The Truth (2)
Those hollow, ashen-gray eyes locked onto me, gleaming with naked anticipation. Mubaek grinned like he was waiting for a review.
"Let's say that's true. So what?"
The truth I'd just been hit with had thrown me, sure. But so what? If anything, it only made what I had to do stand out that much sharper.
"You want me to hop on that fucked-up disgust of yours and just let this world go to hell?"
I'd spent a long time in my previous world, but the time I'd lived as me in this one was far more precious. If someone put a gun to my head and made me choose, I'd pick this one without blinking. The old me had been pretty thoroughly wrecked, after all.
"Ahh... so that's how you see it?"
Mubaek smiled crookedly, watching me.
"Doesn't it feel unfair? Every action you take, every outcome you produce, all of it tallied up as Causality and offered to the ones above."
"Not exactly a thrill. What do you want me to do about it?"
"What a shame. Freeing you from this yoke would have been true salvation."
He tilted his head, the picture of disappointment that we weren't seeing eye to eye.
"You crazy bastard. The way you judge people like that makes you even more disgusting than the Operators."
That selfish logic of his—shoving the entire world into the shape of his own thinking—made my skin crawl.
"Hahaha! Is that so? The Operators must be delighted. They've found themselves such an obedient little antivirus. Heeheehee!"
Mubaek twisted his face into a sneer.
I couldn't listen to this asshole anymore.
I clenched my sword.
"Ah! Are you going to kill me?"
He beamed at me, bright as a child.
"Unfortunately, I cannot die. I may not look the part, but I hold the stature of a Demigod in this world."
So what.
I swung the scabbard and smashed it into Mubaek's jaw with everything I had.
A meaty crack rang out. His head snapped sideways—and that was the end of it. The face grinning back at me didn't have a single scratch.
"Unfortunately, I don't get hurt, either."
Damn it. So he's invincible.
"Then why the hell did you call me here? To tell me to let this world rot?"
"Well. I did have something along those lines in mind, but looking at you now, that ship has clearly sailed."
Mubaek pointed a slender finger at me.
"You were the original objective. I was curious what kind of extraordinary 'Player' they would insert into a world this hopeless."
"And the verdict?"
"It's a complete shitshow! I haven't the faintest idea where they even dredged up a monster like you. Because of your existence alone, a world without a single scrap of hope now has the possibility of salvation."
His face twisted, those hollow eyes never changing.
"Yeah. So drop that fucked-up idea of yours."
"Is that sooo?"
Something wriggled and shifted behind those hollow ashen-gray eyes.
"I told you, didn't I? When one side rises, the other falls."
A dry click.
Mubaek pressed a finger down on the right side of a pure-white balance scale.
"I wonder... what was the price of your coming to this world?"
"What the hell is that supposed to—"
I was about to demand an answer when a familiar chime sounded beside me, and a tiny figure with a head of golden blonde hair popped into existence.
Angel.
"Playeeer! I missed you so much!"
The instant she appeared, she flung herself straight at my face.
"Hey—hey! Angel!"
I tried to shake her off, but she just nuzzled her cheek against mine, laying the cute act on thick.
"Awwww! It was so hard! Those old farts kept grinding and grinding, going on about how I shouldn't do this and I shouldn't do that—I nearly died of boredom!"
"Angel, that's not—we've got a situation here."
I grabbed her by the back and peeled her off. She didn't want to let go, so her cheek stretched out like taffy before snapping free.
"Huh? What's going on?"
She looked around, then spotted Mubaek standing in front of me. The face that had been all cutesy with me a second ago twisted into something demonic.
"Player. Don't tell me this bastard said something weird to you."
The composed Mubaek who'd been chatting with me so leisurely was gone. In his place stood a stiff, awkward man forcing a strained smile and desperately avoiding Angel's eyes.
"Oh, he said a whole fucking lot."
"HUH?! How much did you hear?!"
She whipped her head toward me, her face flipping from demonic to worried in an instant. It was like watching Jekyll and Hyde.
"Well..."
I gave her a rough rundown of everything Mubaek had told me.
"This motherfucker."
Crack. Crack.
Angel rolled her neck and interlaced her fingers, popping her knuckles.
"Hey, you psycho piece of shit! We worked our asses off to bring the Player here so we could save this dying world, and you what? You called us disgusting?"
"No. I didn't actually say 'disgusting.'"
Mubaek stammered, raising both hands in surrender.
"Don't listen to him, Angel. He said disgusting and repulsive."
"This son of a bitch. For real..."
Angel's fist blazed gold and slammed into the same jaw I'd hit earlier.
"GAAHK!"
Mubaek let out an ugly scream as his face whipped around. Unlike when I'd hit him, his jaw was visibly knocked out of place.
"You crazy bastard. I swear, if I had my way I'd roast you with Levatein all over again."
"Heehee... I'd actually prefer that—"
THWACK!
Angel's golden fist smashed into Mubaek's cheekbone. It caved in like a dented can.
"Say that again, you piece of shit."
"....."
Mubaek clamped his mouth shut.
Guess violence really is the best treatment for mental illness.
"I told you before. That whole thing where you act all negative and think of yourself as 'special'? That's already happened."
"No... I—!"
For the first time, Mubaek showed something that looked like anger. Something rippled inside those hollow ashen-gray eyes as he shouted.
"I am different!"
"Shut the fuck up, you moron."
Angel's hand flared gold again. Mubaek kept talking anyway.
"That's impossible. I... I am not some mere 'part'! I exist as a complete and independent 'one'!"
"Haaah. You pathetic bastard."
Angel clicked her tongue and smashed his cheekbone again. The already-caved-in bone sank even deeper, leaving his face so grotesque it was almost funny.
Hitting the same spot twice. Angel actually had some technique.
"Shut up and just listen to us. It's not like you people have any other choice anyway."
"Heh-heh... that's true. But tell me this. The thing I'm trying to do—shatter this world—and the thing you people are trying to do by sucking Causality out of all those 'worlds'..."
Mubaek stammered through his pulverized face.
"What's the difference? Heehee."
"There is a difference."
Angel looked at him with unwavering eyes.
"Though... in that neither of us has any hope, we might be similar."
"Is that so."
Mubaek murmured hollowly, then looked at me.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Player."
I silently flipped him off.
"Well then, I'll be going."
Mubaek waggled his fingers at me in a little wave, then vanished with a pop.
I stood there in silence, turning over everything I'd just heard.
"P-Player?"
Angel fidgeted, then spoke up.
"Hey, Angel."
"Yes?"
"Can you explain what you two were talking about just now?"
"Th-that's..."
She stammered.
"I can't tell you yet. But once you get close to the end of the game, I'll be able to."
"Then just confirm one thing for me. What I'm doing right now is the right call, isn't it?"
I looked her straight in the eyes. Angel's amber eyes met mine.
"Yes. That much is certain. Player, you just keep clearing things 'as you are' from here on out."
Seeing her eyes—steady, unwavering, planted firmly at their center—I felt myself relax.
"Alright. That's all I needed to hear."
I stood up and slung the sword at my hip.
"By the way, Player! Did anything special happen while I was gone?"
Angel smiled like nothing had happened and talked to me the way she always did.
"Sure did. Had a threesome with the Chairman and the Vice Chairman, actually."
"FOR REAL?! I missed something that good?!"
Watching her wail in genuine, heartfelt regret, I thought: This girl claiming she has no sex drive is a complete lie.
"Ugh, if that bastard 1101 hadn't gone and snitched... oh wait!"
Angel was muttering violently when something seemed to hit her, and she cried out. She glanced at me. Unlike before, her eyes couldn't hold still—they were darting all over the place.
"Player, I've got some unfortunate neeews..."
Fuck. Here it comes.
This was obviously about my Levatein. I swallowed.
"Alright, Angel. Spit it out."
Please. Please. Please.
I prayed desperately in my heart. Just don't take it away. Please!
"Unfortunately, Levatein's..."
Goddammit!
"Regeneration has been restricted."
Huh? That's it?
"That's all?"
Angel nodded glumly and said yes.
"What? That's still a massive win."
The double-rewards event was gone, sure, but it was still an utterly broken sword.
"Still, it's a shame. I should've pushed a little harder."
Angel let out a long sigh, lamenting. This girl was just born this way. Born for it.
I patted her on the head.
"Hey, Angel. Why get all sad over something like that? Even without the double-rewards event, you know who I am."
"The Player!"
"That's right. So don't worry."
I gave her a confident smile.
"I'm clearing this world. No matter what."
"That's our Player!"
Angel gave me a thumbs-up, hyping me up. Ahh, this was the stuff. Angel's flattery—I'd actually started missing it when she wasn't around.
I drew my sword with a flourish and spun it stylishly.
"Ooooh! So cool, Player!"
Yeah. Without Angel reacting to my every little move like this, I'd definitely miss her.
"Hey, Angel. From now on, you stick right by my side."
Seeing Mubaek had made up my mind. I was going to save this world. No matter what.
"You've gotta hand out skills and watch me clear this thing, right?"
Angel grinned at me.
"Of course, Player!"
Looking at Angel's innocent smile, I thought: Yeah. Angel and I are partners.
A dark room.
In an empty chamber with not a single piece of furniture, a man dropped out of thin air with a thud.
"Urgh... khh..."
Mubaek. The man whose ashen-gray eyes gleamed even darker than the darkness itself. Mubaek burst into tears.
Operator 14, who had denied his very existence. That girl had declared, without a shred of doubt, that he too was merely a "part." And that even this emotion of his was something that had "already happened."
"That can't be... it can't..."
Mubaek's trembling fingers swept through the air, and a pure-white sphere rose into view. He stared blankly at one corner of the white orb and murmured.
"That's right. I am different."
This hatred he felt for the world. And this selflessness—this desire to save the lambs living in it. There was no way these were fake.
Even if all of it turned out to be a lie, the "act" he was about to commit would be the first. And it would be real.
Mubaek gazed at the tiny hole punched through the white sphere and muttered.
"That's right. This much, at least... this much..."
He pulled the sphere into his arms. Clutching the white orb to his chest, Mubaek broke down sobbing in that room overflowing with darkness.