What Exactly Is That Clue? (3)
What Exactly Is That Clue? (3)
"Let's meet in six days."
Olivia said that, patted Kiel's shoulder, and turned away.
"...Huh?"
Kiel couldn't understand. Because that was something people usually said when they were arranging to meet again.
She was standing right in front of him right now.
That was why he hadn't been able to immediately ask back.
"What do you mean? 'Let's meet again'?"
No answer came. Olivia kept her head bowed, staring at the ground. Her small shoulders rose and fell with each breath.
"...Olivia?"
Just as Kiel felt a strange sense of déjà vu and was about to approach, Olivia snapped her head up.
Her eyes, which had been sharply scanning the surroundings, melted away the moment they met Kiel's.
"What did you just say, by any chance?"
Kiel flinched at the slightly different voice and froze.
Could the atmosphere change so abruptly?
"Kiel?"
"..."
A person couldn't change in one day. Their mask might come off, but—
And Olivia was the last person anyone would associate with the word "mask."
At least, until a moment ago.
It was hard to find the words.
"...Did you not hear?"
"Yeah. Sorry. I guess my mind was elsewhere."
Olivia was an honest person. If she didn't want to answer, she would say so; she wasn't the type to dodge the question like this.
Kiel slowly opened his mouth. He spoke as gently as possible, so that even a child could understand.
"Just a moment ago, you said we should meet again in six days. I'm asking what that meant."
Olivia tilted her head.
"...I said that?"
Kiel's face hardened.
"...Are you messing with me right now?"
"I've never messed with you. Oh, your blade's damaged. Give it here. I'll fix it."
Olivia reached out and grabbed the greatsword in one swift motion. Or rather, that would have happened if Kiel hadn't stepped back.
"You..."
Kiel held out a hand to stop Olivia from approaching, then retreated another couple of steps.
"What's the matter?"
Olivia approached with her usual bright smile.
A smile that put one at ease.
But not today, at least.
It felt strange.
Kiel couldn't understand why he thought that. They'd been traveling together without any problems, and he'd faced that smile countless times.
'That image feels strange?'
No.
This was Olivia's usual self.
But, but...
What the hell was this sense of déjà vu?
"Maybe not the sword but the armor? Or did you get hurt somewhere? If you don't like that, how about I cook something? You love sandwiches. I've got pickles and ham, and oh! I left out the tomatoes."
Olivia pulled a sandwich from her subspace. Kiel frowned at the piece of bread she waved in front of him.
'Did I ever tell her I liked this?'
He wasn't the type to go around telling people things like that. But seeing her prepare it like this, he must have mentioned it somewhere.
There was no way she'd know if he hadn't told her.
"I've got water too. Oh, want me to freeze it right now so you can drink it cold? With ice cubes floating in it?"
But a person with such a good memory that she remembered that, couldn't remember something that had happened just a few seconds ago?
Did that make sense?
Did she really remember nothing?
Kiel unconsciously reached out. If he didn't resolve this déjà vu, he felt he'd never be able to calm his tight chest.
Clack.
Kiel grabbed Olivia's shoulders. Olivia's eyes went round, but that was all.
There was none of the reaction he'd expected.
- That hurts, jerk.
After waiting a long time, Kiel couldn't take it anymore and spoke.
"...Does it hurt?"
"Huh?"
"I asked if it hurts when I grab you like this."
"Um... No? It's bearable."
Why was the answer different?
He'd deliberately pressed a little harder than before. Had she gained patience in that short time? Or conversely, had the patience she originally had disappeared in that moment?
What on earth...
Kiel silently removed his hand. His reflection in Olivia's eyes wore an expression he'd never seen before.
"So you're not going to eat this? I even put in the bacon you like."
"..."
No voice came out.
For the first time that day, Kiel refused Olivia's kindness.
*****
‘There was only one way to check if the conversations in the memory affected the present. She had to try talking to Kiel.’
Olivia stared intently at Kiel, who was still unconscious inside the ice.
[Kiel Rothschild]
- Level: 83
- Class: Sword Saint
- Favorability: -100
- Titles: Regressor, Duke, Wandering Swordsman.
The current Kiel was neither a Dragon Slayer nor an explorer who had broken through the ruins of the Great Forest. Because no matter how much he had regressed, the achievements of the past didn't follow.
All that was granted to a regressor were the memories of a miserable past.
To cover those intense memories with a new story, ordinary things wouldn't do.
‘The time discrepancy must be huge too.’
For Olivia entering the memory, it was a conversation from just a moment ago, but for Kiel it was from several years ago.
It would be a relief if he didn't even forget the fact that they had a conversation, let alone recall the details.
‘She needed to tell him something so surprising and shocking that it would be etched into his brain. Only then could it remain in the memory.’
Of course, she still didn't know whether the memories inside the clue affected the present.
But for now, she assumed that they did.
After all, there was nothing to lose.
Olivia picked up paper and pen and started writing something down. It was the schedule of the Genocide Run.
It was to roughly grasp what she had done with Kiel in each Imperial Calendar year, what goals she had acted on, and where they had wandered.
As Olivia jotted down what she remembered, she frowned.
She'd overlooked an important fact.
‘The sample size was lacking. Just because the time limit doubled this time didn't guarantee it would keep doubling. But...’
To attempt a prediction based on data, you needed at least three samples. If the time limit increased to 20 minutes the next time she entered, then she could "reasonably" infer that the time limit would double each time.
But that would mean wasting one opportunity in vain.
Eight more times. She couldn't waste a single one.
Adding up all the given time, it totaled about 3.5 days. On the premise that the time limit kept doubling, of course.
‘There was no point thinking about it further. Finding the best move came first.’
Olivia slowly closed her eyes. She decided to trust her instincts.
Olivia's consciousness retraced the events of the past one by one.
With Kiel, she had mainly wandered the demon realms. The Wood Demon Realm, Euran; the Earth Demon Realm, Moria...
The main reason she had roamed the Demon Realms was to make Favorability grinding easier. Nothing raised a warrior-type NPC’s Favorability more effectively than fighting back-to-back through a desperate battle.
Knowing what NPCs liked and how to act to make them like you was a basic requirement.
‘Making sandwiches during battle, repairing weapons... What a mess.’
That meant that Olivia in the memory would also be doing her best to cater to Kiel and raise his favorability.
How did she know that?
‘Because in the end, it was also a record of her play.’
So if she acted contrary to that, it would certainly be etched into the memory.
20 minutes, 40 minutes, 80 minutes were too short to take direct action. So at those times, she'd focus only on imprinting her presence in the memory.
But after that.
160 minutes, 320 minutes, 640 minutes...
From that point on, she would move on to real action.
In the end, she could remain in the memory for a whole 42 hours. The final one was so important that it outweighed all the others combined.
The point when the time limit increased to 42 hours was four years after completing the conquest of the Great Forest.
So that was the year 996 in the Imperial Calendar.
‘Where had she been then? What had she been doing in 996?’
Her memories jumbled together. Maybe because she'd quit the game long ago, or maybe because she'd seen countless endings.
Countless runs flashed through Olivia's mind.
"..."
She remembered.
Imperial Year 996. That was the year the demons first revealed themselves. Olivia herself had defeated them, and she'd earned the trust of many NPCs.
But this time...
‘It should be fine to do things a little differently.’
Tick. Tock.
Olivia closed her eyes and counted a few more seconds in her mind.
"..."
"..."
At some point, she felt a sharp gaze.
Olivia slowly opened her eyes.
Through the thin ice, Kiel was glaring at her.
‘It had taken a little longer this time.’
In fact, Olivia had been waiting for Kiel to regain consciousness. Of course, there was a reason she'd made that choice.
[Subduing is impossible!]
- Unconscious enemies cannot be subdued.
- Subduing is possible only once per day, one target at a time.
Subduing had a cooldown. Because of that, she had to wait a full day.
Electricity crackled in her grasp.
In the silence, Kiel spoke.
"...Again?"
Olivia didn't answer.
Because having a conversation "now" was meaningless anyway.
Olivia gently raised her palm and placed it against Kiel's forehead.
In an instant, light spread in all directions.
Ding!
It was a now-familiar notification sound.
[Remaining Time: 20:00]
The moment she confirmed the message, a crescent-like smile spread across her lips.
It was time to overturn the memories.