"...Tch."
Shiomi rolled his shoulders as he walked down the corridor, heading for the StormBorder deck to get some air.
"Pull your collar down a little. Even if it fades in a bit, you'll still be embarrassed if someone sees you like this, won't you?" Touko lifted a hand and tugged at his collar.
"And whose fault do you think that is…?" Shiomi muttered darkly.
Touko shrugged. "You're the one who gave us the door code."
"…Fine. My fault." Shiomi covered his face.
They'd been lingering in the room after things wrapped up with Morgan when Master and the others started showing up one after another, and the whole room had instantly turned into a disaster.
Luckily, Morgan had reacted fast and put away the dress she'd taken off. Otherwise it might've gotten dirty enough that even cleaning it with magecraft would've been a pain.
"Just treat it as a good-luck charm before we set off," Touko said with a smug little smile.
"That's one hell of a filthy good-luck charm…" Shiomi couldn't help laughing at her logic.
He took Touko's hand and walked with her to the hatch leading up to the deck. After passing through several heavy doors, they stepped out and immediately spotted Olga Marie already there.
Adele and Macarios, the twin siblings supporting the God-Breaking Alliance, were with her as well.
Olga Marie was clearly discussing something serious with the two of them. The moment she saw Shiomi, she waved him over.
"What are you talking about out here? If it's an operation plan, shouldn't we bring the others in?" Shiomi asked.
"No…" Olga Marie shook her head. "I'm just confirming one thing with Adele and Macarios."
Touko lifted an eyebrow. "Don't tell me it's—"
"Removing the Fantasy Tree," Macarios said, his voice steady. "That's our final objective right now. Bring down Zeus, then remove the Fantasy Tree."
"From what I learned in the Interstellar City," Shiomi said, looking at them, "the humans here may have lived a long time, but they're fully aware of what they are, residents of a Pruned Event, and they understand that the Fantasy Tree is tied to this world's survival. As people of Olympus, you're no exception, right?"
"Of course," Macarios replied. "If we remove the Fantasy Tree, the Lostbelt will end, and Olympus, the Interstellar City's mountain-range… will disappear. My sister and I will definitely… die too…" His voice gradually fell away.
Shiomi nodded. "Once. We've only ever been able to observe it from the inside one time, when a Lostbelt was on the verge of collapse. We can't apply it to everything without exception, but we did catch a glimpse of what the result looks like."
"More than once, the Great God Zeus has said that the destruction of a Lostbelt means the death of every living thing inside it," Adele added, far calmer than her brother.
"But!" Macarios suddenly flared up. "In this Olympus, Father and Mother both abandoned their roles as parents! Here, everyone is nothing but someone being sheltered! Everyone kneels before the gods, living like reeds that don't even think!"
"Simply being dissatisfied with how things are isn't enough reason to oppose Olympus," Shiomi said, keeping the cool detachment of an observer. He had to stay that way, whether as a human or as a god.
His time as someone living through a Lostbelt had already ended.
He had protected the people he wanted to protect, and then returned to Proper Human History. From here on, what he had to do was still the same: atone for that partiality.
"Your parents… are they still alive? Or did they already—during the Fourth War of the Gods…?"
Faced with Shiomi's question, the siblings' expressions darkened.
The answer was obvious.
"But…" Olga Marie suddenly spoke up. "In the Scandinavian Lostbelt… Goddess Skadi and the few survivors were able to continue existing even after leaving the Lostbelt. Even if it isn't an Anomalous World like Britannia, you must have a way, right, Professor?"
Shiomi wasn't surprised that Olga Marie would say this. He knew there was no way to hide it from her, given her position as Director.
Britannia and Scandinavia were fundamentally different.
After becoming an Anomalous World, Britannia was able, in essence, to continue existing even after separation.
But Scandinavia… including Skadi. Shiomi must have done something to allow them to maintain their existence.
"It's not that there's no way," Shiomi said calmly, nodding. "And I also think that sooner or later, I'll have to face everyone and make this secret public."
"A secret?" The twins showed identical looks of confusion.
From the moment they first saw Shiomi, they had felt something strange. The source of that feeling was the Tower of Heaven now standing between the Interstellar City and the Orbital Grand Temple.
Could Shiomi, who had created such a miracle, really be just a human?
His words and actions did reflect that, but the overwhelming presence he carried couldn't be ignored. It clearly pointed to another side of him.
Then Shiomi extended his hand toward Adele and Macarios.
"The method is to find a Proper Human History anchor that can establish your existence. As things stand, faith in a god is the most direct and effective means. If you're willing to offer me your faith right now, then even after leaving Olympus, you'll be able to keep living."
His voice was calm and solemn, so much so that Olga Marie found it unfamiliar.
Compared to the slightly strict but ultimately approachable teacher she knew, his stance as a god was unmistakable.
"Professor… you're a god?" she asked, covering her mouth in shock.
"Maybe the change began long ago. Maybe it only fully took shape recently," Shiomi said, shaking his head. "That's precisely why I'm able to keep fighting like this."
"A god who fights for humanity…" Macarios was the first to show doubt in his eyes.
Yet when faced with a gaze that should have been considered irreverent, Shiomi accepted it calmly, acknowledging the reasonableness of that doubt as if it were only natural.
"You don't need to answer right away," Shiomi said, lowering his hand. "There's still fighting ahead. If Zeus isn't destroyed and the Fantasy Tree isn't dealt with, this promise doesn't even come into play."
"That applies to humans. Skadi is a special case."
In the end, she accepted the marriage vow offered by the great god Odin and became Shiomi's bride. As a new god of Proper Human History, she established her existence on a planet beyond the Lostbelt.
As for the Valkyries and the surviving villagers, all they needed to do was continue their faith in Skadi.
"We really do need some time to think this through," Macarios said, sounding a little lost.
Adele looked at Shiomi and smiled as she thanked him. "Thank you, God of Humanity."
"Don't worry about it—"
Before Shiomi could finish, Olga Marie tugged at the hem of his clothes.
"Professor… could I talk with you and Touko for a moment?"