Chapter 23

"Without Rina, can't you stand up to him?"

In response to Elaine's question, Shiro nodded.

"Kuro is a liar at heart. His lies aren't just limited to the words he manipulates... they can even deceive the laws of the world. He rarely fights himself, but when he does, no human can stand up to him, not even me."

"Laws... can be deceived..."

"Yeah. For example... if Kuro lies and says, 'You're already dead,' some people can't resist and die just from that."

"What, that's... ridiculous..."

"Yeah, it's ridiculous... He is. But he doesn't actively fight anyone. He always works behind the scenes for his own enjoyment, manipulating people and making them fight. That's his goal."

Elaine's skill, "Ruler of Numbers," is essentially the "visualization of laws." The advantage is that because the laws are visible as understandable knowledge, she can maximize their use according to her abilities.

That's why she could vaguely feel, on a gut level, how extraordinary the ability to "deceive the laws" was.

"The one who can stand up to him is the Holy Maiden. The Holy Maiden's skills are often thought to be strong in healing and holy magic, but when trained, they can 'see through lies' and even 'forbid lies.' It's the only unique ability that can stand up to Kuro."

Rina was using "see through lies" on Elise.

This means it will be further enhanced.

"Forbid lies... so, it means the same as being in the place where he was sealed?"

"Right. Kuro, when sealed by the Holy Maiden in that place, can't use most of his power. It must have been a struggle just to bring Elise there."

The situation was becoming clearer.

Originally, after the defeat of the Demon King, Elise and Rina would meet after some time and start their battle against Kuro. The ones who would play a crucial role would be Elise's "Guidance" and Rina's "see through lies" and "forbid lies" as the Holy Maiden.

Kuro, foreseeing this, tried to eliminate them in advance, which is what he called the "deal."

Kuro's plan succeeded, and the two lost their lives.

The only thing left unclear was—

"Then, what happens next? When will the next 'Holy Maiden' appear? If it's too far in the future... it would be a problem."

There was no other solution.

If it happened soon, she could support the new Holy Maiden.

But if it was hundreds of years later, that would be a problem.

Shiro, of course, must have understood Elaine's thoughts. However, with a somewhat apologetic expression, he firmly said:

"...Sorry, I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Talking about the past and already lost destinies is within the limits of my rules. But I can't talk about the future."

"At this point, what are you...!"

"It's me!"

Elaine, who almost lunged at him, stopped in her tracks at Shiro's loud voice.

"...I want to believe in people. I think people should decide their own destinies."

"That's selfish...!"

"Yeah, in that sense, I'm no different from Kuro. I just act behind the scenes... in the end, we're the same... so, I can do the same things."

"The same things...?"

In response to Elaine's question, Shiro placed his hand on his chest and made a proposal.

"Elaine, I can make a deal with you."

"A deal?"

Caught off guard by the sudden offer, Elaine repeated the word hesitantly. Shiro nodded and explained the terms of the deal.

"Kuro and I can condense and convert people's future... the 'possibilities' they hold, and manifest them as powerful skills, albeit momentarily."

In exchange for the future, one gains great power.

Elaine's mind flashed back to the self-destruct magic the Demon King used at the end.

"Is this... different from awakening?"

"It's on a completely different level, a much more powerful skill. However... in Elise's case, Kuro successfully guided 'Guidance' to become his own wish, 'for use against the Demon King.' In your case, it will reflect your wishes to some extent... I think."

"You sound... hesitant."

"There's no way to know for sure. It's a gamble. So, the decision is up to you..."

"I'll do it."

Before Shiro could finish, Elaine answered immediately, surprising him.

"No, you should at least take some time to think about it."

"There's nothing to think about."

"But... that..."

"What? You're the one who proposed it."

"...If Kuro were to revive, and you were to sacrifice yourself to stand up to him, I thought I might have guided you to that self-sacrificing feeling."

Shiro's apologetic expression made Elaine want to laugh.

Despite his many quirks, he seemed to have no ill intentions.

In other words, he was a very human-like god.

Thinking it would be rude to laugh, she settled for a wry smile.

"If there were almost no other options, then that might be the case, but it's not."

"Then why?"

"It's an opportunity. I don't like being in debt."

"An opportunity?"

"You don't need to know. Just like you, I have my own rules. I thought I couldn't keep them, but now I have a chance to. That's all."

Saying this, Elaine gently raised her left hand and looked at the ring on her ring finger.

It's not just this ring.

Elise had given her many irreplaceable things.

Yet, she couldn't return anything.

She thought she could finally start to repay him after defeating the Demon King, but he would never appear before her again.

If she could, she would return them directly.

She wanted to see him again.

But if that's not possible, at least...

She would fulfill what Elise entrusted to her.

He worked harder for others than anyone else.

If he had run out of strength, it was her turn.

What Elaine could return now was—Elise's will.

He didn't give up until the end, and what he left in "Guidance" was entrusted to her.

She would live up to Elise's expectations.

This was how Elaine thought she could repay him a little.

If this could be achieved now, she wouldn't think about the future.

(Elise, it's been a long time, but I'll start repaying you now. The five years I received from you, the interest is—my future!)

"I'm sorry. In the end, I keep relying on you."

In response to Shiro's apology, Elaine shrugged.

"It can't be helped. Even gods have things they can't give up, right?"

"But watching you makes me lose confidence. You're much better than I am... No, sorry, I'll stop complaining."

Shiro said this and made a gesture as if holding an invisible ball in front of his chest.

"Elaine, let's start."

"Okay. What do I need to do?"

"Just focus on what you wish for and say, 'I offer my future.' That will condense your future and convert it into a skill that helps fulfill your wish."

"Got it."

Her wish.

It was clear to her.

To change this ridiculous destiny.

And not just change it, but to return what she had received from Elise.

Only then could she be on equal footing with him.

Not just being protected and kept alive, walking on a laid-out path.

She had walked this path with him.

She wanted to be able to say, with pride, that she had walked this path with him.

Focusing on this thought—

"I offer my future."

The moment Elaine spoke the words, a white mist rose from her body, as if it were steam. It was drawn to Shiro's outstretched hands, and she felt a sense of weakness.

She could feel something being lost from herself, and she waited for it to end.

Eventually, the mist stopped leaving her body. The "future" that had gathered in Shiro's hands floated like a glowing orb. It was a condensed mass of possibilities, a power so great that even Elaine, with her "Ruler of Numbers" skill, couldn't measure it.

"Here we go."

As Shiro whispered, the mass flew into Elaine's chest and disappeared inside, in an instant—

Around Elaine, numerous paper-like fragments appeared.

Small, strip-like pieces of paper, countless in number.

Looking at the fragments, she saw numbers written on each one.

"0008256392"

"4024583628"

"1922368919"

Sequences of numbers that seemed meaningless to the average person.

But Elaine could read them.

These were calendars and histories.

Each one represented several past events.

"Could it be... such a skill... Elaine, the strength of your wish is..."

Shiro muttered, dazed.

Hearing this, Elaine had a vague understanding of her new skill, but she wanted to avoid any misunderstandings, so she decided to ask for an expert's opinion.

"Just to be sure... what kind of skill is this?"

Shiro, still captivated by the paper fragments, began to explain.

"This skill quantifies past events. It can intervene in the quantified past and slightly rewrite it."

That's what she thought.

Shiro's explanation matched her understanding almost perfectly.

But—

"Hehe."

"...Was something funny?"

"No... I just thought the god was a bit lacking in emotion."

Shiro smiled wryly at Elaine's words.

"...Maybe. I'm not good at that. So, how would you explain it?"

Elaine selected one of the floating paper fragments, pinched it between two fingers, and held it out to Shiro.

"This... is a skill to insert a small hope into a hopeless destiny."

Hearing Elaine's words, Shiro nodded in agreement and said:

"Yeah, indeed... compared to my explanation, yours has more emotion. So... can you let me name the skill?"

"Sure, go ahead. What's the name?"

"It's a bookmark of hope inserted into destiny. The skill name is—'Ruler of Mathematics—Bookmark'!"