Chapter 46
Chapter 46
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Way Back (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Regarding the results of our investigation into the possibility of dimensional travel to another world..."
Fixer Kayla caught her breath for a moment before answering.
"I'll get straight to the point. It's absolutely impossible right now. Not only has that kind of technology not been invented yet, but the professors concluded it's theoretically unfeasible too."
She stated it firmly.
"Most of them said something like this: 'Humanity hasn't even properly caught up to the speed of light yet. In that state, there's no way to escape the physical limits of space-time.' So, talk of other dimensions and all that is just unrealistic science fiction territory."
"........."
Her answer brought a wave of deep disappointment crashing over me as the tension drained away.
But honestly, deep down, I might have half-expected to hear something like this.
This place, 'Neofront Cybercity', was only about half a century ahead of the modern era—a near-future world, at best.
Sure, they had cybernetic bodies that moved just like flesh and blood, and the scientific prowess to colonize the Moon... but that was pretty much the limit.
With tech that hadn't even fully escaped the solar system, there was no way they could leap across dimensions.
'I pretty much figured it'd be something like this. Yeah, I knew it... but still...'
I must have been clinging to that slim thread of hope. My chest tightened painfully.
I forced my expression into something neutral and looked back at her.
"You've really gone above and beyond with the investigation. Thank you."
Kayla studied my face closely, then asked with a worried look.
"Doesn't seem like the result you were hoping for... You okay?"
"Yeah, I kind of expected it to some extent."
I'd handed her the task with a faint 'what if' in mind. I knew the odds were slim from the start.
So I kept my composure.
I pulled a cash card with the agreed fee from the desk drawer and held it out to her.
"Here, your payment for the job."
But Kayla waved it off.
"Nah, forget it."
"What? But we agreed..."
"Honestly, the last reward was way too much. You fixed my body completely just for a place to crash and a level-3 ID. I still don't feel like I've paid that debt off. So let's call this settling the score a bit."
"Still, you put in the work..."
"Hey!"
In the end, we got into a ridiculous back-and-forth—me trying to hand her the card, her refusing to take it.
And wouldn't you know it, I was the one who ran out of steam first. Just that little tussle with her left me wiped out.
"Hah... haa..."
'No matter how I look at it, this body's way too frail.'
Kayla snatched the card from my heaving hand and shoved it back into the drawer.
"There, Eve's a good girl, right? Listen to your big sis."
"No, wait, what, hah..."
I just caught my breath, staring at her in disbelief.
Then, as if to lighten the heavy mood from moments ago, she flashed a mischievous grin.
"Oh, and hey—while digging into this request, I got curious about something. Mind if I ask?"
"Sure? What is it?"
"Well... asking me to seriously investigate how to get to another world and all. Does that mean you really...?"
She paused for effect, then added with a playful expression.
"Are you some angel who accidentally fell from the sky? That's what they've been whispering at the church, you know."
"Whaaat?! What the—?!"
The sudden embarrassing remark nearly made me bite my tongue.
Feeling my face heat up, I frantically protested in mortification.
"No way!"
"For real? You're not an angel seriously trying to find her way home?"
"I'm not!!"
I practically wailed it out, my face crumpling.
'How does she just casually spout stuff like that without batting an eye?'
Now that I thought about it, her voice was laced with teasing. It was like a cheeky adult messing with some kid passing by.
Before her antics could go on, I hurriedly brushed it off.
"The investigation was just... personal curiosity."
To be honest, explaining that I downloaded a game one day and suddenly got dropped inside it sounded way too absurd—even to me. Especially now that dimensional travel had been deemed flat-out impossible. It'd just sound even more ridiculous.
So I muddled through an excuse, and Kayla spent a good while chuckling at my flushed face before lightly standing up.
"Got it, got it. Well, I'll head out then. See you later, angel girl."
"Argh, seriously!"
With a quick wink, she strode out of the office without a backward glance.
"Haa..."
The moment the door clicked shut, I let out a long sigh. It felt like every ounce of energy had drained from my body.
When did she turn into such a sly tease? The Kayla from the game I knew wasn't like this at all.
Maybe it was a positive change after curing her cybernetic addiction...
She wore me out every time we met, but since there was no malice behind it, I couldn't really bring myself to snap at her.
"Hoo..."
Standing there in the middle of the office, I let out another deep sigh.
'Truth be told... it'd be a lie to say I'm not disappointed.'
Returning to my original world. Going home.
It was the one wish I dreamed of every single night.
Of course, the connections I'd built here and the messes I'd stirred up did weigh on me. If someone popped up right now offering to send me back immediately... I might hesitate for a second.
But having an option right in front of you versus it not existing at all? That's worlds apart.
So facing the conclusion that 'current science can't reach another dimension' hit me like a ton of bricks.
Still, I wasn't about to wallow in despair again.
'Because... the way home might not need to come from anywhere else.'
I thought to myself.
If science can't do it, then find another way.
Even if science rules this physical world absolutely, didn't I already have the power to surpass it?
Miracles. This mysterious ability had long outgrown just healing people.
Through all the incidents I'd faced, I'd gotten a provisional grasp on its true nature.
'Even the 'Saintess' in the game never turned water into wine.'
A power whose principles and limits were still unclear.
But one thing was certain: it had grown much stronger since I first used it.
My guess was that it developed as more people came to believe in the god.
'So if I expand the church even further, gather more faith... eventually, I might wield true miracles with no set limits.'
Like creating a way to transcend physical laws and cross dimensions.
Of course, it was still just speculation. A vague, baseless fancy.
Even if it turned out true, I had no clue how much faith it'd take to make that wish reality.
But one thing I sensed on instinct—no matter how hard it was to put into words, only I, who wielded it, could feel it.
This power might truly have no limits.
So—
'This is probably my only shot at getting back to my original world.'
To go home, and to protect myself from whatever threats might arise along the way.
In the end, I had no choice but to grow the church.
I needed more believers. Deeper faith.
It was a conviction that settled in my bones.
'Hoo, what a headache.'
I knew the path forward now. But it sure wouldn't be easy.
That's when I was lost in thought for a moment.
Creeeak—
Someone barged into the office without knocking.
At first, I thought Kayla had come back for something she'd forgotten.
"What now... Huh?"
But to my surprise, it was Esty standing in the doorway.
"Lady Eve."
She looked the same as always.
Calm voice. Expressionless face.
But something was off.
The same blank look, yet her complexion felt chillingly cold.
Puzzled, I asked.
"...Esty? What's up?"
She didn't answer right away.
She just stepped slowly inside and firmly shut the door behind her.
Click. The lock engaging echoed loudly.
"E-Est..."
This wasn't like her at all.
Ignoring my trembling voice.
The cold stare, the silence.
That overwhelming pressure.
I could say with certainty—it was a first.
"........."
A heavy silence filled the office. My breath grew shallow.
As I swallowed dryly under the ominous vibe, Esty finally spoke.
Her voice was low as always, but it sounded parched and brittle somehow.
"First, my apologies, Lady Eve."
With that, she took a slow step toward me.
"For unintentionally... overhearing."
Another step.
"But don't you owe me an explanation as well?"
With every step she took, an inexplicable pressure bore down on me.
"P-Pardon...?"
The strange emotion flickering in her golden eyes sent a chill down my spine, making me blurt it out without thinking.
'Something's definitely wrong here...'
As I instinctively backed away step by step,
I bumped into a solid wall behind me.
No more room to retreat.
Esty, who had closed the distance one step at a time, finally stopped just close enough to feel each other's breath.
Her golden eyes locked straight onto mine, swirling with that eerie emotion.
Under that close, piercing gaze, I flinched and squeezed my eyes shut.
Then, gone was her usual calm—a voice like it was holding something back whispered right in my ear.
"You're going back? Where... to?"