Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? (LN) - Volume 15 - Chapter 5.7

Special Chapter - The Demon Lord Makes Her Move

“Ha-ha-ha, look! The people are no better than garbage!”

“Miss Ariel, that’s the villain’s line…”

“Sure, but we’re kinda like villains, aren’t we?”

“…Fair enough.”

“Balse!”

“Miss Ariel, wouldn’t that incantation destroy this ship and send us flying into space?”

“I mean, it is a spaceship.”

“…Fair enough.”

As we soar through the sky, I enjoy a pointless little exchange with Wrath, referencing a certain flying castle.

I was able to make the spaceship move without any issues.

And now, we’re heading for the Great Elroe Labyrinth, harassing the Word of God religion by destroying churches as we pass over towns along the way.

When the battle between White and Gülie began, and “world quest sequence 2” was announced, our path forward became clear.

Sequence 2 added a World Quest option to the Taboo menu.

By reading it, people can find out what this battle is about and what the conditions are for either side to win.

First of all, there’s the outcome of the fight between White and Gülie.

Honestly, the winner of this fight is almost certain to determine the winning side.

White is the only person who can initiate the destruction of the system. If she’s alive and well, we win, and if she loses, we can’t destroy the system anymore.

We have no way to affect the outcome of this battle…at least, we didn’t at first.

But “sequence 2” changed all that.

By introducing the ability to meddle in the battle via prayer, “sequence 2” made it so that this battle between two people now involves the entire world.

Whichever god you pray for will get stronger.

I imagine the change won’t amount to much—at least from a single person’s prayer.

But if you accumulate small boosts in power from many prayers, it can build into something big.

That power might very well determine the victor.

Now the masses have been given the right to change the outcome of a war in the heavens that would normally be far beyond their influence.

“So they’re telling the people of this world to choose their own fate, instead of leaving it to outsiders. A clever move, though I hate to admit it.”

Sophia looks grudgingly impressed as she grumbles.

With these rules, even humans who have no power to fight can meddle in the battle between White and Gülie.

It’s giving a fair chance to every single person.

Typical of D to force people to make an impossible choice.

It’s especially like her in that people who make that choice are allowed to be free of Taboo.

That’s right: If you pray to one of the gods, you can erase Taboo.

The “atone” command that Taboo causes to echo in one’s mind is more than enough pressure to push people to the brink.

Some of us are used to it, like Dustin and I, but it could easily give a normal human a nervous breakdown.

So if they can be rid of Taboo and its accompanying curse, of course they’re going to pray.

If they refuse to choose either, then they’ll continue to be plagued by Taboo until their dying day.

It would take considerable grit to commit to that choice.

Will they choose between two painful options, or stay neutral and put up with keeping Taboo?

Either way, they’re in hell.

Truly, I’d expect no less from D.

But painful though it might be, I imagine most of mankind will go for the same choice.

Everyone puts themselves first when it comes down to it, after all.

If you’re forced to weigh between your own life and your savior’s…well, you know.

“Honestly. I can’t believe this…”

I want to believe that White will win anyway.

But truthfully, it’s hard to be optimistic.

“Still, all we can do is whatever we’re able to do right now.”

That’s the other option for victory.

For the other side, that is.

If someone with ruler privileges enters the system core in the Great Elroe Labyrinth, they can initiate an emergency shutdown that stops the system from being destroyed.

We have to make sure that doesn’t happen.

That’s why we’re zooming toward the labyrinth in this spaceship right now.

We’re going to get there ahead of Dustin and his people, and prepare to fend them off.

If we fail to defend the core room, we’ve lost this war.

Our only path to victory is for White to win and for us to successfully defend the system core.

Whereas they only need Gülie to win or someone to break through our defenses and shut down the system’s destruction.

We have to pull off both conditions, while they only need one to win.

Since White is fighting so hard, we’ve got to hold up our end by defending the core no matter what.

I’m dead set on this.

<World quest sequence 3. Each side’s representative shall give a speech. Demon Lord Ariel.>

“Huh?!”

So when the Word of God suddenly rings out, I let out a startled yelp.

It’s even more surprising, since I was mentioned by name.

And then, my own weird yelp echoes in my head.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

My confused mutter also echoes in my head.

“I can hear your voice in my head, Miss Ariel.”

“What? So it’s not just me who’s hearing this?”

“Right.”

Wrath nods.

I look at Sophia, and she nods, too.

Uh-oh. I have a veeeery bad feeling about this.

“Huh? I’m not, like, broadcasting live to all mankind or something, am I?”

Thus far, the world quest sequences have affected all living humanoids.

That doesn’t mean…that they’re hearing all of this right now, too…does it?

They heard everything, including that weird yelp?!

“Nn…gaaaaaah!”

When that possibility occurs to me, I accidentally let out an even more embarrassing whine.

Even knowing that everyone in the world might have heard that whine, too…