064. Level et cetera
「GYAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Ahh~~hahahaa!!!!」
To apologize for bumping into her on the street, I took my luggage and went to her store, "Grieve Grimoire Store," but after she offered me tea, she said, "What are you looking so bitter?" After some hesitation, I explained the situation to her, and she laughed out loud.
「Wheeze! Wheeze! O-Of all things, after being forced into "perverted play" by the girls, and you couldn't get an erection because they squeezed you so thoroughly is ......puhahahahaha!!!」
She sure can't stop laughing, because she was not satisfied with just holding her stomach, but she was fainting in agony while flapping her legs.
I thought, "Aren't you laughing too much?"
「You really are an interesting guy♪ I've heard all kinds of rumors about you ever since I met you before, Though, I did not expect this to happen♪」
「Damn you. This is no laughing matter, y'know? Besides, I'm really getting angry. If you make fun of me anymore, I'll call you "Guriguri" from now on!」
As soon as I said it, she hit me on the head with a broom.
「Who the hell is 'Guriguri'!? Don't call me by that name! Erectile dysfunction (impotence)!」
「Y-you're horrible」
As expected, the shock was great.
It's not that I want to be like this ― but, it made me feel sad.
When she saw me shocked,
「......My bad. As expected, that was my fault. Forgive me.」
Her attitude changed drastically. Grieve straightened up her manner, bowed her head, and apologized.
「The truth is, I was bullied by humans a long time ago. The name "Guriguri" was given to me by my bully at that time.」
「I-I didn't know that.」
「But that was decades ago, and now I allow only a few close friends to call me by that nickname. It's not an apology, but I'll give you that honor.」
「――Oh, thanks」
That said, I was not inclined to call her by her nickname immediately after hearing such a story, so I don't intend to change it.
「This won't do. I must be getting old. I've turned into a "bully" before I know it―I was reminded of this when I saw your tearful face the other day.」
Grieve lightly hit her own head with her fist.
「In conclusion, the cause of your illness is most likely psychogenic. You have a good chance of recovering if you are treated by a good doctor and, in some cases, take medication, and so on ― but how did that happen in the first place?」
「Ah~...... I don't know how to explain it, so I'll start from the beginning.」
Knowing that it would take a long time, I told her everything that had happened after my previous visit to the store, summarizing the main points as much as possible.
It took almost half an hour, and the tea she had brewed was completely cold.
「......I see. And the [Soul Eater], huh?」
Grieve was thinking with an incredibly serious expression on her face.
「I didn't tell you this, but it's true that if you skillfully apply the basics of folia, such as "Sensing," "Manipulation," and "Amplification," you can control the "torrent" that occurs during sexual intercourse. However―Normally, it's not something that can be done so easily」
「I-It's not easy?」
「It's obvious. For example, It's like reversing a flood with just your body, you know? I'd rather ask, "How did you do that?"」
Regarding that, I can only say, "for some reason or another", but―
「In a sexual act that is already highly pleasurable, it must feel great to circulate the force. But if you suck too much...」
「You could kill your partner or explode them, right?
「.....you already know?」
「Yeah, I knew that. When I was abducted by the heretics, I saw that.......」
「――And considering that you yourself are a "person from another world", it would be normal to assume that you have some kind of "cheat ability" activated. The question is, "What is it?"」
「Eh? Isn't this [Soul Eater] itself a cheat!?」
「There is no doubt that it is a powerful folia, but there are plenty of users of that folia in the intermediate demon race and above, you know? Such as the [Succubus], [Incubus], [Soul-Eating Demon], and so on.」
I opened my mouth in shock when she said that.
「However, it is also true that this folia is one of the most powerful and useful folia that the human race can use. However, when it comes to the fact that "sexual intercourse is a prerequisite," it is, by all means, a degraded version.」
「Eh? Really?」
「Yes. The original [Soul Eater] can be used just as easily as any other folia, as long as you can formulate a super-high level of magic formula. Though, it loses its meaning once you cross a certain line ― Granted, once you reach that point, "Defense and Resistance are more important than Attack". Even if you use it, there is a high possibility that it will not work or you end up shooting in vain,......, Or, there is a high chance that you'll be "eaten instead", and even if you do learn it, it is hard to train from level 1, right? Moreover, there are some folia and skills that cannot be stolen.」
「Mumumumuuu......」
When she put it that way, there are indeed some shortcomings to be called "cheats".
「What we call "otherworldly cheating abilities" are the same as "cruel and merciless catastrophes," for example. It is a one-sided violence with little or no countermeasures, which could destroy the country and the world, of course.」
「――So what do you think we should do about it?」
That's what I want to know the most.
So far, "I can't have sex", and "I can't touch women", but there are no other inconveniences.
I can fight against demonic beasts, and I can use folia and the like normally.
There are problems, but there are also no problems――Though, I think I understand that I'm in a situation that I don't really understand.
「......?」
Suddenly, Grieve touched my cheek. And then.
「It's a little complicated, but it looks like you don't recognize me as a 'woman'?」
「Ah!」
I couldn't notice it right away because it was so natural, but when she mentioned it, it was certainly true.
「Perhaps if it were a "little girl," there might be no problem ― and in a way, your current situation might be "convenient," you know?」
「Wh-What do you mean?」
What is Grieve trying to say? I just have no idea. Then,
「The best thing to do is to just sit back and do nothing for a while, but as the saying goes, "If you fall down and get up without a fight, you are an imbecile". If the treatment is given as it is now, there is a good possibility that the patient will succumb to the voice of "the devil within" again.」
「Gununu」
That concern is certainly possible.
「In the first place, you have grown too explosively in a short period of time. Or rather, how can you reach "Level 20" so easily? I feel like questioning you for about an hour, but――」
「As I thought, is it because I "sucked up too much force"?」
「That was a good point. After all, it is commonly believed that "force is the energy of the origin of all things," and we almost had an argument about it when you came to the store before.」
「Now that you mention it, we have that argument」
「――Force is the power to affect everything that exists. In the first place, if you were asked, "What is the level?", can you give an answer?」
「Huh?」
I was puzzled by the suddenness of the question.
「Let's see. As I recall, the evaluation by "Magmeto, the God of Management", is just a guideline, or something―」
「Correct. But why is such evaluation and management necessary in the first place? Why is such a system established in this world, in Elfaria?」
「Nunununu!」
That makes sense, now that she put it that way, the question "Why, though?"
Because the world is like a game ― that's not a reason.
At the very least, as long as the "level system" exists in this world, there must be a "reason" why it must exist.
That's what Grieve is pointing out to me right now, though――As I'm pondering it in my head,
「......In the first place, there is a theory that level was originally nothing more than a "word that indicates a rank". More precisely, it is "the rating of God," and it is commonly believed that the term "Divinity" for short was changed to "level" at some point in time.」
「Heh ......」
「It's a little off-topic, but what is important is the "rating by God," and of course, there are "levels" or "ranks" or "hierarchies"―you. What am I trying to say? Do you understand?」
To be honest, I have no idea.
I don't know, but―"something" is bugging me.
I stared into Grieve's eyes for a while, and then a word popped into my mind and out of my mouth.
「"Shinka"――"Evolution"? Ah! Could it be――!?」
Grieve assured me with a satisfied smile as she revealed a flash of inspiration.
「Correct. As you see, the level system is - to put it simply - an indicator of the degree of evolution.」
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Tftc
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