Ch.184184. Conclusion

“Vine. Is the pendant uncomfortable?”

“No? It’s just… how should I put it.”

As I kept fidgeting with the pendant, Blanc looked at me anxiously and asked.

She seems worried that the pendant she gave me might be uncomfortable.

“It’s a dog collar.”

“Eh…?”

“Don’t they always put name tags on dog collars? So they don’t get lost.”

“That again…?”

“Well… what else am I supposed to think when it looks exactly like that? There’s even a name written on it. It clearly looks like something for a pet. Ah, I guess that’s what I am now. A pet kept by magical girls.”

“A pet, really.”

“Oh, right. Come to think of it, didn’t Arin call me a puppy when she first saw me? Of course, you might not have heard it since you were distracted at the time.”

“…I only said I’d take you with me. Or maybe I said I’d pick you up. Anyway. I just said that and brought you along. From the kids’ perspective, they could have easily mistaken you for a pet, couldn’t they?”

“If I could speak to them back then, you might as well have told them clearly that you were bringing home a pet… After all, I’m basically a real pet that can’t do anything useful.”

“What do you mean you can’t do anything?”

“Well, all I’ve ever learned is how to fight. What else could I possibly do?”

“You’re a housekeeper, remember? Someone I can put to work?”

“I’m a pet, aren’t I?”

“Hmm… then maybe I should make the house messier so our Vine has something to do…”

“What are you saying?”

“You said you have nothing to do, right?”

“I said I don’t know how to do anything, not that I have nothing to do. Is there really a need to create extra work for me…?”

“I need to give you something to do so you won’t think about other things. When I let you rest last time, you ended up running away, didn’t you?”

“…That’s.”

“So, if I keep you busy with work and make your mind simple, maybe you won’t think about running away at all?”

“Overworking would make even normal humans want to quit their jobs, wouldn’t it…?”

“Eh… is that so?”

“Well… honestly, if I went back, I’d be working 24-hour shifts anyway, wouldn’t I?”

“They would be that exploitative, wouldn’t they?”

“But what more work are you planning to give me? The mess you all make is already more than enough.”

“But… I need to keep you from thinking about other things, right?”

“…I’ve long since abandoned any thoughts of changing my mind…”

“Hmm… really?”

“Yes. Why would I lie to you?”

“Well… because I’ve been tricked before?”

“…It’s pointless now. I don’t think that way anymore. Honestly. I’m tired.”

“…Tired?”

“I’ve lived as Eden’s monster for so long, and now that I’ve realized I’ve been entrusting my thinking to Eden, I feel incredibly powerless.”

It’s true.

I feel like I’ve been thrown against an enormous wall, not knowing what I should do.

I wonder how I used to live before, but…

The memories that won’t come back.

Even though the Boss and the Doctor pushed me into the dimensional rift, was it not them who took my memories away?

Even after dealing with them, my memories haven’t returned.

Perhaps losing my memories was a side effect of being in the dimensional rift.

No matter how hard I try to remember, all I’ve lived is the life of Vine the monster.

And Vine the monster has only ever existed as a tool for Eden, for Baal.

Actually, I started having these thoughts after the Ragnarok operation.

After getting out of that prison, which was a real hell.

When I was wandering aimlessly with nothing to do.

Those were the kinds of thoughts I had then.

The fact that these thoughts are resurfacing now is…

Because the last tie to Eden is gone.

…

That’s how it is.

Well, what can I do?

If I were human, what would I have done in this situation?

I’d probably deal with the most urgent matters first.

But also…

I’d probably make plans for the future.

What would I have done to achieve those future plans…

I would have designed my future through a series of connected processes.

But for me, who only had Eden in that chain of processes…

It’s confusing and disorienting…

“Then what else is there? Can’t you rely on us now?”

“On magical girls? Seriously?”

“Well… I didn’t say depend on us. I said rely on us. Your life is yours to live. But… we do have our ‘indefinite’ contract. And there’s plenty to do right now, isn’t there? For starters, you need to train our little chick, our Arin, until she can beat you, right?”

“…Come to think of it, I also have the duty of reminding a subpar magical girl like you of your place.”

“I’d really like to argue with that, but let’s move on for now. Anyway… there’s no need to be confused.”

“…Is that so?”

“If you’re not sure, you can always ask. There are plenty of people here.”

“…I still feel empty though.”

“That’s something people will fill for you. I’m here too, right?”

“…You, you say.”

“Yes. Why?”

“…It feels strange.”

“Now… we don’t need to fight anymore, right?”

“That’s true, but… don’t you hate me?”

“Well… I can’t say it’s completely gone? But we already resolved all that before, didn’t we? It’s gone now. Though I am a bit upset that you ran away. We treated you so well, but Eden was better?”

“…Even if Eden told me to come back now, I wouldn’t want to go.”

“I’m upset, yes yes. We treated you so well. All for nothing, right?”

“…If you think our first meeting was treating me well… hmm. May I tell Arin how we actually met?”

Blanc’s cheeks turned red.

“Ah, no…!”

“To think a magical girl would come all the way to that shantytown to buy a body. So… that was your preference?”

“…Vine might be okay.”

I didn’t hear Blanc’s mumbling.

Even though we were close, I couldn’t read her lips.

I just knew she was mumbling something.

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. Just… that wasn’t why I came looking for you.”

“Then what was your reason for coming?”

“…Well, I am the Magical Girl of Salvation, after all?”

“Eck. You said that title with your own mouth. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Embarrassed… yes. Of course. But wait, you used to go around saying things like ‘Vine of the Vines’ and such…? No, that’s not the important part.”

“I’ve corrected that habit of saying my title… or maybe I haven’t? But at least it wasn’t a self-aggrandizing title like ‘Magical Girl of Salvation’?”

“No… that’s not the point. Okay… the reason I went looking for you. As the Magical Girl of Salvation, I can’t leave anyone unsaved, right?”

“The Magical Girl of Salvation came to save a monster, not a human?”

“Of course I had to save you. A small victim caught up in the calamity of the dimensional rift.”

“…I don’t think I was worth saving.”

“No. You were definitely worth saving. And I still think so now.”

“…”

What is she talking about?

What use is there in saving a monster like me?

It’s right not to save a defeated villain.

Who would care about a defeated villain?

Who would save someone who has harmed others?

Who would save a villain who has only done bad things to others?

“It’s still ongoing, you know.”

“…”

“And I’m the type who sees things through to the end.”

“…I know that well.”

“So I’m going to save you. No matter what.”

Really.

Blanc is something else.

“Sigh… do as you please.”

“Yes. I will do as I please.”

“…Really.”

“Oh, right. I’ll give your tail back after a few more tests.”

“Well… I was expecting that.”

“…The pendant, it’s not uncomfortable, right?”

“No. Well… it’s like your will to not lose me, so that’s nice.”

“Uh, um…?”

“It’s nothing.”

* * *

“This is the core.”

“…It’s black.”

“Pure, in its own way. Purely evil.”

“And you’re saying I followed someone like this willingly?”

“…Probably because you were under contract with Baal. Your thinking was guided in that direction. To beautify their ideology.”

“…Ideologically, there was no problem. Simply… except for the fact that Baal was the one ruling over it.”

“Well… that’s for each person to decide. I still think it’s wrong.”

“…And honestly, I think the person who could rule over it cannot exist in the present.”

“…?”

“Yes. Eden’s ideal… appeared far too early. Can any soul in this world exist with pure altruism alone, without a single thought of their own? Can anyone live by completely excluding selfish emotions and only having altruistic ones? It’s impossible.”

“Vine…?”

“So. Now… it is indeed a failed ideology. Though ultimately, it’s the most perfect ideology.”

Blanc just stares at me silently.

Perhaps she finds it surprising that I would give such an answer.

Well…

When I think about things, I come to various conclusions too.

“True perfection is actually hard to exist. Everything has some screws loose. It’s an ideology that relies on the perfection of an ultimate ruler. So… creating a paradise by following Baal was structurally impossible from the beginning.”

“…I see.”

“Yes, well. That’s how it is. Eden has fallen. Now I’m truly unemployed. Oh, but you can’t make fun of an unemployed person now.”

“You’re not unemployed, though?”

“…Ha. Right, employer? Or would you prefer ‘master’?”

“No.”

“Fine, whatever. Let’s say we’ll find a way to safely dispose of that core later, or destroy it. What about the Doctor?”

“The Doctor is in the underground prison below.”

“…What if he tries to hack something?”

“We’ve blocked him physically. It’ll be fine. And if he does anything wrong, there are about three magical girls stationed there ready to blow his head off immediately.”

“That’s strict.”

“We have to be thorough. Who knows what he might try to do.”

“Yes, that’s right. With the Doctor, you never know what he might do.”

“Yeah… Your tail and weapons are all being examined, so you probably can’t use them for a while.”

“…Then let’s postpone our duel for a bit.”

“Sure. Let’s talk more about the schedule when we get back to the dormitory.”

“…Is it okay for me to go back?”

“Is today Wednesday…? They said it would be okay to leave around Friday. Let’s go back then.”

“Sounds good.”

Finally, I’m going back.

Home.