Chapter 97
Eldorado
Translator : PolterGlast
"Um, well... who,
who might you be...?"
"Don't make me
say it. You already know, right?"
She was, to put it
simply, a very bossy woman. "Don't make me say it," I thought, that's
the first time I've heard that in real life... As I looked up, I noticed that
my tear-streaked face was looking a little better. I looked down at my clenched
fist. The ground that should have been under my fist was, of course, not there.
I looked up. The woman was glaring at me. Maybe that was just her default
expression and she didn't realize she was glaring, but she certainly was
beautiful. I thought she was in a whole different league than me.
"...Why are you
here?"
"Well, because
I'm you."
"H-ho ho..."
"I'm so angry and
pissed off at the thought of how much longer your sniveling is going to go
on."
"H-ho ho..."
"By the way, are
you really supposed to be me? Your face is alright, I guess. I was originally
beautiful, so it makes sense that you'd look like this, imagining and fleshing
it out from there. But your chest is too small."
"Oh..."
Why was I being
lectured on my chest size? I thought I was reasonably curvy, but did she have
an even more exaggerated image in mind?
Before I knew it, I
was sitting while holding my knees, and next to me, Eldorado was stretching her
legs out, looking completely relaxed. So why? "Because I'm you, duh,"
she seemed to say, offering no further explanation.
"...So, what is
it? Just cut off one or two, three or four branches already. You're so
clumsy."
"But if I cut off
too many, won't the land collapse?"
"I think it's
better to do too much than not enough."
"So
violent..."
This was the woman
called "Eldorado." Beautiful, fierce, and completely ignoring what
others said. She thought only of herself. But she wouldn't bend. She wouldn't
waver. She looked straight ahead and moved forward, the most terrifying witch.
I was just a shorty
chasing after Eldorado's phantom. My long limbs had somehow become short again,
and I was just the usual El. Sitting while holding my knees felt all too
natural. "If I could do that, I wouldn't be struggling..." At my
muttered words, Eldorado jutted out her chin, "Huh?"
"I can't hear
you. Speak more clearly."
"I said, if I
could do that, I wouldn't be struggling!!!"
I gave it my all. But
no matter how much I moved forward, I couldn't actually advance. Vejasha's
unique skill was powerful. If my vision and location were completely sealed off
like this, there was nothing I could do. All I could do was sit while holding
my knees. Eldorado twisted her well-shaped eyebrows and let out an exasperated
"Haaah?"
"You're such an
idiot. You're not even trying to use your full strength properly. Think about
it for a second. That moron has no intention of killing you. If he did, there
are tons of ways he could do it, like crushing you to death with objects,
suffocating you by removing all the air, or burying half of you in the World
Tree so you can't move, right?"
"That's so
gruesome."
And the way she
pronounced "idiot" just now was perfect.
But indeed, I felt like
Vejasha was limiting his own abilities. "You're fighting someone who
doesn't intend to kill you. There are plenty of dirty tricks you could use in a
situation like that, right?" Eldorado's smile was very beautiful, but
please stop.
"...Why he
doesn't intend to kill us?"
If that was the case,
then all the better, but it was hard to believe he was the same person who had
attacked Velvect, Kasei, and my village. His actions were inconsistent.
"...Ah, come to think of it, he did say something before," Eldorado
tilted her head, her bright red lips pouting adorably. "Before?"
".........I really hate people who whine." So, she probably didn't
remember.
I might have given her
a blank stare. "That's not it!" Eldorado said with an irritated
voice, standing up. Katsun, her heels made a cool sound. Indeed, looking up at
her, she had a nice figure. The real thing had a different kind of impact.
"Remembering it
is irritating and troublesome. I remember, okay? I have a good memory. I still
remember all the faces of the people in the village who drove me out. I hate
humans. I really hate them. But I hate whiny people who don't move even more.
What? If you're going to make that kind of face, then go and see for
yourself!"
What a reckless thing
to say, I thought, but then a hole opened up in the ground that should have
been pitch black. There was light in the darkness. "Eh." I fell down
while still holding my knees. "Eh, eh." Hyuu, following gravity, my
hair and clothes flapped, "Ehhh?!"
For now, all I could
do was scream.
Many bubbles burst and
disappeared. I had seen those bubbles before. It was the same as the memory of
the World Tree. It was the perspective of just one person. The memory of a girl
named Eldorado, suffering, grieving, and just shouting that she hated humans.
That was probably when
she first became a demon. She fell off a cliff, acquired the flying skill, but
still lost her balance and fell, so her arm was bent in the wrong direction. It
was slightly different from my experience because it was a memory from a
different spacetime. A cute little girl with golden hair and bright red eyes
was crying. She was crying loudly. It hurt, it was painful, it was sad.
But I decided that
this would be the last time I cried. I couldn't hear any sniveling, pathetic
sounds, and they shouldn't reach my own ears either. I wasn't crying. I would
become Eldorado, and Eldorado would become me. The memory bubbles burst, and I
saw a new bubble. Ah, that's right, this happened. Slowly, I sank into the sea
of memories.
--"I" hate
weaklings.
I hated even my
younger self, so I threw everything away. My long hair swayed in the wind. The
man in front of me said he was a demon like me. Had I been saved? The man
reached out to Eldorado, who was living a rough, muddy life. He called himself
Vejasha, and he lacked the will to live, yet he hadn't completely given up, and
a faint light flickered in his eyes.
In the end, we didn't
get along, so I quickly left the man's side. It was easier alone. Or so it
should have been, but occasionally the man would be there when I noticed,
muttering words. It was too much trouble to tell him to go away, so I just
listened. He would start talking, saying things like, "I have no one to
tell this to," so I was exasperated, thinking, "Well, you're telling
me!" But I had hardly been listening, so maybe it was the same as not
saying anything.
"This world keeps
repeating the same things over and over. No matter how many times it repeats,
it always returns to the same place."
It was hard to
believe.
The man said that he
had repeated thirteen years many times. It was something only he knew, and
because he was the same existence as the World Tree, he recognized all of time.
"Demons are newly
born humans. Just as fruit blossoms from flowers, demons born with red eyes are
the next generation of 'humans.' Old leaves wither, fall, and disappear. And
new buds are born. It's the same. Among the new humans, I had a stronger
ability, so when I turned into a demon, I eventually became the 'center' of the
world. That's why only I know about this repetition."
Maybe because it was
troublesome, she replied casually, "Oh, is that so?"
Vejasha continued.
"When I first turned
into a demon, I couldn't contain the anger within me and attacked many cities.
In return, I protected the demons. But by the time I realized that my actions
had hurt many people and turned me into an existence filled with hatred and
resentment, it was already too late. When time rewound thirteen years, I
decided to change. I had feelings of resentment. I couldn't discard them, but I
weighed them on a scale. I tried to live righteously."
Yet, Vejasha spoke,
trembling, swallowing each word. The lead-colored sky spreading above was very
similar to the man. The wind carried a damp scent.
"I shouldn't have
attacked the cities, I shouldn't have incurred hatred, I should have only
helped the demons. Yet, the second time, even more tragic results awaited. It
was the same no matter how many times I repeated it. I realized. The actions I
took at the beginning set all the rails. So, if I strayed from the path, even
greater tragedy would accumulate. I was in despair. Even so, with each
repetition, I noticed that there were several patterns."
There was a future
where I would be killed, but in the end, even if I died, I would just return to
the beginning, he said in a ridiculous tone.
"There is an
existence called the Saint. A different human is summoned each time. Their name
and appearance are the same, but their inner self is different. The story
changes depending on her actions."
Then Vejasha said
incomprehensible words like "system" and "route."
There was another
world somewhere different from this one, and this world was just a game. Every
time they pressed a switch, started the game, and spun a new story, the world
would begin. Just when I thought it had ended with an ending, it would start all
over again. A different "Saint" would begin the story. Dying, being
killed, looping, living, with no end coming no matter how long it went on.
Repeating.
I still didn't really
understand.
Even so, there was
something strangely bothering me. When I first met the man, I had a strange
sense of déjà vu. I shouldn't have met him, yet I knew him. I sometimes felt
that. It was the same when I faced the man with one eye and one arm. It felt
like I had met him somewhere, even though that shouldn't have been the case.
"The god of this
world is embodying the system. He is the administrator of everything."
I knew. He took the
form of a cat and occasionally teased Eldorado. It was annoying, so before I
knew it, I had come to dislike the very existence of cats.
"Oh, is that
so?"
Judging from my tone,
it was still casual. But there was a swirling emotion inside me. I hated
humans. Because they abandoned Eldorado. But it was actually Eldorado who
abandoned them. Those kinds of people weren't even worth my time. There was a
fleeting image of my childhood friend looking at me with a pathetic expression
at the bottom of my memory, but I pretended not to notice.
Living alone and
rampaging as I pleased suited my nature. That's why there were many things I
hated. "It's infuriating," the words suddenly spilled from my mouth.
Even though I should have been myself, the thought of being in the hands of
some unknown person was unbearable. "It makes my skin crawl." All I
had were words to vent my irritation. Vejasha quietly relaxed his lips. That
was because this was the woman called Eldorado.
"I've repeated
this many times. That's why there are things I've come to see. I don't know how
many more times I'll have to repeat it, but someday I'll break out of this dead
end. I'll choose the option the Saint chooses, and I'll move forward. It's okay
to involve 'foreign matter.' Next is Soleil. That place has the weakest
connection to the gods. Slimes are messengers of the gods, so by gradually
moving them and further weakening the connection, I'll create a loophole in the
system."
Around that point, it
became too much trouble to even listen, so I quickly turned my back and left. I
thought he was a man who said troublesome things.
"You can do
whatever you want. I'll do whatever I want."
It was something that
didn't need to be said.
Thick clouds flowed in
the gray sky. They flowed slowly and disappeared. Disappeared. Before I knew
it, "I" was still sitting while holding my knees, in a pitch-black
place.
"...Did you
understand?"
--A beautiful face was
looking at me. "I saw it." But, "I didn't really...
understand..." Right? Eldorado shrugged.
"I mean, he had a
little more light in his eyes back then, didn't he?" Eldorado muttered,
setting that aside, I recalled the scene I had just seen. It was very similar
to the memory of the World Tree I had seen at Veda's place. That wasn't a
memory of the future. It was a memory of the past, no, of another time.
Vejasha had been
repeating thirteen years. No, he had been repeating the story of the five-leaf
countries. And he had been doing it all alone.
Déjà vu. That's right,
when I first met him, I had a strange feeling. Looking at Vejasha standing in
the chapel, I thought it was a scene I had seen somewhere before. At that time,
I thought it was because the picture drawn on the stained glass was similar to
the game's opening, but it wasn't. I felt a sense of nostalgia for Vejasha
himself.
There was a catching
sensation in the back of my throat. (I know...) My heart gave a loud thump. I
knew the thirteen years.
--Repeats: thirteen
years. This world adds a new calendar every time the king changes.
What exactly was that
"king"?
I had just thought it
was the world's calendar. The story of the five-leaf countries. There were four
human countries in total. The remaining one was the land of demons. Including
the demons, it was the world's calendar. If that was the case, then there was
nothing strange about Vejasha being the king.
"The 'foreign
matter' Vejasha mentioned... is that Yuko...?"
In the story just now,
the Saint had the same name and appearance, but was a different person each
time. Yuko certainly had the same default name as in the game, but she didn't
look like the Yuko from the game. Her actions couldn't be said to be the same
as the original protagonist's either. Yuko understood the choice to go to the
hidden route. But she hadn't chosen that option yet. Since she had planned to
loop, she probably originally intended to aim for the hidden route, but Yuko
was the most surprised when she heard that Hail Land had attacked.
Vejasha had filled in
the choices that Yuko should have made. That's why we were in this situation
now. Didn't Ichi and the others say that the gods were distant when we had just
arrived in Soleil? By taking the same actions as his past self and walking the
thirteen years correctly, in the meantime, he was weakening the power of the
gods and disrupting the balance of Soleil. In other words, that meant.
"Vejasha is
literally trying to end the game...?"
"I don't know, but
isn't that what it seems like?"
"I think you can
do whatever you want," Eldorado said, the same line from the scene in my
memory. "But honestly, being played in the palm of someone's hand is
unbearable. Don't let yourself be manipulated." Before I knew it, she had
stood up and was looking down at me with her arms crossed.
"With your
illusion skill, you can do anything in this darkness, right? It's something
that 'turns beliefs into power.' Of course, you can't do things beyond your own
ability, but around you, there's always sound, there's light, there's ground.
That's obvious, right? You just lack imagination. You can return to the
original place as much as you want."
I hurriedly closed my
eyes.
She was right. It was
obvious. Slowly, I started thinking from my feet. The skills in my head
flickered.
"You have plenty
of useless skills, right? Your goal is to cut off the branch. Just one. It's
simple. If you can't even do that, don't use the name 'Eldorado'."
Well, I'm not using
it. I call myself "El" now, but of course, she wouldn't hear that.
But that's right, I could hear a "voice." There was sound here.
"There's ground
too. And the sky. You've come quite high, haven't you? I've never seen a sky
this high before. I've never left the Cloudy Country, so this is what it's like
when there are no clouds. It's eerie. Not that I feel bad or anything."
One by one, I regained
them. The sensation of my feet. Sound. Air. Sky.
I was standing
straight.
***
A girl was in front of
Vejasha. It was terribly strange. He had definitely snapped his fingers. Yet,
it hadn't worked. Vejasha's skill had absolutely no effect on Eldorado—no, the
girl now named El.
He understood that his
ability was less effective against the slimes, who were messengers of the gods.
El's time unconscious was probably less than a second. In that time, Vejasha
had thought in his dull mind that he would make her give up on everything. He
had repeated this so many times that his spirit was completely exhausted, and
compared to when he had first met Eldorado, even his personality had been
overwritten, and he no longer understood anything himself.
His head was always
dull, and his thoughts were slow. But there was one goal. To end this
repetition. He had repeated it solely for that purpose. He had died, lived.
Repeated. When he heard the word "Lotus," his heart stirred slightly,
but only a little. His emotions were buried in the mud. Even if he tried to
pull them up, they were too deep, too heavy, and wouldn't surface.
So, when the girl who should
have had her sight and senses stolen was standing there, he felt no surprise.
Snap, snap, he repeatedly snapped his fingers. Nothing changed. Then he would
try the next thing.
"This tree must
wither with me, or it will be a problem..."
For that reason, he
had severed the link between the Saint and the World Tree. Using the thirteen
years to steal the divine power from Soleil had been troublesome, but
considering the vast amount of time he had repeated, it was nothing more than a
minor inconvenience. At the end of this route, the Saint would loop and reset
the world. That was something he couldn't allow. He desired a withering world.
So, he didn't want to
be disturbed.
Snap, he snapped his
fingers. A cage formed around her. Pachin, he snapped his fingers. Rocks
surrounded her. Trees blocked her path. Physically, indirectly, he showed all
his power, refusing and obstructing her way. Yet, the light in her eyes didn't
disappear. "Something like this shouldn't even exist here!" she shouted,
her face bright red, clenching her fists and repelling his skill. Annoying.
Ah, annoying. But not
particularly troubling. Vejasha and her abilities seemed to have bad
compatibility. Such things probably happened. Well then, he would just torment
her to the point where she had no time to think. That was all.
He didn't really want
to kill her. He hadn't intended to torment her either. So a little would be
alright.
It would be alright to
make her suffer.
Snap, he snapped his
fingers. At that moment, El made a strange face for just an instant. As time
passed, her expression gradually changed. She had probably understood, but
there was something lacking for her to think calmly. Oxygen. He could erase all
the air, but he wouldn't go that far. He didn't even know the names carbon
dioxide or nitrogen in the atmosphere, but he knew from several
"experiments" that slightly changing their proportions would make a
person lose consciousness. She wouldn't die, though he could kill her. He would
erase it with a perfect balance. He had killed so many times, so it was easy,
second nature. "It must be painful," he thought indifferently.
Well, that was the end
of it.
"Farewell,"
he said, turning his back. But for some reason, a lingering feeling made him
turn back. She was there. Her cheeks were puffed out, she was gasping for
breath, and she raised her right hand. Even though she probably had no breath
to exhale, a hoarse voice echoed.
"Skill—Deep
Dive!"
The pattern embedded
on her right hand glittered.
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