Chapter 167: Firm Resolve (2)

Next day. I dressed up as fast as I could and went down to the living room.

I knew what awaited me! Despite knowing that, I still hoped for a small possibility of being a date! Obviously, there was a 99% chance that it was something else! But look, the words “what if” actually existed in the world! So, there was 1% change of this being a date with Seiya!

With that in mind, I opened the door to the living room in a hurry. The couch and other furniture items, which were normally placed in the room, had been cleaned up. A wooden table and two chairs were placed at the center. There was a blackboard beside it. Next to it, stood Seiya with an instruction stick.

「Lista. Sit there. 」

「Wha…What do you want to talk about today…?」

「I will share with you what I have confirmed by comparing the story I heard from Enzo with the story I heard from Hades. I told Uno and Due to avoid coming into the living room for two hours. So concentrate on your studies.」

…Yes. The expected scenario. The 99% won. I knew it.

「Wait a second, did you perform the Death Confession again!? Is Enzo fine!?」

「Yeah. I saw no abrupt change. He lives.」

「That sounds scary, you know!!」

「Just stop talking nonsense and take a seat quickly.」

Seiya repeatedly pressed me to sit on the chair. I sat down obediently.

「I’ll check later if you understood this properly.」

「Yes, yes. 」

Then, the class about the Twisted Exfolia from Professor Seiya started. First, Seiya explained to me the basis of the magical civilization shaped by the mage. To put it briefly, it seemed that this mage “gave the people the technology to store magical power”. This was the main factor that greatly developed the civilization of Exfolia. In other words, the mage made it possible for everyone to freely handle the once unreachable energy called magical power…This fact was the basis of the magical civilization.

On top of that, Seiya briefly explained the history of Exfolia after the mage’s revolution of magic. I heard about this directly from Enzo, so Seiya just reviewed it quickly before moving on to the current situation of the Twisted Exfolia.

「…At present, sub-species such as demons and beasts have almost perished in the Twisted Exfolia. It seems that humans are using those barely surviving species as slaves.」

「Not beasts, but humans as rulers, huh. It’s the opposite of the original Exfolia.」

「We’re human beings, but I can’t let my guard down. Those living in the Twisted Exfolia have gained tremendous abilities from the aforementioned magical energy. That man who proclaimed to be a “Superior” werewolf showed us those new abilities.」

「Ahh…I’m remember that he said “Plug-in” as he shot himself in his temple…」

「“Superior” is a magic item that contains magical power. In other words, in that man’s case, he used a mechanism to inject magical power into his body by using that gun as an intermediate link. It’s a method to obtain superhuman power.」

「Do…Does everyone own such items!? 」

「The humans who use those items probably need the qualities to withstand the contained magical energy. Nonetheless, everyone, young or old, have gained some energy because of the advanced civilization. It is safe to assume that every single human being has improved his or her abilities. That’s why the stats of the Twisted Exfolia inhabitants are extraordinarily high.」

「I see. 」

「Based on the magic items that ordinary people can have, the highest achievable level is “Superior”. However, the highest rank is called “Artema”.」

「Artema…! That’s what the werewolf man said! 」

「Artema is a jewel containing the four forces used to seal the Artema Menace, a variant of the Demon King Artemaeus. In short, Artema contains the magical energy of the Beast Emperor, the Machine Emperor, the Curse Empress, and the Death Emperor, whom I defeated in the original Exfolia. The current situation is that each country is currently at war over Artema, which was originally supposed to seal Artema Menace.」

Grand Lion, Oxelio, Ceremonic and Silshete. The fierce battles of Exfolia revived in my mind. Why…Why were humans competing with each other to obtain such a terrible power…!?

As soon as I shuddered in fear, I suddenly returned to my senses.

「Ah, wait a second!! Wasn’t I supposed to learn this kind of thing during the adventure!? Why am I learning this through a classroom lecture!?」

「Because you’re no good. Besides, it is better for you to get this information while in the Underworld. It spares me of unnecessary annoyance in the future. And in the first place, the information warfare has started long ago. Don’t overreact.」

…!? I…I felt a sudden hatred!! Damn it!!

「That’s all the information I wanted to share with you for the time being. I’ll tell Celseus this info later on.」

「Wha…What? Isn’t that twice the time? 」

Then, why did Seiya want to talk alone with me? When I felt a kind of absurdity here…

「…Lista. 」

Seiya stood right in front of me before I noticed! His very handsome and immaculate face was extremely close to mine!

「Wha…Wha…Wha…What!? 」

「As I explained before, most of the enemies this time are humans, and not monsters like they used to be.」

「Ah, yes… So what? I know what you mean. 」

「Do you really understand what I mean? 」

「You’ve been saying the same thing persistently ever since the saving quests of the twisted worlds began. You want me to keep in mind that “sometimes you have to kill humans too”, am I right?」

「That’s right. Although these people are phantoms, they have souls whom they share with their original lives. I want to respect the human life as much as possible. However, it seems that I cannot avoid future human deaths during the saving quest of the Twisted Exfolia.」

「Yes. I think you have no choice. Because, in a world full of humans with terrifying magical powers, it is unreasonable to say “Don’t kill anyone”. It’s sad, but…」

「Oh. I see. 」

I think Seiya was unusually surprised by my words. I felt awkward and scratched my cheeks.

「Bu…But, you see. I am a little relieved. This world is not the future Exfolia. Because, if we were in the future, we would have met Kiri again, right? I am happy in a way, but at the same time, it feels very painful…」

「As you say, there is a high probability that Kiri is not in this world. But, Lista. I want you to prepare your heart.」

「Prepare my heart, you say?」

Seiya touched the sheath of the Holy Sword Egzation with his hand. He looked quite serious.

「The saving quest of the Twisted Exfolia…No, not just a saving quest, but on the ultimate salvation quest. I will kill everything that becomes an obstacle. If that obstacle is a human, I am prepared to kill that human. And if the obstacle is a god, then I am prepared to kill that god.」

「Ehhhhhhhhhhh!! Are you willing to slash me too!? 」

「I was just giving an example. 」

Seiya changed the words “saving quest” to “ultimate salvation quest”. The souls were the same for both the phantom inhabitants and the original inhabitants. Therefore, it was better and wiser to have less sacrifice. But, we still had to find the real cause for the distortion of Exfolia. We must find it, slash it and annihilate it. If a human was the distortion, then that human would have to die. Yes, just like killing the adult Mash, who became the God Dragon King, and thus, saving Mash’s soul as a result.

I felt that I could understand what Seiya was saying more deeply than before. I nodded agreeably in response.

「Yes. Seiya, I think your mindset is correct. 」

「Is that so? If so, then… 」

Seiya stopped talking. He looked at me with firm eyes.

「…Nothing. 」

「AH!? Wha…What were you trying to say just now!? I’m curious…Eh, whoa!! 」

Suddenly, Seiya gave me a piece of paper and a grass straw.

「Wha…What is this? 」

「It’s a printed confirmation test. I want to find out if you had a good understanding of the current situation of the Twisted Exfolia. If you score 90 points* or less, you will repeat the test. So, do it well.」

「Even though I’m a goddess, I am forced to do something like this!?」

「If you are a goddess, then you’ll get a perfect score. 」

「Of…Of…Of course I can do it!! 」

…After redoing the test for three consecutive times, I finally returned to my room.

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*The academic grading in Japan consists of 0-100. Fuka / 不可 means F “Unacceptable, failed” (0-59% or 0-49%). Ka / 可 means C “Average, pass” (60-69%). Ryō / 良 means B “Good” (70-79%). Yū / 優 means A “Very Good” (80-100%).

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