Chapter 100
You Were Born
Translator : PolterGlast
It was far from being
over.
Certainly, at that
moment, the World Tree had sprouted a small breath of new life. However, the
fact remained that the existing leaves would wither, and the new branches would
become new lands and new people, moving forward.
『Demons are humans of the next generation...』
In a room of the Magic
Tower, Vejasha had spoken.
『The repetition has certainly ended. By the World Tree,
rooted in the land, changing its form, the story may have become distorted. I
do not know the story that lies ahead.』
His voice lowered as
he said he didn't even know what to do from now on, and then he disappeared. He
had set off somewhere with Marc. Prejudice against demons still existed
everywhere. It would be difficult to save everyone, but he said they would
travel endlessly.
About a week had
passed since the attacking Hail Land soldiers had vanished. Veda and Kuuga were
busy with the aftermath. Veda was frantically trying to hold Ichi and the
others' hands, only to be yelled at by San that it was their butt. Protected by
Ichi and the others' barrier, he had apparently found himself lying in the
middle of the road when he came to. To just leave him there and go was quite
cruel. Veda laughed, saying it was much better than dying.
I gazed at the land
spreading out from the top of Kasei's wall. The flowers we had seen at that
time had surprisingly rained down all over the world. However, Vejasha's last
words bothered me. Lotus, next to me, was also staring blankly at the sky. Now
that Hail Land had gone, the water membrane sphere had been restored to its
original form. It seemed to be to prolong the life of the magic tool, and a
lantern swayed above our heads.
"Hey,
Lotus."
"Yeah?" His
reply was much slower than usual. Ichi and the others seemed to be playing tag
happily.
"If demons are
the new humans, will the current 'humans' gradually decrease in number
someday?"
It wasn't that demons
would destroy the country, rather, because it was dying, demons were born. The
withered World Tree sprouted new branches. The people born from there were new
humans.
The birth of humans
from the withered World Tree would probably disappear over a long period.
"Does that mean our relationship with humans will be reversed?" I
didn't know how far into the future it would be.
Humans would be just a
few among many demons. It was hard to imagine, but it was possible.
"Will there ever
be a time when humans are discriminated against by demons...?"
"Who knows?"
Lotus replied.
That's right, there
was no way to know the future. It was all just imagination. But thinking about
it made me feel very strange. The Eldorado inside me seemed to be saying,
"Serves them right." But personally, I hoped that wouldn't happen. I
hoped a time would come when humans and demons would join hands and recognize
each other's individuality.
"Demons might
just be a new possibility. I hope that's the case,"
I muttered, and then a
voice said, "That's obvious." It was Yuko. It seemed she had been
looking for us, and when she found Lotus, her eyes lit up, but then her
expression clouded over. Behind her, of course, was Nabari-san.
Yuko had apparently
stayed cooped up in her room the whole time during the battle with Hail Land.
Of course, I had no intention of blaming her for that. Her existence had become
a source of conflict, but Yuko herself had been caught up in it. The fact that
she had been summoned as an irregular, retaining her outer personality, was
Vejasha's doing to sever the link between the World Tree and the Saint, so there
were many points to sympathize with.
So, I said, "Oh,
long time no see," for starters. Yuko huffed through her nose and turned
her face away. ...Well, various emotions and the current situation were
separate, I thought, and then asked, "So, what's obvious?".
Yuko crossed her arms
and glared down at me while still looking away. "Don't you even know that?
Seriously, you can't even be considered a fringe player." After saying
that, she bitterly twisted her mouth. She probably had her own thoughts on the
matter.
"...If you don't
know, it can't be helped. Think about your own name."
"Huh, my
name?"
When I replied,
"El, I guess?" she got angry and said, "No!"
"Eldorado,
Shangra, Pia. Eldorado is eldorado, Shangra is shangri-La, Pia is utopia. The
origin of the names. Probably just the developer's little joke."
"Utopia,
Shangri-La... I've heard of them, but Eldorado...?"
"El Dorado! The
Golden Land! You didn't even know the origin of your own name?! It's all about
utopias that may exist somewhere!"
"Huh," a
strange breath escaped my mouth. Utopia. A new world. We were created with that
thought in mind... was that really the case? I still didn't really understand.
Yuko pressed her hand to her mouth and muttered to herself.
"If that's the
case, then there's also the idea that there's no such thing as black lotus, and
that there's some kind of significance to the fact that they don't exist in
terms of origin, but that's not the mainstream opinion. And Lotus! There was
even a possibility of him originally being on the demon side! I don't want to
accept that!?"
Her monologue was
incredibly loud. Lotus had already drifted off into his own world, staring
blankly at the sky. Come on, at least, look at her a little.
"That doesn't
matter!" she snapped. It was Ichi and the others who were scared. "A
demon, a demon!" they said, running away from Yuko this time. Wait, was
that what the tag was?
"I'm going
home!"
"O-ho. Okay...
good work!"
"Don't you have
anything else to say?!"
Yuko barked. "Ah,
that, huh..." I blinked. I thought she was just raising her voice and
trying to look big, but when I looked closely, she was a small girl. I
remembered her words when Hail Land had attacked, muttering that she wanted to
go home. Of course. "...Oh, right, good work." Those were heartfelt
words. I held out one hand. Yuko reluctantly responded. But she immediately
slapped it away. Oh...
"But of course, I
think going back to the original world is the best, but can you even go back?
You were summoned by the Cloudy Country, and if they tell you to give up the
church and the country..."
In the game, Yuuko was
summoned for a limited time, so it might be possible, but in reality, the
situation was complex. I couldn't possibly think that it would work out with
just her will alone. "Regarding that," Nabari-san, who had been
quietly hiding behind Yuko, suddenly appeared.
"While Saint-sama
is a necessary existence in this world, the people of the country should have
realized during this incident that she could also become a source of conflict.
I will take responsibility for persuading them and returning Saint-sama. I will
protect her."
"Nabari..."
Yuko pressed her hand
to her mouth, trembling.
"Eh, now that I
look closely, he's a hottie, isn't he? And a nice guy, I don't dislike him.
Lotus is definitely my oshi, but putting that aside, maybe I should plant a
flag here—"
"Also, honestly,
I really want to see my wife. I want to go back to the Cloudy Country."
"He's
married?!"
The reaction was
intense. "He's married?!" Yuko screamed even louder and did a
backbend. Cheer up.
The game's story ends.
The Saint disappears, and the World Tree withers little by little. But there
are also new sprouts. The wind quietly blew through.
***
"Marc, could you
wait a moment?"
At his master's words,
the young man nodded. "Of course," he replied. Kasei's capital was
already tiny. His master quietly narrowed his eyes, looking at the city he had
left.
Marc didn't understand
everything about his master. He had given up on everything and was only
thinking about his younger sister he had left behind in his hometown. He felt
pathetic and regretful for having run away from the village. That's why he had
grasped the hand that had been offered to him at that time. That was all. There
was no need for any other reason.
"...You do as you
please. I'll do as I please."
Lately, his master had
become a little more talkative. Marc found that to be a welcome change. He had
also started to make softer expressions.
"That child was
probably merged."
"...Are you
talking about El?"
"Yes. Eldorado
and someone else, another human. Truly, she might have just done whatever she
wanted. Because she hated more than anyone else to dance in the palm of
someone's hand."
Marc didn't quite
understand the skill of the girl named El, but his master probably did. A quiet
wind was blowing. If his master used his skill, they could reach their
destination in an instant, but for now, he chose to walk. Step by step, he
walked firmly.
"A skill that
turns beliefs into power... Every time the game starts, a new player arrives.
Every time, I suffered through the repeating thirteen years. Eldorado probably
absorbed the memories of one of the players who was supposed to come someday
and became one of the 'foreign matter,' just like Yuko."
His master explained
that it was because of her and Yuko that the story didn't proceed on the
predetermined rails.
"She might think
her memories are from a past life, but well, it's all just speculation. In the
end, we won't know anything unless we ask her, and the person we should ask is
no longer here. Because the woman called Eldorado has disappeared."
"...She resisted
even to the point of erasing herself?"
It was something he
couldn't quite comprehend. But his master laughed.
"That's right,
she was that kind of person."
"She lived
freely," he muttered, and a large gust of wind passed through.
***
At that moment,
somewhere, a cat curled its tail and yawned. It watched the activities of the
humans. The something that thought it was a cat blinked and transformed into a
human, standing up. It stretched out both arms. It simply savored its freedom.
But then it gave a wry smile.
"Man, I'm getting
disliked by that kid way too much, aren't I?"
"It's not like I
wanted to," it sighed. But of course, no one could see its figure.
"You see, I'm that kind of existence now. I can only live within the
determined rules. There's no such thing as malice or goodwill. But you know, as
I grant people's wishes, I start to want my own wishes too."
"I'm a god, but
who should I pray to?" it tilted its head. But well, there was no one to
pray to, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to try shouting. It didn't know who was
listening. If even one person could hear its voice.
"After all, a
happy ending is best! If it's going to end, it has to end happily. I've had
enough of endless stories. But if it's destined to end happily someday, then
I'm willing to watch over this world forever!"
Before it knew it, the
cat had disappeared. It was just a system that granted people's wishes. The
repeated routes were firmly etched in its mind. But it didn't know what lay
ahead. After all, even for it, it was something it had never experienced
before.
Time flowed.
Endlessly, slowly, withering, being born—a girl fell down.
The one who caught her
was a slime. Bounce-bounce, it asked the girl as if saying, "Are you
alright?" "I'm fine," she grinned, showing her gapped teeth. She
was a cute girl with golden hair and blackish-purple eyes.
"Hey, Shii-chan.
Let's go on a little adventure today, shall we?"
At her sudden words,
the slime trembled, as if saying, "Maybe you shouldn't."
"But, big brother
went to town with Dad, and Mom is working with Ichi-chan and the others. Isn't
staying home boring?"
"Isn't it
not?" the trembling slime seemed to say, making her think. "There are
plenty of things to do," it told her. "The flowers are so pretty, you
can roll around on the leaf carpet, and you can splash your feet in the
water."
Hearing that, she
somehow started to feel very happy. "That can also be called an
adventure!" she convinced herself for the time being and clenched her
fist. Behind the girl's back, the slime hopped. A pleasant breeze blew. She
spread her arms wide and ran around the meadow, tumbling over and over. Then
she fell down again. With the slime underneath her, the girl laughed loudly.
The blue sky stretched
endlessly.
All that could be
heard was cheerful laughter.
---
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