Project: Oracle DEMO (4)
I figured it wouldn't be easy.
The sewers.
The classic stage of "trials" from ancient myths and literature.
Indeed, Dante, the genius playwright of the century, had fully grasped the creator Yujin's intentions.
But even he hadn't anticipated one thing.
The fact that Mary was an even bigger burden than he'd imagined.
She kept triggering perfectly normal-looking trap buttons, plunging them into danger time and again.
"H-Hey... wait for me...!"
"Hey! Why are you so slow? I said we're running, not walking!"
Their strides just wouldn't match up...!!
Of course, she was a girl barely 150 cm tall, hopping across rooftops like a cat, so it was unreasonable to expect her to match the pace of an adult man like Dante.
But when they walked, she sped up just a bit, somehow pulling ahead and stepping on a trap.
When they ran, she slowed down subtly, and before he knew it, she'd be panting heavily behind him, chasing after with quick little steps.
Every time the distance grew, his vision would blur strangely, and the urge to wait for Mary kept surging through him relentlessly.
He couldn't tell if it was purely his own thoughts or the will of the world itself.
Maybe I should've explored alone.
Thinking that, Dante adjusted his pace to hers in a ridiculous pattern of running, then walking, repeating as needed.
What choice did he have?
She clearly had no intention of matching him, so he had to do it himself.
The silver lining was that the sewers were ridiculously vast, or perhaps Phaeton's crew was just slow, because even after triggering several traps, no pursuers came.
No monstrous creatures like the ones he'd glimpsed from afar appeared either, which was a relief amid the misfortune.
If they'd had to deal with chases or fights on top of Mary's antics, it would've been a real headache.
Eventually, the two paused in a wide open space in the sewers for a break.
They'd bickered nonstop during the pursuit and were thoroughly exhausted.
Mary glanced at Dante cautiously, then pulled a small loaf of bread from her pocket and offered to share it.
"...Here, eat."
Dante's dinner from the inn had long since digested.
"Thanks, I'll dig in."
Surprisingly soft texture despite the hard crust.
"Hold on. Have some of this too."
Mary wasn't done; she rummaged out some butter as well.
"You have butter?"
Dante blurted in surprise. Butter in an isolated zone?
He'd heard that during the great famine in the west, people survived on butter and potatoes, but Sanctuary's situation didn't look any better—probably worse.
Mary nodded in response.
"Yeah... Not exactly easy to come by, even as a compliment. But in the commercial district, you can find refrigerators pretty often if you scavenge."
Refrigerators. Probably magic tools using cold-attribute magic stones to preserve food long-term.
Once again, Yujin Feltro's imagination in crafting such a vast world was astounding.
But he couldn't do anything about the girl's gait.
"By the way, is it okay for you to slip out alone in a situation like this?"
"Huh?"
"Even if the world's gone to hell, won't your family or guardians worry?"
"......????"
Mary squinted, then burst out laughing with a pfft.
"Wow, 'Mary yang'? Haven't heard that in forever."
Dante was just as baffled, so she answered with a wry smile.
"I'm twenty. It's just my height. Besides, what would a mage who showed up today know?"
"Wha... twenty?"
For a split second, Dante's gaze flicked to her notably modest 'somewhere,' but luckily, Mary didn't notice.
"My parents passed away ages ago. I just look after the neighborhood kids in the same boat as me."
"Ah, my apologies."
Dante apologized sincerely.
He'd dragged out someone else's tragic past.
"It's fine. Why do you think it's called the Day of Loss? Everyone lost something big—at least one or two things. Not just me."
"And the separate search... was it because...?"
"Yeah, not just Carla from the Jacksons— one of the kids I was watching, Lucy, vanished too. Carla last week, Lucy today. I didn't report it to Phaeton's boss on purpose. You saw what it's like."
"......"
Something smelled fishy.
"But what about you? Why are you here? You just arrived today, right? From the Council."
"......Well."
Dante hesitated. Checking his wrist, the hour hand pointed to 12.
Only 12 hours left.
A long time, perhaps, but with the sewer layout unknown, who could say?
In the end, he told the truth.
"I'm not with the Council."
"What?!"
"Just acting. I bit the bait you tossed me, Mary."
"Then why the hell...???"
"I'm looking for a girl. One tied to saving the world."
Dante looked at Mary.
She called herself twenty, but she looked every bit the girl.
In the backstory, the Day of Loss—when all tragedy began—was three years ago.
Seventeen at the time? Plenty girlish.
He still didn't know what creator Yujin wanted.
But one thing was clear.
The storyline from the interview matched this 'game' world's lore pretty well.
A girl saves him from peril. He weaves deep into her life.
Boy meets girl.
Of course, Dante wasn't a boy, and Mary was a bit old for 'girl,' but who cared?
"She might be held here. That one-eyed boss creeped me out from first sight too."
"......Jeez. Mages really are all weirdos."
Mary chuckled and stood.
"Alright, let's go. Like you said, no clue what Phaeton's up to."
The two clasped hands.
This was all just virtual, a fabricated tale.
Yet Dante's heart inexplicably raced.
Luckily, they didn't wander anymore.
After a certain point, the sewer structure simplified.
And they'd acquired a map of the sewers from a skeletonized corpse's bag midway.
"This space looks suspicious. Seems like a passage to the outside..."
"The tracks we saw lead here too."
During the search, Dante learned two more spells.
One was Tracking for finding traces.
The other, basic destruction magic Magic Missile that fired condensed mana.
Means combat's coming soon.
First time in Dimension, but Dante had grasped the flow long ago.
Follow this path, and they'd find Phaeton's boss and crew.
Then uncover the full truth of the disappearances and Sanctuary.
And their prediction hit the mark.
In the passage lay a gray-haired girl, sleeping soundly.
Guarding her anxiously were the three from Phaeton who'd chased Mary earlier.
Human sacrifice?
No signs of black magic or cult rituals.
The kid looked fine, just unconscious—probably from special magic or drugs.
Mary gnashed her teeth and charged with her rifle raised.
Click. Round chambered, drawing all three gazes.
"Phaeton!! You bastard!! I knew it!! Let Lucy go now!!"
"Mary...!! And that's the Council mage?"
"Surrender by the count of three, or I shoot!"
"Damn...! No choice now! Kill 'em!"
Predictably, no peaceful surrender.
Bang!
Mary's shot exploded the burly man's head on the right.
Bang bang!!
Immediate return fire from the other side.
As Mary rolled into cover, Dante cast too.
Magic Missile.
"Argh!!"
The white orb struck Phaeton, sending him tumbling.
Too weak...!
It'd vaporized giant sewer cockroaches easily before.
But against humans, proficiency or mana gap made it insufficient.
Dante drew his Five-Seven and fired back.
Bang bang! Bang!
Gunfire echoed through the vast chamber.
Even as scavengers' boss, Phaeton was helpless against their divine teamwork.
Magic's a hassle—this is way easier!
Dante had unexpected talent for shooting.
"Gahk!"
As Dante silenced another with his pistol, Mary crippled Phaeton's arms and legs.
Disarmed in seconds, he wailed in blood.
"Mary...!! Do you even know what you're doing?!"
"That's what I wanna ask!! Where'd all the missing kids go?!"
"Kukuku, kuahahahaha!! Hahaha! You brainless idiot bitch..."
Phaeton laughed maniacally, deranged.
"That curious, huh? Why not ask that 'Council' mage next to you?"
"......?"
Dante froze. Mary too.
Phaeton struggled up, adding,
"The Council took all the missing kids."
"Wha... what...?"
"Don't know why. Heard it's for tests. In exchange, they give us massive resources. Know that? Our ammo ran out a year ago! All resupplies are from the Council! Every bullet you fired nonstop!! All paid for with kids' blood, Mary!!"
"Th-That can't..."
Dante saw Mary step back from him.
Her steadfast blue eyes drowned in despair.
"Even retaking Factory B... was to secure some autonomy from the Council... You ruined it. Just a few more kids sacrificed... and it might've worked!!"
Phaeton's gaze shifted to Dante.
"Hey, mage. Cough! I'm curious too... why not spill? How's the outside? Is that world-flipping, time-rewinding transcendent magic you promised really coming...?"
"What the..."
Never heard of it.
Nothing from Yujin.
"Haha! Denying now? You hypocrite bastards... You caused the Day of Loss, then ditched us without taking responsibility, you murderers...!!!"
Click. Phaeton aimed his gun.
Thought he was disarmed, but a hidden pocket piece.
"Ah."
Dante's eyes met the silver barrel.
Time slowed.
Click, trigger pulled, blue mana flooded vision—
Then gray filled everything.
Dead? No.
Bang! Gunshots overlapped.
Phaeton's forehead pierced, body slumped back.
Gray hair cascaded to the floor.
"Mary!!"
Dante grabbed her desperately, but her side already gaped with a hole.
She vomited blood.
"Ah... ahh..."
"Don't talk! You'll open the wound!!"
"The kids... look after them... Council... isn't... good... relief..."
Mary convulsed, gazing at Dante, then went limp.
Incomprehensible.
As master playwright Dante Otter de Bua, even more so.
Mary was the heroine. At least to him.
Tied to world salvation.
Yet she dies here, not even the finale?
No proper emotional exchange with audience or actors, just this hollow end?
"Ha, haha..."
Involuntary hollow laugh escaped.
- Despair stems from discrepancy.
- When you realize, no matter your effort, you'll never reach the ending you envisioned.
Was that it?
Empire's top playwright? Nobles in frenzy, palace performances?
What did such titles matter?
Dante felt his entire career negated.
From start to finish, toyed by a man outside this world.
Art peers into a soul.
Yujin Feltro, how twisted is yours?
"......Status window."
Staring at Mary, eyes not even closed in death, still cradling her, Dante activated the game force-quit.
Soul slipped out and back; he returned to the white space where it began.
"Yujin!! You crazy bastard!!! Who asked for this scenario!!!!"
"Fix the ending right now!!?!"
"Hahaha... You all got way too immersed... Calm down now— Oh, and last but not least, Dante Otter de Bua's here too—!!"
Dante stormed to Yujin, surrounded by people.
"H-How was it? My scenario? As a playwright, give me your sharp critique... Agh!!!"
Kicked his shin hard.
"Fucking perfect scenario. The most horrific I've ever seen."