Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

Paying the temple fee, I went inside. This time, I don’t have a guide, so I don’t need to be as conscious of my behavior; but perhaps because they didn’t anticipate anyone arriving, there were no chairs, and I was only allowed up until the entrance to the ceremony area.

Telling them that I’m deeply moved and wish to stay for a while, I then asked if I could take out a seat, and they brought me a chair. It’s one of those expensive-looking chairs that can be found in aristocratic homes.

I thankfully took the seat, then acted pious and prayed.

『If I suddenly stop being responsive…』
『Yup! I’ll wait here until Ain returns!』

Ciel responded with no hesitation. The way she responded made me feel happy and somewhat ticklish.

But I don’t wish to keep Ciel waiting for too long, and making her feel worried is out of the question. If possible, I want to know how long this will take before going to the Creator God’s realm.

Because of this, I instinctively prayed for the Creator God to tell me. And I don’t know if it actually worked, but I then heard, 【Around one hour,】 right next to my ear. The priests around us don’t appear to hear it, as they stayed completely still.

『Then I’ll wait here for around an hour. Still, how long is around one hour?』
『It shouldn’t be that long… but it’s hard to say.』

I’m glad that I got an immediate reply, but is it really just that easy? I guess it is. To begin with, just because I want to go to the Creator God’s realm doesn’t mean that I can actually get there; all that I was told was ‘around one hour.’ Will it really be alright?

Anyhow, I then tried praying for an invitation, and my consciousness suddenly started fading.

◇◇◇

When I came to be, I was at the familiar garden, in front of a familiar table, facing a familiar lady. I was already sitting down, and the black-haired lady was gracefully tipping her teacup.

「Long time no see, Creator God.」
「It hasn’t been that long, but I suppose it is from your point of view.」
「I’m still 13 years old. Unlike stepmother, I’m still young.」
「There aren’t many things older than me, you know? Being young is nothing.
That said, good to see you here.」

The Creator God welcomed my casual tone without being particularly bothered.
While I can’t be sure if I interrupted her work, since she brought me here, it should be fine. More importantly, I have something I need to confirm.

「How is Ciel’s barrier right now?」
「Same as before. You’re subconsciously maintaining it.」
「That’s good to hear. By the way, how long is ‘around one hour’ this time?」
「I’ve made it so that there’s no difference in your perception and the actual flow of time. We speak here for one hour, and only one hour will pass on the other end.」
「That’s a relief.」
「Overprotective as always, you are.」

To the Creator God’s flabbergasted tone, I merely responded with a smile. Call me overprotective or whatever, but I don’t intend to stop protecting Ciel. I don’t plan on making Ciel separate from me, and I would never―except for occasions like this―separate from Ciel.

「By the way, the oracle this time seems more modest.」
「Would it be easier to understand if I say that Fii’s place has the best signal reception?」
「I get it.」
「Now then, I already know why, but what brought you here?」

I don’t know how much she’s seen through me, but as expected, she knows my main objective.
In that case, no need to hold back; I’ll ask as much as I want. I don’t want to frequently visit church-related establishments, after all.

「First, could you teach me about how divine punishment works in this world?」
「To teach you that, it’ll likely be best to explain how this world came to be first. And the difference between me and the other beings referred to as gods.」
「Can you teach me that?」
「I wouldn’t if you had the intention of committing a taboo, nor would I even consider telling you this if you were a normal human, but you’re satisfied and won’t take any action as long as Cielmer is safe―as long as this world doesn’t move to eliminate her, right?」

The Creator God grinned, her eyes seemingly piercing right through my soul, but since I don’t plan on denying it, I responded, 「That’s right.」

If the world ever considers Ciel an anomaly and acts to eliminate her, I would resist with all I have. But as long as that doesn’t happen, even if this world is revealed to be made only for monsters, I wouldn’t care. Even if there were only monsters remaining and Ciel and I were thrown into the wilderness, we could probably survive it.

Well, since the Creator God has recognized us, the world trying to eliminate Ciel would be preposterous.

「You seem to have some understanding, but that’s not exactly the case.」
「So it’s not like this world is made for monsters’ sake.」
「The monsters are simply a part of the system.」
「It’s the role of monsters to transform miasma into harmless magic power. In this world, at least.」
「Uh-hm. This world is not exactly made for monsters, but the monsters are the most important component in this world. More than the humans, more than the spirits, monsters are the most necessary.」
「I’ve somewhat figured that out.」

I recall feeling that this was the case around when we challenged the den.
Even if humanity goes extinct, the world would probably continue as normal, but if monsters stop spawning, the world would overflow with miasma.

「This world exists to collect and purify the miasma of other worlds.」

Seemingly reading my mind, the Creator God spoke firmly. It seems like this is much larger in scale than I initially thought.