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“How sweet and lovely.”
I smiled proudly like a father watching his kids, as I observed the situation resolve happily. Isn’t it great to have a fresh scent of romance? I truly enjoy love.
Although it wasn’t specific, the players seemed to have figured out what their objective was. I wondered how to take advantage of this situation where the past and the future were interwoven.
What I needed to do was provide clues on 'exactly what to do' and to mend the still shattered spirits of our group.
Let's focus this scene on Niolle. Of the three, she was the one who felt the worst about their failure, being suffocated by regret and thinking 'I wish I hadn't done this.'
Failing to notice Isaac’s scheme.
Losing Abraham because she tried to save the reporter Sally.
Investing time in destroying the magic circle instead of finishing Abraham’s research.
Failing to finish off the Cult Leader in time.I needed to give proper meaning to all these regrets. They needed to know how Isaac's survival, Sally's survival, the destruction of the magic circle, and the death of the Cult Leader changed this world for the better. How it made a difference in a world suffering from the Evil God.
For a plot like 'Thank you, Hero, for saving the world,' expressing gratitude directly through a character’s dialogue often makes it more impactful. We needed a character that wasn't previously planned.
“Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph, a descendant several generations down from them. A 17-year-old maiden. Although she looks similar to Isaac, she has a bright expression without any evil impressions. The owner of the wool panties that Bennett picked up⋯⋯.”
“There was an NPC like that?”
"⋯⋯is what you have to make, Tower Master!"
"Hiiiing..."
There wasn’t actually any need to ask the Tower Master for this kind of work because all I had to do was take already-existing resources and roughly mix them together. However, those who did wrong needed to be punished, even if only for the sake of the mentality of the person who made a mistake.
Think about it, what would happen if you did something really wrong and no one scolded you for it?
Some people would go around committing crimes in excitement. But if you were someone with a normal conscience, you would feel like you were sitting on a throne made of blood, because there’s no way to relieve the guilt.
So, I deliberately made her work for it to try and relieve some of her guilt.
In fact, the Tower Master’s expression brightened slightly. Even just a moment ago, she had a gloomy expression on her face, as if she had to write 500 pages of apologetic reflection after work. But now, she seemed to look like someone who had such a reflection reduced to only about 420 pages.
Aren’t I, who takes care of the Sub-GM's mental health while running a session, a genius⋯⋯ ?
As I instilled confidence in myself, I felt my shoulders and my efficiency rising significantly. An appropriate amount of self confidence is a good buff, and a buff that the three players needed more than ever.
Have some confidence, you guys did a really good job.
Let's brighten the mood and instill some pride and confidence that they weren’t wrong. It's not that difficult. Let's get to it.
===============================================================
Tara finally finished grasping the situation. Bennett and Niolle had traveled into the future, but the present and the future were connected. It was a mind-boggling and complex concept, but…
Maybe, just maybe...
"⋯⋯Couldn’t this be used to our advantage?”
[We thought so too. Although we might need to investigate this place a little more.]
-We plan to go and investigate this place, could you help us?
“Okay, so I just need to move according to your movements, right?”
Tara puffed out her chest. It was a sign of confidence, telling him to trust her, but also to challenge Niolle. After all, if she puffed her chest out, it would probably look a little bigger.
Bennett signaled with his hands from beyond the mirror.
-Don’t get lost and follow along. I'll take a shard of mirror with us.
“Tsk, you’re treating me like some missing child. You guys be careful too, you never know what might happen.”
Crack.
Tara smashed the dressing table, breaking the mirror and grabbing a sizable shard of it. Peering through the shard as if peeping, she could see the scene of the future from many different angles, from the blue sky to a line of ants crawling on the ground.
She leisurely followed Bennett and Niolle, who were in the future.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
A flash of inspiration struck Tara. I can decide what and where I want to see through the mirror. However I want to. Right?
She delicately adjusted her walking speed and position, and when the mirror’s shard was adjusted at the perfect angle, she could catch a close up of Bennett’s face through the reflection. It was truly a satisfying moment
Tara smiled heartily.
-⋯⋯Huh? Sure. Niolle wants me to tell you that it would be better to keep our distance and cover each other’s blind spots.
"⋯⋯Ugh.”
Tara grumbled as if hungry.
Although she’d thought it before, it felt like Niolle was sabotaging her for some strange reason. If she had some kind of evil intention and was constantly trying to keep her in check⋯⋯.
Nah, nope, no way. Niolle is too kind of a person.
Tara shook off all her useless thoughts. After all, being jealous of a friend because you were blinded by your emotions would truly be distasteful.
But just because it wasn't intentional didn’t mean the discomfort and anger of being disturbed were gone. To vent, she pulled out her Demonic Sword without even looking and thrust it through the wall of the building. There was a feeling of piercing flesh.
KEUAAAAACK-!! A scream rang out from beyond the wall. Tara casually absorbed the fanatic’s power through the thorn vines entangled around the Demonic Sword.
-Is something happening?
“No, nothing. Did anything change on your side?”
-There’s a new scratch on the wall and a flower sprung up.
“Turning into a flower when you die, huh. It could be considered a good death. Far more than a fanatic deserved.”
Tara sheathed the Demonic Sword.
With a clear purpose and a tangible reward added to a sword previously swung for meaningless revenge, she felt a bit different. Everytime one crazy fanatic was dealt with, the future gradually improved.
She was also very happy that she was able to help the party. Her heart still ached whenever she remembered those days of being left alone without her Divine Power.
Maybe, she might be a little more helpful now⋯⋯ than when she was relying on Divine Power. The power of Metamorphosis was definitely a lot more powerful.
-I checked through the mirror. It looks like there are two people following you.
“Eung.”
The party moved as they watched for each other.
Although it was a short trip, the party learned several ways to take advantage of their unique time-linked situation. For example if a large barricade blocked Bennett and Niolle's path.
“If I dig up this area in the past, they wouldn’t ever think of making a barricade here, right?”
-It looks like it’ll take a while to go back.
“There is an incantation I got from the fanatic. I think I can just use a Spatial Sphere to upend it.”
Wooong-!
They altered the terrain of the past, making future obstacles disappear.
[Tara, could you⋯⋯possibly send us some food?]
“Can canned food last a hundred years?”
-Abraham said that in theory, it could last for a century.
“I’ll bury it here.”
It was like finding a time capsule buried in the past for the future. Bennett thought that if they became more creative with this method, they could use it in the battle. Even if they were separated by a hundred years, it was still possible to cooperate.
However the canned food bloated up so much that it was inedible, so they had to throw it away.
Bennett and Niolle followed the trail of human activity, leading them in the direction of where the headquarters of the Order of the Silver Twilight was located. Gradually, clear signs of human presence began to appear.
A low hill adorned with green grass and sparsely blooming flowers. Atop the hill, laundry was strung tightly between tree branches driven in the ground.
The building of the Order of the Silver Twilight seemed quite old but still maintained its shape. The church building in the future had a reverent and gentle atmosphere, like a proper religious facility.
Judging by the pantiesthat were hung on the clothesline, it seemed like a woman was living here.
Tara looked up from the mirror’s shard that was showing the future.
The past’s church building remained ominous, and the groans of fanatics filled with joy and pain were still echoing from inside. Everyone was a potential enemy. Tara loosened up her body and gripped the Demonic Sword.
“There are many fanatics still alive in the church building. It seems we’ll be busy from here⋯⋯ so farewell for now.”
-Don't overexert yourself, and don't get hurt.
"I don't want to hear from someone who’s lost an arm. You be careful too, Bennett. And you too, Niolle."
[Be careful Tara!]
Both groups stepped into the church building.
===============================================================
Creakk,
Bennett carefully opened the door to the building. Inside, the space was neatly organized with no evil magic circles or blades in sight. If there was anything special to note⋯⋯.
"⋯⋯Is that?”
[Uh, is that⋯⋯ Tara?]
A statue.
In a spot where typical religious symbols like crosses would’ve been, there were instead 3 carved statues. The central statue was clearly Tara dressed in her beautiful Saintess attire, raising her Demonic Sword.
The statues standing on either side of it, as if they were guarding the statue of Tara, also looked somewhat familiar. Although the facial features were somewhat vague and blurred⋯⋯.
“Niolle, it seems like that’s a statue of you.”
[That one looks really similar to Bennett.]
They discovered a statue of themselves a hundred years in the future. It didn't seem like the statues were made to mock them. They were well maintained, so much so that there wasn’t a single speck of dust when Bennett ran his finger over them.
What happened?
“Hehe⋯⋯ That statue, it’s a sculpture of the Heroes who saved the world.”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Bennett and Niolle looked back, going instinctively on high alert. There was a young girl standing there, whose face strikingly resembled Isaac's.
Has Isaac survived for a hundred years with some wicked secret technique and is now drawing her blade for revenge?
That wasn't it. The girl's face resembled Isaac's, but it also looked very similar to Abraham's. Her sparkling, gentle eyes were especially so, which reminded him of Abraham's expression when he looked at the stars.
Undisturbed by the sudden visitors, she began to talk quietly.
“According to our oral tradition, The Three Heroes of Legend sacrificed their lives to seal the Evil God. Thanks to them, the world was given one chance.”
"⋯⋯You are?”
“Can you please call me Joseph?”
The girl with a rather manly name appeared to be Abraham’s descendant. It appeared that keeping Isaac alive resulted in their lineage passing onto future generations.
Bennett observed Joseph with a mixture of caution and reassurance.
“Are you living alone?”
“Yes. That’s why I’m especially glad to have guests for the first time in a while. Do you need a meal and a place to rest?”
Niolle pulled the hem of Bennett's clothes and secretly wrote.
[Can we trust her?]
"⋯⋯Probably. The benefits outweigh the risks. We have no information about the future, so we need the help of locals to figure ou⋯⋯."
Bennett and Niolle looked at each other with a sense of déjà vu. I think we already went through this process when we first met Abraham.When they thought about that, they gradually relaxed.
Just like how they opened their heart to Abraham, they thought they could do the same with this girl.
Bennett decided to ask a few more questions instead of nodding right away due to his concern about the statues that resembled them.
He gripped the mirror’s shard tightly. He saw Tara, drenched in blood and against the wall as if she was exhausted, before she looked his way. Judging from the way she winked when their eyes met, it seemed like all that blood likely was from the fanatics.
After signaling Tara to look at Joseph, Bennett said.
“Could you⋯⋯ tell us more about that story? About sealing the Evil God?”
“Aha, it’s rare to find guests that show interest in stories of old. I guess I’m lucky today. All of these records are from Sally, the Prophet.”
[⋯⋯⋯⋯.]
Reporter Sally. It seemed she preserved and shared the trio’s stories.
Joseph swung her head from side to side, beginning to tell the story as if she was singing a song about the 3 heroes who defeated the Evil God in the past.
“It’s said that the Heroes first destroyed the magic circle eating away at the earth. The land that originally would’ve become barren and lifeless upon the Evil God’s descent is now able to grow plants thanks to them.”
[⋯⋯Really?]
“However, the land that was directly corrupted by the Evil God is still impossibly barren. If it weren’t for the efforts of the Heroes⋯⋯ we all might have starved to death.”
What was once seen as a fatal failure, became the foundation for the future survival of humanity.
"Next, the Heroes cut down the Cult Leader who planned the Evil God's descent. In the process, two Heroes lost their lives⋯⋯ But thanks to their sacrifice, they were able to prevent the Evil God from completely descending.”
Killing the Cult Leader opened up the path for humanity to survive in the future.
And…
“Lastly, Saintess Tara⋯⋯ sealed the Evil God after fighting day and night for 3 days. She has gifted us the world.”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Events that would happen from thenforth. Tara's ongoing struggles also seemed to have amounted to something in the end.
Bennett clenched his fist.
He clenched and unclenched his fist. After repeating that for a while, he placed his hand on Niolle’s head.
“Look, our efforts weren’t meaningless after all.”
[⋯⋯⋯⋯.]
[⋯⋯⋯⋯.]
Tara lowered her head slightly and wiped her eyes.
Niolle, overwhelmed by emotion, sat down as if her legs gave out. She covered her face with both hands and cried silently.
She regretted, then regretted again.
How wonderful it would be if she could turn back time and write the story properly once more. How much had she regretted? How much of herself had she whittled away, trying to cope with what couldn't be saved?
But now, after she saw what she had left after all her struggles that she didn’t realize before because she was so blinded by her pain…
“If all the suffering we went through⋯⋯ had a meaning. Niolle.”
Perhaps there was no need to hurt anymore.
Niolle remembered the Evil God's subtle, cunning words. It was like sharp blades stabbing her in the heart. However, if their actions were gradually changing the world, the Evil God’s mockery had a different meaning.
The Evil God had been afraid.
All of those disturbances were merely signs of fear.
It was a plea for her to stop resisting. Desperately, pleading, begging for her to break down. Then,if that was the case.
"⋯⋯We only have one step left. It’s cornered. We became a threat to it. Tara, Niolle."
[⋯⋯Yeah.]
-Eung.
Let's finish this. So we can move past all these wounds.
===============================================================
Niolle began to explain with red, swollen eyes.
[The Outer God’s existence isn’t bound by time. It exists across all of space and time simultaneously . The Outer God of the past that Tara will face, and the sealed Outer God that we will face are essentially the same entity.]
-What do you mean by that?
“So whether damage was inflicted in the past or the future, it’s applied together.”
-⋯⋯ Could you dumb it down?
Tara had a hard time understanding the concept of the Outer God's HP being shared. However,understanding that wasn’t the point, so Bennett explained the more important part of the plan.
"It means you and we can fight together. According to Joseph, the future where you seal the Outer God seems to be set. But that's a double-edged sword. It leaves a bad taste. I can't just stand by and watch you sacrifice yourself."
[It’s a battle on two fronts, across both the past and the future.]
“So, we can help you from our side. It’s a cycle of changing the future to support the past. The primary goal is to seal the Evil God without sacrificing yourself. And, ultimately, what we’re aiming for is⋯⋯.”
Tara's actions immediately changed the future, enabling Bennett and Niolle of the future to help Tara. It was an infinite cycle that went on forever, creating an advantage by repeating this cycle
Perhaps, we won’t just stop at sealing the Evil God──.
[Death of the Outer God.]
──But possibly kill it as well. That was what the party concluded.
***
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