Questions and Choices (2)
“Yun… hwa…”
The ground rumbled. Probably because I had quickly shattered the arm of Halpas—the part I had been most worried about. Thanks to that, we managed to defeat Nata without a single casualty.
“I almost died back there!”
“Ugh… My feet…”
Of course, no casualties didn’t mean no injuries. In the final third phase, the enraged Nata had laid down a completely different field than in the second phase. A burning earth infused with the emotion of fury. Even when we cooled the ground with cold energy, the rising hot steam still burned the students’ bodies.
“This is the limit of what I can do.”
“Ugh, it stings and burns.”
It was a good thing our team had a healer. Without one, we probably would have been forced to abandon the exploration right here.
“Phew! I finally feel a bit refreshed.”
Mir’s expression, which had been twisted ever since she absorbed Halpas’s power, finally relaxed. Seeing such a drastic change, I made a firm mental note to avoid using Demonization in front of her again as I thought about the final gate.
‘Should I bring the team members along?’
The last section wasn’t one where demonic beasts appeared. The entity known as the final boss didn’t determine the outcome through combat, but through questions and answers.
But that was exactly why I had no idea what kind of questions would appear. In the game it had been like a survey evaluating the game itself, but in this reality… what would it ask?
— Cheonhwa —
Why does Zeon obsess over the word Cheonma?
How did Zeon reach the Lord’s tomb to obtain power?
Choose one. Time limit: 30 seconds.
—Hmm, all the energy inside the body has vanished.
—It must have been the opponent’s special trait.
—Still, it’s impressive that no one died.
—Yeah. I thought at least two of them would be finished here.
These people. I worked so hard to make sure that didn’t happen.
Leaving the casually expectant Cheonhwa and Hoya behind, I asked the team members who were busy receiving emergency treatment.
“Can you all keep going after this?”
“If there are more monsters like that, I’m done.”
“M-me too. Just walking is hard right now.”
“I’ll go.”
“I can still fight.”
Roughly a third of the group was combat-incapacitated.
“You all rest here. Zeon and I will go ahead and come back. This area should be safe even if you stay by yourselves.”
“Wh-what?!”
While I was still debating what to do, Mir suddenly stepped forward and declared that only the two of us—she and I—would proceed from here. The team members were naturally flustered, but surprisingly none of them raised strong objections. They must have realized it during the previous battle. That the power Mir and I possessed was on an entirely different level.
“Just the two of you… will you really be okay?”
“No problem. You can tell just by looking at this guy, right?”
Mir pointed at my face. She was probably reassuring them by showing that, unlike the others, I had almost no injuries.
—That Mir girl at least knows how to shift the mood.
—It’s convenient having someone with quick senses like her.
Mir’s scheme worked perfectly. Leaving the worried gazes behind, the two of us walked toward the end of the gate.
“I wonder what will appear at the end.”
“Who knows. Didn’t it show up in your dreams?”
“Did it? I don’t really remember.”
If it appeared, it appeared—but what did she mean she didn’t remember?
“The dreams I have are all jumbled up. It takes time to organize the events, I suppose?”
—She knows the future, but because she knows too many futures, she can’t resolve what’s right in front of her.
“Still, I roughly know all the really important stuff.”
“This isn’t important?”
“Hmm… I guess not? Since I haven’t properly organized it.”
She was right. To her, this incident had simply raised the gate’s rank; it hadn’t carried any particular danger. But because of my involvement—catching Halpas and the sixth demonic beast—we had fulfilled Nata’s special condition and ended up in a brutal fight. Originally, we would have defeated Nata much more easily.
‘But I couldn’t give up Bell Artos here.’
It had been a little harder in exchange for eliminating some truly malicious future events. If I hadn’t killed him here, the later incident where Chaos executives invaded would have resulted in the academy’s professors and students being assassinated.
“We’re here.”
“Unlike before, there are no statues.”
Unlike me, Mir didn’t relax at all and remained on high alert, scanning the surroundings. When we entered the final chamber together, a woman in robes was leisurely sipping tea.
“This time the guests are a gentleman and a lady of exceptional beauty.”
“What is this? I don’t sense any hostility?”
“You have already proven your strength. Simply reaching this point means you have passed.”
Passed. At that word Mir frowned and asked,
“Are you the mastermind who raised the gate’s rank?”
“Hmm? I’m not sure what you mean.”
She was mistaken. The woman before us wasn’t the culprit who had raised the gate’s rank—she was the boss who had originally been meant to decorate the end of this gate.
“Anyway, since you’ve come all this way, shall we chat? We have refreshments and tea here.”
“Why would we eat anything you offer?”
“How cautious. That’s not a bad thing either.”
At Mir’s hostile reply, the woman took another sip of tea and decided to get straight to the point.
“You wish to leave this place, yes? Then please answer my questions with nothing but the unvarnished truth.”
“That’s it?”
“Of course. As I said earlier, you have already proven your strength.”
“…Then ask quickly.”
“Then I shall pose questions to the ‘four of you.’”
“Wait, you just said—!”
I reacted to the woman’s mention of four people, but her power separated us before I could finish.
—Hmm? This place…
It was dark. A darkness where not even a single point of light entered. Inside it, Cheonhwa located her own presence, examined the space, and tilted her head.
—Everyone has disappeared. Is there something here that conceals presence?
Cheonhwa waved her hand through the space where she could sense nothing—no presence, no sensation—except herself.
“Please wait. Could you refrain from doing that?”
But before she could, a voice suddenly intruded. It belonged to the woman who had created this space and could be considered the cause of the current situation.
“No matter how sturdy my space is, if an existence like you exerts full power, it breaks easily.”
—You can see me.
“Only within this space. Until now, I could only sense faint traces.”
The woman bowed her head respectfully to Cheonhwa.
“It is an honor to meet the head of the Cheonhwa family that vanished behind the curtain of history.”
—Ho, so you know about the Cheonhwa family. It’s a house even history has forgotten these days.
“I can view the information of anyone who enters this place.”
That was why the woman had shown such respect. She had seen what would happen if she incurred Cheonhwa’s wrath.
—How much do you know?
“If limited to information about the head, I can say I am nearly omniscient.”
She knew everything. Cheonhwa gave a vague nod and showed little interest in the woman’s words. It was already a forgotten past. Too much time had passed for her to feel any joy at being recognized here, so she remained utterly calm.
—I see. Then I simply need to answer your question here?
“Yes, that is correct.”
—Then ask quickly.
“Then I shall ask the head.”
After a slight hesitation, the woman’s mouth opened.
Question for Cheonhwa
Why does Zeon obsess so much over the word Cheonma?
How did Zeon reach the head’s tomb and obtain power?
Choose one piece of information. Time limit: 30 seconds.
—Wh-what!
“One second. Two seconds. Three seconds…”
—W-wait a moment!
She was curious. Both options were far, far too tempting. Yet the woman forced her to pick only one and even imposed a time limit. Thirty seconds was quite long for someone of Cheonhwa’s caliber, but for this particular question, she felt it was more insufficient and shorter than any other span of time.
And the same was true for the others.
Question for Hoya
Who is the Northern Duke whose tastes perfectly match yours?
A method to land a blow on the Sword God.
Choose one. Time limit: 30 seconds.
—Uh, uhh?! Wait a minute! I want both!
“Ten seconds have passed!”
—Kyaaaaah!
It was the same for Hoya.
Question for Mir
Whose future are you seeing through your dreams?
The secret of this world.
Choose one. Time limit: 30 seconds.
“Wait, hold on! How do you know about that?! And what do you mean the secret of this world? Is it related to my dreams?!”
“Here~ Five seconds~ Six seconds~.”
“W-wait!”
Mir was no different from the other two.
And if the other three were like this, then Zeon would be the same.
Question for Zeon
The reason you came to this world inside Zeon’s body.
The secret of those who inherited the Sword God’s power.
Choose one. Time limit: 30 seconds.
“…What.”
The event that should have been a simple survey had instantly transformed into an enormous turning point packed with information that could change their lives forever.
“Now then, what will your choice be?”