“Hello.”
Thus, we have arrived in the world of the Goddess Book.
[You’ve come again.]
“I came to make sure the creator takes responsibility.”
There’s no way this one wouldn’t know!
[Hmm, I have some ideas… but what are we talking about?]
Of course, you do!
“The topic is the Origin.”
[Not about the world itself!?]
“No, well, indirectly, yes. In other words, the ‘Void Orb.'”
Mentioning this name changed the atmosphere of the Goddess Book.
[Have you met Domitrius?]
Domit… what now?
Seeing my confusion, it seemed to read my mind.
[Domitrius is the name of the Demon Lord. A good name, isn’t it? I gave it to him!]
Ah, so the Demon Lord is called Domitrius. Okay, got it. But probably won’t use it!
“Yeah, met him. The Demon Lord.”
[Hmm, I see… as usual, then.]
The Goddess says the same thing as the Demon Lord.
“He was playing chess alone. Didn’t seem sick or anything… Ah, right, he said to ‘apologize for the petty jealousy.'”
After passing on the message, the pages of the book fluttered vigorously.
…Seems like laughter.
[So he did! …Indeed.]
Somehow, this book, really likes the Demon Lord. Yeah.
After a while of fluttering, the pages finally settled down.
[So, what did you want to ask? If you went to him, you already know what the ‘Void Orb’ is, right?]
This Goddess Book also talks fast, which I like.
“Ah, yes, about the part the Demon Lord didn’t create… the feature that spawns monsters when you try to erase it.”
[Monsters appear when you try to erase it? Is that true?]
“You didn’t know?”
[I did not.]
…What!?
Despite the shock, I tried to inquire further.
…It’s like being stuck in the first dungeon of a game, consulting the guidebook only to read “Try to clear the first dungeon on your own!” That’s how desperate I feel!
“So, the Origin wasn’t specifically designed with this feature in mind…?”
[All I changed was the flow of magical power. I managed to twist it from flowing towards me, which would have destroyed this world in less than a year otherwise. …Because I am a magic eater.]
…Magic eater… so, not eco-friendly, I guess? Yeah.
“So, could the specifications of the Origin be changed by someone?”
[Even though I became a book, I couldn’t completely destroy what he made, and the only thing I could change was the flow of magical power. It’s not something that can easily be altered.]
Oh, I see.
But then, who changed what and how?
“Could the flow of magic you mentioned be intentionally changed? Could the specifications be altered by changing the flow?”
[Of course, it’s possible. But for changes to result in monsters appearing… it would require a tremendous amount of magic and a complex spell. It’s not something one would do without a good reason… Well, some things can be managed. You’ve done it, haven’t you?]
…Have I?
Eh, have I!?
[Your ‘Sharing.’]
…Ah… yes, yes, yes, I understand.
So, sharing with the Origin… and it becoming slightly paler, thus reducing the burden… means the Origin absorbed magic from me, and part of it returned to me… changing the flow of magic, as it were.
[Therefore, if you’ve ‘shared’ with the Origin, there might not be monsters.]
“If ‘Abyssal Ashes’ cannot be obtained from the ‘shared’ Origin,”
If that’s the case, it’s all for nothing!
[The ingredients remain the same, it shouldn’t change much.]
…Is that so? Even if the ingredients don’t change, scrambled eggs and omelets are different, right?
[Why not test it with the ‘shared’ Origin you have?]
“Reckless.”
If the ‘shared’ Origin turns out to be a dud and I can’t get ‘Abyssal Ashes’, but it still counts as erased, and then trying to erase another causes even stronger monsters to appear, that would be truly hopeless!
[..You are unsurpassed in ‘erasing,’ aren’t you?]
Eh, what now?
[Most likely, those monsters will disappear with ‘cleaning.’]
…OH.
Receiving such shocking advice, I was sent back for now.
“Tired? How did it go?”
“Well, about the monster transformation of the Origin, it seems she didn’t know. She said she hadn’t tampered with it like that.”
Sharing just that bit made everyone’s faces turn serious.
“And then, she said to try it with the Origin I ‘shared’ with. Also… probably, ‘cleaning’ should work.”
Saying this, as expected, resulted in grim faces.
“If it doesn’t work in one hit, we’re out, right?”
That means, the best time to strike is when the enemy isn’t moving… in other words, the moment it appears. But that’s also the best time for Katori’s “Destruction EX”. The question is whether “cleaning” is worth more than “Destruction EX”.
“Hmm, well, if the goddess said so, it must be true, right? At least, if we encounter someone who can’t be taken down in one hit with “Destruction EX”, we’ll have no choice but to do it.”
Toriumi said something terrifying!
What do you mean by an enemy that doesn’t die in one hit with “Destruction EX”? That’s not a living thing!
After much debate, the meeting concluded with Suzumoto summarizing as follows.
“The goddess says there might not be monsters coming from the Origin that Maito ‘shared’ with. Let’s try that first. If it doesn’t work, we’ll rely on Katori’s “Destruction EX”. We’ll think about what to do next after that.”
Tomorrow will bring its own winds.
Yeah, let’s think about the next step then.
…Not in a way of escaping reality, but seriously, we have too little information.
If even the all-knowing goddess (book) and the Demon Lord didn’t know, all we can do is keep trying and find some patterns… yeah.
Yeah, let’s show the power of humanity!
“Alright, let’s go.”
This time, Hariu, who lost in rock-paper-scissors, had to plant the “Seed of Azure Sky”.
Of course, what we’re erasing this time is the Origin I ‘shared’ with, which has become slightly paler.
And the moment Hariu planted the seed…
…it was as if something deeply rooted within me was forcibly pulled out, or rather, unceremoniously cut off with scissors, accompanied by a sharp pain of intense loss.
Luckily for me, everyone was too distracted by the change in the Origin to notice me.
The light overflowing from the Origin was pale, and what appeared after it settled was…
…well, in a word, a mannequin of a young girl!
The appearance of a young girl mannequin made everyone hesitant.
Well, yes, because it’s a humanoid figure with a young girl’s body…
…But we can’t afford to be complacent.
The young girl mannequin, with a shield in her left hand and a sword in her right, suddenly leaped towards me.
“Destruction EX!”
“Ark!”
However, as planned, Katori unleashed a beam, and Kariya guarded everyone.
…When the beam disappeared, there was no trace of the young girl mannequin left.
…I thought, if a beam kills it in one hit, we can’t tell how strong it was!
“What was that?”
“It clearly changed shape, didn’t it?”
Yes, until now, they were more animal-like or just round, but this one suddenly turned humanoid… and seemed to move as if it had its own will.
“…For now, check the abyss. If we have enough ‘Abyssal Ashes’, we don’t need to erase any more Origins.”
Depending on whether there’s a next time, thinking any further might be pointless, so I took President and “teleported” to the abyss.
Arriving at a corner of the blue flower field, President looked at the “ash of the abyss” collection point with a practiced eye.
“How is it?”
“…Barely, out, I guess.”
…Auch.
Well, if it’s out, it can’t be helped.
For now, we return.
“How did it go?”
“Barely out.”
President reported, and everyone was disappointed.
“What do we do? Try again with the Origin Maido ‘shared’ with?”
I almost heard a phantom voice saying, “Let’s play again!”
We decided to go for another round. Yes, I am still energized.
Thus, it was decided to erase the second Origin I “shared” with.
Ah, my left forearm feels emptily light for the first time in a while. It’s a lonely feeling.
“Um… like this?”
This time, the one who lost at rock-paper-scissors was Kadomi-kun, so he was the one to plant the seed.
…And once again, I experienced the sensation of something being massively torn away, making me feel like vomiting, but I somehow managed to endure it.
When the light subsided, what appeared was… not a young girl, but a mannequin that looked more like a girl.
…However, what was slightly different this time was that it didn’t raise its hands, nor did it wield a sword and shield.
…That didn’t mean there wasn’t a battle. Far from it.
The girl mannequin lowered its arms, a staff appeared in its right hand, and in its left… something clearly magical emerged. Oh no, oh no, oh no!
“Destruction EX!”
But before it could be unleashed, Katori, who had finished charging up energy, delivered a preemptive strike. It’s almost like a form of art now!
…When the beam’s light faded, a terrifying fact was revealed.
…It survived.
The girl mannequin swung its staff and raised its left hand, releasing something like a shockwave.
Me? I’m outside the danger zone, of course. I’m watching from inside the classroom. Go outside? That’s a death wish.
…And the shockwave, silent, swept through the area, inflicting damage on everyone.
…If damage is being dealt, does that mean it’s not magic after all?
Could it be a skill?
…While I was pondering, the conflict had already been resolved.
Toriumi and Kadomi-kun attacked simultaneously, each being blocked by something like an invisible shield coming from its right and left hands, while Kariya pierced the girl mannequin with a sword during the distraction.
…Nicely done.
With the girl mannequin successfully erased, I once again took President and went to the abyss, GO.
Watching President collect “Abyssal Ashes” without much hope, he turned around with a grin.
“We have enough now.”
…Oh, finally.
“Good work.”
High-fiving President, who showed a tired smile, we shared a weary high-five in an atmosphere of fatigue.
“Ah, this means the choir members can finally be revived.”
“Let’s hope there aren’t any other casualties.”
…Hey, stop it, please! Don’t say such scary things!
“Hello.”
Thus, we have arrived in the world of the Goddess Book.
[You’ve come again.]
“I came to make sure the creator takes responsibility.”
There’s no way this one wouldn’t know!
[Hmm, I have some ideas… but what are we talking about?]
Of course, you do!
“The topic is the Origin.”
[Not about the world itself!?]
“No, well, indirectly, yes. In other words, the ‘Void Orb.'”
Mentioning this name changed the atmosphere of the Goddess Book.
[Have you met Domitrius?]
Domit… what now?
Seeing my confusion, it seemed to read my mind.
[Domitrius is the name of the Demon Lord. A good name, isn’t it? I gave it to him!]
Ah, so the Demon Lord is called Domitrius. Okay, got it. But probably won’t use it!
“Yeah, met him. The Demon Lord.”
[Hmm, I see… as usual, then.]
The Goddess says the same thing as the Demon Lord.
“He was playing chess alone. Didn’t seem sick or anything… Ah, right, he said to ‘apologize for the petty jealousy.'”
After passing on the message, the pages of the book fluttered vigorously.
…Seems like laughter.
[So he did! …Indeed.]
Somehow, this book, really likes the Demon Lord. Yeah.
After a while of fluttering, the pages finally settled down.
[So, what did you want to ask? If you went to him, you already know what the ‘Void Orb’ is, right?]
This Goddess Book also talks fast, which I like.
“Ah, yes, about the part the Demon Lord didn’t create… the feature that spawns monsters when you try to erase it.”
[Monsters appear when you try to erase it? Is that true?]
“You didn’t know?”
[I did not.]
…What!?
Despite the shock, I tried to inquire further.
…It’s like being stuck in the first dungeon of a game, consulting the guidebook only to read “Try to clear the first dungeon on your own!” That’s how desperate I feel!
“So, the Origin wasn’t specifically designed with this feature in mind…?”
[All I changed was the flow of magical power. I managed to twist it from flowing towards me, which would have destroyed this world in less than a year otherwise. …Because I am a magic eater.]
…Magic eater… so, not eco-friendly, I guess? Yeah.
“So, could the specifications of the Origin be changed by someone?”
[Even though I became a book, I couldn’t completely destroy what he made, and the only thing I could change was the flow of magical power. It’s not something that can easily be altered.]
Oh, I see.
But then, who changed what and how?
“Could the flow of magic you mentioned be intentionally changed? Could the specifications be altered by changing the flow?”
[Of course, it’s possible. But for changes to result in monsters appearing… it would require a tremendous amount of magic and a complex spell. It’s not something one would do without a good reason… Well, some things can be managed. You’ve done it, haven’t you?]
…Have I?
Eh, have I!?
[Your ‘Sharing.’]
…Ah… yes, yes, yes, I understand.
So, sharing with the Origin… and it becoming slightly paler, thus reducing the burden… means the Origin absorbed magic from me, and part of it returned to me… changing the flow of magic, as it were.
[Therefore, if you’ve ‘shared’ with the Origin, there might not be monsters.]
“If ‘Abyssal Ashes’ cannot be obtained from the ‘shared’ Origin,”
If that’s the case, it’s all for nothing!
[The ingredients remain the same, it shouldn’t change much.]
…Is that so? Even if the ingredients don’t change, scrambled eggs and omelets are different, right?
[Why not test it with the ‘shared’ Origin you have?]
“Reckless.”
If the ‘shared’ Origin turns out to be a dud and I can’t get ‘Abyssal Ashes’, but it still counts as erased, and then trying to erase another causes even stronger monsters to appear, that would be truly hopeless!
[..You are unsurpassed in ‘erasing,’ aren’t you?]
Eh, what now?
[Most likely, those monsters will disappear with ‘cleaning.’]
…OH.
Receiving such shocking advice, I was sent back for now.
“Tired? How did it go?”
“Well, about the monster transformation of the Origin, it seems she didn’t know. She said she hadn’t tampered with it like that.”
Sharing just that bit made everyone’s faces turn serious.
“And then, she said to try it with the Origin I ‘shared’ with. Also… probably, ‘cleaning’ should work.”
Saying this, as expected, resulted in grim faces.
“If it doesn’t work in one hit, we’re out, right?”
That means, the best time to strike is when the enemy isn’t moving… in other words, the moment it appears. But that’s also the best time for Katori’s “Destruction EX”. The question is whether “cleaning” is worth more than “Destruction EX”.
“Hmm, well, if the goddess said so, it must be true, right? At least, if we encounter someone who can’t be taken down in one hit with “Destruction EX”, we’ll have no choice but to do it.”
Toriumi said something terrifying!
What do you mean by an enemy that doesn’t die in one hit with “Destruction EX”? That’s not a living thing!
After much debate, the meeting concluded with Suzumoto summarizing as follows.
“The goddess says there might not be monsters coming from the Origin that Maito ‘shared’ with. Let’s try that first. If it doesn’t work, we’ll rely on Katori’s “Destruction EX”. We’ll think about what to do next after that.”
Tomorrow will bring its own winds.
Yeah, let’s think about the next step then.
…Not in a way of escaping reality, but seriously, we have too little information.
If even the all-knowing goddess (book) and the Demon Lord didn’t know, all we can do is keep trying and find some patterns… yeah.
Yeah, let’s show the power of humanity!
“Alright, let’s go.”
This time, Hariu, who lost in rock-paper-scissors, had to plant the “Seed of Azure Sky”.
Of course, what we’re erasing this time is the Origin I ‘shared’ with, which has become slightly paler.
And the moment Hariu planted the seed…
…it was as if something deeply rooted within me was forcibly pulled out, or rather, unceremoniously cut off with scissors, accompanied by a sharp pain of intense loss.
Luckily for me, everyone was too distracted by the change in the Origin to notice me.
The light overflowing from the Origin was pale, and what appeared after it settled was…
…well, in a word, a mannequin of a young girl!
The appearance of a young girl mannequin made everyone hesitant.
Well, yes, because it’s a humanoid figure with a young girl’s body…
…But we can’t afford to be complacent.
The young girl mannequin, with a shield in her left hand and a sword in her right, suddenly leaped towards me.
“Destruction EX!”
“Ark!”
However, as planned, Katori unleashed a beam, and Kariya guarded everyone.
…When the beam disappeared, there was no trace of the young girl mannequin left.
…I thought, if a beam kills it in one hit, we can’t tell how strong it was!
“What was that?”
“It clearly changed shape, didn’t it?”
Yes, until now, they were more animal-like or just round, but this one suddenly turned humanoid… and seemed to move as if it had its own will.
“…For now, check the abyss. If we have enough ‘Abyssal Ashes’, we don’t need to erase any more Origins.”
Depending on whether there’s a next time, thinking any further might be pointless, so I took President and “teleported” to the abyss.
Arriving at a corner of the blue flower field, President looked at the “ash of the abyss” collection point with a practiced eye.
“How is it?”
“…Barely, out, I guess.”
…Auch.
Well, if it’s out, it can’t be helped.
For now, we return.
“How did it go?”
“Barely out.”
President reported, and everyone was disappointed.
“What do we do? Try again with the Origin Maido ‘shared’ with?”
I almost heard a phantom voice saying, “Let’s play again!”
We decided to go for another round. Yes, I am still energized.
Thus, it was decided to erase the second Origin I “shared” with.
Ah, my left forearm feels emptily light for the first time in a while. It’s a lonely feeling.
“Um… like this?”
This time, the one who lost at rock-paper-scissors was Kadomi-kun, so he was the one to plant the seed.
…And once again, I experienced the sensation of something being massively torn away, making me feel like vomiting, but I somehow managed to endure it.
When the light subsided, what appeared was… not a young girl, but a mannequin that looked more like a girl.
…However, what was slightly different this time was that it didn’t raise its hands, nor did it wield a sword and shield.
…That didn’t mean there wasn’t a battle. Far from it.
The girl mannequin lowered its arms, a staff appeared in its right hand, and in its left… something clearly magical emerged. Oh no, oh no, oh no!
“Destruction EX!”
But before it could be unleashed, Katori, who had finished charging up energy, delivered a preemptive strike. It’s almost like a form of art now!
…When the beam’s light faded, a terrifying fact was revealed.
…It survived.
The girl mannequin swung its staff and raised its left hand, releasing something like a shockwave.
Me? I’m outside the danger zone, of course. I’m watching from inside the classroom. Go outside? That’s a death wish.
…And the shockwave, silent, swept through the area, inflicting damage on everyone.
…If damage is being dealt, does that mean it’s not magic after all?
Could it be a skill?
…While I was pondering, the conflict had already been resolved.
Toriumi and Kadomi-kun attacked simultaneously, each being blocked by something like an invisible shield coming from its right and left hands, while Kariya pierced the girl mannequin with a sword during the distraction.
…Nicely done.
With the girl mannequin successfully erased, I once again took President and went to the abyss, GO.
Watching President collect “Abyssal Ashes” without much hope, he turned around with a grin.
“We have enough now.”
…Oh, finally.
“Good work.”
High-fiving President, who showed a tired smile, we shared a weary high-five in an atmosphere of fatigue.
“Ah, this means the choir members can finally be revived.”
“Let’s hope there aren’t any other casualties.”
…Hey, stop it, please! Don’t say such scary things!
