Comparison
――Wake up, won't you wake up?
A voice echoes.
――Hurry up and wake up. I want to go over there quickly.
A striking sensation on the face and a voice resonates.
"Mm, huh...?"
Opening my eyes, I see a blue ceiling.
I sit up. My body, lying down before, is thrown onto the bed, covered with a towel.
"Where is this...?"
――Yes, I must have returned from the Singularity and then slept to repair my Spirit Origin...
...It seems like the First Order mission was successfully completed. If I'm here now...
I feel relieved. I slowly relax my tensed body and let out a breath.
It's good to know that Master have safely returned to Chaldea.
...The Human Order Incineration, caused by ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛, the ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ Project. The overcoming of all impossibilities.
――Hearing about it and experiencing it firsthand are different shocks.
...To think that humanity has perished, it's the worst kind of prank.
Likely, no, certainly, Master will choose the path to confront these difficulties.
Since there is no other path, it's not an exaggeration to say that they are being compelled, but if they don't act, humanity will end.
――"Adults are powerless when it matters most."
Muttering. That's what the vessel says, claiming that adults are boring creatures, busy only with their own lives.
――I won't deny that. The narrower the common sense becomes, the more possibilities close off.
Dreams of tomorrow and shining futures are tainted by the rust called reality that tarnishes this world.
...Even my own life, it was as if it meant nothing...
(Hey, how long are you going to leave me like this?)
!?
A voice echoes in my head, or rather, my heart.
Who is it...!? Who are you!
(Calm down and look ahead, will you? There's a cute little me right here.)
As told, I look ahead.
And there, sitting elegantly, is a beautiful beast with abundant white fur and horn-like appendages.
(Hello there, nameless King of Heroes. I've been watching your struggles.)
――!?
(Don't be so defensive. I don't intend to disturb you, nor do I intend to tell anyone.)
The voice is quiet, yet it carries a weight that sinks into my heart.
(I want to be clear that I really, really dislike you.)
――Dislike?
(Yes, the golden and haughty possessor of Clairvoyance. Especially the Clairvoyance part is not good. It could easily drive me mad.)
(Normally, I wouldn't want to have anything to do with you... but you are an exception.)
Me?
(Yes, you. Your nameless soul, the soul that reincarnated into Gilgamesh.)
――Could it be...
Do it know or see who I really am...!? My own existence within the King of Heroes?
(I've disliked you, but at the same time, I'm interested in you. Confusing, right? Get used to it.)
(You chose a miracle, and you achieved it.)
...Miracle?
(Olga Marie, who had hysteric tendencies. You cared for her, and even gave her the Holy Grail, reconstructing her with her residual consciousness.)
(It was on a small scale, so it seems her physical composition had its limits.)
(You certainly saved a life.)
――...Is that so?
I wonder, was I really able to save her? But it was all possible because of Gilgamesh's resources...
(Miracles don't save someone on their own. They need someone to take them, someone to put them into action.)
(You did choose the Holy Grail from your resources and gave it to Olga Marie.)
(Why did you do such a thing?)
――Is it wrong to want to save a life?
(You could have abandoned her, even though she was already dead.)
――She was still alive.
(Without a body?)
――Even so, she was trying to live.
And she had started to deepen her interactions with Mash and Ritsuka.
From now on, she will surely build what they need, so I wanted to help her.
(You used a miracle, didn't you?)
That's right.
(――I see.)
The beast stands up suddenly.
(Well then, it's a celebration.)
A celebration? What do you mean?
(Of course, for your soul.)
(Congratulations, nameless soul. You have certainly accomplished something that only you could do.)
(If your soul wasn't here, no one could have saved her.)
(You have undoubtedly left a mark on this world.)
Did I really leave something behind in this world?
(Olga Marie obtained a body that doesn't require eating, sleeping, or excretion thanks to the Holy Grail. She is determined not to waste the life you saved.)
(It's your accomplishment. Only you can perceive it, but you certainly do.)
I see, Olga Marie was saved then.
Olga Marie, a girl filled with modest wishes to be praised and acknowledged by someone.
No matter the form, it was truly delightful to overturn the future of being manipulated by merciless intentions and die.
So, did you come here just to give me congratulations?
(That's part of it, but this is the main point.)
(You can stop now if you want.)
What?
(The path ahead will be filled with hardships. There will be many painful things.)
(Your wish to achieve something has been fulfilled. Your soul has undoubtedly changed the world.)
(But from now on, there will still be many painful things.)
(...How about it? If it's too painful, you can stop.)
What does it mean to stop?
To leave this vessel? Or to leave everything to others?
Shaking my head in denial.
Don't be ridiculous, I haven't achieved anything yet.
The world has been destroyed. Humanity has perished.
Master, Mash, and everyone else will surely suffer from now on.
And yet, why am I the only one who thinks they can stop anything?
(You're still resisting, huh?)
Of course.
I haven't achieved anything yet.
(I understand. Then your story continues.)
(I want you to do your best. I'm interested in you. The different you in this world.)
...What are you?
(I am Fou. A beast that likes to compare one person to another.)
(I come to visit you like this.)
(Don't forget. If it's too painful, you can stop.)
The voice fades away.
What was that just now...?
***
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