Adaptation (3)
Saren couldn't die here. No, she shouldn't die at all. I had to save her, earn the title of savior, and bring this story to its proper close. That was the predetermined ending. So what the hell was this situation? Why was I, the one who was supposed to set off on an adventure, now a criminal? And why had the child whose life I was meant to save already met her death?
“······.”
Ah... so that's how it was.
Unlike a game artificially woven together, these people actually had lives. That meant Vivian might fail to escape with us. Because Vivian, the soldiers who captured us, and even the ones carrying out this execution—they were all living, breathing humans here. To them, this place was reality.
I'd realized that earlier, so why had I arrogantly declared the ending was set in stone? Just because I lazed around in bed didn't mean the story would reach that conclusion on its own. The ending wasn't predetermined—it was something I was supposed to guide toward. Why had it taken me this long to understand something so obvious?
I'd been complacent. My arrogance had killed Saren.
Of course, I felt no familial affection for a child I'd barely seen for thirty minutes. But the sight of Saren's severed head lying there, and the tears falling from those unseeing red eyes, dug deep into my heart.
I stared blankly at those lifeless eyes for a long time. Then—
“Next.”
At the high-ranking knight's low, heavy voice, the soldiers pinning me down twisted my arms behind my back and began dragging me away. A dull crack sounded from my shoulder, and my toes scraped against the rough stone floor, tearing open wounds. Even so, I hung limp, letting them haul me along in a daze.
“Spawn of a traitor!!! Die already!!!”
“Don't let him die easy!! Make it as painful as possible!!!”
The crowd's roars erupted from all sides, stabbing into my ears. A child's shrill voice. A middle-aged man's curses. Women's screams. All of it blended into one cruel cheer.
Then—thud! A sharp stone someone had thrown grazed my temple, leaving a hot burst of pain. Another stone slammed straight into my ribs.
“Kuhk!!”
The agony felt like bones shattering. I reflexively tried to curl up, but that only made the soldiers' grips tighten even harder on both sides.
“Huk... huk······.”
Why did I have to suffer like this? I didn't know. A suffocating sense of injustice and the terror born of ignorance pierced through my entire body.
“Stand straight!!”
They stopped me right in front of Saren's headless, slumped corpse. As if deliberately making me witness the horror, the soldier only untied her bound body and kicked it aside after I arrived.
Splat!
The sound of the corpse hitting the blood-soaked ground was utterly chilling. Beside that limp torso lay another familiar yet unfamiliar body. Though it had no head, the pale white skin and slender frame were unmistakable. The maid uniform drenched in blood, with severed golden hair clinging to it. It was unmistakably Vivian.
“Huu... huu······.”
The sight made my breath come in ragged gasps, enough to make me want to vomit. Not because these people had died. No. It was the fear that I was about to die. Dragged into this place overnight, only to die immediately like this.
What would happen if I died? Would I automatically return to reality? Or if not? What if I really just died and my life ended here? If this was... reality?
“Prepare.”
At the high-ranking knight's command, the soldiers holding me tried to force me down onto the blood-drenched guillotine. Only then did my reason return. I thrashed violently, letting out a scream that might have been a sob.
“Let go!! Let go, you fucking bastards!! I said let go!!!!”
I wailed until I could taste the bitter tang of blood in my throat. Because no matter how I looked at it, that death was real. Not some defeat that ended with 'retry,' but the reality of ceasing to exist in this world.
Dragged here without knowing why, only to have my life end on a guillotine without knowing why—it was too... too unfair.
“This bastard... won't stay still!?”
Thud!!
“Keurk!!”
The soldier who'd kicked me earlier now brought his scabbard down hard on my skull. A piercing eeeee— filled my ears as my vision shook violently. Soon I felt something warm soaking my face, and my sight turned red.
Taking advantage of my drained strength, the soldiers quickly laid me down and began binding my hands, feet, and body with ropes.
“Huk... huk... stop, stop... stop, you sons of bitches······.”
The high-ranking knight approached and unfurled a new scroll, reciting in a low voice.
Serion Elsia. As Dannes Elsia has committed the crime of treason, his bloodline shall also face judgment in the name of the Empire's law. Therefore, the criminal shall be immediately executed by beheading.
With those words, he looked down at me with eyes full of utter boredom. I stared back at him, struggling desperately as I shouted.
“P-please, just listen to me!! I'm not an Elsia!!! I have nothing to do with this family!!!”
The knight let out a snort of laughter.
“To abandon your family just to save your own neck. The eldest son of Elsia truly is despicable.”
“That's not it!! This really isn't my family!!! I—I was suddenly dragged into this place!! Please believe me!!”
“Huu...”
The man closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. After a moment, he slowly opened them again, gazing at me with eyes full of contempt.
“Carry out the execution.”
“...Huh?”
My whole body went cold, as if my heart had stopped. The thrashing of my hands and feet abruptly ceased. Only a chilling air pierced my lungs. Tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision.
“P-please... please...”
Through my hazy sight, I saw the soldier standing beside me move. “Please... spare me······.”
But contrary to my desperate plea—schunk—!! A blade that was both cold and burning hot sliced through the air with a harsh sound, piercing straight through my neck.
The scene before me began to spin. The sky heavy with dark clouds. The spectators who looked like they'd come to watch an entertaining show. And my own body, headless, slumped over the guillotine—all of it was vividly clear.
Thud— With a dull sound, my head landed right in front of Saren. I was forced to meet her lifeless red eyes. Soon my own eyes would grow just as cold. Soon these thoughts would stop too.
Why had this happened? What had I done so wrong to be dragged here? I'd simply finished my military service and played games like everyone else before returning to school. What exactly had I done wrong here...?
“······.”
With that final thought, all sensation stopped. As if the lights had gone out.
▶ Achievement [Half the Battle Is Starting] completed.
Reward: Passive skill Only Memories Remain acquired.
Skill Effect: Automatically stores every moment of your past lives in the Memory Archive. Stored memories can be recalled at any time. This skill activates automatically.
...What? I heard some kind of sound.
▶ Title [First Step] acquired.
Title Effect: All stats increased by +1. Title effect applied automatically.
Ah, it must have been the system that brought me here. Suddenly it was achievements, skills, titles—spouting nothing but incomprehensible words. Did that mean I was still inside that game? That couldn't be. I'd... already had my head cut off and died, hadn't I?
▶ Unique skill To the Beginning activated.
Unique skill? Did I have something like that? Maybe I did. My mind was too numb to remember clearly. But if it was To the Beginning... did that mean I was going back to reality?
For a moment, that sweet fantasy stirred my heart.
▶ Then please enjoy the story of Elsia that you could not fully savor before.
Wait, 'could not fully savor before'? The way it spoke made it sound like it knew I'd speedrun the game. How? Just what was this system? Why did it know my situation, why had it stayed silent all this time only to appear now?
But before I could ask, the system vanished from my sight again. And once more, a white light engulfed me. This time, instead of fear, I simply squeezed my eyes shut against the blinding brightness.
“······Brother.”
Soon, a familiar girl's voice tickled my ear. This voice... could it be—
“Brother!!!”
“Ugh—!!”
The heavy impact against my stomach jolted me back to my senses. At the same time, a familiar room came into view. Startled, I lowered my head slightly and saw a girl with long white hair and intense red eyes glaring at me, breathing hard.
“Honestly!! You were talking and then suddenly spaced out—what are you doing, Brother!!”
“······Saren?”