Chapter 6: Preparing for the First regret route, Part 1

I somehow managed to finish the potions by late evening.

The paralysis potion was easy, taking less than an hour.

The teleportation potion, however, was a challenge.

Even though it’s weaker than the one I used after defeating the Demon King, since I’m making it in a single day, the recipe is still complex.

It took several hours of meticulous work.

There was a chance of failure, and if it had exploded after all that effort… I probably would’ve given up on this whole cliché plan.

Luckily, it turned out perfectly.

“…I’m hungry.”

I haven’t eaten anything all day, and now, after spending hours cooped up in my room, I’m starving.

I didn’t feel the hunger while I was focused, but now the pain is setting in.

Creak… footsteps

“Oh? You’ve been in your room all day? Finally coming out?”

“Yes… Uncle, I’m starving… Here’s a silver coin…”

He snatches the coin and says, “Alright! Coming right up!” before disappearing into the kitchen.

Capitalism at its finest.

“…Burp.”

After a satisfying meal, I return to my room to pack.

I’m going to the palace tomorrow to drop off the hero party’s luggage.

I’m not worried about running into them.

Tomorrow is the grand festival celebrating the Demon King’s defeat, the last of the many ceremonies.

The palace will be empty.

I know the schedule because the king explained it in detail before we left on our journey.

Allen, being his naive self, memorized everything, which was conveniently described in the novel.

The bag is huge, filled with clothes, emergency supplies, and various personal items.

Sorting through it would be easy for Allen, the designated pack mule, but I was expecting to struggle… Surprisingly, it was easy.

Their belongings are so distinct.

I was worried I’d mix things up, which would be a huge mistake for Allen, who was always meticulous.

It might have raised suspicion.

But… if they can’t even organize their own belongings, or remember how their luggage is arranged… well, I guess Yerin, being new to this world, is understandable.

But the others… are they all just idiots?

Anyway, packing is done. Time for bed.

“Oh, right. The dream.”

I haven’t fully analyzed it yet.

“Hmm… I can think about it later, right?”

There’s no guarantee I’ll dream it again tonight.

And since time in the dream doesn’t seem to correspond to real-time, I can just sit there and ponder the possibilities when it happens.

The most likely limiting factors are the total number of sentences, or the number of questions I ask.

“Well… then… zzzzzz…”

“…Huh?”

I’m back in the white void. The same dream.

“Do I have this dream every night now?”

I need to find Allen…

“Hello!”

“Whoa! Sh*t! You scared me!”

No need to search.

He’s sitting right next to me. He was so far away last time…

…Wait, that’s already two sentences…

“What’s u—”

“Shhh! Just answer my question. How do I wake up from this dream? When does your interaction limit get reached?”

“You can ask me three questions. Once I’ve answered all three, you’ll wake up. And the greeting from last time doesn’t count.”

So, it’s three questions. I thought it was four, including my initial greeting, but he said that doesn’t count.

“Phew… Then it’s safe to say…”

“What happened?”

“Nothing much. You’re interacting with me, so you should know what’s going on. You even reacted to my actions last time, saying you were happy.”

“Hmm, that’s not a question. I can only respond to greetings, check on your well-being, and answer three questions.”

So, asking him why he was crying last time counted as a well-being check?

Since he didn’t do that this time, it must change each dream, or be triggered by specific circumstances.

“You seem fairly certain about that. Perhaps you meant that as a statement, not a question? I can answer if you phrase it as a question.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Two questions left. I’m curious about this dream system, but what I need to do tomorrow is more important. I’ll prioritize the urgent matters.

“Who will I meet tomorrow from the hero’s party?”

I need to prepare my lines depending on who it is…

“I can’t answer that. That doesn’t count as a question.”

What? Why not?

“I can only answer questions about things I know, things you’re curious about regarding my body, and the system that brought you here. I observe you, but I’m not omniscient. I can’t read minds or predict the future.”

“…Damn it.”

This system is less useful than I thought. I should have met a goddess instead.

“However, I can answer questions about my opinion. If you had asked who I think you’ll meet, I could have answered.”

“No, it’s fine. I have another question. If I die in that world, is it game over?”

This is about reincarnation. Reincarnation is a common trope in regret stories.

If I die, will it be like in that Re:Zero anime, with death loops? Or are there specific conditions for reincarnation? Or is it just… the end?

If I can reincarnate, it opens up a lot of possibilities.

I can adjust my approach, take more risks. If not, I’ll have to stick to my current plan.

“Right now, it’s game over. But later, you’ll gain the ability to resurrect or reincarnate.”

“Wait, gain the ability…?”

Almost used up another question. I rushed my questions yesterday, and the dream ended before I could get any details.

I’ll have to be more careful.

So, I’ll die permanently for now, but I’ll gain some kind of reincarnation ability later… That’s unexpected.

This means there are other systems besides this dream.

Some kind of bonus I’ll unlock later… Will I get a quest or something?

I haven’t seen any game-like interfaces yet, so I’m guessing it’ll be triggered by a specific event.

I tried activating a status screen, and nothing happened.

No other unusual phenomena either… I should ask about this.

“Are there any other systems I can use? Like a status screen or quests…?”

…Wait.

“…? Why did you stop?”

Is that really the most important question right now? I’m curious, but I can ask about it later.

I’ll probably have this dream again tomorrow.

And if there are other systems, I can try activating them myself.

I’ll ask the urgent question first. He said I could ask for his opinion, so…

“I have a question about you—”

“Okay! That’s all I can do for now. Wake up. Bye bye~!”

Wait, how does he know the word “bye”? Is he connected to my memories of Earth? Or is the language of this world just Korean, and “bye” is a common loanword, like it is in Korea?

Come to think of it, I’ve been understanding the language of this world perfectly…

“…Gasp!”

I’m awake.

I almost went down a rabbit hole of pointless speculation, but the dream ended just in time.

There are more important things to worry about than the linguistics of this world.

“Alright, my luggage is ready. Time to go.”

The festival starts in the morning, so I’ll leave early.

It’s a shame to leave this cozy room, but I have somewhere to be, and something important to do.

Today marks the beginning of my carefully crafted regret cliché.