1. Visitors
On that day, the day that hardly anyone remembers.
A life has fallen through the boundary layer. That strange phenomenon had the potential to threaten everything in existence, but whether it was fortunate or not, even those who could perceive this event could not fully recognize the threat.
Thus, she was accepted into the world and would go on and fulfill her desires to the fullest. It was as if the fate of everything, including her, had been decided, and then…
──It was catastrophic. And It’s already irreversible.
◇◇◇
“Fwahhhh.”
Speaking of the first thing to do upon waking up, it’s yawning. Next, it’s time for a vital check. Even though I may be sleepy, I always do this task carefully and meticulously… That said, it’s not such a big deal. It takes only a moment.
I close my eyes and concentrate. No abnormality. That’s all.
There have been no noteworthy changes today as well. No goals were achieved. It’s regrettable, but I’ve already gotten used to it. If it hasn’t become either better or worse, then I guess that’s okay. Maintaining the status quo is wonderful. In any case, there is plenty of time anyway.
Leaving the bedroom, I took a moment to relax with a cup of herbal tea mixed with unceasing yawns. The tangy taste is just perfect for me right now, as I’m looking for more of a wake-up stimulus than a relaxation one…Alright, I’m fully awake. The morning routines so far have been the same as usual.
Even though I can spend my time as freely as I want, merely indulging in that won’t stop me from becoming self-indulgent. Knowing what type of person I am, I wanted to set clear boundaries. Part of it is to brew and drink tea made from leaves taken from trees that I don’t even know the names of. I’m weak in the mornings, so I need to find a way to deal with that.
It’s a bit late to mention this, but this is more like homemade herbal medicine than herbal tea. The effectiveness is that of a placebo.
“Good morning again, my garden… Uhyaah”
The morning sun is soaking in. Although it’s blindingly bright to the eyes, it also feels like it’s somehow penetrating and enveloping my entire body. Something like the power of the sun. Sounds a little scary.
Invigorating my droopy eyes, I once again looked over the garden. There is nothing different about this scenery visible from the window. Today, the same as yesterday. Maintain the status quo Forever. Well, you know, there were quite a few hardships before this garden was completed.
As you can see from the scenery outside the garden, this place is a forest. It is not that large, but it is densely forested and it might be eerie to some people. I am able to made it into my residence by clearing a portion of it. It might be a wrong description to say that I made it into. Because I am the creator of this forest, to begin with.
“Well, then…”.
Since I’ve finished my morning routine and a little sunbathing, it’s about time to start working. It’s not really something of a job, more of a hobby. It’s a research hobby.
I went upstairs to the second floor, which is used as a workshop. This building, like the homemade herbal tea, was constructed from the unusual yet magnificent trees of the forest. Though it was built according to the layout and floor plan I had in mind, it really wasn’t necessary to make it a three-story building. Living space is on the first floor and research takes place on the second floor. Even this is somewhat forced and divided, so as is obvious, the third floor’s underutilization is truly significant. There is even a basement and an attic, so you can understand just how enthusiastic I was when building this log house. Goodness me, how embarrassing.
The basement is being used as a storage space, so that’s fine, but I hardly enter the third floor and above except for occasional cleaning. If possible, I’d like to find some way to make use of those floors too… If I can’t do that, I might as well just get rid of it. If it’s unnecessary, it’s better not to have it.
“If there were more research materials, it wouldn’t be limited to just that.”
If the second floor becomes too cramped, the third floor can be used as well. For that purpose, there need to be others like this, I thought as I gazed at the one hanging on the wall.
“…………”
That’s a person. A real human being. An adult grown-up man. But he neither moves nor speaks. Not surprisingly, this one is not conscious nor does he have any limbs. I was the one who took it away. Because it was unnecessary.
The man who was connected to my handmade magic power supply device did not undergo any change that I wanted to see. The state of the slow death is being maintained. It was the same for him until yesterday, but it might change in the not-so-distant future…Let’s see, he probably will be truly dead in about ten more days. After confirming this, I sigh as I realize that the project has failed.
“It seems unlikely I’ll ever be an inhabitant of that world.”
──It might seem sudden, but I am a reincarnated person.
Whether you can call it a ‘previous life’ or not, in any case, I possess memories from a time when I lived as a different person. With a different body, a different gender, a different name. And in a different world. Assuming this memory is correct, then it would mean that I’m experiencing what is commonly referred to as otherworldly reincarnation… All right, now.
It’s probably been several centuries since I came over here. From my perspective, where the connection with my former self has become considerably vague, I have even started to feel doubtful whether that was really me… But still… I mean, memories are accompanied by experiences. Besides, I’m the one that fell. Into this world. Normally, there’s no living being is supposed to be born that way. There is no doubt about this, as this was something confirmed by others. Even in this world, human beings are properly born from their mother’s wombs.
Far from not having a mother, the fact that I was in this form from the start without going through an infant stage is plainly strange even by the common sense of this world. An irregular, you might call it.
This world is full of strange and unusual things compared to the memories of my previous world. Hmm, it really gives off the feeling of a reincarnated person, and that’s nice. So, setting that aside,
The issue lies in one of the other worlds.
“It’s overlapping, you see… the two worlds.”
Throwing away the board that recorded the observation of the material’s development, I stared at the ceiling. No, not the ceiling per se. I was aware of the world in that direction. While it is not always necessary to look up, but because it’s easier for me to visualize, I often do so to get a better view.
“──Eidos”
The Ideal Realm. That’s what I called it. On the other hand, this side is the Existential World (Exiss)…Anyway, the world I’m in now and Eidos have a close relationship. And yet, it’s a completely different world. That place is completely different from the previous lives I remember, to put it another way, it’s like a place where heaven has materialized. A place filled with nature, overflowing with life, brimming with magic power to an unbelievable degree. Yet every single one of those things is a complete illusion, a world that exists and yet does not exist.
It is just out there as an ideal to be sought after. So the Ideal Realm (Eidos).
I was originally from that side.
Because…Anyway, now it’s not the time for that.
“So what do I do now?”
Looking at a man who has ten days left to live. His identity is, how should I say it…Do I even need to choose my words? He is a thief. A criminal, to put it bluntly.
This forest is quite far from human villages, but even so, people still come to this forest occasionally. Whether it is for good or bad. More than a few times I was attacked by a group of wandering bandits. It’s by no means a lot, but… As for how I’m dealing with them, well. I do respond a violence with violence. This works the best. Someone who can manage things with words would not even become a bandit in the first place.
There were times when I just drove them away, and if they were really bad, I returned them to the soil to be used as fertilizer. Not metaphorically, even now, those guys are sleeping somewhere in the forest. Probably already reduced to bones.
However, now that I have thought of a use for them as an experiment, I can’t help but feel that it was a waste. There was no need to send them back home or to pay them. It means that I could have used them as materials, but regretfully missed the opportunity. I didn’t think of it at the time, so It can’t be helped…There is no way to conduct an experiment without any resources.
Hmph, then I turn my attention to something else. Beside the man, there are about two more of the same devices lined up. The contents of that are also similar. It’s the bandits’ companions. These guys seem like they will last just a bit longer but, since they were treated at the same time, they will probably be in a critical state in ten days. There are no prospects here either. Just die and be done with it.
Should I kill them once and for all? I’m not a demon either. Even though there was no hope of survival── I had no intention of helping them, or should I say── I have no hobby of making people suffer needlessly. Even if there is no consciousness, there must be pain, and although the degree of that pain can only be speculated, it is predicted to be so severe that, if awake, it would cause one to never wake up again… I based this on physiological reactions. Since they would make noisy rattling noises with their mouths and bodies, hence the speculation.
Not only the supply device but also the culture tank that is constantly filled with magic power supplied from it, is also my handcrafted work. Like the log house, it wasn’t assembled manually but rather through magic, yet the optimization still requires a considerable amount of effort. Frankly, it has become like a taxidermy specimen turned into an ornament, it is clearly a waste of space. If I remove these guys, there will be empty space in only four culture tanks (one of which is broken).
“What can I do, I don’t have any new materials to place… I wonder which is more useless.”
Such a waste of space and time. It is hard to say which is better.
I hate being wasteful. It’s just not pleasant to have unnecessary things around me, even if it’s just for the sake of enjoying the margins. But in this case, whichever I choose, it’s still pointless. If that is the case.
Okay, I’ve made up my mind. Let’s leave it as it is, just in case. Sorry guys, but I think I’ll let you suffer for a while longer. They are the ones who tried to kill me without hesitation, despite me looking like a little girl, so however I handle them, I don’t care.
They’re going to go to hell, even if they die anyway. I hope you enjoy the pain I inflict on you as if it were the last leisure moment of your life── hmm?
“…Oh.”
How unusual.
There’s another visitor in the forest.
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