Worthless Skill Escape (WN)

Chapter 227

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TL: ALT

Chapter 227 – The Corridor of Fixation Part 3

“So, where is this corridor you’re talking about?”

I asked.

“That’s it.”

Hayato pointed to the back of the boss’s room.

But there was nothing there but a plain, featureless wall, no different from the rest of the boss’s room.

“You can’t see the corridor with your eyes. It’s something that humans can’t perceive.”

“What am I supposed to do with something like that?”

“Take a good look. Isn’t there a place where you can’t see?”

“Can’t see…?”

I stare at the wall, which looks like concrete, like a dam.

Then, there is a strange feeling of uneasiness only in the area where Hayato points.

“Can’t you focus your eyes? No, I understand; you can’t focus your attention.”

When I focus my attention on a place where there shouldn’t be anything, the attention I’ve supposedly focused on becomes blurred, and before I know it, I’m focused on another place nearby.

I don’t even feel that my attention has been diverted.

I try to focus my attention there a few times, but it only makes me feel more frustrated.

Haruka Shinozaki says, “What is the world? The key to solving this question is to consider what separates the world from what is not the world.”

“What is not the world… is that the thing that is fuzzy?”

“The world is that there is a world. Conversely, it can be said that there is no world outside the world.”

“What about the other world? Does it exist?”

Haruka Shinozaki, standing in front of me, is living proof.

“The other world is also made up of worlds. However, the ‘existence’ of this world and the ‘existence’ of the other world are not continuous. There is a space between the two worlds where there is no world. Or rather, it is not even a space, because there is nothing there.”

“So it’s not the same as outer space?”

“Outer space does exist. Even though it is a vacuum, there is no doubt that there is space there. But what is there… no, what is not there is that space itself does not exist.”

“It’s a story that’s both understandable and incomprehensible.”

“To tell you the truth, I don’t think I can say I understand it either. Not only does this thing not exist as space itself, but it also refuses to be named by the world. Therefore, it’s impossible to give it a name, and it’s also difficult to discuss it in any real sense.”

“…Enough with the Zen questions. What should I do with it?”

I’ve heard the standard procedure, and I’ve done my research.

However, when faced with an object that refuses to be scientifically proven, it doesn’t hurt to hear the story again from a living witness who has experienced “it.”

“We can’t discuss it, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know anything about it. One thing we do know is that it’s a writable ‘void.’

“I’ve heard this story before, but I still don’t really understand it. Why would something so great be rewritable?”

“The world does not allow cognitive gaps. To be precise, the world does not like to be exposed to the outside world by being inside it. The world is like a closed circle. To be exposed to the outside world is to break the circle… or so it seems.”

As I thought, it’s an explanation that is both understandable and incomprehensible.

Even for an elf from another world like Haruka Shinozaki, there are limits to what she knows.

“Or maybe the world didn’t ‘exist’ before it ‘was.’ In that world that ‘didn’t exist’―a kind of pre-world before it became a world―one day, something that recognized the world, whether it was a god or a human, suddenly appeared. The world ‘came into being’ in the form of chasing after that recognition. In this world, there may not have been any physical laws governing the world before physics was born, and the universe may not have existed before a way to observe it was discovered. In this world… Well, if Isaac Newton had discovered the basic principle of magic instead of the law of universal gravitation, magic might have become common in this world, too.”

“It’s like the occult.”

“Yes, but the fact is that this ‘void’ is writable.”

“The only question is how. Hayato Harukawamiya, I heard that you use that thing to travel between this world and the next.”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s annoying to be made an errand boy for the Lord of Emptiness, but there’s no one else who can cross over to the other world in this state except me.”

“Is this related to the story about you being a hero who returned from the other world?”

“Of course. My soul was given resistance to ‘that thing’ by the goddess of the other world when I first crossed over to that world. After I defeated the demon king in that world, I defeated that goddess, took away her power, and returned to this world.”

“So this other world is different from the one you were in before, Shinozaki-san?”

“Yes. The portal to that world was completely sealed when I returned. However, as long as the portal is open even a little, I can go through it and get to the other world. Clovis’ plan failed, but at least there’s still a portal I can use to go back and forth.”

“What about the story that you’re bringing Japanese technology to another world and making ‘freedom collars’ by incorporating local magic technology?”

“It is true. It was hard work because only I could go back and forth, but it’s true that we are running a production line there. However, as it is now, no one but me can go back and forth.”

“So in order to implement that person’s immigration policy, you need to expand and stabilize the corridor.”

“That’s right. I don’t like the idea of this Prime Minister having too much power, but in terms of wanting to make this country strong, our interests are aligned. As long as that is the case, I will not begrudge cooperation.”

“Hmph… so you don’t like being seen as that person’s pet dog, do you?”

“What? Don’t be ridiculous. Who’s the pet dog? I just have my own goals.”

The Imperial Hero frowned, looking genuinely annoyed.

“Can’t you rewrite that for me?”

“It’s not that simple. When the dungeon collapsed, a huge hole opened up in the world. Maybe I could have done something then… but… no, I guess I’d need the help of a god. That explorer sure made a lot of trouble for me.”

The explorer in question―Yuto Kurashiki?

“Clovis’ plan was that if a big hole opened up in the world due to the collapse of the dungeon, a huge tunnel would be completed through the mutual effect with the other world of Spring Raven. Even if that didn’t happen, it seems that if Haruka Shinozaki, the elf priestess, became a human sacrifice, a corridor could be temporarily opened for Clovis alone, but it seems that Haruka Shinozaki’s voluntary cooperation was necessary for that.”

“I see. There’s no way that Shinozaki-san would willingly cooperate with that arrogant man, so you planned the collapse of the dungeon with the intention of turning western Tokyo into a scorched earth.”

“Well, something like that.”

Hayato gives Shinozaki-san a quick look.

There is a hint of reproach in his eyes.

“Are you saying that if you had cooperated with Clovis, the nuclear crisis wouldn’t have happened? That’s ridiculous.”

“Hmph, I know that. I can’t ask a foreigner to willingly die for the sake of the Japanese people.”

“I…”

Shinozaki-san makes a complicated expression.

“I have a daughter. My most precious daughter. I would do anything to protect her…”

That reminds me, I think.

Haruka Shinozaki must also have been given a “Strategy” based on that person’s unique “Change of Strategy” skill.

Info―――――

“Don’t Choose Your Means”

Those who are assigned this strategy will have their thinking speed increased by S.Lv x 10% and will be able to notice options that they would not have thought of under normal circumstances with a probability of S.Lv x 2%. As a side effect, their ability to make ethical judgments will decrease, and they will be able to take actions that would normally be morally repugnant without hesitation.

―――――

However, this strategy will only make the ideas you already have more extreme.

The tendency to use any means necessary for the sake of one’s daughter was probably something that existed in Haruka Shinozaki from the very beginning.

Hayato Harukawamiya is doing this for the sake of the imperial nation that he (or so he believes) will one day rule.

Haruka Shinozaki does it for the sake of her beloved daughter.

For their own reasons, these two people here hope that I will sacrifice myself to seal the passage to the other world.

I have no intention of holding it against them.

I don’t want them to thank me, and I don’t want them to stop me.

I will sacrifice myself of my own free will for the future that that person envisions.

I have entrusted my political beliefs to that person.

This is not just what was written in the document Haruka Shinozaki gave me earlier.

That person copies the souls of others.

The personality I had was already preserved in his soul and became a part of him who would become the god of this world in the future.

Since I have entrusted everything about my existence to him, even if I cease to exist, my copy will remain in this world.

I can’t help but feel a little uneasy about the fact that it is this “I” that will disappear.

However, the mission I have to fulfill has been entrusted to him and will be carried out through the national authority that I cannot have.

He will accomplish things that I would not have been able to do quickly, or that would have taken a frightening amount of time.

The anxiety I feel about disappearing is nothing compared to the ecstasy I feel when I know he understands my soul completely.

“Then I’ll start.”

As I spoke of my decision, “Is there anything you want to say before you go?”

The imperial hero asked me with a serious expression for the first time.

“Are you asking me to compose a death poem?”

“I’m not joking.”

Hayato’s eyes are still serious.

“There is no need. That person has encompassed everything about me.”

My pain, my sadness, my anger, my desires, everything.

That person, who had destroyed my ego, had taken my ego and replaced it with his own, which he had lost long ago.

The feeling of being understood, being accepted, and being whole is something that words cannot describe.

“I will begin. In my Experimental Space, I will rewrite my very existence as a corridor to another world.”

“I will be the one to throw you into ‘that thing’. Haruka Shinozaki will make the connection to the other world of Spring Raven and determine the path of the corridor. I’m the only one with the power to cross over to the other world, and if we just need to fix the path, Haruka Shinozaki doesn’t have to be a human sacrifice. The interests of the three of us have come together.”

Hayato says to me with an evil smile,

“…Then I guess I should stop Professor Kandori.”

Haruka Shinozaki mumbles, looking worried.

“As long as she wants to, that’s fine. Even if she continues to live her life like this, there’s nothing she can do about it. It’s good that she wants to win something, even if it means risking her life… It’s a happy thing.”

For a moment, I think Hayato is being sarcastic, but his expression is serious.

Unusually for this rough man, there was something like an impenetrable dark resentment in the back of his eyes.

It was as if he was saying, “I wanted to do that, but I couldn’t.”

I wondered about it, but I was not interested in this man’s inner feelings.

“You know, you only get one chance. In my experience, even a moment’s hesitation can be fatal. Rewriting ‘this’ thing fails if there is even the slightest hesitation. Whether it’s right or wrong, you have to have unshakable conviction. It’s not as easy as it sounds. … It’s only because he’s that kind of person that he was able to do it.

The last part of Hayato’s line was like a half-spoken soliloquy.

“If you mean conviction, then I’m definitely the right person for the job.”

I said that with honest conviction, but,

“Ah, that’s right. There’s no one who can match you when it comes to believing in your own theories.”

Hayato said this with a wry smile.

“Don’t forget me, too.”

That was the self-proclaimed god Susanoo, who hovered behind Hayato’s shoulder like a ghost.

“The divine sword that Yuto Kurashiki threw was originally something I had a deep connection with. If the Kusanagi no Tsurugi that disappeared into the gap between worlds answers my call, it will help open the passage.”

“Sorry, but I don’t really expect much from this side. I’ve tried to retrieve the Kusanagi no Tsurugi a few times, but so far, I’ve failed.”

“It’s only natural that your incantations fail. You have no connection to it.”

“I am the next emperor, so how can I have no connection to the three sacred treasures?”

“As things stand, your cousin will inherit the throne.”

“Tch.”

“Even if you leave that aside, the sacred treasures will not respond to your call for them out of greed. The Divine Sword has seen through your calculations, which are based on the idea that you will gain legitimacy to inherit the imperial throne of this country by retrieving the three holy treasures. How many powerful people do you think the Divine Sword has seen in its 2,000-year history?”

“Damn it. Even that filthy rat called the Black Tengu has held it. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t hold it as well. If it doesn’t obey me, I’ll make it obey me.”

There seems to be some kind of complicated situation, but I don’t care.

“If you are ready, let’s continue.

“Yes. Sorry, I just told you something that might have dampened your resolve.”

Hayato apologizes, looking surprisingly embarrassed, but whether he apologizes or not is not important to me.

I do not want him to respect my decision.

It is enough for me to understand my own decision.

A “decision” that would waver without the superficial approval of others cannot be called a real decision.

While watching and listening to the conversation between me and the Imperial Hero, which will never intersect, Haruka Shinozaki lowers her eyes as if in half-meditation.

Even her thoughtful expression is beautiful as if it were a work of art.

She may be overwhelmed with guilt for sacrificing me, but she doesn’t seem to be so thoughtless as to ask me to forgive her for this sin.

“Let’s get started.”

“Okay.”

“Yes.”

Haruka Shinozaki is drawing strange patterns on the floor of the dungeon with a special kind of paint.

As I stand in the center of the magic circle, the Imperial Hero lifts me up in his arms.

I’m in a position that could be called a princess carry, though I’m not happy about it.

Neither I nor the man have any intention of doing so.

Behind the hero’s shoulders, Susanoo focuses his consciousness on the void.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Hayato, still holding me, used the power of “Crossing” to jump into the void.

I’ve heard that it’s impossible to maintain consciousness for long in the epistemological gap between worlds.

In fact, I can’t see, hear, or feel anything.

I can’t even see the outline of my own body, and I can’t tell the difference between inside and outside.

It’s not just the body. The mind is also losing the boundary between inside and outside, and at the same time it is endlessly spreading out, it is also endlessly being eroded away.

Like water being absorbed into the sand, my existence is melting away.

“Now! Go for it, Kandori!”

I received Hayato’s unnecessary command and wrote myself into the corridor.

The conviction that I will destroy myself acts as a catalyst, spreading into the void that hovers between worlds.

Now that the boundary between body and mind has disappeared, the scope of the experimental space has also expanded to infinity.

As I and this “space,” which is hard to say whether it exists or not, become the same thing, this “space” is now like my own body.

Ah, I am rewriting the world.

The world becomes me.

As the world becomes me, my existence quickly fades away.

“Goodbye, Sensei―I won’t forget your sacrifice. It was the coolest ending ever.

I wanted to tell Hayato, who was muttering as he crossed the world, “There’s no need for you to remember me.”

But by that time, I had already lost my composure and was unable to say or think anything.

“Looks like it went well.”

Hayato mumbles.

“Yeah.”

Haruka Shinozaki answers.

“Do you regret it?”

“No…”

“Well, that’s good then. The professor prays for your happiness as a woman.”

Hayato adds with a wry smile, “She might even wish me to go to hell.”

Hayato turns around and leaves.

Haruka Shinozaki, who had followed him, looked back over her shoulder down the corridor, “I thought that the ultimate beauty of a human being was that they could devote themselves to those they cared about, even if it meant giving up their own lives…”

She shook her head from side to side, looking sad and doubtful, and followed Hayato.

I wonder how many years have passed since then.

People from this world, or maybe from the other world, come and go through the corridor that has become “me” and pass through me.

Ah, I have become a part of that person’s ideal.

There is nothing happier than that.

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