Deciphering Mi

(Miluno)

Ceruno was sent to sleep, while Azura, Mono, and I... traveled through the portal to Nabu Island Prison.

Because of the time difference, it's still early morning here.

The atrium is even more impressive after the last renovation. A landscape fountain was built, and the fountain pool is lit up with landscape lights at night. If I didn't know this was a prison, I would have thought it was a five-star hotel.

Where is Miss Achernar?

It's quite rare for her to contact me first, but after sending us a message, we never heard from her again.

When asked, the magical girl guards on duty said she had finished her shift and they didn't know where she went... She's probably back in Skyreach City to work on her virtual YouTuber career.

The witch criminals were all asleep, and Sirius wasn't in her warden's office either. Because SpiCa had gone to prison, she had no choice but to come out of retirement to stabilize the situation and was forced into work mode.

However, SpiCa herself has been arrested. Does she still bear responsibility for the brainwashing these witches did?

The treatment needs to be reinforced periodically; otherwise, it may eventually stop working...

"Please, you're worried SpiCa won't have a chance to solidify the brainwashing effect, since they're all locked up on an island?"

Mono then suggested:

"Why don't we just go to the villa and find Betelgeuse? We'll have to find her eventually anyway."

"Alright."

Betelgeuse is currently being held in a detached villa halfway up the mountain, where it is studying an Ancient Computer that was found under the bed of the "Great Will." It is likely a diary or something similar, and may contain some secrets.

The prison wasn't far from the villa, so we decided to walk up the mountain. I carried my short-legged Azura on my back and jogged along the mountain path, treating it as a form of early morning exercise with weights.

Even though it's the middle of the night here.

"Wait for me! Give me a hug!"

Behind me, I could hear heavy breathing.

Mono's Base Body was practically useless in terms of physical abilities, even inferior to Ceruno's.

In the living room on the first floor of the small villa, Betelgeuse, still only wearing panties and a tank top, was lying in her cabin chair, oblivious to everything around her. However, SpiCa was also there, having a late-night snack in the dining room.

"Oh, it looks like pasta?"

Mono muttered to himself, "It looks delicious, but why didn't she put in ketchup?"

If you want a quick and painless death, go ask him yourself.

Pushing open the door, I joked:

"You prisoners, you eat and live well every day, how can you look like you're in prison?"

SpiCa chuckled and asked:

Why are you here?

"Miss Achernar said that Betelgeuse has cracked the Ancient Computer, so I came to check it out."

SpiCa put down her spoon and smiled wryly:

Did she tell you this before she left?

"What's wrong? Can't you tell me?"

"Actually, I'm still hesitating whether or not to tell you..."

SpiCa then looked at Mono and Azura.

"... It concerns their backgrounds, and I have some guesses."

Mono, who was about to make advances on Betelgeuse, was also stunned.

"Our origins? Have we unlocked the secrets of the 'Great Will'?"

"Based on the deciphered information, it contains records of the life and anecdotes of that 'god,' as well as the reasons for the world's impending doom."

So it really is a diary?

"Then why can't we see it?"

SpiCa rubbed her forehead and sighed, "Because our world is repeating the same mistakes. The magical girls' power comes from the Will of the Stars, but the excessive abuse of this power will lead to the destruction of planets..."

Could using the powers of magical girls lead to the end of the world?

Could you elaborate on the situation?

SpiCa replied, "The ancient civilization on the 'The Other Side' was built and developed around the light of the Crystal. Once upon a time, the whole world was magnificent, peaceful, and prosperous. The light emanating from the Crystal not only served as the energy needed for the development of the civilization, but also transformed the bodies of the Natives, giving each of them an extremely long lifespan... You can think of it this way: every individual in the ancient civilization was a 'magical girl,' or something similar to a magical girl."

Uh, a bald magical girl?

I thought for a moment and asked:

"Since no one will die, has the excessive development of civilization led to the over-exploitation of Crystal power?"

"That's right, the 'Great Will' is indeed that Crystal. She does possess motherly compassion, attempting to protect all living things in the world. However, excessive protection is harmful. Because generation after generation, bathed in the light of the Crystal, all creatures in the world have become greenhouse plants and animals that cannot survive without the power of the Crystal. When the light of the Great Will begins to fade, life that has lost the power of the Crystal can no longer adapt to the world without light. Those who can migrate will migrate, and those who cannot walk will die on the spot..."

That's what I saw in my first dream.

A world that has become dark, desolate, and lifeless because it has lost the light of the Crystal.

SpiCa continued, "But the Crystal has reached its limit. Even with a reduced range of activity, the 'Great Will' is still unable to take care of its surviving people. Seeing that the area its light can reach is getting smaller and smaller, the powerless 'Great Will' made a desperate decision."

"Take the surviving people with you, and while you still have the strength, lead them to a new home, right?"

When I said that, SpiCa paused for a moment, but still nodded.

"So you knew all along? The Great Will abandoned most of the world, leading the last surviving people on a path of aimless survival, narrowing the search area several times along the way, and many people died..."

Based on the clues provided by SpiCa and what I saw in the dream, I know pretty much what happens next.

"But before they could find a new home, the light within the Crystal was about to go out. Therefore, the Natives threw themselves into the well, returning the light to the 'Great Will' to continue the flame..."

SpiCa nodded in agreement.

"Yes, that's right."

"That's basically the same as what we know, isn't it? Besides, we humans don't rely on the power of the Crystal. Once the threat from 'the Other Side' is resolved, we can simply return the Crystal to the stars."

"It's not as simple as you think."

SpiCa, however, disagrees.

"But at this moment, the number of magical girls is still increasing, and countries are conducting research on Crystal and even darkness. Pandora's Box has been opened, and it will be difficult to close it again."

At least for us, Crystal are not the same as oxygen.

"What else is in the records? Is there anything else that they can't tell us?"

"... I can't say."

SpiCa walked to the cabin chair in the living room and tapped Betelgeuse's helmet.

The latter angrily removed his helmet and glanced at us again.

SpiCa said, "Different people will interpret it differently; go and experience it for yourself."

Without saying a word, Betelgeuse handed me her helmet... which was actually Mental Link Device, left the cabin chair, and was then tackled onto the sofa by Mono.

I lay down on the still-warm bed, which was very soft, and the helmet still had the lingering scent of Betelgeuse.

But how... should I use this?

I secretly used it once before when I was in the fortress of Betelgeuse. I remember that I could see the image as soon as I put it on... But this time, the device is not connected to the clone robot, but to Ancient Computer.

Wearing the Mental Link Device, countless light particles rushed past me at high speed, creating a visual effect as if I were accelerating forward.

And my consciousness was pulled away from my body during this process.

"You've finally arrived."

In the pure white space, a woman's voice, unlike anything heard before, rang out.

"Who are you?"

"I am what you call the 'Great Will'."