"Mm, Frieren, there seems to be a trace of living humans over that way."
Aura, who had accompanied Frieren into this ti period, sniffed the air and pointed in one direction. All around them were scorched and damaged ruins, along with many corpses lying in the open. Clearly, a fierce conflict—or rather, a war—had broken out here not too long ago.
Frieren's expression showed neither joy nor sorrow. Even in a future without demons, war still seed unavoidable. Maybe it was just the nature of living creatures. She didn't dwell on it. She knew she wasn't so kind of saint.
Then she lightly waved her staff. A gust of wind surged toward the direction Aura indicated, easily blowing away broken bricks and rubble.
Underneath the debris lay sothing:
It was a purple-haired girl with empty, lifeless eyes.
…
By the ti Rei Ao arrived in front of them, he was already drawn to the purple-haired girl at first glance.
"She is…"
"Seems like a survivor of so war," Frieren said. "I tried asking her things, but she hasn't spoken a word since we found her."
Frieren shrugged in exasperation. This girl, taller than Frieren and far more endowed, had no glimr of desire to live, nor any trace of vitality in her eyes, likely traumatized by the war she had experienced.
"…"
Rei Ao, however, stared at her in thought. Even though the girl wore tattered clothes, he instantly recognized who she was:
Fern.
She should have originally traveled with Frieren. Typically, Fern was orphaned by war at a young age, then adopted, eventually eting Frieren as a child and journeying with her as she grew up.
But now, the Fern in front of him was clearly not a child but a survivor grown up, presumably shaped by the war.
Probably, because demons had disappeared decades earlier, the world had developed in so new way. Thus Fern had grown up continuously, yet she still encountered war. eting Frieren—who had traveled forward in ti—could be considered fate. More likely, though, it was the power of the Goddess fulfilling a loop.
Yes—the Goddess truly existed. Rei Ao realized that as soon as he arrived in this world. It wasn't that she was alive or dead, but that she had left this world behind. He only sensed remnants of her magic, with no personal traces of her presence.
"Rei Ao, do you think this might be an illusion?"
Frieren spoke. Even she couldn't fully confirm it wasn't so kind of elaborate illusion by the Goddess Monunt.
"No, it's not an illusion," he replied. "This really is a point in ti decades after your own—a genuine future."
Aura frowned. "Then how do we go back?"
"Hmm? Why go back?" Frieren suddenly tilted her head.
"What difference does it make if we exist in the past or the present? I'd actually like to see what the future holds—especially how magic has evolved."
The more she spoke, the more excited she beca.
"…"
Aura stayed quiet. On reflection, she realized it might not matter. She had nowhere else she wanted to return to besides her Master, so the ti period didn't matter to her.
"Mm, but my Master is what matters most!" Aura quickly drew nearer to Rei Ao's side, eyeing him nervously. "Master, do you need my services?"
Rei Ao glanced at her. Although he didn't plan to stay here for very long—he still had that party to attend back ho—there was enough ti for him, Frieren, and Aura to "discuss" the question of how humans interbreed with elves and demons.
"Let's find a place to rest. We should also give this girl a bath."
He looked sympathetically at the dirt- and soot-covered Fern.
…
They found a luxurious hot-spring inn in a nearby human city. Frieren and Aura went to help Fern get washed. During that ti, Rei Ao chose to claim the world's essence. He was already here, so he might as well not leave empty-handed.
Closing his eyes, he activated his power as the Unique God, seeking out the location of the world's essence. The barrier around this world was evidently thicker than in Saeko's or Miko's worlds. But it was still no match for him.
Effortlessly, he broke through that barrier, expecting to seize the world's essence just as easily as before.
However, sothing unexpected happened.
Tiny glittering motes of light appeared before his eyes. Rei Ao grew vigilant. Those lights slowly converged into a vaguely humanoid shape with no facial features.
"…Are you the one who changed this world?"
A gentle voice, soft as a breeze, ca from the glowing figure.
"You must be the so-called Goddess in this world's legends," Rei Ao deduced.
"Mm, that is what people call ." The Goddess acknowledged, "Strictly speaking, this is but a portion of my magic left behind here."
Even so, Rei Ao remained on guard, blinking calmly. "So, do you plan on stopping from claiming the world's essence—stopping from ruling it?"
That was his initial guess. But the result took him by surprise.
"No." Though she lacked facial features, the Goddess figure clearly shook her head. "I won't hinder you."
"I left this world long ago. I rely sensed so changes and used my magical link to see. I discovered that changes have indeed been caused by you."
The glowing silhouette ca closer to him. "You don't seem to be a God of this world?"
"You're correct. I co from another world," Rei Ao admitted, curious about her intentions.
She nodded, as if in thought. After a while, she spoke again:
"How should I address you?"
"Rei Ao."
"Rei Ao-san, I'm entrusting this world to you. I hope you'll keep it safe."
"Huh?"
To Rei Ao's surprise, the Goddess's glowing form slowly faded away. She…truly did nothing to stop him, simply leaving her world in the hands of a stranger from another realm.
~~~
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