Crown of the Wonder World 0
A voice calls out.
I can hear a voice.
“Woff!”
Someone is calling my name. Who is it?
“Ah, he’s awake-ssu.”
“Hey, hey. Are you alright?”
“…? Where am I?”
A blue sky. A familiar white landscape.
Mineha-san, sitting on Ms. Pachira’s shoulder, speaks.
“Outside the Great Temple. You collapsed the moment you went inside. See? Just like I told you. That oppressive presence is dangerous.”
“Indeed. Even Edda’s Megadia is feeling unwell.”
Megadia-san, slumped against a pillar with a wine bottle in hand, grumbles.
“The Statue of Reappearance. That thing itself is Legendary. It’s only natural.”
The Great Temple. Its giant doors stand open.
Visible beyond them is the chapel, illuminated by stained glass.
Deep within, the Girl Statue of the Generous Reappearance is faintly visible.
“Child. Here is some water. Drink.”
“Ah, thank you very much.”
Lupinus-san handed me a cup.
It really was water. I drank it as told. It was lukewarm.
“I felt sick too. The last time I felt this sick was… when I ate my Eleventh Sister’s cooking? No, I fainted then. Ah, that’s it. It was when I ate my Thirteenth Sister’s Rotten Meat Pudding.”
“It’s only natural you’d feel sick from that-ssu.”
“Speaking of which, Rell. You’re quite something yourself.”
“What is?”
Everyone’s here. Bid-san is here too. They’re alive!
Thank goodness. I’m truly glad.
“Ah, that Crown…”
“Crown?”
“What’s that?”
“The Fool’s… the Undead from the Dungeon Monster. The clown.”
“Was there such a thing?”
Lupinus-san prefaced her words with, “Come to think of it.”
“When I was young, I saw one at the royal capital’s circus.”
“Speaking of clowns, I saw one on the street long ago. He was amazing, balancing on a ball, holding a bottle in his mouth, juggling knives. He even breathed fire.”
“That sounds amazing regardless of whether he was a clown or not-ssu.”
“I’d like to see that at least once.”
“The anomaly in that Dungeon…”
“You mean the Japanese Giant Salamander?”
“Huh?”
“That thing.”
Ms. Pachira pointed towards the encampment. Near it was a huge black object.
Ah, that fell into the Great Temple back then.
“A Giant Land Catfish.”
“———Woff-dono. You’re mistaken-yasu. That’s a Japanese Giant Salamander. Different from us Land Catfish-yasu ze. Because Japanese Giant Salamanders are Dungeon Monsters-yasu.”
Alexander-san arrived with Liv-san and said this.
No, wait a minute, that, that Giant Land Catfish is a Japanese Giant Salamander!?
Eh? They existed in this world? Japanese Giant Salamanders…?
That thing?
“Oh, finished the setup?”
“Yep. We can return now-yasu.”
“Ngh… Inside the temple… treasure… nothing there…”
Her face looked as sleepy as ever, but there was a hint of dejection.
Bid-san looked exasperated.
“Liv-san. You were supposed to be guarding, but you were doing that-ssu ka?”
“How could you. Liv. That’s sacrilegious. You’ll incur Edda’s curse.”
Megadia-san said while drinking her wine.
It carried absolutely no conviction.
“…Ngh. It’s unscientific… but… really… seems possible.”
“Liv. Honestly, you can’t be helped.”
“Ngh… Sorry.”
What is going on?
Is this the result of the inductive convergence after the Crown disappeared?
Inductive reasoning.
According to my past life’s memories, it’s deriving general laws or conclusions from various phenomena, facts, or data.
A method of inference, apparently.
In short, from the phenomena, facts, and data after excluding the Crown… it’s about making things consistent.
So the current situation is a world where the story has been patched up after removing the Crown?
Meaning the Dungeon anomaly was the Giant Land Catfish, aka the Japanese Giant Salamander.
And the story now is that we fought the Japanese Giant Salamander here.
The Japanese Giant Salamander here… gained [Earthquake] and [Teleport] abilities?
So the Japanese Giant Salamander didn’t die, everyone else was [Teleport]ed, and we had a decisive battle and defeated it.
That seems to be the gist of it.
Somehow, it’s turned into an incredible story.
“Woff. Are you alright?”
“Y-Yes. I’m sorry. I always seem to cause trouble.”
“That’s not true at all.”
“Indeed, child.”
“Woff. You know. Humility isn’t always good.”
“Woff-kun. You played a major role, didn’t you-ssu ka?”
“Eh?”
“We didn’t know what would happen when you were sent flying by the Japanese Giant Salamander, but then you got on top of it and brilliantly struck its core. That was quite something.”
Ax-san said proudly. Eh? Did I really do something that incredible?
“That was a giant-killing feat.”
“Nn?”
“Nice assist. I want to tell my Fourteenth Sister about it.”
“Th-That’s…”
“Thanks to you, I was able to defeat it with my [Mausoleum’s Light Inability].”
“I-Is that so?”
“But, I won’t forget what you did to me, Woff-kun-ssu yo.”
“Eh?”
“Hoho. Now I want to know too. I want to know.”
“M-Ms. Pachira. Your eyes are scary…”
Because they’re cat eyes, they look really scary!?
“Child. You. What did you do to Bid?”
“Eh? No, um…”
“I can’t forget that-ssu… blush”
“Eh?”
“What is it? Sounds like you’re the worst.”
“Ngh… Pervy boy…”
“Eeeh…?”
It’s a memory I don’t have, but Bid-san laughed.
“Myahaha! It’s true something happened, no joke-ssu kedo, Ms. Pachira’s trump card, that thing’s too strong-ssu yo. The Japanese Giant Salamander. Half its face was gone, wasn’t it-ssu ka?”
“There’s no point telling me that… Be that as it may, Woff. We need to talk later.”
“…Y-Yes.”
What did I really do?
“Certainly, a little more restraint would be appreciated.”
“Like I said, there’s no point telling me that.”
“Ngh… But Liv… likes Pachira’s song and dance…”
“Liv?”
“I like it too.”
“Woff!?”
“Oh my, oh my, such different reactions-ssu ne~”
“O-Of course not. You fool!”
“Ow! That hurts-ssu? Don’t hit me-ssu! It actually kinda hurts!”
“Alright, alright. That’s enough. Everyone’s here now, right?”
Megadia-san stood up, speaking like a chaperone, wine bottle still in hand.
“No one forgot anything, right? We’re heading back.”
Everyone replied in their own way. Is this an excursion?
Somehow, it feels anticlimactic. But that’s fine.
That’s the best way. Ax-san asked.
“Alexander. By the way, where did you set it up?”
“That would be in the place called the Chamber of Fate in the East Chapel-yasu.”
“Hmm.”
Fate, huh.
The fact that only I remember is probably an admonishment.
That Girl Statue of the Generous Reappearance.
Did the model for it ever use 【Banishment Line】?
And perhaps, if I approached that statue, I could obtain it again.
Right now, I don’t have 【Banishment Line】.
I felt relieved about that.
Still, a thought occurs to me.
This time, without 【Banishment Line】…
Even if we could have won, Bid-san and Ax-san would have died.
The others might not have survived either.
“………”
What if, and it’s a foolish thought, but…
What if the 【Banishment Line】 wasn’t there by chance?
What if the 【Banishment Line】 was there because I needed it?
Meaning, what if I was fated to obtain 【Banishment Line】?
For what purpose? To deal with that Crown—is that it?
Then who would arrange such a thing… well, yeah, I guess so.
“…Like being in the palm of Buddha’s hand, huh?”
I gave a wry smile.
I feel like a hero summoned to defeat a demon lord.
But the fact that [Generous] still exists might mean this time was just a coincidence.
Or perhaps everything was coincidence, and my thoughts are mere speculation.
That Girl Statue of the Generous Reappearance… it’s too far away to see clearly.
“Woff. What are you doing?”
“We’re leaving you behind-ssu yo~”
“What are you doing?”
“…Sorry. I’m coming now.”
I walked, following the others.
I didn’t look back.
This is fine.
Humans shouldn’t become gods.
Feeling strangely cheerful, I walked up beside Ms. Pachira and realized.
“…Ah.”
“Nn. What is it?”
“Come to think of it, my knife…”
Huh, it’s gone. That’s strange.
If it hadn’t been erased by the Crown, it should be here.
And yet it’s not. Ah, found it!
The Elixir Knife… is… here.
Eh? What about my other knives?
The knives erased by the [Vanish Knife] during my first encounter with the Crown…?
The knives slashed and erased when I fought within stopped time?
Hello? Inductive reasoning?
“What are you doing?”
“Um, what about my knives?”
“What? Your knives? Didn’t they break when you stabbed the Japanese Giant Salamander after getting caught on it?”
Inductive reasoning!?
Eh? My knives… And so, we returned.
Hydrangea. We’re back.
Four days after our return.
Things had calmed down considerably, so I decided to think things over again.
This is a world where the Crown has completely vanished from the past and future, converged through inductive reasoning.
In other words, it’s a world altered to patch up the inconsistencies left by the Crown’s absence.
Normally, in situations like this, shouldn’t unfamiliar memories suddenly surface in my mind?
But nothing like that happened at all, so I decided to ask around about what exactly transpired.
First, the Junkyard tragedy.
Instead of Mimics, several Lizardmen appeared.
There was apparently some damage.
Mr. Agaro resolved it by defeating a Lizardman General.
It seems I was present here too, just like before.
After that, there weren’t any particularly significant changes.
We obtained the [Relic Plate].
Ax-san’s conflict and his reconciliation with Mineha-san remained the same.
The flow of events up to the Dungeon’s Innermost Area, Edda’s Sanctuary, was unchanged.
The divergence point was after that.
The huge double doors of the Great Temple remained shut.
That’s why Mineha-san and I hadn’t gone to the Great Temple.
Hydrangea. Cidre Tavern. A table seat.
Ax-san spoke while drinking Cidre.
“The doors stayed shut, you see. We explored the surroundings, found nothing, and had no choice but to return with Alexander.”
“You were just spacing out drinking tea, weren’t you? Like an old man.”
As she said that, Mineha-san began eating the mountain of meatballs on her plate.
Each meatball was about as big as Mineha-san herself. She was finishing them all.
She’s as hearty an eater as ever.
No, it’s beyond that level.
“I can sort of imagine.”
“Well then, while we were relaxin’, the earthquake hit, y’see,” Hoss-san said.
“That was intense. Reminded me of my third older sister’s snoring,” Rell-san added.
“What kinda snorin’ is that?” Hoss-san asked.
Rell-san and Hoss-san carried on with their usual back-and-forth.
Still, I wondered what kind of snoring it was.
“That’s when the anomaly subjugation team arrived, along with… the Japanese Giant Salamander, right?”
“That’s right. That was a surprise,” Ax-san confirmed.
“Its position was exactly on the opposite side,” Rell-san noted.
“It was southwest, wasn’t it?”
“Thanks to that, my pot of Assorted Meat stew spilled,” Hoss-san grumbled.
“And then they attacked us. The Lizardmen, that is,” Mineha-san finished.
So the Lizardmen replaced the Mimics after all.
There were Lizardmen where I was teleported, too.
Could it be that this was how it was originally supposed to happen?
“We drove them back, but the Encampment was a mess,” Ax-san continued.
“We had concerns about defense too.”
“We hadn’t thought ’bout that kinda thing at all, y’know,” Hoss-san admitted.
“Well, we were just planning to head back after that.”
“If only that hadn’t happened.”
“That’s why we decided ta make the Temple District our Encampment, considerin’ defense too,” Hoss-san explained.
“The Temple District?”
It’s true, that place has walls.
There’s plenty of food, and you don’t need to pitch tents.
So the Temple District replaced the Mimic’s Puppet Box.
“While moving to the Temple District, we ran into Torquetum from the anomaly subjugation team. And Bid too,” Mineha-san said.
“I see. What about Megadia-san?”
“I heard later she was engaged in battle with an Octopas Queen,” Ax-san replied.
“Hm? Not a Lizardman Queen?”
“An Octopas Queen.”
Does a Monster like that even exist?
This part, and the fact that Mr. Agaro and the others were left behind, hasn’t changed.
“But why so sudden?” Hoss-san asked.
“Asking about what happened back then… well, I appreciate bein’ treated, but still,” Rell-san added.
“Planning on writing your memoirs?” Mineha-san teased.
“My eighth older sister is good at that sort of thing,” Ax-san replied.
“Your sisters seem like they can do anything.”
“Hmph, that’s right. Anything except get married.”
“Stop with the jokes that aren’t funny.”
“You, saying that… you know…”
“Rell. Don’t ya go sayin’ that in front of ’em. Ya’ll definitely get killed,” Hoss-san warned.
“I know. I don’t want to end up like my seventh older sister.”
“Whoa…”
“That sister really never learns, does she?” Hoss-san sighed.
“So, Woff. Why are you digging into this stuff now?” Mineha-san asked.
“Ah, well, The Witch asked me to.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Makes sense.”
“Makes sense.”
“I see.”
They accepted it so easily. Just how much trust does The Witch command?
After that, Megadia-san also arrived at the Temple District, which they were using as an Encampment.
And then came the subjugation of the Japanese Giant Salamander, the Dungeon anomaly.
After the subjugation, the day before they were set to return.
Megadia-san was able to open the huge double doors of the Great Temple, so she did. When we went inside, I collapsed.
Megadia-san collapsed too, and everyone else couldn’t enter due to the overwhelming pressure.
It felt like an absolute will forbidding entry.
I understood the general flow of events.
What bothers me is… yeah. It’s definitely that.
I made up my mind and headed towards her.
The ruins of a Watchtower overlooking the town.
Only remnants of the Tower remained here and there, but the view from here was excellent.
“Well now. What is this talk you wished to have in a place like this?”
Ms. Pachira looked puzzled.
But her cat ears were twitching, and her tail was restlessly swaying and curling.
Also, since she was off-duty, her attire consisted of a white cape and a yellow dress.
U-uhm. How should I put this?
“Um, just to confirm, the night before that anomaly subjugation… did I stand watch with you?”
“…………Fool. What good will asking such a thing do?”
Ms. Pachira’s face flushed crimson as she looked away sulkily.
Ah, so we did. Phew, thank goodness.
I don’t know why, but the thought of not having experienced that night felt incredibly unpleasant.
And the final battle with Crown never happened.
Since no one died… there was no need to give Ms. Pachira the Elixir Sacred Egg.
That’s why it’s still deep inside my pouch even now.
Then, Ms. Pachira gave me a sidelong, reproachful glance.
What is it? Is she angry? W-well, anyway, there’s something I want to tell her.
“Ah, thank you very much. Because of you, Ms. Pachira, I felt cheered up.”
It gave me courage too. In a way, I feel like I’ve broken through something.
Right now, I feel refreshed and clear-headed.
“…You are a child, aren’t you.”
“Eh?”
Ms. Pachira sighed.
Well, that’s true. I am a child.
“—Woff. Treat me to a meal. You have money, do you not?”
“I do, but…”
Though I haven’t received the payment for the Dungeon Exploration request yet.
“Treat me.”
As she spoke, Ms. Pachira twitched her ears, and her two tails, one long and one short, curled and swayed.
Somehow, the current Ms. Pachira… seems like a cat.
Well, she’s a Cat Beastman, so of course she is.
But this is the most cat-like she’s seemed.
“Y-Yes. Understood.”
Well, treating her to a meal isn’t really a big deal.
Besides, I also want to hear the detailed story of the Dungeon anomaly subjugation.
With this, I’ve mostly figured out what changed.
Things become strangely easier to understand just by Crown not being here.
That Crown was the worst.
And mistaken. That’s how it feels.
Like an error, perhaps? Was it something like that?
So, perhaps to correct that— Ms. Pachira looks at me and opens her mouth.
“That’s right. There was something I wanted to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“I haven’t yet heard what happened with Bid.”
“Ah.”
I’d forgotten.
That was the first thing I should have asked about.
This is bad. For some reason, I felt this was bad.
I forced a smile to try and cover it up.
“Oh, that was just her way of joking.”
“Is that so?”
“Well then, shall we go? The Cidre Tavern is fine, right?”
“Hmph. Well… I suppose I shall let it be for now.”
Ms. Pachira gave a wry smile.
I’m doing reasonably well today, too.
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