A few days later, I stood on the castle balcony. From there, I looked down over the Royal Capital. It was peaceful, hardly seeming like land targeted by the entire world. The vibrant streets continued their development today as well.
“……”
Watching the people's daily lives, I fell into thought. Lately, there’s been one topic on my mind. I’m always bothered by it. While I stood there in a daze, not really doing anything, Luciana came over. She rested her cheek on the balcony railing.
“Thinking about that savior, aren’t you?”
“You caught on quick.”
“Lately, that’s about the only thing worth worrying about.”
Luciana whistled. The clear tone drifted away on the wind. After a brief silence, she continued the topic.
“Is it really worth worrying that much about? It’s just that helping people has become fashionable, right? Good Samaritans are everywhere.”
“That’s what I think too.”
“Then why are you so preoccupied?”
Receiving the question from Luciana, I turned to face her.
And then, she gave her answer.
"The desires of the masses sometimes take tangible form."
"You mean the will of the world?"
"Yes. And I'm wary of it."
The will of the world is constructed from the aggregated wishes of the people.
Through sheer accumulation, simple desires transform into immense power.
It was a troublesome phenomenon that didn't consider consequences.
It could even trigger events leading to humanity's ultimate destruction.
That's precisely because it stems from the people's own desires.
Luciana frowned and groaned in thought before proposing a solution.
"If you're that worried, why not just destroy that town?"
"Unnecessary slaughter. If we commit such an atrocity in our own territory, rebellion would erupt across the entire Demon Lord's domain."
The hard-won peace of the Demon Lord's domain would descend into conflict.
If that happened, it would be difficult to stop.
Furthermore, it would intensify the wish to defeat the Demon Lord.
The will of the world would create fertile ground for heroes to be born.
Even that might be tolerable.
But the real danger was that it could trigger events leading to the world's destruction.
The Demon Lord's domain was currently the perfect size.
Maintaining this scale while regulating security was the best course of action.
Manipulating world affairs would be a significant challenge.
As I pondered various possibilities, Luciana turned to look at me.
She gazed at me with a somewhat pitying expression.
"Your policies are truly troublesome, you know. Since Lady Diera is rather straightforward, it makes me think so even more."
"...Compared to Diera, anyone would seem troublesome."
"Ooh, that's a sharp insult. If she heard it herself, she might cry."
Luciana laughed in a casual tone.
Just then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she spoke.
"If you're concerned about the involvement of the world's will, perhaps asking the Grand Spirit would be an option."
"After dealing with the beast incident, the Grand Spirit entered dormancy. It likely won't awaken unless a major problem arises."
A year ago, the Defense Mechanism, including the Grand Spirit, had shown considerable effectiveness.
Even looking back through history, such an event would be rare.
It was something you'd likely have to trace back to the mythical age to find.
Due to the rebound, it was expected to remain inactive for some time.
In fact, over the past year, the Defense Mechanism had not activated at all.
Depending on the situation, it was possible it might remain dormant for several decades.
However, Luciana shook her head.
She wore a mischievous smile.
"If the Demon Lord called out to it, I think it would jump awake. For all you know, it might already be awake."
"She is a defense mechanism for protecting the world. It's not as though she's a friend I can casually summon."
"There's no harm in trying, right? Come on, just give it a try."
"..."
Today, Luciana refuses to bend her stance for some reason.
I don't know why, but she seems utterly convinced of something.
If she's this insistent, perhaps I should try.
First, I established a thought-link with Yura.
Through her, I would send a voice to the great spirit.
"Great spirit. I have a small favor to ask—"
"What is it?"
A voice came from behind me.
When I turned, there stood the great spirit, possessing Yura.
It had appeared with astonishing speed.
As the price for this, the office desk in the room had toppled over, and countless papers danced through the air.
Luciana, facing the great spirit, let out a stifled laugh.
"See? It came rushing over in a panic."
"I was not panicked. I simply answered the Demon Lord's call."
The great spirit abruptly denied Luciana's words.
It's hard to read its emotions, but I could tell it was looking at Luciana with a hint of annoyance.
Luciana herself whispered, "You two, take your time," and with a light movement, dropped from the balcony.
Without pause, she took flight through the air and made her exit.
It seems she has accommodated us to make conversation easier.
(I never truly thought she would manifest, but the timing is fortuitous this time)
I turn to look at the great spirit.
She is also well-informed about the will of the world.
Perhaps I can obtain some clue regarding the savior as well.
I feel sorry for summoning a defense mechanism over such trivial matters, but since the opportunity has arisen, I intend to engage her.