Volume 18 Chapter 8, What is “That Being?”

A sensation of his consciousness surfacing enveloped his entire body.

Somehow, he understood that his body and soul had been separated up to now.

In response to his body’s desire, Kousuke continued to awaken.

When he opened his eyes, he found that he was lying on a bed, not by the rock on which he was supposed to have his back resting against.

Looking at the ceiling that came into view, he realized that it was his room assigned to him in Asura’s mansion.

He shifted his gaze to the side and saw Eris, but for some reason her expression showed surprise.

“Eris, is something wrong?”

“Oh, no… I was a little surprised… No, before that, please don’t make me worry about you too much.”

Eris was a bit reserved for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and came over with a few small words.

Looking at the situation, he understood that he had been brought here after falling asleep by that rock.

“No, sorry. I was tired from walking and fell asleep… Just, doh-?”

Kousuke was about to make an excuse when he noticed something was wrong with his condition and Eris’s.

“… Uh? Did I sleep for a long time?”

“It’s been about a day and a half.”

“…Really?”

‘Yes, we found your body right away, but your soul was not in it at that time. You returned only a short time ago.”

With that statement from Eris, Kousuke realized that he had gone to that world with only his soul.

“Ha. I see. So? Why were you surprised?”

Eris had a surprised expression when Kousuke woke up.

Kousuke was half asleep at the time, but he somehow got the feeling that she knew something was going to happen, so he asked.

The question made Eris look as if she had been caught red-handed.

“Have you noticed something?”

“Hmmm? Somewhat?”

“…I see. No, I think it would be better to hear about it from Asura-sama than from me.”

“Alright. I understand.”

Kousuke knew that Eris was not one to avoid answering questions without a reason.

To put it in another way, she felt like it would really be better to hear it directly from Asura.

“So? Where is Asura now?”

“She is working in her office. But since she was worried about you, I think it would be better to show her your face.”

“I see. I’ll do that. Speaking of which, have you contacted the other side?”

“I contacted them myself, of course. I didn’t tell them you weren’t conscious because I knew they would be worried, but I did tell them you were unreachable.”

“I see, thank you.”

Kousuke thanked Eris for her consideration.

Besides, what Eris said was not a lie.

He had been somewhere where he could not be reached.

He did not realize that he had been gone for more than a day.

What’s more, he had a feeling that he would not be able to return back to Tower anytime soon.

He did not know if his chance encounter with the world record was in line with Peach’s fortune-telling, but from the moment he woke up, he felt a different sensation enveloping him.

“Now then, let’s go to Asura’s… Oops!”

Kousuke, who was about to get off the bed on which he was lying, swayed unsteadily.

“Kousuke-sama! Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah… It’s like my brain hasn’t caught up with the changes in my body. No, the changes in my soul, I guess?”

“For now, please lie down. I’ll go get Asura-sama.”

Kousuke’s words gave Eris a momentary headache, but she quickly regained her composure and told him to go back to bed.

Needless to say, a soul, once created, was not something that could be changed so easily.

And there was no way that he could have known that.

It was impossible even for the Goddesses.

This included Eris herself, of course.

The only one who was exempted from this was Asura.

“Oh, I’m sorry, do you mind?”

Having said that, Kousuke laid back down on the bed, and Eris immediately went to Asura.

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“Heh. It is getting interesting again, isn’t it?”

As soon as she came to Kousuke’s room, Asura said so.

Incidentally, when Kousuke realized that Asura had arrived, he only raised his upper body.

He still felt uncomfortable standing up, so he refrained from straining himself.

“…You look kind of happy, huh?”

Kousuke, who somehow got a bad feeling from Asura’s expression, asked while his lips twitched.

“That’s right. Finally, there is an existence in this world that can be called a true God.”

Asura said something extremely disturbing.

Eris, who was standing beside Asura, had a look of surprise on her face.

“Somehow I don’t think I want to hear about this…”

“You have no need to listen, but now that you’ve met that being, It is inevitable, isn’t it?”

Kousuke didn’t bother to ask who she was talking about.

The only existence that Asura, who stood at the top of this world, pays respect to is the World Record that he encountered earlier.

“I see. Okay, can you tell me about it?”

“Yeah. It’s easy to understand. First of all, Eris and the others are ‘Celestial Maidens’, they are not really Gods. Neither were you before you met the World Record. However, now, you have become a true god.”

Meeting the World Record had evolved his soul.

He was the same, but his soul had changed drastically.

Eris and the other Goddesses were deities that could be recognized only in the world of Earthgard. Meanwhile, Asura and Kousuke were deities that could be recognized even when they went to other worlds.

“… What can I say? I didn’t really realize this at all.”

“What are you saying? The reason you couldn’t stand up properly now is because your body hasn’t been able to keep up with the changes in your soul.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

If things went badly, it could result in the body not being able to adjust to the changes in the soul. However, neither Kousuke nor Asura were worried about that.

If that were to happen, Kousuke would have encountered a much more violent rejection.

“Anyways, you should rest for a while.”

“I will. Yeah. Anyway…”

“…Hmm?”

“Can I ask you what that being is?”

“I can’t answer. Or rather, even I don’t know.”

Kousuke nodded in agreement with her response, which was, in a sense, as he had expected.

It was hard to imagine that anyone could fully understand that existence in the first place.

“I see.”

“If you could fully understand it, you might even be able to stand at the top of the Gods. Do you want to aim for such a position?”

“No, no, give me a break. I don’t even think that’s possible.”

“Really now? That’s too bad.”

Kousuke’s reply made Asura grin, as if she had expected it.

***

As they concluded their conversation, Eris interrupted.

“So, shall we announce this?”

Asura looked at Kousuke with an expression that indicated what Eris should do.

“Give me a break. I’m good enough with my current position.”

In the world of Earthgard, Kousuke was already widely known as a living god.

He had no intention of going out of his way to sow unnecessary sparks.

“I see.”

Eris showed a somewhat relieved expression.

Depending on Kousuke’s response, he probably could have usurped their rights.

Of course, Kousuke was not that kind of person.

Eris wasn’t so attached to her current position, either.

But if that had happened, the world would definitely be in turmoil.

Eris did not want that to happen.

“No, wait, why are you relieved by my answer?”

“You don’t have to think so much about it. From Eris’s point of view, it just can’t be helped, you know?”

“I see, well, I don’t really get it. But, I’ll leave it at that.”

Kousuke agreed with Asura’s follow-up.

If the Goddesses, including Eris, had been the kind who demanded unreasonable things, Kousuke would certainly feel troubled enough to act.

But fortunately or unfortunately, they were not the type who would do such a thing. Therefore, there was no way he would be forced to go out of his way to disturb the world and usurp their positions.

On the contrary, he didn’t want to hold such troublesome positions.

“If that’s the case, why don’t you just switch positions with me?”

“Please give me a break.”

Kousuke quickly bowed his head in rejection to Asura, who suggested such an outrageous offer.