The Last Memory (3)
The Last Memory (3)
The fact that a quest appeared meant it was possible to advance a quest even inside a memory.
'That means I meet the basic requirements, but...'
The important point was how the game would determine whether Favorability went up.
'Is it me, or the Genocide bastard?'
Olivia sat on the bench and sank into contemplation.
The clamor of footsteps, the panicked screams of students rushing into the classroom, even Kiel's gaze—all of it sank beyond her awareness in an instant.
It was a truly perfect state of No-Self.
Inside the quiet Mental Image, Olivia thought.
When she had first entered Kiel's memory, his Status Window had looked very different.
[Kiel Rothschild]
- Level: 88
- Class : Sword Saint
- Favorability: 50
- Titles : Duke, Dragon Slayer, Wandering Swordsman.
At that time, Kiel could not distinguish between the Genocide Run Olivia and herself.
Then there was.
[Kiel Rothschild]
- Level: 93
- Class : Sword Saint
- Favorability: 63(+68)
- Titles: Seeker of the Sword, Dragon Slayer, Duke, Wandering Swordsman.
This was 996.
Kiel's Favorability was split in two. That meant Kiel perceived the two Olivias as separate beings.
'If that's the case, then clearing this quest should give the +20 Favorability to me.'
Because Kiel recognized them as different existences.
That would push Favorability all the way up to 88. And that was just counting the quest reward, without even factoring in the next day or two. If she seriously focused on Favorability Grinding today and tomorrow, she could hit 90.
Once that happened, Kiel would no longer be an obstacle.
A Favorability of -10 was a level where, with a little exaggeration, you could even call them a bad friend.
[The (+68) Favorability is applied in 996.]
Of course, she would have to keep repeating the freeze-and-thaw cycle until 996.
[Exterminate the Demon - HIDDEN]
- Description: Demon worshippers have finally succeeded in summoning a demon. Defeat the demon.
- Reward : Favorability +20 with one party member who accompanies you during the demon's extermination.
Anyway, that led to the conclusion that she should claim that quest...
'...Why do I have this nagging feeling?'
She got the feeling she was overlooking something.
'...'
But no matter how much she thought about it, she could not figure out what she was missing at all.
Olivia sighed softly and emerged from No-Self.
The demon would not be summoned until tomorrow afternoon anyway. She had plenty of time to think it over slowly.
Besides, she had the personal details of all the demon worshippers who'd infiltrated the academy down cold.
"What's bothering you?"
Instead of answering, Olivia shook her head. Seeing that, Kiel smiled.
"...Why are you smiling?"
"Just thought it was peculiar."
"What is."
"The fact that the way you are right now differs from your usual self. Your usual self does not engage in that kind of worrying. No hesitation when choosing. Compared to that, you seem far more human."
"No shit..."
Huh?
Olivia blinked.
Hesitation?
Of course the Genocide Run Olivia would not worry about anything. That was ultimately her own gameplay record, containing the condensed essence of experience she had accumulated over thousands of playthroughs of Lactea.
How to level up quickly. How to easily raise the Favorability of 15 key NPCs to 90.
The Genocide Run Olivia literally knew everything.
But...
'Why was her Favorability so low?'
The Favorability the Genocide Run Olivia had built with Kiel was 63. Astonishingly, it was 5 points lower than her own.
That meant she had only raised it by 11 over four years, from 992 until now.
'...Does that even make sense?'
No matter how she looked at it, it made no sense.
Olivia whipped her head around.
"Kiel. Does 'me' still give you sandwiches these days?"
"Well... No. Now that I think about it, it's been over a year since she last offered me food."
"She doesn't? Then what about whetstones? Equipment repairs?"
"It's the same story."
"Huh..."
Something was very, very wrong. Had the snowball effect of overwritten memories actually rolled this far out of control?
'No, even allowing for that, this is ridiculous. Favorability of 63 is way, way too harsh!'
On the other hand, judging that she had completely given up on Favorability Grinding did not quite fit either, since it was the Genocide Run Olivia who had brought Kiel to the academy.
'She said she absolutely couldn't give in this time, so she probably planned to fill the 20 points here.'
...Was it really okay for her to claim this?
If she took this now, the Genocide Run Olivia could die and come back and still never push Kiel's Favorability to 90. In the first place, there were only a handful of quests in the entire game that handed out this much Favorability.
'And she's probably already used those on other NPCs, or has plans for them.'
In that case, Kiel's Favorability would max out at best around 80.
The difference between 90 and 80 Favorability boiled down to a single thing.
'Whether you hesitate to attack, or not.'
Favorability of 90 could break even a knight's conviction.
Of course, it only bought seconds, but in a duel between high-level combatants, a single second's difference could never be ignored.
Why was that a problem?
'Because this one thing could change Kiel's last memory in ways I can't predict.'
She would say it again: this was Kiel's memory. Though she herself could only accompany him until Imperial Year 996, Kiel would carry the memory of this very moment to the end, living until 998, and would confront the Olivia who began the Genocide.
A Kiel whose sword held no hesitation would remember himself holding out longer. Would remember buying more time for more people to evacuate.
And he would remember his own death differently.
Originally, Kiel froze to death. He probably hadn't even had time to feel pain. Because 'Erna's Blade' was magic created for exactly that purpose.
That had also been Olivia's final act of mercy.
But if hesitation vanished from Kiel's sword, if his blade became sharper and threatened her life...
Then Kiel would certainly die in a more brutal, more painful manner.
And he would regress holding a deeper grudge.
Olivia clicked her tongue.
She needed to think again about whether this was honey or poison.
Experience told her these things were usually poison.
It was a devastatingly lethal poison.
*****
Pick, pick.
Poke, poke.
"..."
Kiel watched Olivia, who was doing nothing but poking at her food instead of eating it, with a strange expression.
It couldn't be because the taste was bad. It was a steak of a quality that even Kiel, something of a gourmet himself, found satisfactory.
"Not hungry?"
"...No, I'm thinking."
"What about?"
"Whether to eat it or not."
"...Then just eat it, can't you?"
Olivia shook her head.
"Because it might be poisoned."
"..."
Kiel laughed hollowly.
Would the academy chefs be insane enough to poison the food of an Archmage? Even supposing they were, poison would not work against someone like Olivia in the first place.
She could simply flush the toxins out with her magical power.
But there was no way Olivia did not know that.
Which meant.
'...It seems that is not the poison she means.'
There was only one poison in the world capable of affecting someone who had reached such a realm.
Inner Demon.
A sickness of the heart and a deadly poison that gnawed at the mind.
Kiel spoke quietly.
"Might you be able to tell me what kind of poison it is?"
"Why, so you can give me advice?"
"If I can."
"..."
Olivia stared at Kiel without a word. The look on her face was one of someone wondering how to explain.
"...This is purely hypothetical."
"Fine. Understood."
"Listen. I'm standing at a critical crossroads. One path gives me an enormous benefit."
"Enormous benefit?"
"Yeah, an enormous benefit. If I had to put it into words, maybe you could say it's a new opportunity? Life would get a little easier, the hardships would lessen... Anyway."
She hesitated.
"...A new opportunity, you say?"
"No, it's a metaphor."
Olivia subtly averted her gaze.
"But if I choose that, someone else will get hurt. High probability, no... almost certainly. And... the consequences of that choice will twist in ways I can't predict, and... someday it'll come back to choke me."
"Is that so?"
Kiel set his utensils down and silently watched Olivia.
"And the other path is to give up that enormous benefit."
"...And then what?"
"Mm."
Olivia groaned.
"Nothing happens."
"Nothing at all?"
"Yeah. Nothing at all. And the world will flow exactly as I knew it, as you knew it. Without any ups or downs. Smoothly."
"..."
Kiel looked at Olivia.
He could not read her expression. It was not because she was hiding it.
It was because too many emotions were surfacing all at once.
Hesitation, grief, regret, disgust...
All kinds of bitter emotions gathered in one place.
"Honestly, the second method is the safe bet. Right?"
"..."
"Hey. You said you'd give advice."
Kiel could not open his mouth carelessly.
To a third party who knew nothing, this would not sound like much of a story.
A common story: whether it was justified to sacrifice others for one's own gain or not.
But the story changed if Olivia was the one telling it.
'...Advice?'
If he agreed with her, it would be telling her to die.
'The likes of me?'
If he disagreed, he would be telling her to live the rest of her life cursing herself.
Kiel sighed.
Olivia had never been asking for advice in the first place.
He knew, because he had faced her unyielding resolve again and again, and then again.
Olivia had wanted affirmation.
Whether her choice was right. Whether it had been the right choice after all.
"...Yeah."
Kiel's face contorted.
He could not tell himself whether he was smiling or crying.
"You... you..."
The poison she carried within her was just so, so...
"You are right."
It hurt.