Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka?

Decision Time ④

Author’s comments: Ariel’s point of view

「Look! The people are like rubbish!」

「Ariel-san, that’s a villain’s line you know.」

「Aren’t we basically like villains anyway?」

「……Can’t disagree.」

「Balse!」

「Ariel-san, if you chant that then this ship will fly up into space after it finishes collapsing you know.」

「It’s a spaceship so it wouldn’t be wrong.」

「……Can’t disagree.」

We’re fully enjoying our air flight, talking about these somewhat pointless things. What we’re flying on is the spaceship we captured from Potimas during the battle with him. It’s something that he’d prepared to escape with at the last moment, but even so it was still stopped by Shiro-chan. We’re able to take our current actions because we captured it unharmed. Shiro-chan destroyed every single other weapon and took the remains. While I had originally avoided destroying the ship so that I could read through Potimas’s experimental data, I’m glad that I could use it like this instead of having to use my feet. If I had in fact destroyed this ship, then right now we’d likely have been forced to stay put in the elf village since we wouldn’t have been able to travel. Because we had counted on Shiro-chan’s Teleport for travelling, we’ve faced big difficulties since Shiro-chan disappeared. Really, I’m so glad this ship remained.

Anyway, regarding this ship, it was originally an escape craft that Potimas prepared to fly to space in. In addition, it was built under the assumption that it would need to wander through space for a long time. So that Potimas could safely find a planet that he could migrate to. For that reason, while it of course has living space for Potimas and the crew, it also has cultivation spaces for producing food, grazing spaces for livestock, and is even fully equiped with leisure facilities. In short, what I’m trying to say here, is that it’s absolutely massive. It could of course accommodate not just the reincarnators but the Demon King’s Army and even the survivors of the Imperial Army.

Talking of the survivors of the Imperial Army, I’ve dropped them off at the town nearest to the elf village though. In addition, I did the same for the few reincarnators who wanted that. Tagawa Kunihiko-kun and Kush*tani Asaka-san as a pair, plus the Kusama Shinobu-kun, Ogiwara Kenichi-kun and Hasebe Yuika-san trio from the Divine Word Religion, a total of 5 people.

「Whatever choice we make, in the end I just can’t travel together with you lot.」

So said Tagawa-kun. Those two had their hometown destroyed by Merazofis-kun. It seems that it was impossible on an emotional level for them to accompany us while we had Merazofis-kun.

Then there’s the Kusama-kun, Ogiwara-kun and Hasebe-san trio who have a connection to the Divine Word Religion. Since we are now hostile to the Divine Word Religion, it seems that it’s impossible for them to accompany us. Hasebe-san seems dead on the inside - will she be okay? As a saint candidate, Hasebe-san was a pious Divine Word Religion believer, but she was brainwashed by Natsume-kun and participated in the Imperial Army attack on the elf village. That alone was a huge mental burden on her it seems, but there’s been all this turmoil since then. I don’t know if she’s beyond saving. Well, I do want her to live strongly.

The four apart from Ogiwara-kun who had gone undercover at the elf village, all have strong combat strength for humans, but since we had dropped them off at a town quite some distance from the Elro Great Labyrinth, I doubt that they’ll be able to do anything. About the one thing they can do is to pray. As for who they pray to, that’s their choice to make. There is nothing I can say. Two of them were hostile to us from before, and three of them rely upon the Divine Word Religion after all. I can’t really expect them to pray to Shiro-chan.

The majority of the remaining reincarnators were kids who had been imprisoned in the elf village. Because they had grown up in the elf village, those kids pretty much had no idea about the world outside. It would surely be far too irresponsible to dump such kids in a strange and unfamiliar land. For now I’ve taken them under my protection, and hopefully I can help them set up a place to live once things have calmed down. The problem though, is whether things can ever calm down enough, right.

The exception is sensei, who I insisted accompany me. Sensei is someone Shiro-chan owes her life to, and on top of that she’s a Ruler skill holder. Since the Ruler skills are the keys that can prevent the collapse of the System, I’ve no choice but to put her under supervision. Thus, I’m having her accompany us.

So the only ones on this ship now, are the reincarnators and the members of the Demon King Army. With two exceptions. One of those two exceptions, is where I am now.

「Well then? What’s the battle situation?」

「Who knows. Unfortunately I don’t know what’s up with the main body.」

After saying that, Hyrinth, Gyurie’s clone, crossed his arms.

「Really?」

「Indeed. This body has always been somewhat independent of the main body. Normally Hyrinth moves completely independently from Gyuriedistodiez. Once in a while the main body will perform a synchronisation with this body, but that too can only be initiated by the main body. It is frankly impossible for me to make some kind of appeal to the main body.」

「I sort of get it.」

「The main body can understand everything that I see and hear, but I can’t understand anything about the main body by myself, basically.」

「Hmm.」

「I can’t get any feedback from the main body except when we’re synchronised. While I do of course have the perception that I am Gyuriedistodiez, I have a stronger perception that I am Hyrinth.」

「Oh, is that so?」

I guess that explains it. I had expected it to be like talking to Gyurie, but something felt off. The man in front of me has some memories handed over from Gyurie, but he is not Gyurie himself.

「……Does that mean that Gyurie himself can tell what’s going on here?」

「……Who knows.」

If everything here would be leaked to Gyurie, then it’s possible that it could affect the battle with Shiro-chan. I’d been worried about that, but Hyrinth’s response was rather vague.

「What do you mean?」

「Gyuriedistodiez doesn’t have any experience of fighting with a god in another dimension either. I don’t know whether or not the connection between him in another dimension and me would be maintained for a start, and I don’t know if he has the spare capacity to grasp what’s going on here either.」

「I see……」

In the end, we just don’t know, huh. Well, while it might be unclear whether Gyurie can grasp what’s going on here, there’s nothing we can do from this end. Perhaps it’s not worth worrying about it?

「So then? How do you intend to take action as Hyrinth then?」

「How, huh. The specs of this body are pretty good for a human, but that’s all. Now that I have become your prisoner of war, you could say that there’s almost nothing I can do.」

「You don’t have some kind of godly power then?」

「No.」

He doesn’t huh. I had been a bit wary, but given his attitude I guess it’s okay.

「You can at least pray to Gyurie, right?」

「……Would you pray to yourself?」

「As far as your consciousness goes, you’re Hyrinth though?」

「That’s right, but I just don’t like the idea……」

Hyrinth genuinely doesn’t seem to like the idea. I smile wryly at his attitude. Maybe I was a bit too relaxed…

『World Quest, sequence 3. The views of each representative. Demon King Ariel.』

「Uwhoah!?」

After all, when I was surprised by that sudden Divine Word, I let out a weird voice. One reason why I was surprised is that my name had suddenly been called. And in addition, because I could hear that weird voice I gave again in double, directly inside my head.

「Eh? What’s this? 」

The words I muttered instinctively again resounded simultaneously inside my head.

「Ariel-san’s voice, is in my head.」

「Eh? It’s not just me who can hear this?」

「Yes.」

Wrath nods. When I looked at Hyrinth, he also nodded his head. Suddenly, I had a really, and I mean, really bad premonition.

「Eh? Don’t tell me this is a live broadcast to the entire human race? That can’t possibly be true, right?」

So far, all the World Quest sequences have had an effect on the entire human race. So, surely not, but perhaps the entire human race can hear this? Starting with such a pathetic voice, and everything up to now!

「Uh, arghhhh!」

When I realised that possibility, I unconsciously made a pitiful groan. While understanding at the same time that even my groan was resounding across the whole world.

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