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 traumlike 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 .