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And so, it has been decided that we will be staying one night in Hydra Ville.
We are considered special guests in the live performance, so we were allowed in the Water Church’s guest room.
Even in this famous sightseeing city and trading port, this is a central building. The guest room in such a place is, as expected, quite the extravagant thing. It is a structure that was made in a way that the sea breeze could easily pass through it, so I was able to have a good view of the city’s nightscape.
“Hmph, show-offs.” (Mirack)
Mirack mutters this as she sinks her rear over and over on the soft bed.
Is she planning on acting that way in all this trip?
“She said we can freely pass the time until tomorrow’s live. It looks like we can also do some sightseeing outside as long as we decide on the time.” (Haine)
“Even if this was to have Celestis-san hear out our request, it has become an incredible thing. At first, I thought we would be singing as well, and that flustered me.” (Karen)
But, as expected, that didn’t happen.
In terms of artistic performances, these two are total beginners. There’s no way the pro Celestis would have them suddenly learn the lyrics and have them stand on stage. It looks like they can safely spectate from the side.
Even so, in order to entertain the audience to the highest limits, she said she would be thinking up the best way to show the flashiness of having three heroes together, and then, left to a meeting.
She really is a zealous worker.
“She really was an aggressive person, that Celestis-san. Not only a hero, she also holds pride in being an idol as well.” (Karen)
“To me, she is only a half-assed person that can’t decide on one thing though…well, that’s what I want to say, but…in truth, even with that, she is still able to properly do her job as a hero.” (Mirack)
Eh? Really?
“Since officially becoming a hero, the number of monsters she has defeated are…not that different from Karen and I. Even when she is putting so much zeal in her hobby. I wonder, just when does she head out to do her subjugations.” (Mirack)
“Is that so. Celestis-san truly is an incredible person. She is properly managing as a hero and an idol…… Haine-san.” (Karen)
Karen-san makes a more serious tone than normal.
“Do you remember what Celestis-san said?” (Karen)
Heroes are the face of the church. ‘Since you have become a hero, you have to fulfill that duty’, is that what she is referring to?
“I…thought that it was okay for heroes to just defeat monsters and protect the livelihood of the people. But my seat as a hero and my power was given to me by the Church, that’s why, I probably also hold responsibility in regards to the Church.” (Karen)
The serious Karen-san said this with an expression as if it was truly bothering her heart.
“I thought that responsibility could be fulfilled by simply defeating monsters. But that wasn’t all. Maybe there’s other things that have to be done. Seeing Celestis-san today, I began thinking that…” (Karen)
“Karen-san is not wrong.” (Haine)
First of all, I say this.
“What Celestis said is not wrong, but Karen-san isn’t wrong either. The most important duty of heroes is to protect the people. Karen-san who is always thinking about that as her number one priority is already a splendid hero.” (Haine)
“That’s right, Karen. It can’t be helped that your eyes were stolen by that flashiness of Celestis, but you can’t get lost by it. Also, remember what we came here to do. You went through the trouble of coming all the way here to solve the friction between the five Churches. You are doing plenty enough in your duty for the church.” (Mirack)
Mirack also joined me and cheered Karen-san up.
“I see. That’s right.” (Karen)
It seems like Karen-san has regained her spirit.
Mirack and I silently bump fists.
“Then, let’s sleep already. I will return to my room.” (Haine)
“Eh? Haine-san is not sleeping here?” (Karen)
No way that’s possible.
I am a man of age. If I sleep a night in the same room as them, some sort of mistake will definitely occur.
Even if I am the reincarnation of the Dark God, as long as I hold a human body, I can’t stay indifferent to the instincts and physiological desires it comes with.
That’s why I follow reason.
“I-I see… Then tonight, it will be Karen and I only…!!” (Mirack)
“No, Mirack has a room prepared for Mirack only, so sleep there.” (Haine)
“What?!” (Mirack)
“Truly a VIP reception. To think they would give us a personal room for each one of us.” (Haine)
“Damn it!! This is the very definition of unneeded kindness!” (Mirack)
In the future, even if there’s chances for sleep overs, I promise myself that I will definitely hinder any opportunities of Karen-san and Mirack sharing a room by themselves.
* * *
And so, I return to the room that was prepared for me, and just in the moment I was thinking about sleeping…
*knock knock*
‘Who is it?’ is what I thought as I open the door to check. The one that was standing there was a thin adult man.
“Eh? You are…” (Haine)
I remember seeing him somewhere before.
…Right, the person that Celestis was calling Germana. He is probably the same as me, an assistant of the hero or a subordinate.
‘But why is that person here?’, is what I was wondering when the thin man begins to talk.
“I am sorry for intruding on you at such a late hour. There was something I wanted to talk to you about in given chance, you see.” (Germana)
“…Something you wanted to talk about? Is it related to tomorrow’s live?” (Haine)
I have no other idea but this.
Something to talk with a person that he met for the first time today, the only thing that would be is work related.
“It is already related to that, but there’s also one other thing.” (Germana)
“Eh?”
“First of all, I have to introduce myself here. I am the manager of Celestis-sama’s idol activities, but…”
Manager? Not Germana?
“…That’s only my assumed form. I am actually the reincarnated Water God, Coacervate. It has been a while, Dark God, Entropy.”
- 45: The stupid legend of the Water God
“…What an ill-natured joke.” (Haine)
“Oh? Are you saying I am lying?”
“If it is a lie, just with the point that you are talking about being a God when you are a human would already make you ill-natured; if it is true, the point that you are are mixing in with the human society and scheming something unpleasant is already enough to call it ill-natured. Whichever it is, you are an ill-natured person.” (Haine)
Sadly, the moment my identity was revealed, I understood that what he said was the truth.
An inhuman part of me was reacting.
Water God, Coacervate.
One of the five Gods of Creation, and the God that rules over water.
Water washes away impurities, and purifies the world. But once the stream stops, the water will stagnate and be contaminated. Water then turns into an impurity that rots the world.
The Coacervate in front of me is truly the personification of that kind of water. Stagnated water that has been contaminated.
“So you also reincarnated. I am surprised. That means most of the Gods have descended to the surface world?” (Haine)
“There’s not much to do even if I stay in the God Realm after all. By the way, it wouldn’t be recommendable to talk about things like this in the corridor. Isn’t it about time you let me enter your room?”
If possible, I would prefer not letting a person like this in my room, but with our identities clear now, I can’t just let him go without knowing what this guy is planning.
I reluctantly let the man into my room. Seriously, as a visitor late in the night, he really is not a partner that makes my heart dance.
The current figure of this guy. A man in his middle twenties. I have described him as a thin man for a while now, but that’s how it made me think with that well-formed and slender face of his. The only thing is that he is not that handsome to remain in the head of someone, which makes it even more detestable.
His outfit is probably a formal outfit in this world. It is well-made and truly shows class, but aside from that, there’s no other impressions of it.
In other words, whether it is good or bad, it doesn’t fall into any of those categories in the impression area.
It truly makes me see him more and more as that God.
“Well then, let’s celebrate our reunion.Dark God Entropy, how did you feel when reincarnating?” (Coacervate)
“Don’t call me by that name. Right now, I am Kuromiya Haine.” (Haine)
“That’s your name as a human, right?” (Coacervate)
“But you…I am surprised you were able to notice my identity. I wasn’t able to tell your identity until you told me.” (Haine)
“Let’s just say…it was thanks to a certain simple-minded cow.” (Coacervate)
Cow…… the fire cow, Phalaris.
In other words, the reincarnated form of the Fire God Nova huh.
“I also took notice of the short-circuited and violent plan he had, so I already had surveillance setup for him, you know? And just a few days ago, a mere amount of 3 humans appeared for this so called fire cow subjugation and managed to accomplish it. But, to my surprise, there was one person there who could control dark matter!” (Coacervate)
“…..”
“At that moment, I understood everything. The one who released you was the Light Goddess, Inflation, right? For these few hundred years, her movements have been unclear after all.” (Coacervate)
“And what about it? This time you are thinking about beating her up? Reproducing the same method you used 1,600 years ago, that is.” (Haine)
When I am talking with this guy, I end up remembering even when I don’t want to.
In the battle of Gods that occurred 1,600 years ago…
All six Gods created the world at the beginning of it all. Created the sky, sea, land; and then, the vegetation that grows above it, animals and insects, and in the end, we created humans.
The trigger of that battle were those humans.
Within all the things that the Gods created, the humans had unpredictable possibilities compared to everything in nature.
That’s why, I -the Dark God, Entropy- said this: ‘Humans are interesting living beings. Let’s give them freedom and see what they can accomplish’.
And then, the first one to directly object to this was the Fire God, Nova.
“There’s no better living being than the Gods! And humans are just lower life-forms that are under the servitude of us Gods!”
The Light Goddess Inflation didn’t say who was right or wrong, and only said: ‘I will follow what the Dark God Entropy says’. Even in those days, she was someone I didn’t understand well.
The Wind God Quasar said: ‘Whatever the case, this is stupid’, and the Mother Earth Mantle said: ‘Both opinions are important’.
In other words, over half of the Gods had not shown any clear siding at first, and in that instance, it was still unknown how it would turn out. However, when the fight begun, it had turned into a one-sided battle of 5 vs 1.
The one who orchestrated this is the person right in front of me. The one that never showed his opinion until the very end, the Water God, Coacervate.
“No well, you see, I chose the best route, you know?” (Coacervate)
Coacervate probably noticed my criticizing gaze. As always, he is sharp in this kind of areas.
“Whatever claim were to pass, the fight of the Gods would intensify, and if it were to become a messy fight, the surface world would also be enveloped by the chaos, and life would have died without leaving a single trace behind, wouldn’t it? In order to reduce the damage to its minimum, a fast ending to the fight was necessary, don’t you think?” (Coacervate)
“And because of that, you coaxed the Gods that were keeping their neutrality and placed them in the same side as you and Nova huh. As expected of a scoundrel, it comes with being good at making up excuses. In all situations, you spout sophism and make it so you are not the bad guy.” (Haine)
“Oya oya, so harsh.” (Coacervate)
…So…
“How about you talk already. Why did you reincarnate as a human, and what are you planning this time?” (Haine)
- 46: Water God’s speedy state.
Water God, Coacervate.
This guy is currently not a God, but a reincarnated human. Just like me.
The reason why I reincarnated as a human was purely because I wanted to enjoy the world after 1,600 years long. If I want to observe the human world, being a human myself is the best option.
By the way, the reason the Light Goddess Inflation reincarnated into a human was because: ‘I want to give birth to your (Dark God) baby’. A reason that’s hard to understand, or more like, I don’t really want to understand.
Both of us may have some pretty fuzzy reasons, but the one in front of me is different from us. Coacervate never does things without a reason.
What he does is always connected to troubling someone, and he never does anything that doesn’t.
That’s why I ask him.
Why he reincarnated into a human.
“You are quite direct huh. It is as if you are thinking I am someone that has to be scheming something all the time or I will die.” (Coacervate)
“And that’s just how it is, right? Also, it makes it even more suspicious since you went through the trouble of revealing your identity yourself. For you, secrets that the other party has not noticed are the best trump cards, and until the most effective moment to reveal them, you will hide them even if it’s through sheer obstinacy.” (Haine)
“No way no way. I only came here tonight to reheat that old friendship…” (Coacervate)
A dark stare.
“…Is one of the reasons, but there’s also one thing I wanted to ask of you, you see. For the sake of that, I had no choice but to reveal my identity.” (Coacervate)
“What the hell are you scheming this time?” (Haine)
“Right, in order to do that, it would be best to tell you from the beginning. Haine-san, what do you think about this present world?” (Coacervate)
Coacervate directed that face of his to the window. A gesture saying ‘look at the world’ huh.
“This world has changed quite a bit from the Genesis era, right? A material called ethereal was discovered and the civilization grew, machines and magic began to mix in the cities of humans, even things like monsters began appearing, and the fighting has grown sporadic.” (Coacervate)
“You Gods were the ones who created monsters, right?” (Haine)
“Is that how it was? Well, that’s right.” (Coacervate)
For someone like him, this was a rare moment where he actually spoke with a decisive tone.
“I was the who proposed the idea of creating monsters.” (Coacervate)
“…As expected. I did think that was the case.” (Haine)
“Oya oya, you are not surprised?” (Coacervate)
“That’s really an underhanded method fitting of you, that’s all. Creating these enemies called monsters, you make them attack humans, and make it so humans once again cling onto Gods. Underhanded. Truly the underhanded Water God.” (Haine)
“But, don’t you think that’s also the fault of the humans? Even though we are the ones who gave birth to them, just because their lifestyle got a bit more convenient, they forget about their true parents. Monsters might be the screams of us Gods’ hearts saying that we don’t want to be forgotten.” (Coacervate)
“Your sophism is getting annoying already.” (Haine)
“Anyways, when ethereal was discovered in the human world , the other five Gods aside from you might have convened and thought up countermeasures?” (Coacervate)
“At least be more decisive about something like that.” (Haine)
“And so, the decision called monsters came out. Nova, Quasar, Mantle, and I, created Mother Monsters that hold the element of their respective element. I wonder where they are now? At any rate, as long as they are living in this world somewhere, I think they would create monsters infinitely?” (Coacervate)
“What about Inflation?” (Haine)
“The great Light Goddess. Her heart can’t be understood by someone like me.” (Coacervate)
So he couldn’t earn her approval huh.
And that’s why there’s no light element monsters.
If there really are existences called Mother Monsters…it would be dangerous to blindly believe all Coacervate says, but…it would mean that there’s also a fire element Mother Monster and is still giving birth to more monsters.
Looks like that event that was essentially like sealing the Fire God Nova won’t be stopping the appearances of fire element monsters.
“The hero plan was also my proposition, it seems?” (Coacervate)
“As I said, talk more decisively.” (Haine)
“The other Gods also followed what I proposed and send an oracle to their own Church, and created this system called heroes, it seems? Thanks to that, a structure called ‘World’s Threat vs God’s Envoy’ was created and looks like this held back the decline of the faith. But I wonder if that satisfied everyone?” (Coacervate)
“Nova looked dissatisfied. That’s why he reincarnated into a cow monster himself.” (Haine)
“Looks like he thought of something useless with the lacking brain he has. But there might be others who are actually thinking properly.” (Coacervate)
“Are you talking about yourself?” (Haine)
“After announcing my series of proposals, I immediately descended to the surface world. And then, without leaving it on the hands of the humans, I produced the hero plan myself, I think? But I didn’t only have the hero fight monsters, I also created a number of policies, and increased the effectiveness? Thanks to that, it seems like my Water Church has a lot more believers than other churches?” (Coacervate)
So after having everyone participate in his proposal, he alone went and put it into practice himself huh.
Really does sound just like him.
“…And so, that plan of yours was this idol thing?” (Haine)
The disgraceful behaviour of the singing and dancing hero Celestis pops up in my mind.
And so, this guy here is working as that thing called manager. A puppeteer that hides his identity while stealthily making his moves.
“I am simply utilizing plans that are effective for each generation of heroes? That’s probably the best method for the current hero Celestis-san to obtain believers?” (Coacervate)
“That might be the case, but…each generation, you say. You…each time a hero takes over, you always do such ‘commendable’ managing? Just how many times have you reincarnated?” (Haine)
“I have only reincarnated once though?” (Coacervate)
“Hah?” (Haine)
But that’s just…
“It looks like I have been living in this body for more than a hundred years already. I don’t think I have died even once or have been reborn in that time though?” (Coacervate)
“A human body can’t live that long. No, in the first place, no matter how I look at you, you are around your thirties—” (Haine)
“Did I say I reincarnated as a human?” (Coacervate)
“Hah?”
“Ah right, I have only revealed my identity, and haven’t introduced myself yet, right? Let me do it now then.” (Coacervate)
And then, he said.
“The name of this body is Water Demon, Mephistopheles. A water element monster that has the ability to mimic humans, you know?” (Coacervate)