I Won’t Leave It to Fate!

There are two main reasons why I’m scanning the newspaper.

First, to check if major events are progressing as they did in the original game.

And second, to obtain information about ‘chaos’.

“I hope this time the chaos will manifest in a relatively normal being.”

Chaos, to explain simply, is a kind of systemic entity that introduces variables into the game in each playthrough.

In each cycle, a being who awakens the power of chaos appears in the world.

In one cycle, it might be a professor at Luin Academy, in another, it might be an ordinary farmer NPC who awakens the power of chaos.

Beings who awaken the power of chaos are each granted a unique and overpowered trait, which makes dealing with them complicated—you have to figure out their identity, see through them, and more.

And, I haven’t yet identified who the chaos is in this cycle.

I was hoping to get a hint about the chaos from this newspaper, but unfortunately, it doesn’t contain any information about chaos. What a shame.

Now all that’s left is to confirm that the events that should happen are happening properly.

Let’s see… the big event that should happen around this time… ah, as expected.

• • The King and Queen of the Trahan Kingdom were assassinated by an unidentified assailant…

A note about the assassination of the Trahan Kingdom’s royalty. This is the useful information obtainable from the first week’s newspaper.

From this point on, the era of peace gradually crumbles, and threats from outside become more frequent than before.

In other words, the tutorial is now over.

Well, it’s been hardcore for me since I first possessed this body.

“There’s no other noteworthy news besides this.”

After folding the newspaper, I closed my eyes for a moment and recalled my memories.

I plan to recall events that will happen over the next week and note them down.

Scribble, scribble, I jot down various upcoming events, big and small.

“Hmm, I wonder if this is enough?”

I murmured, tapping my lips with the pencil. I’m sure I’ve written everything.

But what is this subtle sense of discomfort?

It feels like I’ve forgotten something small…

“Ah, right. I forgot one thing.”

After thinking carefully, I remembered. But I wonder if I really need to note it down.

Specifically, tomorrow morning, the body of a girl will be discovered in the first-year building complex of Luin Academy.

“It was… suicide, right?”

Cause of death: fall. It’s a truly sudden, unexpected event.

Moreover, this incident doesn’t even trigger any other events.

‘A girl committed suicide at Luin Academy.’ That’s really the end of it.

Even I, who consumed Grand Fantasia until I was sick of it, can’t understand why the game developers included such an event.

“Ugh… Now that I’ve finished everything, can I rest?”

I muttered while stretching and sat on the bed.

But before long, another question arose in my mind.

“In the end, why was Lady Elise…”

Why was Elise crying so sorrowfully? After pondering while sitting on the bed, I could deduce the answer more easily than expected.

“……”

Elise is the princess of the Trahan Kingdom.

And today’s newspaper announced to the whole world that the King and Queen of the Trahan Kingdom, in other words, Elise’s parents, were assassinated by an assailant.

I understand why she was holding the newspaper and crying.

How could she not be sad when her parents have died?

It would be fortunate if she didn’t commit suicide out of despair and loss…

“Wait, suicide?”

At that moment, my mind snapped to attention and my breathing became rough.

Suddenly, the suicide incident of a girl to be discovered tomorrow came to mind.

First-year building complex. The unexplained suicide of a first-year female student.

I see. So that’s what it was.

Now all the puzzle pieces in my head fit together.

“…That’s shocking.”

It’s Elise. The female student who will be found dead by suicide tomorrow is none other than Elise.

She will make an irreversible choice due to the shock of her parents being miserably murdered.

This is why I hadn’t discovered Elise in all the numerous playthroughs until now.

Because today, Elise commits suicide.

I frantically turned my head to check the time.

9:21 PM. The time when most students are heading to the training ground or dormitories.

I bit my lip. Is it already too late?

No, I don’t know yet.

If I run to that building complex where her body will be discovered, even now… I might be able to prevent Elise’s terrible choice.

I immediately headed out of the dormitory.

But at that moment, a thought occurred to me and I stopped midway.

• • Do I really need to save Elise? It’s not like me to act this way when I usually only care about the safety of those close to me.

 

• • And Elise is half-human, half-demon, born between a demon and a human. Isn’t saving her within the Fraun Kingdom, which is hostile to demons, almost a sin?

 

• • Besides, Elise no longer has anyone to rely on. Rather than continuing to live miserably, perhaps it’s better if…

 

• • Slap!

I hit my own cheek and shook my head.

What am I thinking right now?

It’s a strange sensation.

A weird feeling, as if a demon inside me that I didn’t know about was controlling my thoughts.

My skin naturally crawls at this strange experience I’m having for the first time.

“Whatever the reason, I should save a person first. Ah, of course, she’s only half-human.”

What am I pondering about? That alone is reason enough to save Elise.

Having rejected the demon in my heart, I started running toward the first-year building complex again.

---

I activate Natural Mirror and quicken my pace.

Running while carefully scanning the rooftops of surrounding buildings, I can’t even properly distinguish whether what I’m seeing now is really in front of me or the structure of a building’s rooftop.

My head feels like it’s going to split.

With new information from the surroundings digging into my brain, the throbbing is no joke.

But there’s no help for it.

If I don’t do this, finding Elise standing on a rooftop in this dark evening would be nearly impossible…

“Huh?”

Just then, as if by some miracle, my Natural Mirror detected the presence of a person.

Someone climbing up to the rooftop of a building some distance away.

I could immediately recognize that this person was Elise.

Thank goodness. She’s not dead yet.

Normally I would have made a joke like “Well, well, it seems I’ve won this game of tag,” but right now, even the energy for such trivial jokes feels precious.

Whipping my already pounding heart once more, I approached the building where Elise was located.

I ran with all my might. My mouth started to taste sweet, but I didn’t care.

Even as I run like this, Elise is steadily walking toward the threshold of death, so there’s no time to complain.

Exhaling hot breath, I reached the building where Elise was.

Using Natural Mirror, I read Elise’s position and movements.

“………”

She’s about to jump.

The situation is flowing worse than I thought.

There’s not enough time to climb eight floors via the stairs and head to the rooftop.

Or shouting loudly from here to stop her… it’s not even worth considering.

If she were going to stop because I asked her to, she wouldn’t have put such a choice into action in the first place.

“Catching her with Dolyeok is too risky as well.”

Catching her midway with Dolyeok is also rejected.

If Elise falls head or upper body first, I cannot catch her safely.

Even if I manage to save her, she might become disabled.

If only Elise were to fall in a non-dangerous posture, I could somehow try… but that’s not up to me.

No matter how much I think, I can’t come up with a solution…

“…No. There is one.”

A method came to mind. A way to make Elise land in a safe posture.

I catch her as she falls, then absorb the impact with Dolyeok as much as possible.

Of course, it’s nearly impossible if I just vaguely imagine it.

I can’t jump high enough to catch Elise in mid-air.

But, if I use my trait ‘Parkour’ to climb the exterior wall of the building, catching the falling Elise would be quite possible.

Of course, it would be terribly dangerous.

Climbing the exterior wall of a building is incomparably more difficult than climbing a tree, and if I were to fall in the process, I could get seriously injured.

• • It seems too dangerous no matter how I think about it.

 

• • Is it right to risk danger to save someone I’ve only seen once?

 

• • What do I get out of doing this…

“…There it is again. Is a demon whispering to me or something?”

I keep having strange thoughts. I ignore the dark whispers rising from somewhere in my heart.

If I can save her, of course I should. What am I hesitating for?

“Just imagining it makes my heart race, but… there’s no choice.”

I have no regrets about my decision.

“Heup!”

With a shout, I grab a small protrusion on the building’s exterior wall and pull my arm.

At the same time, I roll my eyes to quickly find where to reach next.

This is my first time climbing the exterior of a building, but seeing my body instinctively react like a parkour expert, I’m gaining confidence.

I can do thi…

“…!”

No, I can’t. There’s nowhere to reach.

For a moment, a chill runs through my body and a creepy sensation spreads.

My body, having failed to secure a hold due to a moment’s mistake, gradually loses speed and approaches the ground.

Am I going to fall like this?

“Huff… huff… There’s nothing as unglamorous as climbing up only to fall down.”

I mutter with a face full of elation.

My hand is now grasping at thin air.

To be precise, it’s grasping solidly constructed Dolyeok.

The more I see it, the more useful this power seems to be.

After sighing in relief, I pull my arms again and raise my body upward.

By now, I’ve climbed nearly to the fifth floor.

• • Step, step.

Just then, I heard the sound of someone’s weak footsteps from above me.

She probably intends to jump soon.

I can vaguely sense Elise’s feelings.

The pain that makes her want to take her own life.

Being subjected to violence for no reason, and then even losing her parents, who were her only support. I can fully understand.

But you know what, I am Elise’s demon.

So, I won’t stand by and let things happen as she wishes.

I’ll try my best to save her.

Some might question: Is it really right to save Elise, who is half-human, half-demon, born between a demon father and a human mother?

That saving a being mixed with demon blood is no different from a sin.

That you are betraying humanity right now.

To those people, I respond.

“Like I give a damn…!”

Regardless of what others say, I want to save her.

Your standards are none of my business.

“…I’m sorry.”

Elise’s voice that has given up on life.

And immediately after, her body steps forward and falls through the air, and I read all those movements with Natural Mirror.

Let’s be careful.

I need to aim for the exact timing.

Precisely when Elise reaches the point between the seventh and sixth floors.

“Hup…!”

I kick off the exterior wall of the building and throw my body toward Elise…!

[You are going against your nature. You feel a vague approach of ‘Yengak’]