#136

The most important thing hasn’t been fixed.

It seems his mind is still severely distorted.

“I never did that. Really.”

“But you told me to think about what I truly want, didn’t you? So I thought about it hard. I thought and thought. Over and over….”

I quickly changed the subject.

“More importantly, your family was looking for you.”

“Ah. Actually, there’s something I’d like to ask of you regarding that.”

Reyes explained that since he was a ‘male direct descendant’ born with the Divine Bloodline, he was required to receive the Ordination of Order.

Among those, a Chanter’s Ordination had been scheduled, but he had been postponing it using various excuses….

“I want to tell them that I’ve changed my mind and decided to become a Chanter immediately.”

“…By sending a letter?”

If someone who suddenly vanished sends a letter after all this time, I feel like anyone would be incredibly suspicious.

“Wouldn’t your parents be more relieved if they saw your face?”

“…That’s why I have something to give you.”

Reyes gestured toward Callister, who was in the room.

Callister approached and handed me a ring.

“It’s a Sacred Relic containing the power of the Distorted One. It’s nothing grand.”

‘A Sacred Relic?’

The moment I tried to look closer at the ring, Callister suddenly chimed in.

“What do you mean not grand! It’s a very interesting item. For your information, I’ve confirmed that there are no Curses on it, so please be at ease!”

Ignoring Callister, I asked Reyes.

“What does it do?”

“The moment you wear it, people will perceive you as ‘Reyes Floren’.”

‘Fucking useless.’

“I used it quite often to create alibis.”

“Isn’t it a truly useful ability? I want a few kinds for myself!”

…Is this bastard Callister actually on the side of Order?

“Is it alright for you to say such things?”

“Of course! After all, Nephiton’s Sacred Relic is also a power from outside Order, isn’t it? Ah, Nephiton! Come to think of it, wouldn’t it be incredibly useful to combine this Sacred Relic with Nephiton’s? We could do so many things with that….”

‘…It would be optimal for committing crimes.’

Since Callister looked at it with such greed, I quickly hid the ring.

“So, why are you giving this to me?”

“I want you to wear the ring and meet my mother in my stead.”

“What? Why not go yourself….”

Reyes smiled silently.

Seeing that face made my conscience prickle a bit.

He was speaking casually, but Reyes was here as a test subject and was currently in isolation.

“I think it would be difficult for me to go personally.”

“…We can find a way.”

Reyes shook his head.

“No, that’s not the reason. I heard the library is under the Blessing of Oblivion? They say the moment you leave, you forget every thought, conversation, and piece of information you acquired here, and I don’t want that to happen.”

‘He can touch other people’s memories, but his own defense isn’t particularly high?’

If there was a way to resist Oblivion….

I briefly thought of the Sacred Relic Athanas wore around his neck.

‘…No, he’d definitely never lend that to me.’

What if Reyes changed his mind and ran away with it?

I couldn’t afford to lose such an important item.

“But do you have memories that important? You only arrived last night.”

“Some memories are more precious than others. A single moment’s memory can change the rest of one’s life.”

“…Weren’t you mostly unconscious? What on earth happened?”

“I can’t give hints for free.”

Reyes smiled mischievously.

It was a bit absurd, but seeing him smile like that honestly put me at ease.

“Anyway, the fact that you have no intention of forcing your way out means this place isn’t that terrible.”

“Of course. The Director of the Research Institute is a very interesting person.”

…How can he think that strange human is interesting?

Reyes’s sensibilities were not ordinary.

‘Considering that tenacity he had with Athanasuki, he might actually get along well with Columba.’

Glancing at Callister, I spoke in a low voice.

“If the Director suddenly goes crazy and starts doing some weird experiment….”

“Then what will you do for me? Will you come running and hold my hand?”

Reyes reached out his hand to me.

As I hesitated and tried to take it, Reyes pulled his hand back as if he had been burned.

“Oops. I forgot to warn you in advance! You cannot touch someone in a ‘quarantined’ state!”

“…Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Reyes said, opening and closing his hand.

“And just because you received that ring doesn’t mean you necessarily have to grant my request. No one will be able to find out that ‘Reyes Floren’ is in the Director’s office anyway.”

“…Then your family will just keep searching for you?”

“My mother will soon return to the estate, and while my brother will keep looking for me, he’ll eventually give up. Even so, it won’t be a problem. Really.”

‘If I hear that and still don’t do it, wouldn’t I be total human trash?’

“I can’t promise… for sure, but I’ll do my best.”

However, if I had to choose between dying like a human or living like human trash, I am the type of person who would choose to be human trash.

I will do my best.

I’ll do my best to weigh the situation, and if it seems like it won’t work, I won’t do it.

Reyes smiled, his eyes curving.

“Fabio.”

“…Yeah?”

“You remember my name, right?”

Reyes tapped the table rhythmically with his left hand.

I hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

“Then that’s enough. You don’t need to visit me anymore. Even if you do, I think I’ll be busy getting my degree for a while. Haha. I’ll get to attend a university here that I never even went to in reality.”

“…You didn’t go to college?”

“To be precise, I was accepted, but I never attended a single class because I was gaming. I was probably expelled.”

‘Complete psycho….’

I take back my thought that there might have been some special circumstances.

“I’m also somewhat interested in the research being conducted here. I found out some incredibly surprising facts about the Watched Ones.”

“Really? What is it?”

“If you’re curious about the details, why don’t you, Fabio, enter the research lab as well?”

“…Did the Director give you a commission or something?”

“No, I’m serious. It will truly be helpful for you too, Fabio.”

“…No matter what happens, I am not entering that lab.”

A few more words were exchanged after that, but there was nothing of substance.

I said goodbye, mentioning I’d come again if possible, and stepped out of the room.

‘…He wants to finish the conversation via chat, right?’

There seemed to be many things he couldn’t say because Callister was watching.

Surveillance would continue even after I left, but….

‘There must be a way to chat without making a sound.’

Since he said macro systems and such could be purchased with points.

The fact that I was currently sane meant the System hadn’t judged it as a ‘Game Over’ yet, so the Helper would surely cooperate in that regard.

Outside, Athanas was talking with the purple-haired Callister.

“Is the conversation finished?”

“…Yes. He seems to be doing better than I thought.”

“What did he say about his family?”

I glanced at Columba.

He must have received the conversation through ‘Callister’ inside the room, but he didn’t particularly intervene.

“…He said he has an excuse because he was supposed to become a Chanter but had been postponing it. He said he didn’t prepare for this specific situation, but there’s a way, so not to worry.”

“I see. Is there anything else on your mind?”

I shook my head.

At the very least, I couldn’t say it in front of Callister.

“Understood. Shall we go have lunch now?”

“…Is it alright for you to keep spending time with me like this?”

“Unfortunately, I must return in the afternoon.”

Athanas took my hand.

Callister offered to guide the way back, but Athanas firmly declined, saying he remembered the way.

‘…But I’m seeing a lot of turtles.’

Were there always this many?

A few times, they were huddled flat in the middle of the road, and I almost kicked them by mistake.

Slow turtles wandering around paths where people walk.

Isn’t it inevitable that they’d get stepped on?

Some of them didn’t even try to hide their intention to obstruct me, biting onto the hem of my clothes and refusing to let go.

“It seems it’s better not to come to the Main Hall alone.”

Athanas placed the turtles that clung to me on top of bookshelves, leaving them stranded.

I agreed, rubbing the hem of my clothes where the bite marks remained.

After the experience of the space itself harboring malice toward me, I’d developed a bit of a trauma toward the God of Records himself.

Ignoring the turtles staring at me from atop the bookshelves, I walked until I reached the entrance of the Main Hall.

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

This time, when the notification window appeared, I was able to look back at Athanas without any complicated thoughts.

“Did the Sacred Relic really block the Oblivion?”

“…It did.”

I asked a few questions out of curiosity, and Athanas remembered exactly that he had gone to Columba’s lab.

After that, the conversation shifted to things like what he usually does to be so tired, what the training for Holy Knights entails, and what the delicious lunch menu for today was.

‘…I need to talk about Reyes.’

I intended to bring it up before eating, but by the time the meal ended, I had only managed to spout trivialities.

‘I should be cautious about revealing that I can contact Reyes at any time.’

The fact that not only Reyes but players could communicate with each other as long as they were conscious was not a light matter.

Doesn’t it mean that even if they are locked in a prison, they can convey the structure of that prison to someone outside?

“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

I didn’t answer.

It was a silence that was practically an affirmation.

However, Athanas didn’t pry into what the worry was.

“…If it’s something you don’t want to tell me yet, you don’t have to.”

Instead, he said this with a slightly tired face.

“I won’t ask you to tell me before you start something. There are always unexpected situations. I respect your judgment. But no matter what….”

‘No matter what?’

“…Please make sure to carry this reliquary with you at all times.”

‘…Do I seem like I’d do something so reckless?’

I promised I would.

One good thing was that I didn’t have to lie.

Athanas escorted me to my door.

“Good times end too quickly. If only this time were eternal….”

Athanas performed his role as the ‘lover’ skillfully, as always.

When he hugged me, it felt as if he truly felt regret.

Even after Athanas left, I stood by the hallway window for a long time, watching his receding figure.

Athanas turned back several times to wave at me.

As soon as Athanas was out of sight, I entered my room, locked the door, and stood still for a long while.

It was quiet outside the door. No one was knocking.

Suddenly, the tension snapped.

“Haa….”

‘I guess I was subconsciously tense.’

It seemed I had been walking on eggshells around Athanas more than I thought.

‘Is it because I’m hiding something?’

I took the ring out of my pocket and looked at it.

No, actually, more than that….

There was a more fundamental reason.

A reason I could never reveal to Athanas.

‘…It’s suspicious that he’s too kind to me.’

It was ungrateful to be suspicious because of his consideration, but it was truly the case.

Athanas’s goodwill was simply incomprehensible.

In the first place, why is Athanas cooperating with me?

Because I’m the only means of obtaining information about the nightmares?

He now has an ‘alternative’ since he found another Watched One this time.

‘…His attitude toward Reyes is also strange.’

Athanas seemed to have absolutely no interest in Reyes.

Even if it wasn’t affection, wouldn’t it be normal to feel the need to extract information?

How can he believe everything I say is the truth?

What does he know about me?

If it were me, even if it was something said by a strategy game maniac I originally knew, I wouldn’t trust it and would look for a way to cross-verify.

‘No, in the first place, the dreams keep giving other clues even without me.’

He found an item to overcome Oblivion through the dreams and became acquainted with the Director, so he could continue investigating the ‘Truth of Order’ personally as much as he wanted.

This means there’s no need to continue interacting with a clumsy heretic goblin who acts alone without a word and has no special abilities, all while performing tedious acting.

And yet, why….

‘…There’s no point in thinking about something with no answer.’

I covered my face and took a deep breath.

At this point, suspecting that Athanas is deceiving and using me is honestly a foolish thing.

What would be the point of putting so much effort into erasing my suspicions?

Athanas is a religious person, so perhaps he feels a sense of mission to save a pitiful goblin like the Saintess did.

‘What’s the point of suspecting Athanas?’

It’s not like there’s anyone else I can trust besides Athanas….

“…Atanasanatagaskides.”

[SYSTEM: Athanas, I like you is online.]]

[SYSTEM: You can now send messages.]

“How do I input messages?”

[SYSTEM: Please record your message after the beep.]

“Is there no other way? Like a virtual keyboard?”

As I said that, a transparent keyboard appeared in the air.

Since it had no physical substance, typing in the air was quite difficult.

I aligned the virtual keyboard’s position over a chest.

‘It’s a bit like a laser keyboard.’

Is this better than talking to myself?

To others, a guy talking to himself would probably look less suspicious.

‘Still, the content of the conversation won’t be leaked.’

Those from the Dark Realm wouldn’t even be able to guess what the keyboard layout is or how I’m typing a password.

If possible, I wish it were in a more inconspicuous and convenient form, like telepathy….

‘I have no way to spend points, so it can’t be helped.’

[…Reyes. It’s me.]

>>[Fabio!]

>>[Fabio! Fabio!]

[…I have bad memories of people repeating my name, so please don’t do that.]

>>[Eh? Is that so? I’ll keep that in mind! Ah, Happy Cult Evangelist! It’s a name befitting Fabio, who spreads happiness! May I name your chatting handle? What should it be? Happiness?]

[You had more to say to me earlier, right? It felt like you were emphasizing that we should chat.]

>>[That’s right. It was something that could only be said through chat.]

[What is it?]

>>[]

>>[Please accept my love.]

[…….]

>>[ Are you not accepting it?]

‘…I can’t send emojis with my keyboard.’

[If that’s all you have to say, I’m closing the chat window.]

>>[Just kidding, I have something really important to tell you.]

‘It’s probably nothing.’

I waited for the next chat with a lukewarm feeling.

>>[I found traces of the Pioneer of Civilization player.]

>>[Perhaps the Pioneer of Civilization didn’t suffer a Game Over, but found a way to escape the System.]

[…Really?]

If Reyes found such a clue, his choice not to leave the research institute was immediately understandable.

Even I would prioritize that investigation.

>>[It seems highly likely. Though I’ll need to talk more with the God of Records.]