“So, you mean to ask if the total sum always remains constant?”
Well, if it’s possible to increase magical power, then there wouldn’t be any problem, right?
“No, that’s not it. However, increasing magical power… takes time.”
“How long, specifically?”
“To increase it by the amount equivalent to one person from another world… under the current circumstances, about 10 years.”
So, to increase it by the equivalent of 300 people, it would take 3,000 years. Wow, that’s a long time. It feels like we might perish in the meantime.
“By ‘current circumstances’, you mean there’s room for improvement, right?”
“Yes. …I mean, gardening, that’s the thing.”
…Hey, you should have mentioned that sooner. If it could be solved that way!
“Hey, Fiana.”
“If we use the entirety of the abyss, it should suffice. The abyss will turn into a flower field, but it’s unavoidable. …That way, it won’t take as long. Now, Domitrius.”
“…My body is no longer its original form, Fiana. Are you planning to sacrifice them?”
Eh, was gardening supposed to be this dangerous?
…Ah, ah, maybe…?
“Underneath the cherry trees are buried the corpses of people from another world… that kind of method?”
Hearing this, the Demon Lord nodded. The Goddess tilted her head, confused. Oh, sorry.
“The ‘Azure Sky Blossoms’ can only grow in this abyss, nourished by beings from other worlds, producing magical power.”
…So, the blue flower field in the abyss…
“The ‘Azure Sky Blossoms’ currently blooming in the abyss are nourished by my blood and parts of my body. …Meaning, that place is… where Fiana and I… first met…”
…Oh, noooo! I wish I hadn’t heard that!
Stop it! It’s too horrifying! Too much horror!
“Well, this means the world will be fine now. We just need to bury parts of our arms or something, and let the flowers bloom there, right? It’s simple. We’ve all learned healing magic.”
Ah, I thought it would come to this, yes.
…Yeah, I’d prefer Suzumoto to do the cutting when the time comes.
“Are you sane?”
The Demon Lord looked astonished.
…Well, it might seem a bit off the rails, but isn’t this the optimal solution?
“There’s no other way, if you think about it logically. If it increases magical power, then it’s fine. The abyss is vast, so if we turn the abyss into a flower field and don’t exhaust the Origin, that’ll be game over for us.”
See?
The abyss is vast, but if we all spend about ten days cutting off our arms, healing, and burying them, couldn’t we manage somehow?
“No, it’s unreasonable to make you, who are originally unrelated, undergo such torture-like acts. Give up on this world. We don’t want to force you to that extent.”
The Demon Lord said this in a rush, but then President… with a president-like smile, suddenly said:
“Let’s say, for example, do you know, Demon Lord? When divorcing due to a spouse’s infidelity, one can usually receive a substantial amount of alimony.”
…Here it comes. Something’s coming.
“Of course, you can also impose social sanctions on the other party. You can report to their workplace, leading to their resignation or disciplinary dismissal.”
Ah, I see where this is going.
Suzumoto and Toriumi shifted their gaze away from President with somewhat awkward expressions.
“However, if the other party ends up unemployed, you can’t make them pay alimony. If you want to collect more alimony, you have to give up on social sanctions, keep the other party barely alive, and ensure they can continue paying alimony indefinitely. That’s the idea.”
…Well, the analogy isn’t perfect, as lacking alimony doesn’t mean you can’t live.
“I, at least personally, don’t have much attachment to this world. It’s fine if it perishes. However, if the cessation of magical power from this world would endanger our world, then it’s a different story. We will keep it from perishing and continue to extract magical power. The effort required for that is not too much to ask.”
…Well, in the end, the Demon Lord conceded.
And then, the Goddess and the Demon Lord bowed to us together.
“We’re sorry. As those who love this world, we deeply apologize. Truly, we’re sorry. As the creators of this world… even words of apology seem insufficient. Let us ensure that such a thing never happens again in this world. …It’s presumptuous to ask, but please. …Save our world.”
…Now, it’s time for a fun gardening session!
Before we started the so-called fun gardening, we had a little discussion.
“Couldn’t we involve others in this, instead of just us doing everything?”
“No, even if the senior’s skill somehow managed it, we’re still facing strong backlash. There’s no need to stir up more resentment. Many are already fed up with the sight of blood and flesh, though we’ve gotten quite used to it.”
Well, that makes sense.
We don’t feel responsible, but there’s no need to deliberately invite more grudges.
“…So, shall we begin?”
“Yes. I’ll need you, Maito-san, to handle planting the seeds.”
Eh, no, wait, wait, I’m supposed to be fertilizer too? …But then I understood and agreed.
“Alright, time to strip.”
“It’d be a waste to cut through the clothes, huh?”
…I don’t mind, but they seem to care.
“We’ll take turns after a certain time.”
“Yes, everyone can use healing and earth magic after all.”
Now that I think about it, my “Pain Resistance” skill has been shared with everyone… Well, it’s still bearable.
After about three hours of continuous work, we were all exhausted.
“…Ah, I need to prepare lunch.”
“Have a good trip…”
Unlike me, who just sowed seeds with a bit of spirit, those who actually became fertilizer were completely drained. Well, I’ll take my turn as fertilizer in the afternoon.
For now, I’ll use “Teleportation” to go back and prepare lunch.
Lunch is a choice of donburi: grilled chicken over rice, seafood over rice, and beef (?) over rice.
It comes with miso soup and pickles!
The maid dolls move on their own, making things much easier.
The rice cooker works automatically. My thoughts are instantly understood, ensuring instructions are followed precisely and quickly.
Ah, they are such well-made children.
With the maid conveyor system started, I also head back to the abyss with lunch.
After all, even if mysteriously regrowing limbs, it’s better to have eaten.
I don’t know if that’s the reason, but everyone ate well. As the cook, that makes me happy. Not for a happy reason, though.
And after eating, it’s back to gardening, gardening! Yes, gardening. It is gardening, not torture…
This continued through dinner, the next day, and the day after that.
“Magnificent.”
“Yeah.”
“We can rest now, right?”
“Yeah.”
Despite being battered and bruised, we looked out over a corner of the abyss now covered in a blue flower field.
…Yes, this world was saved by our hands.
Digging up the abyss would unearth a plethora of arm bones.
Terrifying, truly.
Well, that’s all behind us now. Somehow we managed, so let’s leave it at that.
The issue now is the “Abyssal Ash.”
This part hasn’t been settled yet. It’s a race between obtaining enough of it to resurrect the dead and using up the last of the Origins.
We asked the Demon Lord and the Goddess about it.
Specifically, what was the origin of these Origins? If we could obtain more of their material, we could potentially mass-produce them for an infinite continuation.
“Ah, that was leftover from when I created this world.”
Leftover!
“And I had entrusted it to Domitrius.”
Entrusting the material of the world to a person!
“And he used it as he pleased.”
And it was used without restraint!
…The gods of this world seem to be quite lax.
Well, that laxness is what saved us by a hair’s breadth, right?
Otherwise, from the moment we were summoned as heroes, our world would have been on a straight path to ruin, with no turning back.
“Therefore, I regret to say that what you call ‘Abyssal Ash’ is no longer available.”
I see. Well, I had anticipated as much.
“So, we just continue with the original plan, right? Find the Origins, defeat them… bring people back to life… and then head home?”
Yes. As long as even one Origin remains, that’s enough.
“Then, we’re back to searching for Origins again.”
“We can determine whether it’s zero or more at the temple, right?”
So, we’re not in the worst-case scenario… If we used up all the Origins, our world would be in danger.
…Though, it doesn’t quite feel real.
“Then, if we eliminate another Origin, we’ll come back for the ‘Abyssal Ash.'”
Everyone’s wounded, and ideally, we’d like a day off. But if we don’t start reviving people soon, the students’ mental state will reach its limit.
Come to think of it, only we, Nishino-kun, and the alchemy sisters have actually seen someone being revived.
Proof is necessary for others to be convinced. Our prolonged stay here might also be contributing to everyone else’s anxiety.
…Ah, well.
Anyway, we’ve saved the world. Yes. Aside from using up one of the Origins, it’s back to square one. Let’s stay positive.
…I’m exhausted!
Even though I’m tired, skipping meals leads to death.
So, while everyone else fights the Origins I’ve shared, I’ll prepare the food. …Well, my beam is like a laser pointer… not much of a combat asset.
It’s getting towards evening on the surface. We’ve been in the abyss but managed to keep track of time with our meals.
Let’s go with Japanese cuisine for today’s dinner.
While we were in the abyss, Glida brought fish, Ketorami brought meat, and Marbello and Hunter gathered vegetables.
So today, it’s grilled fish.
A big fish can be easily prepared with the “Air Slash” skill I received from Kadomi-kun!
Also, a simmered dish I’ve wanted to try: carrots with twisted plum shapes. The carrots here are white, so it won’t turn red like plum blossoms, but transforming carrot slices into twisted plums is satisfying!
Additionally, we have spinach ohitashi, eggplant in sweet and sour sauce, cucumber in vinegar, and miso soup with seaweed!
A variety of dishes adds to the satisfaction. I did my best.
And of course, dessert is part of our meal.
Today, it’s pumpkin wrapped in cloth. A sweet dish to end the meal is always welcome.
Dessert… takes effort and can’t be made in large quantities… maybe I can make milk agar-agar. I’ll try that for tomorrow’s dinner.
“How did it go on your end?”
“Surprisingly smooth, almost anticlimactically.”
The Origins, even when transformed into monsters, seemed to… just appear, look at us (though it’s hard to tell with their featureless mannequin faces), wave, and then… vanish.
Those who attack usually bear swords and shields or staves.
They seem to gesture as if to say, “Let’s have a fair fight!” before attacking.
“Is that okay?”
“It’s good combat training.”
I wonder if the Origins understand our intentions.
The pain from erasing shared Origins is still there but has become much softer.
“Then, starting tomorrow, Maito will be in charge of…”
“I know. Leave the finest fabric work to me.”
Preparations for battle begin anew. This time we’re ready for combat. We won’t lose again.
“Are we handling the metal?”
“Hmm, I can produce plenty of Roombas, but do you need them?”
It feels kinda wrong that everyone else is not at least strong enough for a 300-man raid