The room was instantly swept in silence, and everyone’s attention moved toward Evelyn.

“Was my explanation too difficult to understand? Then should we think of it in simple mathematical terms? For example, 1+2=3, right? With this expression, the result is always 3, just like the fact that Shalyh would definitely fall in the future.” Evelyn continued, “But when our Chibbong here changed the future for the first time, he basically erased the numbers ‘1’ and ‘2’ in the equation.”

With his first attempt, Chi-Woo managed to prevent Ru Hiana and the people around him from getting involved in the first incident. And he also caused Chi-Hyun to destroy the colonies of demon flowers.

“Yet the result didn’t change in the end, as revealed by his second chance to see the future. What do you think that means?” Evelyn asked.

“It means that the result remained the same even while the expression changed.”

“Yes, exactly.” Evelyn smiled at Ru Amuh’s answer.

The expression of (1 + 2) wasn’t the only one that resulted in 3. Other expressions such as (0 +2), (1.5 +1.5) also yielded the same result. If one used all four arithmetic operations, the expressions that led to 3 were basically infinite. In other words, if the Demon Empire could no longer accomplish their goal using (1+2), they could attempt to use another method such as (5-2). And if the heroes tried to stop the Demon Empire from doing that as well, the Demon Empire could try another expression such as (1.5 x 2) to reach their desired result.

At this point, Chi-Woo realized what Evelyn was saying. Given there were an infinite number of ways for the demons to reach their desired result, Chi-Woo might continue what he had been doing and battle to see who could one-up the other more times—if he wasn’t left with only one chance, that was.

“In other words, it’s meaningless to do anything about the expression. The fact that we can’t change the result by changing the expression was proven by his second insight into the future. I think that realization was our biggest gain.”

“Then what do we have to do from now on?” Ru Amuh asked. “There’s no way we can change the result. Then isn’t the only solution to escape before that result is derived?” Ru Amuh spoke just as Chi-Hyun had.

“Oh my, why would we do that?” Yet Evelyn thought differently. “Isn’t there still one part of the expression left to change?” she asked, and the three exchanged looks.

“Think about it,” Evelyn said, “What’s the reason the result is 3?”

“Well, that’s because if you add 1 and 2…” Ru Amuh said before a gasp escaped his mouth. Evelyn smiled.

“There’s no result without a cause.” All events and happenings came to be for a reason. That was the rule of causality. Then…

“So, what if we change the cause?”

Chi-Woo gasped, and realization struck him. The result changed once the cause of it changed. It wasn’t a thought he had before. Ru Amuh also couldn’t hide his surprise. When the Demon Empire had 1 and 2, they needed to use addition. And if the heroes knew what the value of each of the incidents that were being added was, they could predict the result when they changed the cause.

“That’s why you told us to not bother with it and leave it be.” Ru Amuh nodded. “Using the future…I think I understand what you mean now.”

“It’s not as easy as it sounds.” Evelyn smiled. “You need to think about the timing well, or else everything can be ruined without us being able to lift a finger.”

“The cause…” Hawa murmured to herself.

“Then what incidents can be considered ‘1’ and ‘2’ from our example?”

“I think ‘1’ is the departure of the legend from Shalyh city,” Evelyn replied. “We can’t prevent that since it’s basically a checkmate move. The Demon Empire is planning to assassinate the leader of the Cassiubia League, the dragon, and the only one who can prevent it is the legend. Thus, he needs to go.”

Number ‘2’ didn’t even need to be said. It was the traitor inside Shalyh city—the half-demon. And what was the ‘cause’ the Demon Empire was trying to form by connecting these two incidents? It was obvious as the first future and the second future had shown.

“The destruction of the godly territory,” Chi-Woo said in a low voice.

“Correct!” Evelyn winked.

Hearing this, Ru Hiana said, “I got it! So if we do something about this cause—”

“No, no.” Evelyn wiggled her finger while clicking her tongue. “Don’t bother with things that needn’t be bothered. You can just leave the complete expression be.”

“Sorry?”

“See.” Light shone from the ends of Evelyn’s finger, and when she moved her finger, the light remained in the air.

1 +2 = 3

“Even if we don’t bother changing the numbers or the addition operation…if we just add one more thing…” Evelyn drew a short horizontal line across the air. “We can completely change the expression.”

1+ (-2) = 3

Everyone’s eyes shone when they saw the new equation in the air. Although it was a mere negative, it was a definite variable that could change the result.

***

Inside the Demon Empire.

—This is unexpected.

A soft, sing-song voice said.

—We prepared a path, drew attention away, and basically did all we could, but they still failed to meet their goal? Are you kidding me?

Rather than angry, the voice sounded baffled.

—There’s news that the legend is there.

A calm voice responded, and others murmured.

—We knew the legend would move, but not this fast. It’s almost as if they read our moves beforehand.

The commotion settled slightly because of the calm voice.

—But wait a moment, doesn’t that mean the prophecy is wrong again? You said—

The sing-song voice said, but the calm voice cut her off.

—Stop. A prophecy is just a prophecy. Why are you speaking as if you don’t know its conditions? That’s enough.

The sing-song voice sounded irritated, but she didn’t press further. After a short silence, a vile voice belonging to Amon rang in the air.

—Well, but it’s a pity. I really wanted to kill that wench even if I had to deal with the Sernitas…

—Focus on the important matter.

The calm voice said.

—From what I heard, it sounds like the Cassiubia’s main forces were fully prepared for us as if they had expected us to arrive there. That’s not all. They didn’t fall for Bael’s diversion tactic and simply pretended to be tricked. And on top of that, the Sernitas received considerable damage from the sudden appearance of Chi-Hyun.

—Wait, does that mean…?

—It means the Sernitas might suspect foul play and think we’ve worked with our enemies to backstab them.

—Ha. Man, this is seriously messed up. So what do we do now? Do we prepare to battle the Sernitas?

Amon sounded like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The sing-song voice answered.

—We’re not at that point yet.

The calm voice continued.

—Our partnership is still intact…They are going to let this incident slide on the condition that we invade the holy city Shalyh, but if something like this happens again, they say we will have to pay the rightful price for it.

—Price? What price?

—There’s only one thing the Sernitas want. Think about the reason they accepted our offer this time.

—What? Does that mean they want us to offer a sacrifice from our side in place of that dragon?

The sing-song voice turned sharp.

—Those crazy bastards. They really are crazy about renovating…

Amon clicked his tongue.

—Anyways, we did accomplish a small part of our goal. Bael and the Sernitas won’t retreat immediately. They will be on the offensive and keep the Cassiubia League and the legend occupied. And in the meantime, we must do what we need to do.

Though things had gone a bit awry, they still achieved what they wanted. The fact that the legend left the holy city, Shalyh meant they succeeded in at least half of their goal. And for the other half, they needed to wait for their spy to contact them.

—Hm…still…it’s a bit…

It seemed Amon wasn’t pleased with how things were turning out.

—What are you trying to say?

—I know that a prophecy is not always right, and it can be wrong in small details.

Amon spoke carefully, hoping to not hurt Shersha’s pride.

—But what went wrong this time and last time weren’t small details. The future that should’ve allowed us to easily invade Shalyh city didn’t even come. Colonies of demon flowers were destroyed, and the fact that the legend suddenly appeared in the Cassiubia mountain range is a surprise too. How can I explain this? It feels as if things are all going wrong…

Amon trailed off. Though he didn’t finish his thought, it sounded like he was asking his peers to reevaluate their plans. It wasn’t a suggestion the group could just ignore.

—Shersha, what do you think about this?

The calm voice asked to confirm.

—No…

A faint voice that sounded like it was about to break apart spoke up.

—The godly territory…would disappear…but…I don’t know…

—You don’t know?

—The future…it’s constantly shifting…

Shersha’s words stirred the room again. The fact that the future was constantly shifting meant that there was a high chance great changes could occur.

—See. Even Shersha is unsure.

Amon said with more certainty this time. The demon with the calm voice organized his thoughts. Usually, he would’ve heeded Amon’s words a bit more, but he couldn’t do that this time. The situation changed with the appearance of the legend in the mountain range. The matter was already done with, and the Demon Empire couldn’t back off anymore. In the end, he could only voice the decision that had been set for them from the start.

—As said many times before, a prophecy isn’t always right. But if we don’t attack Shalyh, we might have to go to a war with the Sernitas.

Their partnership with the Sernitas had been built on the condition that the Demon Empire invaded Shalyh. And if the Demon Empire backed off from the matter now, the Sernitas would suffer great losses, which might enrage them enough to trigger a war. It was a future that the Demon Empire wanted to avoid at all costs when they were already surrounded by enemies.

—As long as a major problem is not found in our plan, all we have to make sure is that the result doesn’t change. Moreover, it’s over for the city as soon as it loses its status as a godly territory. We should accept all changed variables and push through with our plan just for that.

The calm voice said with more force.

—This is the end of the meeting. Everyone, prepare.

***

The news that had arrived at the Demon Empire soon spread all over the holy city, Shalyh. The city buzzed with the shocking news that the Sernitas had ventured into Cassiubia mountain range with the Demon Empire. Above all, Bael from the Demon Empire was the one who made the move. With nicknames like the King of the East and the First Monarch, Bael was the first-ranking great demon in the Demon Empire that was teeming with strong beings. In human terms, it was as if Chi-Hyun had made a move—and with an enormous troop following him.

To counter this, the Cassiubia League sent their strongest, the Last Dragon, to counter Bael. It was then the league was almost struck from behind. The Sernitas tried to ambush them from a completely unexpected place. When the Demon Empire and the Cassiubia League warred before, the Demon Empire had annihilated the Penrils—a clan that was considered important even among the league—and succeeded in capturing the territory once ruled by the clan. That was where the Sernitas had suddenly emerged. They wouldn’t have been able to do that unless the Demon Empire had allowed them passage. In other words, it clearly showed that the two forces joined hands.

Fortunately, the Cassiubia League was able to respond fantastically and succeeded in overturning the situation with the legend’s appearance. If they failed to do that, even the Last Dragon might’ve been done for. Still, the war was far from over despite the hurdle they had overcome. The Sernitas and the Demon Empire weren’t forces that would back down from losing once. Rather than leaving the border, their intent to launch another invasion persisted. Since they realized that the Cassiubia League was better prepared than they expected, and that the legend was with them, they also better prepared themselves.

In response, Shalyh deployed some of its troops to the mountain range. They had a troop of considerable size in the city, and with their stronghold in danger, they naturally had to send support. While the city’s defenses would weaken as a result, it wasn’t to the level that they needed to worry much; they just had to focus solely on defenses, and they still had the benefit of the city being a godly territory…if it remained that way, that was.

While watching the reinforcement forces leave the city without hesitation, Chi-Woo thought, ‘This was what they were talking about.’

He didn’t expect the Demon Empire to also drag the Sernitas into this. Who knew they would go that far to stomp down one city? Chi-Woo was reminded of his brother’s warning that the Demon Empire was pulling out all stops for their plan again. It was then a messenger sent by Ismile brought Chi-Woo news: they were going to hold a meeting with a couple of influential heroes. Ru Amuh and Chi-Woo were both invited, but attendance wasn’t mandatory. And Chi-Woo realized the deadline he had talked about with his brother was soon approaching.

“So, with this, the situation has been set.” Evelyn approached Chi-Woo and asked, “Are you anxious?”

“Not really.” Chi-Woo smiled. It would’ve been a lie if he said he wasn’t anxious at all. But after formulating a plan with Evelyn, he had a little bit more hope now—hope that he could protect Shalyh and strike back at the Demon Empire when they least expected it.

“What about you, Lady Evelyn?” Chi-Woo asked.

Surprisingly, Evelyn didn’t answer right away, and after a short silence, she said, “…Besides that, there’s one thing I’m curious about.”

After hesitating a bit, Evelyn asked, “What is your relationship with the legend?”

Chi-Woo was stunned. He hadn’t expected this question at all.

“Um…why do you ask that?”

“You said the legend told you to give up on this city and escape.”

“Yes, he did.”

“But I don’t think that man would’ve failed to think of the plan I made.”

Chi-Woo blinked hard at Evelyn’s words.

“Uh…maybe it just slipped his mind?”

“No, there’s no way. When I clashed with him one time, I felt how high his level was. A man of that caliber…” Evelyn shook her head. She seemed wholly certain about her assessment. Then she raised her head and looked up at the sky. “It makes me curious. What made him judge that we should meekly back away instead of continuing to fight…?”

Now that Evelyn brought this up, Chi-Woo wondered about the same question too. His brother had said things would be different, but not impossible. Considering the kind of person his brother was, he should’ve been able to come up with the same plan as Evelyn had. Why did he back down without attempting anything?

“Anyways, there’s only one thing that’s truly important.” In the end, Evelyn shook her head like she couldn’t understand and stared intently at Chi-Woo. Then she asked, “How do you feel now? Are you confident that your name can surpass even the legend’s?”