Chapter 59

World and Dimensions.

They aren’t exactly the same thing, but explaining the difference between the two would require too much detail, so let’s move on—

A god like Edel, who oversees an entire world, can perceive beings from other dimensions.

“But they only have knowledge of them. Gods don’t interact with other dimensions. The risks are too high to cross the dimensional barrier just for idle conversation.”

If Edel had taken that risk and communicated with other dimensions, would the current situation have been different?

It could have made things worse, bringing about an even greater catastrophe, or perhaps knowing about the Dimensional Creatures in advance might have allowed everyone to prepare, preventing any mishaps.

One way or another, things would have been different.

“I don’t know exactly how the Dimensional Creatures came to be, but I do know what they want.”

They invade other dimensions and absorb the energy of those dimensions.

When a dimension’s energy is drained, it gradually falls ill and ultimately meets its end.

Just like the current state of Silia.

“I should have blocked them from entering from the start. By the time I realized, it was already too late.”

Catching a rat that sneaks into your storage is a hassle, but it’s doable.

However, if the rats in your storage aren’t just a handful but so many that you lose count, in the dozens, hundreds, or even more—

And if you keep catching them but they just keep coming from some unknown hole that you can’t block—

Then burning down the entire storage and rebuilding it from scratch might be the better solution.

Or, you build a new storage and move everything inside to the new one.

The Dimensional Creatures were like that.

The only difference was that unlike a storage, a world cannot be destroyed and remade, nor can you simply move its contents elsewhere.

After a long, arduous battle against the Dimensional Creatures, Edel chose to continue existing by submitting her world to another.

A god has immense pride.

And their pride in the world they’ve created is no less.

For such a god to swallow that pride and decide to subjugate her world to another, it only proves how much Edel loves the world she created.

…Or so she says.

As I quietly listened to Edel’s story, I suddenly interjected.

“So, Dimensional Creatures are that dangerous, huh?”

I already knew they were dangerous, but to think Edel, of all beings, would be pushed to the brink like this… I couldn’t help but wonder.

For someone who’s said to be on the verge of downfall, the pressure she exudes is far stronger than anyone I’ve met so far.

It’s hard to believe that she was overwhelmed by beings I could handle by myself.

“Of course, the strong ones are licking their wounds after battling me. It’s not like I got beaten down without putting up a fight, you know?”

“But you lost in the end.”

“…I’m going back.”

“Sorry.”

“…Anyway! That’s partly why. And since the hole in the dimensional barrier isn’t that big yet, the really dangerous ones haven’t crossed over. But as time goes on, stronger ones will start coming through. When that happens, the rate at which this world falls into ruin will only speed up.”

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Edel imitated the sound of a clock ticking.

“It’s like having a ticking time bomb, I suppose?”

“Didn’t subjugating yourself to Earth solve the problem?”

“Unfortunately, no. That was just a way to slow down the timer on that time bomb. Unless the root of the problem is resolved, it’ll eventually go boom—!”

“…Why are you telling me all this?”

Not only did she descend in person, but she’s also explaining all of this to me.

Isn’t this way too much kindness for just one human?

Edel, who had been fiddling with the statue, approached me softly.

Step by step.

The closer she got, the more emotions I could read in her eyes.

“You’re already aware, aren’t you? You are my sword.”

“….”

“To kill those that ruined my world, I’m willing to extend this level of kindness and more.”

Her eyes, which always held a playful glimmer, revealed a sliver of deep-seated emotions that she had kept hidden.

For a moment, I couldn’t say anything.

I never expected a god, who is fundamentally different from any mortal being, to show such human emotions.

But that glimpse was fleeting.

Quickly regaining her composure, Edel returned to her playful self, a mischievous smile curling on her lips once more.

“So, so, do you have any more questions? Feel free to ask anything. For my little bird, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

“Decide, am I your ‘little bird’ or your sword?”

I guess it’s only natural there’s a reason behind her kindness.

I don’t know how I’m supposed to defeat beings that even a god couldn’t overcome, but since she’s gone this far, there’s no need to refuse her offer.

I did have a lot of questions, after all. This works out perfectly.

Swoosh—

“Alright then, what are you trying to accomplish through the Apostles… I mean, the Players? Is it your doing that no one else finds them odd? If so, did you arrange it so that I’m the only one who can tell something’s off? And—”

“—Wait, wait, hold up!”

Edel frantically waved her hand to cut off my barrage of questions.

Sweat trickled down her forehead as she spoke.

“…Can you ask them one at a time? If you ask like that, I can’t answer properly.”

“Aren’t you a god? Can’t handle this?”

“Ugh, you really are an annoying little brat.”

…If it weren’t for that fact, I’d have knocked you on the head already.

Edel mumbled softly to herself, her voice so faint it was almost inaudible.

But it was only for a moment. In an instant, her face softened, exuding an aura of benevolence.

Her smile was so gentle, it seemed almost divine, and the atmosphere shifted dramatically.

“Is that what you really want to know?”

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I felt my breath catch in my throat at her counter-question.

“…No.”

…None of that really matters.

What I truly want to ask is—

“…Why did Garid have to die?”

If she has the power to grant such abilities to countless Players, saving a single person should’ve been nothing.

Even in game terms, it’s just reviving a mere NPC, isn’t it?

Were the lives of the people in Silia nothing more than expendable entertainment for Earthlings?

“Calm down for a second.”

“I am calm.”

“Do you really think saying that with such a fierce look on your face makes you seem calm at all?”

My face?

When I raised my hand to touch my face, I felt the familiar texture of my soft skin under my fingertips.

It didn’t feel any different from usual.

“It’s true that I possess the power to resurrect.”

“Then—”

“But I’ve never used it to satisfy personal desires. I would never break the cycle of life and death I created with my own hands. Do you know how troublesome and exhausting it is to bend the established rules?”

“…That’s what the historical records said.”

“That’s because either the person in question wasn’t really dead, or they paid a massive price to twist the rules. If you’ve read the historical records, you should have an idea of what they sacrificed.”

I snapped back at her, agitated.

“I know that much—”

“No, you don’t.”

Edel firmly cut me off.

“Maybe in the future, but right now, you’re not strong enough to break the rules.”

“…Then what about the Apostles— I mean, Players? They…! They’re barely able to handle a single monster—!”

“Calm down.”

“Calm…? Do I look like I can calm down right now?”

“See? You said you were calm, but you’re not calm at all.”

Edel sighed, as if she were dealing with a troublesome child, before continuing.

“I hate to admit it, but it wasn’t something I accomplished alone. It was the result of cooperating with Earth’s Administrator.”

Even though Silia is subjugated to Earth, Edel still retains authority over Silia.

Likewise, the only entity able to interfere with humans from Earth is Earth’s Administrator.

Thus, the two of them worked together.

“They breathe like people, talk like people, move like people, but the Apostles’ bodies aren’t their real bodies. When the concept of ‘death’ doesn’t exist, how can the concept of ‘resurrection’ exist?”

“….”

From the start, she never granted them the power of resurrection.

…Then why did I come this far?

When I first heard about the Apostles from the blacksmith, I just wanted to confront Edel.

But as time passed, I started to suspect that this world might really be a game.

Rather than dying and coming back to life, maybe it just looked that way, as Edel said.

“…Ha.”

I let out a bitter laugh, almost involuntarily.

…Why am I so disappointed now, when I’d already thought that was the case?

Maybe, deep down, I wanted Edel to acknowledge the unfairness and bring Garid back.

Or perhaps I just needed a target to vent this boiling resentment toward.

But after hearing Edel’s words—

“This way, I can’t even resent you….”

I couldn’t hold any resentment toward Edel.

Somewhere in my mind, I unconsciously acknowledged that she had done her best in her own way.

“….”

I felt everything I’d been holding onto crumble away.

After leaving Garid’s side, it was only this goal that kept me going.

What do I do now?

…It felt as though the only light that had been guiding me had been extinguished, and a suffocating darkness settled in my heart.

“This isn’t what you really wanted, is it?”

“…What do you mean?”

Edel casually reached out to me.

You’re saying that’s not what I wanted?

Her statement, which directly contradicted my own feelings, made me reflexively respond.

“If that’s not what I wanted, then what is it?”

“Isn’t that something you should know? How would I know what’s in your heart?”

“…What?”

She can read thoughts, and yet—

After saying something like that, she still spoke so indifferently.

Edel’s sudden counter-question snapped me out of my growing sense of emptiness.

I raised my head in disbelief and looked up at her without bothering to hide my annoyance, but she just continued to smile at me with that same soft smile.

“Why do you think you came here with Joanie?”

“…That’s because I needed someone to act as a translator and to confirm if my suspicions were correct….”

“If that were all, wouldn’t there have been a simpler way? For example—”

Crackle!

Edel’s body suddenly sparked, and in the next moment, her previously clear form turned faint, almost transparent, as if the scenery behind her could shine through.

“It seems like that’s all for today. Whew, calming down a child is really difficult. I’m starting to respect humans all of a sudden.”

“What? Wait a minute…!”

“Even if you say that, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“…Didn’t you say I could ask you everything I wanted?”

“I didn’t expect time would run out this quickly either.”

Edel smiled sheepishly, saying, “Sorry!” and winked with a playful expression.

But even as she smiled, her figure continued to blur until she was barely discernible.

“…Three days. I should be able to recover enough in about three days. Come back then, and think deeply about what I said until then. If you have the resolve—”

Edel’s words were abruptly cut off, and she vanished.

The divine power that had filled the prayer room dissipated, leaving only traces of the sacred energy she had shed swirling in the air.

In the prayer room, now suddenly enveloped in silence, I remained on my knees, blinking quietly.

“…So, what was it that I wanted?”

For some reason, I felt as though Edel was smiling at me.

***

***

***

Joanie’s mood was exceptionally good today.

“Mmm…!”

She woke up refreshed, after a sleep so comfortable it could only be described as blissful.

“Ah, twin yolks!”

She cracked an egg for breakfast, and it turned out to be a double yolk.

“Eh? Really? I actually won?!”

She even received a call that she’d won a prize from a raffle she’d entered just for fun.

After a series of small strokes of good luck like that, Joanie thought:

“Today’s definitely going to be a perfect day…!”

One of those rare, flawless days that only comes a few times a year.

But she had overlooked something important.

“Ka-Kana?”

Just because a day starts well doesn’t mean it will end well.

You know, like how they say the first impulse is just a fluke, or even if you buy takeout, you might not get to eat it…?

There are so many sayings and instances that prove this to be true.

Joanie, who had been chatting with her viewers in her room, turned to welcome Kana with a cheerful face when she heard the door open, but upon seeing Kana’s expression, she froze in a comical, awkward pose.

“…You.”

Kana’s lips moved slightly, as if she were about to say something, but then she remained silent and threw herself onto the bed.

Thud!

She then pulled the blanket over her head.

Joanie muttered as she looked at the bulging blanket.

“…What’s going on here?”

—Teenage angst?

—Pff, Kana’s sulking.

—That’s exactly how my little sister acts.

“Teenage angst…? Teenage angst?”

…Is Kana even at that age?

Even if it was teenage angst, can someone who was perfectly fine until this morning suddenly act like this?

—That’s what teenage angst is.

—They get upset for no reason, yeah.

—I mean, that’s just the nature of puberty.

“No, what I’m asking is, does teenage angst start out of nowhere like this? Kana may have been a little rebellious, but she wasn’t the type to act emotionally.”

—Well, there’s that…

—Yep, that’s a fact.

—Who knows.

“…Sigh, I’m the fool for trying to reason with you guys.”

Joanie sighed deeply and turned her gaze away from the chat window.

Could it be that she was just heartbroken because she didn’t get what she wanted?

But it didn’t seem like disappointment.

Analyzing Kana’s behavior, Joanie finally raised the white flag in defeat.

The one thing she was sure of was that the Kana she’d seen in the morning and the Kana she was seeing now seemed like completely different people.

“I wanted to watch the Descent Festival with her….”

Joanie, who usually clung to Kana and whined and threw tantrums, couldn’t bring herself to do that now.

Everyone has their own line that shouldn’t be crossed.

Even a normally calm person can become a beast if someone crosses that line.

The boundary in Kana’s heart, as Joanie saw it, was usually set very high.

It was low in some places, but for the most part, it was too high to cross unless you deliberately tried to provoke her.

But today, Kana’s line was so low it seemed to sink underground.

Approaching her now would definitely lead to trouble.

With that realization, Joanie gulped.

The sense of crisis she felt now was on a completely different level than when she’d eaten that impossibly spicy Phoenix Fried Rice.

“…I guess it’s okay to just let today pass! Yeah!”

You’ve been struggling for days, right?

Just think of today as a day off!

No way she’ll be like this tomorrow too, right?

Joanie tried to ignore the nagging anxiety creeping up on her and forced a smile.