False Prophet

"Knowledge is power, as they say, and this is ever more so true with mages. As such, it is understandable that you would wish to keep your secrets," said the Archmage, her tone cold. "However, now you stand before the elders of the Circle of Mages, the highest of authority in all things magic in the empire. Perhaps it would do you more good to simply confess. You have my word that we won't make things more difficult for you than necessary, regardless of your past."

All of a sudden, what was supposed to be a sham of an examination had turned into a full-on interrogation. It'd be a lie to say that Theodore had seen that coming. The Demon Lord within him could hardly believe that someone as blunt and impatient as the large man known as Darius could become an elder. Yet, at the same time, the rest of the elders here seemed rather compliant with the sudden turn of events, their own impatience thinly veiled. Perhaps it was indeed some form of desperation, but Theodore could not help but feel that something else was going on.

"Even if you were an enemy from a bygone past, that has nothing to do with the present. The times have changed. We will be more than glad to have another ally on our side," said the woman in the golden mask, her tone much friendlier than the others. "With your skill, we could easily make you a master on the spot. And if you turn out to be an elder from the past, I'm sure everyone here would be more than glad to reinstate your status. Isn't that right, Archmage?"

"Indeed, we would be more than glad to welcome back an old friend or even former foe, provided of course, that they're willing to let bygones be bygones."

"Hmph! That is if he's someone even worth considering in the first place," the large man interjected. "Well, so long as he's willing to speak truthfully, I don't see why we can't take him in. If he tries to lie his way out, however..."

"If he knows what's best for him, he won't," said the scrawny old man, a huge grin on his face. "Then again, I've been lacking experimental subjects lately. With his skill with healing, perhaps I could push a little further than usual."

Being offered rewards on one hand and threats on the other, it was almost as if they had coordinated this beforehand, trying to pressure Theodore into speaking the truth. Of course, while the rewards might not be real, their threats, on the other hand, were most definitely not them playing pretend. Mages were unlike ordinary folks. Due to the disparity of power between individuals in mage society, they could be rather cruel without fear of consequences.

That being said, while heavily tempted to simply spill the beans, Theodore understood that his was a secret that must be taken to the grave. For while the elders were inviting a reincarnated mage to join them, perhaps even they would find themselves hard-pressed to join hands with a Demon Lord. More likely, they would eliminate him on the spot before he could grow to become a threat.

Theodore would have to deceive them, yet, without knowing the identities of the mages that had once attempted reincarnation magic in the past, an information kept secret by the Circle of Mages, he doubted that he could pass off as one of them. While the possibility that he simply wasn't anyone whose attempt at reincarnation was known, the mages, being the paranoid bunch they were, could certainly just decide to torture him regardless.

"Well, what shall it be?" asked the Archmages. From her words and tone, she was essentially telling him to choose his fate.

Standing there, a trembling hare in hand, he, as Theodore, fully came to comprehend what it felt like to be in someone else's power.

In the limited time he had, which was at most, but a few seconds, he worked his mind to the brink. He was in desperate need of a way out. And perhaps it was due to this desperation, Theodore found himself arriving at an epiphany. He had no time to consider whether or not this was a moment of inspiration or insanity. It was either now or never.

"I don't know," Theodore answered, knowing full well that the elders would not be satisfied with this. However, he had more tricks up his sleeve. "What I do remember, is seeing a tower..."

Theodore began to talk about his dreams, the 'memories' that came to him in his sleep. In that dream, there was a tower. It was the same tower as this one, reaching so high up in the sky that one can't even see the top. It was beautiful and pristine. Everything aside from the tower, however, was burning. Thick, black smoke covered the sky and made everything dark, so he couldn't tell whether it was day or night. He recalled seeing a black flag, one with a red dragon with three heads.

In those dreams, Theodore was running about. He was using the same magic he had used to save Maria and the hare. Many people were injured, burnt, bleeding... The cries of agony filled the streets to the brims, enough to make one go insane.

Then, the black smoke in the sky parted and something huge descended. It was a ship. Theodore had never seen a ship with his own eyes before, but that was a ship despite looking nothing like it. He just knew that it was a ship, one that floated in the sky.

"And that," Theodore concluded, "was the dream I remember the most clearly. I'm not sure if it would help, but maybe from that, you can figure out who I am."

Of course, Theodore knew that they would never figure it out just from that. After all, it was something that had never happened. He made it up on the spot. The burning of Lancea, the black flag of the empire, and an attack on the Stargazer Lagoon. All these things had not yet happened, but might in the future. Even the flying ship, something that lay atop this tower, something that the mages were trying to get their hands on for generations but had not yet managed to do so, something that only the elders and selected members of certain mage clans know of, even that made an appearance in Theodore's supposed 'dream'.

It was all made up, a lie, a false prophecy of a possible future. With this, Theodore tried to trick the elder into thinking that rather than someone with memories of the past, perhaps Theodore could be someone with memories of the future.

To most, this would sound ridiculous for certain. But, for the elders, for these seasoned practitioners of magic, it was a tale not entirely implausible. And even if they were hesitant to believe it, it was a story that appealed to their greed, for it was said that the one who possessed this ship shall have the power to rule the world if they so wish.

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End of Chapter 26

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