It was a rare chance, so Rio asked every question he could think of. Of course, the mask he was referring to was the mask that could bear the burden of the transcendent rules. He had used up a mask in the battle with the golem, so he only had two good masks left.
“The materials are hard to process, so they can’t be replicated right away. You’ll have to make do with this for now. They’re my spares from a thousand years ago. Dissolvo.”
Lina recited her spell and took out five new masks. They fell onto the soft bed.
“Thanks.”
“No need to thank me. You’re the one helping me out.”
“This is good, then... Come to think of it, Celia mentioned the atelier underneath the Galarc Castle. When did you make that?”
“I prepared it after the Divine War ended. I knew that the Galarc Kingdom would be built on this land. And that the golems would attack.”
“I heard you were fatally wounded in the Divine War... But you survived?” Rio asked.
“I was wounded to the point where death was inevitable, but I treated my injuries and extended my life just enough to prepare for the future. Even then, there just wasn’t enough time, so I couldn’t do anything significant.”
“What are the underground facilities like?”
“There’s a space to control the barrier, a living space, a research lab, and a storehouse. I can even take you there sometime. I plan on taking Celia there again anyway, so I’ll make it so that you and your friends can come and go freely.”
“Thank you very much. Can I tell this to King Francois? I’m sure he’d want to know what’s going on beneath the castle too.”
“Yes, that’s fine. It’s so deep, it won’t have any impact on the castle foundations, so tell him not to worry about that. It also can’t be accessed without my permission, so it isn’t a security risk.”
“Got it.”
“So, any other questions? I’m giving you a first-time bonus right now, but I might limit the number of questions soon.”
“Don’t you know what I’ll ask anyway?”
Lina once had the power to see the future, so it wouldn’t be strange for her to know what would happen in this conversation already.
“The answer is yes. I knew what you would ask me in this conversation all along,” Lina said, nodding with a bold grin.
“I see...”
“Do you think it’s worthless to have a conversation I’ve already seen? Or even creepy, perhaps?”
She knew what was going to happen, yet chose to watch without changing things. It was only natural that other people would consider that creepy. In reality, there were even some transcendent ones who had found Lina creepy, but...
“Not at all.” Rio shook his head after a surprised pause, smiling gently.
“Why?”
“Information obtained by asking my own questions is completely different from information given without prompting. I can understand the former much better.”
“Wonderful answer. There’s meaning in having this conversation with you,” Lina said happily, as though she were praising a well-behaved student. “Besides, it doesn’t take much to change the future. Even the slightest detail of our conversation could change things. At worst, it could even change without my notice.”
Rio’s eyes widened. “Even when you’ve seen the future?” he asked.
“There’s a vast amount of information when it comes to the future. The number of branches is infinite, so information about low-probability futures ends up lower priority—and sometimes slips through the gaps.”
“I see...”
“If a change that shouldn’t exist ends up occurring, it results in a near impossible future. It’s actually pretty common—whenever the conversation deviates from what I know, that’s what’s happening. But while having unpredictable conversations is enjoyable, it’s a different matter for major events.” Lina sighed tiredly.
“And that’s why you don’t want to do anything that could affect the future?”
“Yes, because I don’t know how the future could end up changing either. I dislike creating change, and I’d rather watch silently even if a problem occurs. If I was to deal with something myself, I’d generally do it after the event is over. Of course, there are special exceptions.” Lina grinned cruelly without explaining what those special exceptions would be.
“I understand. I’ll make sure not to blame you for not preventing things you knew would happen.”
It was only natural to want to know about trouble beforehand, yet Rio smiled at Lina without demanding so.
“There are humans who can’t accept that even when they understand why. It’s not so simple, which is why you’re just like the Dragon King.”
What kind of relationship had Lina and the Dragon King had in the past? A memory seemed to flash through Lina’s mind, as she looked down at Rio like she had something to say. But she pursed her lips and swallowed her words.
“I also know where Sendo Takahisa is, but I can’t tell you his location. No, I won’t tell you,” she said in a somewhat bad-tempered, somewhat sullen tone.
“I was just about to ask that...”
“I know.”
Rio let out a strained chuckle. “Of course...”
“You’re too kind to a man like him. He harassed you out of jealousy too. He’s not worth your worry,” Lina said with a sigh.
“He’s still Aki and Masato’s older brother, and Miharu and Satsuki’s friend.”
“I see. Then I’ll tell you enough to avoid affecting the future. He’s doing fine. He eloped with a prostitute and is off having the time of his life with her.”
“Is that...so...”
“You’ll reunite in time. You can also let the others know that for their peace of mind.”
“Got it.” Rio nodded deeply. It helped to know Takahisa was safe.
“All right, then it’s about time I limited the questions. This is the last one I’ll answer freely. The next one will create a lot of derivative questions, so those will be included.”
“I understand. Then I’d like to ask in detail about how those who were summoned here from Earth can return home.”
“There’s a huge difference in the amount of calculations required between summoning and sending. Coordinates, timelines, et cetera, et cetera. There are too many uncertain factors to say for sure, but even if I started the calculations to send them back to Earth right this moment, they’d be lucky to return in their lifetimes.”
“Then...can you start those calculations now?”
“I knew you’d say that, so I already have,” Lina replied casually.
Rio looked pleasantly surprised.
“Thank you very much,” he tried to say, but...
“It’s too early for any gratitude. If they’re unlucky, they won’t be returning in this lifetime. Don’t give them any false hope about actually returning home,” she said in warning.
“Right... Got it.” Rio nodded, expression stiffening. “But I also have information regarding this. It’s about the future on Earth, though.”
“As you would. You lived on Earth as Amakawa Haruto for four years after Miharu and the others were summoned here, after all.”
“Shortly before I died as Amakawa Haruto, I met my mother. When I asked her about Aki, she said she was doing well...”
“Oh, really now? And then?”
Lina reacted as though she had never heard of this before and urged Rio to continue.
“Of course, it’s possible that Amakawa Haruto’s mother was lying. But I was hoping that this means your calculations will finish in the near future,” Rio said, looking at Lina for her response.
“I can’t tell you when my calculations will finish,” Lina emphasized with a smile.
“I know. I’m not trying to probe you for more information.”
He couldn’t imagine himself outwitting her. That was the strong impression he got from their conversation so far.
“Really? I’m happy to accept any challenges.”
“What I’m most curious about is the inverted timelines. Why did I regain Amakawa Haruto’s memories before they came here when he died after they disappeared over there? It’s always puzzled me...”
It was the question Rio had carried since he first met Miharu and the others here.
“If I tried to explain it properly, I’d have to write a whole thesis.”
“I mean, yes, but...”
What Rio wanted to know was if there was a reason or purpose for it that surpassed logic. He was struggling to put that part in words.
“It’s no coincidence,” Lina said with an all-knowing smile.
“Huh?”
“The fact Amakawa Haruto was the reincarnation of the Dragon King, the fact Ayase Miharu is my reincarnation, and the fact you were born here before Ayase Miharu wandered into this world—all of these things were arranged by me, based on the future I foresaw.”
“I-I see. As I thought...”