I Saved Too Many Girls and Caused the Apocalypse: Volume 8

  Prologue 2

  “Something terrible will happen to Earth on July 27th.”

  That was the ominous prophecy Mio gave as we were fleeing from the pursuers sent by the Spirit King.

  “...Huh?”

  It was so sudden that I didn’t even know what to say in response.

  “You mean... our Earth, right? Like, where we live?”

  Trembling, Mio nodded silently.

  This would make the third or fourth time the world was in danger... but this time, I couldn’t understand why. What could Mio’s story and the fate of the planet possibly have to do with each other? I thought her story was just about her getting pushed off a building and losing her memories. And we already knew the cause of her amnesia. Yang had sealed away her memories with his telepathy.

  All that was left to figure out was the identity of the person who’d pushed her... No, wait. That’s right. There was an even more pressing question about Mio’s story—why the all-knowing Magic of Omniscience indicated that Mio Kotozuka had never been pushed off a roof.

  The Magic of Omniscience was magic that accessed the Akashic record, a detailed history of everything that had happened in the universe since the dawn of time. It was impossible for anything but the truth to be recorded in it. In other words, if it said that Mio wasn’t pushed off a roof, it was safe to assume she hadn’t been.

  But that would mean Mio lied to me... and I couldn’t see her motive for that. For starters, her memories were sealed by Yang right before she met me. It was dumb luck that she remembered being pushed off a roof in the first place. But how was it that her account of what happened didn’t match the Akashic record? That was the greatest mystery of her story.

  Could this prophecy of hers possibly be the key to solving it?

  “...”

  As I was lost in my thoughts, my prolonged silence prompted Mio to approach me nervously. Her shoulders were trembling.

  “Mio, I have some questions. You can take your time thinking, but could you answer them for me?”

  “Okay...”

  “Firstly, what is this ‘something terrible’ that’s going to happen?”

  Mio hesitated for a moment before answering.

  “A Psychic Hazard.”

  “Psychic Hazard?” I repeated.

  “You could call it a psychic disaster,” R mumbled as she hung upside-down in the air.

  “On the last day of my tour... After I sang my first song, I heard a man speaking to me inside my head.”

  “A man?”

  And what did she mean by speaking to her “inside her head”?

  “He called himself Yang.”

  “Yang?!”

  “Y-Yeah,” Mio nodded, startled by me raising my voice.

  Was this it? Was this where everything clicked into place?

  “...So, what did Yang do?”

  I wanted to mull this all over, but I knew I wasn’t going to get to the bottom of it without Mio finishing her story, so I urged her to continue.

  “Yang changed us... He changed us powerless humans,” she said.

  “What do you mean by ‘changed’?”

  “He changed us into psychics.”

  “Psychics...? Wait, what?” I interrupted in confusion. “You’re saying he transformed normal humans like you into psychics?”

  “Yes...”

  “What kind of powers were you given? Was it different for every person?”

  “No. Everyone was given the ability to read minds.”

  “The ability to read minds...?”

  That was a type of telepathy, right?

  According to Satsuki, magical telepathy and psychic telepathy were fairly similar, but the latter was a lot more versatile. The ability to read people’s minds, the ability to send thoughts to others, the ability to seal memories... The applications were different, but at their core, they all involved messing with people’s minds in some way. That was psychic telepathy.

  But did psychic telepathy somehow have the power to change normal people into psychics, too? It might be better to get an expert opinion from Ellicia, who was a real psychic, or Shirley, who was researching psychic powers. But neither of them were here right now, so I put the thought aside for the time being and rubbed Mio’s trembling back to try and comfort her.

  “Sorry, I know it might be a scary memory, but I need to hear more about it. Can you continue your story?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine...” Mio took a deep breath and continued. “The audience was immediately in chaos... Fights broke out everywhere and spread like wildfire.”

  “Why did that happen?”

  “You know, you really could try using your own imagination for once,” said an exasperated Tsumiki from behind Mio.

  We were currently sitting in a line along Lea’s back as she flew in Leviathan form, but everyone was huddled up close enough together that even Corona and Harissa in the back could hear what we were talking about. Tsumiki was sitting behind Mio and facing me.

  “What is there to imagine?” I asked.

  “That’s why I said... Okay, let’s say there’s tens of thousands of fans gathered together at a concert. When you’re packed together like that, you might start thinking about how the person next to you stepped on your foot, or how the person in front of you smells bad, right? And even if that wasn’t the case, everyone attending the concert is going to be a serious fan of MIO, some with pretty strong opinions... If everyone suddenly knew what everyone else was thinking, that’s bound to cause a little bit of discontent and discord, don’t you think?”

  Out of consideration for Mio sitting right in front of her, Tsumiki chose her words carefully as she spoke. She was a fan of MIO herself and had actually been to one of her concerts before, so she was probably speaking from experience on this. At any rate, I understood what she was getting at.

  “So everybody’s negative thoughts like ‘Ew, gross’ or ‘I hate this guy’—the kind you normally think but keep to yourself—were basically broadcast all of a sudden, and that started fights?”

  “I think that’s about the size of it.”

  Mio was shaking like she was remembering the incident.

  “...So, what happened after that?” I asked.

  “The last thing Yang told me was that he wanted to cause that kind of chaos throughout the world. I tried to run from the concert hall after that, but... it was like a riot outside... I was so scared... and then Rekka saved me.”

  “Huh? M-Me?”

  I pointed at myself, a bit confused. I certainly didn’t remember any of this.

  “Yes. You came to see my concert,” Mio said, then turned around. “With Tsumiki. The two of you helped me run away.”

  “I-I was there, too?” Tsumiki asked in a confused voice as she pointed at herself, too.

  She’d said she was MIO’s fan, so it wasn’t that hard to imagine Tsumiki at one of her concerts. And I would probably go with her if she asked. That much I could buy. It was the rest of what Mio had said that concerned me. The dramatic rescue that neither one of us had any recollection of. That she was talking about this all in past tense. And above all, the date... July 27th.

  “Mio, how do you know what happens on July 27th? Today’s only the 24th.”

  It sounded like she was talking about something that was going to happen in three days. So why was she talking about the future in past tense? It was as if she’d already experienced it...

  “I don’t know if you’ll believe this, but...”

  “Don’t worry. I’m pretty experienced in the hard-to-believe.”

  “I...” Mio took a brea
th before continuing, “...time traveled here from the future.”

  Chapter 5: Psychic Hazard (July 25th-26th)

  By the time the calendar flipped over to July 25th, we’d reached the edge of the spirit world in our attempt to shake off our pursuers.

  “If there’s an outer edge to this world, then does that mean it isn’t round like ours?” Tsumiki asked.

  “Maybe,” I said with a shrug.

  “It’s like a fantasy world,” she said quietly.

  “Yeah,” I agreed.

  Of course, we hadn’t fled to the ends of the world for nothing. The gate we needed to use was here. We’d finally made it, and the gate itself dwarfed the World Tree in the capital. Its towering figure was majestic, reaching higher than the eye could see. And on the other side of it was the demon world.

  As long as we were in the spirit world, the Spirit King’s men would come after us. That was why Corona had suggested we hide in her world—the realm of demons. And here we were at the gate, getting ready to cross over.

  “...”

  I glanced at Mio to check on her.

  In two days, the Psychic Hazard she spoke of would overtake Earth. She’d witnessed it herself, but then traveled back in time. More precisely, her mind from the future had entered her current body on July 20th. Apparently, she’d jumped right out of bed when it happened, and that put us at the start of the story she’d told us before. We still had no idea why she was able to do something supernatural like time travel, but we’d managed to clear up several other things.

  We knew how Mio knew my name when I first found her—she knew me from the future. We also knew why she’d abandoned her tour to come to our town—she was trying to find me for help. And most importantly, we now knew why her story conflicted with Satsuki’s Magic of Omniscience—the Akashic record only contained a history of things and events that had already happened. It wouldn’t tell us anything about the catastrophe Mio had experienced in the future.

  “Huh? What’s wrong, Rekka?” Mio noticed my glances and looked up at me curiously.

  “Hm? Nothing... Can you recall the last bit of your memories yet?”

  “Not yet...”

  The final mystery of Mio’s story was who had pushed her off the roof. She still couldn’t remember. She said she’d run to the roof to get away from the rioting crowds, but that was where her memories stopped. Most everything right before and after that crucial moment was a blank. It was possible that the roof incident was linked to her missing memories and how she’d managed to time travel.

  “Sheesh, that Yang guy sure caused a lot of trouble...”

  This whole thing seemed like it’d be a lot easier to solve if Yang hadn’t sealed her memories. We’d probably be able to handle things much more directly that way. Considering the circumstances, it was sheer coincidence that Mio ran into Yang again... It would be putting it mildly to say it hadn’t been her lucky day.

  But the good news was that we still had time. The Psychic Hazard originally happened on July 27th, but that was in time-traveler Mio’s world. History should have changed greatly when she met me on July 20th.

  I now knew that Yang was trying to cause the Psychic Hazard, a disaster that probably involved Ellicia’s story, as well. And this turn of events should have had some effect on Yang’s plans. There was no guarantee that the Psychic Hazard would still happen on July 27th in this time line. That’s right... there was still time for us.

  My chest suddenly throbbed in pain. I knew why. It was because I had left Lyun in the capital. I wasn’t able to save her little sister. By the time I reached her, it was already over.

  Still... I couldn’t just give up.

  Even if I couldn’t save her sister, Lyun’s story wasn’t over yet. Both her fate and the fate of the spirit world were on the line. Only me and my Namidare bloodline could save them.

  Even if I could manage that, it wouldn’t bring Lyun’s little sister back... She might never forgive me for that. But I still wasn’t going to abandon her and her story.

  “Let’s go, Corona,” I said.

  “All right, stand back.”

  Corona placed the palm of her hand against the enormous structure and started to chant something quietly. Apparently, this gate could only be opened by the hand of either the Demon King or the Spirit King.

  I took a deep breath.

  First, to the demon world. We’d head to the Demon King’s castle and borrow something from Corona to use in Harissa’s new spell. With that, we’d head back to Earth via Aburaamu. Once we made it, we’d go to Ellicia—no, first we’d exchange information with Satsuki and the others, then...

  Oh, right! Before all that, we’d have to stock up on Red Threads while we were in Aburaamu. After we stopped the Psychic Hazard, we’d need those to get back to the spirit and demon worlds.

  Man... I’m starting to panic.

  I was even pacing back and forth without realizing it. As I was telling myself to calm down, the gate that connected the spirit and demon worlds slowly creaked open.

  ▽

  On the other side of the gate lay a vast expanse of dusty yellow land—the polar opposite of the lush, verdant spirit world.

  “So, this is the demon world...”

  “That’s right,” Corona said with a small nod.

  “There aren’t any trees or flowers.”

  “We have an abundance of minerals instead. You can make any weapon conceivable here.”

  Corona explained the demons here used weapons to hunt savage beasts as their primary food source. They apparently did plenty of fighting amongst themselves, too.

  “It’s probably the reason demons seem uncivilized in the eyes of the spirits.” Corona sighed and pointed diagonally to our right. “My castle is in that direction. If it hasn’t been weathered away by now, that is.”

  Come to think of it, Corona was sealed away for several hundred years. What were we going to do if her castle was gone?

  I had the fingerless glove Hibiki gave me, so we still had a way to get back to Earth, but Harissa could only cast her spell once more as things stood. If we used it now, Harissa wouldn’t be able to return to her home in Aburaamu, and we wouldn’t be able to come back to the spirit world later. Using it would have to be a last resort.

  “...”

  I could see Harissa clutching her staff tightly.

  “How long will it take to reach the castle?” I asked Corona.

  “Let’s see... if your snake lady keeps flying without rest, then we’ll make it in half a day.”

  “...Call me Lea.”

  Lea didn’t seem too pleased about being called a snake lady. Her cheeks reddened in indignation.

  “My bad,” Corona apologized lightly.

  “Lea, can you make it?” I asked.

  Lea had been working nonstop for the past few days. I felt bad asking her to do more, but...

  “Of course. If it’s to protect the people I love, this much is nothing.”

  “Thanks, Lea.”

  That meant it was time to set off again. Lea transformed, and after we all climbed aboard, we made a beeline for the Demon King’s castle.

  ▽

  After fending off the beasts that rashly tried to attack Lea’s flying dragon form en route to the castle, our destination finally came into view.

  “That’s the castle,” Corona said.

  She pointed to a great stone castle built into the side of a mountain. It reminded me of how the Spirit King’s palace had been incorporated into a giant tree. Perhaps spirits and demons weren’t as different from each other as they thought.

  “Well, I’m glad it’s still standing,” I said.

  “Yeah. At least there’s something left,” Corona replied.

  “Now all we have to do is borrow something you have from Aburaamu...”

  “If everything goes smoothly, that is.”

  “Huh? Is there another problem?”

  “It’s highly likely someone else has inherited my pos
ition, just like how I passed my title of hero in Aburaamu on to you.”

  “Are you saying there’s another Demon King?!” I yelled in surprise.

  “There are three royal families here, each ruling their own territory. But interaction between them is basically nonexistent. They all signed a non-aggression pact and went their separate ways. The House of Gardendos, the family I’m from, governs the land closest to the gate to the spirit world.” Corona paused for a moment. “There are many things that only a Demon King can do, other than managing the gate. That’s why the king must be of royal blood. But I had 25 siblings, you know. One of them has likely taken my place.”

  “B-But they wouldn’t just completely disregard your position as the former king, right...?”

  “Who knows? Demons live long lives, so one of my retainers might still be alive, but... there’s no familial love between demons. If anything, it’s more likely they’ll see me as a threat and attack on sight. If the current Demon King ordered my execution, my retainers would obey.”

  Corona’s household sounded pretty brutal...

  “So that means we might end up fighting your family?”

  “Don’t hold back. You’re a hero, so make sure you fight like one.”

  That would be easier said than done.

  Despite all my worries, we approached the front gate of the castle.

  “Oh? Your Majesty. When did you leave the grounds?”

  “Huh?”

  I was quite taken aback at the unexpected greeting from the goblin soldier guarding the castle gate.

  “You know who I am?” Corona asked.

  “Of course. There’s no way I’d forget the face of the great Demon King. But it sure is rare to see Her Shut-In Majesty out and about for a change.”

  It was hard to tell if he was being polite or just plain rude. Did all demons talk like that...? Well, whatever.

  “I know you said demons have long lifespans, but is this guy one of your former underlings?” I whispered to Corona.

  “I don’t know him. Well, I never remembered most of my underlings’ faces... And if I’ve become known as a shut-in in my absence, then it wouldn’t matter anyway.”

  “Figures.”

  Corona’s response left me intrigued.