327 Requesting persuasion skill!

Hee-hee-hee!

D-san, isn't this timing just a bit too extreme?

Blowing up the bomb right now—before we've even properly explained our situation to the newly reincarnated, while distrust is at its peak.

Of course, anyone would doubt.

If I were in their position, I'd think, "What's with this guy? Dangerous."

"What is this about?"

The teacher asks, lips trembling.

Her lips are pale blue from the earlier collapse.

Now that she knows the true face of the elf, her footing is unsteady. She cannot tell what to believe.

Everything she’s seen and heard must now seem suspect.

I had originally planned to gradually gain her trust, then transfer the authority of the救济 overlord—given time.

The communication task—already high in difficulty—has become even more unattainable. That is!?

That’s right.

The teacher holds one of the Dominance Skills: Alleviation. And also possesses Dominance Authority.

In a way, more confusing than the Pope.

Let’s be honest.

The teacher has no plan at all!

No, but seriously?

How am I supposed to know what to do?

The Pope is straightforward. Easy to understand.

That person never wavers.

Their willpower is admirable. But if mutual understanding is impossible, even the most noble individual must be opposed.

The teacher is different.

Not acting with full comprehension, as the Pope does. Instead, the teacher has lived thus far—driven by Potimas’s intentions, shaped by the presence of Reincarnates.

The protection of the Reincarnates was certainly the teacher’s will, but it is undeniable that another will had interceded.

Distorted by Potimas in various ways.

The teacher held dominion authority yet knew little of this world, acting solely for the Reincarnates.

Thus, when matters of the world’s future arose, the teacher’s reaction was genuinely unreadable.

That was precisely why the plan had been to slowly persuade, over time, and secure the peaceful transfer of dominion authority.

There was no further plan!

There was no alternative solution to the current state!

Plan B? Ah!? No way!

What now?

Seriously, what now?

“Calm down, teacher. And you too, Yotsuba. There’s no need to panic. Please explain the situation.”

Kushikatsu calmed the teacher and, in passing, soothed me as well.

A capable woman, Kushikatsu!

Yes, you're right. Let's calm down first.

First, explaining everything verbally is impossible!

I, who struggle with words, couldn't possibly explain every detail from start to finish.

Especially not something as critical and excessively lengthy.

Therefore, the idea of verbal explanation is rejected.

If you can't do something, you can't do it.

Accepting one's limitations is essential.

It's not like we're dealing with personal matters—small details like that don't matter.

It's more efficient to shift strategy than to dwell endlessly on what cannot be done.

Hmph.

A way to convey the current situation clearly—without words.

Ah, yes.

Transmit the additional task to my detached body working in the alternate space.

It was executed immediately. The completed result was delivered via spatial transfer.

What I now hold in my hand is a book.

A book made from paper developed through the application of thread-making techniques.

The book, begun as a means to relay instructions to the Pope or Agner, has now been refined to the point where a single volume can be completed in an instant.

I’m confident I could fill a library in less than a day.

Do not call this technology useless.

It’s proving effective right now.

The teacher and Kuratani are startled by the book’s sudden appearance in my hands.

Fermiña, accustomed to fading from perception, shows no surprise.

I hand the book to the teacher. They accept it with hesitation.

"Shall I read this?"

I nod.

The book, hastily compiled, contains unvarnished details—information about the Taboo, and the actions I intend to take.

I decided against vague misdirection. Too many complications could arise later.

Whether the teacher will cooperate—or reject me—remains unknown.

The outcome will only be clear when the veil is lifted.

Yet whichever path it becomes, that is the one the teacher has chosen.

I respect that choice.

…And if that means standing before me, then I will prepare myself accordingly.

The teacher’s gaze shifts between the book and me.

But upon realizing I will not react further, they resolve with a decisive motion, open the book, and begin reading.

It will take time for the teacher to finish, so I will wait here.

A dull, muffled sound echoes from within me.

All strength drains from my body, yet the hand gripping my neck does not allow me to fall.

A sudden hand appears from behind and crushes my neck, shattering bone.

I perceive it, distantly—as if observing someone else.

"I do not believe you would die from something this trivial."

The voice comes from behind.

A voice I recognize.

In fact, in this world, there is only one person I know who could do this.

My neck is yanked forcefully backward.

The neck—this part responsible for transmitting commands from brain to body—is compromised. Resistance is impossible.

Even gods sustain tangible damage when their physical forms are destroyed.

As a novice deity, this effect is more pronounced.

Though my consciousness was directed toward the teacher, I allowed this ambush.

Perhaps I had grown complacent without realizing it.

I am dragged, then thrown backward.

But the ground beneath me is not the treehouse of the elven village I had just occupied. It is a road in a modern cityscape I do not recognize.

Spatial transfer.

No—this is likely not the mortal realm. A field constructed within an extradimensional space.

I begin immediate self-repair on the neck injury. As I look up, there he is—predictably, a man clad in black armor.

Administrator, Black, Guriedis Todies.

"Recall what I once said?"

Black speaks, looking down upon me.

I don't recall when I said such a thing.

"If your actions lead to an outcome incompatible with mine, I will stand before you."

My intent did not reach him. Yet Black immediately spoke the words from that moment.

Those words were spoken the instant after I emerged from the Elro Great Labyrinth, when Black came to visit.

"Today resembles that time."

Black assumes stance.

No, no, no!

Is this development not moving too fast?

This was not in my plans!

All of this—entirely D's fault!

Damn you, D!