Hmm?
The next thing I knew, I found myself swaying with the movements of a train.
I was sitting on the left end of the long seat in my suit, looking out the window in a daze.
There were no other passengers on the train except me. Also, the train had stopped moving even though it had not arrived at the station.
That's strange.
I was supposed to be on Blaznir, performing a ritual to unseal my memories.
But why am I on the train?
Where did Iris and the others go?
Just as the question crossed my mind, I heard the voice of [Full Assist].
This is a virtual space constructed based on Kou Kousaka's memories.
"Uh. Virtual space means it's not real, right?"
Yes.
Think of it as something like a dream.
"I get it. It's a common thing in anime and manga. By the way, did the ritual succeed?"
It was successful.
The seal of Kou Kousaka's memory area has been lifted.
In viewing the contents of the area, it was thought that the best way to view the contents was to relive them, so we created this virtual space.
"I see. Why is the virtual space depicting Japan? …I don't have to ask, do I? After all, something must have happened right after I was transferred to the other world."
That's right.
The contents are quite shocking, so please be prepared.
In this ritual, the consciousness of all the participants is linked by the arrogant dragon's factor.
This makes it possible to call the participants of the ritual into this virtual space.
"Okay, I understand. Call them. Everyone wants to know about Japan. Besides, it would be quicker than sharing the information later."
Understood.
I will summon the four participants in the ritual one by one.
I have already explained the situation to them.
That would be great.
Immediately after──
A flash of light flashed before my eyes, and Iris appeared first.
"The ritual seems to have been a success. Is this the world where Kou used to live?"
"Yeah. Technically, it was reconstructed based on my memories."
"But it's interesting."
Iris said as she looked around the train.
"Is this like a horse-drawn carriage in our world?"
"Yeah. Although it's not a carriage, it's powered by electricity."
"You mentioned it before, didn't you? You said that there is no magic in Kou's world, but instead, other technologies have developed. …Blaznir is powered by magic, but this vehicle is powered by electricity."
"Yeah, something like that."
As Iris and I were having this conversation, a new flash of light popped up.
It was Lily who appeared.
"I'm sorry to bother you."
Lily said and made a polite bow.
This is very "Lily-like" in this way.
Leticia and Milia appeared next.
"I'm here!"
"I'm here too!"
Both of them are very excited.
"I heard that Kou-sama's sealed memories are shocking, so I thought I'd raise your spirits."
"That's right. Let's be cheerful! Oh!"
Milia said and raised her right hand in high spirits.
Soon after, the voice of [Full Assist] was heard.
Since everyone's consciousness is connected this time, the main voice is set to be heard by everyone here, not just Kou Kousaka.
…Can you hear me?
Wow, you can do that?
As I was impressed, Iris and the others answered.
"Yes, it's okay."
"So this is [Full Assist]'s voice."
"The pronunciation is very clear."
"It's kind of strange to hear voices in your head!"
For the time being, there seems to be no problem with the voice.
Now, we will replay Kou Kousaka's memories in chronological order.
We will announce in advance when we will enter the sealed area.
With these words, the train starts moving with a clatter.
"Was Kou summoned from here?"
"Yes."
I nodded at Iris's words.
"I was dozing off in my seat when I was suddenly transported into a pitch-black space."
It was right after I answered that.
Suddenly, with a whoosh, the scenery around us changed, and we were floating in a pitch-black space.
"…It went something like this."
"That's pretty abrupt."
Leticia said, looking around with a wry smile.
"I was expecting something dramatic, like a magic circle floating in the air."
"Perhaps it was so as not to startle the people around him."
"But, Kou-san is gone from your original world, right?"
Lily suddenly muttered.
"Is there a big fuss about it?"
"I wonder."
I thought for a moment before answering.
"In the other world, I was just an ordinary businessman, well, like a guild employee. As I told you before, I was mainly in charge of resolving cases where there was trouble, but that was just about to come to an end. …I may have caused some trouble for the company, but, well, it's not unusual for people to run away. They'll be doing fine."
"Um, Kou-san?"
Milia asked, tilting her head.
"Isn't it quite a problem for a workplace if people are disappearing on a regular basis?"
That's correct if you ask me.
With the disappearance of a person-in-charge being dismissed as a "common occurrence," our workplace was really abnormal…
As I was thinking about this, a bluish-white window appeared in the darkness.
There, the following sentence appeared in Japanese.
You are now summoned to another world. Please choose your desired role from the following options.
"What is this?"
Lily tilted her head.
"It's a letter I've never seen before."
"It's the language of the country I lived in."
"I don't know what it says, but the round letters are kind of pretty."
Pointing to the hiragana part, Milia said.
I heard that hiragana looks cute to people from overseas.
I explained to her what was written on the window while thinking about that.
"I see, I understand."
Leticia nodded.
"I had heard that [Transmigrator] are given the skills of [Hero], [Demon King], or [Sage], but it was in the form of having them choose in advance, huh?"
"But isn't the explanation lacking?"
Iris said with a wry smile.
"This way, all you know is that you're going to another world. You should have been told in advance about the Zogral and the calamity, or at least that monsters existed."
"That's certainly true."
Milia nodded her head.
"The description is too improper for a quest description. If you post something like this on the Adventurers' Guild quest board, there will be a storm of complaints, and the person in charge will be retrained."
"By the way."
Lily said.
"Which one did you choose, Kou-san?"
"No, I didn't choose one."
"Eh?"
Iris was the one who raised her voice in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"I was just thinking at the time, I don't feel like I can fulfill a great destiny as a Hero, and the Demon King is a king, so it's too much trouble for me. I would be a Sage, but I'm not that smart, either. That's why I said I wouldn't choose any of them."
Immediately after I explained this, the message window disappeared as it had in the past… and a new window appeared.
The hidden option "4. None of the above" was chosen.
Congratulations! You have found the hidden choice, and you will be rewarded with a non-standard ability!
I miss this sentence.
Naturally, it is written in Japanese, so I explained the contents to Iris and the others.
The response was.
"It's interesting that you found a hidden choice, but what an inefficient way to do it!"
Leticia replied with a sigh.
"I think it would be better if they just gave you all the abilities right from the start instead of making it so complicated."
"I really do. It's kind of weird."
Immediately after Iris sighed, the voice of [Full Assist] echoed in my mind.
May I explain a little bit?
Apparently, everyone could hear it, and we all nodded in unison.
This summoning technique has a complicated history before its completion.
Originally, it was planned to automatically grant the summoned person either [Hero], [Demon King], or [Sage] according to their aptitude, but the world was destroyed before it was completed.
Fortunately, only the formula was passed on to another world, but it was modified by the local people and changed to a method in which the summoned person chooses the skill.
The summoning technique was then moved from one world to another, each time changing its specifications and settling on its present form.
In other words, it is like a program whose code was written by multiple people in charge of it, who took turns writing the code.
Maybe the result of trying to give the summoned person as much power as possible while being careful not to cause errors in the formula was the method of 'planting hidden options.'
As I was convinced of this, [Full Assist] continued.
The area from here on will be the sealed memory area.
Please prepare yourself.
Understood.
As I nodded, Iris held out her right hand to me and said.
"It's okay, you know? …If you ever have a hard time, you can rely on me."
"Yeah. I'll count on you when the time comes."
I also offered my right hand, and we clenched our hands together.
"Kou-sama and Iris-sama get along well with each other, don't they?"
"Fufu, they show it at times like this, don't they?"
"But I am relieved to see that they are acting the same way as ever."
While Leticia and the others were saying these things, the next message appeared in the window.
Then we will start the transfer to the other world. May the gods and spirits bless you.
I miss this one too.
After this, I was transferred to the other world, wasn't I?
Just as I remember it, the darkness cleared up──
The next moment.
We were standing in the wilderness.
…Huh?
"This is strange."
"What's wrong?"
Iris asked after hearing my words.
"Could it be that it's different from what Kou remembers?"
"Yeah. If I remember correctly, I was standing in the forest near Aunen after that. …I don't remember coming to this wilderness."
"It's kind of a desolate place, isn't it?"
Milia looked around and muttered.
"It's as if the world has since been destroyed."
"A world destroyed by Zogral, perhaps…?"
Immediately after Lily muttered that, the voice of [Full Assist] sounded.
That's right.
Kou Kousaka's summoning technique was intervened by Zogral and changed to a different original destination─a world that is already being destroyed by Zogral.
That is this place.
I see.
I had guessed that if there were any gaps in my memory, it would be before or after the transfer to the other world, but it seemed I was right.
In fact, as I look around again, the scenery seems somehow familiar.
"Kou-sama, please look over there."
Leticia pointed right behind me.
I looked in that direction and saw a huge purple bubble floating in the sky.
…It was Zogral.
"It's starting to come back to me."
I muttered to myself as I backed away.
"I was suddenly thrown out into the wilderness, confused, and then the Zogral attacked me."
"What happened then?"
Iris asked in a trembling voice.
"Did you survive?"
"No."
I shook my head.
"I tried to escape, but it was no use. Zogral reached out its tentacles and swallowed me whole."
From that point on, my memory is broken.
What happened to me after Zogral absorbed me?
As if to answer that question, [Full Assist] tells us.
After Zogral absorbed Kou Kousaka, it tried to recreate him into the strongest servant that would bring about destruction.
To do so, it gave him a new skill of [Creation] and also interfered in numerous ways, such as inhabiting a greedy dragon with the unique ability of [Awakening].
Finally, it attempted to perform mental manipulation so that he would not be able to defy it, but certain circumstances interfered with this, and Kou Kousaka woke up with his original consciousness intact.
"What exactly are the circumstances?"
I will tell you about that later.
For now, let me give priority to the explanation of Kou Kousaka's memory.
We will finish in a few minutes.
With the words of [Full Assist], the surrounding landscape quickly changed.
It was a peaceful forest with sunlight shining through the trees.
From far away, we can hear the chirping of birds.
This place looks familiar.
This is the forest to the east of Aunen.
And it is also the place where Kou Kousaka landed in this world.
"Ah. If you say so, that's right. So, the sealed memory ends here?"
Yes.
May I cut out what happened after this?
Of course.
I still remember what happened from this point on.
First of all, I used [Creation] to make a sword and spear out of hikino wood, didn't I?
After descending the mountain, I rescued Chrome-san, who was being attacked by an armored bear, and we went straight to Aunen.
Meeting Iris, defeating the Black Spider, the decisive battle against the Black Dragon of Extreme Destruction──.
After various events, Which brings us to the present…
"Um…"
As I was alone in my understanding, Leticia spoke up.
"If you don't mind, I would like to get this straight. By sealed memories, do you mean your encounter with Zogral?"
"Yes, that is correct."
I nodded to Leticia's words.
The perception so far has been that "one day, I was suddenly transferred from modern Japan to this world," but in reality, there was an unexpected event intervening, such as "being absorbed by Zogral and remade into a different entity."
To be honest, I am quite surprised.
I was surprised, but I was not that upset.
On the contrary, I could afford to think about my situation as if it were something else as if I were a hero.
The hero, who has been altered by an evil organization, escapes brainwashing and fights against the organization.
This is the royal road of hero stories, but it is quite similar to my current situation.
The existence that has been transformed into a servant that brings destruction is now rebelling against the organization.
Thinking about that,
"I have a question for [Full Assist]-san!"
Milia raised her right hand with a loud voice.
"How is it that Kou-san was not subjected to Zogral's mental manipulation? You said you were going to explain it later, and I'd like to hear about it now!"
"That's what I was wondering too."
Iris nodded her head.
"Can you please tell us about it, [Full Assist]-san?"
Yes, I will.
It's a bit of a long story, but please hear me out.
Zogral has destroyed many worlds and taken in many lives─those with a will─and turned them into a part of itself.
As a result, Zogral, which was once a mere phenomenon, now has a will of its own.
What?
Surprised by the unexpected fact, I listened to the story of [Full Assist].
According to the story, Zogral began to question its own existence after acquiring a will.
"Why am I destroying the world?"
But no matter how much it thought about it, it could not come up with an answer, and its body, driven by instinct, greedily absorbed everything and anything it could find.
However, there was one thing that was different.
Having acquired a will, in other words, thoughts and feelings, Zogral is now able to understand the grief and despair of those who have lost their lives because of it.
──I don't want to die yet!
──Please help me!
──Why do I have to go through this?
Each time a single world was swallowed, billions and billions of heartbreaking screams would rise from the earth, tormenting Zogral's spirit.
If it were true, it would stop right now.
It would be nice to stop destroying the world.
But the instinct to be the incarnate of destruction was so strong that it could not be controlled by its own will.
Crushed by regret and guilt, Zogral eventually came to a conclusion.
"What is the point in continuing to take innocent lives? It's not fun. It's just painful. …It is I who should really perish."
"So what happened?"
I asked, and [Full Assist] answered.
Zogral took steps to destroy itself.
It shared its will with Kou Kousaka, who was being remade into a faithful servant at the time, and sent him out into this world just before the mental manipulation was about to take place.
Hoping that one day he would become a being capable of overthrowing itself──.
"In other words, it was thanks to Zogral that I was not subjected to mental manipulation?"
There is no question in that interpretation.
The above is the content of "Certain Circumstances."
Are there any other questions?
"I have one question that's been bothering me."
I asked, raising my hand.
"How does [Full Assist] know so much about Zogral? You've been talking about it as if it were your own since a while ago."
Yes.
As you have guessed.
Now that the seal on your memory area has been lifted, I can finally understand myself as well.
The will that Zogral shared with Kou Kousaka.
That is the true identity of myself, [Full Assist].