#173

Pandemonium spoke with an expression of annoyance.

I tried to loosen the invisible cord wrapped around my neck, but despite clearly feeling the sensation, my hands grasped nothing.

“Didn’t I tell you not to go out?”

Fucking idiot.

A complete moron who Concludes without even having Mental Defense.

“Keep it up and I’ll hang you up there. Like smoked meat.”

“…Tie me or don’t.”

If I wanted to go and acquire the items, my mobility couldn’t be restricted.

He was just talking; he wouldn’t actually tie me up so I couldn’t move.

Pandemonium let out a small sigh, sat back down, and closed his eyes slowly.

Just like an NPC.

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck….’

I felt like I was trapped in some shitty escape room game.

Am I forced to choose from the options created by the Distorted One here?

‘What if I just do nothing and stall for time?’

That would probably be included in the options too.

Seeing how he firmly believed the Main Hall was his own mansion, I didn’t think he’d realize the incongruity just because time passed.

No, it was more likely that he wouldn’t perceive the flow of time itself.

‘If I drag it out too long, the structure might be such that the gift disappears.’

Is there anything more ‘disappointing’ than finding a lottery ticket whose claim deadline was yesterday?

What if I had received the letter containing that ticket a long time ago, but postponed opening it simply because it seemed suspicious?

‘…That’s why the Distorted One is so malicious.’

Would anyone be disappointed by losing a game where they had a 0% chance of winning?

They wouldn’t even think of sitting at such a table, and even if forced to participate, they would resign themselves before even rolling the dice.

That isn’t the picture the Distorted One wants.

‘He always puts in a shred of real hope.’

That way, later on, one will feel a terrible regret, thinking, ‘If only I had chosen that!’

‘I should have never gotten involved.’

I already knew how to deal with the Distorted One.

I just had to act like a crazy bastard who had turned on In One Ear, Out the Other, picking my ear while indifferently watching everything crumble.

Whether Pandemonium died before my eyes or not, I just had to remain composed, thinking, ‘Technically, he’s not the guy I knew anyway, so what does it matter to me’….

‘…Fuck, as if I could actually do that.’

Stay still because you’ll be eaten if you struggle when caught in a spiderweb?

Even if I do, I’ll just wither away while stuck to the web.

I couldn’t give up everything just to make a spider miss one meal.

If I was going to die anyway, I’d rather gamble on the possibility of tearing the web and struggle.

Even if that was exactly what the spider wanted.

‘Fuck….’

The feeling of walking into a trap knowing it’s a trap.

It truly felt like garbage.

To the point where I briefly considered siding with Nyapoleon to crush the Distorted One.

I intentionally stepped on the open books as I walked between the bookshelves.

Words like ‘Ouch’ or ‘That’s too much!’ floated up from the books, but I ignored them.

‘A flower garden?’

In the middle of the bookshelves, flowers were blooming in profusion.

They were flowers that even I, someone with little knowledge of botany, recognized.

‘…These are poppies.’

A field of bright red poppies.

Among them, a single purple poppy caught my eye.

And beneath it….

‘As expected.’

I had anticipated this to some extent since I received the message saying it would be difficult to contact him for a while.

Because for Athanasuki, suicide is an excellent means of escape.

He said he would wake up again on the Day the Starry Sky Opens.

‘I expected a more gruesome scene….’

The white bones visible between the flowers looked like props someone had placed there for a photo shoot.

Since it was impossible to become a skeleton in just a few hours, the bones were either fake, or this was a specially prepared ‘death.’

I suspected the latter.

‘Anyway, the Distorted One has such a taste.’

I saw a piece of rolled-up paper tucked between the ribs.

Frowning, I reached my hand inside.

[Fabio! The fact that you are reading this letter means I am dead, right? Unfortunately, I couldn’t reach inside myself and pull out my own heart, but you’ve managed to retrieve the letter!]

‘I really feel like I’m at an escape room cafe.’

[You might already know, but these flowers are poppies.

Fabio, I heard you suffered a lot because it hurt when your arm was cut off?

It must be truly difficult if the Blessing of Pain Relief doesn’t work.

My poor Fabio….

I cannot produce seeds with Floren’s Power, but I can produce fake fruit.

Soon, plump fruits will grow.

They have about ten times the analgesic effect of normal poppies, so they should be a great help, right?]

‘…That’s opium.’

Ten times opium is practically heroin, isn’t it?

A drug that 100% ruins your life once you start.

[Ah, to think that flowers grown from my blood and flesh will become a part of Fabio….

Entering the inside of Fabio must be a truly ecstatic feeling, right?

I feel lucky to have been born as Reyes Floren.]

‘I should burn all of this.’

I had a strong feeling that eating those would definitely screw me over.

Perhaps they would be treated as ‘blood and flesh,’ and the moment I ate them, I would become Athanasuki’s Vassal.

‘It would have been a disaster if not for Callister.’

[Among them, there is one special flower, right?

That is the gift I prepared!

I trust that you will take good care of my Units in my stead!

Please give Orochi lots of love for me! He’s a child who gets very lonely.]

The purple poppy was blooming near the skull’s eye socket.

Reyes had said his purple eyes were the Distorted One’s Relic.

That was how he could use ‘Distortion’….

‘Does that mean the flower itself is the Distorted One’s Relic?’

After hesitating for a moment, I pulled the stem.

Snap, it broke.

‘With this….’

Can I undo Pandemonium’s Distortion?

At that moment, the content of the letter changed.

[You’ve received my gift! I’m so happy!]

‘What the fuck.’

[Ah, for your information, this is a letter I wrote in advance by asking the Record. I wrote several versions! It contains letters I wrote to Fabio or diaries I wrote while thinking of Fabio, and I made it so a random one is displayed every time you open it! So please open it whenever you think of me. You mustn’t forget me while I’m asleep for a bit! Got it? Promise! If you break it, you have to swallow a thousand needles!]

‘…I should burn this too.’

[If you didn’t come because you received my scheduled message, but because Pandemonium brought you here, no matter what happens, do not undo the Distortion placed on that man.

I’m telling you this truly for Fabio’s sake!

You will definitely regret it! Got it? Don’t do something you’ll regret! Because Fabio is truly, truly precious to me.]

‘Why?’

The reason wasn’t written.

I rolled the paper up and opened it again, but it had changed into a diary entry from the day he secretly stole Palbio, who was being kept by the lab director, and used him as a pillow.

‘…Truly content I have no interest in.’

Even after opening it a few more times, they were equally useless letters.

I sank into thought while holding the flower.

‘Don’t undo Pandemonium’s Distortion?’

Leaving this place without undoing the Distortion is simple.

I just have to place a new Distortion on Pandemonium.

‘If I just make him mistake me for a servant cleaning the library….’

He wouldn’t stop me even if I walked right out.

Above all, the biggest advantage was that I could keep Pandemonium tied up here quietly.

After all, he is a player.

Even if he recovered his sanity, he’d be more likely to hinder rather than cooperate in normalizing the Church of Order.

‘I should have suggested we rob the Capital Church’s treasury while we’re at it.’

So, the answer was practically decided.

The Distortion had to be maintained at least until everything was resolved.

Since it would be impossible to influence or persuade a guy who had no intention of listening to me….

“I believe that is the correct course of action as well.”

“Fuck!”

The House Lizard was smiling at me.

‘You were still here?’

“Yes. Because I am here to help you.”

“…Then wouldn’t it be right for you to get lost the moment I decide I don’t need you anymore?”

“Do you wish for me to disappear?”

“Yeah.”

“I understand. I will be in the system out-of-bounds area, so if you wish to speak with me, please come below the 24th basement floor.”

The House Lizard gave a light bow and walked out of the bookshelves.

‘He’s going so obediently?’

I confirmed that the House Lizard was going up the stairs.

As I poked my head out to check if going up actually connected to the floors above, my neck was suddenly constricted.

“Fuck.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to go out?”

Pandemonium pulled the cord while remaining seated.

Hating the feeling of being strangled, I obediently returned to the front of Pandemonium.

“Keep it up and I’ll hang you up there. Like smoked meat.”

“Haha.”

The way to loosen this cord was simple.

I just had to apply a new Distortion.

But….

‘Fuck this.’

The opponent is the Distorted One.

In that case, a choice that looks like the correct answer to anyone is a trap.

100%.

If I left him under the Distortion, a suicide command would probably trigger halfway through or something.

Besides, the letter explicitly said never to undo the Distortion, right?

Am I supposed to move according to Reyes’s intentions from start to finish?

No, before that.

Is it okay for me to manipulate Pandemonium just because our opinions might not align?

‘Fuck it, we can just rob the treasury together.’

Ever since I made Callister a Vassal, living as a simple goblin was out of the question.

I’d either have to kill Callister and live in hiding under Loclem, or run away and attach myself to a player.

‘As for Athanas….’

…It would be right to cut ties now rather than ruin together.

Since the still-inexperienced ‘Savior of Order’ doesn’t seem to know when to let go of a heretic’s hand.

‘Once Pandemonium returns to normal, I’ll just hold his hand and ride the War God’s bus.’

Though it looks more like a tricycle than a bus.

I think it’s much better to serve a childish and stupid guy than a twisted one.

Since he loves 1-on-1 duels to death, I can just build something like a Colosseum later to keep him happy, right?

Actually, deciding the outcome of a war through 1-on-1 duels results in far fewer casualties.

And no civilian damage….

“Pandemonium.”

Pandemonium’s gaze turned toward me.

I tightened my grip on the flower.

‘How to use the Sacred Relic….’

I knew instinctively.

Like cutting a net wrapped around a turtle’s neck, I just had to unravel what was wrapped around Pandemonium.

It was a strange feeling.

To be able to touch something that was neither visible nor existent.

“…Brother?”

‘Fuck.’

My neck stung.

It felt like it was burning.

As I felt my neck, I realized the cause.

It was the Saintess’s Sacred Relic.

‘Is it blocking power that deviates from Order?’

I thought it was just for protection, but was it also serving as a shackle?

It seemed it hadn’t bothered me until now because I had no power.

I took off the Saintess’s Sacred Relic, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and placed it on the floor.

Even after removing it, my neck continued to itch.

‘…I feel like I’m doing something a bit crazy.’

I knew it was dangerous.

That bastard could break my neck with one hand.

To Pandemonium, a spine with 2_5 durability probably felt like a toothpick.

If some error occurred while undoing the Distortion and Pandemonium mistook me for an enemy….

‘Yeah, if I die, I’ll just attach myself to Nyapoleon!’

Order is garbage, and everyone I knew has gone crazy, so I might as well just believe in Mother God.

To eat well and live well, you have to side with the winner.

I’m sick of everything now.

“Pandemonium.”

Pandemonium looked up at me blankly.

‘Ah, I can turn off In One Ear, Out the Other too.’

Is it because it’s a trait close to a Distortion?

I severed the In One Ear, Out the Other as well.

“Wake up.”

“Huh?”

“This isn’t your house.”

Blink.

Pandemonium stared at me, then looked around.

Then he stood up awkwardly.

“…What. Where is this?”

“The basement of the Main Hall, you idiot.”

“Brother?”

“Yeah.”

“How did things….”

Pandemonium frowned, looking confused.

I explained everything step by step.

“…So you undid the Distortion?”

“Right.”

“Because you thought I’d help you save the Heretic Butcher?”

‘Why is Athanas coming up now?’

If I asked you to save Athanas, I feel like you’d push him off a cliff while pretending it was a mistake.

“I didn’t expect any such thing.”

“Then why?”

I let out a very long sigh.

“I saved you, and the first thing you ask is why? Honestly….”

“…What if I just take you and really bolt from here?”

“At least you’re taking me instead of abandoning me.”

“What?”

“That’s your own way of thinking about me. There’s something I realized while undoing the Distortion….”

You still think of me as a person.

If that’s the humanity remaining in this guy.

“…In this crazy world, I think you’re about the only being I can trust, Pandemonium.”

“Fuck.”

“What. You piece of shit. Why are you swearing?”

“Skydes, you fucking piece of shit….”

‘Suddenly?’

Of course, since he was completely played by that idiot, the curses would come naturally.

But I’m the one listening to those curses.

Why do I have to listen to your swearing?

“Fuck, I’ll really kill you.”

“He’s already dea— ah, aaagh!”

I felt a pain as if my scalp was being ripped off.

Pandemonium grabbed my hair and lifted me up.

“Aaagh! You son of a bitch! What are you doing!”

“Didn’t I tell you I’d kill you if you played one more fucking prank? Huh? You piece of shit Skydes. Do I look like a joke because I was lenient?”

“I’m not Athanasuki….”

“Fuck, I’m pissed.”

Thud.

The sentence didn’t finish.

It felt like thousands of needles were piercing my brain.

My vision turned white.

As I was slammed against the wall several times, I struggled to find what I had done wrong.

Why? The Distortion was completely gone.

Why?

Why….

‘Does he think I’m Reyes right now?’

No.

I can prove it.

If he just gives me a chance to speak….

“Never mind. You said you’d resurrect at the Altar even if you die, right?”

I gasped for air.

My vision was entirely red.

Pandemonium gripped my head like he was catching a rugby ball.

I couldn’t help but scream at the pain that felt like my skull was crushing.

“Aaaagh! Aagh! Aaaagh!”

“It’d be better to just gouge out your eyes. Then you’ll never be able to play these fucking pranks again, right?”

No, don’t. Stop.

Fuck.

The sentence saying I would regret it came to mind.

Was it talking about a situation like this?

Not to get my ‘disappointment,’ but Pandemonium’s….

I saw a red thumb, out of focus because it was too close.

And Pandemonium’s enraged face….

That was the last thing I saw before losing consciousness.