Stigma Effect

Chapter 17 – Book of Prophecies

Translator: Skye Editor: thursdays PR: sj_myself

A monster’s strength was based on the size of its core; the smaller the core, the stronger it was. The concentrated power in a larger core was weaker and thus easier to destroy. On the other hand, a smaller core was more cohesive, making it harder to locate in the monster’s body.

Helio had explained to Yuriel once before that the toughest monster the knights had faced was one that had a core the size of a finger.

The size of core she had seen embedded in Raphlet’s chest yesterday seemed to be around that–

“Miss Yuriel!”

Yuriel was absorbed in thinking about Raphlet when she was suddenly scared out of her wits.

Helio was staring at her with a displeased expression.

Raphlet had disappeared after Yuriel discovered the core, but he didn’t forget to entrust Helio to oversee her training the next day.

“I came to help with your training because Commander Raphlet asked me, but what are you doing? Even if you don’t like that I’m the one teaching you today, please try to focus at least,” Helio said sharply.

He had come to help Yuriel with her shooting drills, as she was eager to train even during their official break.

“If you keep being unable to focus, then I’ll just leave. It doesn’t seem like you want to practice.”

At the sight of Helio coldly saying he would go back, Yuriel quickly grabbed the end of his shirt and explained herself.

“Ah, no, that’s not it. I’m sorry, Sir Helio. There was something bothering me… I’ll stay focused from now on.”

Helio frowned when he saw her looking so lifeless.

It was only a few days ago when she had exclaimed that she was no longer scared even after encountering monsters in her dreams. Helio could still vividly remember her beaming expression that day. Yet, the face she was making today looked rather glum.

She looked troubled.

He placed the gun back in its bag and gave it to her.

“Sir Helio….”

Thinking that he was going to leave, Yuriel gave him a pitiful look.

Helio shook his head. “I’m not leaving, so you don’t have to look so sullen.”

“Then why did you put the gun away? Were you not trying to say that today’s training is over?”

“Well, it’s true. I am stopping training here today, but I’d like to listen to your worries. What’s on your mind?”

Yuriel stared at him, hesitant. Even if he said that he’d listen to her worries, it didn’t mean she could just freely share what she had seen yesterday.

‘A monster’s core is embedded in Raphlet’s chest.’

Yuriel didn’t want to imagine what horrible events might happen if she revealed what she had seen.

What if Raphlet was trying to get rid of it? What if it was a secret from the rest of the knights?

Helio crossed his arms as he stared at Yuriel, who had yet to say anything and only sighed. He raised an eyebrow when he saw her glance up at him for a second, her lips twitching, before she lowered her head back down and let out another long sigh.

‘What’s wrong with her?’

When he had passed by the training grounds the other day, she looked like she was having a hard time, but her expression had been fine. Thus, it didn’t seem like the cause for her current troubled expression was because she found the training hard.

Come to think of it, Helio recalled how Raphlet’s expression had looked somber just like Yuriel’s when he had abruptly come to find him last night.

‘He asked me to oversee her training because he needed to go to the alchemists’ tower.’

Helio didn’t want to grant Raphlet’s request, but he couldn’t ignore the situation when it involved the alchemists’ tower.

There was only one reason why Raphlet would go to the alchemists’ tower in the middle of the night. It meant that there was something wrong with the core in his chest.

Raphlet was the alchemists’ precious test subject.

He was the sole knight who survived without any problems after getting a core implanted into his body. He was someone who fit the descriptions of the ‘Saint’ recorded in the Book of Prophecies.

The alchemists were able to conduct research and experiment on his body, hence they treated him very preciously, while the higher-ups at the temple shielded him because they viewed him as the ‘Saint’ in the prophecy.

The imperial capital itself was the same. Raphlet had thrown away his title as the heir to the Mogris duchy and had come to the capital by himself. A man who was of nobility but held no greed for power. Was there anyone better than him?

Moreover, even if he was the ‘Saint,’ they could get rid of him if he ever became a threat under the pretext of a subjugation dispatch, and he would be hailed as a hero for eternity.

Raphlet had left for the tower, though there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with his body, and Yuriel, who had stuck to him all day long, was acting strange.

Helio racked his brain, trying to make sense of the situation by considering what Raphlet and Yuriel’s relationship was like these days, and came to a conclusion.

‘Did he get caught?’

He was certain that Yuriel must have seen the core in Raphlet’s chest.

And Yuriel was acting like this because she had probably viewed it in a bad light and became full of worry, unable to share what she had seen.

Helio decided to take her somewhere she could freely share what was plaguing her mind

“Miss Yuriel, do you remember me mentioning the Book of Prophecies?”

“Oh, yes, of course. You riled me up, saying that I wouldn’t be able to read it since it’s not something that can be revealed to civilians.”

“I don’t think I was rubbing it in, but I guess I won’t have to explain it again since you remember.”

“What?”

“You’re not a civilian anymore. Follow me, I’ll take you to see the book.”

“Right now? All of a sudden?”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“Ah, no, I want to see it.”

Yuriel forgot about her worries as she automatically replied to his unexpected offer. Helio took the lead as he gestured for her to follow him by tilting his head.

The Book of Prophecies was held at a strictly guarded location. They had to pass through four doors, all of which had guards, before they finally arrived at the library.

The book that Helio showed her was one that didn’t seem to be very old. Though it did look rather shabby, it didn’t look like something that was passed down through multiple generations. It looked like it was ten years old at most.

It was all handwritten and didn’t even have a cover. It looked damaged, not from old age, but simply because it hadn’t been cared for.

“A ‘Book of Prophecies hidden from the public’ aside, it just looks like a mess,” Yuriel said to Helio, who had put on a pair of gloves before touching the book. The book’s state was too embarrassing to even call it a collection of prophecies.

“It’s because we didn’t know it was a book full of prophecies at first. Who would view a book filled with unrealistic nonsense to be important? Everyone thought they were just scribbles.”

Next to him, Yuriel calmly stared at the pages as Helio carefully flipped through them, and began to think.

Rather than a book, it seemed more like a collection of scribbles. In fact, weren’t these just scribbles?

It was hard to make out some of the letters because there was dirt smudged on the pages here and there.

And wasn’t that blood? Yuriel scrutinized the book, eyebrows drawn together.

The crooked handwriting looked like it belonged to a child.

Unable to hide her curiosity, Yuriel asked, “When did the contents of this book start being regarded as prophecies?”

“Less than ten years ago. I believe the contents were written about a decade ago as well, but a considerable amount of events written in the book have already occurred. Its value as a book of prophecies has been more than proven.”

“Hmm.” Yuriel nodded her head as she examined the writing. The handwriting seemed familiar for some reason. She knew someone who had terrible handwriting like the one used in this book.

She didn’t think there would be anyone else with such awful handwriting, but the book before her proved otherwise.

Perhaps it was because she had trained herself to read the chicken scratch of her acquaintance in the past, but she found the scribbles in the book to be easy to read.

As Helio turned the pages, Yuriel found the words she was reading to be familiar. Some of the big incidents that Yuriel remembered reading about in the newspaper were mentioned here.

It seemed this really was a book of prophecies.

“Huh? Why are these pages blank?” After Helio stopped at a certain page, the pages following it were blank.

“It looks like there was a page ripped out too.”

There were clear traces that a page had been ripped out. It looked like it had been taken out in a hurry, as there was an uneven section with tear marks.

Though there were some letters left on the ripped section, it wasn’t enough for one to deduce what the contents could be about.

“Yes, and there was a big commotion because of that.”

“You make it sound like you’ve seen it before?”

Helio shrugged his shoulders and laughed, but didn’t answer her question. He lowered his gaze to the book. “The prophecy written on this last page has yet to happen. The prophecies are all written down in the order they occur so–”

“This is the last prophecy?” Yuriel interrupted.

“Well, if you say it like that, it sounds quite serious.”

“By any chance, it’s not talking about a final end, is it?”

Helio let out a chuckle. “If such a scary thing was written down, I wouldn’t have shown it to you, Miss Yuriel. Why don’t you give it a read yourself? They’re words fairly filled with hope.”

Yuriel lowered her gaze, following his finger.

“Hold a monster? What does this mean?” she asked.

“I’m not sure. What do you think?”

Yuriel’s eyebrows knitted together as soon as she read the prophecy.

[Worship the one who holds a monster.] [1]

That was the first line.

Furrowing her brows and re-reading the line over and over again, Yuriel inhaled sharply when she came to a sudden realization.

“Is this…”

Wasn’t this referring to the monster core in Raphlet’s chest? It seemed to fit what the line said about holding a monster.

Prophecies tended to be ambiguous, so it sounded quite plausible.

Yuriel quickly read the rest. There were several lines that said to worship and protect the one who holds a monster, the ‘Saint.’

The words expressed that as long as the ‘Saint’ is worshipped, monsters would never surpass humans.

Yuriel was further convinced that Raphlet was this ‘Saint’ when she read the very last line:

[The ‘Saint’ will come to Albraca on their own, so wait for that time.]

Hadn’t Raphlet entered and joined Albraca of his own volition!?

T/N: [1] The word for ‘Hold’ was ‘품다’ which can hold several meanings: Embrace, Carry, Hold, Bear, etc. I decided to go with ‘Hold’ because it seems to be the most flexible/ambiguous.