The aftermath of the series of events were wrapped up outside the eyes of the humans. As expected of the Demon Lords that move in the shadows of the world’s history.
We came here as representatives of Taizu, but you could say our objective is pretty much achieved.
But the issue of not being able to return to Taizu has surfaced. He collapsed from an illness.
The moment we thought things had been solved, he got a high fever, and is currently resting inside the manor.
I thought this was a scheme of the Gold Demon Lord, but there’s no traces of her having used magic.
The food and drinks are being tested for poison by Mix-sama every time, so there’s no chance of him having been poisoned.
According to him ‘it is a light cold’ and doesn’t seem to be in any strange state.
When I told him ‘getting a cold in itself is rare’, he directed a really displeased face at me.
Colds are apparently something that people catch on the daily in his world. The ones who catch colds in this world are the children who don’t have stable mana and weary adults.
In his case, it is the latter no matter how you see it. Many burdens must have leaked out in one go.
We have already contacted His Majesty. He told us that there’s nothing suspicious about the Gold Demon Lord and to concentrate on recovering.
Wolfe was worried at first, but she is back to training with Gradona, most likely because she believed him when he told her he is okay.
RIght now we are nursing him with Mix-sama, Rakura, and me in rotations.
The one who is working the most here is Rakura. I don’t know if she is looking after him more proactively than you would normally see of her since she is a cleric, or because she is purely worried about him.
The Gold Demon Lord and the cabinet minister Ludfein have come to visit. The Gold Demon Lord comes almost every day.
He has stayed practically the whole time in bed for 1 week since confirming the Purple Demon Lord had withdrawn her army.
Mix-sama has gone out to buy groceries with Rakura at present, so I am currently alone with him.
With how long it is taking, I am even worried that maybe the medicine doesn’t work. But he insists that he is okay.
“With me not having mana, I have to recover purely from stamina alone. Most of the medicines for colds in this world affect the internal mana, increasing your immunity, so they don’t have any effect. There’s no choice but to eat nutritious food moderately and sleep.”
“I see… Nutritious food… Like bear meat?” (Ilias)
“You want to cause a heart burn on the sick? Rice porridge… There’s no rice, so that’s a no go, huh. Food that’s easy to digest and warms the body would be good. Alcoholic drinks can serve as good medicine as well if in small doses.”
“The colds in your world are this long lasting?” (Ilias)
“It shouldn’t take even 3 days if there’s medicine. Also, I most likely don’t have antibodies for the viruses in this world either. The terrain of Gahne is different from Taizu too…”
“Vairuses? What’s that?” (Ilias)
“…Bacterias that are the source of diseases.”
“Bactireas…?” (Ilias)
“…Can we leave this for some other time? I don’t have the energy to explain that right now.”
Looks like the knowledge of diseases is plentiful in his world. Even someone like him, who calls himself an average person, has general knowledge of it.
He knows a lot about many occupations. Rather than intelligent, he most likely has knowledge of occupations that were similar.
Knowledge related to knights, the army, cooking, blacksmiths, crafters, and even domestic affairs and politics.
But his knowledge is too shallow to call him an expert.
In what way is he obtaining all that little to use information from and for what reason?
I am worried that his disease won’t be cured, but just as he said, the symptoms are faint. There’s the possibility it will make a sudden turn, but resting should be the best option for now.
That said, considering his usual unheard-of actions, him lying down is instead giving me peace of mind.
The door opened up with strength while I was thinking this and the Gold Demon Lord showed up with a basket hanging on her arm.
“I have come to visit~!” (Gold)
“Leave.”
“So cruel! Even though I brought the fruits ya requested. Can’t ya show a bit more appreciation?” (Gold)
“Aah, that definitely does help out. Fruits are a precious source of nutrition at times when you don’t have an appetite after all.”
He tried to get up, but the Gold Demon Lord stopped him.
“It would make it hard for me to come if I were to make the patient come to me. Just stay lying there. If ya want to eat it right now, I can peel it for ya. How about it?” (Gold)
“No, I already ate just recently. You are already providing us lodging, so you don’t have to come here every day, you know?”
“Even this one would feel bad for my benefactor who ended up this way after solving my troubles. Even though I told ya not to push yerself.” (Gold)
“It is not to the point of calling it overexertion though. Transferring to a parallel world, traveling to a different country; the fatigue in my body from those accumulated together with my mental fatigue. The burden in my body must have been more than I expected.”
“What would ya call pushing yerself if that’s not it? The mental side has most likely suffered more than yer body.” (Gold)
“No, this is because of the body.”
“The mind.” (Gold)
“Nununu… Ilias, what do you think?”
“Me?” (Ilias)
The topic was suddenly thrown to me. Fumu.
Which one was a bigger burden between the physical fatigue and the mental fatigue…
“It really would be the mental one.” (Ilias)
“What…?”
“Considering the transfers to the simulated world of the Gold Demon Lord and the consecutive days of observing the monsters, the burden to the mind is obviously the higher one. Your sleep time was shaved off to a certain degree, but it was within the realm of ordinary people.” (Ilias)
“Right, right.” (Gold)
“Damn it, don’t look down on the stamina of an otherworlder. They are more frail than you can even fathom!”
Why are you bragging about that?
I understand that his body is physically frail, but he should have a decent amount of stamina.
On the other hand, what he does on the mental front are actions that I would consider dangerous no matter how I put it.
Those are deeds that would without doubt affect one’s mind and body negatively.
“From this one’s point of view, yer technique is beyond normal. Trying to understand the position of someone ya wouldn’t want to meet in the eye borders on insanity.” (Gold)
“Exactly.” (Ilias)
Even as someone who has worked for long as a knight and hasn’t faltered when dealing with enemies beyond average, there are times when I would often feel a hard to describe eeriness.
In the first place, a virtuous person being dyed by evil countless times is definitely not something good.
The danger of this is something not only me but everyone who knows him would worry about.
“Your opinions match at times like this, huh… But I would like to object too… Right, Gold Demon Lord, you can recreate the completely same capabilities of someone in the simulated world, right?”
“Umu, this is something ya have experienced yerself, right?” (Gold)
“Then, can you control the body of someone else?”
“Fumu, I haven’t tried it but…it should be possible in theory-ja na. It is difficult to become someone within the simulated world, but if several people come in, it should be possible to exchange bodies with those people.” (Gold)
“Alright, then I will heal from this cold at once and prove it to you all -the frailness of an otherworlder!”
“…Don’t you feel sad saying that?” (Ilias)
“…A bit.”
It seems like he has thought up something weird again. I am impressed that he can think up crazy things like that every time.
I sigh.
But that motivation must have served as a trigger, he recovered from his cold the next day.
I don’t know if I should be happy about this… Just what is going on here?
———
Most of the reason must have been from repeating the observation of the monsters for a long period of time.
Work you are not used to really hits hard on the body.
Even after the Gold Demon Lord solved the issue, I still saw dreams of those monsters for a few days. You could even say it was a bit of a work disease.
Humans create a variety of antibodies in their long span of life.
They can get sick just from moving to a foreign country because of a new disease. The antibodies in my body must have done a double-take with the festival of new bacterias in an isekai.
I did try to reduce the burden on my stamina because I was worried on that front, but…I ended up overexerting my body.
That said, I can’t agree with them saying it was because of the burden in the mind.
It is not like I am strong on the mental front, but I didn’t really put too much of a burden on it.
I have given up on my body being weak, but it would be insulting to call my mind weak too.
“Now then, are you ready?”
We have entered the simulated world of the Gold Demon Lord with the usual group.
We are in the throne room as usual, so it is hard to feel the reality of it, but the small Gold Demon Lord is floating up-close, so there should be no doubt.
“And so, what should we do?” (Gold)
“Please test out whether you can exchange Ilias and Rakura first.”
“Test, you say… Well, that’s fine.” (Ilias)
“Shouldn’t Counselor-sama be the one going first since you were the one who proposed it?” (Rakura)
“There’s no assurance it will go well with the first try after all. Gotta be careful.”
“That makes me worry for my own body though?!” (Rakura)
I have chairs readied in case their bodies fall over when they switch.
The Gold Demon Lord brought out a book and tinkers inside the book with her finger.
And then, the two hung their heads down powerlessly.
They soon began to move.
“…Muh, this is…”
“Oh…”
There’s no change at a glance.
“Ilias, are you okay?”
“Yeah, there’s no real change…hm?” (Ilias)
Rakura responded… Looks like they have switched bodies safely.
We confirm whether the insides have switched, and both of them move their bodies as if finding it novel.
“Uwaah, this body is incredible. It is super light!” (Rakura)
“This one here is heavy… Even though I am not wearing armor… Every single part of my body feels heavy…” (Ilias)
“Putting it like that hurts, so can you stop? But it is true that the amount of mana of Ilias-san is impressive…” (Rakura)
Saying this, Rakura sets a barrier with the body of Ilias. When she did, a barrier of a different color from usual showed up.
It would usually be faintly bluish, but right now it is yellowish.
“The output really is higher than usual. This body is nice.” (Rakura)
“As for the body of Rakura, the flow of mana is really stable. The output is on the low side, but it is easy to control. I can understand how you can cast barriers so fast.” (Ilias)
It seems like both of them are enjoying the changes in their bodies to a decent degree.
“The physical strength of Rakura should be no different from mine, but how about the power? Try holding a sword.”
“Uhm, the sword of Ilias-san… Wow, it is so light.” (Rakura)
“Yeah, it isn’t that heavy.” (Ilias)
“Rakura, give that to your body.”
“Yes, here you go.” (Rakura)
“Something of this degree should be noth—hngh?!” (Ilias)
When Ilias in the body of Rakura received the sword that was given to her thoughtlessly, she couldn’t hold it in one hand and dropped it on the floor.
Her arm is trembling. Of course that would happen if she were made to hold something like that with one hand.
“…This body is that weak?” (Ilias)
“I-Is my body okay?!” (Rakura)
It feels really off when their way of speaking switches.
“Ooh, have you understood the standing of a weak person a bit more now?”
“But you are a man, right? You are taller than Rakura and also have a good physique.” (Ilias)
“Then, want to try?”
And so, the two return to their original bodies, and then me and Ilias switched bodies.
I blacked out for an instant there, but it soon returned to normal.
But my body is abnormally light. Uo, what’s this? It feels disgusting!
I opened my eyes and looked at my palm. A small hand.
I direct my eyes to the side and there’s myself looking back through the mirror.
Our eyes made contact and I opened my eyes wide.
“Looks like there weren’t any issues.”
“…Uwaah.”
Ilias in the body of a man suddenly made a really disagreeable face.
No, it must be rough to suddenly have the body of a man, but I don’t think it is that bad of a thing, you know?
I stand up and try moving my body a bit.
I don’t feel any weight on my body. The sensation of my skin makes it feels as if I am floating in the air.
I drew the sword and tried waving it around, and it was so light it felt like a toy made of vinyl. I would like more weight on this.
Speaking of which, I feel like a strange liquid is flowing inside my body. Could this be the so-called mana?
I can move it here and there in my body when I concentrate on it. I tried gathering it in my arm as a test.
It grows hot. When I strained it, I felt pressure as if liquid was hanging over it.
Is this mana strengthening?
I can’t feel a bottom to the mana inside this body to the point that it even made me think it is endless.
By the way, I can’t really feel as if I am in the body of a woman. I am wearing armor after all.
But this body is so comfortable…
“So comfortable it is instead nauseating.”
“That’s terrible to say in the body of someone else.” (Gold)
“…”
Ilias was moving her body in silence.
She is moving awfully slowly -as if she were inside a glass case.
“Ilias, your sword. Try swinging it.”
“A-Ah—?!” (Ilias)
The same reaction as me when I held that sword.
She is barely managing to hold it with both hands, but she is on the verge of being swung around by the center of gravity.
“Try swinging it. You should be able to swing it at least once.”
“N-No no, that’s impossible! Your arms would be torn!” (Ilias)
“I am not that frail -we are both humans, right?”
The adult man raised the sword while trembling like a fawn and swung it.
Uwah, what a terrible posture.
And then, her arms couldn’t endure the weight of the sword and lost balance.
I support her with a hand.
…Wow, a human can be this light?
“Are you okay?”
“Y-Yeah. But to think you were weaker than even Rakura…” (Ilias)
Eh, really? I thought we were about the same level!
Could it be that the strength of Rakura is actually impressive? Is she brawny?
I direct my gaze at Rakura. She waved her hands in denial.
“She says that’s not true though.”
“No, this is… There’s not a single trace of mana… I even thought you were on the verge of death here, you know.” (Ilias)
You are going that far? No, it is true that the body of Ilias is brimming with vitality though.
…Anyways, my real body is light despite being the body of an adult man.
It is like the weight of a rolled up futon.
If I try to carry it…I can easily do so.
“O-Oi!” (Ilias)
“I remembered the time you carried me.”
Hmm, what unbelievable strength. Wouldn’t you be able to flail a human around with ease like this?
I wouldn’t want to flail my own body around, so I lightly rock my body around with one arm.
“S-Stop…Stop it!” (Ilias)
She is thrashing around, but I barely feel any resistance.
This is the difference between me and Ilias, huh. It really hurts when feeling it outright.
But with this weight, you certainly would want to mountain climb while carrying—not.
I lower my own body for now. She is gasping for breath here.
“So dramatic. Even though you would normally grab my collar and shake me.”
“It is not like I do it with that much strength!” (Ilias)
“You may not be putting too much strength in it, but… Ah, right, this is a good opportunity to do the same things you did to me before.”
My past traumas… I remember the time when I got bear hugged on the day I saved Wolfe.
I don’t really want to hug a man, but well, it is me anyway.
I spread both arms and walked towards her. She must have noticed what I wanted to do from that.
“N-No, wait, you don’t know how to hold back with my body. If you do that—” (Ilias)
“Don’t worry, even if a tragedy happens, this is a simulated world. Everything is an experience.”
“Uwaah, this is the first time I see Ilias-san make a face like that.” (Rakura)
“The inside is Mister Friend after all. This will most likely be the last time we see an evil scheming face from Lady Ratzel.” (Mix)
After that, a light scream echoed in the throne room.
Gotta say, I scream with a real nice voice. Hahaha.
I completely forgot because of how fun the body of Ilias was, but I will be returning to my body after this.
Receiving the bear hug of Ilias doesn’t end with just the instant you receive it.
“Uooh… I-It hurts…”
“Obviously! I thought I was gonna die there!” (Ilias)
The pain Ilias felt in my body must still remain, both of us were in tears.
This must be what they call a battle with no winners.
“Are you an idiot?!” (Ilias)
“Shut up! Last time was to the point I fainted. That was far more than what I did here!”
“T-That’s…” (Ilias)
The others must have taken an interest with this, they wanted to experience my body too.
First was Rakura. My physical strength didn’t increase that much but the flow of mana was far smoother than with Ilias.
However, I feel the amount of mana inside of her is finite compared to Ilias. So this is the average…no, Rakura should be pretty up there too.
She is most likely on the high side too. Considering that, the amount of mana of Ilias certainly does feel outstanding.
The weight of her feminine parts also leave an impression. I feel like this would give you stiff shoulders.
“Uwaa… The body of Counselor-sama…is like someone on the verge of death. Your mana is completely dried up.” (Rakura)
“That’s my normal state. Aren’t I similar to you aside from the mana?”
“My eyesight has gone down, my body is in tatters…and my waist hurts.” (Rakura)
“That’s the fault of Ilias.”
“You mean your fault, right?!” (Ilias)
But maybe because the faculties of our bodies are similar, I don’t feel so much of a warped sensation in my movements.
The body of Rakura is…how to put it…soft. Not in certain spots, but in terms of its core.
“Hmm, it would be impossible to fight in this body… But my view being high is pretty fresh… Fumu.” (Rakura)
The adult man looked over here and did a scheming look.
Her gaze is directed at my chest.
“How’s my body in the eyes of a man—” (Rakura)
“If you are thinking about pulling pranks in the body of someone else, I will get butt naked and bite off my tongue.”
“That far?!” (Rakura)
“Just picture it.”
For Rakura, it would only look like she is toying with her own body, but in the eyes of others, it would be like a man going full pervert.
Moreover, I am a man on the inside. Why do I have to get teased by someone with the outward appearance of a man?
I don’t know what she would do if we were to leave her like this for too long, so I switched with Mix this time around.
The body of Mix wasn’t on the level of Ilias, but it was still hard to call it ordinary.
The amount of mana feels even less than that of Rakura.
An olympic athlete would be around this level, I think. No, this body would be a bit higher than that.
“Mister Friend, your body is like that of someone who would die as soon as tomorrow!” (Mix)
The adult man made a face on the verge of tears. You too, huh.
I don’t want to see an adult man making that face though.
“I am telling you that’s the average. If you take out the fact that there’s no mana, I simply am not that strong, right?”
“To think it would give me this much anxiety just from there being no mana…” (Mix)
Looks like the residents of this world are very conscious of the mana inside of them.
I do think that the things revolving around mana are powerful factors. The reality is that even a newbie like me could immediately control it to strengthen my body.
Mana is like a second gauge of stamina for them. They must feel like I am on the verge of death with me not having mana.
“—This is the body of a gentleman… The same as Ani-sama… *Gulp*.” (Mix)
“Gold Demon Lord, return us at once. The eyes of that guy are scary!”
I switched with Wolfe at the end.
Wow, this is impressive… Ilias is above her when it comes to exerting strength, but the lightness of her body is on a whole realm of its own.
Not only does the mana inside of her feel bottomless, it continues overflowing from my core.
With this much mana, you would be able to live a life filled with energy every day.
“I see. I can understand well why the people who can feel mana would have their heart drawn by the talent of Wolfe.”
“Seeing Wolfe-chan suddenly make a complicated face and speak out difficult words is scary.” (Rakura)
It is true that there would be several worries when looking at my current state.
Speaking of which, can I move my tail…? It is a strange feeling, but the nerves are definitely connected.
It is as if there’s different nerves connected to my ears and it feels extremely off.
The body of a demi-human is really different from that of a human.
By the way, the adult man is close to tears here.
“Shishou…is this okay?” (Wolfe)
Gestures as if an adult just regressed to a child. It is not something I would like to see for long.
I pat her head, but this is the first time I pat the head of an adult man, oi.
“That’s how I usually am. There’s no need to worry.”
“That’s quite the bizarre sight.” (Rakura)
And then, we return to our original bodies.
Yeah, this body really does feel the most fitting.
“By the way, Gold Demon Lord-san, aren’t you interested in the body of Counselor-sama?” (Rakura)
“That way of putting it sounds weird, so rephrase it.”
“I of course am interested in both meanings, but this one’s body is pretty much a tool created for use in the simulated world. Only this one can move it.” (Gold)
I certainly am interested in the body of a Demon Lord—no, phrasing.
It would be better to say that I am interested in a body that has been affected by resurrection magic.
It is true that there’s not much merit in switching if I can’t move it.
“There’s no real need for Counselor-sama to move anyways, so isn’t it fine to just switch?” (Rakura)
“Ooh, that’s true .” (Gold)
“No, wait, if anything happens, there would be no one to stop y—”
I blacked out for an instant before I could finish speaking.
But I soon came back and my body was the same.
However, the position of everyone has changed, including myself.
“…I switched?”
“Umu, it was an interesting body!” (Gold)
I look around. Everyone averted their gaze for some reason.
The one in front of me is a Gold Demon Lord looking satisfied. There’s…nothing wrong with my clothes…or so I would like to think.
“Oi, what did you do?”
“It is okay. I have not crossed the line.” (Gold)
“What did you do?!”
I asked persistently, but the Gold Demon Lord simply laughed and played it off. What in the world happened?
I want to believe this is the teasing of the Gold Demon Lord though… I should confirm with Wolfe later.
“Next time you do that, I will judge it as a hostile action.”
“I know, I know. Consent is important in everything after all.” (Gold)
This suggestive way of saying it pisses me off. What should I do about this one?
“But there wasn’t anything that stood out aside from his body being on the verge of death.” (Gold)
“Verge of death, you say… But with this I have proved that the cold was because of the burden in my body, right?”
“Umu, that body gets tired so easily it is baffling.” (Gold)
“Right… Actually, learning about the limit of your body being lower than imagined was a good experience.” (Mix)
It is pretty rare to be satisfied from the feebleness of someone. I don’t know if I should be happy or sad as the one who proved it.
“We will need to keep an eye on Mister Friend next time so he doesn’t overexert himself.” (Mix)
“True. We should treat him as a patient right at death’s door.” (Ilias)
I regret it.
This even opens the possibility for them to not let me do anything at all.
I can’t help but feel like they have discovered way too much of my weakness. I should follow up here.
“It is just that I can’t use mana, but my body is normal. It is not like I have that much stamina, but despite appearances, it is actually average on Earth.”
“This is average…?” (Ilias)
Sorry, everyone from the modern era. This is not my fault.
It is the fault of the outrageous people in the fantasy world that have a second stamina tank that can boost all of their stats.
“Speaking of which, we have learned about how weak the body of Counselor-sama is, but we didn’t learn about the thing he usually does.” (Rakura)
“Rakura, I told you to stop with the phrasing… By ‘the thing’, you mean understanding the other party, right?”
“Yes. I thought for sure you saw the world differently.” (Rakura)
“True. You were simply on the brink of death and there weren’t any special traits that seemed to have adapted to that technique.” (Ilias)
“Those eyes probably have nothing to do with the almost dead body of Mister Friend.” (Mix)
Brink of death, almost dead, on the verge of death…have you taken a liking to those words?
Understanding someone is all about the mind after all. The body has nothing to do with it.
As long as you have eyes, visual information comes in; if you have eyes, auditive information comes in; this is something that can be done in any body as long as you have your whole body.
“Ya might be able to experience it.” (Gold)
“You can?”
“Umu. In the match before, I threw ya into the worlds with 2 minds, right? If we adjust that method a bit, I think ya could share that feeling.” (Gold)
When obtaining information from outside, you need to borrow the eyes and ears of the other party.
But isn’t that a bit of a dangerous thing to do…in the ethical sense?
“When it comes to sharing the senses, wouldn’t you end up sharing your thoughts too?”
“Maybe. Are ya embarrassed that my hot feelings will be transmitted to everyone?” (Gold)
“That’s not it. Don’t worry.”
I ended up getting riled up by her provocation and accepted. Gold Demon Lord, what a fearsome foe.
We moved locations and headed to the Gahne Castle’s prison. The monsters are still chained up there even though it is a simulated world.
I needed someone who holds enmity towards me as an observation target for my switch, so I chose this place.
Speaking of which, what should I do about the monsters here? Even if they have helped me out, it is not like I am attached to them.
Of course, it is not like our hearts connected or something.
I should ask Ekdoik to deal with them later.
I have everyone sit on chairs, and then the Gold Demon Lord moves the minds of everyone inside me.
After that, I am free to act as I please.
“Now then, I will try it out.” (Gold)
The Gold Demon Lord began to operate her book. When she did, everyone else groaned.
And…
(Wicked with everyone has Shishou Mister Friend are you hearing sturdy everyone’s heart uwa! Suddenly my mind is noisy difficult to understand)
The voices of the 5 resonate in my mind. This is beyond noisy.
Argh, it is noisy, so just keep it to one person talking!
(Sorry sorry, because everyone gathered in one spot, the voices ended up being output from the same place.) (Gold)
(They all rang in my ear at the same time, it made me wonder what in the world was going on.) (Ilias)
Looks like their locations have been moved. It still echoes though.
Good grief, I am not Prince Shoutoku, you know?
(Prince Shoutoku?) (Wolfe)
(Not a name I know. Is it someone famous?) (Rakura)
Looks like my thoughts are leaking here.
Wolfe, Prince Shoutoku was a great person from my world. An outstanding guy that could listen to 12 people at once.
(Oooh.) (Wolfe)
(There’s someone like that? That’s impressive.) (Gold)
(That’s just like Ani-sama.) (Mix)
Marito can do something like that? No, this is not the time for that.
Having 5 people inside my mind is a lot more taxing than I thought.
(This certainly does seem rough.) (Ilias)
(Counselor-sama, what do you think of me~?) (Rakura)
(Right, it would be best to begin quickly. I have at least made it so ya all can return to normal if ya concentrate on it respectively.) (Gold)
I see. So they can retire themselves if they begin to feel bad.
Also, shut up, Rakura. Don’t try using it for evil instantly.
(You adapt faster than expected, Counselor-sama. Ah, but I can feel from the bottom of your heart that you don’t dislike me. I am happy.) (Rakura)
(Umu, yer heart has calmed down quite a lot. But the scenery feels different from the time when I was inside yer body…) (Gold)
(Mister Friend, my—) (Mix)
Gold Demon Lord, can you please make it so that I don’t hear thoughts of the others? I can’t concentrate.
…Alright, it is silent now.
Having my mind being read brings about nothing decent.
Let’s just begin at once without all the noise.
I walk over to the lesser devil. There’s no barrier from Rakura this time around, so I have to observe from outside the cell.
But even if you tell me to observe, I have already read the intention of the Purple Demon Lord though…
Let’s try ruminating for now.
“Well then, excuse me…”
I look at the eyes of the devil. The hostility it directs at me is the same even in the simulated world.
It is not hiding its stimulation from my approach and is rampaging.
If this devil wasn’t chained up, it would have tried to pierce my skull with its sharp claws.
I feel the animosity and killing intent with my skin.
But what I should see through isn’t that. It is what lies beyond that: the intention of the creator.
The Nether that created this monster, the mana that serves as the primary factor, the emotions put into it; I trace and draw them.
Observing spots, face, observing with intuition, I switch, switch, and repeat.
Still pictures, film, magnify, shrink, concentrate, tear away, reflect… Who am I? Overwrite, randomly.
The existence of the devil in front of me, partition its varied worth as a living being, inspect it closely.
Look through its skin, bones, blood, flesh… Who am I? Entrails, I take off its head and insert it.
The sounds reaching my ears, assume there are sounds that are not reaching my ears, listen, imitate them in my mind… Who am I? Those without form, those that have form, something, right, there’s something.
I drop my consciousness deep in and concentrate on what I felt.
Emotions. What emotions? What is it thinking? What is it feeling? What, what is it, who is it? Right, who am I? What am I? I don’t know. Know it. Who am I? Who am I? That’s right, it is me.
I insert the emotions that surfaced in me. They don’t fit. I try fitting myself in. It doesn’t fit. Obviously. It is different after all.
Then, let’s form it from the very beginning. Let’s forget about my shape for now. Forget. Preconceptions, beliefs, common sense, discernment, values, emotions, please take a step over here for now.
Let’s try the fitting again. Aah, that’s not it. It is more like this. One more time. Not this either. This is what I should be changing. Right, one more time. Yeah, like this. Once more.
What am I thinking about right now? Aah, this feeling is. Right, this is—
“Stop.”
My back was grabbed suddenly. I was brought away from the cell with incredible strength.
Uhm, aah, right. This strength and voice…
“—Ilias, huh.”
When I looked back, there was Ilias, who should be sitting on the chair, with a pale face.
Her being here must mean that… I remember the words of the Gold Demon Lord.
So she willed herself to return to her body, huh.
“You left quite fast.”
“Don’t speak nonsense. I am the last one.” (Ilias)
I move my gaze. There’s everyone else.
Their minds and bodies are already connected. They are all sitting on the chair in different ways.
One who is covering her eyes with both hands and shaking her head, one who is covering her mouth and enduring from letting out what’s welling up, one who is hugging herself and trembling, and one who has already left this place.
Looks like they couldn’t accept the sensation of the method I usually use.
It seems like 30 minutes have passed. It isn’t fast when considering that, huh.
“You are…doing something like this…the whole time?” (Ilias)
“I finish up faster when comprehending people though. It takes time when there’s no information—”
“Forming a different personality, a new self inside yourself, and repainting yourself… That’s insanity!” (Ilias)
“It is necessary to replicate the other party inside of me for observation.”
“People…live their lives…and with their pasts, they form their own selves! You are letting those go away in an instant without a single moment of hesitation. You are turning their value to zero! Not only are you denying yourself, you are making it worthless!” (Ilias)
In order to become the other party, the information of myself becomes a hindrance. Therefore, I put them away temporarily, but it seems like she finds that to be an extremely dangerous action.
“Uhm, I am properly processing things like sensations as information. The one managing this and using them is without doubt the original me. It may be a bit shaky, but I have returned, haven’t I?”
“Are you saying a person with those eyes is you?! Then what is the current you?! Who is the one that we want to protect?!” (Ilias)
You can’t act upon just one set of values in order to analyze others and utilize that information.
If you act with conscience, you can’t do terrible acts.
In the case you act with malicious motives, you can’t choose the righteous path.
That’s why I change. I separate the clashing factor that is myself and adjust it.
This world is easy for emotions to oscillate and I am the lord of it.
If the other party tilts on the side of the inhumane, there’s the opportunity for the thorough me to show up, but it is most likely not fitting in the daily life of this world.
The one Ilias shows disgust towards is me, and the me that is on the verge of being dyed away.
It is simply a matter of the opposite side of my self from Earth being suitable to living safely in this world. The me and the me are both equally myself. They are the same.
I am simply leaning towards one side, switching them. That’s all there is to it.
Marito and Pope Euparo have seen through that.
That’s why they called me a coward. They have noticed my weakness of changing myself depending on the situation after all.
That said, Ilias is angered beyond expectations. There’s most likely no words that can calm her down right now.