The Lolicon Providence Flees
"Why the hell did that guy come out from there?"
"Huh? What the...?"
The bastard who'd been hurling every spell in the book without mercy suddenly pulled a full-on strategic retreat—the thirty-sixth stratagem, beat it while you can. Our little chat with Archronos wrapped up in the blink of an eye. The guy had been staring right through me at my back, then poof—he scattered into particles of light and vanished.
"There's nothing behind me but our tiny girls... Oh, wait."
The moment I remembered Emilia, Victoria, and Siel were huddled behind me, it all clicked into place.
<Cute SD girls spotted by Archronos → Lolicon sympathy kicks in → Oh yeah, Siel's been suffering for ages → Reflects and quietly dips>
That had to be the process. No other explanation for why he bailed. It sure as hell wasn't some god-like entity swooping in to erase him.
"Buddy... I'll carry on your heart. I'll take responsibility for the girls to the end."
He kept denying it right up to the finish. But deep down, you were a good lolicon after all, huh.
—Stab!
I jammed the clock hand I was holding into the spot where he'd stood and muttered under my breath.
"Farewell, Archronos. For a force of providence... you were one damn interesting bastard."
The fact that even beings beyond humanity could be lolis... that was genuinely fascinating.
I gave him a quick thanks in my mind and turned back to the girls when—ding!
Whoaaa~~ Si-hyun oppa is sooo amazing as always! Convincing that hunk of junk rambling about providence this and laws that!
"Haha, just got lucky. Who knows? Maybe it wasn't even me. Could've been some god-like being who popped up to help out."
Hehe~~ You think sooo? Hehet. (◔▾◔)
Siii-hyun oppa might be loved by a suuuper pretty, cute goddess with the softest, biggest boobs ever~ Hehet♡
"Haha, that'd be nice for real. Oh, perfect timing—you're just the one I wanted to ask about something."
Oing? Whaaat is ittt~?
I laid out Siel's backstory to the notification window from start to finish.
"—So yeah, I figure we can snag a 'fragment of the story' related to Leah from this."
Oppa's sooo impressive! Figuring that out without me even telling you!
"I've got some experience under my belt now. Gotta pull my weight so I can give your story a proper ending later too."
Hehe, Oppa is sooo kind... You haven't forgotten our promise.
♡(≧ᴗ≦)♡
"Told you already. I love you the most, right? Haha."
Hauuuu~~♡ If Oppa's working so hard for me, I can't just sit around!
The notification window started bouncing around like it'd just had a brilliant idea.
Oppa, you've been through sooo much since joining Kraheim, right?
Hardships? Hell yeah, tons. It started off unfair as shit. Dragged into the investigation by Erisa's blackmail letter, then babysitting SD-fied Emilia and Victoria meant dealing with every ass-backwards stunt imaginable.
"Haa, yeah, a ton... Honestly, I could pass out right now."
Running around swinging that sword nonstop had left my legs—and my whole body—creaming with fatigue.
Kuhuhu, that's why I prepared this! Introducing~~~~~ the 'Do It For Me!' Edition!
Ding!
A massive UI window popped up right in front of me with the notification window's fanfare.
Will you officially transfer Beginner Package authority to ■□ (a.k.a. Notification Window) for 1 hour?
YES / NO
Upon transfer, user 'Yoon Si-hyeon' will fall into a 1-hour sleep for fatigue and injury recovery. All backlog tasks will be handled by the system during this time.
It'd handle everything while I slept? This was straight-up cheat-tier gold! The dream of every student and office drone, landing right in my lap!
Hehe, just give the official okay, and I'll handle the rest perfectly!
"Oh yeah, last time you snatched authority without asking and got zapped, right? That's why you're getting permission now."
When Eclipse mocked the beginner package, the notification window had grabbed control forcibly and got wrecked for it.
I was too hasty back then~ This time, official permission! Oppa just nap and wake up. I'll sort everything perfectly!
"You sure I can trust you? Don't go overboard and fuck things up big time."
I haven't caused trouble or forced summons lately~ Trust me completely this time! Ahem!
ദ്ദി(⑉ >ㅅ< ⑉)
Back in the day, I wouldn't have trusted her with this. But lately? She's been obedient, no incidents. Plus, I kinda felt bad for her personally. My circle of girls kept growing without me meaning to.
'Alright, kill two birds—cheer her up and test the waters.'
Tap.
I raised my right hand and hit the YES button on the UI.
Hehe. Thanks for trusting me, Oppa!
"Thanks? Nah, I'm the thankful one. Take care of things, then... uh... zzz..."
Sweet dreams, Oppa. Kihit... ♥︎
With the notification window's impish, little-devil giggle echoing, I plunged into deep sleep.
Siel had truly given up on everything the moment Si-hyeon picked up his sword and approached Archronos.
She loathed the repulsive creature, but Archronos was the proxy judge decreed by the world's will. Even a grand magus like her couldn't handle him.
How could an ordinary human like Si-hyeon possibly win? He'd be torn to shreds in seconds—brutally.
'I can't let those girls witness such a horrific scene.'
The curious light-green-haired girl, Emilia. The golden-blonde paragon of justice, Victoria. If he died right before their tightly clasped hands, their firm belief in his victory shattering...
'They might fall into despair like I did after losing my kingdom... and turn into ghost stories.'
Her thoughts reached that point, and Siel quietly raised her staff behind the girls' backs, chanting a spell.
"Rel'intra ves chronar ✧ ad initium redactus."
⟨ Sleep's Twilight Descent ⟩
"Siel...? Suddenly so sleeeeepy... cooo... zzZ."
"Feelin' suuuper drowsy all of a sudden... hnn... Zzz."
Like a device powering down, Emilia and Victoria slipped into slumber in an instant. Siel's sleep spell had worked perfectly.
'Good... that's taken care of.'
Siel draped blankets over the soundly sleeping girls and whispered softly.
"Forgive me for ignoring your wishes..."
She'd kneel before Archronos and beg: torture her worse than death, but let these girls escape.
—Thud.
Siel knelt humbly on the floor, gazing at Si-hyeon's broad, reliable back.
'Si-hyeon... even just briefly in your arms, feeling that warmth... this one was happy.'
—Blink.
Having resigned herself completely, the girl closed and opened her eyes once.
What entered her vision was Archronos gaping in shock, mouth agape.
"Eh...?"
—Blink.
Siel blinked again. This time, she saw Archronos's body crumbling into fragments and scattering.
"?!?!?!?!?!"
Just two blinks, and it was over. Si-hyeon had tapped Archronos's form a few times, and in under a minute... the world's proxy of providence had vanished.
Without a shred of resistance... not even a final whimper.
"Whaaaat the fuuuuuck...?!?!?!?!"
Siel was bewildered. No—'bewildered' didn't cut it.
Providence defeated by a human. Laws shattered by one man. Even if heaven and earth flipped and the world remade, she'd deemed it impossible. Yet here it was, unfolding before her eyes.
"Th-this... can't be... No one I know could possibly—"
As Siel's ruby-red eyes widened in shock, 【Farewell, Archronos. For a force of providence... you were one damn interesting bastard.】
—Whoosh!!
Suddenly, black energy swirled around Si-hyeon, his form growing increasingly alien.
No—not alien to Siel. Terribly familiar. Longed-for.
Hair like inky black waves. Snow-white skin. Eyes like deep, beautiful black pearls.
"Th-that form... no way?!"
The instant she witnessed Si-hyeon's transformation, zap! A memory surged from deep in her chest—of one man.
—
"Honestly, I'm curious. How can you be stronger than this one's liege? No knight surpasses the Knight King—that's the world's providence and law."
—
"Hahaha, Siel. Want me to tell you something fun? Providence exists for those who can't survive without clinging to it."
—
"Where's that even true! Then food exists for those who can't live without it? That's just shoehorning!"
—
"Ooh~ As expected of a grand magus? Was gonna gloss over it, but you saw right through. Hahaha!"
—
"Grr! Treating this one like a fool! Answer properly!"
—
"Haha, simply put: don't obsess over 'providence.' That's how you shatter its frame and move forward."
—
The sole knight who toppled providence. The man deemed chosen by the gods.
Unrecorded in history, yet the Knight King's closest Round Table knight.
...And the one Siel alone trusted and followed.
The Hidden 13th Knight.
"Lucifer oppa...?"