Chapter 591
You Can Open That Door
—In that instant, Eivass felt a suffocating silence, so intense it made him dizzy.
Although there had been a lot of evidence before, and Eivass had a premonition in his heart…
He so wished his adoptive father could give him a negative answer right now.
Even though Eivass had been wary of Professor Moriarty after awakening his past life memories… he truly respected his adoptive father.
Not only because of his profound knowledge, nor solely because he had taken him and Yulia in and raised them, but also because Professor Moriarty possessed a humble and gentle personality. When Eivass was young, he admired his adoptive father’s calm demeanor in the face of adversity, his gentle wisdom, and his lack of arrogance.
That was the image of the “perfect man” that Eivass held in his impression.
Therefore, from Eivass’s perspective, he didn’t want to be enemies with his adoptive father. Not to mention the debt of gratitude for raising him.
But if he had first killed Eivass’s biological parents and then adopted him, the nature of the situation would have been entirely different from adopting an orphan Eivass.
“Surprised?”
The magpie showed no particular reaction, instead asking, “You should have guessed it long ago, right?”
“…The reason?”
Eivass asked in a deep voice, “What is the reason?”
“Naturally, it’s apprehension towards Jacob. Since you’ve already come into contact with Cardinal Loki and know that you are a crucial key. I surmise you’re already aware of Jacob’s forbidden research… correct?
“To reach a miracle that even the gods could not achieve with the body of a mortal—replicating souls, creating life. He even yearns to create gods, even things that surpass gods… As expected of a world-class Transcendent, he certainly possesses unparalleled courage.”
…The Swamp Dweller?
That thought crossed Eivass’s mind.
Seeing Eivass’s eyes flicker, the gem bird revealed a remarkably human-like smile—it might sound strange, but only in this “anime-esque” elven realm could one truly see a bird smiling.
“It seems you already know; you are the Phantom Demon Egg he created. But that description isn’t quite accurate. More precisely… you are actually Jacob’s Experiment.”
“…An experiment?”
“You are indeed the child of Giulio and Annie. After he modified you, he inserted you into a Sacred Entity. The essence of a Sacred Entity, I believe you must have understood by now.”
“A fragment of the Ring Heavenly Envoy…?”
“It seems your progress is even faster than I anticipated.”
The gem bird nodded with admiration. “Precisely. So, strictly speaking, you are not entirely consistent with his other creations. Because you are unique and special—the quality of the Sacred Entity is entirely different from other ‘contents.’
“So, I’ll ask you another question, Eivass…
“Do you know where you and Yulia were originally supposed to be, according to Jacob’s plan?”
—Yulia.
Eivass’s pupils flickered.
He had previously considered the possibility that Yulia was also a Swamp Dweller created by Jacob. But now he finally received confirmation from Professor Moriarty.
Because Yulia possessed the Blood of Heracles, she was of the royal bloodline of the long-fallen Hrasal Empire, and concurrently a Phantom Demon Egg. Furthermore, the Butterfly itself possessed a unique characteristic—Little Butterfly Leah was a unique Phantom Demon, meaning she was not a reincarnation but a newly born Phantom Demon.
The question then arose: why did a newly born Phantom Demon appear specifically within Yulia?
When these low-probability events were bundled together, it was highly unlikely to be a coincidence.
It was highly probable that Professor Moriarty’s sudden adoption of children was a “one position, one person” type of adoption.
He had first confirmed that Eivass and Yulia would end up in the orphanage, and only then, after several years, did he execute his adoption plan and take them in. The intervening years, perhaps, he was vigilantly observing them.
Eivass was targeted because his parents were killed, but what about Yulia?
“This is also the biggest difference between you and Yulia,”
Professor Moriarty replied. “She genuinely has no parents, while you do. Or rather, your shell was that of a complete infant; Yulia’s shell was merely cultivated Flesh and Blood.”
“…What exactly is the Butterfly?”
“I don’t know either. Perhaps only Jacob knows. But I do know… according to his plan, you were originally supposed to be entrusted to Bishop Mathers. And Yulia was supposed to be adopted by the Barton couple.”
“The Barton couple…”
Eivass slowly savored that somewhat unfamiliar name.
Only then did he finally remember who the Barton couple were—they were the Grand Guardian’s family!
David and Yulia were the same age, with Yulia being just over a month older than Barton.
If Yulia had been adopted by the Grand Guardian, she would have been David’s elder sister. In that scenario, it would have been highly unlikely for her to be exposed to Alchemy, and she would likely have chosen to join the military. She would then have become an air cavalry and an officer in Avalon… But what would have been the point of that?
The only connection to this was probably Yulia’s peculiar traits during her childhood.
Eivass recalled that when Yulia was very young—when she was still an infant—she possessed terrifying strength. It wasn’t until she learned to read and knew her own name that her innate divine power began to rapidly decline. By the day of her adoption, when she resisted leaving Eivass, that divine power had only managed to erupt weakly.
But Eivass knew that the monstrous strength, which many grown men couldn’t withstand, was nowhere near Yulia’s peak state. If Yulia had possessed the strength of her peak moment then, those people would have been strangled or torn to shreds by her. It was precisely because she was too weak at the time that she could only struggle against them passively.
This characteristic…
…Perhaps Yulia was truly suited for a Melee Profession?
“Heh, see?”
The bird, James, chuckled. “You’re starting to deduce things involuntarily. This is what I call ‘knowledge is poison.’ You only know snippets of the truth, and you can’t help but start extrapolating the ‘Possibility of that future.’ For astrologers who can know almost all the secrets of the current World, how could they resist the urge to deduce the future?
“Yes, I did kill your parents—but that was merely an accelerated death. According to Jacob’s plan, they would have died on Glass Island anyway. Otherwise, how would Bishop Mathers have raised you?”
Although the figure before Eivass was merely a blue, gem-like bird.
Eivass somehow saw the man sitting upright, with his hands clasped, fingers intertwined.
“In that regard, the one who truly murdered them was Jacob,”
Professor Moriarty said in a low voice.
Even though his current appearance lacked authority, his words still carried weight. “Jacob plotted all of this, Annie chose to accept it, and Giulio chose to sacrifice himself. I merely brought forward their destined time of death and disrupted Jacob’s plan—but even if I hadn’t, they would have been sacrificed by Jacob.
“—So, tell me, was it truly me who killed them? When the gunman pulls the trigger, is it the gun, the gunman, or the person who hired the gunman who kills? When a kidnapper decides to kill the hostages and blow themselves up, and then attempts to kill them with a spell, accidentally injuring a hostage… does that count as a failed rescue, or a successful murder?
“Or to put it more clearly—who truly killed them, the Curse Master I hired, or Jacob’s ‘great plan’? Rather, precisely because I disrupted Jacob’s plan, I was able to save you from the ‘Fate’ you detest, Eivass. I am your Variable.
“I believe, more than the kindness of raising you, this kindness of defying Fate… is greater to you, isn’t it?”
Bird-James’s tone was extremely calm, as if engaged in casual conversation. There was no passion or impulsivity.
But it was precisely because of this… that his words were so seductive.
Intellectually, Eivass knew he was using sophistry, but his thoughts were somewhat chaotic, and he couldn’t organize his logic clearly for a moment.
But he still knew the most crucial, decisive statement.
It was the name James himself had used during his Ascension Ritual—”My Little Key.”
Thus, Eivass spoke, his tone becoming sharper and more aggressive. “Then why… did I become your key?
“What am I the key to unlocking? It couldn’t possibly be to unlock this damned Birdcage of yours, Father!”
“Do you know about [Cicada Molting]?”
James asked in return.
“…The first Pillar God Ascension, which led to easier ascensions for several Pillar Gods?” Eivass replied.
“Mm. [Cicada Molting] occurred after a major event. Since then, history has been fractured… A great being called ‘Samsara Heavenly Envoy’ lost the authority to repeatedly restart the World because of it.”
James said word by word, “But strictly speaking, it wasn’t a ‘loss’ but a ‘discard.’ The World could not be restarted, but it could not be restarted to *before* Cicada Molting.”
Hearing this, Eivass’s eyes widened slightly.
He guessed James’s meaning.
“As I said above, ‘The things that determined the path you take have already been set; even if you tried a hundred times, your answer would be the same.’
“The past is not necessarily unchangeable. As long as one finds the correct key and the correct door… history that was once locked can be restarted again.
“And now, our Great Deed is half completed—you, Eivass, are the key I found.
“You are not a fragment of the Ring Heavenly Envoy, but a fragment of the Samsara Heavenly Envoy.
“Therefore, you can open that [Gate to the Past]. We can… change everything.
“Whether it be Giulio’s life or death, or Jacob’s plan… even the schism of Hrasal, the founding of Avalon, the Birth of Humans and Fey, the giant tree’s self-sacrifice… and the succession of Pillar Gods. The Fall of Supreme Heaven, the Ascension of the Crown Lord, the solitary dance of Hengwo… until the end of the First Era. After the birth of Amber, everything can be re-chosen.”
That deep voice was as if it contained demonic nature. “Everything still has a chance. Everything… is filled with opportunity.
“Isn’t this good?”
(End of Chapter)
