The room was instantly swept in silence, and everyoneâs attention moved toward Evelyn.
âWas my explanation too difficult to understand? Then should we think of it in simple mathematical terms? For example, 1+2=3, right? With this expression, the result is always 3, just like the fact that Shalyh would definitely fall in the future.â Evelyn continued, âBut when our Chibbong here changed the future for the first time, he basically erased the numbers â1â and â2â in the equation.â
With his first attempt, Chi-Woo managed to prevent Ru Hiana and the people around him from getting involved in the first incident. And he also caused Chi-Hyun to destroy the colonies of demon flowers.
âYet the result didnât change in the end, as revealed by his second chance to see the future. What do you think that means?â Evelyn asked.
âIt means that the result remained the same even while the expression changed.â
âYes, exactly.â Evelyn smiled at Ru Amuhâs answer.
The expression of (1 + 2) wasnât the only one that resulted in 3. Other expressions such as (0 +2), (1.5 +1.5) also yielded the same result. If one used all four arithmetic operations, the expressions that led to 3 were basically infinite. In other words, if the Demon Empire could no longer accomplish their goal using (1+2), they could attempt to use another method such as (5-2). And if the heroes tried to stop the Demon Empire from doing that as well, the Demon Empire could try another expression such as (1.5 x 2) to reach their desired result.
At this point, Chi-Woo realized what Evelyn was saying. Given there were an infinite number of ways for the demons to reach their desired result, Chi-Woo might continue what he had been doing and battle to see who could one-up the other more timesâif he wasnât left with only one chance, that was.
âIn other words, itâs meaningless to do anything about the expression. The fact that we canât change the result by changing the expression was proven by his second insight into the future. I think that realization was our biggest gain.â
âThen what do we have to do from now on?â Ru Amuh asked. âThereâs no way we can change the result. Then isnât the only solution to escape before that result is derived?â Ru Amuh spoke just as Chi-Hyun had.
âOh my, why would we do that?â Yet Evelyn thought differently. âIsnât there still one part of the expression left to change?â she asked, and the three exchanged looks.
âThink about it,â Evelyn said, âWhatâs the reason the result is 3?â
âWell, thatâs because if you add 1 and 2âŚâ Ru Amuh said before a gasp escaped his mouth. Evelyn smiled.
âThereâs no result without a cause.â All events and happenings came to be for a reason. That was the rule of causality. ThenâŚ
âSo, what if we change the cause?â
Chi-Woo gasped, and realization struck him. The result changed once the cause of it changed. It wasnât a thought he had before. Ru Amuh also couldnât hide his surprise. When the Demon Empire had 1 and 2, they needed to use addition. And if the heroes knew what the value of each of the incidents that were being added was, they could predict the result when they changed the cause.
âThatâs why you told us to not bother with it and leave it be.â Ru Amuh nodded. âUsing the futureâŚI think I understand what you mean now.â
âItâs not as easy as it sounds.â Evelyn smiled. âYou need to think about the timing well, or else everything can be ruined without us being able to lift a finger.â
âThe causeâŚâ Hawa murmured to herself.
âThen what incidents can be considered â1â and â2â from our example?â
âI think â1â is the departure of the legend from Shalyh city,â Evelyn replied. âWe canât prevent that since itâs basically a checkmate move. The Demon Empire is planning to assassinate the leader of the Cassiubia League, the dragon, and the only one who can prevent it is the legend. Thus, he needs to go.â
Number â2â didnât even need to be said. It was the traitor inside Shalyh cityâthe half-demon. And what was the âcauseâ the Demon Empire was trying to form by connecting these two incidents? It was obvious as the first future and the second future had shown.
âThe destruction of the godly territory,â Chi-Woo said in a low voice.
âCorrect!â Evelyn winked.
Hearing this, Ru Hiana said, âI got it! So if we do something about this causeââ
âNo, no.â Evelyn wiggled her finger while clicking her tongue. âDonât bother with things that neednât be bothered. You can just leave the complete expression be.â
âSorry?â
âSee.â Light shone from the ends of Evelynâs finger, and when she moved her finger, the light remained in the air.
1 +2 = 3
âEven if we donât bother changing the numbers or the addition operationâŚif we just add one more thingâŚâ Evelyn drew a short horizontal line across the air. âWe can completely change the expression.â
1+ (-2) = 3
Everyoneâs eyes shone when they saw the new equation in the air. Although it was a mere negative, it was a definite variable that could change the result.
***
This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
Inside the Demon Empire.
âThis is unexpected.
A soft, sing-song voice said.
âWe prepared a path, drew attention away, and basically did all we could, but they still failed to meet their goal? Are you kidding me?
Rather than angry, the voice sounded baffled.
âThereâs news that the legend is there.
A calm voice responded, and others murmured.
âWe knew the legend would move, but not this fast. Itâs almost as if they read our moves beforehand.
The commotion settled slightly because of the calm voice.
âBut wait a moment, doesnât that mean the prophecy is wrong again? You saidâ
The sing-song voice said, but the calm voice cut her off.
âStop. A prophecy is just a prophecy. Why are you speaking as if you donât know its conditions? Thatâs enough.
The sing-song voice sounded irritated, but she didnât press further. After a short silence, a vile voice belonging to Amon rang in the air.
âWell, but itâs a pity. I really wanted to kill that wench even if I had to deal with the SernitasâŚ
âFocus on the important matter.
The calm voice said.
âFrom what I heard, it sounds like the Cassiubiaâs main forces were fully prepared for us as if they had expected us to arrive there. Thatâs not all. They didnât fall for Baelâs diversion tactic and simply pretended to be tricked. And on top of that, the Sernitas received considerable damage from the sudden appearance of Chi-Hyun.
âWait, does that meanâŚ?
âIt means the Sernitas might suspect foul play and think weâve worked with our enemies to backstab them.
âHa. Man, this is seriously messed up. So what do we do now? Do we prepare to battle the Sernitas?
Amon sounded like he couldnât believe what he was hearing. The sing-song voice answered.
âWeâre not at that point yet.
The calm voice continued.
âOur partnership is still intactâŚThey are going to let this incident slide on the condition that we invade the holy city Shalyh, but if something like this happens again, they say we will have to pay the rightful price for it.
âPrice? What price?
âThereâs only one thing the Sernitas want. Think about the reason they accepted our offer this time.
âWhat? Does that mean they want us to offer a sacrifice from our side in place of that dragon?
The sing-song voice turned sharp.
âThose crazy bastards. They really are crazy about renovatingâŚ
Amon clicked his tongue.
âAnyways, we did accomplish a small part of our goal. Bael and the Sernitas wonât retreat immediately. They will be on the offensive and keep the Cassiubia League and the legend occupied. And in the meantime, we must do what we need to do.
Though things had gone a bit awry, they still achieved what they wanted. The fact that the legend left the holy city, Shalyh meant they succeeded in at least half of their goal. And for the other half, they needed to wait for their spy to contact them.
âHmâŚstillâŚitâs a bitâŚ
It seemed Amon wasnât pleased with how things were turning out.
âWhat are you trying to say?
âI know that a prophecy is not always right, and it can be wrong in small details.
Amon spoke carefully, hoping to not hurt Shershaâs pride.
âBut what went wrong this time and last time werenât small details. The future that shouldâve allowed us to easily invade Shalyh city didnât even come. Colonies of demon flowers were destroyed, and the fact that the legend suddenly appeared in the Cassiubia mountain range is a surprise too. How can I explain this? It feels as if things are all going wrongâŚ
Amon trailed off. Though he didnât finish his thought, it sounded like he was asking his peers to reevaluate their plans. It wasnât a suggestion the group could just ignore.
âShersha, what do you think about this?
The calm voice asked to confirm.
âNoâŚ
A faint voice that sounded like it was about to break apart spoke up.
âThe godly territoryâŚwould disappearâŚbutâŚI donât knowâŚ
âYou donât know?
âThe futureâŚitâs constantly shiftingâŚ
Shershaâs words stirred the room again. The fact that the future was constantly shifting meant that there was a high chance great changes could occur.
âSee. Even Shersha is unsure.
Amon said with more certainty this time. The demon with the calm voice organized his thoughts. Usually, he wouldâve heeded Amonâs words a bit more, but he couldnât do that this time. The situation changed with the appearance of the legend in the mountain range. The matter was already done with, and the Demon Empire couldnât back off anymore. In the end, he could only voice the decision that had been set for them from the start.
âAs said many times before, a prophecy isnât always right. But if we donât attack Shalyh, we might have to go to a war with the Sernitas.
Their partnership with the Sernitas had been built on the condition that the Demon Empire invaded Shalyh. And if the Demon Empire backed off from the matter now, the Sernitas would suffer great losses, which might enrage them enough to trigger a war. It was a future that the Demon Empire wanted to avoid at all costs when they were already surrounded by enemies.
âAs long as a major problem is not found in our plan, all we have to make sure is that the result doesnât change. Moreover, itâs over for the city as soon as it loses its status as a godly territory. We should accept all changed variables and push through with our plan just for that.
The calm voice said with more force.
âThis is the end of the meeting. Everyone, prepare.
***
The news that had arrived at the Demon Empire soon spread all over the holy city, Shalyh. The city buzzed with the shocking news that the Sernitas had ventured into Cassiubia mountain range with the Demon Empire. Above all, Bael from the Demon Empire was the one who made the move. With nicknames like the King of the East and the First Monarch, Bael was the first-ranking great demon in the Demon Empire that was teeming with strong beings. In human terms, it was as if Chi-Hyun had made a moveâand with an enormous troop following him.
To counter this, the Cassiubia League sent their strongest, the Last Dragon, to counter Bael. It was then the league was almost struck from behind. The Sernitas tried to ambush them from a completely unexpected place. When the Demon Empire and the Cassiubia League warred before, the Demon Empire had annihilated the Penrilsâa clan that was considered important even among the leagueâand succeeded in capturing the territory once ruled by the clan. That was where the Sernitas had suddenly emerged. They wouldnât have been able to do that unless the Demon Empire had allowed them passage. In other words, it clearly showed that the two forces joined hands.
Fortunately, the Cassiubia League was able to respond fantastically and succeeded in overturning the situation with the legendâs appearance. If they failed to do that, even the Last Dragon mightâve been done for. Still, the war was far from over despite the hurdle they had overcome. The Sernitas and the Demon Empire werenât forces that would back down from losing once. Rather than leaving the border, their intent to launch another invasion persisted. Since they realized that the Cassiubia League was better prepared than they expected, and that the legend was with them, they also better prepared themselves.
In response, Shalyh deployed some of its troops to the mountain range. They had a troop of considerable size in the city, and with their stronghold in danger, they naturally had to send support. While the cityâs defenses would weaken as a result, it wasnât to the level that they needed to worry much; they just had to focus solely on defenses, and they still had the benefit of the city being a godly territoryâŚif it remained that way, that was.
While watching the reinforcement forces leave the city without hesitation, Chi-Woo thought, âThis was what they were talking about.â
He didnât expect the Demon Empire to also drag the Sernitas into this. Who knew they would go that far to stomp down one city? Chi-Woo was reminded of his brotherâs warning that the Demon Empire was pulling out all stops for their plan again. It was then a messenger sent by Ismile brought Chi-Woo news: they were going to hold a meeting with a couple of influential heroes. Ru Amuh and Chi-Woo were both invited, but attendance wasnât mandatory. And Chi-Woo realized the deadline he had talked about with his brother was soon approaching.
âSo, with this, the situation has been set.â Evelyn approached Chi-Woo and asked, âAre you anxious?â
âNot really.â Chi-Woo smiled. It wouldâve been a lie if he said he wasnât anxious at all. But after formulating a plan with Evelyn, he had a little bit more hope nowâhope that he could protect Shalyh and strike back at the Demon Empire when they least expected it.
âWhat about you, Lady Evelyn?â Chi-Woo asked.
Surprisingly, Evelyn didnât answer right away, and after a short silence, she said, ââŚBesides that, thereâs one thing Iâm curious about.â
After hesitating a bit, Evelyn asked, âWhat is your relationship with the legend?â
Chi-Woo was stunned. He hadnât expected this question at all.
âUmâŚwhy do you ask that?â
âYou said the legend told you to give up on this city and escape.â
âYes, he did.â
âBut I donât think that man wouldâve failed to think of the plan I made.â
Chi-Woo blinked hard at Evelynâs words.
âUhâŚmaybe it just slipped his mind?â
âNo, thereâs no way. When I clashed with him one time, I felt how high his level was. A man of that caliberâŚâ Evelyn shook her head. She seemed wholly certain about her assessment. Then she raised her head and looked up at the sky. âIt makes me curious. What made him judge that we should meekly back away instead of continuing to fightâŚ?â
Now that Evelyn brought this up, Chi-Woo wondered about the same question too. His brother had said things would be different, but not impossible. Considering the kind of person his brother was, he shouldâve been able to come up with the same plan as Evelyn had. Why did he back down without attempting anything?
âAnyways, thereâs only one thing thatâs truly important.â In the end, Evelyn shook her head like she couldnât understand and stared intently at Chi-Woo. Then she asked, âHow do you feel now? Are you confident that your name can surpass even the legendâs?â
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