Volume 3, Chapter 86 – Abdicating the Throne

As the news of Fisiel’s defection began to spread, Dawn being exposed was actually only a matter of time.

However, what surprised people was that in response to Fisiel’s defection, the Kingdom only struck Fisiel, this knight princess, from the rolls, and then did nothing more.

The scenario others had imagined, where an army would be dispatched to deal with a traitor like Fisiel, never happened.

Of course, in the eyes of the Stronghold beastmen, Fisiel’s defection was another story entirely.

After all, the army Fisiel commanded was still at the Northern Fortress, and the Northern Fortress lay at the border between the Kingdom and Stronghold. Although the Northern Fortress was currently still deep in Graveyard’s territory, Graveyard did not really care much about that fortress.

And since Fisiel had betrayed the Kingdom but clearly would not turn to Graveyard or to them, that confirmed one thing… this knight princess had gone over to the unknown faction Shaman Fuyi had described.

Given that Shaman Fuyi’s speculation had been indirectly confirmed, the aging Beastmen King of Stronghold finally made up his mind and personally set out for the place where Stronghold’s prophet lived… that Throne-class shaman.

As Stronghold’s Guardian Deity, this beastman elder shaman who bore the title of prophet had in fact already lived for over ten thousand years. Beastmen, unlike elves and dwarves, are not a long-lived race. Like humans, beastmen’s lives have an upper limit. Legendary tier beastmen also die of old age, and Throne-class beastmen also have an end to their lifespans.

Deep in a tranquil grassland, the aging Beastmen King found the equally old Throne-class prophet who lived in seclusion there.

The prophet’s appearance was exceptionally aged, and unlike the usual burly build of beastmen, this prophet’s body seemed unusually thin.

“Why have you come to me, my Beastmen King?”

The elderly prophet lifted his eyelids slightly, his gaze calmly turning to the old Beastmen King who had come to visit.

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“Prophet… this time I’ve come to ask you to step out once more…”

To say “once more” was because during the previous Graveyard War, this Beastmen King had already come to ask the prophet to leave seclusion once. Back then, it had not been the prophet taking the initiative to help Stronghold, but because the Beastmen King had personally asked him to come out.

“Hm? Has something else happened that you cannot resolve?”

The aged prophet’s eyes narrowed slightly, and strands of Throne-class aura began to weigh down on the Beastmen King who had suddenly come calling.

“Speak. What is it exactly?”

“Yes… this is what happened…”

Although it was somewhat hard to bear the pressure the prophet was putting on him, he had come to the prophet with a purpose. So the aging Beastmen King endured the pressure and explained in full his plan to seize the Northern Fortress, as well as how a mysterious faction with a Throne-class existence had intervened.

“Northern Fortress… Throne-class…”

After listening to the Beastmen King, the prophet slowly closed his cloudy eyes.

The moment he closed his eyes, the Beastmen King was horrified to discover that the prophet before him suddenly had no breath at all, as if he had in an instant become a lifeless corpse.

However, the faint light still covering the prophet’s coarse robe at least let the Beastmen King calm down a little.

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After quite a while, the beastman prophet who had seemed to fall into silence finally slowly opened his eyes.

His once cloudy eyes clearly brightened, and his aged face gradually took on an unusually serious expression.

“A variable… it is a variable…”

The prophet fixed his gaze on the old Beastmen King, then gave a small sigh.

“Your plan can hardly be called imperfect, but you have run into the greatest variable in this entire world… That Northern Fortress, all the world elements I just communed with told me that there is a being there deeply blessed by the Supreme…”

“The Supreme…”

Hearing this word, the old Beastmen King could not help being shocked.

“Didn’t the Supreme leave a long time ago? How can there still be a being blessed by the Supreme now…”

“Cannot be spoken of, cannot be spoken of… In my view, when you encounter this kind of existence, giving up is the best option. The Northern Fortress is important, but we beastmen do not necessarily need to have the Northern Fortress…”

“But… Prophet… I want to… I want you to act…”

Even though he knew very well what kind of existence the Supreme was, in the Beastmen King’s eyes, an existence that had disappeared in ancient times might not necessarily pose any threat now.

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What is more, he had absolute faith in the prophet before him and in his power.

“The world has its own destiny, but even a predetermined destiny has changes within it. What causes the world’s destiny to change is what we call a variable.”

“A future that never changes is indeed stable, but like a pool of dead water, it makes the world lose its vitality. Once there is a being who is a variable, the world’s future will hold infinite possibilities…”

“The future we can foresee is finite, but the variable represents the infinite…”

“And to pit the finite against the infinite, my king, the chances of failure for our Stronghold will be extremely high…”

For a prophet, power is actually secondary. Most important is the wisdom beyond ordinary people that befits the title of “prophet”.

“Then, Prophet… even if it is the finite against the infinite, does that mean we are certain to fail? Why not at least try to succeed?”

“There is a chance of success, but the risk will be extremely high…”

The prophet let out a small sigh, and all the Throne-class pressure on his body was completely withdrawn.

“If you insist on going your own way, I will not oppose you, but I will not act regarding this matter.”

“Prophet… please, I beg you to act!”

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“Impossible. I cannot let the beastmen’s future be ruined in your hands. A variable is called a variable because once it appears, it is certain to change the course of the entire world. This is the great trend, and even as a Throne-class I cannot halt the evolution of that trend…”

“Then…”

While his heart sank at the prophet’s refusal, when he thought of how long he had schemed for the Northern Fortress and how many of his beastman kin he had sacrificed, only to have to give up so aggrievedly… an intense unwillingness rose from the depths of the Beastmen King’s heart…

I am not willing, I am not willing!

“Prophet… this time, even if you are unwilling to act, I still want you to act…”

Saying such reckless words that were practically an affront to a Throne-class, the Beastmen King at that moment took off the ring on his finger that symbolized the Beastmen throne.

In Stronghold there was an unwritten rule.

When the Beastmen King removed the ring that symbolized the throne, it meant he had given up his kingship.

And if he took that ring off in front of the prophet.

It meant he was giving up the throne as the price… to have the prophet do one thing unconditionally…