Epilogue. Sorting of Hierarchy

Crimson and blood-red skies.

Landscapes submerged in Divinity, now taking form, and a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood so ominous it made one recoil.

They were split perfectly in half.

Divided evenly with I and ‘I’ as the center, in what appeared to be the heart of a ruined world.

Most of the people present, except for a few, were staring back and forth between I and ‘I’, Rubia and ‘Rubia’, with dumbfounded expressions.

The exceptions were:

Sirin and Serr.

Sirin seemed momentarily surprised, but, as expected of someone who knew so much, she quickly understood and gave a bitter smile.

Serr, for some reason, seemed to have anticipated that ‘I’ and ‘Rubia’ would come here.

…How did she know?

“…Oh, there are a lot of… familiar faces…”

Hehe. ‘I’, scratching the back of my head, looked around and swallowed hard.

“I know… There really are a lot of people I’ve missed…”

Behind ‘I’, ‘Rubia’s’ blue eyes welled up with tears, and her lips trembled.

“W-What… the heck, is… this…? Two Noahs… No, two Rubias… What, what is this…?”

Thud. Kartia’s [Aura], which had been emitting a deep blue light, clattered to the ground.

Following that, Serr’s magic, Primavera’s spirits, Carpen’s [Blood Aura], and Sirin’s Ancient Magic all vanished.

“Ahaha… How curious.”

Among them, Sirin, who was ‘I’s’ only acquaintance, stepped forward.

“It’s been a while, ‘Noah’.”

“…Yeah, it’s been a while, Sirin.”

Sirin, watching ‘I’ approach her with measured steps, smiled wryly and stroked her neck.

“Judging by the looks of things, I can roughly guess how things have unfolded.”

“Yeah. I can also roughly… understand how you ended up staying here, Sirin.”

Soon, ‘I’ and Sirin’s gazes fixed on me.

Sirin’s gaze was gentle.

‘I’s’ gaze was incredibly sharp.

…Yeah, she’s still angry, isn’t she…?

I shouldn’t have said that last thing…

“…S-So, what brings you… here…?”

“What brings you here?? What brings you here???? Saying that… Wow, gee, you. You’re really shameless.”

Thud- Thud- Steps, now filled with more anger than before, headed towards me.

“Eek…”

I immediately ran to Rubia, grabbed her around the waist, and hid behind her.

“Oh my?”

“Come out.”

“Ru, Rubia… She, she’s trying to bully me…”

“Hmm, fufufu… It’s been a while, ‘Noah’.”

Rubia looked back and forth between me and ‘I’, wearing an expression that was both happy and confused.

“…Y-Yeah. It has been a while… Rubia. And, you. You, come out here right now, nicely.”

“…N-No way.”

“You say no way? Come out here now. I’m counting to three.”

“Counting to three… What, what can you even do?”

“…What?”

Gritting sounds came from between ‘I’s’ teeth. Tremendous anger could be felt from her clenched fists.

Eventually, she sighed deeply and shook her head.

“That’s not it.”

“Th, then…?”

Waving hands in front of me.

Is she telling me to grab them? A handshake?

“Make up.”

Hmm… Certainly, we did have a handshake of reconciliation when we parted ways before.

So, is she suggesting a handshake of reconciliation now too?

Surely… she wouldn’t hit me, would she?

While I was pondering that.

Rubia’s gentle hand pushed my body forward.

“Noah.”

Then, as if to reassure me, she gave a small smile and nodded.

At that, I reluctantly approached.

“Umm…”

“I wanted to say thank you. Thank you. For saving ‘Rubia’. And… for saving me too.”

“Uuuum…”

Sensing that all hostility had completely disappeared, I took another step forward and clasped her hand.

“Ah, I underst―”

At the same time.

“Reconciliation my ass! You bad seed!!!”

Whack-!

“Ugh!”

‘I’s’ knuckle, clenched with anger, struck my head.

“…So, um… you’re Noah too, and ‘you’ are also ‘Noah’, is that right?”

“…Yes.”

“Yeah.”

After briefly stopping the fight that had broken out over establishing a hierarchy, we all went into the mansion together, and I roughly explained what I had experienced and ‘I’s’ story.

Sirin and Primavera, who understood everything, and Serr were laughing as if they found this situation amusing.

Kartia, determined to understand, was taking notes and organizing the situation.

“And, you’re Rubia too, and that… uh, this person is ‘Rubia’… right?”

What is with that tone that’s neither polite nor informal?

“Yes.”

“That’s right.”

“Wow… Geez, this is… a mind-boggling situation.”

Chewing on her pen, Kartia stared intently at what she had written down, then looked back at me and ‘I’.

“Clearly, you both look exactly the same, but you look different.”

“…Re, really?”

“Of course. I’m taller. And you look too stupid.”

“Wh, what are you saying… Th, there’s not that much difference…”

“Huh, the same? Rubia. Take a look at us.”

“Yes?”

“Yes?”

The answers, slightly out of sync, echoed through the quiet mansion, making them sound even more bizarre.

“Two Noahs, two Rubias… I like it, but I don’t, I don’t like it, but I do, it’s a strange feeling.”

“S, scary…”

Carpen and Sonia, hugging each other and standing far apart, were trembling and muttering that they were scared, their ears drooping sadly.

Is it because they’re beastkin and more sensitive to scents or something…?

Meanwhile, Sirin, Primavera, and Serr, sitting on the sofa and enjoying the situation, were munching on cookies that smelled incredibly sweet, whispering among themselves.

Luissar, feeling like he didn’t belong, had gone into his room.

Brunhilde and Frey, who had become friendly with each other, were smoking on the second-floor railing, looking down at us.

“Look, look. Isn’t it completely different?”

And ‘I’ was chattering away, grinning as if she was having fun.

“It is different.”

“It is different.”

“Our Noah is cuter.”

“Our ‘Noah’ is more cheerful.”

“Oh my?”

“Oh my?”

Rubia and ‘Rubia’ looked at each other in surprise.

“…’Noah’ does seem a bit more cheerful.”

“That’s… right. Noah does seem a bit cuter.”

Completely identical voices.

Every time they exchanged words and continued the conversation in completely identical voices, Kartia’s expression became more and more distorted.

“Wow, this is, wow… In all my life, I’ve never, geez… If you were wearing the same clothes, I really think I’d go crazy.”

“Kartia. Why don’t you give up and enjoy it? Come on, come over here and have a drink.”

Sirin, laughing heartily at Kartia, held out a glass of wine towards her.

But… is it really that hard to tell the difference?

It’s obviously different, isn’t it…?

I glanced at ‘I’.

Nod, nod.

‘I’ seemed to be thinking the same thing as me.

No, the way she speaks is different, the accent is different.

Her expressions, her gestures, everything is different, isn’t it?

Even the scent that wafted over me when she approached earlier was completely different.

How can anyone be confused?

“Alright. I’m just gonna… uh, I should get out of here too. You guys talk. Well, what was it. ‘Noah’, you came to talk to Noah anyway, right?”

In the end, Kartia, scratching her head roughly, got up and looked back and forth between me and ‘I’.

“Well, yeah. I guess I did…”

“I guess I did?”

Hesitating. Glancing around.

‘I’, sitting in her chair, lowered her head and moved her lips.

“Well, say it.”

“Th, um… Yeah. That’s right…”

Twitch. Kartia’s eyebrows rose.

After a moment, Kartia, understanding the hidden meaning of what ‘I’ had said, chuckled.

“You little punk, seeing how pathetic you are, you’re definitely Noah.”

Tap- Tap-

Kartia’s hands came up over our heads.

And then, she stroked our hair roughly.

“Now that you have all the time in the world. Are you busy?”

“…No.”

“Then that’s settled. Talk slowly. We have plenty of time too.”

Eventually, Kartia took the notes she had organized and headed towards the group having tea in the back.

‘I’ was smiling faintly with a much lighter expression.

…Am I the only one who didn’t understand what they said?

What is it… Why are they both smiling as if they understood?

“Well… Alright. First, let’s finish our story.”

Our story?

What else is there to say?

She must have heard everything about what happened when I met ‘Rubia’ from ‘Rubia’.

As I tilted my head with that thought, ‘I’ frowned.

It wasn’t very scary.

Frowning with my face just makes it funny…

That’s shocking…

“You.”

“…Uung?”

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“…Sa, say?”

“Yeah.”

What is there to say?

She must have heard everything that happened with ‘Rubia’.

And I already apologized for that earlier…

Is there anything else to say…?

I glanced at Rubia.

Rubia was already whispering and laughing with ‘Rubia’, having a conversation that I couldn’t hear.

But, she’s definitely smiling.

She’s smiling, but… she’s just smiling.

Not a conversation that seems genuinely enjoyable.

Something… something, something something… is scary.

The gazes that occasionally land on me and ‘I’ too.

And the smiles that I can’t understand the meaning of…

…Is it okay to let those two keep talking?

I don’t think so.

No, my instincts are screaming.

If those two continue talking, something bad will definitely happen to me, no?

To us, my gut is telling me.

“Don’t you have anything to say?”

I snapped back to reality at ‘I’s’ cold voice.

Right. My only ally right now.

Is ‘I’.

“Th, there’s something…”

“Yeah.”

Swaying- Swaying- I gently waved my hand so that Rubia and ‘Rubia’ wouldn’t see.

Lend me your ear.

‘I’, tilting her head for a moment, approached with a puzzled expression.

Rustle- Rustle- When I brushed away her hair, a very small ear appeared.

“Th…”

“Uh…”

As I whispered, ‘I’ answered with a whisper as well.

“Those two over there… If we let them talk like that… I don’t think it’ll be okay…”

“Huh?”

‘I’, pulling her ear away for a moment, slightly turned her head and looked at Rubia and ‘Rubia’.

“Why?”

“…I, I don’t know why… But I’m uneasy. I… I think it would be better if we all talked together.”

What kind of nonsense is that?

‘I’, with that expression on her face, whispered softly.

“They don’t seem like anything’s wrong?”

“Uung…? Th, they don’t seem like anything’s wrong…?”

Nod, nod.

This time, I looked at ‘I’ with an expression that said, what kind of nonsense is that?

Th… That look doesn’t seem like anything’s wrong?

Am I mistaken?

I glanced cautiously at the Rubias.

They were still having various conversations with the same smiles on their faces.

Listening to each other’s stories and being surprised by each other.

Bending, flipping, and spreading their fingers, their faces turning red, swallowing hard.

Looking at me, ‘I’.

At us.

Just like… carnivorous animals eyeing their prey.

“Eh, tsk. Alright. Forget it, let’s talk about what we need to talk about.”

I, still unable to shake off my unease, nodded, led by ‘I’s’ forceful words.

“You.”

“…Uung?”

“You’re thinking of making Rubia your Avatar, aren’t you.”

…How did she know?

No, in the first place, the concept of an Avatar… was something that Lilith, whom I could only meet briefly, very briefly, told me?

“There’s a way to know everything. Anyway, you’re thinking of making Rubia your Avatar, aren’t you.”

“…Th, that’s… right.”

“I knew it… Still, you weren’t planning on making me an Avatar, but Rubia said it was okay. Right?”

Nod.

“Haa…”

Soon, ‘I’, letting out a sigh, flashed her eyes and said to me.

“Then, make me and ‘Rubia’ Avatars too.”

“…Wh, what?”

I couldn’t understand what ‘I’ had said because it was so out of the blue.

No, in the first place… is it even possible to make ‘I’, who lives in another world, an Avatar…?

Hmm… Coming to this world created within my soul is already absurd, but…

“I’ll do it together, and ‘Rubia’ will too. What you’re doing. However, we don’t need Divine Power. For some reason, ‘Rubia’ can use Divine Power as is.”

“…Why, no… You… right now, what you’re saying… do you know what it means to become my Avatar―”

“I know.”

“But… why?”

Smirk- ‘I’ smiled.

“Do you know how long I was alone as End?”

That smile was tinged with bitter memories of the past.

“I’m quite the veteran, you know?”

Besides.

“It’s not like I’m going to be in charge of it all by myself, is it? ‘Rubia’ will be by my side, and Rubia will be there, and you’ll be there too. And…”

‘I’s’ eyes looked at Sirin, Kartia, Serr, and Primavera, who were drinking and enjoying the situation in the back.

The beastkin curled up in one corner.

The slightly scary older sisters smoking on the second floor…?

The poor uncle who must be in his room.

‘I’, looking at everyone once, smiled faintly and continued.

“There are so many people here to beat up the Outer God, wouldn’t it be fun?”

At those words, I was a little.

No, I was very surprised.

“…Th, these friends here too… can go ‘Outside’?”

“Huh… Didn’t you know?”

“Ugh, until now I was alone… No, until before I came back here… I took care of everything alone?”

“…You alone?”

We slowly turned our heads and looked at Sirin’s group.

They were looking at us with the expressions of thieves caught in the act, watching our reactions.

Meanwhile, Rubia and ‘Rubia’.

Were sharing the knowledge they had.

They were telling each other about the knowledge they had about Noah and ‘Noah’.

“Fainting? It’s okay. Our Noah also faints often, but if you gently stroke her back, along her spine, she wakes up quickly.”

Rubia doesn’t know ‘Rubia’s’ story.

‘Rubia’ doesn’t know Rubia’s story.

From beginning to end, they don’t know anything about each other’s stories.

Therefore, they had to be careful about every sentence, every word within it, and even the intonation in their conversations.

But when it came to the story of Noah, the story of ‘Noah’, there was no need to choose their words.

“…Oh my goodness. There was such a method? Wow… I haven’t done it often with ‘Noah’… I definitely have a lot to learn.”

“Considering that, I’m learning a lot too, aren’t I? I never would have imagined that tickling her belly button while pressing down on her lower abdomen would do that.”

Thus, their conversation continued without any obstacles.

It couldn’t be helped.

No matter how different the things they had experienced and the environments they had lived in, they were still themselves in the end.

They knew each other’s hearts better than anyone else in this world.

“Fufufu, ah, then. Do you happen to know about this? I don’t know if they sell it in your world, but there’s a recovery potion made by an Alchemist named Yuria?”

“Yuria? If it’s Yuria… are you talking about the Challenger Yuria with the light green hair? I’m friends with Yuria.”

Rubia covered her mouth in surprise.

‘Rubia’ also covered her mouth in surprise.

If they were wearing the same clothes, they would have looked so identical that one would have mistaken them for a reflection in a mirror.

They, who had no way of knowing what they looked like, continued their conversation without a care.

“Well… I guess it couldn’t be helped. Yes. Thinking about it a little, it’s not something to be surprised about.”

“Oh my… Perhaps in your world, the Challengers…”

‘Rubia’ smiled bitterly at Rubia’s cautious question.

“Well… yes. It’s not a very pleasant story. Let’s get back to the main point. Anyway, there’s Yuria’s Recovery Potion, and if you mix it with a Stamina Recovery Potion in a certain ratio, you can go on for 6 hours, 12 hours without stopping. But you have to be a little careful about dehydration. You’ll sweat a lot, and other things too… Hehehe.”

“…Oh my god. Could you tell me the ratio separately later? Oh, by the way, do you know about this? When you’re having sex, there are times when Noah cries a lot. If you don’t stop then and go a little further, you can see something amazing.”

Whisper, whisper.

“…Oh my god. I always hugged Noah right away when she started crying, but you’re saying it’s okay to keep going?”

Murmur, murmur.

“Of course. She actually likes it more. Try it when you get back later. You can really… see an amazing side of her.”

“Wow… Oh, by the way, then maybe—”

And so it went for a while.

Two girls were having a serious conversation to protect two girls.

Two girls were sharing ways to torment… make two girls happy.