* * *
“Do you understand now?”
“…”
“Evil spirit. Are you crying?”
Adolf stomped closer to check my tears.
“The story is too heartbreaking—what else am I supposed to do?!”
When I suddenly shouted, Adolf flinched.
“Ahem. In any case, what I’m saying is that the young master is not someone who would give up on life so easily.”
“Yeah. I understand perfectly. I know you were his emotional pillar too.”
“So you do know how to listen to reason after all?”
Adolf peered into the soul-collecting mirror.
“And as for me, I believe that someday the young master will overcome this curse.”
If things really turned out the way Adolf said, wouldn’t that fulfill my goal as well? Surely, if everyone—including Basileon—were freed from the curse, this game would end too.
“I hope so too.”
“You guys, keep this mirror safe.”
At Adolf’s command, the pieces of armor that had been hiding in the back sprang forward. The fragments assembled into a humanoid shape and lifted the soul-collecting mirror.
“Good. Carry it with you at all times and report any movement. A ghost might burst out of it. It has likely already been offered as a sacrifice, but one never knows.”
Adolf chose a suitable sword from among the Ghost Knight Order’s weapons and handed it to the assembled armor.
“If a ghost emerges, tear its limbs off with that.”
“That’s terrifying.”
“Then would you prefer we let it live?”
“…No.”
It did seem better for Adolf to manage it this way than for Basileon to keep carrying it. From what I had heard before, heirlooms were impossible to break. Which meant that mirror likely couldn’t be shattered either. The fact that it couldn’t be destroyed or disposed of made the dreadful object all the more irritating.
“That thing really is a nuisance.”
Just looking at the soul-collecting mirror made me worry about Basileon.
‘…He’s probably alone somewhere.’
Adolf had told me not to go looking for him, but honestly, I wanted to do as I pleased.
“Adolf. See you later, then.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to rest too. Don’t worry.”
I said my goodbyes and quickly slipped away, pretending not to be going after Basileon.
“Hm….”
Even so, Adolf watched me suspiciously to the very end.
‘He’s sharp.’
I pretended not to hear his doubtful tone and left.
* * *
I flew in every direction to find Basileon.
Flying through the air in the middle of the night felt refreshing.
‘Basileon.’
Before I knew it, the story I had just heard came to mind.
‘Yeah. Why would a young Basileon be any different from a normal child? If you’re born into this world, it’s only natural to crave a parent’s love.’
I searched every place within the Ravenwood ducal territory where he might go. By now he should have turned up somewhere, yet there wasn’t even a glimpse of him.
‘Hmm….’
I flew high into the sky to secure a better field of vision. Even in the middle of the night, as a wraith, my sight was perfectly clear. I scanned the area from the heights, eyes darting around to find him.
‘Wait, is that him?’
In every game, the playable area is fixed. It was common to be unable to go outside the “map.” This game was also designed so that one could not leave the designated area—the Ravenwood Duchy. Down below, there was something black that looked as small as a dot. It stood at the boundary between the Ravenwood Duchy and the outside world.
Whoosh—.
I picked up speed and flew toward it. I slowed down once I got close enough.
‘It’s Basileon.’
After confirming the black figure was indeed Basileon, I observed his actions. Basileon was staring blankly at the invisible wall between the Duchy and the outside world.
“Ugh….”
He raised a finger to touch the wall, then let out a groan as if in pain. Actually, I had tried to pass through that wall once before, but I was simply bounced back.
‘Humans feel pain, and ghosts just get bounced away, is it?’
This time, Basileon drew his flamberge. He stepped back slightly, held the sword properly, and took a stance.
‘Huh? What is he planning to do with that…?’
Whoosh—!
Basileon swung the flamberge.
Thud—!
It had no effect at all. The blade simply rebounded from the wall and fell helplessly to the ground. Basileon quietly watched it where it lay.
“…”
Now seemed like the right moment. I approached carefully so as not to startle him and revealed myself.
“Basileon.”
“Eve?”
When he lifted his head to call my name, his face was filled with worry.
“What… are you doing?”
“I’m not sure myself.”
“Don’t tell me you want to leave this place?”
As if responding to my question, Basileon raised his head and looked toward the distant mountain range visible far away.
“Why must we be trapped here?”
“…Because we’re cursed.”
“Yes. But as time passes—and as I realize no survivor truly dies—I find myself breaking free from the curse and the brainwashing.”
“What?”
“The more I refrain from killing, the more it will tighten its grip on me.”
Suddenly, I recalled what Basileon had once said.
“But you said it yourself. You said the more you refrain from killing, the more it will tighten its grip on you….”
Basileon looked down at his open palms, his expression twisting. His hands were covered in scars and wounds.
“Yes. That’s the brainwashing I received. But I no longer believe it to be true.”
“I don’t quite understand.”
“The less I fulfill my ‘role,’ the more I’m freed from the brainwashing and the curse. I’ve realized that the belief—that something terrible would happen if I didn’t kill—was just another lie planted in my head.”
‘Really… even that was a lie?’
A feeling of pity for him blossomed in my heart. Perhaps Basileon was nothing more than the Evil God’s puppet. A life of being brainwashed without knowing it, unable to escape, and manipulated according to the Evil God’s will. Still, the fact that Basileon was breaking free from the brainwashing and the curse was very welcome news.
“But just a while ago, you lost your mind, and there were warnings written on the walls.”
“That was because I carried the mirror on me… my mistake. It merely exploited the situation.”
Basileon lifted his head again, gazing at the landscape beyond.
“As time passes, I feel an increasing desire to completely overcome the curse.”
Then he met my eyes.
“Eve. I want to be with you—free from all constraints.”
There was unmistakable affection in his gaze.
“Uh….”
“In a peaceful place beyond there, we could live without worries.”
“Is that the only reason you were staring out there?”
“‘The only reason’? Your existence accounts for most of my reason for living.”
A hint of hurt colored his voice.
“I can’t believe I play such a large role. I’m just….”
‘I’m just a lowly human from another world.’
I couldn’t bring myself to say the rest, so I stared at the ground.
“I’m just… a nobody.”
“Eve, that doesn’t sound like something you would say.”
The attitude I had shown since possessing the wraith. Confident, outspoken, and playful. The current me must seem far removed from that.
“Do you… do you really know me that well?”
Suddenly, I felt depressed.
‘If I’m not the Evien Montrose you think I am, could you still like me?’
“I don’t know what kind of person you’ve defined me as, but in reality, I might be someone far from the ideal you imagine.”
Basileon’s lips parted as if to reply, but he remained silent.
“What if I’m like that star in the sky—an alien being from somewhere far away? Would you still feel the same?”
“Of course. No matter where you came from, no matter what form you take, I would inevitably fall for you.”
He answered in a quiet voice. For the first time in a while, I checked Basileon’s affinity stats.
[Basileon Ravenwood]
◇ Affinity: 93%
◇ Rage: 61%
“…”
Heat rose from somewhere deep inside me. It wasn’t even hot outside, yet I felt unbearably warm. As I fanned myself with my hand, Basileon watched me intently.
“I won’t try to define what you are. I may never know everything about you. But I can promise there isn’t a single lie in what I just said.”
“Stop. I get it, so just stop.”
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