“Huh, what are you saying?” Agravain blinked.

Not that the angel was saying anything strange. Or maybe it was strange in some unexpected ways, but considering how frequently she mouthed off incomprehensible nonsense, it wouldn’t be too out of place to think it was a joke, or worse, a communication breakdown. Even though she had spoken with a grave tone there. He could not shake off the impression that she had just used some video game terms he did not know.

Like kicking those girls back to their spawn point or something. That kind of killing.

Because actual killing is kinda bad. Or definitely bad.

Gaming terms or not, if she was really going through with it, there would surely be real consequences. So he ought to ask to be clear.

He grabbed her arm, “What are you talking about?”

“Oi, let go!” she cried with ire, “I’m not doing anything to them. Didn’t I tell you? There’s limits to what I can do physically in this world.”

“Well if you aren’t...”

“But you will,” the angel said, jabbing at his chest with her free hand. “It’s your job. You are the one whose job is ‘doing’ around here, not me.”

His face darkened, “You are really telling me to kill them?”

At the very least, it hadn’t been a misunderstanding. Nor was Agravain alone in being caught off guard by the angel’s demand. The utterly shocked expression both Ophelia and Maria were wearing told him they too hadn’t expected this turn of events.

In fact, the only ones who were acting as though it was the most natural thing in the world were the two angels.

Hanael gave a long sigh of resignation and a barely audible click of her tongue, wearing an annoyed but resigned look.

So she also knew.

Of course she did.

She was in the know, one of the angels with all the information about this quest. It was only the mortals who were dripped fed information as those beings saw fit.

They were the ones who had competed in many such quests countless times, doubtless having experienced the death of their Player Characters after such duels.

Only naturally the Player Characters and Summoners did not know.

Ophelia, who was holding Maria in her arms, glared at her angel with a look of hate, not one for an ally. She put the question in a quivered voice, “What are they talking about, Hanael? You never mentioned any of this.”

“Well, what do you expect?” Hanael said prickly, as though she deemed the question too stupid to bear. “I told you this wouldn’t be an easy journey. I told you to prepare to risk your life. Did you think I just said those big words for the effect?”

“You did. You also said destiny was on our side! That so long as we follow your guidance I should be able to fulfill my goal.”

“Well, problem being,” the angel huffed, “you and Maria aren’t the only people whose sides destiny is on. There are seven groups of them, I made it clear. Without me, you would never for a million years come close to getting your hand on that Egg or fixing your country. You were given a chance, which you failed to take advantage of.”

It was only simple facts, even put in such a cruel way. Even the barbarian could understand that.

Seven groups.

Seven angels. Seven summoners. Seven Player Characters.

Each was a world apart from their peers. No normal person could ever aspire to such height, to attempt such a grandiose quest for such an unfathomable treasure. The mere privilege of being chosen as one of the seven should be cause enough for pride, for celebration. You would have a shot at something billions of people could never dream of.

But among the seven not one was the Main Character.

It was a fair competition.

Though naturally there would be some with greater advantages than others, at the end of the day, any one of them could fail, could be eliminated from the contest.

Still, it’s not so easy to accept when you’re the one who fails. Especially when those girls had only begun their journey a mere three days ago.

It would be like being defeated in the tutorial stage without even a chance to learn the control or to adapt and change your approach. Eliminated before you could even try in earnest. Hard not to think it was the game’s unfairness and not just your own failings.

But that was also a consequence of rushing things, of speedrunning a high-stake game. By striking others when they’re unprepared you also take on greater risks. Hanael’s strategy backfired, and now her Player Character and summoner were going to pay for it.

And yet the barbarian could not accept it. So couldn’t Soraya, for the same reason.

“But I don’t want to,” the young princess said with a frown of displeasure, “quest or not! There’s no reason to take their lives, is there? The fighting is over, we can just go our separate ways--”

But Jophiel cut her off, taking on a rare tone of seriousness, “Princess, you got all this totally wrong.”

Looking annoyed, she gave Hanael a sidelong glance, who shrugged. Then back to the barbarian and his summoner, she sighed, “Seriously, this is the reason we usually don’t spell it out until the first duel is over. There are even cases when they refuse to fight at all.” Then she took a deep breath, wearing the strained expression of someone who must inform a child that his pet just died.

“I don’t know if calling it a quest or competition makes it all seem so harmless?” she began, “It’s on you though, if you think this would be anything less than a bloody and gruesome war. We aren’t doing an athletic meet here, for Michael’s sake! This is the kind of thing that rouses nations to war and shifts world orders. Literally everything is at stake. No one is ultimately safe with the Egg up for grabs. So forget about your scruple against killing one or two people for a moment! All the atrocities humans are willing to commit for a little gain may not hold a candle to this. Murdering a child to claim a throne? Wiping out a country with weapons of mass destruction to win a war? These are but petty mortal squabbles! We are talking about a prize that grants the power of a literal god here, not just mere political influence or simply tremendous wealth. What wouldn’t people do to get their hand on it?”

“What wouldn’t people do? I say a lot,” Soraya countered, sporting a glare that often heralded her stubborn streak. “Not everyone’s the same, some have bigger reserves of morality and conscience, you know. Are those not reasons enough?”

“Morality! Oh, well, excuse me for not laughing evilly at this point!” the angel let out an exasperated huff, putting her hands on her hips. “Do you expect me to say screw it like some heartless alien who doesn’t understand how the human heart works? Nah, I know you humans all too well. How long do you think I have been working with your kind? I understand what you’re getting at. But this is the one special and particular case where morality doesn’t matter. Trust me on this one.”

“How could it not matter in any circumstance?”

“Quite simple, actually.” She shrugged. “Think about it carefully. It was precisely because the Mundane Egg is so all-powerful that it doesn’t matter what you do to obtain it. Now, now, I get it, stop glaring. I’m not saying it in the most cliched way you can contrive for a comical villain. This is actually a case where the end justifies the means in a moral way. Think about it. When you kill one person to save two others, that’s still something bad because someone has to die. Similarly, a war for a good and moral cause will still result in suffering and bloodshed. So that’s no good either. But neither of those, and pay close attention here, neither of those has anything to do with what I’m telling you to do. I’m not talking about pragmatism here. It’s just facts. Because nothing you do to obtain the egg matters, nothing at all, because it would ultimately be inconsequential. No death, no loss, is permanent.”

“What the hell are you talking about,” Soraya muttered suspiciously.

Jophiel sighed, “I thought it was supposed to be obvious by now? Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one of two? We were just talking about it yesterday.” Presently, she turned to the girls on the ground, Ophelia specifically. “Your motive for the egg means you at least know what the egg is capable of, don’t you? Don’t pretend you don’t. You must have asked Hanael if that was possible in the first place, even before you set out for this quest.”

Agravain recalled the conversation last night. Apparently, it was to bring her fiance back to life that Ophelia had embarked on this quest.

To revive the dead.

Maria’s summoner simply returned her look blankly.

“To put it simply,” the angel continued, “nothing you do before getting the egg is permanent. This thing we are talking about is not a magical lamp that grants one wish, or three wishes. It’s the god-like power to reshape the world through redefining the all-powerful magic, the laws of the universe itself. With a flick of your fingers, you can wipe out the entirety of humankind, just like that. And just the same, you would be able to reverse all the harm done in the process. Though of course the internal logics of the new laws have to be consistent, the gist here is that you can simply fix all the wrongs done after obtaining the egg. Forget about killing, genociding, or any needless bloodshed, even wiping out humanity as a whole is not out of the question.”

Even wiping out humanity.

The power of a god. To destroy and then recreate at will.

“Though, of course,” she added gravely, “that’s only if the new master of the Egg is willing to fix the world afterward. If it’s someone who doesn’t give a shit about their victims, then they would obviously be gone for good.”

And by puncturing her speech with those last remarks, she stopped short from stating the obvious, which was so obvious even the barbarian could understand: the most ruthless Player Characters would most likely have the edge over those who don’t want to get their hands dirty. And the more ruthless they are, the less likely they are to care for what would happen to their victims after claiming the Egg.

The only way to make sure all the wrongs done would be reversed was to claim the egg for yourself. Be the one who could make the choice.

It’s not a task to entrust to others.

In some way, it was a bizarre twist of the trolley problem.

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In the trolley problem, you have to choose to idly watch a number of people be killed, or actively steer the train so that it would run over another group of fewer people instead. Here, you have two even more extreme, lopsided options: to do the killing then undo it all later, or stand by and watch as the slaughter unfolds with likely permanent consequences, in doing so even endangering yourself.

On paper, it begs some of the same questions as the trolley problem, albeit with far more radical outcomes and certain nuances.

Is killing acceptable under certain circumstances?

Do you think the ends justify the means?

Is killing someone then reviving them later actually killing? Or is it just like knocking them unconscious for a time?

Will you sacrifice a number of lives for a temporary time to secure the future of humankind?

It was that kind of question.

In that sense, the angel was right, there was but one correct if you were being logical about it.

Soraya was quiet.

“And, Soraya,” Jophiel continued, “you can’t say something childish like, ‘I just want to see my sister again’ or ‘I don’t care about that stupid Egg” either. You are already involved through your contract with Agravain. Whether you like it or not, you are a contestant. The other angels and their Player Characters will chase you down. And you would be a fool to think you can convince them that you won’t stand in their ways later. You have the choice to eliminate your competitions first, when you are still in the position to do so, then restore them later. Letting those girls live won’t do you or anyone good, understand?”

Soraya hesitated.

There were certainly some senses to the angel’s words, wild and ridiculous as the scenarios she had been painting were.

But on the flip side, only an item with such ridiculous power could be the ultimate reward for a competition on the scale between angels, one that also involved the summoning of people from another world, the movement of political forces, as in the case of Ophelia.

Everything in the world was at stake. No one and nothing would be safe from the influence of whoever ends up getting their hand on the Mundane Egg.

And it was precisely for this reason, this ridiculousness, this incredibly vast scale that surpasses most people’s comprehension, that you could not quite expect a logical answer from the one being asked to make the decision.

It was like a group of adults gathering around to ask a child for a solution to some worldwide problem. No matter how logical and reasonable they make their case, the child would still be overwhelmed. She would be unable to arrive at the answer.

Normal people simply can’t process such grand problems.

And in this case, to most normal people, the notion of killing someone they bear no malice against is utterly ridiculous. Out of the question. The fate of the entire world would likely not be factored in their decision-making at all.

No one can make such a choice so simply, logical or not.

To think that the Egg operated on such a grand scale. And yet until then Agravain had thought of it in the small scale of the magical lamp, or the monkey’s paw.

And he would be forgiven to think so. For most cases in classical literature, wish-granting mechanisms usually have strict limits imposed. No bringing the dead back to life is a big one, for example.

But not only could the egg make the dead come back to life, it could do it on such a grand scale as reverting the destruction of humankind?

Not even the Holy Grail in Arthurian Legend could compare.

“In fact,” the barbarian surmised, “the only thing comparable I could think of is Shenron and his balls.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be an ex-professor of classic literature?! What’s with that choice of reference?! Mind the time and place, I'm being serious here!”

Well, still, for something on such a grand scale...

Perhaps, Agravain thought, someone who was a firm realist, someone with nerves of steel to overcome her own emotions--perhaps that someone could make the difficult decision...

It was then that Ophelia rose, standing tall to face down Jophiel.

A fierce look came to her eyes, that Agravain half-thought she meant to fight back to the bitter end, something Maria could not do anymore. But she was only human, and having witnessed the combat just now, it should be obvious she wouldn’t stand a chance against the barbarian.

Instead, she said, holding her head high after sitting on the ground all this time, “If anyone must take responsibility and offer their life here, it’s me. I convinced this girl to aid my purpose. She was without a friend coming into this world, so I took advantage of her pitiable state. I convinced her to work for a cause that has nothing to do with herself! So take me only, and let Maria go!”

The girl at her feet whimpered something inaudible.

Though the speech was brave, the notion admirable, it did little to faze the angel she was facing.

“It doesn’t work that way, you know,” Jophiel sighed. “It’s not just the dangers to you summoners. Sure, you are the cause for your Player Character coming to this world. But that’s just it. You are the catalyst, the binding that gets the PC involved in the quest. But even with your death, it’s not like the latter would suddenly lose their powers... If anything, I should have that girl Maria killed only and let you go freely. She is the main threat here, not you.”

At these words, Maria trembled even harder, hanging her head as though exposing her neck to an executioner.

There was a period of damning silence. As though the sentence had already been passed.

Then.

“No,” Soraya finally found the words for her feelings. It took her a while, but she had gathered her thoughts, had considered Jophiel’s reasoning. She leaned forward on the wheelchair. “Look, Jophiel. I get what you’re saying and all. I understand what you’re getting at. Nothing you have said is wrong at all. I would never call someone who follows your line of thought a bad person. It’s as simple as this: I don’t want to. I will not take her life. I’m not naive.” She sighed, looking tired. “I’m not just any random kid, you know. I’ve been involved enough in my father’s day-to-day governance of the realm to know that sometimes you must dirty your hand. That not every person deserves to live regardless. Some even well and truly deserve death. But these girls aren’t that--no person who deserves death would willingly sacrifice herself for someone else, to begin with! I will not deprive them of life, even for a day, you hear me? Even if tomorrow I could have that Egg to bring them back to life, I won’t! Why? Just because I don’t want to. I don’t care. So I won’t!” She shook her head stubbornly. “And as for my safety, I don’t want to harm someone just to live a little longer, for some false sense of right and wrong! This is not what I set out on this journey for! Heck, Agravain just has to try harder to protect me if it’s getting that much more dangerous by leaving them alive! Other than that, hell do I care about this world or what would happen if it falls into the wrong hands! A disabled girl would do well enough worrying only about her immediate surroundings.”

“So you make your case,” Jophiel clicked her tongue, then turned to Agravain. “But then the Player Character is the person who matters here. So at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if the summoner wants to sacrifice herself, or her own safety. So, Agravain, are you going to do this or not?”

He did not even think about it. Naturally, the barbarian had not thought deeply or hard about this complicated issue at all. Everyone standing around him had been thinking hard about all the implications of morality and the practicality of the situation. Not him, troubling his head over complicated issues had never been a prominent part of his job description.

“I do what Soraya wants,” he answered simply.

“You can’t outsource your decision forever, you know?” the angel countered, getting irritated by the careless answer. “If you care about her, you should make the correct play, regardless of whether she wants it that way or not! You are not an animal, for Michael’s sake! You may be dumb, but can’t you try to think a bit with that head of yours?”

What followed was a small earthquake. The barbarian’s enormous war club, held vertically, had thumped deeply into the grassy soil.

Some of the girls behind Ophelia let out startled cries.

“Then I will tell you this, angel,” he growled, “I don’t give a shit about your stupid Egg. Much less your stupid Quest. I don’t give a shit even if the others of your kind are going to gang up on me and Soraya--like she said, I will just have to punch them all off the surface of the earth!” Here the barbarian shook his fist fiercely. “There’s but one purpose and that one alone for which I set out on this journey: to make her happy! If doing things your way undermines that, then I won’t, simple as that! Who the hell cares if letting these girls go will endanger Soraya down the line? Who the hell cares if some people may be killed without being brought back to life? She’s right, this damn world can just go and wipe its own ass. So what if this is the wrong decision? What if it’s risky? A life is better short and happy than long and bleak! And if living life the way we want is such a dangerous thing, then let us die in arms and fight back what may! So to hell with your logic and correct plays!”

After the fierce speech of the barbarian, a pall of silence fell.

Jophiel looked troubled.

The rest were anxious.

Then the barbarian grumbled, “So, what do you say to that? I gave you my answer. There will be no killing today, and that’s that.”

“What do I say?” Jophiel said bitterly, “What do you think I can do? As I said before, you are the one whose job is doing here. If that’s your decision then that’s that. You think I haven’t prepared myself for this? How many soft-hearted humans I have worked with until this moment, you can’t even begin to count.”

She sighed, then took a step back, away from Ophelia, practically announcing the end of her effort to force the issue. “Do you know how many times I have seen my Player Characters end up in a terrible mess due to their soft hearts? You can bet this isn’t the first time! And you think you need to tell me, so passionately at that, how humans are?”

Not just bitter, she sounded forlorn, the barbarian felt, and he knew that there were indeed things he could never understand when it came to angels. Immortal beings who had overseen countless bloody quests for the Mundane egg. He could not even begin to understand.

“We-well, if you’re really letting us go, then you have our gratitude,” Ophelia stammered, momentarily losing her usual composure, still not knowing for certain whether she and her summoner were getting out of this alive or not.

“Agravain said so,” Soraya said softly, “and so have I. We won’t do you any harm.” She took a brief glance at the angel. “Jophiel’s fine with it too.”

“She’d better,” the barbarian grunted, “not like she has done any help today to have a say.”

“And you only swung a stick around like a dumb ape,” Jophiel turned prickly. “You wouldn’t even be standing here if--”

“Now, now,” Hanael broke in. She seemed relieved now, but for some reason was also annoyed. “I am thankful, of course, but saying all that is uncalled for, you know.”

“You are telling me what to do now?” Agravain glared at her.

Shouldn’t she be happy that they were getting away scot-free?

What with the demanding tone?

“Yes, and you would do well to listen!” the angel’s voice suddenly gained an edge, which astonished even the barbarian.

What with her?

Didn’t she hate Jophiel?

“Yeah, yeah,” Hanael exhaled, “I hate taking the side of an archrival too. Still, it’s something that just has to be said. There’s many ways a partnership could work, but this just ain’t it. You’re being dumb, you know. Sure, I’m grateful that you decided to spare us. But you really don’t understand what Jophiel’s trying to tell you, do you?”

Jophiel gave her a sidelong look. “Butt out, Hanael, don’t try acting all gregarious after losing.”

“It annoys me, that’s all!” the angel huffed. “You’re still my rival at the end of the day, an insult to you is also an indirect one to me.”

“What do you want to say?” asked the barbarian, “That I ought to have killed your girls instead?”

“What meathead you are... Well, I said listen well, so keep quiet and listen,” Hanael raised her voice, “I’m only going to say this once. That one odd angel may have a mountain of problems, heaps of useless quirks, terrible at communicating like a normal person, no fashion sense, no manner, no situation awareness whatsoever, even her taste in music is weird--”

“Hey!” Jophiel shouted.

“You be quiet too! Well, I was saying, she’s flawed, but despite all that, there’s a reason her sides are always favorites to win the Quest, alright? So when she tries to tell you about the disadvantages you’re putting yourself into with that decision you better damn listen! It’s fine if you absolutely don’t want to kill needlessly, it’s far from the first time this has happened, but at least be aware of what doing that entails, what you will have to do to compensate for it. Because one single misstep could get you and your summoner killed. So put a little faith in her, if you are willing to make your life harder due to your principles. Can you understand that much? I can’t abide you calling her useless when she might well end up being the only thing keeping you both alive.”

His face was hot. Not a nice feeling being chided. But even for someone with anger issues, the barbarian recognized the truth, the good faith in her words. “Fine, I get what you mean. Not like I think she’s completely useless. We would require her help to help Soraya find her sister.

“You should do a better job following my guidance then,” Jophiel complained, giving him a sidelong look. “An abysmal job at it you have been doing thus far.”

“Well yeah? Whose guidance did I follow at the start of that duel, then?”

“Well, that’s an exception...” she mumbled and her voice trailed away.

And so, the decision was made. The outcome decided. The consequences acted upon.

Agravain’s first battle with another Player Character really came to an end.

However, for some reason, the argument after the battle had been more taxing mentally. So he almost forgot one important thing that should have followed immediately.

Until Hanael herself helpfully added, “So, Jophiel? About that thing for which we fought in the first place, are you going to get it or not?”

“Oh, that?” The angel’s shoulders dropped, suddenly taking on a painful expression, making the argument just now seem a joke in comparison. “Ughh... I mean, fine. I guess. That’s the whole point of this after all.”

“Why are you hemming and hawing now?” the barbarian grumbled, still a bit stung from being chastised by Hanael. “You should be happy we are getting whatever you wanted so much that you got us into this fight in the first place.

“I get it. I get it. Let’s just get this over with,” she said, looking for all the world would rather not to.