Colette wore a troubled expression after hearing Kousuke’s explanation.
“You always bring up such difficult topics. To put it simply, spirits don’t *not* act voluntarily. If the opponent were Wanri, that would be plausible.”
Colette’s casual reply made Kousuke blink. He sensed that her expression didn’t match her prompt answer.
“Is that so? It’s plausible? Then why do you look so glum?”
“The problem isn’t that. It’s that we can’t tell whether the spirit followed the divine tool’s instructions or acted on its own.”
Colette’s clear assertion brought a puzzled look to Kousuke’s face.
“Really? I thought it would be obvious.”
“If a person or an animal were controlling the spirit, it would be understandable. But this time, the opponent is a divine tool, an object, right?”
If some living thing were controlling the spirit, there would be some action, so it would be immediately apparent. For example, when a human spirit user gives an order, they might chant a spell. For the same reason, even if a plant controlled the spirit, a top-tier spirit user could distinguish it. However, since it’s highly unlikely for an object to independently possess consciousness and control a spirit, no spirit user would be able to tell if that object was the one controlling the spirit.
It’s important not to mistake this for a situation where a person used an object. This is specifically about the object itself acting on its own.
“Normally, spirits move due to a person’s or some other being’s ‘will,’ but with an object, we can’t distinguish that ‘will.’ Consequently, we don’t know what caused Wanri to act.”
“Hmm, I see. So that’s how it is.”
Kousuke nodded in agreement with Colette’s analysis.
“…If I could go, I think I could tell if the object was moving.”
As someone whose divine authority includes crafting tools, Kousuke could discern whether a divine tool was influencing a spirit in some way. For once, Kousuke had the confidence to assert this. However, unfortunately, in the current situation, Kousuke couldn’t accompany them, so confirmation was impossible.
Seeing Kousuke’s expression of helplessness in this dead-end situation, Colette suddenly had an idea.
“That might be true, but isn’t the important thing not *what* informed Wanri, but *why* that information was delivered?”
Whether it was a divine tool or a spirit, something prompted them to stop Wanri’s attack. Colette pointed out that this was the more crucial matter now, and Kousuke showed a slightly evasive expression.
“Ah, yes. Floria and the others told me that too.”
“As I thought.”
Seeing Kousuke look away, Colette’s expression turned resigned. Kousuke’s tendency to deviate from the main point and pursue his own interests wasn’t something new.
Whether the divine tool stopped Wanri’s actions through a spirit or if the spirit stopped on its own, either way, it contained an important message. Especially if the spirit acted independently, it meant something significant had occurred.
“Well, the most likely possibility is that it was trying to signal that the divine tool was going out of control.”
Considering Wanri’s sensations and the situation at the time, this seemed the most plausible reason. However, this was purely speculative. If we consider the divine tool manipulating the spirit, it becomes simpler. We can assume it indicated its intent to rampage through the spirit. Of course, it’s possible it was just using the spirit to threaten, but given Wanri’s power, that possibility is low. While not a divine race, Wanri is a Nine-tailed Fox, a top-tier species. Even if the opponent is a divine tool, they wouldn’t be easily deceived. Furthermore, since Wanri possesses a blessing, deceiving them with spirits wouldn’t be easy.
In any case, although it’s all speculation, it’s thought that the spirit’s actions were related to the divine tool’s rampage. If that’s the case, then Wanri stopping Floria’s actions was not a mistake.
“…The fact that it’s all speculation is the difficult part.”
“That can’t be helped. There’s no way to confirm the will of a divine tool.”
“Except for Kousuke, right?”
Colette said teasingly, and Kousuke shrugged.
“Even if I have the power to confirm, it’s meaningless if I can’t actually use it.”
Kousuke sighed, finding being an avatar cumbersome in these situations. Seeing his sigh, Colette said with a laugh.
“What are you talking about? Being an avatar has more advantages, right?”
“I admit that.”
Kousuke nodded with a serious expression, and Colette laughed even harder.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
After his talk with Colette, Kousuke returned to the management layer and shared the information with the members. However, it was almost entirely the same as what they had predicted beforehand; the only change was that their speculation about the spirit had become a confirmation. Their reactions were also along the lines of “So that’s how it is,” with no particular surprise.
Then, Floria, having heard everything, asked Kousuke, “Could you tell us about the purpose of the divine tool that Kousuke is thinking of? It would be easier to plan our strategy if we knew to some extent.”
“Ah~, you’re asking about that too?”
Floria hadn’t just guessed when she said that. She had spoken on the assumption that Kousuke might have some conclusions. And, just as Floria had predicted, Kousuke was currently forming several hypotheses.
“This is purely speculation, but is that okay?”
After prefacing his statement, Kousuke, seeing Floria and the others nod, began to explain his thoughts.
“As of now, two possibilities come to mind? …One is that it’s trying to recover its power at the foot of the World Tree, and the other is that it’s waiting for a suitable owner to arrive. Of course, there might be other reasons, but that’s all I can think of right now.”
The power used to heal the scars from the impact when it fell in Seuri Forest must have been considerable. It’s possible it remained in the World Tree forest, which is rich in spirits, specifically to recover that power. Another possibility is that it’s not about power recovery, but simply waiting for someone interesting to show up. In either scenario, it could be a reason for the divine tool to be in the forest. Naturally, this is all speculation, and Kousuke doesn’t know the actual reason. If one truly wanted to know the divine tool’s purpose, direct observation would be necessary. Ideally, being able to touch it directly would be even better. However, in the current situation, there’s no opportunity for that, so they can only speculate as they observe.
“That seems plausible. However, if it’s trying to recover its power, couldn’t it mean that it doesn’t have enough remaining power to go berserk?”
Kousuke shook his head in response to Floria’s question.
“Unfortunately, divine tools don’t require stored power to go berserk. In a word, it’s like a ‘berserk strength’ situation.”
“I see. So it’s not that simple.”
If the divine tool had lost its power, they had hoped to corner it, assuming it wouldn’t go berserk. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy.
This seems like a rather incomplete chapter >.< Since Kousuke cannot touch the divine tool, an accurate answer cannot be provided, so please forgive this.
