While the others discussed what might have happened, Isaac wandered deeper into the treasure hoard.
Near the back of one of the piles, he found a partially burnt book. His brows furrowed when he saw the symbol on its cover: a sword balanced against a scale.
’That... is that the Holy Book of Goddess Qaia’s Church?’
The Holy Book was the sacred text of Goddess Qaia’s church. Some claimed the Church had been founded after the first pope discovered the book during the darkest period of his life and found salvation through it. Others believed the Holy Book had been written by the first pope himself after receiving a blessing from Goddess Qaia in a dream.
Nobody knew what was written in the Holy Book. Only the pope of each generation was permitted to read it.
However, the appearance of the Holy Book—at least its cover—was common knowledge among the nobility. Naturally, Isaac recognized it.
He picked up the burnt book and brushed the dust from its cover.
The sword and scale became clearer.
’Is this the real Holy Book? It should be. There is no reason for the Royal Dragon to keep a counterfeit.’
’But how is this burnt? The Holy Book was said to be indestructible.’
’Also, why is it here? There has been no news that it was stolen.’
Isaac opened the pages. Many of the pages had been burned. He could only make out some of them. There was no text, but pictures.
The first picture showed a girl being born in a palace.
In the second picture, the girl looked like a ten-year-old. She was lifting ten elephants. In the third, she appeared to be the same age, yet she was summoning storms and lightning with magic.
The fourth picture showed her as a beautiful young woman ascending a throne.
Isaac continued flipping through the pages.
More pictures followed.
Many had been partially burned.
In one, the woman was leading armies against other kingdoms.
In the next, she stood victorious.
Another showed monsters, elves, and humans alike bowing before her.
In the next picture, she was staring at a piece of paper. Isaac couldn’t tell what it contained because much of the page had been burned away.
Several more pages were too damaged to make out.
The next clear picture showed her throwing a book into a crack in the air.
In the next—
The pictures ended.
The remaining pages appeared to contain text, but they had been burned beyond recognition.
"What are you looking at?" Vera asked, seeing him deep in focus.
"Check for yourself," Isaac said, showing her the Holy Book.
Her eyes widened.
"How is this here? This is definitely the Holy Book," she muttered, flipping through it.
Merlin and Bard also curiously looked into it.
Merlin’s expression stiffened when he saw the picture of the crack. The change lasted only a moment before his face returned to normal.
Isaac noticed it but said nothing.
Afterwards, they returned the book to its original position.
The group waited for another five days. The Royal Dragon never appeared.
In the end, they left Mount Rushmore. Isaac mobilized the resources of the princess and began searching for the Royal Dragon on different mountains.
The four of them kept the dragon’s disappearance a secret. News like that would throw the entire kingdom into chaos.
Six months passed. There was still no news of the Royal Dragon.
Eventually, Isaac had no choice but to put the matter aside. Four years had now passed since the beginning of his current loop. The time had come to prove to the kingdom that the war he had foreseen was real.
Currently, Isaac, Amanda, Merlin, Princess Vera, Duke Falcon, Zara, Duke Tigris, and several other high-ranking officers of the armies of Duke Falcon and Duke Tigris were in a tent.
Their current location was a barren land slightly south of the Tigris Duchy, and right next to Mourning Frost Mountain.
"Four years ago, I told you that this month a Great Calamity will strike. By predicting the calamity’s arrival, I wanted to prove that my visions of the future are true. I’m sure that some of you trust me already after the poisons we found in rivers and farms, but others still don’t think that a war will come," Isaac said.
He swiped his gaze around the circular table. Everyone here was a veteran or a genius.
"To those who did not trust me, this Great Calamity will be my proof. To those who trust me, I ask of you to fight alongside me, and stop this Great Calamity," Isaac said.
"So, what is this Great Calamity?" Duke Tigris asked.
Currently, the armies of Duke Tigris and Duke Falcon had gathered. Duke Falcon brought his troops because he trusted Isaac, and this was their deal.
Duke Tigris brought his army because his duchy was the closest habitable place. The duchy was situated at the western edge of the kingdom, almost at the gates of the Mourning Frost Mountains, where they fought the monsters and savages invading the kingdom through the Mourning Frost Mountains.
If this Great Calamity was true, Tigris Duchy would face immense losses, and if Tigris Duchy fell, the gates of Mourning Frost Mountain would be opened. Once that happened, endless hordes of monsters would pour into the kingdom.
That was what would’ve happened in Isaac’s last life.
Thankfully, Bard was in the area.
He sacrificed his life to wound the Great Calamity and bought enough time for Tigris Duchy to gather its forces and slay the injured creature.
"Before I tell you what the Great Calamity is, I need to tell you about the war," Isaac said. He looked everyone in the eye and said, "Only ten percent of humanity will survive. The rest will be slaughtered."
A chilling silence fell. The claim was so outrageous that, under normal circumstances, it would have been met with laughter and ridicule.
But Isaac was strong. Everyone knew it, and people trusted the words of the strong.
"Who is our enemy? The Lords of Silk Plains? Monsters from deep underground? The slumbering horrors of the Mourning Frost Mountain?" Duke Tigris asked.
"It’s none of them," Isaac said.
"Is it the other races?" Duke Falcon asked.
"No." saac shook his head.
"It can’t be a rebellion. Even if nobles start a war, their troops wouldn’t go as far as slaughtering ninety percent of humanity. The troops are still humans, after all. So, who is the enemy? Where did their troops come from?" Princess Vera asked.
"The enemy is...."