“I’m dead.”
Just now, one of my ‘eyes’ lost its life signal.
I was a man endlessly wandering through the forest.
He walked until his feet were covered in blood, seemingly unaware that he had a frail body, and eventually collapsed from exhaustion.
Considering his past, it was a somewhat empty fate.
“Oh, Schlus. Welcome to the Magic Society Headquarters.”
“……”
When I opened my eyes after closing them, the clerk at the counter was sweating cold for some reason.
Magic Society Headquarters.
It had become a place I visited frequently these days.
Recently, my rank as a magician had risen significantly, achieving Stella-level status.
As an undergrad, I had reached a level comparable to Ludwig as a scholar.
“All the papers you submitted have been reviewed and will be posted soon… But, Schlus… It’s great that you’re uncovering new phenomena that shake the society, but could you please develop a logical explanation system for it and submit it along with your work?”
“You’re asking for a lot from an undergrad. Just shut up and accept my new papers.”
“Pl-please, can’t you submit the new papers later?”
“……?”
As I was about to take out the documents from my pockets, the clerk hastily grabbed my arm and looked around nervously.
What on earth was going on?
I had rushed to complete five papers, as my study was slowly overflowing.
What am I supposed to do if you won’t accept these?
“What’s going on?”
“Well, it’s because if you submit a paper, there will be countless people who will starve themselves just to prove it.”
“Is that my fault?”
“Not exactly… But since you’re discovering new things, it would be better if you could mathematically prove them as well…”
Sorry, but that was impossible.
While a Majin’s head is incredibly fast and precise with calculations, the issue is that they themselves can’t explain the process.
As a result, whenever I dug into something, new discoveries poured out, but I was always left without any explanation for why those phenomena occurred.
I heard rumors that if I could prove all the contents of my papers, I could awaken the truth of the world…
Of course, that was nonsense.
Even with omnipotent power, I still didn’t understand the truth of the world, let alone my wife’s inner thoughts.
“It’s due to my lack of learning. I need to learn something to find a system to explain these.”
“Please, just finish your undergrad program quickly and prove at least some of the papers you submitted. I’m begging you. At this rate, all the scholars will starve…! ”
“What’s unfortunate is unfortunate, and I’ll submit this anyway. Whether you take your time to post it or not is your business.”
“Gah?!”
Just as I slapped the stack of papers down, the clerk hastily pointed at the papers with his whole body and rushed inside the counter.
There was no longer any room in my house.
With my hands shoved in my pockets, I trudged along, realizing that what the clerk said wasn’t an exaggeration.
“Ugh. Ugh…”
“Aah! It’s definitely true. If a Majin observed it, it must be true. But why does it happen like that? I have no clue!!!”
“……”
I saw several shabby-looking scholars stumbling about like zombies while letting out peculiar screams.
It was somewhat scary, and as I quietly tried to pass by…
“Huh?! Isn’t that Schlus?”
“What? Schlus?!”
“Schlus! Could you take a look at my research for a second? Just for a moment! Just to see if my calculations are correct!”
“Schlus! I’ve read all your papers! But you haven’t proved a single one! This one seems to be 90% done, but I need to check if there’s an error…”
“Uagh! Get away!”
Suddenly, a horde of zombies rushed toward me, and I was taken by surprise.
As I freaked out and screamed, a voice of salvation suddenly rang out from behind.
“You idiots! You’re not supposed to rush at him!”
“Huh? What do you mean?!”
“What do you think is the reason Schlus visited here? Of course, he came to submit a paper! Which means…”
“The counter! Schlus has a new paper to submit!”
“How dare you take the paper and act like you don’t know! That’s outrageous!”
“Overwhelm him! Hand over the paper!”
In an instant, the zombie horde surged toward the counter like an avalanche of skeletons.
It was terrifying to see how emaciated humans could be so fierce.
I left the chaotic counter behind and exited the Magic Society Headquarters.
The weather was refreshing.
Except for the slight guilt of having sacrificed an innocent clerk, it was a perfect day.
“But now, what should I do?”
The time was just too much, and I had nothing to do.
Of course, once the semester started, I’d be busy finishing my undergrad, master’s, and then doctorate, hardly stepping foot at home, but for now, it was vacation.
Even though it’s busy at night, days were relatively free.
Usually, I’d be looking for something to do, calling over one of my (future) wives to play, or if that didn’t work out, I would think a bit and dash off some papers.
Having seen the dreadful looks on those paper-craving fiends today, I really didn’t want to touch papers at all.
Was there anywhere to go?
“Ah.”
An appropriate place came to mind.
I clapped my hands and picked a suitable ‘eye’ to teleport to the institutional sky.
I didn’t make the absurd mistake of swapping places with Erwin.
That guy is free now…
‘Is this it?’
Unfolding the Recognition Interference Barrier, I gently landed on the ground and saw people pouring in like a tide toward somewhere.
It was a shrine.
Recently completed under the leadership of Flechette, that worship hall could hold as many as 5,000 people.
It was my first time entering the interior, though.
“Wow. What a worship hall this is; it’s like a baseball stadium.”
“……”
“Wow. The size of the statue. Whoa.”
“……”
“Whoa. The ceiling is just so high… ”
“……”
I couldn’t hold back my awe while looking around.
This is the shrine that worships me as a god.
It felt weird yet not bad.
At first, I felt only resistance to being worshipped as a deity, but now I was able to enjoy it too.
“Wow…”
“Ugh, stop being so blown away.”
“How tacky.”
Every time I exhaled in admiration, I felt gazes from those around me.
Thanks to the Recognition Interference Barrier, they didn’t seem to know that I was the god they worshiped.
As I strolled freely, I finally found the place I was looking for.
A quiet prayer room in the basement.
It was a space filled with silence where no one came and went, and I approached the door as if bewitched and pushed it open.
Creeeak…
Inside, a girl was kneeling with her hands clasped together, bowing her head.
However, there were no statutes or crosses in front of her.
She was earnestly praying toward a plain white wall.
“Have you come, Schlus?”
“How did you know it was me?”
As I made a sound, Iris lifted her head and smiled softly.
She didn’t even need to turn around to recognize me.
“Did you see the future where I was coming?”
“No.”
Iris quietly shook her head.
Then she turned slightly and showed me that adorable smile.
“I thought that only Schlus would come to a place like this. You’re the type to be drawn to places that are empty, quiet, and have a strange atmosphere.”
“It’s not like that. I was just looking around for you and searched every inch of the shrine.”
“Ah…”
Iris’s cheeks gradually turned red.
She seemed to have no shyness in front of people, but when we were alone, she became quite the bashful Iris.
“Hm, hm. I see. So you were looking for me…”
“Weren’t you calling out for me too? You were praying.”
“Why do you think the object of my prayer would be Schlus?”
“Now you’re not just the Aigis church’s saintess but the priestess of Schlus. So shouldn’t it be you who believes in me?”
“I do believe in Schlus. But I’m not worshiping you.”
“If people find out about this, it could become a big issue.”
“Fufufufu…”
The saintess of Schlus not diligently serving Schlus.
If caught, Iris wouldn’t be able to avoid excommunication.
I casually wrapped my arms around Iris’s waist.
“Then do you still believe in Aigis?”
“Well, it’s hard to say that for sure. There is definitely a god that can control this world, but I don’t think it’s the Aigis they mention. Technically, I should say I’m not serving any god right now.”
“Then who were you praying to just now?”
“I don’t know either!”
“……”
Iris smiled cheerfully and answered.
It was so absurd and her smile was so pretty that it made me laugh.
“I might have gotten into the habit of praying for the well-being and happiness of the believers who follow me and Schlus…”
“You always think the same way. Iris, you’re way too nice for your own good.”
“That’s not exactly true. After all, we’re doing this in a sacred place where we should be praying.”
Iris’s arms wrapped around my neck, and she clung to me.
It was a soft yet intense hug.
As I held her warm body, I felt an inexplicable guilt wash over me.
I thought I might have been a bit indifferent to Iris lately.
How about I let Iris do whatever she wants today?
“Iris.”
“Yes, Schlus.”
“I’ll do whatever you want today. Just tell me what you want me to do.”
“Umm…”
Iris started to hum thoughtfully.
What Iris wanted was pretty much set.
To hug me tighter or maybe a kiss if we went further.
Being the diligent Iris, there was no way she’d go further than that in the prayer room.
At that moment, Iris grasped my arm behind her waist and slowly guided my hand to her lower abdomen.
“Schlus.”
“Uh?”
“Please don’t be surprised by what I’m about to say…”
At that moment, chills ran down my spine, and I froze.
Could it be that I can read people’s inner thoughts through Future Sight?
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