Chapter 382 (Self Edited) – Knowing the Cause of Incident
(Thank you for reading at )
Suddenly, Soma woke up to a dazzling brightness. It seemed that light leaked through the partially closed curtains and hit his face directly. As he moved his head to avoid the light, the alarm clock came into view in the field of vision. The clock hands showed five minutes before seven. It was morning.
“Hmm… It wasn’t a dream after all.” (Soma)
Everything in the field of vision was familiar as always, yet all things he should never see again. But if he slept and woke up to the same situation, it was definitely not a dream. The situation where Felicia and Sheila were childhood friends was definitely not a dream. Well, that was something he already knew.
“No… In a sense, it might not be wrong to say it’s a dream. After all, it was supposed to be the world of souls.”
The cradle of G.o.d. Thinking of it as the name of this world, Soma breathed out. He had sensed a mysterious power and come to the Holy City, where he had received an explanation from Eleonora, how he had been attacked last night by the so-called ‘the ones who resist’ and been rescued by Aina, how he had heard many stories, and finally how he had met Hildegard. He remembered everything, including what he heard at that time, and hadn’t forgotten.
“Well, everything is not back to normal… but that can’t be helped.” (Soma)
What was missing was power. It was because Soma’s power had returned to that of an ordinary person. However, this was not because he had gone to sleep, but because he was like this when he met Hildegarde again. When he returned the sword to Sheila, his power went back to an ordinary person. So, it seemed that it only worked when he held a sword.
Nevertheless, there should be no particular problem. He sensed that his power would return when he held a sword again. It wasn’t something needed immediately, so there shouldn’t be a problem.
“… On the contrary, this might be better, as I don’t have to worry unnecessarily.” (Soma)
And it was at that moment when he muttered such things. Two sounds reached Soma’s ears. It was footsteps. Two footsteps slowly climbed the stairs and stopped in front of the door. With just a faint sound, the door opened… and Felicia and Sheila peered in, their eyes meeting his. The two of them sighed in disappointment.
“Hmm… Good morning, Soma-san. Is it no good today too…?” (Felicia)
“…Good morning, Soma. …I guess I should have come five minutes earlier.” (Sheila)
“No, if you do that, you’d arrive before he naturally wakes up. It wouldn’t make sense to come and wake him up at a time when he might already be awake.” (Felicia)
“…More importantly, I want to wake Soma up while looking at his sleeping face.” (Sheila)
“Whoa, Sheila, coming in with a direct hit…!?” (Felicia)
“Seriously, what are you two doing so early in the morning? Well, good morning.” (Soma)
Smiling wryly at their playful banter, Soma greeted them and got up from where he was. He couldn’t help but stare at Sheila’s face, and when Sheila noticed, she tilted her head.
“…Hmm, what’s wrong?” (Sheila)
“No… It’s nothing.” (Soma)
Sheila’s demeanor hadn’t changed from yesterday. She didn’t bring up what happened last night… and it seemed she hadn’t regained her original memories either. It seemed that the only ones who are able to retain their memories are Hildegard and Soma.
‘Well, if that’s the case, it’s not a problem. According to Eleonora’s explanation, this is a measure to maintain this world’s existence. Trying to forcibly recall memories would likely lead to complications.’
Perhaps, Soma unconsciously understood this and didn’t push to act on the situation yesterday. In any case, there didn’t seem to be any immediate issues, so maintaining the status quo seemed fine.
“Now then, I’d like to change, so could you two leave?” (Soma)
“Oh, right… We’ll head downstairs and wait then.” (Felicia)
“…See you later.” (Sheila)
“It will be soon.” (Soma)
Soma vaguely watched the two of them leave the room… and narrowed his eyes at Felicia, who looked no different from yesterday. His mind wandered back to the conversation with Hildegard last night. Thinking of her words, I let out a sigh.
To put it bluntly, the cause of this whole situation this time is Felicia.
—
After blinking a few times, Soma let out a breath. He suddenly remembered something he had forgotten, and his head throbbed slightly. However, he pushed that aside and exhaled deeply once more.
“It seems you’ve remembered, haven’t you?” (Hildegard)
“Hmm… Thanks to you, I suppose. But it’s strange that just meeting you made my memories come back.” (Soma)
“I seem to have become something like a singularity in this place. Therefore, I can’t appear before anyone other than you, and no one else can perceive my presence.” (Hildegard)
“It’s quite an intriguing situation.” (Soma)
However, at this moment, there were more pressing matters than Hildegarde’s words. While his memories had indeed returned, it raised more questions instead. She seemed to understand this as she looked at him.
“It seems like you have something you want to ask?” (Hildegard)
“Of course? It’s been almost a day since we’ve been in this world, and yet my doubts keep increasing. I still don’t know how to resolve this situation.” (Soma)
“No, that’s not true. You’re getting closer to resolving the situation.” (Hildegard)
“Hmm? So… is it about dealing with those ‘ones who resist’?” (Soma)
“Close, but… Well, I suppose it would be quicker to say the conclusion first.” (Hildegard)
With that, Hildegard directed a straight gaze at him. There was a momentary hesitation in her eyes, quickly vanishing. Keeping her gaze steady, she delivered her words.
“To put it bluntly, the cause of this whole situation this time is Felicia.” (Hildegard)
He could tell from her eyes that this wasn’t a joke. However, he didn’t understand the meaning.
“Hmm… Felicia is the cause? What does that mean? The cause of this situation should be that the Holy City was on the verge of destruction, right? I can’t imagine Felicia would do something like that… Is it some kind of metaphor?” (Soma)
“No, it’s exactly as it sounds. As a result of Felicia using curse, the Holy City nearly disappeared, prompting Satya to activate this world. More precisely, it should be said that the incident occurred as a result of Felicia attempting to use curse.” (Hildegard)
“That changes the meaning quite a bit, doesn’t it?” (Soma)
In other words, the Holy City being on the brink of destruction wasn’t directly caused by Felicia’s curse. According to Hildegard, it seemed that something happened as a reaction to Felicia attempting curse but calling her the cause seemed to be an overstatement. However, as if reading his thoughts, Hildegard shook her head.
“No, Felicia is indeed the cause. The world reacted to Felicia’s curse because she is a witch. The world sensed her curse and tried to erase everything around her to prevent it, and that is the entirety of what happened this time.”
“Hmm…”
(Thank you for reading at )
The fact that curse used by witches was seen unfavorably by the world was well-known. That was why Witches were also referred to as enemies of the world. However…
“It’s the first I’ve heard that the world would intervene against witch’s curse to that extent.” (Soma)
“I haven’t heard of it intervening to that extent either… Well, I suppose Felicia’s attempted curse must have been something particularly inconvenient for the world.” (Hildegard)
Hildegarde didn’t seem to be lying. Besides, there didn’t seem to be any reason for her to lie. Therefore…
“So, does this mean… to resolve this situation, we need to do something about Felicia?” (Soma)
“That’s exactly it.” (Hildegard)
“Hmm…” (Soma)
‘I see, so that’s why we’re getting closer to a resolution. Essentially, the current state of this world remains the same when viewed from a conclusion.’
If the world had intervened as a result, Soma might be able to do something about it. However, judging from Hildegarde’s demeanor, it probably won’t be a one-time thing. The world sensed an intolerable presence and intervened. It wouldn’t be surprising if it continued to intervene until a resolution is reached… likely, that was how it would unfold.
And no matter how capable Soma is, it was impossible to continuously prevent all of it. Eventually, he would exhaust his strength. If he wanted to prevent damage to the surrounding area, he had to do something about Felicia first. In that sense, the situation in this world was indeed similar.
“…No, is it that the situation in this world is echoing reality?” (Soma)
“That’s exactly it. Originally, there should only be peace here. It indicates that such a world is approaching destruction.” (Hildegard)
“Approaching destruction…? Is time in this world stopped? Is there a time limit?” (Soma)
“No matter how powerful a G.o.d is, it’s impossible to stop time forever.” (Hildegard)
“That does make sense. So, does that mean I should continue cooperating with Aina and the others?” (Soma)
“That’s up to you. Honestly, we’re not sure what to do here… No, it’s more like nothing has been decided. Ultimately, it’ll be up to you to decide what to do.” (Hildegard)
“Hmm… That’s quite a responsibility.” (Soma)
But ultimately, it meant that Soma had the potential to influence the outcome. If that was the case, then he had no choice but to do something.
“By the way, I understand the story, but… I have one question. Why exactly is this world like this? I just can’t seem to grasp that.” (Soma)
This was a world of souls created by G.o.d. It was a world meant to give people peace and tranquility to people. However, as Soma had realized after spending the day here, it was clear that his memories were what dominate this place. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing, but for most others, everything here should be unfamiliar. If the purpose was to provide peace and tranquility, there surely could have been other ways.
“Oh, that’s simple. This is the result of a wish.” (Hildegard)
“A wish, you say?” (Soma)
“Yes, from the one who is at the center of this world. However, as a result, you have become the center, but that is not because of your wish, is it? That wish was for you to live in peace, so in the end, you have become the center. The reason the world is like this is because this is what makes you feel at peace.” (Soma)
Soma found himself agreeing with those words. Certainly, while he had no complaints about this world or the previous one, if it meant peace, this world would naturally come to be. Perhaps that was why his student days were reproduced here.
“By the way, this is a world where time has stopped, so the concept of time is vague. That’s why there are people here who shouldn’t be in the Holy City. There are people here who came after Soma, and people who may come.” (Hildegard)
“I see… So that’s why Mother and the others are here, I suppose?” (Soma)
“Well, they are real, but at the same time, they’re like illusions. Most people here won’t retain memories of this place, and it won’t affect reality either.” (Hildegard)
“Hmm… If that’s the case, then I suppose I can relax a little.” (Soma)
“Well, in any case, there’s only one thing to do. Remove the root cause. That won’t change.” (Hildegard)
“I understand.” (Soma)
Hildegarde, who had become a singularity, couldn’t do much on her own. So, with those words as their final exchange, Soma parted ways with her…
“Hmm…” (Soma)
Reflecting on the events of last night, Soma sighed while looking up at the azure sky. When he lowered his gaze, he saw Felicia and Sheila walking beside him. The school was just ahead. Glancing sideways at Felicia’s face, he sighed once more.
“Well, I’ll do my best.” (Soma)
Soma muttered the same words he had replied to Hildegard last night, and wondered what to do next.
(Please consider supporting at Chapter | Table of Content | Next Chapter