Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: S2. Lament Addressed to the Stars -7
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"Phew."
"So this is how it all comes together?!"
The Magic Tower Master clapped her flipper-like hands in admiration. I graciously gave her plenty of time to praise me.
I thought I'd pieced it together pretty well myself. I'd assigned meaning, provided motivation. A tangible material reward would have been the icing on the cake, but that was asking too much when I'd just woken up and thrown this together in a rush.
Still, there were gaps left to fill.
One of them hadn't reached a clean resolution yet.
Black Mage Bennett Hilton. He'd jumped in to gather intel for completing the black mages' directive, and he'd targeted the glowing irregular polyhedron in hopes of maybe saving his sister. His initial goal hadn't been saving the world or the emotional satisfaction that came with it.
At one point, we'd speculated the session might tie into the black mages' summoning plans. But that alone wasn't quite enough reason to fight to the bitter end. If he just wanted the incident resolved, wouldn't filing a report with the Defense Bureau have been simpler?
So why was he still fighting, even after losing an arm?
Was he just swept up in the momentum? No, that couldn't be. A fool like that wouldn't have survived the cutthroat life of a black mage.
Had he grown disgusted by the black mages' villainy in summoning an outer god and admitted the odds of getting his sister back were near zero, deciding to cut his losses? No way. He wasn't the type to fold now after coming this far.
He had to have his reasons. But they probably weren't organized thoughts yet. He'd undoubtedly changed through the session, but he wasn't fully aware of what he'd gained or how he'd evolved.
That's why I planned to help Bennett sort out his thoughts.
A little conversation would do it. He was ripe enough to answer the right questions. Just toss him some bait, and he'd reel it in himself.
Time to use Joseph.
This was a pivotal scene for the male lead to gather his resolve, and fiddling with the AI might draw unwanted interference from the guy. Better to take the wheel myself for once.
Of course, it would've been ideal if Tara or Niore could have handled this.
Wouldn't it be delicious if Bennett, the party's usual mental pillar, found his path forward from the other two this time? But given the situation...
[Bennett, I want to change my bandages. Would you help?]
-Don't order Bennett around. Ask that Joseph kid...
[We're guests here. It's already a lot that they've given us a safe place. Asking for first aid on top of that feels like...]
-Don't you dare take it off...!
"......"
Niore had pulled her top up to expose her lower ribs—despite the hole being in her gut—and Tara could only lob warnings from beyond the mirror. They were stuck at a pretty primitive level of communication.
Bennett had even turned away to stare at distant mountains.
Seduction tactics? Not great. Timing-wise, an emotional approach was better. This was right before the final showdown. To survive the brutal heroine rivalry, focus on heartfelt exchanges...
Though those breasts were model-worthy for sure.
As I enjoyed Niore's precarious tug-of-war, a relatively small hand suddenly intruded. The Magic Tower Master was blocking my view.
"Rude!"
"You're the rude one for leaving the kids with severed arms and holes blown in them."
"Kyaaang!"
But I repelled her easily.
Alright, time to knock on Bennett's heart.
Bennett learned from Joseph that the evil god's seal was at the meteor crater site. The future group could tend their wounds, prepare for battle, then head to the seal and hammer damage into the evil god.
But what about Tara, left in the past?
Where would the evil god descend in the past, and how had Tara sealed it? When Bennett pressed Joseph for details, she quietly handed him a picture book.
A fairy-tale-style tale of Saintess Tara sealing the evil god. Meant for children, it restrained any gore.
"Even your outfit's all bundled up."
-...Can't the chest burst open a bit?
"What?"
[Bad for kids' emotional development. Tara.]
According to the book, Saintess Tara fought the evil god that descended on the church building, stabbing the female goat serving as its medium to seal it away.
The monster resembling a goat, sprouting translucent tentacles. It matched when the evil god possessed the cult leader's body.
So where was that goat kept?
"Most likely spot's the basement of the Silver Twilight Church headquarters."
[I think so too.]
-Just go down and smash it?
"Don't charge in blindly. I'll think of ways to empower you here."
Bennett asked Tara to gather all suspicious texts from the church HQ and send them to the future. They planned to analyze them for the evil god's weaknesses.
When Tara dug up How to Commune with the Vastness of the Universe and buried it, a bookshelf appeared in the future church. Abraham's descendants unearthed it, researched across generations, and poof—the results materialized.
The more materials Tara gathered, the richer the future research grew. Some books twisted reality badly upon burial—Joseph turning dark and corrupted—so they'd quickly dig them up and burn them.
Stockpiling building supplies or food snowballed progress. Killing zealots sometimes increased survivors.
Bennett orally passed Basics of Magic for Tara to record and leave behind, letting future Joseph wield magic.
Thus, the future church swelled at least twice its size. Joseph was now a high priestess commanding twelve clerics. Evil god research had advanced tremendously.
-...Can I prank once?
"What're you scheming?"
Tara buried a May Bondage magazine from the church. Joseph's surroundings crackled, and she appeared in sinful black leather straps—
Tara dug it up and burned it. Bennett watched, then scolded her sternly.
"No pointless pranks."
-No, just curious... Do you hate outfits like that, Bennett?
"......No pointless pranks!"
-Wasn't a prank...
Their plan succeeded, and the evil god slaying progressed smoothly.
Saintess Tara's prophecy—"Two heroes will come in 100 years to kill the evil god; serve them devoutly"—ensured Bennett and Niore were welcomed grandly as they prepared.
Then High Priestess, Mage, and Blacksmith Joseph beckoned quietly.
"Heroes, care for a word?"
"...Sure. What is it, Joseph?"
"Rooftop, please. I'll wait."
Joseph ascended leisurely. Bennett hesitated, saw no Tara or Niore nearby, and followed.
The rooftop offered a clear view below. Repeated future alterations added granaries and wells, but clothes still fluttered on lines in the breeze.
Joseph, once solitary, had changed much yet retained her kindness and warmth. Some essences persist despite shifts—we call them core.
Joseph spoke brightly.
"Hehe... You made it. Ditched them well?"
"...What do you mean?"
"Seemed like you were watching for the ladies. I saw you check around. If Niore were here, you'd probably not come alone."
"...Get to the point."
Joseph tapped the rooftop railing with her index finger. She pondered, then blurted something odd.
"I like that girl."
"What?"
"So, thinking of confessing to Niore."
"No, that's..."
Bennett panicked. As his hand extended as if to stop her, Joseph caught it—like evidence.
She smiled saintly, but closer inspection revealed mischief. Like someone else.
"You tried to stop me. Right?"
"......"
"You treasure them. Your comrades. Tara, Niore too."
Bennett pulled away, stepping back warily. He couldn't claim full grasp of Joseph in their brief time, but her mischief protruded like a pickpocket's knife.
As if someone else inhabited her.
"Who... are you?"
She faltered briefly, then composed herself, introducing casually. Her self-pointing gesture brimmed with bouncy freedom.
"Call me Goddess. I've fallen, lost all power, a penniless wraith now."
"...You're the one who gave the goddess crystal."
"My last authority. I'm harmless now, a powerless ghost. Relax. I'd lose to you."
The goddess in Joseph spoke, her eyes glinting gold.
"I've watched your journey."
"......"
"Speaking for this world, thank you. You succeeded where I failed, in mortal flesh no less."
"Premature. We haven't beaten the evil god yet."
She clasped hands prayerfully.
"I believe. I see it—you all triumphing. Not prophecy, but... no way you lose."
"Your point—"
"Get to it. Yes, suddenly appearing, wondering what I want...?"
She hopped onto the narrow railing—barely foot-wide. Left: three-story drop. Right: rooftop safety.
She balanced expertly, asking,
"You wanted to save your sister, right?"
"......"
"Beat the evil god like this, and that world's zealots... the black mages' plan crumbles. Your sister'd be in danger."
Bennett clenched his fist.
"...Aren't you the one who wants this world saved? Left alone, I'd fight the evil god anyway. Why bring it up now?"
Why shake me? Bennett glared at the goddess dredging cruel facts. She gazed down with pity and concern.
She worried for Bennett.
"Don't want your hard work ruined. Much talk of greater good and sacrifice, but... I don't like tales of someone suffering for others."
"...I see why you lost to the evil god."
"Might be why I won in the end?"
She grinned, traversing the precarious path—wobbling thrillingly, yet unthreatening.
Her gaze.
Straight ahead, unwavering.
"You've just cut yourself for goals. I want you to pick up what's fallen. For Niore and Tara too."
"......"
"That's all I wanted to say."
Hop.
Landing on the rooftop, Joseph blinked. The gold faded from her eyes, and she looked around blankly.
"Huh? Why am I here...?"
Perplexed, she greeted Bennett and descended. The goddess had stormed in like a shower, dumped food for thought, and vanished cruelly.
"......"
Why am I fighting? What do I want?
Bennett leaned on the railing, lost in thought.
At first.
Obviously, to save his sister. To fulfill the black mages' plan. He'd pursued that goal relentlessly.
But at some point.
He'd started seeing a different direction.
He met Abraham, received the old man's kindness, stayed at the mansion. Living together revealed Tara's near-zero survival skills, Niore's finger-waggling commands when pleased.
Reflecting on mansion days, the three were family. Despite mere days together, perhaps his parched heart yearned for others.
Moonlit talks with Abraham. The boy dreamed for humanity. Bennett was deeply moved.
Then.
Rescuing kidnapped reporter Sally at Niore's urging. That goodwill backfired into tragedy later. But hearing Sally's thanks, Bennett felt... something.
Mansion burned, zealots pursued. Hard times. Tara and Niore began breaking.
"......"
Watching them suffer hurt immensely. Their pure goodwill and justice denied, diminished—it enraged him.
The price was high for "instead," but trials drew the three closer.
Reaching the secret annex barely in time, reality held another tragedy: Abraham's soul in a golem.
Had Abraham screamed in agony, they might've crumbled. But the old man, trapped mechanical, chased radiant light. Even in death, he empowered them.
Bennett pondered his path.
Back, defeated Isaac. Erased the magic circle, fought the cult leader, now—after twists—the group readied for the finale.
And now... peering inward.
"......I."
His pounding heart pulsed life's rhythm, birthing a wish.
"I want to."
His sister, Tara, Niore, everyone who'd given him something.
"Protect you all."
A wish to protect.
"......"
Reality's walls loomed high and thick, so Bennett always chose suboptimal paths. Lacking power, he burned his soul; lacking wisdom, his dreams. Discarding pieces of himself to wield evil.
Can't grasp all, so abandon friends, comrades. To hold one surely, forsake everything—thus.
Carving himself down, perhaps he'd averted eyes from true desires: "Impossible," "Unachievable." Feared wounds, skipped challenges.
He.
"Everything."
Wanted to protect it all.
Save his sister justly—without killing, siding black mages, shamefaced.
Rescue all happily, sans sacrifice. No Tara's rage, Niore's despair.
If he could save everyone he loved.
Such reckless greed.
That greed was Bennett's lost self.
"......"
Bennett faced himself. He'd ignored it, but he was a greedy soul wanting all without loss.
To fulfill that greed needed light guiding the heart.
"......Abraham achieved his grand dream of aiding the world. Mine's simpler. Protect a few—that suffices. Shouldn't be hard."
Bennett resolved inwardly.
Life's harsh, storms rage, waves crash devouringly. Yet still.
I won't lose myself, my wish.
When Bennett gripped it, a radiant sword gleamed there.
He knew this shining blade was his soul, his transfiguration.
Unbreakable, so long as his heart held.
Transfiguration, 『Protective Wish』.