(Makeup post

70

"Richard," I called to him. "What are you doing?"

The young man, who had been crouching on the ground doing something I couldn't make out, turned around. Flustered, he wiped his filthy hands on clothes that were hardly any cleaner, then stood five meters away and bowed his head to me. "Teacher."

"An elderly woman in this village used to help me out often. She's in poor health now, and her eyesight is failing. None of her children are around, so I come to look after her whenever I have time." Richard's shoulder bag held the matches, fountain pens, and newspapers he intended to sell. In this era, newspapers had yet to become widespread; only the capital, Trier, and the large cities around it had newspaper offices distributing them. Newsboys hawked papers through the streets and alleys. He also had shoe-polishing tools in his bag. "I read her the newspaper, boil water for tea, and talk with her. That makes her very happy."

Richard Ernst was a special human.

But not particularly special. I watched him, and through the unique perception afforded by my authority, I saw dozens of transparent threads wound around his hands. They were souls who had "been saved by him and formed an important connection." Though he had saved some people, he always acted within his means. He helped those he was capable of helping, such as rescuing people from war, but never tried to stop any of it at the root-for example, by advocating peace or openly opposing the radical, expansionist ideology born of blind worship of Roselle.

In that respect, he really was just an ordinary person.

"You're filthy," I said. "You can't come back with me looking like that. Why did you get yourself into this state?"

"...I'm sorry. She lives in an alley in the slums, where they haven't installed a proper sewage system yet." Richard looked embarrassed.

I nodded slightly. "Then return to my estate through the small stable door and clean yourself up in the washroom, just like before."

"Yes," he said, following more than two meters behind me with his head lowered.

The journey was very quiet, which surprised me. He usually had plenty to say about all sorts of things. After all, for a young human, he had already experienced a great deal in life. Not long after becoming a Beyonder, for instance, he had been persecuted by members of his organization with different beliefs. His teacher and other seniors had taken him along when they fled, only to suffer attacks and pursuit by the Indulgence Faction on the road, leaving more than half of them dead or wounded. Finally, they had managed to escape to a nobleman's estate, then discovered that the nobleman was a "Devil" from a neighboring pathway...

"Something's on your mind," I said.

Had he realized that sheltering under a Devil was hardly something to be proud of, or had the remnants of the Temperance Faction come knocking to take him back?

"...Teacher, I'm confused."

Richard spoke softly, his voice drifting over from behind me. "People can earn money through their own labor. The nobles provide relief to the poor, and the gods establish churches to shelter the elderly, the young, women, and children. The Son of Steam introduced a 'Civil Code' to protect people's livelihoods, and benefits for illness and injury, along with compensation for the families of fallen soldiers, are gradually improving. So why do the people still live in such misery?"

"Because no one actually cares whether the people live or die."

He looked stunned, and I found that strange instead.

Humans acted for their own interests, the gods for their anchors and reputations. The nobles merely let a little money slip through their fingers, while the code and benefits Roselle introduced were meant to make the populace enthusiastically participate in war. No one was campaigning for the people. Wasn't that obvious?

I thought he could work it out, so I added nothing.

"All-all right. What you're saying...perhaps..." It took about five minutes before Richard stammered a reply, as though his existing beliefs had been shattered and were being rebuilt. "Then, how...how can we change all this...?"

"Change it?" I asked in return. "Why change it? The people are as lowly and ubiquitous as blades of grass. There's no need to concern yourself with them. Even if they're burned away by fire, drowned in floods, or killed by disease, there will always be more and more survivors. Humans build their own nests, forage, and reproduce. Give them a little time to recover, and they'll flourish again. They're a cheap, renewable resource. Why bother with them?"

His eyes widened. The few decades of experience he had accumulated were not enough to let him respond quickly to my answer after his worldview shattered. The colors of his emotions shifted endlessly like a revolving lantern. After a while, he finally calmed down, but all the blood seemed to drain from him in an instant.

"...Is that really how you see the people?"

Richard recovered his ability to speak and his usual composure, and quickly began thinking. "It's been this way for thousands of years...could it be that gods and those in high positions all look down on humanity from this perspective?"

"You could think of it that way."

"No, that isn't quite right either." He suddenly noticed something. "Then what about you, Teacher? You've always been different. As a Devil, you usually stop short when you kill, and you don't enjoy it. As an angel, a Subordinate Deity in mythology, you never care about your believers or your cult. If all the gods are doing this for anchors, why don't you need them?"

...Orthodox gods? I sneered inwardly.

"Because I am a god more powerful than every god currently on this planet," I answered calmly. Though saying this as a Sequence 2 Devil was somewhat absurd, the Devil Pathway was insane and unreasonable to begin with. "The weak are unwilling to forget where they came from, so they cling tightly to their humanity. They depend on humans to maintain their sense of self, yet cannot love them as equals. That is their cowardice and hypocrisy."

"I don't need humanity. Because I know what it is."

"However, if you want to save the people, there is another theory I could explain to you." Before he fell into complete despair, I changed tack. He was exceptionally talented and very good at acting. He had earned quite a reputation among several groups of Temperance Faction fugitives, and although others despised him, he had ultimately established himself and no longer feared pursuit by the Indulgence Faction. He was a valuable pawn, a tool worth cultivating. I didn't mind wasting a little time helping him understand the world anew.

"What is it?" he asked expectantly.

"This world is currently in an age of capitalism."

"I know." The good student nodded. "Mr. Roselle coined that term. It was an epoch-making development."

"..." I was at a loss for words for a second, then continued. "In theory, there is indeed an even more advanced age, with such abundant material resources that no one goes hungry or cold. Everyone receives a good education and doesn't fight with others over resources. There's no need to work yourself to the bone. As long as everyone works eight hours a day, there will be enough to support everyone."

"...Heavens, a world where everyone has enough food and clothing, receives an education, and doesn't have to work themselves to death? I can't imagine it," Richard murmured. "Then when will that age arrive?"

"It never can." I cut off his fantasy, watching his expression change again. "In that age, everyone is equal. Everyone can live well by relying on themselves. What would they need gods for?"

Richard's expression changed drastically.

"Are-are you saying..." A dense layer of cold sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead. "The gods...won't let that age arrive? Heavens, the gods won't allow us to live by our own efforts, because when that day comes, people will no longer believe in them...we can never be saved?"

I smiled without directly answering his question, and instead called him over to my side. "Some people will always be saved, such as the wealthy and the devout. Now that you know this road leads nowhere, do you still want to keep learning?"

Richard hesitated for two seconds, then nodded firmly.

71

"October 29th. Zaratul, the leader of the Secret Order, paid me another secret visit. I couldn't guess his true intentions. He seemed to simply want to strengthen communication between us and our understanding of each other?"

"I feel that Zaratul is more powerful and mysterious than the two Church powerhouses I've met. He gives me a very similar feeling to my Devil compatriot. So, without much hope, I casually asked whether he was also an angel. And he actually answered me!"

"He said he was a Sequence 2 'Miracle Invoker'!"

"Sequence 2? He-no, He is actually an angel too!! I'm surrounded by two angels. Rather than chalking it up to the halo of being this era's protagonist, I suspect there must be some deeper reason behind this that I don't understand."

"Miracle Invoker? A master skilled at creating miracles? The name of this potion really sets the imagination running! Is this the Sequence 2 of the 'Seer' pathway?"

"I tentatively asked Zaratul another question: did these so-called miracles refer to miracles of fate? Was the 'Seer' pathway one of gradually understanding and manipulating fate? Zaratul skipped the first question. He told me that fate was only one part of the 'Seer' pathway, and that the pathway truly representing fate was 'Monster'!"

"He gave several examples from the 'Monster' pathway: Sequence 7 'Lucky One,' Sequence 5 'Winner,' Sequence 2 'Soothsayer,' and that Sequence 1 at the very top, 'Snake of Mercury'! It's also called the 'Snake of Fate.' This is the first Sequence 1 I've learned about, and it really struck a chord with me!"

"Zaratul has accumulated an enviable amount of knowledge. Out of curiosity about my Devil compatriot-fine, I admit there was a little wariness too-I asked Him the name of Sequence 2 of the 'Devil' pathway."

"He glanced at me, seemingly seeing right through my thoughts. He openly said that my compatriot's presence was precisely why He had delayed His first visit, because Devils were always insane and cold-blooded. He said He wasn't quite sure what Sequence 2 of the 'Devil' pathway was, but the name of Sequence 1 was 'Filthy Monarch.' That's quite an extraordinary name too. It sounds just like a dungeon's final boss! To act as a Filthy Monarch, will my Devil compatriot have to establish a Devil empire? Hiss, the more I think about it, the more terrifying it gets."

"..."

"As far as I know, the 'Monster' pathway should be controlled by the School of Life. This school also seems to possess some sequences of the 'Apothecary' pathway. They advocate a threefold division into the Absolute Rational World, the spiritual world, and the material world. Hmm, that's pretty cool too."

"Zaratul also added meaningfully that the School of Life worships the moon. Why the moon? Why not go a step further and worship the Evernight Goddess?"

The long diary entry was finally finished. It contained an enormous amount of information, and Klein once again experienced the sensation of having his mind stuffed full of knowledge. This was also the first time he had learned the names of Sequence 1 potions-and two at once!

'Snake of Mercury,' 'Filthy Monarch'-both sound so enticing. Although 'Miracle Invoker' is impressive too, it somehow feels less imposing than 'Soothsayer.' I wonder what the Seer pathway's Sequence 1 potion is called... Based on the sequence names of the Monster pathway he already knew, Klein judged that Zaratul had not lied. The subsequent diary entries still contained a great deal of information, such as Beyonder characteristics being passed down to offspring. This answered some of his questions about Beyonder creatures and was consistent with the law that the total quantity of characteristics remained unchanged. Reading further, he also learned that the current King of the Five Seas, Nast Solomon, had already been born in Emperor Roselle's era and was a High-Sequence Strongman over a hundred and fifty years old!

After reading all the diary entries for this session, Klein's myriad emotions were completely concealed by the gray fog. He paused briefly, tapped the surface of the Bronze Long Table with a finger, and said with a smile, "I wish to issue a mission."

A mission! Audrey's eyes widened, and she felt both nervous and excited. At the same time, she noticed that although the Hanged Man appeared unchanged, he too had become unusually tense. Only the Sun remained bewildered, no different from usual.

"You may choose to accept it or refuse it." With the aid of his Clown abilities, he spoke in a normal tone. "A Blessed of mine has arrived in Backlund. He wishes to accomplish something, but it is inconvenient for him to act in person."

Seeing that Justice and the others remained silent, each considering his words, Klein issued his mission:

"What he wishes to accomplish is the assassination of the Intis Republic's ambassador to the Loen Kingdom, Beckland Jean Madan."

TBC

A small fragment of recollection.

At the very beginning, Richard was just an ordinary good person. Later, he learned to act beyond his means and fly into the flame like a moth.

Another edit: oh, right, I've always felt something familiar about Edward's characterization. Thinking it over carefully: innocent on the outside, dark on the inside + a terrifying hobby in a certain area + a very likable appearance and personality + a middle-aged man who's a formidable fighter + a dead wife and a child + a cross.

Isn't that Kirei Kotomine?