Instant Death

Chapter 3 - Doesn’t that mean that this world is round like the Earth?

Translator: Thy Unsus

Edit: noneuclidean_

Consuming the Heavenly Record.

In order to speak of the Heavenly Record, it is first necessary to explain what it is.

The Heavenly Record, stated simply, is the world’s vessel; the world itself.

On the top of the Heavenly Record, there are various other recorded things which comprise this world, as well as a type of intelligent life.

It is a conceptual thing; for example, Yogiri and the others appear in the Heavenly Record for the universe of their original world, but for the world they are in now, they appear on the ground and sea directly on top of the Heavenly Record.

In other words, the Heavenly Records become the foundation of the world recognized by the main observer of the world.

There exist countless other Heavenly Records, and those Heavenly Records are contained within a space referred to as the “Sea”. A Heavenly Record is like a bubble floating within this “Sea”.

Incidentally, since it can be compared to the sea, there is also depth within this space. It is simple to come and go between Heavenly Records with the same depth, and it is also easy to move to lower Heavenly Records. However, problems arise when you try to move to a higher Heavenly Record.

In such a case, it becomes necessary to apply vast amounts of energy to move between those Heavenly Records. That is one of the reasons why Yogiri and others can’t return to their former world easily.

Now, the Heavenly Records are aware of a being consuming other Heavenly Records.

It is referred to as “The Deep Sea Fish”, which is an animal living in the “Sea”.

It swims around freely in “Sea”, and it feeds on Heavenly Records. In other words, it is a being that consumes worlds.

It would be different if there was a form of higher intelligence similar to a God in the world, but even they wouldn’t even able to notice the being consuming the Heavenly Records in most cases.

This because the being consumes worlds in their entirety, completely digesting them.

From the viewpoint of the people in a consumed world, everything would appear to vanish without anyone knowing why.

The means by which the being consumes Heavenly Records is simple; it swims around aimlessly in the “Sea” and consumes any Heavenly Records it sees. It attacks if there is resistance, but it will run away if it is beyond their power or they judge it is too difficult to attack. Although they possess these refined instincts, only some have developed intelligence during the eternity they have spent in the “Sea”.

There are various actions that can be taken if those who consume the Heavenly Records develop intelligence, but the usual method is to try to contact the intelligent bodies in the Heavenly Record, because the “Sea” is a boring place for those with intelligence.

And in the Meld Plains where Yogiri and others had passed through, a Heavenly Record eater, which had strangely lost interest living in the “Sea”, took the form of a person.

The armoured vehicle that Tomochika and others were riding in stopped near the royal capital.

Yogiri was still sleeping, and Tomochika was thinking about entering the royal capital after he woke up.

『That is why the Heavenly Records are surrounded by a boundary called the dome. This is a bubble which floats in the “Sea” in that analogy from long ago.』(Mokomoko)

“Hey! But I can’t really believe something like that!” (Tomochika)

『Hmph. However, if you’d rather continue argue against it while freely applying cosmology, for some reason or another, you couldn’t believe in such a thing~! Even when I say it, it is like a law. What do you know about the world?』(Mokomoko)

Leaning on the wheel, Tomochika was amusing herself in the driver’s seat of the armoured vehicle by chatting with Mokomoko.

Mokomoko was irritating in various ways, but there was also nothing in particular to do, and she was useful as someone to chat with.

“But doesn’t that defy common sense? Why does Mokomoko-san know this?” (Tomochika)

『Since I am a high-ranking divine spirit, I am able to access the higher-order information layer. Consequently, it can be said that I understand the system of the entire world of Heavenly Records.』(Mokomoko)

“Well, besides the fact that there are parallel worlds like that, did you know that nonsense from the start?” (Tomochika)

『For some reason or another. The ancient people thought that the ground and sea continued on evenly, but I don’t think there is a world with rapids of sea water flowing down from the edge of the world.』(Mokomoko)

“Eh? Doesn’t that mean that this world is round like the Earth?” (Tomochika)

『It is like that…』(Mokomoko)

“If you know that, shouldn’t you know the map of this world, among other things? If that’s the case, it was completely unnecessary for us to lose our way in the canyon.” (Tomochika)

『Even I do not have the authority to access all the information of this world. It has been arranged so I only know the basic information.』(Mokomoko)

“Well, then what about something like information about our former world? It’s the same system for the entire world and layer, right? Aren’t you able to do things like searching?” (Tomochika)

『That’s right. There is a region where that is possible. From here, the information that I am able to access is restricted.』(Mokomoko)

“That is your home, isn’t it!? I mean, can’t you use some part of it because you are a high-ranking divine spirit or something like that!?” (Tomochika)

『Hmm. Even though you say things like that, the indigenous divine spirits are attached to the soil from the Dannoura house. As a result, I am unable to use my full power because I have left the area of the house.』(Mokomoko)

“Sigh~……in the end, I wonder if we can go back home.” (Tomochika)

When the conversation ceased, Tomochika sighed.

Their objective was to return to their former world, but she still didn’t know any specific way to do so.

According to Mokomoko’s story, this world was at the bottom of the “Sea”, so vast amounts of energy would be required for them to go back to their former world.

In the worst case, they would have to think about continuing to live in this world.

——In ‘that situation’, what would happen?

Funds for livelihood wouldn’t be a problem. It appeared that the assets they entrusted to the concierge to use were continuing to increase, and the precious metals and cash they had on hand were enough to live for quite a while.

There were towns with levels of high civilization that wouldn’t be inconvenient for Japanese people to live in, so they wouldn’t even be troubled in their daily lives.

However, even with that, it was questionable whether or not they could live comfortably in this world.

The main problem was public order.

In this world, people who had a few screws loose in their heads appeared fairly frequently.

They treated people’s lives like garbage, behaved arrogantly, and brandished their mighty strength over people’s heads.

It seemed that no matter how modestly you lived, peaceful and quiet days would end abruptly the moment those people appeared.

——Actually, without Takatou-kun, there would have been situations in which she would have been helpless.

Tomochika fleetingly glanced at Yogiri, who was sound asleep in the passenger’s seat.

Looking at his completely innocent sleeping face, she simply couldn’t imagine how he was a being that killed anything and everything.

『As is, it would be best for you to live with the youngster.』(Mokomoko)

“Uwa~! What? You can even read minds!?” (Tomochika)

Tomochika was surprised because Momomoko could say exactly what she was thinking.

『I don’t happen to have such a convenient ability. This is just something called insight. Are you aware you are a really ‘easy-to-understand’ person?』(Mokomoko)

“Sorry for being easy-to-understand, hmph.” (Tomochika)

Tomochika puffed her cheeks.

Certainly, she had been considering whether or not she would continue to live with Yogiri as is.

『Well, the youngster isn’t particularly bad. At least his appearance is nice. It would be good for him to take in Dannoura blood.』(Mokomoko)

“What are you saying all of a sudden!?” (Tomochika)

『Was that strange? If you are unable to go back to your former world, you should preserve the Dannoura bloodline in this world. Or is it something else? Moreover, isn’t he a man you like?』(Mokomoko)

“No, it’s nothing like that but… but do I have the right to choose Takatou-kun……” (Tomochika)

But in a situation like this, what could she say?

Besides, if she dated him purely out of necessity, there would be no passion and it wouldn’t be practical. At least that’s what she thought.

『I don’t think the youngster would dislike it. Also, hasn’t something already happened? Why don’t you try to ask him directly?』(Mokomoko)

“Because it’s a secret, okay!?” (Tomochika)

“What?” (Yogiri)

Yogiri asked this while rubbing his eyes as he got up.

“It’s nothing! By the way, although we have arrived in front of the royal capital, what are we going to do?” (Tomochika)

“That’s right… ” (Yogiri)

Although Yogiri still appeared to be absent-minded, he began to examine the outskirts of the royal capital.

Tomochika surveyed her surroundings as well.

The huge castle ramparts caught her eyes immediately. They were considerably bigger she had thought they would be for some reason. She estimated them to be around 50 meters high.

The castle gate was quite large as well. Five of the armoured vehicles that Tomochika and others were in could easily pass through it side by side.

“I wonder, is it okay for us to enter the castle in a vehicle?” (Yogiri)

“It seems to be okay. I saw some other vehicles pass through normally.” (Tomochika)

She had seen vehicles and carriages pass through the castle gate before. Because they weren’t inspected, there seemed to be no issues if only a vehicle went inside.

“I mean, it’s something like an ordinary car, huh.” (Tomochika)

The vehicle seemed to be popular, but its shape was considerably simpler compared to other armoured vehicles.

『By the way, are we getting surrounded?』(Mokomoko)

“Eh?” (Tomochika)

Tomochika looked around.

People in military uniforms that appeared to be sentinels had surrounded the vehicle before they even noticed it.

“But I don’t feel any killing intent at the moment… If such a suspicious vehicle stopped near the royal capital, it would be normal to come and investigate it.” (Yogiri)

However, each of the sentinels had prepared a cane and were pointing them at the armoured vehicle. They seemed to be preparing for battle. It appeared they intended to approach and attack if Yogiri and the others displayed any suspicious movements.

“This is bad! Still, I don’t think it was necessary for them to move so sneakily!” (Tomochika)

It wasn’t that Tomochika hadn’t thought they would be this cautious, but the armoured vehicle they were in was developed by the sage officials. Because of the friction between the country and the sages, it should have been clear that they would become hostile to each other. However, Tomochika didn’t think that far.

“Mokomoko-san didn’t notice them until we were surrounded?” (Tomochika)

Tomochika, whose emotional state worsened, changed the subject.

『They were using a technique of hiding their presences for some reason. It’s such a fine skill that they are exposed when they approach.』(Mokomoko)

“They look different from the people I killed in the plain. Who are these guys?” (Yogiri)

Their military uniforms were certainly different. They might have been distinct depending on their affiliation, since the concept for the design was different. Yogiri noted how it was similar to a separate organization in the kingdom.

A short time later, a person who appeared to be a representative approached the armoured vehicle.

“He is looking this way too much.” (Tomochika)

“It doesn’t seem like you will be allowed to go anywhere if you don’t move from here.” (Representative)

The person that seemed to be the representative was saying this while looking in Tomochika’s eyes. Tomochika opened the side window.

“Sorry, but could you please come down?” (Representative)

She heard it thus.

“You have no choice but to obey. You don’t seem to be outlaws.” (Representative)

“Well… I guess I have no choice but to get out and speak for the time being. It will be fine as long as I’m not suddenly arrested or something.” (Tomochika)

“I’ll resist if he says he’ll restrain us or something like that, okay?” (Yogiri)

“Resist… resist, huh.” (Tomochika)

They would all turn into piles of corpses if Yogiri resisted.

They wanted to avoid it if possible, but they would have to resort to that if things couldn’t be settled peacefully. While considering these possibilities, Tomochika stepped out of the vehicle.

“Good day to you. My name is Torx, and I’m the person in charge of the defense of the southern central gate. There was a report that a strange car was stopped, and I came to ask what your situation is. If my memory serves me right, this vehicle was from the ‘Immortality Corps’, right?” (Representative->Torx)

“Ah~… this vehicle was indeed theirs… ” (Tomochika)

Those guys acted so unreasonably. It wasn’t even surprising that this vehicle had a bad reputation in this world.

“We aren’t the ‘Immortality Corps’. We received this from a person named Ryouta-san, the feudal lord of Hanabusa.” (Yogiri)

“Hou~.” (Torx)

Torx narrowed his eyes.

“Takatou-kun! He’s awfully suspicious of us!” (Tomochika)

Tomochika, who was next to Yogiri, whispered this into his ear.

“Is he an official of the sage Lain-sama?” (Torx)

The vicinity of Hanabusa was under Lain’s jurisdiction. It would be natural to connect them to the ‘Immortality Corps’ of Lain’s forces.

“I think you already know this, but the vicinity of the royal capital in the Manii Kingdom is under the jurisdiction of Santarou-sama. There was a warning from Santarou-sama to be more vigilant during the border-transgression acts of the ‘Immortality Corps’, as they are said to have reached far. We were also expected to intercept readily by judging the situation.” (Torx)

The tension in the sentinels rose at once.

“I’m troubled. I have nothing to do with the ‘Immortality Corps’… That’s right, we are sage candidates of the sage Sion-sama. We came to this place for the sage’s trials” (Yogiri)

“We were certainly notified of this by Sion-sama, and the sage candidate-samas have completely arrived… however, I wasn’t aware that they could come late?” (Torx)

“Ah! This story is making things even more troublesome!” (Tomochika)

“Because you said you were sage candidate-samas, you both have gifts, correct? Can I have the privilege of appraising you?” (Torx)

“It’s fine.” (Yogiri)

“It’s all right?” (Tomochika)

Yogiri carelessly accepted, and Tomochika whispered into his ear a second time.

“I think it’s fine. Have faith in Celestia-san.” (Yogiri)

Tomochika recalled it when he said so. Because of the concierge Celestia’s technique, Tomochika and others’ statuses were disguised.

When Torx called out, a practitioner came from the people who had encircled Tomochika and others and reported to Torx. It seemed that the practitioner was able to appraise them just by glancing.

“I see. You certainly appear to be sage candidate-samas. Nevertheless, appraisal is only useful to a certain degree, as it is relatively simple to disguise.” (Torx)

“Ah, what more do you want!?” (Tomochika)

As one would expect, they couldn’t just go kill the sentinels who protected the city and pass through. In that situation, there would be many problems even after they entered the city.

Just as Tomochika thought they had no choice but to escape from this place somehow, Yogiri began to fumble in the pocket of his trousers.

“That’s right. Rick-san said to ‘show this’ if we ran into trouble in the royal capital.” (Yogiri)

Yogiri took out two pendants. The pendant and chain attachment were circular and both had complex designs.

The guards kneeled on the spot.

“Eh, what’s that?” (Tomochika)

“I got it from Rick-san. Ah, this one is Dannoura-san’s. I forgot to give it to you.” (Yogiri)

When Yogiri handed Tomochika the pendant, she meekly accepted it.

Rick was the swordsman they had met by chance in the tower of the canyon. Various affairs had happened in the tower, and Rick finally became the Sword Saint.

Tomochika hadn’t known, but Yogiri had talked to Rick for some reason before they bid farewell.

“What kind of person is Rick-san!?” (Tomochika)

Just from seeing such a small pendant, the attitude of the guards had changed completely.