The Witch Hunter System

"Exactly. What prophecy, huh?" Vera added to Valerie's doubt with a helpless smile, shaking her head.

Even she did not believe in the prophecy made by the Chief Shaman who lived in the Great Ratholos Empire. Unfortunately, just because she didn't believe in the prophecy, it didn't mean it was the same for others, too.

Furthermore, even if others didn't believe it, they couldn't ignore it either.

"The Great Ratholos Empire's Chief Shaman previously prophecized that a human with high spatial affinity would be born and become this world's overlord, ruling all of the high skies, vast lands, and deep seas," Vera recounted.

Valerie blinked as she waited, expecting her Third Grandmother to continue. But after waiting a brief moment, she realized that was all there was to the so-called prophecy.

"That's it…?" Valeria uttered dumbfoundedly before mentioning with a frown, "But our Caelestis family wasn't specifically mentioned in this so-called prophecy. So, why are people only hunting our family?"

"We aren't the only ones being secretly hunted outside of our territory, Valerie," Vera corrected with a soft sigh.

"Haven't you wondered why people with spatial affinity seem so rare nowadays? That's because they have been either killed or abducted by various forces in the last couple of hundred years. Our Great House of Caelestis might look impressive, but we are at the mercy of every nation."

"If it weren't for our life-saving means and various agreements with other countries, our Great House of Caelestis would have long ceased to exist in the first century of the magic era," Vera stated.

In that instant, the revelation was like a bolt of lightning, shocking Valerie greatly when she heard it. She didn't expect the Great House of Caelestis, which she was so proud of, to be in such a precarious situation.

"In order to ensure our independence and survival, the family made an oath to stay out of every country's management and politics. But at the same time, we also married off our family members to royalty of various countries to establish connections and acquire protection," Vera added.

When the Great Ratholos Empire's Chief Shaman's prophecy spread across the world, every country naturally eyed the biggest family with spatial affinity – the Great House of Caelestis.

Even if rulers didn't believe in prophecies, they would not be able to ignore the slightest possibility, whether it was for the sake of their personal or national interest. As such, if the Great House of Caelestis had done nothing, they would have been swallowed by everyone.

Anyone who enjoyed the highest position of power would never want to bow their heads to another.

That's why selfish, ambitious rulers would never think about befriending the future overlord before the person could rise to power. Instead, they would try to control the person before they became aware of their destiny. And if they couldn't control the destined person, they would rather destroy them.

However, thanks to the Great House of Caelestis's great escaping ability and quick wit, Vera and her family evaded various encirclements countless times in the beginning. Although they were forced to abandon their homes during that period, they established the status of being uncatchable.

With that advantage, they formed agreements with neighboring rulers and established connections through marriage bondings in secret. It was also because the marriage ceremonies were held in secret that the rulers failed to realize the Great House of Caelestis made the same marriage agreement with other rulers besides themselves.

As a result, they ended up letting the Great House of Caelestis establish a situation where the rulers were forced to end their hunts on the Great House of Caelestis and be on guard against each other.

After all, after everything went public, they could no longer openly target the Great House of Caelestis. Their citizens would scrutinize and condemn their actions against their in-laws, and other countries would also try to interfere with their operations once they learn of it.

Under such circumstances, the Great House of Caelestis no longer needed to run and was able to settle down.

They only experience danger once they leave their territory.

Nevertheless, after listening to Vera's additional information, Valerie immediately expressed her surprise.

"Does that mean I have many uncles, aunties, and cousins I didn't know about living outside the territory?" Valerie uttered with wide eyes.

However, Vera could only silently shake her head with a saddened look.

Victoria also sighed with melancholy.

"Did I say something wrong?" Valerie blinked with surprise after noticing her two grandmothers' expressions. After a moment, her brows crumpled together. "Don't tell me they are also… gone?! Even with royal protection??"

"That's just how it is for people with spatial affinity outside our territory," Vera said with a sad sigh.

Rather than marrying their members to royal families, it was more accurate to say they had sacrificed them.

After all, they made an oath to be uninvolved in other countries' management and politics. The family members they had married off would not have any power or authority. Even if they held the status of husband or wife of the princes and princesses, their lives were most likely equal to or worse than slaves.

"Poisoning," Vera suddenly stated, clenching her fist grudgingly.

"Most of your distant aunties, uncles, and cousins, whom you have never met, died to this – or at least, that was the reason we were given each time. Even if all the countries seem amicable to each other on the surface, they are all secretly competing against each other."

"How regretful it is that we have to face these kinds of situations when the world is facing a threat as large as Gehenna," Vera thought honestly.

"I don't get it, Third Grandma," Valerie replied with a deep frown before mentioning, "If the prophecy was real, this destined overlord should be someone very powerful if the person is able to unify the world in the future."

"In that case, why are so many people with spatial affinity dying?! Are all those pig-brains trying to kill off a potential savior?!" Valerie cussed.

It went without saying that if humanity had such a strong person, they would be less threatened by Gehenna.

"Alas, that question is the biggest doubt we have all these years. One cannot help but suspect something sinister and insidious is involved regarding this prophecy," Victoria said with narrowed eyes.

People with spatial affinities were great assets to humanity. To kill them off would benefit none other than the demons from Gehenna.

"And unfortunately, none of us have the power to find out the real motive behind the Chief Shaman's prophecy," Vera said with a sad smile. "That is the sad truth."

Everyone was aware they lacked the power to unmask the truth—or rather, they couldn't afford to take on the risks and dangers. They were the pillars of the family. If they fell, the Great House of Caelestis would become vulnerable.

That was why they had chosen to stay within their territory and focus on stability and continuation.

Humanity had so many people. How could the task of unmasking Gehenna's potential schemes fall on their shoulders alone?

If their Great House of Caelestis had a Transcendent, everything would change.