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Chapter 372: The Story After. (4). [Side Story 4]

[First, before anything else, let me ask you to confirm this again.]

Following the Tower Master’s words, Ketal grasped the device’s handle and turned it.

As it accelerated, physical energy was converted into electrical energy, and the lightbulb began to glow.

The Tower Master watched the sight with unrestrained fascination.

[How curious. Even without any mystery, light is manifesting.]

For them, light was something that required the consumption of mystery to bring forth.

Whether it was mana, aura, or magical power, some kind of mystical energy source had to be consumed in order to produce light.

But here Ketal was, demonstrating that light could appear even without mystery existing in this world.

The Tower Master asked,

[What was this concept called again?]

“It’s a phenomenon caused when electric charge accumulates in matter. Through friction, positive and negative charges move, producing electricity. Static electricity is a similar principle.”

[Hmm. I still don’t understand. In this world, such a thing as electric charge does not exist.]

Instead of electric charge, what existed was mystery.

Of course, static electricity existed in this world too.

But its origin was different.

Static electricity came from mana produced through friction, combining and then bursting apart.

The Tower Master asked again,

[You said lightning exists in your world as well.]

“I don’t know all the details, but I’ve heard it occurs from energy created as raindrops fall.”

[Similar, yet different. In this world, lightning occurs when mystery condensed by falling rain explodes.]

Having grasped the gist of it, the Tower Master began to summarize.

[What were the fundamental forces in your world again?]

“Gravity, electromagnetism, the strong force, and the weak force,”

Ketal replied.

“Those four are the basics. They’re essentially the order and laws that govern the universe.”

[Four of them. That’s quite a lot. In contrast, this world has only one order and law.]

Mystery.

That alone.

It governed everything.

Though it might be called by many names—mana, magical power, aura—its essence was the same.

It filled the roles that gravity, electromagnetism, the strong force, and the weak force did in Ketal’s world.

At first glance, there wasn’t much difference.

The structures of the basic forces were different, but the results were similar.

Yet when analyzed in detail, the differences were great.

[In your world, under the same conditions, the results of force are always identical, aren’t they?]

“This world isn’t like that.”

[Because mystery is fluid. It is never constant.]

Here, the results of mystery were not fixed.

To put it in mathematical terms: on Earth, 100 + 100 always equaled 200.

It could never be anything else.

But in this world, it was not so.

100 + 100 might equal 200, but it could also be 199.99997, or even 200.220004.

The result shifted every time an experiment was performed.

Unpredictable variability.

That was the greatest difference between the laws of Ketal’s world and this one.

And because of that, there was a limitation.

“So that’s why science and technology didn’t advance here.”

On Earth, the results of natural law were absolute.

That certainty allowed experiments to consistently reveal answers, which in turn enabled the creation of complex inventions.

Lightbulbs, tanks, computers, satellites—these were prime examples.

But in this world, results weren’t fixed.

So combining those results to create something complex was difficult.

And thus, a clear limit existed.

The Tower Master spoke.

[In this world, there are artifacts that use mystery. But things like those ‘computers’ and ‘smartphones’ you spoke of—ordinary people can’t use them. Most artifacts can only be wielded by those strong enough to manipulate mystery.]

Because the outcomes were always variable, artifacts usable by ordinary people were nearly nonexistent.

Only those who could control and stabilize the results could wield them.

[So instead of individuals handling mystery directly, they bend the laws of the world itself and wield it that way? What a fascinating world yours is.]

“The difference is quite clear.”

Ketal laughed cheerfully.

The discussion was amusing.

It explained why science never advanced in a fantasy world.

The Tower Master, too, muttered with interest.

[If, as you say… one could stabilize and control the results, then perhaps one could craft artifacts that even ordinary people could use. At present, there are artifacts that, say, recall weapons. But maybe one could go further, to something on a higher level. If only we could control the results of mystery…]

The Tower Master fell into thought for some time before suddenly snapping back to awareness.

[Ah. Forgive me. I got lost in my thoughts for a moment.]

“I understand. I was having similar ideas myself.”

Having concluded his thoughts, the Tower Master remarked in wonder.

[Though there are differences in the details… in the larger frame, they’re strikingly similar.]

Gravity, electromagnetism, the strong force, the weak force—

Mystery replaced them all.

Except for the variability of results, it was nearly the same.

Inevitably, one hypothesis arose.

[Does this mean your universe and this one are connected in some way?]

“Possibly. There’s a chance.”

[…May I share a theory?]

Ketal nodded, and the Tower Master carefully began to explain.

[I suspect your universe and this one are related somehow. Do you know about the birth of the universe?]

“I know enough.”

A single point compressed to the extreme, expanding into the universe as it is now.

[Translator - Night]

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The Big Bang theory.

That existed in this world too.

[And there are various theories about the end of the universe. One is that, after endless expansion, the universe reaches a critical point and begins to contract, eventually collapsing.]

The Big Crunch.

The death of the universe.

[And when the universe is compressed once again, it may, by some cause, expand anew—creating a new universe.]

Ketal caught the meaning of the Tower Master’s words.

“…You’re saying my universe was the previous one?”

[That possibility exists. The fundamental laws are too similar.]

Aside from the variability of results, everything was the same.

It didn’t feel like a separate universe.

[…Perhaps after a vast amount of time, your universe perished, and after yet more time passed, this universe was born. Though I still don’t know why you came here.]

“Hm.”

Ketal stroked his chin. The Tower Master cautiously gauged his reaction.

[…Are you all right?]

“What do you mean?”

[It may not be a pleasant theory for you.]

That the universe he once lived in had already perished.

A rather shocking story.

But Ketal just gave a short laugh.

“I have no affection for that world.”

A world without mystery.

To him, it was no different from hell.

“There were no family or friends, so there’s no need to worry. On the contrary, I feel refreshed.”

[Then that’s fortunate. Still, I didn’t expect this. That you would be the one to directly propose such an experiment to me.]

The analysis of differences between universes and their laws.

Ketal had been the one to suggest it to the Tower Master.

That he, who disliked the world he came from, would bring such a proposal was unexpected.

Ketal answered.

“It’s nothing special. I just decided to change the way I think.”

[Don’t put meaning into things, don’t assign them value. Don’t doubt yourself, just enjoy. You think far too much, and that’s your flaw.]

That was the last advice the monster left him before parting.

Following those words, he decided not to attach meaning to his past life.

Ketal stretched leisurely, looking refreshed.

“Good. My curiosity is satisfied. Thank you.”

[I enjoyed it as well. It sparked some new ideas, and I now have a lot of experiments to try.]

“Shouldn’t you finish your paperwork first, though?”

[…That’s true.]

His excited voice deflated in an instant.

Ketal chuckled.

* * *

After that, another month passed.

The world was peaceful beyond measure.

Of course, small problems kept arising, and cleanup was ongoing, but one by one they were being resolved.

Ketal was resting, drinking tea with Milena.

Milena.

She had first met Ketal as a merchant in the White Snowfield, and even after leaving, she had maintained a steady relationship with him.

Now, two years later, she exuded a fully mature aura.

No one would dare underestimate her as a child any longer.

Ketal asked with a cheerful smile.

“Seems like things are going well. You’ve become famous as a great merchant.”

“It is not due to my own strength.”

Milena shook her head with a wry smile.

“To be honest, I owe a lot to you, Ketal.”

Milena had been close with him long before Ketal’s existence became widely known.

As his presence grew more recognized, so too did interest in her, who was known to be close to him.

And when he defeated the Demon King and crushed the abominable being, that interest reached its peak.

Simply being in close ties with the hero who saved the world brought her significant advantages in countless transactions.

The benefits were to the point that even she, a greedy merchant, felt uncomfortable.

Ketal smiled softly.

“Connections are part of a merchant’s ability. I, too, have received much help from you, so enjoy it as much as you wish.”

“Thank you, then, for saying that.”

Milena smiled warmly and raised her teacup.

“Hm.”

“…You look somewhat troubled.”

Ketal rubbed his chin with a peculiar expression.

Milena cautiously asked.

“Is something wrong? If you need help…”

“No. Nothing like that. It’s a problem you couldn’t help with anyway.”

Ketal tapped his chin lightly with his fingers.

After everything had ended, he had stayed in the White Snowfield for a year.

There, he managed the tribesfolk and calmed the internal turmoil.

In that process, he encountered all sorts of monsters—from the white bear to the vile rat.

One could say he had seen nearly every creature within the Snowfield.

But there was one monster he had not seen.

The enormous one, vast enough to touch the sky.

The White Serpent.

‘Did it escape outside?’

It was possible that it slipped out before he established the barrier.

But if that were the case, the outside world should not have been so quiet over the past two years.

Considering its immense body, it should have made its presence visible.

‘Strange.’

Ketal sipped his tea with a puzzled look.

And around that time—

Ku-gu-gu-gu-guum!

On the outskirts of the continent.

A vast mountain range, buried in snow.

The earth there began to quake violently.

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