episode_0313

They changed carriages and horses as much as possible to prevent the pursuit party from arriving, and they covered their faces and bodies with clothes that obscured any evidence of witnesses.

Thanks to that, I was able to reach Ileor, the northern region furthest from the Duke’s residence, without being discovered by anyone.

▶Northern Empire. Entered Ileor Field.◀

“…Is this the end?”

Ileor is in a position diametrically opposed to the Bagrand Dukes.

So they won’t be able to find me or hear from me anymore.

It’s a successful cut.

Yeah. This time too.

The moment of resolution has arrived.

How long have I been waiting for this moment in reality?

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this.

A turning point in my life, which had been preparing for everything and was tiresome, was created.

Escape. And liberation.

This time, I was able to throw off the shackles of my family.

…however.

For some reason, I didn’t feel the same way as before.

Why is that?

It should have been cool originally.

I should be extremely satisfied to have come out of that space where those families keep overlapping and where my reality is shown under the name of memorial.

Strangely enough, I didn’t feel relieved.

No. To be exact… I felt empty.

Why? Is there any difference between then and now?

I can somehow solve the problem of living alone with the money I already have.

Contact with family members is not worth discussing here, where there are no cell phones.

If you want to earn some living expenses just in case, there are places where you can work for a short period of time, like a part-time job…

“Ah.”

I see

As soon as I compared it to reality, I knew why.

“…There was a writer back then.”

After I openly declared my separation from that house, I took a taxi. And while I was thinking about random things, the taxi arrived at my part-time job location.

Maybe because I was enjoying a sweet day without any worries, I didn’t even realize that it was time to leave work, but I found out later from my boss that it was time to leave work.

And then, I went outside with a bag in my hand.

-What time are you talking about? Are you really the same age as me?

The author who had been waiting for me was standing there.

She worked the same part-time job as me, and she would always tease me and slacked off.

The only difference for me now was the presence of the author.

“…stupid.”

I shook my head to clear away useless thoughts.

“She shouldn’t be here. Why are you comparing her?”

I feel like I have too many useless thoughts.

The most important thing right now is this.

▶We have reached the next episode turning point.◀

▶Please wait until the timer runs out.◀

[ Time remaining: 19 hours 33 minutes ]

The identity was well hidden.

The Duke’s eyes never reach this far.

There’s no need to worry about getting caught since most of the characters are helping me.

But why does the timer occur?

This was the part that really made me feel uncomfortable.

“I wish the game clear window would pop up when that’s over.”

First, let’s stay overnight and wait.

Because it will be safe here.

***

A day passed, and noon approached.

It was exactly 19 hours and 33 minutes, but at this exact time, the status bar popped up a message for me.

-Tiring!

▶Episode II. Proceeding on the path of standing alone.◀

“…ha.”

…as feared.

It seemed like the game wasn’t over.

The clear window is the clear window for one episode of Chapter 4 that was previously in progress.

That is, it was not the clear window for this game.

“Phew. I expected that to happen.”

When I first came out of the Duke’s house, I had two assumptions at once.

Karsine is bound by the greatest chain of all: the Duke.

Chapter 4, which is connected to Another Plan, has been designated as an escape, so this may be the end of the story.

So, it’s not strange to see a clear message pop up here.

That was the first assumption.

And the second one.

Although you say you escaped from the Duke’s house, you only cleared Chapter 3 and the episode corresponding to the beginning of Chapter 4.

If there are more chapters left, I will proceed to the next one, and I must continue to progress until I clear this game.

That was the second assumption.

The story of this game that I know goes up to Chapter 3. And that’s only up to the point right before the escape.

So I thought I would have to try it to find out what would happen…

▶From Chapter 4, you will be subject to certain status abnormalities.◀

▶Status Abnormality: Standing Alone◀

[ Stamina loss rate greatly increases! ]

[ The amount of action power and stamina consumed for an action greatly increases, and the maximum amount decreases! ]

[Increases the incidence of most status abnormalities and diseases, including cold, frostbite, and hypothermia, as well as their effects and duration!]

…

…

Of the two, the system gave a hand to the latter.

“The status is abnormal.”

It was a rather unexpected message to suddenly get this abnormal condition when I wasn’t even hurt anywhere.

But if you look at the title, it wasn’t that out of the blue.

▶Status Abnormality: Standing Alone◀

Yeah, because I left home.

If you read through it carefully, you will vaguely realize that there is no place to return to once you leave the Duke’s house.

It’s the same as before.

The winter weather that is finally coming is harsh.

The cold air that cuts through my flesh would literally chill my bones if just one gust of wind blew.

Even when I came back from work and fell into a shallow sleep, my eyes would widen because of the cold.

Since then, my room has been a musty smelling basement room.

There was no such thing as a soft bed with blaring heating.

I had to go out and buy a blanket to cover myself with, let alone a cozy one, and I had to lean my back against the hard floor instead of the bed sheets.

It was old, windy, and rainy. Sometimes, when the power went out and the fluorescent lights went out, I had to go outside to fix it.

Instead of a sturdy chair and desk, I had to use a creaky chair.

In a word, this is exactly the same as my reality of having to bear the weight of standing alone.

That’s why I ended up laughing.

“What’s that?”

It’s nothing special, right?

These are things I’ve been used to doing.

Of course, if it fits this worldview and the game’s settings, it would be more severe.

But whatever you do, it’ll be better than staying in that house.

“Well, I came to the North and I’m living well. I’ve already gotten used to this.”

The question is what comes out better there?

-Thump thump.

A knock was heard, followed by the thick voice of an old man.

He was the one who gave me this room in exchange for money.

“Hey young man. Are you in there?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Hmm. Are you not thinking of working?”

What’s going on?

Why is that all of a sudden…

-Tiring!

▶A request has been made. Do you want to accept it?◀

▶When accepted, you can earn money in proportion to your performance.◀

“They need some laborers urgently. Since Ileor is in the north, there aren’t many useful laborers, so you can make a lot of money. It looks like you won’t be staying for more than a few days. Why don’t you go and come back?”

Something like this.

It’s quite familiar to me.

Suddenly, the opportunity to make money is… clearly there is something to it.

▶Episode II. Proceeding on the path of standing alone.◀

▶Survive for a set period of time in this state.◀

[ A timer starts. ]

The information given is limited, but fairly clear.

The state of standing alone that is hanging over me.

A very simple instruction to survive.

Finally, a timer that displays the remaining time.

The clear condition for this episode is to survive for that amount of time.

But is it really that easy to simply survive?

No, that can’t be.

“Yes, I will.”

First of all, you have to prepare.

Because you never know what might happen.

***

Same time.

A group of imperial nobles gathered together.

Since a considerable number of nobles have gathered, it seems likely that there will be something to talk about.

“…”

“…”

But they all just sat down in their seats with stiff faces.

Why are they so rigid and silent?

That’s because of a mysterious letter.

The letter, sent at the same time, contained these words:

[ There are survivors of the Kingdom of Wederos. And in this empire, at that. ]

The nobles who first opened the letter, of course, did not believe it.

That’s understandable, since the Kingdom of Wederoth had long since disappeared from the map.

‘Oh my. Who would play such a prank?’

‘It’s been years since they disappeared. Why are survivors of the Kingdom of Wederos showing up now?’

‘It seems there is an author trying to spread strange rumors again.’

‘It must have been a young kid who did something like this. Who could have been so bad at taking care of their children? Tsk tsk.’

They tried to ignore the content by criticizing it harshly.

Until just before you see the text below.

[Carsain Bagrand. He is a survivor of the Kingdom of Wederos.]

‘What, what…!’

‘Carcein… Confucius?’

[They say that those with the Eye of Wederoth can change the world with their powerful power. In fact, isn’t that true?]

Below that, Carcein’s actions were listed in detail.

If you look at it like that, a question will inevitably arise.

How can a person change so much in just one year?

They started with a question, and the question grew as they read the last part of the letter.

[ It is not known to the public, but Karshen has now left Bagrand. If all the Westerners in the Empire suddenly disappeared at this time, what could be the reason? ]

‘no way…’

‘Waderos and… the Westerner?!’

‘Come to think of it, his affinity with Westerners was unusual. It wouldn’t have been strange to have suspected it earlier…’

‘What if it turns out that he is a descendant of the Kingdom of Wederoth…?’

If you’ve gotten this far, you can’t help but gulp when you see the phrase ‘Eyes of Wederos’.

It was a possible story if he was really a survivor of the Kingdom of Wederos.

Since he was a child brought in from outside, the conditions were perfect, and if he had awakened his eyes and changed while living in the duke’s house, it made sense.

So they gathered here.

To know if the contents of this letter are genuine.

“You too… must have all seen the same letter, right?”

Nod.

“…What happened? Everyone, tell me what you know.”

In a room where silence had fallen for a moment, a man spoke with a trembling voice.

“It was all true.”

“What, what…?”

“Carsein Bagrand was not in the duke’s house. The westerners were no different. They seemed to have disappeared somewhere.”

“There was also information that Westerners were buying all kinds of weapons.”

“Huh, if that’s true…!”

“I don’t know if it’s true. They’re plotting treason.”

Treason.

It was a very scary word.

“Wow, treason?”

“With that much power, wouldn’t it make sense for them to contact the Westerners to get an army?”

“…I agree. That’s the only way to explain it.”

“If that survivor is the only royal family member, then the chances are not low.”

With their incredible power, it wouldn’t be surprising if they swallowed up the empire at any time.

Even among Westerners, the people of the Kingdom of Wederos are known to have exceptionally extraordinary strength and are able to see through everything with just their eyes.

The Eyes of Wederoth.

An eye that reads and analyzes mana.

It was a power that could completely block the Empire’s weapon, magic.

If just one person is alive.

If that person is a member of the royal family of Wederos.

For the imperial aristocracy, he was a person who absolutely had to be eliminated.

“Let’s spread this rumor. The royal family is friendly to Karsain, so they will try to break our will, so we shouldn’t deal with it. Do you all understand what I mean?”

-Nod.

It should be removed quietly.

Any sign will do.

Imperial. Western Tribe. Baghdad.

We had to deal with Carcein secretly without letting them know.

-Tiring!

▶The main episode overlaps.◀

▶Episode III. Those Who Fear Wederoth Begin.◀

▶Enemy entities appear! If your identity is revealed, you will be forced to pursue!◀

▶Use any means necessary to survive them.◀

[ Time remaining: ??? ]

***

It’s already been quite some time since I last met Karcein.

I had to let it go.

That’s why I deliberately distanced myself from him and left a final greeting.

however.

“…What are you talking about, Mina? Karcein, is dangerous?”

“I overheard that while cleaning up… I, I heard it clearly. I was going to get rid of Prince Karsain without a sound… Ah! Miss…!”

Harnier had to go to him on his own feet.