Episode 55.
The news brought by the Messiah was shocking.
“I didn’t hear that wrong, did I? Say it again!”
“Princess Ephinia has been kidnapped.”
Epinia kidnapped. I couldn’t believe it.
Did this really happen even before the return?
“Who is the culprit?”
“I do not know···.”
Could it be that the reason for the war with the Natearden Empire was because Ephinia was kidnapped?
no. It’s too early.
At least Ephinia would have died after the game with the devil.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes, I will guide you to the last sighting.”
I ran after Messiah.
Following the guidance of the Messiah, the place they arrived at was a dark alley.
“This is… the place where the princess was kidnapped?”
“Yes… the princess sneaked into the alley to evade the guard.”
hmm? So it wasn’t kidnapping, it was just evading the guard.
However, this thought of mine disappeared through the next words of the Messiah.
“It is said that the moment the princess entered the alley, the princess’s dying voice came from the alley.”
“so?”
“The guard hurriedly entered the alley, and the princess disappeared, leaving behind only this.”
It was confirmed that it was in the hands of the Messiah.
It was a brooch. Even in my memory, this was the brooch the princess was wearing.
“Perhaps it spilled while running away in a hurry.”
It is possible. Did the guard misunderstand the last words?
“no. This is a keepsake left by the mother of the princess. I will never let it go.”
“then···.”
Once I looked into the alley.
However, I felt a strangely foreign aura.
Weird aura.
“uh···?”
It must have been the energy emitted by the demons they encountered in Lugi Village. Mana used by demons. Maggie.
“Why is Magi here…?”
“Magirani. Are you saying that the culprit of the kidnapping is a demon?”
Then, is it the work of Noblesse?
If not, maybe…
‘Is it the work of the devil playing games with Ephinia!’
But why are you doing this?
“It can be a bit dangerous. Messiah, you wait here.”
“…”
“If the opponent is related to the real demons, you’ll only get in the way. I will rescue the princess, so don’t worry and wait.”
“All right.”
For now, I followed the Magi left behind.
The Magi extended outside of the Mycenaean Empire.
“mountain···?”
Even in Lugi Village, there were demons in the mountains. I became more suspicious.
But why is the demon suddenly doing this?
“Is this place…”
Exactly, Magi was connected to the inside of the cave.
Slowly, wary of the surroundings, we headed inside the cave.
“Ephinia!”
It wasn’t long before they found Ephinia tied up and unconscious.
And at that moment, the clumsy Magi attacked me.
I threw myself near Epinia. Then, I confirmed the identity of the demon that attacked me.
“you are···.”
someone you don’t know Looking at the outfit, it looked like an ordinary bandit.
Gradually people started to gather.
What they have in common is that their eyes are dark.
“Why did you do this!”
From nob le mt l. co m
No answer came.
The bandit who attacked me during the confrontation said.
-The heinous saboteur has finally appeared.
squeamish voice. It didn’t look like it came out of a bandit’s mouth.
The bandit’s expression is expressionless. It was clear that something had been possessed.
“Are you the devil playing games with Ephinia!”
-then···?
“Why are you doing this?”
Then a scream came from the bandit’s mouth.
A voice that sounds like a smile. maybe it’s laughing
– Why are you guys doing this?
“What are you talking about?”
– No, the question is wrong. What is your true identity?
I have nothing to say stagnant.
“What do you mean?”
-Your existence is wrong.
“My existence?”
-There was no such thing as you meeting Ephinia in the book where everything was written.
Is it a book that tells the future that is given as a reward?
“You said I never met Epiniar?”
-What kind of trick did you do?
I understand now. Before the return, there was no contact between me and Ephinia.
However, after returning, a contact with Ephinia was formed.
And the book with the future written on it must have the future before the return.
“How did he cheat…?”
The book with that future must have written the future in which Ephinia will eventually lose the game.
So I won’t do anything until I return.
but.
-Your existence is so foreign. Besides… that power… that abominable power…
It seems that he noticed my telekinesis as well.
“You must have been very upset.”
-I made a mistake. It’s late. After being possessed like this, I realized that heinous power.
Because I’ve never used telekinesis in front of Ephinia. No wonder the devil doesn’t notice my power.
“Then you know?”
From nob le mt l. co m
No matter how many opponents there are, they will not be able to defeat me.
Until now, that devil must have been watching me through Epinia, and when he was just watching, he was just a mercenary with the highest level of Sword Expert.
– Heh, that’s the way to know.
A lot of people rushed at me.
But all their actions stopped. To be exact, I tied it with telekinesis so that it couldn’t move.
“Hey, what are you going to do?”
-You bastard… I remembered your face.
“Memory and what, you were involved in a game you shouldn’t be involved in.”
-·······.
“Was the pact with the devil so lax?”
I heard that contracts with the devil come with many restrictions.
However, the same restrictions apply to demons as well.
In a way, the devil broke the contract. It’s because I got in the way of possessing it.
“Now, how is it going? Is the game over?”
– The game never ends. until you find me But let’s get rid of one constraint on Ephinia.
Demonic energy spewed from the bandit’s mouth.
Magi headed straight for Ephinia’s back.
– The stigma has been removed. There is no way I can watch anymore. But… remember that the game isn’t over.
The voice gradually faded, and soon the color of the people’s eyes returned to normal. And those who fall straight down.
I shook Ephinia and woke her up.
“Ephinia, epinia. are you okay?”
“Yes···?”
Rubbing her eyes, Ephinia woke up.
“Is there anything wrong with your body?”
“uh···? what happened?”
Epinia stood up. Ephinia looked around and looked at me as if she didn’t understand.
“I… sure…? What about those people lying down over there?”
“Let me explain.”
Suddenly Ephinia clapped her hands.
“thinking about it···.”
Ephinia remembered that she had been kidnapped. To be precise, he was kidnapped.
“The curse contained in the stigma wasn’t just a mark.”
“I know···.”
Ephinia said that something called the alley.
And the moment he entered the alley, his eyes met a black man, and he suddenly lost his strength and collapsed.
“I don’t have any stigma left anymore.”
“what?”
Ephinia turned her head and tried to check her back, but it was close to the crowd.
Ephinia, who moved her body for a moment, nodded.
“I have always been helpless, but somehow I am not helpless now. It seems that the stigma has disappeared.”
“Would you like to hear my story?”
I told Ephinia everything.
Except, of course, that the book with the future written on it and the present future are different.
A demon possessed and appeared and tried to stop me from cooperating with Ephinia.
However, the devil’s strategy failed, and because it was an unclean method, the cursed mark disappeared in return.
“Is that real?”
“Yes, there is no lie.”
“wait for a sec···.”
Ephinia paused for a moment.
“Why do you want to prevent me from cooperating with you?”
“Maybe it’s because I have a magic tool that can interpret hints, right?”
“hmm···.”
I too was lost in thought.
If you look at the reaction, the hint will be the truth. But I also felt that something was strange.
what’s weird
Epinia told me.
“What I found strange about was why I tried to deal with you while violating the rules of the game.”
That’s right, I thought, because the future is not a variable in the book.
“I told you, I have a magic tool that can interpret hints.”
“Think about it for a second. It’s strange that the devil gave you a hint, but that hint is real.”
“Okay, if you see this reaction?”
“I wonder if the hint was real and I was sure I wouldn’t be able to interpret it.”
After listening to Ephinia, I found out what was strange.
Since the hint was given, the devil must have thought of the possibility that Ephinia interpreted the hint.
“I think it’s a bit of an overreaction.”
I am a variable person who does not appear in books with a future.
Even so, it was strange that they were targeting me. It was because he had a magic tool that could interpret hints.
That too, while looking at the damage.
“ah···!”
A possibility popped into my head.
“If I already knew how to win the game…”
“Do you know where the devil is hiding?”
“no. but···.”
A book obtained while catching the Ancient Snake.
It is unnatural for two Ancient Snakes to protect something together.
But if there was an order from the demons.
“I know that demons can command monsters.”
“yes.”
“I’ve caught an Ancient Snake guarding something before.”
“something?”
“It was a book.”
I couldn’t be sure that the book had anything to do with Epinia.
But my senses were talking.
Apparently, the book tells the location of the devil.
“Where is that book?”
“I left it at my house in the Free City I was asking for.”
“Have you read that book…?”
“I couldn’t read it because it was in ancient letters.”
A smile formed on Ephinia’s lips.
“It’s an ancient letter, so it has some credibility.”
“I’m somehow convinced that the book has something to do with the devil.”
If so, did Ephinia take the book she wanted from the Natearden Empire before returning?
I couldn’t be sure because what was supposed to happen didn’t happen.
However, if Ephinia wins the game and gets the book with the future written on it…
‘Wait a minute, that future is before the return. Besides, the future has changed, so it must be a useless book.’
It’s just a book about what happened before the return.
‘If Ephinia wins the game and gets the book with the future written on it, it would be right to talk about regression. The book will contain the story before I returned.’
I have no excuses. At that time, let’s give up and tell Epinia honestly.
And to check what happened to Ephinia before returning.
“Ephinia, let’s go back soon.”
“Who are those people?”
Ephinia pointed at the scattered people.
“There won’t be any injuries, so just leave it and it will go back on its own.”
“okay···?”
“More than that, the Messiah is more worried.”
“A Messiah?”
Ephinia’s expression that she doesn’t understand. As if that would never happen to the Messiah.
“I’ve never seen Messiah so restless.”
“really···? I can’t believe it.”
Ephinia and I slowly headed for the inn where the Messiah was.