That night.
　The dinner was over and the lights in the house were beginning to go down. I was somewhat thirsty, so I went out to go to the well, and when I went out, I saw Glai in the garden under the moonlight, wielding a sword.
　Is he practicing? He looked so serious that he didn't even notice me.

"You're very dedicated, brother Gurai.
'Oh...?　What do you want, Seika?

　I was troubled by Glai wiping the sweat off his face and looking at me with a depressed look, because I didn't know why I was talking to him.
　I'm not sure why I spoke to him, because I didn't know why I was talking to him.

I'm sure you'll be able to find the right one. Oh, you know, I'll take you up on it. I'm still learning a little bit of swordsmanship.
Don't be a fool. Your sword isn't even worthy of being my training partner.

　I'm sure it's a good idea.

　At one point in my past life, I followed an apprentice who had little talent for curses, and learned the taijutsu style from a renowned samurai.
　He taught me several techniques, and I got along reasonably well, but in the end I was nowhere near my master, and my students quickly overtook me. I didn't have a talent for swords.
　Now that my arms are rusty, I'm not sure I would have been a match for Glai, even if I had been back then.

I'm sure my brother Glai had a talent for swords.
What's your name?　That's creepy.
You mean it as a compliment. After all, she was even chosen as the Princess's Holy Knight.
... haha.

　Glei said and drank from the canteen beside her.

　The holy knights are the magical swordsmen who wait at Fiona's side.
　In essence, they are just guards, less than ten in number, but their strength is matchless.

　On the occasion of Fiona's visit to the garrison in the east during her inspection. It was written in a letter from Luft that he had chosen Glai as his new Holy Knight after seeing him at first sight.
　However, it seems that the official appointment will be made at the court, and for that, he needs to return to the imperial capital.
　It was a great honor to have a holy knight selected from one's own legion.......so the call came from the legion leader, General Petrus, and it was decided that Grye would lead his platoon and escort them to the imperial capital.
　

　After a short silence, Glai opens his mouth.

''Do you know why his guards are called Holy Knights?
"...?　Come on.
He gave it to the man himself. He gave it to himself. "A name that is pleasing to the ear and easily sung by poets. It's all part of the political PR game.
You mean ... it's all on the outside, not on the inside?
That's not true.

　And then Grye takes another sip of water.

'They're real good at what they do. I'm probably the worst in the world. I want two of his handmaids, and I want a couple of really bad ones. They were the ones who stopped Fiona this morning. They beat us up on the march, told us to get a lesson. I don't know how horrible they are, that's why they're so low on the pecking order," he said.
''Huh, I thought you left them all in the imperial capital, but I was wrong. To the maidservants........

　Come to think of it, I think my behavior was those things.

''Hmm ... so what do you mean by that?''
It's probably not because of merit that I was chosen. It was his.... his plan, you see. He's a politician.
"....politicians.

　I ruminate over Glei's words.

"You don't look like you're doing much.
'It's just that he's invisible. Do you think it's just a coincidence that that guy has somehow escaped house arrest and his presence has spread to the world, and his name has been brought up in the conversation about the succession to the throne?
You think she meant for all of this to happen?
'Yes. Including the name "Holy Princess" and the impression of the common people. That guy explained it himself.
"...when you've achieved that much at that age, it's unusual.

　I say quietly, "I'd say he had a natural talent for government.

It would be an understatement to say that he had a natural gift for government, but...
That's not all there is to it. It's more than just talent. Especially when you're gathering all those dangerous guys like the Holy Knight.
If it's not a talent, then what is it?

　Glai says, exhaling one breath.

'Do you know the priestess of the Oracle, Seika?
"...no?　Are you in the Central Temple of the Imperial City or something?
No, sir. No, it's a family that has nothing to do with the Holy Hall. Every few hundred years they foretell the birth of a hero and a demon king.
....!
His mother was his descendant. The Holy Princess has the blood of an oracle priestess in her veins.

　Glei says.

'He can see the future,'


****


The future...?
Yes.

　I ask him back, and he continues.

He says, "I have an image in my head. "I have an image and a memory of a scene, a scene I'm seeing at a certain time, a certain place, a certain scene. It was daytime and a building came crashing down in the city. Now that I think about it, he was looking at that scene. I don't know what it meant, but that's why he went out of his way to go to that place. And also the day you come back, the day I lose is probably the same day I lose.
"...it never happened. When brother Glai suddenly said he was going to stop...
You said the future could change. Come to think of it, that's pretty obvious.

　I thought about it for a while, and then I opened my mouth.

The clan that prophesied the birth of the heroes and the demon king, are you talking about the priestess in the fairy tale?
Yeah. It wasn't a fairy tale, though.
'Then it's strange. The priestess in the story did not have the power to see the future. She would have only been able to detect the birth of a brave man and a demon king right before it happened.
I don't know. The royals have been blessed with a talent for magic. Maybe it's a combination of your blood and theirs.
'Is everything you just said coming from the Princess herself?
Yeah, I do.

　Glai says.

"No one knew that his mother was a descendant of the Oracle. But it is said that at the exact moment she gave birth to him, it was foretold that a brave man and a demon king would be born. The birth of a brave man and a demon king.
....
I don't know why, but his mother died soon afterwards. He heard about it from the people who raised him. That's how he learned about his powers.

　Glei continues.

'At first, the mother's prophecy was thought to be a delusion after the pain of giving birth to her child. But as a result of imperial intelligence, it was found to be true. The same information was circulating on the demon tribe's side as well. But for some reason, the other side doesn't seem to know about the birth of the Demon King.
....
That must have been one of the reasons why he was under house arrest for a while. It's the only family of the Oracle that the Empire now knows about. You wouldn't expect the power of future vision, though.
''Well if that's true, it's too good to be true. It can't be a coincidence. The Emperor could only have known that Fiona's mother was a member of the Oracle family...
I don't know. It's extremely unlikely that he would have had a shot at all of them, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

　I think about it for a minute and ask, "Do the empire and the holy women understand?

"Do the Empire and the Holy Mother understand?　The brave man and the ... demon king are who they are.
I wouldn't know that much about it.

　Glei says as he spits.

'He was a baby when the hero and the Demon King were born. So he wouldn't have received the original oracle. It's just........he'll know. With the power of that future vision.
....
''I thought it was odd that he wanted to see a mere student so badly, but after receiving the sword, I understood. That Amu or some other woman is a brave man, right? ...and that's why you look so scared. By the looks of it, did you know too?
It's been a long day.

　Glai tells me as I look down.

"Don't get too involved in it, Seika. "Don't get too involved with brave men and demon kings,
It's a funny thing that my brother Grye is so concerned about me.
No.

　Glai glares at me.

"Don't get in his way. He's not the only one with an eye on the future of the Empire.
...the future of the Empire, right?

　So there are only politicians," I say with a huff.
　I let out a breath and said, "You've been talking incessantly for a long time, but you don't want to interfere.

You've been talking incessantly for a man who tells you to stay out of things," he says. Is that really what you want to talk about?
I don't mind. That's all right. I'm sure he's going to tell his people about this stuff. If you doubt this, ask him, but don't tell that lady that I'm here, because she'll kill me. They'll kill me.
'Brother Grye, you've been thinking a lot. It's a nice surprise. I always thought he was just happy to have a beautiful woman to serve.
What a load of crap!

　Grye says, abominably, waving his sword.

'f*ck women!'
Yes....

　I'm baffled.
　I don't know what's going on here but this guy is extreme.

"Seika, I wish you'd be more careful. I'm afraid you're on your way to your own destruction. With all those girls in your corner...
From what I've heard, I think it would have been better to just stay in the garrison.
'At first I thought it was a flourish. How could I have foreseen such a messy situation?
Well what do we do now?　It's not too late to decline, is it?
"There's no way I'm going to make it in time, a**h*le!　Besides I'm not going to turn it down.

　Glei says, turning his gaze toward him.

'Because I'm worried about the future he's seeing.


****


Seika-sama.

　When I returned to the room, Yuki peeked out of my head and spoke to me.

''Is that person's story true? I thought that person had a grudge against Seika-sama, but...''
At least it didn't look like you were lying.

　I can't even think of a reason to go to the trouble of doing that.
　It's just.....

'Fiona's power is kind of hard to believe, but...'
The power to see the future?

　Yuki says curiously.

'Why...?　Isn't that the extent of what you do, Seika, with your divination?
Divination and seeing the future are two different things.

　I will explain.

Meisen, fortune-telling and phantasmagoric divination can only derive specific results for specific things. For example, they can determine fate from the star of birth, judge good fortune from the way the shell of a tortoise shell is cracked, or predict good or bad fortune from the structure of a house or a city, and so on.
How is that different from looking into the future?
'You need information, tools and knowledge beforehand, and you're also limited in what you can know. Besides, there's an established methodology, and anyone can use it if they learn it and teach it to others. Future vision is very different from this.

　I continue, "You can see the future without information, without tools, without knowledge.

There is no information, no tools, no knowledge of the future, and you can't teach anyone. There is no methodology, and I can't teach it to anyone. It's a supernatural power, separate from sorcerer's wisdom.
'Huh, would that be ... something akin to a tube fox prediction?
The pipe fox prediction is strictly a form of divination. The closest thing to it would be a prophet or a demon from the West.
Is it a matter of...

　A demon with a human head and a cow's body that speaks a human language.
　They say that as soon as he is born, he foretells a serious event and dies, and it always comes true.

'Although I've heard of it, Yuki has never seen it either.
Actually, I do have one.
'What?　How did you do it, sir?　As I recall, that thing was supposed to be dead as soon as I made the prophecy...
There was a man who predicted the birth of this case. He said the village was located in the country of Tango, so he stayed there for a while and stuck around every time a cow went into labor.
How did you manage to do that?
'So I really was born, so I sealed it right up before I could say anything. I'm sorry, but I can't show it to you. If I let you out of phase, you'll die from the prophecy.
No, no, no, that's fine, but...

　Yuki said in a dumbfounded manner and then raised her head in a distracted manner.

'Anyway, what will you do about it?　Could that Himemiko be a threat to Lady Seika?
No it's going to be okay.

　I say, "I don't think futurism is a panacea.

He says, "I don't think it's a panacea. Neither the prophet nor the future can see the future at will," he says. If I hadn't wielded my power in the first place, such a future would never have come. Being a politician is a tricky thing, but, well...

　I chuckle.

"Just don't get too involved.