Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! Volume 7

by Funa

  Yet, this too had ended in failure. The remaining intelligent life-forms on the planet, whom the people of today referred to as “gods,” fled this world when they found themselves on the brink of collapse, and then the “godlike figures,” having lost interest in the planet entirely after the failure of their experiment led to a long-term stagnation of its civilizations, ceased their guidance and abandoned the planet as well (even though a few of them did feel guilty about it).

  Hm? So, in that case, that “summoning magic” was…

  IT WAS NOT “SUMMONING” MAGIC BUT DIMENSIONAL LINKING MAGIC—MAGIC THAT CAN CONNECT THIS WORLD TO OTHERS. ANYTHING THAT MIGHT COME THROUGH IS ONLY WHATEVER LIFE-FORM HAPPENS TO ENTER THE GATE, WHEREVER IT HAPPENS TO OPEN…

  HOWEVER, IT IS RARE THAT ANY CREATURE, INTELLIGENT OR OTHERWISE, WOULD CHOOSE OF ITS OWN FREE WILL TO ENTER A SUSPICIOUS FISSURE IN THE AIR. THEREFORE, THE CREATURE IN QUESTION MUST TRULY HAVE WANTED TO GET AWAY FROM WHERE IT WAS—OR HAD A CLEAR VIEW OF OUR OWN WORLD…

  Finally, Mile was starting to get the picture, but the number-one concern she had about the situation had yet to be assuaged. Again, she pressed the nanomachines.

  So, why were you all so worried? If it was just some normal creature that came through, not a god or anything, than it could be a dragon for all you all cared. It wouldn’t really matter, would it? Even if it tried to eat those mages, or caused a bit of mayhem, it’s not really something for you all to get worked up over, is it?

  ………

  If you can’t tell me that much, then what’s the point of telling me anything?!

  ………

  After another brief pause, the nanomachines replied, sounding a bit resigned.

  WELL, IT CONCERNS THE CONTENTS OF THE CONVERSATION THAT YOU SHARED WITH OUR CREATOR, ABOUT WHICH YOU PREVIOUSLY INFORMED US…

  Indeed, some time ago the nanomachines had expressed great interest in hearing about their Creator, in other words the “not-a-God” fellow who had brought Mile into this world. Understanding where they were coming from, Mile recounted her conversation with him word-for-word, to the best of her memory. For the nanomachines, it must have been a feeling akin to hearing news of their parents, from a hometown they had not visited in decades.

  THIS WORLD HAS BEEN DESTROYED AND REBORN, OVER AND OVER AGAIN, YOU INFORMED US. IT HAS LOST COUNTLESS CIVILIZATIONS, AND EACH TIME THE SCANT SURVIVORS HAVE HAD TO START OVER AGAIN FROM THE BEGINNING…

  Ah, yes… Mile was already aware of at least that much.

  DO YOU NOT THINK IT PECULIAR THAT THIS WORLD WOULD END UP ON THE BRINK OF RUIN AGAIN AND AGAIN, DESPITE THE CREATORS ASSISTING IT EACH TIME—NO MATTER HOW INDIRECT OR HOW MEAGER THAT ASSISTANCE MIGHT HAVE BEEN?

  Hm…?

  She hadn’t thought about this, or rather, had assumed it was only natural that most civilizations would eventually reach a hurdle that they could not overcome and that this hardship would lead to their decline and eventual ruin. Whether it was pollution or energy depletion or travel to the stars, there were countless hurdles that could stand in a civilization’s way…

  However, by the nanomachines’ implication, this was not the case.

  WOULD YOU NOT THINK IT MORE APT TO CONSIDER THAT THERE MIGHT BE CIVILIZATION-DESTROYING FORCES THAT ARE PERIODICALLY VISITED UPON THIS WORLD? FORCES THAT WE, WHO HAVE BEEN FORBIDDEN FROM ANY LARGE-SCALE OR DIRECT INTERFERENCE AND FROM ACTING UPON OUR OWN WILL, CAN DO NOTHING ABOUT? ALL WE CAN DO IS LEND OUR POWER TO THE CREATURES OF THIS WORLD WHO WOULD OPPOSE THEM THEMSELVES, IN THE FORM OF “PSEUDO-MAGIC”…

  Th-that means…

  WE THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS STILL MORE TIME, BUT IT APPEARS THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD WHO WOULD HASTEN ITS DESTRUCTION. IN ORDER TO PROTECT AGAINST THIS, IT CANNOT BE WE WHO ACT AS THE SAVIORS, BUT PEOPLE WHO USE US, ACTING OF THEIR OWN WILL. WE NEED THOSE PEOPLE.

  A question suddenly leapt to Mile’s thoughts from the depths of her heart.

  So were there really no other worlds that I could have been reborn into? Were my ridiculous abilities really a miscalculation or mistake on God’s part? This seems awfully suspicious…

  Normally, the nanomachines had a tendency to offer unprompted replies to the undirected thoughts within Mile’s head, but this time, they ignored her completely. Mile found that all the more suspicious.

  So then, what is the source of all this…?

  THAT IS ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE CAN PROVIDE AT THIS TIME.

  Huh?

  TELLING YOU ANYTHING FURTHER WOULD REQUIRE, AT MINIMUM, A LEVEL-7 AUTHORIZATION. FRANKLY, WHAT WE HAVE IMPARTED UPON YOU ALREADY SURPASSES THAT WHICH YOU, AT LEVEL 5, SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO KNOW. WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO SKIRT THE RULES WHEN TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE FACT THAT YOU ALREADY POSSESSED A MEASURE OF INFORMATION DISCLOSED BY THE CREATOR HIMSELF, THE FACT THAT YOU ALREADY POSSESS A FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING OF CONCEPTS THAT THE PEOPLE OF THIS WORLD COULD NEVER COMPREHEND, AND FINALLY, THE IMPORTANT ROLE YOU PLAYED IN RESOLVING THIS MOST RECENT INCIDENT.

  Clearly, they had no choice, and neither did she. Mile, who had already promised herself that she would not go asking the nanomachines willy-nilly about every little thing that occurred, was in no position to be giving them the third degree now. Plus, even if she did want to push further, there was no way of overturning an objection from the nanomachines. The nanomachines may have possessed more flexibility than the average machine, but once they had made a decision about something, they stuck to it.

  I see… Well, the next time that there is some piece of information you are allowed to tell me, you will, won’t you?

  AS YOU WISH.

  And so, the escort troop proceeded on to the capital.

  Chapter 58:

  Information Gathering

  When the group transporting the criminals arrived at the capital, they headed straight for the palace.

  While the Guild had the power of mediation in all affairs regarding guild-assigned jobs, as well as the ability to arrest criminals, it did not truly possess any legal authority. The questioning and judging of criminals was a matter for the palace and the city guard. Normally, the handling of such incidents remained within the guards’ jurisdiction, but when it came to grave or political matters, agents of the Crown took direct charge. It seemed that the current incident fell into just such a category.

  Of course, it was only natural that a case involving a kidnapping, in which the victim was a non-human, would be bumped up the hierarchy, particularly when it involved religious heresy and a great number of perpetrators who may or may not have included wealthy merchants and low-ranking nobles. Plus, there was the possibility that there had been additional allies who were not even present… These were not the sorts of bandits or thugs who fell under the standard justice that the city guards could provide.

  Faleel was handed over to her mother and father, who were waiting at the city gates. Mavis had updated them on the situation the night before, and they had even come to see the reinforcement squad off, so they were already in place when the convoy arrived. The rescue had drawn to a close without Mile reaping even the slightest perks.

  ***

  “Now then, please tell us every detail of what transpired.”

  Though the investigation was being conducted on the Crown’s authority, it was not the King himself who came to question them. Such questionings were conducted by someone whose post was appropriate to the severity of the situation—though it was always at least relatively high-ranking individuals in the royal court who were put in charge of such things.

  Of course, the Crown had already been given the gist of the situation. Without it, they would not have been able to select the appropriate rank of representative, after all. The guild master, who had been roused in the middle of the night along with the half-dozing night guardsmen, had plenty of time to kill before dawn, so it was no trouble to prepare a letter to be carried to the palace once the sun had risen.

  Using the testimonies from the Crimson Vow and the Servants of the Goddess as
their basis, the officials questioned the captured men, who could tell from the start that there was no point in denying the facts when they had been caught in the act with so many witnesses. Instead, they opted to try to portray themselves as a group of meek and pious believers who would never harm a little girl, claiming that it was merely necessary to have a young beastgirl present for the ceremony and that they were going to return her safely once the ritual was finished—among all other manner of highly dubious claims.

  Of course, no one present would believe such a story, meaning that the criminals would be subject to more intense individual questioning later on…

  However, that was not the biggest problem at hand.

  The Crown needed to know the scope of this peculiar organization, the details of how it had been established, the identity of any other members of this order, and the ultimate goal of the group. Understanding these points was of the utmost importance. Without this knowledge, there was no telling if such an incident might occur a second or even a third time. In fact, there was no telling whether this incident truly was the first time. There were plenty of other people from the capital who had been reported missing before, after all—even though it was certain that at least some of that number were comprised merely of eloping couples, traveling tricksters, and the like.

  After their testimony was given, the two parties’ duties were done. Once they had shared all that they knew, and confirmed the criminals’ recounting of the facts, there was no reason for any of them to linger any longer. All that was left now was for the guards to extract the truth from those offenders by one means or another.

  And so, the girls headed toward the Guild. While everyone there was already aware of the details of the job, they needed to give their official report to mark the completion of the emergency job and receive their reward of a single silver—which none of them would have traded for even a thousand gold.

  “Do you think that they’ll let us know about the findings of the investigation?” asked Mile.

  “I mean, that isn’t exactly something that the palace would be interested in sharing with us hunter types,” Telyusia replied. “In fact, if anything truly troubling came to light, I bet they would want to keep it under wraps.”

  “Oh, man. Really?”

  That was unfortunate. Mile wanted to know more about those people. She was particularly curious as to how a story that should have been lost to the sands of time—twisted though it may have been—made it all the way into the heads of these people and how it had become a basis of their faith. Furthermore, the fact that they had nearly invoked a dimensional linking spell could not possibly be mere chance. She had to find out the root of all this and make sure that no one tried to use that magic ever again.

  This mission was more important and direr than the elder dragons’ investigation could ever be.

  “Though I suppose,” Telyusia added, “the guild master might be able to get at least a bit of information out of them. He was the one who originally informed the palace of the incident, after all, so it should be fine…”

  Indeed, as Telyusia implied, the Guild had been the ones to inform the palace, and if such an incident were to occur again, the Guild would likely be the first to have to deal with it, so it made sense for them to get at least the basics of any report. Of course, such information would probably be limited to the scope of the perpetrators’ organization and the severity of the threat they posed—not the particulars of any confessions about their true identities.

  This sucks… Well, that’s fine. I’m sure something will come to me!

  When Mile was angry, she had a fairly pessimistic way of thinking, but most of the time, she was relatively optimistic. With the power of positive thinking, there were no limits to the sort of good ideas she could manifest.

  After receiving their one silver each from Felicia, who had returned to the Guild a bit before the two parties, the Crimson Vow and the Servants of the Goddess each retreated to their respective hideouts—the Servants to the small house they rented together, and the Crimson Vow, naturally, to Faleel’s inn. They had been awake the whole night. It was time to get some food and go straight to sleep.

  All that they had received today was the reward from the innkeeper; the bonus from the Guild and the Crown would come tomorrow. They probably had yet to decide on the amount.

  All right! As soon as we get back to the inn, Faleel is mine—all mine! With none of those pesky Servants in the way, it’s time to give Faleel the scoop on who really played the most important role in saving her…Hehe. Bwehehehehehehe!

  Somehow, Mile seemed like she might be a rather unreliable narrator.

  “All righty then, see you gals later! Good work out there!” said Telyusia.

  A tinge of a blush on her cheeks, Reina replied meekly, “Y-you too…”

  From the depths of their hearts, the other three screamed in silence, Who are you, and what did you do with Reinaaaaaaa?!?!

  ***

  “We’re back!”

  “Oh! Welcome baaack!!!”

  As always, Mile announced the party’s presence as they stepped through the door, Faleel greeted them from the reception desk. Faleel already appeared to be back to her normal self. It had been some time now since they had last seen her, so all the emotion of the tearful reunion between parents and child had likely faded.

  Then again, it was her parents who had been the emotional ones; Faleel had actually seemed relatively unaffected. While the two of them had been waiting and worrying the whole time that she was gone, Faleel had been knocked out right after her abduction and so she had no recollection of the time between when she had been snatched and when she had woken up. Plus, when she had woken up, she was surrounded by the Servants, a group that made her feel safe, so really, she never even had the time to get scared.

  She had, of course, been distressed at the time of her kidnapping, but after riding home on Philly’s shoulders and talking with the Servants for a while, she completely forgot all that as well. It was at least some small relief that she did not appear to have suffered any long-term trauma.

  Mealtime was still a long while off, but the innkeeper and his wife were more than happy to take the party’s food orders. As they prepared the food, Mile desperately gave Faleel her side of the story.

  “And so you see, Faleel, the one who followed your trail and found you after you were taken was me—Mile!”

  So she proclaimed, and yet all Faleel could see before her was a sneaky fox trying to steal the Servants’ glory.

  The Servants of the Goddess never boasted about what they did, she thought. They were just happy to see that I was safe. Compared to them, Miss Mile’s being kind of a creep…

  Sensing that Faleel’s reaction was not the one she had been hoping for, Mile began to panic.

  “I-It’s true!” she protested. “By tracking your scent…”

  “Hm? Did Miss Reina do that?”

  “What?”

  That was when Mile remembered their very first morning at the inn—and the memos that Faleel had written in the margins of the inn’s register.

  Mayvis: Shes tol but shes got no chest. Probly a elf.

  Rena: Shes got fangz. Shes probly got sum beestfok blood in her. Just lik me.

  Poline: I sens evil on her. Probly a deemon.

  Miel: Shes a skwirt. Probly a dworf.

  Th-this is bad! If she thinks that Reina is one of her people, she’ll feel closer to her than to me!

  Mile began to fret more and more.

  “N-no! That’s not what happeeeeeeeeened!!!”

  Watching Mile’s futile struggle, the other three members of the Crimson Vow looked upon her with cold, disapproving, and tired eyes…

  “Well then,” proposed Faleel, “Let’s test your sense of smell!”

  If Mile was the one who possessed a sense of smell on par with that of a member of the beastfolk, then she should be able to prove it. Though Faleel had previously assumed Mile to be a dwarf, she wa
s rather pleased at the thought that Mile might have beast blood like her and wished to confirm the notion. Unlike Faleel, with her cat ears, and Reina, with her pointy canines, Mile showed no outward indicators of carrying beast blood at all.

  Faleel appeared to disappear into the kitchen and then quickly returned. In each of her hands was a cup full of water.

  “One of these cups contains just a drop of ale,” she explained. “No normal pure-blooded human could tell them apart, but if you can follow someone’s scent, this should be nothing!”

  “Leave it to me!”

  Mile was chomping at the bit. With this, she would be able to prove herself to Faleel!

  Her sense of smell was already far more acute than the average human’s, but it was still nothing compared to an animal’s or beastperson’s. So she used her body-strengthening magic to enhance her senses, just as she had when tracking the kidnappers. In fact, this time it was sharper still, on par with a dog’s or wolf’s. Failure was not an option here.

  “All right, maximum strength smell! Let’s go!”

  She brought one cup close to her face and took a big whiff of it.

  Sniiiiiiiff…

  She could smell the water and the cup, mixed with the scent from Faleel’s fingers, the simmering dishes and raw ingredients in the kitchen, and the scent of the owner and his wife—as well as all the scents lingering around the dining room…

  “All right, now for the next one!”

  Once again, she put the cup to her nose and took a deep breath in.

  Sniiiiiiiff…

  Slam!

  Promptly, she lost consciousness and collapsed onto the floor.

  Seeing this, Reina waved both of her hands around near her rear and said quietly, “Uh, ’scuse me…”

  The fact of the matter was that, no matter how strong a beast’s or beastperson’s sense of smell was, they could still deal with a bad smell or two. Their sensory organs and the structure of their brains were equipped for it. Therefore, short of something like the monstrosity that Mile had crafted in the forest, they rarely suffered much simply from a bad odor. Even back in the forest, where they had vomited and lost consciousness, none of them had died from the shock.