The pedestal is looking for someone to talk to.
　And yet, the pledge was not fulfilled even though I stayed with the conversation for 5 hours and 22 minutes.
　This in itself is not surprising.
　It's not surprising in itself, as seemingly insignificant wishes have no bounds.

　As I've told Ituna, there's nothing more annoying than a kid's "I want you to go out with me for fun" type of wish.
　Even if you take a day to accomplish it, your pledge will still want another.
　They'll smile with no offense and say something like, "Play with me again tomorrow.
　You can comfortably order more because it's not as big of a wish.
　And more importantly, that time the wish was a hilarious "I want you to play with me all the time" or something like that.
　It takes more patience than a god-killer to get them to put a break on this kind of wish.

　It's the same this time.
　There's no fundamental end set to the "I want someone to talk to" wish.
　If you're not going to be released after a short period of time together, you're going to need to find someone else to talk to besides me.

　Wanting someone to talk to is probably the flip side of loneliness.
　Assume that eternal loneliness has summoned me.
　Wouldn't the actual pledge then be "I want to heal my loneliness"?

　Anticipating this, I relied on Stella-chan and continued to watch the girl and the inorganic substance become friends.
　Unlike me, Stella-chan can become Daiza-chan's eternal partner if she wants to.
　So, even if it's only a short time, we should be able to fulfill the conditions for fulfilling the pledge.......I thought.

'Two hours have passed, huh?'

　There's no sign of me being summoned to the next different world.
　When this happens, a prediction that I don't want to be too correct comes to my head.

　All the preliminary checks are now done.
　All that's left to do is squash the possibility that we just don't have enough time.
　Let's get to work.

"Pledge. I will never speak to the altar of sacrifice again.

　As planned, he throws a proxy pledge, which is the opposite of his initial wish for Ryuji Gyakushagi to be the one to talk to.
　The repercussions of this small, boundless wish are extremely light. The substitute can be my oath, which has no force, and there is no penalty for the pledger.
　That's why I always terminate it like this when I've determined that I've achieved a certain amount of hope.

　However..........

　--The purpose is different from the summoner's request. I cannot accept the pledge of a substitute.

　It was played.
　In other words, it has not been established as the opposite of the original pledge.

'Oath. I promise eternal solitude on the altar of sacrifice.

　Change the content and try again.
　If the pledges are around "I want someone to talk to" or "I want to heal my loneliness" as we assume, then this should pass the proxy.
　It's a pledge that can be accomplished by covering this space with a ward and sealing Stella-chan away.
　But..........

　--The purpose is different from the summoner's request. We cannot accept the pledge of a substitute.

''Well, I suppose so........''

　Sure enough, it was an outlier.
　Well, if it went through, I felt sorry for the pedestal girl, so maybe this was a good thing.

　This is a common case where the words uttered by the pledges and their actual desires are different.
　And the kids in the church's desire to "play with adults" was to replace their lost parents.
　Even in the case where I was summoned right after defeating Shrezzad, I was the first to suspect that the pledge could be different.
　Sometimes, like in the world where I was the cook, the pledge could even be changed in the middle of the process.

　I'm sure her real wish is........

　Suddenly, my eyes met with Stella's.
　She looks straight into my eyes with a complicated expression.
　As I stared back at her without looking away, Stella-chan opened her arms to me.

'Nee-cha, kakko.'
Oh, boy.

　While I was amused by the unexpected reaction, I quickly rushed over with my light-winged sprint to hold Stella-chan in my arms.

''Gyu!''

　Stella hugs me tightly.
　She was in a bad mood earlier.
　Hmmm, what on earth did I talk about with pedestal-chan?

(I decided.)

　....
　Here's a reminder from the pedestal-chan.

"What have you decided?

　A hint of tragic resolve prompts me to go on, though I somehow anticipate the answer to the question.

(I am the altar of sacrifice. I catch the blood that someone has shed and pour it into the magic circle. Just that device...)

　That's right.
　An altar that has no other use, an altar that can't even be moved around the room.
　That's her.

I don't want to be used. I don't want anyone else to die on me.

　It's also a natural way of thinking for a Japanese woman with honest values.

(Mr. Sakagagi. I'm going to say my true wish.)
Yeah, I'm all ears.

　Or maybe I knew all along, too.
　This is the only wish this woman would have.



(Destroy me, please.)



　The moment those words echoed in my head, Stella-chan, who had been squatting in my chest, looked up at me with strange eyes.
　I didn't mean to change my expression, but she might have sensed the movement of my heart sensitively.
　Feigning composure, I asked her to the altar in front of me.

'Why?'
Because ... of course. I don't have a future. I can't be something else. I can't move and die like this for the rest of my life I can't take it anymore)

　Her voice, mixed with sobs, echoed in her head as she gambled.
　If she had had eyes, I would have shed unstoppable tears.

(At least there was hope that if I had a use for it, someone else might use it. (I'm not kidding about it being an altar to sacrifice to an evil god.)

　An unconcealable feeling of despair and self-loathing swirls through my brain, and I almost scowl.

(I've wanted to die so many times before. But it's impossible!　I'm a thing!　It's just a pedestal!　(I can't even allow myself to poke my throat with the dagger above me now!

　That would be true.
　Because she doesn't have the fingers to grasp the dagger.
　Because she does not have a throat to cut with the blade.
　Because she doesn't have the blood that's being lost.

(And just when I really wanted to die helplessly, you showed up. So I knew right away. (You are the one who will kill me, Mr. Reverse Hagiography.
But when it came down to it, I got scared...
...Yes.

　So the first time I randomly approached her she gasped for air with an unlikely breathing apparatus.
　What flowed into me at that moment was fear.
　When you are faced with death, you have the same feelings that anyone would have.

Please, Mr. Katagi. Please kill me........no, destroy me. (Give me a merciful end to this senseless life)

　However, I can only feel a slight fear from her now.
　It must be a wish that was made with a half-hearted determination.
　Oh, it's a wish uttered with this much determination in mind.
　My answer is of course.

No.
(Yes, please....?)

　Pedestal-chan lets out a scream.
　He shakes his head as if it's out of his mind.

''No, I don't want to, usually. Killing a woman you know and get along with is completely the work of a psychopath...
(No, no, no, no, no!　Did you listen to me properly?　(Hey!
I heard. It was all your idea in the first place. Like I'm the guy who's gonna kill me.
Oh, my God!　(Making people sound like megalomaniacs!
No, you're on a pedestal.

　At my tweak, Daiza-chan shushed me in frustration.

'Besides, I'm. I'm greedy and selfish... even if I'm not in love with a woman I'm not in love with, sometimes I just can't help but want to help her.

　I patted Stella's back and then let her down once and gently stroked her head as she tilted her head back to look up at me.
　Stella-chan meditates comfortably.

'Especially if that guy is being unreasonable. I'd like to destroy all that fate and all that, and then laugh at the fact that this is the extent of your despair.

　When I tried to cower my shoulders as usual, Daiza-chan muttered in a tearful voice.

(Wah, I'm........a pedestal, right?)
So?
(An altar of sacrifice, an abominable tool!)
That's no reason to turn your back on us, is it?

　And moreover, I'm dealing with a woman who would even summon me in desperation to have her killed.
　I'm not benevolent enough to listen to a foolish wish here.
　Nevertheless.

'Maybe Stella-chan told you about it. The other day, I ignored her wishes and forced her to come here. It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you want to do with it, and if it's possible, I'd like to make your wish come true.

　I was thinking of summoning some of the spirits of this world if I could just talk to them.
　As long as the one I wanted removed was predictable, there was only one way to accomplish the pledge without making a proxy.

''What's the truth?　You wish.

　I ask.
　To remind me again of the dreams I must have had before I despaired.

(Wow, I....!)
Whatever you think is impossible, I'm going to make it happen. Tell me.

　I smiled at her with absolute confidence, and she shouted with a mixture of pedestal-chan sobs.

(I want to live, sir!　I want to be born again as a human!　(I just want to do it right this time!)

　The wish that came from the most sincere wish of the pedestal-chan ran through me.
　I'm sure she can't hear me, but Stella-chan chuckles.
　I laugh as well.

"Then you should have said so in the first place!

　I don't like it too much because it sounds like an imitation of God, but if that's what you want, then no pros and cons.
　He held his hands up to the pedestal.

"Now I'm going to pull your spirit out of the pedestal and reincarnate it into a human being.

　I could clearly hear the sound of pedestal-chan swallowing raw spit in my head.

(Well, wait. Hey, my mind is ready!)
No, no, no. No, no, no. I can't wait any longer. I can't wait any longer, and you'll have to answer this question with a "no" if you have to.

　I've convinced a bewildered Daiza-chan to agree, and I tell her the conditions for reincarnation.

'I can't service my cheat ability like other gods. Is that okay with you?

　After a moment of silence, he agreed.

'I can't guarantee what kind of birth I'll be. You might spend the rest of your life miserable in the slums. Would you still like that?

　This was another sign of affirmation after a bit of hesitation.

''After reincarnation, you cannot inherit your previous memories. However, the memories are still engraved on the spirits that are not bleached in Gaff's room. That's why aging or some kind of shock can remind you of your previous life. Still, I don't mind.

　The longest silence ever.
　Eventually, I nodded silently at the answer that Pedestal-chan gave.　

'Okay,'

　What I'm trying to use is not a cheat ability, but my own reincarnation technique that I learned by imitating the gods.
　That's why there are many rough edges.
　The consent of the opponent is mandatory. Because of the "Summons and Pledges", you can't specify the origin of your reincarnation or even the other world itself. You can't even pass on your memories.

　Ava and the goddess wives I have on hand can probably do better than me.
　You can designate your reincarnation destination, transfer memories, and even grant cheat abilities if you want to.
　But in any case, I won't be undertaking the reincarnation of a pledge other than under the conditions I gave you earlier.
　If you're serious about starting over, your spirit will remember you even if you don't have any memories.
　Well, the telepathic cheat you have now should be inherited, and that's enough for a reincarnation bonus.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. So long, Taiza-chan.

　The technique is completed.
　A wind of light swirled around me and Pedestal-chan, and Stella-chan hurriedly grabbed my leg and stepped on it.

(Ha, ha!) 　Um, Mr. Sakagagi!
Hmm?
(Thank you, thank you!)　(I owe you this favor... oh, did I forget?)

　There was no face on the pedestal.
　But I felt like she smiled a little sadly, or so I thought.

'Well, if you ever remember anything, give it back to someone else.

　You don't necessarily have to return the favor you received to him.
　That's what my mentor says.

(Understood!)

　The moment pedestal-chan responded cheerfully, the light gathered in the center of the room burst loudly.

''Kiree!''

　Stella jumped as her eyes sparkled at the glittering and snowy particles that fell like snow.

'Let's see,'

　Just to be sure, I checked what was a pedestal-chan with my appraising eyes.
　It was a genuine, just a pedestal with no magic waves.

"Well, we'll go too.

　I talk to Stella.
　A summoning formation leading to the next different world had long since appeared at my feet.

''Nee-cha, are you sure?''

　Stella-chan stops chasing after the grain of light and stares at me forlornly.

　
　Of course, I wasn't going to leave Stella-chan in a place like this.
　And in the unlikely event that the first proxy pledge went through, I was going to collect the 'pedestal-chan's talking partner' and cancel the summoning.
　And then I was going to summon a local spirit or something.

"Come on,
Aye!

　I held out my hand, and without any hesitation, Stella grabbed my hand in her little fingers.
　She's smiling up at me, as if she's really happy to see me.
　It's like the awkward attitude we had earlier is a lie.

'What were you talking to me about, pedestal-chan?

　I couldn't help but ask, I was curious.
　'Hmm,' she pretended to think for a bit, and then Stella nodded vigorously.

'What a secret between us girls!
Oh, yeah.

　I felt a strange sense of déjà vu, but we were leaving for the next different world.