You are on page 1of 4

The world was destroyed.

…But that was just the world inside Nemesis.

“–Phew.”

The cold, inorganic interior of the Black Box.

Looks like I’d been able to safely return to the current world.

I guess the emergency system managed a safe shut down.

My whole body was covered in sweat. Likely a result of the overheating.

The door wouldn’t open on its own either, so I had to shove on it fairly hard.

“Welcome back—you look pretty worn out,” Postman greeted me in an easygoing


fashion.

Was this—the same Postman as the one that I had seen inside Nemesis’ mind?

Their clothes were certainly identical.

As for the voice…The Postman in there never spoke a word, so I couldn’t compare
them. It just sounded to me like a girl using a deep voice, but of course I
couldn’t be sure of anything.

“Have you seen the six people—all of them?”

I nodded in response to the question.

“To put them chronologically…There was Shakuson, Tony Ausdin, Gallerian Marlon,
Nikolay Tolle, Bruno Zero, and Kayo Sudou—that’s all six.”
“Oh, wonderful! I knew you could.”

Postman clapped.

I wasn’t all that happy about it.

All I felt was…relief at having been able to finally end this farce.

“So then, would you like me to explain the details on each one?”

“Before that…I’d like to hear your impressions. What you think now that you’ve been
able to observe Nemesis’ life.”

“My impressions huh…”

“What sort of person did you think she was?”

“…To put it all in brief—I think she was a weak person with no independence.”

“Woah, that’s a bit harsh.”

“She led her life always being led along by someone. It is because she herself
recognized this that she always directed her ‘anger’ outwardly. ‘I’m not to blame,
it’s someone else’, and so on.”

“And so she ultimately directed that anger at the world?”


“Yes. She had only two options left to her. To destroy herself, or destroy
everything outside of herself. When she was young, Nemesis chose the former, and
when she grew up she chose the latter.”

Though ultimately there wasn’t any great difference between them. Anger, self-
loathing, revenge, atonement—all of it was just a difference between where you
directed your aggression.

I heaved a sigh.

There was no real point in taking any of this seriously.

“But then, well…All of this–is little more than a discussion of what went on inside
her delusions.”

“Delusions?” Postman pulled a curious expression. “What are you saying was a
delusion?”

“All of it. Nemesis’ life that I saw. I still tried to analyze her psychology as a
humble scientist, but…ultimately I was completely unable to experience her true
life with this ‘Swap’. All of it was codswallop, from start to finish.”

“…What makes you so certain of that?”

“Magic, demons—Are you trying to tell me that a fantasy with such things featuring
in it is based in reality? What I saw was little more than a story that Nemesis
concocted in her own head.”

“You might not believe in it, but maybe these things do really exist.”

“Huh? Then there’s also the Evillious region—Are you saying that these countries
like Elphegort and Levianta are real? I’ve never heard these names before.
Elphegort is modeled off of Germany, and Levianta off of Russia, right? Whatever
the case, this is a world that only exists inside her mind. There is no weapon
called ‘Punishment’, and the world hasn’t yet been destroyed!”

All of it was a delusion, and delusions—were common in people who had psychological
abnormalities.
I had figured that out right from the beginning.

If I hadn’t been menaced into it, I would have suspended the “Swap” immediately.

“Come now, let’s put a stop to this foolish nonsense. I’m sure that it’s true
Nemesis killed six people at least. Based on your reaction the names were accurate
as well. But as for the process by which she did so…I can’t imagine that what I’ve
seen here is the truth.”

Postman sighed regretfully.

“Hah…I see.”

“I do apologize that I wasn’t able to provide the answers you were seeking.”

“—I guess this still isn’t enough.”

“Not enough? What is?”

“You…are mistaken. The Evillious region truly does exist. No…I suppose it’d be more
accurate to say it did exist. Everything’s been destroyed by ‘Punishment’.”

“…Sounds like you need therapy too.”

“Well then—what about if I did this?”

Postman took off his hat and revealed his true face to me.

He looked a lot like the Postman in Nemesis’ delusion.

But he was different.

The Postman of the real world was male after all.


“Do you remember anything, looking at my face?”

“…Not really. I guess you’re fairly good looking but you’re not really my type.”

He did look like my brother somewhat.

“And still it’s…not working. You and I met once, a long time ago.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“—Allen Avadonia. That is my name. …Though my true name is Alexiel. I was once a
servant who worked in a royal palace, and you were a sorceress.”

“Enough with the fantasy already—”

“It’s the opposite. It’s all just the opposite. Nemesis’ life that you saw is the
reality, and this laboratory—this world itself is a delusion that you created!”

Allen approached the Black Box and started to fiddle about with an exterior panel.

“Stop it! Someone unqualified can’t be messing around with—”

<Code input complete

Beginning activation of—Irregular System>

“Irregular System”?

What is that?
I had no idea that—the Black Box had such a system in it.

<Confirm subject

Beginning “Swap” of Levia Barisol>

My body started to be sucked into the Black Box.

–Just like what had been done to me by that illusion of Kayo in Nemesis’ memories.
“Please…stop…”

I don’t want to go in there.

I—don’t want to see the truth.

“I’m sorry, Elluka. But now this is the only way I can put an end to the ‘Endless
Destruction of the World’.”

Elluka?

Who was that again?

You might also like