#098

The Director of the Research Institute?

Why is the Director of the Research Institute popping up here?

[Meaning…. For there to be meaning, there must be a difference. I see! Information comes from ‘difference’! If one removes the meaningless and leaves only that which has meaning…!]

[

SYSTEM

: ‘Director of the Research Institute Columba’ has gained an idea regarding information theory.]

[

SYSTEM

: A breakthrough in the field of ‘Information Communication’ is expected.]

[

SYSTEM

: An anecdote is added to the achievements of the ‘Miracle of the Silver Tongue’.]

[

SYSTEM

: Affinity has increased very slightly.]

‘What the fuck is this.’

Did he just come up with the concept of Shannon information from that conversation?

Isn’t that a realization about eight centuries too early?

‘At this rate, if they just develop transistors, they’ll have logic circuits.’

If things go well, computers might be invented before the steam engine.

This is a phenomenon I used to see occasionally when I was the Pioneer of Civilization….

‘No, that’s not the important part.’

How the hell did that Director bastard hear the conversation just now?

Wiretapping?

How did he wiretap us?

‘There’s no one else around….’

There is no omniscient being in the Dark Realm.

Even a god must obtain information through their followers. There is no way to know things that a follower has not seen or heard.

To find out what is happening inside an enemy camp, one must infiltrate, secretly brainwash an enemy, or send a rat or a bird to ‘witness’ the scene.

‘To eavesdrop, you first need ears to listen.’

The simplest possibility is that the Director was nearby and heard it directly with his own ears.

If his hearing is exceptional, he could easily hear a conversation through a wall.

‘But if that were all, Athanas would have tried to communicate via writing when I took out the wax tablet.’

In other words, he doesn’t just have ears to listen, but eyes to see as well.

‘…No, it’s probably not just simple sight.’

No matter how densely surveillance cameras are placed in a space, there are plenty of ways to convey information secretly.

What if you put your hand inside a sleeve and pretend to tickle the other person while sending a code?

The observer would know that the two had some suspicious contact, but they would have no way of knowing the content.

‘But Athanas didn’t use those methods.’

Why?

‘Instead, he warned me earlier that the reason his hand moved was Ledeia’s Divine Power.’

Surely Athanas has received the ‘Blessing of Healing’ at least once in his life?

That means a Sacred Vessel of Ledeia exists within his body.

‘That Sacred Vessel likely acts as the eyes and ears.’

“Athanas.”

I looked up at Athanas.

I fully understood why Athanas had just stared at me in silence earlier.

There were many things I wanted to ask, but there were no words I could say.

‘The only saving grace is that Ledeia cannot manipulate consciousness.’

She probably couldn’t read Athanas’s memories or manipulate his thoughts to make him say something unintended.

She might be able to make his hand spasm and drop a sword he was trying to grip, but….

“…You look exhausted. Shall we head out and rest?”

If the Sanctuary grants the authority of ‘control,’ then leaving the Sanctuary is the best option.

Athanas nodded and reached out his hand.

I hesitated for a moment, but then I gripped his hand tightly.

‘If I suddenly act afraid of holding hands, he’ll think I’ve realized something.’

“U-um, my hands sweat a lot….”

My palms were damp from cold sweat. I gave an awkward smile.

“…I know you said you didn’t mind, but it’s still a bit embarrassing.”

‘Fuck, is this how I’m living?’

I was certain that if I opened my Status Window right now, a Status Condition like ‘Paranoia’ or ‘Nervous Breakdown’ would be listed.

‘…If I call the Saintess, maybe she can do something about it?’

If I turn the Main Hall upside down, I feel like I could find at least one piece of evidence that experiments deviating from the Doctrine are being conducted.

In the first place, isn’t the very fact that Ledeia’s Sanctuary is located inside the Main Hall something that shouldn’t happen?

‘But if, by some chance, the conclusion is that there is no particular problem….’

I’ll meet an ending where I become the Director’s test subject.

‘Fuck.’

Come to think of it, I couldn’t trust the Saintess in this matter.

Hadn’t the Saintess already warned me?

That the moment it becomes known that I am a being outside of Order, the Director will want to study me.

‘She never promised to stop me from being experimented on if I were caught.’

Therefore, as long as I remained alive, there was a high possibility that the Saintess would stand by and watch no matter what the Director did to me.

‘There is absolutely nothing I can trust.’

I forced my thoughts to stop.

The important thing right now is to exit the Main Hall safely.

I have to avoid the test subject ending for now.

‘Columba… fuck, even his name is annoying, that insect bastard.’

Isn’t this guy actually a Vassal of an Othergod?

If he’s doing this without being contaminated by an Othergod….

‘…The Dark Realm really lives up to its name.’

I kept walking, keeping my gaze fixed on the floor.

I focused solely on walking.

[

SYSTEM

: Due to the effect of ‘Heaven Above, Earth Below, I Alone Reign Supreme,’ the Status Condition ‘Oblivion’ is nullified.]

‘Ah.’

As I blinked, the notification window disappeared.

Before I knew it, we were at the entrance of the Main Hall.

‘What about Athanas?’

Were his memories erased?

Does he remember warning me? Meeting Callister? Being mistreated by people? He must at least remember entering the Main Hall, right?

‘…I can’t ask that here.’

There were too many listening ears here.

It would be very troublesome if it were discovered that I am immune to Oblivion.

I felt for the wax tablet inside my sleeve. I could clearly feel the carved grooves. Somehow, I felt a bit relieved.

‘If Athanas forgot, I can just explain it to him.’

Athanas must have believed I would do that, which is why he risked being eavesdropped on to convey what he found….

‘…But did I ever tell him that Oblivion doesn’t work on me?’

“Fabio?”

‘Did I say that?’

“Fabio.”

‘I don’t think I did.’

“Fabio, is something the matter?”

‘Then why did he give that warning?’

In that situation, it’s better to pretend not to realize anything.

He didn’t even ask why I acted that way.

Wouldn’t the best thing be to just pull me, who doesn’t know what’s going on, out of the Main Hall?

‘…Was he saying that for the Director to hear?’

Since I’m so observant, watch your behavior in front of me?

But does that even count as a warning?

‘In mystery novels, the guy with the quickest wits is always the first to die….’

“Fabio!”

‘Ah.’

I had stopped walking without realizing it.

“…What are you thinking about?”

Athanas asked with a worried voice.

I looked up at Athanas.

‘Even if I ask him now what he meant by those words….’

I wouldn’t get an answer, would I?

Because right now, Athanas likely has no memory of saying those words at all.

I felt a strange sensation.

‘…Can I say that the Athanas I was with until a moment ago and the Athanas who walked out of the library are the same person?’

Of course, what Athanas forgot was only a few hours of memory.

But what if it had been a longer period of time?

What if we had gone through all sorts of things and become close enough to confide in each other, but Athanas forgot all of it?

‘That would be fucking hollow.’

I thought it was a relief that Athanas hadn’t been Influenced earlier.

If he had, wouldn’t he have forgotten the fact that he was Influenced as soon as we stepped out?

‘…Then does the Affinity drop back down?’

I don’t think Forced Persuasion would work.

It would be strange for Forced Persuasion to work when there’s no memory of being Influenced.

‘…If you are Influenced but forget that you were Influenced, is it the same as not being Influenced?’

I felt a strange sense of déjà vu from this sentence.

‘Didn’t Athanas ask this earlier?’

If you had a dream but forgot it as soon as you woke up, is it the same as not having had the dream?

‘Why did Athanas….’

“Fabio? Are you alright?”

Athanas lightly tapped my cheek. I snapped back to my senses.

“Huh? Am I alright? I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.”

“…What are you worrying about so much?”

“Worrying? I wasn’t really worrying about anything. I was just thinking about what to play with the kids later, something like that.”

I intentionally let out a loud yawn.

“I think it’s because I’ve been waking up at dawn for a few days, so I’m just really sleepy.”

“Let’s hurry,” I urged Athanas.

Athanas looked a bit skeptical, but he didn’t say anything else until we reached the prayer room.

I quietly watched Athanas offer a prayer before the statue of Valentine.

After finishing the prayer and organizing the equipment he had taken off, Athanas spoke.

“…Can you tell me now?”

“Before that, let me ask you something. How much do you remember about what happened earlier?”

“How much I remember….”

Athanas frowned.

“Are you asking if I remember how many people ignored us?”

‘I guess his memory cut off at the point where we were turned away.’

I had a feeling that would be the case.

I took the wax tablet out of my sleeve.

“Then you don’t remember using this either, right?”

On the back of the wax tablet, the marks carved with the stylus remained vivid.

Just as I remembered….

‘Fabio, Fabio, Fabio, Fabio, Fabio.’

“Gah!”

I reflexively threw the wax tablet onto the floor.

‘What the fuck!’

Where did the content Athanas wrote go?

Callister, Director, Forbidden Book, Oblivion, Don’t go to the library!

Where did it go!

“…Is there some problem with this?”

Athanas picked up the wax tablet.

“A-Athanas. Do you see any letters on the back? Can you read what’s written there?”

“…Is something written there?”

“You can’t see it? It’s so big and clear….”

“I cannot see anything.”

I slowly walked over to Athanas.

From three steps away, I peered at the wax tablet over Athanas’s shoulder.

The wooden board was….

“Fabio. What do you see?”

…fucking clean.

The letters I had carved so hard the stylus almost bent had vanished without a trace.

“…Give it back for a second.”

Unable to believe it, I rubbed the back several times.

The surface was smooth, with nothing for my hand to catch on.

‘Wow, fuck.’

I feel like I’m actually going insane.

Did it really disappear?

How?

Could Oblivion have a physical effect?

Then, the letters surfaced once more.

‘No, this is….’

“What were you trying to record?”

‘Don’t tell, don’t tell, don’t tell, don’t tell.’

However, as soon as Athanas approached, the letters vanished again.

It seemed to be avoiding being seen by Athanas as much as possible.

‘…God of Records?’

I looked back and forth between the wax tablet and Athanas.

“Athanas, could you stand facing the wall for a moment? Just for a second.”

Athanas frowned.

I thought he would ask what kind of nonsense I was talking about, but Athanas turned around more obediently than expected.

‘…I thought he would at least ask for a reason.’

I shifted my gaze to the wax tablet.

The letters had reappeared.

‘Fabio, come back, come back, come back, come back.’

…Come back.

Where? To the library?

Are you crazy? You want me to go back there?

‘Athanas, don’t trust, Order, don’t trust, liars.’

My brow furrowed.

The letters kept changing.

‘Truth, history, record, I’ll show you, the things that were erased.’

‘…Why is this bastard doing this to me?’

Who does he think I am that he’d show me this?

Is he talking to me because he realized I didn’t receive the Blessing of Order?

‘I am curious about what records Loclem erased, but….’

Wouldn’t I be screwed if I got entangled with a god who rebelled against Order?

If I make an enemy of the Saintess or Athanas, my life is truly ruined….

‘Library, come back, library, come back, I’ll give you a blessing’

I made up my mind.

“Athanas. I think this wax tablet is cursed. Can you dispose of it for me?”

Chapter 99