Chapter 17 : Inner contemporary contemplatio

Bright light stimulated my closed eyelids, and only then could I open them and look around. Towers of books piled endlessly high towards a sky filled with pure white light. Bookshelves cluttered with various books, haphazardly placed and scattered about. Walls of flesh wriggling, and eyes occasionally opening within them to observe their surroundings.

Looking around, I knew for certain. This was the edge of the Outer God’s mindscape. One might consider it quite eerie, but it was far better than it had been in the past. Likely due to recovering much of my humanity.

I moved my legs, walking between the towers and bookshelves. With each step on the wooden floorboards, the shadows of the book towers creaked ominously. But I had no time to pay them any mind. I had a long way to go. My steps were directed inwards, to a place where I presumed the one who summoned me resided.

It was while I was leisurely strolling inwards that the bookshelves beside me rustled, and a few magic books fluttered out. It was strange to see them move, as they would normally remain dormant. I stopped, staring blankly at them.

*

They began to clamor for me to read them. I had only glanced at them to see what the commotion was, but had they forgotten their master? It saddened me slightly. To set an example for these impudent things, I grabbed one that was flying at the front.

*Zztt*

I seized it and tore it to shreds. The others scattered in terror. Foolish things, baring their teeth even when their form has changed. I tossed it to the floor and started walking again. It would repair itself by tomorrow, anyway.

The deeper I went, the darker my surroundings became. Dark shadows spread in all directions. The ground grew muddy. A murky air numbed my nostrils. Bookshelves and grimoires were pressed to the ground, writhing. The floor had been replaced by damp flesh.

As I walked, I realized something. Human feet didn’t seem to appreciate this kind of terrain. My feet sank into the squishy flesh, forcing me to exert my whole body with each step. It was sticky, which made it even more annoying.

While struggling with my deeply embedded foot, an eyeball from the wall beside me stared straight at me. Normally, I would have found it cute, but this time it annoyed me, so I stabbed it with a crystal spike. Seeing it congested with blood, screaming silently, I felt a pang of guilt.

After walking for a long time, I finally saw the end of the path. This could be considered the Outer God’s domain, but… I couldn’t help but widen my eyes at the sight that unfolded before me.

The abyssal hole that should have been there was blocked by a giant crystal.

It was undoubtedly sealing off the poison leaking from the Outer God’s abyss. A trace of power I hadn’t authorized. Yet, it was elaborate and perfect. A single crystal wall was holding back all the darkness of a god.

However, I didn’t remember blocking it.

Thinking about it now, it was my mistake, not having considered my humanity. Wanting to become human, yet not severing my connection to the god. It seemed incredibly foolish, but at the time, my understanding of humanity was quite lacking.

But someone had taken root within my power, constantly mending my mistakes. Even pretending to *be* me. I felt this most directly in Secradon. At the time, it was helpful in a dire situation, so I let it slide…

Seeing this sight made me uneasy.

Could it be that someone was usurping the place of the god, replacing me?

Or… a more unsettling, terrifying thought.

*

I gathered my strength and shielded my mind. Narrowing my eyes, I glared at the crystal. I focused my mind into the crystal, to communicate.

*

*

*

“Ugh…”

It hurts. A feeling like something is wedging itself into my head, tearing it apart. I sat up from my desk with an intense headache, clutching my head. I cast a spell originating from the knowledge of the stars. A small, green magic circle spun around my fingertip.

I seemed to be able to use magic properly. As I explored my mindscape, I felt my damaged brain and mind instantly recover.

Thanks to this, the headache subsided, allowing me to look around. The grimoire lay neatly on my desk, still exuding the scent of stars. The white curtains, bed, and wardrobe, bathed in the warm afternoon sunlight. Ah, the familiar and comforting scenery of my room.

I could vaguely remember what had happened. Inside the crystal blocking the Outer God’s darkness, I had seen *it*. The entity controlling the empty throne that was meant for me. I felt only one thing from it.

*Indifference.*

A being created solely for the purpose of controlling and protecting the god’s power, like some kind of component.

It was a being created as naturally as a person breathing. It likely appeared because *I*, having become human, could not fully control the Outer God’s power. Its existence was only natural, so I never imagined it would do such a thing.

A mere part of the clockwork was calculating *something*, constantly trying to make me “human”. In other words, it was eliminating the possibility of me returning to being the Outer God. There had to be a valid reason for it. However, I still lacked clues and couldn’t figure anything out. If it hadn’t blocked the passage leading deeper into my inner self, I might have learned the reason. Though then, I wouldn’t be human.

“Sigh…”

I let out a sigh and closed the grimoire that was open on the desk. There was nothing I could know, nothing I could do. For now, I had no choice but to live, content with the everyday life and happiness I had been given. After all, what it was doing aligned with my goal.

It was five o’clock. I decided to shake off the unpleasant feeling and change my mood.

Right. Should I try cooking dinner tonight? I couldn’t keep leaving it to my younger sister or mother. …Come to think of it, I remember people in that other world eating a certain dish quite often. Even those who came to offer tributes to my realm ate it as a health food. I think I even ate it when I was human…

*

I was all set to cook, but encountered a major problem in the kitchen. No matter how much I rummaged through the other dimension, I couldn’t find the key ingredient: the seven-eyed tentacle cluster. In the end, with a heavy heart, I decided to make steak with the beef in the refrigerator. Of course, *otherworldly* style steak.

Luckily, the meat in the fridge was sirloin. I considered using a kitchen knife, but opted for a mana cutter on the edge of my hand to create an otherworldly atmosphere. I placed the freshly butchered, crimson sirloin on the cutting board. As I brought the edge of my hand near to score it, the meat yielded easily, pleasing me.

It was almost time for my family to arrive, so I had to hurry. I lightly drizzled some oil. Just regular olive oil from the kitchen. For salt, I used blue salt from the Dark Sea. It was a place where all sorts of monsters emerged, but I’d heard the salt was top-notch.

After doing all this, I thought about it. This wasn’t otherworldly steak.

This was just… steak.

….

I decided to use my secret weapon. I wasn’t sure how I got it, but I had a honey liquor infused with pure ether. Made from the purest essence of mana, excessive consumption was not recommended, so I added just one drop to the sirloin.

My heart ached at the timid use of the honey liquor. But it was true that consuming too much pure ether wasn’t good. Even after adding a single drop, I couldn’t see how this was otherworldly steak.

In the end, I decided to use magic to cook it, at least capturing the essence of another world in the cooking method. While pondering the appropriate level of heat, a sudden, chilling feeling led me to grab my smartphone. No way, no way. It couldn’t be?

And then, a feast of videos unfolded on the video site.

[S-rank Hunter, Bordik, cooks steak with Hellfire magic.]

[Let’s make grilled food with Thunder Calling magic.]

Right. I’d just cook it normally.

Thankfully, the steak earned three stars that day.