When the plot-skips players into the game world

What would happen if Mr. Aiwass did nothing?

By now, all the ministers, knights, and officers, those loyal to the queen, would die within a year. The remainder would suffer over half in casualties during the chaos and infighting. Ultimately, after Princess Isabel's return, she would imprison or execute the last of them.

The people would experience four large-scale wars in the following three years.

The nationwide crop failure caused by the arrival of the Shadow Nation would lead to famine and significant chaos... The famine would then spread to neighboring countries.

After the arrival of the Fallen Celestial Marshal, Star Antimony would also initiate six civil wars. The most divided one split into six parts on the spot, eventually reverting to three. Just Star Antimony and Avalon would see their populations reduced to less than a third after three years.

Looking at Glass Island alone, the impact might seem small. Glass Island 1.0 and 4.0 merely have a thinner crowd. However, rural areas almost turned into ghost towns, with only a few families left in a village, and even those continued to diminish. Civilized areas steadily retreated, with villages gathering to towns, towns gathering back to cities, and a vast amount of land turning into ruins.

The newly born Camelot, though seemingly full of hope, lacked talents to the extent that not even ministers could fulfill their roles. The parliament, at best, had just over thirty members, more than half of whom were not Avalonians, but rather elves who had participated in the battle against the Shadowy Celestial Marshal.

And Star Antimony had it even worse. Already embroiled in internal strife, after a brief control by the Fallen Celestial Marshal, the survivors just stopped pretending. Various armed warlords carved out their territories... Advanced technology, weapons, spells were all used to attack their own people.

Some places had several consecutive towns turned into undead, some towns were directly bombed into ruins. Certain places were enveloped by curses, turning into ghost towns that no one could enter.

Counting these two countries alone, that's at least tens of millions of lives. Just thinking about this number made Mr. Aiwass feel a weight in his heart.

——To stand by and watch, to exchange these people for a "hope"?

What a joke.

Just the thought of it made Mr. Aiwass angry.

It wasn't righteous indignation based on moral sense, but anger at the weakness in his subconscious fear——

"Could I actually be afraid? With the system in me, knowing the future, I could still be fearful enough to think 'maybe just let it be'?"

——Impossible.

——Unforgivable.

Changing all this is incredibly difficult. It's very hard for Mr. Aiwass to take even a step forward if he cannot simply start over and build a decrepit Avalon into a Camelot.

If the Fallen Celestial Marshal isn't allowed to massacre the royal family, command recklessly, and attack Star Antimony from all sides, an undivided Star Antimony would also be a formidable foe.

But even so, could he just let everything happen?

——To listen, let it be. Wait for the plot to unfold as he knows it, then intervene at every critical junction, expending the least effort for the greatest gain.

To profit from disaster, to win hearts in despair, to become a hero——and no one knows that you could have changed all that, prevented it from the start.

Yes, that's how the protagonists in novels operate. No risks, only benefits. Since those disasters were originally unrelated to the "protagonist," why couldn't I benefit from them? And if one point is changed, the ripple effects on the future might lead to losing the advantage of being a Prophet.

To ensure everything is controllable. To ensure the future is controllable. To ensure one's superior position as omniscient and omnipotent.

...Mr. Aiwass didn't know if this was wrong.

But he always felt as though there was a fire in his heart.

From the moment he changed history and saved Yulia, that fire had started to burn. He once thought the fire's name was ambition... but now he thought it might be "pride".

——Even without the Prophet's abilities, even if he changed everything, he would still be excellent.

If that was the case, why shouldn't he change things from the beginning?

To ensure that Avalon would never become that Camelot which had nothing but hope. To prevent the Fallen Celestial Marshal from causing a worldwide war on all fronts... to allow as many of those powerless civilians as possible to survive, more than he foresaw.

Only then would his arrival have meaning...

"——Don't overthink it."

The Guardian suddenly reached out his hand and placed it atop Mr. Aiwass's head, speaking softly.

Mr. Aiwass was slightly startled and looked up at the Guardian.

The Guardian did not lower his gaze to Mr. Aiwass. He just tilted his head slightly downward, staring at the floor, while calmly saying, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself — as long as we aren't dead, it's not your turn to worry about all this.

"You are the future of Avalon, but only the future. Let the people of now deal with the matters of now."

His voice was steady and rich, imbuing a solid sense of security.

And the old queen was merely smiling tenderly, "Indeed, Little Aiwass... you were about to tap through your wheelchair."

The fingers of Mr. Aiwass's right hand, unconsciously tapping quickly on the wheelchair, suddenly stopped.

——I need to think of a way to change this habit.

Every time Mr. Aiwass fell into deep thought or grew anxious, his right hand couldn't help but want to do something. This was a habit from his gaming days as a child—during tense moments, he would tap the mouse subconsciously, performing meaningless, ineffective actions.

Such as incessantly changing screens, jittering in place, or repeatedly aiming in and out.

Using Mr. Aiwass's roommate's words, it would be that he was "a bit too curious with his hands".

"Although I don't know what you're worried about," the Guardian said calmly, "but I think Her Majesty the Queen informed you of these matters not to seek your help. Even if you really wanted to do something, you could tell us."

"Dad is very strong!"

David affirmed with certainty from the side.

"The us of today is different from that of four hundred years ago. We are not strong... in fact, we can be called weak."

Queen Sofia, however, just smiled faintly and said serenely, "It's actually good to realize this fact early. Those older knights all grew up listening to the stories of the Knights of the Round Table and developed habits of pride. Even as they later focused on fighting for power and wealth, their hearts still harbored a knight's pride.

"But they don't understand Avalon at all. Or perhaps, they don't want to.

"However, whether it's you or Sherlock, your generation is different. Avalon will ultimately be entrusted to you..."

As she spoke these words, the old lady lying on the bed out of fatigue yet still emanating a sense of vitality, revealed a sly smile, "I think Sherlock must still be alive, right?"

"Yes."

Aiwass replied, "That's what we planned, to use a feigned death to lure those people out... Both he and I did the same thing."

"You know, I was really scared at the time."

Her Majesty the Queen clicked her tongue, disregarding her image, "I thought it was over... Given Sherlock's character, he could indeed do such a thing—daring to put himself in danger for investigation, or being targeted for revenge. It was because he could indeed be targeted and assassinated that I believed for a while that his death was real."

"Then later, how did you guess he was faking his death?"

Aiwass asked curiously.

Queen Sofia chuckled, "No, I am not so clever... Yanis told me. She said to me, 'Don't be in a hurry to grieve, there might still be a turnaround'. I understood her meaning at that time."

Yanis?

Aiwass paused for a moment, then realized—she must have seen Sherlock and himself through the paintings at the bishop's house!

What kind of surveillance camera is this...

But Yanis clearly wanted to keep Aiwass's secret. Otherwise, the Queen would have known long ago that he had not been kidnapped by Miss Aleister... because he had gone to the bishop's house on the first day he disappeared, yet both the Queen and the Guardian seemed to know nothing about it.

"Do you have anything else, Aiwass?"

The Queen asked kindly, "Next, we have to discuss some matters for adults... Could you and David go play for a while?

"Oh, right... Princess Isabel might have been upset. If you have time, could you possibly go and comfort her?"

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Aiwass replied.

He was indeed a bit worried about Isabel and was wondering how to bring up the matter to the Queen.

From what he knew of Isabel, it wasn't that she had set aside the pressure of the curse. She had been trying to force herself to forget about it.

The Queen was not at all worried about it, knowing that the curse had ended... However, Isabel did not know this. And indeed, it wouldn't be suitable for her to know—if Isabel found out that the curse was because foreigners wanted her to ascend the throne, she would likely face even more psychological pressure.

After asking the Queen about Isabel's location, Aiwass took David with him, pushed by Lily, and left the Queen's bedchamber.

The first thing he did after going out was to bring David to a secluded place where no one was around.

Aiwass warned in a low voice, "Don't talk to your sister Isabel about the curse and the ceremony... Be careful with your words, understand?"

"I understand. I can't speak and I can't comfort people, so I just won't say anything, Mr. Aiwass."

David nodded seriously, planning in a soft voice, "You do the talking later... and I'll just nod along."

——Indeed, not speaking is the safest.

Aiwass hissed under his breath.

You could understand this without being taught?

This child, it seemed, was not entirely like the Guardian in temperament...

However, Aiwass faintly felt... that David seemed keen on playing matchmaker between him and Isabel?

With a bit of thought, Aiwass understood.

And then he couldn't help but feel a bit strained.

——Oh, so you mean if I were with Princess Isabel, then Miss Aleister would leave you alone, is that it?

This kid's thoughts were not as simple as he let on...