Chapter 271: The God’s Meaning (2)
Epherene, Arlos, and Rose. The three of them descended into the volcano cave and looked at Deculein and the man next to him in turn.
“Well… it seems like him, right?”
Rose mumbled while comparing him to the poster. Arlos nodded.
“Yes. It’s the doll I made.”
“Is that a doll?”
Surprised, Epherene’s eyes went wide.
“He doesn’t look like a doll at all!”
Arlos grinned.
“The dolls of industry experts are different. It’s nothing like the experimental mannequins made in the Magic Tower.”
“Besides that, I think you used a lot of illegal materials.”
As Deculein approached them saying that, Arlos cleared her throat.
“Ahem. I was threatened.”
“No, more importantly, Professor. What are you doing here?”
Deculein turned to Epherene.
“Epherene. Where is that mana stone?”
“Huh? Oh, this?”
She put it in his open hand.
“Here. It’s incomplete, but this one… showed some reaction.”
Deculein nodded. And then swish- threw it behind his back. It landed on the bed.
“It’s a possibility, Carla.”
At Deculein’s words, the person lying on the bed at the end of the cave squirmed.
“C-Carla?!”
“Did you just say, Carla?”
It was a familiar name. Epherene and Rose trembled. Deculein turned to Carla and added:
“I can make your heart out of it.”
“…Can you?”
Carla coughed while holding the mana stone. Then, the doll spoke.
“Deculein. You have a very good mindset to become an apostate. Your willingness to go against providence resembles our former devout.”
“I’ll consider it a compliment.”
A man with red hair. No, was he a man? Anyway, looking at that handsome and beautiful person, Epherene blinked.
“Um. Who are you?”
“…Do you mean me?”
In response to that question, Epherene innocently nodded.
“Yes.”
“We have met before.”
“What? Who are you again?”
“At that time, I called myself God, but you said I wasn’t God.”
For a moment, Epherene’s eyes lit up with astonishment. Her hair stood on end, and she hurriedly raised her hands.
“What! You, from then!”
“Haha. Yes. I learned one thing thanks to you. Also, thanks to you, I thought of coming down to visit. I don’t know much about your world.”
“…What?”
Those strangely caring and gentle words made Epherene feel even more disconcerted, and now she was beginning to feel awkward for pointing at him.
“Ahem. Really?”
“Yes.”
She pretended to cough and quietly lowered her hand.
“Then, what’s your name?”
“…Name?”
“Yes. Your name.”
“Well. I still want to be called a God.”
“Aha~.”
Epherene nodded as if convinced. She asked with a bright look.
“Is your name God? Is that a foreigner’s name?”
“…”
At that moment, even God shut his mouth. He answered while fiddling with his hair.
“Call me Quay.”
“Quay? It’s a strange name.”
Whooooosh!
The terrible stench of sulfur mixed with dark energy filled the cave. Epherene felt nauseous, and, for a moment, blood vessels constricted across Deculein’s face.
“Blaaargh—! Ugh, what is this? What’s this smell? Professor, is this place okay?”
“It’s not okay. It’s disgusting and evil. However, this volcano will erupt soon.”
Deculein responded firmly. Rose frowned, and Arlos shrugged. Epherene asked.
“Erupt?”
“Yes. It will cover the Ashes. A more severe volcanic eruption could even devour parts of Yuren.”
Deculein neatly moved the materials scattered around the cave room with 「Psychokinesis」. Demon’s Claw, Memallen’s Heart, Dark Troll’s Blood, Desert Roteo Scorpion Venom… there was quite a lot.
“Deculein, are you the one wiping them out?!”
“I plan to minimize the damage with my magic.”
Using things purchased from the Ashes as materials, I would realize part of Decalane’s magic science in creating a barrier that blocked the volcanic vents.
“However, even my magic cannot prevent all damage from the volcanic eruption. The Ashes will soon become literal ash.”
Deculein nodded contentedly.
“It’ll be a satisfying treat for the worms who lead their abominable lives in the Ashes.”
Arlos’s expression grew distorted. Rose’s reaction was more intense.
“Abominable lives?”
“…”
Deculein stared at Rose without saying a word. His gaze, as always, was sharp and intimidating, but Rose didn’t hesitate.
“Abominable? That’s too much!”
“Prosecutor Rose. If so, do you think your life is on par with these poor criminals?”
“It is true that they commit crimes. I’ll put them in jail; I will criticize them. That’s natural. But you can’t condemn their whole lives.”
Deculein stared at her and twisted his lips into a sneer.
“Most of them deserve to die.”
“No one deserves to die.”
“That’s your ideal, a strange one. Some people deserve to die.”
“Ha.”
Rose smirked.
“You can say that because you have noble blood. That’s why you’re aloof-“
“You too.”
Deculein interrupted her.
“You also can say such things because you’re a noble.”
“…”
“If you were a commoner, you wouldn’t be….”
He shut his mouth for a moment, then looked into Rose’s eyes as if he was stunned.
“Do you think we could have a conversation or something of the sort? Being a noble, you can think like that, and if you were a commoner, you would have already lost your head.”
Rose ground her teeth while Deculein shook his head.
“Well, the nobles of Yuren must feel a sense of inferiority. Compared to the Empire, it is a very low bloodline.”
Turning around, he looked to Quay, watching the two with curious eyes.
“There is still a week left until the eruption. The exhibition is before that, so you will be able to see enough.”
“Hmm? Are you going to show me around?”
“In return, make that red hair less noticeable.”
Quay smiled and patted his head. The long hair, which seemed to be made of fire, changed to black in an instant.
“Wow. That’s so cool.”
Epherene mumbled, and Rose approached with a huff to handcuff Quay.
“This is a public service. You are under arrest on charges of stealing more than twenty-seven items from Yuren’s mansion and several stalls and auction houses. You have a chance to make excuses, you can refuse to make a statement, and you can apply to the court for an appeal….”
* * *
Yuren’s princess, Maho, was processing the reports of her officers in the palace.
“Whew… whoo…”
“You sound like some kind of train.”
The escort knight Charlotte smiled at her loud sighing. Even so, Maho still felt guilty and put her face into the report.
“What should I do? Conversion formula… if that’s worth 1 billion, Elnes… we don’t even have the money to compensate him because we started a new business…”
The problem was, after all, Deculein’s conversion formula. Why did that have to be stolen from the airship bound for Yuren…?
“At least if it happened outside Yuren airspace, I could’ve made some excuses; I could just brazenly claim that it happened in Imperial airspace… but it had to happen inside Yuren, sniff, sniff….”
Maho thought as she pretended to cry. She worked on figuring out a way to gain Deculein’s sympathy and reduce the damage of this situation a bit.
“Hmm… huh? What?”
At that moment, Charlotte put her hand to her earphone.
“Oh! I see. Thank God.”
“What! What, what, what!”
Maho hurriedly raised her head.
“Did they find the conversion formula, did they?!”
“Nope. It’s not that, but they’ve caught Daedo.”
“Daedo… oh, the culprit who stole around 50 million Elnes in a week?”
“Yes. The great prosecutor Rose of the Sion family found him. They are bringing him to the palace.”
Rose. Maho was also keeping an eye on her these days as she was a key talent for the launch of the republic.
“After all, big things are done by people from noble families.”
“…It’s not because of her family.”
Charlotte cleared her throat.
“But… do you still intend to go with that plan?”
“Yes.”
Maho’s answer was firm. She wanted a perfect republic, a country formed by the support of its citizens, not by bloodline or family. A democracy where the majority’s votes determined their leader.
“It will be dangerous. Given the current situation.”
“It can’t work if not now. The Emperor has a fiery temper. If they grow, Yuren won’t be able to stand against them.”
The Principality of Yuren was lacking in political standing as a remnant of a kingdom long gone. Therefore, Maho wanted Yuren to cast off the shadows of their past and enter a new history as a republic.
“The Imperial tycoon, Deculein, is here. He is intellectually outstanding so that he might notice, and if so… it’ll be a big problem.”
If Deculein found out, he would try to sabotage them, refute it, and report it to the Emperor. Maho, of course, knew.
“The Empire will not tolerate a republic where the citizens can vote. I still don’t fully understand the process myself.”
“It’s simple. What if only the Imperial family remains in the Empire?”
Maho shook her head.
“Governing positions are inevitably created by those who are governed. So, the master of the state….”
Knock, knock-
Maho and Charlotte flinched.
“Yes, yes! Yes, yes~.”
—This is the prosecutor Rose of the Sion family.
“Yes~, come in. I also want to hear the story about the arrest.”
The door opened, and Rose bowed her head to Maho.
“Enough with the formalities, come in~.”
“Yes, thank you. Also, I have something to tell you. Professor Deculein spoke about the volcano….”
* * *
The detention center of the Yuren Palace. Epherene was watching Quay, who was imprisoned in a cage.
“Even though it’s just an experience, I don’t want to be inside iron.”
Quay tapped the cage.
“I think it’s rare to experience being locked in a cage. Aren’t all experiences good?”
“I already have experience from a long time ago.”
“What, were you a criminal?”
When Epherene’s brow furrowed, Quay smiled.
“No, more importantly. Why did you steal these?”
Epherene waved the list of stolen items Rose provided. Quay stole a lot of stuff. He put everything from jewels, books, and random knick-knacks in his pockets.
“I wanted to take a look at them because they were interesting. I was going to put them back after.”
“That’s stealing.”
“Haha. I see.”
Epherene stared at him, then sat down in a nearby chair and opened her thesis. Fortunately, the facility wasn’t that bad for a detention center. Rather, it was as clean and quiet as a library.
“Epherene, right? Are you not going?”
“The Professor told me to monitor you.”
“Oh… but what is that?”
Quay showed interest in her thesis. Epherene replied with a smirk.
“This is a thesis that my father and the Professor made together… and I’m studying it. I still didn’t understand even three percent of it, but I’m in a hurry to learn more.”
“Why are you in a hurry? Aren’t you still young? Even though humans are mortals, you will live to old age.”
Epherene took out a pen and responded as she took notes.
“I’m trying to stop the volcano. The nature of this allotrope seems to be quite helpful in preventing volcanic eruptions.”
“Hmm? Isn’t that up to Deculein?”
“He doesn’t want to protect the Ashes.”
“…”
Quay looked puzzled.
“I’m going to learn this, add to the Professor’s magic, and stop the Ashes.”
“…Are you disobeying your teacher?”
“No. But more importantly.”
Epherene stopped taking notes and suddenly looked to Quay.
“What the hell are you trying to do coming down here? What are your plans? I heard you would become a god.”
“Yes.”
“How does one become a god?”
Quay looked at her. How to become a god? How does one purify the continent that had already been stained with too much scum? She asked about something he’d been thinking about for countless years like it was as simple as breathing, but that was why he didn’t hate her.
“I will stop them first. The world, this time, this space. And I will melt it all into something new, and I will re-create it.”
“…”
Epherene snorted.
“Of course, I will filter qualified people out. You are among them.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Why?”
“What kind of god is imprisoned in a cage?”
“Oh~.”
At that moment, Quay smiled softly and took a step forward.
“Is this better?”
Looking at Epherene’s face from outside the cage, he asked.
“More importantly, where is Deculein, and what is he doing?”
“How did you escape…?”
Even his handcuffs were gone. Epherene looked at Quay with narrowed eyes.
“Do you want to watch Deculein?”
“…?”
“He’s outside.”
“Why?”
Epherene laughed bitterly.
“He’s the lawyer. Professor Deculein is your lawyer.”
“…He’s defending me?”
“Yes. You said you wanted to see the exhibition; then you have to get out of here. Legally.”
Quay closed his eyes in thought.
“…No. The defense seems to have ended a long time ago.”
“Really? Can you see it?”
“Yes. He is now…”
He could see what Deculein was doing. Quay, who was about to say what, suddenly stiffened.
“Why? What is he doing?”
“…He’s writing.”
“Writing? What?”
Epherene was frustrated since she couldn’t see it.
“It’s the words of the Holy Age. That…”
Quay opened his eyes again and laughed.
“Did he grasp the language structure just by hearing it? What is he going to do by learning it?”
Epherene shrugged.
“Well, wouldn’t he be trying to have a proper conversation with you? Anyway-“
At that moment, the doors to the detention center swung open.
“Quay. You’ll be released for a while… what! How did you escape?!”
A few guards stood behind them, looking at Quay out of the cage, and shouted.
“Hands up! Raise your hands! Epherene, come out too!”
They slapped the handcuffs back on.
