“I was afraid that if I did, we wouldn’t be able to gather enough ‘Abyssal Ash.'”
“We did avoid sharing with the second Origin, right?”
Of course.
You are too kind. If I had mentioned the “feeling of being peeled off,” you would have definitely called it off.
“I’m fine with it since I haven’t had any ill effects and feel energetic, and it has the goddess’s approval, but maybe this can be a clue for the monster transformation of the Origin.”
“Hmm, maybe… can it be a clue?”
“Well, even if it doesn’t turn into specific information right now, it could be useful if something happens.”
It’s not particularly informative by itself, but it might be helpful in a future situation.
“So, shall we try eliminating a few non-shared Origins as far as we can?”
In the end, it always comes to this, doesn’t it…
But yes, I have disclosed the information. I want to believe it has meaning.
“Let’s go then.”
Suzumoto plants the seed in the Origin.
Of course, it’s one that hasn’t been shared.
…And as for me, I am being carried on Toriumi’s shoulders.
This is also an experiment with “cleaning.”
Toriumi can apparently handle the extra load of carrying me, as he usually runs around in plate mail, and he can teleport and defend if something happens.
…I feel somewhat apologetic.
As soon as the Origin starts glowing, the usual monster appears.
It’s probably just over 8 meters long! Ketorami looks small in comparison!
It resembles a long-limbed lion. Sometimes it tries to walk on two legs.
Then, as it appears, Hariu starts running.
This is as per our plan. He’ll use his skill “Shadow Stitch” to immobilize the monster.
At the same time, Hagasaki freezes the monster’s limbs to immobilize it further.
Once they’ve managed to restrict its movements, Suzumoto and Hariu draw its attention while Toriumi runs towards it with me on his shoulders, and I ready my lance-shaped duster.
Just before the monster notices and breaks the ice and shadows, I reach it.
“Clean!”
The duster makes contact.
Then…
Doron. Pofun.
…An indescribable sound effect accompanies the monster’s disappearance.
…Wow…
After the monster disappears, we take a short break before another battle.
The strategy is the same as before.
The only improvement is that Toriumi now carries me in his arms instead of on his shoulders.
…It’s uncomfortable.
Then another Origin starts glowing.
…We’ve stopped thinking about it.
Because, you see… 8 meters is quite large, but still manageable.
But look at this.
It’s definitely in the double-digit meters.
If we go by the previous pattern, it’s about 16 meters.
It’s too big.
…But the plan remains the same. Hariu and Suzumoto distract, Hagasaki and President immobilize.
…However.
As the monster roars, it easily breaks free from the shadow stitch and ice.
Then, it charges at us.
“Maito-san, this is going to be a bit hard mode, but please bear with it.”
I hear Toriumi’s voice, and suddenly we speed up.
Before I can react, there’s a huge G-force, and then we’re leaping and descending.
Before I know it, the monster is right in front of us.
I hurriedly swing the duster and activate “Cleaning.”
The monster’s swinging arm almost touches me, but just in time, it disappears with a pofun sound.
…My life span has definitely shortened.
After the monster turns into doron, we all slump, exhausted and relieved.
“Next is going to be 24 meters?”
Hariu, also looking exhausted, comments, leading to even more slumping.
“Next… might be impossible.”
“Maybe I should have tried my ‘Extinction EX.'”
But that’s also… well…
“But we’ve learned something.”
President, tired but not slumped or relieved, continues to speak.
“The non-shared Origins and shared ones are counted separately.”
His reasoning goes like this:
“The last non-shared Origin we eliminated was about 4 meters, and this one was about 8 meters. In between, we had two shared Origins. So if we follow the pattern so far, the shared ones aren’t included in the count.”
Hmm, that means it’s probably better to share, right?
At least, if the size really doubles each time, the next one will be 24 meters.
It’s better to deal with a mannequin than that, isn’t it? It seems the size of the monsters won’t change as long as we’re dealing with mannequins.
…So, it seems more and more likely.
As we all sat there with our heads in our hands, Itoigawa-senpai called, so we ended the meeting.
Then, I went to Ariane’s place.
…You know, since we’re about to leave, I wanted to say goodbye and also consult about the Origins.
Basically, “Can we leave without eliminating them? Please?”
…If the temple people had eliminated an Origin in the past, they might know some countermeasures, and either way, it’s beneficial to report.
And everyone else was called to gather food for the gym group.
…2F south is safe with few and gentle monsters, which is why we established a base there… meaning there’s no food.
Especially meat. Lack of meat is not good.
So they went to gather food around here, in 2F northeast, and deliver it to the gym group.
…If the wind orchestra club members come, it’ll be almost a hundred more mouths to feed…
So here I am at the temple.
Ariane wasn’t in her room, but she came back after I waited a bit. It’s her break time, so I feel a bit sorry.
After serving tea and snacks and taking a break, I dive into the main topic.
“About the Origins… have they always turned into monsters when eliminated?”
I cut to the chase, and Ariane looks surprised.
“Don’t you know? They were created by you.”
…Ah, yes. Right.
“…I am the second. I did not create those.”
I tried hard to keep my eyes from wandering. Yes.
“Ah, so that’s what you were investigating. …In the books from the temple’s underground archives, it was written that ever since the summoning of heroes began, Origins started turning into monsters.”
“So, before the summoning of heroes?”
“You know about purifying Origins by planting the ‘Sky-Blue Seed,’ right? After that, it seems the Origins used to disappear without turning into monsters.”
…What does that mean?
Were there extraterrestrials in the past who eliminated Origins, and those were… maybe only as big as soccer balls?
However, Ariane didn’t seem to know any more details.
…From what the Demon King said, it seems that the appearance of Origins in this world is not something from the distant past… Perhaps the High Priest a few generations ago disposed of all the related documents.
“Now then, moving on… The foreigners will be returning to their original world.”
That led to farewells.
“Ah, are you also returning?”
…Huh?
“Um, aren’t you, the Demon King, also from another country?”
…Yes. …Yes?
“Did you know that?”
“Yes, well, with the strange skills you used, I just assumed.”
Ah, yes, skills. Using skills would indeed classify me as an extraterrestrial. Right.
“It will be lonely without you.”
“…Is that so?”
What should I say in this situation?
“So, you came to ask about the Origins because you’re considering leaving without eliminating them?”
Ah, she’s quick to catch on.
“It’s originally our world. It’s wrong for us to expect help from foreigners… So, don’t worry. We will settle the matters of our world ourselves. Besides, this world hasn’t perished since the Origins appeared. Surely we’ll manage somehow.”
“The Origins turn into giant monsters.”
“Yes, but if we all work together, we’ll surely find a way. We will manage.”
…Ariane says that, but I wonder.
Since extraterrestrials arrived, Origins have started turning into monsters.
Maybe that’s because the Origins became stronger to balance the power brought by the extraterrestrials.
Of course, we have no obligation to eliminate the Origins.
We were called here against our will. So, we have no duty to take care of them… But…
…What should we do?
Not obtaining any further information from Ariane, I decided to return home.
Once back, I prepared lunch, and after everyone returned, we had lunch together. Then, everyone left again for food procurement, so I decided to have a conversation with Ketorami.
“Hey, Ketorami.”
[What is it?]
Ketorami approached with heavy steps, curling up beside me.
As per our unspoken understanding, I gently brushed Ketorami with my duster before leaning against him.
Fluffy and warm. It’s the best!
“If we don’t eliminate the Origins, this world will eventually perish, won’t it?”
[That’s true. But that’s not your job. Don’t worry about it.]
…He seemed to have understood everything.
[…What do you want to do?]
“I’d like to eliminate them all before returning, if possible. But it’s not just my decision.”
It wouldn’t be a problem if I were the only one to experience that peeling sensation.
But after that, everyone else has to fight the increasingly powerful mannequins.
“And, even though it feels cowardly, I can sort of understand everyone’s feelings.”
However, I have no intention of changing my stance on this.
“But I don’t plan to compromise when it comes to things I’ve come to care about.”
As of now, the most convincing and safest method seems to be this one.
[You and your companions… no, never mind.]
“What? What is it?”
[It’s nothing, I said.]
Ketorami spoke a bit angrily and then wrapped me up with his fluffy tail.
