Amid casual conversations and a lukewarm atmosphere, we finished our lunch and headed to the Abyssal Flower Field with President!
As expected, the “Abyssal Ash” seems to fall only in this flower field.
Is there some sort of rule for that?
“How about it, President?” I ask, as he promptly begins collecting the “Abyssal Ash.”
“No, it’s not enough.”
…This is hopeless!
“…So, we still need to eliminate the Origin,” President reports, causing everyone to look as if they’re dead fish.
“It’s bound to grow bigger and reappear, isn’t it…”
Since Kariya is on healing duty, the greater the damage, the more work he inevitably has.
Moreover, in his case, most of his job involves… well, directly facing gruesome images.
Lately, he’s even started to wield a sword, so his workload must be immense.
“Well, can’t be helped, right?”
This time, Katori plans to pre-charge energy before planting flowers on the Origin.
That way, at least one shot will be incredibly powerful.
I think such strategies are important.
After all, we can completely decide when to start fighting the enemy, so we should thoroughly prepare as much as we can.
“Maybe we should ask the Demon Lord. There might be an effective way to fight. Since we’ve already eliminated the Origin, I think it’s okay to visit,” Suzumoto suggests, opening up the possibility of a breakthrough.
After all, the Demon Lord is the one who created the Origin!
So, it wouldn’t be strange if he knew one or two simple ways to eliminate it.
“That seems to be the most effective option right now,” President approves, and we decide to visit the Demon Lord’s house.
…This time, we made sure to bring some tea snacks!
And so, we arrived at the Demon Lord’s house in the Abyss.
As always, his home exudes an elegant atmosphere.
When we knock on the door, a casual “come in” greets us, just like last time.
As usual, huh. Yeah.
“We’re coming in.”
So, just like last time, we make ourselves at home!
“Ah, you’ve arrived. How did it go?” the Demon Lord greets us, still engrossed with his delicate crystal chess set.
…Doesn’t he ever get bored?
“We’ve eliminated three of the Origins.”
As usual, the Demon Lord prepares tea for us, and as we sip it, he nibbles on the tea snacks we brought.
“You’re quick. It must have been hard to find them. Did that young lady’s familiars prove helpful?”
Referring to them as “familiars” might make someone angry (mostly Ketorami).
Ketorami, Glida, Marbello, and primarily Tera… and the newly joined Shuura.
Yes, they’ve all been very helpful.
“And so, what is it you wanted to ask?”
The Demon Lord prompts us for our question with a slightly pleased look. We’re grateful for the opportunity. After all, we want to resolve the issue quickly.
“When we eliminate the Origin, the monsters that appear are getting bigger.”
…However.
“Wait. Monsters? What are you talking about?”
…Huh?
The Demon Lord looks genuinely puzzled. If he’s pretending, it’s a remarkable act.
“After planting and blooming the ‘Azure Seeds,’ mysterious creatures… sort of, started appearing. They were small at first, but by the third one, they grew to about 2 meters in size,” Suzumoto explains with confusion, and the Demon Lord falls into thought.
…Oh no.
“Sorry, but when I created the ‘Void Spheres,’ I didn’t make them to spawn monsters. If monsters are appearing… it must mean some change has occurred…”
…Hold on! Isn’t that bad?!
The Demon Lord himself doesn’t know? That seems… seriously bad.
“What was the purpose of creating the ‘Void Spheres’ in the first place?”
I asked, thinking it might shed some light on the situation.
…Upon asking, the Demon Lord’s expression suddenly became… more human-like, as if a rush of emotion came over him.
“…To resurrect the goddess.”
Let’s recall the nature of the Origin.
The Origin is known for its property of endlessly absorbing magic power, a fact known to the temple as well.
Hence, the “Abyssal Ash” that falls into the Abyss when it’s eliminated has the property of stabilizing magic power. It’s as if it’s capturing it.
And the goddess.
The goddess… when humans opened what’s known as the Abyssal Gate, she gave humans magic to counter the monsters from the Abyss, and then… turned into a book, perhaps as a consequence.
So… it’s unclear whether the goddess became a book due to shrinking in scale or for some other reason.
“The ‘Void Spheres’ were created to recover the lost magic power of the goddess.”
Meaning, the Origin was absorbing magic power to replenish the goddess’s power.
“If it’s for that purpose, let this rotten world perish.”
Humans received magic power from the goddess, and as a result… became corrupt, as evident from observing the temple.
…Above all, the temple’s teachings today claim that the Demon Lord is evil and was defeated by the goddess.
Probably, the world didn’t move in the direction the goddess had hoped.
So, it’s understandable why the Demon Lord would think this way.
“However, Fiana wouldn’t allow it. Even as a book, she remained a goddess,” the Demon Lord says with a sigh, his voice losing color.
“She chose the world over herself.”
…Whether “herself” refers to the goddess or something else.
A brief silence fills the air, punctuated only by the clear, sharp sound of a cup touching a saucer.
“The ‘Void Spheres’ were supposed to channel magic power to Fiana, but since she refused it, they ended up as mere magic-absorbing entities. In that sense, I and Fiana are responsible for creating the ‘Void Spheres.'”
“So, the goddess made it so that monsters appear when the ‘Void Spheres’ are eliminated?”
I might need to visit the goddess’s book after this…
“…The monsters appearing might be a mechanism installed by Fiana…”
Hmm… it seems we need to inquire further.
“Excuse me. I have something I’d like to ask,” President interjects, raising his hand. What could it be?
Prompted by the Demon Lord, President takes a breath and asks, “When a certain high priest came to the Abyss long ago, the ‘Abyssal Ash’ was already present, right? Does that mean the ‘Void Spheres’ had already been eliminated?”
…A blind spot!
“Yes, that’s correct. However, it wasn’t the high priest who did it; it was Fiana. …Not long after they were made, many were eliminated. …Though I created nearly a thousand, less than a hundred remain.”
…Ah, I see. That’s how it is.
You really wanted to resurrect the goddess, didn’t you?
“It was after I gave the first ‘Azure Seed’ to that high priest that humans became able to eliminate the ‘Void Spheres.'”
Hmm… yes, that makes sense.
The hero summoning wasn’t our first.
Meaning, some Origins have already been eliminated.
…And yet, some still remain, huh…?
…And since the temple uses the term “defeat” for the Origin, it implies they recognized the Origin as turning into monsters.
Then, President realized the peculiar aspect of this problem.
“Wait a minute. The first time we eliminated a ‘Void Sphere,’ the monster that appeared was small and disappeared quickly. As we’ve continued, the monsters have become larger and stronger… If there’s a pattern to this, when the temple first began eliminating ‘Void Spheres’… the creatures must have been the size of water fleas or smaller. Would you call that ‘defeating’ them?”
One possibility that comes to mind is this:
“If someone different plants the ‘Azure Seed,’ maybe it resets to the size of a soccer ball.”
So far, President has been the one to bloom flowers from the Origin.
If someone else does it, maybe it changes…
“…It might sound irresponsible, but if Fiana and I created it, there should be some pattern,” the Demon Lord says. He values intelligence, and so does the goddess, cherishing the intellect obtained through the Demon Lord. Yes.
…I just remembered something.
Something Arianne said.
She mentioned something like, “The Demon Lord created the Origin to unite people.”
…If that’s not far from the truth… maybe it’s the goddess’s doing.
Creating a common enemy for humanity might have been the goddess’s goal.
If so, the transformation into monsters makes sense, but the pattern is unclear…
After a bit more discussion, we decided to take our leave.
For now, we moved from the Abyss to the 2nd floor south.
“Then, let’s try the idea Maito mentioned earlier. If it’s just one more level, we probably won’t struggle too much.”
Meaning, someone other than President will make the Origin bloom…
“Alright, here we go.”
Kariya places an “Azure Seed” on the Origin, focusing his energy. Oh, I mean, his magical power. Yes.
…And sure enough, a light resembling the sea or sky overflows, searing our eyes…
…A huge monster, seemingly over 4 meters tall, appeared.
Who said changing the person would turn it back into a cute, soccer ball-sized creature?
…Me!
“[Extinguish Light EX!]”
And the monster evaporated along with the surrounding ground.
“Back to square one.”
“For now, let’s ask the goddess’s book…”
Complaining as if saying, take responsibility for what you’ve created…
Amid casual conversations and a lukewarm atmosphere, we finished our lunch and headed to the Abyssal Flower Field with President!
As expected, the “Abyssal Ash” seems to fall only in this flower field.
Is there some sort of rule for that?
“How about it, President?” I ask, as he promptly begins collecting the “Abyssal Ash.”
“No, it’s not enough.”
…This is hopeless!
“…So, we still need to eliminate the Origin,” President reports, causing everyone to look as if they’re dead fish.
“It’s bound to grow bigger and reappear, isn’t it…”
Since Kariya is on healing duty, the greater the damage, the more work he inevitably has.
Moreover, in his case, most of his job involves… well, directly facing gruesome images.
Lately, he’s even started to wield a sword, so his workload must be immense.
“Well, can’t be helped, right?”
This time, Katori plans to pre-charge energy before planting flowers on the Origin.
That way, at least one shot will be incredibly powerful.
I think such strategies are important.
After all, we can completely decide when to start fighting the enemy, so we should thoroughly prepare as much as we can.
“Maybe we should ask the Demon Lord. There might be an effective way to fight. Since we’ve already eliminated the Origin, I think it’s okay to visit,” Suzumoto suggests, opening up the possibility of a breakthrough.
After all, the Demon Lord is the one who created the Origin!
So, it wouldn’t be strange if he knew one or two simple ways to eliminate it.
“That seems to be the most effective option right now,” President approves, and we decide to visit the Demon Lord’s house.
…This time, we made sure to bring some tea snacks!
And so, we arrived at the Demon Lord’s house in the Abyss.
As always, his home exudes an elegant atmosphere.
When we knock on the door, a casual “come in” greets us, just like last time.
As usual, huh. Yeah.
“We’re coming in.”
So, just like last time, we make ourselves at home!
“Ah, you’ve arrived. How did it go?” the Demon Lord greets us, still engrossed with his delicate crystal chess set.
…Doesn’t he ever get bored?
“We’ve eliminated three of the Origins.”
As usual, the Demon Lord prepares tea for us, and as we sip it, he nibbles on the tea snacks we brought.
“You’re quick. It must have been hard to find them. Did that young lady’s familiars prove helpful?”
Referring to them as “familiars” might make someone angry (mostly Ketorami).
Ketorami, Glida, Marbello, and primarily Tera… and the newly joined Shuura.
Yes, they’ve all been very helpful.
“And so, what is it you wanted to ask?”
The Demon Lord prompts us for our question with a slightly pleased look. We’re grateful for the opportunity. After all, we want to resolve the issue quickly.
“When we eliminate the Origin, the monsters that appear are getting bigger.”
…However.
“Wait. Monsters? What are you talking about?”
…Huh?
The Demon Lord looks genuinely puzzled. If he’s pretending, it’s a remarkable act.
“After planting and blooming the ‘Azure Seeds,’ mysterious creatures… sort of, started appearing. They were small at first, but by the third one, they grew to about 2 meters in size,” Suzumoto explains with confusion, and the Demon Lord falls into thought.
…Oh no.
“Sorry, but when I created the ‘Void Spheres,’ I didn’t make them to spawn monsters. If monsters are appearing… it must mean some change has occurred…”
…Hold on! Isn’t that bad?!
The Demon Lord himself doesn’t know? That seems… seriously bad.
“What was the purpose of creating the ‘Void Spheres’ in the first place?”
I asked, thinking it might shed some light on the situation.
…Upon asking, the Demon Lord’s expression suddenly became… more human-like, as if a rush of emotion came over him.
“…To resurrect the goddess.”
Let’s recall the nature of the Origin.
The Origin is known for its property of endlessly absorbing magic power, a fact known to the temple as well.
Hence, the “Abyssal Ash” that falls into the Abyss when it’s eliminated has the property of stabilizing magic power. It’s as if it’s capturing it.
And the goddess.
The goddess… when humans opened what’s known as the Abyssal Gate, she gave humans magic to counter the monsters from the Abyss, and then… turned into a book, perhaps as a consequence.
So… it’s unclear whether the goddess became a book due to shrinking in scale or for some other reason.
“The ‘Void Spheres’ were created to recover the lost magic power of the goddess.”
Meaning, the Origin was absorbing magic power to replenish the goddess’s power.
“If it’s for that purpose, let this rotten world perish.”
Humans received magic power from the goddess, and as a result… became corrupt, as evident from observing the temple.
…Above all, the temple’s teachings today claim that the Demon Lord is evil and was defeated by the goddess.
Probably, the world didn’t move in the direction the goddess had hoped.
So, it’s understandable why the Demon Lord would think this way.
“However, Fiana wouldn’t allow it. Even as a book, she remained a goddess,” the Demon Lord says with a sigh, his voice losing color.
“She chose the world over herself.”
…Whether “herself” refers to the goddess or something else.
A brief silence fills the air, punctuated only by the clear, sharp sound of a cup touching a saucer.
“The ‘Void Spheres’ were supposed to channel magic power to Fiana, but since she refused it, they ended up as mere magic-absorbing entities. In that sense, I and Fiana are responsible for creating the ‘Void Spheres.'”
“So, the goddess made it so that monsters appear when the ‘Void Spheres’ are eliminated?”
I might need to visit the goddess’s book after this…
“…The monsters appearing might be a mechanism installed by Fiana…”
Hmm… it seems we need to inquire further.
“Excuse me. I have something I’d like to ask,” President interjects, raising his hand. What could it be?
Prompted by the Demon Lord, President takes a breath and asks, “When a certain high priest came to the Abyss long ago, the ‘Abyssal Ash’ was already present, right? Does that mean the ‘Void Spheres’ had already been eliminated?”
…A blind spot!
“Yes, that’s correct. However, it wasn’t the high priest who did it; it was Fiana. …Not long after they were made, many were eliminated. …Though I created nearly a thousand, less than a hundred remain.”
…Ah, I see. That’s how it is.
You really wanted to resurrect the goddess, didn’t you?
“It was after I gave the first ‘Azure Seed’ to that high priest that humans became able to eliminate the ‘Void Spheres.'”
Hmm… yes, that makes sense.
The hero summoning wasn’t our first.
Meaning, some Origins have already been eliminated.
…And yet, some still remain, huh…?
…And since the temple uses the term “defeat” for the Origin, it implies they recognized the Origin as turning into monsters.
Then, President realized the peculiar aspect of this problem.
“Wait a minute. The first time we eliminated a ‘Void Sphere,’ the monster that appeared was small and disappeared quickly. As we’ve continued, the monsters have become larger and stronger… If there’s a pattern to this, when the temple first began eliminating ‘Void Spheres’… the creatures must have been the size of water fleas or smaller. Would you call that ‘defeating’ them?”
One possibility that comes to mind is this:
“If someone different plants the ‘Azure Seed,’ maybe it resets to the size of a soccer ball.”
So far, President has been the one to bloom flowers from the Origin.
If someone else does it, maybe it changes…
“…It might sound irresponsible, but if Fiana and I created it, there should be some pattern,” the Demon Lord says. He values intelligence, and so does the goddess, cherishing the intellect obtained through the Demon Lord. Yes.
…I just remembered something.
Something Arianne said.
She mentioned something like, “The Demon Lord created the Origin to unite people.”
…If that’s not far from the truth… maybe it’s the goddess’s doing.
Creating a common enemy for humanity might have been the goddess’s goal.
If so, the transformation into monsters makes sense, but the pattern is unclear…
After a bit more discussion, we decided to take our leave.
For now, we moved from the Abyss to the 2nd floor south.
“Then, let’s try the idea Maito mentioned earlier. If it’s just one more level, we probably won’t struggle too much.”
Meaning, someone other than President will make the Origin bloom…
“Alright, here we go.”
Kariya places an “Azure Seed” on the Origin, focusing his energy. Oh, I mean, his magical power. Yes.
…And sure enough, a light resembling the sea or sky overflows, searing our eyes…
…A huge monster, seemingly over 4 meters tall, appeared.
Who said changing the person would turn it back into a cute, soccer ball-sized creature?
…Me!
“[Extinguish Light EX!]”
And the monster evaporated along with the surrounding ground.
“Back to square one.”
“For now, let’s ask the goddess’s book…”
Complaining as if saying, take responsibility for what you’ve created…
