Chapter 18: Disclosure Request ① "World Eater"

This is the story of those five days spent in the pure white space where Terra was, while I was working out the setting for "Tierra As."

"Hey, so what exactly is the World Eater, anyway?"

"Huh? Wasn't that already explained in the game's scenario? By the point where you met your best friend?"

While thinking about the setting, I asked about everything I could: the mechanics of the world, its secrets, and anything else I could get out of him.

As we continued talking, we had grown closer, so I was able to ask him pretty casually.

"At the point I'd played up to, it was kind of implied that World Eater was Rene, but... that was about it."

For starters, the "WF" I knew still hadn't reached its conclusion. Information that Rene = World Eater had gradually been revealed throughout the scenario, but...

Most of it was presented from perspectives other than the protagonist's (the player's), so the player knew about it, while the protagonist didn't... or at least, that was how things were supposed to be.

"I see. That's all you knew? Well, that isn't actually correct in the first place."

"Huh? Really? I was completely convinced that the World Eater was Rene."

But apparently, that wasn't the case at all. The theory crowd had completely settled on World Eater = Rene... So that had been a red herring?

"World Eater isn't Rene. But the reverse is true... Although, I don't really like the name 'World Eater' myself."

"Huh? Sorry, but you're gonna have to explain that in a way that's easier to understand."

I got a completely incomprehensible answer in return. That's the problem with people who already understand everything themselves.

"What's the best way to put it? Hmm... Let's see. Rene is the... concept human of the World Eater, I suppose. Or perhaps 'shrine maiden' would be the closest expression."

"Concept human? Shrine maiden? That just made it even more confusing."

"For example, the concept of 'death' possesses a will and a physical body and operates as a Concept Spirit. That's the 'Concept Spirit of Death, Necroa,' right?"

"You mean the Gravekeeper?"

"Serene Gravekeeper Necroa Telua." One of the initial SSR units... one of the highest-rarity characters, and a Concept Spirit of "death." Originally, she was nothing more than an existence that spread death indiscriminately, but an encounter and subsequent parting with a certain young man changed her, causing her to bestow peaceful deaths upon people on the battlefield... That was her character.

A beautiful, blue-skinned widow. One of those character traits that probably really hits home for certain people. I absolutely love her.

"Concept Spirits are the 'shadows' of concepts. They aren't the concepts themselves. And yet, they are also unmistakably connected to them."

"The Knight King and the Wicked King tried to make use of that, didn't they?"

The King of the Knights sought "ideals," while the Greedy King sought "ambition." Their goals were different, but the two kings had set their sights on the same means of achieving them.

The beings known as the "Eight Knights" are acting under a "mission" connected to this.

"Exactly. Now, the reason the shadow of a concept can only manifest in the form of a spirit is because the physical body of an ordinary human can't reach a concept... In other words, it can't withstand it. Both the body and the ego would collapse. That's what would happen under normal circumstances, anyway."

"Then what exactly is a concept human?"

"It means modifying the vessel itself. A vessel is created from scratch so that it can withstand a concept. Using materials that are no different from those used for any other human, its composition is finely adjusted, and anything unnecessary is stripped away. Every bit of waste is eliminated, allowing the being to reach a concept while still remaining within the framework of a 'human.' ...And then, if you bring the concept down into that vessel... ta-da! A concept human is complete!"

Bringing a supernatural existence down into the vessel of a chosen person for some purpose. Or perhaps something like a shaman...

I see.

"Something like spirit possession... So that's why you called her a 'shrine maiden.'"

"'Spirit possession,' huh? Yeah, that's a very good way of putting it. I'll use that, too. In the first place, the World Eater isn't an evil existence. It's actually justice. A system that returns mistakes to nothing and corrects them... A mechanism for correcting countless worlds. You could even call it the will of 'God.'"

"Then what does it mean when 'Chaos' gets swallowed by the World Eater?"

"It's simple. 'Chaos' is wrong in the first place. It's just a world that should never have existed."

The world itself is wrong?

"Think about it. A world where the walls of the world are thin... That can't exist in the first place, can it? Without a shell, it's only natural that the contents of an egg would spill out."

...I guess that makes sense?

Well, sure. Without a shell, a raw egg can't maintain its shape. Though it'd be a different story if it had been boiled.

"...? So does that mean 'Chaos' originally had a different form?"

"Correct~. That's precisely why, in your best friend's world, it's taken the form of a 'game.'"

"...Huh? What does that mean?"

It really was strange. The question of why my activities in another world could alter the content of a game in my original world had always been a mystery.

"There are countless worlds. Other worlds really do exist, and there are worlds with magic as well as worlds without it. But there are no countless parallel worlds branching off according to different choices. There is only one 'Earth.' At least, there should be."

"There are countless worlds, but there aren't any worlds branching off from a single world...? But 'Earth'..."

Whether you wake up in the morning and go back to sleep or not. Whether you have bread or rice for breakfast. Whether you step outside with your right foot or your left...

There aren't countless IF worlds branching off from all those infinite little choices...?

"That's right. At present, there are two 'Earths.' Your 'Earth' and 'Chaos' as a game. The protagonist's 'Earth' and 'Chaos' as a world. That's how it is."

What the hell did that mean??

The more I listened, the more question marks seemed to pile up.

"Since we're at it, why don't I tell you everything? Everything, starting from how the world came into existence. The beginning and the circumstances that led to this bizarre situation. Humanity's mistakes. And—"

At that point, the being who would be given the name "Terra" several days later paused for a moment before continuing.

"—the one ending I seek."

"So, that's basically how it is~. It was a long story, but you weren't bored, were you?"

It certainly had been a very, very long story. Not simply in terms of how long the conversation itself had lasted, but because the amount of time encompassed by the story... It was a tale containing an immense, lengthy history.

"I wasn't bored. In order for me to become number one... Understanding the world's mechanics and how it came to be is important knowledge when I'm figuring out the setting for that."

"That's good to hear. So, what did you think after hearing my story?"

What did I think... What did I think, huh...

"Hmm. Honestly, I'm just like, 'Oh, so that's how it is.'"

"That casual!? Huh? You're way more casual about it than I expected!"

Well, it certainly was the kind of story that would normally be considered heavy. At the very least, it wasn't something an ordinary student should have been told, let alone something they should have gotten involved with.

But still.

"Because in the end, my goal doesn't change, right?"

That's right. The one thing that had become perfectly clear was that my goal hadn't changed. If that was the case, then there was no problem.

"Ahahahahahahaha! That's right! Exactly! I'm glad I chose you as my best friend after all!"

I didn't know what exactly about my answer had struck a chord with him, but an enormous burst of laughter echoed throughout the pure white space.

"The mechanics of the world? How the world came to be? My objective? ...They're all nothing more than superfluous details. Exactly."

Oh, so you get it.

In the end, none of that stuff about the world mattered.

"It doesn't matter what I am or what the world is like. Because the story that's about to begin is simple and straightforward."

Because the story that's about to begin is.

"A story about you aiming for first place... That's all it is!"

—because it's a story about me aiming for first place in a mobile game while saving my little sister and returning to my original world.