Chapter 136 The System That Maintains The God
"――But, isn't it that gods are, in a sense, immortal? I thought that gods were beings that didn't have a lifespan, but..."
Logan, who was looking puzzled for the umpteenth time today, nodded in agreement with Ail.
"Of course, that's right. Gods don't have a lifespan. As long as they're in a state of perfection, that is..."
"That means the Chronosphere gods are not in a state of perfection, then?"
"Ah, yes. But why aren't they in a state of perfection, I wonder... Logan, don't you know that the gods are currently hiding in the God Realm?"
"Oh, yeah... I know that."
As Ail nodded, Logan's face still showed no sign of clearing up his confusion.
Jobs and skills, which are blessings from the gods, indirectly make people feel the existence of the gods, and people believe in the real existence of the gods. That's the same for most people living in this world.
However, at the same time, it's rare for people to have actually encountered a god as a tangible existence. Therefore, it's unlikely that many people can accept the existence of the gods as something real and related to themselves.
For people today, the existence of the gods is like an old fairy tale.
However, it's unlikely that there are few people who don't know the story of the gods' past.
The gods, who gave power to human heroes and had them defeat the evil gods, then sealed their bodies to prevent them from reviving again, returned to the God Realm, leaving the earth to humanity.
According to the myth passed down by the church, humanity was recognized as independent by the gods due to their achievements in defeating the evil gods. Humanity was given the earth by the gods, and...
"――Is that what's said?"
"That's right. Generally, people know that kind of story. But the truth is different. The so-called [God Realm] actually exists, but the Gods didn't hide themselves in [God Realm] because of their own will. Instead, a path connecting the [God Realm] and the earth was sealed by the evil god, and the Gods were trapped in the [God Realm]. At that time, only the Chronosphere God was left behind on earth to maintain the power of the [Four Great Families of the Seals]."
"Hmm... Honestly, the story is too grand and I can't keep up with it."
"Well, that's true. But this is a story related to us. Listen."
"...Please go on."
Ail nodded, continuing the story about the Gods with a serious expression.
"According to Sir Jilva's story, the immortality and indestructibility of the Gods are dependent on the [God Realm]. The [God Realm] is a system for maintaining gods... and at the same time, the Gods are also a system for maintaining the [God Realm]."
"...I'm sorry, can you explain it more simply?"
"...In other words, the Gods need to exist in the [God Realm] in order to be eternal, but the Chronosphere God who was left behind on earth is currently separated from the [God Realm] and is experiencing a non-existent lifespan, which will soon come to an end... that's the story."
"Hmm... How much longer is the lifespan?"
"I don't know. But the members of the secret society Chronosphere who are part of the [Four Great Families of the Seals] think it won't last much longer."
"That's... Sir Noa, huh."
"That's right."
Logan took a deep breath.
After hearing this, the conversation became more relaxed. In other words, what is the purpose of the secret society Chronosphere?
Ail tells him the answer.
"So, the goal of the secret society Chronosphere is to use the power of the god realm's sealed god, God's Remains, to open a path to the god realm and remove the curse from Chronosphere God by using its power. This organization was created for this purpose."
The following words indicate who created and who operates the secret society Chronosphere.
“For that reason, the Chronosphere God and the Caduceus family take the lead, and it is operated by those who have defected from the [Four Great Families of the Seals] who agree with this idea. Although the house itself does not support it, a few members from Gridavor, Kirke, and Aron also participate, just like ‘Magus.’”
“...Wait. But...”
There are still two crucial things Ail hasn’t explained. Logan asks about one of them.
“Why did Chronosphere need to cause the Stampede? What is the connection between opening the [God Realm] and the Stampede?”
"First of all, to obtain the sealed god, we need to stop the function of the Seal Temple. That's why the barrier of the labyrinth will disappear."
"I see now. But that's all. There's no connection between breaking the barrier and opening stampede."
Breaking the barrier doesn't automatically trigger a stampede. A stampede happens when there's a "Great Outbreak" of monsters inside the labyrinth.
"It's... It's a great way to do that."
Watching Logan, Ail hesitates to say.
But he has to tell him. Their sins. That's why they never look up.
"That's... it's just for buying time."
Ail answers, forcing themselves to continue,
"Chronosphere and the [Four Great Seal Families] are at odds. Even if the [Seal Temple] stops working, the families quickly get it back running. To delay their response, Chronosphere creates a massive "Great Outbreak" in the labyrinth, causing a huge disturbance, called the stampede. This keeps the seals from restoring the barrier until Necronia's actual ruler, the Four Families, can't afford to let it happen... That's the reason."
"..."
Logan looks stunned, and Ail's stomach feels heavy, like they've swallowed lead.
Logan thinks about the brute force of Chronosphere's actions, not just the enormity of their sins.
(Aaron shouldn't know about this unless necessary, ideally.)
Aaron Gale has lost 3 friends in Stampede. When he found out the reason was just "buying time" damage, he wondered what he would do.
He doesn't think he wants to imagine what would happen.
Anyway, with this, the secrets of the [Four Great Families of the Seals] and the purpose of the secret society Chronosphere have been revealed.
"......"
Logan was silent for a moment, deep in thought.
He was digesting the conversation he had just had, breaking it down and processing it in his mind.
The story was too big and grand, and it was hard to believe it was real, even after hearing it all. However, if Ail's words about Chronosphere's ultimate goal were true, then...
"This organization is definitely responsible for causing Stampede and harming a large number of people. That's absolutely unacceptable, and I won't justify it."
"Ah, yeah. As for me and the others in this organization, we'll all end up in hell."
"But, but...this organization's activities might also save people, and I understand that...Ail, did you ask me to cooperate with this organization for that reason? To cooperate with them?"
Actually, he understood that it's necessary to prevent humanity from being destroyed by the revival of the evil god.
It's neither good nor bad. It's something that has to be done.
That's why Ail asked him to cooperate, he thought...but Ail denied it.
"――No, I'm against Chronosphere. That's because it's what the other person wanted."
"The other person, huh?"
"Yes... You know that I work for the Caduceus family, right?"
"Ah, of course."
"If that's the case, then you should understand. The person I called that name is only one person."
"Oh, but..."
Logan was confused.
This was another thing Ail didn't explain, a crucial matter.
Thought he had expected it, he still needed to trust him. "What kind of existence is 'God' and how does it exist even today? Logan couldn't imagine what kind of existence 'God' might be.
"Sir Jilva..."
That was the name of a person who was still alive.
"...the Magister Temple?"
"Come to think of it, I was about to explain this before, but 'Magus' interrupted us."
Ail made a bitter face as he recalled and then began to explain again.
"'Magister Temple' is not Sir Jilva. 'Magister Temple' is... the Chronosphere God itself."
"Then, what about Sir Jilva...?"
Logan, although he had already half-figured it out, felt he had to confirm. He asked, and Ail answered.
"He's dead... To be precise, only Sir Jilva’s mind has perished... that’s how it should be put. That body is undoubtedly Sir Jilva’s."
"What is the Chronosphere God...? Why is it residing in Sir Jilva’s body...?"
"The reason is that gods do not have physical bodies. Once separated from the [God Realm], they need a body to maintain their 'self.' That is why, from ancient times, the [Four Great Families of the Seals] have continuously offered the person in the family who is most compatible with the Chronosphere God as a vessel."
Ail looked at Logan and laughed self-deprecatingly.
"As a price for the immense power of Space Magic... do you think it’s a cheap price?"
"No..."
Logan didn’t know how to respond.
Indeed, as a price for tremendous power, many would consider it cheap. There would be plenty of people willing to offer their family’s lives to gain it.
However, from the standpoint of the [Four Great Families of the Seals], who are forced into this role, it might be a different story.
Yet, Logan didn’t delve deeply into that and asked another question.
"Ail, is your goal... to stop Chronosphere’s objective?"
"Yes. That is what I, and the Four Great Families of the Seals, believe."
"But considering Chronosphere’s objective, wouldn’t that put the world at risk? If Chronosphere and the [Four Great Families of the Seals] cooperated, there would be no need to cause an artificial Stampede to buy time, and they could use [God's Remains] to restore the Chronosphere God to normal... That’s what it sounded like from what we’ve discussed so far."
"Logan, do you think the heroes of ancient times, the ancestors of the [Four Great Families of the Seals], and the gods, sealed the [God's Remains] without any thought?"
If Chronosphere’s objective were entirely correct, the Four Great Families of the Seals wouldn’t oppose it.
"If the evil god were to resurrect from the [God's Remains], they would have tried to destroy the [God's Remains] when they defeated the evil god. But they couldn’t. So, they had no choice but to seal the [God's Remains]."
"......"
"To maintain the seal by unsealing and utilizing the [God's Remains] is contradictory. The [God's Remains] are not something that can be used. Sir Jilva, I, and the Four Great Families of the Seals all think that way."
"I see... So, you’re opposed to using the [God's Remains] itself? However... doesn’t the Chronosphere God think otherwise?"
"I understand what you’re trying to say. You think it’s hard to believe that a god’s reasoning could be wrong, right?"
"Yes."
"But, as you said earlier, using the [God's Remains] could restore the Chronosphere God to normal. ...That’s right. The current Chronosphere God is not normal. It’s insane. Because it’s insane, its lifespan is nearing its end. For the Chronosphere God, its lifespan doesn’t end with senescence like humans. It refers to its self breaking down due to madness."
"Mad...? But, when we met during the contract, it didn’t seem that way at all..."
To Logan, the Chronosphere God seemed like a calm and rational old man.
But Ail firmly denied it.
"No, it’s insane. The proof is that for thousands of years, the Chronosphere God has forbidden the use of the [God's Remains] for any reason. It was only a few hundred years ago, when it first organized the secret society Chronosphere, that it overturned its own words."
"So, it changed its mind...?"
"It’s strange for the Chronosphere God, who remained on earth to maintain the seal, to consider unsealing it. Moreover, it is said that even when the first society was organized, it was done secretly without consulting the Four Great Families of the Seals. If it were completely correct and without any danger, there would have been no need to keep it secret from the Four Great Families, would there?"
"......"
The idea of a god going insane was hard for Logan to imagine. However, if the heads of the Four Great Families and Ail were so convinced, it seemed worth believing.
"...Understood. The Chronosphere God is insane and about to make a mistake. I get that premise. But."
The fundamental, sole problem remains.
"How will we deal with the problem of the God's life coming to an end?"
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