Chapter 108. 1DAYS (3)
Chapter 108. 1DAYS (3)
"That shameless bastard......!"
From beyond the darkness.
Someone unknown ground their teeth audibly.
Unlike before, everything they said was now [translated].
"Calm yourself, child. The fragments from your Padak days are showing."
But their voices were still opaque. Like a song file layered with noise, the voices would drift far away on their own, then suddenly sound right beside my ear.
"Anger and jealousy do nothing to help our deliberations."
"I'll kill him!"
"Death King, was it? It has been a long time since a meeting was convened twice because of a single person. How long has it been since Constellation Killer (殺天星)?"
"Moreover, the bond between those two keeps growing stronger. I wonder if that, too, is coincidence."
That was when.
"...This is troublesome."
The chattering voices stopped all at once. The surroundings fell silent. In the space where idle talk and pleasantries had been flowing, only a single emotionless voice sank down.
"If the immersion rate had been a full 100%, we could simply regress a day from the butler's perspective. If it had been 90% or below, we could simply turn back a day from Death King's perspective. But of all things, it had to be 99%."
I had heard that voice before.
"It's ambiguous. Whose side should this favor?"
The master of the Tower.
I swallowed.
"I believe... we should turn back a day from the butler's perspective."
"Persuade me."
"First, the numbers alone support it. An immersion rate of 99% means the butler is 99% and I have only 1% left. Since the butler's share is overwhelming, it is only right to use the butler as the standard."
"Yes. But [Regressor's Clockwork Watch] is a skill that you acquired. Death King, it is a skill that you possess. The only one who can use a skill is the person who holds that skill."
A gaze, hidden by the darkness, swept over my face.
"Would it not be right for you to regress?"
"......."
"Don't be nervous. I'm merely asking what I'm curious about."
"Don't be nervous," the voice said kindly. But it was a consideration that could never be fulfilled. With every word, every phrase the voice continued, it felt like a long serpent was climbing the nape of my neck.
"...That is a thought tilted too far to one side."
"Hm?"
"Please think of it from the butler's position. The butler and I fought throughout the entire stage conquest over who would take control of the body. It is true that I was devoured by the butler, but it is also true that the butler devoured me."
In other words.
"The butler fought me fair and square and won, and as the price, took my skill. [Regressor's Clockwork Watch] is now the butler's skill as well."
"Oh-ho."
The serpent's voice wavered strangely.
I realized a beat late that it was laughter.
"That is reasonable. Yes. Just as you, Death King, came to possess Flame Emperor's skill by copying it."
"......."
"I had wondered who would win if a regressor fought a regressor. But to think you would return to the point before he acquired the skill. Even this humble one was impressed by that idea. No, all of us were surprised."
This humble one (小人).
The absolute being of the Tower referred to himself humbly. He used honorific speech.
As if he would be courteous to anyone.
To me, that was all the more ominous.
"It was remarkable. You could have simply chosen to flee from Flame Emperor's eyes. But you did not. Why was that?"
At the Tower Master (塔主)'s question, those who had been silent spoke up.
"It was vengeance. That bastard never forgot what was done to him, not even in death. So he chased the one who burned him to the very end and crushed him. Even so, dying 4,050 times? A relentless bastard."
[Moon That Contemplates Blindness curses you.]
"It was justice. Flame Emperor killed many people, and would have killed many more. He must have thought he couldn't leave that alone. The thought and feeling of 'this cannot be allowed' moved Death King. Yes, he is a righteous man."
[Princess Who Walks the Mirage blesses you.]
The serpent's voice nodded.
"Yes. That is likely. At times he would have stabbed his own throat out of vengeance, and at other times he would have taken his own life out of justice. But vengeance and justice are both common. The part that impressed me is only one."
Someone picked up the Tower Master's words.
"That the only way to defeat Flame Emperor 100% was that, and only that."
[One Who Legislated the Beginning quietly declares.]
"Yes."
The Tower Master smiled.
"Death King, your heart burns raw and hot, but your mind is cunning. You always, always seek the method that wins 100%. So I am looking forward to this. Have you come prepared with logic that will persuade us 100%?"
This is the decisive moment.
I cannot back down here.
"Yes."
"Speak."
"I... we, did nothing wrong."
I spoke toward the direction where the serpent's voice had coiled itself.
"This is entirely a mistake and an error committed by the Tower. The very fact that it is difficult to judge whether to turn back a day from [the butler's perspective] or [my perspective] is the problem. If the Tower had been perfect, this kind of error should never have occurred in the first place."
"Yes. I will concede that. So?"
"We are the victims of the error, so please compensate us."
"......."
I spoke with all the confidence I could muster.
"And we are the ones who discovered the error. If not for us, you would not even have known the error existed, would you? Please reward us."
Silence.
A moment later.
"How insolent."
[God Who Dances in the Void glares at you.]
"Look at the way that wretch talks. Do you want to be ground down out of existence?"
[Moon That Contemplates Blindness attempts to kill you.]
The voices bubbled up in a simmering chorus.
"Enough."
But when the serpent spoke, everyone fell silent again.
"Interesting."
"......."
"As for which part is interesting, yes. The part where you believe without a doubt that I will properly [compensate] and [reward] you is interesting. Why? Why should I? I could simply wipe my mouth and look away."
"Because......."
I said it straight.
"Because you have always, always wished us luck."
The Tower.
Every time a stage was cleared, we hunters heard a voice.
『Those who climb the Tower.』
『May luck be with you.』
That was all.
But it was unmistakably "encouragement."
"You are an absolute being, yet you do not mock us. You do not despise us. You do not push us in any direction. A hunter who wishes to stay on the 1st floor may stay forever. To a hunter climbing to a higher floor, you wish luck, and only ask them to be careful."
To those who wish to rest, a sanctuary.
To those who enter the contest, good fortune.
"That is not all."
The children of the Hellfire Mansion.
The Demon King who sheds red raindrops.
The peony eternally alone in the snowfield.
The heart that repeats ten endless days.
"Every single person you have permitted a floor in the Tower is lonely and sorrowful. You gathered only those who would end in tragedy, and built the Tower with them."
I think.
"You are good."
That the Tower Master before me is a benevolent absolute being.
"You never interfere when we fight and kill each other. Because you respect our freedom. But you will surely compensate the damage caused by the Tower's error."
Because that is the Tower's responsibility, not ours.
"Thank you for building the Tower."
"......."
"I've wanted to tell you for a long time. Last time I didn't have the composure for it. I always wanted to express my gratitude... If not for the Tower, I would have lived like trash in the outside world anyway. Ah, no, I lived like trash even after entering the Tower......."
I had lived wrong.
I had lived wrong, but I was able to redo my life.
"If not for you... I could never have gone back more than 4,000 days on my own. Never. You all said it was vengeance and justice, but... I only endured because there was someone somewhere watching over me. That is all."
I lowered my head.
"Thank you."
I bowed at the waist.
"Sincerely, thank you."
There was a long silence.
"Mm."
Someone murmured.
"I do like him after all."
[Princess Who Walks the Mirage expresses fondness toward you.]
"Me too. It's been so long since a human came here to express gratitude that I can't even remember. Huh, did it ever happen? Maybe this is the first time."
[Primeval Staff expresses fondness toward you.]
"...Kids these days, for some reason, start off hostile toward beings like us. The world is just that harsh. I think they need someone to blame and condemn."
[God Who Dances in the Void expresses fondness toward you.]
"Ha. They simply refuse to acknowledge an existence higher than themselves."
[Moon That Contemplates Blindness looks at you with displeasure.]
And then laughter was heard.
"Indeed."
It was laughter shed by the Tower Master.
"Certainly. There is something a little endearing about him."
"......."
"I am merely a mirror. Death King, if I appear good to you, it is none other than because you are good."
The serpent's voice smiled.
"Tell me the compensation you desire."
"I wish to regress 24 hours into the past from the butler's perspective."
"And the reward you desire?"
"Lady Silver Lily's......."
My heart pounded with tension.
"Please protect my lover's memories."
"I see."
The serpent's voice giggled.
"You could demand a magnificent skill as your reward, you know? After all, it is for the merit of discovering the Tower's error. I should reward you generously. Shall I enhance [Regressor's Clockwork Watch]?"
Temptation.
"You could turn back time as you please, not just a day. Or how about enhancing [Hundred Ghost Reincarnation]? I could make it so that not only memories but also the abilities from life are inherited."
"I don't need it."
I knelt.
"Please."
Politely, I lowered my forehead toward the direction where the voice dwelled.
"I want to live with the person I love."
"......."
And then.
A touch stroked my bowed head.
Very slowly.
"Death King."
[The conference is concluded.]
"May luck be with you."
[May fortune be with you.]
* * *
[Recalibrating immersion rate.]
[Your current Immersion Rate is 99%.]
[Regressing 24 hours into the past.]
.
.
.
* * *
Blink.
"......."
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was the scent of spring flowers drifting in through the window.
My head was hazy.
It felt exactly like I had just had a long dream.
"Ah."
A voice that seemed both unfamiliar and familiar sounded nearby.
"You're finally awake, butler. Your nap went on a little long."
Lady Golden Thread Plum, the baron's daughter.
My mistress.
"...My lady?"
"Yes, your one and only lady."
Lady Golden Thread Plum giggled. Did she find my reaction amusing? She was looking this way with her eyes narrowed into thin slits.
She now had the bearing of a noble daughter who had, by anyone's account, fully adapted to the capital. Not a trace remained of the tomboy she had been famous as back in our hometown. I found that fact endlessly regrettable. Of course, only her outward appearance had become refined; her inner heart was still the same as the old days.
.......
What is this?
"I came back from dining with His Highness the Crown Prince, and would you believe it, the butler was sitting in a chair, dozing away. I was a little miffed that you abandoned your mistress and slept as you pleased. But your sleeping face was cute, so I decided to let it slide."
"My lady......."
"Oh my. You look like you're about to cry. Did you have a nightmare?"
A nightmare? Was that it? Did I have a nightmare?
An inexplicable tightness was pressing down on my chest. The feeling that I had just forgotten something, something very important. A sensation that drifted further away the more I tried to recall it, something that could never be caught.
"His Highness the Crown Prince......."
To shake off that sensation, I deliberately changed the subject.
"Was your dinner with His Highness enjoyable?"
"Yes. Quite. Listen to this, butler. Today His Highness gifted me a ring of blue coral!"
Lady Golden Thread Plum beamed. Blue coral is the name of a gemstone. Its monetary value is nothing extraordinary, but in the southern provinces of the Empire, it is often used when proposing to one's beloved.
"And in the student dining hall, no less, right in front of all the other young ladies and lords! Truly, His Highness the Crown Prince is a fool, but he is a fool who knows how to make a person happy. I'm curious what expression the Young Duchess of Ivansia will make when she hears this news!"
Suddenly, my breath caught.
"The Young Duchess of Ivansia......."
"Ah, you're curious too, butler?"
"......."
What is it?
What on earth is it?
The turmoil in my chest became a vibration that rang in my throat.
"Raviel......."
Lady Golden Thread Plum stared at me with a dumbfounded look.
"Butler? No matter what, calling the Young Duchess by name so openly is a little....... Even if it's just the two of us here, it's far too rude. Mind your manners, your manners. Sometimes I think you know less about capital etiquette than I do."
At that moment.
-■■■, ■■ ■ ■■■. ■■. ■■ ■■■ ■ ■■ ■■■■!
My head rang.
[■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■.]
I clutched my forehead in pain.
"My lady... do you not hear something? A sound?"
"A sound?"
Lady Golden Thread Plum tilted her head.
"What sound do you mean?"
"I'm not sure myself. It's as if someone is shouting......."
"Hey now, butler. At first I thought you were joking, but now I'm getting a little worried. Are you hurt somewhere? Is your head hot? Shall we go to the infirmary?"
"...No. I apologize. For repeatedly saying strange things."
I rose from the chair.
"I seem to have a slight headache. It's not a cold... I'll step outside for some fresh air for a moment. Is that all right, my lady?"
"Ah. Yes, go ahead."
Lady Golden Thread Plum's eyes were full of worry.
"Shall I go with you?"
"No. I'm truly all right......."
-■공■ ■ 개■■!! ■■ ■■! ■ ■■ ■!!
"...It will probably get better after a short walk."
"All right. Then go and come back. Don't be too late."
"Yes, thank you."
I left the lady's chambers and exited the dormitory.
A night where white magnolias bloomed, hanging like moons.
But even after stepping out into the garden, the unease in my chest did not subside.
『This was back when I was not yet a regressor.』
I walked.
『His Highness the Crown Prince was to be joined with Lady Golden Thread Plum.』
I walked aimlessly.
Like a sleepwalker moving through a dream.
『I was so resentful, so resentful, that I leaned upon the sword passed down in my family and made a wish.』
『Please let my love last forever.』
『And so, my life became eternal.』
At the end of the path I had wandered without destination, absurdly enough, stood the enormous residence of the Young Duchess of Ivansia. A place I had passed by before, but never once walked to of my own accord.
A place with no connection to me.
『My heart has been fixed in place since that day.』
Or so it should have been.
"......."
Why did I come here?
'Let's go back.'
To where my mistress was waiting.
'Go back.'
Thinking that, I moved my feet.
'I have to go back.'
But for some reason, my feet did not turn back. Even as I thought I had to go back, my feet moved forward. My hand pushed the iron bars of the main gate.
Creeeeak—
The gate opened lightly.
The ducal house's guards were not standing at their posts.
"......."
Truly strange.
Perhaps I am still trapped in a dream.
If so, everything is explained.
Why I crossed the gate and traversed the garden without reason.
Why the cherry blossoms and magnolias blooming in the garden made my heart ache without cause.
Why, though I had never once been invited to the ducal daughter's residence, I somehow knew the layout by heart and my steps continued naturally.
"You came."
Why the ducal daughter was standing at the end of that corridor.
『I will be waiting for you.』
Why she looked at me and smiled faintly.
"I was waiting."
All of it.