■■■

Estelle put down the golden cup I’d given her on the table and opened her mouth.

“Alright, the ‘exchange’ ends here.”

Estelle looked around at the participants sitting at the table and continued.

“Next is the buying and selling of information.”

The maids, who had been quietly standing away from the table, placed opaque red cups in front of each participant.

It was an artifact called [Alchemist’s Whisper], often used in these secret gatherings.

I already knew how to use it, having learned from Estelle in advance. If you speak into this special cup, only the person holding the cup to their ear can hear you. It’s a kind of secure, long-distance whisper.

If the exchange made the participants clearly aware of Lily’s tendencies, this time I intended to make them clearly aware that Lily deals with [Space].

Holding a golden spoon in her hand, Estelle said.

“Okay, the order starts with Goat, just like before.”

All participants had to choose either to buy or sell information. There was no option to abstain.

Bella picked up the cup in front of her and said.

“I’m looking for a sword. The characteristics are that the sword is broken, half the blade is missing, and there’s a transparent jewel embedded in the hilt. The hilt also has a dragon pattern engraved on it.”

Looking around the table, Bella finally stopped her gaze on me and added.

“If anyone has information about this, or knows its location, I will buy it at a higher price than what’s been set.”

The pricing for sales and purchases was handled by Modiste after the meeting. So, Estelle could hear all the whispers, but everyone was okay with it because the benefits outweighed the disadvantages. There was also a strong trust that Modiste wouldn’t leak or use the information.

Bella held the cup to her ear, but no one tried to pick up their cup.

Estelle struck the golden cup in front of her with the spoon she was holding.

Ting- The empty cup made a clear sound. When that rings three times, the purchase ends and moves on to the next turn.

When Estelle struck the cup for the second time, Bella seemed to sigh slightly. She looked disappointed that there were no sellers.

Just as Estelle was about to strike it for the last time.

Deliberately teasing Bella, I immediately picked up the cup and brought it to my mouth. It wasn’t a particularly meaningful action, I just wanted to screw with Bella.

Bella stopped her hand as she was about to put the cup down. Her eyes seemed to widen slightly as she looked at me. It was a satisfying reaction.

Estelle tapped the cup with the spoon she was holding. Then the jewel in the golden cup briefly lit up and went out.

The time for buying and selling was over. Now it was time for the next step: trading.

Bella had no idea that she would be searching for the holy sword that would become Roel’s main weapon from this point on. In fact, it doesn’t matter when Roel gets his hands on the holy sword. The moment the holy sword regains its original power was already set.

Right now, it’s just a broken, old sword. Information that can’t become a variable. Of course, I’ll use it to my advantage.

[The west of the continent. Beneath Phrygia, ruled by the Golden King. There will be Midas’s dungeon hidden there. Your goal is there.]

Bella stared at me blankly, looking ridiculous with the cup to her ear.

She seemed curious about my identity, but I had no intention of revealing it unless the benefits outweighed the disadvantages. We weren’t close enough for that.

Bella put down the cup and nodded in satisfaction. People around us were giving us curious glances, wondering what we had talked about.

It was the troll’s turn, sitting next to Bella.

“I’m selling information about a strange phenomenon discovered by an adventurer in a recently discovered dungeon.”

With those words, the troll brought the cup to his mouth to sell.

Feeling intrigued, several people at the table picked up their cups and put them to their ears.

Thinking that Estelle would take care of the bill anyway, I casually put the cup to my ear as well.

Estelle struck the cup three times, and after the jewel sparkled, the sale began.

[Three days ago, an adventurer party of B-rank found a dungeon in the Brown Mountains. They experienced something very strange in the last room there. In the last room, there is said to be a piece of green light that absorbs anything. It absorbs everything, including magic, stones, and tools, so they couldn’t excavate it.]

I, who had been listening without much thought, was so surprised that I flinched. Estelle glared at me, telling me to be careful.

But I couldn’t help but be surprised. I knew what the troll was talking about. It was the Emerald Tablet, which allows alchemists to reach the truth.

It seemed like too powerful a setting, so I ended up scrapping it, but it suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

If this world is really based on the novel I created, why does the scrapped setting that shouldn’t appear exist?

I tried to send a signal to Estelle to find out more, but Bella, who was sitting across from me, was staring at me intently, so I had no choice but to stay still.

The troll put down the cup, and it was the next person’s turn.

When he said he was selling information about the Kama Sutra, which could improve one’s skills in sexual intercourse, I was about to reach for the cup with the pure thought that there might be good information this time, but I was kicked in the shin under the table.

Suppressing the pain, I sent an aggrieved look, and Estelle gave me a look that said, ‘You wanna die?’

She must have noticed that I was trying to buy mindlessly because it wasn’t my money.

Soothed my disappointment and quietly waited for my turn.

Fortunately, no one was selling information as interesting as the troll’s. In the first place, there were more participants who wanted to buy. It was information about artifacts or someone.

A white bird, who bought information about a noblewoman, looked at me as he passed his turn. This time, too, it was an expectant and burdensome look.

Suppressing the urge to sigh, I picked up the cup and said nonchalantly.

“The space magic currently managed by the Imperial Family is trash.”

A strange silence fell on the table at my blunt words.

Participants’ attention had been focused on me from the start, but this was a story about space magic that the Imperial Family was specially managing. It was only natural that they would show even more interest.

Although she hid her pupils, Bella couldn’t hide the way her eyes shone like a snake, as was her usual habit.

I paused slightly and said in a calm voice.

“The portals they’re using now are inefficient and unstable. I know how to make portals that are several times more efficient, safer, and not restricted by the environment.”

As I brought the cup to my mouth, all the participants at the table picked up their cups and put them to their ears, as if they had been waiting for it.

It was the first time this had happened today, but it was only natural.

The Imperial Family is making a huge amount of money from the exclusive management of portals on the continent. But the fact that they can make portals that are even better than that was a huge deal that would change the landscape of the continent.

If anyone wasn’t interested in that information, they weren’t qualified to participate in this meeting.

This is the way I thought of, and planned with Modiste, to focus the attention of the two giant forces, the Order and the Imperial Family, on ‘Lily’.

I said into the cup.

[I am the sole inheritor of the space magic that was lost. Portals are just basic magic.]

People often say that they rolled the dice in situations like this. But there was no need to roll the dice.

Because now I’m going to make my own game.

■■■

Something huge is being sucked into the cracked sky. I don’t even remember if it was a living thing or a huge structure anymore.

All I can feel now is pain and despair. Even the distinction of my existence is not clear. Whatever the truth, it didn’t matter anymore.

There’s nowhere to run anymore. The last bastion of humanity, the World Tree, rotted and collapsed long ago. We abandoned, gave up, and despaired, dragging out time for victory somehow, but the destined destruction maintained its speed without change.

Wherever I go, there is only death. It’s a place where even traces of life have been erased. Even space was swept away by the darkness of chaos and disappeared.

I feel like there used to be a lot of things around me, but now there’s nothing left.

I thought it was a great victory, but it was a trap that had been prepared long ago. I didn’t even feel frustrated that I had broken my last hope myself.

Something is howling in the distance. It’s a howl full of madness. It’s a giant worm that literally devours the earth itself and covers the sky.

Tens of thousands of people die just from the act of twisting its body. There are no more living things to kill, but the worm twists its body diligently according to its instincts.

I gripped the holy sword that had lost its light. I lost one arm entirely, so its power was halved, but I still had the strength to kill a worm of chaos.

I realized that it was meaningless a long time ago. I can’t even remember when it was.

Was it when I couldn’t stop Bella, who chose to die together with the cult leader, sacrificing her own life?

Was it when Flavia melted into mana without leaving a single piece of flesh?

Was it when I ran away, leaving Rosalyn behind, who was sacrificing herself for everyone?

Was it when I sent away Ilia, who burned herself for me, who was swept away by the darkness?

Was it when Ellie, who poured all her magic to create the last variable, disappeared?

I know that there is no one left for my sword to protect.

But I can’t help it.

I am the protagonist of this world, and the last survivor.

An existence that must stand up even if it is mocked by fate and loses everything precious. Even if it’s forever, I have to.

That was my ending, praised as a hero by everyone.

A huge lump of flesh destroys everything around it and approaches me. I raise the holy sword towards it, which emits an incomprehensible cry.

The light leaking through the cracks in the cracked sky gathers. Although it is a very small amount of light, the holy sword regains its former power for a moment.

The dazzling light of destruction swallowed the worm of chaos along with the world. But even that brilliant light was eventually buried in the darkness and disappeared after a short time.

I lost my balance and rolled on the floor, but no one is there to point out my appearance like before.

Knowing that no one can hear me, I had no choice but to apologize.

“…Everyone, I’m sorry.”

Hoping that I will never forgive myself for having the arrogant dream of wanting to save everyone.

I will only wander the destroyed world again.