Hearing Robin's assurance, the Prophet couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She then continued, "Actually, besides that, I have another favor to ask."
It had to be said that immediately making a new request after the first had been granted inevitably gave the impression of pushing one's luck.
But the next moment, the Prophet declared, "I want you to take my place as one of the White Eagle Eight."
Robin blinked, her emerald eyes filling with confusion and bewilderment. Her sakura lips parted slightly in utter incomprehension.
To be honest, her first thought upon hearing those words was, I wonder if Baldy Burke can even manage three Territories at once?
Then, Robin abruptly shook her head, her shallow blue hair and the small wings behind her ears swaying back and forth. "Why?" she asked. "Besides, I'm not even a White Eagle."
The Prophet replied, "The status, resources, and authority of the White Eagle Eight will allow you to fully prepare everything you need, ensuring you face the coming apocalypse in peak condition."
Robin countered, "But that doesn't seem necessary. If I need anything, I can just let you know, and you can help me, right?"
Elysia chimed in, "Me too! Me too! Robin is so adorable, I'd love to help her with anything she needs!"
She had only agreed to manage the Scholar's White Tower because the Scholar had acted so adorably to persuade her. Elysia still felt responsible for her subordinates and, if possible, wanted to lighten Baldy Burke's workload.
The Prophet shook her head. "No, there's another reason. I have less than a month to live, and there's no one more suitable to succeed me."
What? A month?!
Robin stared at the white-haired girl before her. Apart from her closed eyes, there were no visible injuries or signs of illness. How could she have less than a month left?
Sensing her confusion, the Prophet explained, "Every ability comes with a price, and the price for foreseeing the future is especially steep."
Just as fortune-tellers never read their own fortunes—a taboo even outsiders know—the Prophet seemed to be constantly casting her own fate with every prophecy. Or, more accurately, the scope of her prophecies included herself.
The white-haired girl spoke without a trace of fear or regret, only calm acceptance. It was as if she had long since resigned herself to her fate, or perhaps, knowing the consequences, she had relentlessly continued to use her ability.
The Prophet explained, "Constantly peering into the future placed an immense strain on my body. Within a month of gaining this ability, I lost my sight. Two months later, my bodily functions began to deteriorate rapidly, and my hair turned completely white overnight. Theoretically, I had less than four months to live."
"But then I discovered this Life Flower Field. As you've likely sensed, being within its boundaries provides a constant replenishment of vitality, allowing me to survive until now. The price, however, is that I can never leave this field again."
"Even with this lifeline, the replenishment has its limits. My body is like a cracked wooden bucket, the leaks growing larger and more numerous until it's nearly beyond repair. When the rate of leakage exceeds the rate of replenishment, even this field won't be able to save me."
The Prophet turned to face Robin and opened her eyes for the first time. However, her irises contained no black pupils, only pale gray hollow circles surrounded by pure white. "Robin," she said, "I want you to take over this Territory after I'm gone."
Robin pursed her lips. "But I'm just an ordinary singer. Managing a Territory..."
The Prophet quickly interjected, "Don't worry. You won't actually need to manage it. Just use its resources."
"I've foreseen everything that will happen here over the next three years," she continued, producing a tablet-like Command Terminal. "I've already planned for every contingency. All the directives are pre-programmed and will be issued at the appropriate times."
In other words, even if Robin did nothing, the Territory would continue to function perfectly, just as it had under the Prophet's leadership.
Robin stared in disbelief. "Then... what's the point of having a successor? It won't make any difference!"
"In other words, you don't need to manage this Territory," the Prophet explained. "I'll give you this Command Terminal. Just use it to issue orders and mobilize the Territory's resources whenever you need something."
One had to admit, the Prophet's ability was truly outrageous. Just imagine knowing everything that had happened across such a vast area over the past three years—it was practically godlike omniscience.
In fact, within this Territory, the Prophet's status was akin to that of a god. The clearest evidence of this was how everyone here did their utmost to obey the commands issued through the Prophet's Command Terminal.
For example, a civilian walking down the street might suddenly receive a message on their phone instructing them to stop immediately and move five meters to the left. They would comply, and the next second, an out-of-control truck would barrel through the very spot they had just vacated.
Theoretically, with the Command Terminal, Robin could issue any command she wished within the Territory.
"If you truly want to save this world, stop hesitating," the Prophet continued. "The more resources you utilize, the higher your chances of success, wouldn't you agree?"
"Furthermore, entrusting this Command Terminal to you serves as a safeguard," the Prophet explained. "Under normal circumstances, the future unfolds as a straight line stretching endlessly into the distance. But the future isn't immutable. Consider what happened when you emerged from the Dimensional Rift—the world's future shifted from its original trajectory to an entirely new path."
"That's why I need you to monitor it. If anything unexpected occurs—if even one detail of my prophecy fails to materialize—you must immediately delete all preprogrammed commands from this terminal. Otherwise, the consequences will be catastrophic."
After the Prophet's relentless persuasion, the Command Terminal was finally placed in Robin's hands.
In a sense, though Robin wasn't officially one of the White Eagle Eight of this Territory, she now wielded their authority.