This is all thanks to Seldra.
He seemed to be enjoying the show immensely, but I needed him to remember he was a participant.
Furthermore, in return for many things, I relentlessly begged him.
“Seldra, I want you to cooperate with me, not Rustiara. I will definitely become the god that ‘Seldra’ believed in. So, please.”
“I… I…”
Seldra looked surprised and pondered.
He wasn’t wavering. What’s important to Seldra now is only living life with enjoyment as ‘Seldra’. Faced with a fresh world given to him, he already had his answer. Therefore, he was just organizing the information he had and choosing his words—or so I already knew.
“I’m on Kanami’s side. I won’t hesitate to make my benefactor the ‘Lord of the World’ to live a fun life. ‘Seldra’ will never break a ‘contract’ once made… You know what answer I’ll give, so you can’t say that. Don’t check like Hidaki.”
“Thank you… Just like Hidaki, this exchange is important. Seldra is loyal.”
A ‘contract’ once made is fulfilled.
Before my eyes, Seldra, who was cornered by me, who was cornered by Seldra, laughed with enjoyment, and then grieved and regretted.
He confirmed this himself, his gaze wandering.
“Kuhaha… Does being your ally mean I’ve now officially become an ‘antagonist’ in Rustiara’s story? Coming to cheer for Rustiara, and it’s like this. My life is full of failures, it makes me sick.”
He seemed to be looking for Rustiara, but she was nowhere to be found.
I conveyed this to Seldra by shaking my head.
Accepting that fact, he let out a deep sigh, then began to flesh out the details of their ‘contract’.
“So, Kanami. What do you plan to do from now on? What can I help with?”
“Basically, nothing will change. We’ll continue to collect the Magic Stones of the ‘Thieves of Principles’. If we don’t collect ten before reaching the ‘Deepest Part’, we won’t be able to handle the ‘Demonic Poison’ accumulated there… That’s the Rule.”
When I mentioned the Magic Stones, Seldra’s face stiffened with tension.
I knew what that meant, so I quickly continued my explanation.
“Of course, Seldra, you’re fine as you are. The Magic Stones that correspond to the currently identifiable ‘Thieves of Principles’ are ‘Teeda’, ‘Arti’, ‘Rowen’, ‘Aid’, ‘Titty’, ‘Nosfy’, ‘Hermina’, ‘Seldra’, ‘Hidaki’, ‘Tiara’, ‘Noi’, and also ‘Ragune’ and ‘I’ in the sense that they can be copied, for a total of thirteen. Ten is enough, so Seldra doesn’t need to become a Magic Stone.”
I already have nine in my body, so I need one more.
In the ‘Plan’ I foresaw, it would be completed by recovering Hermina, the ‘Thief of the Law of Blood’. However, Seldra, one of the candidates, looked uneasy and scoffed.
“Your kind words are touching. You could have easily taken it from me, though.”
“I would never do that. It’s not good to forcibly take something from a person’s body.”
I said it with all my heart.
But, of course, Seldra didn’t take it as a heartfelt statement.
“Kuhaha. You could make it seem like I offered it willfully.”
I was hurt.
I wanted to strongly retort that I was always sincere and would never lie.
But that was already a lie, so I had no choice but to give up and turn the pages of the book.
I advanced to the next page of the ‘Plan to Make Everyone Happy’ and followed the names written there with my eyes, reading.
“However, in parallel with collecting those Magic Stones, I’ll also gather new companions. After reaching the ‘Deepest Part’, while I’m analyzing and developing magic, I’ll be vulnerable. I want companions other than Seldra to protect the Labyrinth.”
Companions are essential. If it becomes known that ‘Aikawa Uzunami’ was erased, individuals will surely emerge to snatch the Magic Stones from my side.
As I flipped through the pages, confirming new potential companions, Seldra asked.
“With just me, there are no more enemies, right? If you need wide-ranging protection, you could just fill the Labyrinth with Monsters.”
“There are limits to what Seldra can do alone. We are going to make everyone ‘happy’, so it’s important to look for reliable people. If we neglect that… nothing good will come of it.”
From experience, what I thought was enough was never enough, and what I thought I could handle alone was never manageable alone. I particularly recall my secluded school life in my ‘Original World’, spent mostly playing games, and my Labyrinth Exploration in the ‘Another World’ until my defeat by Palinkron.
Seldra, like me, seemed to have something in his own life that came to mind. “Certainly, that’s true,” he nodded, then made a suggestion.
“Then, Seldra first? That ‘Apostle’ would greatly approve of Kanami disappearing from the world. He’s the type who doesn’t care what happens as long as the world is saved. He’ll definitely become a companion.”
“I will invite Diplakla. But, precisely because he will definitely become a companion, I think it’s best to invite him last. It will be easier to deceive others if Diplakla is also in a hurry until the end.”
“If you’re going to be thorough, that’s how it is… It’s a bit of a pathetic story, though.”
It’s a shame, but I intend to continue making the best possible moves.
If it were Palinkron, he would be more cunning.
If it were Tiara, she would be more ruthless.
If it were Hidaki, she would be more perfect.
They would act swiftly. Therefore, there are no longer any enemies in the world, and I can never let my guard down with the advantage of seeing the future.
“First, I’ll try to recruit Reaper. His Dimensional Magic has a high probability of sensing my ‘Plan’. To ensure his silence, I will prioritize contacting him.”
“Reaper…? Ah, the one who used to possess Rowen Aleis. Speaking of which, your ultimate goal now is similar to his. Considering what’s to come, he is indeed a dangerous existence.”
“Yes… And she was on good terms with Rustiara…”
Reaper is in contact with Rustiara, so he’s dangerous.
My heart, my bonds, my soul.
More than anything, I’m connected to everyone and our memories.
That’s why she’ll never become a companion.
She refused the ‘Contract’ and declared herself a neutral ‘Judge’.
—It’s because Reaper believes in the word ‘Duel’ that Rustiara mentioned.
Those influenced by Rustiara will absolutely not accept any ‘Contract’, no matter how well it’s offered.
I know this. My companions who have fought with me until today, such as Dia, Maria, Snow, Reaper, Sera, and Rainer, will surely become the biggest obstacles to the ‘Plan’.
Especially Knight Rainer Helvirshine.
As if he had read the story up to this point, he possesses a skill to avoid the ‘worst’, and I want to control him for sure, right under my watch.
Because I know.
I know all too well, precisely because I am weak.
There are ‘strong people’ in this world who resist what cannot be resisted and change what cannot be changed.
Therefore, we, who are weak, can only continue to fight a battle that we absolutely cannot lose, carefully and steadily, surely like harvesting rice—with that resolve, I raise my face and gaze at the beautiful scenery visible from the sandy beach.
“…However, before returning to the other side, I should properly clean up this ‘Original World’ as well. Thanks to Seldra, things have become really difficult. I need to ‘adjust’ things like the ships floating over there.”
“Wait, ‘adjust’? That’s a word that gives me a bad feeling, but what do you plan to do to clean it up?”
“Make everything clean, carefully, and surely, as if it never happened. Not just people’s memories, but their traces too, everything. And so, —Magic《Woodquake・Creation》”
Adding magic.
I’ve been continuously sending remote magic automatically with ‘Parallel Thinking’, like a waterfall.
However, now that I’ve moved ‘Rustiara’ to my ‘Inventory’, my thoughts have gained significant余裕. From now on, like Tiara, I should be able to focus on one point with conscious effort.
—For example, while using ‘Past Sight’, I could return the island we are currently on to before Seldra arrived, not before we arrived.
I repair the terrain damaged by battles, heal the minds of the soldiers, and ‘adjust’ everything with various magic.
As long as it’s within the reach of ‘Dimension’, I can now simultaneously cast over a hundred spells.
However, seeing me turn everything into a daydream, Seldra sneers with a complex expression.
“You seem to intend to erase my visit and this ‘Ordeal’ as well.”
“Rather than erasing it, it’s more like overwriting it to have been peaceful. We might have quarreled a bit, but I haven’t reached my limit, and I haven’t parted ways with Rustiara. —Very easily, I finished Seldra’s ‘The Eightieth Ordeal’. Right, Seldra?”
“…Ah, that’s right. The ‘Thief of Nothingness’ was unexpectedly understanding and very peaceful. From now on, I will go through the position of a great general in a major country, just like a thousand years ago, and resolve to become a ‘Hero’ who saves people.”
The interactions with the people here must have meant something to Seldra.
He felt a slight resistance at being told that those memories would be erased. However, remembering that he was a ‘villain’ who intended to instigate a war between worlds, he nodded in agreement according to the ‘Contract’, putting on a poor ‘act’.
Towards Seldra, who has become a true companion, I extend my hand that isn’t holding a book.
“Shall we go then, Seldra… According to the ‘Contract’, you’ll help me until the end. Until I become the ‘Magic that allows everyone to be happy’—”
“Ah, that leads to the ‘happiness’ of all of us…. I’ll gladly go with you. Until Kanami reaches the god that ‘Seldra’ prayed to—”
We shake hands.
Seldra, with a look of resignation, clasped my hand firmly in return.
And, as if blessing their new journey, the morning glow of the ‘Original World’ illuminated the two ‘Foreigners’.
—And so, Seldra’s ‘The Eightieth Ordeal’ ends.
Not even a month after ‘The Hundredth Ordeal’ of Hidaki.
Rustiara’s magic stone has entered the ‘Inventory’.
Therefore, she is not inside now.
She is not.
From now on, even if it appears as if I am sharing a soul with Rustiara, it will all be a falsehood. A lie.
It’s nothing more than the result of ‘Writing’ and ‘Acting’ that truly bloomed when I was cornered by Seldra.
Knowing that this was the truth within ‘Aikawa Uzunami’, I—
“—Ah, as expected—”
My premonition came true, and I let out a voice.
Having seen the truth of the ‘Past’— I, ‘Fafnir Helvishein’ of the ‘present’, lamented this overly dire situation.
Just before this ‘Past Sight’, I had asked Kanami, “Is ‘Rustiara Fuziaze’ truly inside your body right now?” The answer had already been given to Seldra a month prior.
—Rustiara Fuziaze is not inside Kanami’s body right now.
Having confirmed this, I can say my objective has been completely achieved.
That is precisely why I will not stop yet.
I will maintain ‘Distance Mute’ with all my might.
I push my magic arm, which I thrust into Kanami, even deeper.
Why? To put it simply, Kanami’s ‘Plan for everyone’s happiness’ is suspicious.
My intuition told me to maintain the magic.
However, the limit of my magic power to maintain ‘Distance Mute’ is approaching.
Because time is short, I hasten the story from a month ago.
After this, Kanami and Seldra will take control of the Original World under the guise of “adjustment”—but that’s not important. The same goes for their subsequent contact with the Shadow-longing Reaper, and for approaching Fedelt, the former Chancellor of the country of Fuziaze, and Sis, an Apostle, with a Contract.
What’s important to me is that halfway through gathering companions, my greatest collaborator appears on her own.
—The greatest collaborator for the Plan.
I felt I had to see them.
Because they are highly likely to be the last remaining believer, I need to know about them.
This was a month before Kanami arrived in the Blood Land.
I stumbled upon them while Kanami was meticulously “adjusting” everything in the Original World.
It was a day with a clear blue sky and refreshing sunlight beaming down.
The collaborator was waiting for Kanami in front of a small cafe in a stone town, a characteristic of another world.
“—This is… nice to meet you. I’ve been watching for a long time—”
Only their voice was heard.
It came from nowhere, like an invitation from a ghost.
Most people would have been filled with fear, but Kanami was accustomed to such things. Without hesitation, she entered the cafe. She sat alone at a large table in a corner of the shop and ordered two drinks. She requested “cola” and “coffee,” then sat down.
Kanami took a sip of one of the drinks and muttered “Tasty” with a disgusted expression. A few seconds later, the frothy drink placed on the opposite seat began to decrease, despite no one being there.
For some reason, the voice continued, punctuated by a cough, “—*cough*.”
However, the continuation was—
“U-um… please don’t be surprised by this, but I am—”
“Nice to meet you. I know everything, so you don’t have to show yourself. Just tell me your wish.”
“……!?”
Something was off.
It was only natural for Kanami to notice, but there was a sense of incompleteness in that voice.
“I-if… you could make me, Aikawa Uzunami, nonexistent, then please also erase my name properly… Please, I beg you, make Noi El Lee… from all of history disappear. Please, I’m begging you…”
The name of the greatest collaborator who appeared was Noi.
She, a former Thief of the Principles of Dimensions and one of the Ninety Guardians, made her request along with her self-introduction.
“…I’m at my limit. I’m already dead. I don’t want to rely on gods anymore. I don’t want to be worshipped as I please. The voices calling for my help are so noisy, I can’t sleep, and so—”
“Yes, I understand. I want to save you too. But in return, I’ll take the World Master. …Is that okay as a Contract?”
“Ah, ahh! Aah… ahh… uaaah—”
The conversation was veiled in dark mist, but it was clear when it ended.
The transaction between two Thiefs of the Principles of Dimensions was terrifyingly fast.
In less than a minute of meeting, her negotiating partner was speechless with astonishment.
“…Yes… that ‘deal’ is fine… Thank you so much, Kanami. You’re the only one who speaks gently to me now. After all, what I was waiting for wasn’t a prince, but a god like you…”
“I know you’ve been trying for thousands of years. You, who never faltered, no matter what, and kept moving forward, forward, forward to save the world, absolutely deserve to have your wish granted. You deserve to be rewarded more than anyone and obtain ordinary ‘happiness.’ …Otherwise, the math doesn’t add up.”
“Ah…”
Though unseen, Noi let out a deep sigh of relief.
This was also a historic moment for the world we lived in.
After thousands of years, the change of the World Master had now been decided.
Moreover, it happened so easily in such a mundane tea party, with no disagreements between them.
I wasn’t the only one surprised and wary of this overly smooth progression.
After a moment of emotion, Noi spoke, glancing around.
“Huh…? It feels like… I’m being watched by someone other than you, Kanami. No, assuming I’m being watched, I should act here… — Dimensional Magic, Black Shift.”
It was magic.
The moment it was activated, an unnatural darkness began to spread from around the invisible Noi.
It wasn’t mere dark mist; it possessed the power of magical perception interference.
This darkness infiltrated even concepts beyond conversation.
First, it became unclear what the names of the two drinks on the table were.
Whether they had finished drinking the… now, it became uncertain if the desk was a desk, and with the missing information, it became questionable what kind of shop this was.
… … …, … … …, … … … .
The magical dark mist spread.
And, drawn by that magic, Kanami also began to look around.
Looking around frantically, and finally.
“This feeling… is it that boy from the research institute…? Ah, so that’s how it is. I see.”
We made eye contact, Kanami and I.
Unlike Noi, I was seen by him completely, just as I had been watching him.
His sensitivity to Past Sight was even higher than Noi’s, his predecessor and senior.
Kanami raised her hand and began to imitate the magic, which should have been her first time.
“I’ll help too. —Dimensional Magic, Black Shift.”
“Kanami, where are you looking…!? —B, Blac—Shift!!”
Following Kanami’s gaze, Noi also seemed to notice my gaze.
With excessive magical power, the inside of the cafe was being painted over.
No, it wasn’t just the inside of the cafe.
No further than this.
As Thiefs of the Principles of Dimensions, we are taking countermeasures… So that Noi, Kanami, and I…
I can’t see anything.
Even so, I continue to reach out my hand in desperation, hoping to pick up even fragments of it.
—But with a *snap*.
I felt a strong impact and pain in the hand of “Distance Mute.”
For magic that requires precise construction, this was a fatal blow.
My magic “Distance Mute” was dispelled. That meant the “Connection” with Kanami would disappear.
“—Nngh, Kuu, —Haaah!!”
As I pulled my arm out, I exhaled a breath I had been holding continuously.
I steadied my body, which threatened to collapse, by taking several steps backward.
“Haaah, haaah, haaah—!!”
And then, I returned.
From “Kanami two months ago” to “the current Fafnir.”
From “Memory” to “Blood Land.”
—Ending a long journey through memory, my consciousness returned.
I had returned to a building recreated from the “Seventh Demon Obstacle Research Institute” in Fanian a thousand years ago.
It was the “Sacred Object Storage Room” on the lowest floor, but there was no longer any blood at my feet. It wasn’t stained with gruesome bloodstains like in the past. Kanami had taken over the territory in a battle, leaving it as a neat, clean room.
Before me, Kanami, the “Thief of the Principles of Dimensions,” clad in a black robe, smiled.
Near him, my childhood friend, the cleaner, reborn as a “Blood Doll,” looked at me with unease.
Three people in the small stone room.
It was almost the same scene as when I inserted “Distance Mute” into Kanami.
Not much time had passed.
But the situation had undeniably changed.
First, there was the stinging pain in my arm.
—Within Kanami, someone had repelled my hand.
I am certain that the one who repelled my outstretched hand was not Rustiara Fuziaze.
The one who swatted away my hand was the fourth person, who had been here all along.
For me, born in southern Fanian, “The God of the Monument White Church.”
For Seldra, born in the wise dragon village of the north, “The Evil God of the Dragon People.”
“Now, ‘Rustiara Fuziaze’ is not inside Kanami…! There is ‘Noi El Lieberl’…!”
I confirmed that presence.
The moment I spoke the name, my body swayed even more.
Even with the support of blood magic, I had imitated high-level dimensional magic, which I was not accustomed to, and maintained it to my limit.
For me, who was already on the verge of disappearing, the current “Distance Mute” was a strike of desperation.
However, Kanami, who should have received that strike of desperation, continued speaking from “That’s right” as if nothing had changed, whether in the “past” or the “present.”
“Yes, as you just saw…. But please don’t say that name too much. Including your recitation of the ‘Scripture,’ it’s been pounding on my pillow inside me continuously…”
After a long journey through memories, he easily matched my pace with conversation. That, in itself, was terrifying.
But what was more terrifying than anything was that soft, almost protective smile.
“—It was a lie.”
I had just seen it. Kanami’s smile was a lie. His claim of enjoyment was a lie. Everything about Kanami was false, a lie, a lie, a lie.
“No, I’m enjoying myself. Now, meeting the boy from that day in a true sense like this. It’s so nostalgic, and I’m happy, and it’s truly enjoyable.”
Reading my mind, Kanami put on a cheerful expression.
I’ve already given up on anticipating his response. The current problem is his otherworldly acting.
There was no sense of dissonance. No unnaturalness. If it weren’t for the skilled cleaner beside Kanami, who was just as good at acting, I likely would never have noticed the same “contradiction” as Ragune, the main body.
Finally, I understood the horror in Kanami’s pitch-black eyes. But before I could even catch my breath, negotiations began.
“Boy Neil, I am moved. …You have surpassed my ‘Plan for Everyone to be Happy’ and pierced my heart with Distance Mute. Unfortunately, she brushed your hand away midway, but you truly came to know the real me through the mirror, and I, the real you. Another companion has joined us who understands that everything up to this point was about me and Rustiara. And for that, I am truly happy. …Ah, indeed, a soul that survives gives me courage and strength. It urges me to grow and overcome eternity and fate. With this, I can take another step forward.”
I couldn’t tell if it was true or false. Perhaps Kanami himself didn’t know. It sounded like he welcomed someone who would overcome fate to fulfill their own true lingering desire.
However, in this battle, did I truly survive, shake off all threads, and proceed according to my own will? Hadn’t Kanami, a month ago, anticipated my future ‘Past Sight’ from a month later and expected this outcome? This too became a doubt, similar to Seldra’s, but wasn’t this entire situation part of Kanami’s ‘plan’?
Innumerable questions arose. Fear swelled. And the object of that awe, after contentedly patting his chest, asked me with a coldness starkly different from moments before.
“…So, which side is the boy from that day on?”
Kanami asked me the same thing he asked when I said the same thing as Seldra. He forced a choice between ‘Rustiara’ and ‘Aikawa Uzunami’.
“Don’t push yourself. I want you to make a ‘Contract’ with me. If you nod, you will be rewarded even more. This time, your soul will be completely saved. …I can even let you meet the god you’ve been seeking.”
“M-meet a god? Are you talking about the person inside Kanami-san now…?”
“No, I will become the god the boy from that day sought. Then, you won’t have to doubt ‘why?’ anymore.”
Kanami was preparing a future where I would be rewarded even more, beyond my lingering desire.
“I will be by your side. I will continue to exist in this Other World. With magical powers like in fairy tales, I will also help people diligently. —If you agree to the ‘Contract’, it will surely happen.”
I had always pursued god. That’s why I became a ‘theologian’. Because it was the easiest path. Easier than striving with science or magic, that’s what I had aimed for. Since I was a child, for so, so, so long, I had been waiting for this ‘Aikawa Uzunami’.
“However, in return, you yourself must become the ‘Great Savior’. That’s my deal with you. As the new guide of the reborn Revannism, you will become renowned in later generations. You possess the special power to do so. …Above all else, this will also lead to Hermina’s ‘happiness’. Ah… everything connects like this. It’s truly wonderful. The misaligned ‘happiness’ is aligning after a thousand years, and both your beloved’s world and your world will be saved…! No, even everyone’s worlds will be saved…! The true ending the boy from that day wanted can finally be achieved! Hahaha—
—The boy from that day, having overcome numerous ‘ordeals’, has finally touched god! Now, the hope of all the sacrificed ‘demons’ shall emerge from hell! His true name is ‘Neil Lorelai’—! His role is ‘The Great Savior’—! The holy radiance born from Fanian! Let us celebrate the birth of the true savior here!!”
As Kanami read from the book in his hands, the cramped room filled with a light long-awaited for a thousand years. The more I looked, the more I was filled with madness. But at the same time, a terrifying sense of ‘relief’ washed over me.
“A-all the sacrificed ‘demons’, I… I will be the savior?”
“Yes, you. …This is also Hermina’s last wish. Don’t worry, everyone has the right to be a hero.”
Hermina…! Oh, Hermina…! Every time her name came up, I couldn’t help but feel like this path was the right one. But Kanami, who had read my mind beforehand about pursuing Ragune Kaikuola’s ‘dream’ rather than righteousness—which was a warning from a god in heaven—cautioned me.
“However, if… If you chase after an ‘unfulfilled dream’ and aim for the proxy of the ‘Deepest Part’ without meeting them, I will show no mercy. Hermina would not want that. Stop pretending to be mad. —No one in this world, including you, wants that.”
When he stated this so firmly, Kanami’s gaze flickered towards the book in his hands.
“…!”
There. In that book. It felt as if my fate had already been decided.
