episode_0020

“Your soul has been kidnapped?”

Merlin’s gaze pierced me.

‘… crazy.’

This is not a simple bluff.

Soul, and kidnapping.

The implications of the first two words are very clear.

Possession.

Merlin is convinced that I am a possessor.

So, do you even know that I returned?

What is the truth that this world is a game world?

further… What about the existence of the system?

I don’t know Merlin’s intentions.

What happens if you decide to keep the location of the relics secret?

The fluff on my skin stood up.

A steady stream of cold sweat ran down my back.

“Looking at the reaction, I guess it’s true.”

Merlin laughed and turned his back.

“Merlin Trivia, I was wondering how you know the name that was erased in the distant past… So, you weren’t a human from this world to begin with? It’s amazing, I’m thinking about coming here from now on.”

“… ”

“There is no need to be so guarded. Because I won’t be hostile to you right now.”

“… How can I be sure of that?”

“How can you be sure?”

dump-

Merlin sat down on the sofa in the corner.

“You already know, right? There is not a single person in this empire who can help you except me.”

It’s true.

This is because information about the whereabouts of the relics can only be obtained through Merlin.

“Did you say you were looking for a holy relic?”

“… That’s right.”

“That’s really surprising. Why would someone from another world be looking for a sacred relic?”

“… ”

“Wealth and fame that you can enjoy for the rest of your life? Great force? If not that too… … .”

A sly laugh burst from her mouth.

Soon he looked at me with cool, sunken eyes.

“To tear the dimension apart.”

The temperature inside the store was freezing cold.

Merlin lowered his eyes halfway and spoke in a languid tone.

“You are trying to forcibly tear apart the dimension and return to the original world.”

Tear apart dimensions.

At that powerful sound, my head spun and my heart pounded.

I opened my mouth, reminding myself to be wary of Merlin.

“It sounds like you can tear a dimension apart with just a relic.”

“You heard correctly. That’s what I meant.”

“How can I be sure I can return to my body? Isn’t it possible to fall into a completely strange world?”

When Merlin gestured, a chair floated in the air.

The chair that was floating in the air soon fell in front of my feet.

Merlin gestured as if telling him to sit down on the chair.

I slowly sat down on the chair in front of me, keeping my eyes focused on her.

“You don’t have to worry about that. After all, there is only one dimension that a kidnapped soul can go through.”

“There is only one?”

“Yes. What dimension can a lost soul go through? Before being kidnapped… More precisely, it is the world you originally lived in that you so desperately want to return to.”

Ah, I can go back.

I let out a sigh of relief as the hope of escaping this damned world turned into certainty.

“Where is the relic?”

“Well. If you’re going to buy information, shouldn’t you offer a reasonable price?”

“… … Don’t spin around and say what you need.”

When I asked urgently, Merlin’s eyes drew a line.

“There is only one thing I want.”

“What is it?”

“In the distant future, the moment when you succeed in starting the relic and finally cross the dimension.”

“At that moment?”

“Take me too. To the world you lived in.”

“…Are you crazy?”

I stood there dumbly and blinked.

Take yourself back to the world you used to live in, that’s exactly what Merlin was telling me.

‘… ‘Are you crazy?’

I’m so shocked that I can’t help but laugh.

Unable to hold back the doubts rising to the tip of my chin, I asked Merlin.

Why are you trying to escape this world?

Her answer to this was…

“No need to know.”

It was a clear rejection.

Merlin urged me to make a choice as I was speechless.

Are you going to proceed with the transaction as is, or are you going to break up the transaction to find out about your past, which is not particularly scandalous?

It is a problem that you do not need to worry about.

Because my purpose has never changed.

“… Okay, let’s make a deal.”

“It’s a great choice. then… ”

At Merlin’s gesture, documents, a quill, and holy water flew one after another.

The quill pen passed like a dance over the documents spread out in the air.

Afterwards, the magic power compressed to its limit became entangled with divine power and a couple of drops of holy water fell, and soon a faint flash of light engulfed the inside of the store.

“Check.”

Geass, that’s the highest level of Geass.

What did I just see?

This shouldn’t be made so quickly.

“… Huh.”

I glanced over the contract.

Merlin fully cooperates with me in securing the relic, and I accompany her when I cross the dimensional gate.

I noticed small clauses that promised not to cause any problems in the world I passed over.

Not only does he promise not to harm me of any kind, but he also boldly puts his soul on the line as collateral.

It was flawless and perfect.

He was so attentive that I felt like he was being overly considerate of me.

Although it is still questionable, the highest level of Geass is an absolute covenant that even beings beyond the rank cannot break.

Above all, didn’t the setting book acknowledge Merlin Trivia as a good person, not a bad person?

I sighed and finished signing.

A moment later, a strong gust of wind struck along with the feeling of my body being thrown.

Hwii Iik—

The gust of wind whipped around the store and soon died down.

When I raised my head while tidying up my flowing hair, the sight of Merlin’s brightly smiling face caught my eye.

“The relics are in the imperial palace.”

My mouth dropped open at the unexpected information.

There are sacred relics hidden in the imperial palace where the royal family resides, so how can they break through the tight security and security and infiltrate the palace?

It was a moment when a part of my mind became confused by the thought that things had become more complicated.

“Princess, Rudine Eckhart.”

A noble voice ringing in my ears grabbed my attention.

“The rosary that the woman wears around her neck. That’s the relic you’re looking for.”

Rudine Eckhart.

A woman of nobler lineage than anyone else and the embodiment of beauty.

And, a candidate for the main heroine in the game.

Suddenly, a fragment of a memory passed through my mind.

Rosario, a unique grade artifact of the imperial family that has been passed down from generation to generation to the princess of the empire.

Above all…

— Because the Rosario resonates with the wearer’s magic power, once it is worn, it cannot be taken off through normal means.

– well? From what I remember, it would be impossible to remove it without the wearer dying.

I swallowed the cursing that was up to my chin.

‘Fuck.’

The level of difficulty, which was already high, doubled in an instant.

“How do you get that out?”

When I asked with a puzzled look on my face, Merlin answered as if it was nothing special.

“You can kidnap the princess and then kill her. How about it, it’s simple?”

A question mark appeared in my mind.

Damn, it’s so simple.

Rudine Eckhart, as befits her position as a main heroine candidate, also hates Kyle Winfred.

In particular, Ludine is a crazy woman who rivals Luna.

A dual personality, completely different on the outside and inside.

When I thought of Rudine’s appearance in the previous episode, I was nervous.

‘I almost died more than once because of that woman.’

On the outside, he acts like a gentle sheep, but at a critical moment, he sticks a knife in his back as if he were someone else.

Due to his extremely high intelligence, he is good at scheming and has no shockingly emotional changes.

Thanks to this, I can remember more than five times that I almost fell for that woman’s trick before I even completed the progress.

But now, are you asking me to kidnap that woman and kill her?

I asked Merlin in a shaky voice.

“Do I have to kill you?”

“Of course.”

A firm answer.

I feel like I’m losing my mind already.

“You don’t have to worry about your status. There is also a camouflage artifact, so it won’t be that difficult.”

“… … I’m glad I heard it.”

Merlin stood up, brushing the dust off his collar.

It was then.

— 21%

— 22%

— 23%

…

…

The progress rate immediately began to increase.

— 26%

— 27%

…

…

The increase is unusual.

This is not an increase that can be taken lightly just because the system is being punished.

After a while.

[Scenario progress: 30%]

The progress rate settled at 30%.

At the same time, the system window floating in the air shook violently.

[ Scenario progress 『#1 checkpoint』 achieved]

[The penalty is revealed]

The system started going crazy.

Eventually, the truth about the penalty, which had been covered in blank ever since I returned, was driven into my eyes like a stake.

◆ Penalty

: The heroines inherit their memories before returning.

My eye twitched.

Isabel, and Luna.

All of the unusual and unexpected actions of those two flashed through my mind like a film.

‘This is real… ‘

I had a rough guess, but I didn’t want to admit it.

No, I just wanted to turn off my mind at all.

However, the phrase floating in the air flashed before my eyes as if to show off.

Due to the malice of the system, my hands clenched into fists.

It was terrible.

This whole situation.

A document floated in the air and landed in front of me.

I bent down, picked up the document, and checked its contents.

“Ah, that.”

Merlin tilted his head and then opened his mouth as if it was strange.

“Luna Winfred, and Isabel Justia.”

“… ”

“Now that I think about it, Kyle was your sister’s fiancée, right?”

“Ah.”

“I heard that the two of you are coming to the imperial capital together to participate in Rudine Eckhart’s coming-of-age ceremony.”

Fuck.

Should I just destroy the world like this?