193. The ending story
After four seasons, they arrived at a completely different world.
A gentle spring sky. The land of fresh summer. Refreshing autumn wind, dreamy winter aurora… All the seasons we walked through were covered in one world.
Yes, not the garden, but the world. I couldn’t fathom the end of this bizarre place, not to mention seeing it with my eyesight. The next thing I felt after the scenery was familiar signs.
Looks like everyone else arrived before me. It was the same that one bookkeeper stood in the middle of the party. The prickly woman holding her holy sword tilted her head and asked.
“The last guest has finally arrived. But what about Lou?”
[Lu?]
“Ah, the bookkeeper who went to greet you.”
[Well, I don’t know. We never met.]
It seems that you don’t know what happened on the way here. As I smirked, the woman’s eyes narrowed.
“This is strange. How did you come here when you couldn’t meet the guide, and you’re not surprised to see us and this environment?”
[I know the Four Seasons Tower, but I don’t know you exist? Uselessly caving in. Rather, what I want to ask is on my side.]
The female bookkeeper seems to be in trouble, so before she doubts it further, I took a step forward and nailed it. Of course I did something, but how do I know when there is no proof?
[Rather, I want to ask. Did the Sagye Pagoda treat guests this way? It’s unpleasant that I didn’t meet the guide, but I’m trying to frame you like this!]
Rather, when I came out with a red flag, the prickly woman let out a sigh and took a step back. After handing over her holy sword to Cream, she bowed to me.
Wow, how unfair it would be to find out the truth later. Seeing that they all look similar, it seems that these book keepers are related by blood.
“······Certainly, the response to my customer was insufficient. I apologize.”
[Hmph, I know you’ll skip it this time.]
“Thank you for your generosity. Then, please follow me.”
“We are going to leave. Sister. Please be a little more careful in front of the tower…”
“hehehe, the story of the hero will be recorded in the library of the four seasons in the future, right? I’ll be looking forward to it!”
As if the strict woman, the eldest of the three book keepers, was our leader, the young girls next to Choco and Cream lightly bowed and disappeared.
The last one was my type, but it’s a shame. Oh wait. You shouldn’t think like this.
“·······.”
However, contrary to what she expected to explode, Cream remained calm without any reaction. Oh, I’m trying to be a little sad about this.
Regardless of my fuss, the book keeper started to move forward. Like a fairy tale, the entire space moved out of its place and gave way to her steps.
We quietly walked behind her. Beautiful natural scenery. However, it did not suit the interior of the tower or the library at all.
“If you came here knowing about the Clock Tower, there must be only one reason.”
Actually, I don’t even know. But one thing seemed to be known. The ‘inside’ of the tower entered through the passage is also a spiritual world. The depth of field is much shallower.
To be more precise, this place was a spiritual world, but it was also real. Thanks to such ambiguous boundaries, a contradictory space where these four seasons coexist was created.
But it sure is interesting. What comes into my eyes now is not just the beautiful scenery of nature. On top of it, status windows appearing in an incomprehensible language as if broken.
– !@#!@$
– ^&A%^&E^
– QDaA@%$!1Evil
In the chaotic letters that look like children’s scribbles, there is a mixture of unrecognizable but clear regularity and recognizable fragmented letters.
Fortunately, because my jjambab was so long, I was able to recognize what they were, even though I didn’t know what they meant. That’s a world record. A system log that One World leaves for administrators.
More accurately, we should call them scum that didn’t even become that at all, or that they didn’t become. Unrefined thoughts were so concentrated that the space that remained only as consciousness was eroding reality.
“This is the place where all the unrecorded memories of the world gather.”
Because of her constitution, which was originally sensitive to spirits and thoughts, and the vessel that has expanded and grown up by eating holy relics, I can see things like this now.
It was as the book keeper said. I could see a huge muddy stream of thoughts coming from the world and circulating inside this tower. Cloudy enough, if not dark enough.
“No matter what question you have on your mind, you will find an answer here.”
A book keeper passed by and broke off a branch from a tree that had sprouted buds. The next moment, the broken branch was held in her hand and turned into a book.
Yes, in the original human mind, everything is done arbitrarily. Even though this place is not a perfect spiritual world, so I can’t exert the power like a god, but that level of change wasn’t that surprising.
“Of course, please understand that the only answer you can get is about yourself. In the first place, that is also the law of this tower.”
[Rule?]
“Yes. All the ‘books’ of the Four Seasons Tower can only be seen by the owner or by those who are closely related to the story. Like this.”
However, I couldn’t help but exclaim at what happened next. The book in the book keeper’s hand unfolded arbitrarily, and an image appeared between the pages flying like a projector.
「He looked at my lover and said with affectionate eyes. “I’ll be back.” “Are you okay?” Tenderly stroking his worried lover’s cheek, the young man made a promise to his goddess. “Yeah, don’t worry. I will return safely.” After sending the young man he loved away to the battlefield, his lover waited, believing in the sweet promise. Until her handkerchief, which she had tied herself to her young man, came back covered in her own blood.”
It was a strange thing indeed. We saw the video that flowed from the book, and at the same time we “Read.” The emotions, intentions, and thoughts of that moment. Those things have been clearly communicated.
It is not a simple visual device, but a mystery that can be seen as a lump of thought that contains an enormous amount of information that the ‘book’ itself distorts reality.
A means of conveying information far more clearly than conversation or even mind waves, which are so easily misunderstood. Why did Cream ask me to come to the Tower of the Four Seasons?
There was a reason before this.
[It’s like avoiding the eyes of the gods, but did you bring me here for this?]
“Yes.”
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Cream nodded in affirmation. The book, once opened, played the same video again from the beginning without being folded. The figure of her maiden, clasping her lover by the neck from behind, strangling her with a knotted handkerchief.
She was an idiot. She was only told that the wounded do not go far, and the pure maiden laid her hand for her beloved. She just didn’t know.
Even though I was a total stranger, I was able to know that. This is more dangerous than you think. It is an overly intense immersion.
If I hadn’t been hundreds of years old, repeated exposure to this information might have confused my identity.
“mmm, it deserves an example. To induce a loophole like that and hunt an opponent stronger than yourself head-on!”
No worries since everyone else in the party has aged quite a bit, and the least aged guy in our group is talking like that. Ugh, I’d rather die than get sick.
“Avoiding the eyes of the gods? Were you not part of a group of warriors?”
Ah. Come to think of it, it seems that I didn’t adjust the volume. The businesslike but kind bookkeeper turned pale and took a few steps away from us.
It’s a reaction similar to that of a holy sword. In the end, the Holy Sword was somehow accepted with my bloody shield and my obedient attitude, but I don’t know. Would that be the case too?
[That’s right.]
“Come to think of it, I should have been suspicious of such a blasphemous being in the company. We do not discriminate against beings of light or darkness as guests, with one exception.”
No, I didn’t just withdraw. The book keeper stepped back and stepped on the fallen leaves on the floor, and the rustling pieces of dried leaves soon turned into dozens of small books and flew up.
Each item is neither the palm of the hand nor the size of a single finger, and looks closer to a precise paper craft than a book, but that too must be an agglomeration of ignorant thoughts.
[No, why are you overreacting? I know that prisoners do not believe in God very well.]
“You know about the Four Seasons Tower, but don’t you know why this place was built?”
[I don’t know!]
Who omitted the explanation, how do I know that? The bookkeeper was still wary of us, but he soon began to explain why his mouth was itching.
“This place was created by the gods themselves to filter and purify evil thoughts so that darkness does not accumulate in the world. Although, the darkness of the world has become unbearable and its original role has become obsolete.”
[Hmm? Doesn’t the darkness of the world usually go to the demon lord and deal with it all at once?]
“·······You also know that fact. You’re right. Although the Four Seasons Pagoda lost its original role, we were still managing this place as the descendants of the divine beast. To give answers to the lambs whose questions cannot be resolved.”
So to put it simply, this place was like a demon lord prototype. It’s the same up to bringing the world’s darkness together, but discarded because there is no way to purify it.
It’s quite interesting to know such a mythical history. However, it took a while to continue the long explanation, and the book keeper looked at us with sharp eyes again.
“Even though our mission ended a long time ago, the Shinjwa is a strict one. The Four Seasons Tower will not welcome those who disrespect God.”
[Hey, don’t misunderstand. Because we are the real warriors.]
Cream pulled out the holy sword as if she had been waiting. The book keeper was taken aback when he took out his weapon out of nowhere, but soon his expression relaxed as he looked at the white blade of the holy sword.
Yes, the reputation of the holy sword is so great that it can work not only on humans, but also on beasts, fairies, and even monsters. Holding such a holy sword is an undeniable proof of a hero.
Adding to that, as Cream raised three holy powers in succession on the Holy Sword, the bookkeeper approached us with a completely defenseless attitude, as if he had shown his vigilance.
“Ah, I thought the child was mistaken, but I was the one who was truly ignorant. To think I would see the savior chosen by God with my own eyes…”
Hmm. It’s bread out of 10. It’s not enough to just stay still while watching your opponent pull out a weapon, are you approaching me while revealing a loophole like this? Do you mean stab it?
In that case, it would be reasonable to grant that wish. Cream seemed to have the same thoughts as me.
“Kuk, uh… Why?”
[I didn’t do it!]
She is the best thing in the world, and she will need no atonement for deeds done in her name.
The blade of the Holy Sword, which did not stain even a drop of blood, pierced the book keeper’s intestines and pierced his abdomen.