Author: Himezaki Shiu	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Jiro	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

The old elf looked at my status and then slowly knelt before me. Although I was a Demigod now, I’d been just a regular high school student until not that long ago. So it just didn’t feel right to have someone much older than me kneel before me.

Anyone would feel strange in this situation. It wasn’t like I felt uncomfortable or anything, but it threw me off. However, though imperfect, I was still a god. It wasn’t right for me to make fun of the one worshiping me like this.

“I apologize for the rudeness I have shown thus far. I do not ask for your forgiveness for my words. However, I beg that you let my atonement be to witness the end of this world, rather than suffer death right now.”
“Doesn’t matter to me. All I want is for you not to disclose that you’ve met me. And I’ve already made arrangements for that with my skills, so don’t worry and speak as you have up until now. If you’re this in awe, we won’t be able to have a normal conversation.”
“U-Understood. I too wasn’t able to get used to it even after ruling over others for many years. I thank you for your thoughtfulness.”

(Whoa, he managed to snap back quite quickly. Anyone else would’ve probably missed this change.)

Frankly, by now, I no longer cared how people addressed me. Whether they spoke respectfully or rudely, as long as their words made sense, I would listen. If not, it’d just be a hassle. And the one deciding whether things made sense or not was the Demigod in the situation, in other words, me.

“Just to clarify, but am I correct to assume you were the previous king?”
“That is correct. Now I’m nothing but a nuisance to the kingdom.”
“You’ll tell me more about that later. For now, what you need to know is that I’ve come here to retrieve the spirits. The spirits are the beings responsible for regulating this world created by God. So we couldn’t keep our eyes closed when you captured them and decided to use their powers for your selfish purposes.”
“We did do that.”
“I’m not saying there aren’t other factors at play, but it’s clear that the world is headed for collapse because the spirits were trapped.”
“So, is your purpose to free the spirits and protect the world?”

The former king asked, his gaze sharpening. It was as if protecting the world was not something he could allow. I wasn’t sure how determined this old man was, but I knew I had to correct his misunderstanding.

“No. My purpose, as I’ve said before, is to collect the spirits. God has already given up on this world. It’s my job to send the spirits to God for the creation of a new world. This world is so far gone that even if I release the spirits, it won’t escape collapse.”
“I see,” the former king muttered, his voice trailing off.

Though there was a hint of melancholy in his expression, I also sensed a certain relief. This old man truly wanted to see the world fall apart.

“So, what I want to know is how to reach the spirit here. I already have a rough idea of its location.”
“But you shouldn’t have any problem reaching it with your level of power? You should be able to force your way in.”

“I want to keep things as civil as possible. Besides, if the spirit accidentally dies, all of my efforts will have been wasted. So, do you know how I can access the room where the spirit’s cage is?”
“You’ll need the king to enter the spirit’s room. More specifically, you’ll need enough of his blood to draw a magic circle. If you draw the magic circle on the mirror in the king’s chambers, a path will open. At the end of that path lies the room where the spirit is.”

(Whoa! So it’s not a key this time, but blood! And a good amount of it, at that. Given that only the king’s blood can be used, it likely would’ve been impossible for me to get to the room if he ended up being assassinated or something.)

“How is the king chosen in this kingdom?” I asked.
“Publicly, it works via a hereditary system. It’s not so different from other kingdoms.
However, in truth, it is a member of the royal family who receives the crown from the current king.”

(In other words, I need to draw the magic circle with blood while wearing the crown. So I can safely assume that the crown has the same function as the key in Fraus. On top of that, that magic circle needs to be drawn with blood from a member of the royal family… This is a bit trickier than in Fraus.)

“Given you’re the former king, you should know how to draw that circle. Can I ask you to teach me?”
“Do you have something I can draw with?” the former king asked.

Using Creation, I quickly produced a pen and a piece of paper, typical of this world. It was quite easy to produce such things, unlike that key that used technology from another world. It naturally required the consumption of materials, but trees were abundant in the area. Given that we were inside a massive tree. Making a piece of paper was simple.

As soon as I handed the materials to him, he drew down the magic circle and handed it back to me.

“Thank you. So, would you mind telling me why you’re trapped here?” I asked after tucking the piece of paper away. I’d already gotten all the information I needed, so now I could finally begin to satiate my curiosity.

“I can’t remember how long ago it happened… The seasons have changed hundreds of times since then. An oracle was sent from God to this world, warning that the future would be destroyed if the spirits were not released. I was only trying to free the spirits as the oracle instructed.”

I couldn’t help but think the former king was somewhat like me. Unlike me, who hadn’t cared from the beginning, this person had likely been willing to save the world at first. But now, it seemed, he had given up.

“But the world turned against God’s will. They knew the prosperity they enjoyed came from the power of the spirits, and they were unwilling to relinquish that power.”
“I guess that’s a bit strange for long-lived species to say. In the humans’ case, they likely didn’t care because they wouldn’t be alive to experience it. If anyone had noticed even a hint of what was to come, maybe things would have been different, but back then, it probably didn’t seem urgent.”

“That’s right. The world didn’t forgive us for trying to free the spirits. My son, the current king, betrayed us. He sided with the faction that refused to abandon prosperity. He easily usurped the throne. The key members of the Spirit Liberation Faction were killed, and I alone was captured.”
“Why weren’t you killed? From what I’ve seen, the royal bloodline has enough heirs, even going as far as giving birth to a sixth prince. They don’t seem to be lacking blood.”

“It’s because I didn’t hand over the key to opening the spirit’s cage. At first, my son would come to me every day, demanding to know its location. But now, he doesn’t even bother to show his face anymore. I’m alive simply because they don’t want to deal with me anymore.”

The former king laughed aloud as he said this.

⇐ Previous

Next ⇒

⌈ Index ⌋