Tsuyokute New Saga (LN)

Book 7: Chapter 10

Even after Mera had seen the end of the world, she had watched the future unfold.

“But one day, the future had changed. And color me surprised. A change of future had happened a lot of times before, but that was mostly about small details. Such a major change…I had never witnessed.”

For example, seeing people alive who should have originally died before the [Great Invasion] even began.

“And each time I watched it again, the future had changed. It was because someone knew what would happen and acted accordingly. Someone was changing the future effectively. That’s why I looked into what was going on behind the scenes…As a result, I understood that everything began changing from…what you call it, the 23rd day of the 5th month of the calendar year 2823.”

That day was unforgettable for Kyle. Because it was his 16th birthday, as well as—

“That’s right. It was the very day your soul traveled back to the past, Kyle-chan,” Mera said with a calm smile. “Color me surprised. Nobody thought of disobeying the flow of time…Even more so when I found out you’re Leyla-chan’s pupil!” She said and looked over at Leyla, but she just faintly lowered her head.

“Finally, when I saw you working so hard to avoid this grotesque future I had seen…Really, I couldn’t stop myself from crying.” Mera pretended to wipe away her tears.

But instead of feeling emotional receiving so much praise from a goddess, he instead mentally prepared himself, thinking that the time had finally come. Only Shildonia knew about Kyle’s soul traveling to the past, and they only let the Dragon King Zeurus in on that. This, of course, was something Kyle had just put on the back burner. Why didn’t he tell his allies? Because he was afraid they wouldn’t believe him. It was just that simple in the end. He worked so hard to save them, so if they simply called him a liar after all that…that would break him. So, he still hesitated without being able to come up with an answer.

That said, he also had mentally prepared himself for this to happen. So in the end, those from the Mera cult…had already known about Kyle. That is why they were so attached to him. Kyle didn’t like being played and just acting as a pawn, but it gave him plenty of benefits, too. But that didn’t matter. More than anything, he had to brace himself for the reactions of his allies now that they had learned the truth, so he turned around—

“Kyle came…from the future?!” Minagi raised a voice of shock—But she was the only one.

Lieze, Seran, and Urza were all unfazed.

“Well…I mean, we knew about that,” Lieze scratched her cheek with a troubled smile.

“Yup. Same here,” Seran raised one eyebrow.

“I wasn’t always 100% sure of it, though.” Urza nodded with a complicated expression.

“Yeah. I did tell them, after all,” Shildonia responded bluntly.

“Wha…Huh? You…”

Meanwhile, Kyle was utterly bewildered. He blinked in utter disbelief, not understanding what he had just heard.

“Huh? But I…was never informed about that?”

“Oh? Right, I made sure to tell them after we’d saved the princess of Zilgus, and you weren’t around then. Apologies, I forgot to fill you in.” Shildonia bluntly apologized. “What a fool this man is. Thinking they would assist in his travels without knowing the last thing…They are willing to go this far because they know,” Shildonia gave Kyle a harsh remark, leaving him speechless.

“Can I continue?” Mera broke between the group.

Catching on to the faint glimmer of annoyance in her voice, Kyle realized he had interrupted her earlier.

“My sincerest apologies. Please continue,” Kyle decided to put this conversation on hold for now.

“…And now, I’ve witnessed changes in the future that shouldn’t be possible. All thanks to your hard work, Kyle-chan.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, of course. That said, gazing at the future isn’t something so convenient. I can only glance at a certain point, so I don’t know if your efforts managed to change something in the end.”

So she could only see what was being changed as it came along.

“All I could see was that, roughly a year after the fight with the demons, humans were reduced to only one-fourth of what they were at originally.”

“So it was all pointless,” Seran grumbled as he listened to the explanation, only for Leyla to step on his foot.

However, Kyle felt differently.

“…”

He formed fists despite his quivering arms, as tears started building up in his eyes. One-fourth of humanity was still alive? That was more than enough to bring him to tears. In the world Kyle came from, roughly a year after the [Great Invasion] began, humanfolk was reduced to only one-tenth of its original population. Hearing that so many more people were alive in this new future told Kyle that his efforts had not been in vain.

The future definitely changed…and for the better, no less. It wasn’t as disastrous of a situation. The goddess said so. He killed his former allies. Killed a king. He deceived the people to become a false hero. And he cut down hundreds of people on the battlefield. Believing it to be the correct thing. But of course, he would always question himself. He had no way of knowing, so he kept on asking himself…But now, Mera gave him an answer. Knowing that what he did wasn’t in vain.

“Thank you…Thank you so much…”

All Kyle could do was thank her repeatedly, as tears kept on streaming down his cheeks. As all the others were watching, Mera moved.

“You worked hard, really. You deserve to be rewarded.”

The goddess who only loved humans gently rubbed his head, looking at him with a gaze of love.

“I’m sorry for showing such an embarrassing side of me.”

“I don’t mind.”

Now that Kyle had calmed down, he apologized, but Mera still continued to kindly watch over him.josei

“So when I learned about all of this, I gave my children another [Oracle]. To get along with you. Because if they work hard with you as the center, more people could be saved.”

She only had good intentions, and yet she could’ve given Kyle more trouble than he could have ever signed up for. His perception of Mera kept changing as quickly as it came.

“Is…that so. That’s why Cordi asked me to become their leader?”

“Cordi? Ah…I remember someone like that. I’m happy he’s working…so hard, I guess?”

The goddess seemingly didn’t even remember Cordi at the end of the day.

“Anyway, that’s the case. I called you here to give you a reward. I actually have a lot more followers than you might think. Because, unlike others, I can actually come in direct contact with them here.”

“Is…that so.”

Kyle understood why some of the Mera cult members had gone off the far end. Meeting with a goddess directly, it was that life-changing of an experience, even going so far to make them go insane. This fear of the gods was deeply engraved in society, after all.

“But, I don’t come in direct contact with many humans in the first place, and if I meet them directly, it’ll be in a large space unlike this room, and I ended with a few words. That’s just how special you are, Kyle-chan.”

“…Thank you very much for your kind words.”

He said so, but in his head, he was cursing to himself.

“Anyway, as I said earlier, is there anything else you’d like to ask me? Anything goes.”

It seemed like Mera finished telling them what she wanted, so now it was Kyle’s turn to ask questions. Naturally, he still had many things he wanted to ask. Since he didn’t want to get her furious like before, he realized he should tread carefully.

“So, about the teachings of the Mera cult…Why are you discriminating against anybody who isn’t human?”

“Ahh, that. My word, it seems like this misunderstanding just won’t stop spreading.”

“Is it…a misunderstanding?”

“Sure is. It’s true that I love humans. And I think they’re the best. But that doesn’t mean I dislike the other races.”

Mera’s words completely flipped the common perception of her and her cult completely on its head. Kyle didn’t even have much time to think, as Mera continued.

“Humans are more excellent than the other races of the humanfolk, which is why they ought to be the ones to guide them. And for that reason, they have to be better. Be stronger. That is what I teach them.” Mera puffed out her chest in pride, speaking proudly of the teachings she had been given her followers.

“I don’t have any particular feelings about other races. No resentment whatsoever. Especially not elves. Unlike the other gods, I’m on very good terms with Moona…So you’re like my friend’s children, right? But I always have to prioritize my own children.”

She spoke with human terms, but it was an explanation easy to follow.

“Basically, the ones I watch the most are the ones working hardest…One of those would be Leyla-chan, too.” Mera glanced over at Leyla, who had been quiet this whole time. “I’ve been watching her for the longest time, and you rarely see children who work this hard to improve themselves. I couldn’t praise her enough.”

Even though Mera was praising her so vigorously, Leyla yet again only faintly lowered her head. It could even be considered disrespectful, yet Mera didn’t mind much. That just showed how much she liked her.

“And yet, humans are just obsessed with being number one…How troublesome,” Mera said with a sigh.

“So, aren’t you going to correct them? If you are the one saying it, you should be able to fix this behavior!”

“But why is there any need to fix it in the first place?”

Despite Kyle being serious, she just tilted her head in confusion like a confused child, as if she couldn’t comprehend what Kyle just said.

“Whatever it may end up as, they are working hard for my sake, right? I can’t blame them for that.”

“So you’re…fine with that?”

“What do you mean? Effort isn’t good or bad?”

It seemed like Mera didn’t even question the direction this so-called effort went in.

“But that will only bring more misunderstandings about you, Mera-sama…And we have seen victims already.”

“Yes. What troublesome children. I just hope they don’t cause too much trouble. But…You can’t help these things, right?” She said, but she failed to completely convince Kyle. “And let’s be honest. You’ve killed hundreds of your fellow humans at this point, Kyle-chan. How is that any different?”

“Ah…” Kyle couldn’t respond at all.

He had sacrificed a lot to come where he was right now. He had prepared himself for the worst. And yet, this question he couldn’t answer. Not only that, but Mera showed no intention of blaming her child. She just smiled as if the deaths of those hundreds of people were a necessary evil. Good and evil, questions of morals, it was all naught in the face of a god. There was a rift between humanity and divinity that couldn’t be buried, and this was the best example of such.

She stands at the top of the Mera cult, and yet Kyle was forced to understand that Mera would not change her ways nor correct the actions of the Mera cult.

“Plus, when you’re working hard, you’ll eventually end up clashing with someone else. There are times we grow through strife…Isn’t that right, Shildonia-chan?”

There, Mera suddenly directed her attention over at Shildonia. Even though she barely even remembered Cordi’s name, she remembered Shildonia like a good friend. Yet, Shildonia reacted with an expression like she had just bitten on an insect.

“Didn’t think I would meet you again. I’m sorry about my foolish sister, dear.”

“It was the expected result, and I have nothing else to say.” Shildonia showed a polite bow.

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing to aim higher and higher, but her stubbornness just gets in the way all too often,” Mera grumbled.

“Oh don’t mind that,” Shildonia bluntly responded in her conversation with an actual Goddess, just as one would expect from the Magic King. “That said, this isn’t my story that is being told, so let us continue this conversation later.”

Mera giggled at that and went on herself.

“You see, I love humans. But I don’t want to spoil them rotten, nor could I do that. That’s why, the best I can do in this situation is warn you of the future…It’s more like a favor. But even that is worth practically nothing…All because of that annoying sister of mine.”

The moment she mentioned Cairys’ name, her smile disappeared.

“She’s just so…strict. This you can’t do, that is out of line…She doesn’t know the word flexibility.”

Feeling that Mera’s anger was building up again, Kyle realized he couldn’t let that happen again so he decided to change the topic.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, but do you happen to know anything about this Demon Lord that started the [Great Invasion]?”

Now that Kyle had no hints about this new player on the field, he was hoping he might learn something.

“Huh? Who knows?” Yet, Mera seemed utterly disinterested.

“Then…what about the reason why this Demon Lord sacrificed most of humanfolk in order to travel back to the past?”

“I may be a goddess, but that doesn’t mean anything. And if it’s related to demons, you’d have to ask their own god, $%!&, or you won’t get any information.”

What escaped Mera’s lips was a barrage of sounds indecipherable by Kyle.

“Um…what did you just say?”

“I was talking about $%!&…Oh, right. You humans can’t even comprehend what I’m saying. Well, I rarely get in contact with them, either.”

She must be referring to the guardian deity of the demons, the god of darkness whose name isn’t known. But rather that the name was lost in time, the name couldn’t even be pronounced by humans.

“Ah, it seems like we’re out of time,” Mera seemingly realized something as she cut off the conversation. “Well, this should do it. There are still more things I’d like to tell you, but I wanted us to have a proper talk first. And with Leyla-chan, too…So tell me, was it worth it for you, Kyle-chan?”

“…Yes, very much so. Thank you so much. You helped me gain more confidence in my work. I now understand that it wasn’t all for nothing…and I cannot thank you enough.” Kyle thanked her from the bottom of her heart.

“Oh geez, you don’t have to thank me this much. You’ll make me blush.”

So she said, but she seemed happy.

“At the same time, I was able to solve the misunderstanding I had about the Mera cult. It was all about working hard and improving themselves.”

She must truly mean it when she said that she loved humans. Kyle understood that fully. In a way, this love might be close to what humans feel towards their pets. She watched over them, trying to support them wherever she can.

Much better than praying to a god who doesn’t even look.

These were Kyle’s genuine feelings.

“I’m happy you understand.”

But of course, Kyle’s tone quickly changed. There was something else to discuss.

“And…I feel grateful for your care, Mera-sama. If I can work with the Mera followers, we will be able to save even more people. But…that still is limited to only humans. I want to save the other races, too.”

Behind Kyle, Urza swallowed her breath. Borrowing the strength of Mera cult followers, even more of those like Cordi, they will always put humans first, and other races second. And of course, they wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice the latter. This most likely came from Mera’s own attitude.

“Plus…Wouldn’t that be rather selfish? Asking more than what you could possibly wish for.”

“Yes…”

Kyle knew that he was acting selfishly. But before things could escalate into a negative atmosphere, Mera dispelled his worries.

“But, I appreciate the effort. So, you need to become stronger. At this rate, it’s all just a pipe dream.”

“Yes, I know. I wasn’t right in my mind. Apologies.”

“It’s fine, Kyle-chan. You have the right to ask that…And I didn’t know if I should tell you about this, but I have a suggestion. It would benefit both of us. Are you interested in attempting the [Trial and Blessing]?”

“Trial and…Blessing?”

Kyle was met with words he had never heard before and tilted his head in confusion, only for Leyla to suddenly intervene.

“Your Holiness! You couldn’t…!”

“I keep telling you to call me Mera, my dear Leyla-chan. Well, I won’t ask you to give me an answer right away. If you feel like accepting, then come back tomorrow noon…But alone, that time.”

She said she could only wait one more day, but she was probably giving Kyle quite the amount of leeway.

“For details, you should ask your experienced senior Leyla-chan over there. Also, Leyla-chan, talk with your family, I can tell you…Oh, dear. Seems like it’s time,” Mera said, and then her body started glowing. “There’s a time limit on how long I can borrow a human’s body, see. If I stay too long, it will build up dear Sakura-chan’s resistance. I’d love to talk more with you…but if I entered any regular person, their soul would disintegrate instantly. Only people like Sakura-chan can withstand the pressure,” Mera sighed like she was tired of dealing with this issue. “Oh, that reminds me. I mentioned earlier that Sakura-chan is rather shy and introverted, so once I’m gone, make sure to talk with her. I’d like her to be the one explaining her circumstances. And you might even jump straight to marri—”

She barely finished her sentence as she tapped herself on the chest, or rather Sakura’s chest, and then vanished.

Immediately after, the atmosphere in the room changed drastically. The air inside the tower was still mystical and divine, but the pressure of being in front of a god definitely disappeared. The force that judged your every move had vanished. Left behind, everyone simply stared at the girl who stood in the middle of the room, frozen stiff—Sakura slowly opened her eyes, realizing what posture she was in, and fixed her stance. She then met eyes with Kyle and began blushing aggressively.

“U-Um…I’m sorry for…the other day,” she said and frantically apologized.

“No, I understand the circumstances now. Please don’t worry about it…”

Yet, the same repeat of yesterday happened.

“So…we shouldn’t be staying in the Tower for too long. Let us continue this conversation outside.”

Just as Sakura hinted, Kyle and his friends felt oddly exhausted despite only having been sitting on a chair. So, everyone got up and slowly stepped outside the Tower.