Chapter 224: Deep Otherworld
Chapter 224: Deep Otherworld
“If you go now, won't you die?”
Those were Zess’s words as she tried to stop me from leaving the Demon Train.
The exit of the Demon Train.
The place was remarkably simple.
At the end of a corridor lined with residential quarters, there was nothing but a single door with the word 'Exit' plastered on it.
Perhaps it was because they didn't expect many people to leave.
Or perhaps there were several such places, and a different location was used for large-scale departures.
Regardless, it didn't matter.
There were only two beings who would use this door.
Un-ho and I.
So, I directed a question back at Zess.
“Why do you think I’ll die?”
“Well, if you go out now, you’ll be in the abyss of the Otherworld. It’ll be a bit hard to endure.”
“Then, where is the safest place closest to the Magic Kingdom besides here?”
“Oh, you mean the coordinates Al’shel gave you? Let’s see… You’ll reach a safe zone in about a month, and from there, you can just swim for about a hundred years. Or, you could rot away on the Demon Train for about two thousand years, and it’ll pass nearby. Oh, that’s in your time units, of course.”
…I definitely need to leave now.
“…I’ll just try to endure it.”
“I won’t stop you. Even if it’s the abyss, it’s not an unbearable place. It’s on the outskirts, away from the center.”
The outskirts of the abyss. What a ridiculous play on words.
Since it seemed Zess had said all she wanted to say, I turned my head toward the one remaining person seeing us off.
“Does Mr. Felsrats over there have anything to say?”
“It’s Fel-ss-rat-si-ass!”
The Iron Man shouted, but honestly, it wasn't that different.
He should be grateful I even remembered his name.
I had learned about another ultimate goal similar to that of a Martial Artist.
A goal entirely different from that of the Heavenly Demon Sword God or the Heavenly Sword.
The realization of 'Form' through pure external power.
To think he could create a Form by drawing energy pathways on his very skin because it was made of metal.
I wondered if we could apply that using something like tattoos….
Well, whatever.
“I hope you gain some good enlightenment too, man.”
“Stop by again sometime.”
The Iron Man returned the farewell gruffly, but I doubted I’d ever see him again in this lifetime.
After finishing the farewells with the only two who had come, I was about to step through the door when—
“Oh, right. Lee Ha-ram. There’s one thing I’m curious about.”
Even though the goodbyes were over, Zess persistently held me back.
“What is it?”
“That thing you and Al’shel did. You know, at that important place. Why didn't you ask me for the favor?”
Was Zess worried about information spreading that there was a problem with The Core?
Zess threw out a question that felt strangely convoluted.
I was curious how Zess knew about The Core issue that Al’shel and I had discussed in secret, but without asking, I gave Zess the consensus I had reached through my conversation with Al’shel.
“Because if it were you, Zess, there’s a chance you would have intentionally manipulated the repairs.”
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”
Now, shall I recite exactly what Al’shel said?
“You claim to be neutral, but that doesn't mean you don't lean toward good or evil. You’re neutral only because you don't intervene in situations.”
Indeed, she does not actively do anything.
Massacres, the meaningless deaths of acquaintances, the strong exploiting the weak.
Unless it’s something Zess herself truly dislikes, she doesn't get involved.
However, there is an exception.
“If that were the case, you’d at least maintain the status quo, but you subtly tilt The Scales. Just enough to make the situation more interesting.”
There was data Al’shel had shown me.
Among the general passengers, who held the overwhelmingly largest amount of currency?
It was Zess.
She had tens of times more currency than even those who had been disrupting the economy for a long time.
If she had released it, no one would have gone hungry.
If she had shared it, The System might have worked to lower the value of the currency, but it wouldn't have resulted in the current bizarre distribution.
Yet, she did nothing.
All she did was repel invaders who entered the room she governed.
Beyond that, she did nothing.
To the point where even The System treated most of that currency as discarded.
That was why she was a meaningless existence on the Demon Train.
Whether she existed or not, it made no difference.
However, she did engage in a small amount of activity.
She moved a portion of the currency solely for her own room.
It would have been better if she had done nothing at all.
By doing that, she tilted The Scales ever so slightly.
In the grand scheme of things, it probably had no impact.
An action equivalent to a single hair being placed on a perfectly balanced scale.
In other words, she fails to remain neutral by the margin of a single hair.
She doesn't get involved beyond that.
However, she must have thought that it would be better if the chaotic times lasted longer.
That way, there would be more interesting battles for Zess to watch.
“Hmm. That’s quite an interesting story.”
Even Al’shel’s sharp piercing words seemed like nothing more than a fun tale to Zess. Zess's smile didn't falter in the slightest.
“Yeah. If we had made the proposal, you probably would have carried it out faithfully. Except, you would have acted just slightly short of what was needed.”
She might have fixed it just a tiny bit inadequately.
Tossing the dice into the air, wondering what kind of chaos would ensue if the Demon Train broke down because of it.
In all likelihood—no, if done a million times, it would be fine nine hundred ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine times.
But it would break once in a million.
That is the kind of being she is.
The Green Sun before my eyes.
Because she has lived since primordial times.
A mad sun that sows meaningless seeds, believing that a single grand win is enough even with those odds.
That was why the Shadow Keeper had warned me. That she was a mad sun.
Al’shel had also informed me through a long explanation.
“Al’shel didn't place a chip on that gambling table.”
“Hmm. I think those are odds worth considering, though.”
…As if.
I scoffed inwardly, but as Zess said, they were odds worth considering. In other words, in most situations, she maintains the status quo. Because she doesn't cross the line beyond a hair’s breadth.
However, we chose a different option to eliminate even that tiny exception.
“Uh… hearing that reminded me of something.”
Un-ho’s voice suddenly drifted from above my shoulder.
“Where did Al’shel go?”
“…He’ll follow soon.”
Yes, soon.
“Hmm. I guess he has something to do. Well then, let’s do our best! The Otherworld is a tough place.”
“Yeah. We have to.”
And then, I grabbed the door handle.
“Well then, truly, goodbye.”
“I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
The only two people seeing us off gave their final greetings.
“You guys stay healthy, too.”
I replied with sincerity.
To the steadfast Pel… Iron Man.
And to Zess, who, despite all the bad things I’d said about her, always stood in the middle, spreading the warmth of the sun to everyone.
Because she was a being one couldn't truly hate.
So, after exchanging heartfelt goodbyes face-to-face, I gripped the handle of the exit.
I turned the handle.
Just the two of us.
* * *
It was a Blue Sea.
The sky was blue.
The Sea was blue.
And the beach was a place covered in blue jewels the size of pebbles.
In the sky, a massive planet with stripes across its surface spanned the horizon.
And even higher in the sky was a Milky Way made of dense clusters of stars, the likes of which I had never seen even in the countryside.
The sky above was a blue seaside, colored by the light of an endless meteor shower.
Looking down at my feet, I saw the tiny, blue jewels seeping between my toes, tickling me.
…Is this the Deep Otherworld?
Just as Zess had warned, the Deep Otherworld was entirely different from the regular Otherworld.
For some reason, my boots and socks had been removed.
Aside from that, I didn't feel anything particularly strange.
Even the numerous mental attacks I had experienced in the Otherworld were absent.
I was aware of who I was, I clearly remembered what I had to do, and my senses were intact.
Of course, if I had forgotten that I’d lost something, there was no way to know.
But at least, I wasn't mentally unstable enough to feel such a sense of loss.
So, I looked around with a peaceful mind.
In this tranquil space without a single noise, the only sounds were the waves of the Blue Sea and the crunching sound of my footsteps.
There was no stinging sunlight.
No noisy vacationers.
No annoying saltiness from The Sea.
No trash to prick my feet.
It was a perfect environment to focus my mind, but a single problem overshadowed all of that.
…Isn't it just a bit too blue?
The Sea was an opaque blue, like oil paint, far from the transparency of a clean ocean.
The lights in the sky were a blue that leaned heavily toward purple rather than a pure blue, evoking a sense of melancholy.
At least the jewel-like sand beneath my feet was a clear blue.
But what was the point if everything was blue?
Even a beautifully shining blue is just another element that disturbs the mind when surrounded by such immense strangeness.
So, I stopped trying to look around and simply walked forward.
To escape this place.
After walking for about a minute, the world changed for the first time.
It wasn't a dramatic change.
Thud.
A metallic sound.
Followed by a slight throb in my toe.
“Ah, damn….”
A curse almost slipped out instinctively, but it didn't actually hurt that much.
Hadn't my body already passed the point of being bothered by something like this?
Even so, it wasn't that it didn't hurt at all; I felt a slight twinge of pain.
Annoyed, I looked down to see what I had kicked.
I found something beyond my imagination.
“…What is this?”
A heavily rusted, silver, circular metal case.
It wasn't very large, looking exactly like a tin of shoe polish.
Why was this piece of junk here?
It was a bit unusual, but it didn't seem like much, so I was going to leave it and move on.
Suddenly, perhaps instinctively, I remembered having seen this tin somewhere before.
No way. It couldn't be.
Swallowing hard, I opened the lid.
And there it was, exactly what I had feared.
Something shriveled and brown.
And a single, torn one-dollar bill.
“….”
I remembered this.
It was such a trivial item that even I hadn't remembered it until I saw it.
Back when I was trying to switch cigarettes, I had bought some chewing tobacco on the recommendation of an American soldier.
It didn't have the flavor of inhaling smoke, but the nicotine hit to the brain was quite satisfying.
However, the moment I accidentally swallowed saliva drenched in nicotine during combat, the unbelievable trash flavor echoed in my throat, and I ended up throwing it away.
Even so, I felt it was a waste to just toss it, so I had tried to roll it in a bill and smoke it.
But chewing tobacco wasn't made for that in the first place, so I just ended up wasting an extra dollar bill.
Why was this here?
I had clearly stuffed it into a trash can at the base, so it was something that should never have returned.
This was the middle of the Otherworld. And the deepest part of the abyss, at that.
“….”
Something was wrong.
The Blue Sea, which had felt safe and peaceful, now felt like a demon's den trying to swallow me whole.
Perhaps this thing in my hand was also a part of something.
The moment that thought occurred to me, the coldness of the metal against my hand felt like a blade.
I jammed it vertically into the ground and quickly left the spot.
Unlike the calm pace I had maintained until now, I walked with a brisk stride.
After walking for about a hundred seconds—
Clang.
I heard a metallic sound.
…Impossible.
That was the thought that hit me faster than the pain.
I had clearly been looking at my feet as I walked.
On this blue jewel beach, there was no way I could have missed a silver-shining tin.
And yet.
The chewing tobacco tin, struck by my foot, scattered its contents far and wide, leaving brown trash on the blue sand.
A loop. A repetition.
That thought flashed through my mind.
I immediately ran in the opposite direction of the Blue Sea.
I had been walking with the Blue Sea at my side until now.
But now that I realized this beach was strange, I thought that even though the plain of blue jewels on the other side was ominous, it would at least be better than here.
After sprinting at full speed for about two minutes—
Clang.
Again, the metallic sound.
And I saw the crushed circular tin flying off into the distance.
The moment I looked up to follow it, the blue seaside greeted me.
Even though I had clearly run in the opposite direction.
The scattered tobacco leaves and the discarded lid were exactly as they had been.
The only thing that had changed was the tin itself, which no longer held its shape after being kicked by me.
What on earth is this?
I was momentarily flustered, but since I had experienced this kind of loop a few times before, I looked around.
Just like The Tomb on the Demon Train.
Even if something is distorted, a small ripple caused by that distortion always remains somewhere.
After scanning the vast sky and the beach, I fixed my gaze on The Sea.
There, I saw something black that I hadn't been able to see at first.
A Black Tower.
A tower with various protrusions on its surface, emitting a bright light into its surroundings.
An ordinary person might just think it was strange and nothing more.
But to me, that tower was something else entirely.
“…Management Bureau, Hokkaido Branch.”
The sin I carried, destroyed by my own hands.
It was rising from The Sea, looking down at me.
What the hell is this?
A mental attack?
Is it trying to make me remember my transgressions?
That is certainly the sin I carry.
But what about the chewing tobacco?
What did I ever do with that?
It was something I couldn't even remember.
As I thought about it, countless things began to press down on me.
A forgotten house key.
Food I threw away because it tasted bad.
A pistol with a warped barrel that originally belonged to an allied officer, but which I had seized and embedded in his forehead.
The restraints of an Awakened that had once bound my body.
Once one thing came to mind, another followed, incessantly rising from my memory.
Before I knew it, the metal of the tobacco tin I was holding pricked my hand.
The pain racing through my mind clearly awakened my consciousness.
Fragments I had sunk into a distant land beyond The Sea of Oblivion.
As the blood flowing from my hand created a single line and touched the blue ground, memories climbed up that line of blood, surrounding me like bubbles.
From tiny, sugar-colored bubbles to massive, gunpowder-scented feelings of guilt.
And just as the dark touch of the Otherworld, devoid of light or smell and filled with the madness of a funeral, reached out to embrace me—
“Were you always one to dwell on such things?”
The moment I heard someone's voice, the world vanished from my Blue Sea like a bursting soap bubble.
Startled, I looked around.
There was nothing left.
Not the chewing tobacco, nor the Black Tower of the Management Bureau rising over the distant sea.
Not even the blood flowing from my hand.
The hallucination was… no.
A clear reality had been there.
But that reality had vanished like a bubble at the sound of another's voice.
I turned my head toward the person who had spoken to me.
“…Grix.”