#097

What did Athanas notice?

‘Is Callister a dangerous being? Something I shouldn’t let him realize?’

I reflexively glanced at Callister.

Callister was staring at me without even blinking.

‘…Fuck!’

He’s damn terrifying.

Usually, when couples are engaging in public displays of affection, don’t people look away?

Why is he staring so intently? Is he waiting to see how far we’ll go?

Just as I felt a cold sweat breaking out, Athanas whispered into my ear.

“To think that you cannot recall the time we spent together is simply too cruel. I have endured every moment since we parted by chewing over the time we were together….”

‘Hwaaaak!’

The effect was instantaneous. My face flushed bright red, and I ended up hanging my head low.

It was closer to barely suppressing a scream, but regardless, it fit the role of ‘Fabio, who doesn’t know what to do out of embarrassment.’

‘N-nice assist….’

“Th-that, Athanas. We agreed to refrain from public displays of affection when people are watching, didn’t we?”

“…Were you not intentionally stalling to make me anxious? I thought you were enjoying my reaction.”

‘Wow, holy shit….’

There probably weren’t even novels, let alone dramas, in this era, so where did he learn lines like that?

Has he actually witnessed couples having conversations like this often?

“I-I get it, so please step back for a moment. It’s rude. Mr. Callister is taking the time to explain things to us….”

“I am fine. Please continue.”

“…What?”

“Continue. Shall I lay out a mat for you?”

‘…That’s sarcasm, right?’

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Pardon? Ah, I truly mean it. Actually, there is a topic I have been researching recently, and I requested cooperation from Valentine’s side, but I was rejected. They said they could not open the prayer room, even for research purposes….”

‘What kind of research requires that?’

I had an intuition that whatever it was, I shouldn’t ask.

Asking a guy who loves explaining things about his field of research?

If I did that, I’d surely meet the same end as the guy who ignored the warning in a horror movie—the one who does exactly what you’re told not to do.

‘I’d regret it so damn much.’

“I-I see. Th-thank you for guiding us. I’ll probably forget, but I still wanted to make sure to express my gratitude. Well then, I’ll be going….”

“Leaving the library already? How disappointing.”

Callister looked at me with a peculiar smile.

“Really… do you have no intention of earning a degree? I said I enjoy explaining, but repeating the same self-introduction every time is getting a bit tedious.”

“…What?”

‘What’s this?’

“Could it be that our meeting….”

“Is not the first time? Hmm. I wonder. What do you think?”

‘There’s no way Oblivion would work on me….’

Callister smirked again.

“Just a joke.”

“…….”

“I will welcome you kindly whenever you come, so please visit the library often. This is the most wondrous place in the Capital Church.”

‘…It’s probably the place most like a ghost story.’

Callister didn’t hold us back and let us leave peacefully. I walked in silence, clutching Athanas tightly.

‘If the library is in this state, what on earth has become of the university?’

Isn’t it already in a state of being consumed by the Othergod?

The Othergod and a university….

‘The worst combination.’

While I was thinking that, Athanas suddenly spoke.

“…Fabio. It would be best not to concern yourself further with this matter.”

“What?”

“I know how hard you’ve tried to solve this problem. But why not be satisfied with knowing the answer? Something feels ominous.”

‘What is he talking about?’

I told Athanas that I already knew the answer to this problem.

My eyes darted around.

‘…Is someone eavesdropping right now?’

“Is that why you intentionally took away my chance to ask a question earlier?”

“You noticed?”

“Of course I’d be suspicious if you suddenly threw out a question like that. I was quite surprised. I just left because I figured Athanas, you must have had a reason for doing so.”

‘I have to play along for now.’

“Now that there’s no one around, please tell me. Why did you want to leave?”

“It is a story that shouldn’t be told, but….”

Athanas spoke in a low voice against my ear.

“…The place we were just in seems to be a location related to the ‘Head of Research.’”

My mind became complicated in an instant.

Head of Research? Ledeia’s apostle?

‘A pile of bugs in human form?’

“The reason my hand moved and the answer came out earlier was not the effect of the ‘collective unconscious.’”

“Then….”

“Fabio, as you may know, a priest of Ledeia can control the opponent’s body to some extent when granting the Blessing of Healing.”

‘…I didn’t know that?’

“However, performing such an act outside the ‘Healing Room’ is strictly forbidden. That is why, even if an emergency patient arises, the injured are moved to the Healing Room if possible. There are naturally limitations to the Blessings a priest can grant outside the Sanctuary.”

Athanas scanned the surroundings as if checking for eavesdroppers and lowered his voice further.

“The power of Ledeia was what moved my hand earlier.”

“But you said that’s forbidden outside the Sanctuary….”

Athanas covered my mouth with his hand.

“…That is why I wanted to leave. Because I suspect that place is the ‘laboratory’ I’ve only heard about in rumors.”

‘Really?’

I was very confused as to whether he was making up a plausible lie to pretend he was guessing wrong, or if he was conveying something he had actually figured out.

‘I’ll just listen for now.’

“The character chart on the table was parchment made by copying the contents of a forbidden book and then scraping away the unnecessary characters. It exploited the rule that the memory of seeing a forbidden book is forgotten the moment one leaves the library.”

‘Wow….’

I did think the order of the Sacred Script was strange for some reason.

‘Athanas is damn amazing for noticing that.’

He didn’t even seem to be looking at it very closely….

As expected, does a future Heretic Inquisitor have a different level of observation?

“…The only person within the order who would do such a thing is the Head of Research. He is notorious in many ways. Fabio, you should be careful as well.”

I nodded vigorously.

Athanas removed his hand and warned me again.

“The best course of action is to avoid getting entangled with the Head of Research or the research he conducts. If you had shown interest in that ‘collective unconscious’ just now, he might have invited you to research it together.”

“…Just hearing that gives me goosebumps.”

‘Kidnapping someone to the university just because they showed a bit of interest in research….’

That is truly terrifying.

“Indeed. Once he confirms that you cannot remember whatever he does to you, he will commit increasingly horrific experiments. Since you have no memory, you would be unable to report him.”

‘Ah.’

Such a danger?

I hadn’t thought of that.

“Even this warning might become as if it never happened once we leave.”

“What? No way.”

“Why do you think I am explaining this now?”

‘…Eh?’

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.

‘Is what just happened going to disappear from Athanas?’

Really?

‘What if I tell him? Wouldn’t the memory be restored then?’

No, it wouldn’t.

I recalled the moment I first witnessed the power of ‘Oblivion.’

Even though a person in armor was walking down the hallway, no one looked back.

Even when he almost collided with a chatting crowd while passing through, there was no reaction.

That is how Oblivion can make one ‘forget’ what they are currently seeing….

“So, promise me before we leave. That you will never think of coming to the Main Hall alone.”

“Yeah, I promise.”

‘Fuck, this is so scary.’

Was it a horror game that I played?

No, even for a horror game, does it make sense to wipe out the progress of the plot?

‘Isn’t Oblivion too broken?’

How do you beat this?

Even if I’m immune to mental interference, what if my companions aren’t?

‘Is there any way to respond….’

It suddenly occurred to me that I had brought a portable wax tablet.

I hurriedly pulled the wax tablet from the sleeve of my apprentice priest’s robe.

“W-well, even if memories disappear, wouldn’t records remain? If I write it down here….”

“…It would be best not to expect too much.”

Athanas said this, but he took the wax tablet.

‘Of course, a security system that prevents the reading of forbidden books wouldn’t be bypassed by something as simple as this.’

What use is it if the paper containing the transcribed contents remains even after the memory of reading the forbidden book is gone?

‘Would the paper appear blank, or would I unconsciously throw the paper away and leave?’

If it’s a wax tablet, I might just rub the contents away with my hand….

“…Please scratch the record into the wooden board on the back, not the wax side.”

Athanas did as I asked without a word.

The portable stylus, which was only as thick as a toothpick, bent quickly, so I had to straighten it several times as I wrote, but regardless, identifiable letters were carved.

‘Callister, Head of Research, Forbidden Book, Oblivion, Library Entry Forbidden.’

I felt the deep grooves.

‘At this rate, I could read it even with my eyes closed.’

“Fabio.”

“Yes?”

Then Athanas called me as if he had something to say, but he just stared at me silently.

‘What now?’

Athanas slowly opened his mouth.

“…If a person had a dream, but forgot that dream as soon as they woke up and could never recall it again, would that be the same as not having had the dream at all?”

I blinked.

‘Seriously, what is this?’

This is so out of the blue.

“…Is this like a riddle with a correct answer?”

“No, it is just a question that has occurred to me recently. I wanted to hear your opinion.”

Do I need to have an opinion after hearing that?

Usually, you forget dreams as soon as you wake up.

The purpose of a dream isn’t to be remembered, so what does it matter if you can’t recall it?

‘Is he talking about the case of forgetting a dream where a divine being intervened?’

In the game, if a revelation is given through a dream, there is a 10% chance the delivery fails.

That’s why for important revelations, they always use means other than dreams, even if it costs more points….

‘I don’t think that’s what he’s asking.’

“…Is this a meaningful question?”

Now that I’ve said it out loud, it sounds like a condescending remark from an old geezer.

I quickly added an explanation so as not to be misunderstood.

“I mean, there are two possible answers to this question, right? That it’s the same as not dreaming, or that it’s not. Regardless of which of these two you conclude is correct, if nothing changes in your life, then it is a meaningless question. There is no difference from when you didn’t have this worry at all. It is a waste of time to even start such a contemplation.”

“What if it is a meaningful contemplation for me?”

“Then believe the side you prefer to be the truth first. It’s a problem that cannot be proven anyway, right? Live like that, and if evidence comes out that it was wrong, you can change your mind then.”

“…That is very clear.”

Athanas nodded.

“Thank you for the advice.”

“…It’s nothing. I don’t think it was much help.”

“No, it was very helpful.”

“Really?”

‘But why didn’t the Influence notification pop up?’

Didn’t I just say something pretty good?

I gave a piece of advice that is incredibly helpful for life at exactly the right moment.

If his thoughts changed even a little after hearing that, isn’t that ‘Influence’?

‘…He’s surprisingly picky.’

At this rate, I won’t be able to gain ‘Influence’ by writing self-help books.

‘Of course, it might be that Athanas is just the type who is particularly hard to influence….’

…But that means he just completely ignored my words after saying thanks for the advice, doesn’t it?

‘This bastard?’

At that moment, a notification window flashed.

‘There it is!’

The Influence happened one beat late!

Athanas, I believed that you weren’t such an inconsiderate guy….

[

SYSTEM

: ‘Columba, the Head of Research’ has been deeply influenced by your words!]

‘…Who?’

Chapter 98