Ch.276Aftermath (1)

Ireh’s eyes wavered like candlelight.

“You captured the Queen?”

“Yes.”

“So that’s why you disappeared briefly during the fight?”

“That’s right. I went directly into the space where the outer gods live and settled things there.”

In reality, I just ran away until the trap was activated.

“Are you really okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m not hurt. Not even a scratch. If I had been scratched, I would have been captured and killed on the spot.”

“……”

Ireh’s expression hardened. She suddenly placed both hands on my shoulders and pulled me closer.

“You almost died? Is that what you’re saying? You shouldn’t have even attempted it if that was the case. Do you know how worried I was when you disappeared?”

“But I caught the Queen, didn’t I? Let’s have a drink.”

“Really… Eidel, you…!”

Ireh pressed down firmly on my shoulders. She seems to be unconsciously applying force, and it’s actually quite painful. She hung her head and said:

“…You know this isn’t the end.”

“I know.”

The highest deity of Maxwell’s Forces.

The highest deity of Descartes’ Forces.

And the sole deity of Laplace’s Forces, who could be called the final boss.

To reach a happy ending, we need to defeat about three more.

The road to our destination is long and treacherous.

“Do you know how long it will take to create the graviton bomb?”

“No.”

“Then don’t treat your life so carelessly.”

When I nodded, Ireh finally took her hands off.

“Come to think of it, I also have a warning for you, Ireh.”

“What?”

“Well, I mentioned before that I’d prefer if you didn’t engage in physical contact beyond fist-bumping with a married man. Touches like just now and earlier are a bit…”

I touched my shoulder and rolled my eyes. Ireh, realizing a moment late, jumped back in surprise about three steps.

“S-sorry. I did it without thinking.”

“Without thinking?”

“No, not without thinking, but, well…”

“Ah. So you had a specific intention?”

“No, absolutely not!”

Ireh’s ears turned red as radishes as she shouted.

I know I shouldn’t do this, but teasing her is quite fun.

Still, I should know where to draw the line. I drew the line at an appropriate moment.

“It’s fine. Let’s just both be careful from now on.”

“Okay. I got it.”

“……”

“……”

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

“Would you like to go see the captured Queen?”

“Y-yes. Sure. Let’s do that.”

The Queen would be furious if she heard this. But she’s just a loser now. A defeated outer god only has one fate left: to be toyed with by human hands.

There were several prices Aurolet had to pay, and the first was becoming a spectacle for the humans she considered mere insects.

“It really is her. The Queen.”

Ireh immediately identified what kind of outer god it was and how high its rank was by looking at the graph on the monitor.

I taught her how to read these graphs. Makes me feel proud.

Ireh, logged in with a new ID, placed her hands on the keyboard.

[— ILIKEPHYSICS: ]

[— Aurolet (Respondent): “…Who are you?”]

[— ILIKEPHYSICS: ]

[— Aurolet (Respondent): “Another fly has gathered. Well, what is it this time?”]

[— ILIKEPHYSICS: LMFAO]

[— Aurolet (Respondent): “How foolish of you insignificant species to dare imprison me and just watch. When I escape from here soon, I will smear your entrails and chew on your bones, so you’d better prepare yourselves.”]

[— ILIKEPHYSICS: ㅗ]

[— ‘ILIKEPHYSICS’ has logged out.]

Ireh’s lips twitched.

“This is… fun.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, very much.”

“I’ll give it to you as a gift.”

Ireh burst into laughter.

“What kind of man gives an outer god as a gift?”

“This one right here. You can go back and write a paper about this. How lucky is it to be able to experiment on a big shot like the Queen?”

“…That’s true.”

Ireh smiled again.

When we first met, she didn’t express her emotions well, but now that she smiles often, it makes me feel good too.

“Commander Rheinland, a report from headquarters. They’ve successfully restored the Aether Belt and request your prompt return to the Pastel planetary system.”

“Understood.”

Since all the Great Omega class inspectors are in the infirmary, the responsibility for this ship is currently shared between me and a few technicians.

Among them, I’m the only one who can decide whether to return.

Looking at the space that was gradually returning to its original state, I issued orders to the ship.

“Let’s go home.”

***

The Federation Army deployed its remaining forces to reclaim the planets that had been taken.

Although the war wasn’t completely over yet, hunting down the monsters that had lost their command wasn’t particularly difficult.

Therefore.

Before the government made an official announcement, Eidel, as the head of the southern representative family, declared first:

“Everyone, we have won!”

Camera shutters clicked. Ireh closed her eyes.

The cheers were almost deafening. Ireh covered her ears too.

Eidel couldn’t come down for a while as he was being tossed in celebration. Even when he did come down, Seti appeared and snatched him away.

Seti grabbed both of Eidel’s hands and spun around.

“You’re back, my Long!”

“Tsk, calling your brother ‘Long’…”

“Long! Long! Long!”

“She’s completely lost it.”

Seti was right. As soon as Eidel returned, all stock prices began to rise.

Eidel had never bought stocks but suddenly became a market influencer.

Many others also raised their glasses to celebrate the end of the war. Parties were held on every planet, and laughter filled every home.

[“This is truly what we wanted, isn’t it?”]

Ireh’s background voice, Altair, whispered. Ireh found herself nodding unconsciously.

[“In previous iterations, even when the war ended, it wasn’t really over. We didn’t defeat the Queen directly; another outer god raided the Queen’s base, which caused them to retreat first.”]

“…Right. That’s how it was.”

It had been a victory full of wounds. The damage was much greater. That’s why the atmosphere wasn’t as bright as it is now.

Her eyes reddened for no reason.

It was then that Eidel approached her.

“Ireh, I need to go somewhere now. Would you like to come with me?”

“Huh? Where are you going?”

“To a funeral.”

Ireh agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

They arrived at the joint funeral service. Unlike the festive atmosphere in the bustling streets, here, sounds of weeping echoed.

Those who pursued hope but closed their eyes without seeing the light.

“Rest in peace.”

Eidel comforted them before anyone else. His eyes showed clear signs of fatigue.

Ireh also offered a prayer and whispered to Eidel:

“You did well enough.”

“As I told you before, I’m not at ease. That’s why I’ve resolved to sacrifice myself willingly if I can save others.”

Sacrificing oneself for others.

That was the pride that Ireh had in the early iterations.

She thought that suffering at the hands of outer gods was a trial, and overcoming this trial would save humanity filled with despair and darkness.

But as the iterations continued, she painfully realized that she was nothing.

She was powerless.

After tens of thousands of iterations, Ireh no longer harbored grand thoughts of being humanity’s hero or the world’s savior.

She just wanted to die.

She wished she wouldn’t regress anymore. She only wanted to die before others, to be freed from the cycle of pain as soon as possible.

She eventually lost even the luxury of feeling distressed at seeing others die or feeling guilty toward those who sacrificed themselves in her place.

Ireh saw it. Her former self in Eidel.

How wonderful it would be if she could embrace that pure and righteous self once more.

“Eidel.”

Ireh approached Eidel, who was sitting in a daze.

“Thank you.”

Now she could truly say it.

“I’ve been saved by you twice. Once when I escaped the cycle of regression, and once in this great war. I don’t know if there’s a way to fully repay this debt.”

“You don’t need to repay it. I did it to save myself too.”

“No, I hate living with debts. So I’ll find a way to repay everything somehow.”

“Then would you like to be my lifelong graduate student?”

“Should I?”

“No, forget it. Lifelong is too much.”

Eidel was joking, but Ireh was quite serious.

Given Eidel’s personality of loving research, it was clear that he would continue researching even after the fight with the outer gods ended. To satisfy him, the only option would be to write papers together until death.

Eidel got up and dusted himself off.

“We can’t just keep being depressed. For the sake of those who have passed away, the living must work harder.”

“That’s the right answer.”

After paying their respects, Eidel and Ireh moved on. Ireh stared at Eidel’s broad back, lost in thought.

‘He’s reliable.’

She had always thought all men were beasts.

In fact, that was a misconception she had developed from constantly seeing only the bad gangs and pimps from the frontier planetary systems.

She realized that there are also dependable and kind men in the world, like Eidel in this iteration.

‘Being research colleagues wouldn’t be bad.’

Ireh’s subconscious whispered.

Let’s live this life for this person.

Without realizing it, she walked closer to Eidel.

The distance between the two people.

Just one step.

***

In a black room sealed on all sides.

While analyzing her surroundings to find a way to escape, Aurolet received a message.

[— ILOVEPHYSICS: Queen, we have decided on your treatment.]

“…What now.”

Being sealed due to a moment’s mistake was already annoying, and now this.

Aurolet frowned as she read the continuing message.

[— ILOVEPHYSICS: From now on, Queen, you must produce as many papers as the number of humans you have directly or indirectly killed.]

“Hmph, what nonsense. Reproduction is nothing to me. Using a nest, I can multiply humans in seconds… Wait, produce what?”