Doubt the
That's what my future self told me.
It's true that there are many suspicious parts to the Hitogami's words. Things like
Where does the lie end and where does the truth begin?
There's no doubt that he's lying about some of it.
But I can't just pick and choose whichever version suits me best. If I do that, I'll end up getting blindsided by the part I assumed was a lie.
Honestly, his irritation didn't seem like an act.
I do think my future self managed to land an unpredictable blow on him.
Even so.
Having him react like that—as if asking, "Will you become my enemy?"—leaves me with no options.
I don't want to make an enemy of the Hitogami.
I don't have the power to protect everyone around me while taking constant attacks from a place I can't reach.
So I'll choose to submit.
The Hitogami is an unpleasant person, and he probably won't keep his promises.
But if he's doing this for some purpose, however unpleasant, then once his purpose is served, he might just leave me alone.
The Hitogami told me to kill Orsted.
Setting everything else aside, the part about my descendants joining forces with Orsted to kill the future Hitogami—that, at least, feels somewhat credible.
Orsted or me.
If one of us dying leads to the Hitogami's victory, then I just need to be the one who survives.
I will protect my family.
The one targeting my family is the Hitogami, but he can't reach them directly. He'll keep targeting them from places I can't reach, forever.
But Orsted is in this world.
He's not someone I feel confident I can beat, and honestly, I don't want to fight him.
But if the Hitogami is pushing things this far, then maybe there is a possibility, at least.
Either way, I want to avoid anyone dying because of my mistakes.
--- The day after dreaming about the Hitogami.
I went to the Adventurers' Guild with
Then, together with Sylphie, I returned to the aerial fortress.
At the entrance, I parted ways with Sylphie and headed for
When I heard the talk about killing Orsted, the first person I thought to consult was her.
Maybe it was because my future self's words—"consult Nanahoshi"—were still stuck in my head.
Besides, Nanahoshi might have some idea of where Orsted is.
She's the first person I should talk to.
Eventually, I'll need to consult Sylphie and
If I told them the full story, they might think this was all my fault.
Neither Sylphie nor Roxy, nor any of the children, bear any responsibility.
So I have to choose my words carefully.
I haven't come up with those careful words at all, though.
"Yo."
"Oh my, you're back awfully early."
It had been several days since then, but Nanahoshi still hadn't fully recovered and was confined to bed.
That said, her complexion did look somewhat better.
"Nanahoshi. Here—something to help you recover."
"How nice of you."
I placed a basket of assorted fruits I'd gathered from the market on the table.
They were a bit expensive for this time of year, but when you're asking someone for a favor, there's a matter of etiquette.
Even in a relationship built on debts and favors.
"...You look frightening. Did something happen?"
Nanahoshi looked worried.
Do I really look that frightening?
I probably do.
My complexion is surely worse than Nanahoshi's right now.
"I'll get straight to the point—I want you to repay your debt to me."
"What do you need me to do?"
"First, just listen. It's going to sound absurd, and you might not believe me—"
"Okay."
I told her, slowly, about how I'd come from the future.
I started with what the man had told me, what would happen going forward, what was written in the diary, and then—corroborating all of that—the Hitogami appearing in my dream with an irritated expression. The story about my descendants cooperating with Orsted and killing the Hitogami.
And finally, that the Hitogami had told me to kill Orsted.
I told her everything.
"..."
Nanahoshi listened, pressed a finger to her forehead, and made a gesture like she was deep in thought.
"...Sorry. Let me process this for a moment... Time travel?"
"Yeah. He said he came from the future."
"Do you have proof?"
"Japanese annotations written all over the diary, and my real name from my previous life."
"What's your real name?"
"I don't want to say it."
"Oh, I see... But can you really trust that person?"
"What do you mean?"
"It could be a different Trip. Someone might be impersonating your future self."
"The diary was the exact same one I made that day, and it contained the things I'd been planning to write."
"Even that, he could have replicated while you were sleeping."
Once you start doubting, there's no end to it.
"...But I believe he was the real deal."
"I see. But what if the Hitogami sent someone who would seem convincing?"
"Then you're saying the diary was fabricated and the dream conversation was all an act?"
"I'm not saying that definitively... But is the Hitogami someone you can trust?"
"I can't trust him."
"And yet you listen to what he says?"
"What else can I do? There's no other option..."
Nanahoshi let out a sigh.
Then, as if steeling herself, she spoke.
"Actually, I've heard a little about the Hitogami from Orsted too."
"...You have?"
"Yes. Just briefly, right after he nearly killed you."
"..."
"I didn't hear the details, but he said he would definitely kill the Hitogami someday. But that it wasn't possible yet..."
Orsted was acting with the intention of killing the Hitogami.
Not possible now. Potentially possible in the future.
And the key to making it possible—my descendants hold that key?
Or is it the revival of the last Dragon General?
Either way, the Hitogami wants to prevent that.
At the very least, the logic holds together.
The more I think about it, the more credible the Hitogami's words seem.
Would he really lie at that moment, with that attitude?
Or had the Hitogami anticipated even this?
I can't tell if he's lying.
No—his goals don't matter for now.
"So why did you tell me all this?"
"There are people more qualified to consult, aren't there?"
"Even if you told me, I can't do anything about it..."
"...My future self told me to consult you."
"Your future self... What did he say about me?"
When she asked that, I stumbled.
Should I tell her?
It wasn't in the diary, but in the very end, she'd failed and—something terrible happened to her.
Actually, I think I should tell her.
If she knows she's going to fail, she can prepare mentally and think of ways to avoid it.
"In the very end, you're going to fail—probably right at the moment of return."
When I said that, Nanahoshi's eyes went wide.
But she pressed her lips together tightly and shook her head.
"That's not what I asked. Why did your future self tell you to consult me specifically?"
"Well, you had already died so I couldn't ask, but he thought you might know where Orsted is. And since you'd probably think about these kinds of things more than I would, you might have some ideas."
"What kinds of things?"
"Like, what the Hitogami's purpose might be..."
Come to think of it, the Hitogami's purpose was now clear.
He'd talked about world peace and all that, but essentially, it was to avoid his own death in the future.
Well, that might be a lie too...
"...Hey, can I take a look at your diary?"
"Sure."
When I handed the diary to Nanahoshi, she flipped through the first few pages.
She immediately scowled.
"This is going to take a while. The handwriting is terrible too..."
"It took me two full days to read the whole thing."
"Really? Then can I have one day?"
"You can read that fast in one day?"
"I'm good at reading. I'll finish it by tonight."
I wanted to tell her to just read the key parts, but going through everything might help her notice something.
I'd leave that to her judgment.
"Then I'm going to get some rest. I haven't been sleeping well lately."
"Understood. Come by at a reasonable hour."
"I'm counting on you."
With that, I left Nanahoshi's room.
The moment I did, I felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
Relief.
Strange—had I trusted Nanahoshi that much?
No, that wasn't it.
Nanahoshi was someone I could say things to that I couldn't say to Sylphie or Roxy.
It was precisely because she wasn't someone precious to me in the same way that I could entrust her with something like this.
Thinking about it, I really was a heartless person.
"..."
I happened to glance out the window and saw five people talking in the garden: Ariel,
Luke was trailing behind them.
Sylphie stood in front of Ariel, speaking with Perugius.
That shy, bullied Sylphie had really changed.
But according to my future self, Ariel ultimately wouldn't receive Perugius's cooperation and would have to return to her country.
And then she would be defeated.
Sylphie would participate in that... and die.
Should I help?
...No. One thing at a time.
Right now, I need to focus on the Hitogami.
If I deal with this, maybe Sylphie won't have to die either.
Thinking that, I returned to my assigned room.
I'll sleep for a bit.
--- When I woke up, Sylphie was sleeping next to me.
Her usual adorable sleeping face filled my field of view in extreme close-up.
I had no memory of sleeping together.
That meant she must have snuck in at some point.
Maybe she was trying to wake me up.
Or maybe she wanted to ask my opinion about her conversation with Perugius.
If that was the case, I felt bad.
I removed Sylphie's arm from around my waist, gave her head a gentle pat, and got out of bed.
"Mmm...
Seeing her cute sleep-talk and defenseless sleeping face would normally get me all worked up.
But unfortunately, my brain had no room for dirty thoughts right now.
I fixed my bed-head with my hand and quietly left the room without waking her.
Outside the window, a sky full of stars stretched out.
It was already night.
If this world had stars, did it have a universe too?
I pondered that as I walked down the corridor.
"Where are you going at this hour?"
"Wah!"
At the corner of the hallway, I was abruptly stopped by a man in a yellow mask.
"...Almanfi."
"People should be asleep. Where are you going at this hour?"
"To Nanahoshi's room. Is she still awake?"
"She recently requested paper and pen. She's probably still up."
"Thank you."
With a bit of nervousness, I left the spot.
Did spirits never sleep?
Well, he wasn't human, after all.
A twenty-four-hour security commando.
Come to think of it, every conversation within the fortress probably reached Perugius's ears too.
That meant everything I'd said in Nanahoshi's room had been overheard by Perugius as well.
The fact that he didn't say anything meant he was watching to see how things played out.
And not just Perugius—the Hitogami was probably listening too...
As these thoughts crossed my mind, I walked through the quiet fortress toward the room.
Light was leaking from the gap under the door.
It seemed she was still up.
I knocked.
"Who is it?"
"It's Rudeus."
"Showing up at this hour, your wife might get the wrong idea."
"Should I come back tomorrow?"
"I don't mind either way, so come in."
I did as told and entered.
Nanahoshi was in bed, but piles of paper were scattered all around her.
"What a mess."
"I was in the middle of working through various theories."
"Did you figure anything out?"
As I asked, I picked up stray sheets of paper and sat in a chair.
"Well, thanks to your story and the diary, I was able to put together a hypothesis."
"Oh, a hypothesis?"
"I've been thinking about it for a long time—why did I end up in this world, this place, this era?"
Did that have anything to do with what I'd told her?
Well, whatever. Let's hear it.
"At first, I thought it wasn't just me—my friend had been transported to this world too."
"..."
Should I ask why?
But I understood why she would say that.
In the corner of my memory—the last memory from my previous life, a somewhat inexplicable event.
I'd tried to save three people from being hit by a truck.
But I could only save one.
In exchange for saving that one person, I was hit by the truck.
And only I was hit by the truck.
Nanahoshi wasn't hit and was instead transported to this world.
It wouldn't be strange for the other person to have come to this world too.
"But no matter where I searched in this world, he wasn't there."
"Is it possible he died shortly after arriving?"
"I considered that, but if I survived unscathed, why would he alone die?"
So she'd traveled the world with Orsted looking for someone she knew.
Well, traveling the world wasn't the only reason, I supposed.
"I didn't find anything unusual either."
"Really? Nothing at all?"
"...?"
What did she mean?
There really was nothing out of the ordinary. In
"When I heard that you'd come from the future, and that your future self's internal organs were missing, I thought—what if I'd also come from the future?"
"Huh? What do you mean? Are you saying this world is actually an extension of our previous world?"
"No, not that. How should I put it... We still don't know the reason behind the Teleportation Incident, right?"
"That disaster happened because you were teleported here, didn't it?"
"Yes. But theoretically, a normal teleportation wouldn't cause something like that."
Then again, you could argue it happened because it was an otherworldly teleportation.
"But when you came from the future—unlike my case—there was no disaster."
"There was."
"What? Where?"
"Your internal organs vanished, didn't they?"
"No... that's..."
What Nanahoshi was trying to say was this: The disappearance of the organs and the displacement of people during the Teleportation Incident—both were essentially the same phenomenon.
"A fifty-year time jump drained all your mana."
"Well... drained is a strong word. I could still use magic."
"But you grew weaker every time you used it, right? You were strong enough to become such a powerful mage, yet you gave up on healing your own body."
Nanahoshi tapped the cover of the diary with her finger.
"If I came from one hundred years in the future, it would require twice as much mana as the two of you combined."
Nanahoshi spoke as though she was certain of something.
She might know things I didn't.
"You, fifty years in the future, jumped back fifty years and lost your internal organs. Where did those organs go, do you think? Are they still in the world fifty years from now? If you jumped one hundred years, would only the organs disappear? Or would your entire body remain in the future?"
"............"
"No. Your entire body would end up in the same place where your organs disappeared."
"...Where would that be?"
"Who knows. But the balance has to be maintained somehow. After all, the mana in this world follows the law of conservation of energy."
The law of conservation of energy.
"I haven't looked into it in detail, but... people from that incident have been disappearing. Thousands, tens of thousands of them."
"..."
"After that incident, did anything feel off with your body? Did your mana drop abnormally low?"
After the incident...
That was when I was traveling with
I didn't think so, but...
Come to think of it, I did get tired unusually easily on the way to Rikaris.
My body felt heavy... now that she mentioned it, it was similar to the sensation of mana exhaustion.
"It did... So what's the difference between the people who disappeared and the ones who didn't?"
"Isn't it related to the 'strength of fate' that the Hitogami mentioned? Those protected by a strong law of causality don't disappear, something like that."
"...So that part is speculation too."
"Everything is speculation. I told you it was a hypothesis, didn't I?"
My fate is apparently strong.
And the fates of the beautiful women around me are also strong—both Sylphie and Eris were safe.
My family must have had a reasonably strong fate as well.
...That was all hindsight, though.
"So what are you saying? Are you claiming you were teleported here from the future?"
"Not exactly. Just... how should I put this..."
Nanahoshi scratched her head and groaned, as if struggling to explain.
"Somewhere in the future, the event of 'the Hitogami being defeated' must have occurred."
"...Occurred?"
"Yes. So the Hitogami began making contact with you to avoid that future."
"...?"
"Hey, think back—when was the first time you met the Hitogami?"
The first time I met the Hitogami... right. It was just after the Teleportation Incident.
But he'd said something about having been watching me all along.
...Was that a lie too?
Yesterday, he'd said he found me during the Teleportation Incident.
How much of what he says is a lie and how much is truth?
"Before the Teleportation Incident, did you notice anything unusual?"
Anything unusual...
Nothing.
Ah, no—there was something.
The red orb I'd seen from the tower that old man Sauros used as a sex den in the Fittoa Region.
"You have an idea, then. Do you remember when it first appeared?"
When...
How would I know...
Wait—actually, I think old man Sauros had said something about it.
Think. Remember.
This body is supposed to have good memory. Come on.
Right. I think it went like this: 'Found it about three years ago.' "When I was about five?"
"When you were about five—did anything happen? Did you meet anyone?"
"At five... that's about when I met Sylphie. Other than that, nothing really..."
Then something clicked in my head.
I met Sylphie, and we became close.
As a result, Paul separated us, and I ended up meeting Eris.
Then, on my tenth birthday.
Eris and I almost did it.
The Teleportation Incident happened the very next day.
And right after the incident, the Hitogami started making contact.
In other words, that was the point when a future in which the Hitogami dies came into existence?
"You're someone who shouldn't exist in this world."
"Yeah."
"Why do you think you were reincarnated in this world?"
"I have no idea."
"I believe there's a meaning behind it."
"Meaning? What kind of meaning?"
"Someone sent me and you to this era—intentionally—to change the future."
"Someone? Who?"
"Someone from the future. Someone who desires a future where the Hitogami dies."
I don't understand.
So what—is I being manipulated by this someone's hand?
"I don't understand. What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Is it possible that this world needed us—the two of us—for a future in which the Hitogami dies?"
My head was spinning.
"Perhaps I was summoned to this world so that your descendants could create some kind of weapon or tool to defeat the Hitogami."
"..."
"And until that tool is created, I can't return to my original world. The return magic will fail."
"Why would that be?"
"Because that's why I was summoned. In other words, my existence is a time paradox."
A hypothesis.
The Hitogami is killed by my descendants and Orsted.
For that to happen, I need to have children.
When I met Sylphie, it was confirmed that I would have children with her.
The way the Hitogami fixated on Roxy—perhaps with Roxy too.
The Teleportation Incident happened on the day I was about to sleep with Eris, so perhaps with Eris as well.
And apparently, my descendants and Orsted alone aren't enough to kill the Hitogami.
Nanahoshi creates whatever else is needed.
That's why Nanahoshi was summoned right after—as if following in my footsteps.
That's why she came from "the future."
Whether someone did this intentionally or it was the law of causality playing tricks on us, we can't know.
Nanahoshi's hypothesis was that we were created in the past as a result of something someone did in the future.
Which comes first—the future?
Or the past?
The egg, or the chicken?
"I get your hypothesis."
"Sorry for explaining so badly, but I'm glad you understood."
It was an interesting theory.
And it was an unwelcome one.
"That means the Hitogami's claim that my descendants will kill Orsted is somewhat trustworthy."
"Yes, that would follow."
"So let's get back on track."
"Back on track to what?"
"To killing Orsted."
"That's—"
Nanahoshi furrowed her brow.
"Even if my hypothesis is correct, the Hitogami is trying to avoid that future—and he's already succeeded once. Even if fate is supposedly set, the future can still change."
"...I think you should reconsider. Rather than that, you should consult Orsted and think of some other way—"
"Stop. The Hitogami might be watching my movements right now—at this very moment."
"..."
Nanahoshi looked up at the ceiling.
Unfortunately, the world of nothingness was below, not up.
"The thing called fate is invisible. Even if you say my fate and Sylphie's fate are strong, my father died and my mother became an invalid. I don't think the Hitogami can act immediately, but he can see the future. He might have anticipated my rebellion—when I get home, someone like
"...But the Hitogami can't make contact with just anyone, can he?"
"Not sure. If he put his mind to it, he might be able to reach anyone. It wouldn't be surprising if he's hiding his true power."
"I suppose."
"Besides, Orsted can't win either, can he? If you believe the Hitogami's words. He'd need my descendants' help, right? Without them, he loses to the Hitogami?"
"Based on what we know, yes."
"I'm going to protect my family. The Hitogami is the one targeting them, but he can't reach them directly. But Orsted is in this world. I don't know where exactly, but... if I set my mind to it, there's nothing I can't do."
"But the Hitogami won't necessarily keep his promise."
"Orsted is the Dragon God. If the diary is correct, he might know the secret technique to reach the world of nothingness. If I kill him and take away his ability to reach the world of nothingness, then the Hitogami would have no reason to target my children."
"But even if you kill Orsted, he might find another way to reach the world of nothingness..."
"Then what the hell am I supposed to do?!"
I was screaming at Nanahoshi with a voice so loud it startled even myself.
Nanahoshi flinched, but repeated what she'd said before.
"That's why we should consult Orsted and have him think of a solution."
"I've already thought about getting Orsted on my side! But if I do that, the Hitogami will definitely become my enemy. And the result of me going against the Hitogami alone is exactly what the diary says. I can't win. So what about Orsted? He can't win either, right?! I barged in on a fight he couldn't win alone and threw things off balance, and that's why the Hitogami is trying to prevent a future where he loses by messing with me! Can I really trust that his side has enough leeway to protect my family?! Does he even have that much power?! Without knowing that, how can I side with the Hitogami's enemy?! There's nothing worse than siding with the general of a losing army and losing everything—by then it'll be too late!"
"But! Even so, Orsted is more trustworthy than the Hitogami."
"I'm not so sure. Orsted supposedly wants to destroy this world. Well, I don't fully believe that either... But the Hitogami deceived me. He pretended to guide me through his advice. What if you're being deceived by Orsted too?"
"That... I can't rule out entirely."
I looked at Nanahoshi's face again.
There was fear mixed into her expression.
"To me, neither the Hitogami nor Orsted is any more trustworthy than the other."
But I knew my own powerlessness.
I could believe my future self's words that going against the Hitogami would lead to defeat.
I could vividly imagine a future where I'd lost everything and died miserably, like that old man.
Even fighting Orsted—I could only picture myself reduced to a rag.
But the Hitogami had said my fate was strong.
Or maybe he'd seen an ending where Orsted was defeated.
I wanted to hold on to that sliver of hope.
"Nanahoshi. When you say to 'consult'—you actually know how to contact Orsted, don't you?"
"...Well, yes."
"Help me. Let's kill Orsted."
"I... Orsted has... helped me too, you know."
Nanahoshi averted her gaze and stammered.
When Nanahoshi first came to this world, the person she met was Orsted.
He'd saved her numerous times since then.
Just like Ruijerd had saved me when I fell onto the Demon Continent.
I couldn't betray him either.
If it were me, I wouldn't betray him.
Even if it meant death, I wouldn't betray him.
That much, even I could understand.
The old me would have considered my future relationship with her and held back.
But right now, I had no intention of holding back.
"Hey, Nanahoshi. Shizuka Nanahoshi."
"..."
"You know, before I came to this world, I was nothing but scum. I don't know how you see the person I am now, but... in my previous life, if you saw me, you'd clearly look down on me. I was that kind of garbage."
"..."
"But here, I got to start over from scratch. I've made mistakes and lost things, but I've learned all sorts of things and gained something precious."
"..."
"And I want to protect that."
I got off the chair.
When you're asking someone for something, you don't sit in a chair.
There's a proper way to ask.
Both hands and knees on the ground.
Press your forehead to the floor.
Fold your body as small as possible.
"Please. Help me."
The floor of the aerial fortress was cold and hard.
"The Hitogami might change his mind suddenly. If I drag my feet and one day come home to find the slaughtered bodies of my family—I don't want to face that..."
"Wh-What are you doing?! Stop!"
"I don't want to lose anyone. Please."
Nanahoshi climbed out of bed.
She grabbed my shoulders and forced my head up.
"I said I'll cooperate... so stop doing this..."
Looking at Nanahoshi's haggard face, I felt sorry.
At the same time, I thought: Good, it worked.
I gave myself a mental fist pump.
What a terrible person I am.
"I'm in your debt."
I might be wrong.
But what choice do I have?