Butterfly Effect

Mysticism’s stronghold, the temple.

My party and I were charging through it, continuing our battle.

“Left!”

At my cry, the pillar to our left rumbled open.

A torrent of fire erupted, only to be countered by Xenia’s magic.

Xenia turned to me, a look of surprise etched on her face.

Her eyes questioned how I knew all the traps in Mysticism’s base, from the ancient dragon’s magic onwards.

‘Of course I know them.’

How many times had I played the Flame Butterfly storyline?

And Mysticism was the episode where I died most often.

‘Traps woven from secrets.’

Sophisticated contraptions crafted by the developers with a deliberate intent to torment the player.

An episode of brutally high difficulty where you had to evade them all.

Of course, an easier difficulty setting existed for the player’s sake.

But it only appeared upon failing to infiltrate Mysticism.

As if to mock the player.

*Seems too hard? Lower the difficulty!*

I ignored it and stuck with the challenging setting.

And after countless, humiliating defeats, I had memorized every single trap in Mysticism’s temple.

‘Now that it’s reality, I’d naturally prefer to proceed on an easier difficulty.’

But for the difficulty adjustment to appear, we’d have to fail once here.

And failing, of course, meant death.

‘Not a chance I’m dying.’

This chance in reality is once.

So, I meticulously mapped the traps in my mind, constantly circumventing them.

A bewildered reaction began to show on the faces of the Mysticism members.

We were breaching the temple far too quickly for their liking.

Originally, they intended to buy time and feed us to the Earth Dragon.

No matter how skilled a White Wood Craftsman one was, against the Earth Dragon, buying time was all one could do.

Unable to defeat it, it would inevitably become a battle against the clock.

Which, in turn, could be viewed from a different perspective.

‘There’s a reason why they can’t simply flee either.’

While our attention is drawn to the Earth Dragon, there’s something they need to do.

What that something was didn’t require much thought.

‘Vulcan is planning to absorb Narea.’

Even with only half his power, he would absorb Narea.

To do so, I must employ the mysteries prepared within the temple. Thus, I find myself in this predicament.

Just then, I sprinted, dodging molten metal and poison raining from the ceiling.

The traps served as markers, clues to how far I’d come.

“Ryu, Master Ryu, are you certain we can manage this… just us?”

Zenia’s voice, laced with trepidation, cut through the din.

The Mystics, they were throwing everything they had at us, desperate to halt our advance.

Each time, Centriole and the White Wood Clan disciple swiftly dispatched them.

Both possessed skill befitting their elite status.

But still, with our numbers so few and the White Wood Clan Elder absent, could we truly apprehend all the Mystics? Doubt lingered in her tone.

We couldn’t bring a large force for this operation.

Acrede, the Holy Maiden, couldn’t risk revealing her cooperation in hunting down the Mystics to the Holy Kingdom.

The Holy Kingdom was currently divided between Royalists and the Church faction.

Neither faction would consent to such an alliance.

Yet Acrede had her reasons, and we needed her to pinpoint the Mystics.

Therefore, for now, we were forced to operate with a minimal team.

Yes, for now.

“Of course, we aren’t the only ones involved.”

This scenario deviates from the original narrative.

Therefore, we have prepared safeguards commensurate with the change.

“The Azure Magic Tower and the Imperial Knights are mobilized.”

“The Azure Magic Tower and the Imperial Knights?”

“Yes, I requested assistance from the First Prince and the Archmage of the Azure Magic Tower.”

Zenia’s eyes widened, round with surprise.

Even she hadn’t anticipated forces of that magnitude being deployed.

The Mystics, they were a collective steeped in infamy, generation after generation.

Though they had vanished once before, the weight of their reputation was immense.

To claim victory over the Mystics would be a matter of national pride.

Would those vying for power remain idle?

Of course not.

And thus, the First Prince had stepped forward.

Truth be told, the First Prince’s involvement in suppressing the Mystics was part of the original storyline.

The Mystics were an episode that threatened to destabilize the Duchy of Robleaux.

The First Prince, having observed Lucas’s actions closely, had become aware of the events involving Lucas and the Holy Maiden.

The Holy Maiden, she was central to the power struggles within the Holy Kingdom.

Even for Lucas, it was a scale he could not manage alone.

It was then that the First Prince played his hand.

He would take responsibility for the Mystic affair, allowing Lucas to act freely.

As a result, Lucas defended Zenia in her time of need and then invaded the Mystics’ hideout, seeking to rescue Acrede, who had been captured by Vulcan.

With Lucas vanquishing Vulcan, the Mystics would all be apprehended.

And this triumph… it would become the First Prince’s triumph.

Furthermore, the First Prince handles the unsavory business that transpired between them and the Holy Kingdom, solidifying his relationship with the Holy Order.

This throws the already fierce battle for the Imperial Throne into utter chaos.

The Duke of Robelia would resort to the powers of an Archdemon to counter the First Prince’s growing dominance.

That was the scenario in the fifth act.

However, this particular instance was orchestrated solely by Duke Baekmok.

No matter his position, even the First Prince wouldn’t dare interfere with something spearheaded by Duke Baekmok.

And so, I threw down a card.

The words I’d spoken to the First Prince in the past.

The Duke of Robelia must never become Emperor.

If the First Prince helped in that, I would hand over the achievements of this endeavor to him.

The Azure Magic Tower goes without saying.

Surely, they would willingly support their daughter’s betrothed as he embarks on a heroic path.

Jerion’s future father-in-law would aid him with any magic, no matter what.

The political landscape races forward, teetering on a precarious tightrope.

And as it quickens, one must fasten their safety belts.

The Azure Magic Tower and the Imperial Knights.

I’d fueled the fire under these two factions, who even Duke Baekmok wouldn’t casually move.

Effectively preparing these two as safety measures.

Zenia’s eyes shook violently.

Her expression was that of someone who couldn’t fathom what I was.

“…Master Ryu said you were his attendant?”

“I thought it best to conceal my identity as much as possible until I arrived here. A small deception was necessary.”

I pressed against the bandages covering my face.

My appearance shifted, growing shorter, and my raven-black hair billowed.

As red slowly crept into my eyes, Zenia widened them in shock.

“Pleased to meet you, Zenia. I’m Hanon Ailey, currently studying at Jerion Academy.”

“Hanon Ailey.”

Zenia already knew my name.

The story of the individual who wielded ancient dragon magic and was then taken into Imperial custody was already famous.

“The betrothed of the Azure Magic Tower Lord’s daughter.”

Of course, I was infamous in that regard too.

“I wondered how long you’d keep it hidden.”

Isabelle swung her sword beside me, muttering.

“Ugh, I was dying of boredom! Hanon, I can call you by your name now, right!”

“Yes, Lady Acrede, please do.”

I simply shrugged at Acrede’s shout, even as she was propped on Centrio’s back.

Zenia stared at me, utterly dumbfounded.

From Duke Baekmok and the Saintess, to the First Prince and the Azure Magic Tower Lord.

I was tangled with the world’s most influential figures.

It wasn’t surprising that Zenia reacted that way.

“Seni-or, what exactly is it you *do*?”

Perhaps she calls me senior because she plans to enroll next year.

I thought it courteous and smiled gently. “I’m a second-year student of Martial Studies at Jerion Academy.”

Xenia’s brow furrowed slightly, as if that wasn’t quite the answer she’d hoped for, but there was no time to elaborate.

We had, by now, reached the far end of the temple, a place crowded with countless pillars.

There, alongside the pillars, rose an endlessly tall staircase.

Beyond the pillars, in the place where a wall should have been, flowed a strange darkness.

Within that darkness, an eerie light flickered, reminiscent of fireflies.

“We’re here.”

Mushika stopped, and those running behind me followed suit.

Mushika gracefully dismounted her bone horse.

“Souls are all jumbled up in there, radiating an incredibly dangerous aura.”

A look of unease crossed her face.

True to her words, my steel flesh and the remnants of the ancient dragon were reacting more intensely than ever before.

“Stop them!”

“Don’t let them reach the altar!”

At that moment, the cultists burst in from behind.

“Go on ahead.”

The White Woodcrafter’s retainer drew his sword and turned to face them.

He would be more than capable of handling that lot.

“Let’s go.”

With my words, we all began to ascend the stairs.

Oddly enough, the higher we climbed, the more inconsistent the height of each step became.

Some steps could be taken in a single stride, while others were like cliffs we had to scramble over.

But we had reached a point where mere height was no longer an obstacle.

Xenia flew up with magic, Isabel with her goddess’s wings.

Mushika used her bone horse, while Centurion and I relied on our physical abilities.

“Khyyiiik!”

Only Acrede swallowed a scream of surprise at each leap.

The higher we went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became.

A decidedly *unpleasant* premonition began to creep in.

Vulcan sensed the White Woodcrafter as a threat and hastened his actions.

He was busily preparing, even to the point of awakening an Earth Dragon.

‘I can’t predict the extent of Vulcan’s impetuousness.’

That’s why I was pushing forward by any means necessary.

*Thump-*

At that moment, I felt as though I heard the sound of a cartwheel turning somewhere.

The wheel of fate was turning with many compulsions bearing down.

Fate can only be twisted when one is imbued with a power strong enough to warp it.

And were all the things I had done until now, were they trivial?

A shiver –

After so long, gooseflesh crawled across my skin.

Thanks to the shroud’s bandage, I was losing my emotions, forgetting how to cherish myself.

That’s why feeling a shiver was such a rare thing.

It wasn’t my emotions, but my instincts, reacting.

“Shit.”

And then, I heard Musika’s voice muttering a curse.

Only then did I belatedly realize a loose end I hadn’t managed while hastily pushing the scenario forward.

No.

It wouldn’t be just one thing.

I had employed various methods to forcefully steer the affair, desperately trying to fill Lukas’s void.

And in that process, I meddled with countless things for the happy ending I desired.

This triggered numerous butterfly effects, eventually culminating in a storm.

The darkness draped across the ceiling parts.

And then, a bone hand I’d seen before descended, tearing through the darkness.

Thud –

With the appearance of the bone hand, the faces of everyone present hardened.

Beneath that hand.

A man stood blankly.

The leader of Mysticism.

Vulcan Zebra.

A prince abandoned by the fantastical Zebra Kingdom, treated as one with tainted blood.

He made a pact with a Monstrosity.