One sunny afternoon, I found myself heading toward Alice’s general store. Alice usually stayed right behind me as my guard, but for some reason, whenever I just wanted to chat or mess around with her, I tended to visit her shop.
I walked down the path I’d become quite familiar with, reached the shop, and opened the door. There, I found someone else waiting besides Alice.
"Hmm? Oh? If it isn't Kai-chan! Yahoo!"
"Fate-san?"
Riding a floating cushion in front of the counter and drinking tea with a cat-kigurumi-clad Split Body of Alice was the Supreme God of the God Realm herself, Fate-san.
As I tilted my head, wondering why she was here, the cat kigurumi blurred and shifted into Alice’s usual form. She had probably swapped places with her main body. Alice set a chair out for me in front of the counter with practiced ease.
"...Fate-san comes here quite often."
"Is that so? I see. Well, you and Fate-san are close, Alice."
"Shaltan and I are soul friends, after all!"
Fate-san gave a firm thumbs-up. Alice, meanwhile, looked somewhat exasperated.
"Well, Fate-san and I have been acquainted for twenty thousand years—ever since Kuro-san and the others raided the God Realm. She hangs out here all the time. Though she's never actually bought a single item... Not a single one!"
"In my heart, I've gone shopping here tens of thousands of times."
"Feelings don't pay the bills!"
"But wait, I totally help you out! I even let you borrow my subordinate's temple that one time."
It was a bit rare to see Alice relegated to the straight-man role. And wait—let her borrow a temple? Wasn't that the incident Chronoa-san mentioned? About someone disguising themselves as a God to hand out blessings? I’d wondered how she’d managed to infiltrate the God Realm... but it turned out one of the Supreme Gods had been her accomplice all along.
"Anyway, setting that aside," Alice continued, "Fate-san often flees to this place."
"Flees?"
"Yes. My shop is special; I’ve set it up so it can’t be detected by Search Magic and the like."
"Exactly! Shaltan's Recognition Inhibition Magic is the best in the world. If I stay here, even the God of Space-Time can't find me."
It seemed Chronoa-san’s life of hardship was a constant. Maybe I’d tell her where the shop was next time... yeah, let's do that.
"Well, obviously, if Fate-san or Life-san used their actual Authorities, they'd find you," Alice noted.
"That can't be helped," Fate sighed. "Magic generally can't compete with an Authority of the same type. Though I'm sure if it came down to it, Shaltan would just forge the records and slip away anyway."
"Actually, I've been meaning to ask... what’s the difference between Magic and an Authority?"
Fate’s comment had piqued my interest. From what she’d said, an Authority sounded like a higher-tier power, but I wasn't sure of the specifics. Alice and Fate exchanged a glance, nodded, and then Alice spoke.
"...Right. Kaito-san, you've been meeting more and more Gods lately, and we happen to have Fate-san right here, so why don't we explain what Authorities are?"
"Yeah, if you don't mind."
"Alright, alright. Let me get things ready then!"
"Ready?"
No sooner had she spoken than Alice produced a massive blackboard from nowhere. A desk and chair like those from a school appeared simultaneously, and for some reason, Fate-san sat in them. Furthermore, Alice’s outfit had transformed into a white lab coat.
Alice and Fate looked at each other again, nodded once, and shouted in unison.
"Teach me! Shaltan-sensei!"
Was a comedy skit starting?
"And so, in this segment, I—Shaltan-sensei—will answer my student's questions."
"Yes! Shaltan-sensei!"
So Alice was the teacher, and Fate-san—who was energetically raising her hand—was the student? I felt like I’d definitely asked the wrong people. And why was Alice the one explaining it instead of Fate, who was an actual God? Well, the role of "teacher" probably was impossible for Fate.
Alice pointed at the hand-raising Fate-san with a smug expression.
"Yes, student Fate-san. Your question?"
"I'm tired. Can I go home?"
"That's too fast! We haven't even gotten through one question! Look, I'll bake you some cookies later, so just take this seriously."
"Fiiine."
I wasn't sure how to react. They were acting like total idiots, but one was the Phantasmal King, one of the Six Kings, and the other was a Supreme God. I caught myself worrying if it was really okay for these two to be at the top of the world's power structure.
"Let’s try again! Shaltan-sensei, question!"
"Yes, go ahead."
"Does a banana count as a snack?"
"Hmm, let's see. Bananas are highly nutritious and easy to eat when you’re peckish, making them a truly delightful food, so they don't count as sna—Wait, why are you going for a second helping of nonsense!?"
The classic routine... they really were close. And as I’d suspected, in this pair, Alice was the one playing the straight man. They actually made a pretty good duo; their personalities seemed quite compatible.
"I just felt like I had to do it once," Fate giggled. "Okay, for real now: what exactly are the Authorities used by the Gods?"
"An Authority is a power unique to the God race," Alice explained. "Without exception, they are granted directly by Shallow Vernal-sama, the God of the World. An Authority also represents what that God presides over. When we use titles like the 'God of X,' we are referring to that specific Authority."
"Heh. But is that different from Magic?"
"Yes. They seem similar, but they're fundamentally different. An Authority is a principle of the world itself, making it a higher-tier power than Magic."
"Sensei, teach me in a way that’s easier to understand!"
"Alright. To use a sports analogy, Magic is a 'technique' that an individual can hone, while an Authority is the 'rule' of the game itself. In terms of the fundamental hierarchy of existence, an Authority is always superior."
Alice began drawing on the blackboard. She sketched caricatures of herself and Fate-san along with some dice.
"Let's take Fate-san's Authority of Fate as an example. First, as a premise, understand that certain high-ranking Demons can perform Causality Manipulation themselves. Magic to see the future or manipulate causality does exist."
"Oh? So Magic can do the same things as an Authority?"
"I won't say it can do everything, but yes, it's possible. For example, fixing the result of a dice roll is something I can easily do. Now, here's the question: What would happen if Fate-san and I both tried to fix the result of the same die? If I try to make it a one, and Fate-san tries to make it a six... which one do you think would come up?"
"Hmm... wouldn't it be whichever one is stronger?"
I knew Ein-san could manipulate time, so the idea that Magic could mimic an Authority's effects made sense. But if that was the case, the actual difference was even harder to grasp. Fortunately, Fate-san was asking the exact questions I had in mind.
"Actually, that's not how it works," Alice said. "Even if I were several times stronger than Fate-san, the result would always be the six Fate-san specified. That's because the fact that an Authority is higher than Magic is a principle of the world—a rule. Therefore, if Magic and an Authority try to do the same thing, the Authority will always take priority."
"Then an Authority is just a much more amazing power?"
"Not necessarily. An Authority is an extremely specialized power, so it cannot do anything that doesn't fall under its specific jurisdiction. While Magic can expand infinitely depending on a person's skill, an Authority is powerful but limited in its scope."
"I see, I see."
So it was the difference between an all-purpose tool and a specialized machine. Magic was broad and versatile, but it could never beat an Authority at its own game. Conversely, an Authority exerted absolute power within its domain but lacked the flexibility of Magic.
"Well, mine can do plenty of things, though," Fate added.
"There are always exceptions," Alice admitted. "Fate-san's Authority is basically the strongest one, capable of interfering with almost any phenomenon. That's exactly why Fate-san is the strongest of the Gods, excluding Shallow Vernal-sama."
Fate-san's ability to interfere with causality really was a cheat. Against anyone who didn't possess an Authority that overrode hers, she was absolutely superior. On the other hand, someone like Chronoa-san might have a power that was incredibly potent but strictly limited to time.
"Okay, one more thing. Why are Authorities higher than Magic in the first place?"
"That's simple. An Authority is essentially a fragment of Shallow Vernal-sama's own power. Shallow Vernal-sama is the God of the World. Thus, her power is the highest authority in existence."
That made sense. Shiro-san was the Creator. Her power was the absolute law of this world.
(In short... I am the rules.)
I don't think it means it quite like that.
Shiro-san’s voice spoke directly into my mind as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Her voice was inflectionless, and her face was probably blank, but I could practically hear a "Doya" sound effect.
(Doya.)
Don't actually say it... Anyway, I get it. You're amazing, Shiro-san.
(You may praise me more. Praise makes me happy.)
Maybe another time.
I ended the "conversation" with Shiro-san and looked back at Alice and Fate.
"I get it now! Thanks, Shaltan-sensei!"
"You're welcome. Any other questions?"
"Yes! How can I make Kai-chan fall for me!?"
Hey, Supreme God, why are you asking that with such a serious face...?
"Well," Alice began, "Kaito-san might not look it, but he's actually quite weak to being pushed. I wouldn't recommend being too forceful since Kuro-san would probably stop you... but assertive behavior is effective as long as Kuro-san doesn't intervene. Even if you dragged him on a date against his will, he'd probably just go along with it in the end."
"I see, I see."
"So, Fate-san's approach of clinging to him and acting spoiled is actually quite good. Honestly, I think he'd pamper you even more if you just made your demands a bit more reasonable. He's a softie at heart."
And you, Phantasmal King, why are you answering so seriously!? Those sounded like genuine strategies!
It was true that if Fate-san didn't ask me to marry her or support her, and instead just asked me to go shopping or play with her, I’d probably end up agreeing. The only saving grace was that Fate-san would probably find the execution too much of a bother and stick to her usual routine.
"Furthermore, if we look at Kaito-san's preferred situations—"
"Wait, what!? Kai-chan's preferences!?"
This was getting dangerous. At this rate, Alice was going to make my privacy—and maybe even fetishes I didn't know I had—public information. I had to stop them, but would they listen? I didn't have Kuro to help me...
(I shall teach you a magic word,) Shiro whispered.
A magic word?
(Just say 'Help me, Shiro-san,' and all will be solved.)
Uh, okay. Does it work even if I just think it? Help me, Shiro-san.
"Gah!?" "Ack!?"
The moment I thought those words, Toy Hammers appeared above Alice and Fate-san and slammed down onto their heads.
A cute squeak echoed through the room. Despite being some of the most powerful beings in existence, the two of them clutched their heads and rolled on the floor in agony.
"Wait, Kaito-san! I can guess what happened, but... this hammer really hurts!" Alice groaned. "Who are you asking for help!? Seriously, stop that! That person doesn't know the meaning of restraint! It bypassed all my Magic Power Defense and dealt intense pain directly to my nerves!"
"I am terribly sorry, Shallow Vernal-sama!" Fate cried out. "This is entirely my fault! I am truly, truly sorry! Please, please forgive me!"
"Uh, sorry. I didn't mean for it to be that bad... Fate-san, calm down!"
"I am sorry I am sorry I am sorry I am sorry..."
The effect was more terrifying than I'd imagined. Alice was writhing in pain from Shiro-san's relentless strike, but Fate-san's reaction was even worse. As a member of the God race, being scolded by Shiro-san was a catastrophe beyond my comprehension. She fell into a state of panic, performing a dogeza and slamming her head against the floor while chanting apologies like a broken record.
The magic word I’d used to save myself had displayed an alarming level of power. For the next several dozen minutes, I had to work alongside a personally summoned Shiro-san to console Fate-san, who had suffered massive psychological trauma.
I swore then and there never to use that dangerous magic word again.
However, fate is a cruel mistress. I would eventually use those words once more... and a certain wyvern would end up meeting a truly miserable end.