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

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“I understand why they let you live, but why are you still alive?”

I didn’t feel like suicide was out of reach, so I asked. It was widely known that curiosity killed the cat, but it was unlikely to kill a Demigod. The former king began to laugh and answered me without appearing to mind.

“Out of nothing more than self-satisfaction. The pitifulness of an old man who couldn’t stop the world from collapsing.”

In other words, it was a sense of guilt for not being able to stop the world’s collapse even though he was in a position that allowed him to. It was true he was doing this out of his personal feelings, but that made me like him more.

“So you wanted to live until you saw the collapse of the world?”
“That’s what drove me, yes, and now it seems like it wasn’t in vain.”
“I guess the twenty years I mentioned won’t be able to shake you given the time you’ve spent locked up here.”
“They’ll feel like a moment.”

He felt oddly cheerful, most likely because the thing he’d been waiting for after so long was finally about to happen. It was ironic that someone who had tried to prevent the world’s collapse would feel so pleased about its demise. But if this old Elf found happiness in it, I supposed that was all right. I didn’t believe anyone could dictate another’s happiness.

Thinking about it, God must have been quite awful to pick me up even after I died while feeling satisfied. Because of that, I felt I had been forced into unnecessary hardships. Having said that, there was no use complaining about that now.

I wasn’t trying to get caught up in anything too drawn-out, but I wasn’t about to go against God’s will either. I had no desire to do something foolish in the name of bravery, like recklessly challenging an overwhelmingly superior opponent. Then again, right now it felt like I was treating that overwhelmingly superior opponent as nothing more than an advanced search engine, but maybe that’s just my imagination. It had to be.

“By the way, can you tell me where the key to the cage is?”
“That I cannot do. The key is what keeps me alive. If word gets out that you know its location, I’ll become useless.”
“Whatever. I don’t think it matters much since I’ll be collecting the spirit anyway. The key is not mandatory for me. You’ll become useless even if you don’t tell me where it is.”
“I see. In that case, how about we make a deal?”
“You’re a bold one, asking for a deal with a Demigod.”

Not that I was unwilling to strike a deal, but I found it amusing. Besides, you could even call me a genuine kind of god, so it wasn’t wrong of me to show a bit of my majesty.

“Kill me if you so please. Now that the world’s collapse is assured, I’m not particularly attached to it anymore.”
“It’s a little aggravating to hear you say that when we both know that I won’t be killing you.”
“So, what is your decision about the deal?”
“I’ll take it. I’ll even provide you with a place to live after I’ve collected the spirit.”
“You catch on quick. In that case, I’ll let you know as soon as I’m done getting ready,” the former king said.

(So he won’t be giving it to me now? Well, I guess that was to be expected.)

“So is it safe for me to assume that you will tell me where the key is once I’ve prepared a shelter for you?”
“I would be in a pickle if I told you now and you decided to run off with it.”
“In that case, how about you come and help me retrieve the spirit?”
“Only if you can guarantee my safety.”
“I can’t guarantee it, but I will do everything I can.”
“I’m fine with that.”
“So we have a deal?”
“We do,” the former king said.

I sighed; speaking with royalty was draining. Some parts were enjoyable, but it was exhausting overall. Luckily, I’d managed to bind him with my Contract skill, so I considered the conversation a win.

Ultimately, the current contract would fall apart if I didn’t prepare a shelter for him, so if at some point I decided that this was too tedious, I could just leave. I wanted to believe that I’d catch the former king off guard with this, but he was probably already aware of it.

“In that case, I’m going back.”
“Come again.”

And with that, I left the presence of the former king.

◇◇◇

I was just about to return to my room when I overheard someone saying, “Where’s the other blonde Elf?”

Given that they saw I wasn’t particularly interested in them, they likely figured it’d be hard to get information out of me, but it was an entirely different case if they captured Lullus and manipulated me. In other words, to use a hostage against me. Simple and easy. I was relieved that Lullus had disappeared.

I didn’t think they would ask me directly, but if they did, I was ready to respond with something like, “A blonde-haired Elf? Was there someone like that here?”

I heard that there were ghost-type monsters in this world, though they were somewhat different from the Japanese idea of the restless souls of the dead. Though it would be fun to create something like the 7 Wonders of the Tree of Spirits.

The mystery of the missing blonde elf. The king’s lost crown. The blood magic circle in the king’s chambers. The mummy locked in the prison cell. The missing spirit. The face on the wall. The woman in white at the window.

These seven looked like they’d be fun wonders. Like the fact that the face on the wall wouldn’t be just three dots on the wall somewhere, and the woman in white wouldn’t be just a swaying curtain. All jokes aside, it was clear that they were after Lullus.

I was quite curious as to why they’d decided to go after her. Come what may, Lullus was one of the strongest beings in this world. However, I couldn’t say anything about her real strength, as I too had yet to see it.

(I might get her to spar with me sometime.)

With those thoughts in mind, I quietly snuck back to my room and deactivated the Stealth skill.

“Come to think of it, Lullus, how did you and the other spirits get caught in the first place?”
“I’m ashamed to admit that I was captured by heroes from another world. Apparently, in the world where those heroes lived, there were beings similar to spirits, and they had developed methods to use them.”

“So they’d managed to summon someone quite troublesome.”
“No. While the heroes did come from another world, they didn’t appear to have been summoned. I think it would be more accurate to say they wandered in here.”
“Are these heroes you’re referring to of the first generation?”
“As far as I’m aware, yes. It seems the existence of other worlds only became known because of those first generation heroes, which eventually led to the establishment of the summoning system.”

“And those heroes managed to defeat the Demon Lord, right?”
“That’s correct. Besides, it was so long ago that my memory about it is hazy…”
“It must have been before the current six kingdoms were formed, so no wonder. So, given you were captured, you must have lost.”
“We were caught off guard… Though saying it like that makes me sound like a sore loser. They were strong enough as to where it would’ve been anyone’s game if we had fought head-on.”

(Opponents that can go toe to toe with Lullus and even defeat the Demon Lord. Indeed, they wouldn’t have been able to make those cages if they weren’t at least that strong. Still, what a hassle.)

Dealing with someone like that sounded like a nightmare. As a former Earthling, I found it oddly comforting to know that the heroes hadn’t come from Earth.

⇐ Previous

Next ⇒

⌈ Index ⌋