One month had passed since my conversation with the Man God.
Killing
Orsted was the strongest being in the world.
That meant, naturally, he was overwhelmingly stronger than the likes of
If I couldn't even beat them, how was I supposed to take down Orsted?
So, I drew up three plans of action.
Three.
Everything starts with three.
Even piglets come in threes. Even paper charms come in threes.
1. Craft the Magic Armor 2. Find allies 3. Devise a way to fight First up was number one.
The crafting of the **Magic Armor**.
If what was written in the diary was true, then making this would grant me superhuman physical abilities.
My future self had also grown considerably stronger after obtaining one, so it was something I needed.
First, I purchased a small cottage on the outskirts of the magic city of Shariah.
I had originally planned to build it in the aerial fortress — the floating citadel — but Perugius had not given his permission.
As for what Perugius said at the time, I'll get to that later.
I enlisted the help of
Without needing a detailed explanation, both of them answered my request.
For Cliff, I asked him to develop a system based on "Zariff's Prosthetic Arm."
For Zanoba, I put him in charge of the overall design and the engineering of the propulsion mechanism.
When the two heard the outline of this weapon called the "Magic Armor," their eyes lit up and they immediately grasped the concept.
Powered suits and the like probably don't exist in this world… but boys having a fascination with things like this must be the same in any world.
After that, I also asked
I decided to have Roxy serve as the overall supervisor.
Ideally I would have handled that role myself, but crafting the high-hardness rock needed for the Magic Armor's armor plating — and processing it — was something only I could do.
That took both time and mana.
I had no leisure to work on anything else.
Sylphie could use earth magic without incantations.
Plus, she had been researching teleportation magic, so she was well-versed in magic circles as well.
Say what you would about her, she was high-spec.
Since she could do anything, she ended up in a position like Roxy's assistant, supporting wherever help was needed.
When I asked her, Sylphie smiled happily and said, "Leave it to me!"
I felt like it had been a long time since I'd seen her look so happy.
Maybe I'd been making her hold back a lot lately.
I felt bad about that.
Now, while doing all of the above, came number two.
Finding allies.
I had initially considered fighting alone, but I was powerless.
Unlike the
But I couldn't find allies at the right power level.
Badigadi was nowhere to be found, and Ruijerd was gone too.
Perugius, naturally, turned me down.
Perugius had said this: "In this world, there are three beings one must never fight.
The Technique God, the Fighting God, and the Dragon God.
The Dragon God Orsted is the strongest among those three, and the most merciless.
Your resolve to protect your family is commendable, and there are things I'd like to hear about the Man God as well… but I will not involve myself.
Until Laplace's resurrection, I have no desire to die."
I had hoped to somehow recruit him, but it was no use.
I should probably just be grateful that he didn't actively interfere with me.
Apart from Perugius, I couldn't find anyone who seemed capable of standing up to Orsted.
I could have brought Zanoba along, but…
Atofe had been able to deal physical damage to Zanoba, who was the Chosen One of the Dragon God.
I couldn't imagine Orsted being unable to do the same.
I didn't want Zanoba to die.
He was my friend.
Of course, I didn't want Cliff or
Thinking about it, there was no one who would fight alongside me.
Suddenly,
When would she be coming here?
According to the diary, she was at least my equal in power while I wore the Magic Armor.
Would she fight with me against Orsted…?
No — before we could even discuss fighting together, there was the matter of settling things from the past.
If she arrived during my preparations and we managed to talk things through without it getting messy, maybe I could ask her then. But asking for her help felt like too much to ask.
I'd set aside the second point for now and move on to the third.
Devise a way to fight.
A battle simulation.
Fight alone.
Kill the opponent for certain.
When I thought about it that way, there were numerous strategies available.
If there were no allies around and I kept my distance from the enemy, I could use wide-range attack magic.
A large area of effect meant it was harder to evade.
I thought a focused, lightning-speed strike dealing concentrated damage would be the best option, but Orsted would probably dodge that.
In that case, a long-range, wide-area bombardment to accumulate damage seemed like the superior approach.
If I stayed at a distance beyond his line of sight, he wouldn't be able to use Disturb Magic on me.
Or, if I attacked at a moment when Orsted let his guard down, I might be able to break through his defenses.
For that, setting traps might work well.
Lure him to an empty location, leave something he might pick up, and — boom — the moment he touches it.
Then I would fire magic from long range aimed at the explosion.
Alright, that would be the general flow for now.
The problem was how to lure him to the trap location…
Take
Either could work.
Of course, long range alone probably wouldn't be enough to finish him off.
It might, surprisingly, but I should assume it wouldn't be.
And then — close combat while wearing the Magic Armor.
This was uncharted territory.
Whether my perception could keep up with high-speed combat…
I wouldn't know until I actually moved the Magic Armor.
Thinking about all this reminded me of the early days after I'd arrived in this world.
The period when I had been scheming all sorts of things to beat
I had once wanted to beat Paul at his prime, but in the end, it never happened.
Still, the combat methods I had conceived back then should have taken root inside me.
I just needed to do something similar to those.
A three-dimensional combat style combining magic and martial arts.
No matter how powerful the opponent became, the fundamentals didn't change.
Stay where they couldn't touch me, and attack unilaterally.
Never give the opponent room to breathe, always force them to react to my choices.
That was the optimal way to fight.
But Orsted had Disturb Magic and Dragon Gate too.
He surely had other cards to play as well.
Engaging in a magic battle might put me at a disadvantage.
Traps, ambushes — what else did I need to beat him?
I'd have to think this through carefully.
Of three ideas, only two would be put into action.
Honestly, I was aware of my own impatience.
My perspective had probably narrowed as well.
I knew I should think about and test more things.
Ideally, I'd spend about ten years using every possible method to corner Orsted — that would be the best approach.
But if I took that long and the Man God's attitude changed midway, and before I knew it someone was dead, the regret would be unbearable.
--- That was what I had been doing when it happened again.
The Man God appeared in my dream.
--- A white place.
I stood at the center of the world of nothingness.
"Well, it's going more smoothly than expected, huh?"
Yeah.
Just as you said, I'm going to fight Orsted.
"Just fighting isn't enough. You have to actually kill him."
He was in high spirits.
Was it really that amusing to see me dancing in the palm of his hand?
"Not knowing what will happen is exciting, you know?"
Is that so.
But anyway, if you keep showing up at convenient timing like this — wasn't what you said before about needing matching wavelengths to appear just a lie?
"Well, yeah, it was a lie."
The guy didn't even feel bad about it.
So did that mean the part about only being able to contact certain people was also a lie?
"Yeah, it was. But doesn't it make you feel like the chosen one? Special, right?"
Tch…
Well, whatever.
In a little while, I'd tell Sylphie and Roxy that I was going to fight Orsted.
If I lost and died, my descendants would surely hate Orsted as their parents' killer.
So…
"That degree of resolve won't shake fate.
If you don't properly kill him, I will erase your children.
No matter how many years it takes."
Erase — that was a terrifying way to put it…
Well, whatever.
In any case, the Magic Armor still needed time to complete.
Since it was theoretically a brand-new field, Cliff was still struggling with some parts.
I was pushing things forward at full speed, but… yeah, it should still take another half a year.
"Cliff should be able to set up a magic circle that increases the hardness of the rock itself.
You should only handle the outer shell parts that need physical hardness and the joints.
Also, for the magic circles on the torso section, you'd be better off applying the Arestal method instead of the Vindo method.
That should solve the parts he's stuck on.
Oh, and tell Zanoba you'd like it a little bigger.
The fuel efficiency will be worse, but it'll let you layer another magic circle underneath.
If you embed a repair magic circle within that secondary circle, it should keep functioning even if most of it gets destroyed."
Huh?
You're knowledgeable about this kind of field?
"I'm the Man God, after all. I know about the Fighting God Armor, so I can give advice."
Come to think of it, apparently in this world you're called "Jinshin." What's that about?
Is Hitogami just a fake name?
"Jinshin is just kind of a nickname.
Man God Hitogami. That's my name.
It seems like the 'Hitogami' version spread at some point, though."
You sound so untrustworthy.
Well, names didn't matter right now.
More importantly — could I actually win?
With the Magic Armor, the traps, and the ambush strategy?
"Well, let's see… Your mana is on par with Laplace's. If you're serious, you could probably get pretty far."
That was awfully vague.
Couldn't you tell me a method that would actually work, like you usually do?
"Then you should use magic tools.
There should be tons of magic tools in Shariah that fire spells when you channel mana into them.
The ones available to the general public have low mana consumption, but you can increase the mana intake as much as you want.
Just like with the 'Zariff's Prosthetic Arm' you made.
Magic tools that can only be used with your mana, firing high-output spells.
If you prepare several of those, it would counter Disturb Magic and increase your options."
O-oh.
You were being unusually specific with your advice this time.
"That's because you've become more motivated than even you realize.
I won't hold back on my cooperation either.
I genuinely want Orsted dead."
…Something felt off about this.
The way to build the Magic Armor you told me earlier — it wouldn't explode if I actually followed it, would it?
"…Whose life are you staking that statement on?
Tch…
So, can I win? Me?
"I can't see Orsted's future.
Naturally, I can't see the outcome of your battle with him either. So I don't know."
I see.
But not being able to see it also meant he couldn't see a future where I lost.
"That's right."
By the way, if you can't see Orsted's future, how do you know that my descendant will team up with him?
"Even if I can't see Orsted's future, I can see my own.
I can see Orsted surrounding me alongside your descendants and some man I've never met."
You can see what you yourself see, huh.
What happens after that?
Do you get beaten up?
"Resistance is futile. I'm slaughtered."
Also, why exactly is Orsted after you?
You must have done something terrible enough to warrant being killed.
"Hmm, who knows? I have absolutely no memory of anything I did to him personally."
Won't you tell me?
Or did you really have no clue?
Well, whatever.
Your words are full of lies — I can't trust anything you say.
"That's harsh. But let me tell you, the only lie that worked against you was the basement incident."
All your advice before that was just to get me to comply with the basement thing, wasn't it?
"Yeah, that's right. But if you hadn't had a child with Roxy, I wouldn't have needed to lie at all."
Then why didn't you just tell me directly not to have a child with Roxy?!
Why did you have to be so roundabout about it?!
"Because it was going to happen no matter what. You were going to have a child with Roxy no matter what I said. That's just how it was. Even when I tried to correct it… over and over, correcting it, it still led to that future."
Just how it was…
No… sorry for yelling.
In the end, I did marry Roxy and have a child.
Looking back, I could see how some of my own actions had been strange.
That was fate, I supposed.
If I didn't like that fate— Then I would do it, Hitogami.
I'd follow your instructions and kill Orsted.
But before that, I wanted to say one more thing.
"What is it?"
After I kill Orsted, leave me alone. Don't ever bother me again.
Don't lay a hand on my family either.
Promise me that.
"You don't actually think I keep my promises, do you?"
I don't.
I don't, but… or was even the part about killing Orsted a lie?
I was starting to think maybe I should side with Orsted against you instead.
"Go ahead and try.
I certainly can't kill you, and I can't kill Orsted.
But you'd better be prepared.
You'll learn what it truly means to have me as your enemy."
That could be a bluff, too.
Maybe all you could really do was talk.
Getting me to do things for you had been an awfully roundabout process…
And this threatening — maybe it was because you were actually scared of having me as an enemy?
"That's because your fate is too strong, and I was trying to pluck the bud early by using it…
Sigh… whatever.
You won't believe me no matter what I say anyway.
Just make sure you underestimate my power and be overconfident.
Goodbye. Make sure to regret it."
Ah… no, wait. Sorry.
Forget what I just said. Hold on.
I just wanted a guarantee.
You say you'll kill my family if I lose to Orsted.
But conversely, even if I kill Orsted, you could change and kill my family, couldn't you?
In that kind of situation, defeating Orsted would be a motivational problem, wouldn't it?
"…Fine.
Alright. I promise.
In the name of the Man God, let me keep this promise.
If you defeat Orsted, my concerns will be gone.
I'll have no need to involve myself with you.
I will not lift a finger, a foot, or a word toward you, your wife, your parents, your sisters, your descendants, or even your pets."
Really.
You'd better keep that promise.
"If you like, when your family is in trouble, I can at least lend my voice."
…I don't need any more advice.
"Very well. Good luck, then."
As his words echoed, my consciousness faded.
--- Another month passed from that dream.
The crafting of the Magic Armor was progressing smoothly.
Following the Man God's instructions, I had the Magic Armor made slightly larger than originally planned.
About three meters tall.
Roughly half the size of an Overlord.
The Magic Armor described in the diary was only large enough to cover my entire body, but this one would be bigger.
Making it larger had revealed several things.
Technically, going bigger was easier, and it improved durability as well.
The advice to make it bigger had been perfectly sound.
When I relayed the Man God's words to Cliff, he threw himself into the work with an expression like scales falling from his eyes, solving the bottlenecks that had been holding him back with ease.
I had thought it would take half a year, but it looked like it would be done sooner than expected.
The plan was about another month or so.
To think it would be completed in just three months…
If it weren't for this situation, I would have sincerely thanked the Man God.
How ironic.
The Magic Armor that my future self had built to defeat the Man God…
Was being created with the Man God's advice.
Thinking about it that way, I couldn't help suspecting there was some hidden agenda.
But the ones building it were Zanoba and Cliff.
I trusted the two of them.
--- I also looked into the magic tools.
Roxy helped me with this.
The magic tools the Man God had mentioned were easy to find.
They were wand-shaped magic tools.
You activated them with the word "Shoot" and they fired a basic spell.
They were common magic tools with unimpressive power.
But occasionally, thieves who wanted long-range attack capability would carry them.
In summary, the Man God's advice was that if I modified these tools to withstand my mana, I could fire rock projectiles like the ones I normally used.
Then I had a thought.
What if, beyond adjusting the output, I made it so mana flowed continuously for rapid fire, and bundled ten of them together?
Wouldn't that let me unleash a gatling-gun-like barrage using my usual rock projectiles?
When I explained this, Roxy nodded expressionlessly.
"Rudy's magic is powerful, but he can only fire one shot at a time. It's a good idea. I know a mage who's also a magic tool crafter. Let me reach out to her."
Roxy connected me with a mage she said she had recently met.
She was a long-eared woman — not common around here.
Long-eared folk all had fine features, but this woman's nails were pitch-black, and her face was covered in soot.
A true worker.
She listened to my proposal, was surprised by the idea, and then warned me: "But if I build it exactly to your specs, the mana consumption per shot will be enormous. The magic tool could drain you dry and kill you, you know?"
Kill me.
Was this the Man God's goal?
But with rock projectiles, I could fire tens of thousands — even twenty thousand — in a day…
…Well, whatever.
The time I'd run out of mana would be the time I died.
This time, I had to use mana like water, fighting to the absolute limit, or I wouldn't win.
"No problem. Please go ahead."
The long-eared craftswoman gave a weary shake of her head and agreed.
That settled it — I had a weapon for close combat.
Here's hoping it would work.
On the way back, I had a brief conversation with Roxy.
"I don't know what you're fighting, Rudy, but do you really need something like that to beat your opponent?"
"Even without it, of course I could win."
I said that to reassure Roxy.
But Roxy looked at me with a deadpan gaze and pursed her lips.
"The old Rudy never told lies and was a good boy, but lately it's nothing but lies and secrets."
That stung.
Well, I suppose I had been fairly secretive for a long time now.
"Sorry…"
"No, it's fine. I'm keeping a secret of my own, after all.
But Rudy — I've been properly consulting the people around me about that matter.
It doesn't have to be me, Rudy, but you are consulting someone, aren't you?
You're not keeping everything bottled up alone?"
"I'm fine."
I could guess what Roxy's secret was.
She hadn't been doing anything sexual lately.
Partly because I hadn't asked, but she also seemed to be deliberately avoiding that direction in conversation.
She didn't seem to be experiencing morning sickness yet, but her tastes had changed, so she was probably pregnant after all.
When would she announce it?
Probably once she reached the stable period.
Or maybe she planned to keep quiet until my situation was resolved.
Either way, I hoped she'd tell me before I fought Orsted.
I wanted to celebrate properly when she did.
After all, this might be my last chance.
--- The next day, I visited Nanahoshi.
I had thought entry to the aerial fortress was prohibited, but I was let in surprisingly easily.
Was Perugius generous about things like this despite being terrified of Orsted?
"I was sure entry was forbidden."
"Lord Perugius is extraordinarily merciful toward those who are walking to their deaths. A final farewell to Lady Nanahoshi would naturally be permitted."
When I asked, Silvaria answered that simply.
Apparently, they already believed I was going to lose and die.
Being allowed in this time was meant as a parting gift.
Well… fine.
I'd accept the goodwill.
Nanahoshi looked much better.
She had apparently brought some personal belongings from the Magic University's research lab, and her room was a bit livelier.
The Ruijerd figurine by the window must have been a gift from Zanoba.
The crucifix was probably from Cliff.
Having a god you could turn to in times of need was, after all, a good thing.
Before coming to this world, I hadn't believed in gods either, but now I felt differently.
"So, I've more or less completed my preparations, and I'd like to discuss ways of luring him in."
"…I understand. But you should know — Orsted is incredibly strong."
"Yes."
"He's ruthless too. I don't know what criteria he uses to pick his targets, but when he decides to kill someone, he doesn't hesitate."
"…"
"I was with him for several years, and I never once saw him struggle in a fight. Even a massive dragon was taken out in one blow…"
"Could you stop? Don't scare me like that."
"Sorry… but have you reconsidered? Killing Orsted…"
"That's why…"
"Ah, sorry. I know."
I was starting to feel uneasy.
Could I really win this?
"At any rate, I wouldn't recommend a head-on fight."
"Agreed. No matter how much my physical abilities have improved, I don't feel confident I can win."
"I think the best approach would be to lure him somewhere and attack with magic while hiding yourself."
"Hmm… Is there anything else?"
"Well… — In my old world, what kind of manga were there about fighting powerful enemies?"
"I don't think referencing manga would lead to any good conclusions…"
……
…
After that, I consulted with Nanahoshi for a while and came up with several strategies.
They were all, I had to admit, petty tricks.
I doubted these small-time tactics would work against Orsted…
But no — even petty tricks, stacked together, became a coordinated strategy.
There was no way they would have absolutely zero effect.
"Then… just, do your best."
"Yeah."
"If you don't come back, I probably won't be able to leave either."
After speaking with Nanahoshi, I had my methods for luring Orsted ready.
--- I also requested cooperation from Ariel.
When she heard about poison that couldn't be cured by magic, she didn't look happy.
But she still introduced me to a shady group she had connections with.
The group was like an upgraded bandit outfit — "mafia" or "gang" would probably be more accurate.
They dealt in narcotics and contraband, and they apparently also made assassination-grade poisons.
The address led me to a basement beneath an abandoned building in Shariah, a room filled with sweet-smelling smoke.
The contact waiting for me was a one-eyed man.
"How do, Rudeus-san. Nice to meet ya."
He apparently already knew who I was, and grinned with a vulgar expression.
"What kind of goods are you after today?
Something that slowly and painfully kills 'em? Or a quick-acting one?
Numb the legs so they can't move? Make the tongue tingle for mages?
There's even one that makes women slobbering wet. If things are getting stale in the bedroom, might be worth a try."
From lethal poisons to paralytic agents to aphrodisiacs — apparently they carried everything.
Convenient.
"Everything."
"Everything, huh… Well, I ain't complaining, but that'll cost ya."
"That's fine."
"Heh heh heh. Someone you really wanna wipe out, huh… What about the bedroom-stuff one? You need it?"
"That's—"
A thought suddenly flashed through my mind: what if Orsted was immune to poison?
Everyone would think to use poison that detoxification magic couldn't cure.
Orsted possessed something called the Curse of Abhorrence, and he was probably prepared for assassination by poison.
He might also have some kind of poison resistance or an all-purpose antidote.
"I'll take that too."
"Heh heh heh. You wanna see that composed wife of yours go all melty in the sack?"
"My wife is actually a sweetheart in bed."
"Heh, the silent Fitz, eh… Can't even imagine."
An aphrodisiac might work.
Or it might not, but there was still hope.
Anything that could disrupt his physical condition was worth trying.
With that in mind, I procured the drugs.
--- While making these moves, I also scouted out a location for the final showdown with Orsted.
If I was fighting alone, it had to be somewhere far from town.
Far from town, no people around, and a place where I could set traps.
I put out requests to the Adventurers' Guild for information on such locations.
The moment I had intel, I went to see them in person.
I also had Elinalise introduce me to an adventurer who lectured me on trap-making.
The adventurer turned out to be a former assassin who knew countless traps for ensnaring people.
Psychological traps — ones that exploited expectations and assumptions.
I tested a few of them myself, and even though I was on guard, I still got caught.
I doubted Orsted would fall for any of them, but still — better than nothing.
Elinalise also gave me a lecture on close-combat fighting techniques.
She was good at party-based combat, but not particularly skilled at one-on-one duels.
Still, she'd been alive for a long time and wasn't lacking in experience.
She had fought opponents above her level many times.
Despite not being exceptionally gifted in physical ability, she had survived.
In times like these, I wished Badigadi or Ruijerd were here, but there was no point relying on people who weren't available.
Perugius wouldn't help either.
In parallel, I also planned out the movements for when I was wearing the Magic Armor.
The Magic Armor would be loaded with magic tools, firing rock projectiles to maintain a barrage while fighting.
It would be a running battle — retreating while firing.
Lay down a barrage, bog him down with a quagmire or thick fog, and then slam him with a heavy hit when he left an opening.
It was all coming together.
--- Finally.
I unsealed the basement and said a prayer for victory before the household shrine.
Two months had passed since I killed the mouse.
If I believed my future self's words, that should have been enough time for the mana-stone disease bacteria or virus to have died off.
But I banned Roxy from entering and enforced thorough hand-washing and mouth-rinsing for anyone who did go in.
It was probably just for peace of mind.
While I was at it, I looked through the basement for anything useful as a countermeasure against Orsted.
The **mana-imbued items** down there were nothing but junk.
That junk had supposedly once been frozen solid by the Frost Nova's effects, yet it had all functioned without issue.
A hat that poured water from inside the moment you took it off after putting it on.
A helmet whose forehead gem lit up like a flashlight when worn.
A small box that billowed with smoke when opened.
A dagger whose blade went limp like rubber the moment you tried to stab someone with it.
Boots that stank to high heaven with every step.
Etc., etc.
I had thrown them all into storage, but I had no idea what any of them were good for.
Something like the smoke box might work as a smoke screen, I supposed.
It would be nice if I could somehow get Orsted to equip some of this gear, but that was probably impossible.
After all, if he just took it off, it would be pointless.
Still, they might come in handy for something, so I'd take a few along.
As I was leaving the basement, I stopped before the shrine once more and said another prayer for victory.
It was an important matter, so twice was warranted.
--- Preparations were steadily falling into place.
But in the bottom of my heart, a single thread of unease refused to go away.
Was this really going to be enough?