Part 12
— [Underwood], Main Guest Room
The streets of the Great Tree were lively and noisy due to the preparations for the Harvest Festival. And everyone was assembled within the main guest room, which had a view overlooking the large number of faerie folk who reside at the river banks.
When Izayoi was done with the preparations of the salty pumpkin pie and was about to make a trip to the shop, he had coincidentally met Asuka and Yō along the way and decided to hand Shirayuki over to them.
“YareYare…… I left it to you guys because of your spirited talk about having solved the game. Looks like it was a total defeat huh?”
Izayoi sat on a chair in the main guest room and shrugged his shoulders while mocking Asuka and the others. Although Asuka and Yō pouted their lips, they were unable to retort and decided to remain silent.
The five of them were then gathered in the main guest room with Izayoi and Garol.
After listening to the whole incident, a change came over the expressions of the duo.
With a brief soft whispered conversation between Garol and Izayoi, Garol then put on an especially serious look to gaze at Asuka and gang.
“…… I understand the situation now. It means that this doll is the target of the ‘Winds of Decadence’ right?”
“Mhm.”
“Then that makes things simple. Immediately return that doll to the shop right now.”
Garol immediately made his judgement in an imperative tone.
Lily’s kitsunemimi perked up agitatedly in protest.
“How can we do that?! IF we return Cope-chan to the shop now, she will be in danger!”
“It will probably be that way. But at this current state, the whole region of [Underwood] would be in threatened and dragged into the whole incident. ……In addition, our opponent is the ‘Winds of Decadence’. And it can be said to be one of the highest threats of natural disaster in the world of Little Garden. It is already assumed to be a monster that is deemed to be an undefeatable opponent, so what do you ladies want to do?”
“Bu, But……!”
Lily’s kitsunemimi trembled as she wagged her two tails in her intense protest. But a normal girl like her would not be able to come up with a counter measure for that sort of situation. And soon enough, her kitsunemimi and two tails drooped in silent disappointment.
Shirayuki also had a serious look but there was a slight difference to it.
“Strictly speaking, there is a way to chase away the ‘Winds of Decadence’.”
“Is that true?!”
“Uh, Mhm…… Fox girl, do you remember the color of the wind?”
Color? She tilted her head slightly as she countered with a question.
Shirayuki maintained her serious expression as she supplemented the explanation.
“The ‘Winds of Decadence’ is a Demon Lord that will have a change in its color in relation to its different power level. Black would mean that it is at its strongest while white would be at its weakest. The one that we met was at a shade of dark grey —I think we can assume it to be at the level of the five digits.”
“Five digits……?”
“It is unable to ravage the low level spiritual powers. …… No, there’s a difference. To be accurate, it is more acceptable to say that ‘it does not allow the gluttony’.”
Seeming to speak to herself, Shirayuki mumbled softly.
Seeing Lily who was getting more confused by the moment, she pretended to cough before turning to face the others.
“The main thing is— ‘we need to have a Flag above that level to chase off those winds’.”
“Ah, that’s……!”
—not possible. Lily forcefully swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth.
A Community that is above the five digits would be a Community based in the upper echelons of Little Garden. The current [No Name] was one that was unable to borrow their flag based on previous relations.
Lily gripped the hand of Coppelia, who was bending her head in silence, while looking to Izayoi for help as she pinned her last hopes on him.
“Izayoi-san…… is there no other way?”
“—”
Izayoi crossed his arms as he allowed his consciousness to recede into the depths of his thoughts.
But he already knew the answer in his heart. If it is just as Garol says, that the ‘Winds of Decadence’ is an undefeatable monster, Izayoi was also doubtful about his ability to defeat it.
Be it the Star class spirit Algor, Death God Percher or even the Sun Dragon, he who had never felt a tinge of fear from those was now feeling uneasy about that sensation of ‘a certain something’ which was a class above all those.
Even if that is the case, if one were to continue in the attempt to save Coppelia—
“…… then we can only clear the game, is it?”
“Aye?”
“Oi, Garol Oji-san. The ‘Winds of Decadence’ is a Demon Lord summoned to act as the logic of Gift Games right?”
“…… Mhm. From what I know, the game this time is of that sort of classification.”
“Good. Then comes Ojou-sama. Do you have Deen with you now?”
“Of course. But it is currently in the state of a destroyed single arm. An intense battle would be…”
“It is fine. I do not intend for it to go into battle. What’s left to confirm is—.”
Turning to face and grab Coppelia.
The silver haired girl continued to look down and not meet Izayoi’s gaze— but Izayoi forcefully cupped Coppelia’s face to lift it up.
Staring at the blue eyes at a close distance, Izayoi narrowed his gaze to observe it.
“Oi, you stupid doll. When are you going to quit sulking? Everyone’s here to discuss the problem of your situation, you know?”
“…… situation or whatever it is, there’s no need to discuss for you to know the answer as clear as day. As long as you return me to the prison of memories, it will be solved.”
“Ah Ah, right. That is the simplest and safest method. Ask a hundred individuals and a hundred would give that same safest course of action. Because even I’m thinking of it as the best method for this case.”
“Then,”
“But, you know? The little fox girl of my Community[51] will never be able to accept that.”
Wha, Coppelia turned to look at Lily.
The silent but unbending will was transmitted through the action of the tight grip of the young fox girl’s hand over her own.
No problem— we will definitely save you.
“…… but it is impossible to clear the game! It means to clear the business of completing ‘me’! There have been many a hundred and even thousands who have researched and taken the challenge but are still unable to succeed. Because the ‘me’ is the final fantasy of the dream of Mankind—“
“The third perpetual motion mechanism. Although it was assumed to be workable, but it was taken to be an effort of building castles in the air and it was soon abandoned as a decadent theory of motion.”[52]
Is that right? Izayoi smiled triumphantly while Coppelia was stumped, wide eyed and in shock.
But the ones who were more surprised by the unravelling of the riddle, were Asuka and Yō who had been listening quietly.
“Ah, Ara?”
“…… Isn’t the answer to the Game, the Third Perpetual motion machine?”
“You are mistaken. The real answer to the game is the completion of the third perpetual motion machine. It is also precisely that, which cause the game to have no answer…… a Trial that cannot be surpassed. Hence it is what we call the ‘Game of Paradox’.”
In the world of Little Garden where many gods and deities gather, to set the answer as an uncompleted technique would not be breaking the rules.
Take for example the creation of the perpetual motion machine that has a paradoxical production process in the techniques. If it were to be incomplete, it would be seen to be a failure. In a lure and trap game, this would undoubtedly be the most horrid type.
Coppelia took on a lonely look as Izayoi’s figure was reflected in her eyes which were filled with self-blame.
“Is that so……You were summoned from the twenty first century huh. Then you should know about it right? The end of the Mankind’s dream for the perpetual machine.”
“……Aahh. About that point, I will offer you some sympathy.”
Izayoi released his hold and quietly nodded.
His voice had become gentle and perhaps this was his way of showing compassion.
—The third perpetual motion machine.
As the name suggests, it is a machine that is able to function indefinitely.
The final fantasy that mankind had faith of accomplishing by themselves.
It had become the highest peak of attainment for the masses of inventors who aspired for the accompanied wealth and glory that it would bring. However, following the change in the times, the perpetual motion machine had fallen to become a delusional project.
In Izayoi’s time of the twenty first century, the perpetual motion machine has already been taken as technique similar to building castles in the skies. Hence there were only a few who would aspire towards it.
Even though there continues to be people who chase after the project, they are by no means inventors who aspire towards the dream but are mostly con artists who hope to take advantage of this sweet dream of the perpetual motion machine. The dreams of those who actually believed in its existence have now transformed into a cash cow for a few evil doers.
She who had been known as the final point of mankind—the perpetual motion machine, Coppelia and her honor, glory and raison d’être were then sullied by the muddy footprints of those tainted by greed.
“The residue of the radiance in wealth and glory…. That is the true face of ‘me’. The existence of ‘me’ is a paradox in itself. With my existence as the premise, and given the name of a perpetual motion machine, I was prepared to be the Gift of the Trial and the existence that cannot be completed. Becoming the indefinite buffet bait for its insatiable gluttony.
To stop the ‘Winds of Decadence’, one can only attempt to clear the game and obtain the radiance of the perpetual motion machine—”
“That’s why I already said that I will give that radiance to you.”
—Wha? This time, Coppelia was truly speechless.
Izayoi gave a mischievous smile as he flicked at Coppelia’s forehead to proclaim.
“You stupid doll, what do you think this world is? It is the world of Little Garden, the playground that gathers all the gods and deities. The perpetual motion machine is definitely unattainable by the hands of Mankind alone…… but if we used Gifts, it might just become a similar existence.”
“wha….?”
Coppelia pressed onto her red and swollen forehead as her gaze wavered in surprise.
Standing at akimbo, Izayoi declared to Coppelia.
“From today onwards, you will not be the perpetual motion machine Coppelia. But the new doll that [No Name] has created— Divine craft Perpetual machine Coppelia.”
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