A spirit of experimentation bubbles up.

I’ve developed a desire to analyze and define the goddess.

The goddess is a vast net in the sky. Her religious dignity goes without saying, and her very scale is immense. Divine power can be received anywhere in this world, can it not?

It operates as a rule of the world, like gravity.

Divine power is a very bizarre and powerful force. It easily dismisses medicine and pharmacology, leaving behind only the result of ‘healing.’ It’s a peculiarity that would astonish any doctor.

Of course, at a time when concepts like souls and magic are prevalent, it’s far from science… Even to a magician, divine power is a wonder.

The healing magic of the Red Tower has a principle, even if it’s just for show. They accelerate the natural healing power of organisms using heat. If asked how they do it, the only explanation is magic.

But the mechanism of divine power is a bit more ‘magical.’

Whether it’s cells or whatever, there’s no observable rationality. The way divine power heals people is just ‘because it does.’

Not just healing, but looking at the divine magic Tara used in her heyday, she could cast a variety of buffs. It seems she used things like physical enhancement or shield summoning.

The fable of the goddess she borrowed, “Gear: Homeostasis,” was almost an ability to create quasi-immortality.

So, if one can communicate and cooperate positively with the goddess, the confrontation with ‘it’ will become much easier. And the point I’m most looking forward to…

The succession and transformation manifested through the evil god statue.

It’s the “Heroine” the queen used. It was a force exerted from the outside. Although the queen used it, it wasn’t that arrows came from her, but rather it felt like a beam was shot from a satellite floating in space.

Moreover, that power melted into the world itself, moving the world along with the sound of gears turning.

This is the part.

If I can figure out how it was done, and if I can apply it, then I might be able to install a TRPG simulator in reality, right?

I talked to Evil God-chan about this idea.

It was night at the time, and Evil God-chan was perched halfway up a tree branch, almost lying down. The moon rose behind her, backlighting her.

Her face was cast in deep shadow, yet strangely, her expression was clear. That peculiar glow in her eyes. She has no hesitation in revealing herself.

The composure found in the top predators.

From noble mtl dot come

With a settled expression and a slice of scornful laughter, as if looking down on the world, Evil God-chan spoke. Inside the guise of a girl, the shadow of a malevolent dragon flickered.

“Yes, that’s the path I’ve walked, Mima. That’s the ultimate destination. There was no need to distinguish between virtual and real. Either way, I could do as I pleased.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“Can you understand… how the world looked to me, like a mere toy?”

To this, I clearly stated,

“Just draw a clear line and distinguish. A game is a game, and reality is reality. And… don’t go flapping your lips as if you were ever the good one. You’ve got it all backwards.”

Evil-chan talks as if she turned wicked after gaining power. But it’s the opposite. She was already pitch-black when she crossed the finish line.

“Hmm…”

Caught.

As if to say that, Evil-chan lazily smiled and bit her tongue.

—

Rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle.

A human-powered carriage passed through the city gates. The guards were startled, and the passersby murmured, but who are we?

“…Why is a person pulling the carriage?”

“That’s right, indeed. Our house’s Pingballez can easily pull a carriage loaded with three people!”

“Correct. I am very strong. But autographs are troublesome, please just watch with your eyes.”

Pingballez and I just shamelessly went on. If there are no horses, people must pull, what can we do? We’re the unshakeable manly duo, immune to the gazes of others.

Evil-chan is indifferent. She’s quite shy about her own affairs but doesn’t care much about others.

On the other hand, Yuna became a butterfly, clinging to the carriage’s ceiling, and the temporary member, Young-ae, also tightly closed her eyes in vicarious embarrassment.

“Is this the Elmest territory? Cleaner than I thought.”

“Did you expect it to be dirty?”

“It’s the neighborhood where the Succubus Queen had taken root. I thought it would have a more corrupted atmosphere.”

“Ah, I see what you mean. But think about it. If she had openly indulged in pleasure, she would have been caught and killed long ago.”

That’s true.

The empire’s troubleshooter, the young knight, would have come and split everything in half. In that sense, the queen’s savvy should be praised. She managed to consume a city and remained undetected for such a long time.

Perhaps the queen was not a genius of seduction but a genius of internal affairs.

“The city cleaning isn’t finished yet? Should we clean up a bit before leaving…?”

“If you’re thinking of cleaning, the Annihilation Squad has already surveyed a few points.”

Pingballez explained the areas where the queen likely had direct involvement. The brothels established in dark places, those in bright places, and those secretly built.

“…There’s quite a lot of the same kind?”

“Where would a demon’s taste go?”

Alright. Then we start with the Elmest territory’s Goddess Church branch. We go to keep Evil-chan’s promise. After that, we’ll burn all the remnants left by the queen.

But first, there’s something we need to do.

I peeked into the carriage and asked the young lady,

“What will you do now, my lady? We have arrived in the city.”

“Ah…”

“I happen to have some connections with the Grand Duke of the North. Shall I say we’re close? So, I can arrange some conveniences for you.”

“You have ties with my father…”

The young lady pondered for a moment, her sky-blue hair falling in disarray. The fleeting look in her eyes was more wary than relieved. It’s not the emotion one would expect in the presence of a father’s friend.

Overall, she doesn’t seem to be lying or making things up, so she must be the Grand Duke’s daughter. But then, are they on bad terms?

‘Daisy’… Yes, she’s not known for her temper. She seemed quite dissatisfied with her fiancée, too. There might be some domestic strife.

The Grand Duke and the young lady likely have different desires.

I switched to a sympathetic mode.

“That gentleman, he can be quite difficult, can’t he? Stubborn or obstinate, perhaps?”

“Yes…?”

“I’ll apologize on his behalf. He should have mended his ways when he was younger. Even now, he scolds the maids over dust on his shelves, doesn’t he?”

“Well, there is a bit of that, yes.”

The young lady seemed confused. From her speech, it seems they are close friends, but she’s not easily convinced. Let’s read a little deeper. The eyes, the gestures, the atmosphere…

So, this means──

“It’s quite astonishing to see such a bizarre fellow and the dignified Grand Duke being friends! I understand your surprise, Lady Erbasillion. Mmm, I get it.”

A mischievous spirit suddenly interrupted with a spoiler. I was almost at the conclusion.

“Hey, I was just about to figure it out.”

“Too slow. It’s frustratingly slow, I couldn’t stand it. But isn’t it the fault of the slow and incompetent one?”

“Shall I send you swiftly to the River Jordan? My apologies, my lady. This one keeps rushing me.”

“……..”

She must be impatient to find the boy she had promised to meet, protesting unconsciously. She’s anxious because of the delay right before her eyes.

Yes, I must go. I left the young lady with one last word,

“I’ll consider any reasonable request, so take your time to think about what you want from me.”

“Thank you for your kindness, sorcerer.”

“Don’t mention it. You’re a friend’s daughter, after all.”

With a hearty laugh, I stepped out of the carriage.

—

The temple building of the Goddess Sect in Elmest territory seemed to have about 45% of its durability remaining. I assessed it briefly.

“Is this a temple or ruins?”

“More like ruins, don’t you think…?”

“We did use explosives to destroy the statue of the goddess, but it wasn’t this damaged before.”

“When I was abandoned, coming out from underground, it was shattered to this extent. The kid I met here testified… that the knights of the domain had been coming and going. Isn’t that plunder?”

Plunder, indeed.

After the head of the domain lord was taken by the extermination squad, the imperial court dispatched a temporary domain administrator to govern Elmest domain.

It seems that the knights of the domain committed their transgressions during the power vacuum.

While I was stacking data for the session map, looking at the desolate church building, Evil God-chan strode inside and shouted loudly.

“I’ve brought someone to heal your sister, come out!”

She shouts with such vigor.

And Evil God-chan’s voice was quite excited. From this angle, I could only see the back of her head, so I couldn’t read her expression, but I could imagine.

Even now, what would it be like when the boy appears?

If she truly feels the realization of having saved someone, if she receives the boy’s sincere tears of gratitude, if she witnesses the boy and his sister embracing and rejoicing together.

If she gets to see more of the good things in the world.

If Evil God-chan is happy because of her goodness, I think I’d feel quite pleased too. I might even feel proud, and perhaps, in a good mood, I might even elevate her status to half-human, half-beast.

But that’s that.

I’ve prepared myself to tease her thoroughly. I’ll mock the pathetic Evil God for now being happy with her good deeds, and suggest there’s something more between her and the boy.

Both Evil God-chan and I, inflated with our own expectations.

“Come out, hey! I said come out?!”

“……..”

“This is your last chance. It’s your sister’s and your life’s last chance to be healed, understand?! If you don’t come out right now…!!”

Expectations can sometimes hurt.

Expectations, as much as they swell, burst with a loud noise.

Like a boy who eagerly awaited his Christmas present, only to find nothing beside his bed the next morning. It brings a stinging pain.

And then comes disappointment. After disappointment, one thinks like this: Never expect again. Never dream again. Never…

It’s not good for the children’s emotions.

So, before Evil God-chan’s expectations burst, I placed my hand on her crown. And I casually spoke up.

“Hey. Would you settle down in these ruins?”

“……..”

“She must have left already. Stop shouting and come over, if our client has moved, we should follow, shouldn’t we?”

“…Yeah.”

The response is damp.

Aksin-chan is smart, so naturally… she must have thought something had happened.

Not stopping there, she would have taken it a step further. If she had leaked the queen’s information here, and some guys had retrieved it. It would mean those fallen religious fanatics had stopped by.

If you listen to what the fallen paladin said, they didn’t hesitate to sacrifice people.

And in these ruins, the boy who had been hiding and his comatose sister might have been carefully taken away… too.

The existence that had been spreading malignancy around the world, making an irreversible mistake due to its own evil, and then watching it suffer and regret. It would be thrilling to watch.

But who am I? I’m not the maker of happy endings.

“What did I ask the teary-eyed guy and the scar-faced senior who took you from the tower?”

“…?”

With a swish, Aksin-chan turns around. Her eyes wide open, as if asking what on earth I’m talking about. A flicker of hope begins to swell from the bottom of those large eyes.

The clumsily clenched fists are noticeable. Wondering if I’m teasing, lying, or if it’s real. She seems to be floundering, unable to distinguish.

I added one more thing.

“What do you think made me delay?”

“…Hey!!”

Aksin-chan throws a tantrum and delivers a strong punch. I was about to laugh it off, but unlike Yuna’s soft punches, this one is… painful!

I contacted the scar-faced senior while running through the ruins.

—

“Junior, Rowillen… was captured along with the boy. Both seem to be alive for now.”

“…”

“…”

I demoted the teary-eyed guy to teary-eyed gay.