It’s unfair.
“This was sealed for so long, right?! I just happened to deliver the final blow today by chance, didn’t I?!”
“No, Jonah didn’t do anything.”
” Lydia’s right. If we had to say, it would be me and Lydia who dealt the final blow.”
“Let’s go with that! There’s no way I’m some poison that can’t even withstand a calamity, right?!”
Despite my desperate voice, Benny could only grin.
“Well, you were just fine until me and Lydia attacked, but the moment you touched Jonah, you were in so much pain it was like you were dying. Considering that the Prime Doppelganger copies everything perfectly… don’t you think your thoughts are so toxic that even a calamity can’t endure them?”
“Yaaagh!”
I can’t accept this reality!
Screaming, I vainly tugged at Benny’s cheeks.
“Why are you pulling my cheeks?!”
“Because it hurts when you pull mine!”
“Fine! Then I’ll pull yours!”
“Guaagh!”
In the end, Benny and I were rolling on the ground while pulling each other’s cheeks for a while.
Thud.
Suddenly hitting someone’s feet. I looked up, and there was Karen with a calm expression as if she was completely unfazed.
“Karen! What do you think? The Prime Doppelganger was just weakened, right? It’s not because I’m some dangerously chaotic person, right?!”
“….”
Karen, who had been looking down at Benny and me for a moment, knelt calmly and made a sign of the cross.
“This too must be the will of the Goddess….”
“Ugh!”
Karen never said outright that I was harmless.
But, well… honestly, I can understand it a bit.
As Benny mentioned, the Prime Doppelganger is a being that perfectly mimics memories.
If only the right materials like a god’s corpse exist, it’s even capable of imitating divinity.
So, the reason it touched me must have been to replicate my appearance.
I can guess the reason. I’m kind of the central figure in this party. And the most defenseless one too.
It probably wanted to transform into me and cause chaos in our party.
…But the moment it touched me to imitate me, the Prime Doppelganger naturally read my memories.
Being capable of imitating even transcendents when the conditions are right, it must have accessed the memories of my soul, not just my body.
I don’t know exactly what the Prime Doppelganger saw and what it was so shocked by.
But I can make some guesses.
“It’s cliché, but….”
For some reason, if this world resembles the novel I was going to write and it’s not just a coincidence but really my novel manifesting into reality.
Then the information in my head could be considered extremely high-level knowledge, comparable to the creation of the universe.
And usually, just approaching such information would drive someone insane or make their head explode; that’s a cliché too.
After all, it needed a god’s corpse as a material just to imitate divinity. It’s undoubtedly immense power, but…
I may not know its real strength or level, but if it’s imitating me—who’s positioned like a god among gods—and my knowledge led it to go insane, that explains everything.
That stubborn Gear Doppelganger was instantly neutralized, leading to its sealing, and even the once catastrophic Prime Doppelganger was easily destroyed. The Goddess’ remarks urging us to proceed without hesitation despite being too dangerous for our party all make sense.
Everything fits perfectly.
But if these assumptions are indeed true, then naturally, another problem surfaces.
If Earth was not a different world but rather a higher realm, then how did I end up on the Pan Continent, and for what reason was I summoned?
The only being capable of such a thing is the Goddess of Love, but what is the meaning behind her boundless favor and gacha abilities towards me?
Currently, there are no answers. But I can’t help but feel the threads of a massive plan I’ve subconsciously touched upon.
However, as I mentioned earlier, this dilemma is one I can’t resolve at present.
The anxiety I had been suppressing suddenly surged up, but nothing has changed.
“Huh….”
Taking a deep breath, I slowly closed and opened my eyes.
What I saw was my companions looking at me with worried expressions.
Benny, who hadn’t let go of my cheek just a moment ago, carefully spoke up.
“Jonah. Why all of a sudden? Don’t overthink it, you’re the saint, right? With the Goddess’ power, you should be fine, right?”
“Thank you, Benny. I’m okay now. I just needed to sort out my thoughts and just finished.”
“…Really? Are you okay now? It’s not my fault, right?”
“…….”
Seeing Benny’s suddenly brightened expression made me feel a little horned up inside.
Letting the rising annoyance flow without resisting, I said, “Well, I suppose it’s not really Benny’s fault, but… I guess I was a bit hurt because of you….”
“What?!”
Benny’s eyes widened before me, and I shook my head dramatically.
“Hah… I should get compensation for this mental shock, I guess?”
“Y-you’re not serious…!”
Benny looked overly cautious, as if she genuinely thought I was asking for money.
With a playful smile towards her, I said, “I’ll confiscate your side dishes for a week.”
“…Side dishes? Confiscate?”
Benny tilted her head in confusion, not understanding what I meant.
I mimicked holding something and waved my hand at her lightly.
“You know, for this.”
“What does that even mean…?”
“Oh, maybe you’re more familiar with this?”
Realizing I had unconsciously used a gesture from Earth, I quickly changed my hand shape.
I spread my palm wide and wiggled my middle and ring fingers up and down, pretending to poke something.
Benny, finally catching on, jumped and shouted.
“What are you planning to do with that?!”
“Of course, to know Benny’s preferences.”
“…What are you going to do with my preferences?”
Trying hard to appear indifferent, but the excitement in her voice and expression betrayed her.
Seeing her made me chuckle as I leaned closer to Benny.
“What? Did you think I’d prepare some event that fits Benny’s tastes?”
“Gyah!”
“Benny, come on! A big dream you have there. But there’s an order to these things. First is Ellie, then Lydia. After that is Eve, and lastly, you, Benny.”
“W-what?! Last in order?!”
“Order? How could you say something so hurtful? It’s just the order we met, okay? I was just saying I’d give you a gift of side dishes that suit your taste; it wasn’t anything deeper than that.”
“…Huh?”
“Oh my. Did Benny really think I’d become her side dish for an event?!”
“Th-that is!”
“Oh my. To think Benny was looking at me like that….”
I glared at Benny with a mixed expression of mild hurt and overwhelming disgust, stepping back slightly as Benny’s complexion paled.
I enjoyed the sight for a moment before shrugging.
“Just kidding.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ve always known Benny has been looking at me with those lewd eyes, it’s not something to be surprised about now.”
“…….”
Benny’s eyes rolled around, unable to decide whether she should be happy or not.
Watching her, I felt a tangle of complicated thoughts, and all the accumulated stress and negative thoughts seemed to evaporate.
Not hiding my beaming smile, I picked up the gray orb left by the Prime Doppelganger.
The orb flinched the moment my hand touched it, but quickly returned to a round shape once it realized what it was facing.
I don’t know what condition it has or if it’s just a calm personality, or if it went quiet after touching me once again—none of it matters.
What’s important now is somehow defeating the calamity. And now that I secured the loot, all I need to do is leave.
When in doubt, searching for answers is always a good idea. I pulled out the Goddess statue from my pocket.
“O Goddess, O Goddess. Please guide me back home this time.”
It was a casual prayer. But, the Goddess of Love responded.
Fwoosh!
The pose returned to its usual form, but a bright pink light was radiating from the statue.
“Everyone! Gather here; it feels like something’s about to happen!”
At my shout, my party rushed over. Once we were all physically connected by holding onto each other’s arms, legs, shoulders, etc., the light pouring from the Goddess statue intensified.
I reflexively closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, I smelled.
“Ugh. Smell.”
The musty air filling my nostrils, mixed with the stench of decay that made me want to curse.
We had returned to the bottom of the moat.
I showed the gray orb I had just gathered to my bewildered companions and asked, “I’m not tired, so shall we hunt a bit longer? …I also want to test what this is.”
Fortunately, no one opposed.
*
Crunch!
“What the hell! What are you doing eating that?!”
The gray orb swallowed Ellie’s prosthetic arm.
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