Continuing from
That single line was all we were told.
No matter how long we waited, no further words came.
"...What does that mean?"
"Oh."
The moment the question left my mouth, Kyoya-kun spoke up as if he'd just noticed something.
"What?"
"A new item's been added to the Taboo menu."
At Kyoya-kun's words, I hurriedly focused on the Taboo menu. I'd been consciously looking away from it because it made me feel sick, but sure enough, there was an item that I was pretty sure hadn't been there before.
'Taboos Menu System Overview Detailed Description of System Items Update History Points List Reincarnation History Special Item n%I＝W World Quest' World Quest — those were the words in the last slot.
I was pretty sure that hadn't been there before, and even if it had, there was no way it was unrelated to the current situation.
I focused my attention on that World Quest item.
"...Huh. I see."
This was... how should I put it... they really got us there, didn't they...
"Agh. So that's how they're playing it, huh..."
When I focused on the World Quest item, the rules of this World Quest naturally flowed into my mind.
If I had to sum it up in one sentence: "So this means they've dragged not just a select few like us, but every single human in this world into this battle."
That's what it boiled down to.
The gist of it was exactly as the wording stated — by praying, you could intervene in the battle between our Master and the being called Gulie.
"Praying to a god" — that was, in other words, faith.
And, just like you'd see in any story, the strength of one's faith translated directly into the power of the god you believed in.
In other words, by praying, you would strengthen whichever god you prayed to.
This time around, it wasn't some massive boost, though.
If anything, the boost from a single person's prayer was negligible.
But that was only if it was one person.
If every human living in this world offered their prayers...
Even if each individual's contribution was tiny, when those numbers accumulated...
It would become a tremendous force.
I didn't know what kind of population this world had, but on Earth, there were billions of people.
This world was probably smaller than that, but even so, when the total population of an entire world united their power, the result would be immeasurable.
"So instead of making this someone else's problem, they're making every person in this world choose a side as a stakeholder. Aren't they the clever ones."
Half grumbling, half impressed, I muttered that aloud.
She was right — this was, as Ariel-san said, not biased toward either side. It was an absurdly fair rule.
Before this rule existed, only people with power like the pre-nerfed Ariel-san, me, and Kyoya-kun had any say in the matter.
After all, if someone who couldn't fight tried to stand up to us, we could just crush them and be done with it.
But under this rule, even people without the power to fight could make their own choice.
Even the weak — their contribution would be added to whichever side they chose.
And the option of "not choosing" was essentially nonexistent.
That was because praying was the means to eliminate the Taboo.
When you prayed, your Taboo's Skill Experience Points were consumed.
And once that hit zero, the Taboo Skill would be gone for good.
Even I, who had Nullify Aberration, found this Taboo to be a nuisance.
An ordinary person would find it unbearable — they'd want it gone, no question.
And the method to do so was to make a clear choice about which god to support.
Well, obviously you'd pick one side.
Choosing not to choose meant resolving to live with the Taboo forever.
Maintaining neutrality with that kind of resolve — that wasn't something just anyone could do.
But if someone had that resolve, that too was a perfectly valid choice.
"Pretty well designed, I'll give them that."
"This isn't the time to be impressed. We need to come up with some kind of countermeasure," Kyoya-kun said, exasperated, but... wasn't there already nothing we could do?
"A countermeasure, huh. Shall we round up every last voter and dispose of them?"
The moment those words left my mouth, the other reincarnators stared at me in horror.
"Why do you always jump straight to the most sinister conclusion..."
"It's a joke. A joke."
Even though I said that, Kyoya-kun still looked at me with suspicion.
I wouldn't actually go that far, you know.
How rude.
"But unless we make a move on that kind of scale, I don't think any countermeasure would make a difference, do you?"
That was the thing.
Now that it had come to this, there was very little we could do.
Our opponents were, quite literally, all of humanity.
They were far too numerous to contend with.
No — in this case, I suppose "too numerous" was the more accurate expression.
In the face of such vast numbers, there was precious little that we, the few, could accomplish.
Before this, we'd believed that with our power, we could force things into shape through sheer strength alone.
Now our positions had been completely reversed.
By the fairness of the gods.
Kyoya-kun seemed to understand this too, his expression bitter.
Ariel-san had closed her eyes quietly, lost in thought.
"That said, the gods were fair about it. They did prepare a role for us, after all. Which means what we need to do hasn't changed."
The World Quest item added to the Taboo listed the broad rules, the advantages and disadvantages of victory for each faction, and the victory conditions for each side.
"The deepest reaches of the Great Ello Dungeon's lowest layer. We hold that point until the System collapses. That's what we need to do."
It was far too late to try manipulating public opinion.
Unlike my previous life, there were no TVs or internet here.
It was up to each individual to decide which side to choose.
If that was the case, then all we could do was what we ourselves were capable of.
Besides.
"No matter what happens, our Master will win. Let's believe in that."
Even if prayers added power to one side, the one actually fighting was our Master.
Whether the enemy was bolstered by the power of prayers or anything else, our Master would emerge victorious.
All we could do was act on that belief.
"...You're right. That's exactly it."
Ariel-san opened her eyes.
A quiet determination shone within them.
"Our role hasn't changed. We believe that White will win, and we hold this last bastion to the very end."
I nodded alongside Kyoya-kun at Ariel-san's words.
"Unfortunately, they have the upper hand when it comes to public opinion and such. But let's at least throw a few small wrenches in their way."
As she said that, Ariel-san smiled — the mischievous grin of a troublemaker.