Chapter: 534
Hahh. Talking about something good is so tough. Why do I have to go through all this hardship when I said there’s no price to pay?
Erginius is totally misunderstanding something, that’s why we’re able to communicate. If he had said that stuff to an ordinary person just now, they’d have left in a huff with a serious face.
When it comes to dealing with opponents, there’s no skill more convenient than Mesugaki Skill, but when it’s about persuading others nicely, it’s the crappiest skill ever.
Anyway, it seems the conversation is going well, so let’s get to the point. The story about the fairy forest.
I crossed my legs and looked at Erginius, who was chuckling with a resigned smile on his face.
“Not long ago, I heard a pathetic loser who only knows about research talking about a forest where chicken coops live.”
“…You mean the fairy forest, right?”
“Well, where else would I be talking about? Have you got only magic in your head that you can’t think straight?”
Erginius was mumbling with a subtle expression when Arthur approached him.
“Erginius, it’s better to just let him talk. We can sort out the details later.”
“But if we don’t confirm it properly—”
“I thought that at first too.”
Seeing Arthur’s eyes devoid of light, Erginius sensibly shut his mouth.
…Have I bullied Arthur that much? Looking back, I think I may have gone a bit overboard with the teasing.
Every time I poke him, he gives such funny reactions that I can’t help myself. But I never expected him to have that look in his eyes. I think I should hold back for a while.
“Have you finished your little chats? Then let’s get to the main point.”
The situation near the fairy forest that I heard from the professor was extremely bleak.
The barrier was firmly in place, but the Evil God’s Energy that oozed from there devoured the land, turning the surroundings into a hell where no creature could survive.
The noble family near the forest can only bite their nails as they watch the ever-expanding hell each year.
“The situation isn’t good, huh?”
After listening to me till the end, Erginius stated the obvious in a calm tone.
His expression didn’t change much, so it seems he had anticipated this.
“The timing of your visit was good. If you had left the fairy forest a little longer, the barrier would have collapsed eventually.”
“The barrier would collapse, you say?”
Phoebe reacted with shock to Erginius’s bluntness.
Ah, now that I think about it, Phoebe must have been to the fairy forest. The Jushin Church periodically sends people to purify the energy there.
It’s only natural for Phoebe to visit the forest as part of her duties as a saintess.
“After the war, I repaired the barrier countless times. Until the day someone could set my regrets free, the barrier must not fall. Objectively judging, that barrier could withstand for another thousand years unless some variables come into play.”
“But you just said—”
“I said, under the premise that there are no variables.”
The hero party didn’t completely defeat the Evil God.
Though they clearly won the war, their victory was riddled with wounds, and the hero party, who lost so much, lacked the capacity to eliminate those who ascended to divinity.
That’s why the hero party chose the means of sealing.
“Several hundred years have passed since then. The shackles binding the Evil Gods are gradually weakening. So the power rampaging inside the barrier can only get stronger with time.”
The barrier weakens over time, and those sealed within grow stronger with time. Thus, it is only natural that the barrier will eventually crumble.
“On top of that, about ten years ago, there was a period when the Evil Gods’ power amplified unnaturally. The inside of the barrier must have also been affected, so it’s likely in a very unstable state.”
…Huh? There was a time when the Evil Gods’ power amplified? Did the game Soul Academy have such backstory? No, it didn’t. No matter how blurred my memories have become, I wouldn’t forget something that foundational.
That means that incident must be something that happened only in this world.
“But it’s fine. That place will find its righteousness again.”
Facing Erginius’s smiling eyes, I just smiled back without saying anything.
To be honest, unlike the various matters in the past, I don’t have certainty about this case.
The fairy forest, as a dungeon, is an unknown place to me. I’ll do my best, but it’s uncertain whether I could drive out all the darkness inside.
[Just a moment. Lucy, I need to ask that fellow something, could you pass it along? ]
Hearing Grandpa’s voice, I let out a snicker to grab attention and opened my mouth.
“Pathetic Sympathy Wizard. You’re planning to deliberately break the barrier, right? Just to dump all the burden on me?”
“To completely eliminate the Evil God’s energy from the forest, that’s what must be done.”
“And what about the chicken coop’s subordinates inside? What are you going to do about those immature brats who mistake their plays for fun?”
The stillness of the fairy forest is solely because the barrier has put those inside into eternal slumber.
If the barrier crumbles, the monsters lurking within will show their faces.
Monsters that linger in the Age of Myth will surely become a disaster for the nearby residents.
“I’ll prepare a few things before lifting the barrier. The fairies won’t be able to escape.”
“Can you be sure of that?”
“Of course.”
“Really? A sloppy pathetic virgin like you, shut away underground for centuries, can be so sure of everything?”
I’m not doubting the skills of the wizard Erginius.
However, thinking that the plans constructed in one’s head will definitely go right is dangerous.
Unexpected variables come at the worst possible moments.
“…I have prepared dozens of safety devices.”
“What if the leader of the losers gets involved?”
If the creator of that variable is a sneaky loser who has become a god, I should be even more cautious.
“That’s…”
“Yeah, yeah. No need to say more. I already figured out that your head is unnecessarily empty.”
The fact that he can’t readily spit out words suggests that even he isn’t sure.
If the Evil God Agra intervenes, there’s a possibility that Erginius’s safety devices will collapse.
I need to ask about this part separately to prepare more thoroughly.
“Next, pathetic virgin. When the barrier falls, the energy of the fools who have been trapped for centuries will be unleashed. Do you have any countermeasures for that?”
The inside of the barrier is a solitude filled with the Evil God’s power of darkness.
If the energy that has accumulated for so long within is released, who knows what effect it might have?
In a worst-case scenario, a disaster might occur before my miracle can unfold.
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve been thinking about that for a long time.”
“Go ahead, share your pathetic delusions.”
“The energy inside the barrier is rampaging without a master. Power that only follows the orders left by its long-lost master will surely become a disaster if the barrier crumbles unprotected. But if the master appears, the story changes. Those who have longed for their master for centuries will gladly return to their master’s embrace.”
Though I’m not particularly sharp, it wasn’t hard to understand Erginius’s words.
“Have you gone insane being stuck underground for so long?”
This crazy guy is proposing to resurrect the Evil God of darkness. He’s talking about breaking the madness by returning the energy that exists within the barrier to its master.
“Well, who knows? I can’t be sure whether I’m sane or not. For someone like me, a great wizard, a mere few centuries is indeed a long time.”
“What?”
“But the Erginius back then was different. He was wise enough to speak solemnly to the God of Magic, and he would never set out a shoddy plan.”
With a confident expression, Erginius continued, claiming this was faster than saying it a hundred times, and manifested a complex magic circle above his hand.
What kind of convoluted magic circle had he constructed? I couldn’t even guess what fundamental magic it might be. It activated before we could respond, changing the world.
Everything around me turned black. The sound vanished in an instant.
The sensation on my skin disappeared, making me unsure whether I was even sitting in my chair.
Nothing entered my nose.
Nothing lingered around my lips.
It was clear.
Although it might be a mistake for someone other than me, I couldn’t be mistaken.
Having faced the threat of death multiple times, there’s no way I could misinterpret this sensation.
This is definitely the Power of Darkness.
“Now, you should understand, right?”
As the fleeting darkness lifted, Erginius’s bright face emerged.
“The great wizard Erginius has distillated the powers of various gods into the realm of humans.”
My friends’ voices were filled with astonishment.
The sweet scent brushed past my nostrils.
The discomfort of the makeshift chair tingled my senses.
The disgusting taste lingered in my mouth.
“Although I’ve received countless threats, I haven’t passed them down to the next generation, but the knowledge in my head hasn’t been erased.”
Memories of past nightmares surfaced, twisting my gut. I pushed through and tightened my face to hide it.
“Dealing with the Evil God of darkness is something you shouldn’t worry about at all. If I can erase his powers, there’s no easier opponent than that.”
“…Excuse me, you sympathy-less idiot. Just because his powers are gone doesn’t mean the crappy strength he holds disappears as well. Why are you acting like it’s nothing when all you can do is yap?”
“Hm? But surely you—”
His words are correct. If I could erase his powers, dealing with the Evil God of Darkness would indeed become much easier.
Even a loser is still a god, so they will inevitably be a hassle, but if I prepare in advance, I should be able to face him.
So I understand that discussing this is a priority, but it feels like a punishment is needed for the nonsensical babble moments ago.
Narrowing my eyes, I snapped my fingers, and the sloppy fox lurking in the corner transformed into a human form.
“How much do you want me to torment him?”
“Until that pathetic loser begs for his life.”
“Hmm? Ughhh? Wait a moment. Please, hold on. Don’t come closer! Pleaseeeee!” Waaahhh!
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