Chapter: 84
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“How sweet and lovely.”
I smiled proudly like a father watching his kids as I observed the situation happily unfolding. Isn’t there a fresh aroma of romance in the air? I really love love.
Also, although it wasn’t very specific, it seemed the players had picked up on the direction of their goals. I wondered how we could take advantage of this situation where the past and future were linked.
What I needed to reinforce was providing clues about ‘exactly what to do’ and patching up the still shattered spirits of the party.
Let’s focus this scene on Niolle. Among the three, she felt the most pain about her failures, still wrapped in the regrets of, “If only I hadn’t done this.”
Not catching on to Isaac’s schemes.
Losing Abraham while trying to save reporter Sally.
Spending time destroying the magic circle instead of completing Abraham’s research.
Failing to finish off the Cult Leader properly.
Let’s give proper meaning to all these regrets. Let’s tell them how Isaac’s survival, reporter Sally’s survival, the destruction of the magic circle, and the death of the Cult Leader caused changes in this world. How it made the world suffering under the Evil God a better place.
Moreover, a plot like “Thank you, Hero, for saving the world” is much more powerful when the characters express their gratitude through dialogue. We need a character that wasn’t originally planned.
“Abraham, Isaac, and their descendant Joseph, several generations down. A 17-year-old maiden. She looks like Isaac but has a cheerful expression without any evil flair—the owner of those wool panties that Bennett picked up…”
“There was an NPC like that?”
“…make her, Tower Master!”
“Hiiiiiing…”
Honestly, it wouldn’t have been necessary to get the Tower Master involved since I could just take existing resources and roughly mix them together. However, some kind of punishment was necessary for those who did wrong—even just for the sake of their mental health.
Think about it; if you committed a serious mistake and no one ever scolded you for it?
Some might run around gleefully committing crimes, but a person with a standard conscience would feel like they’re sitting on a bed of thorns, unable to relieve the guilt.
So, I intentionally made her work for it, to help alleviate some of her guilt.
In fact, the Tower Master’s expression brightened a bit. Until just now, she seemed like someone who had to write 500 pages of reflection after work. But now, she looked like someone who had reduced that to about 420 pages.
Aren’t I a genius for taking care of the Sub-GM’s mental health while running a session?
As I injected some confidence into myself, I felt the angle of my shoulders and my efficiency noticeably improve. A suitable amount of confidence really is a good buff. It was the kind of boost the three players needed the most.
Have some confidence, you guys really did well.
Let’s lighten the mood and infuse them with confidence that their actions weren’t wrong. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Let’s get started.
===============================================================
Tara finally grasped the situation. Bennett and Niolle had flown into the future, and the present and future were connected. It was a dizzying and complex concept… but…
Maybe, just maybe…
“…couldn’t we use this to our advantage?”
[We thought so too. But we might need to learn a bit more about this place.]
-We’re planning to investigate, could you help us?
“Sure, so all I need to do is move according to your movements, right?”
Tara puffed out her chest proudly. It was a sign of confidence, a way of saying to trust her, but also a struggle to keep up with Niolle. Puffing it out certainly made her look a bit bigger.
Bennett gestured from beyond the mirror.
-Don’t get lost and follow along. I’ll take a shard of the mirror along.
“Don’t talk to me like I’m some lost child. You be careful too, you never know what could happen.”
Crack.
Tara whacked the dressing table and smashed the mirror, grabbing a suitable shard. Peering through it like a peeping tom, she could see various angles of the future—everything from the blue sky to a parade of ants crawling on the ground.
She leisurely followed the path Bennett and Niolle took in the future.
“…………”
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Tara. I can decide what I want to look at and how!
She adjusted her speed and position with precision. When she turned the broken shard at just the right angle, Bennett’s face appeared up close in the reflection. It was undeniably satisfying.
Tara grinned broadly.
-…Huh? Niolle says it might be better to maintain some distance from each other and watch each other’s blind spots.
“…Ugh.”
Tara grumbled, somewhat hungry.
As she had felt before, it strangely felt like Niolle was intentionally getting in her way. If she was up to something sinister, constantly trying to keep her in check…
Oh come on, surely not. Niolle is far too nice for that!
Tara shook her head, brushing off the unnecessary thoughts. Getting envious of a friend just because of emotions would truly be a disgrace.
However, just because she didn’t think it was intentional didn’t mean the discomfort and anger of being obstructed disappeared. To vent, she didn’t even look as she pulled out her Demonic Sword and drove it into the wall of the building. It felt like piercing flesh.
KEEAaaack-!! A scream echoed from beyond the wall. Tara expertly absorbed the fanatical power tangled with the thorns around her sword.
-Is something going on?
“No, no big deal. Did anything change on your side?”
-There’s a scratch on the wall, and a flower has bloomed.
“Dying to become a flower, now that’s a better death than they deserve.”
Tara sheathed her Demonic Sword.
The addition of purpose and visible rewards for a sword previously swung for meaningless revenge made her feelings somewhat different. With every crazy fanatic she dealt with, the future was surely improving.
She was genuinely thrilled that she could help her comrades. Considering the days when she had to waste time alone without her Divine Power, a part of her heart still ached.
Perhaps, she might be a little bit more helpful now… than when she was relying on Divine Power. The power of Metamorphosis was incredibly strong.
-I checked with the mirror. It looks like about two people are following you from behind.
“Okay.”
The party watched each other as they moved.
It was a brief trip, but they learned various ways to utilize this time-linked situation. When a large barricade blocked Bennett and Niolle’s path…
“If I dig up this area in the past, they wouldn’t even think to put a barricade here, right?”
-Going back might take quite a bit of time.
“I’ve got a spell planned for the fanatics. I can just turn the space upside down.”
Wooong-!
They altered the terrain of the past, causing future obstacles to vanish.
[Tara, could you… send us some food?]
“Do you think canned food could survive a hundred years?”
-Abraham told me theoretically, it could last a century.
“I’ll bury it here.”
She proposed burying a time capsule in the past so they’d discover it in the future. Bennett deduced that if they became more accustomed to this kind of exchange, they’d potentially utilize it in battle. Despite being separated by a century, cooperation was still possible.
Ultimately, the canned food swelled up so much that it became inedible, and they had to toss it.
Bennett and Niolle pressed on, following the traces of humanity toward the direction of the headquarters of the Order of the Silver Twilight. Gradually, clear signs of human presence began to show.
A low hill adorned with green grass, with flowers blooming here and there. On top of the hill, laundry was tightly strung between branches stuck into the ground.
The Order of the Silver Twilight’s building looked somewhat worn but remained in decent shape. The church building of the future emanated a devout and gentle atmosphere, resembling a proper religious establishment.
Judging by the women’s underwear hanging on the clothesline, it seemed a woman lived here.
Tara pulled her gaze from the mirror shard showing the future.
The church building from the past still felt ominous, and the moans of fanatics, stained with joy and suffering, echoed from inside. They were all potential enemies. Tara loosened her body and gripped her Demonic Sword tightly.
“There are still many fanatics alive in that church building. It seems things are going to get busy from here… so, for now, farewell.”
-Don’t overdo it, and be careful.
“I don’t want to hear that from someone who lost an arm. You be careful too, Bennett. And you as well, Niolle.”
[Tara, be careful!]
Both parties stepped into the church building.
===============================================================
Creeeak,
Bennett carefully opened the door to the building. Inside, it was tidily organized, with no signs of evil magic circles or weapons in sight. If there was anything noteworthy…
“…What’s that?”
[Uh, is that… Tara?]
A statue.
In a position where you’d typically find religious symbols like crosses, there were instead three carved statues. The central statue depicted Tara in a splendid saintess costume, raising her Demonic Sword.
The statues flanking her, as if protecting Tara’s statue, also looked vaguely familiar. Though their features were somewhat blurry and smeared…
“Niolle, it looks like that statue resembles you.”
[That one looks strikingly similar to Bennett.]
They had discovered their own statues a hundred years in the future. It didn’t seem like they were meant to mock them. The statues were well cared for; not a speck of dust clung to them when Bennett ran his finger over them.
What on earth happened?
“Hehe… That statue is a sculpture depicting the Heroes who saved the world.”
“……”
Bennett and Niolle instinctively turned (to each other) and went on high alert. A young girl stood there, her face bearing a striking resemblance to Isaac.
Has Isaac survived a century with some dark sorcery and now intends to seek revenge with a sword drawn?
That wasn’t it. The girl’s face resembled Isaac’s, but it also looked very much like Abraham’s. Those sparkling, gentle eyes especially reminded Bennett of Abraham’s expression as he gazed at the stars.
The girl started talking softly without being startled by the unexpected visitors.
“According to the legends, the Three Heroes sacrificed their lives to seal the Evil God. Because of their actions, the world was granted a chance.”
“…Who are you?”
“Please call me Joseph.”
The girl, with a somewhat masculine name, seemed to be a descendant of Abraham. It appeared that keeping Isaac alive had led to their bloodline continuing into the future.
Bennett studied Joseph, feeling a mix of caution and reassurance.
“Are you living here all by yourself?”
“Yes. That’s why it’s especially exciting to have guests after such a long time. Would you like a meal and a place to rest?”
Niolle tugged at the hem of Bennett’s clothes, writing secretly.
[Can we trust her?]
“…Probably. The benefits outweigh the risks. We don’t have any information about the future, so we can’t afford to—”
As Bennett and Niolle exchanged glances filled with déjà vu, they thought back to their first meeting with Abraham. Just recalling that moment allowed them to relax a bit.
They felt they’d open their hearts to this girl just as they had with Abraham.
Instead of nodding right away, Bennett decided to throw out a few more questions, mainly because he was quite curious about the statues that resembled them.
He grasped the mirror fragment firmly. He could see Tara drenched in blood, leaning against the wall, glancing over at him. When their gazes met and she winked, he realized that all that blood was likely from the fanatics.
After signaling for Tara to check out Joseph, Bennett spoke.
“Could you… elaborate a bit more on your story? About sealing the Evil God?”
“Aha, it’s rare to find guests who are interested in the tales of old. How lucky I am today! All of these records are stories passed down from Sally, the Prophet.”
[⋯⋯⋯⋯.]
Reporter Sally. It seemed she had remembered the trio’s stories and shared them with others.
Joseph began nodding, swaying her head as if singing, and recounted the tale of the three heroes who stood against the Evil God from the past.
“It is said that the Heroes first destroyed the magic circle that was consuming the land. Thanks to their efforts, the barren land that would’ve become lifeless upon the Evil God’s descent is now capable of growing plants.”
[⋯⋯Really?]
“However, areas directly polluted by the Evil God remain unable to be farmed. Without the Heroes’ efforts… perhaps we would all have starved to death.”
What had once been viewed as a catastrophic failure became the foundation for humanity’s future survival.
“Next, the Heroes eliminated the Cult Leader responsible for the Evil God’s descent. In that process, two of our Heroes lost their lives… However, because of their sacrifice, the Evil God was prevented from coming down entirely.”
Taking out the Cult Leader created the chance for humanity to continue existing in the future.
And…
“Finally, it was Saintess Tara who sealed the Evil God after fighting day and night for three days. Thanks to her, the world was gifted to us.”
“……”
What was about to unfold from there? Tara’s ongoing struggles also seemed to have ultimately held meaning.
Bennett clenched his fist tightly.
He repeated the motion of clenching and unclenching, before resting a hand on Niolle’s head.
“Look, it seems our efforts were far from meaningless.”
[⋯⋯⋯⋯.]
-…….
Tara slightly lowered her head, wiping her eyes.
Niolle, unable to contain her emotions, collapsed to the ground as her legs gave way. She covered her face with both hands and silently cried.
Regretting, and regretting again.
How wonderful it would be to turn back time and write their story right once more. How deeply she had regretted? How much of herself had she worn away in trying to shoulder what she couldn’t save?
But now, having confirmed what remained after all that agonizing resistance, which she hadn’t realized while struggling…
“If all our suffering had… meaning, Niolle.”
There was no need to feel pain any longer.
Niolle recalled the Evil God’s subtle, sinister words. Those sharp blades that cut into her heart. But if their actions were steadily bringing about change, then the Evil God’s taunts bore a different significance.
The Evil God was afraid.
All those disturbances were merely expressions of fear.
It was a desperate plea for her to just stop resisting. A pleading cry, begging for her to give in. And if that was the case…
“…We only have a final step remaining. It’s cornered. We’ve become a threat to it. Tara, Niolle.”
[…Yeah.]
-Yeah.
Let’s finish this. So we can finally move past these wounds.
===============================================================
Niolle began to explain, her eyes still red and swollen.
[The Outer God is not bound by time. It exists across all of space and time. The past Tara will confront, and the sealed Outer God we will face, are essentially the same entity.]
-What does that mean?
“So, whether damage is inflicted in the past or the future, it applies collectively.”
-…Could you put it in simpler terms?
Tara, struggling to grasp the concept that the Outer God’s HP was shared, was having a hard time. But understanding it wasn’t paramount, so Bennett proceeded to explain the more significant aspects of their plan.
“It means that you and we can fight together. According to Joseph, the future where you seal the Outer God seems to be set. However, that’s a double-edged sword. It doesn’t sit right with me to let you sacrifice yourself.”
[It’s a dual-front effort; battling across both the past and the future.]
“So, we’ll help you from our side. It’s a cycle of utilizing the future to support the past. The primary goal is to seal the Evil God without any sacrifice on your part. And ultimately, we seek to…”
Thanks to Tara’s actions, the future changed instantly, allowing Bennett and Niolle’s future selves to assist her. It formed a never-ending cycle, continually creating advantages by repeating this process.
Maybe, we won’t just stop at sealing the Evil God──.
[The death of the Outer God.]
──Perhaps we could kill it outright. That was the judgment made by the party.
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