Chapter: 205
The spirit of experimentation surges!
A desire has awakened within me to analyze and clarify the goddess.
The goddess is like a massive net that covers the sky. Not only is her religious dignity undeniable, but her sheer scale is immense. Divine power can be downloaded from anywhere in this world.
It acts as a rule of nature, akin to gravity.
Divine power is an extremely bizarre and powerful force that gracefully bypasses medicine and pharmaceuticals, leaving only the result of “healing.” It would astonish any doctor who encounters such strange phenomena.
Of course, in a time when concepts like souls and magic are rampant, it is a far cry from science… But even wizards find divine power fascinating.
The healing magic of the Red Tower has some principles, at least. They utilize heat to accelerate the natural healing abilities of living beings. If asked how they accomplish that, they can only reply, “It’s magic.”
The mechanisms by which divine power operates are even more “magical.”
Regardless of how cells or anything observable react, there is no rational explanation to be found. The method by which divine power heals people is simply, “It just happens.”
Not just healing, though. Looking at the divine magic Tara used back in the day, she could cast a variety of buffs. I distinctly remember she used things like physical enhancements and shield summoning.
The fable of the goddess, Gear: Homeostasis, lent her abilities that were nearly akin to immortality.
So, if I can communicate positively and cooperate with the goddess, dealing with “that” will become much easier. Furthermore, what I look forward to the most is…
The manifestation of inheritor ascension through the Idol of the Evil God.
It reminds me of “Heroine,” which the queen used. That was a force exerted from the outside. Although it was used by the queen, it felt like an energy beam shot from a satellite floating in space rather than an arrow fired from the queen herself.
Moreover, that power is embedded within the world itself, moving the world along with the sound of gears turning.
This is the key point.
If I can figure out how this was done and apply it, wouldn’t I be able to install a TRPG simulator in reality?
I spoke about this idea to Evil God-chan.
It was night, and Evil God-chan was half-lying on a branch of a tree, with the moon rising behind her, creating a silhouette.
Her face was cast in darkness, yet strangely, her expression was clearly visible. That odd gleam in her eyes… She bears no hesitation in revealing herself like this.
It’s a kind of nonchalance only found in the top predators.
With a composed expression, she looked as though she was sneering down at the world, a trace of malicious enjoyment gleaming within her.
“Yes, that’s the path I walked, Mima. That’s the ultimate destination. There was no need to distinguish between the virtual and the real. It was the same to me whether I could manipulate either side at will.”
“………”
“Can you understand how much the world must have looked like a toy to me?”
To this, I replied bluntly.
“Clearly, the line must be drawn. A game is a game, and reality is reality. And… don’t pretend to be nice when that was never your way. Your order is reversed.”
Although Evil God-chan speaks as if she darkened after gaining power, it’s the opposite. She crossed the finish line while already being in darkness.
“Ugh…”
Caught.
As if to confirm this, Evil God-chan lazily smiled and bit her tongue.
===============================================================
Shiver, shiver, shiver…
The cart pulled by human weight passed through the city’s main gate. There was astonishment from the guards and whispers among passersby, but do they not know who we are?
“…Why is a cart being pulled by a person?”
“Indeed, that’s correct. My Pinkvalez can easily pull a cart with three people aboard!”
“That’s right. I’m incredibly strong! But please refrain from asking for signatures; just enjoy the view!”
Pinkvalez and I simply trotted shamelessly. If there are no horses, then men must pull it! We’re not the type to be swayed by the gazes of the crowd—just a pair of manly men.
Evil God-chan was also disinterested. While she’s usually shy about her own affairs, she has little concern for others.
Meanwhile, Yuna clung to the wagon’s ceiling like a butterfly, while our temporary member, the Young Noble Lady, anxiously squeezed her eyes shut out of secondary embarrassment.
“Is this Elmest territory? It’s cleaner than I expected.”
“Were you expecting it to be dirty?”
“I heard this is the town where the Succubus Queen was based. I thought it’d have a more corrupted atmosphere.”
“Ah, is that what you meant? But consider this: if they had openly indulged in pleasure, they would have been captured and killed long ago.”
That’s true.
The Imperial resolver boy knight would have been on high alert, cutting everything in half. In that sense, one must commend the queen’s ingenuity. She devoured a whole city yet managed to go undetected for this long.
Perhaps the queen is more of a genius in internal affairs than a temptress.
“The city cleaning isn’t finished yet, right? Shall we tidy up a bit for Irid…?”
“If you plan to clean, the eradication team has noted a few points for you.”
Pinkvalez explained the areas likely touched by the queen herself: a shady brothel, a brightly lit brothel, and a secretively built brothel.
“…There seem to be a lot of the same kind?”
“Well, where would the tastes of a demon go?”
Alright. Then let’s start with the Goddess Church in Elmest territory. I’m on my way to fulfill the promise I made to Evil God-chan. After that, we’ll set ablaze whatever remnants the queen has left behind.
But first, I had something to do.
I leaned into the wagon and asked the Young Noble Lady.
“What will you do now, Young Lady? We have arrived in the city.”
“Ah…”
“I have a connection with the Northern Duke up north… Is ‘familiar’ the right term? So I can look out for you to some extent.”
“Oh, so you have a relationship with my father?”
The Young Noble Lady slightly ruffled her sky-blue hair as she seemed to ponder for a moment. The fleeting emotion that crossed her gaze was more caution than relief. It’s an emotion not typically shown when meeting a friend’s father.
There’s no sign of deceit in her demeanor—she does resemble a daughter of the Northern Duke. If that’s the case, then it feels like their relationship might not be so smooth.
‘Daisy’ has… yes, she doesn’t have the best temperament. She seemed pretty displeased about her engagement too. There seem to be family troubles at play.
There’s a high probability that the Northern Duke and the Young Noble Lady’s desires diverge.
I shifted expressions to empathy.
“That guy does have a bit of a nasty temperament, doesn’t he? Would you call him set in his ways or stubborn?”
“Yes…?”
“I’ll apologize on his behalf. He should have fixed his attitude when he was younger. Even now, he scolds maids for dust on his shelves, you know?”
“Ah, I… guess he does have a tendency for that.”
The Young Noble Lady seemed slightly confused upon hearing this. It does sound like she has a good friend, but she seems hesitant to fully believe it. Let’s observe a bit more—the eyes, movements, atmosphere…
Is this what we call…
“Your expression conveys that you’re intrigued with the idea that a strange, reckless guy could be friends with the solemn Northern Duke! Lady Ervasilion, mm, I get it.”
Evil God-chan suddenly butted in, spilling the beans. I was about to complete my deduction.
“Hey, I was just about to guess.”
“Oh really? I couldn’t wait because your pace was painfully slow! But isn’t it the fault of the slow and incompetent one?”
“Should I send you swiftly to the other side of the river? My sincerest apologies, Young Lady. This rascal is pushing me to rush.”
“……..”
Evil God-chan seems to be unconsciously shielding her impatience as I am deliberately dragging my feet right here.
Right, we must leave. I finished with the Young Noble Lady with one final word.
“I’ll consider any reasonable requests, so think it over alone. What do you require from me?”
“…Thank you for your goodwill, Magician.”
“What’s that? She’s just a friend’s daughter.”
I grinned widely as I stepped out of the wagon.
===============================================================
The Goddess Church building in Elmest territory looked like it had around 45% durability left. I simply commented.
“Is this a temple or a ruin?”
“Probably closer to a ruin…”
“I did use explosives to break the idol, but it shouldn’t have been damaged this severely.”
“When I was left behind, it looked in worse shape when I emerged from the underground. The child I met here testified that the territory’s knights were coming and going, right? Isn’t this looting?”
Looting indeed.
After the lord was beheaded by the eradication team, it seems the empire dispatched a temporary manager to govern Elmest territory.
During that power vacuum, it appears the knights of the territory were acting out.
As I stared at the dilapidated church building, collecting data for the session map, Evil God-chan boldly strode inside and shouted.
“I brought the person to heal your sister, come out!”
Quite the resounding call.
And Evil God-chan’s voice sounded rather upbeat. From this angle, I could only see her back, so I couldn’t read her expression, but I could imagine it.
If it feels like this now, what would happen when the boy shows up?
If she senses a skin-deep feeling of saving someone, receives his sincere tears of gratitude, and witnesses the joyful embrace of the boy and his sister…
If that allows her to see more of the world’s good things…
If Evil God-chan rejoices in being a force of goodness, it would likely uplift my mood as well. Perhaps I might feel grateful enough to elevate Evil God-chan’s status to something between human and deity.
But that’s beside the point.
I was fully prepared to tease her. I’d heat things up, mock her for being a villain now reveling in altruism and suggest there might be some romantic feelings between the boy and her.
Both Evil God-chan and I were pumped up with our respective expectations, but…
“Come out, hey! I said come out?!”
“……..”
“This is your last chance! This is the final opportunity to heal your sister, and you must understand it’s your last shot at life! If you don’t come out now…!!”
Expectation can sometimes hurt.
Expectations can burst with a loud noise, depending on how inflated they are.
Like a boy desperately waiting for Christmas to find nothing by his pillow the next morning. It delivers a painful sting.
And disappointment sets in. Right after that, one might think: never set expectations again. Never dream again. Never…
This is bad for the emotional health of children.
So before Evil God-chan’s expectations popped, I placed my hand on her head and calmly spoke.
“Hey. Would you stick around in this ruin?”
“……….”
“You’d have left already. Stop screaming and come on; if the customer has moved, we also need to go find them.”
“……….Uh.”
Her reply was quite dampened.
Evil God-chan is smart, so she must have thought something unusual happened.
She wouldn’t have just stopped there; she’d have taken a step further. Knowing she accidentally leaked information about the queen here and what kinds of persons collected it…
If those corrupted religious fanatics came by…
Based on the words of the fallen holy knight, those folks had no qualms about offering people as sacrifices.
The boy hiding and holding his breath in this ruin, along with his unconscious sister, would have been in grave danger…
Watching an entity that sowed evil throughout the world make irreparable mistakes due to its own malice, feeling hurt and regretful would be exhilarating.
But who am I? I’m a happy-ending maker!
“What did I ask Guy with the facial scar about taking you back to the Magic Tower?”
“……..?”
Swish! Evil God-chan turned to me, her eyes wide in surprise, as if questioning what I was saying. From the depths of those big eyes, a glimmer of hope began to ripple.
I noticed her slightly clenched fists and wondered if she was confused about whether I was teasing her, lying, or being serious.
I added one more line.
“Why would I delay without something to believe in?”
“……Hey!!”
Evil God-chan leapt up and threw a strong punch. I chuckled, ready to take the hit, but unlike Yuna’s light punches, this actually… hurts!
I dashed around the ruins, contacting the guy with the facial scar.
===============================================================
“Junior, Lowilen… has been captured along with the boy. Both of them still seem to be alive, though.”
“……..”
“……..”
I demoted the tearful Guy to a tearful Gay!
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