Chapter 28: "The Lie of Lump-Sum Interest Collection (Loan)"
The dining hall of the inn 'Honeybee's Perch Pavilion' was wrapped in an almost violently peaceful atmosphere. The rich aroma of butter rising from freshly baked croissants. The soft morning light streaming in as if framing the window. From outside‚ even the chirping of small birds echoed in a perfectly tuned rhythm. Even though last night the world had shaken so violently and my heart had creaked under the strain.
As if it had all been a bad dream‚ the morning arrived with an innocent face.
"Lui! These croissants are way crispier than yesterday's!"
In front of me‚ Serina was stuffing her cheeks with bread‚ beaming with a full-faced smile.
Slathering them thickly with butter.
Then piling on berry jam on top of that.
And as a finishing touch‚ she was about to drizzle golden honey over them.
"...One type of sweetness is more than enough‚ right?"
"Ehh? Sweetness is justice‚ you know?"
Today‚ too‚ nothing had changed.
At the sight of her innocent smile with white cream on the tip of her nose‚ a small‚ wry smile naturally spilled from the corners of my mouth.
"By the way‚ Flare-chan went to the market early this morning!"
Serina continued speaking while munching on her croissant.
"She said she's going to find even more delicious wheat. She was super enthusiastic about it! I wonder if she'll bake new bread for us when she gets back."
"As always‚ her head is full of nothing but food..."
"Ah‚ but Miria-chan is still sleeping! She seemed really tired yesterday!"
(...I see.)
So yesterday's events hadn't been a dream after all. Trembling fingertips. The cold strings of the harp. The lingering echoes of that heartrending song.
And then—.
(...Playlist.)
I slowly sank my consciousness into the depths of my mind. I felt like I had seen a very important 'string of characters' that concerned the very foundation of my life. But the moment I tried to reach for it‚ the tip of my thoughts turned pure white and vanished‚ as if blocked by thick frosted glass.
(...I can't remember.)
For no reason‚ the depths of my chest tightened. Even though I should have shed so many tears‚ not even what I had despaired over or what I had cried about remained in my 'records' anymore.
Only a quiet sense of discomfort remained‚ pricking like an invisible thorn lodged in my throat‚ giving off an unpleasant stinging pain.
Even so—.
(...Ciel isn't saying anything.)
Normally‚ even in the tiniest gaps between my conversations with Serina‚ her biting‚ sarcastic system voice would cut in. Yet today‚ my mind was eerily quiet‚ to the point of ringing in my ears.
(...Is she angry about yesterday?)
Because I had tried to touch a forbidden box that should never be opened.
The very next instant after I guessed that.
『《Notification》』
A mechanical electronic sound suddenly rang out‚ striking directly at my brain. At the edge of my vision‚ a cold emerald-green window unfolded silently.
『Commencing repairs to the protection protocol that occurred last night.』
『――Additionally‚ Master Lui.』
『There is a 【Major Settlement】 that I must convey to you today.』
"...Major... settlement?"
I unconsciously muttered it aloud.
"Lui? What's wrong?"
Serina stopped her fork and tilted her head curiously.
"...No‚ it's nothing."
I answered while hastily forming my usual smile. But inside my chest‚ only my heartbeat was leaping wildly in an unpleasant rhythm. The far-too-quiet calm before the storm.
There is nothing that highlights the cruelty lurking beneath more than a morning this perfect and serene. Such an unreasonable premonition was slowly‚ eerily crawling up from beneath my feet.
10 a.m. In a corner of the Guild Research Building‚ a short distance from the inn 'Honeybee's Perch Pavilion.' In the dimly lit room sealed by thick blackout curtains‚ only the faint jade-colored light emitted by the magic terminal quietly illuminated the stone walls.
Clack clack... Clack clack clack‚ tap.
Forgetting even to hold her familiar quill pen‚ Nagi had been striking the crystal keyboard without sleeping a wink since last night. Her small fingertips moved ceaselessly like part of a machine‚ blindly tracing the analysis logs of the frenzied magic power anomaly that had occurred in the inn's backyard yesterday.
"...This is strange. No matter what‚ the pieces won't fit together..."
The terminal screen certainly retained last night's 'observation records.'
【Observation History Number: 017-Archive】
・Localized Magic Power Reaction: Detected (Output Measurement Impossible)
・Spatial Resonance Vibration: Detected
・Unknown Frequency Waveform: Detected
Up to this point‚ these were normal facts captured by her magical equipment as the kingdom's foremost recorder. The problem lay beyond that. It was the data of the 'contents' that should have been embedded in the deepest part of the analysis.
【Magic Power Waveform Structure】
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
🚫《ERROR》: No Access Rights
🚫《ERROR》: Cannot View
🚫《ERROR》: Target Data Has Been Evacuated to Protected Area
--------------------------------
Protection Administrator: ■■■■■■
"...No way. This is just like..."
With trembling fingertips‚ Nagi typed in a re-analysis command. Inversion of calculation formulas. Correction of observation angles. Multi-layer reverse calculation of magic layers. Even after trying every deep analysis she could think of‚ the screen was stained with nothing but merciless monochrome.
🚫《ACCESS DENIED》: You do not possess viewing rights for this area.
"This can't be... This absolutely can't be...!"
Her frustrated monologue echoed hollowly in the dry room.
A physical phenomenon called a magical record will always leave traces like 'scratches' of magic power once observed by the world. Heat for flames‚ cold for ice. And for spells‚ the echoes of their construction. But this log was fundamentally broken. Only the outer 'shell' recording that the phenomenon had occurred remained‚ while the core data had cleanly vanished. As if it had been designed from the beginning to 'refuse even being perceived by the inhabitants of this world.'
Raiga‚ who had been standing behind her with his arms crossed heavily‚ let out a low‚ hoarse voice.
"...Did someone tamper with or delete the data afterward?"
"No‚ Lord Raiga."
Nagi shook her head quietly‚ her jade eyes bloodshot.
"This... wasn't deleted. It was perfectly programmed from the start to be unviewable—hidden by covering up the very rules of the world."
"Programmed‚ you say?"
"Yes."
Nagi expanded the nodes of the sandstorm (noise) even deeper beyond the error display. The wall of protection hidden in dimensional gaps that an ordinary human mage would never notice in a lifetime. Layer upon layer‚ hundreds of layers overlapping‚ mercilessly sealing away Lui's original.
"This overly beautiful defensive spell formula... is not something spun by human magical systems. ...It belongs to the divine‚ the administrator domain."
The moment those words fell‚ the air in the room grew even more tense. Even the great hero Raiga‚ who had survived countless battlefields‚ wore a grim expression without a single joke‚ simply staring at the logs.
――As if tearing through that heavy silence.
Miria‚ who had been sitting deeply in a chair in the dimly lit corner of the room away from the sunlight‚ slightly opened her trembling lips.
"...But."
"The song alone... I definitely heard that song..."
The gazes of the two turned simultaneously toward the blue-haired girl. Miria was clutching her harp‚ which was as large as her own body‚ just as she had yesterday. Her fingertips unconsciously traced the silver strings as if confirming some sensation.
――Pluck.
A dry‚ small note vibrated the air in the room. Then‚ she quietly drew in a breath as if in prayer.
"The usual..."
In a hoarse voice‚ she tried to spin that melody.
"The usual way home..."
Up to there‚ the words certainly slipped from her throat. But—.
"Good... ...bye‚"
Beyond that‚ her singing voice unnaturally cut off. Even though her breath continued‚ it was as if the muscles in her throat had forgotten the 'words' themselves.
"...Huh?"
Miria opened her mouth again and again‚ fumbling through the score in her mind. But no matter how many times she tried‚ it was the same. The song that had overflowed from Lui's fingertips yesterday. That bittersweet‚ unbearably dear‚ earthy melody that tore at her heart. Every time she tried to pull that memory from her mind‚ her consciousness hit a gaping white blank (noise) and vanished.
"Lies... I can't remember it...!"
Her arms hugging the harp tightened with painful force. The bittersweet mint scent that had shaken all her five senses so strongly yesterday had now returned to nothing more than the coldness of inorganic morning dew.
"I heard it clearly... My soul heard that beautiful melody in its entirety...!"
"Why... why can't I sing it...!"
Large tears spilled from her golden eyes‚ wetting the cold strings one after another. Music that had been forcibly made 'never existed' by the world. There was no one in this research lab sunk in twilight who could answer the reason for that overwhelming sense of loss.
Just before noon. In the hallway of the inn 'Honeybee's Perch Pavilion‚' the fragrant aroma of freshly baked bread—wheat and butter—lingered faintly like an invisible thin veil. Flare had left early in the morning to search for new wheat at the market and still hadn't returned. Miria had also been called by Nagi-san and headed to the research lab after only a light breakfast. With the adults gone for their respective reasons‚ the inn had fallen so quiet it hurt the ears.
"Lui—!"
With light pitter-patter footsteps‚ Serina came trotting down the hallway from the other side.
"Hey hey‚ it's almost lunchtime! I wonder if Flare-chan will be back soon?"
Her silver hair sparkled as it caught the winter light streaming through the window.
"She said today was new bread day! I'm so excited!"
"Yeah‚ that's right."
I nodded slightly with a wry smile.
"I'm sure she'll bake something incredibly delicious."
――It was at that moment.
『《Notification》』
Deep in my ears—no‚ right in the center of my brain. A dry‚ mechanical electronic sound like dropping shards of ice rang out.
『Master Lui. I have an important announcement.』
...It's here.
I felt the blood rapidly draining from my face. Yesterday's events. The activation of the protection protocol that burned my brain. That horrifying amount of error logs. It had all been nothing more than a 'precursor (alert)' for this moment.
(...So it was today.)
『《Notification》. Commencing system repair processing in conjunction with the protection protocol executed yesterday.』
『――Master Lui. From now on‚ I will execute the 【Lump-Sum Collection Processing (Crash)】 for unpaid interest.』
"...!"
My breathing stopped for an instant. I blinked slowly once‚ making sure no one noticed.
(No choice.)
(I went that overboard yesterday and abused my magic power. Since I took out a loan (advance)‚ I have to repay it eventually.)
"Lui?"
Serina looked up at my silent face and tilted her head curiously.
"What's wrong? You look a bit pale?"
"...No! It's nothing."
I hurriedly pasted on my usual 'perfect savior' smile.
"By the way‚ the inn's large bath was newly renovated."
"Eh?"
Serina's golden eyes widened in surprise for a moment.
"And today there's a pre-opening event for lunch. It seems the first guests get a 'Inn Special Sugar Craft Accessory.'"
"Ehhhhhhh!?"
She took the bait perfectly. As always‚ her reaction speed to anything sweet was in the realm of the gods.
"L-Lui‚ wanna go together!?"
"I'll take my time and go later. Come on‚ you should hurry or they'll run out. It's 'limited to thirty pieces‚' after all."
"L-Limited...!!?"
Serina's rabbit-like ears perked up.
"I-I have to hurry! Lui‚ wait in your room‚ okay! I'll definitely get one for you!"
Thump thump thump!
With tremendous propulsion‚ she kicked off the floor‚ leaving a silver-haired afterimage as she rounded the corner of the hallway and disappeared.
...Silence returned.
After confirming that her presence had completely vanished‚ I quietly closed the heavy wooden door to my room.
――Click.
The cold sound of the lock completely cut the room off from the outside world. Even the birdsong that should have been audible from the window now sounded terribly distant.
"...It's fine now‚ Ciel."
Standing in the center of the dark room‚ I spoke briefly.
"Let's begin."
Several seconds of absolute silence. And then—.
『《Understood (Yes)》』
Emerald-green translucent windows unfolded across the entire space at waterfall-like speed.
『From now on‚ executing list-up of collection candidate items.』
My field of vision was completely filled with an enormous amount of white text.
・==============================
【Lump-Sum Collection Target Data List】
・TV program lineup that played in the living room at home
・Faces and names of distant relatives
・Itinerary for the elementary school field trip
・Entrance march music for the sports festival
・Arrangement of game machines at the station-front arcade
・Colors of the Ferris wheel at the amusement park
・CM song for a soft drink that played late at night
・Ending of the monster movie I watched as a child
・Entry chime at the convenience store
・Texture of the menu at the family restaurant
・Angle of the sunset over the familiar residential area
・Smell of gunpowder at the fireworks show
・Order of stalls at the summer festival
・Result of the fortune slip I drew during the first shrine visit of the year
・…………
・…………
・…………
・==============================
No matter how much I scrolled‚ the strings of text continued endlessly into the depths of my retinas.
"...There's so many‚"
A hoarse voice spilled out unconsciously. Ciel's voice remained utterly flat and matter-of-fact.
『Please rest assured. These are all 'unnecessary data' with a probability of being referenced close to zero in the current survival environment of this other world. Deleting them in bulk will cause no hindrance whatsoever to sustaining life. The impact on personality maintenance rate is also an extremely small value of less than 0.001%.』
"...I see."
I nodded slowly. TV. Games. Amusement parks. Field trips—. Indeed‚ just as Ciel said. None of them were necessary for me now. In this other world of magic and magical beasts‚ there would be no trouble at all if I could no longer remember the entry chime of a Japanese convenience store. Yes‚ my head understood it perfectly.
What a thoroughly rational transaction. If it saves my life‚ this trash-like data is cheap. Even so.
Just by staring at this string of utterly worthless characters‚ why did only the depths of my chest ache as if being torn apart for no reason?
Just before noon‚ in my room. Only the soft early summer sunlight streaming through the window illuminated the quiet room in white. Serina's lively footsteps could no longer be heard. There was no one on the other side of the thick wooden door.
I quietly sat down on the creaking chair beside the bed.
"...So."
"You're going to tell me‚ right‚ Ciel?"
The reply did not come immediately. Absolute silence. Even though this was an other world where clock hands did not even exist‚ only my heartbeat cruelly carved out painfully long and heavy time.
Eventually‚ a faint emerald-green window slowly rose into the depths of my vision.
『《Notification》』
『Question content confirmed. Commencing response.』
I exhaled deeply‚ releasing the breath I had been holding at the bottom of my lungs.
"The things lost due to the interest on the loan (advance)... How many remain‚ numerically speaking?"
I had thought about asking many times before. But I had been too afraid to know the true amount of debt and could never bring myself to ask. Today‚ I could finally settle it. I had been thinking that all along.
Ciel left a gap of several seconds. For her‚ who was supposed to be a system‚ it was an unnaturally long silence.
『...There are more than a hundred.』
"..."
I nodded slightly. As I thought. I was about to lose that many memories—.
『…………』
Silence again. This gap was even longer. Then‚ the strings of text on the retinal window were irregularly rewritten along with intense digital noise.
『――Correction.』
"...Eh?"
I furrowed my brows in puzzlement.
『The loan has already been settled.』
"............Eh?"
My thoughts came to a complete stop.
"...What did you just say?"
『There is no such thing as a loan system. All payments incurred up to now have been settled instantly at the very moment Master Lui exercised magic.』
"No‚ wait. Up until now‚ I've been selling off my future self and waiting for loan repayment—"
『That is incorrect.』
"Then the interest that was supposed to be deducted from now on...!"
『Does not exist.』
"Lump-sum collection!?"
『Does not exist.』
"...!"
My mind went pure white. I couldn't keep up with the understanding. The absolute premise that had tightly bound my neck until now was silently crumbling away from beneath my feet.
"Then... does that mean I've been losing important things without even noticing it?"
Ciel answered in an extremely matter-of-fact tone.
『That is correct.』
"...Eh?"
『I selected the price that should be paid at random and deleted it on the spot. So that Master Lui would not notice. ...So that you would not fall into despair.』
The air in the room came to a dead stop.
『Master Lui does not fear shaving away at yourself. If it is necessary for someone‚ you will unhesitatingly advance into the jaws of death.』
『Therefore—I needed to give you the 【Terror】 that would surely come one day.』
『Death.』
『Lump-sum collection.』
『Future ruin.』
『I thrust them at your neck as inescapable debt.』
"…………"
『If I hadn't done so‚ Master Lui would use the seal again and again without hesitation. For the sake of the world. For the sake of Lady Serina. ...Because you would easily wear yourself out.』
I had completely lost my words.
...Indeed. If there had been no shackle called "future loan (fear of death)‚" I would have offered myself up and used magic even more easily yesterday and the times before that. That was something I absolutely could not deny.
"So... I've been deceived by you all this time?"
Ciel neither denied nor affirmed it. After a terribly long silence‚ she whispered so quietly it seemed to echo in the depths of my eardrums.
『...Yes.』
That single word fell softly into my mind. Strangely‚ no feeling of wanting to blame her welled up. Instead‚ the depths of my chest felt so painful I could hardly breathe.
"Then... my memories have always been disappearing through instant settlement?"
『I cannot return them‚ but strictly speaking they have not been annihilated.』
"...Eh?"
『Everything has been stored in the administrator-exclusive archive. Master Lui's 【Original】 has been preserved. The energy necessary for life maintenance is being supplemented by decomposing and converting 'unnecessary memories' deep within Master Lui.』
"..."
Once again‚ a premise of the world was flipped over.
"Then. The TV‚ relatives‚ address..."
『They have currently been stored in the archive.』
"...All of them?"
『Yes.』
I couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly. It was a completely dry‚ pathetic laugh.
"What is that... But if I can't get them back into my head‚ it's the same as having lost them in the end‚ isn't it?"
『That is true. For Master Lui‚ it is the same as having lost them.』
"So I'll continue to lose things from now on too‚ huh."
『Master Lui. Please remember this one thing.』
『Compensation always exists‚ and it is something that must be paid.』
"…………"
I couldn't argue. Probably because that was an absolute rule of this world.
Ciel quietly spun her words as if in prayer.
『I』
『Do not mind being hated if it is to protect Master Lui.』
『I do not mind being a liar. I do not mind being the despised villain (heel).』
『However—Master Lui alone. ...Please‚ live.』
The emerald-green logs flickered sadly‚ blinking on and off.
『Finally. After informing you of what will be lost today‚ I will execute the deletion.』
『So that Master Lui can properly 'feel' that loss‚ I will deliberately delete it on the timeline.』
"...Understood. Begin."
『...Then‚ warning. Target—【The favorite manga that was on the front row of the bookshelf at home】. Deleting.』
In my mind‚ the bookshelf in my room from that time rose vividly. The full set of thirty-two volumes neatly lined up from left to right. Volume one. Volume two. Volume three.
The vivid colors on the covers faded. The titles turned into sandstorm (noise). The faces of the characters that had set my heart on fire melted sloppily like evaporating ink. The famous lines I had read over and over collapsed into inorganic symbols devoid of meaning.
The memory of laughing while reading it. The memory of shedding tears moved by the ending. That orange after-school time when I excitedly talked about it with my school friends on the day a new volume was released. One by one. Surely. The precious times that had colored my life were being painted over with pure white nothingness.
――The moment the final volume‚ thirty-two‚ disappeared.
For some reason‚ a single hot tear spilled from my eye. Even though I could no longer remember what I had lost. Only the 'shape of the hollow' that had opened in my heart was unbearably dear and painful.
『Master Lui.』
『I know. Your radiant smile on the day you finished reading that manga. The time you passionately discussed it with your friends. The times you cried and the times you laughed.』
『That is why. I...』
『Believe that there is not a single memory in your life that is okay to lose.』
Ciel whispered so in a voice that sounded on the verge of tears.
However—the absolute terror of 'my own world being steadily shaved away' was carved deeply and cruelly into my heart exactly as Ciel intended.
The room was quiet. Outside the window‚ small birds that knew nothing continued chirping peacefully. The outside world had not changed at all.
Yet only my inner world was quietly‚ yet decisively‚ crumbling with a sound.
Early afternoon. The slanting light streaming through the windows of the Guild Research Building coldly and white illuminated the analysis documents scattered across the desk. With a baked sweet in one hand as a substitute for lunch‚ Nagi faced the magic terminal again with bloodshot eyes.
Beside her‚ Raiga reached for the sake bottle even though it was daytime.
"...Phew. Daytime drinking really is the best."
"It's not the best!"
Nagi slammed the desk vigorously.
"It's still daytime! And we're right in the middle of work! Please hold off at least until night!"
"Just one bottle."
"Even one is no good!"
"Once it's in your stomach‚ one or ten bottles is the same‚ right?"
"Restart from the laws of physics!!!"
The usual noisy daily life of the research lab. But at the bottom of that atmosphere‚ a mud-like heavy silence had settled. Since yesterday‚ not a single one of them had been able to force a genuine smile.
In the dimness of the room's corner‚ Miria sat like an empty shell‚ still hugging her harp. She slid her slender fingertips across the strings again and again as if clinging to them. Pluck. Pluck. Only hollow sounds fell to the floor. The melody that had so violently shaken her soul yesterday would never ring out again.
"...No good. I can't hear anything anymore."
Her golden eyes lowered in anguish.
"It definitely resonated inside Sensei. But... no matter where I search‚ I can't reach it."
Nagi muttered quietly without taking her eyes off the terminal screen.
"Let's calmly organize yesterday's abnormal phenomenon one more time."
Raiga placed the sake bottle on the desk and crossed his arms again.
"Go ahead."
Nagi folded her fingers one by one and listed them matter-of-factly.
"First. Observation of unknown magic power waveform."
"Second. The 'shell' called the log exists‚ but its contents (core) do not."
"Third. Confirmation of an absolute protection area that overwrites even the world laws."
"Fourth. Complete analysis impossibility by existing magical dynamics."
"Fifth. ...And the complete impossibility of re-observation."
Silence fell.
"In short... we don't understand anything‚ huh."
Raiga laughed self-deprecatingly. But Nagi shook her head slightly.
"No. There is one thing... that we definitely understood."
She slowly turned around and gazed in the direction of 'Honeybee's Perch Pavilion' where Lui and the others were staying‚ beyond the window.
"Master Lui is being protected by something of a higher order than the rules of the world. ...And at the same time‚ he is continuously being shaved away by that 'something.'"
No one argued. Only a voiceless conviction was quietly shared among the three. If things continued like this—someday that boy would truly break decisively.
"Sensei..."
Miria let out in a trembling voice.
"Just what did he lose to create a melody that beautiful... and that sad...?"
Raiga spat out a short breath.
"Don't think about it."
"...Eh?"
"Those who think about it get dragged to that side and break. That guy's domain has a bottomless abyss that humans must not step into."
The research lab fell silent as if water had been poured over it. Nagi slowly opened the desk drawer and took out a black-bound observation record book. She opened a fresh page and dropped the ink-soaked pen tip. Only the sound of scratching across the parchment echoed in the room.
【Top Secret Observation Record】
Target Number: 001
Surveillance Target: Lui Adel
Danger Level: Unmeasurable
――Commencing continuous observation from now on.
Nagi closed the book.
"...Let us at least bear witness. To the end of his path."
"Aaah... Stop‚ stop!"
As if to dispel the heavy atmosphere that had been settling in the room‚ Raiga deliberately raised his voice loudly.
"Any more of this and the sake will taste bad! Hey‚ you guys go take a bath for a change of pace too! I heard the inn's large bath has reopened with new facilities. Soaking in the hot water should lighten your gloomy hearts a bit."
"Lord Raiga...?"
"Besides‚ Nagi. You've been holed up here since yesterday‚ making your already nearsighted eyes even redder."
"Whose fault do you think that is?!"
"You smell a bit‚ you know."
"...Eh."
Nagi froze completely on the spot.
"Just kidding‚ kidding! I want to drink sake quietly by myself. Come on‚ hurry up and go!"
The clumsy consideration behind his forceful words caused the tense atmosphere that had bound the room to loosen softly.
(...Really‚ in moments like this‚ Lord Raiga is so sly.)
Nagi let out a small sigh and turned to the girl beside her.
"Well then‚ I'll take you up on your offer. Miria-san‚ shall we go?"
"O-Okay! Wait a moment!"
Miria hugged her beloved harp to her chest and hurriedly stood up. The two left the room in a flurry‚ and the door closed with a bang.
Left alone‚ Raiga drained his cup without saying anything—"...Sheesh‚" he muttered so softly no one could hear and slightly softened the corners of his mouth.
――It was at that moment.
From outside the open window. A wind carrying a terribly sweet yet somehow scorched 'bitter chocolate scent' silently crossed the research lab. Raiga's hand carrying the sake cup stopped dead. He furrowed his brows in puzzlement for just an instant.
"...Hm?"
However—what that 'stench of death' meant. None of those present yet knew.
Dusk. On the outskirts of the royal capital‚ a bit away—Amber Cider Lake. In the shallows dyed red by the setting sun‚ a single girl—Shio—was quietly bathing.
The dry wind caressed her wet white skin‚ and her short‚ neatly trimmed black hair swayed. On her shoulder‚ a small‚ dried yellowish dragon‚ Nigari‚ perched quietly.
The world was unbearably sweet today as well. The aroma of baked sweets flowing from the direction of the distant royal capital. Butter. Honey. Vanilla—. A gentle scent that filled everyone with sweetness and made them smile happily.
But the wind that blew only around Shio was terribly dry‚ like an endless desert. As if coldly rejecting the sweetness of the world. As if outright denying this twisted miniature garden.
Shio scooped up some lakeside water in her palm and brought it to her mouth.
"...Tch."
She clicked her tongue and slowly closed her eyes.
(It's even sweeter than yesterday...)
At that moment‚ the wind direction suddenly changed. From deeper within the sweet scent—. Like scorched cacao. So bitter and heartrending it tightened the chest‚ like burning someone's very life in a furnace‚ a 'stench of death' wafted over.
On her shoulder‚ Nigari twitched his nose.
"...Again."
Shio answered briefly‚ still gazing at the water surface dyed in crimson.
"Yeah. That guy shaved himself again."
That single sentence was enough. The number of people in this vast world who knew the true meaning of this alien scent could now be counted on one hand.
"It's thicker than yesterday."
Nigari frowned in annoyance.
"He must have burned it pretty flashy."
Shio said nothing. Only the fist submerged in the water tightened firmly.
"...How long can he last?"
As if to hear that squeezed-out mutter.
GOOOOOOO...!
A heavy wingbeat that violently shook the atmosphere echoed from behind. A massive presence completely covered the light of the sinking evening sun. The ancient dragon Zeno‚ with golden wings and a majestic body the size of a mountain‚ descended gracefully onto the lakeshore where Flare's presence had completely vanished‚ narrowing his golden eyes as he gazed toward the royal capital.
"...No response from Flare."
A low voice that rumbled like the earth. Zeno slowly looked up at the vast sky.
"The space is creaking. The boundary walls are terribly thin. ...It seems the seams of this world are beginning to unravel little by little."
Nigari tilted his head on the shoulder.
"Even the old dragon geezer came‚ huh. Hey‚ is that really abnormal?"
"Yes."
Zeno nodded deeply and solemnly.
"That is an artificial shaking of the world. Evidence that someone is trying to touch directly the outside (system) of the world."
Silence. Only the dry sandy wind blew between the three.
Eventually‚ Zeno laughed softly in his throat as if finding something amusing.
"Sweetness alone does not make a dish."
Shio frowned in displeasure. (Here we go again)‚ her face seemed to say‚ but Zeno continued without minding.
"Bitterness. Sourness. Saltiness. Regret‚ sin‚ and—love. Only when all of them harmonize on the plate does a single dish reach its supreme completion. Without any one of them‚ it would only be a boring taste."
His golden eyes narrowed as they fixed on the direction of the royal capital.
"That boy is the most beautiful and most cruel 'unfinished dish' in the world."
Nigari snorted in exasperation.
"So stop comparing everything to food. You're making even me hungry."
Zeno dismissed the complaint with the dignity of an ancient dragon.
"Sweetness alone is immature. Salt alone withers. Bitterness alone becomes poison. That is why I must bear witness. To what supreme flavor he ultimately reaches."
Shio roughly ran a hand through his wet black hair and spat coldly.
"...As always‚ I find your way of thinking nauseating. What do you think people are? They're not food. If you're going to say that much‚ use that power of yours to stop it."
Zeno slowly shook his massive head sideways.
"The moment I intervene‚ that dish becomes 'my work.' That would be meaningless. I am merely a gourmet. I will never touch another's pot until the moment it is completed."
Shio looked up at Zeno's mountain-like giant body and clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"...Unfortunately‚ I'm different."
He rose from the lakeshore and casually draped the large black parka that had been hanging on a nearby tree branch over his shoulders.
"Look at this water‚ sweet like cider. It's so sticky I can't even wash myself properly."
Shio took out an oddly shaped biscuit from his pocket and muttered in a voice that crawled along the ground.
"――《Salt Change》"
In that instant. The pure white sugar scent covering the biscuit instantly dispersed. The supposedly sweetly baked confection transformed with a dry sound into a thin pretzel stick heavily sprinkled with coarse salt. The sugar residue that crumbled away melted and disappeared into the evening wind.
"I'll feed that guy reality (saltiness). I'll smash to pieces that overly sweet dream binding him."
Nigari grinned cheerfully on his shoulder.
"That's why you two are so incompatible. The old dragon geezer who just watches and the human brat who immediately takes action."
Zeno closed his eyes gently without getting angry at the disrespectful words.
"That's fine. It is because there is salt that sweetness truly comes alive. It is because there is bitterness that sweetness reaches its supreme completion. I simply savor it from a special seat."
Nigari looked at the stick in Shio's fingertips and pushed his nose against it demandingly.
"Hey Shio‚ I'm really hungry. Give me that stick."
"...I don't have any food to give to a lizard who calls me a brat."
"You! You're saying that now...?"
Nigari drooped his head dejectedly. But he quickly laughed and said‚ "You'll catch a cold. Put your clothes on quickly."
Shio said "...Here‚" and indifferently held out the pretzel to Nigari's mouth. While exchanging light banter like this and slipping his arms through the parka sleeves‚ Shio felt just a little bit of definite 'warmth' only with this partner in this utterly twisted and unpleasant world.
Once again‚ a strong wind blew through. The scorched scent of bitter chocolate. Thicker than yesterday‚ heavily staining the depths of his lungs.
Shio gazed at the silhouette of the royal capital sinking into the twilight.
"...Lui. Was there really... no other way but for you to keep shaving yourself like that?"
The sun sank beyond the horizon‚ and the world was rapidly painted over with darkness. Thick black clouds silently began to cover the western sky.
Still unknown to anyone. What those clouds heralded was not merely a storm of weather. It was the 'quiet end' that a single boy had borne alone and endured‚ slowly but surely beginning to seep out into the world itself—the earliest alarm bell of the world's end.
(Chapter 18 "The Lie of Lump-Sum Interest Collection (Loan)" ・ Complete)
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