As I stared at
"What do you mean I haven't come back, Ferdinand?"
"
"Huh? Um..."
I was thrown into confusion by the barrage of questions, without even a moment to object to what he was saying so suddenly. Still in a daze, I tried my best to recall, but it was as if a faint haze hung over my memories. The only things that readily came to mind were the contents of the books I had been reading in the library just moments ago.
"I don't know. ...But I clearly remember the contents of the books I was reading up until just now. They were stories about the gods, and I..."
"You don't need to remember those. In fact, forget them quickly."
Ferdinand scowled in disgust and cut me off.
"What? It's cruel to tell me to forget the contents of books I went to the trouble of reading!"
"It seems the goddess mentally interfered with you a little to make you more willing to lend your body. Though it wasn't 'a little'—the influence seems quite deep..."
I had thought I was merely lending my body, so I hadn't realized I'd been subjected to mental interference. The thought of what might be happening to me was a little frightening. As I drank the magic power recovery potion that was offered to me, I asked, "...What kind of interference was I subjected to?"
"That, I don't know. She wouldn't tell me. You would have lent your body willingly enough even without any interference if simply shown a book or a library, but this must never happen again. ...You are far too susceptible to outside magic power."
Ferdinand mouthed the words *Because you're Self-Eating* without making a sound. I could see an indescribable look of anguish on his face. I reached out and rubbed the furrow between his brows in circles.
"I'm sorry for worrying you. But it's all right, Ferdinand. I've developed an ambition to build a library like that before I die, so I'm not about to ascend to the heavens anytime soon."
"...You've made me *more* worried, you know."
Despite his grumpy expression, some of the anger and irritation had faded from his pale golden eyes. He really was hard to read, as always. I was relieved that his mood had improved somewhat when an exasperated voice entirely different from Ferdinand's echoed from a short distance away.
"Are you about finished?"
"Huh? Is someone there?"
Ferdinand was the only one in my field of vision at close range, so I hadn't expected anyone else to be there. As I blinked in surprise, Ferdinand moved away from me and stood up.
"This is the Garden of Beginning.
"Oh, oh! Ahh! I remember now! We were in the middle of a fight, weren't we! Ferdinand, why are you being so leisurely about this!?"
I scrambled to my feet and tried to shield Ferdinand behind me. The instant I moved into a fighting stance against Erwaermen, Ferdinand jabbed me from behind.
"Calm down. The fighting is over.
"Huh?"
Looking more closely, both Erwaermen and Gervasio were simply facing this way, with none of the atmosphere of battle remaining.
"...To settle a fight so easily—the goddess is seriously amazing. Praise be to the g—"
"Don't pray, you fool! Do you want to go through that again!?"
As I blinked after having my half-raised hand forcefully grabbed down, Erwaermen gave a wry smile.
"Mine, you are Self-Eating, which makes you receptive to outside magic power. If you pray here, where communication with the gods is possible, there is a high chance the gods will descend for their own amusement. They are nostalgic figures to me, so I wouldn't mind having as many descend as you like, but the burden on you would be immense. You should be careful."
Erwaermen's tone seemed remarkably calm. Perhaps the goddess therapy had worked. She was the owner of that magnificent library, and she had resolved the fight in the blink of an eye while managing to pacify Erwaermen.
...The goddess is seriously amazing! Thank you, Mestionora!
"So what did you discuss with the goddess?"
"After sharing information about each person's wishes and the current situation, it was decided that we would compete for the position of Zent through peaceful means."
At Ferdinand's words, Gervasio scowled. "That's way too oversimplified, Ferdinand." Gervasio was right. I understood nothing.
"If you think about what's going on with the lecture hall, we don't have time for lengthy explanations. Conveying just the results should be sufficient."
I understood that time was short, and Ferdinand's efficiency-focused nature was nothing new, but I really wished he'd explain a little more.
"At the very least, please tell me what everyone's wishes are and what information was shared. I'm the only one here still not out of combat mode, you know."
"Coming from the person who just had her memories wiped clean."
Even if he glared at me like that, it wasn't my fault I'd remembered. My brain was the only one still in combat mode. Gervasio and Ferdinand, who had been glaring at each other from the moment they met and exchanging blows while shouting "Become a magic stone!" and "Die!", were now having a perfectly normal conversation despite the stiff atmosphere. And Erwaermen, who had been nagging away with things like "Kill Quinta!" and "Don't interfere with Gervasio!", was now just blankly listening to the discussion. My brain simply couldn't process it.
"Everything changed so much in the short time I was reading that I feel incredibly unsettled and nauseous."
"I was told about things from the gods' perspective.
According to Ferdinand's explanation, Yurgenschmidt was created to accept magic power bearers suffering in the outside world, and accepting those from outside was Erwaermen's role. So if magic power-bearing people of Lanzenave wished to live in Yurgenschmidt, they would be accepted. Refusal was not even a consideration.
"Don't the gods care at all about the fact that dozens of
When I glared at Erwaermen, she nodded slowly with a noncommittal expression.
"Are my words not meaningless when it comes to your human logic? Even though I said 'do not take lives,' for centuries, hundreds and thousands of people have been killing each other internally. Just moments ago, hundreds died, so adding a few dozen more hardly warrants commotion. And considering that dozens are coming in from outside, there's really no problem at all."
From Erwaermen's perspective, the deaths of hundreds of nobles in the royal family's internal political strife was just moments ago, so the loss of a few dozen Ahrensbach nobles was well within the margin of error. Since they would be replenished from outside, it apparently wasn't a significant issue.
"For us, it's not really a question of numbers, though..."
"People reproduce on their own and kill each other on their own. That is simply what they are. Human logic that changes in a whirl over short periods is not worth thinking about."
It was true that not just Yurgenschmidt—even within Ehrenfest, people didn't necessarily understand one another, and the gaps in status and common sense between people were vast. I probably shouldn't expect the gods' common sense and human common sense to align.
"More importantly, no one has come here to speak to me about human logic in a very long time."
In ancient times, many Zent candidates had visited the Garden of Beginning to obtain the Book of Mestionora. Erwaermen said that back when magic power was plentiful, she had been able to freely take human form and spend time interacting and conversing with people.
However, at some point, Erwaermen had been unable to manifest herself anymore. This was likely because fewer and fewer people obtained the Book of Mestionora after the Central
"My conversational partners are a trivial matter. What matters now is that there is no Zent to supply magic power to the foundation, the magic power of the Border Gates is thinning, and Yurgenschmidt itself is on the verge of collapse. The deaths of a few dozen people are laughably insignificant in comparison. My wish is for a Zent to be born as quickly as possible. Beyond that, I desire nothing."
Erwaermen's wish was for just anyone to quickly dye the foundation and ensure Yurgenschmidt's survival. The current Zent, who couldn't dye the foundation, apparently wasn't recognized as a true Zent.
"Therefore, to prevent Yurgenschmidt's collapse for now, it has been decided that the foundation must be dyed as soon as possible."
"Huh? Who exactly is competing for the position of Zent?"
"Are there Zent candidates other than the three of us here?"
Erwaermen said in a voice full of hope that if there were any, they should be brought here. Apparently, the current candidates all had problems, so new candidates would be most welcome.
"If self-proclaimed counts, then Lady Dietlinde is a candidate. Among the royalty, those who could come here..."
"By Erwaermen's reckoning, only those who have obtained the Book of Mestionora count as Zent candidates. Apparently, the Grutrissheit doesn't count."
...Ouch. The criteria for Zent candidates were from ancient times. That meant none of the royals could qualify.
"What Erwaermen seeks is for Yurgenschmidt to be filled with magic power. To that end, the three candidates will each fill a Border Gate that still lacks magic power, and the race will be decided by who returns to this Garden of Beginning the fastest."
"She said she'll guide the winner to the location of the foundation."
Both Ferdinand and Gervasio wore confident expressions. I felt very puzzled about it all. Hadn't Ferdinand not wanted to become Zent?
"Ferdinand, you're all right with becoming Zent?"
"Apparently, if I fill the foundation, Erwaermen will not interfere in human logic. She said that whether I purge the current royalty or punish the Lanzenave people who have entered, she will leave it to human logic to sort out as it sees fit."
Erwaermen apparently approved of Ferdinand's plan to reform things so that the next generation would be able to obtain the Book of Mestionora on their own. The plan's main drawbacks were that it would take too long and was uncertain, but if Ferdinand dyed the foundation, he would be free to hand over the Grutrissheit he had made as a Magical Tool to the new Zent and restore prayers and the like.
"You've oversimplified too much, Quinta. Didn't Mestionora say 'Do not be careless with any life'? You should take that into consideration."
Erwaermen added in a flat tone. Punishment was acceptable, but hasty executions were forbidden. In a Yurgenschmidt where executing even the innocent under the guise of collective punishment or other excuses was considered routine, I never expected to hear the words "Do not be careless with life."
"If only I could have recorded such an important phrase..."
"Even if you recorded it, to anyone who hasn't witnessed a goddess's descent, it would just be your voice. Is there really a need to record it?"
"...You're right."
It would indeed just be seen as my selfish desire to spread mercy, same as always. Recording it would probably be pointless. What a shame.
"Why do you want to become Zent?"
"If I become Zent, it will be possible to demolish that royal villa. There will be no need to send my daughters here to bear children like me, and it will be possible to let magic power bearers live lives where they are respected as nobles."
Gervasio added that it would also be possible to rescue the Central Knights who were likely captured by the Dunklefelger forces that had poured in, and to appoint new Aub to the territories left without one, settling the Lanzenave people there.
"Why would they want to live in Yurgenschmidt? What the people of Lanzenave need are staffs and magic stones, aren't they?"
"It's not so simple."
According to Gervasio, Lanzenave had developed various things to suppress magic power bearers. The royal family was losing power and was being treated like tools that produced magic power as an energy source.
"The royalty of Lanzenave has split into two factions: those who want to return with staffs and reign as wielders of immense power, and those who want to escape Lanzenave and settle permanently as nobles in Yurgenschmidt."
"It was Leonzio and his people who killed the Ahrensbach nobles, but I heard that Dietlinde gave them permission, saying it was fine as long as they were her political enemies within Ahrensbach. I thought Yurgenschmidt had some frighteningly ruthless rulers."
Gervasio sighed. "Having met her in person, she turned out to be nothing more than a foolish, selfish girl."
"I need a position that will secure a safe haven in Yurgenschmidt, cancel the punishment of the Lanzenave people, and repay the Central Knights who accepted me. I will become Zent."
"I understand that everyone has their own reasons for participating, but I'm an Aub, so I can't dye the foundation for the position of Zent."
There was no point in me participating in the Race for Zent.
"Then you should participate as an Aub. Supplying magic power to the Border Gates is the Aub's job, is it not?"
"...Erwaermen, isn't that from the earliest days when each territory's Aub held the Book of Mestionora? Well, if there's a need to fill the Border Gates with magic power, I don't mind cooperating..."
By Erwaermen, whose standards were stuck in an era close to mythology, my participation was made mandatory.
"Becoming Zent is not impossible for you. You need only have someone else dye the Aub's foundation. Since you are Self-Eating, your magic power is easily dyed over, so the next one will not have much trouble."
Erwaermen said this while looking directly at me.
"Erwaermen, aren't you confusing my magic power with Ferdinand's right now?"
"Because you are currently filled with Mestionora's power."
...It seemed I had been dyed over.
I looked down at my own arms, but I couldn't see my own magic power, so I had no idea what state they were in.
"It is somewhat ruined by your manner of speaking, but the lingering traces of a divine goddess are strongly felt from you. I wish you would be quiet for a while."
Gervasio looked at me with an affectionate gaze. He was looking at me, but his eyes seemed to see someone who wasn't me.
"Time is precious. Let's begin. The gods will determine where each of you goes."
Erwaermen raised a finger with a snap and released a thin stream of magic power. Light in three colors—red, gold, and green—poured down from above. Red descended upon my head, green upon Ferdinand's, and gold upon Gervasio's. It was decided that I would head for the
"Now, go. Construct a teleportation circle with your own hands and head for the Border Gate."
"The Grutrissheit!"
All three of us took out the Book of Mestionora simultaneously to construct a teleportation circle. While the other two immediately began drawing their teleportation circles in the air, I had to start by searching for one. With a slightly frustrated feeling, I searched for the teleportation circle leading to the
I may have appeared to be one step behind. However, I had a secret weapon. I pulled magic paper from my leather pouch and grinned.
"Copy and paste!"
The teleportation circle was completed in an instant. Everyone except Ferdinand—who kept working while making a sour face and saying "What a waste of magic paper"—cried out in surprise, "What is that?"
Chuckling to myself, I dispelled the Book of Mestionora and held my staff over the teleportation circle.
"Käshüssel, Klassenberg."