Ch.77[Episode 77] Reset Aftermath

This chaotic situation was resolved when the coders opened the door and entered.

“Phew. That’s a relief. I was worried since it’s been a while since we attempted a reset.”

“First, we’d like to apologize. Our inexperienced management and response put you all in danger.”

As soon as they entered, the coders checked on Sir Dominic’s group and apologized.

“The event stage will be closed. We wanted to show you all a fantastic world, but…”

“It’s not enough compared to the mental and material damage you’ve suffered due to this bug, but we’d like to offer compensation from our own pockets-“

The coders bowed their heads and promised compensation as an apology for the incident.

While compensation was under the authority of System Industries’ operations team, they were willing to provide it from their own funds since the incident occurred because they rushed to show results.

“If there’s anything wrong, please tell us-“

“Fix it quickly!”

“Do it, do it!”

The coders’ words were interrupted by the foxes.

Perhaps due to the effects of becoming foxes, Hime and Tsuki, who now could only speak short and simple words while hopping around, looked ready to bite the coders’ ankles if necessary.

Fortunately, the misfortune that befell Hime and Tsuki was soon resolved.

“Oh, it seems the equipment table and race value table were switched due to the reset shock. Please wait a moment.”

“There will be additional compensation for this as well.”

The hat vendor coder opened a console window and recorded what had happened to Hime and Tsuki.

Meanwhile, the bunny girl coder also opened a console window and manipulated something, and soon Hime and Tsuki regained their original forms.

“Ugh… that was an experience I never want to go through again…”

“Not a ghost or spirit, but an animal? What a terrible thing to happen.”

With a “poof” effect, Hime and Tsuki returned to human form and sighed with relief.

However, Hime and Tsuki didn’t realize two things.

First, the coders before them were junior coders, so they had some inexperienced aspects.

Second, their ears were still twitching and their tails were still swishing.

“For now, the stage is suspended. Since an error occurred, this stage will be discarded.”

“It’s not much of a replacement, but as thanks for enjoying our stage, we’ll also give you the original event rewards.”

When the coders finished speaking, Sir Dominic and his group returned to the Story Mode lobby.

The entrance to the event stage was still there, but the bunny girl coder stopped the portal and hung up a sign.

The sign read: ‘Access to the event stage is restricted due to abnormalities. We apologize for the inconvenience.’ After hanging it, the bunny girl coder bowed to Sir Dominic’s group again in apology.

“Rewards will be sent collectively on the day the event ends. If you have any inquiries, please contact System Industries’ development team. We’ll come to see you right away.”

After saying that, the bunny girl coder began dismantling the event stage, helping the hat vendor coder who had already started the demolition.

Their backs looked so pitiful that no one could speak to them.

…

“What should we do now?”

Dr. Banshee… no, Remi, Sir Dominic’s younger sister, asked.

“The event is closed, and there are no other events left. Is anyone interested in the election event?”

Phantom Doctor continued Remi’s question.

“I should head home now.”

“Hmm.”

Hime and Tsuki wanted to leave this place immediately.

The two who had just been foxes had realized they still had fox ears and tails.

And they became embarrassed remembering how they had misunderstood when they first met Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica, actually behaving like foxes when told to “be foxes.”

“Anyway, I had fun today. Next time-“

As Hime hurriedly tried to say goodbye to Sir Dominic, she suddenly realized something.

When she woke up from the shock after the reset, Hime had unintentionally overheard about the relationship between Sir Dominic and Dr. Banshee.

Sir Dominic and Dr. Banshee were siblings, which meant they were family.

If that was the case, could this have been an introduction to Sir Dominic’s family?

And if so, did that mean she had been on a date with Sir Dominic?

Was it the shock from the reset?

Suddenly, Hime’s mind began to race with wild leaps of imagination.

The same was true for Tsuki. She had also heard about the relationship between Sir Dominica and Phantom Doctor, and her mind was similarly confused with all sorts of thoughts.

“Lady Hime?”

Sir Dominic wondered if something was wrong with Hime, whose face had suddenly turned red and whose expressions kept changing.

When he finally spoke to check if Hime was okay, she jumped in surprise, having been lost in deep thought.

“Ah, yes! I’m fine. I’ll be going now. The date was fun-“

Hime was startled by the word “date” that suddenly came out and covered her mouth.

She had imagined so deeply that she momentarily couldn’t distinguish between imagination and reality.

Hime’s pupils lost their way as if an earthquake had struck.

“Date?”

“No, no. It was a slip of the tongue. Anyway, I had fun today!”

Hime was so embarrassed that she threw a smoke bomb and disappeared.

Only the remnants of white smoke remained where she had been standing.

“What a klutz, Lady Hime.”

Tsuki clicked her tongue watching Hime.

Thinking she was different from Hime.

“By the way, you’re still wearing those ears and tail?”

Sir Dominica had been interested in the swaying fox ears and fox tail for a while.

Though Sir Dominica was a veteran hardened by battle, she secretly liked cute things.

Warrior temperament and personal taste were different things, after all.

“I’ve been thinking it from the beginning, but they’re cute.”

“W-what!”

Tsuki was flustered by Sir Dominica’s words.

Cute? It was what Tsuki had wanted to hear from Sir Dominica, but hearing it so directly made her heart waver.

In reality, Sir Dominica meant that the ears and tail Tsuki was wearing were cute, but Tsuki, who had thoroughly misunderstood, had twisted her words.

Tsuki pulled her iron hat down low to hide her face, which had surely turned red.

“T-then I shall take my leave as well, Sir Dominica.”

After hastily saying goodbye, Tsuki lowered her head and used her lightness skill to disappear far away.

Now only Sir Dominic, Sir Dominica, Dr. Banshee, and Phantom Doctor remained.

The two Zeros had already been sent back to the laboratory by the doctors who had seen Hime and Tsuki leave.

“I have something to say.”

Dr. Banshee, no, Remi said.

Remi asked Sir Dominica for understanding.

“Could you leave me alone with my brother? I’m sure you have things to do as well.”

At Remi’s words, Sir Dominica looked at Phantom Doctor.

Sir Dominica nodded with a sigh.

“Now it’s just the two of us. Would you like to drink?”

Remi said this as she began walking.

Sir Dominic silently followed Remi.

Right now, Sir Dominic had many things he wanted to say.

His sister whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Why she was in Gachaland when he thought she was dead.

Where the rest of their family was.

He wanted to ask many things, but he walked silently.

There was no need to rush.

Gachaland was a place where one could come back to life if they had value, even after death.

That meant he had plenty of time to talk with Remi about past events.

…

Remi entered a suitable food stall they came across while walking.

She wanted to go to her regular bar, Old World Blues, but thought Phantom Doctor might have the same idea.

Sitting in a suitable spot, Remi immediately ordered a bottle of strong rum and some appropriate snacks.

Normally she would be horrified at the mention of alcohol, but today was somehow a day when she wanted to drink strong liquor.

Sir Dominic also sat down following Remi.

The distance of one chair.

The distance of awkwardness.

“…How did you end up here, brother?”

Remi was the first to break the silence.

“What about you? How did you end up here?”

Sir Dominic spoke without formality. Like in the old days.

At Sir Dominic’s answer, which responded to her question with another question, Remi downed a glass of the strong rum that had just arrived.

Frowning at the burning sensation in her throat, Remi began to speak, borrowing courage from the alcohol.

“The undead attacked the village.”

This was a fact Sir Dominic already knew.

“The undead needed sacrifices. Argen Quilt. Remember? It was the first city you and I ever saw.”

Perhaps because she normally avoided alcohol, Remi’s words were disorganized due to the quick intoxication, but Sir Dominic understood them well enough.

Argen Quilt. The city that disappeared after the March of the Dead occurred.

“They needed resentment. The undead needed the resentment of the living to interfere with this land. So I died. At the hands of the undead.”

Sir Dominic realized the causal relationship.

Four months before Sir Dominic became a knight, he survived the March of the Dead toward Argen Quilt.

And the village disappeared six months before he became a knight.

“They said ignorant people can’t harbor resentment… so they forcibly injected knowledge. Saying the smarter you are, the greater your negative emotions. Until brains burst and melted. One by one, the villagers.”

Remi’s hand holding the glass trembled.

She remembered that time vividly.

“Most didn’t last a day. I was the last one left. Right in front of me, mom and dad… no, let’s skip that. Anyway…”

Remi drank another glass of alcohol.

“They made an offer. If I could endure all the knowledge they injected, they would send me back. They would let me live.”

Another glass.

“It was a lie. But mentally cornered, I believed them. I endured and endured. Even as my brain melted and burst.”

Another glass.

“I finally endured it… but they were just giving me false hope. Because falling into despair after hope produces the most negative energy.”

Another. Glass.

Remi’s hand, which had been taking a drink with each sentence, slowed down.

She was definitely drunk.

Remi silently tried to drink another glass of alcohol. Thinking she needed to wash away the painful memories with alcohol.

But that glass never reached Remi’s lips.

Sir Dominic took the glass and emptied it into his own mouth.

The burning sensation characteristic of strong alcohol engulfed Sir Dominic.

Remi looked at Sir Dominic.

Her eyes were unfocused, but her pupils were still clearly directed at Sir Dominic.

“…Yes. In the end. That’s how I died. But the knowledge injected into my soul continued to remain and torment me. Until I met my current boss.”

“Boss?”

Sir Dominic was curious about his sister’s boss.

After all, his sister had arrived in this Gachaland before him.

Sir Dominic had immediately found a job, and his sister, who was even smarter than him, would have had no trouble either.

“A good person.”

Remi smiled broadly as she stroked her curly hair.

“My value is knowledge, they say. Even though empty eyes still stare at me and translucent hands still caress me, this knowledge remained and became my value.”

That’s why I’m here, she said, and then suddenly banged her head on the table before shaking it.

Sir Dominic, startled, tried to support Remi, but she laughed as if it was nothing.

“This is why I hate alcohol. I don’t want to bring up painful things, but it makes me do it. It’s all a lie that you drink to forget. When I remember so clearly-“

After saying this, Remi buried her head on the table again.

She didn’t get up.

Alarmed by the situation, Sir Dominic jumped up to check Remi’s condition.

Fortunately, she was just drunk, snoring softly as she slept.

After discovering that Remi was merely intoxicated, Sir Dominic sat back down and sighed with relief.

His sister whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

They had met after at least a decade, so he should be happy.

But Sir Dominic felt more sorrow than joy.

Thinking about how difficult it must have been for her.