novelVol 6 Prologue
| ← Ch.30 | Ch.32 → |
Prlogue
--- In my childhood, I had thought that the world was a very simple existence.
Every compet. i. tion could be won by some means, and just putting in effort would reap its own rewards. Everything was possible.
This was the ignorant and stupid thinking of a child.
Looking at the world with such pure and innocent eyes... is this wrong?
...... Of course it is wrong......
............ --------
In a narrow room illuminated by a dim light, a boy was holding a chess piece. Only that boy was in the room.
But the boy was looking towards the depths of the darkness, seriously thinking if there was some person there.
What a game... From my final a. n. a. lysis, this is just some prank that some kids pulled here.
The boy was alone in the room. While imagining the strongest absolute move, he placed the piece on the chessboard.
His way of thinking was as fixed as that of an infant who had just became sentient.
The outside of the room was filled with horror and anxiety...
Desperation was generated from the uncertainty of tomorrow, which also made the nights even colder.
Only inside the room was it like a different world. Contrary to the norm, the gloomy room had a strange temperature.
The boy was holding onto the piece while deep in thought.
--- Once anyone becomes an adult, he will naturally alienate himself from games.
Why is that so? Did they become obsolete?
Or is it that the world is so simple that it'll never have games?
Whatever the reason, once anyone becomes an adult, he will naturally alienate himself from games.
But the boy never considered such a thing before.
He put the pieces back on the board again only after careful consideration.
--- Alone by himself, he was a kid who was endlessly playing games.
Even if the people around him were to stare at him with strange eyes as he grew up, the boy continued to play.
This was because the boy did not understand the meaning behind those strange eyes.
And also because [his opponent] would appear in the dark as long as he closed his eyes.
[He] was almost the same age as the boy, and wore similar clothes... a fearless smile floated on his face.
--- '[He] is very strong' was what the boy thought.
[He] was always better than the boy in the next move, and then the outcome would always be determined --- as a definite loss.
The boy had expected this as a matter of course. It looked as if he had never won a single time from the start.
This --- battling against [him] --- made the boy incomparably happy.
The people in his surroundings would see that the boy was always by himself, but in the boy's eyes, there were actually two people, and nothing more.
In the dark depths, he was wordless and silent.
He was only craving to make his next move superior to his last.
--- A more correct move... More excellent tactics! More indepth strategies!!
[He] was happily shouting while he faced the boy in the depths of darkness. The boy cast a likewise fearless smile.
...... The boy felt there was nothing wrong, even if he was alone in the eyes of other people.
The world was pure and simple. If you don't win, you lose.
Otherwise, it's a tie and nothing more.
Then, regardless of the outcome --- even if it was always a loss --- the boy would be thinking of how to achieve his next victory.
This was [the boy's world].
But the [world] was mercilessly ravaging his [individual world].
... Suddenly, the dark room was lit by a bright light. The boy looked to the window.
It should have been a scarlet sight, but the dark night sky was now sealed off by bright lights.
The boy shouted towards his parents, who had just rushed into the room, and pulled him into their embrace. In his complete and utter confusion, he saw [that].
It was like heaven and earth was being connected by that pillar of light.
Looking to a blue face, while his parents were holding him and shouting to ask what was going on, the boy reached out his hand all of a sudden.
--- A winner has yet to be announced.
--- The boy hugged the board he used to battle in that instant... and then...
When he looked up again, something which looked exactly like a burning retina was about to collide head-on against him.
............
--- I see, the world never indeed had a game so simple.
The boy woke up upon smelling an extremely terrible odor.
Then, the boy finally understood the truth.
The boy's arm was scorched. Unable to climb out of his mother's hold, he looked around his surroundings...
His five senses were unreasonably violated within the scene of
[his own world]
...
His mouth was full of fresh blood. His nose detected the smell of charred flesh. His ears heard a silent abyss. His skin was feeling a searing heat.
Then, his eyes saw that the world had changed dramatically.
He could not even find traces of the existence of life.
Rubble extended to the endless horizons, and dust floated over the upturned ground. The boy then looked up at the sky.
The crimson sky looked as if it were about to fall. Its
'destroyed' state made flights intertwine.
It looked to be a selfish war between G. o. ds who did not place others in their eyes.
This could not be counted as just a 'falling out'.
Not only was the little world within the boy's house wiped out without a trace, so was everyone else's worlds.
... So this is what's happening. Indeed, there is no simpler game in the world.
Because there were no rules to follow... Because there was no jurisdiction, there was nothing that sanctioned violators of others' rights.
But, up to this point----
Suddenly, standing in front of the boy through a tear of smoke was a figure that had landed at the top of the rubble.
The figure did not care for the boy... inadvertently.
The figure had truly and only inadvertently noticed the other's gaze.
--- The boy stared at the destroyers who took away his everything, and thought,
Yeah, humanity isn't even considered as 'players' in [their] eyes.
His own... Humanity's world was just so easily destroyed into nothing but dust.
Though it was through the explosions of flames and dust...
Though the figure could barely be recognized under such circ. u. mstances..."............ --------"
After confirming that their eyes had met, the boy turned his back on her, and took his first step.
Ignoring the feeling that his back was being watched, he advanced far away--- far away to an eternally distant location, in order to live on.
The boy was gripping his board with so much force that it might have snapped. On that day, the boy became an [adult].
This world was chaotic, and there were no necessities in it. But, it was full of opportunities.
There is no reason, and no plan, so it must be meaningless.
To create a room, that does not exist anywhere else, for a child to play around in
---
The long-lasting "war" tore the sky and earth asunder and obliterated the stars.
Arisen from the battle was the [position of the Sole G. o. d] --- the absolute right to dominate over the world. It was over six thousand years ago...
In this world, the G. o. d who won without fighting --- Tet, had set [Ten Oaths].
Violence is forbidden, all conflicts are to be determined by games --- in Disboard, a board atop the world.
In a city on the Ruus. h. i. +a continent, a continent in such a world,
Elchea, capital of the Elchea "Provisional Federation",
Just a few months ago, the city was in desperation, with the claws of ruin hounding at it.
This was the last city for Imanity, the sixteenth ranked of the
Exceed races. But the situation suddenly changed.
The "Eastern Union", the Werebeasts' country with countless islands, "Oceando", the undersea country inhabited by the
Sirens and the Dhampirs, And "Avant Heim", the sky nation in which the Flugels resided,
After the enthronement of new "Kings", Elchea suddenly became the capital of a country which had merged three countries and four races.
Now the Central Avenue of the capital was full of vivacity and vibrant power.
Merchants and farmers regained their lost resources and obtained a huge amount of new a. s. sets, and craftsmen now had high demand for their work.
Everyone used their own feet or carriage to run across the land like a race, and the sound of commerce just kept going on and on.
--- In this world where all conflicts were resolved by games, It was simple, no matter how you put it.
But with the extreme and rapid speed of the reformation, other races and countries were being merged forcibly by games.
No matter how you worded it, it was hard to be remembered by the people as anything other than a [policy of aggression].
To announce that they were to establish a government and merge different cultures through a republic system --- was not something particularly easy.
Initially, it would cause the political situation to fall into utter chaos, with unfathomable struggles between the different countries and races.
Originally, these were sure to have all happened. If not for the
[Kings] -- Sora and s. h. i. +ro.
They had won in the international games -- with their
[country's land as a bid], and on top of that, they had declared that it would be [a total and completely bloodless invasion where no one would be at a disadvantage].
On streets with numerous people pa. s. sing though, even werebeasts could be easily spotted.
This was the fruit of the ridiculous, mad idea of establis. h. i. +ng an inter-racial federation across the great wall of different Exceed races.
Though it was very slow, their plan was progressing surely, and this was its proof.
The world was undergoing a revolution --- right here, with
Elchea as the center. To that exact presentiment, some probably felt anxious about it.
But, at the same time -- people would have had excitement flaring in their heart and s. h. i. +ning eyes.
[The revolution of the world] --- they were witnessing it.
............ Then, let's bring the topic slightly back on track.
As mentioned before, the Sole G. o. d had constructed the [Ten
Oaths] which enforced that every conflict must be resolved by games.
But as for the Sole G. o. d, Tet... what was he usually up to...
was it something interesting?
The private life of the G. o. d with close to absolute power and knowledge about everything... this is a special time which all will be told.
Now, he was probably lying in an alley in Elchea, being poked by a young werebeast girl by twig.
"... Na, naa naa, have you died, des?"
--the Sole G. o. d had starved on the streets.
"...... So, so it is like this...... Imanity...... in the case which nothing is eaten, death is the result......"
"Werebeasts would also die like that, des. Are you stupid, des?"
Being chastised directly by her with rolling eyes, Tet's face was pressed onto the ground.
The black-haired werebeast girl with fennec-like ears was
Hatsuse Izuna.
Originally the amba. s. sador of the Eastern Union residing in
Elchea, she was currently a game-mate of Elchea's two kings -- no, one of their close servants.
While poked by Izuna, Tet thought about that.
Although it was the first time he tried to "become an Imanity", it seemed like his plan had crashed and burned.
So, what was the Sole G. o. d planning to do here?
Actually it was just - to waste time, because the Sole G. o. d was already "bored to the brink of death" by now.
Even with the t. i. tle of the Sole G. o. d, looking at the entire world from far, far away, was very boring.
Not to mention he was the "Original G. o. d of Games". It was obvious that he would've wanted to play games.
Thus, to prevent his existence from being realized, he disguised himself as the race of his destination, and limited his own power.
Moderately walking across the world and then returning to his home once he experienced enough --- was the daily life for the Sole G. o. d, Tet.
He followed this regime, and this time he suddenly came up with the idea to appear before Sora and s. h. i. +ro.
"I'm here, hehe♪"
---He wanted to do this, but it seemed like he'd have to [leave] before reaching his destination.
Having become an Imanity, and after impulsively walking for a few days without food or sleep, he then thought...
Imanity is weak beyond imagination.
Tet was immensely touched. The Sole G. o. d was very angry--- no, very hungry---,
"................... Take this and eat, des."
Saying this, Izuna handed a fish she had just bought to Tet.
Tet looked at Izuna with eyes as if he were before a G. o. ddess, and asked, "... C, can I?"
"... Have it quickly, des. Or I'm going to change my mind, des."
Deliberately moving her eyes away from the fish, Izuna was slavering while she spoke, but she held herself back.
"... As I was going to travel to a faraway place, I was asked to buy something to eat, des."
Tet saw the giant leather bag on the back of the whispering
Izuna."... that, is that for everyone?"
"... ? It's Izuna's own portion, everyone goes to buy their own portion, des."
So the werebeasts needed to match the amount of calories that their physical abilities burned.
"Can only share you a little, des. Because only so many snacks can be bought with 300 dollars, so I didn't buy much, des."
--As seen by Tet, there were already not a lot of goods that worth 300 gold coins, but he didn't speak his thought.
It was already worthy of many thanks to receive a gift of food from a G. o. ddess, but----
"But I don't have much that can be given to express my thanks.... ah, right—let's play a couple games?"
To the proposal suggested by Tet, who was biting a raw fish,
Izuna's ears twitched with a 'piu~'.
Let's play some games? --- When facing Tet who just said this, her werebeasts' sixth sense was activated.
"... You are, very strong, des?"
"Nhuhu, although it's just a proclamation, I've only lost once since my birth♪." "Winning and losing, winning and losing, des."
............
"Why--Why can't I win desu?!"
--One hour of non-stop card games --Izuna had [9 losses 0 wins].
"Ahaha~♪ If you can't win against those two people, then the chance that you'd beat me would be impossible☆ "
"---Those two people. Sora and s. h. i. +ro, you know them, des?"
... good observation. Tet precipitously laughed in his heart.
Looking towards the'young saint' before him, unexpectedly--
- "... How about it? Let's chat while playing games."
"... You are going to distract Izuna's attention by talking, des.
Sora always does that, des."
"Ahaha, it doesn't matter. Even if I don't do this --- the one who would win would still be me, of course ☆ "
"... Beat you, absolutely have to beat you, des."
That being said, she looked at him as if she was looking through his cards."You can say anything you want, des. Izuna will definitely win, des."
Hearing Izuna proclaim that, Tet turned his sight to the far end, and a smile appeared on his face.
"I think this is a story that is very difficult to follow...
Something that you had never heard before?"
"...... Can't hear you, des."
Hasn't this already been told before? ---Tet attempted to hide his wry smile while he spoke."That's fine, too. As for the reason why it hasn't been heard-- these are some tales which have never been told from the beginning of time.
Indeed, Izuna's appearance overlapped with a certain part of his memory. The Sole G. o. d started his narration--- long, long ago,
"...... It was too boring, too boring...... it was something like a great war back then..."
| ← Ch. 30 | Ch. 32 → |