Book 6: Chapter 4

「……Could you please explain.」

「Yes, we request an explanation. There must be some sort of reason for doing that.」

Ichika and Gordy pressed Vermudol, who was sitting in a chair, for an answer.

Since his castle office was destroyed, Vermudol used his private room as his substitute office, and was processing documents there. There were several documents piled on top of the desk, but in this situation where Ichika and Gordy were pressing him for answers from both sides, there was no way he could focus his attention on those documents.

With a cool face, Vermudol answered the two who had enough force that seemed like they would have grabbed his collar if he wasn’t Vermudol.

「There isn’t really anything to it. Isn’t it only natural that the things that those guys destroyed be repaired by them?」

「They are enemies, you know?」

「Former ones.」

With Vermudol answer with a carefree mood, Gordy sank into silence with an expression that said she still wanted to say something.

Since that certainly did make sense, she couldn’t find material to use as a counterargument.

Seeing that situation, Ichika breathed a sigh, and expressionlessly glared at Vermudol.

「Vermudol-sama. Just what did you see in there?」

「……What are you talking about, Ichika-dono.」

「It is about Vermudol-sama’s ability. At that time, Vermudol-sama should have connected with Ykslaas’s Life Seed. What did you see at that time? Is that the reason for your current reception towards Ykslaas?」

After making a short reply to Gordy, Ichika pressed Vermudol for answers even more.

Being focused on by Ichika who had pressed him to the point of bringing her face close to his, Vermudol opened his mouth as if it couldn’t be helped.

「……Pretty much. But what I saw wasn’t when I connected with her Life Seed. It was after that.」

『After that』──Ichika understood that what these words indicated was after Vermudol collapsed.

When Vermudol connected with Ykslaas’s Life Seed, he received damage to his own soul and collapsed.

Since his body was moved by 「Ryou」, who was Vermudol’s past personality, during the time he was unconscious, she thought that Vermudol himself was doing repairs on his soul while he was asleep……but going on what she could see of the current Vermudol’s state, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

「The truth is, at that time, a part of information of my soul was stored in a different place.」

「Is something like that possible……No, but. Something like the storage of a soul, just where would it be?」

Unlike Gordy who couldn’t really grasp an understanding of the whole thing, Ichika seriously thought about the meaning of that in her own way.

And then, she immediately understood.

「Is it, within Ykslaas?」

「Exactly. I was temporarily stored within her. Well, I was also only able to understand it after actually doing it though.」

Since he had done it almost unconsciously, even if he were to do it a second time on purpose, it was something considerably difficult.

However, the things that were done were done.

「And so, well……I had read various pieces of information that were etched into her soul, see? No, it wasn’t like I did it on purpose. To begin with, the public information of the soul is generally what is meant for the outside world, and it would be pointless once it slips into the interior.」

「……Vermudol-sama. Even if you explain things that are even more complicated that this, we will be unable to understand. Just a summary and the conclusion is enough.」

After Ichika said that as she looked at Gordy, who was making a difficult face and pondering, with a sidelong glance, Vermudol nodded.

Putting it simply, Vermudol temporarily became a part of Ykslaas.

This is only natural but putting aside if it was from someone else, it isn’t possible to keep a secret from one’s self.

Even if it something that the person themself had forgotten, it would be engraved in their soul as information.

Therefore, Vermudol learned various things.

About the details of the Sacrifice’s Cage that coiled around Ykslaas’s soul, and even the truth about Ykslaas.

He didn’t know if the matters regarding the God of Life were erased or were never there in the first place, but even so, he was able to get a general understanding about who Ykslaas was.

After Vermudol made a rough explanation like that, Gordy opened her mouth.

「……Ahー……I am unable to get a good understanding of all of this, but in other words, your warm heartedness towards her is because you felt sorry for peeking at various things without her acknowledgement, is that it?」

「It’s a bit different. Rather, this was a measure due to understanding that Mazoku known as Ykslaas more than I ever could.」

Saying that, Vermudol smiled.

Vermudol came to understand the truth about Ykslaas.

And then, he tinkered with that information a bit, and induced Ykslaas herself to know that truth.

That is why Ykslaas was convinced that they would become her allies.

「……Say, you guys. Have you ever had questions about this?」

Vermudol hit the desk with a *kotsun*.

「According to legends, the God of Life Philia created Humans first. And then, other races were birthed after that. These races worshipped some other God and received their divine protection. No, it could be said that the races themselves received influence from the Gods. What meaning is there to this?」

For example, the Sylphid. They worship the God of Water Aklia and the God of Wind Wyrm, but in actuality, many of them receive the God of Wind Wyrm’s divine protection. They are a race that have nimble movements, and naturally live together with the wind.

And then, the Metalio. They worship the God of Fire Agnam and the God of Earth Atlagus, and they probably also strongly receive the divine protection of one of those Gods.

Going even further, in the St. Altlis Kingdom’s Grand Temple, the Humans that receive the God of Life’s divine protection serve as priests.

「This is what I think. Depending on the God-type that they received the influence from, wouldn’t the race end up changing……see.」

「H, however……In that case, that would not explain halves and quarters.」

Vermudol nodded at Gordy’s rebuttal.

「That’s true, you’re exactly right. But that also can be explained with a single deduction. In other words, the time that the Gods made any influence was only during the first creation of that race.」

After that, the various races were left to take their natural courses.

If that were the case, that would also explain halves and quarters being birthed.

And then, above all, that would make it possible to consent to how there were people who received the divine protection from different Gods.

The reason why their origin and thereafter are related to the divine protection of the Gods──that is probably what it was.

It is a very irresponsible story, but since the God of Wind Wyrm had tried to give his divine protection to Nino who was a Mazoku, it didn’t seem like that deduction was wrong.

「However……how does that relate to the earlier story about Ykslaas?」

「Nn……well, don’t be in a rush. The story starts from here. In other words, the races were split by the Gods’ influences. However, with that being the case, don’t you think that there’s too few of them?」

There are a total of seven Gods.

The God of Life Philia, the God of Light Raidolg, the God of Darkness Dagulas, the God of Fire Agnam, the God of Water Aklia, the God of Wind Wyrm, and the God of Earth Atlagus.

And yet, mankind had four races.

Humans, Beastmen, Sylphid, and Metalio.

「H, however, wouldn’t that just mean that the influence of multiple Gods was put into one race?」

「I see, that is also a possibility.」

After Vermudol nodded at Gordy’s comment, he continued with a “but……”.

「A problem comes out with that. For example, let’s say that Humans had the influence of the Gods of Life and Light. Even if the Canal Kingdom worships the God of Light, if we think about how it’s a country with various races, this is by no means an irrational opinion. And then, let’s say that the influences of the Gods of Water and Wind are with the Sylphid, and the influences of the Gods of Fire and Earth are with the Metalio. Well, just for argument’s sake……but you see.」

Coming this far, Gordy also understood.

That’s right, there was something that was lacking.

Seeing the look of understanding dwelling in Gordy’s eyes, Vermudol nodded.

「In that case, where is the influence of the God of Darkness Dagulas? Within the current territory of mankind, it’s said that there is almost no one that worships the God of Darkness. Does that mean that the God of Darkness was the only one that had no influence on any race?」

「Could it be, does that mean it was the Mazoku……?」

Vermudol went silent at Gordy’s mutter……and then, he quietly shook his head sideways.

「I had also thought that way for a time……but, to begin with, we’re of a framework that’s different from mankind.」

Mankind and Mazoku are both large heading categories.

Just like how mankind is subdivided into Humans, Sylphid, and Metalio, Mazoku are also separated into races like Goblins and Beastia.

In terms of form, mankind and Mazoku had similar parts, but they are different.

「In that case, just what……」

「The answer to that, was within Ykslaas.」

Vermudol took a single document out from within his desk and threw it onto the desk.

It was a part of the report he received from a Mazoku named Ein who was one of the intelligence operatives.

「Within here, a monster called an Element was mentioned.」

The Element was the monster that Rokuna met when she headed mankind’s territory before in her research on Summoning Magic.

They appeared only in the Shutaia Continent, were generally made out to be a type of natural phenomenon, and were said to not even have souls.

「Is there something about this Element or whatever……? Could it be, are you saying that this was the thing made with the God of Darkness’s influence?」

The crease in Gordy’s brow became even deeper.

「That’s a bit wrong.」

When Vermudol said that, he started flipping through the document.

「This is a remnant. No, if anything, it would probably be right to express it as the result of a curse.」

As for why──

「It’s because Elements were actually a race that existed in the past after all.」

「……Could it be.」

「It’s exactly that, Ichika.」

Vermudol showed a nod to Ichika.

「That’s right. Ykslaas’s origin, is a certain member of mankind……the extinct race, an Element.」