Scary? Why? It’s almost as if there’s fog inside my head…
“I told you before, right? The unreasonable things you experienced have been carved into your soul. It’s true that you yearned for a peaceful life with others like the villagers are doing. It’s true that you’re having fun everyday. There’s no doubt about that.
But you should know that such a thing is not so simple that you could simply say it and it will happen. Reality isn’t so easy. Your happiness right now is a fragile thing that could collapse under the pettiest of reasons. Humans have desires and feel fear toward rejection and those that are different from them.
That’s why even though you yearn for your ‘ideal’ from the bottom of your heart, you are never able to forget reality and are always on guard. You do it unconsciously and to a greater degree than normal humans. In one sense, enough for you to be labeled ‘abnormal’. Like a beast holding its breath out in the wilds where enemies lurk in every corner… Like the two sides of a coin.” [Sereriputa]
“…So what should I do then?” [Ryouma]
Inadvertently, those words came out.
For some reason, when I asked that, Sere opened his eyes wide.
Or at least I thought he was, but then he just moved away and cackled, returning to how he was before he hugged me.
“It’s hard, but my recommendation would be for you to ‘live more freely’.” [Sere]
Freely?
“Exactly. Be honest with your desires and feelings. You want to be with people, but you’re still holding back too much.
Especially, when it comes to your strength. There’s nothing wrong with using your familiars, but because of that you’ve never really had to show your full strength to other people.
The reason for that is… Well, I don’t have to say any more, do I?” [Sere]
“…” [Ryouma]
“Honestly, you’re really strong. If you go all out, you could already pass for an A Rank adventurer. Given time and if you pile up achievements, you could even aim for an S Rank. Considering your age, you’re already abnormally strong.
Moreover, Gayn and the others even gave you the talent to use magic. Although you’re still green in the ears when it comes to magic, with enough training you’ll eventually be able to cast powerful magic. Couple that with your knowledge from Earth, and you’ll be able to develop complicated and powerful spells. But that’s not all. You also have your familiars to back you up, so you can deal with any situation.
A noble personality and a spirit of cooperation will be demanded from anyone with great power. If you act or behave in any way that goes against that, you’ll immediately be labeled as a dangerous person, and praise will turn into a storm of jeers and abuse.” [Sere]
I don’t know about the future, but I get what he’s saying.
“But to be honest I don’t really care about any of that.” [Sere]
“…Why?” [Ryouma]
“Fu fu, didn’t I say it? Humans are also a part of nature. And the law of nature follows the same precepts as the survival of the fittest.
Humans use their reproductive abilities and knowledge to build a great power within nature.
Their sense of values and rules are things that were born to protect themselves from threats and to lead their race that has grown in number. When one wishes to live within society as a person, one must abide by the rules or else he will be expelled, but… That is limited only to human societies.
When you lived in the forest for three years, you were not a part of human society; hence, those rules did not apply to you.
In this world, monsters run rampant and there are many places that are too dangerous for humans to live in. That’s why there are still plenty of places that humans have yet to explore. There are places everywhere in between countries that are not under anyone’s rule.
You could look for a place you want to live in, make whatever rules you want, and live however you please. If you’re not strong enough, then the monsters or countries nearby will drive you away, but that too is merely a part of nature’s law. You can run or you can fight. Whatever you want.” [Sere]
He added.
“Of course, I think it’s also possible to live however you please within human society. For example, if there’s someone you don’t like or is in the way, you could kill him. If you did that, you’ll be driven away for being a criminal, but in the end, it was something that occurred because you had the power to kill while your victim didn’t have the power to resist.” [Sere]
Sereriputa, a god who talks as if none of this had anything to do with him.
But to him these things were all matter-of-facts.
The flippant way he spoke when I first met him has also vanished.
“Is this your true nature?” [Ryouma]
“Hmm~? I won’t deny it, but it’s not as if I was acting earlier. When I get excited and talk a lot I tend to talk really fast. …Oh, hey. You’re back to normal. Since when?” [Sereriputa]
“…I could still understand feeling bad when the past is brought up, but those trauma-like symptoms I started feeling was strange.
My mind became dazed because of that, but just a while ago, it cleared up again. I guess it was around the time when you were telling me to live more freely. When I thought of it as a kind of mental attack, that strange feeling cleared up like a fog.”
“I see. So that really was the case. Strictly speaking, it’s not an attack. The one I used at the start was a power to move emotions. The second was a calming power.
I heard you had extremely high resistances, so I gave you a strong dose, but I’m surprised you can talk as if nothing happened. By the way you’re talking, I’d say you’ve already mostly neutralized it. Wait.
I was never told about this… But, I see…” [Sere]
As Sereriputa started mumbling by himself, I became wary.
I don’t want to antagonize a god, but…
“!?”
Suddenly, a chill I never felt before ran through my body.
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