Maid Chapter 170

“……!…”

I heard something, and my consciousness slowly returned.

“Maito!”

Suddenly, a clear voice echoed, and I jolted awake, hitting my head hard in the process.

When I looked around, Suzumoto was crouching nearby, holding her chin.

It seemed that I had hit my head quite severely.

“Maito-san, are you okay?”

President peered in, but that was the least of my concerns.

“The Origin…”

“Oh, I took care of it,” Suzumoto replied.

Apparently, they defeated it with a simultaneous beam attack.

…Oh no, was I too late? Or maybe, in between…

“Was there something…?”

“Yeah. I figured it out.”

Seeing that it wasn’t a bright topic, everyone suddenly became alert.

…Yes, it was indeed a weighty matter.

“In this world, if magic is depleted, it will collapse.”

This world, too, would crumble if it ran out of magic.

And the Origin, the “Void Sphere,” had the power to endlessly absorb magic, which could lead to the world’s destruction.

As a countermeasure, the inhabitants of this world, the temple, had chosen the method of “summoning people from another world” to save their world.

This was because the people from another world possessed strong magic and unique abilities, which the inhabitants of this world lacked. These abilities were believed to be particularly suited for locating and eliminating the Origin.

However, the meaning of “people from another world” gradually changed. They were no longer considered merely entities meant to eliminate the Origin but became the very “source of magic” itself.

The strong magic wielded by the people from another world could prevent the collapse of this world.

As a result, they began summoning large numbers of people from another world, specifically those with abundant magic, at regular intervals.

…And what had happened to the world they left behind, our world?

Of course, it was facing the crisis of collapse.

It might seem like it’s just a matter of 64 billionth of 300 or so people being summoned to another world, but most likely, our world is much more delicate than this one. Or perhaps, this world is just more straightforward.

…No, that’s not it. Maybe, in the past, there were many people summoned from our world, and they died in this world.

“I don’t understand the logic, but in other words, if we don’t return, our world will be destroyed?”

“That’s one way to put it, but what’s even more troublesome is that it seems like we’ve consumed a significant amount of magic in this world.”

When I said this, everyone seemed to understand the meaning after a moment’s delay.

In essence, it was too late.

“So, that means…”

“Just one thing.”

The only hope was that the Origin’s magic flow was directed toward our world.

Of course, this was a cruel turn of events.

“So, the Origin becomes unusable…”

“That seems to be the case.”

The reason the Origin transformed into a monster was to prevent our world from heading toward destruction when it was erased.

All of this was for the sake of saving the world. Our world.

“For now, let’s go to the Goddess and the Demon Lord.”

That’s right. That might be the best option for now.

Maybe leaving just one Origin behind would be enough.

…So, we started by retrieving the Goddess Book.

“Ketorami.”

Ketorami came immediately upon my call. He seemed to understand my request and bent down. Nice job, Ketorami.

I retrieved the Goddess Book from the ribbon around his neck.

Why were we doing this? Simply put, it was to make a bet with the Demon Lord.

“Thanks.”

After retrieving the book and tying Ketorami’s ribbon again, he gave me a gentle pat with his tail and left. He was probably going to have lunch.

And so, along with the Goddess Book, we teleported to the Demon Lord’s residence.

I knocked on the door and burst in as soon as I received a response.

“What’s the matter? You look quite frantic. Weren’t you supposed to return to your original world?”

The Demon Lord, who was as usual engrossed in a chess game, received the Goddess Book when I presented it to him.

“…Ah, so you came to deliver this?”

“Yes. Originally, we were supposed to have it delivered by a Unique Monster wolf, which would have taken about 50 years. But we wanted to discuss it with the Goddess.”

After a brief pause, I continued, “This is about our world.”

Then, I gave a quick explanation to the Demon Lord, who appeared to grow more serious.

“I see… Well, there’s no point in hiding it anymore. I am probably… from the same world as you.”

…Huh?

Um, what… What does that mean?

This world has existed for at least 3,000 years, right? So, the Demon Lord must have been born long before that…

“And probably, our timelines are the same.”

…Ah, I see. I understand now.

That’s what the Goddess Book was talking about.

Everyone, when they were summoned to this world, returned to the same moment in our world’s timeline. Because the summons were simultaneous, right!?

Everyone understands… except for Kadomi-kun and Hariu, who are a bit slow. Headbutt for you!

It’s easier to explain through the ‘Share’ skill, and everyone quickly comprehends.

“I came to this world around 3,000 years ago. However, you must be different. Still, the ‘Hero Summoning’ summons heroes from a specific moment or a few seconds, from my time, that is connected to our world. It’s because there’s a kind of gateway in this world, like the gate I used to come here, which is connected to the moment when you were summoned.”

The Demon Lord paused for a moment after saying this and then continued as he exhaled.

“It was probably an inevitability. At that time, I was just an ordinary high school boy. I think someone said, ‘There’s a hole in the road, and the lid covering it…'”

…Is he talking about a manhole?

“The lid had come off, and I fell through. When I realized it, I was in this world. Perhaps, it was truly just a series of coincidences that led to the opening of the gateway between this world and ours.”

So, he has spent around 3,000 years in this world?

“Well, then I met Fiana and, after various twists and turns, chose to live for about 3,000 years like this.”

I really want to know how he has managed to live for 3,000 years! I’m incredibly curious!

…But that can wait for later.

“…So, if we don’t defeat the Origin, we can’t resurrect our classmates, but if we do defeat it, our world will be destroyed. Is that right? Well, let’s discuss the future with Fiana. I can’t handle this on my own.”

The Demon Lord said this and placed his hand on the floor.

A strange, beautiful quill, like a delicate metalwork, like a silk thread, emerged from the floor and settled in the Demon Lord’s hand.

“With my magic, I can only give it a basic form. Fiana, you won the bet.”

Then, he turned a page of the Goddess Book and started writing something on a blank page.

The characters emitted light, and gradually, they engulfed the entire book and then our field of vision as well.

“It’s been a while, Domitrius.”

With a dignified and beautiful voice, I opened my eyes.

“Maito, thank you. After all, it was you who introduced us.”

It was a beautiful woman with flowing golden hair that reached her waist. She wore layers of white thin silk, and she was a stunning sight to behold.

Her muscles were certainly well-defined, but they only contributed to her overall graceful and beautiful physique. Her lightly sun-kissed skin gave off a healthy impression, which suited this goddess perfectly.

Her shoulders and waist had feminine curves, and her large bosom, combined with her strong yet elegant facial features, undeniably belonged to a woman.

“One hundred years.”

With a mischievous grin, she emphasized the hundred years while narrowing her azure eyes. Indeed, her eyes were a vivid and bright shade of blue, reminiscent of a clear blue sky.

Beautiful. Undoubtedly beautiful. And strong.

A combination of masculinity, gracefulness, and beauty, she was the epitome of a goddess! A true Goddess!

Her sudden appearance left us speechless.

I mean, you know, they said a goddess with bulging muscles, so I thought she would look like, you know, ‘I have no regrets in my life!’ or something like that.

But she turned out to be such a beauty! The gap between expectations and reality, and even more so, the actual beauty of the person, was so overwhelming!

However, as the beautiful goddess made her entrance, the Demon Lord suddenly stumbled and was caught by the goddess.

Wait a minute! That’s not right! It’s the other way around!

“He’s an incorrigible one. He could have just touched the book with his lips, but he had to overexert himself… Sigh.”

The goddess placed her hand on the Demon Lord’s head but wore a troubled expression.

“There’s nothing to be done. With my magic, I can’t restore your magic power. For now, just think of yourself as an ordinary human.”

The Demon Lord slipped out of the goddess’s arms.

The goddess… suddenly, for some reason, extended her fist.

We heard the sound of cutting wind.

“Indeed. It seems my physical abilities have dulled a bit.”

Apparently, they’ve dulled. We were just too dumbfounded to say anything. Before us, the goddess demonstrated a high kick, a whirlwind kick, in one fluid motion. Her precision and the stability of her body’s axis were remarkable.

Ah, yes, indeed. This is what a goddess is like…

“Now, Fianna, did you hear that?”

“Yes… I never expected the ‘Void Sphere’ to transform like this.”

By ‘that,’ they must be referring to the Origin, the Void Sphere.

“Most likely, the reason is that the ‘Void Sphere’ didn’t designate a destination for its magic. When it responded to the Hero Summons, it must have linked its magic destination to their world. Fortunately, had it not been for that, both our world and theirs would have faced destruction.”

Oh, I see.

Thanks to the goddess and the Demon Lord, we now have a way to deal with the Origin, which is the Void Sphere. Without them, our world would have been doomed.

Phew! That was close!

“Give me some praise, Domitrius,” the goddess puffed up her chest and looked proud. Oh, right. She’s the goddess from the book.

“Fianna, before that, can we come up with a solution? Their world says that if they don’t return, the world will perish. We need to hurry.”

Oh, he’s not praising her.

“If I were still at my full strength, it wouldn’t be impossible to revive a person or two. It would just require sharing my magic power with both this world and theirs. However, I currently possess only as much magic power as an ordinary human.”

The goddess said this and fell into deep thought.

The Demon Lord was also deep in thought.

Their mannerisms when they’re thinking are exactly the same. They really get along well, huh?

“Is there a way to increase the amount of magic power sent from the ‘Void Sphere’ to our world? That way, we can leave one behind.”

President spoke without hesitation.

I admire his determination and unwavering heart.

“That sounds reasonable. It wouldn’t make sense for us to bring Maito and the others to our world. They’d have to wait until the next Hero Summons.”

Ah, I see. Even if we return, our world wouldn’t have enough magic power, so we’d need to transfer this world’s magic power to our world through the Void Sphere.

But if we do that, there might not be enough magic power absorbed by the Void Sphere until the next Hero Summons. In that case, this world would be in danger.

Well, it’s the goddess and the Demon Lord’s fault, but still, I didn’t ask for this world to end up like this. It would have been so much easier if we could just hate this world and wish for its destruction like the members of the Wind Orchestra Club.

But, you know, this world gave me something I love.

So, ideally, I don’t want it to perish, but if it doesn’t, it’s a trap that will lead to the destruction of our world.

Is there any way out of this?

---

TN:

Okay, even I am confused.

Basically, the Demon King created the Origin to revive the Goddess. The purpose of the Origin was to absorb magic from the world and give it to the Goddess.

But the Goddess didn’t want that, saying she’s a big magic eater and changed the destination of that magic power.

Even so, the magic power was still being absorbed and the world was dying. To combat that, the temple summoned people from another world, people with high magical power. At first, these summoned people were there to eliminate the Origin, but over time, the temple saw these summoned people as sources of magic to prevent the world from destruction so they summoned more of them.

Back in Earth, because these people kept disappearing, it’s on the verge of destruction. Since the Origin is providing it with magical power, the Origin cannot be destroyed.

So basically…

Earth (magic power) ⇒ summoned heroes ⇒ Otherworld (magic power) ⇒ Origin ⇒ Goddess

…turned into…

Earth (magic power) ⇒ summoned heroes ⇒ otherword (magic power) ⇒ Origin ⇒ Earth

They have managed this equilibrium for now. But the summoned heroes became too much that Earth is in a deficit. However, if they destroyed all the Origins, then this otherworld will be destroyed.