With a light thud, Laila’s words threw the fluffy atmosphere into a heavy gloom.
“Ser was created…”
Rubia, who had been wearing a mischievous smile while looking at Ser, suddenly stiffened.
It felt like being trapped in a claustrophobic, suffocating space.
In the prickly atmosphere that poked at every inch of their body, Ser raised their head, which had been buried in their arms.
The expression on Ser’s face gradually emerged.
“Indeed, is that so?”
A bright smile was plastered across their face.
“Eh… Se, Ser…?”
“Why do you call for me, Noah?”
“Umm… Uh…?”
Thinking that perhaps their senses were malfunctioning, Noah repeatedly offered and withdrew a hand to Frey, but Ser’s expression remained unchanged.
…Am I too shocked that I’ve gone mad…?
With a refreshing smile directed at Noah, Ser tidied their messy hair and turned towards Laila.
“Is it certainly true that I was created by you?”
[It is a fact.]
“Is that so… Heh, hehehe…”
After sitting down, Ser finally leaned back in their chair, crossing their legs and glancing back and forth between Noah and Rubia.
“…Ser.”
“Rubia, please do not stare at me like that. After all, it’s a rare occasion for me to encounter a being like myself. Shouldn’t I be glad?”
“But—”
“There is no ‘but.’ Haven’t I told you before? You and I are alike. We are inevitable beings. That was the answer. Given the hazy data, we arrived at a clear conclusion above all else.”
With a swoosh, a tiny spirit was summoned from Ser’s hand.
“I am indeed a genius.”
As Ser gently stroked the spirit perched on their palm, they extended their arm to pass it to Laila.
Instantly sent flying toward Laila, the spirit tilted its head eagerly, then zipped over to her with a big smile.
[Well then, you must have a rough idea of how the future will unfold.]
–kyaaaaa…
Laila, gently cradling the spirit that flew into her arms, poked its cheeks and looked back at Ser.
“Yes.”
[Could you possibly tell us?]
Ser’s gaze, previously fixed on Yggdrasil, suddenly stopped at Noah and Rubia.
“I refuse.”
[What…?]
“Eh…”
“Excuse me?”
Seeing the dazed expressions on Noah and Rubia’s faces, Ser chuckled softly, slowly raising their hand to wave in the air.
At the same moment, with a crack, the roots of Yggdrasil that Laila was leaning against split apart.
[Huh?]
Ser’s tea set, a familiar sight they always carried, floated up with the help of three struggling spirits.
“Would you like some coffee?”
[Haha, ha ha ha!! To accomplish such a feat in such a short time!]
“Haven’t I mentioned? I am a genius. For someone like me, this is as easy as brewing a cup of coffee.”
[What an arrogant statement! Khehehe!]
With carefree laughter, Laila reached out toward the tea set that the spirits were struggling to hold while Ser shot them a smug glance.
Amidst this tense stand-off, the little spirits began sweating profusely as they gauged the mood between Ser and Laila.
“Spirits. Come this way.”
[Are they not too heavy? I’ll take them.]
“It’s something I always do.”
[I heard that you handle spirits roughly, but you really seem to treat them cruelly. Don’t you pity these cute little ones?]
“Those perverted little creatures may look delicate, but they honestly love being tossed around.”
[Nonsense.]
In the sharp exchange of words between Ser and Laila, the small spirits trembled, releasing a small sigh as they flew over to Ser.
–kyuui…
“Did you see that? I won.”
[Oh my goodness…]
Ser made a playful V-sign towards Noah and Rubia while laughing mischievously, beginning to pour the coffee.
Clash – thump – clang –
The spirits, diligently bringing over what was needed without being asked, delivered the finished drinks to the front of Noah and Rubia before returning to Laila to relax.
–hiiik… hick… kuuu…
[Ugh… You all have worked hard…]
Laila looked at the coffee mugs the spirits provided with a troubled expression, gently stroking their backs before tilting her mug.
“…Is it okay to drink this?”
“Feel free.”
“Ha…”
Next to Noah, Rubia also gazed with reluctance at the coffee mug stained with the spirits’ sweat and tears, before finally forcing herself to gulp it down.
Meanwhile, Noah alternated between staring at the ‘coffee mug’ in hand and Ser’s ordinary smile.
Closing their eyes tightly, they took a sip of the coffee.
It wasn’t sweet like usual; it was incredibly bitter.
“By the way, what did Ser just do that made Laila… so surprised?”
“It’s nothing much. I simply changed the connection of Yggdrasil rooted in the spirit realm to the ‘real’ Yggdrasil.”
Seeing Ser with an incredulous expression, Laila returned the tired spirits to the roots of Yggdrasil.
[When you say it like that, it sounds trivial. Shaman. My descendant just performed something utterly insane. Think about a normal human with no medical knowledge or healing magic pulling out and then putting back all their internal organs. That would be a terribly complicated task, no?]
“…Yes. I suppose so.”
[Correct. And that fellow just pulled off that stunt without a hitch, something that could leave them a half-wit for life, just as easily as brewing coffee.]
Rubia’s shocked eyes turned towards Ser.
Noah, too, stared at Ser, still holding the espresso that was refusing to slide down their throat.
But Ser hardly reacted, shrugging as per usual.
[Were you planning this all along?]
“It’s a secret.”
Laila’s question carried an implication that resonated deeply, while Ser’s brief reply seemed to sweep it all away.
The coffee in Noah’s mouth was unbearably bitter.
Ser, who usually provided strawberry milk, had mysteriously served coffee today, acting like it was just another normal day.
The Monster of the End and Cartia, usually raucous in Noah’s mind, were strangely silent.
Even Rubia, who couldn’t miss such a tense atmosphere, was unusually quiet.
Breath felt stuck.
Their chest tightened.
It felt like something sharp was lodged in their throat.
It was annoyingly uncomfortable and suffocating.
Of course… the solution to these feelings was simple.
Just ask Ser and Laila.
They would definitely give an answer.
But…
Why couldn’t they ask?
Why didn’t they want to know?
Why was their instinct refusing to resolve the questions?
No idea.
They didn’t know.
But enough was enough; it was too frustrating to ignore.
“gulp… huh…”
Suppressing the uncomfortable and stifling feelings, as they struggled to pry open their tightly shut lips.
[Ha, I can’t take this anymore.]
The moment Cartia’s voice, having been silent until now, forced their lips shut again.
“Ca, Cartia?”
They had made a tremendous resolution.
It was a serious determination…
Yet, blocked by Cartia’s simple words…
They were annoyingly relieved.
[Why can’t you just say things in a way that’s easy to understand?]
“Eh… Just a moment—”
[It’s fine. Just stay still.]
With a yank, Cartia snatched the coffee mug from Noah’s hands and gulped it down with a slosh.
With a sharp momentum, they glared at Laila.
[It’s been a while, Cartia.]
[Been a while? How absurd.]
[Have you found all your memories?]
[Yep.]
[Glad to hear it.]
With a thud, a rough chair rose next to Noah, placing it’s half-awkwardly next to him.
[This slippery-snake-like woman still can’t shake off her habit of speaking like garbage.]
[How could it possibly be fixed in an instant when it formed over eons?]
[Shut up.]
Laila accepted Cartia’s brusque tone with grace and handed her a flower.
[I’ve remembered the scent you like until now. How about it? Does it please you?]
[Hmph!]
Although it looked a bit rigid, Cartia dropped into the chair without hesitation, snatching the flower from Laila and snapping the stem with a crack.
[Why are you acting all soft now, Ser? I thought you were sharp as a tack, but you seem weak-hearted!]
“…That’s not true.”
[Tch, well, whatever. You’re human too; it must be hard to speak up.]
Cartia patted Ser’s shoulder before directing their gaze at Noah.
[So, let me explain. I’ll only say it once from now on, so listen closely.]
With a clatter, trembling fingers gripping the coffee cup, a crack appeared in Ser’s mask.
[Rubia was a creation of Lilith to protect this world. In contrast, Ser was created to destroy this world.]
A bright smile deepened on Laila’s face as she leaned against the roots.
[To be precise, it wasn’t about destruction; Ser was made to transform it into a new world.]
[Don’t be ridiculous.]
With a thud—Frey, brimming with killing intent more than usual, was summoned into Cartia’s hand.
[Noah. If Laila dies here and now, the false Paradise will begin to descend.]
“F-False Paradise…?”
[Rubia and Ser’s lives will be the price. A gateway to the higher realm will open.]
