Suddenly, I managed to resolve the disaster that had struck out of nowhere, so now it was truly time to tackle the homework I had been putting off until now.
I slowly skimmed through the status window that appeared before me.
[Johann Quartz]
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Occupation: Knight Protector
– Traits –
Insight: A
Digging: A+
Woodworking: A
Processing: A
Pharmacy: C+
Handiness: A
Anatomy: B
Survival: S
Sewing: D+
Blacksmithing: A
Tactics: B+
Performance: F
Architecture: A
– Skills –
Crafting: A+
Repair: B+
Dismantle: B+
Auto-Translation: A
Trait Points: 8
– Blessing –
!(@&(!#$!*(:?
Phoenix’s Blessing: S
– Missions –
– No missions available.
Did they leave the mission slot empty because I killed Bella?
Besides that, nothing had changed… I took a moment to find my words and decided to call out to my opponent.
“If you can hear me, answer.”
…No response.
Are they unwilling to answer, or can we only converse in specific situations? I didn’t have enough info to judge since we hadn’t talked much.
“Status window.”
…Am I just messing around?
[Hey, Contractor? Why the sudden change?]
“Nothing much, don’t worry about it.”
“Hey. Can’t you hear me? Status window. Answer me. How long are you planning to hide back there like a coward?”
…Should I just throw some insults?
It’s annoying that they only chime in when needed but go silent at times like this. I silently glared at the status window. Is there no way to call it out?
“Hey. Are you sleeping?”
[I thought you knew I can’t sleep.]
“Not you.”
[Contractor… are you perhaps sleepwalking?]
…Am I just messing around?
Seeing the unchanged status window, I began to wonder if I had been seeing illusions all this time. But considering the points I had received, there had to be an entity that spoke to me through the mission window.
While pondering what to say for a reaction, I decided to go a bit harder.
“Hey, Stalker. I know your wall, so come out already. How long are you going to stay hidden?”
[Contractor, really, what’s wrong with you…]
“Just keep it quiet.”
[Contractor…]
Don’t call me in such a serious tone.
…Is it just me, or did the status window tremble a little?
“…Coward, come out already. Before I publicly declare your outsider status to the entire continent.”
It was a feeble threat, but absurdly, the status window shook vigorously.
[A mission has been created.]
-I am not a coward!
“Should have answered sooner, shouldn’t you? Status window.”
-You cocky brat…
[Contractor, now I’m at a loss…]
Shut up. Can’t you see I’m talking to the status window?
…Ah, guess it can’t see that.
Realizing that, I glanced at Rue, then back at the status window. The status window shook violently as if expressing anger, vibrating at the level of a phone’s ringer.
“Stop shaking and just talk a bit.”
-…Since it has come to this, I’ll indulge you a little.
“I have a lot of questions. Who are you?”
-I can’t say. The moment you know who I am, those damned guys can interfere with you.
“Are you the one who possessed me?”
-That’s half right, half wrong.
It seems the nonsense is only getting more frequent. I gazed intently at the lone channel that had appeared after eleven years.
“Explain in detail.”
-Possession wasn’t our will.
“Then who possessed me?”
-The ones you think of.
“…Hah.”
So the one who possessed me is from the outsiders?
-We could only determine which body you would be possessed in.
Why are you doing this to me?
What the hell did those outsider bastards do to me? I heard they’re even behind the censorship.
“Do you know the reason for my possession?”
-It’s probably for their ‘amusement’. They’re thirsty for entertainment.
“Hah.”
-Originally, we’re victims too. They suddenly turned our world into a game board. Those damned bastards… Why can’t they just play among themselves?
Cosmic horror, huh?
Damn.
“No answers, huh.”
-I understand how you feel, but I hope you keep trying…
What?
What the hell is this nonsense? Is this guy messing with me? I scowled again at the status window. The window continued to scribble new lines into the mission section.
-For us, sneaking around like this is the only way…
Sure, we managed to preserve knowledge about the original work to some extent, but if they find out we’re involved, those damned ‘amusement’ freaks can directly interfere with you.
Then everything is over.
“…That’s quite the crummy news.”
They can directly interfere with me?
Isn’t this meant to show the true ending? If what they say is true, that means they can mess everything up at any moment. Then this whole game doesn’t even make sense.
These bastards make a lousy game, like a bunch of little kids…
-We can fend off their interference, but even that has its limits. The way of the spear and shield always favors the spear.
“…I kinda get what that means. So, just one question. What’s the true ending?”
-We don’t know either.
“What?”
-No one has seen it. Your correct conclusion will be the true ending of this world.
“What does that even mean…”
-Damn it, I think this is all we can discuss. Good luck. Everyone else failed except you. If it’s you, or rather ‘Quartz’, you should be able to pull through.
Probably, even Quartz is slowly catching on to your existence… Damn. I don’t know if there will be another chance to talk, but take care.
“Hey!”
I called out several times, but only a line remained in the mission slot. I glared at the status window for a while before closing it. If that thing couldn’t talk anymore, it was meaningless now.
“Why do I feel like my questions just multiplied?”
Everyone else has failed but me?
Does that mean… everyone else possessed is dead?
—————–
“Hmm… Johann… it tickles…”
…What the hell is this.
I stared closely at Millia, who was sleeping with her head on my arm.
Why is she in my room? I carefully pulled out my arm and slipped a pillow under her head, watching Millia, who was blissfully unaware, mumbling in her sleep.
She was wearing the negligée I had seen before, and it seemed she noticed my arm was gone, waving her arms around.
Seriously, why is she here? I was definitely alone when I fell asleep.
[Hey, Contractor! You’re awake!]
“…Rue, can you explain what’s going on?”
[I brought her!]
Huh?
Rue brought her? I thought Millia snuck in late at night. Surprised by this unexpected answer, I looked at Rue, who was flailing her arms in defense.
[No, when you were saying weird things yesterday, I got worried and called Millia, who was passing by!]
“What does that have to do with her sleeping next to me?”
[Millia saw you sleeping and decided she needed to keep an eye on you, so she stuck close! She must be really worried about you!]
…Seems more like she took the opportunity to cling on.
I looked down at Millia, holding the blanket while mumbling in her sleep. Even though I reluctantly accepted her yesterday, no matter how I looked at it, she feels more like a little sister than anything else; it’s impossible for me to see her as anything romantic.
Thinking back to yesterday, it seems she slipped in to go along with my declaration… perhaps Millia’s feelings for me are different from Karina or Elisa.
Rather than romantic feelings, it feels more like sibling affection? At least, that’s how it appeared to me. Her clinging to me felt more like seeking comfort.
I sat on the edge of the bed and ruffled Millia’s hair. Her silky hair, managed by a maid, felt exquisite to touch.
“Hehe… nice…”
Caressing her hair, I briefly recalled my conversation with the status window from last night. It was hard to see any nutritional value in it, but it wasn’t completely empty.
In any case, that amusement freak, err, outsider is the source of all evil. The true ending is just a facade, and I’m supposed to reach a conclusion on my own.
In conclusion, I have to deal with these outsiders to live comfortably for the rest of my life, which means I have to move even more than now.
“…It’ll work out somehow.”
Cosmic horror or outsiders, what does it matter. I just need to do what I have to do.
No need to overthink it right now.
Knock, knock.
“Y-yo, Johann…”
“…Elisa? G-Good morning.”
“I have something I want to talk about… c-can I come in?”
I quickly turned my head toward Millia.
…Isn’t this a crisis situation?
Maybe not? I doubt anything dramatic is going to happen, since I mentioned it yesterday…
“Elisa. Sorry, but right now… it might be a bit difficult.”
“Eh?”
“It’s… a somewhat troublesome situation, you know.”
I deliberately trailed off. If I showed this situation to Elisa, it would naturally reach Karina, and then it’d be clear I’d be sweating bullets from day two onward.
“I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have come here without permission…”
“It’s not that. It’s just a bit troubling…”
“Johann… you’re being too intense…”
“…Johann?”
Hearing Elisa’s icy voice for the first time sent chills down my spine.
Second day of the harem.
I think I should resolve the status window and the outsiders before anything else.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.