成人本色

<What…seven times…>

“It’s quite the gentle number, really. As a matter of fact, that one is a madman who could do it not seven times, but seventy or seven hundred times.”

I was glad he got tired and fed up with it early on.

Otherwise, my transmigrator’s privilege to recognize loops while being an exception for them might drive me crazy.

“Instead, he will wait for Thesilid to become a regressor and kill him right away. That is the time when my movement restrictions inside the county will be lifted.”

<That is why you said you would go to see Thesilid as soon as you left the county.>

“Yes.”

Agnes was lost in thought with a stern look on her face. It would take time to digest the story she heard so far.

<It’s a shock…… How can the world be affected so much by one person…… Thesilid Argent is truly loved by the world.>

Well. Is “love” the right world here? If it’s an obsession, I think it would fit more.

While I refrained from sharing such thoughts, Agnes opened her mouth.

<Let me ask you two things, Ellet.>

“Yes. Feel free to ask.”

<What will the world be like in the future you know? …Will it perish?>

There was no need to think about an answer.

“Yes.”

Because that’s the ending of episode 17 of the original, where the main character lost and the last boss runs wild.

So far, Agnes seems to have been able to vaguely guess. She went straight to the second question. With a really serious tone.

<Then how do you know all this? Who are you?>

“……”

That was then.

[<System> Emergency reboot of the Transmigrators Support System due to the difficulty readjustment issue has been completed.]

[‘The World-building God’ rushes to ask for your well-being.]

[‘The Spoiler Inspector’ rushes to check what you are doing.]

The system that has been down from the moment The looping disaster started, came back online and the gods belatedly appeared.

<Ellet.>

A soft humble tone. I had to answer.

“I…”

Blinking, I smiled.

“I am your cadet, disciple, and friend, Ellet Rodellaine.”

<……Fuu, yes. You can’t tell me that much.>

Agnes did not ask further as if she had agreed to understand the situation.

I thanked her in my heart.

[‘The Spoiler Inspector’ is satisfied with the fact that he seems to have arrived at the right time.]

The inspector was pleased with the performance of my work.

In fact, I didn’t even want to talk about it from the beginning and slowly decided to end the conversation.

“Agnes, I love this world. Because I met Mom, Dad, Frintz, Bianca, and Agnes. So I don’t want this world to end.”

<You have a noble mission.>

Agnes’ eyes looking at me became tender. It was a look that said, ‘If I had known that, I would have trained you a little harder’.

I declined the big compliment.

“I think those words would suit Thesilid more than me. He’s the only one who can save the world. I can only live when the world doesn’t end, so I guess I’m just trying to help him in order to survive.”

<Well, let’s say so.>

The heavy atmosphere was greatly dissipated.

<Thanks for letting me know, Ellet. Now that I’ve heard all the facts, I won’t make fun of you and Thesilid from now on.>

“I am really grateful for that.”

[‘The Scales that Judges the Soul’ says that this God will continue to do so.]

[‘The Eyes that watch over the chaos of all things’ asks you not to forget Bianca.]

I got up from my seat.

Because I had an important task to be done.

“Then shall we go see Cardinal Cattleya?”

<Well, it has actually been a long time since we have seen each other, so I have to pretend to be nice seven times in the future…>

“I will take care of everything. Oh, let’s stop by the library when we come back. We have to choose books to read for a week.”

<Yes!>

I left the room.

As I went out of the annex, the dazzling sunlight and fresh air of the morning greeted me. The world swept away by the disaster that caused this loop was so peaceful despite the imminent danger.

Just a normal day.

In a way, a week’s vacation.

But I shouldn’t forget in my heart. The fact that it will be seven hellish days for some.

✠

“Ugh!”

At the first hour of dawn, Thesilid woke up.

A familiar ceiling was reflected in his sight. He definitely remembers sleeping on the bed as usual. However, his body was in a state of despair, as if he was struggling in battle.

Cold sweat was on his forehead, and his heart was beating so fast that it pierced his rib cage.

‘It was….a nightmare.’

After panting for a while, he raised his upper body and looked down at his hands. The dim light from dawn was enough for his eyes, familiar with the darkness.

To his surprise, his hands were trembling.

“……”

Even in front of Eleon O’Drek, with who he had an overwhelming gap in power, he never dropped the sword his hand was holding.

But now, it was trembling.

Just because of a nightmare?

Around the time a sense of incongruity ran through his mind.

“Cough…!”

Suddenly, he hastily covered his mouth. It was because of a terrible, inexplicable pain that came over his whole body. It felt as if his whole body was being slowly crushed by a wall that came down on him. His lungs compressed by phantom pain refused to breathe.

Is this a nightmare? What kind of nightmare could engrave such fear and pain in my body?

“Who…what have you done to me…”

At that moment, it may have been wiser not to know.

“……!”

A vision flashed before his eyes.

In front of the Altar of Atonement for which the burnt offering was to be held today. The corpses of countless believers burned in the blue flames of the torch.

Thesilid was on his knees in the midst of the atrocity.

An unfamiliar voice rang in his ears.

– Why are you not begging me to kill you?

In this memory-like hallucination, he remembered the moment when a man tainted with endless malice and contempt spoke.

“Ugh…!”

Terrible pain came again like a tidal wave on Thesilid’s body outside his recollection.

The next thing the man did.

-It would be wise to buy rest by pleading. As expected…you are a fool.

A man of a much higher rank than Carpeus scattered crushing energy. Thesilid lifted his head with all his might to see the man’s face.

But the very next moment, he was deprived of sight and had to scream.

– Next time, when you can actually remember, I will let you die in pain that doesn’t exist even in Hell.

That was the end of the short memory-like hallucination.

“Haa, Haa….”

Thesilid breathed heavily like a man who had just been pulled out of the water.

Surrounded by fear, pain, and discomfort, he wanted to ask for help. But now salvation was not with him.

Chapter 16. 2nd Major Update

The Loop’s disaster ended in a week as the original.

From the day uncontrollable regression was normalized, I returned to my usual diligent and sincere Ellet Rodellaine routine.

When I was taking notes of things to do when I went outside the County, I had a sudden idea and called on God.

‘My Lord, don’t you have any plans to sell an Aura Master 3-month short-term training package?’

[‘The World-building God’ hands over the question to the head of the Business Division.]

[‘The Creative Business Manager’ answers that it is still a long way from selling grinding tickets for the ultimate level of classes.]

Tsk.

[‘The World-building God’ shouts that you shouldn’t make a contract with the Demon King!]

‘I won’t. For me, our Lord World God is the only one.’

I volunteered to reinforce my ideology after complaining a little.

It was also in line with the reason why I wanted to quickly attain the Master’s state.

‘The last boss. He was described as being in the celestial class in the original work, but even with Descent, he can’t be beaten.’

[‘The World-building God’ says that such an expression as “celestial class” is a paradox in the sense that he is not really a God.]

Oh, come to think of it, that’s right. That’s an encouraging remark.

Although he can’t awaken followers as Masters, our World God comforts us with his words.

‘I believe in you. Amen.’

[‘The World-building God’ smiles happily.]

World God and Mr. Economy Manager went straight back to work. There was a large-scale update to happen soon, so they seemed to be quite busy.

Come to think of it, there will be a VIP point shop in this update.

I remembered the ‘VIP Point Shop Ticket’ and ‘100,000 Point Coupon’ that I received as a reward for completing the conquest of the Tower of Trials.

I hope to be able to use these soon.

The cash shop exclusive to transmigrators sold job change packages, growth buffs, skill books, training weapons, lower-level healing potions, and other additional services.

These are products often supplied for transmigrators.

Will the point shop sell something different from the cash shop? Something special that’s not available for supply?

‘The name is for VIPs only, after all.’

As I was filled with anticipation, a question suddenly popped up in my mind.

What was added in the first major update was the 300-story Tower of Trials. On the other hand, isn’t the point shop too simple of content to be added in a whole update? Besides, it’s exclusive to VIPs, so it’s not something everyone can enjoy.

‘The point shop is not the main thing. There must be something more.’

What is it?

My question was answered a week later.