The Author's POV

As I sat in the dimly lit room with Waylan, I couldn't help but feel a growing sense of curiosity about his role as a 'Protector.' I had always struggled to comprehend their roles and the motivations behind their actions.

It had been gnawing at me for quite a while now.

Waylan was calm and collected, and he seemed to know everything there was to know about the Records, the universe, and our place in it.

I eventually shook my head.

"No, I do not know why you do the things that you do."

"So he hasn't told you…"

Waylan calmly nodded his head.

I frowned in response to what he said, but I did not move from where I was sitting.

He continued.

"The universe… you can say that it was something that was created by the Records. It's their body, and we are both creations of the Records."

This portion was one that I had a general comprehension of. Despite this, it did not clarify for me what the records' objective was in engaging in all of this activity with creating the Protectors and keeping this so called 'balance'.

Perhaps seeing the confusion on my face, Waylan shifted his posture and changed his wording.

"Think of it like human anatomy. The universe is the Record's body, and we are the components that make up their body."

The things that he said got me nodding my head in agreement. In all honesty, this made much more sense.

"A body is composed of millions of distinct cells and bacteria that work together to keep it functioning. Cells generate energy, and the body grows gradually over time..."

"In light of the aforementioned, because the human body contains such a vast quantity of cells and bacteria, something is bound to occur sooner or later, right?"

I pursed my lips. Somewhat starting to get where he was coming from.

"If there is a virus or some cells begin to multiply too rapidly, the human body will attempt, on its own, to find ways to correct the problem. One such route could be accomplished by deploying white blood cells... antibodies..."

While I listened to him speak, I kept my eyes closed. Even though I couldn't see my face, I could tell that it was getting more and more ugly with each passing second.

"Are you trying to imply that you, Protectors are the antibodies of this system?"

"You catch on pretty quickly."

Waylan happily smiled.

"Our job is to maintain a healthy equilibrium. To put it another way, we are here to ensure that all of the processes taking place within the body run smoothly. We get rid of anything that even has the remotest possibility of being hazardous. We respond to things that might be harmful to us in the same way that your body does when it encounters potentially harmful things."

"But what does that have to do with the fact that you're the ones who introduced mana to this world?"

Why even give us the means to grow strong to that extent if they were so afraid of us developing into potentially harmful substances?

Waylan gave me a glance for a split second before questioning me about something.

"How do you think the Records grow?"

It was a straightforward inquiry; however, at that very moment, I began to gain a better understanding of everything, and my lips went dry.

"Do you believe that we decided to give powers to you and every other being in the universe so that we could play a game with you? Do you honestly believe that we even want to get rid of you in the first place?"

Waylan shook his head.

"No, no, no. Because you are the source of our power, we have no choice but to bestow mana upon you. You are, as I've already mentioned, merely a part of a much larger network. It is our responsibility as Protectors to see to it that you do not develop into someone who could pose a threat, just like your body does with everything within it."

Waylan paused and stared at me expressionlessly.

"…You need to know your place."

The very air chilled at his last words, and I stared straight at him, unable to utter a single word back.

I was at a loss as to whether I should be laughing or getting angry.

As a matter of fact, making comparisons to the human body has helped me get a better understanding of what was going on, but at the same time, it demonstrated to me just how insignificant I was when compared to the overall scheme of things.

'Well… not so much anymore.'

I was no longer as insignificant as I used to be.

Wayaln's voice reached my ears once more.

"You come here… arrogantly thinking that you've found some big secret. Reality is… it doesn't matter if you found the secret or not."

He slowly stood up from his seat.

"We… Never cared for that. You were never a threat to us from the very beginning, and even if that 'traitor' has helped you achieve your current level of s―"

At that precise moment, he halted his speech, and it was at that point that a smile crossed my face.

He probably felt it.

"Did you really think I'd come here knowing of your strength?"

When I went to pay a visit to the chapel in that world, it was immediately abundantly clear to me that I was not a match for a Protector. Even with all of my abilities and skills, I was able to see that there was no way that I could overcome the gap that existed between the two of us.

That was before, however…

"Since you know that Kevin has betrayed you… you should be aware that there'd be no way he'd let me come to you knowing just how powerful you guys are. right?"

I came to understand this not long before coming here. But the point of sending me to that world wasn't just to help me understand what was going on behind the scenes; it was actually to help me assimilate his powers.

My strength underwent a transition before my very eyes as his power worked its way into my system slowly but surely. The process was smooth and harmless, and gradually I witnessed my power undergo changes that I never thought were possible.

The thin barrier that separated me from the next big level shattered, and I broke through to <SSS-> in one go.

As I fixed my attention on Waylan, the corners of my eyes began to scrunch up.

"While I'm not entirely confident in defeating you if we were to fight, I might not necessarily lose either…"

As soon as I stepped foot inside his office, it was abundantly clear to me that the Protector of the Seat of Diligence was someone on an entirely different level than anyone else I had ever encountered in my life, but… I already knew this beforehand, and I was prepared for it.

Ba.. Thump! Ba… Thump!

When I stood in front of him, I could actually feel the beating of my heart in my chest, but I forcefully calmed it down with a single breath.

"Must we fight?"

Waylan, contrary to what I had anticipated, exhibited an air of calm composure. He did not give any indication that he was unhappy with either my actions or my words while he was staring at me from where he was.

"Do the two of us really have to fight? Did you not hear my words?"

"I did."

I listened to every single one of his words carefully.

"If you did pay attention to what I said, then you ought to understand where you stand in this situation. You are just a single, insignificant part of a much larger system. We... are not the villains in this situation. You are."

"Pftt."

I almost laughed out loud at his words.

"Does it really matter whether something is bad or good? When exactly did anyone decide that I was either the hero or the villain? I've never had any interest in such nonsense... Kevin has never been interested in such nonsense... My previous version of myself was never interested in such nonsense... and not even Jezebeth gives a crap about such nonsense..."

It was all a matter of perspective. Regardless of how one looked at it, each one of us was the bad guy in their view.

"There's no real bad guy over here. There are merely a bunch of entities with conflicting interests. Like a business… the last one standing wins, and you shouldn't be naïve enough to put on a narrative of us being the bad guys when you're equally the same in my view."

Finally, Waylan's expression started to change. His brows slowly brought themselves together, making the scar that traced along his face more hideous.

That, however, didn't last for long, as he soon calmed down.

"I see… I didn't think you looked at things that way. So our interests don't align," he nodded with a pensive look on his face. "Very well, since they don't align, let's make them align. Work with us."

He soon extended his hand my way.

"With your powers, you are more than qualified to work with us. Join our mission. Become a Protector and help us keep the balance of the Universe. If something truly does happen to the Records, the Universe itself will be in danger."

He smiled at me.

"You say our interests don't align, but they do. If you kill me, then one of the few that can stop 'him' will disappear. We are not your enemy… He is our enemy, and if you desire anything after everything is said and done, the Records will grant it to you. All you have to do is join us."

At that precise moment, a dazzling white glow began to envelop Waylan's hand, and its profound resonance reverberated throughout the entire room.

'Join them, huh?'

I stared at the hand for a short moment.

The offer was honestly a bit tempting. With his aid, defeating Jezebeth would indeed be easier.

In fact, it would make things a lot easier… Sadly, I knew it was impossible.

Tearing my eyes away from the hand, I smiled.

"Taking into consideration what you did to your wife after you realized she was no longer of any use to you, it doesn't appear that working with you would be the best option, does it?"