Chapter 121
Chapter 121
Essentially, demonic beasts are formed from the dead.
Life, by its nature, is the territory of the divine.
“If there’s a problem in a world maintained by divine power, it’s because that divine power no longer works.”
Sian calmly shared part of the knowledge he possessed.
The knowledge held by the crown prince of the Holy Empire of Obedih, called the hero of the world, was extraordinary.
“All powers that can oppose a god originate from divine power. If it were merely something created by humans, it would turn to ashes before a god.”
“So because divine power has no opponent, even twisted divine power has no opponent?”
Sian nodded, saying that was correct.
“That’s why it’s not at all strange that demonic beasts originate from life, or what was once a living being.”
“Was it like this before too?”
“…Similar.”
Sian paused briefly before nodding.
Sian Terezia said that all of this was his doing. The princess wanted it, so he did it.
Just how much control does Sian really have? And how much of it is actually the princess’s?
“Demonic beasts are still emerging from the Jenoria Mountains. Those who were already dead, dead animals… such things are awakening as demonic beasts, so how far did you go, Lord Sian?”
“…That’s the influence of the supreme demonic beast. And what I did was awaken that demonic beast.”
The supreme demonic beast seems to be ‘that thing’ which tore through space and showed only its eyeball.
“You awakened ‘that thing,’ Lord Sian?”
“Yes, that’s what I did.”
“…Then, if ‘that thing’ has awakened, can it not be reversed?”
“I wonder.”
With my mind completely tangled, I couldn’t figure out which question to ask first.
Why did you accept Leilyranda’s proposal?
Has destruction already begun?
Can ‘that thing’ be eliminated?
Then did Leilyranda only ask you to awaken ‘that thing’?
Every single question is important.
I originally came to find Sian right away to ask about Leilyranda, but sitting here and approaching the truth, more urgent questions came to mind.
“Can destruction be prevented just by eliminating ‘that thing’? Did you already eliminate ‘that thing’ in the past, Lord Sian?”
As soon as I finished speaking, he burst into laughter.
He laughed for a while, then suddenly stopped. His face contained a drop of pity for me, mixed with a smile close to mockery.
“Unfortunately, Irina.”
“…”
“If destruction is nothing more than that thing summoned by someone like me, then such a world is hardly worth saving.”
He whispered while looking at me.
“Destruction was already foreseen. I just hastened it.”
“Then why did Princess Leilyranda deliberately hasten it? If destruction would come anyway if left alone!”
“I don’t know that either.”
He shrugged once.
“All I did was summon the supreme demonic beast where she wanted it. Nothing much besides that.”
Sian’s words were a bit strange.
So all Sian Terezia did was summon ‘that thing’?
Then, what’s erupting all over the empire is the aftermath brought by ‘that thing’?
And Leilyranda is just making good use of the situation?
“This is strange.”
“Strange as it may be, sometimes things simply can’t be helped.”
“Why did Leilyranda make that choice? Why did you have to do it, Lord Sian?”
Sian is someone who has already saved the world once.
He said he succeeded in saving the world after repeating it dozens of times. He said the repetition was terribly difficult, but he eventually succeeded.
If he were given the task of saving the world again, he might want to give up everything.
But he is no longer a hero.
The system didn’t ask Sian to save the world. The people whom the god of the world asked to prevent the empire’s destruction are Cassis and me.
That’s why I was puzzled by Sian’s actions.
“Lord Sian, why do you want destruction?”
“…Irina, think positively. It had to come anyway. It’s better if it comes early.”
“No. That’s not what I mean. You were a hero, Lord Sian. You protected the world at the risk of your life. I’m asking why you brought destruction with your own hands.”
At my question, Sian looked quite tired.
“Irina Seike, is your duty to safeguard the world from ruin, or only to preserve the empire?”
Well, let’s see. Wasn’t it the world?
No, rather, aren’t they the same thing?
“…Aren’t they the same? If I can’t protect the world, I can’t protect the empire.”
“No, check again.”
I reluctantly opened the quest window.
[‘Preventing the Empire’s Destruction’]
The purpose of my main quest was to prevent the empire’s destruction.
But come to think of it, I need to prevent the world’s destruction to prevent the empire’s destruction…
“It’s ‘Preventing the Empire’s Destruction,’ but in fact, don’t I need to prevent the world’s destruction to save the empire as well?”
“Is that so? You’re lucky.”
Sian smiled wryly. His smile was close to contempt for the world.
“The divine voice I received was ‘to save the world from destruction.'”
“Then…”
“But I was the crown prince of Obedih. I protected the world to protect the empire. As you said, the two seemed to have little difference.”
Sian shrugged.
“I succeeded in protecting the world.”
I was dumbfounded.
“And to protect that world, I had to give up the empire that I really wanted to protect.”
He said he really didn’t want to give it up.
No, he said he had no intention of giving it up at all.
He said that his desire to save the world was just a process to save the empire.
But the god was cruel, and to save the world, he had to give up the empire. He said he couldn’t accept that, so he repeated it hundreds of times more.
“So you’re lucky.”
“Because I can… protect the empire?”
“Yes.”
I think I understood why Sian said he didn’t care if the world was destroyed.
And I think I understood why Sian Terezia, the hero who saved the world, was so broken.
I could see why he had been consistently indifferent to the destruction that had come to the world again, and moreover, why he said he didn’t care, that this world would be better off destroyed.
To have made such a great sacrifice for the thing he cherished most, only to find that the price of that sacrifice was to plunge what he cherished into a living hell.
“You must hate the world, Lord Sian.”
“That’s why I accepted Leilyranda’s proposal.”
I now understood why he had felt sorry for me.
Me, chosen by the god.
Me, who hasn’t started repeating yet.
Me, who says I must save the world.
In his eyes, he must have thought I was in the same position as him.
And yet he envied me for having much better conditions than him.
But there are still questions that remain.
Leilyranda Jackmüller.
Who on earth is she? What kind of person is she that she would think of destroying the world?
Also, if destruction was destined anyway, as Sian said, wouldn’t she have had no need to step up?
Seeing my confused eyes, Sian smiled slightly. Is it because there are parts about him that I’ve come to understand to some extent?
That expression, which had always been puzzling, always inscrutable, and thus seemed only cunning like a snake, now seemed finally readable.
“It seems that’s all I can tell you for now.”
“…Wait, just a moment!”
“Ask the princess about the rest. I only awakened ‘that thing’ you’re talking about.”
Sian waved his hand to call a servant, and the servant politely but firmly guided me outside.
As I was being escorted out, I turned my head and asked urgently.
“Do you still wish for the world and such to be destroyed and disappear, Lord Sian?”
Sian was sitting with his legs crossed, elegantly tilting a teacup.
He raised his eyes slightly to meet my gaze.
“…Well, of course.”
* * *
“Aaaah, what should I do?”
[…]
[…]
“Say something!”
[We are ashamed.]
[But this… the situation is quite complicated.]
The systems uttered that they were ashamed, but then made excuses about the situation being complicated.
“Come to think of it, Sian Terezia often claimed he’d been forsaken by the gods. And you said that while the god may not have truly abandoned him, there were circumstances.”
[Yes.]
At that time, I had tried to hear the truth many times, but couldn’t hear it all the way through.
The explanation was that any crucial information concerning the world or the gods was censored, precisely because it pertained to them.
“Tell me now.”
[Compared to then, you’ve certainly approached much more of the world’s truth…]
I swallowed dryly as I waited for the system.
But..
[■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■]
[■■■■■]
[■■■■■■■■■]
All the words were blacked out so that I couldn’t understand any of them.
[SYSTEM | Player’s access to ‘the truth of the world’ is restricted.]
“How can I unlock it?”
I asked irritably, brushing back my hair.
From my perspective, knowing the truth of the world in this situation seemed like it would be a great help in preventing the world’s destruction.
[SYSTEM | ‘The truth of the world’ is a part unrelated to story development, and is the realm of the god.]
[SYSTEM | The player learning ‘the truth of the world’ is in the realm of ‘accidentally’ discovering it while progressing through the story development.]
“So, in other words, I have to figure it out on my own.”
[…Regardless, Irina, the quest won’t stop just because you don’t fully understand it right now.]
[You will struggle to prevent the world’s destruction.]
[And you’ll succeed, right?]
“…How can you guarantee that?”
Come to think of it, I don’t even understand why I was chosen in the first place.
Cassis is the hero of the world.
I thought my role was to assist such a Cassis.
But why am I doing this?
Until now, I sought the truth of the world by following Sian. However, in light of recent events, it became clear I needed to take a more earnest approach.
