Chapter 322: Winged Heavenly Being Subjugation (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 322: Winged Heavenly Being Subjugation (10)
Stella expanded the Realm of Stars.
It felt as though I were drifting in the heart of the cosmos, yet despite the appearance of deep space, the temperature was surprisingly warm.
[It’s a relief that you seem willing to talk.]
Stella offered a grotesque smile through her human mask.
[How terrifying. Why don’t you relax your expression, Mr. Han Seong Ho?]
Your face is the one that’s terrifying…
Stella continued, her smile never wavering.
[You seem to have many questions. Shall we start with Veronica Aslius?]
I wanted to hear everything she had to say, so the order didn’t matter.
“Do you know why Veronica Aslius was here?”
[She came looking for me. She traveled all this way.]
The "star" Veronica said she would follow must have been Stella.
But how did Veronica even know about Stella?
[It was an unforeseen variable. I hadn't expected Ozma to hide within that archwizard’s essence. I cannot foresee the future when it is altered by someone who has grasped the level of transcendence.]
Ozma.
Hearing that name, the pieces immediately clicked into place.
[Veronica Aslius realized Ozma was present within her and sought a conversation to uncover the truth.]
This cleared up the mystery of the note Veronica had left for me a thousand years ago.
It had said that the one who sealed the Evil God would help me, but if I wanted to live… I shouldn’t trust that person.
Ozma must have been moved by Veronica’s insight and told her the truth. Ozma had known about Stella’s plan long before the birth of the Primordial Ice Sovereign and had already made a deal. She must have known that I, as the Second Ice Sovereign, would be the one chosen to defeat the Evil God.
[Veronica took her own life, cast out Ozma, and journeyed to the Nether to find me. She likely learned from Ozma where I would be. Her purpose in coming was to hear the story directly from my lips.]
My vision shifted abruptly once more.
I saw a vision of Veronica, looking perfectly composed, approaching the massive gate of the Icy Lake.
[Veronica was a human who wasn’t part of my plan, so I didn’t bother meeting her.]
“Wait, how was Veronica floating above the Icy Lake? Don’t the dead fall into the water?”
[She was a naturally gifted ice wizard, the one known as the Primordial Ice Sovereign. Thus, she received the protection of Lucifer, the demon in charge of the Icy Lake, which prevented her from sinking.]
“I see.”
In the vision before me, Veronica opened the door, and the starry sky greeted her.
[Lucifer intended to teach her the ultimate ice magic, [Ice Moon], and appoint her as the gatekeeper of the Icy Lake. He needed someone to prevent the criminals and monsters within the lake from crossing into his domain. Normally, he would handle it himself, but as you know, Lucifer is bound by Nephid’s power and cannot move.]
Stella raised her index finger.
[There, Veronica foresaw something.]
“Foresaw? What?”
[That you, Han Seong Ho, would come to receive the ultimate ice magic, [Ice Moon], in order to defeat the Evil God.]
She predicted I would come?
[So, Veronica made a deal with Lucifer. She requested that if someone could surpass her and open the gate to the Icy Lake, he should pass the [Ice Moon] on to them.]
In the vision, I saw Veronica speaking to the demon Lucifer. I couldn’t hear her voice, but her resolve was clear.
[Lucifer agreed, and Veronica became the gatekeeper, tasked with stopping those who would pass through. She took on this role and helped you as her final mission, believing it to be the most valuable thing she could do—seeking the truth and rejecting lies. Since I appreciated her desire to assist my plan, I also shared the truth she sought.]
I finally understood the meaning behind Veronica’s enigmatic smile. Everything made sense now.
“You used that, didn’t you? Leaving a message for me through Dorothy.”
[To defeat the Evil God, I will use anything. And with the bonus option involving Alpha, there was no reason to refuse. From the start, I gave you the choice. It was you, Han Seong Ho, who chose to come here.]
My vision shifted again, returning to Stella.
I couldn’t bring myself to be angry at her for what happened with Veronica. In a way, Stella had helped fulfill Veronica’s final wish.
Then, I asked the question that mattered most.
“The truth… Veronica left saying she would chase after you and cast away falsehoods. What did she mean by the falsehoods and the truth?”
[I see. Now, let’s talk about what that truth and those falsehoods actually are.]
Stella turned her head to the side.
I saw a radiant, indistinguishable figure molding Nephid with a mysterious power.
[I suppose I should start with this. Nephid is a being with the power of creation, a masterpiece of the Creator. She was born to restore order to all transcendents.]
“The Creator…”
Could that being be one of the gods worshiped in religions like Christianity, Buddhism, or Islam? Or is it something else entirely?
[Since she was created for that purpose, Nephid possessed the potential for the Authority of Godslaying—an authority designed to deal with great transcendental beings. Nephid was destined to awaken this power in times of crisis. However, Nephid developed her own will, chose her own path, and eventually became a Demon Lord.]
My vision changed, showing a female demon clad in black leading an army of demons and laying waste to worlds. It was the Demon Lord, Nephid.
[Nephid’s potential, fueled by her own will, grew excessively large, becoming an unexpected threat even to the Creator. Thus, the Creator decided to completely eradicate Nephid, who had betrayed His will. The Creator built a stage—a battlefield—to trap and destroy Nephid, and then lured her there.]
“Then the world in the game…”
[You could think of it as a sort of 'case' created to completely end Nephid. From a human perspective, it may seem like a false world without any inherent value.]
Stella smiled.
[So, the wills of the higher beings combined, and that world was given a special characteristic.]
“What kind of characteristic?”
[It allows beings like me to foresee the future.]
Is the ability to see the future limited only to that world?
[Originally, the future is designed to be unobservable unless under special circumstances. It is the absolute effect of divine law. But the world created to eliminate Nephid was an exception, allowing the future to be seen.]
Just as there are rules and exceptions in human law, such laws existed even among the gods.
[That is why the strongest humans in that world—aside from you—the Primordial Elemental Kings, could see fragments of the future.]
“That’s how you were able to come up with this plan.”
Human history. Ozma and Dorothy. And Märchen Academy, too.
Everything was part of a grand design to defeat Nephid. The values I held dear meant nothing to the gods. The world I belonged to was a chessboard, and everything on it was just a piece in the game.
[Exactly. And as a fairy, I was chosen by the Creator and given the mission to defeat Nephid. Nephid can consume everything, and as she devours gods, her power will grow beyond imagination.]
To put it crudely, it was like cleaning up the Creator’s mess. The Creator probably hadn’t intended for things to go this far.
[The only way to defeat the current Evil God Nephid is for Ian Fairytale to cut her down with the divine-powered Luminous Sword. But that is no easy feat. Because it was so difficult, a plan had to be made.]
“And part of that plan was developing ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, right?”
[Exactly.]
Stella smiled as she raised her arms to her sides.
[Games are wonderful things. They provide enjoyment to the players, imprint the content of the world into their minds, intuitively teach the flow of the story, and thoroughly train them on how to fight against bosses—all voluntarily.]
Stella made a heart shape with her thin fingers.
[You could even enjoy heroine content that allows you to feel the emotions of love indirectly if you wanted to. ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ was the ultimate tool, a game no human could easily resist.]
Stella placed her hands behind her back and gave a grotesque smile.
[So, it wouldn’t be a problem if the player’s soul were transferred into the game world, right? There’s a Status Window, it’s a world they already know, and they even understand the future. Instead of panicking, they would have the courage to navigate the situation.]
Hence the game. Hence ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
[However, the heroines weren’t just added for entertainment. Luce Eltania, Kaya Astrea, Ciel Carnedas… According to my plan, they were individuals who needed special attention. So, I included them as heroines to alert the player.]
Luce was someone to be cautious of because of the 「Bird Cage」 ending.
Kaya could face the 「Demon God」 ending and was a vessel that could harness the power of the Evil God.
Ciel played a crucial role in passing the Luminous Sword to Ian.
I’d always had a small question: “What rules were used to choose the heroines in the game?” Now, I finally had the answer.
“What about Amy Holloway?”
[She was added simply because she was fated to end up with Ian Fairytale.]
“I see… I understand.”
I answered with a heavy sigh.
“In a world where Nephid exists with the Authority of Godslaying, full intervention is impossible. So you decided to use pawns from another world—a world where civilization is advanced—so the most efficient method to defeat Nephid could be adopted… Am I right?”
[‘Use pawns’… That phrasing is a bit harsh, but yes, you are correct. The one chosen for this was you, Han Seong Ho, who lived on Earth, in South Korea.]
Stella lightly clapped her hands.
[In other words, the falsehood that Veronica Aslius sought to reject was this. She heard from Ozma the truth that the world was merely a stage set to defeat the Evil God, and she came to believe that the world she lived in was a worthless, false world.]
Stella continued speaking.
“…”
[She must have felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness.]
I recalled the incantation of [Cocytus] that Veronica had created.
There were many people around her. Surely, there were people who cared for her and praised her. Even Hilde deeply loved her.
However, Veronica strangely felt a profound solitude. I now understood why.
Nothing in my life held any meaning…
The people around her and the world she was tied to held no significance. Everything that was considered precious and valuable was meaningless.
A false world that held no meaning. All that remained by her side was solitude.
A world with only solitude…
…is hell itself.