My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

In the far, far north, there lies a frozen wasteland, unfit for any form of life and constantly battered with permanent blizzards.

In the centre of that white hellscape, where the ruthless hail could rend an elephant to shreds in a matter of seconds, a glorious palace of ice sat.

And, the being who resided in that palace...

"Northern Star. I heard you are exceptional at magic, but does that include the means to travel worlds?"

There was no answer to my question, and the only response I received was the fact that the snowstorm seemed to grow a tad harsher.

Of course, I was completely unaffected by such a thing with Reality, and Kolo Tjahn was an Archwizard capable of more than I can imagine.

Even penetrating the Northern Star's magic barrier to teleport here was no big deal, though it unfortunately wasn't possible to teleport directly inside the palace itself.

"Are you not capable of it? If so, I shall leave."

Yet again, there was no sign of the Northern Star showing herself any time soon.

I wasn't a psychopath, and killing her if she wasn't able to do what I wanted was unnecessary, so I decided to just get Kolo Tjahn to take me elsewhere.

For now, I wanted to go to the Transcendents who I had been told were most likely to help me due to their humanity.

"Is it possible to locate the Vagabond Knight?"

A wandering knight who helps those he stumbles across make it through the monster-infested wilderness.

He was clearly a kind hearted soul, but I didn't think he was capable of casting magic at all, let alone crossing worlds.

Still, I thought it was worth a shot; it wouldn't take long, so if it ended up pointless, it wasn't a big deal anyway.

"It will take a while to search all over the continent for a single person, but since the target is a Transcendent leaking his presence all over the place, it should be more than possible. While I'm at it, I can also find the King of the Wandering Forest?"

King of the Wandering Forest.

I hadn't heard much about that moniker, but I could imagine more or less what his deal was just by hearing the name.

"Sure."

I had no idea if he could use magic or not, but just like the Vagabond Knight, there was nothing to lose by trying.

In the meantime, since the World Tree is inaccessible, why don't we check out the last of the three who were most likely to help?

"Take me to the Lord of the East."

Since he was ruler of the Eastern Empire, he would no doubt be staying in the same place he was always said to be; the Eastern Palace.

Thankfully, Kolo Tjahn seemed to have visited the Eastern Empire in the past, before he entered the Magic Tower, and so he already knew where the palace was located.

Apparently, as it belonged to a Transcendent as well as the emperor, it was a popular tourist location. Well, who cares.

"Just go."

Just as with most of the other Transcendents, there was a large magic barrier that surrounded the Eastern Palace, but it was of dramatically lower quality―probably due to the fact that countless people entered and exited it every day.

Thus, it didn't take very long, and we could teleport right to the palace's interior.

And as we did, it spurred an immediate uproar.

"What the hell are you!?"

People screaming in what should've been a foreign tongue, yet what was instead the same understandable language used all across Earth.

When I first encountered the inhabitants of the Otherworld, I thought the language used was the same as my own because it was a dream world, and thus followed the rules of the one who dreamt it, or Yuu Shimura, but I didn't realise it extended to even foreign countries.

...Thinking about it now, I never once questioned the fact that other countries on Earth, such as Auriga or Tutral Asca, also all used the same language.

Was that also because it was the language of the Author who created it all?

But then, going one step further, wouldn't it rather be the language of whoever created the Author? Or the being above that?

All the way until the highest existence...

So, was the language I spoke, as well as the language spoken by the inhabitants of the Otherworld, in truth the language of the highest existence?

Whatever the truth was, there was no time to consider it as I suddenly found myself surrounded by spear-wielding soldiers.

"Transcendent! What is your purpose here?!"

"..."

They clearly knew what I was from my overbearing presence, but despite their trembling, they remained steadfast in their caution.

Judging by the design of their clothes as well as the palace itself, both of which were almost identical to the foreign style that matched Minami preferences, I knew instantly that I was in the same place I saw in the trial.

And, because of what I was just thinking about, it then made me wonder if this eastern-style culture was the same in all worlds.

The Eastern Empire of the Otherworld.

The eastern nations of Earth.

Was the eastern land of the highest existences world also the same?

"Please answer!"

"..."

Without any specific thoughts in mind, I stared at the eastern soldiers for a while. Before long, I felt a familiar presence, and following it, a gruff voice sounded.

"Stand down."

Perhaps in defence of his men, the Lord of the East appeared before me.

The first thing I noticed was that his clothes followed the pattern.

"Why, this is a rare guest indeed. Now, as my men asked; for what purpose has a fellow Transcendent like you come to my home? I cannot imagine you simply wished to sightsee."

Well, he was certainly correct about that assumption.

But, instead of answering him, my focus was on something else.

Really, I was only beginning to notice it now, but the words I was hearing felt off―not just from the Lord, but his men, the Dragon King, and even Kolo Tjahn beside me.

Recalling what all of them had said, the manner in which they spoke, and even thinking back to all the other people I had met since I came to the Otherworld.

I don't know if it's because I'm too intent on the matter of the highest existence and thinking too deeply into it, or if it's truly the case, but it is beginning to feel strange.

It probably was just me, but I can't help it.

Thinking that everything is going as the highest existence wills, it just makes me feel so immeasurably helpless.

The possibility that everything has been as it wished, ever since even before the beginning.

I don't know why I'm beginning to feel this way now, perhaps a combination of what was said in the Magic Tower as well as my increasing proficiency in using Reality, but that's just it...

It all just feels so... Scripted.

For some reason.

Too long had passed since I had been on Earth to accurately remember, but glimpsing at the thought that everything anyone had ever said to me there was also a mere line of dialogue wished up by the highest existence...

It felt like my heart was on the precipice of a limitlessly high cliff, ready to fall at any moment.

Although I knew that, logically, it couldn't be true―nor should it.

It just made me want to...

"Aren't you going to say something?" The Lord of the East asked, completely oblivious to my internal mental state.

"...Can you send me to another world?"

Fortunately, the Lord of the East didn't seem to enjoy beating around the bush.

"I do not possess such power. I once came from such a land, and in my pursuit of returning, I realised it was not possible for a lacking man such as myself. So, I now merely govern the land I call my new home."

"..."

It was a shallow story.

Since he couldn't fulfil my desire, I decided to leave promptly.

"Excuse me. Boy."

"?"

As I turned to Kolo Tjahn, the Lord abruptly called me. With the appearance of an ageing man and a life at least three dozen times as long, it wasn't surprising that he saw me as such.

Since he seemed to want nothing to do with a potentially dangerous outsider like me, I wondered what he had to say for a moment.

"If you are anything like me, you would have wished to go against greatness, to no avail."

"Yet, you will continue to oppose that greatness, even if failure is the only outcome."

"Once you meet face-to-face the wall that is unsurpassable, whether that has already occurred or will only occur in the future, you should think to yourself and understand."

"Is it worth it?"

"Ceaselessly bashing your head against the unsurpassable, unbreakable, immovable wall, will not result in success―it will only lead to a further diminishing of yourself and your being."

"So, if that ever happens, remember."

"It is fine to give in."

"It is fine to recognise that a wall is unsurpassable."

"It is fine to understand that some walls are not meant to be overcome."

The Lord of the East's words were of a much more profound and philosophical nature than I expected, but I listened until the end.

I couldn't deny that, for an ordinary person, what he said would stand a point.

However, for me, it wasn't so.

I didn't believe that something could be impossible for me; not anymore.

With Reality, if I encountered a wall, I could simply break it.

If that wall were unsurpassable, I would simply make it not so.

If it were unbreakable or immovable, I would just make it disappear.

So, whether the obstacle that was the highest existence was an unsurpassable wall or not, nothing could stand in my way.

"Ok."

And with that in mind.

"...Take me to the Necrotic Overlord."

I asked to visit the next Transcendent on the list.

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