Ch.299Ph.D (4)

I definitely passed my defense. A future where I receive my doctoral degree must exist.

But the Steel Outer God moved time to prevent that future from arriving.

The day before the degree conferral ceremony.

I was sent back three months.

“…Damn it.”

My doctoral degree disappeared again.

No, strictly speaking, it didn’t disappear, but I’m facing a crisis where I might never receive it at this rate.

“Hey~! How are you feeling right now?”

Matonica appeared out of nowhere and tilted her head as she asked. Her smile revealed mischief and sadism.

“Ta-da! No matter how much you desire a future, it means nothing if it never comes~!”

“……”

“Did you think we would pick a fight with you? Sorry to disappoint! We don’t use such low-grade methods. That would be as ridiculous as humans declaring war against Emus.”

“…So, this is how you want to play it.”

“This situation will repeat over and over. Until you hand over the Saint and meet our exalted one! Let’s see how long that stubbornness of yours lasts. Well then, I’ll take my leave!”

Pwooooh.

With the sound of a trumpet, Matonica vanished.

“Ha.”

I had expected the people around me to be threatened by monsters or avatars. That’s why I had thoroughly prepared security measures.

It was a misjudgment. These creatures knew exactly how to torment people.

They plan to trap me in an infinite loop and gradually wear down my mind. Preventing me from receiving my doctoral degree, leaving no time to create the graviton bomb. My fatigue will only increase.

If that happens, the direction will shift toward handing over the Saint and negotiating with the Outer God.

“Del, something seems off.”

Fortunately or unfortunately, Ireh shared the same memories as me. She spoke with concern.

“Matonica is an avatar comparable to Phosphorus. There’s no way such a big shot would be running around as a mere messenger.”

“The Outer God is probably being cautious. They can’t risk sending just any avatar that might get eliminated.”

“Even considering that, it’s strange. Why don’t they just kill us right away?”

“That would mean all-out war. It’s not like the Federation would collapse if I died.”

They know what happened to Aurora. They’re also the ones who benefited from that situation.

“If we fight them, other forces could gain an advantage. For example, Descartes.”

“Right, after Sturm comes Renatus.”

Renatus is an Outer God about whom little is known, second only to Laplace. Our theory was that Sturm couldn’t move freely because Renatus was still active.

“What should we do about this…?”

“We can’t compromise with the Outer God. At the very least, we can’t give up the Saint.”

Sturm hasn’t terminated the contract with the Saint. This means there’s no one to replace her.

“At best we could try talking… but they’re cunning, so we don’t know how they’ll try to drive a wedge between us.”

“Hmm. Then how about this?”

Ireh whispered in my ear.

I grinned.

“…That’s a good idea.”

***

Several years passed.

Of course, from Eidel and Ireh’s perspective, not even a day had gone by. They only felt that much time had passed because the date had been rewound dozens of times at regular intervals.

What the two did was simple.

They decided to use this opportunity to prepare as thoroughly as possible.

“How is it going?”

In a seven-dimensional space permeated with crimson energy.

An anomaly in the shape of a massive fish spoke with a heavy voice. The steel girl who had been kneeling before it stood up. She rolled her eyeballs nervously and carefully began to speak.

“Well, about that…”

“Speak.”

“Exalted One, something seems to be wrong.”

The steel girl, Matonica. She was the avatar assigned to handle Eidel and Ireh.

Though specialized in reconnaissance and rear disruption rather than combat, her fighting skills were as excellent as any high-ranking avatar of the Darwin forces, earning her the trust of the Outer God Sturm.

She reported:

“They show no signs of wavering. Rather…”

“Rather?”

“Eidel von Rheinland, that human says ‘staying in graduate school longer isn’t so bad’ and continues his theoretical research.”

“……”

A moment of silence followed.

“…Continue.”

“Yes, and he’s teaching everything about gravitons and prons to the regressor named Ireh Hazlen. It seems they’ve already completed more than ten research projects.”

“More than ten?”

“Yes, because several years have passed. It appears he’s trying to make her his academic successor.”

“……”

Another silence.

Matonica remembered when she first rewound Eidel’s time. Until then, she had a negative impression of Eidel.

She thought he would surely surrender soon, but…

– Ah, I’m happy. I wish I could spend my whole life just doing research like this.

Matonica rubbed her face.

The Eidel she observed showed no signs of fatigue. Rather, he was living happily, just doing research as if it were his mission in life.

“Exalted One. We cannot keep repeating the flow of time forever. The energy we’re wasting to rewind their time is too great.”

“I know. At this rate, we’ll all end up being devoured by Laplace.”

Even now, the end was approaching. Matonica and her lord could sense that flow.

The world is gradually shrinking. Causality is becoming fixed. As the energy available to reverse this diminishes, restrictions on using abilities are emerging.

In other words, there’s a limit to rewinding time like this.

“What will you do?”

“It’s best to take a step back. First, tell him that I acknowledge him. Say that there’s no need to give up the Saint, just arrange for me to meet him once.”

“Lord Sturm?”

“Do I appear cowardly to you?”

“Yes.”

Matonica nodded. She felt pain as if her actuators were being torn apart.

To think that our glorious Steel Forces must bow to a mere human! There could be no greater humiliation.

“That is precisely the blind spot.”

Sturm was a lord who understood practicality.

“Matonica, my servant. This person is no ordinary human. Perhaps he came from outside their world, just like us. Always keep that in mind.”

“Is that even possible?”

“If causality has been distorted, it’s entirely plausible. Otherwise, how could a being who isn’t even a star prevail against a black hole?”

Indeed, thinking about it that way, it seemed possible.

Matonica nodded and accepted the Outer God’s decision.

***

“I acknowledge you, human. Your sincerity and ambition are indeed worthy of matching our kind.”

Matonica declared defeat earlier than expected. I thought it would take at least several decades.

“So what do you want me to do? Release the time loop?”

“That’s right.”

“No, you don’t have to release it.”

“…?”

“I’m still not prepared enough. Do it after a few more years have passed.”

“These fools must be insane.”

Matonica growled lowly.

“When someone offers to release you, you should say ‘thank you’ and accept it. Do you have any idea how terrifying it is when time doesn’t pass? Do you dare to ask for more? Shall I show you the pain of repeating eons of time?”

As if you could keep it going forever anyway.

“Yes, yes. I’m sorry, Lord Outer God.”

“Such arrogance…”

Matonica gritted her teeth and pulled out the flagpole from her back. Normally, that flagpole is used in combat, with two main functions. One is attack, and the other is…

[— Avatar ‘Matonica’ removes all status ailments affecting you.]

[— Avatar ‘Matonica’ issues you a <Steel Invitation>.]

Buff and combat support.

I admired the gilded orb. Status ailment removal is one thing, but an invitation? In game terms, this would be a unique-grade item.

“Using that invitation, you can meet our lord without any penalty. You can also return here whenever you wish.”

“Should I use it now?”

“Use it whenever you want. Oh, and you don’t have to return the Saint.”

Matonica bowed her head and retreated. With the sound of brass instruments, she vanished like the wind.

“Interesting.”

For Sturm to back down first.

If I were to visit him now, I might be able to take the initiative in the conversation. Though I’d need to be cautious, of course.

I put the invitation into my spatial storage and took a short rest with Ireh. My wives and Sonia’s memories remained the same, but only Ireh and Cartesia remembered the regression.

“Del.”

Ireh spoke up.

“How many years have we known each other now?”

“I wonder. In terms of years, wouldn’t it be more than a decade?”

“It’s amazing that we have so many memories together, yet we haven’t aged at all.”

“Youth follows the body, and affection follows the mind.”

We’re still fresh and young. I don’t feel like we’ve accumulated years. The only thing we’ve accumulated is knowledge from all our research.

I think our research is still insufficient, but this is not a bad harvest. During this time, while guiding Ireh, not only I but she too has grown into a mature scientist.

“Honestly, if I had been alone in this situation, I couldn’t have endured it.”

“I would have been the same.”

I never knew sharing memories with someone else could be such a good thing.

“Um, so about that…”

“Yes?”

“Well, you know.”

“Yes?”

“We’ve gotten quite close, haven’t we? I’m not the only one who thinks so, right?”

Ireh fidgeted with her hands and constantly changed her expression. Lifting the corners of her mouth, then drooping her eyebrows, and rolling her eyes wildly.

My answer to that was already decided.

“Of course. I think of you as a reliable person, Ireh. I have since I first began to know you.”

“Since you first began to know me? You must be joking…”

“I’m not joking, it’s true. I knew a little about what hardships you went through and how you endured them. I thought if I ever met you, you’d be a reliable person, and I wanted to help you.”

“…Del.”

Now that I’ve said it, it’s a bit embarrassing. But it was my honest feeling.

“Then, if we’ve gotten a little closer… how about simplifying how we address each other?”

“Address?”

I nodded reflexively. Actually, I don’t mind either way.

Thinking about a suitable and friendly form of address, a fitting word crossed my mind.