episode_0296

The place that had been filled with the sounds of fighting just a moment ago became quiet as if it were a lie.

Because of that, it was uncomfortable to make a sound.

I kept my composure and watched for any noise.

A pit created by magic. There are many pits like this in this plain, but the pit created by magic is one of the larger ones.

As I sat quietly in the middle of the hole, I felt eyes staring at me from the other side.

It was the fifth time that he sat down roughly and stared intently at my head.

“… … ”

“… … ”

Not long after I sat down, there was a moment of silence.

“Sigh.”

The fifth round, who had been looking at me with a strange gaze, sighed deeply. His shoulders trembled reflexively. The fifth round raised both hands, grabbed the helmet, and pulled it up.

The helmet came off smoothly.

Now that the battle is over, most of the helmet’s functions have been lost.

The original function was restraint and a curtain. It seems to have been a measure taken to prevent the identity of the 5th round from being revealed.

Of course, the power of observation easily penetrates such functions and has already recognized the face of the fifth time.

But then it was during the battle, and now it was after the battle. I observed the fifth appearance with a relaxed mind.

‘The faces are indeed similar.’

It’s not exactly the same.

There are also scars here and there, and even though it is not a battle situation, there are traces of circuits visible on the surface of the skin. If you did not know the circumstances, you would mistake it for a tattoo done with blue dye.

The body is quite different. The height is also… big. The body is muscular. It is different from the slender physique of the average wizard.

“Oh my, I’m going to live a little now. What kind of helmet is that?”

The fifth time, he shook his head slightly and shook his head with his hands.

“How much of the explanation have you heard?”

Finally, the 5th one raised his head and looked at me with dark eyes and asked.

“I heard that you met the Tower Master at the Tower of Knowledge. I heard that you explained the situation at that time, but I don’t know how much of it he heard.”

[Hmm… I heard almost everything]

“Did you hear the background of how the episode was created?”

[…yes]

My face clouded over the fifth round of dull questions.

The tower owners anticipated the invasion and conducted a sort of mock experiment to prepare for the future.

A simulated world that copies the world at a certain point in time. Observe it until a certain point in time, then return it to the beginning and observe it again.

This is what is commonly called a simulation.

Just as computers calculate and predict things like the weather and the orbits of stars, the tower owners also conducted experiments to find out a lot about the future of the world.

“That’s where we were born, the variable.”

The fifth time, he scratched his head, frowning.

“Originally, we… This body should have just remained an empty shell. Of course, since it has no soul.”

A body that will one day be the savior’s body. However, the simulation does not reflect him.

Because he was planning to process the observed future information appropriately and hand it over to me anyway.

From the perspective of the tower owners, it was nothing more than creating a virtual world and foreseeing the changing future through calculations and predictions.

“It must have been confusing for them too. In a computer simulation world, AI suddenly awakened to its senses, realized the false world, and began to act.”

In that observed world, my empty body became active.

Even though it was weak, my soul blossomed anew, I built my ego, and I realized that the world was false.

It was a variable that the top shareholders had not expected at all.

“That’s why I couldn’t meet the tower master. The tower masters weren’t implemented in the first place. Even if I wandered around day and night, there’s no way I’d find something that doesn’t exist.”

There were no tower lords in the observed world. To be exact, there were three invading tower lords, but the five tower lords on this side did not exist.

Since we are only observing future events, there is no reason to go through the trouble of implementing it.

So, no matter how much I traveled around the observed world, I could not meet the tower master.

Also, the tower owners from outside could not provide any help.

The simulation was an experiment that even the top owners put a lot of effort into. They said that they could not interfere from the outside until later.

So the simulation continued. The empty body began to move, and because of that connection, the record was passed on to the next person.

After the physical body was activated, the simulation world had to rewind approximately 11 times before it exhausted all its power and shut down.

“… This is fucking bullshit. If there were no circumstances, I could have hated him comfortably, but since there are circumstances, why should I just curse him unconditionally?”

The fifth time, he muttered to himself and let out a snicker. I bowed my head gloomily in front of him.

Although I didn’t directly step into the simulation and interfere, my heart was heavy because I was involved.

“Hey, don’t act like a dog that needs to take a shit. What did you do to make me say this?”

– Exactly!

[Ugh]

The fifth time, he clicked his tongue and smacked me on the forehead. Thanks to being on the Tower of Growth, there was no pain.

The fifth time, I was holding my forehead and shrugging my shoulders.

“I came here of my own free will. I was summoned and the situation was explained to me, so I came here to help. If I had any feelings of resentment, I wouldn’t have come here to help.”

[ah…]

I kept my mouth shut at the end of the fifth round. In the end, it was my own will that I came to help. In other words, if I didn’t want to, I wouldn’t have come.

While I felt a sense of relief at those words, I suddenly remembered the second time we met at the entrance.

… I didn’t really have a proper conversation with him the second time, but I heard him whisper in the end that he was sorry for bothering me.

Did he understand the situation and show up to help me the second time?

“The blame lies with the top anniversaries from the beginning. I admit that it was an unpredictable variable, but it’s still their fault.”

Top anniversaries. I found myself pouting a little at that tone.

“Huh? Why are you sticking your lips out like that?”

Of course, he quickly put it in, thinking of the 5th round’s position, but the 5th round, who witnessed it, laughed in vain in disbelief.

“That’s right… Hey, I’ve been wondering this for a while, how did he cook you up to have such a high favorability rating? Wasn’t it just because he taught you magic? Let me hear the reason.”

The fifth time, he asked me that question as if he was genuinely curious.

It seems like he doesn’t understand why I’m supporting Ariel.

[Hmm…]

That question made me briefly recall my memories from the Tower of Knowledge.

[… Ariel was a good person]

“Really?”

The fifth time, he responded calmly. He stroked the necklace while looking around slightly.

[Yes, he taught me magic from the basics with sincerity. Even when I asked questions about things I didn’t know, he taught me kindly without showing any signs of being annoyed.]

“Well, your magic skills are definitely good… but isn’t it crazy dangerous? Did you modify the magic without the Tower Master’s permission?”

[… Even if it wasn’t necessarily magic, if I asked a question, he tried his best to answer my questions.]

“Look at how you’re just filtering and listening. Well, if you’re at the level of manipulating magic, I don’t think you’d make a mistake… ”

The fifth time, I let out a hollow laugh. I avoided his gaze and recalled my memories even further.

To be exact, a happier memory.

[When I solved a magic puzzle, he patted my head and said I did well.]

“…? Is that so?”

[Yes. He told me not to be discouraged even if I couldn’t solve the problem properly.]

“Oh, oh… I see.”

The expression on the 5th round became a little strange.

But I just ignored him and reminisced about that time, telling him how good Ariel had been to me.

The fact that you held me in your arms and told me to sleep well. The fact that you gently stroked my head and back and hugged me when I whined a little.

When I couldn’t sleep, I would tell him old stories or read him fairy tales, etc…

I too was wary of Ariel at first. But later I opened my heart to her sincerity and concern for me.

Even though I can’t like the 5th episode all that much, once I see how kind Ariel is, my hatred will subside a little.

With that intention, I explained in detail what Ariel had done for me.

“… … ”

After the explanation, for some reason, I blinked for the fifth time.

The fifth time, who soon made a puzzled expression, calmly looked over my entire body with confused eyes.

“… Hey, how old are you now?”

[?]

[I’m twenty years old]

I tilted my head at the sudden question. Why was he suddenly asking my age? I was a first-year student at Siyoram, so I would know that I was 20.

“… Really? Isn’t your body around fourteen or fifteen…? Your mind seems younger… and you’re a little short? ”

[no]

[It’s not small, it’s not small, I’m big enough, it’s just that the people around me are too big and bulky, I don’t want to be like this either─]

“Ahhh! I don’t know what it is, but I’m sorry!”

.

.

.

“Oh, anyway… I asked you to stay so I could say a few things.”

The fifth time he apologized for his slip of the tongue, he cleared his throat.

It seemed like he was going to get to the point now. I, who had accepted the apology, listened with a serious attitude.

“What you just did… Circuitry. Do you really need to learn that and use it?”

[yes?]

“No matter how you say it, it’s not a good technology. It’s a half-baked, half-baked technology.”

The fifth time, I shook my head.

“The risk is crazy high, and it’s disgustingly difficult to operate. But the output doesn’t match it. The effort is worthless.”

The fifth time, he confessed the risks of his own skills.

“Uniqueness? Even that would have been more efficient. You heard the information, right? Don’t you know how I ended up?”

At the end of the fifth round, his face naturally became clouded.

The final stage of the 5th round was self-destruction. The situation was caused by a fight with a 2nd-tier monster, but in the end, he died because he was unable to control his circuits and magical power that were running wild.

“By the way, I didn’t develop it against the 2nd tier. That bastard crossed the front line and was immediately attacked by civilians, so I held out in a disadvantageous position and that’s how it turned out. If we fight properly again, I’ll win.”

[Oh, yes…]

“… Anyway. Think about the risks. The reason I wrote this is because at the time, that was the only way I knew. But you weren’t, right?”

The fifth time he pointed at me with his finger.

“How many things can you do? From what I’ve seen, martial arts, spiritism, magic… It’s not even mediocre, it’s all above the level, and you even handle fire.”

The diversity of my means. My greatest strength is that I am an all-rounder and have affinity for magic.

“In the meantime, there is no need to learn my skills that are full of risks.”

[However, from what I’ve seen and used, I feel like it’s an incredibly amazing technique…]

It’s not an empty promise. I knew that the 5th round was blatantly underhanded. If the 5th round had fought properly, it would have been difficult to seize the opportunity to win.

The expression on the 5th person’s face as he continued speaking became strange.

“… Thank you for saying that? It’s long, but… You said you’re a freshman now, right? ”

[Yes, I’m going to be a sophomore soon]

“Anyway, it’s only my first year and I’m already at that level. I still have three years left until I graduate from the school, so how much more will I grow? By then, I probably won’t even need to use my skills, right?”

The fifth round shrugged and shook its head.

“When I was in your position… I was running away from the birth ceremony tower. I grew up a bit, but I was never able to show off my skills against all the cadets.”

But you are different. The 5th indifferent gaze stared at me.

“You seem like you can win.”

Who? I didn’t ask specifically. I could tell what he was referring to.

“The top owners seem to be right. I think you can do it too.”

[Thank you for saying so]

“Just saying what I think. So don’t be so anxious.”

My shoulders trembled at the 5th round of muttering.

[… Don’t you get it? I keep worrying about it…]

“Oh, if you look at it roughly, you can’t see it. But if you keep it in mind and observe it, you can feel it floating continuously.”

[Yes… thank you]

I nodded at the answer for the fifth time. And then I calmed my trembling body even more.

“If so, will you go before it explodes?”

While I was controlling my body, the fifth question rang in my ears. I nodded while caressing the purification placed on my lap.

[Yes, I’m going]

“I wonder what he could do with the power of space. But even considering that, wouldn’t it be quite dangerous?”

[Still… I might be able to do something]

“Hmm.”

The fifth time, he snickered at my answer.

“Don’t try to live too kindly. Do it in moderation. There’s no benefit to living a kind and pure life, and you’ll only lose out.”

As the fifth conversation continued in a calm manner, I made a somewhat strange expression.

[Didn’t you just say that you lost the fight against the 2nd rank because you were thinking of the civilians?]

“That’s why I said that. It’s the advice of a guy who’s already died, so listen carefully.”

[Ahaha…]

I let out an awkward laugh at the 5th round of rambling. It was something that was difficult to say in response.

“Anyway, well, that’s it. I called you because I said my skills weren’t really useful and I had some miscellaneous questions.”

The story didn’t last long. The fifth time, after asking a bunch of random questions, he got up from his seat and patted his butt.

I also got up and tightly held the purification that was on my lap.

[…Are you going?]

“Then I should go. Are you going to stay here all alone and lonely?”

The fifth time, he responded as if he was asking something pointless. At that, I shut my trembling mouth tightly.

The 5th time, after looking around for a moment, tapped me on the shoulder.

“Honestly, it’s funny to be teaching someone who’s better than me, but you’re doing a good job.”

[…yes]

[sorrow]

“Huh! What’s that necklace you’ve been wearing? It’s so funny how you’re so emotional.”

[Don’t tease me…]

[sorrow]

[melancholy]

The fifth person who had been speaking calmly burst into laughter at the necklace. He burst into laughter and stared at the necklace of confession.

“It’s amazing how emotions are conveyed. No, even the images are conveyed? The level seems low, but the function is amazing. Thank you. I’ll leave with a smile at the end.”

The 5th time, who was laughing, waved his hand. At that sight, I kept my mouth shut, trying to keep my emotions from welling up…

[ah]

In the meantime, I opened my mouth at the thought that came to me belatedly.

“Why? What else?”

The fifth time, looking up at the sky, blinked. When asked what had happened, I reached into the subspace and took out one of the objects inside.

“Potion?”

The fifth round tilted its head as it looked at the potion in my hand. It was a liquid that was close to purple in color, contained in a thin glass test tube.

I handed it over to the 5th person.

[It’s a hated drug]

“What’s that childish name?”

The fifth time, he observed the potion he had picked up with strange eyes. Soon, his eyes, which were examining the medicine, narrowed.

“… This. Does it have a seductive effect?”

[Yes, it has a cognitive-altering effect. It is said to distort the perception of the user to the worst extent, and the effect has been increased by concentrating it.]

“Awareness change? It was so precious, wasn’t it? But the effect… is a bit ambiguous… But why is this?”

[Could you please take it?]

“?”

A question mark appeared above the head of the fifth person. At his expression, I caressed my necklace as if making an excuse.

[That’s right, I originally planned to catch a monster and feed it to it while I was in the tower… but somehow I missed the opportunity…]

“… So you want to feed it to me? To see if it works?”

[I asked just in case…]

“… … ”

I unconsciously shrugged my shoulders at the absurd expression on the fifth round.

Since I heard it was going to disappear anyway, I asked just in case…

“… Oh, okay. I’ll do this as a reward for making you laugh at the end.”

The fifth time, sighing, shrugged his shoulders. My face brightened up in response.

– Mulberry!

“The temptation effect is stronger than I thought? I have to store it well.”

The fifth time, he took off the lid of the test tube. He sniffed for a moment, made a strange expression, and then poured the medicine straight into his mouth.

– Gulp

The fifth time, the throat was opened. The drug went into his stomach.

– Kwung!

In that moment, a vibration went through my body in the fifth round. The wave swept through my surroundings and tickled my body.

The senses, the perception of the outside world, have changed.

– Phew!

“겍!”

The blade pulled out from the purification pierced the fifth person’s neck.

Even I, who was pierced through, opened my eyes wide for the 5th time.

Although he couldn’t speak because his throat was pierced, he conveyed his meaning to me with his eyes for the fifth time.

This is said to be quite effective.

I agreed with that and nodded with satisfaction.

‘Okay, if it’s this effective…’

I feel like it would stab me without hesitation when I eat it.

[Thank you so much]

– What the hell, is the guy who said thank you going to stab his neck?

A voice rang in my ears. I let out an awkward laugh at the dissonant sound ringing in my head.

And soon his face became gloomy and clouded.

It was sad to say goodbye to the 5th episode, but it was also because I remembered what was scheduled for tomorrow.

On the 4th day of the birth ceremony, there is a schedule commonly called entertainment…

And, the cross-dressing schedule awaits…