Chapter 303: Crown of the Mundane and Divine: Mundane Troubles 『 Part Seven 』
「 After disposing of the Voidrangers, Asta emerged from a cluster of blue flames, caught steadily by Stelle.
After being sent to the medical bay, Screwllum indicated that she had merely suffered a fright and was in the process of recovering. Aside from her, the other missing persons were found one after another; the conclusion was that everyone was safe.
"However, throughout this entire incident, there remains one layer of doubt yet to be resolved. And that is a matter I ought to handle."
…
At this moment, on the other side of the Space Station.
The Duke Inferno's small flame was darting about frantically. It had fled in the chaos immediately after summoning the Voidrangers, but right now, it was seized by a tremendous suction force, quickly collected into a cubic container.
The owner of the container was none other than Ratio.
As he was examining this wisp of flame with satisfaction, Screwllum's voice came from beside his ear: "I have been waiting for some time."
Ratio turned his head to look at him: "The aftermath of the incident has not yet settled; surely you have many matters to attend to? Or is the safety of the Space Station of no concern to you?"
"Answer: This is precisely why I am here. After all, the true protagonist of the incident—is right here."
Ratio smiled faintly; he did not deny it: "…Since when did you start suspecting me?"
"Those engaged in academic research always find it difficult to believe in something. Conversely, questioning it is much easier," Screwllum said unhurriedly. "From the very beginning, Mr. Ratio. I, too, share that bad habit of yours."
"I am deeply honored, Mr. Screwllum. But since you saw through it long ago, why did you remain silent?" 」
「 ..... 」
〜Journey To The West World〜
"Hah! The young master here saw it coming ages ago!"
Nezha leaped up with a whoosh, pointing at Ratio on the sky curtain.
"That guy has the face of a scheming old fox; sure enough, he's the man behind the Annihilation Gang!"
Hearing this, Ao Bing sighed helplessly:
"Nezha, do not be hasty; hold off on drawing conclusions."
"Hold off for what!"
Nezha somersaulted in front of Ao Bing.
"Look at him, keeping a straight face all day, dissing heaven, earth, and the air itself—he's definitely up to no good!"
"The Annihilation Gang are subordinates of Nanook the 『 Destruction 』, whereas this Mr. Ratio, like Mr. Screwllum, is a man of 『 Erudition 』, and deeply trusted by the IPC. If Mr. Ratio were truly a villain, why would he help Stelle and help Screwllum? That makes no sense…"
"How should I know?"
Nezha waved his hand impatiently to cut him off, grabbing a celestial fruit from the side and taking a bite.
"You're just too easy to trust people! If you ask me, out of ten people who look like they have ten thousand schemes in their gut, nine aren't good people!"
Ao Bing chuckled softly:
"And the remaining one?"
Nezha choked on the question, staring wide-eyed and speechless. He took a vicious bite of the celestial fruit and mumbled indistinctly:
"Anyway… anyway, there's definitely something wrong with this guy!"
Ao Bing spoke warmly:
"Perhaps, but I believe this Mr. Ratio is a man with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Although his words are a bit aggressive, his starting point is always for the good of others—on this point, I have never doubted him from beginning to end."
—
「 "Out of curiosity. Logic: I made the same decision as you: accompany, observe," Screwllum said.
"Oh… then when were you convinced?"
"In terms of results, apart from minor mental trauma, no researchers suffered substantial harm during this attack. This does not align with the Annihilation Gang's style. Logic: There was a third party who saved them."
Ratio spread his hands: "Had I not accidentally acquired the Phase Flame kindling and intervened in the infernal teleportation, those people would have long since been space junk floating outside the window."
"You are more candid than calculated."
"But ultimately, within your calculations, was it not?" Ratio continued to question: "One final question: Screwllum, genius that you are, can you calculate my reason for doing this?"
Screwllum could not be certain either and could only offer a deduction; his behavior contained both the benevolence of a healer and the severity of a scholar, while remaining behind the scenes, controlling the overall situation—this was a challenge sent to a genius.
"The monarch of Planet Screwllum indeed understands the human heart, though it is a pity that, like a genius, you are far removed from the masses—you were still wrong on one point." Ratio looked toward the experimental equipment inside the window nearby. "To stand by and watch is the true cure: there is a stubborn disease in this world named [Ignorance], far harder to eradicate than any illness."
"The Path of Erudition has neither reason nor logic; geniuses stroll among the stars, yet the mediocre cannot even catch up to a single footprint. Ordinary people must learn to walk independently, spending a busy life falling down and climbing back up."
"But a failed life is still a life; they have the right to taste it until the end. And only when they fall to the ground with no one to help them up can fools comprehend how to stand." He turned back to look at Screwllum: "I have a cleanliness fixation; I cannot stand the sight of idiots, dimwits, and imbeciles. Seeing them makes me want to die—unfortunately, this Space Station is just like the Intelligentsia Guild: devoid of geniuses, and teeming with mediocrity." 」
「 ..... 」
〜KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World〜
Kazuma sat with his legs crossed on a chair in the Adventurer's Guild. Upon hearing this, he immediately nudged Aqua beside him with his elbow, grinning broadly:
"Hey, Aqua, did you hear that? Your beloved Professor Ratio says he wants to die when he sees you? For the sake of his safety, sigh…"
Kazuma let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Hah?! What stupid things are you saying?"
Aqua slammed the table and stood up abruptly, beer foam splashing all over her face, but she paid it no mind. Instead, she puffed out her chest proudly, her long aqua-blue hair swaying exaggeratedly with her movements:
"I am a Goddess! Even if he really can't think straight and wants to commit suicide, I can resurrect him immediately! No matter how many times he dies, I will definitely save him! And I will guarantee that the first thing he sees when he wakes up is me!"
"Is that some kind of torture…"
Kazuma wore a look of disgust.
"Aqua, don't get all self-touched. Is there a possibility that opening his eyes to see you would be a punishment for Professor Ratio?"
"Nonsense!"
Aqua puffed out her cheeks angrily:
"Why do you always assume I'm the idiot? Is it possible that it's because of you, Kazuma? If I'm an idiot, then you're an idiot too!"
Amidst the clamor of the Adventurer's Guild, their bickering about who was the idiot went back and forth, the volume rising wave after wave, causing the onlookers eating melons to tacitly form a circle, cheering them both on one after another.
"These two…"
Yunyun rubbed her forehead, really unwilling to admit she knew these two.
—