“Since we have two audience members at once, let me tell you an interesting story.”
Not knowing what had happened, nor where they had suddenly arrived, the two witches found themselves in front of Baal, who was sitting leisurely.
There were no chairs. The place he sat was on the steps leading up to a door at the end of the corridor, slightly elevated. The staircase, which spread wider in a circular shape as it descended, looked like a gentle hill from a distance.
It wasn’t like he was sitting on a luxurious chair; he merely perched on the stairs. Yet, there was not a hint of someone tired and sprawled out. On the contrary, regardless of how he sat, he exuded an air of nobility that seemed perfectly intact.
Only then did the witches realize.
They were dead, and what was before them was a God.
Of course, even in that situation, they had no idea what had actually happened.
It shouldn’t have been possible for gnomes to strike witches effectively. Physical attacks could have been blocked by the magical power granted to them by demons. Even if a nuclear bomb had exploded, if there was a Magic Point nearby, the witches would have been safe.
However, what had soared through the air was merely a single missile, and all the witches saw in their last moments was just a flash of light.
It was only natural that they had no idea what had transpired.
“Hmm, if there’s another story within the story, can it count as ‘one’ story? I don’t really know. Anyway, listen. It should be a story you wouldn’t find unpleasant.”
“You are…”
Just then, the Witch of Desire, who had kept quiet until now, carefully opened her mouth, but the beautiful man sitting on the stairs raised his hand to stop her.
Yes, he stopped her. It was not just to halt the other’s words; the moment he raised his hand, the Witch of Desire’s mouth precisely snapped shut, unable to open again. Even groaning was forbidden. It felt as if her body itself was refusing to make any sound.
“I told you to listen. I see my words don’t seem to reach you.”
The man’s voice was calm. As if he were simply stating the obvious. Although similar to the way the Witch of Hatred treated the Witch of Resentment, the attitude of the Witch of Hatred was deliberately calculated to provoke animosity, whereas this man’s attitude emanated the belief that it was just natural.
The Witch of Hatred, who had been standing there without speaking, understood.
And for the first time in a long while, she felt fear.
Even when the Saint began hunting down witches one by one, even when they executed traps to confront the Saint, the fear she felt then paled in comparison to the creeping discomfort now enveloping her from her toes to her back.
Before her stood an absolute being she must not dare to approach.
One far higher than the demons they served—
No, it was as if the being said to have ‘created’ those demons was right in front of them.
“Can I continue the story?”
Such a question arose. The two witches nodded their heads madly. They had no choice.
“Then I shall continue the story.”
The man lowered his hand. The chin of the Witch of Desire, which had been thrust upwards, returned to its original position. Her lips parted slightly, and a thin breath escaped. It was a delicate sound that did not match her bulky frame.
“When I first heard the idea of creating someone named Clara Anderson, I opposed it. Because I had memories of having created such a being before. It was to manage the world and make it better, to grant power, teach my philosophy, and enable other beings to live comfortably. The beings that came to embody the foundational forces of that world did listen to my words for a considerable time.”
What came from the man—no, the Demon’s mouth was shocking. It was known that demons were created. It was also understood that the being granting power to those demons was a Demon. However, what they did not know was that the Saint—Clara Anderson was considered an equal to demons.
“But for some reason, they thought of themselves as my servants. And typically, those who think of themselves as servants act accordingly. They asserted their free will and sought to break away from me.”
Having stated this much, the Demon chuckled softly. It was a pure laugh. It held no displeasure, emanating from true joy even while recounting the story of his creations betraying him. Even if he frowned or wore a cold expression, he would still be beautiful. The Divine being, laughing brightly, seemed clearer and more luminous than anything else.
“I let them. Yes, that’s right. If I had intended to bind them completely under my control, I would have created beings that could not think for themselves. They would merely function like machines, executing my commands. But I did not want that. Therefore, I granted them wisdom and the power to manage themselves.”
But the Demon’s expression, which had been smiling brightly while talking, quickly chilled.
“However, what did those beings do after they became independent from me?”
“……”
“……”
The witches were at a loss for words.
“You said you would tell an interesting story earlier. The real fun begins here. So, I created the demons. What about the other beings? What of the world that I instructed the demons to manage and the beings living in it—elves, gnomes, beastfolk, and the dwarves that have now disappeared? Did I create them as well?”
“……”
“……”
The witches remained silent. They felt it was not a question he expected an answer to. Moreover, the words he had spoken earlier still echoed in their minds. Listen. Yes, if they dared to speak, that fickle God might not uphold his words and punish them.
“Not at all. They were simply born according to the laws of nature, living their lives ordinarily. Some did not believe in anything, while occasionally, there were those who did believe in me. They were lovely beings. However, the world where beings like me dwell is vastly different from the one those beings inhabit. The opportunity to do something for those who believed in me was extremely limited. That’s why I created the demons.”
What could the witches say after hearing this? Even if they couldn’t believe that the being they had trusted was created for the sake of serving other beings, their opponent was a God. Whether his story was true or if the story told by the demons was true, merely thinking about it felt sacrilegious.
Even if witches had cast away their faith, they already knew of the existence of gods, and because they were beings who wouldn’t suffer severe harm from divine power, the demons courted them.
“If you die like this, you will be judged by the deities, but I will spare you from that.”
“Let us live together for eternity. I will ensure you do not go to the gods.”
And so, they did just that.
Or rather, they chose to ‘believe’ that they did so.
“So, when they sought to separate from me, I was elated. If those with great power distanced themselves from me, it would mean becoming a part of that world. They would live among beings that truly belonged to that world, creating paradise together. Having lived a life serving someone and following rules, they surely would not impose that upon others. I genuinely believed that.”
The Demon’s gaze lifted slightly. Then, staring blankly at the edge of the splendid ceiling, he spoke.
“How naive.”
As his gaze descended back down, it fell squarely upon the two witches, and by the time his gaze met theirs, his eyes were filled with a frigid fury.
“And what did those beings, who claimed to have gained independence from me, do with the ‘power’ I granted them?”
“……”
“……”
There was nothing to say.
“Not even just one world. They extended to other worlds as well. What a massive inconvenience, I tell you.”
He lamented, and truly let out a deep sigh. Could a god’s sigh truly cause the earth to tremble? One of the witches, looking at him, thought so internally, but she knew this was not the moment to voice such a thought.
“And so, I sought to clean up that mess by borrowing the power of another goddess… and here we are. Due to my previous experiences, I opposed the idea of a being wielding the power of a god. Those in possession of power tend to aspire higher and higher. Just because that one who eliminated the demons had done so, there was no guarantee that they wouldn’t fall into that pattern again.”
The Demon’s cold glare toward the two witches shifted subtly. This time, it didn’t feel like he was absentmindedly staring at a corner of the ceiling. Instead, it felt like he was clearly gazing at something in the distance. His eyes, which could freeze all, thawed slightly.
However, the two witches before him lacked the audacity to turn their heads to discover what lay ahead.
“Therefore, I imposed several constraints. They have a body that can draw forth the full power of a god, yet they can still possess the limitations of a mortal. Of course, even so, questions remain. Human life cannot be deemed long, but it possesses enough power to change the era. Merely reigning as a god among humans could lead to complete devastation of the world. Because they are able to draw forth divine power.”
After reaching this far in his story, the Demon smiled brightly. Almost as if he had thought of some amusing tale.
“It was then that the goddess proposed an idea.”
And with the demeanor of someone unable to hold back laughter, he turned back to the witches, as if he were about to erupt in giggles.
“Then, we should select those who ‘would not act as such’ to place there.”
The corners of the Demon’s mouth began to twitch.
“Don’t you find it strange? Why do the witches meet the Saint wherever she goes? It’s as if she’s hunting down witches herself. Is it possible that this happens purely by chance? Oh, you needn’t think that I informed the Saint directly. In reality, we never did that. I did offer some advice a few times, but of late, she hasn’t even asked at all. Ah, feel free to answer.”
“……”
“……”
After his command, the two witches cautiously observed each other’s expressions. Although the command had been issued, they lacked the courage to speak up. What if they misconstrued the question? What if they opposed his thoughts? That thought terrified them.
“Hmph.”
Looking slightly disappointed, the Demon shrugged his shoulders and spoke.
“If you truly can’t think of anything, there’s nothing to be done. I’ll tell you the answer.”
And with the grin of a child revealing the answer to a particularly tough riddle, he said,
“What we’ve got to do is select someone who ‘would not act like that’ while simultaneously someone who ‘would act that way.’ By identifying those who would behave that way due to their personality and knowledge and placing them there, we can create a situation of ‘inevitable coincidence.’ Only a god who knows fate could have thought of that idea.”
Eventually unable to contain his laughter, the Demon boisterously laughed, “The moment Saint Clara Anderson descended into that world, the means for demons to triumph disappeared. Such futures no longer exist. She will continue to act according to her thoughts, and the destiny that awaited humans, elves, gnomes, and beastfolk will continue to shift in accordance.”
“……”
From the moment the Saint appeared, it had already been thus predestined. The Saint had been thoroughly vetted according to her personality and knowledge, and the path she will take will continue to lead her to face ‘evil’ by ‘chance.’ And those evils would inevitably be defeated. Because it was fated that ‘she would prevail.’
For the witches, kneeling and praying the moment they met her would have been the only way to delay their destruction as much as possible.
Though it was too late for witches who no longer existed in that world to realize that.
*
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
After sending the souls that belonged where they ought to, the Demon spoke to Goddess Ariel, who had been staring at him quietly. The Goddess Ariel, after hearing this, continued to gaze intently at him for quite a while before responding.
“Destiny is—”
“Not set in stone. Yes, I know well.”
Interrupting the Goddess’s words, the Demon waved his hand dismissively. Crossing his legs, he said,
“It was only because those fools were making dumb expressions that I felt inclined to scare them a bit. Rest assured I don’t think that way.”
“……”
“However,”
Exhaling, the Demon sprawled on the steps. With hands clasped behind his head, he did not look uncomfortable at all while lying back against the stairs.
“At the same time, it isn’t entirely incorrect either. We actually considered all that when we placed him there, and at least so far, he has acted according to those thoughts.”
“But that doesn’t mean we need to describe him like a chess piece.”
“……Indeed. There are no chess pieces that think for themselves in this world.”
The way the Demon replied held significant meaning. The Goddess realized that the Demon was not just referring to Clara Anderson, but to demons from times long before as well. Yet, she wasn’t so naive as to bring up that topic.
“And he might just be the one who created this world.”
At the phrase ‘might have created,’ Ariel frowned slightly, though she opted not to point it out.
“Thus, we must never think of him as just a chess piece. We should respect his thoughts, and whatever conclusions his movements lead to, we must accept.”
“Such thoughts aren’t what we should consider when determining the fate of the souls who have come here, but, well, you aren’t wrong.”
“……”
“Free will exists not just for him but for all beings.”
“That’s right.”
Ariel replied softly.
“Goodness.”
The Demon said, almost in lamentation.
“To think we cannot even predict the future of that final card, to the point it leaves us feeling futilely divine. It makes me want to pray. Not that there’s anyone to heed our prayers, mind you.”
“…Yes, sometimes it really does feel that way.”
Ariel replied.
That mere act of believing proved to be a far more tormenting task than she could have anticipated.
*
Oh…
Ah.
Right…
Oh, there’s still one witch left!
The moment the brain, which had briefly stopped, began to slowly revive, it was clearly evident that this wasn’t some holy bomb giving off EMPs or producing radioactive fallout. Thus, chasing after the Witch of Resentment wouldn’t pose any immediate issues.
With both pieces of divine power likely burned away completely, she didn’t anticipate anything untoward happening to Rina.
“Um, everyone?”
Only after I posed the question did the middle-aged men, who had been gazing blankly out the window, flinch. …Please don’t tell me they’ve drifted off somewhere into the distance, right? No matter how they love explosions, getting that excited might be a bit… No, am I being prejudiced?
“Shouldn’t we go catch that witch now? Are we all ready?”
Once I posed that query, the commander—no, the elderly gentleman, blinked twice.
“Ah, y-yes! Everything’s ready!”
Then, he responded vigorously, like a rookie soldier.
“There are troops ready to head out beyond the Wall. The Saint just has to join, and we can deploy immediately!”
Well, at least they ensured they were prepared even amid keeping an eye on the bomb.
The Magic Points still had a bit left. Although the central battle line and one side was entirely obliterated, it seemed some threat still lingered. If we didn’t prepare thoroughly, we might end up suffering.
“Then first, Rina.”
When I turned my gaze to Rina, she was already rising to her feet. Apparently, it wasn’t something I needed to ask her about.
“Then, Linea and Aurora—”
Before I could finish saying ‘wait here’,
“Clara.”
Linea cut off my words by calling my name. The word ‘sister’ was absent. Though I had asked her to omit it.
“I also—I mean, may I go with you?”
She held back her natural inclination to speak formally as she said it.
“If we’re on equal footing.”
Before I could refute, Linea quickly added,
“If we’re truly friends, neither greater nor lesser, then it wouldn’t be wrong to ask this, right?”
With a determined look in her eyes, she gazed at me.
…Uh, if you put it that way, I’m left speechless.
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