The teacher who had saved her from pain and treated her as an equal. Aram had learned that this dependable man, for whom she felt such gratitude, was actually something far beyond a mere Saint.
But she was not greatly surprised.
“Somewhere in the back of my mind, I always thought this might be the case.”
“Oh dear. Did you now?”
“Miracles do not come easily, do they?”
This had been one of the possibilities she expected.
“Even manufactured miracles would be difficult enough to come by. For a pure miracle to visit someone like me, a human entangled in all manner of Mystery and fate… would be almost unthinkable.”
“And you readily adapt to reality, even as you imagine every possible calamity.”
“Even so, the fact that a manufactured miracle came to me is something for which I ought to be grateful. It remains a valuable miracle. The only question left is what you want from me, Teacher.”
“I am sorry, but….”
The Evil God grinned as he spoke.
“I am not your teacher.”
“…How different are you?”
“By perhaps 0.01 percent of all the Mystery in the world?”
“Isn’t that an absolutely enormous amount…?”
“That will depend on the perspective from which you consider it.”
“…As always, this is difficult. Fate cannot be calculated through simple knowledge….”
“But you can accomplish something similar.”
That was what it meant to be a Hero and a Saint.
“It seems all of you are finally prepared to listen to me properly.”
Ater, who had been watching the situation unfold with a look of utter exasperation, spoke.
“…Because I realized there was no other way.”
“An excellent attitude.”
“Put differently, it is also called resignation.”
“It was a…