Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Those Who Send Me Off
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⚔ STATUS ⚔ Name: Ken Fine Stein Unique Skills: Item Creation, Calorie Burn Unique Trait: Physical Abilities Amplify as Body Weight Decreases Possessed Traits: Obesity, Reaper's Curse -NEW! Current Physical Specs: 175cm, 104kg Reaper's Curse: The cursed individual will inevitably meet their death once the specified deadline passes. I paid close attention to the trait description and came to a realization.
'So it's finally here...'
This was the sudden death event from the game.
The episode kicks off with rumors of a Dredis Academy student dying out of the blue.
A death with no warning signs whatsoever—falling asleep and never waking up the next day.
Even in the game, the cause remained unsolved.
Was it a plague? Poisoning? Magic? A curse? Not even the academy's faculty could figure it out. It was a mysterious case of sudden death.
Emily gets entangled when a classmate of hers becomes the victim.
The event starts with a student she knew dropping dead one day, sparking her fury and leading her to investigate.
"But I'm the first victim...?"
I had braced myself for this event to happen.
Just didn't expect it to hit me right from the start. Damn it.
'No, actually, it's better that it's me first...'
Rather than waiting for someone else to die and then resolving the event, it's preferable for me to take the initial hit.
'I've prepared in advance, after all.'
In the original event, the first sacrifice is some nameless student with zero connection to Emily.
Next comes one of Emily's classmates.
Then a random character with high affection toward Emily.
Finally, Emily herself falls under the curse.
To clear the event, you have to identify and eliminate the culprit casting the curse before Emily dies.
The problem is that pinpointing the culprit through normal means is brutally difficult.
This event is designed as a high-difficulty deduction game that assumes you'll save-scum with reloads.
"Rafne, I've got something serious to discuss."
"...H-Huh? W-What? Did I do something wrong?"
I called out to her with a tense gaze, and Rafne—midway through cooking—approached me with a frightened look.
"Listen carefully. First off, just to reassure you... I'll be fine. No issues."
"Uh, o-okay?"
I started that way to preempt any chance of Rafne going berserk.
Then I gave her a moment to mull over my words.
Slowly, I opened my mouth.
"I'm going to die in three days."
"......Huh?"
Despite my warning, Rafne stared at me with a face drained of all life.
And moments later...
"No! No no no─!! If Ken dies, I'll die too─! Sniff, I'm sorryyy! It's my fault, waaah─! Don't die, Keeen─! You can't dieeee─...!!"
Rafne burst into sobs and threw herself into my arms.
"Is something tough going on? Is that why you're giving up on life? Don't do it...! Sniff, you're my only reason to keep living, Keeen...! Sob, ...just tell me! Who is it? Who's bullying Ken? Say the word, and I'll kill them all!!"
'...Yeah, this is exactly what I expected.'
I stroked the head of Rafne, who was clinging to me in my embrace, and spoke.
"That's what I'm saying... I'll die, but it's not really dying, okay?"
Truth be told, using Rafne's pendant right now would block the death.
But luckily, since I've been selected as the first victim, dodging the curse now would be foolish.
Because there's a trick to clearing the event faster by exploiting this cursed death.
"Rafne, calm down and hear me out to the end."
"Sniff, sob, hic."
I grabbed the shoulders of Rafne, who was still shedding tears, locked eyes with her, and spoke earnestly.
"If I die in three days, it'll cause a huge uproar for sure... But I'll be back in a week, so don't worry."
Rafne, having heard my explanation, kept dripping tears but stared at me blankly.
"Hic, ...y-you won't die?"
"...Well, I will die, sort of. ...I mean, don't freak out too much even if I do. I'll be back soon."
In this culprit-hunt event, you can't spill strategy details carelessly since anyone could be the perpetrator.
But Rafne's safe.
This is one of the Demon King's army infiltration events.
Which means the culprit is after Rafne.
She could never be the culprit herself.
So she's the only one I can tell that I'll return after dying.
"...Sniff, so Ken won't be around for a whole week?"
Oh, right.
"A week should be fine, yeah? You've got Emily and Mary now too!"
"But I want Ken by my side...!"
Her face, a mix of hurt feelings and sadness as she gazed at me, was softening my resolve.
"Ah, what if you die in my room? Then we could be together for the week..."
Even a corpse is fine for her, huh.
"Then you'd get suspected as the murderer. Absolutely not."
"Hiiing..."
Rafne, now downcast, buried her face in my chest again.
"Then... let's stay together until three days from now. Sleep here too."
She lifted her head, looking up at me with moist eyes.
...Might be okay until the day before I die.
During the previous survival event, she couldn't last five days and left the tower early.
Now with the pendant and knowing about the death in advance, she won't feel abandoned.
I stroked Rafne's head, which looked so gloomy.
The silky strands slipping through my fingers felt nice.
"Got it. But not the night before I die. I'll pass away in my sleep."
"......Okay."
I thought she'd smile accepting the condition, but the mention of dying made her look even sadder.
Then she cautiously looked up at me.
For a brief moment of silence, Rafne gazed at me wordlessly.
Soon, she blushed and gently closed her eyes.
...Oh boy, this is...
Flustered by her expression, I hesitated for a second.
"...Mm."
But I closed my eyes too and pressed my lips to Rafne's.
Her soft, moist lips met mine, her warm breath touching my skin.
Soon, Rafne wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer.
...Feels like she'll keep demanding this until the very end.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next day.
After finishing training with Siegfried, I returned briefly to my dorm room.
Standing before the bed that would soon become my grave, I pulled something out.
It was an item from a hidden street vendor I'd found during the festival outing with Mary long ago.
The Scroll of Resurrection.
As the name implies, using it in advance lets you revive after death once a set period passes.
For reference, I'd asked Rafne to preserve the body.
Just in case they dissect it to investigate the cause of death.
'...Like this?'
I channeled mana into the scroll, just like with other magic items.
A blue flame erupted, incinerating the scroll.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Magic scroll used. Effect applied. "Ooh, it worked perfectly."
Now I can relax a bit.
This Scroll of Resurrection acts like a game item for instant revives, but it's actually a special item usable only in this event.
In the original game, dying means reloading a save—that's the standard.
But this culprit-hunt event is random and most players die first time around.
Avoiding death from the start to find the culprit is that tough.
So the devs prepared this for hardcore mode players without save access.
To skip the event quickly.
"Alright, preparations are set. Time to head to the academy."
Wonder how to handle the others.
Can't blurt out 'I'll come back to life!' carelessly since anyone's a suspect.
They'll probably think I'm really dead.
Dying overnight out of nowhere—a close friend, no less.
'...A week.'
No helping it.
There are ways to block the curse, but to find the culprit fast without more victims, this is best.
Can't predict the next target if I dodge it.
Still, just a week.
They can endure the sadness for that long.
I forced aside the heavy thoughts, plastered on a smile, and headed to the academy.
But then...
"Hey, Ken. You free the day after tomorrow by any chance?"
Emily suddenly asked.
"Uh, huh? The day after tomorrow?"
"...Yeah, remember that meal voucher from the survival tournament?"
Oh yeah, that existed.
We'd competed with Mary for it, and Emily—my ally—won.
Rafne's sudden arrival had me so distracted I'd forgotten.
No way...
"How about the day after tomorrow? You free then?"
Emily asked shyly, her face flushing as she did.
'How do I even respond to this.'
Obviously, it's tricky.
Haha, sorry Emily, I'm scheduled to die that day, so dinner later?
...No way I can say that.
As I agonized, Emily picked up on my hesitation and asked again.
"You not free...?"
"Ah, ...well, I've got plans that day."
"I see..."
Emily looked a bit disappointed.
Good thing she got it and backed off before I had to explain more.
Phew, dodged that...
"What about the day after that?"
But Emily understood—yet didn't give up.
Her shy expression vanished, replaced by a bold smile full of determination.
Unfortunately...
"Sorry, ...I've got something then too."
"R-Really? ...Then four days from now?"
"Well... plans that day too..."
"......What about five days from now?"
"......"
I couldn't answer.
Because of Emily's changing expression amid the rejections.
She started shy, grew confident by the second ask, but with each refusal, her face darkened.
Soon, tears welled up, and she glared at me.
Oh no, I should've made up a schedule excuse...!
"...Just say no if you don't wanna go."
Before I could speak, Emily—on the verge of tears—trembled and said it.
"...E-Emily, that's not—"
I tried to come up with an excuse, but...
"Forget it, you idiot! Drop dead!"
Emily's anger outpaced my wits.
She spun on her heel and ran off.
"......Ah."
Emily's retreating figure grew distant.
Tiny droplets sparkled beside her as she fled.
No, ...I really am dying.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Two days later, after being turned down by Ken.
Emily woke to a gloomy morning in her bed.
By her original plan, it would've been an exciting day buzzing with anticipation for her date with him.
But utterly rejected, her mood was in the dumps from the start.
'...Yeah, ...he might not wanna eat with me.'
She hadn't forgotten what she'd done to him.
Nor the angry words he'd hurled at her.
She didn't think getting forgiven erased her actions.
She just wanted to treat him to a meal out of guilt.
'......No.'
Emily paused while brushing her hair and bowed her head.
Tears she'd held back since morning began dripping, wetting her knees.
Truth was, she wanted a date with him.
An intimate meal under the guise of apology.
But was that selfish?
He'd gently turned down her invitations.
"...Sniff, if that's how it is, ...just say no outright."
His kindness in not rejecting her bluntly hurt even more now.
After shedding tears, Emily calmed herself and left the dorm.
'...Today, I'll talk to him.'
She hadn't spoken to him in these two days.
She knew it wasn't his fault.
But facing Ken made her want to cry, so she couldn't approach.
If this kept up, their improving relationship would crumble again.
Today, she'd smile and greet him no matter what—that was her resolve.
But.
"Emily─!"
On the way to the academy.
Across that familiar path, which seemed less crowded than usual.
Adrian came dashing toward her, looking frantic.
"W-What's wrong?"
His unusually tense demeanor.
He stopped before her, hesitating in a way unlike him.
"...Emily, ...I don't even know how to tell you this."
And the words he finally forced out...
Made Emily drop her bag.