“Deserted Island… Hmm. One of the islands owned by Sir Quartz. Literally, escaping from there to reach the continent is Sir Quartz’s coming-of-age ceremony. But you… have been on that deserted island for far too long.
Ten years is the first time any of us has ever seen such a duration. How on earth did you manage to live there for ten years? No matter how time was manipulated to feel nonexistent on that island, ten years is just too long.”
Edmund looked at me as if he were observing some curious creature. Was I fascinating to this monstrous caretaker who had spent ten years witnessing my life on that deserted island? I could feel his impatience as I prepared to answer.
His urging prompted me to speak up immediately.
“Life happened to me.”
“Did you plan to live there for life?”
“It was only after ten years that I realized where I had ended up. If I hadn’t met Karina, I might still be living on that deserted island.”
“Normally, the owner of that body would have either died or lived through the coming-of-age ceremony. Anyway, I thought that guy wouldn’t make it since he wasn’t competent… but you were different. I never expected the one with the worst ability would be the sole survivor.”
“Were there many others who went through their coming-of-age ceremonies around the same time as me?”
“There were about thirty of them. The result… most of them died.”
“When you call me the ‘worst’, I can’t help but think those others had better abilities than mine.”
“That’s right. Compared to the pathetic ability that nurtures survival skills, it’s very powerful. Time Manipulation, Spatial Movement, Telekinesis, Pyrokinesis, Super Strength…”
Wow, they had some straightforwardly great abilities. I guess the descendants of Sir Quartz all hold one overpowered ability each.
But why the hell did I only get Survival Ability and a crafting skill that barely made a simple stone tool?
I also wanted an overpowered ability…
If you’re going to reincarnate me, at least let there be some perks!
“Stop looking so aggrieved. Those guys couldn’t get through their coming-of-age ceremony and all died.”
“Do you know why that happened?”
“Having strong powers doesn’t guarantee survival.”
That wasn’t wrong, but… as someone who had faced countless hardships for ten years, I couldn’t accept that easily.
“I can’t wrap my head around how those with such great abilities couldn’t escape that deserted island. I mean, with the ability to stop time, wouldn’t they have zero worries about food?”
“Even if you stopped time, would the mushrooms that devoured them come back out?”
…Oh, so they died from poisoning.
“What about Spatial Movement?”
“They overestimated their abilities and ended up getting bitten by a snake.”
“And what about Telekinesis?”
“A Hydra sprayed poison and smashed them. No matter how strong your telekinesis is, you can’t withstand a monster bent on squashing you.”
…So, they were just like clouds with no silver lining to back up their skills.
“Let’s skip that story. I think I understand what happened broadly. So my second question is, why on earth are you hiding information like that? It took me almost a year and a half to gather basic info about Sir Quartz, so why go to such lengths to keep it secret?”
At my question, he stroked his chin, pondering, then replied nonchalantly.
“Because there are more than a few who want us dead. Security should always be precise, right? Anyway, even if you found out, you can’t come here.”
…Fair point.
If they have the exclusive right to determine the ways to come here, then no matter what I did, I wouldn’t be able to make it.
“And your past self was far too weak. I thought you would die while trying to catch a Dragon, but you cooked that guy quite amusingly.”
Is that why he disguised himself as a Harpas; it left an impression on him?
“And you dispatched the Dragon in no time. I doubt there’s anyone stronger than you in this continent now. So, it turns out, you’re now eligible to inherit the legacy, even though you’re not technically a descendant of Sir Quartz.”
When Edmund mentioned inheritance, he seemed to wear a face of relief. Is it that joyful to have someone eligible to inherit?
This all feels unsettling.
“Once you pass the final test and receive the inheritance, you’ll be able to go head-to-head with outsiders.”
“Shouldn’t it be handled by someone from Sir Quartz directly?”
“Why should it be you?”
From what I hear, it sounds like there are plenty of descendants of Sir Quartz.
“If we make a move openly, they’ll openly invade us back. There are many who harbor grudges against us. But if you go alone, then we’ll have our own words to say. Just a mere anomaly.”
“I might be fooled by such words.”
“The war with the gods is fundamentally about justifications. Anyway, there aren’t many outsiders trying to invade this world. If we deal with them, Kalon will restore the barriers on his own. After all, we’re just tenants here, and he’s the manager of this world.”
As he spoke, it seemed he had some relation to Kalon. Well, it would indeed be strange if he didn’t.
Setting-wise, he was close to becoming the only god, and he practically was.
“I get it roughly. So, can you tell me what inheritance is?”
“It means you receive his blessing.”
Is that what they mean by inheritance? Well, whether it’s a Phoenix or a World Tree, blessings usually provide tremendous power, so it didn’t seem so odd.
“So, that means I’d have three blessings?”
“Three? An unprecedented successor will be born.”
“Has that ever happened before?”
“Even receiving just one leaves a mark in history, so three? Your name will forever be mentioned among the people of the continent.”
Is it really that big of a deal?
Well, I guess that level of achievement is significant. I mean, I would be reaching unprecedented realms.
“Anyway, I understand that receiving that blessing is called inheritance. Can you tell me what type of blessings they are?”
“That’s something you will have to experience directly.”
His answer was evasive, and he stood up, walking towards the door.
“Follow me. Before you take your final test, you’ll need to meet the family members.”
I wasn’t too keen on that.
Since he said from the start that there were no normal folks, I didn’t greatly wish to meet them, but at the same time, avoiding them completely wasn’t possible. Reluctantly, I followed him.
——————-
How long did I walk through the deserted corridor? I started to feel out of place in this seemingly endless corridor.
Why does it seem endless? This mansion may be large, but it shouldn’t be this big!
“This corridor doesn’t seem to end.”
In response to my question, Edmund kept walking forward and answered.
“Here’s the first friend—Rona. This man is the heir who will inherit the legacy.”
“Aaaah-ttiiiiii!”
What was that? Why do I hear her voice from up above?
I instinctively tilted my head up to look at the ceiling. There, I locked eyes with a woman who was standing upside down, looking down at me, or rather, looking up at me.
A woman with pale skin tinted black and long gray hair that didn’t seem to fall down.
“Hey-Hi.”
“Am I the only one who’s come to the corridor today?”
“Eh?”
“Can you let me down? I need to introduce you to the others.”
“Alright.”
“Please close your eyes for a moment.”
I closed my eyes as he instructed. Suddenly, the sense of unease washed away from my body.
“Now, open your eyes.”
As I opened my eyes again, the scene before me revealed a normal corridor. One that clearly had an end.
“Was that person who was standing upside down a member of the family? How fascinating.”
“That’s right. By genealogy, she’s your great-aunt.”
A great-aunt… but she looks around Karina’s age.
Not that it matters here.
“I guess we should visit this room first.”
As he did before when he entered the reception room, he knocked on the wall. Suddenly, a properly sized door began to appear as if drawn on the wall.
“I’ll introduce you to the relatively mild-mannered family members.”
When he grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, beautiful singing floated through. A lovely, delicate voice. Is it another woman? Cautiously, I shifted my gaze toward the source of the voice.
“This person is about… your sixteenth cousin.”
Even he himself seems confused. Although it makes no sense. I watched a gender-neutral boy, singing while seemingly sewn shut around the mouth, holding a music box.
It was hard to determine the boy’s gender, but upon seeing me, he shyly waved his hand.
“That’s Liquor. He loves singing so much that he spends all day singing with his vocal cords transplanted to a music box.”
What? They transplanted vocal cords to a music box?
With a bizarre explanation, I stared at Liquor, who then extended the music box toward me and activated it.
Suddenly, the music box started singing a short greeting in a beautiful voice, combining words together.
“Hello~”
“…Nice to meet you.”
This is just something else; whatever I had in mind, it’s beyond imagination.
I trembled at the fact that this was only a small glimpse of the Quartz family.
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