‘I understand.’

She understood.

If her existence was revealed to Veil now, that was very likely to happen.

She wouldn’t be able to grow enough, would be tormented by Veil, and would be defeated.

In this situation, she shouldn’t go outside.

Her existence shouldn’t be revealed to Veil now.

She should only reveal herself to Veil after she has reached the 9th Circle [The highest level of magic mastery].

‘So, you’re saying that there’s no problem with me helping my friends itself?’

‘Yes. The important thing is that your existence isn’t detected by those two. That’s all. There’s no problem with the act of helping your friends itself.’

Mora narrowed her eyes.

She had an expression that said she couldn’t understand.

‘But… how are you going to help without going outside? There’s no way.’

The inside and outside of the Sacred Relic were completely isolated.

She couldn’t help without going outside.

‘It’s just that direct military support is impossible. It’s possible to help indirectly.’

‘……Indirectly?’

But this was only in terms of ‘military force’.

In other ways, she could help enough.

‘You’re saying that instead of adding strength, I can help in other ways?’

‘Yes.’

‘Knowledge… Are you saying that you’ll advise your companions through mana? That kind of help is…’

It wouldn’t be very helpful.

Mora’s eyes were saying that.

‘It’s a little different.’

She touched the choker she was wearing around her neck.

‘What I’m trying to send outside the Sacred Relic using mana isn’t my will or thoughts.’

Her partner, who was inevitably asleep because she couldn’t function inside the Sacred Relic.

‘What I’m trying to send outside is a strategist with the wisdom to turn the tables in an instant… my partner.’

Mimir.

She would send her outside first.

That was her master plan.

‘Partner……’

Mora trailed off, with an expression that said she couldn’t understand.

‘Is that partner you’re talking about Mimir Bell Vaitener, who is in charge of your support?’

‘Yes.’

‘……You’re going to send only her outside separately?’

‘Yes. There is a way to do that.’

There was a way.

By using the data obtained from going back and forth between the Umbra and Persona Sacred Relics and the structure of the choker, it was possible.

By inserting Mimir’s data between the mana emitted outside the Sacred Relic, she could send Mimir outside.

‘I know there is a way. I have seen the past, present, and future. Of course, I know all of your past. I know that it’s possible to send Princess Mimir’s data… her soul, which is embedded in the choker you’re wearing, outside by putting it in mana. I know that there is technology to do that. I probably know it better than you do. That’s not what I’m talking about.’

Mora paused for a moment and asked with a sharp expression.

‘Princess Mimir’s personality data… her soul isn’t a detachable accessory. If you forcibly detach it now and send it outside…’

With a trembling voice.

With an expression that seemed to ask if she was really okay.

‘I’m asking if you’re okay with not being able to synchronize with Princess Mimir ever again.’

She asked with a meaning that was half warning and half concern.