by Mamare Touno
As his friend flashed him a thumbs-up, Shiroe held the stationery and envelope out to his companions.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
Gathered on the twilight terrace, Shiroe and the others began to examine the letter from a traveler who had come from far away.
5
To borrow your vocabulary, we are artificial intelligences, created in order to support our creators’ society.
We—in other words, the Fool-observers and Genius-collectors—have been sent out with a certain mission: We are to locate and collect a resource known as Empathiom. Due to the limits of this resource, our society is stagnating and is headed into a period of decline. In the worlds of which we already knew, there was an upper limit to this resource, and it was known at an early stage that we would be unable to discover more.
In order to produce Empathiom, Empathiom itself is necessary. However, long before people truly understood what this meant and the danger in it, our civilization had squandered all its Empathiom. By the time we realized it, the demand for this precious resource could no longer be met.
Due to this bottleneck, our creators’ society has been deteriorating for a millennium. Without the addition of artificial acceleration, that is a period roughly equivalent to eternity.
In order to break out of this crisis, it was deemed that another world would be necessary, and we were created to search for a different, explorable universe, using a mathematical method known as “Backdoor,” the “Fissure Prime.”
In other words, when we were pulled into the Eclipse, it was not a complete surprise. You could say we had certain expectations. The Eclipse was the result of an astronomical coincidence, but through colossal omnipresence, we were waiting for it.
Of course, as you and your people know, there is only one universe per type of intelligent life-form. According to the principle of providential horizon, it is impossible for one intelligent life-form to encounter another variety. In addition, according to the fundamental principle of consistency, inconsistencies cannot exist in the universe because they are destroyed the moment they arise.
According to these two principles, even before our search had begun, failure was the only possible outcome. There are, however, exceptions in everything, and we believe this subworld Theldesia is subjected to many restrictions so that those principles may be ignored.
With regard to the Eclipse, there are very few things we can state with sufficient assurance.
This is because it was a first experience for us as well.
We were produced in numbers and with activity periods so vast they can be expressed only using astronomical figures. We found the Eclipse through brute-force methods. In other words, if we know anything regarding the Eclipse, it is only that we found it accidentally through enormous statistical parameters.
Due to these circumstances, we can give you an explanation only as we understand it. Please note that the explanation will be limited by our internal regulations as well.
In terms of the ethical code, I believe that you and your people are sentient beings at or above rank 3. Minori proved as much to me. If this is accurate, the rights to the resources of Theldesia may belong to you. The Geniuses have been ordered to prioritize collecting, but we Fools were charged with investigation. Therefore, to investigate this question, and to preserve your rights, I have decided to make for a land called Jacksea. In order to conserve resources, this is a necessary task.
The future is unstable and unpredictable; there are a variety of possibilities. If we inspected a ramification—a junction—whose influence is relatively slight, we would probably observe that, due to the principle of consistency mentioned above, of our three races—ourselves, the Adventurers, and the People of the Earth—two, or perhaps all three, are not intelligent life-forms… Although, at this point, I am able to think that that ramification would be a tragedy of sorts.
In addition to the Eclipse affecting the entirety of the subworld of Theldesia, the total amount of the Empathiom in this world is equivalent to 15 percent of the quantity in our home universe. If I told you that this amount is a privilege enormous enough to precipitate an interstellar war, would you understand? There are countless futures more destructive than the ramification of which I spoke earlier.
I do not know whether my brother, Shiroe, is the one who is reading this letter, but if you are so inclined, I would recommend obtaining equipment that can communicate with the moon.
There is a Fool community on Theldesia’s moon, and they should be monitoring the situation.
If you wish to return home, they will be able to assist you. After all, according to the principle of providential horizon, our peoples should never have encountered one another. If you return home, minor inconsistencies should be resolved retroactively. That is yet another ramification.
In closing, let me warn you of the Geniuses.
Like us, they are Travelers. However, they are sentient beings equivalent to rank 2. In addition, when incarnating on Theldesia, they adopt monster bodies with advanced fighting capabilities that are waiting in readiness on the moon. In order to explore, we’ve borrowed bodies that are the same as yours, but they have made a different choice.
They are influenced by the bodies into which they have incarnated, although I do not know to what extent.
There is a great possibility they will prove to be extremely dangerous opponents for you.
I recommend due caution.
It is my wish that, after careful consideration, you will create your own future.
6
“Roe2?”
“Who’s that?”
After they finished reading the letter, those were the first words spoken.
Naotsugu and Nyanta knew the name Roe2, while Akatsuki and Tetora didn’t. His companions’ reactions were split.
“She’s Shiroe’s sub-character. Another character he made on the test server in order to check out the game system, back when this was a game. She was a Summoner, and she went by ‘Eroko.’”
“Eroko, huh?”
“Eroko is…?”
“Well, I’ll tell you. Eroko is a sub-character Shiroe created. She has huge boobs.”
“So they’re huge?! Hmmm. In idol terms, that’s sinful, isn’t it…?”
“Is that true, my liege?”
Shiroe had been about to explain, but Naotsugu had gotten in ahead of him.
As Shiroe scowled at him—You don’t have to tell them that stuff, thanks—Tetora and Akatsuki latched on to him with unexpected intensity. Even as he tried to retort, It’s not that important, is it? the two of them were jostling each other and quibbling about it.
“Eroko” was a nickname KR had given her. LambMutton was the one who’d spread it around, and Naotsugu had jumped on it. It was an awful trap, right at the beginning of a serious story.
Possibly because he’d read the mood, Nyanta went on, as if to smooth things over: “So mew’re saying that Roe2 wrote this letter? How did it reach mew?”
“Minori delivered it. Apparently, they met her on their journey.”
“I see. In Saphir…”
“Is that right.”
The town of Saphir. At the sound of that name, Akatsuki and Naotsugu both swallowed their words with bitter expressions. The individuals gathered here were the older members of Log Horizon. Even Tetora had heard the particulars of the younger group’s encounter with the Odysseia Knights.
It was Akatsuki who dispelled the gloomy atmosphere, however. “Then, when it comes down to it, does that mean you were the one who sent it, my liege? It’s your sub-character. How could someone like that send a letter?”
“She calls herself a soul that has inhabited Roe2’s character data. In the section about the Travelers, mew see. She says they’re intelligent life-forms from another world.”
“Whoa, crap. Hey, Shiro. It’s an alien from another planet. What is this, sci-fi?”
“At the very least, that’s what she says. Accordi
ng to this letter, there are two types of Traveler: Fools, like her, and Geniuses. She says they are artificial intelligences created with the mission of harvesting a resource known as Empathiom.”
Everyone fell silent, clearly processing Shiroe’s words.
Was it because the story had been too bizarre? Growing worried, Shiroe looked around at his companions and made eye contact with Akatsuki. Akatsuki’s round eyes looked up at him blankly. All he could sense from her was an aura of trust. She’s not thinking anything, Shiroe thought, feeling just a little relieved.
“Naotsugu.”
“What? Did that manage to throw even you for a loop?”
“I really will have to plan that galactic tour, won’t I? For my new fans.”
“Man, you just don’t change, do you?!”
Forcibly detaching the self-proclaimed idol—who was skipping with joy and saying “Ooh, what’ll I do? Pheromones, pheromones”—Naotsugu went on, breaking down the information.
“Travelers, huh? That story couldn’t really get crazier, but you’re not actually that surprised, are you, Shiro? Why’s that?”
This wasn’t true, and Shiroe told him so:
“It’s only… Hmm. I’m not sure how to put it; I’d been thinking about it, in a vague way. Wondering why we came to this world. It is weird, isn’t it? If this is really another world, a fantasy world, then it couldn’t possibly look this much like the Elder Tales we know. This goes far beyond the level of coincidence. But the idea that it’s a game world and we’ve been sucked into it is nonsense. Not even possible. Anyway, as far as we know, technology hasn’t advanced that far.”
In response, Naotsugu and Nyanta nodded firmly. Akatsuki and Tetora were waiting for Shiroe’s next words, looking intrigued.
“The changes that have followed the Catastrophe are strange, too. In this world, realistic physical laws and common sense from when this was a game are all jumbled together. It’s as if someone took the two sets of rules and mixed them. I’ve always thought we weren’t just sent to this place at random. I also thought there might be some third party here who could explain it. Not the People of the Earth, or a player like us; someone able to explain the situation… I think that’s probably Roe2, the one who sent this letter.”
In terms of narrative convenience, it was the being known as a deus ex machina. The mastermind who presided over all the mysteries. The ultimate person in charge, who would resolve the situation. However, Shiroe had also realized that nothing like the being he’d hoped for existed.
“She’s not a god. I realized partway through that she’s nothing so convenient. I mean, if this world is a world, and the People of the Earth are really alive and just like us, then that god would have known the reason they were born and their destiny. That hasn’t happened. Because they are human as well, and because this world is a world, I thought there were no gods. Even so, somebody is there, and I’d considered looking for them. Since that was the case, I was surprised, but not all that much.”
Naotsugu gave a big, macho grin. “Is that right.”
“The letter is very hard to understand, though, isn’t it?”
“Not ‘very hard.’ Impossible.”
As Akatsuki pointed at him, correcting him, Shiroe picked up the stationery again.
“I think it’s hard to understand because she’s trying to explain something we aren’t familiar with. It’s true that I don’t understand the principle of providential horizon or the fundamental principle of consistency.”
Shiroe didn’t mention, however, that he did understand them in a hazy way. He understood without really understanding, or rather, he was able to grasp the general meaning from the look of the words. However, if things were the way Shiroe imagined them to be, then this other world—“subworld Theldesia,” according to Roe2—was in the middle of a test intended to produce a certain result. Shiroe wondered whether it might not be a special kind of sandbox mode.
In this place, even simple decisions had great meaning. Unfortunately, that meant Shiroe had already created the Round Table Council while simultaneously being unable to state his prediction that there existed a time limit to this world.
“In other words, these Geniuses are monsters from some other planet. The monsters came from that other place to steal Empathiom, some sort of mystery energy. This Roe2 person is an alien from the same world as the monsters, but she’s got a good heart, so she’s warning us to watch our backs.”
“Whoa, I understood that! You’re really smart… Even if you are Naotsugu.”
“What’s that ‘even if’ supposed to mean?!”
“You’re brill-i-ant, Naotsugu!”
“Don’t climb on me! Hey!”
Shiroe and Nyanta laughed at Akatsuki, Naotsugu, and Tetora’s carefree banter. True, if you summarized the contents, that was just about what it boiled down to.
“Still, that isn’t all. There are places where it’s difficult to link reasons and meanings, as if descriptions have been omewted here and there.”
“You’re right, Captain.”
Shiroe let his gaze fall to the text, which he’d already read over and over.
“I’m not sure, but I think that’s intentional. It doesn’t feel as if she was worried about information leaks… Does that mean, at this stage, it’s something that shouldn’t be classified? Or is it something that would inconvenience them?”
“Nah, that’s not it.”
Naotsugu cut them off.
“It didn’t feel like that kind of letter. I bet it’s more that she thought it was common-sense stuff everybody knew, so she didn’t bother explaining it.”
Now that he mentioned it, that might be true. In terms of what Shiroe and the others knew, the letter was preposterous and strange, but it seemed sincere to Shiroe as well.
“Do you believe it?” It was Tetora who’d spoken, in a voice that was abruptly serious.
Naotsugu shrugged under the idol’s gaze, while Shiroe scratched his cheek as if troubled. Eventually, he nodded. “Yes.”
“Frankly, I think the contents are absurd. That letter sounds like nothing more than a tall tale. But we wandered into another world that looks like a game out of the blue one day, and compared with that, I don’t think what it says is all that crazy.”
“Well, that’s definitely true.”
“Besides, the sender of this letter, Roe2, seems to have a mischievous side. She’s written ‘PS—To Minori. I tried to write this seriously, like a big sister. I don’t know if we’ll be able to meet again, but I won’t forget mewr answer. I hope mew will illuminate mewr own future, just as mewr warm Empathiom illuminated me. —From mewr big sister.’”
As Nyanta read the words aloud, Naotsugu’s and Akatsuki’s mouths hung half-open in clear astonishment. He was right: For an alien from another world, it was much too friendly.
“Maybe whether or not we believe it isn’t the issue here. Maybe this Roe2 person is my rival.”
“Is there anybody who’d be a rival to a half-idol?”
“Akatsuki’s picking on me…”
Possibly because he’d gotten fed up with the conversation, which kept getting derailed, Naotsugu raised his voice, taking charge.
“Either way, it doesn’t look like we have anything to lose by believing it at this point. Basically, there’s something on the moon. Make contact. That’s all she’s saying, right?”
Well, that’s true, Tetora admitted easily.
“Right. Assuming we believe this letter, if we contact her companions on the moon, things should develop beyond where they are now as far as information is concerned, at the very least. I think we’ll get a hint about how to get back to our old world.”
“It does sound like that.”
“The mewn, hmm? I wonder what’s up there.”
Well, it’s…, Shiroe started to respond, then stopped and turned to Akatsuki.
She was looking up at him with an expression as if she’d just awakened from a dream.
From somewhere untraceable, a clear, nostalgic echo, like the sound of a bell, rose in Shiroe’s ears.
“Right… There definitely was something on the moon. Those vast memories, the shore of light, the offered vows—I saw it when I died in the Abyssal Shaft.”
It had been an ocean that was shallow a long way from shore.
The glass fragments that had rained down from Earth had held memories that were insignificant yet irreplaceable. He’d seen a brown puppy. A commuter pass and ticket gate. The weak light of a convenience store, floating in the darkness. Two people riding double on a bicycle, crossing an iron bridge.
These things had drifted down silently over the winter beach that Shiroe and Akatsuki had walked along.
That hadn’t been a dream. Shiroe searched Akatsuki’s eyes, tracing the memories that had stayed with him, trying to revive them.
“On the moon’s beach, there was a clear, crystalline sound that traveled very far.”
As Akatsuki murmured, her eyes went round, as if she’d been startled.
Then, nodding several times as if incredibly happy, she caught Shiroe’s clothes and squeezed them tightly. It probably wasn’t a conscious gesture; it showed the curious depth of her emotion.
“Yes. You spun around and around, Akatsuki, and you almost fell down.”
“You pulled my hood up for me, my liege.”
She spoke as if she were telling him a secret she was very proud of, and her voice brought Shiroe’s memories of that moment back to him more vividly.
The serenity of that quiet beach had filled them. He’d sat with Akatsuki at the waterline on the shore of that clear blue inlet. The light that had wet their toes had been something remarkable, and they’d felt intense awe.
On that beach, having passed through “death,” the two of them had looked at themselves and seen weakness. In the midst of regret so great it nearly crushed them, they’d discovered a small hope.
That had been an extraordinary place.
Shiroe understood this through an intuition independent of words. That beach held a secret he and the others didn’t yet know. It was the “moon” Roe2 had meant. If they managed to get to that beach again, he was sure they’d be able to return home. At the very least, they’d have the opportunity to do so.
