I scratch the back of my head and slowly follow Kaido and the others who are walking ahead.
I enjoy the feel of the grass under my feet as I walk through the gentle breeze.
Beside me, Suella walks holding twins, and Yukiera, intrigued by Himik’s wings flapping in front of her, reaches out a hand.
Himik, noticing this, gives a sidelong smile and skillfully moves a single wing like a cat’s toy.
Memoria, walking beside me and forming a sandwich with Suella, uses magic to levitate small spheres of light, attracting Sachiera’s interest.
The scene is quiet, yet it feels more precious and gentle than anything else.
“This is peace.”
“…Yeah.”
I feel the lingering feelings of our recent battles to the death melt away, but at the same time, thoughts of upcoming work and the aftermath of that incident flash through my mind.
The more I try not to think about it, the more I find myself thinking about it.
Perhaps that’s why there was a slight pause before Evia’s words.
“………”
“Haa, I’ll give you points for not showing it on your face, but if you’re going to try, you should at least master a complete poker face, you fool.”
I tried to compose my expression and act natural, but it seems I failed miserably in the eyes of Evia, a demon and a professional at deception.
She let out a big sigh, as if seeing right through my attempt to not care, and then, in a voice loud enough for Suella and the others to hear but not for Kaido and the group, she scolded me. Suella and the others also began to focus on me.
Unable to meet their questioning gazes, I smiled and, finding myself in a situation where I couldn’t just brush it off, decided to speak honestly.
“No, it’s just about the other testers, a little.”
“Are you talking about Midori Kawasaki and Ishan?”
“Don’t be so blunt.”
“Clumsy concern only creates unnecessary trouble.”
I glanced at Katsu to see if he was being overheard, and he seemed to be teasing Minami about something. Kaido was further poking fun at him, and Kitamiya was cautioning him. Although Amelia, with her sharp ears, wouldn’t be able to pick up their conversation amidst their playful noise, I still hesitated, intending to say it was for caution’s sake. Evia, however, dismissed it as unnecessary and plainly stated what I was worried about.
The mention of Kawasaki and Ishan caused tension to appear on Suella’s face.
“Evia-sama, I’d like to be kept informed on that matter as well. Is the lack of contact since then…?”
Suella, a mother whose child was targeted, was the one to break the tense silence. For her, it was an unforgivable incident, even if she was being manipulated by God. Considering future safety, it was a topic that couldn’t be avoided. Sensing the seriousness of her mother’s demeanor, the children shifted their attention from Memoria and Himik back to Suella.
“Yes, don’t create such a grim atmosphere.”
Perhaps sensing the infant’s unease, Evia gently admonished Suella and then extended her left hand to Yukiera and Sachiera, allowing them to grasp her fingers. Children’s interests change quickly. As the children, holding the newly offered fingers, giggled with delight, Evia smiled subtly and continued her story.
“Those two are currently being held in a special confinement within my dungeon. No one will be allowed to see them without my permission or the Demon Lord’s.”
I thought she might be observing the situation, but Evia then looked at me with a tired sigh and a stern gaze.
“This course of action is as much your fault as it is the Demon Lord’s. Well, perhaps yours is unavoidable… In any case, they are imprisoned for treatment. You certainly didn’t hold back when you beat them. Because of that, we had to treat them alongside our investigations, not to mention questioning them.”
“Ah, so that’s why the response was so subdued,” I murmured, averting my gaze and thinking it was unavoidable. It’s impossible to hold back against an opponent of a higher rank; I was fighting for my life and had no time to consider them.
“…Probably, Ishan cannot be saved.”
Then, unusually for her, she expressed emotion, lamenting with sadness and pity. While trying to find solace in the children’s smiles, she toyed with their fingers and, without meeting anyone’s eyes, explained the reason.
“The erosion of his soul is too severe. It’s beyond salvation. It’s questionable whether he’s even retaining his original personality. No, he probably hasn’t. He has no path left but to become a puppet of God.”
“…Was it because… I fought him?”
Hearing about the erosion of his soul, I recalled our battle and our conversation with God. It’s customary that monstrous combat power comes with a price, and I wondered if I was partly responsible and asked. Evia, however, shook her head.
“That is not the case.”
She denied my words not out of sympathy for my guilt, but with a reasoned basis.
“Even if God’s power warps a person’s soul, it’s strange for a soul to be so damaged from a single battle. Especially if he possesses the potential of a hero.” Evia gently withdrew her fingers from the children’s grasp and looked at me, peering intently into my eyes. “Even if that were the case, we would have noticed. The damage to his soul would have been so extensive that it would be impossible to hide. If the damage was on the surface, it would require a very rough technique and leave clear traces. You should have experienced it when you joined the company, from Suella.”
I remembered that time.
“I used magic to read your memories. It was only the surface, but there were no issues with your personality.”
It was a scan-like magic Suella performed around the time of my interview. When I looked at Suella, she simply smiled a little bashfully, as if hinting that she was subtly searching for adversaries. Ah, this is probably classified information.
“That’s why she didn’t discover anything. It’s likely that Ishan’s soul was skillfully hidden deep within, designed to appear as a normal soul unless there was external interference. And that interference, the key, was likely given by a Seraph. If the key was locked from the outside and all traces erased, it would be difficult for us to detect. Of course, we could detect ordinary concealment quickly, but this wasn’t prepared in a year or two. From what I’ve investigated, he has been receiving treatment since he was a child.”
It was bound to happen. Evia explained that Ishan, a young man, was destined to end up this way. The realization sent a cold sweat down my spine.
“Did the other party anticipate our expansion into this world?”
“…I want to say no, but honestly, even our higher-ups are undecided. Supernatural beings like gods have many aspects that we cannot fully comprehend. We cannot dismiss the possibility that they somehow learned of our corporate expansion into this world.”
It felt as if Ishan had been prepared like a trap, and we were ambushed. That would be like saying the Sun God had foreseen the Demon Lord’s Army’s expansion into Earth.
“No way, something like that…”
“It’s not impossible. My ‘father’ is arrogant and greedy, but not powerless. He has foreseen demon invasions numerous times in the past and dispatched heroes. It wouldn’t be strange for him to possess the ability to see the future.”
While Memoria looked on in astonishment, Himik earnestly affirmed the possibility with a serious expression.
“However, it might not be a complete foresight.”
She quickly added a clarification.
“What do you mean?”
Himik, having gone from a Seraph to a Fallen Angel, has witnessed events from both sides, so to speak. Intrigued by her words, Evia prompted her to continue.
“If they had foreseen the establishment of this organization over ten years ago, they wouldn’t have allowed it to happen. Also, if they wanted to destroy this company, deploying Sister Nishia at this particular timing is strange. They would have sent her at a different time, perhaps another sister, or even Sister Aiwa before she had ties to this country.”
Himik, who believes that would have been more effective, seems to suspect some kind of restriction. I wonder if it’s different from Valse-san’s precognitive abilities?
“Could it be that, like me, he simply lacks the ability? My foresight is limited to about three seconds. Trying to see more than an hour into the future has severe repercussions.”
“…No offense, but my father’s abilities are incomparable to humans. No, it’s ridiculous to even compare. Do you think an ant can win a tug-of-war against an elephant?”
“Impossible.”
“Exactly. I don’t think there are any concerns about his physical durability or magic power that Giro might have. It’s more likely that his power is so immense that some kind of restriction is in place.”
The information was so obvious that I couldn’t refute it, so I shrugged and agreed with Himik’s words. Himik didn’t scold me for it and continued to state her view.
“A restriction?”
“Yes, I remember hearing something about it from Sister Aiwa. She said that if my father intervened directly in the world, his power would be too great. Perhaps his awareness of things is so advanced that even we Seraphs cannot fully perceive it.”
“Are you saying there’s a failure in the telephone game? What kind of absurd story is that?”
“I don’t think it’s an impossibility. My father’s standards are his own common sense. Even if we try to adapt to that common sense and align ourselves with it, discrepancies in perception will arise. That is a fact.”
“I see, so it’s based on experience.”
Evia nodded in agreement, but I had a different impression. Based on Himik’s words, the relationship between God and the Seraphim, though named as father and children, felt more like a superior-subordinate relationship. And it was the kind of hierarchical structure you’d find in a typical one-man company. The company president draws a diagram and conveys it to his subordinates, but due to a lack of communication and the president’s failure to show understanding, a disconnect in perception occurs, leading to human error, which the president then gets angry about. It’s a classic black company lacking proper reporting and communication.
“The only ones complaining about that were my younger sisters. My older sisters usually ended up lecturing the complaining ones.”
“I see…”
Himik added that she never experienced that, and everyone smiled. From this conversation, I’ve arrived at a hypothesis.
“Perhaps the reason we can’t see into the future in this world is because of interference from another god?”
If, hypothetically, the Sun God residing in Isal and the Moon God on the Magician Continent are of the same lineage or equivalent to the gods we Japanese recognize, then it wouldn’t be strange for there to be gods in other worlds, perhaps even on Earth. As far as I know, various mythologies exist, but their existence hasn’t been definitively confirmed. In Japanese mythology, Amaterasu is said to govern the sun, Apollo in Greek mythology, and Quetzalcoatl in Mexican mythology. With so many stories about gods, it’s impossible to deny their existence. In fact, isn’t it more mistaken to assume that gods from other worlds can arbitrarily interfere with Earth?
“…Gods can only be countered by gods. That’s a blind spot. Indeed, this is an otherworld to us, and it wouldn’t be strange for different gods to rule it. However, if that’s the case, why aren’t they interfering with us? In a sense, we are beings who could disrupt the balance of this world. It wouldn’t be strange for them to take some action.”
“It’s speculation on speculation, but perhaps there are conditions or rules for divine interference among them. Maybe if they just stormed into someone else’s land, it would immediately lead to a fight among gods.”
“So, it starts with a warning. It makes sense, but it’s still just speculation.”
I ended with a wry smile, feeling relieved that my hypothesis was at least somewhat helpful for Evia. Half-jokingly, I voiced a wish.
“If only there was an organization that could meet with gods.”
I’ve visited shrines all over Japan asking if such people who could facilitate divine descent exist, but it’s mostly a joke. It’s more of a “wouldn’t it be nice if” kind of feeling.
“Can’t you meet them?”
“There are many who claim to have met them, but I can’t imagine anyone who can meet them constantly.”
Hearing that from Himik, who has actually met gods, leaves me with an indescribable feeling. It’s truly a baffling situation.
“…No, there might be a way.”
However, it seems there is a glimmer of hope.
“While meeting the gods of this world might be difficult, if they are of equal standing, we might be able to ascertain their whereabouts.”
Perhaps Evia had something in mind as she voiced this possibility with a hint of certainty.
“Our god, Ruina-sama, might potentially be in contact with the gods of this world.”
Though I didn’t say it aloud, I inwardly agreed.
“Hmm, in that case, should we contact the temple?”
As Evia was about to get into work mode, Kaido’s voice echoed.
“Hey! Senpai! What are you doing? We’re leaving you behind this time!!”
“Yes, you’re right, he’s telling the truth.”
“Indeed.”
We all nodded, deciding to enjoy this brief respite for now. The work discussion was cut short, and we set off. Most importantly, tomorrow is when the real work begins, so for now, let’s forget about tomorrow and enjoy this moment.
Today’s word: Overthinking isn’t good.
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*The first volume of this novel is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA. It was released on October 18, 2018. The ebook version was released on October 31 of the same year. The second volume was released on December 19. The third volume was released on February 20, 2019. The content has been revised and expanded from the original web novel posted on Shosetsuka ni Narou, with the addition of unpublished interlude chapters. Please consider purchasing the new volumes!
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