"...This [Homunculus] is..."
Spirit possession.
It was the most common method used by so-called [Spiritual Lifeforms] from other worlds to interfere with the Central World when they lacked physical bodies.
Normally, it meant taking over a living human body, which was why many viewed it as inhumane. But once magitech entered the picture, things changed.
An artificial body: [Homunculus].
One of the trump cards created by [Sorcerous Dynasty Sarion] for use in war, it was tougher than the bodies of most monsters and crafted so exquisitely that it was almost impossible to tell it apart from a real body.
Unless someone was a powerhouse worthy of being called a Hero at minimum, seeing through it was nearly impossible.
And the [Homunculus] I was holding now was a special vessel made solely with spirit possession in mind, crafted from hipokte herbs and magic ore personally gathered from the Sealed Cave where Veldora was imprisoned.
Depending on how it was used, it might even be able to contain a monster whose [existence value] surpassed my own.
"Just as Your Majesty the Heavenly Emperor is probably guessing right now, I do intend to use it for a demon."
Whether it could truly house even one of the [Primordial Demons] would have to be tested.
"Hmm~ So it really is for a demon... I take it it's a demon without a body?"
"Yes, that's right. Circumstances forced only me to descend to the Central World first, so I wanted to give them a good body as a gift."
"Oh? A gift, you say..."
The corners of Ermesia's eyes curved like crescent moons for a moment as she tilted her head.
It meant uncertainty.
Uncertainty toward my statement, which was neither wholly false nor wholly true.
Because this body was less a gift and closer to an offering.
"This demon... it isn't a very dangerous existence, is it?"
Flinch
Ermesia's question made me tense for a second.
Still, somehow hiding my surprise, I calmly worked my thoughts through.
"...Maybe in the past. But now, it's fine. Later on... they may even become one of the heroes who protect this world."
That was the plain truth.
Whether she followed the original flow or chose to follow me, in the end she too would stand on the side that fought to protect this world.
"If nothing else, I can swear that the demon who receives this body will not harm humanity."
So that, too, was true.
"Hmm... Well, it would be rude to keep doubting you beyond this, so all right for now."
Leaning back against one of the World Tree's massive branches with her arms folded, Ermesia waved a hand lazily.
"You can really go now~ And give Leon my regards too~"
"Yes... I'll see you again next time."
Thankfully, I managed to finish today's conversation without any problems... more or less.
**
After finishing my talk with Ermesia, I entered the cave where the World Tree's roots lay and immediately found Chronoa right in front of me.
I gave her a rough explanation of part of what I'd discussed with Ermesia, along with my plans for what I'd do next.
"So you're really going straight to [Eldorado]? Already?"
Chronoa looked troubled, flustered by the schedule I laid out.
Which made sense. Leon Cromwell was in Eldorado right now... or rather, her absurdly overprotective childhood friend was.
"...Leon isn't a bad person, so it's probably fine if he meets you. But meeting me? Even with the [Clown Mask], that's impossible."
Chronoa—or more precisely, Chloe—and Leon were childhood friends who had both been summoned from the same otherworld.
Because of the power of [time] that Chronoa wielded, the two had arrived in different eras, and since the flow of time could not be broken, they could not meet each other as things stood.
This fragile state, where the flow of time had only barely avoided collapse, would shatter the moment Leon sensed her.
"Leon gets strangely obsessive about things like this. If he sees me, he'll realize right away who I am. That I'm Chloe."
"Yeah. There's a very high chance he will."
Considering he had even borrowed the hands of those clowns in order to find Chloe, Chronoa's prediction was probably completely correct.
"So while I'm in [Eldorado], it'd be better if we stayed apart for a while."
"...Whaaat?! I know I can't meet Leon, but... saying we should split up already...?"
Chronoa turned her head aside, sounding like she thought I was being cruel.
But this was one thing I couldn't back down on either.
"I do feel bad about it. But it can't be helped. Like you know, [Eldorado] is tangled up with several important matters. And among them... there's also something related to your... no, your teacher."
Their teacher.
That word could only mean one person.
"...Teacher...? You knew about Miss Shizu too...?"
Hinata's tone.
The voice that had shifted from Chronoa to Hinata trembled ever so slightly.
That alone showed how deeply Hinata cherished her teacher, Shizu.
Among the very few people Hinata truly trusted, Shizu was someone especially precious, so that reaction was only natural.
"...I never said it outright, but I knew the rough outline. That you and Chloe would become her disciples later, and that connection is what led to this [Time Traveler]."
Shizu.
Her full name was Izawa Shizue.
Forced into this world by Leon after he became a Demon Lord, she was a singularity who would later bring enormous changes to the course of the world.
"When I checked where your regression was connected from by looking at your souls, only one person stood out."
Just as monsters could be linked to one another through souls, humans too could be bound by souls if they shared strong ties and trust.
And I was a [Divine Demon], one of the few beings capable of seeing such souls.
"...If I intervene, I might be able to change the fate your teacher carries."
The unhappy fate of a girl whose ending had been fixed as death in agony.
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