Chapter 822: The Answer
My cooking did not work at all.
It was not a case where the effect was merely somewhat weaker.
It was the first time it had produced absolutely no effect.
That fact itself had greatly bewildered me.
“......This.”
But even that bewilderment.
Compared to the sight unfolding before my eyes right now, it felt like nothing.
The one with the appearance of a newborn baby.
The...... black spaces inside its abdomen and mouth.
Naturally, it was not the ordinary kind of black that looked black because light was absorbed.
Nor was it simply so deep that the end could not be seen.
'There’s nothing.'
Inside that black space, there truly was nothing.
The tongue and stomach that should originally have been there.
Not only the various organs that should have been inside.
'Not even air, not even space.'
The very concept that something existed did not exist there.......
It was literally itself.
If it had merely been empty space, the surrounding air would have moved to fill that empty space.
But that place was not like that.
Because it was completely filled with the concept that nothing existed, nothing could fill it.
That was why nothing could be seen there.
“What the hell is this.”
“Didn’t I say I was injured a little?”
“A little? This is the result of being injured a little?”
I could understand why my cooking had not worked.
There was no tongue with which to taste.
There was no throat through which to swallow it.
There were no internal organs to move the food into its abdomen, nor a stomach to store and digest it.
No matter how much food it ate.
It could neither taste it nor digest it...... so there was no way my cooking could work.
'What kind of fight would you have to go through.'
To suffer an ‘injury’ like that.
I could not understand it at all.
“......That little injury.”
And...... the cause of that injury bothered me as well.
But there was one emotion that came before that.
“Then, can’t I just treat you like a patient?”
The fact that the food I had made with such care did not work.
That fact itself was hurting my pride.
FWAAAAAAASH!!!
I rotated the mana throughout my entire body.
It had been a little awkward at first.
But now that I had completely mastered the sensation while using various skills, I had become capable of handling power with a feeling no different at all from when I had received the System’s assistance.
[Force-Feeding]
And like that.
I forcibly fed the dishes I had made to it.
My cooking, transformed into clusters of light, touched its skin and seeped inside.
But.
“......The result will probably be the same.”
It did not work.
'What the.'
The description of [Force-Feeding] had stated that this was originally a skill meant for patients.
A skill for those who were incapable of consuming normal food.
I had simply been using it for somewhat strange purposes.
From the beginning, it was a power meant for those who could not consume food normally, such as people with injured mouths or problems with their stomachs.
It was like an IV drip inserted directly into the blood vessels.
Since I had used it for its proper purpose, its effect should have been stronger than usual.
'And yet, the fact that it still didn’t work means.......'
That black space.
That was not simply a case of the bodily organs in those areas having disappeared.
Yes...... there was probably some other reason.
“Adding anything more probably won’t mean anything either.”
That hole was a kind of symbol.
A larger phenomenon had occurred, and that hole was merely an additional symbol produced as a result of that phenomenon.
The fact that its tongue and stomach had disappeared meant...... yes.
'The very concept of ‘eating something’ has disappeared.'
From the very beginning.
It was defined as a being incapable of eating anything.
***
“......Ha!”
The various keywords that defined an existence.
Among them, inside this one, the very concept of ‘eating something’ was absent.
Realizing that fact, I frowned.
'My cooking doesn’t work?'
There was no other reason.
I had not even known this one for very long.
I had not heard some convincing story about its past, nor did I even really know what kind of being it was.
I was curious about why it had suffered an injury like that, but that was all.
I had no particular obligation to solve this one’s problem.
And yet there was only one reason I frowned.
'That hurts my pride.'
Simply.
My pride had been wounded far too much.
“Wait a little. I’ll think of another way.”
I thought of other methods in my head.
[Force-Feeding] had failed.
But if I went through the abilities I possessed, there might be another method.
'Would it be possible if I used [Authority]?'
The zeroth law that allowed me to define the concepts of every living being and object that existed as my ingredients and guests.
If I used that, perhaps I could define even this one, who lacked the concept of eating, as my guest.
'......But that’s an authority on the defending side that I was allowed to use by the System.'
Something permitted only to the owner of that world.
Even on Earth, it had been closer to an authority transferred to me for use by the System, the true legitimate owner.
Besides, this place was not even my home world.
Even Avaritia had been unable to use his own Authority in a place that was not his world.
Likewise, I could not use Authority here either.
'No. What if I take this one to Earth?'
If I could do that, then I would be able to use Authority there.
It would consume divine power.
But if I only created a single serving of food within the shortest possible amount of time...... maybe I could somehow minimize that consumption.
“It won’t work.”
While I was thinking...... that I did not know.
It spoke first.
“No matter what you’re thinking of, that method will probably fail too. Treating me is probably impossible.”
“Hah, sounds like you’re saying that because you don’t know me.”
I gave a dry laugh as I spoke.
“I’ve probably heard that more than dozens of times over the past few years.”
I had even heard it recently.
The one who had said it had been one of the greatest divinities in the entire universe.
But...... in the end, I had proven those words wrong.
“Whether it’s impossible or not isn’t important in the first place.”
My profession was cook.
There could not be an opponent against whom my cooking did not work.
I could not tolerate such a thing.
So...... I had to accomplish this.
“Whether I have to do it or not. That’s all that matters.”
But.
“Then.”
......Now that I thought about it.
There was one more important thing.
“What if I don’t want you to?”
“......Huh?”
At those words.
I could not help but flinch slightly.
***
“What do you mean.”
“Seeing how confident you are, I’ve changed my mind a little too. Maybe if it really is you, you might be able to make the impossible possible. But...... aren’t I the person involved? What are you going to do if I don’t want that?”
“What are you talking about. That thing is treating your injuries.”
“Just because someone has an injury doesn’t mean everyone wants that injury to be treated.”
The little one plopped down onto the floor as it spoke.
“While talking with you, I realized something. Apparently I...... don’t think I want this injury to heal.”
“Why is that.”
“I don’t know that much. Like I said, I have no memories. But...... I’m certain about one thing. I really don’t want it, and rather, I desperately hope it never heals.”
It hurt my pride.
No, it was not merely a matter of pride.
I was still a little dazed by it.
But I had ended up in a situation where I had no choice but to walk toward transcendence.
And on that path of mine...... there could be no failures.
'If I fail, I can’t handle [Immaculateness].'
One of the ingredients I had torn away from Avaritia and which was now sleeping inside my shadow.
Because I would become unable to handle [Immaculateness].
But...... failure only existed where an attempt had been made.
“You’re not seriously planning to forcibly treat me when I don’t want it, are you?”
Even if it was something I could have accomplished had I continued trying.
If I stopped because the person involved did not want it.
That would not become a flaw.
Rather, forcibly interfering with the fate of someone who did not want it could have been what damaged that immaculateness instead.
“.......”
I remained silent for a moment and stared intently at it.
Then I slightly opened my mouth and tasted the flavor that originated from it.
'It’s sincere.'
If those words had instead come from some kind of resignation or compromise.
I would have persuaded it and tried treating it through cooking.
Don’t give up, don’t compromise.
Treatment is entirely possible, so trust me...... that was what I would have said.
But.
'A sincerity without any lingering attachment.'
In the flavor I sensed from its words, there was no such lingering attachment or resignation whatsoever.
I did not know why.
But it sincerely, without any lingering attachment at all, wanted its injury not to heal.
“Why? No, didn’t you say you couldn’t remember in the first place?”
“I couldn’t remember. Even I didn’t know that I didn’t want my injury to heal.”
That was why it had simply watched my cooking.
If it had not wanted its injury to heal from the beginning.
It would have stopped me from the moment I began cooking after saying that I would heal its injury.
“But...... while watching what you just did, that whole process.”
In other words.
It had only just remembered the thoughts it held within itself.
“A very small part of my memories came back.”
“......!”
“Not much. But I remembered enough to know what I like and what I dislike.”
Memories of its own likes and dislikes that even it had forgotten.
'Did my cooking work?'
I had thought my cooking had not worked at all.
But if even a little of its memories had truly returned.
Then perhaps the effects of my cooking had worked, even if only slightly.
'The first dish didn’t work at all...... but maybe the patient-food [Force-Feeding] had at least a little effect.'
But.
If my cooking had worked, normally there should have been a more dramatic change.
A change like that, something only it could know and that I could not even recognize while watching.
It was far too small a change to call it the effect of my cooking.
'Was the effect weak because its palate is too refined......?'
The possibility was not completely zero.
But something did not sit right.
While I frowned and sank into thought over that.
“More importantly.”
“......Huh?”
“Like you asked. I told you about myself. I’m sorry there wasn’t much to say because I have so few memories, but either way, I told you every memory I have. So.”
It looked at me.
Then smiled brightly and said.
“I’d like you to tell me about yourself too.”
“About me?”
“Think about it. Until now, you’ve been the only one asking questions, and I’ve been the only one answering.”
“......Ah.”
That was true.
In the first place, I had come here to find a way to overcome that destruction.
Because of that, I had simply been throwing questions one after another.
But as a way of having a conversation, it probably was not particularly desirable.
“Well, there are things I can tell even without you saying them. Judging from your attitude, it seems like you came here with some kind of purpose.”
“That’s true.”
It tapped its own head as it spoke.
“Like I said, more of my memories have returned compared to before. Maybe talking with you activated my brain. But even this is vague, so I don’t really know what exactly I remember.”
Earlier.
When I had first heard about its memories, it had been rambling quite badly.
It was injured badly enough that it could not even remember its own name, and it said it had not spoken with anyone else for a very long time.
Because of that, it had even felt frustrating, as if I were truly talking with a newborn baby.
“So tell me what you want.”
“.......”
“If I hear that, maybe something will come back to me from there.”
But not anymore.
I did not know whether its brain had really become activated through talking with me, or whether it was the effect of my cooking.
But its words and behavior...... felt a little clearer.
“It’s a pretty complicated story.”
“I don’t mind. I’ve been alone here the entire time, so if there’s one thing I have, it’s time. Who knows? Maybe after hearing your story, I’ll be able to help you somehow.”
“......If that’s the case.”
It certainly was not wrong.
In the end, my goal was to obtain some useful information from this land.
A resident of another world who heard my story might be able to suggest another method from a new perspective.
“......You said you worked hard for something, right. I’m the same.”
And like that, I began my story.
It would take far too long to tell everything.
So I only told it about the situation I was in right now.
Right now, I too was working toward something.
But that thing was so close to impossible.
That was why I had come here in order to find a way to solve that impossibility.
I had not specifically intended to come here, but this had been the first place I arrived...... about that much.
“......Hmm, that really was a complicated story.”
“Right? Well, I said all that, but it’s not like you absolutely have to give me the answer. If I can’t find a suitable method here, I plan to go somewhere else then. If I keep traveling around like that, maybe someday I’ll find a useful clue...... that’s about how I’m moving right now.”
“You say you’ll go somewhere else...... do you even have a way to go? Didn’t you come here through a method where you don’t even know whether you can return to your homeland in the first place?”
“I’ll have to look for that. Somehow, I succeeded in arriving in another world like this, so a method to go somewhere else or return...... well, if I keep looking, won’t I find one eventually?”
“That sounds far too reckless. What are you going to do if you can’t find a way to move and end up trapped in this space?”
“Ah, I’m actually not too worried about that part.”
“Why? Have you already secured some means of transportation?”
“Not exactly, but, how should I put it.”
It was awkward to talk about the ‘foresight’ I had awakened to.
So I scratched my head as I spoke.
“I had this...... ‘intuition’ that things would somehow work out.”
“.......”
“I know I don’t look like it, but my intuition tends to be pretty accurate.”
And.
At those words of mine.
“Pfft......!”
It burst into laughter, unable to hold it in.
“Puhahah.........!”
“.......”
The one with the appearance of a newborn baby burst out laughing and began clutching its stomach.
I could only look at it with an awkward expression.
Even to my own ears, it sounded like a bullshit answer, so I could understand why it had burst out laughing like that.
“Are you done laughing?”
“Mm...... thanks to you. I don’t even know how long it’s been since I laughed like this. I’m certain it’s been a very, very long time.”
After laughing like that for quite a while, it finally stopped and spoke.
“It was a pretty funny story. Still...... it’s not completely wrong either.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that.”
“That intuition you mentioned.”
It spoke while wiping away the droplets of water that had formed at the corners of its eyes from laughing.
“I’m glad I decided to hear your story after all.”
With those words.
It moved its small hand and extended a finger.
“Trusting your intuition and acting on it is really not something I’d recommend.......”
And.
It brought that finger between itself and me.
“But this time, it seems like it was the correct answer after all.”
It lightly moved the finger straight across.
And then.
CRRRRRRRAAAAAACK......!
“......!”
The space between us.
Began to ‘split.’
“I don’t have any exact memories. I didn’t know before I heard your story either. But...... now that I’ve heard it, I’m certain.”
And.
Seeing the hole that appeared as the space split apart, I could only stare blankly with my mouth open.
Because.
That hole was something I had seen only a short while ago.
“That thing you’re trying to do.”
It was...... the same thing Sergeant Park Taejun had opened for me.
“If it’s me...... I can probably help you.”
A hole connected to the ‘outer universe.’
That very hole.