This World Needs a Hero - Chapter 179

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Chapter 179

…Two weeks ago.

Inside the World Tree.

“Since the Demon Lord led to your birth, death shall also accompany the Demon Lord.”

Laplace seemed quite surprised by my reaction after hearing the prophecy.

“My, you seem rather unfazed.”

“I can’t help but be unfazed.”

It was the first time he showed a melancholic expression.

“Why is that? It’s natural for mortals to be indifferent to the prophecy of death.”

I expressed my thoughts without reservation.

“The demise of the Demon Lord is still a distant tale for humanity.”

In fact, I’m not sure if such a miracle is even possible.

There’s only the will to make it happen somehow.

I slowly nodded towards Laplace.

“Moreover, there’s still quite some time until he returns.”

“So?”

“Worrying about death that will arrive far in the future in these times would be just as foolish, wouldn’t it? Now is not the time to tremble in fear but to strengthen our foundations.”

“So, that’s how you live.”

“…That’s how I was taught.”

And if this absurd prophecy that the Demon Lord and my demise will be together is true.

I was willing to accept it.

“Haha…”

My response seemed to have some effect on Laplace.

He chuckled softly and then whispered.

“…We worried for nothing. Both I and him.”

“Him? Are you talking about Zero?”

“Why would you think that?”

“You’re the one who said he took the place of cause and effect for me. Won’t you tell me what that means?”

Laplace responded with silence.

A moment of stillness.

I was the first to break it.

“But why bother asking such complicated questions? Just look into the future, and you’ll know my answer.”

“Half of the price has been paid, so now your future is only half as distant from me. It’s vague and unclear.”

“So, if it’s half as distant… then does that mean even the answer you’ll give me is uncertain?”

“Well, it depends on the question.”

Conversations with the prophet are ambiguous, making it hard to find definite answers.

That was my conclusion.

So, I decided not to beat around the bush anymore.

I’ll get what I can get for now.

“Now, I demand ‘one answer’.”

“Have you already decided on the question?”

I nodded and looked straight at Laplace.

The overwhelming presence I felt when I first faced him had diminished considerably.

Perhaps it was because, as he put it, he’s now only half as distant from my future.

But it didn’t matter.

The question I was going to ask wasn’t that difficult.

“To achieve my goal, what is the most urgent task I should undertake?”

Laplace remained silent upon hearing the question.

If it weren’t for his slowly blinking eyelids, he would have seemed like a statue.

I spoke to the frozen Laplace.

“The answer is taking quite a while.”

“Surprising, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought you would ask a different question. A macro question like will humanity be saved in the end? Something like that.”

Laplace seemed to understand me well, but somehow, it didn’t bother me.

I recalled what he said.

“The salvation of humanity.”

“I can give you that answer.”

For a moment, I was tempted, but then nodded again.

“If observation is made and an observer exists, it becomes reality, doesn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“So?”

That’s irrelevant.

My efforts, the efforts of children.

And the efforts of countless humans still struggling across the continent.

I didn’t want them to be swayed by Laplace’s words.

I admit.

Certainly, I have arrived here through a grand design and meticulous planning beyond my understanding.

It was a fact I felt every time I used the Iris of Laplace.

‘….But that’s not all.’

We are not cogs.

I refuse to believe that we’ll end as mere devices of destiny.

With that determination, I looked at Laplace.

“So, what’s the answer to my question?”

“My, the most urgent task you should undertake to achieve your goal is…”

His unfocused pupils stared directly at me.

“The completion of the seasons.”

After a brief silence.

I couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle.

“You seem to know everything.”

Laplace knew more about me than anyone else.

‘I don’t need an explanation about how he knows.’

He’s a transcendent prophet who can perceive the past, present, and future, and he’s Zero’s collaborator.

If he had been watching over the successor of Laplace with the Iris of Laplace for some purpose, then everything fell into place.

Suddenly, I remembered Ted calling this artifact shackles.

‘…So, that’s what it was.’

…Iris of Laplace.

Indeed, it was an artifact that bore the literal meaning of its name.

As I pondered that thought, Laplace smiled as if he knew everything, with a sly grin.

Clap—

Laplace’s hands clapped once.

Simultaneously, a strange sensation was felt from across the pond.

I focused my gaze.

‘…Wooden doll?’

Mud on the ground and surrounding branches were sticking together, forming something.

Not just any… but a large wooden doll.

It was as tall and bulky as me.

“……”

The figure, kneeling, gradually rose.

Its movements followed smooth curves.

Its natural movements felt as if it were a living organism.

Ssshh—

Branches and leaves nearby clustered together, forming another figure.

It was a very familiar greatsword.

The size of the black blade was the same as Black Hope, and the stance taken by the doll gripping it indicated Ted’s swordsmanship ritual.

Although there were no eye sockets… it was definitely looking at me.

I looked at Laplace, expecting an explanation.

“It’s a guardian with abilities similar to yours. Though limited to combat.”

“…Was that also created by Zero?”

Laplace chuckled lightly.

“We created it.”

With a gesture from him, the wooden doll walked towards me.

“Your task is to subdue that Mirror Sentinel.”

“Mirror Sentinel…?”

Thunk—

I quickly scanned the approaching wooden doll.

‘It doesn’t seem like a particularly challenging opponent.’

My… or rather, my doppleganger, had abilities similar to Polymorph’s.

But certainly, its aura wasn’t as threatening as Ted’s perfected form.

‘It probably doesn’t even use up 70-80% of my full power.’

Of course, considering that I’ve grown and now, unless one is a member of the Dawn Knights, there’s no match for me, it’s quite remarkable.

‘…Anyway, if I go all out now, it won’t take more than a few minutes to bring down the opponent.’

Is this task significant enough to warrant the title of “task”?

I poised myself to fight at any moment.

Before I knew it, the wooden doll was only five meters away.

However, Laplace’s next explanation quickly diminished my confidence.

“You just have to use the abilities of one of the children that can be cloned to subdue it.”

…What?

I doubted my ears at the absurd demand.

Of course, I haven’t been negligent in refining the abilities of the children either.

‘No, rather, I’ve devoted tremendous effort and time to it.’

I’ve trained tirelessly with real battles and avatar duels, and thanks to that, I could raise the understanding and utilization of each child’s abilities to a high level.

But in any case, their essence is far inferior to Ted’s perfection.

‘No matter how much I replicate them to the maximum, I can’t even use half of the available limit.’

So, I’ve often combined two or three of them to use.

But now, I have to defeat the “Mirror Sentinel” using only one.

‘Even if the upscale applies, my power will decrease to less than 50%.’

I looked at the wooden doll and mentally sketched out the course of battle.

Evergreen’s archery… doesn’t cut it.

Gerald’s spear techniques won’t work either.

Even if I draw out the essence of Cuculli and Leciel, I can’t guarantee it.

As it turns out, it’s an impossible task.

Moreover, Laplace deepened the difficulty.

“The season you are trying to complete is nothing less than a ‘connection of clones.’”

“That’s right.”

“That’s why it’s meaningless to achieve victory with only one ability.”

I narrowed my eyebrows in anxiety.

Just as expected… .

“At least seven. In order to complete the seasons, at least seven clones must be complete enough to defeat the mirror sentinel.”

…In other words.

With just one, Evergreen’s archery alone, Gerald’s spear techniques alone, or even half of Ban’s swordsmanship, I have to defeat a foe as strong as myself.

‘It’s impossible to achieve that in a short time.’

Just focusing on one is already a difficult demand, let alone digging into it.

I slowly realized the absurd difficulty of the task and lowered my head.

…Is it possible to go back before the start of the semester?

“Was this task even possible from the beginning? You might know, but I’ve been maximizing the replication and training of the children’s essence so far.”

Laplace chuckled leisurely.

“Of course it’s possible. You still don’t know how amazing your potential is.”

“…My potential? It seems like it’s already been largely realized.”

“The day will come soon when you will realize that it was an illusion.”

Laplace uttered such an unknowable statement and gestured to the wooden doll.

Tension filled the air.

I reflexively clenched the Key of Valber, realizing that a battle was about to unfold.

Whom… Whom should I choose first?

First, let’s start with the strongest, Leciel…..

But at that moment.

Laplace dropped a completely unexpected deadline.

“For your information, you will have to complete the task and leave the Great Forest within 18 days.”

“…18 days?”

I was dumbfounded.

It was an unreasonable timeframe, to say the least.

“Why is that? No, wait a moment.”

…I realized there was another question that needed to be asked urgently.

I met his opaque, unreadable eyes.

For some reason, my heart raced with a rising sense of unease.

“What happens if the task is not accomplished?”

Laplace opened his mouth with the same calm and slow tone.

“If the season is not completed within 18 days….”

Being within the World Tree, perhaps my mind was playing tricks on me.

The inexplicable uneasiness I had been feeling intensified rapidly.

It was difficult to wait for his next words.

As his wrinkled lips parted and closed slowly, an unbelievable, or rather, unwanted prophecy resonated in my ears.

“You will die at the hands of a traitor of the Dawn Knights. Along with some of your disciples.”

…Immediately after, I realized a chilling truth.

This future had just been observed.

.

.

.

Thunk—!

Without further thought, I rushed at the wooden doll.

There was no time.

* * *

24 hours before ???’s death.

26 hours before ???’s disappearance.

“Woo-hoo, been waiting for today!”

“Bought a new swimsuit too!”

The children burst into laughter as they dashed out of the resort.

The bright summer sun seemed to bless the exciting schedule that awaited them.

Today was a day planned for hopping tours, parasailing, and the eagerly anticipated alcohol party.

“Yahoo, I’m going to enjoy it properly!”

A fresh smile quickly spread between the flushed cheeks.

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