Retire 271

271 Prophet (2)

There is a species here, called @@%, that loves peace—and yet feels compelled to possess everything that catches its eye.

—Huh? You’re saying that doesn’t make sense for a peace-loving species?

That’s just how it is with anything that has intelligence.

—They’d say, “We have to protect those weak ones!” That’s what I heard, anyway. I never cared much myself. There were plenty like me. Not that anyone ever listened to us.

Even for a peace-loving species that lived by caring for the weak around them, trials came. A shadow fell over their world.

They began to be attacked by an unidentified race.

—Honestly, I did wonder: if those invaders just wanted to protect us, the weak, then what could we say? But if I’d said that out loud, my own people would have torn me apart. I know the value of my own life, after all.

They, the peace-lovers, resisted with all their might.

But they did not succeed.

When annihilation loomed close, they chose their last resort.

—I don’t really know how that part went. By the time I gained consciousness, extinction had already been decided, and the Prophet had appeared.

There must have been some price paid.

But as with all things, those who led paid no heed to the voices below. Everything was done in secret, and by the time everyone realized, the price had already been paid.

After the blood-soaked price was exacted, a Prophet appeared in the doomed world—someone who had come from the future.

To guide them toward a better choice.

—There was some debate over the term “Prophet.” But since there wasn’t a better word, they stuck with it. Not that it really matters. What you call them isn’t important. Prophet, oracle, whatever….

What mattered was what the Prophet could do.

The Prophet’s role was simple.

They would return to the moment when the wrong choice was made, and lead the species toward a better future.

Was it successful?

—At least at first?

The conditions for choosing a Prophet were strict. Sending someone from the future to the past—one wrong choice could bring disaster. Only those proven in both character and ability could become Prophets and be sent back.

The early Prophets, thus chosen, were promising even in the “present.” Under their guidance, the species united, and hope arose that the invasion could be stopped.

—But you think the invaders would just sit back and let that happen?

Once the invaders realized the existence of the Prophet and began hunting them, the species’ downfall accelerated.

—So in the end, the standards for Prophets kept dropping. No one could go back twice. So how many candidates could there be? You need people to choose from, whether you’re judging character or ability.

Eventually, even the goal of saving the dying world changed.

No matter what they tried, the world could no longer be saved.

So then.

—Let’s leave for new lands.

And still, Prophets kept appearing.

—If I put it in terms of this world’s time….

At first, Prophets would return from as far as fifty years in the future. But gradually, they came from closer and closer futures.

Fifteen years. Ten years. Eight years….

……

One year.

Eleven months.

Seven months.

A week.

—In the end, some even came back from just a single day ahead, can you believe it?

You couldn’t really call those Prophets anymore. That’s how desperate things had become.

—…Hm? You’re asking what price was paid for so many to return to the past?

Even among them, there was debate about that.

—Ah, so it was all done in secret! If they hadn’t paid the price to create Prophets, maybe they would have had a better chance?

Yet none of those who returned ever said, “Don’t do it.”

—Maybe no one who could go back that far ever did… or even if they did, no one listened. Who knows.

Because the Prophet’s advice was never binding.

Whether anyone actually went back or not no longer mattered to those who remained. They abandoned a world with no hope, fleeing because they wanted to live, even a little longer.

Even those who betrayed their species weren’t blamed for that.

—Everyone wants to live as long as they can.

They turned their backs on their homeland and left.

And in that process, Prophets were still involved.

When they decided to leave their homeland for a new world. When they chose to kill the natives and seize that land.

—But then, a problem arose.

Finding a new world was one thing, but they hadn’t anticipated that its environment would be poisonous to them.

The fact that communication between escape pods—between dungeons—was impossible was also unexpected for the leaders. No one knew how many more Prophets had been born after they settled in the new world.

Even if Prophets did arise, they couldn’t leave the dungeons, and with the restrictions loosened, anyone could use the system for their own purposes.

—Still, there were some who worried about the species’ revival. Noah must have come into contact with people like that. I met some too. In Europe… Ah, but that place is already closed off. Don’t worry about it.

Among the names of humans recited by those few Prophets who truly worked for the species’ future—amid all the riffraff—one name kept repeating.

—You know who I mean, right? That’s why Noah is so conscious of that person.

Communication between dungeons is impossible. But as long as Noah Michel is an ally, there are still ways to get information.

But even so, not even Noah Michel could know how many more Prophets had been born. The harsh environment outside the dungeons made it impossible.

No matter how many Prophets there were… since they couldn’t leave, they could only wait for someone to find them.

—The real problem is when you get in touch with a Prophet who has good information. You have to worry about this dungeon, or some troublesome human gets in the way. So what do you do?

Of course, the information given by Prophets isn’t perfect. Since they come from different points in the future, some information overlaps, and naturally, some of it is wrong.

There’s also information that becomes useless or disappears because of overlapping Prophets.

—Look, James goes back to the past first and works hard. Then John goes back. That doesn’t mean James ceases to be a Prophet. In the past John returns to, Prophet James is still there, working hard. John might mess up what James did, or even kill James early. Amy, who becomes a Prophet after John, is the same.

The accuracy of information is determined by the most recently created Prophet.

—So you can’t say Noah knows everything… but you get what I mean, right? Noah still knows quite a lot.

But at the same time, there’s a lot of useless information.

If Prophets were truly omnipotent, they wouldn’t have had to struggle so desperately to survive in the first place.

—Well, usually a Prophet is someone from the future… I did sometimes wonder if I’d ever meet my future self. Or if a Prophet would use future knowledge to get me out of the dungeon?

No Prophet ever came for me. Instead—

—One day, my mother appeared… and after that, as I told you before—

Alex Hope was born.

—Alright. Any questions?

“If there are so many people from the future, doesn’t that cause problems?”

—Ah, Sandra asked that too. Apparently it’s a trend among people here. Time… what was it?

“Time paradox.”

—Yeah, that. So, how do I explain this? These days, everyone’s making a fuss about global warming, right? But honestly, even if Earth gets hotter, it’s only humans who are doomed… will the Earth itself be destroyed? The planet will just go, “Hmm, I feel a little warm,” and that’s it. Like when the dinosaurs went extinct.

“……”

—Even if the ice melts and deserts spread, the Earth’s environment just… changes. It only gets harder for humans to live, but for the Earth, it doesn’t matter. After thousands or tens of thousands of years, the Earth will just wonder, “Did that really happen?”

“Are you saying people from the future are like that to the Earth?”

—It’s more about time than the Earth. This is a matter of time.

The definition of time is that it flows. Whether it gets tangled or reverses, as long as it flows, that’s enough.

—Maybe if there were a ton of identical people running around from the future, it would be a problem… but I told you, there are limits. At most, two at a time. Time doesn’t care. Do you understand?

“…Not really, but I think I get the gist.”

—So do you get it or not…? Ah! The dungeons help, too. All those who came back from the future are stuck inside, locked up. What can you do? So time just keeps flowing. No tangles, no reversals.

“The list of dungeons you gave me. Does that mean there are Prophets inside?”

—I don’t know. Like I said, those were just places where the lab did various experiments. But the centipedes are definitely there. Noah checked those places himself, so that’s certain.

“……The ones who tried to kill me weren’t just fairies like you. Are they the same species?”

—I told you, I’m not a fairy anymore!

“Alright. Anyway.”

—We say our species paid the price, but as the Prophet requirements were relaxed, the species restriction was lifted. Later, the numbers dwindled, and we weren’t the only species facing extinction.

“The ones you said were so weak they needed protecting?”

—Exactly.

“Hmm. Got it. And one more thing….”

—But I don’t know everything! I’ve told you everything I do know, but I can’t help what I don’t.

“Understood. Then do you know how a Prophet is made?”

—I’ve only heard stories. I’ve never seen it myself.

“Aren’t you a Prophet?”

—If I were, I’d have killed Noah ages ago!

“That’s a shame. So what happens with the Prophets?”

—When the previous Prophet dies, an artifact appears.

“…An artifact?”

—A dungeon item. The shape varies, but… it always takes the form of something related to time, I heard. Even though the requirements have loosened, there’s still a minimum standard… If you pass that, then snap! You go to the past.

“To what point in time do you return?”

—To the moment you want?

“No restrictions?”

—Restrictions?

“You can go to any point in the past?”

—Not exactly… You have to have existed then. You return to a past you’ve experienced. Usually, you specify when you want to return. Ah! Is that why Prophets kept being created? Because all the ones made when the price was paid died off?

“……”

—So, any other questions?

“If… If you don’t specify a date, what happens?”

—I don’t know… Maybe it just calculates and sends you to a suitable point in the past? I really don’t know! Next question!

“……”

—Nothing? Sandra! Cheer up. If you keep hiding things like this, what will you do when something really important happens and you can’t respond?

“What I’m worried about is….”

—It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m thinking everything through.

“I’m worried because nothing’s ever gone right when you ‘think things through’!”

—What are you talking about! I always act after thinking!

“That’s exactly why things end up like this!”

—…Any other questions?

“Don’t change the subject, Alex Hope!”

—……Hmm, still, it was unexpected.

“…What was?”

—With the world in such chaos, I thought by now, even among humans, someone would have tried crossing into the past.