Recap: Zanoba has received a return order from his homeland.
Ranoa Magic University, Research Building.
Zanoba's research room.
Six men and women were gathered around a table.
Cliff, Zanoba, and I were seated, while Elinalise, Ginger, and Julie stood around us.
Since Elinalise was holding a child, that made seven.
Zanoba wore a grim expression the entire time, and Cliff was visibly irritated.
Ginger looked distressed, and Julie looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
Even Elinalise wore a look that said she had no idea what to say.
The atmosphere was heavy and unpleasant.
"Zanoba, calm down first. Can you explain it all from the beginning one more time?"
"…Very well."
Zanoba was expressionless.
He'd always flashed a smile whenever he saw me, so seeing him like this felt deeply unsettling.
It was as if he were a completely different person.
"This morning, a soldier from the Sharia Kingdom delivered a letter to me."
That letter had been handed over earlier.
It was now in my possession.
I unfolded it and read it again.
An envelope bearing Pax's signature and the seal of the Sharia Kingdom.
Inside were three sheets of paper.
The first detailed the coup d'état that had taken place in the Sharia Kingdom about half a year ago.
The seventh prince, Pax, who had been studying abroad in the Dragon Kingdom, returned with the Dragon Kingdom's backing.
He staged a coup, killed the previous king.
Wiped out the rest of the royal family.
Crowned himself king of the Sharia Kingdom.
All of this was written at length in a tone that praised Pax.
The second sheet covered events after the coup.
After the coup dismissed most of the kingdom's ministers and generals, people began fleeing the country in droves.
With the declining population, the Sharia Kingdom's overall military strength plummeted.
Sensing this weakness, the northern nation showed signs of imminent invasion.
They lacked sufficient military power for national defense.
So a proposal was put forth: recall Zanoba, the God Child, to serve on the front lines.
That was the gist of it.
It was written in a self-justifying tone, arguing that this was a necessary consequence of regime change and that Pax wasn't at fault.
The third sheet was the formal letter recalling Zanoba.
A revocation of the previous king's orders and a summoning to the homeland.
It bore the Sharia King's official seal—a legitimate document.
In short, these three sheets were:
Pax's "heroic tale,"
His "excuse,"
And a "draft notice."
He'd staged a coup and lost military strength.
An enemy was coming, so he needed more troops.
The excuse stunk, but the logic held.
Whether Zanoba would actually be useful as a combat asset was debatable, but he was famous within the kingdom, and simply recalling him would likely boost the troops' morale.
If the Dragon Kingdom was backing them, they could have just asked the Dragon Kingdom to handle national defense, but perhaps there were complications.
No nation was truly unified, after all.
If Pax said it couldn't be done, then maybe it couldn't.
But there was the matter of the past.
Eight years ago, Zanoba had saved me and crushed Pax's scheme.
As a result, Pax was exiled to the Dragon Kingdom, and Zanoba to the Ranoa Kingdom, both under the guise of studying abroad.
If Pax still held a grudge about that, Zanoba wouldn't get off easy.
This recall could be a trap designed to get revenge on Zanoba.
Well, that was one thing.
The real problem came next.
The problem was Zanoba's choice.
"So, what are you going to do after seeing all this?"
"I will return to the Sharia Kingdom as ordered and join the front lines."
There it was.
Cliff and Ginger were both opposed to this.
If Zanoba wanted to avenge the previous king, fine—that made sense.
If he wanted to refuse the order and go on the run, that would make sense too.
But Zanoba was doing neither.
Knowing full well it was a trap, he intended to simply obey.
Pax.
The usurper.
"There's no need to go."
That was Cliff.
Cliff strongly believed this was a trap.
In his mind, it was already a certainty.
"I'd bet money this is a trap to kill you."
"Hmm."
"Normally, when someone stages a coup, they'd wipe out the entire royal family—to eliminate future threats."
Cliff himself was here because of a power struggle within the Millis Holy Church.
If his grandfather had lost that struggle, Cliff's own life would have been in danger.
The enemy's family should be slaughtered.
That was the natural order, as far as he was concerned.
"But even setting that aside—if an enemy really were invading, what could you accomplish by going there alone?"
"I could accomplish something. I am, after all, a God Child."
"But even so!"
Cliff slammed his fist on the table, his expression strained.
He was deflecting.
"Even if you drove back the enemy, what would Pax do next!?"
Cliff knew the full story of how Pax had been exiled.
I'd told him about how Zanoba and I first met, sometime or other.
So he knew what kind of person Pax was.
He might be biased, but I understood exactly why he was opposed.
"He might not let you live once you've outlived your usefulness!"
That's why he said things like that.
And honestly, I agreed.
Say an enemy really did invade and a war truly broke out.
Say Pax genuinely needed Zanoba's power.
And Zanoba went to the Sharia Kingdom and solved everything with his God Child abilities.
Then what?
Zanoba was royalty—the third prince. What did that make him in Pax's eyes?
If Zanoba defeated the enemy, his reputation would soar.
He might be hailed as the hero who saved the kingdom.
He might earn tremendous popularity among the soldiers he'd rescued from peril.
And this was a man who shared the same royal bloodline as Pax.
What would Pax think?
Would he see Zanoba as a nuisance?
Would he perceive Zanoba as a threat to his own position?
And once Pax thought that, what would he do?
No need to even think about it.
"Zanoba, I think so too."
"…The probability is quite high."
When I agreed with Cliff, Zanoba nodded with a serious expression.
So he understood that Pax likely harbored resentment, and that he could very well be killed.
"But I must go."
And yet, Zanoba said he'd go.
This made no sense. I couldn't understand it.
"…Why?"
"Because it is an official return order."
His answer was immediate.
Sure enough, the letter bore the king's seal.
Revocation of the previous king's orders—stop your studies abroad immediately and return.
That was what it said.
"But it came from Pax, right? The king has changed. You don't have to obey, do you?"
"Master. If people could simply ignore orders because the king changed, the kingdom would fall apart."
"Still, he didn't become king through any legitimate process… He's a usurper, isn't he?"
"Regardless of the circumstances, Pax is the king right now. That is an undeniable fact."
Was that how it worked?
Well, even in my previous world, there were plenty of kingdoms like that…
How did the subjects in those kingdoms behave?
Would they willingly serve under a king who'd seized power by force…
"Zanoba, do you want to serve under Pax?"
"That's not what this is about."
Zanoba slowly shook his head.
We were going in circles.
No matter what I said, it wasn't getting through to him.
That thought only made me more anxious.
"Then why?"
My tone came out sharper than intended.
"You know you'll be killed. You don't intend to obey. So there's no reason to go. Why are you so insistent on this?"
Or maybe he feared retaliation?
If Zanoba refused the order, the Sharia Kingdom might retaliate.
But this was the Ranoa Kingdom. Even at top speed, it would take six months for the Sharia to reach them.
Actually, I could ask Ariel for help and arrange for political asylum in the Asura Kingdom—something like "a coup happened in Sharia and I'm in danger, so I want asylum." Though I wasn't sure if that reason alone would be enough.
"The reason?" Zanoba smiled at my question.
It wasn't his usual heartfelt, joyous grin.
It was a smile forced into place.
"Listen, Master. I was always a troublemaker for the Sharia Kingdom."
"That's not true—you're a God Child."
"Yes. But I'm the kind of God Child who might accidentally kill a royal if he misjudges his strength."
Those words jogged my memory. I recalled Zanoba's epithet from his days in the Sharia Kingdom.
The Head-Taking Prince.
The mad prince who had torn off the head of the newborn child of the queen consort—his own little brother.
It went without saying that killing a family member without just cause was unforgivable, even for royalty.
And yet, Zanoba had been virtually unpunished for the incident.
Even though his mother was exiled.
"The reason I was pardoned was because I was a God Child. They thought I might prove useful someday."
Cliff stared at me with a shocked expression.
He hadn't known that story, apparently.
"Then there was also the matter of tearing off my wife's head and triggering a civil war."
Zanoba had been married once. A political marriage between royals.
On their wedding night, he'd twisted his bride's head off.
And that had sparked a civil war.
"That woman said unforgivable things, and I have no intention of forgiving her. But having caused a war, I could have been executed."
Zanoba looked at me as he said this.
"But I wasn't executed."
He let out a sigh.
Then, in a tone that suggested he was asking something obvious, he continued.
"Master. Why do you think I was allowed to live?"
"…"
I couldn't answer.
Zanoba went on.
"After that, I met you, Master, and after causing yet more trouble, I was finally exiled abroad.
I could have been executed, but exile was deemed sufficient.
And despite being exiled, I've continued receiving substantial living funds from the homeland ever since I came here to Sharia.
Why do you think that is?"
I understood what Zanoba was getting at.
I understood why he'd been allowed to live.
"So that I could protect the country when the time came."
Zanoba's tone was firm, and I couldn't say anything.
Even Cliff sat wide-eyed, frozen in place.
Only Ginger seemed to understand, and she wore a pained expression.
"Waging war against foreign nations is my duty.
I was kept alive for that purpose, and permitted to act as I pleased for that purpose.
That is why I must go.
If we wait until the enemy has already invaded, it will be too late.
No—it's possible they've already invaded.
I must head there immediately, as quickly as possible."
It was a sound argument.
Repaying the debt of having been raised, repaying the debt of having been spared.
Returning what you'd been given—that was only natural.
Truth be told, he probably would've wanted to return the moment Pax staged the coup.
But that was in the past.
If he started a civil war here and further weakened the kingdom, the Sharia Kingdom might truly collapse.
So he would obey Pax.
To protect the Sharia Kingdom.
I understood.
But still, Zanoba.
This wasn't like you.
You were supposed to be more willful, more free.
Irresponsible—the kind of guy who'd say, "That has nothing to do with me! Now, please, look at this doll! Especially this waistline!"
…I couldn't say it.
It wouldn't be right.
I wanted Zanoba to say, "I don't care about any of that." I truly did.
But it wouldn't be right.
"…You'll be killed, you know."
That was all I could squeeze out.
Zanoba answered.
"If the kingdom must die, then I must die with it."
Resolute. Dignified.
If you asked old samurai or soldiers from the old Japanese military, they'd probably give you the same answer.
But I had to stop him.
I didn't want Zanoba to die.
But I couldn't openly oppose him.
Was it because he was looking at me with those unwavering eyes?
Or because I'd changed?
The words wouldn't come.
I didn't know what to say.
"Master, Cliff—please don't make such faces."
Zanoba flashed a grin—one you might call cheerful.
His usual smile.
"Back when I was in Sharia, I never once thought about duty.
But then I met you, Master. I met Cliff. I met Lady Nanahoshi.
Living here, I came to think about many things.
About what it is that I must do…"
So the conclusion he'd arrived at was "protect the kingdom"?
Living with us had led him to that conclusion?
Why would that lead to protecting a kingdom?
I didn't understand.
"Well, even if I say all that with such conviction, I don't really understand why I arrived at that conclusion myself! Ha ha ha!"
Zanoba laughed, but I couldn't.
I had no intention of picking apart his conclusion.
Whether it was right or wrong, we wouldn't know until the results came in.
A choice should be respected.
But there was one thing I could say for certain.
If Zanoba died because of this choice… that would be bad for me.
Zanoba was my dear friend.
Looking back, he'd always been the one helping me.
He'd saved me back in Sharia.
If I hadn't met him when I came to this school, I wouldn't have as many friends as I do now.
My connection with Linia and Plutena had started because of Zanoba's doll.
Without Zanoba, I might not have become as close with Cliff either.
When we went to the Demon Continent together, he'd subdued Atofe with his bare hands.
The magic armor wouldn't have been completed without him.
Looking back, he'd helped me at every turn.
And working on dolls with Zanoba had been fun, no matter how you sliced it.
I'd enjoyed it.
He'd always praised me, praised everything I did.
How could I not feel comfortable around someone like that?
As a person, it might be questionable, but I had undeniably felt at ease.
And on top of that, in the diary from the future, he'd watched over me until the very end.
I couldn't let someone like that die.
Rudeus Greyrat could not let Zanoba Sharia perish.
…Wait.
Hold on.
The diary from the future?
Something clicked in my mind.
"Zanoba."
"Yes, Master?"
The next words came out naturally.
"I'm going too."
The expression on Zanoba's face when I said that—half joy, half worry—left a lasting impression.
---
After cutting the meeting short, I headed to Orsted.
As I walked, I turned this situation over in my mind.
First, Zanoba's recall to the homeland.
According to the diary, this event hadn't happened.
Zanoba had stayed in Sharia the entire time.
Or rather—I wasn't sure, but the diary described him as having stayed by my side the whole time.
In the diary's future, this return order had never come.
Had Pax failed his coup?
Or perhaps he'd never even attempted one.
In any case, something different had happened this time compared to the diary.
Which meant… the Human God was very likely behind this.
Come to think of it, over the past year and a half, all three of the Human God's apostles had never appeared simultaneously.
If the last one was Pax, secretly pulling strings behind the scenes, that would tie everything together.
Orsted had told me to "wait for the right time," and perhaps now was that time.
Yes. That had to be it.
I'd been accumulating strength for this very moment.
To save Zanoba.
"Lord Orsted!"
Orsted was at his desk as always, writing away at an expensive piece of furniture.
"Rudeus. What is it?"
I explained the situation to Orsted, who wore his usual intimidating expression.
About the conscription order that had reached Zanoba.
But according to the diary, Zanoba had never been recalled.
"This is the Human God's doing, isn't it?"
"…"
I'd said it with considerable confidence, but Orsted glared at me with a fearsome expression.
Huh?
That was strange.
Had I said something wrong?
"In the history I know, the Sharia Kingdom is destroyed approximately thirty years from now by Pax Sharia's coup d'état."
Orsted answered me with a terrifying look on his face.
Well, not exactly terrifying—but certainly stern.
"…Thirty years from now?"
"That's right."
Orsted told me about the original timeline.
The original timeline—that is, the history in which the Teleportation Incident never occurred and I'd never gotten involved with the Sharia Kingdom.
In that timeline, Pax used the country's slave markets to accumulate funds and recruits, took hostages to defeat enemies, and grew his power.
Then he finally staged his coup.
The coup succeeded, and Pax became king.
But after that, Pax burned out.
Having become king and gained total freedom, Pax began to question the monarchy.
He proposed abolishing the monarchy and establishing a republic.
The birth of the Sharia Republic.
The Sharia Republic went on to become a major power.
It grew enough to claim roughly half of the current conflict zone.
And as the world's fourth most powerful nation, the Sharia Republic gave rise to an entity that the Human God found inconvenient.
"The Human God hated that, and I assumed he'd sent you to the Sharia Kingdom to keep Pax away from the throne…"
But that changed because I'd gone to the Sharia Kingdom on the Human God's advice.
Both of them were exiled, and the possibility of Pax becoming king was eliminated.
The Sharia Republic was never born.
"If Pax becomes king, the republic will be born."
Orsted wore a troubled expression.
In other words, the Human God's machinations and the actual outcome were at odds.
"This time he had the Dragon Kingdom backing him, though. Wouldn't Pax refrain from proposing a republic?"
"No. It wouldn't change. I tried something similar once before, and Pax still proposed a republic."
Regardless of the circumstances, if Pax became king, he would eventually propose a republic, and the Sharia Kingdom would become a republic.
Just like with Ariel.
In the end, it was fate.
Once someone became king, what followed was virtually predetermined.
"Huh? Then what about the future in the diary?"
"Presumably, Pax never staged the coup. As the Human God originally intended, the Sharia Kingdom would have remained a small country."
In other words.
The established history: "Pax stages a coup and becomes king; a republic is born."
The diary's history: "Through the Human God's guidance, Pax never becomes king; no republic is born."
This time's history: "Pax stages a coup and becomes king; a republic will probably be born afterward."
Something like that.
Which meant the Human God had deliberately restored things to their original state.
"Why would he do that?"
"It's a trap."
Orsted's words bore down on me.
"The Human God may be willing to restore the future he tried to change, if it means killing you."
Restore one thing, then kill me.
In mahjong, you might break up your own hand and fold just to prevent your opponent from winning.
Was it the same idea…
"If you walk right into it, the Human God will have a trap ready to ensure your death."
"He's not targeting you, Lord Orsted?"
"That's possible, but Zanoba Sharia is your friend. You could call him bait."
"…"
Pax had summoned Zanoba.
Despite it being almost certainly a trap, Zanoba intended to go.
The Human God couldn't see whether I would follow, but if Zanoba's life was in serious danger, I'd take the bait.
The Human God probably knew what kind of person I was, after all.
…The Human God was being clever this time.
"Zanoba is the man who makes your equipment. Even if you didn't come, the Human God might figure that eliminating him would still serve his purposes."
Killing two birds with one stone.
If I came—both of us.
If I didn't come—at least one of them.
"Is there a chance Zanoba is an apostle?"
"Not this time. He's nobody significant in Sharia's history."
Hey, cut that out.
He's significant to me, damn it.
Case in point—I was walking right into the bait.
"So what should I do?"
"The same as always. Destroy him head-on."
"…Right."
At any rate, it would be simple if Orsted came along.
Same as we'd done with Ariel.
If it was a trap, fine.
I'd lure the enemy in like a moth to a flame, and when the time came, I'd just say, "Professor, please handle this."
Like an anglerfish's lure, Orsted would snap his jaws and devour the enemy whole.
People in town had been calling me "the Dragon God's subordinate" or "the Dragon God's errand boy" lately, but maybe "the Dragon God's lantern" would be the best title.
"But there's also a chance the Human God isn't involved."
"…Meaning?"
"This event might have been scheduled to happen regardless."
Hmm.
Scheduled to happen.
"What I said earlier was just speculation.
The diary doesn't cover this period.
For all we know, Zanoba Sharia may have gone to the homeland and returned safely."
It could be that the Human God had nothing to do with it, and this event would have occurred anyway.
Zanoba had been summoned to Sharia as per the original history, completed his duties, and returned unharmed.
Now that it was pointed out, that possibility did exist…
"…Hmm."
"The Zanoba in the diary has a bounty on his head from Millis.
Considering that, it's entirely possible the Sharia Kingdom didn't permit Zanoba's return, or simply pretended not to know about him."
Ah, I see.
If I thought about it calmly, the situation now was different from the diary.
Even if Pax succeeded in his coup in the diary's future, Zanoba was still a wanted man.
It made sense not to recall someone wanted by the Millis Holy Church, and to turn a blind eye.
The Millis Holy Church had knight orders that functioned like mercenary units.
If Zanoba returned, those knights might side with an enemy nation.
Once you started listing possibilities, there was no end to them.
"But the Human God did use me to change Sharia's history, didn't he? In that case, wouldn't Sharia become a republic?"
"He may have tried to change it but failed.
Your fate is strong, but perhaps not so strong that it can bend everything."
Well, I probably couldn't change all of history just by getting involved.
"Hmm…"
Then Orsted paused, having noticed something.
He rested his chin on his hand in a pensive gesture.
"What—what is it?"
"No… Pax was in the Dragon Kingdom, wasn't he?"
"Yes."
"Then the coup may have been orchestrated by someone in the Dragon Kingdom as well."
"Ah—you're right."
Oh, of course.
Pax had been in the Dragon Kingdom.
Which meant he could have been manipulated by another apostle there.
The possibility that Pax wasn't an apostle himself.
The possibility that someone in the Dragon Kingdom was the Human God's apostle.
The possibility that this person was the mastermind behind everything.
"Very well. I'll go to the Dragon Kingdom and investigate whether there's an apostle there."
Huh?
You're not coming with me?
"But—but if the Sharia Kingdom is the Human God's trap… what then?"
"…If that frightens you, perhaps you shouldn't go."
In other words, he was telling me to abandon him.
The Zanoba I knew.
Well, to Orsted, Zanoba might not be an important figure.
Orsted had promised to protect my family, but while Zanoba was a dear friend, he wasn't family.
Oh—then maybe I should just make him family.
Ask one of the girls to marry Zanoba…
No, that wasn't it.
I trusted Zanoba enough to entrust my sister to him, but that wasn't the point.
"Zanoba helped me. Even in the diary, he helped me until the very end."
"…"
"I won't abandon him."
The real question was whether I could save Zanoba all on my own.
Actually, maybe I didn't have to go alone.
What if I sent someone to help protect Zanoba?
Eris's acquaintances included a Sword Saint, or so I'd heard. I could contact the Sword Sanctuary and organize an escort squad for Zanoba.
No—letting unfamiliar people know about the Teleportation Circles would be problematic.
As for mercenaries, that wasn't feasible yet…
"Then you go to Sharia, and I'll head to the Dragon Kingdom to crush the Human God's scheme. Understood?"
"Yes."
Thinking it over, there were still many possibilities.
I'd need to investigate along the way and piece things together.
"Ah—right. I forgot to mention one thing. If I'm going to Sharia, there's something I'd like you to promise."
"Yes."
Something he wanted me to promise.
Was he going to tell me not to die under any circumstances?
If so, that might make my heart skip a beat…
"If Pax Sharia turns out to be an apostle, don't kill him."
"…Excuse me?"
"Don't kill Pax Sharia."
It must have been important, because he said it twice.
No—I was the one who asked him to repeat it.
Don't kill Pax…
No need to wonder why.
If I killed Pax, the Sharia Republic would never be born.
Okay, boss.
Even if Pax had hostile intentions toward me, I'd deal with him without killing him.
"Understood."
But that had certainly raised the difficulty.
Even if Pax came to kill me, I couldn't kill him back.
In that situation… first, I had to keep myself alive.
And bring Zanoba home.
Wait—what would it take to get Zanoba to come back?
What was Zanoba's objective, again?
National defense?
What would satisfy him?
No—it didn't matter.
I'd stick by his side, watch for the right moment, and try my hardest to persuade him.
"Lord Orsted, thank you."
"Save the thanks."
I bowed deeply to Orsted and left his office.
---
So it was the Human God's trap.
Zanoba hadn't objected to me coming along.
But if I told him it was a trap, he'd probably tell me not to come.
Or would he?
Even if he opposed it, should I still tell him?
The Human God had set a trap in the Sharia Kingdom to kill me.
He's using you as bait to kill me.
So please, don't go…
No—that wouldn't work.
He'd probably just say something like, "In that case, I shall go alone."
In that case, it was better to stay quiet and just stand beside him with an innocent expression.
…Silent again, then.
I was starting to worry Zanoba might get tired of me.