Everyone has those moments in life, right?
Hmmm…
Times when they think, “I should have done it this way.”
While regretting the actions they didn’t take and pondering over the things they couldn’t achieve.
For instance, what if I had known from the start that Pina was a girl and kept my distance?
Uh-oh…
‘Well, if that had been the case, I probably wouldn’t have been able to protect her from the Magic Hat.’
I wouldn’t have tried to team up with Pina in the group project. If that had happened, I might have ended up as the Nameless Saintess like in the original story.
In a game where small flags divide the routes, it’s a place to reassess what should have been done before.
Unlike the Sage’s foresight, these are unrealized possibilities.
The Library of Truth, a space where all past information gathers through the power of Akasha, the God of Wisdom.
Ugh… no gain at all.
The books brought by the Grim Reaper seemed like someone had played a prank on me, with important sections erased. I leaned back against the chair and relaxed.
I thought the “me” from other routes would have prepared something, but there wasn’t even a trace of it.
I thought coming here might give me information about the Demon Kings, but it was all covered in black, as if telling me to stay away.
Even when I asked the Grim Reaper about the Magic Sword Horizon, it replied that it didn’t know such items. Damn, can’t I even get that?
I expected it to be tough due to the vast amount of information, but this is too much.
“I’ll personally thank Licht later.”
“Why?”
Beside me, the green-haired Laplace bowed slightly. His fancy robe fluttered.
“Honestly, I was scared I might get fired.”
Laplace pointed at the wall. A long stone tablet had the rules of the library written on it.
“If you couldn’t hold the Head, Claire might have been in danger.”
If the Library of Truth were attacked, there was a rule stating that responsibility falls on the librarian or the manager.
The moment you lose your librarian position, even the fact you cured your lover’s terminal illness could be wiped away.
‘I’ve never heard of the Head attacking the Academy in the game.’
In the past, when the Demon King of All Knowledge acted, it wasn’t to hide his identity and appear at the end of [Night Heart] with his monocle from somewhere in the Demon King’s Castle.
It could be the ripple effect caused by me twisting Pina’s future.
There must have been a reason for him to test me. He probably thought I might be a Hero trying to exploit the library.
“This won’t do!! Why are you suddenly like this!! Last time, you definitely…”
“Hand it over.”
Thud! From afar, a small Grim Reaper in a black robe and a Glass Knight were wrestling over a book.
The Grim Reaper was shaking while looking at the Glass Knight.
Originally in charge of death, one of those NPCs that appear when you game over.
He didn’t seem like a character that would be easily intimidated by just any strong person.
Yet, his usual snide comments were still there even against my max-level character. But why was he suddenly speaking formally?
The Library of Truth was only nullified by the Head’s ignorance, and it ended with the lights flickering due to Laplace’s abilities.
For a powerful place like this to be trembling…
What kind of book is that?
I looked closely at the scene where Pina and the Reaper were fighting. A notebook stained with blood.
It looked similar to the knowledge I had in the game, or rather, exactly the same. The only difference was the massive amount of blood caked on the book.
“That’s a request you asked the Hero to take care of!!”
Pina forcibly snatched the book. The Glass Knight, with small scurrying footsteps, ran and hid behind me.
“Licht, this has a smell of blood.”
“….”
Was that why the Grim Reaper recognized Pina?
Either I or Pina from a different route must have been here before. That seemed like the only possibility.
“Pina, do you know what this place is for?”
“A place where past possibilities and information gather.”
Nod, nod. Pina tried to run away with the book, but having sensed the seriousness, I grabbed her arm.
“Yeah, I want to read it together; can’t we?”
“..No.”
The golden eyes behind the Glass Helmet were trembling.
It seems there was no choice. I had to use my trump card. I’d decided I needed to read that. It must be information from my past recorded by another version of me.
“I’ll pat your head.”
“Really…? You’ll be gentle, right..?”
Please don’t say something that could be misunderstood. Where did you learn that?
Then Pina took off her Glass Helmet and started moving along with me. Thump, her snowy white hair fell. The wolf ears perked up and looked soft.
“..Hehe, got it.”
Pina snuggled up to me and began reading the same book. The distance was so close that if I just turned my head, my lips would brush against her cheek.
As soon as I opened the notebook, a black rose bookmark fell out. They said the space between the past and the future is the present.
‘Something similar appeared in the future that the Sage saw..’
I opened the first page, but it was smeared with blood, making the text unreadable. It seemed that another version of me had erased it.
There were even signs of paper being torn at intervals. It looked like a cover-up just in case someone might see.
As I kept turning the pages, the hurried, squiggly handwriting appeared. A small, winding script.
【─ Year 18 of the Empire, my beloved died.】
The year of this tale. There were even tear stains.
【It was my oversight. I didn’t foresee that the Demon King of — was targeting through truth, all knowledge, and power.】
The two remaining Demon Kings likely refer to Finn and Black Cloud.
【What if I had noticed earlier? I searched for the Shrine of Tardun and begged Pantoze while crying, but there was no miracle.】
【After the Demon God War, they changed their goals.】
【The prophesied Hero? I don’t want that….】
The book’s notes ended there. There was no information about the future available here.
I wanted to know what kind of Demon King Black Cloud was too.
“….”
“Licht, this….”
This was probably the route where I failed. If Mardol had distanced himself without knowing that I was looking for the Nameless Saintess.
By the way, the war where the Ten Heroes fought was called the Demon God War. I found information about the myth that popped up in the status window.
Demon Transformation. It means I’d likely become the final boss monster in the game.
So this was all written down by me, who accepted all the penalties? It couldn’t be. Then it must be information from the future.
‘..Did Pina die before I even checked the love line?’
There was only one possibility.
The two major flags I almost missed were the attack by the Magic Hat and the Head’s invasion of the Academy.
The other one was the advice from the little child to take care of Mana Rose.
“Pina, is it okay if I want to be alone for a bit?”
“..Yeah, don’t push yourself too hard.”
I stood up and ran away to a corner. My eyelids were stinging. This “other route” leads to such horrific outcomes.
The reason I risked my life on the “Grand Route.”
The background of this game is rather dark, and the endings vary greatly depending on the player’s choices.
Dennis could get poisoned, Kainel could build a harem, and Nex could become a traitor and work for the Hero Church.
‘Did the “me” from another world line fail to protect Pina?’
I clenched my fist tightly. The nausea building up inside me was overwhelming.
If I had just taken the status window’s warning against fighting literally, it could have turned out that way, right?
“..The status window was pure bullsh*t.”
Grrr! I spat out a curse. It meant there were only two outcomes: becoming the Nameless Saintess or dying. I felt relieved that I twisted the future.
“I can’t stay like this.”
Even if the penalty leads to becoming a fanatic of the Hero Church or turns into a boss monster through Demon Transformation, I cannot harm Pina.
But how should I do it? What exactly should I do….
The Demon Kings I have to face in the future are at least three. How far can I go with imperfect Demon King Kill?
Ah, there was something.
There was a word that stuck in my mind from the memo I just saw. The Shrine of Tardun.
The God of Will who governs swordsmanship.
Drake’s words about training for 66 days felt uneasy for the current moment. How about doing it here then?
If Akasha’s Shrine is at this level, there must be something here.
*
While Licht was away, Pina felt a strange sense of déjà vu as she looked at the notes.
‘..I’ve seen this handwriting somewhere a lot.’
It was too small to be Licht’s handwriting. The words looked precise, contrasting with his messy handwriting.
Having made a habit of secretly watching the Black Knight during lectures, Pina was able to recognize it.
“I brought this, so… I’d like to ask for leniency!”
“..Huh?”
At that moment, the Grim Reaper approached Pina with a book in hand. The black rose-decorated cover made a strong impression.
“Kehehe, you really won’t touch it in our library! That’s a promise, right?!”
The small Reaper grinned, clacking its teeth.
The cover read [How to Eat Human Men as Inrang Women], a rather gruesome title.
Curiosity piqued, she flipped through the book. Pina’s eyes went wide when she saw it.
“That’s too risqué…”
Pina covered her mouth with one hand. It must have been too stimulating for her.
Yet her other hand did not stop flipping through the pages. Her eyes moved, not wanting to miss a single letter.
“Huh? This is definitely the book you asked for last time..?”
The Grim Reaper tilted its head. It hadn’t anticipated this reaction from a carefully reserved book.
“I… I asked for this..?”
“Of course, the reservation name is clearly….”
Pina’s face flushed crimson, and she shot back. Seeing her swallow hard, Laplace also looked puzzled.
As the headmaster of the Academy, he couldn’t spend time in the library.
Just as he was about to say that it looked like a mix-up with a request from someone in another world line…
“Pina, what are you doing over there..?”
“Ah, ah.. it’s nothing! I didn’t see anything weird!”
The scene suddenly turned amusing as a man wearing a Black Knight helmet popped out, clearing his head.
The playful Laplace could barely hold back a smile as he watched the scene unfold.
“How to eat humans…?”
Licht turned pale as he saw the title of the book Pina was holding. He backed up and rummaged for a book behind him.
Could you be so dense? The letters were cleverly hidden, and the content remained a secret.
“I’ll borrow this..”
“Indeed, you have excellent taste!”
Embarrassed, Pina’s head hung low as she spoke, while the Grim Reaper wiped the sweat off his skull with relief.
