Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 15 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Nanahoshi’s Hypothesis

“DOUBT THE MAN-GOD without opposing him.”

Those were the words my future self said.

To be sure, a lot of what the Man-God said had struck me as dubious—especially the part about Orsted wanting to destroy the world, or the world falling apart if he died. I had no way of knowing where the truth ended and the lies began. Safe to say, he hadn’t been completely honest with me.

Still, I couldn’t let myself assume that the parts I wanted to be false were lies. If I jumped to the wrong conclusions, it might come back to bite me somewhere down the line. If nothing else, I had a feeling the Man-God’s irritation had been real. It seemed like my future self’s intervention had taken him completely by surprise.

That said… it had also brought him dangerously close to classifying me as an enemy. At this point, I didn’t have much of a choice but to do what he told me. Opposing the Man-God just wasn’t an option here. He could launch all sorts of attacks at me from complete safety. Under those circumstances, there was no way I could protect everyone I cared about.

Better to become his pawn, then.

I couldn’t stand the guy, and I didn’t trust his promises in the slightest. But he was targeting us for a clear reason, and there was a chance he’d leave us alone once he was no longer in danger.

The Man-God had ordered me to kill Orsted. Putting the specific details aside, I found his story about my descendants joining forces with the Dragon God to kill him relatively plausible. His goal would be achieved as long as Orsted or I died. This was our one way out.

I had to protect my family. The Man-God was the one who wanted them dead, but I had no way of getting at him. He could just sit in his big white void, sending an endless stream of danger our way.

Orsted, on the other hand, existed somewhere in this world. It was hard to imagine I could kill him, of course; in all honesty, I didn’t even want to try. But from what the Man-God said, there was at least a chance it might work.

One way or the other, I didn’t want to see anyone die because I’d made the wrong choice here.

The day after my encounter with the Man-God, I dropped by the Adventurers’ Guild with Sylphie and mailed my letter to Eris.

With that taken care of, the two of us headed straight to Perugius’ floating fortress. We went our separate ways at the entrance, and I made my way to Nanahoshi’s room.

After being told to kill Orsted, I’d taken some time to think about who I might turn to for advice and assistance. She was the first person who’d popped into my head.

That probably had something to do with my future self’s words: “Consult Nanahoshi.” But I also had the feeling she might know where to find the man.

Of course, I’d need to discuss the situation with Sylphie and Roxy eventually… but I wanted to think carefully about how I’d explain it to them. I needed them to understand that none of this was their burden to bear.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage that, honestly.

“Hey there.”

“Oh? Well, you’re back earlier than I expected.”

It had been a few days since our last conversation, but Nanahoshi still hadn’t recuperated fully. She was still bedridden for now, but there was a bit more color in her cheeks than before. 

“Here you go, Nanahoshi,” I said, placing a basket of assorted fruit on her table. “Just a little get-well gift.”

“Thanks. Those look good.”

At this time of year, fresh fruit didn’t come cheap at the local market, but I was about to ask for her help. It wouldn’t hurt to mind my manners, no matter how businesslike our relationship might be.

“…You look rather serious today, I must say. Did something happen?” Nanahoshi was studying me with anxiety in her eyes.

Was it that obvious? Well, probably. I was willing to bet my face was even paler than hers right now. “I’ll cut to the chase. I want to call in that favor you owe me.”

“Okay. What do you need from me?”

“Let me tell you what happened first. Just so you know, it’s a pretty crazy story. But I promise you, it’s the truth.”

“All right.”

Slowly, carefully, I told her about the visit from my future self. I went through what he’d told me and summarized what I’d seen in the diary about the future. Then I moved on to my visit from the Man-God, his obvious irritation, and his claim that my descendants would join forces with Orsted to kill him. Finally, I told her that he’d ordered me to kill Orsted.

I told her everything, in other words. I hadn’t left anything out.

“…”

When it was over, Nanahoshi sat silently for a moment, holding her fingers to her forehead.

“Sorry, I need a minute to process all of this… Time travel? Really?”

“Yeah. He said he’d come from the future.”

“Is there any hard evidence of that?”

“There were comments in Japanese all over the diary. Also, he knew my name from my previous life.”

“What was it, incidentally?”

“I don’t want to say.”

“Ah. Suit yourself… In any case, are you sure this man was telling the truth?”

“…About what?”

“His identity, for one thing. Even if he was a time traveler, maybe he was just impersonating you.”

“His diary was identical to the one I’d just created, and the first entry was exactly what I’d been planning to write down for that day.”

“That doesn’t prove anything. He might have copied out the real diary while you were asleep.”

She wasn’t wrong, but this wasn’t going to get us anywhere. “…For what it’s worth, I think he was exactly who he claimed to be.”

“I see. Of course, it’s possible that the Man-God chose someone you’d find believable for the role.”

“So… what? You think the diary was all made up too? And he was just pretending to be upset in that dream?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. I’m just wondering if you really think the Man-God is trustworthy.”

“Absolutely not.”

“You’re planning to follow his orders, though.”

“What choice do I have, Nanahoshi?”

Nanahoshi sighed quietly. And then, with something like resignation in her eyes, she took the conversation down a slightly different track.

“To be honest, Rudeus, I’ve heard a bit about the Man-God from Orsted himself.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. It was just after he nearly killed you.”

“Oh. Right…”

“I didn’t get any details, but he said that he was going to kill the Man-God, no matter what it took. He also mentioned that it wasn’t possible right now…”

So Orsted really was after the Man-God, and he knew he wasn’t capable of killing him just yet. Was he waiting for my descendants to be born? Or maybe for the fifth and final Dragon General to appear? Either way, the Man-God wanted to stop him before it was too late. It all seemed consistent enough.

The more I thought about this, the more plausible the Man-God’s words seemed. Could he really have come up with lies this convincing on the fly? Despite his irritation? It was possible he’d planned it all out beforehand and simply faked his anger. But I just couldn’t see myself figuring out which of his claims were false.

Did it really matter what his real goals were, though? Not right now. Not to me.

“In any case,” Nanahoshi continued, “why are you coming to me with this? Aren’t there other people you should have turned to first? It’s not like I can do anything to help you…”

“…My future self told me to consult you.”

“I see… What did he have to say about me, exactly?”

I found myself at a loss for words. Should I really answer this question? Tell her she might fail at the last moment, and give in to despair? The diary hadn’t contained any specifics, and my future self had been vague at best…

Maybe it was better to be honest, though. If she knew there was a good chance of her research failing, she could brace herself for that outcome in advance, and look for ways to avoid it.

“He said you’re… probably going to fail at the very last stage of your research.”

Nanahoshi’s eyes widened in surprise. After a moment, she pressed her lips together tightly and shook her head. “That’s not what I was asking. I wanted to know if he explained why you should consult me.”

“Uh, well… I guess you died at some point, so he couldn’t ask you… but he thought you might know where to find Orsted. He also said you spend a lot more time thinking through stuff, so you might be able to come up with another plan…”

“Stuff? Like what?”

“I don’t know… the Man-God’s real goals, probably?”

Then again, I’d sort of established that already. The thing about world peace was probably a load of crap, but I could believe that he was attempting to prevent his own death. Of course, there was a possibility that was just another intricate lie.

“…Would you mind letting me have a look at this diary of yours?”

“Sure.”

I handed over the battered old book. Nanahoshi flipped through the first few pages and grimaced. “This is going to take a while to get through. Your handwriting’s terrible, for one thing…”

“Yeah. It took me two days to read the whole thing.”

“All right. Can you loan it to me for one day, then?”

“You think you can finish it that fast?”

“I’m a quick reader. I’ll get through it by this evening.”

I was tempted to just point her to the more important parts, but there was a chance she’d pick up on something crucial in the less relevant entries. It was probably better to be patient.

“Okay then. I’m going to go get a little rest. I haven’t been getting much sleep lately.”

“All right. Come back later tonight, or whenever you’re ready.”

“Thanks, Nanahoshi.”

I rose and left Nanahoshi’s room. As soon I stepped outside, I could feel a weight being lifted off my shoulders. I was experiencing some genuine relief. 

That seemed a little odd. Did I trust Nanahoshi that deeply?

No, it wasn’t that, exactly. She was just the one person I could talk to about everything—even the things I couldn’t tell Sylphie or Roxy. I didn’t care about her so deeply that I felt the need to hide painful, ugly truths from her. Maybe that was what allowed me to turn to her for help with problems like this.

I was a pretty cold person sometimes, wasn’t I?

“…”

I glanced out the hallway window and noticed Ariel, Zanoba, Cliff, Sylphie, and Perugius discussing something or other out in the courtyard. Luke was standing a respectful distance behind them. Sylphie had positioned herself in front of Ariel and was talking directly to Perugius with her head held high. It was hard to believe she’d ever been that shy, bullied little kid back in Buena Village.

Still…according to my future self, Ariel was going to fail to gain Perugius’ support before returning home to Asura, where she’d be defeated. Sylphie would accompany her… and all of them would die. I probably needed to lend them a hand. I’d accepted that possibility back when I married Sylphie.

First things first, though. My top priority at the moment was dealing with the Man-God.

I turned from the window and headed back to the room I’d been given, hoping to get a few hours of sleep.

When I woke up, Sylphie was lying by my side. Her face was always adorable when she was asleep, and it was only inches away from mine. It got my blood pumping right away.

I didn’t remember going to bed with her. She must have slipped in at some point after I was already asleep. Maybe she’d tried to wake me up. Maybe she’d wanted to ask for my advice about dealing with Perugius. I felt a little guilty I hadn’t been available. 

I gently lifted her arm off my waist, patted her on the head, and then got out of the bed.

“Mmm… Rudy… gimme a kiss…”

This girl said some cute things in her sleep sometimes. Normally, it would have put me in the mood for a little evening tumble. But I was too preoccupied with less enjoyable thoughts at the moment. I fixed my bedhead with my hands and left the room as quietly as I could.

The windows in the hallway revealed a sky full of stars. I’d slept into the night. As I walked along the hall, I idly wondered if the presence of those stars meant this universe looked something like my old one on the cosmic scale.

“Might I ask where you’re going at this hour?”

“Gah!”

A masked man surprised me as I turned a corner. “…Uh, hello there, Arumanfi.”

“It’s quite late, as I’m sure you know. Let me repeat myself—where are you headed at this hour?”

“I was going to see Nanahoshi. Is she still awake?”

“I imagine so. She requested a pen and paper not long ago.”

“Ah. Good. Thanks…”

I continued on my way, my heart beating a little faster than usual. Did spirits never sleep, or what? They weren’t human, so maybe they didn’t need to. Must be nice having your security guards active twenty-four hours a day.

Uh, that reminds me… They listen in on every conversation that happens in this castle, right…? 

That presumably meant that Perugius already knew about everything I’d discussed with Nanahoshi this afternoon. Since he hadn’t dropped by to discuss it with me, I had to assume he was deliberately staying out of this for now.

But he wasn’t the only one monitoring me, either. The Man-God had to be watching as well.

Feeling increasingly unnerved, I made my way through the quiet halls to Nanahoshi’s room. Light was filtering from the edges of her door; she was still awake, then. Just to be polite, I knocked before entering.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s Rudeus.”

“You’re coming by this late? Your wife might get the wrong idea, you know.”

“Want me to come back tomorrow instead?”

“No, I don’t mind. Come on in.”

I opened the door and stepped inside. Nanahoshi was still lying in bed, but there were sheets of paper scattered all around.

“Wow. Bit of a mess in here.”

“Well, I’m in the middle of trying to piece some things together.”

“Did you figure anything out?” I asked, picking up a random piece of paper as I sat down in the chair at her bedside.

“I’m not positive. But based on this diary and what you told me earlier, I’ve managed to come up with a hypothesis.”

“Oh? What kind of a hypothesis?”

“For many years now, I’ve been asking myself why I was brought here—to this universe, this place, and this specific time.”

Did that have anything to do with the topic at hand? I didn’t see the connection. But it couldn’t hurt to hear her out.

“At first, I assumed it wasn’t just me. I thought my friend must have been brought here as well.”

“…”

Should I be asking why she assumed that?

I already had an idea, though. It involved my very last memories from my previous life. In my attempt to save three high schoolers who were about to be run over by a truck, I’d pulled one of them to safety, losing my life in the process. Nanahoshi and her other friend hadn’t been hit, but she was still transported to this world. I could understand why she’d thought her friend might be here as well. They were standing very close to each other in that moment.

“But no matter how thoroughly I searched this world, I couldn’t find him anywhere.”

“Isn’t it possible he died immediately upon arrival?”

“I did consider that. But why would he have died when I survived?”

Was that why she’d tagged along with Orsted’s travels? Was she hoping to find her friend? There was probably more to it than that. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Nothing happened to me, either.”

“Are you certain about that?”

“Hm…?”

Now she’d lost me. I didn’t remember being in any danger as a kid. In Buena Village, I had Paul and Zenith taking care of me, and things were generally peaceful.

“Listen. When you told me that your future self had arrived in the past without all of his internal organs, it occurred to me that I might have come here from the future as well.”

“Wait, what? So you think this is the same universe we were in before, and this is just the distant past?”

“No, I’m not saying anything like that. I’m sorry, I’m not sure how to explain this… Hmm. You remember that the cause of the Displacement Incident has yet to be established, yes?”

“Didn’t that happen as a side effect of your arrival here?”

“Right. But theoretically speaking, merely teleporting someone into a field shouldn’t have caused a disaster like that.”

True enough, but she’d been brought here from a different world. That probably had something to do with it, right? “I don’t know, Nanahoshi. When my future self traveled back here, it didn’t have any side effects like that.”

“Yes it did.”

“What? Seriously?”

“Half of the man’s internal organs were missing, if you’ll recall.”

“Uh, yeah… but… wait a second…”

Was she saying that his organs had ‘disappeared’ for the same reason all those people did during the Displacement Incident?

“Travelling fifty years back in time exhausted your future self’s supply of mana.”

“Well, not completely. He was still able to use a few spells.”

“But he grew weaker every time he did so, right? He was an incredibly powerful mage, but he didn’t even bother trying to heal his wounds.”

Nanahoshi tapped at the cover of the battered diary to emphasize her point.

“Now let’s suppose that I was brought here from a hundred years in the future. Presumably, that would require at least two times more mana than you possess.”

For some reason, she sounded very convinced of this. I had a feeling she might know a bit more than she was telling me.

“Travelling back fifty years in time cost you part of your body. Where did those organs go, exactly? Were they just left behind in the future? Well, let’s consider jumping back a hundred years. Surely you wouldn’t get off with losing a few organs in that case. Would your entire body get left behind instead?”

“Uh…”

“That doesn’t seem right, does it? I’d imagine you would end up somewhere else. The same place those organs disappeared to, that is.”

“…And where’s that supposed to be?”

“I have no idea, I’m afraid. But I think this is all part of a balancing process of sorts. After all, the ‘mana’ of this world obeys the law of conservation of energy.”

Does it? Huh. That’s news to me…

“I don’t have the evidence to back this up…but I imagine many people disappeared in the Displacement Incident. Thousands, or perhaps tens of thousands.”

“…”

“Now tell me something. In the immediate aftermath of that incident, did you notice anything wrong with you? Perhaps you were very low on mana for no apparent reason?”

In the aftermath of that incident, Eris and I had met Ruijerd, and we’d ended up in the city of Rikarisu, working as adventurers. I didn’t remember anything strange happening… No, wait. Hadn’t I felt strangely sluggish in those first few days, as we made our way to Rikarisu? I’d gotten worn out really easily, too. That was similar to the way it feels when you’re running out of mana…

“One second, Nanahoshi. If you’re right about this, why did some people disappear but not others?”

“Based on what the Man-God told you, I’d speculate it had something to do with the… strength of their destinies, or what have you. The laws of causality might have protected some people more strongly than others.” 

“What, now you’re just speculating?”

“This entire theory is completely speculative. I did say it was just a hypothesis, remember?”

My destiny was strong, and that went for the women in my life as well. That was why Sylphie and Eris had come out of the incident safe and sound. Maybe it ran in the family, too—that would explain why my parents and sisters had survived.

…Or maybe I was just slapping a convenient reason on a bunch of random events.

“Okay, so what’s the bottom line here? That you came here from the future?”

“That’s not the point. It’s more that… Argh. How am I supposed to explain this?”

Nanahoshi was practically tearing her hair out in frustration at this point. She seemed to be having a really hard time putting her ideas into words. “I’m guessing that, at some point in the future, something established a… chain of causality leading to the Man-God’s downfall.”

“A chain of causality…?”

“Right. And in order to prevent that future from being realized, the Man-God began to meddle with your life.”

“Hm…”

“Think back for a moment, please. When was it that you first encountered him?”

The first dream had occurred right after the Displacement Incident. But at the time, the Man-God said that he’d been keeping his eye on me for a while beforehand.

…Hold on. Yesterday, he’d claimed he only discovered me during that disaster. It was so hard to pick the truth out of all his lies…

“Did you remember seeing anything odd in the period before the Displacement Incident?”

Before the incident? Uh… actually, maybe so. I’d seen that strange red gem floating in the sky outside Sauros’ sex tower back in Fittoa…

“Looks like something came to mind. Do you know when this oddity first came into existence?”

How was I supposed to know that? 

No, wait… didn’t Sauros say something about this at the time?

Come on, come on… you can do this… you’ve got a good memory in this body, right? He said… “I found it three years ago.” Yeah, that sounds right…

“I guess it was back when I was five years old or so.”

“Did anything happen to you at that age? Did you meet anyone important?”

“Well, I guess that was when I got to know Sylphie. But that’s the only thing that comes to mind…”

Suddenly, a few pieces of the puzzle snapped together.

At the age of five, I met Sylphie, and we grew close. As a direct result of that, Paul sent me off to Fittoa, where I met Eris. On my tenth birthday, Eris and I were very nearly intimate. And the next day, the Displacement Incident had occurred. Immediately after that, the Man-God got in touch with me.

Was that the exact point when a future where he died came to be?

“Originally, you weren’t meant to exist in this world. Correct?”

“Sure.”

“Why do you think you were reincarnated in it, then?”

“How am I supposed to know?”

“I think it happened for a reason, personally.”

“Uh… what reason?”

“Someone sent us here, Rudeus. Both of us. They sent us to this era as a means to change the future.”

“Who is this someone supposed to be?”

“Someone from the future, who wanted very much to see the Man-God die.”

This was starting to make my head hurt. Was she implying we were all puppets, dancing on the strings of someone who wasn’t even born yet?

“I can’t make any sense of this, Nanahoshi. What are you getting at here?”

“I think that you and I are necessary parts of a world in which the Man-God one day dies.”

Well, that cleared up exactly nothing…

“It’s possible that these descendants of yours summoned me here in order to create some tool or weapon they needed to destroy the Man-God. And until I play my part by doing so, I can’t return to my old world. Anything I try will fail.”

“How does that make any sense?”

“I was brought here because I have to make that tool someday. Essentially, I’m a walking time paradox.”

All right. Let’s see if I can sort out what she’s saying here.

The Man-God was going to die at the hands of Orsted and my descendants, who would join forces in the future. For that to happen, I needed to have children.

From the moment I met Sylphie as a child, the two of us were destined to get married and have a baby. The same probably went for Roxy, judging from the Man-God’s focus on her. Maybe it even applied to Eris, since the Displacement Incident had occurred right after we’d nearly done some naughty things. 

In the future where my family was wiped out, the Man-God was victorious. But it wasn’t enough for my descendants to join up with Orsted, either. They probably needed something else—something Nanahoshi would one day create. And that was why she’d been summoned here, ten years after I had.

In other words, we hadn’t just been summoned, but sent back in time as well.

Maybe someone had done this intentionally. Maybe it was some strange byproduct of the principles of causality. We had no way of knowing from our end. But if Nanahoshi’s hypothesis was correct, we’d reached this world as the result of actions taken by someone in the future.

Did that mean those events had happened before we came here? Had the future come before the past? Did the chicken come before the egg? Well, whatever.

“All right. I think I understand your hypothesis.”

“That’s good to hear. Sorry I’m so clumsy at explaining these things.”

It was an interesting theory, to be sure. But it wasn’t a very reassuring one. “Basically, it means the Man-God was probably telling the truth. My descendants really will team up with Orsted to kill him someday.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“Okay then. Let’s get back to the main topic.”

“What main topic?”

“How I go about killing Orsted.”

“Oh…” Nanahoshi frowned and fell silent.

“Even if your theory’s accurate, the Man-God is trying to avoid that future, and he’s succeeded at least once. There might be ‘destiny’ at work here, but the future can still change.”

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea, Rudeus. You’d be better off talking to Orsted and trying to find some—”

“Stop, Nanahoshi. The Man-God might be listening in on this conversation right now, for all I know.”

Biting her lip, Nanahoshi glanced at the ceiling.

Sorry, wrong direction. The barren world’s below us.

“This destiny thing is an abstract concept. I can’t see it, and I can’t count on it. My destiny might be strong, but that didn’t protect my father or my mother. I’m not saying the Man-God will do anything to me right away, but he can see the future. If he realizes I’m going to betray him, I might come back home to find Aisha dead. Or he could set up some tragedy to happen a few years down the line.”

“…But the Man-God can’t manipulate everyone, right?”

“I’m not so sure about that. Who knows exactly what he’s capable of? I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been playing down his powers.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“And anyway, it’s not like Orsted has a chance to beat him right now. Assuming the Man-God isn’t lying, he needs my descendants to help him out, or else he’s going to fail.”

“Yes, that’s true. Assuming the Man-God isn’t lying.”

“I have to protect my family. The Man-God is the one who’s trying to kill them, but I have no way to fight him. At least Orsted’s somewhere on this planet. I don’t know where, but there’s at least a chance to find him.”

“There’s no guarantee the Man-God will keep his word, you know?”

“Orsted is the Dragon God. Based on my diary, he’s probably the only one who knows about the secret art to reach the barren world. If I kill him, that knowledge will be lost. The Man-God won’t have any reason to come after my family.”

“You know, even if Orsted dies, there’s a chance your descendants will find a way there on their own…”

“So what the hell am I supposed to do, then?!”

My words came out more loudly than I’d expected. I hadn’t meant to yell at her. Nanahoshi flinched, but pressed on with her argument regardless.

“Talk to Orsted, like I said. He might be able to help you out of this.”

“You think I didn’t consider this already?! Look, if I joined forces with Orsted, I’d be making a permanent enemy of the Man-God. You know what happens if I try to fight him on my own? Well, look at that diary! I don’t stand a chance. This time I’d have Orsted on my side, but what does that change? He can’t win either! The only reason he had a chance is because of me showing up and throwing things out of whack, right? That’s the whole reason the Man-God is coming after me! Orsted’s fighting a losing battle right now—you think he’s going to have the time and energy to help protect my entire family? Is he that powerful? You want me to make an enemy of the Man-God before I even know—”

“But… But Orsted is more trustworthy than the Man-God.”

“How can I know that for sure? Sounds like he might be trying to destroy the world. I mean, I’m not saying I believe that completely… but, look, the Man-God was deceiving me. He pretended to be helping me out for years and years. What if Orsted did the same to you?”

“Well, I… can’t deny it’s possible, at least.”

I paused to study Nanahoshi’s face. There was a hint of fear in her eyes.

“I don’t trust the Man-God,” I said quietly. “but I can’t trust Orsted either.”

I knew how powerless I really was. I could believe what my future self had told me—that I didn’t stand a chance against the Man-God. I could imagine, in vivid detail, following in that old man’s footsteps. I could see myself losing everything I cared about, and dying a miserable death.

It was hard for me to be optimistic about fighting Orsted, either. The only outcome I could picture was an ugly, brutal defeat. But the Man-God did say my destiny was strong. Maybe he’d seen a future in which I could win this fight, somehow.

That was my last ray of hope.

“Listen, Nanahoshi. My future self told me to consult you. I’m guessing that means you know some way of getting in touch with Orsted.”

“…Well, yes.”

“Help me out. Please. I need to kill him.”

“But… I… He’s done a lot for me…”

Nanahoshi’s eyes darted away from mine. She was clearly flustered. Orsted was the first person she met after her arrival in this world. He’d probably saved her life many times over, just like Ruijerd had saved me when I was stranded in the Demon Continent. It would be hard to betray someone you owed that much. I probably couldn’t have done it either. I wouldn’t betray Ruijerd, even if it cost me my life.

I understood what she was feeling. And normally, I might have given up—for the sake of maintaining a good relationship with her, if nothing else. But I wasn’t going to back down this time. It just wasn’t an option.

“Listen to me for a minute, Nanahoshi Shizuka.”

“…”

“Before I came to this world, I was a complete waste of oxygen. I don’t know what you think of me as I am today… but in my previous life, I was someone you would have despised. And for good reason.”

“…”

“But you know what? I was reincarnated here, and I made a fresh start. I screwed up plenty of times, and it cost me dearly sometimes, but I learned from those experiences. And now I have a family that means the world to me.”

“…”

“I just want to keep them safe.”

I got out of my seat. Sitting in a chair was no way to plead with someone. There was a proper way to do this sort of thing.

I went down on my hands and knees. I pressed my forehead to the ground and made myself as small as possible.

“Please. I’m begging you. Help me.”

The floating fortress’ floors were cold and hard.

“For all I know, the Man-God could have a change of heart tomorrow. I don’t want to waste any time. I don’t want to come home one day and find my family lying dead on the ground…”

“What are you doing?! Stop it!”

“I don’t want to lose any of them. Please.”

Nanahoshi got out of bed. She grabbed my shoulder and forcibly pulled my head off the ground. “Okay… okay, I’ll help you. Just… stop doing that…”

There was exhaustion and sadness on her face. I felt a small stab of guilt. At the same time, though, a part of me was dancing with joy.

Sometimes I kind of hate myself.

“Thank you. Really.”

Maybe I was making a huge mistake here.

But honestly, what choice did I have?