Ch.13043. This is, After All, Just That Kind of Story.

Has the future changed?

Or was it always meant to be this way?

“…No.”

Deep within his submerged consciousness,

Kariel stared at the being that revealed malice toward him.

Save me, it pleaded.

Help me, it begged.

Why must I suffer alone? it questioned.

Eventually, those pleas

degenerate into resentment.

If you won’t save me,

then you…

and the world you inhabit…

I’ll… destroy it all.

“……”

If one observes a predetermined future,

if one dares to peek or observe it,

the observer becomes nothing.

Merely an actor playing an assigned role in a play.

Or a puppet in a vulgar puppet show.

That’s why Grandeus had lamented continuously after facing this truth.

Yet even he began to accept that it was his own choice at some point.

Because there were still things he could do within those constraints.

But.

Kariel himself did not want to become like that.

Perhaps that’s what made it impossible to foresee the current situation.

‘It’s not that I didn’t examine it.’

The Demon Lord once said something like this:

Suppose you place a cat and a dish containing poison together in a box.

Then seal the entrance of the box.

And try to guess whether the cat will eat the poison and die or not.

But guessing isn’t what matters.

…You won’t know until you open the box.

So, if you don’t open the box, the cat exists in a state of neither dead nor alive.

What kind of nonsensical analogy is that?

The Demon Lord said to take it as a thought experiment, not reality.

A thought experiment?

[That’s what observation is.]

Observation.

Interpreting the word itself, it means observing or measuring the state and changes of natural phenomena through eyes or tools.

Or examining specific circumstances or conditions.

But the observation the Demon Lord spoke of seemed to encompass this while being a higher concept.

For instance, something exists and gains presence because I look at it.

In other words, it exists because I recognize it.

…But.

Doesn’t this feel too vague and somehow detached from reality?

Even if I close my eyes,

even if I die,

the world would still exist.

Just as mana and elements,

things that cause natural phenomena,

exist even if I don’t perceive them.

[Is that really so?]

But the Demon Lord sneers and questions.

After you die, does the world truly exist?

Have you ever died to know?

At that time, Kariel, bewildered by her statement, immediately retorted:

What about you? You must know since you’ve died, right?

…What did she say then?

“Did I happen to visit this place just as the water was about to overflow from the vessel? Or did the water start overflowing because of my visit? According to you, this situation arose, emerged, because I came here, because I intervened. Is that what you’re saying?”

-Is it the egg first or the chicken first? That’s how your question sounds.

The Demon Lord floated in the air, arms crossed, legs swaying.

-But does that matter? The event has already occurred, hasn’t it? What’s important now is your attitude and approach to dealing with it.

“Attitude…”

Mines feared becoming the catalyst for incidents and accidents.

So, she tried to avoid getting involved or interfering with anything as much as possible.

Yet, if she needed to demonstrate her power and abilities when necessary.

Then.

She said she would never hesitate, didn’t she?

-You think you could have prevented this situation if you had known the future? If that regret is creating your current regret, I can only say you’re overthinking again.

We’ve delved into this topic exhaustively, haven’t we? Do we need to have the same discussion again here?

For instance,

a determined future cannot be changed.

Despite Grandeus personally warning about its harmful effects, you’re sinking back into foolish contemplation, feeling troubled by what’s happening outside.

-Well…

That’s true, but

because of that aspect,

despite being worn and weathered,

you still cling to your humanity.

Weak feelings of compassion.

Fragile altruism.

Unnecessary consideration.

Excessive empathy.

Meddling.

Paradoxically, thanks to this, he hasn’t lost his sense of self.

Rather, it’s now shining brightly.

Like

an ordinary stone

that has been chiseled and shaped,

now emitting an even greater light.

Like becoming a supreme jewel.

-So, what will you do?

“……”

What to do?

The answer had been decided long ago.

====

Dad said.

If there’s something you want, don’t give up.

Don’t sit down until you get it.

Never, ever give up.

Dad said.

Don’t be discouraged.

It’s just a little hard right now.

Even that will pass lightly like a blowing wind.

But if you sit down because it’s hard,

Dad will be really sad.

Dad will be heartbroken.

Even if we don’t have a penny, we don’t need to be discouraged.

We have a hopeful tomorrow and a sparkling dream.

So our future will shine like the stars in the sky.

That’s what Dad said.

…But Dad.

No matter how much I imagine and wish and wish again,

No matter how much I pray and pray again,

…No one listened.

No one.

No one.

No one…

……

……….

“Yes.”

As if he had been waiting, Kariel responded.

The small child entered his room with a different look in his eyes than before.

He appeared ready to set out.

A human as dark as pitch.

Yet gazing upon the world with eyes that sparkle like stars.

An incomparably noble being.

…Why did such a sentiment arise?

The child, after observing him for a while, asked:

“Why did you save me?”

“……”

Kariel answered readily.

“Is a reason necessary?”

“Yes.”

A prompt answer.

“Helping someone requires a reason.”

Even his manner of speech had changed.

Gone was the awkward expressiveness from earlier, the restless body movements, the wandering gaze.

Now everything seemed refined, impossibly calm.

Unlike a child.

…That in itself must be the answer.

And this child seemed to have no intention of hiding it.

“A reason, huh.”

That’s right.

Some do it out of compassion.

Some out of self-satisfaction.

Intoxicated by their own righteousness.

The reasons vary.

Good intentions, malicious ones.

Specific intentions too.

Perhaps some truly had no thoughts at all.

“If I hadn’t saved you and that child there, this city would have become a sea of flames.”

That child.

The child immediately understood what he was referring to.

“It was my only friend.”

Somehow,

the child who had recovered just by resting and eating a bit.

The puppy, wagging its tail and clinging to the child’s leg, was looking up at him with pitiful eyes.

Despite having barked so threateningly before, now it had such an innocent face.

“A sea of flames. Yes. After it happened to him… I’ve been obsessed with that ever since.”

Burning to death is the most cruel and brutal death.

So I had to return the favor.

The pain my friend suffered.

The pain I suffered.

All of it. Every bit. Without leaving anything out.

“Can you see the future?”

“…No. I just have good intuition.”

That’s not a lie.

“You’re not asking anything.”

“……”

The child, Del, stared at Kariel for a long time.

“Haven’t we met somewhere before?”

“Your question is wrong.”

Kariel corrected the premise.

“You must have seen me before. Or someone similar. But that wouldn’t be the current me. Moreover, certainly not me in this place.”

“Do you know? That I… know the future?”

“That premise is also wrong.”

Kariel corrected him again.

“You don’t know the future. You must have experienced the future of a world similar to this one.”

“…What?”

“The Demon Lord calls this a parallel world.”

Demon Lord?

The child, Del, felt the need to organize his thoughts given the other’s seemingly advanced statements.

“Are you saying that I didn’t experience the future and return to the past?”

“If there is one absolute, immutable truth in this world, it is that time can never be reversed. This is the unchangeable truth that even an omnipotent god cannot manipulate.”

“…How can you be so sure?”

Nonsensical words.

In reality, I have returned to the past like this.

Surely, I’m not the only one.

Even our lord…

“That’s why I said it’s another world similar to this one.”

“That makes even less sense!”

“Everything makes sense except for the absolute, immutable truth.”

…Is this person aware of what he’s saying?

“If you truly returned from the future to the past, the past should remain unchanged.”

“What… does that mean?”

“The phenomenon where only memories return to the past does have some merit. But… at that point, it’s neither past, present, nor future. It’s a completely different world.”

“You keep saying things I don’t understand… But why are we having this conversation?”

“Because you wanted it.”

…I did? Why?

“I didn’t exist in your future, did I? It’s too distinct to say you didn’t notice.”

And you wanted to confirm that.

“At some point, you developed hostility towards me. Despite me being your benefactor. What’s the reason? But that hostility isn’t directed at me. Then who is it directed at?”

The answer was surprisingly obvious.

“Is it hatred towards my father?”

“……”

He’s an unusual being.

So this is what the child of a hero is like.

But…

…He’s not Elimion?

I heard there was a son named Kariel before…

But why does he seem so familiar?

“Not my father. Right. In the future… my younger sibling could be included. Or perhaps even their descendants.”

Kariel continued his own conjectures.

For someone who insisted that time can never be reversed, his thinking is remarkably flexible.

However, the child was curious about the basis on which he could assert and conclude this.

“Why do you say time can never be reversed? And… how did you know what I was thinking without me saying anything…?”

“If time could be manipulated, that would be my domain.”

But.

“Time and space, when viewed broadly, are ultimately one. Reversing time, reversing space is…”

Equivalent to overturning the world itself.

“A tiny part of the universe might disappear in such a way, of course. No… yes. So that’s what it was.”

Kariel seemed to have realized something, displaying a rare, faint smile.

“Subjectivity. The observer. Yes. That’s what it meant.”

“……”

“I apologize. I got distracted.”

With eyes that had brightened even more, he looked directly at the child.

“My name is Delica.”

According to you, from the future of a world similar to this one, not the actual future.

“…I would be the final queen who led this country to ruin.”

Even that was only nominal.

In reality, I had to become queen to burn down the country.

In the end, after I was usurped from the throne, in less than half a year, Faceran—only the city name Faceran remained—disappeared into the annals of history as a magic kingdom and city-state.

“I see.”

Kariel nodded and finally rose from the edge of the bed.

“What will you do with me now?”

“…Nothing.”

Kariel passed by Delica indifferently.

“I’ll just do what needs to be done.”

What needs to be done?

The bloodline of radiance.

Hateful beings.

And.

The enemy of our lord.

That lord’s father was

also Delica’s benefactor.

…In the end, the being known as Elimion, son of Rueld, a descendant of radiance and a knight of the Holy Grail.

I heard he was killed by him, but.

“Who exactly are you?”

However, there was no one like him among the bloodline of radiance.

So as he said,

if this world is not the world Delica knew,

if it’s not the past she knew,

This world must have deviated in some unknown way.

“I understand you’re extraordinary… but the commotion outside right now is likely a ritual to summon a great demon.”

Delica followed urgently behind him, continuing her explanation.

As they left the building, a gloomy sky pressed down on them—a pitch-black sky with not a single star, only a faint crescent moon.

But why am I telling him this?

I don’t know.

No, is it because I don’t want my benefactor to die meaninglessly?

“Great demon?”

But why?

As soon as the word “demon” was mentioned, a sneer crossed Kariel’s face.

“Since when can demons call themselves ‘great’?”

Those things.

“They’re just imbeciles who continue to live even after they should be dead, aren’t they?”

“?!”

That was…

striking at the core of a demon’s existence.

Its very essence.

After staring into space for a moment, he deliberately asked:

“Courage. Boldness. If we combine courage and boldness, is it the 22nd? When courage arises, one becomes bold, and driven by that, using anger and emotions as fuel to burn… if that’s the cause of the current commotion… that’s it.”

“Do you… know their true nature?”

Those who are already dead but do not die.

Sometimes they become fear, sometimes faith.

“If there were a higher form of parasite, it would be them.”

They take the form desired by those who recognize and perceive them.

They can originate from someone’s intense will, perception, or understanding.

But the vast majority, the unspecified many, can distort, form, corrupt, develop, and evolve them.

“Knowing that… you’re still going? Even though the entire city might be serving as its foundation right now?”

“Not bad.”

If one knows its true nature and essence,

one would understand what it means for it to be summoned in this area at this time.

Yet he won’t flee?

Why? With what confidence?

“It’s the task rightfully given to me.”

The malevolent thought that cannot shake me.

Since the original grudge of the demon tree has used such tactics to make me respond.

Now that I know this, how could I possibly leave it be?

There’s no father here to handle this, nor anyone else who seems capable of dealing with it.

At most, there’s Mines, but in her current state, she lacks the capacity to handle it.

‘In the end.’

It’s my responsibility.

It’s the trial rightfully given to me.

But on the other hand,

if this country’s filthy darkness has festered to the point of bursting,

this might be a justified process in its own way.

Just now,

the water droplets falling onto the vessel have finally accumulated and begun to overflow.

That’s all this story is about.