Shinka no Mi Chapter 73

Chapter 73
Truth

Kannazuki-senpai who seem to have burnt out, somehow recovered from her shock and started to laugh as though she had lost it .

「Fu, fufu …… ufufufufufufufu」
「Scary scary scary scary scary!! Kannazuki-senpai, you’re really scary right now!」

I unintentionally drew myself back . Just try looking at those at expressionless eyes and that smile . Who wouldn’t get scared of that!

「I was the stupid one . Although I knew that I was the only one who knows the most about how enchanting Seiichi-kun is …… I should have known that there was a possibility of this situation happening…」
「Se, senpai……?」

Downcasted, Kannazuki senpai muttered something . Eventually, she raised her head slowly and smiled at me .

「Since it has come to this, I just need to tie your limbs and confine you so that no one can ever lay their eyes on you . 」
「GUAAAARRDDSSS!!!」

Imprisonment is straight lunacy! I don’t care who, anybody, bring over Telbert’s best guards!

「Fu fu fu … There’s no one who will bring a guard here . And do you think I’d let anyone get in my way? My heart and my body, they’re all yours, Seiichi . And, your body and mind are mine . … ‘kay…?」
「MY MIND IS BEING READ!? HALP!!! HAAALLPPP!!」
「Fufufufu . I’m pulling this stunt because I’m only thinking about you <3 .="" only="" you="" are="" reflected="" in="" my="" eyes="" right="" now="" .="" ahh,="" i="" hope="" that="" you="" accept="" these="" crazy="" feelings="" of="">

Your pa.s.sion literally makes me want to pa.s.s on! Wait, I can’t afford to make dad jokes nowI!? Oh how I hate myself for even thinking such a stupid joke! For whatever reason, Kannazuki senpai was saying these frightening lines while bashfully smiling… though, the light in her eyes were gone . As I hugged my trembling body, Al stepped in between us .

[I don’t really get what’s going on, but… for now, I need you to get away from m-my Seiichi]

Oh, Al-san… How cool! Hug me! Oh, how pathetic I am!

While Al and Kannazuki-senpai were glaring at each other, Beatrice-san timidly opened her mouth .

「Um … Shall we get some lunch?」

Beatrice-san, you are one of the few people with common sense here .

As Al and Kannazuki-senpai agreed on a temporary truce, we ordered some food in the dining hall then sat in the vacant seats . Saria was happily enjoying her hamburger next to me . She didn’t seem particularly concerned about Kannazuki-senpai . When I unintentionally smiled when looking at her, she tilted her head and looked at me .

「N? What’s wrong?」
「No… I was just thinking that it heals my heart just by watching you . 」
「E? Really~? Ehehe~ It’s embarra.s.sing, but … I’m happy!」

Saria resumed her meal, smiling . On the other side, Oglchan who was seemingly not really that interested in Kannazuki Senpai was, like me, eating omelet rice . And this doesn’t really need to be mentioned but, Rurune was working on three servings of meal … namely a『Hamburger Set』, an『Omelet Rice Set』, and a『Baked Fish Set』… all alone with gleaming eyes . …And this was with her already holding back her appet.i.te . She really was unwavering, huh!?

Whilest I was envying her , Al asked Kannazuki-senpai with a serious expression .

[Well? Who the h.e.l.l are you? You said you were Seiichi’s childhood friend…]

At Al’s sudden direct question, Kannazuki-senpai answered quite blatantly without hiding anything .

「As you had just said, Seiichi and I are childhood friends, in other words, those who you usually call 『Heroes』 from another world . 」
「What? 『Heroes』? …… . Hm? Wait a minute… then that means… Seiichi is…」

Al turned her eyes to me with an astonished look . Beatrice-san, who got involved involuntary had the same expression as well .

…… I wasn’t deliberately hiding it and I just couldn’t find the good time to talk about it——Well, those were all but an excuse, huh .
And so, I sighed and started talking in a voice where everyone could hear .

「That’s right . I came from the same world as Kannazuki-senpai . ——However, I’m not an existence as great as a 『Hero』 or anything of the sort . 」

Yes, I am definitely not 『Hero』 . I wasn’t summoned as one after all .

Hah? What do you mean by that? From what I’ve heard Kaizer Empire summoned a large number of Heroes .

「Hahaha… Well, you see, I was kinda bullied back there in that world . When the transition happened, the 『Hero』 summoning magic just didn’t recognize me as one . 」
「Wha!?」

Al was shocked by my words .

「Right now, I’m slimmer and taller but … back on Earth, my appearance was just horrible . Everyone hated me and, hara.s.sed me because of that . 」

Although those time was hard, there were still some people who would accept me as a friend, giving me strength to pull through it . Turning to Al who was lost for words due to the shock, I asked her a question I was never able to muster my nerves for .

「Al… are you disappointed in me?」
「What?」
「It’s an entirely different appearance, you know? To the extent where you’d be disgusted by it . My smelly odors and such

are suppressed by skills now, but in the end, this current appearance of mine is nothing but a fake . 」

As I thought, telling them that I, like the Heroes, also came from a different world, did not make me feel uneasy . However, what I was really scared of was what Al and the others would think after learning of my true appearance .

But, they told me they love me . And that’s why I wanted to tell them the truth . I know it’s a little late to be saying all this, even so I had continued to look away from this . Even if it’s only a little, I want Saria and the others to see my past appearance . That was why, meeting Kannazuki – senpai here was a good motivation for my resolve, and the perfect trigger to start the talk about myself .

In order to show the appearance of my old self, I collected my own shape from my memories and created a magic that envisioned it onto the palm of my hand .

「【Figure】」

When I casted the newly created magic, my old figure appeared on top of my palm . At that time, the cla.s.sification 『Seiichi Magic』 was flowed again into my brain, but I paid it no mind .
Scrubby, fat body . Coa.r.s.e face filled with foul acnes . Although it didn’t reproduce the smelly odor, it was enough to make anyone physiologically disgusted .

「This is the old me . One who was helpless and always bullied . . 」
「Seiichi-kun……」

Kannazuki-senpai looked at my palm with a sad expression .
…I guess it was hopeless after all . Rather than a person like me, there should be someone more suitable, much more deserving, for both Saria and Al . Therefore— .

「But Seiichi is Seiichi, aren’t you?」

As if it was the most natural thing the world, Saria just said so casually, tilted her head in wonder .

「Eh?」
「As I said, Seiichi is Seiichi . Whether it is the past Seiichi, or it is the current Seiichi, nothing has really changed . 」
「Bu, but is that not the case? I mean, look . Doesn’t it make you feel disgusted?」
「Why? Why does Seiichi disgust me?」
「Why, you ask … well, the looks are…」
「Even if your looks changed, your personality didn’t change, right?」
「Eh? W, well … I guess my personality didn’t change …」
「Yeah, his personality hasn’t changed . 」

For some reason, I also got Kannazuki-senpai’s acknowledgement who had been observing me for a while .

「And therefore!」
「Huh?」
「The one whom I love is Seiichi who gets easily surprised, tsukkomi’s , and jokes about little things … Seiichi who merrys everywhere, Seiichi who laughs wholeheartedly!!」
「Saria …」
「Because it’s Seiichi I love you because you’re Seiichi! Whether it is the past, present, even from now on …… aaalways! Because it’s Seiichi… and I’ll only love Seiichi! 」
「!」

Saria floated a sweet smile and said it to me . At the dumbfounded me, Al likewise opened her mouth .

「I was wondering what you were going to say… So, what of it?」
「Even you, Al…」
「Seiichi . Tell me, what did you see back then in the Telbert? You think I’m going to hate you just because of mere appearances? ——Don’t make me misjudge you . 」
「……」

「I’m not the only one . Telbert’s lot is the same . Why would those, who had accepted me, a person labelled a ‘calamity’, hate you for something like that? Just as my ‘calamity’ was nothing but a quirk to them, your appearance, everything that makes up who you are, ‘Seiichi’, will be nothing but a personal quirk to them too . Our personal issues don’t define us in front of them . 」

The appearances of those from the guild headquarters, who lived a life faithful to their desires, appeared in my mind . What would happen if I had visited the guild headquarters while in my past form? That thought suddenly came to my mind, so I tried visualizing it .
And…

『Mu! Seiichi-kun! Your belly is flabby! Now, let’s aim for brilliant muscles along with me! First, let’s do 1000 sit-ups for warmup!! 』
『Oh my, that body of yours… Doesn’t that make you want to show it to the people in the street? Doesn’t it? Now, let’s get naked! Liberate yourself, for the true freedom awaits you right outside the door……!』
『Want to do it? 』[Mabbo’s note: The RAW said: “Yaranaika?” . OMG, I’m dying of laughter!]

I could only imagine how easily they’ll accept me . On the contrary, they might even try to drag me to their kinks . That realization made me tremble instead . At that moment, a gentle smile crossed Al’s face as she said to me .

「Besides … As Saria said, I also like you because it’s you . You who accepted all of me, along with my «Calamity» ……」
「…」
「The way I put it might be, you know… but this is precisely why I can make it clear now . 」

Saying that as the preamble, Al opened her mouth despite how bashful she was, ignoring the beet red cheeks she had . She declared it, loud and clear .

「There

「There is no way for me to love anyone other than you, Seiichi . …I know it’s a bit too girly and doesn’t suit me, but … From the bottom of my heart, I truly believe you are my destined partner . 」
「!」
「For now and forever, my companion is only you——Seiichi . No one else but you . 」

Al said it to me as she blushed .
…Why, for you to have gone to that extent—–

「…… Seiichi onii-chan . 」
「Olgchan?」
「…… I’m was a slave, but … Seiichi onii-chan, didn’t care … I was very happy … 」
「 …」
「…Back then and even now, Seiichi-oniichan remained the same . Even someone like me, who has been with you, for just a short time… understands that . 」
「…」
「…… When it was hard … you hugged me … petted me … So, this time … it’s my turn . 」

Olga said as she then approached me, hugging me with her small body, while stroking my head gently .

「… There, there」

Upon hearing Saria, Al, and Ohgchan’s words… tears flooded down my cheeks before I knew it . Even though I believed them, I was afraid to reveal my past . Afraid to show them my former self . Even though I knew that, that wouldn’t happen, I was still scared . That was why … I was really happy . Happy, that they had accepted my past—-

At that instant, something abnormal happened to my body . No, calling it abnormal wasn’t the right word . It was as though my 『body』 and 『mind』 had united, giving me a sense of complete attunement with my body .

Of course, I had always been able to move my body as I wished, but this was different . Now that Saria and the others had accepted me of that time, I …… I was finally able to accept myself, both the me from the past and the present . As a result, I —- the individual called ‘Hiiragi Seiichi’, felt that my body had completely merged with me, becoming my own .

While I was feeling bewildered by the sudden change – though the sensations that remained wasn’t an unpleasant one – Beatrice-san, who had been silently observing the development said in a gentle tone .

「Seiichi-san, as Sarisan and the others said, you are what you are . Everyone loves you as is . Please don’t forget it . 」
「……Yes」

As I replied to her while wiping my tears, I suddenly noticed Rurune staring at the figure of my old self on my palm .

「Rurune? What’s wrong?」
「…Master . That appearance was the appearance of master’s former self, wasn’t it?」
「Eh? Ye, yeah . That’s right…」
「…… Slurp . 」
「Wait, did you just slurped your saliva!?」
「HUH!? I, intentionally …… . The present figure of yours is already so wonderful, but my master’s old form also seems so greasy and appetizing …」
「You plan to eat me!?」

Rurune didn’t seem to be repulsed by my former self as well, but… for some reason, her eyes gleamed and she drooled as she looked at my former figure… In a way, wasn’t this dangerous?
On seeing Rurune, who didn’t seem to be fazed by anything, a smile floated on Saria’s face as she said .

「In addition, didn’t Seiichi eat 『The Seed of Evolution』? That’s why, Seiichi’s current appearance is undeniably the real thing!」
「Eh?」
「Ju, just now … Did you say 『The Seed of Evolution』 just now!?」

Stupidly, I raised my voice at Saria’s words, while a look of astonishment crossed Beatrice-san’s face .

「Yup! 『The Seed of Evolution』! The thing I and Seiichi… also Rurune-chan ate!」
「Ah, that really nasty-tasting nut, right? That thing was unimaginably bitter even as I recalled it now!」
「N, no way … To think it actually exists …」

Come to think of it, 『The Seed of Evolution』 was the only thing which effects were unknown even after I appraised it . However, as Saria had lived in the 【Forest of Endless Sorrow】, she seemed to well-informed about it, though I hadn’t thought of asking her about it . All I knew was that it was purely an extraordinary seed . And now, another individual, aside from Saria, who seemed to be familiar with ‘The Seed of Evolution’, has appeared .

……From how surprised Beatrice-san was, it looked like it was a seed more ridiculous than what I thought . Until now, I had never tried to find out about it, but this might be a good opportunity for me to learn more about it as well .

「Um … Beatrice-san, do you know what 『The Seed of Evolution』 is?」
「Oh yea, that 『The Seed of Evolution』 thingy was also mentioned back then when Rurune was transformed into a human, huh …」

While Al was recalling the time when when Rurune’s transformation happened, Beatrice-san, who had regained her composure a little, started talking .

「Listen here, okay? 『The Seed of Evolution』 is, in fact——A fictional seed . 」
「Eh? Fi, fiction?」

I inadvertently let out a dumb voice to her statement .

「Yes, it’s fict.i.tious . Because no one knows where it comes from at all . 」
「Eh? Th, then how could『The Seed of Evolution』 existence be known?」
「Your doubt is well-founded .

. However, there was one book that has recorded information regarding ‘The Seed of Evolution’ . It’s said that ‘It’s a miraculous seed that is capable of raising the rank of an organism, the only absolute plant that the G.o.ds couldn’t predict . 」
「Erm… so, what does that mean?」
「In other words, 『The Seed of Evolution』 …… originally never existed」
「Huh?」

I became increasingly confused . No, it existed because eating it was what has allowed me to survive until now .

「Maybe I should put it this way to make it easier to understand? All the phenomena in this world are events planned by the G.o.ds… In other words, they are predestined, so the G.o.ds know everything about them . 」

W-Well, how G.o.d was called omniscient and such was similar, even on Earth . I supposed G.o.d could probably have our lives in His grasp as well . However, if the story was true about how G.o.d oversees all the things in this world, then there should be nothing in this world that is beyond G.o.d’s grasp…

「And, ‘The Seed of Evolution’ is something that such G.o.ds have failed to grasp… An unpredictable existence, one that has completely detached itself from fate . 」
「That is to say … For the G.o.ds, 『The Seed of Evolution』 is a completely unidentified thing, a matter that perfectly shrouded in mystery?」
「Exactly . 」

The level of the conversation had escalated through the roof, hadn’t it? Isn’t such complexity more than an ordinary person like me could handle? THIS . This was something only for enlightened men!

「B, but, how do you even ascertain it? Directly asking it to the G.o.ds?」
「Yes . 」
「Now that’s unexpected!」

Directly asking the G.o.ds!? No, in a sense I also did have a conversation with a G.o.d, so it wouldn’t be all strange to directly converse huh!

「How do you ask them?」
「That’s right… I’ve now understood that Seiichi-san comes from a different world, so it’s not a surprise that you don’t know about it . Actually, this world has… already been abandoned by the G.o.ds . 」

I’m sorry, I did know it .

「I’ve heard about the beings called ‘G.o.d’ that reside in places like dungeons and so on, but those are different… No, I guess it would be more accurate to say that the world has been deserted by the G.o.ds from the higher dimensions . 」

Certainly, the 『Black Dragon G.o.d』 whom I’ve defeated were also revered by humans as a G.o.d as well, although he was nowhere near the 『G.o.d』 who transported us to this world, so I kind of understand .

「Be that as it may, long time ago, we were still blessed by the G.o.ds’ bliss . But, at one point … a conflict happened amidst them . 」
「What?」
「One of the Pillar G.o.ds attack the other G.o.ds, as he was aiming for the throne of the King of the G.o.ds . The other G.o.ds didn’t stay silent as they got attacked, they put up resilient resistances, beginning a fierce war between G.o.ds . Because this world’s resident at that time were supporting that Pillar G.o.d, we were ultimately left all alone by ourselves . Of course, the war ended with the opposing side as the winner . 」
「Um … May I ask why the people of this world supported that Pillar G.o.d?」
「There are various theories… but, the most likely one would be that we, humans, were spoiled by Him . 」
「…」

Despite there were already so much mysteries shrouding 『The Seed of Evolution』, we’d come this far only to find more puzzles? Where was that certain High School detective with a child body when we need him?
Maybe she figured out I was at sixes and sevens, Beatrice-san courteously explained it to me .

「Seiichi-san, do you think it’s alright to always be pampered?」
「That’s …」
「…I think I can envision it to a certain extent . Humans, who were spoiled by the G.o.d, who have lost the necessity to do anything… would just further degenerate . 」
「…」
「Please think about it . A world without any disaster, where monsters no longer existed, and disputes among people ended before it could ever happen . I truly believe it would be a very beautiful world . However, we’d also lose the emulation named 『Compet.i.tion』 between us, and would always be provided the best environment possible by the G.o.ds, and eventually lost the desire to live an even better life . We would lose … our 『Evolution』 as a human . 」
「…」

What Beatrice-san was trying to convey, I understood . Of course, if war were to disappear, it would be wonderful thing . A peaceful world would be a place where everyone dreamed of . One that resembled a utopia . However, as a result, it would also cause the value of the existence, known as ‘human’, to disappear as well .

If the story Beatrice-san told us were true, then not only conflicts, we would also live comfortably and provided with everything in all aspects . That was, until the extent where you wouldn’t even need to move at all .

To only stay alive . A world solely for that purpose . And Evolution wouldn’t exist there .

「I wasn’t saying that humans ‘evolve’ just to fight . to fight . It isn’t just wars . Humans, who were spoiled by the G.o.d, could grow an abundant crops of any kind . They could live efficiently with minimal effort… Because it had become such an environment that they abandoned the need to think for themselves, and change . 」
「…」
「… Although the foreword got a became a bit longer than expected, I tried to tell you there were times like that . And so, that Pillar G.o.d who was defeated by other G.o.ds is sealed beneath this land . 」
「In this world!? Does that mean … he didn’t die yet!?」
「It is a G.o.d after all, he wouldn’t get destroyed that easily . Even more so, if he was a being of higher dimension, being humans, we could never even hope to lay even a finger on him . And the byproduct that showed up by chance when he was being sealed by the other G.o.ds, was nothing but a seed——『The Seed of Evolution』 . 」
「……」

It was a no-joke; the story was too magnificent I couldn’t follow .
「The human who was able to discovered 『The Seed of Evolution』… was the author of the only book that scripted the description of 『The Seed of Evolution』, and the past Hero’s Sword Instructor——His Duchy Zeanos Zeford . 」
「!?」

And now the 【Forest of Endless Sorrow】’s Dark Aristocrat name, Zeanos, came out!?

「Zeanos’ tale of tragedy in the era where the Pillar G.o.d had been sealed, where monsters appeared and disasters occurred, wars waged and conflicts broke, is still being narrated to this day . He, who was betrayed by the kingdom he served, ditched by his beloved wife, disappeared from this world’s light . At the time before he vanished … the time he was yet to be betrayed by the kingdom, he discovered 『The Seed of Evolution』 . And then he knew, as he asked the G.o.ds, that 『The Seed of Evolution』 was something even the G.o.ds fail to predict . His Duchy judged that 『The Seed of Evolution』 was something he would never be able to handle, so he handed it to the G.o.ds . 」
「……」
「However, ‘The Seed of Evolution’… couldn’t be destroyed even by the power of the G.o.ds . There was speculation among researchers, but it was said that ‘The Seed of Evolution’ was probably the byproduct of the enormous power used by the G.o.ds when they sealed that one G.o.d to this place, the so-called ‘crystallization of power’… Present researchers consider ‘The Seed of Evolution’ to be merely a fict.i.tious seed and haven’t studied it a great deal, so, for the time being, that theory is continued as a historical research . 」

So that was why … that was the reason why Zeanos seemed familiar with 『The Seed of Evolution』 …
Because Zeanos holed himself inside that cave, the possibility of him went out to the forest to find them was low, huh . …Or maybe he just couldn’t get out from that cave . The dungeon’s name was 『Forest』 after all .

Also, wouldn’t Mary, the maid who served Zeanos not necessarily have to die if he found the 『Seed of Evolution』? Was what I thought, but she died long before that huh, it couldn’t be helped .

Nevertheless… if the 『Seed of Evolution』 exists in the 【Forest of Endless Sorrow】… that would mean that the G.o.ds threw the seed into that forest because they couldn’t manage it, right? That was it, wasn’t it?

「By the way, the G.o.ds who had received ‘The Fruit of Evolution’ from Lord Zeford were troubled over how they should deal with it, so it was sealed in a place unknown by us, just as the Pillar G.o.d was . 」
「They definitely did not sealed it! They just threw it away!」

I have a feeling that that was definitely the case! They must have thrown it away! That’s because the clever monkey and aqua wolf were competing for it normally! If they wanted to seal it, they should’ve done it in a much stricter manner!

Oh yeah, when I read 『The Monologue of Zeanos the Dark Aristocrat』, it was said when he lost Mary, Zeanos was hiding in a certain forest …… Come to think of it, wasn’t『Revival Gra.s.s』 which is the basis of Elixir that could revive human, was why Zeanos was in the『Forest of Endless Sorrow』, not because the 『G.o.ds』 sealed 『The Seed of Evolution』there?

I couldn’t hide my surprised expression from how the strings connected in weird places .

「Do you understand? If what Seiichi-san ate was really 『The Seed of Evolution』… it will bring a great impact to this world . 」
「…You might not believe this, but my appearance has changed into my present one because I had eaten ‘The Seed of Evolution’ . 」
「Let’s see… If the description about ‘The Seed of Evolution’ left behind was correct, then though Seiichi-san’s look has changed, because your rank as an organism has increased, it would be more accurate to say that you have literally been ‘reborn’ . That’s why, your current appearance is unmistakably your own appearance . 」
「…………」

All I could do was be stupefied . Then, Saria told me this with grins on her face .

「I told you, didn’t I? Seiichi is Seiichi!」

What flowed after hearing those words was not tears, but smiles .

Truth Kannazuki senpai who seem to have burnt out, somehow recovered from her shock and started to laugh as though she had lost it . Fu, fufu ufufufufufufufu Scary scary scary scary scary Kannazuki senpai, you re really scary right now I unintentionally drew myself back . Just try looking at those at expressionless eyes and that smile . Who wouldn t get scared of that I was the stupid one . Although I knew that I was the only one who knows the most about how enchanting Seiichi kun is I should have known that there was a possibility of this situation happening Se, senpai Downcasted, Kannazuki senpai muttered something . Eventually, she raised her head slowly and smiled at me . Since it has come to this, I just need to tie your limbs and confine you so that no one can ever lay their eyes on you . GUAAAARRDDSSS Imprisonment is straight lunacy I don t care who, anybody, bring over Telbert s best guards Fu fu fu There s no one who will bring a guard here . And do you think I d let anyone get in my way My heart and my body, they re all yours, Seiichi . And, your body and mind are mine . kay MY MIND IS BEING READ HALP HAAALLPPP Fufufufu . I m pulling this stunt because I m only thinking about you 3 . Only you are reflected in my eyes right now . Ahh, I hope that you accept these crazy feelings of mine Your pa.s.sion literally makes me want to pa.s.s on Wait, I can t afford to make dad jokes nowI Oh how I hate myself for even thinking such a stupid joke For whatever reason, Kannazuki senpai was saying these frightening lines while bashfully smiling though, the light in her eyes were gone . As I hugged my trembling body, Al stepped in between us . I don t really get what s going on, but for now, I need you to get away from m my Seiichi Oh, Al san How cool Hug me Oh, how pathetic I am While Al and Kannazuki senpai were glaring at each other, Beatrice san timidly opened her mouth . Um Shall we get some lunch Beatrice san, you are one of the few people with common sense here . As Al and Kannazuki senpai agreed on a temporary truce, we ordered some food in the dining hall then sat in the vacant seats . Saria was happily enjoying her hamburger next to me . She didn t seem particularly concerned about Kannazuki senpai . When I unintentionally smiled when looking at her, she tilted her head and looked at me . N What s wrong No I was just thinking that it heals my heart just by watching you . E Really Ehehe It s embarra.s.sing, but I m happy Saria resumed her meal, smiling . On the other side, Ogla chan who was seemingly not really that interested in Kannazuki Senpai was, like me, eating omelet rice . And this doesn t really need to be mentioned but, Rurune was working on three servings of meal namely a Hamburger Set , an Omelet Rice Set , and a Baked Fish Set all alone with gleaming eyes . And this was with her already holding back her appet.i.te . She really was unwavering, huh Whilest I was envying her , Al asked Kannazuki senpai with a serious expression . Well Who the h.e.l.l are you You said you were Seiichi s childhood friend At Al s sudden direct question, Kannazuki senpai answered quite blatantly without hiding anything . As you had just said, Seiichi and I are childhood friends, in other words, those who you usually call Heroes from another world . What Heroes . Hm Wait a minute then that means Seiichi is Al turned her eyes to me with an astonished look . Beatrice san, who got involved involuntary had the same expression as well . I wasn t deliberately hiding it and I just couldn t find the good time to talk about it Well, those were all but an excuse, huh . And so, I sighed and started talking in a voice where everyone could hear . That s right . I came from the same world as Kannazuki senpai . However, I m not an existence as great as a Hero or anything of the sort . Yes, I am definitely not Hero . I wasn t summoned as one after all . Hah What do you mean by that From what I ve heard Kaizer Empire summoned a large number of Heroes . Hahaha Well, you see, I was kinda bullied back there in that world . When the transition happened, the Hero summoning magic just didn t recognize me as one . Wha Al was shocked by my words . Right now, I m slimmer and taller but back on Earth, my appearance was just horrible . Everyone hated me and, hara.s.sed me because of that . Although those time was hard, there were still some people who would accept me as a friend, giving me strength to pull through it . Turning to Al who was lost for words due to the shock, I asked her a question I was never able to muster my nerves for . Al are you disappointed in me What It s an entirely different appearance, you know To the extent where you d be disgusted by it . My smelly odors and such are suppressed by skills now, but in the end, this current appearance of mine is nothing but a fake . As I thought, telling them that I, like the Heroes, also came from a different world, did not make me feel uneasy . However, what I was really scared of was what Al and the others would think after learning of my true appearance . But, they told me they love me . And that s why I wanted to tell them the truth . I know it s a little late to be saying all this, even so I had continued to look away from this . Even if it s only a little, I want Saria and the others to see my past appearance . That was why, meeting Kannazuki senpai here was a good motivation for my resolve, and the perfect trigger to start the talk about myself . In order to show the appearance of my old self, I collected my own shape from my memories and created a magic that envisioned it onto the palm of my hand . Figure When I casted the newly created magic, my old figure appeared on top of my palm . At that time, the cla.s.sification Seiichi Magic was flowed again into my brain, but I paid it no mind . Scrubby, fat body . Coa.r.s.e face filled with foul acnes . Although it didn t reproduce the smelly odor, it was enough to make anyone physiologically disgusted . This is the old me . One who was helpless and always bullied . . Seiichi kun Kannazuki senpai looked at my palm with a sad expression . I guess it was hopeless after all . Rather than a person like me, there should be someone more suitable, much more deserving, for both Saria and Al . Therefore . But Seiichi is Seiichi, aren t you As if it was the most natural thing the world, Saria just said so casually, tilted her head in wonder . Eh As I said, Seiichi is Seiichi . Whether it is the past Seiichi, or it is the current Seiichi, nothing has really changed . Bu, but is that not the case I mean, look . Doesn t it make you feel disgusted Why Why does Seiichi disgust me Why, you ask well, the looks are Even if your looks changed, your personality didn t change, right Eh W, well I guess my personality didn t change Yeah, his personality hasn t changed . For some reason, I also got Kannazuki senpai s acknowledgement who had been observing me for a while . And therefore Huh The one whom I love is Seiichi who gets easily surprised, tsukkomi s , and jokes about little things Seiichi who merrys everywhere, Seiichi who laughs wholeheartedly Saria Because it s Seiichi I love you because you re Seiichi Whether it is the past, present, even from now on aaalways Because it s Seiichi and I ll only love Seiichi Saria floated a sweet smile and said it to me . At the dumbfounded me, Al likewise opened her mouth . I was wondering what you were going to say So, what of it Even you, Al Seiichi . Tell me, what did you see back then in the Telbert You think I m going to hate you just because of mere appearances Don t make me misjudge you . I m not the only one . Telbert s lot is the same . Why would those, who had accepted me, a person labelled a calamity , hate you for something like that Just as my calamity was nothing but a quirk to them, your appearance, everything that makes up who you are, Seiichi , will be nothing but a personal quirk to them too . Our personal issues don t define us in front of them . The appearances of those from the guild headquarters, who lived a life faithful to their desires, appeared in my mind . What would happen if I had visited the guild headquarters while in my past form That thought suddenly came to my mind, so I tried visualizing it . And Mu Seiichi kun Your belly is flabby Now, let s aim for brilliant muscles along with me First, let s do 1000 sit ups for warmup Oh my, that body of yours Doesn t that make you want to show it to the people in the street Doesn t it Now, let s get naked Liberate yourself, for the true freedom awaits you right outside the door Want to do it Mabbo s note The RAW said Yaranaika . OMG, I m dying of laughter I could only imagine how easily they ll accept me . On the contrary, they might even try to drag me to their kinks . That realization made me tremble instead . At that moment, a gentle smile crossed Al s face as she said to me . Besides As Saria said, I also like you because it s you . You who accepted all of me, along with my Calamity The way I put it might be, you know but this is precisely why I can make it clear now . Saying that as the preamble, Al opened her mouth despite how bashful she was, ignoring the beet red cheeks she had . She declared it, loud and clear . There is no way for me to love anyone other than you, Seiichi . I know it s a bit too girly and doesn t suit me, but From the bottom of my heart, I truly believe you are my destined partner . For now and forever, my companion is only you Seiichi . No one else but you . Al said it to me as she blushed . Why, for you to have gone to that extent Seiichi onii chan . Olga chan I m was a slave, but Seiichi onii chan, didn t care I was very happy Back then and even now, Seiichi oniichan remained the same . Even someone like me, who has been with you, for just a short time understands that . When it was hard you hugged me petted me So, this time it s my turn . Olga said as she then approached me, hugging me with her small body, while stroking my head gently . There, there Upon hearing Saria, Al, and Ohga chan s words tears flooded down my cheeks before I knew it . Even though I believed them, I was afraid to reveal my past . Afraid to show them my former self . Even though I knew that, that wouldn t happen, I was still scared . That was why I was really happy . Happy, that they had accepted my past At that instant, something abnormal happened to my body . No, calling it abnormal wasn t the right word . It was as though my body and mind had united, giving me a sense of complete attunement with my body . Of course, I had always been able to move my body as I wished, but this was different . Now that Saria and the others had accepted me of that time, I I was finally able to accept myself, both the me from the past and the present . As a result, I the individual called Hiiragi Seiichi , felt that my body had completely merged with me, becoming my own . While I was feeling bewildered by the sudden change though the sensations that remained wasn t an unpleasant one Beatrice san, who had been silently observing the development said in a gentle tone . Seiichi san, as Saria san and the others said, you are what you are . Everyone loves you as is . Please don t forget it . Yes As I replied to her while wiping my tears, I suddenly noticed Rurune staring at the figure of my old self on my palm . Rurune What s wrong Master . That appearance was the appearance of master s former self, wasn t it Eh Ye, yeah . That s right Slurp . Wait, did you just slurped your saliva HUH I, intentionally . The present figure of yours is already so wonderful, but my master s old form also seems so greasy and appetizing You plan to eat me Rurune didn t seem to be repulsed by my former self as well, but for some reason, her eyes gleamed and she drooled as she looked at my former figure In a way, wasn t this dangerous On seeing Rurune, who didn t seem to be fazed by anything, a smile floated on Saria s face as she said . In addition, didn t Seiichi eat The Seed of Evolution That s why, Seiichi s current appearance is undeniably the real thing Eh Ju, just now Did you say The Seed of Evolution just now Stupidly, I raised my voice at Saria s words, while a look of astonishment crossed Beatrice san s face . Yup The Seed of Evolution The thing I and Seiichi also Rurune chan ate Ah, that really nasty tasting nut, right That thing was unimaginably bitter even as I recalled it now N, no way To think it actually exists Come to think of it, The Seed of Evolution was the only thing which effects were unknown even after I appraised it . However, as Saria had lived in the Forest of Endless Sorrow , she seemed to well informed about it, though I hadn t thought of asking her about it . All I knew was that it was purely an extraordinary seed . And now, another individual, aside from Saria, who seemed to be familiar with The Seed of Evolution , has appeared . From how surprised Beatrice san was, it looked like it was a seed more ridiculous than what I thought . Until now, I had never tried to find out about it, but this might be a good opportunity for me to learn more about it as well . Um Beatrice san, do you know what The Seed of Evolution is Oh yea, that The Seed of Evolution thingy was also mentioned back then when Rurune was transformed into a human, huh While Al was recalling the time when when Rurune s transformation happened, Beatrice san, who had regained her composure a little, started talking . Listen here, okay The Seed of Evolution is, in fact A fictional seed . Eh Fi, fiction I inadvertently let out a dumb voice to her statement . Yes, it s fict.i.tious . Because no one knows where it comes from at all . Eh Th, then how could The Seed of Evolution existence be known Your doubt is well founded . However, there was one book that has recorded information regarding The Seed of Evolution . It s said that It s a miraculous seed that is capable of raising the rank of an organism, the only absolute plant that the G.o.ds couldn t predict . Erm so, what does that mean In other words, The Seed of Evolution originally never existed Huh I became increasingly confused . No, it existed because eating it was what has allowed me to survive until now . Maybe I should put it this way to make it easier to understand All the phenomena in this world are events planned by the G.o.ds In other words, they are predestined, so the G.o.ds know everything about them . W Well, how G.o.d was called omniscient and such was similar, even on Earth . I supposed G.o.d could probably have our lives in His grasp as well . However, if the story was true about how G.o.d oversees all the things in this world, then there should be nothing in this world that is beyond G.o.d s grasp And, The Seed of Evolution is something that such G.o.ds have failed to grasp An unpredictable existence, one that has completely detached itself from fate . That is to say For the G.o.ds, The Seed of Evolution is a completely unidentified thing, a matter that perfectly shrouded in mystery Exactly . The level of the conversation had escalated through the roof, hadn t it Isn t such complexity more than an ordinary person like me could handle THIS . This was something only for enlightened men B, but, how do you even ascertain it Directly asking it to the G.o.ds Yes . Now that s unexpected Directly asking the G.o.ds No, in a sense I also did have a conversation with a G.o.d, so it wouldn t be all strange to directly converse huh How do you ask them That s right I ve now understood that Seiichi san comes from a different world, so it s not a surprise that you don t know about it . Actually, this world has already been abandoned by the G.o.ds . I m sorry, I did know it . I ve heard about the beings called G.o.d that reside in places like dungeons and so on, but those are different No, I guess it would be more accurate to say that the world has been deserted by the G.o.ds from the higher dimensions . Certainly, the Black Dragon G.o.d whom I ve defeated were also revered by humans as a G.o.d as well, although he was nowhere near the G.o.d who transported us to this world, so I kind of understand . Be that as it may, long time ago, we were still blessed by the G.o.ds bliss . But, at one point a conflict happened amidst them . What One of the Pillar G.o.ds attack the other G.o.ds, as he was aiming for the throne of the King of the G.o.ds . The other G.o.ds didn t stay silent as they got attacked, they put up resilient resistances, beginning a fierce war between G.o.ds . Because this world s resident at that time were supporting that Pillar G.o.d, we were ultimately left all alone by ourselves . Of course, the war ended with the opposing side as the winner . Um May I ask why the people of this world supported that Pillar G.o.d There are various theories but, the most likely one would be that we, humans, were spoiled by Him . Despite there were already so much mysteries shrouding The Seed of Evolution , we d come this far only to find more puzzles Where was that certain High School detective with a child body when we need him Maybe she figured out I was at sixes and sevens, Beatrice san courteously explained it to me . Seiichi san, do you think it s alright to always be pampered That s I think I can envision it to a certain extent . Humans, who were spoiled by the G.o.d, who have lost the necessity to do anything would just further degenerate . Please think about it . A world without any disaster, where monsters no longer existed, and disputes among people ended before it could ever happen . I truly believe it would be a very beautiful world . However, we d also lose the emulation named Compet.i.tion between us, and would always be provided the best environment possible by the G.o.ds, and eventually lost the desire to live an even better life . We would lose our Evolution as a human . What Beatrice san was trying to convey, I understood . Of course, if war were to disappear, it would be wonderful thing . A peaceful world would be a place where everyone dreamed of . One that resembled a utopia . However, as a result, it would also cause the value of the existence, known as human , to disappear as well . If the story Beatrice san told us were true, then not only conflicts, we would also live comfortably and provided with everything in all aspects . That was, until the extent where you wouldn t even need to move at all . To only stay alive . A world solely for that purpose . And Evolution wouldn t exist there . I wasn t saying that humans evolve just to fight . It isn t just wars . Humans, who were spoiled by the G.o.d, could grow an abundant crops of any kind . They could live efficiently with minimal effort Because it had become such an environment that they abandoned the need to think for themselves, and change . Although the foreword got a became a bit longer than expected, I tried to tell you there were times like that . And so, that Pillar G.o.d who was defeated by other G.o.ds is sealed beneath this land . In this world Does that mean he didn t die yet It is a G.o.d after all, he wouldn t get destroyed that easily . Even more so, if he was a being of higher dimension, being humans, we could never even hope to lay even a finger on him . And the byproduct that showed up by chance when he was being sealed by the other G.o.ds, was nothing but a seed The Seed of Evolution . It was a no joke the story was too magnificent I couldn t follow . The human who was able to discovered The Seed of Evolution was the author of the only book that scripted the description of The Seed of Evolution , and the past Hero s Sword Instructor His Duchy Zeanos Zeford . And now the Forest of Endless Sorrow s Dark Aristocrat name, Zeanos, came out Zeanos tale of tragedy in the era where the Pillar G.o.d had been sealed, where monsters appeared and disasters occurred, wars waged and conflicts broke, is still being narrated to this day . He, who was betrayed by the kingdom he served, ditched by his beloved wife, disappeared from this world s light . At the time before he vanished the time he was yet to be betrayed by the kingdom, he discovered The Seed of Evolution . And then he knew, as he asked the G.o.ds, that The Seed of Evolution was something even the G.o.ds fail to predict . His Duchy judged that The Seed of Evolution was something he would never be able to handle, so he handed it to the G.o.ds . However, The Seed of Evolution couldn t be destroyed even by the power of the G.o.ds . There was speculation among researchers, but it was said that The Seed of Evolution was probably the byproduct of the enormous power used by the G.o.ds when they sealed that one G.o.d to this place, the so called crystallization of power Present researchers consider The Seed of Evolution to be merely a fict.i.tious seed and haven t studied it a great deal, so, for the time being, that theory is continued as a historical research . So that was why that was the reason why Zeanos seemed familiar with The Seed of Evolution Because Zeanos holed himself inside that cave, the possibility of him went out to the forest to find them was low, huh . Or maybe he just couldn t get out from that cave . The dungeon s name was Forest after all . Also, wouldn t Mary, the maid who served Zeanos not necessarily have to die if he found the Seed of Evolution Was what I thought, but she died long before that huh, it couldn t be helped . Nevertheless if the Seed of Evolution exists in the Forest of Endless Sorrow that would mean that the G.o.ds threw the seed into that forest because they couldn t manage it, right That was it, wasn t it By the way, the G.o.ds who had received The Fruit of Evolution from Lord Zeford were troubled over how they should deal with it, so it was sealed in a place unknown by us, just as the Pillar G.o.d was . They definitely did not sealed it They just threw it away I have a feeling that that was definitely the case They must have thrown it away That s because the clever monkey and aqua wolf were competing for it normally If they wanted to seal it, they should ve done it in a much stricter manner Oh yeah, when I read The Monologue of Zeanos the Dark Aristocrat , it was said when he lost Mary, Zeanos was hiding in a certain forest Come to think of it, wasn t Revival Gra.s.s which is the basis of Elixir that could revive human, was why Zeanos was in the Forest of Endless Sorrow , not because the G.o.ds sealed The Seed of Evolution there I couldn t hide my surprised expression from how the strings connected in weird places . Do you understand If what Seiichi san ate was really The Seed of Evolution it will bring a great impact to this world . You might not believe this, but my appearance has changed into my present one because I had eaten The Seed of Evolution . Let s see If the description about The Seed of Evolution left behind was correct, then though Seiichi san s look has changed, because your rank as an organism has increased, it would be more accurate to say that you have literally been reborn . That s why, your current appearance is unmistakably your own appearance . All I could do was be stupefied . Then, Saria told me this with grins on her face . I told you, didn t I Seiichi is Seiichi What flowed after hearing those words was not tears, but smiles .