Chapter 135: Children Who Had to Grow Up (1)

[135] Children Who Had to Grow Up (1)

There’s always a backstory behind sudden appearances.

Let’s rewind the story back a bit.

More precisely, to the time when Irene and Rem were kidnapped to another world,

Even more precisely, to the moment when the ‘civil servant’ appeared and kindly showed them the way out.

*CLANG-!*

The ‘civil servant’s’ kindness was repaid with a surprise attack.

The moment Irene’s cannon struck the ‘civil servant’, his skull shattered like a cookie. Needless to say, his brain was literally turned into mush.

He died without even leaving behind any last words.

In addition, Irene had someone chop up the ‘civil servant’s’ body and bury it deep underground. This was a measure taken knowing that the ‘civil servant’ would resurrect.

The problem was that Irene’s knowledge was incomplete. She knew that the ‘civil servant’ would resurrect, but she didn’t know how.

So, three days later, a blue slime crawled out from where the ‘civil servant’ was buried. In other words, the ‘civil servant’s’ soul.

You might be wondering if souls really exist. Let’s just put that trite question aside. We already witnessed the soul of a freed Goddess slaughter the Rose Rem Mercenary Group.

Souls do exist, and if they have a certain level of ‘grit’, they can even have a physical form. Even if it’s just a pathetic slime-like form.

Anyway, the ‘civil servant’s’ soul, having barely crawled out, quickly assessed the situation.

[Kaang-!]

First, a high-risk woman named Irene had crossed over into this world and had beaten him to a pulp.

[That, what’s-her-name, I heard Lady Irene was doing some weird ritual… Is that really okay?]

[Have you ever seen Lady Irene be wrong? Just do as she says, you idiot.]

Second, from what he overheard before being buried, Irene was trying to blow up this entire world.

[Squirm squirm-]

Third, in his current state, he had no way of stopping her on his own.

His assessment was as quick as his judgment.

The ‘civil servant’ had to escape this world. Before this world was swallowed whole by an Outer God’s maw.

And there was only one way to do that.

To find Rem, the steampunk cyborg Irene cherished. His goal also seemed to be escaping from this world, so he’d just tag along.

But first, he had to find out where he was.

And so, the great adventure began.

The blue slime’s grand adventure to find the steampunk cyborg…

.

.

.

“You can skip that part.”

I cut him off sharply. The ‘civil servant’s’ face, which had been cheerful as he told the story, immediately fell.

“B-But, this is where the highlight begins…”

“So, how exactly did you hide inside my body? Just tell me that.”

“…Fine, I get it. Since you’re in a hurry…”

The ‘civil servant,’ didn’t hide his sulky expression, but explained anyway.

“Anyway, I found out that you were staying at the Great Divide, and I secretly snuck into your bedroom. And then, while you were sleeping, I entered your stomach.”

“…My stomach?”

“Irene, that crazy bitch, wouldn’t think to look inside your stomach. I’m sorry, but it was an unavoidable choice. Back then, I wasn’t even sure if you were an ally.”

“…Then, at the Ailleyde Mansion, you were sure that I was an ally, so you came out?”

“Let me tell you this beforehand, that wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience for me either. I didn’t want to get smashed by that lunatic again.”

The ‘civil servant’ shuddered while making a disgusted expression.

“Anyway, thanks again to you, you carried a part of my soul around. And thanks to that, my friend Chloe Genius here was able to recognize it and regenerate me.”

The ‘civil servant’ poked at the red slime squirming next to him with his finger.

“Though I’m sure he didn’t expect to suffer the same fate.”

The red slime, Genius, simply shuddered. As if saying this was all incredibly humiliating.

I watched him and thought about them.

Their ability to open passages between worlds,

Their resurrection as a slime after death,

Their seemingly deep knowledge of other worlds,

And most importantly, Genius, the mark he’d left on history.

I couldn’t help but ask.

“Just who are you people?”

The ‘civil servant’s’ eyes narrowed.

“Well, hasn’t Irene already explained roughly? We’re the world’s administrators.”

“I want a more detailed explanation.”

“Well…”

I could sense his hesitation from his furrowed brow. But it didn’t last long. Suppressing the red slime’s angry squirming, the ‘civil servant’ opened his mouth.

“Well, you already know about Gods, worlds, and Outer Gods, right? You also read the diary left by Genius’s subcontractor?”

Genius’s subcontractor?

“You mean Skuld?”

“Yes, those who read the ‘fate’ Genius threw at them and tried somehow to save the world.”

Genius threw fate at Skuld?

Was Genius behind all those massacres and manipulations?

I unconsciously glared at Genius.

“Don’t look at him like that. Chloe, he also did his best in his own way. After all, that’s what administrators do, for the most part.”

My sharp gaze shifted to the ‘civil servant.’ this time. But the ‘civil servant’ simply continued his explanation with a nonchalant face.

“You roughly know about the crazy outer gods who got tired of being at home, swallowed their homes, and ran away, right? Actually, a lot of gods got scared after that incident. The lonely outer gods began to wander from this world to that world, causing chaos. Some measures were needed.”

“And that measure is the ‘administrator’?”

“That’s right.”

The ‘civil servant’ continued his explanation with a slight smile.

“Chosen mortals who read fate and intervene when something strange seems likely to happen. Or firefighters who prevent incidents from spreading when they’ve already occurred. If it’s hard to understand, think of it roughly as ‘divine assistants’.”

At that moment, a scene from my memory flashed through my mind. Alain, the man who appeared before me when my heart was gone.

[It’s boring on the way, so why don’t you tell me your story.]

“Was Alain, that man, also an administrator?”

“Ah, that old man…?”

An unpleasant look appeared on his face for the first time. He scratched his head for a long time, then sighed as if speaking with difficulty.

“Well, um… how should I put it… He’s kind of like that. A command sergeant major? A margrave that even the emperor has to be careful around…? Well, don’t try too hard to figure it out. He’s someone who won’t show up unless things are seriously messed up.”

He smacked his lips as if there was a bitter taste in his mouth. Then, looking at me, he gave a bright smile.

“Anything else you want to ask? I owe you my life, so I’ll answer anything.”

Of course, there were many other things I wanted to ask.

Questions about the price of fate,

Countless questions I had about Irene and the Goddess,

…And questions about why I was brought here.

But among them, there was one extremely urgent question I had to ask.

I turn my gaze beyond the broken terrace.

She was there between the shattered pillars. With her entire body wrapped in glowing threads, and a pure white holy sword pierced through her heart.

Amy.

“…Can she be saved?”

We succeeded in subduing Amy, but it was only half a success. As soon as the tide turned in our favor, Amy transformed into this cocoon-like form.

“Well…”

The ‘civil servant’ scratched his cheek as if troubled. After rolling his eyes for a while, he finally opened his mouth.

“First, let me tell you about your girlfriend’s condition.”

A cautious smile appeared on his lips for a moment, then with a sigh, he began his explanation. The details were as follows.

Apparently, souls have a ‘grit’, and according to this, the soul’s ‘hardness’ varies. If this hardness increases, it can become slime like the administrators’, or bizarre threads like the goddess’s.

However, this ‘grit’ isn’t set in stone. It can increase based on intense experiences or achievements.

Like how Amy defeated several powerful beings in the past year.

Amy’s soul, which had increased in hardness this way, collided with the materialized soul of the goddess – the holy sword. As a result, Amy’s soul was shattered while the goddess’s seal was half-broken.

“Simply put, your girlfriend, who was like an egg, hit a rock that was the seal. But since the eggshell was actually steel, not only did your girlfriend get shattered, but the seal also got half-broken.”

“I’ve heard enough of your explanation. So, what should I do?”

“Well… When an egg shatters, its contents stick to the rock, right? Well, in this case, it’s stuck to the tentacle-like things that broke out of the rock, but…”

“That’s enough unpleasant metaphors. Just, tell me what I need to do.”

The ‘Civil Servant’ heaved a deep sigh.

“Actually, gathering your girlfriend’s shattered soul isn’t that difficult. And putting that soul back into your girlfriend’s body isn’t much either. After all, Marianne herself came back to life in a similar way. However…”

The ‘civil servant’ smacked his lips again as if there was a bitter taste in his mouth. This time, his silence ended before my urging could come out.

“You need heat to reforge a broken sword. But to reforge a broken soul, you need a strong will. A strong will to exist.”

A chilling coldness settles beneath my heart.

“…And based on what I’ve seen, it doesn’t seem like your girlfriend wants to exist anymore.”

I try to retort, but my mouth clamps shut with a painful click. I lower my gaze and clench my fists.

Through the cracks in the broken floor, I saw an image of Amy cutting her wrists. So does another Amy, saying with a tired expression that she just wanted it all to end.

“…Is there really no other way.”

But I am not someone who collapses under the weight of guilt. I am a scoundrel who shamelessly continues to walk even while knowing I have sinned.

I lift my head and look straight into his eyes.

“I’ll do anything. Just tell me the way.”

“Oh dear… I was keeping my mouth shut because I knew this would happen…”

Groaning, the ‘civil servant’ clutched his head. After rubbing his face a few times, he finally spoke in an uncertain tone.

“It’s not that there’s *no* way at all…”

***

[If there’s no fire in the forge, then just pump the bellows. And if there’s no will to live, then just instill that will. ]

[But unlike pumping the bellows, instilling someone’s will is not a simple task. Someone has to personally enter their soul and persuade the broken fragments.]

[And, of course, the probability of success is low. In the first place, it’s doubtful whether any reason remains in the broken soul, and if it fails, there’s a possibility of getting lost inside the broken soul.]

[Most importantly, neither Claire nor I can do it. We have no connection to her. The only one who can… Yes, it would have to be you.]

How could I possibly refuse that proposal.

However, I needed a little time before that. Thankfully, the ‘civil servant’ also needed some time for the ritual. He told me to go wherever I wanted until he called for me, that he’d let me know when the preparations were complete.

And so, I returned to my mercenary group.

“Oh! It’s the Vice-Captain!”

“Brother! Where have you been?!”

“This time it’s really you, right, brother? Can’t you just cut yourself open once to prove it?”

Bright faces greet me as soon as I appear. But I can’t return the same brightness.

Missing limbs from battle,

Collected belongings of those who didn’t even leave a corpse, gathered in one place.

Tear stains not yet wiped away.

All because of my recklessness.

Yet they greet me without a trace of resentment on their faces.

“Why the long face, brother?”

Big Nose’s face suddenly appears between the cracks of my self-loathing.

“Big Nose, you did well this ti…”

Just as I tried to smile, I stop mid-sentence, noticing his missing left leg and my face stiffened. Big Nose, seemingly embarrassed, lifts his stumpy thigh.

“Ah, this? Don’t worry about it. That thread-like thing grabbed my leg, so what could I do? I cut it off before I ended up like Miller.”

I could only open my mouth, not knowing what to say. Big Nose patted my shoulder.

“Don’t make that face, Brother! You came back, didn’t you. A single leg is a small price to pay. If you feel that bad, just buy me a drink.”

Chuckling, Big Nose leaned on his crutch. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he slapped his knee.

“More importantly, brother, hurry and go see Little sis and Big sis. They can’t even rest properly because they’re so worried about you… Both of them are in that room over there, quick.”

And, Big Nose quickly moved away, as if to prevent me from asking anything else. Even with his crutch, he moved away absurdly fast.

“…”

Swallowing my guilt, I approached the room Big Nose had pointed to. I carefully grab the doorknob and opened the door.

“Big bro!”

“…Vice-Captain.”

And everyone was there.

Feya, who was a mess, throws herself into my arms. The Captain bites her lower lip as if holding something back, then just gives a gentle smile.

And next to where they were sitting.

Clara and Parsley lie on two separate beds.

“Big bro, are you okay? Why do you have so many bandages…! Should you really be walking around like this? You should rest now…”

Feya said this while wrapped in twice as many bandages as me. The Captain too, despite being similarly injured, only looks at me with worried eyes.

[Please abandon us.]

[I’m sorry I loved you. I regret cherishing you.]

Why did their appearance overlap with those from that other world.

“B-Big bro…?!”

“Vice-Captain! Why suddenly…”

Ignoring their weak resistance, I pulled them into a tight embrace. Holding back the emotions surging within me, I force the words out.

“I’m sorry…”

However, my voice eventually cracked, and regret spills out. Feeling tears making paths on my cheeks, I spat out an apology that will never reach them.

“I’m sorry… I… I’m sorry…”

It was an apology that had absolutely no path to forgiveness.