In the grand lobby of a mansion where only incredibly wealthy nobles should reside,
“…Hierarchy sorting…?”
Luisar and Carpen, who had turned into ragdolls.
Boohun-hee and Sonia looked all raggedy.
Frey was bleeding profusely from his nose.
And, among those who seemed reasonably fine, Sirin, Ser, Cartia, and Primavera were sitting quietly on their knees.
“So right now… you’re telling me that you got so angry while sorting the hierarchy that you ended up fighting for real…?”
I looked around at the awkward people sitting in front of me.
Unbelievable…
What started as a light sparring session escalated because someone felt they got hit too hard, making them hit back even harder, and then even harder until they were genuinely fighting.
And it all began with…
“Cartia… Carpen… aren’t you both adults?”
Cartia and Carpen.
It wasn’t a team battle or a one-on-one tournament. Just a free-for-all brawl, and someone got their feelings hurt because of a blind attack, really…?
“Noah… are you angry…? I’m sorry…”
Carpen’s ears drooped sadly, his tail curling in. Squeak-squeak added for good measure.
Seeing such a pitiful sight after being hurt already makes my heart soften…
But no, that’s still not okay.
This incident can’t just fly under the radar.
For whatever reason, the more they fight, the more my divinity diminishes. All because of a squabble.
But if such a squabble goes on for too long, it’ll lead to various issues.
Well, most outsiders could be killed without my divinity, but still, there could be unpredictable situations.
And the most important thing is…
Rubia almost got hurt.
So lost in combat that they didn’t even notice when someone came in. Just like that… fighting… Huh?!
No way.
I won’t forgive them.
“Is an apology all there is?!”
“Hah…”
Carpen’s ears perked up as if struck by my words, then sank back down even deeper.
“I don’t know why, but every time you guys fight… my divinity decreases like crazy… What if a tough opponent shows up… what then?”
Perk?
Carpen’s ears and tail shot up.
Then he opened his mouth with eager eyes, only to be cut off by Cartia’s hand.
“…Instead?”
I looked at Cartia, puzzled.
“I’m sorry; that was a mistake where you would look like an idiot…”
But Cartia was babbling nonsense.
Yeah, let’s save that story for later.
“C-Carpen, that was too much. You almost hurt Rubia earlier with your attack.”
“…Sorry.”
“Did you really not notice I came in…?”
“I was just attacking that way… I-I’m really sorry.”
Staring with narrowed eyes, I looked at Cartia, who bowed his head and apologized.
sigh…
I let out a big sigh, deliberately loud enough for everyone to hear, and slowly scanned around.
People kneeling quietly.
Seeing these prideful folks in this position seems to show that they realize they messed up, so at least that’s a relief.
“…So why did you start sorting the hierarchy?”
As their heads began to rise, looking ready to answer, I pointed at one of them with a snap!
Someone who seems like they’d give the most normal answer.
“Se, Ser, can you tell us what you were trying to rank?”
“…The authority of this place.”
“Authority…?”.
Asking for a drink or demanding a meal isn’t what I meant by authority, right?
“This mansion, where we can stay, was created by Sirin and me. But I only contributed to its completion; Sirin created the overall structure. Therefore, Sirin held the authority over this place, and many discontented individuals arose, leading to this fight.”
…Just a literal hierarchy sorting, huh?
“So… what can that authority do?”
After a moment of contemplation, Ser slowly spoke.
“It can change the mansion’s layout or alter the quality of air. For instance, it’s set up like where Sirin used to live, but using that authority, we can adjust things to make it feel more like where humans lived. And…”
“And…?”
“…It can freely set the connection with you, Noah.”
“Connection… with me?”
I tilted my head, bewildered about what kind of connection they meant, and Sirin, sitting quietly behind, waved her hand.
“…At this point, it would be faster just to show you.”
Then, Pfffft- a screen appeared on the largest wall of the mansion.
“Oh my?”
Rubia gasped in surprise, and the faces of those kneeling in front flushed with embarrassment.
And I… I felt a heat rising to my face.
“Th-That… Is that… my view… being shown?!”
“Not just the view. Everything you feel can be shown too.”
“…So, everything… can be seen?”
I looked back and forth between the screen and the people kneeling in front of me.
They could hide their faces, but there were no answers.
I turned my gaze to Rubia.
She was a bit embarrassed but seemed intrigued while watching the screen.
“…How much… did you see?”
Again, no answers.
Step-step-
I walked forward, stepping over the scattered debris.
“When did you start watching…?”
No response.
“During the festival?”
Silence.
“…Did you see me, from returning to this world?”
A flinch. Carpen and Sonia’s bodies trembled.
“Everything…?”
A wave of embarrassment surged through me like electricity.
I felt as if warmth was radiating from my face, my voice shook, and my breaths turned ragged.
“S-Se, Ser, please answer me. Did Ser… see everything?!”
“…Everyone has a conscience, so they didn’t see all of Rubia’s nakedness. Well, to be precise, I blocked the view so no one saw it.”
Zing- All eyes, except Luisar’s, turned to Ser.
Only then did Ser lift his head, looking around with a gaze that seemed to say, “What are you all gonna do about it,” and chuckled.
“I thought I shouldn’t see it, so I stayed inside.”
Luisar, speaking timidly, added late.
“Luisar didn’t see it… Ser stopped… the others.”
Step. My steps stopped.
Huff- Phew… I collected my breath and looked at Cartia.
“Then, what were the others planning to do if they got that authority…?”
Slightly subduing her gaze, Cartia responded.
“…I see…”
I looked towards Sirin.
“Sirin, you didn’t turn off the screen… during that situation… did you?”
“Ah, um… I simply dozed off a bit…”
“Right…”
Okay.
I had my work cut out for me.
Step-step-
With steps dyed not only with embarrassment but also with rage, I approached Rubia and took her hand, leading her outside the mansion.
“…Everyone, follow us.”
*
“I’m sorry… Noah—”
Tears streamed down Noah’s face.
Seeing that, Rubia paused her words for a moment.
“Pfft… Huhuh…”
She burst out laughing after barely holding it in, continuing her speech.
“Noah will be just fine.”
“…Huh?”
“Don’t worry. It seems like she took a weird detour for a bit, but once she finishes her tasks there… she’ll ultimately return to where she needs to be.”
“Tasks…?”
Noah, wiping away the unshed tears from her eyes in shock, slowly approached Rubia.
“Yes.”
Holding Noah gently, Rubia began to explain based on the memories she retained of Lilith.
“There are no gods left in this world. Thus regulations, concepts, and laws to bind people have all vanished.”
“What…? ‘I’ broke all that? Why? Am I crazy? Was it a mistake?”
Rubia shook her head.
“It was deliberate. She declared it no longer needed, through her words.”
“…Then…”
“Yes. All of that has now fallen on her. However, it won’t be the same as before. It will be entirely different. This world… has turned into a completely new world. A world she has opened.”
A light chuckle escaped Rubia as she stroked Noah’s hair, kissing her forehead softly.
“So, ‘I’ have to stay here forever and protect it now, right?”
“That’s right.”
“…What the hell.”
Noah pondered Rubia’s words.
She contemplated what she might do in that situation if it were her.
“I would surely be alone…”
Indeed, if it were ‘me’, I would remain in this world, forever guarding it. Alone.
With no plans.
Just with the thought that I saved Rubia.
With nothing but the memories shared with her.
I would live on for eternity.
Like a fool.
Thus, Noah continued her thoughts.
How could she assist ‘herself’?
How could she lessen her burden?
If only she could help her until her dying breath, perhaps by smashing those pesky outsiders, then ‘I’ could also spend some happy moments with ‘Rubia’ for a while.
I was, after all, a being whose existence had ended once.
A being who could never feel such happy moments again.
Yet, I was saved because of ‘Me’.
Thus, the remaining time should be for ‘Me’—
“It’s okay.”
Rubia’s bright voice snapped Noah from her thoughts.
“…It’s okay?”
“Huheh…”
Without answering Noah’s question, Rubia gazed out the window, only smiling.
Noah cupped Rubia’s cheeks, forcing her to look into her eyes and asked again.
“What do you mean it’s okay?”
Her blue eyes sparkled.
Her pink lips came close, right next to an ear hidden under unkempt hair.
Then, she whispered.
At the same time, Noah’s face flushed with surprise.
“…Seriously? That can happen?”
“Of course.”
The astonishment shifted to a bright smile.
Seeing Noah, Rubia beamed proudly and got up from her seat.
“How about it?”
Noah didn’t respond.
She simply held Rubia’s hand, giggling.
