171 – ■■■
As Estelle put the golden goblet I was handed to her on the table, she opened her mouth.
“Okay, the ‘exchange’ ends here.”
Estel continued talking while looking around at the participants seated at the table.
“Next is the buying and selling of information.”
The maids, who had been quietly sitting away from the table, set down opaque red glasses in front of each participant.
It is an artifact named [Alchemist’s Whisper] That is often used in secret gatherings like this.
I learned how to use it from Estelle in advance. If you put your mouth to this special cup and speak, only the person holding the cup to your ear can hear you. It is a kind of safe, long-distance whisper.
If the participants were clearly aware of the nature of the lily in the exchange, this time I was going to clearly recognize that the lily deals with [Space].
Estelle said, holding a golden spoon in her hand.
“Okay, the order starts with the goat, as before.”
All participants buy or sell information. You must choose one or the other. There was no option to abstain.
Bella said, raising the glass in front of her.
“I’m looking for a sword. The characteristic is that the sword is broken and half of the blade is missing, and a transparent jewel is embedded in the handle. A dragon pattern is engraved on the hilt.”
Looking around the table, Bella finally stopped looking at me and added her words.
“If anyone has any information about this or where it is located, I will buy it for a higher price than what is quoted.”
Pricing for sales or purchases was handled by Modest after the meeting. So Estelle could hear all the whispers, but everyone had no complaints because the gains outweighed the losses. There was also a strong trust that Modist would not leak or use the information.
Bella held her glass to her own ear, but no contestant raised her glass.
Estelle struck with the spoon that was holding her golden goblet placed in front of her.
Ding- The empty glass made a clear sound. When that beeps three times, the purchase ends and the next step goes on.
As Estelle slaps her glass a second time, Bella sees her sigh slightly. She looks disappointed that there are no sellers.
The moment when Estelle is about to strike for the last time.
Deliberately burning Bella’s longing, I immediately lifted her glass and brought it to her mouth. It wasn’t particularly meaningful, I just wanted to f*ck Bella.
Bella stopped her hand as she was about to set her glass down. Her eyes looking at me seemed to widen slightly. This is a satisfactory response.
I hit Estelle’s glass with the spoon she was holding. Then the jewel in the golden cup glowed briefly and then went out.
The time for buying and selling is over. Now it’s time for the next step, trading.
Bella didn’t know that she would go around looking for her holy sword, which would become Roel’s main weapon from now on. In fact, it didn’t matter when Roel got his hands on the holy sword. The moment when the Holy Sword regains its original power was fixed.
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Now it’s just a broken old sword. Information that cannot be a variable. Of course, I’m just using it to my advantage.
[Western part of the continent. Underground Phrygia ruled by the Golden King. There will be a hidden Midas dungeon there. There is your goal.]
Bella stared at me funny as she held her glass to her ear.
It seems that you are curious about my identity, but I had no intention of revealing it unless the gains outweighed the losses. It’s not even like that.
Bella nodded in satisfaction as she set her glass down. People around me looked at me wondering what kind of conversation we had.
The turn passed to the troll sitting next to Bella.
“I will sell information about the strange phenomena discovered by adventurers in recently discovered dungeons.”
Saying that, the troll put the cup to his mouth for sale.
A few at the table raised their glasses and held them to their ears, apparently intrigued.
Thought that Estelle would do the calculations anyway, I brought the glass to my ear without much thought.
After Estelle hits the glass three times, the jewels sparkle. Sales started.
[3 Days ago, a B-class adventurer party found a dungeon in the Brown Mountains. He said he had a very strange experience in the last room there. It is said that there is a greenish shard in the last room that absorbs anything. I couldn’t excavate it because it absorbed all things like magic, stones, and tools.]
I listened without much thought, and I was startled and shook my shoulders. Estelle glared at me, telling me to be careful.
But there is nothing to be surprised about. I knew what the troll was talking about. Because it is the emerald tablet through which the alchemist can reach the truth.
It was a setting that was eventually discarded because it seemed too powerful, but it appeared out of nowhere.
If this world is really based on a novel I made, why do discarded settings that never appear?
I tried to signal to Estelle to find out more, but I had to stay still as Bella, who was sitting across from her, was staring at me.
The troll put down his glass and the next turn went.
I was told that I was selling information about the Kama Sutra that could improve my s*xual intercourse skills, so I kicked my shin under the table as I tried to put my hand to the cup with the pure thought that there might be good information this time as well.
As I held back the pain and sent a sad look, Estelle said, ‘Do you want to search?’ I sent my eyes.
It must have noticed that I was trying to buy it out of ignorance because it wasn’t my money.
I calmed down and quietly waited for my turn.
Fortunately, no one sold interesting information like trolls. There were more participants who wanted to buy in the first place. It was an artifact or information about someone.
A white bird that had purchased information about a certain noblewoman looked at me as it passed its turn. This time, it is a burdensome look full of anticipation.
Resisting the urge to sigh, I raised my glass and pretended to be indifferent.
“The spatial magic currently managed by the imperial family is garbage.”
A strange silence fell on the table at the words he spat out.
Although the participants’ attention was originally focused on me, it is a story about space magic specially managed by the imperial family. It was only natural that he would show more interest.
She hid her pupils, but Bella couldn’t hide her usual snake-like eyes.
I paused a little, then spoke in a calm voice.
“The portal we are using now is inefficient and unstable. They know how to create portals that are many times more efficient, more secure, and unconstrained by the environment.”
As I put my glass to my mouth, all the participants at the table raised their glasses to their ears as if they had waited.
It was the first time today, but it was natural.
The imperial family is earning huge amounts of money on the continent through the exclusive management of portals. However, being able to create a portal that was better than that was a huge change in the continent’s situation.
Anyone who wasn’t interested in that information was not qualified to attend this meeting.
This is the way to focus the attention of the two great powers, the church and the imperial family, on the ‘lily’ that I thought of and planned with Modist.
I said to the glass.
[I am the only successor of space magic that has been practiced. Portals are nothing but basic magic.]
In this situation, people often express that they threw the dice. But there was no need to roll the dice.
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Now I’m going to make my own board.
■■■
Something huge is being sucked into the cracked sky. I can’t remember if it was a living thing or a huge structure.
All I can feel right now is pain and despair. Even the distinction between the existence of the country is not clear. Whatever the truth, it didn’t matter anymore.
There is nowhere to run anymore. The last bastion of mankind, the World Tree, has long since rotted and collapsed. Throwing away, giving up, frustrated, somehow dragging time to victory, but the scheduled destruction kept its speed unchanged.
Wherever you go, there is only death. It is a place where even traces of life have been erased. Even space was swept away by the darkness called chaos.
I used to feel like there were many things around me, but now nothing is left.
I thought it was a great victory, but it was a long-prepared trap. I didn’t even feel discouraged that I had broken my last hope.
Something is howling in the distance. It is a cry full of madness. It is a gigantic insect that literally covers the sky and swallows the ground itself.
Tens of thousands of people die just by twisting their bodies. Now there will be no more creatures to kill, but the bug twists its body hard according to its instinct.
I grabbed the holy sword that had lost its luster. Losing one arm entirely has reduced its power by half, but it still has the power to strike and kill insects of chaos.
I realized a long time ago that there is no meaning. I can’t even remember when it was.
Wouldn’t it have been the time when he could not stop Bella from sacrificing her own life and choosing to become friends with the religious leader?
Maybe it was when Flavia melted into Magi without leaving a trace of her flesh.
Maybe it was when she ran away leaving behind Rosalyn who was sacrificing herself for everyone.
I wonder if it was the time when Ilya, who burned himself, was sent away for me who was swept away by the darkness.
Maybe it was when Ellie, who poured all her magical energy into making the last variable, disappeared.
I know that there is no one to protect my sword anymore.
But I can’t help it.
I am the main character of this world and the last survivor.
A being who has to stand up even if he is tossed by fate and loses everything he holds dear. Even if it is forever, so it must be.
That was my ending, praised as a hero by everyone.
A huge chunk of meat comes towards me, destroying everything around it. I raised my holy sword towards the thing that let out incomprehensible cries.
The light leaking through the cracks in the cracked sky gathers. Even with very little light, the holy sword temporarily regains its former power.
The ruin of the dazzling light swallowed the worm of chaos with the world. However, even that brilliant light eventually disappeared and was buried in the darkness.
I lost my balance and rolled on the floor, but no one pointed out my appearance like before.
Even though I knew that no one was listening, I had no choice but to apologize.
“… Everyone, I’m sorry.”
I hope you will never forgive yourself for having an arrogant dream of wanting to save everyone.
I just wander the ruined world again.
So Roel is a regressor without memory? Anyway, this amazing guy needs a hug from Ross.