◆ Avangarde, Forest Northwest of the Royal Capital ◆
【The Earth Beast Titanis has escaped!】
Its speed of blending into the ground was slightly faster than I anticipated; my sword struck the earth with barely a second to spare. More accurately, I was slow to recognize that it had escaped. It performed a similar maneuver when preparing to attack, which completely deceived me.
“Seigel, Gantetsu, how are the injuries of the three girls?”
“The eldest is severely injured. I’ve administered first aid, but we should get her to the Royal Capital as soon as possible.”
“I wish we could have brought a Healer or a Priest along…”
In a beginner’s hunting ground, it’s abnormal for anyone to go missing; anyone would realize that. I don’t intend to blame these three, but I feel compelled to say something. The Guild is also at fault; even if they are overwhelmed with reconstruction work, it’s still unacceptable. Well, there’s no point in saying anything now.
“Losing that monster was a painful blow. But with such a masterful retreat, what could we do…?”
“I’m glad you were here. We would have definitely died without you.”
“You’re right, Eeks. That monster really knows how to retreat, doesn’t it?”
As we each carried one of the three girls on our backs, my thoughts wandered. Even if we had continued fighting, I wouldn’t have had an easy victory. No offense, but Seigel and Gantetsu were up against an opponent far too heavy for them. I had no way of knowing the monster’s ecology, but its actions were unimaginable given its dull appearance.
“That monster has been tamed.”
“Oh? What do you mean by that?”
“Gantetsu, you said it yourself. It knows how to retreat exceptionally well. That’s right; it knows how.”
“Are you suggesting that someone intentionally released it here?”
“Exactly, Seigel. Moreover, recently, there has been a noticeable increase in injuries and fatalities among high-ranking Adventurers. If it’s remnants of the Vandalsia army, it’s understandable, but…”
I know there’s more to it than that. Someone is taking advantage of the situation. I have a rough idea of who it might be, but I lack evidence. What should I do?
“Hey, you two, after we carry these three to the Heal Center, can we have a little chat?”
This is the only option I have. Just as I made that decision, I looked up and saw it—my partner, the Jet-Black Earth Dragon Dogra. I would need its cooperation as well.
◆ Ikana Village ◆
“How this world was born and how it has been nurtured. Nature flourished, civilizations thrived through life, and progress and decline have repeated… You may think this way.”
“Of course!”
“Hey, Bongo, could you keep quiet for a moment?”
My father pulled back the drunken Bongo, who had brought in alcohol from somewhere. Unfazed by Bongo’s outburst, Meria seemed to focus intently on just one point. With a troubled expression, she lowered her gaze and spoke again.
“This world has always been guided by a certain existence, both now and in the past. For hundreds, no… thousands of years. Whenever people faced setbacks and were on the brink of destruction, they were guided. Calamities, disasters, anything harmful to life has been eliminated by that existence. It is because of that existence that you are here now.”
“…I didn’t want to interrupt, but I can’t let that slide. Are you saying that our very existence here is thanks to that being?”
“I understand that you may find this unpleasant, and I apologize for that. However, it is the truth. Have you never considered why, despite unprecedented disasters, humans and other beings have not perished and have come this far?”
Because humans have cooperated to overcome them. I want to say that, but my father isn’t hiding his displeasure, and everyone else is looking at Meria with skepticism.
“If something threatens the world, a being is prepared to destroy it… A certain existence has indirectly protected this world. One of them is the Hero lineage… You may not know this, but…”
“H-Heroes?!”
“A being granted power to humans is what we call Heroes. There are histories where that lineage has helped against calamities.”
“Hey, what is this ‘certain existence’ you’ve been talking about?!”
“The name of that being is Madias the Arbitrator God.”
I whispered the name Madias the Arbitrator God, as Meria had said. No one could speak; the conversation was too incomprehensible, and even my father fell silent.
“I don’t know when it started… but he has been tuning this world all along. If things go awry, he corrects them; if there is decline, he provides knowledge in some form… Humans learned to create fire and utilize it for their lives because of this. The gods provided humans with the chance to discover it.”
“W-Wait! That’s going too far! Are you saying we’ve lived without thinking for ourselves?!”
“…Not entirely, but it is true that you are influenced by the will of the gods.”
“How can you say that?! You just appeared out of nowhere and started saying rude things!”
“Don’t speak ill of my sister!”
Elmera’s heart-wrenching cry, devoid of any magic or spells, rang out. With tears in her eyes, she stepped in front of Meria and glared at everyone.
“I won’t explain how amazing my sister is, and even if I did, you wouldn’t understand. But listen to her. She doesn’t tell these stories to make anyone feel bad.”
Meria said nothing, but she smiled slightly, as if to show her gratitude to Elmera. The previously excited crowd fell silent once more.
“Meria, this Arbitrator God has guided humans, right? I can’t accept that everything we’ve done is thanks to a god. But do we have a significant problem right now?”
“Yes, Kurinka. This is where the story begins.”
Her previously sad gaze sharpened, contrasting sharply with her earlier demeanor.
“The Arbitrator God, as the name suggests, exists to correct the world and does not protect humans. To put it more deeply, ‘arbitration’ means intervening against those who disrupt the world…”
“So, if we humans are seen as disruptive…”
“Yes. If humans are deemed to lead the world to ruin, the Arbitrator God will act. If the population decreases too much, he will intervene; if it increases too much, he will intervene again. Thus, he works to maintain the world.”
“But that god hasn’t done anything so far…”
Meria seemed to understand what I was about to say without me needing to finish. There are too many clues; rather, we have already come into contact with the presence of that Arbitrator God.
“We might be… hearing the voice of the Arbitrator God. During Aleid’s time… and Vattel’s time… granting power or going against reason…”
“…So it was true.”
“Did you know this, Meria, even though you just awakened?”
“Rua, I already know what you’ve done. You have saved many people and protected them from ruin. Kurinka, you are the same. However, this has resulted in incurring the wrath of the Arbitrator God.”
We have angered the Arbitrator God. Indeed, Aleid ended up fighting me, and Vattel did the same. The fact that I never touched the Hero’s Sword might be proof that I was disliked by the Arbitrator God.
“Meria, did that Arbitrator God also create the Hero’s Sword?”
“Most likely… Since we don’t know when or who made it, it’s reasonable to think so.”
“I see… So it’s only natural that I can’t touch it…”
“Don’t be so down. Rua, you are an unexpected existence for the Arbitrator God.”
“Unexpected?”
“The Arbitrator God has made a miscalculation; that is your Divine Nature. Born from the union of different races, a manifestation of concepts… Even the gods likely never anticipated that interspecies unions would occur.”
If I were to be any more shocked, I wouldn’t be able to handle it. First, I need to calm down and take a deep breath.
“Like Vandalsia, where humans and monsters fuse, or through interspecies unions… that is Divine Nature.”
“I didn’t know! I didn’t even understand what Divine Nature was! Sister, that’s amazing!”
“But Elmera, you discovered your Divine Nature on your own, right? That’s impressive enough.”
“Pet me!”
“Kurinka and I…”
“That means you were born from us, who became experimental subjects of Belmund. It all makes sense now.”
My father’s words ring true. It explains why Vandalsia and Nerva possessed Divine Nature.
“…Did Vandalsia know this much?”
“I have no way of knowing, but at the very least, he seemed to be trying to use me to achieve a certain goal.”
“A certain goal?”
“To open a door to another world and invade. The Celestial Realm, the Underworld, the Demon Realm… he plotted to invade them all. He focused on me, the only elf who knew about other worlds and was researching them.”
“Wow! He was thinking about that?! I’m glad we defeated him…”
“Yes, it’s true. I can’t thank you enough for that. However, it seems that this has only ignited the wrath of the Arbitrator God… It was precisely because Vandalsia envisioned a world where humans are dominated and destroyed that Zaniel descended upon us.”
Even with my limited understanding, the pieces were starting to fall into place. The Arbitrator God was angry because I had helped so many people. In truth, they wanted to annihilate and reduce the number of humans, but my existence thwarted that plan.
“Zaniel is not the Arbitrator God, right?”
“That being is merely a vanguard of the Arbitrator God. Its role is to monitor the times… that should be its only purpose.”
“The moment I defeated Vandalsia, it attacked me…”
“I-I was glared at too?!”
“Kurinka’s Power of Regeneration is also a nuisance to the Arbitrator God. Saving many lives disrupts the balance of the world. Just as carnivorous beasts hunt and consume their prey, the world operates in a similar manner. To save those destined to die is something the Arbitrator God cannot allow.”
I couldn’t accept this. So, the Divine Being was siding with Vandalsia? I couldn’t understand how that could possibly be for the good of the world.
“If Vandalsia dominates and kills humans… the population will decrease, and the world will decline, right?”
“However, it will eventually be defeated. Whether that aligns with the Arbitrator God’s envisioned scenario is uncertain, but after decades or even centuries, it will ‘arbitrate’ again.”
“That’s absurd! That’s completely the same as Vandalsia! What about this Madias? Who does he think he is?”
“…From the perspective of a human’s short lifespan, the actions of the Arbitrator God may seem evil. However, the Divine Being acts with foresight into the distant future. Its sole intention is to ensure the survival of the world… that is Madias’s will.”
“There is no good or evil in the Divine Being. Only its will exists.”
Colin approached with purposeful strides. I hadn’t noticed her descending from the Airship that had been hovering in the sky, too engrossed in Meria’s conversation.
“Have you ever wondered how long humans have existed and how many moons have passed? Yet, did you not find it strange? Why do you still rely on such uncertain things as magic? Why is your civilization one that takes days to travel between towns? Why are your structures so flimsy? Why do you still depend on primitive weapons like swords and spears? Don’t you find it odd when you look at us, Metallica?”
“Colin, if you say that…”
“The plan has already entered its final stage, Director Genia. At this point, such concerns are trivial.”
“Is that so? However, everyone seems quite shocked.”
I was shocked, to say the least. The villagers had come here before I was born and built this village. There was a river, and they had even dug a well. The houses were sturdy enough to withstand wind and rain. And the crowning achievement was the bath, allowing us to wash ourselves anytime. We had all cooperated to complete this village.
“Are you saying this village was thanks to Madias?”
“Cutting down trees to build houses, starting fires. Perhaps it was the intervention of the Arbitrator God that made humans realize this.”
“But! It can’t all be thanks to Madias, can it?”
“Indeed, humans are not that foolish. Left to their own devices, knowledge spreads and civilizations develop. This is true for any living being. That is why you should question it. Why, after hundreds or thousands of years, is your civilization still at this level?”
“This level?!”
“…Because civilization was erased by Madias?”
Colin clapped softly, as if to commend my father’s calm answer.
“Correct. Madias knows that when humans develop civilization, it does not benefit the world in any way. Although it did not anticipate the existence of divine beings, it has foresight in such matters.”
“Are you destroying what humans have painstakingly built?!”
“Because if we don’t, many nations like ours will emerge.”
“Eh…”
Colin sighed dramatically, gazing up at the sky. I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was secretly mocking us.
“Indeed… we, Metallica, are the civilization that should have been brought into this world.”
Genia smiled at our stunned expressions. Colin, who had spoken first, crossed her arms, looking somewhat displeased.
“So, you were aware of the existence of the Arbitrator God.”
“Yes, Village Chief. You may not know, but we have been obstructed by the Arbitrator God many times before. It has tried various means to erase us. But it failed; it underestimated humanity… Hehe, yes. Hehe, no one will interfere with us anymore.”
Suddenly, Colin laughed maniacally, her red lips twisting into a grin. It wasn’t just her lips; her eyes were genuinely smiling. What was this person? Something felt off.
“We should not be played with by the hands of the gods any longer. That is why now is the time to activate… the Babel Project.”
Hearing that phrase, which I had seen before, directly from the mouth of a high-ranking official of the Kingdom of Metallica sent chills down my spine. Genia merely sighed and did not attempt to stop Colin from speaking.
“Meria, was it? What do you think of us from your perspective?”
“…I am surprised. Even if we elves were to exist, I do not believe we could build such a civilization.”
“Flattering, but there’s no need to be modest.”
“However, if you are trying to take Madias’s place, I must advise you. Humans cannot become gods. Moreover, by resisting, humanity will be put in danger due to Madias’s intervention.”
“That is precisely the purpose of the Babel Project. Well, I do not intend to debate this here. Now, Director Genia, let us return to the Royal Capital without further delay.”
As I followed Genia, who hurried after Colin, I couldn’t help but think of Platiu. Even Genia, who had treated us kindly, seemed to be hiding something significant. I didn’t understand what the Babel Project was, but I had a bad feeling about it. The same went for Platiu.
“…They are truly remarkable individuals. I have come to realize the power of humans once again.”
“My sister is even more amazing!”
“Thank you, Elmera. But I’m not shocked; I have no intention of fixating on power dynamics.”
“As expected of you, sister! Humans are on a different level!”
While I patted the clingy Elmera, Meria continued to gaze up at the departing Airship. I wondered if even elves could create such an Airship. If that were the case, as Meria said, I too had come to realize the greatness of the existence that was the Kingdom of Metallica.
“Now, my part of the conversation is over.”
“O-over?”
“Yes, I apologize for keeping you for so long. And one more thing… may I stay here for a while? Oh, you need not worry about accommodations. The food will not affect your share…”
“Is that alright? Village Chief…”
“Of course… you are welcome.”
Even when I asked again, Meria changed the subject as if ignoring me. The Village Chief must have been too shocked by the earlier conversation to do anything but agree.
“Meria, um… what about Madias? Are you going to do something about him?”
“Yes? What do you mean by ‘do something’?”
“Well, you know… defeat him or something.”
“Hehe, you are quite the interesting person. It’s no wonder Elmera teases you. To think of defeating such an unfathomable being is impressive.”
“W-what? You don’t have to say it like that.”
“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it in a bad way! Besides, the world exists because of the Arbitrator God. If that were to change, it would be a serious matter.”
“Then what was all this talk about?!”
“Just important information.”
With a smile, Meria quickly went off to find a place to build a house. After hearing such a monumental conversation, it felt like we were left behind in this space.
“Big sister, I want to share a room! One bed!”
“You’re not a child anymore…”
“Then should we make one for sleeping together and one for alone?”
“Alright, alright.”
What was I supposed to do after hearing all that? Meria seemed like a really mean person now. I felt as if only the elf sisters, clinging to each other, had drifted into a peaceful space.
◆ Nation of Negesta, Royal Capital ◆
“Are you travelers? You are quite lucky; today is the day of the Divine Being’s oracle. If you would like, please come to Daifudo Temple. We are also opening it to the public in accordance with the oracle… Oh, I see. If you feel inclined, please…”
When I shook my head to decline, the person surprisingly backed off quite easily.
“May the blessings of the main god, Madias, be upon you.”
I can hardly believe that just a short while ago, this place was under the occupation of Noibranz. The faces of the people I pass by are constantly filled with smiles, and it feels unsettling. Why did Grandpa ask me to investigate this country? I know that while Rash has the strength, he’s not suited for this kind of mental strain. That’s why I, Truppo, was entrusted with this task. Yet, I can’t help but feel regret.
“Oh, Kyu-kyon! Good day! I heard your son was born recently.”
“Good day, Hankai. Yes, indeed. It was a difficult delivery, but thankfully, my wife is safe… I truly don’t know how to express my gratitude.”
“Hahaha, it’s nothing to worry about. With our usual faith, there’s no need for concern.”
“Indeed. My prayers must have reached the Divine Being Madias. How fortunate, how fortunate…”
This is always how their conversations end. The god Madias, revered by the Uzei Religion. Is this information something I should take to Lord Hast? More than that, I just want to escape this country as soon as possible.
“It’s another beautiful day. A sign that Madias is watching over us.”
“Speaking of which, I recently found an old copper coin I thought I had lost. It’s one of my treasured collections, so I was truly delighted.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! Surely, it’s the work of Madias. By the way, just the other day…”
Even in these mundane conversations, the name Madias never fails to come up. I had some knowledge of the Uzei Religion, but I never expected it to be this pervasive. Witnessing such a unified ideology is far more terrifying than I imagined. I desperately wanted to run away, but the divine revelation from earlier kept nagging at me. I had turned it down before, but if there’s something to gain…
“It’s time for prayer. The messenger appears divine…”
The enormous angel floating above the Royal Capital seemed to smile even more brightly.
◆ Shin Report ◆
Elmera, sister, how do you know so much?
The Divine Being Madias.
This is the first time I’ve heard that name.
So, it was that being’s doing that led to the extinction of the elves and demons.
What a terrifying entity.
However, if it’s thanks to that being that the world has continued to exist until now,
I can’t dismiss it outright.
Let alone think of defeating it; that would be utterly foolish.
But between Rua and Madias, who would win?
I’m quite curious.
Ah!
Then, the other day when Shin dropped the chestnut pudding he was about to eat,
was that also Madias’s doing?
And when he tried to taste the soup he was making and fell into the pot,
was that also Madias’s doing?
Curse that Divine Being! The broth turned out to be rich and full of flavor.
It’s still a secret from Rua and the others, but if I think of it as having obtained the essence of Shin,
then it’s not so bad.
A new broth from the essence of Shin, yes, that’s good.
Rua, do you understand the meaning behind why I chose to end the conversation?
Can you grasp it?
Even Shin doesn’t understand.