Question and Answer

51

Survivors, eh?

Asero Kerke once told me that if I didn’t stop the Oracle, the world would be destroyed again.

Which meant the world had already faced destruction at least once.

“This ‘former era,’ are you talking about the ancient times?”

“That’s what you seem to call it these days.”

Kaiohs answered my question with a snap of his fingers.

A table and two chairs then flew from elsewhere and landed on the ground.

“This might be a rather lengthy story. If you don’t mind, let’s sit and talk.”

He sat down, and I took the seat opposite him.

Kaiohs was the first to begin.

“As I said before, my comrades and I are survivors from what you call the ancient times. We barely survived the destruction and have been eking out a living ever since.”

“By sucking the life out of young people, I see.”

I simply spoke of what I’d witnessed, but Kaiohs seemed to take it as censure.

“Life that would simply be wasted and vanish if left unattended. If it can be of help to the saviors of humanity, wouldn’t that be more meaningful? That aside, quite unexpected. Didn’t peg you as the type to preach morality.”

He saw that much correctly. I wasn’t trying to preach morality.

I was merely disgusted by the filthy desires of these old men.

However, wasting this hard-won opportunity on such a discussion would be a shame.

“I couldn’t care less about that. So, why did the ancient era come to ruin?”

“Seems to me you’ve already figured it out… are you just asking for confirmation, then?”

Naturally. Confirmation is essential.

Especially when it concerns matters of the stars.

“Very well. If you desire an answer, I shall provide it. As you suspect, the Oracle gathered the Seven Stars, inserted them into the Tablet of Creation, and thereby brought about the end of our era.”

Hm. So it was as I thought.

“The means to survive the destruction?”

“That, I will only reveal once you become one of our brethren.”

So I’m not to hear it.

Not that it mattered much.

Judging by the existence of these false stars and the method of their operation, I could formulate a few plausible hypotheses without much difficulty.

“What is the purpose of creating these replicas of the stars?”

“To eventually create something that transcends the true stars themselves.”

“And why would you seek to create such a thing?”

“To recreate the world into a true era for humankind alone.”

I figured as much.

Pretty much what I expected.

Perhaps because the reason wasn’t particularly original, I showed little reaction.

Kaios continued, regardless.

“The gods created humanity out of a whim, to use as playthings. While Praus supposedly rebelled against the Moon Goddess for the sake of the persecuted humans, that too was merely a justification to seize the seat of the Chief God, and a smokescreen to hide his own perverse inclinations.”

A rather intriguing perspective.

Certainly, Praus, the ‘first human simp’ in the eyes of the other gods and contemporary humans, would hardly have seemed normal.

“The gods have always arbitrarily created, arbitrarily manipulated, arbitrarily saved, and arbitrarily killed humans. Now, the time has come to sever that long cycle.”

You speak with great passion, but I have something I’m curious about.

“Haven’t the gods already vanished? It would seem the age of humankind you speak of has already arrived, no?”

“Not so. As long as the stars created by the gods remain in this world, one cannot say that the age of humankind has truly dawned.”

Your standards are rather exacting.

“I have answered your questions; now, it is my turn to ask. What is your purpose? Why do you wear that ring, why did you stop the replica Ras from going berserk, and why did you follow me here?”

My purpose? It’s really nothing of consequence.

“Just trying to protect the world, as plainly as that.”

“Do you think this world is worth protecting?”

Of course not.

After her death, the world became inconsequential to me.

But she said if she was going to throw it all away, I should at least protect the world first, and I promised her I would.

There are times I want to forget the promise and everything else and just cross over, but for now, I live to keep it.

I once read in a book that the words left by the dead are like a curse, and that’s exactly what it is.

“No. I don’t think it’s worth it, but I will still protect it.”

“…Difficult to understand, but I suppose you have your reasons. But consider this. Even if you don’t solve it, the seal on the stone tablet will eventually break.”

I know that too.

When the seal on the stone tablet breaks, I, who hold the key, will naturally know.

From that moment on, it will begin.

A bloody battle to claim the stars.

“The stars and the stone tablet have a strong attraction to each other. If that happens, destruction becomes a foregone conclusion. Only we, Oblivion, can stop it.”

I don’t know what confidence they have to say they can prevent the destruction, but even if I generously concede that it’s true, there was no way I would cooperate with them.

“You said you would create a new world solely for humans. Then what happens to the current world?”

“It will be destroyed as fertilizer for the new world. I know what you’re trying to say, but it’s inevitable…”

I couldn’t help but sigh.

“You’ve been trying to sound reasonable since earlier, but what you’re doing is no different from what the gods have always done to humans.”

The very act of trying to create a fake star proves that.

“You don’t want to transcend the gods. You want to become them.”

“………………”

A sudden gust of wind swirled.

The wind, centered on Kaios whose face was filled with murderous intent, engulfed me, but of course, it had no effect.

After a moment, the wind subsided, and his face returned to normal.

But he couldn’t hide the murderous intent, regardless.

“At first, I thought you were intelligent and tried to recruit you. Then, I was surprised by Laplace’s Demon. But now I see that you are no different from the ignorant masses who cannot understand the grand plan.”

Still, Kaios gave me one last chance.

“Judging by the fact that you know the power of Ras and Sloth, you must also know the power of the other stars. If we can recreate that formidable power, we can do anything.

See the future,

Create the desired outcome,

“One could manipulate the very fabric of existence,

stain everything with darkness.

Even resurrect the dead. Surely you know this? There must be someone you long to see again, wouldn’t you say?”

Indeed.

Someone I wish to meet even in dreams.

Which is precisely why it cannot be.

Her death is mine and mine alone.

My memory, my recollection, and only I can recall her with longing.

No god, no thing, can steal that from me.

In the first place…

“To resurrect one whose fate was toyed with by the gods, with the power of those same gods… what sacrilege is this?”

Khaos rose slowly from his seat upon hearing my reply.

“The negotiation has failed, then. A pity. In that case, you shall starve to death here.”

How eloquently spoken.

He intended as much from the start, once my usefulness waned.

That aside, this man Khaos was assuredly more dim-witted than that Oracle girl, the one who was their leader.

It is commonly known that a person can survive three weeks without food, and three days without water.

Three days. Enough time for me to escape this place and be enjoying afternoon tea in my carriage, heading back to the Empire.

There are several methods, of course, but shall we begin with the easiest?

“The conversation is over. You may come in now.”

“What in the world are you… ugh?!”

Khaos, who had been standing, was flung back as if struck by a concussive blast, colliding with a stone statue.

As the dust from the collapsing statue cleared, he rose to his feet, roaring at the figure who now stood beside me.

“Asero Kerke! You would betray your own kin?!”

Asero Kerke merely shrugged casually.

“Frankly, I have no memories, so whether you lot are truly my kin is beyond me. But at this juncture, you are definitely the ones I should call enemies.”

“Such foolishness! You chose that whelp over me?!”

Whelp? Is he referring to me, perhaps?

“Think again! Nothing can be achieved without sacrifice! As it stands, you will only be toyed with by the Oracle again, and then be destroyed!”

“That remains to be seen. Having decided to trust, I will trust to the end. Farewell, erstwhile kin. Perhaps.”

Asero Kerke placed a hand on my shoulder, and just as before, the scenery inverted, revealing a different vista.

This space-transfer magic looks incredibly convenient.

“I was hoping you could eliminate them, if possible.”

“Don’t ask the impossible. That Caios fellow from earlier is no pushover. Even in a one-on-one fight, who knows how it would turn out, and if his comrades had joined in, we wouldn’t have made it back unscathed.”

I see. If an expert says so, then it can’t be helped.

“Regardless, thank you. I’m in your debt again.”

“Still, this time was a little better since it was prearranged, unlike last time. Then, I’ll come find you again when it’s time to return to the capital.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

“Huh?”

As Asero Kerke turned to leave, I informed her of something she’d forgotten.

“What was the location of that place earlier?”

“Ah, right. I almost forgot. It’s quite far, so by the time you arrive, there probably won’t be anything left, but we can’t just leave it be.”

“You know me well.”

After telling me the location of the Oblivion’s base, Asero Kerke finally vanished from sight.

Then, alone, I walked toward the illuminated encampment, where Francesca, along with the Owls and my siblings, rushed out to greet me.

Well, then, the real Act 1 begins at last.

I turned my gaze back, thinking how I wanted to drop everything and rest soon.