My body is so uncooperative that I could barely utter the words “my body feels heavy.”
Is this the result of unleashing Pile Rigret with all my might?
I know I should have thought of this beforehand, but I regret using magic in such a battered state.
Even managing a wry smile through gritted teeth is difficult, and seeing that smile turn into a choked laugh after checking my damage is no joke.
First, my left arm, the one I used to cast Pile Rigret, has lost all sensation.
Even when I try to force it, it only manages a slight twitch.
My shoulder and everything below it are useless; I can’t even bend my joints.
Have my nerves died? Is it paralyzed? It’s definitely cracked, but I’m fortunate that my bones haven’t broken in impossible directions.
The sensation of heat without pain is even more unsettling.
Next, I noticed my hearing.
I can’t hear anything in my left ear.
The explosion from when I activated the spell probably ruptured my left eardrum.
When I tried to walk, I felt a strange sensation in my right leg. My right leg, which I used for support, is probably broken as well.
However.
“I did get a reaction.”
“If you’re unharmed after taking that much power, you’re quite something.”
I believe the results I achieved were well worth the price I paid.
The scene before me is obscured by a dust cloud, making it hard to see.
The phenomenon occurring is spreading from the ground at my feet.
It’s a trail of destruction spreading in concentric circles.
It’s been gouged out by the shockwave from Pile Rigret.
Everything in front of my outstretched fist looks like it’s been bombed.
And this is merely from the aftermath.
The center of the magic that caused such destruction had the face of God, Ishan.
Perhaps it was a gag to give me a power-up, but I unleashed an attack with enough power to obliterate him into so much as dust.
Seriously, that wasn’t an attack meant for a living human.
I understand that, but it’s also a fact that I couldn’t win without going all out.
The momentary lapse in his thinking after I severed his holy sword was the perfect opportunity.
That’s when I unleashed my full-power attack.
At this moment, it was the best judgment call for me to win.
I reflect on it, but I don’t regret it.
With those thoughts, I stood in the momentarily quiet space and looked three seconds into the future, but the dust cloud had only slightly dispersed. I thought I had him.
“Nn!”
But in the very next moment, I recoiled from the sight that greeted me.
“…Backup is convenient, isn’t it, God?”
The tip of a white blade passed before my eyes.
Another holy sword that Ishan possessed.
As its wielder passed by, I felt like the third round was about to begin.
“Seriously, having a spare body is so convenient it makes me jealous. Go easy on me, I’m utterly wrecked.”
I sarcastically chided my relentlessly attacking opponent, but I didn’t expect a reply.
While I’m on the verge of being completely destroyed, I suppressed my urge to whine and used my right half, which could still move, to turn towards the passing entity.
“…”
However, something was wrong.
Kawasaki was staring at me with her pupils dilated, her gaze seemingly filled with hatred.
I wondered if it was God or the person herself within her eyes, but it’s unreasonable to expect me to understand without a word, though the discrepancy was undeniable.
As we glared at each other, time passed, and the rising dust finally settled.
I glanced at the scene that lay beyond.
“Ah… So that’s how it is.”
And then it clicked.
My enhanced physique imprinted the details of the scene in my mind even in that brief glimpse.
Ishan collapsed against the wall.
His cheek where I had struck him was gouged, his ear was gone, and he had lost an eye.
He had likely also sustained brain damage.
I was surprised and impressed that he was still recognizable, but it provided enough information for me to understand the hatred reflected in Kawasaki’s eyes.
And I finally grasped that the being standing there was not God.
“…Troublesome.”
I’m too old to harbor illusions about matters of love.
I have no desire to know what emotions Kawasaki harbored for Ishan.
All I know is that the Kawasaki I had always seen had been hiding those emotions for some reason.
“It’s too pathetic, and troublesome.”
I don’t know the reason she hid them, but I understood the emotions she concealed.
My own feelings, having divined the reason, took shape in clear words, stirring the other’s hatred.
“You involved us because of your personal feelings, didn’t you?”
But I viewed that hatred with a detached gaze.
Pathetic.
I had considered that Kawasaki and Ishan might be on the enemy’s side for some reason.
Their family was held hostage.
They were forced to become enemies for some unavoidable reason.
I knew it was unforgivable, but I had hoped for a reason that would at least evoke some sympathy. But even that sliver of hope was crushed.
No, that’s not right. I expected something from them on my own, and I felt betrayed on my own.
Is it out of line to blame them for that?
However, even if I understand and accept it, these cold feelings remain.
The reason for Kawasaki Midori’s betrayal, or rather, from her perspective, it wasn’t a betrayal at all.
From her point of view, she had been a spy from the beginning, and it was we who had mistakenly believed her to be a colleague.
Ah, it was simple to put it like this.
This feeling would probably be unreasonable to Kawasaki.
“…Yeah, it’s pathetic.”
That’s probably why.
The meaning of this battle, I find utterly pathetic.
This woman, like a courtesan, played with men for one man’s sake, actions collected information solely for this day, and then…
“Because of a woman like this, Suella, my woman, and my child were put in danger?”
She was the one who facilitated this danger, and even if it was unavoidable, she didn’t show remorse for deceiving us.
Instead, she said she had no choice but to do it for one man, and we were arbitrarily weighed on a scale and discarded.
I understood that the root of all evil was God.
I also grasped that this woman was merely being used.
But the moment she looked at me with hatred in her eyes and attacked me, any room for sympathy vanished.
Humans, if they have a reason, will discard less valuable others, saying “it can’t be helped.”
“Ah, truly pathetic.”
They claim they are the victim, get angry at my counterattack, and elevate their own values to justice.
“Don’t you think so? President?”
That’s why I lost the motivation.
This disaster caused by her feigned emotions.
Frankly, my emotions have also calmed down thanks to unleashing Pile Rigret with full killing intent.
I stood guarding the path Suella and the others had taken, my body depleted of all but the strength to intercept, and turned to the presence I felt behind me.
“Hahaha, women’s emotions are meant to be accepted, Jiro-?”
The arrival of a senior executive.
It’s cruel to tell me to accept the emotions of a woman who resents me, in a situation where I have neither physical nor mental fortitude.
“Unfortunately, I reject any jealousy other than that of Suella and the others.”
The best I can do is brush it off with a joke.
“Yes, I suppose that’s unavoidable then.”
The potion the President offered me, considering my battered state, was incredibly welcome.
“It’ll be covered by expenses, right?”
“Rest assured, it’s from my own pocket.”
It had a strange magical aura, and looking at the luxurious bottle, I understood it was quite expensive. When I asked with a joke, the President smiled and said it was on him.
So I could drink it without worry, I thrust my partner into the ground.
Caution?
I abandoned all caution the moment the President stood beside me.
“Do you need a situation report?”
“You fought nobly. You subdued everyone except her, and you defeated a Hero as a bonus. Isn’t that right?”
“Roughly speaking, yes.”
“I’ll hear the details after you’ve healed your body.”
I opened the potion bottle with my free right hand and drank it in one gulp.
“Haa, this should last me for a while, but it would be helpful if you could wrap things up as soon as possible.”
“It won’t last long?”
“Yes, while this one potion has made me much better, I’m quite close to my limit.”
“Hmm, I see then.”
Some RPGs allow you to fight at 1 HP, but I’m close to that state right now.
You might wonder, “Even after recovering with a potion?” but it’s like a fighting game’s gauge – there, but not really. The tension that had been holding me together dissipated thanks to the potion, and the backlash is hitting me now.
“I need to capture those people over there, so I can only defend.”
The pain, which I had been masking with adrenaline, began to hit.
I’m in a state where I could collapse at any moment.
With my awkwardly moving left hand, I pointed to Eshlee and the Isal group, who were gathered by the wall. The President nodded with satisfaction.
“That’s sufficient. You can expect a reward for this deed, and I won’t disappoint you.”
“Just hearing that gives me the drive to continue.”
The Demon Lord slowly began to walk.
Due to various unfavorable circumstances, my daughter was kidnapped, but what about this time?
The enemy is only Kawasaki.
There are no other combatants.
Nisia, who could open a gate for escape, has been subdued.
“Yes, let’s make this quick.”
What should I do? I pondered.
“Shall we blow them away?”
It seems the President was actually holding back out of consideration for my daughter. From the President’s casually raised left hand, immense magical power was unleashed without any visible magic circle.
Should I call it a thick black beam? It was truly a magic cannon.
Without a shred of mercy, the magic cannon was fired at the prone Ishan. Kawasaki jumped forward and blocked it with the power of her holy sword, but…
“Yes, it’s over.”
That magic cannon wasn’t just a straight-line attack.
“!? ”
Without being able to utter a word, the black magical energy transformed into a fluid and enveloped Kawasaki and Ishan.
“And then a single ‘squish’.”
The President clenched his left palm, which he had extended, as the sphere created before us.
Though he said it in a casual tone, the effect was horrific.
“…Woah.”
I could only say “woah” as I was forced to witness what had happened. The battle was over so abruptly that I wondered if my future sight had been wrong.
The black sphere exploded as if an internal explosion had occurred, and as it dispersed, Kawasaki and Ishan emerged from it.
Would “gruesome” be a fitting description? The sight before me was so overwhelming that I could only manage a “woah.”
The two lay bleeding and prostrate. Ishan, who should have been fatally wounded from the start, was truly overkilled.
“Well, I’d say that’s a precise amount of killing.”
“No, are they still alive? After that?”
“Barely clinging to life, but don’t worry. I have excellent staff. They’ll be back to normal in two or three days, even in this state.”
The President smiled as he reported the progress, looking at the two who seemed impossibly alive.
“After all, he’s a human chosen by God as a vessel. He can’t die from something like this.”
Then, the President looked at the two with sadness. Not “can’t die,” but “is unable to die.” He wasn’t saying it was dangerous if they weren’t incapacitated, but he looked at them with pity.
“…Still, you defeated them rather easily. Weren’t they supposed to be a Hero, after all?”
I felt I shouldn’t touch that expression and decided to change the subject.
“It’s the result of your efforts. The God’s consciousness seemed to have weakened considerably, but what exactly did you do?”
“I cut his holy sword and then slammed Pile Rigret into his face with full force.”
“Ah, I see, I see. Using pure magic. That’s a good move.”
“Is it a good move?”
“Yes, though it’s not necessarily efficient.”
Perhaps due to the topic change, the President’s expression quickly returned to its usual smile. And he also attributed this victory to me.
“Pure magic is often seen as dealing physical damage, but its true nature is its ability to directly affect the soul. After destroying the holy sword, which acts as an antenna for receiving God, and then being hit with such an attack, even God himself would have been shocked.”
Looking at the President’s laughter, I had no choice but to accept it, thinking, “So, that’s how it is.” Or rather, I had no room to think. The battle, which had started late at night, had been more grueling than I had imagined. My body was screaming for rest, and my consciousness was beginning to blur.
“President, could you please capture those people over there quickly?”
“Ah, leave the rest to me.”
Those words when I saw the future.
Honestly, I doubted them slightly, but even so, I had no other choice but to trust him in this situation. The President supported my body as I swayed and was about to collapse. My consciousness then faded.
Today’s word:
It’s better to have a rich experience, but too much richness is unbearable.
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*The first volume of the book is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was also released on October 31 of the same year.
Volume 2 was released on December 19.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content is a revised and expanded version of the story posted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, with the addition of unpublished interlude chapters.
Please consider purchasing the new releases as well!!
A comic adaptation is being serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
I hope you will enjoy that as well.
Thank you for your continued support of this work.
