Episode 251: Does it have meaning? (5)
I don’t particularly want to leave my mark on this world. Because I’m not so attached to this world that I want to be remembered as myself and not as an ‘evil knight.’
In the same vein, I don’t want to gain unnecessary sympathy by revealing my situation. This was all the more so because I knew that it would be very easy for them to have empathy for me and become lighter than their desire for profit.
What if the enemy ship I bought by telling my situation brings valuable clues?
What if I could sway the heart of someone who has no intention of killing me, but who might know something?
If so, you can say it. Enough can be said.
I was a person whose desire to return home was greater than my pride.
[So… Isn’t this really crazy!? No matter what, you brought a soul from another world with you?! Even if there is a devil involved, this has clearly crossed the line!]
Aside from that… aren’t you really getting angry? I’m just… I’m just moderately shocked or like, ‘I feel sorry for you, tsk.’ I thought they would just give me a sympathy vote.
“…I thought you hated me.”
[That was when I mistook you for the first devil’s vessel!]
“It won’t be any different now.”
[different! It’s different! Anyway, it’s different!]
That’s right, the appearance that Yukgui showed in the past could be defined as blunt, harsh, undesirable, and hostile.
He didn’t have the power to kill me directly, nor did he have the will to kill others by fanning the flames, so I just left him alone, and that person really hated me.
[Chaaaaam me. It’s really absurd. What bring souls from another world? bet? Are you kidding me!? You’re not harming yourself, right?! I’m already hearing the devil’s voice!? It’s just so bad, it sucks! It’s so bad, I’m so sick of it!!]
Right now, I clearly remember the arguments that Yuk-gwi made, such as asking me to eat porridge because I don’t want to eat it, so I don’t want to see him begging me to lie down and sleep….
I contrast with those moments. The list of sentences made the back of my head itch. What can I say, I feel embarrassed because I got a reaction I didn’t expect.
[Who is the original owner of that body? He’s a devil, even if he’s a devil, what else is he?!!]
Isn’t that voice too loud? If this continues, will all the kids wake up?
I glanced around at the raised tone of Yukgui’s voice. It was out of fear that the mountain forces or priests—some of whom were staying at the entrance of the cave—would wake up.
[It’s okay to ask others for help because you don’t have the confidence to clean up the devil’s shit. Good! Shouldn’t you at least have chosen someone from the same world?! Why am I a person from another dimension?!]
Fortunately, among the misfortunes, no one has woken up yet. I think it’s because Yuk-gwi’s words only sound loud to me, but in reality, they’re just like a chick squeaking. It’s a real blessing.
[and you! Either way, it’s a problem! Why are you keeping it to yourself? Do you think that if you just wait patiently, others will treat you accordingly?! I didn’t say it, but I have all my heart in it. Did you know that would happen? Are you a faggot?!]
It’s really a blessing, but aren’t the sparks flying all the way to me now?
[Are you listening to me, you idiot?]
“…I’m listening.”
The way she screams and then can’t control her temper and starts pounding on people around her reminds me of my grandmother who passed away. So I barely suppressed the anger that was subconsciously trying to come out.
A few mistakes made in the process… Well, I don’t think it matters since I don’t seem to have noticed.
[Then why don’t you tell me!]
“Because even if I tell you, my situation won’t take priority…?”
[That’s…!]
No, but it’s really hard to speak informally.
As soon as I explained the situation, I rolled my eyes at the concept that was inadvertently trying to be solved. Crack. Yuk-gwi, speechless, pounded on the rock as if he were angry.
[…That’s right.]
It hurts like that.
I glanced at the rock surface where the six ears were perched. The nest is piled with dry reeds and the area underneath is covered with soft moss, but I don’t know why they leave it in that place and hit that specific spot. Doesn’t it hurt when you tap?
[Because the sorrow of one world and one life has different weights.]
While I was thinking that, the Six Ghosts lowered their heads gloomily. The head buried between the gathered fins resembles a child squatting down with its hands on its knees.
[…is that why you ran away?]
“…yeah.”
A turtle a little bigger than my palm is so cute.
While I was thinking about that, I realized too late that the conversation was leaking into Samcheonpo. You can’t even wake up the kids like this!
“So what is the answer?”
[I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but you really speak in a cheesy way, regardless of the situation.]
“….”
[And you didn’t say exactly what the question was.]
I quickly wrote down the answer to get on my way. And I was beaten with facts.
Yes, the Six Ghosts were definitely beings that had lived for thousands of years. In comparison, I am a pale young person who has not even lived to be fifty years old.
It’s a bit strange that someone who isn’t even human is obsessed with human etiquette, but there are enough reasons for him to be displeased. I glanced at the six ears.
“Other than sealing… I want to know a way to block demonic energy.”
I think I’ll give you an answer even if I don’t show you any respect here… but it won’t matter if I just call you higher. Even though the truth was revealed to some extent, it was difficult to continue to be rude.
[…There is nothing you can write.]
More than anything, I wanted to do that.
I listened to Yuk-gwi’s words as if I had unbuttoned my shirt. Yuk-gwi seemed to have calmed down a bit with the respect and spoke kinder than before.
[You have to seal it, kill the demon, completely crush it with strong power, or change the demon energy into magic power, but if that were possible in the first place, you wouldn’t be here, right?]
“Purification…”
[No. Purification can only be done when the original entity is alive even if the devil is separated from the body, and you now…]
He thought for a moment and then heard an analogy.
[Suppose there is an apple in a bag of flour. There is almost no chance of damaging the flour when you take it out. As long as the apple is not crushed during the process of taking it out, the original apple is crushed, or the apple has been left in for too long.] I
immediately knew what he meant. So… did the apples stay in the flour bag too long?
[But you just… put old apples and mashed apples in flour and sprinkle a handful of dirt on top. It’s impossible to separate only the flour.]
No, that’s not true. It was worse than that.
“then…?”
[Actually, I think it would be a problem even if I killed the demon at this point. You say that the body you are currently using has been associated with the devil for too long. To the point where it is no longer a human category. To be honest… um.]
Does this mean that if the devil dies, this body dies too?
I calmly waited for the next words to come and suppressed my increasingly complex stomach.
[Oh wait a minute. Is that really why?]
Yukgui suddenly let out an exclamation.
“…?”
[I was wondering why they had to bring a soul from another dimension… That makes sense.]
“…Do I need to ask you one more question?”
[No, that’s okay. No, of course it would be nice if you did, but I will answer this for free. If you ask me, you are a victim caught up in the circumstances of this world.]
I would be glad if you could answer without exchanging additional questions… Why on earth are you doing this? I quietly waited for him to speak.
[Before I tell you, I have a warning. The first is that this is just my prediction, so it could be wrong─ Of course, I think there is a high probability that it will be correct, but anyway. The second thing is that you may regret it after hearing it.]
“…Is it that serious?”
[Oh well. The content is content, but the act of listening itself is problematic. They say that not knowing something is medicine, right? Once you know it, you can’t go back.]
The reprieve given before the main topic felt like a sign of the devastation that would soon come.
[So do you want to listen?]
“….”
But are you going to tremble and back away from that warning? Would you repeat the act of wandering around with an eyepatch on because you are afraid of the unknown?
“I will listen.”
I don’t like that. I didn’t like that.
I have suffered enough, and it is better to know and regret. I was tired of wandering around without knowing anything.
[Okay, if you’re prepared, it’s okay.]
My tightly closed eyelids were incredibly hot.
[The reason the devil and the original owner of the body went out of their way to bring in souls from another dimension was probably to conceal their ignorance. It’s a kind of expedient use of the rule that ‘cognition proves existence’… First of all, it’s a rule that doesn’t apply to this world, so beings belonging to this order can’t use it even if they want to. It can only be used if there is a being of that order like you.]
“…Can I ask for a detailed explanation?”
[hmm. okay. [It’s a bit of a difficult concept for humans.]
The six ghosts gently swept their lower mouth with their fins, like a human stroking their chin, and then cried loudly.
[This rule… is exactly what it sounds like. If you don’t recognize it or don’t do it, it becomes nothing. If you do not acknowledge God, there will be no God, and if you consider the devil not to exist, the devil will disappear. Of course, there are details in this too, such as giving priority to ideas that are more shared…]
“…I don’t mean to argue, but when I first woke up in this body, I didn’t know there was a devil in this body. But why hasn’t the devil disappeared? Does this also follow those details?”
[Oh, that’s not it. That’s just because the world is different.]
“…What does it mean?”
[So… the expedient itself is activated thanks to ‘your soul’, but since the devil belongs to a different order, the rule is not perfectly reflected.]
I heard all that and thought.
What are you talking about?
[How should I explain this?]
As if it sensed my frustration, Yukgui tapped the ground with its fin.
[Your world is a world that uses cognition as the definition of existence. Not us. This is number 1.]
“Yes.”
[Also, according to the law mentioned above, there is nothing that you are not aware of. Not us. This is number 2.]
“Yes.”
[Then what remains of the contradiction between the spear that pierces everything and the shield that blocks everything? It is at this point that ‘concealment of ignorance’ is born. Concealment of ignorance that exists but does not exist.]
“…Does this mean that it seems to be gone but is still there?”
[Exactly. Until you recognize it, it doesn’t exist. But it hasn’t disappeared completely. You are just a shield, ‘pretending not to exist.’]
Only then did I seem to understand a little.
“…But even when I was completely unaware of its existence, someone felt demonic energy in me.”
But if what the Six Ghosts say is true, then why did my first meeting with the Inquisitor take that form? At that time, I only thought of the demon on my right arm as a setting and did not even consider it real, so why on earth did the Inquisitor sense magical energy in me?
[That’s because the status is different. You may say you used the world’s rules, but in the end, you are the one who uses them, so you are a soul. Wouldn’t that be a problem if all the great evils were covered by that? On the contrary, I am surprised that you have narrowed it down to this point.]
My question was roughly resolved with that afterword. It’s not that complaints didn’t build up, but I couldn’t say anything because those were the rules of the world.
[Well, that’s not important. It’s almost certain that I brought you here to use the cloak of ignorance. I don’t know about you, but… after hearing the truth about your body, I became even closer to the devil. If you don’t save it, you could be discovered from a hundred miles away?]
“…That’s not good news.”
[I told you. If you know, you can’t change it.]
It’s a plague. It’s good that curiosity has been resolved, but it’s also surprising that it leads to poison. Is this correct? Can I really go home?
“… Could that be the reason why the being who dragged me here didn’t give me any explanation?”
Then I suddenly remembered the system that didn’t say a word even when I begged. I pondered that unnatural silence.
Up until now, I had dismissed it as a cruel, selfish, and heartless bastard who was destroying people… but was there perhaps a reason for that silence?
[The probability of that happening is high. Are you really the kind of person who asks someone to clean up their own poop without even explaining it? If that’s really true, that bastard deserves to be beaten to death.]
“…I see.”
I exhaled in extreme frustration. I don’t know what emotions are hidden in each thread of breathing that is disorganized.
“So that’s why.”
However, one thing is certain….
Among the harsh labels given to those who are hiding behind the system, the accusation of being cold and heartless may be taken back.
So, if you get a chance to talk to him after everything is over. And he really wanted to tell me, but only for my sake – Oh, of course, I want to say that he was a fool for a long time, even though his method of doing it was bad. I wonder if kidnapping her at will and eating her until the end is for my own good. If you really had it for me, you should have brought you at least or asked for consent. I think you can consider me a ‘f*ck who ate everything.’
If there ever comes a chance for the truth to come to light.
[…Could it be that you feel sorry for the bastard who called you?]
“I’m not that pushy.”
I’m just trying to say that I understand the choice of the person who crossed the line to save the five people if he apologizes to me for making the sacrifice.
And understanding and forgiveness are two different things.
After all, my life was so fucked up, should I forgive him? Five people may have been saved, but I was sacrificed?
Sacrifice is worthwhile when you volunteer it yourself. A sacrifice decided by someone else cannot be called a sacrifice. It’s a living sacrifice.
“We should kill half of them.”
Therefore, that bastard will get a bit of a beating. No, you will be treated like hell. As I just said, understanding and forgiveness are two different things.
[Yes, that’s how it should come out.]
Meanwhile, the six ears shrugged their shells at my firm response.