Chapter 26: A small hope in despair

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Translator: Soafp

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“If Lena isn't there, then he can't be opposed, can he?”

At Nonoa's question, Shiro nodded.

“Kuro is a liar to the core. His lies don't stop at manipulating words… he even deceives the laws of the world themselves. He rarely fights directly, but if he does, no human can stand against him. Not even me.”

“Even the laws… he deceives them…”

“Yes. For example… if Kuro simply lies and says, ‘You're already dead,' there are people who will die without even being able to resist.”

“What is that… that's absurd…”

“It is absurd… he is. But he doesn't actively seek to fight anyone himself. He operates in the shadows purely for his own amusement, manipulating people and making them fight each other. That's his objective.”

Nonoa's skill, “Number of Numbers,” could be described as the visualization of laws.

Because laws appear to her as comprehensible knowledge, she can exploit them to the fullest extent allowed by her own abilities.

That was precisely why she could instinctively feel just how abnormal it was to be able to “deceive even the laws.”

“The one who can oppose him is the Saint. People tend to think a Saint's strengths lie in healing and holy magic, but when the skill is refined, it allows for ‘discernment of lies,' and further, ‘prohibition of lies.' It's the one and only ability that can stand against Kuro.”

Lena had used “discernment of lies” on Erius.

So this meant it could be strengthened even further.

“Prohibition of lies… so that means, the same as the place he was in?”

“Exactly. By being sealed in that place by the Saint, Kuro is unable to use most of his power. Just summoning Erius there must have taken considerable effort.”

The picture was becoming clear.

Normally, after the Demon King was defeated, Erius and Lena would meet some time later and begin their fight against Kuro.

What played a crucial role there were Erius' “Guide” and Lena's abilities as a Saint—“discernment of lies” and “prohibition of lies.”

What Kuro did, after foreseeing that future, was the “deal,” carried out to eliminate the two of them in advance.

Kuro's scheme succeeded, and both of their lives were lost.

Now, the only thing left unclear was—

“Then what happens next? When will the next ‘Saint' appear? If it's too far in the future… that's a problem.”

There was no other solution.

If it was soon, she could support the new Saint herself.

But if it was hundreds of years away, that would be impossible.

Shiro must have understood Nonoa's thoughts.

Even so, with an apologetic expression, he answered firmly.

“…Sorry. I can't say.”

“Why?”

“Talking about the past or already-lost destinies is right on the edge of what my rules allow. But speaking about what lies ahead is forbidden.”

“At a time like this, what are you—!”

“I—!”

Nonoa nearly lunged at him, but the unexpectedly raised voice of the usually gentle Shiro made her stop.

“…I want to believe in people. I want destiny to be decided by humans themselves.”

“How selfish…”

“Yes, in that sense, Kuro and I aren't so different. We just move behind the scenes in our own ways… in the end, we're the same… and that's why I can do the same thing.”

“The same thing…?”

In response to Nonoa's question, Shiro placed a hand over his own chest and made a proposal.

“Nonoa, I can make a deal with you.”

“A deal?”

Caught off guard, Nonoa repeated the word uncertainly.

Shiro nodded and explained the terms.

“Kuro and I can condense and transform a person's future—what you might call their ‘potential'—and manifest it as a fleeting but immensely powerful skill, shaped according to that person's wishes.”

Trading one's future for great power.

The Demon King's final self-destructive spell flashed through Nonoa's mind.

“Is that… different from awakening?”

“It's on a completely different level. In Erius's case, Kuro skillfully guided him, converting ‘Guide' into something aligned with his wish—‘for defeating the Demon King.' In your case, it should reflect your wishes to some extent… I think.”

“That sounds… oddly vague.”

“It can't be helped. This is something you don't know until you try. It's a gamble—everything or nothing. That's why the decision is yours—”

“I'll do it.”

Nonoa answered instantly, not waiting for him to finish.

Shiro looked surprised.

“W-Well, you do have some time to think it over, you know?”

“There's nothing to think about.”

“No, I mean—”

“What? You're the one who suggested it.”

“…If Kuro revives, and you're thinking of opposing him by sacrificing yourself, I wondered if I might have guided you in that direction.”

Seeing the apologetic look on Shiro's face, Nonoa nearly burst out laughing.

For all his fussiness, he actually felt guilty.

In other words, he was a remarkably human-like god.

Thinking it would be rude to laugh outright, she settled for a wry smile.

“If there were almost no other options, then maybe. But that's not it.”

“Then why?”

“Because it's a chance. I don't like just taking things and never giving back.”

“A chance?”

“I don't need to explain that to you. Just like you… I have my own rules. I thought I couldn't keep them, but now I've been given the chance to do so. That's all.”

As she said this, Nonoa gently raised her left hand and looked at the ring on her ring finger.

It wasn't just this ring.

Erius had given her many irreplaceable things besides it.

And yet, she hadn't given anything back.

By defeating the Demon King, she thought she could finally begin to repay him.

But now, he would never appear before her again.

If she could, she wanted to repay him directly.

She wanted to see him again.

But if that wasn't possible, then at least—

She would accomplish what Erius had entrusted to her.

He had worked harder for others than anyone else.

If he had fallen, then it was her turn.

What Nonoa could give back now—was to inherit Erius's will.

The fact that, until the very end, what he wrote into “Guide” was entrusting things to her.

Answering that expectation was, in her mind, a small way of repaying him.

If she could do that now, then she wouldn't worry about the future.

(Erius. I know it's terribly late, but I'm returning it now. These five years you gave me. The interest—will be my future.)

“I'm sorry. In the end, I keep relying on you humans.”

At Shiro's apology, Nonoa shrugged.

“It can't be helped. Even gods have things they won't compromise on, right?”

“But when I look at you, I lose confidence. You're far more—no, sorry. I'll stop complaining.”

With that, Shiro held both hands out in front of his chest, as if cradling an invisible ball.

“Alright, let's begin, Nonoa.”

“Yes. What should I do?”

“Just say ‘I offer my future' aloud while holding what you desire firmly in your heart. Then your future will be condensed and transformed into a ‘skill' that helps fulfill your wish.”

“Understood.”

Her desire was obvious.

To change this ridiculous destiny.

And not just change it—to give back what she had received from Erius.

Only by doing that could she finally stand on equal footing with him.

Not as someone who was merely protected, kept alive, and guided along a predetermined path.

She had walked this road with him.

She wanted to be able to say that proudly.

Holding that thought firmly in her heart—

“I offer my future.”

The moment Nonoa spoke her vow—

White mist, like steam, rose from her body.

As if being drawn in, it gathered into Shiro's outstretched hands.

She felt a wave of weakness.

Something was undeniably leaving her.

Feeling that, she waited for it to end.

Eventually, the mist stopped flowing from her body.

What had gathered in Shiro's hands—presumably her “future”—floated gently like a glowing white orb.

Her future had converged into a single point, becoming a mass of possibilities.

Even with her skill as the “Master of Numbers,” it was power beyond measurement.

“Here we go.”

As Shiro murmured, the mass flew toward her chest.

And the instant it was absorbed into her—

Countless fragments like scraps of paper appeared around Nonoa.

Tiny slips, like narrow talismans, innumerable in number.

Looking at them, she saw numbers written on each one.

“0008256392”

“4024583628”

“1922368919”

Sequences of numbers that seemed meaningless at a glance.

Beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

But Nonoa could read them.

They were calendars—history.

Each one represented several past events.

“No way… a skill like this… Nonoa, the strength of your wish…”

Shiro muttered in a daze.

Hearing him, Nonoa had already formed a vague understanding of her new skill.

But she didn't want to be mistaken.

So she decided to ask an expert.

“Just to be sure… what kind of skill is this?”

When she asked, Shiro explained without taking his eyes off the paper fragments.

“That skill converts past events into numbers. And it allows you to intervene in those quantified pasts, rewriting them slightly.”

Just as she thought.

Shiro's explanation almost perfectly matched her own understanding.

But—

“Hehe.”

“…Did I say something strange?”

“No… it's just that gods are a bit lacking in emotional nuance.”

At her words, Shiro gave a wry smile.

“…Maybe so. I'm not very good at that sort of thing. Then how would you explain it?”

Nonoa picked one of the floating fragments, pinched it between two fingers, and held it out toward Shiro as she said:

“This is a skill that inserts a small hope into a destiny of despair.”

At her words, Shiro nodded in agreement.

“Yes, indeed… compared to that, my explanation lacked emotion. Then… would you let me at least name the skill?”

“Sure, that's fine. So what's the name?”

“It's a bookmark of hope inserted into fate. The skill's name is—‘Master of Mathematics—Bookmark.'”