‘Seriously, it’s too horrible…’
“So what? What does that matter? Duke of Ravenwood, did you think I would feel sorry for you because of that?”
Lilith still didn’t hide her hostility toward Basileon.
“No. I had no such intention at all. I simply…”
Basileon lost his composure again and was wavering. His gaze shook unsteadily as if it had lost its place to go.
“I simply do not want anyone to be played by It.”
Hearing Basileon’s words, his suspicion of Chera trapped in the music box became understandable. I recalled the conversation I had with Chera.
‘However… was there anything suspicious?’
“I don’t care about your circumstances. Rather, we survivors are the ones who were played by you.”
“….”
Basileon did not deny it. Nor was he offended. He just seemed to accept the fact humbly.
Lilith stared intently at the dropped Flamberge.
“By the way, Duke of Ravenwood. What happens if you die?”
“Lilith. What are you saying all of a sudden?”
Hearing Lilith’s words, I started to get a little anxious.
‘She wouldn’t do something like that, would she.’
Unaware of how I felt, Lilith continued speaking.
“I mean exactly what I said. We came back to life even after being killed by that murderer, so I’m wondering if that human would be the same.”
“I… do not know.”
Basileon answered hesitantly.
“If you die, It will bring you back to life, right? The ‘evil god’. Right?”
“….”
After confirming Basileon’s reaction, Lilith bent down and picked up the Flamberge.
“Wait, wh-what are you trying to do?”
I blocked Lilith’s path. But Lilith ignored me and only looked at Basileon.
“Because I think it would be good for you to feel it too. The pain of death.”
‘This is bad.’
Lilith looked ready to kill Basileon with the Flamberge she picked up. If that happened, the [GAME OVER] status window would probably pop up and the game would return to the beginning again.
‘No one should die!’
I flew over to calm Lilith down.
“Wait! Lilith, calm down.”
“Evil spirit. Are you ultimately saying you’re a comrade of the murderer too?”
Lilith’s eyes were serious. Simple persuasion wouldn’t work. Because it was a gaze that revealed all the hatred, desire for revenge, and humiliation she had harbored toward Basileon.
‘Still, I have to try something.’
I started to persuade Lilith again.
“That’s not what I meant. Lilith. If you remember everything, can’t you feel it?”
“What does that mean?”
“That this time, a situation different from what has been repeated until now is unfolding.”
Lilith stared blankly into the air for a moment, as if tracing back her old memories.
“…What does that matter?”
“It matters. The fact that a situation different from what has happened so far is unfolding means… perhaps there is a possibility that we can escape from this curse.”
Was it working? Fortunately, Lilith’s gaze softened a little.
‘A little more!’
“If Basileon dies and goes back to the beginning again, he will start hunting humans all over again.”
“…!”
“Then everything goes back to square one. Lilith. Don’t you want to get out of here?”
“That’s sophistry.”
Lilith kept shaking her head, as if she wanted to deny my assumption. And she couldn’t stay still, like an anxious person.
‘It definitely worked.’
“Well… I’ll only explain this much. Whether you believe my words or not is your choice.”
Since the atmosphere had changed from earlier, I looked back and saw Mary and Havel, as well as Adolf and Krius watching us.
‘…Since when?’
However.
“No.”
Basileon, who had been listening with bated breath, moved.
“…What. Basileon?”
He stood tall right in front of Lilith.
“Your words are correct. Even if it wasn’t what I wanted, the one who killed you all was this body.”
Basileon slowly sank to his spot and knelt down.
“So kill me as you wish.”
Lilith’s eyes widened in an instant, and she stared blankly at Basileon as if she was speechless.
“Don’t say such nonsense!”
I blocked the kneeling Basileon and said.
“To that survivor, it would make sense.”
Basileon seemed to be caught up in some sentimentality for a moment, then humbly closed his eyes.
“Are you crazy?”
Lilith, flustered by the unexpected reaction, stood still for a long time. But as she looked at Basileon, her emotions seemed to well up again, and her expression rapidly darkened. Lilith’s hand gripping the Flamberge was definitely trembling.
“Basileon. If we go back to the beginning, everything will start anew. Right now, you might feel like you don’t want to hunt humans anymore, but if you go back, it’s certain that feeling will become useless!”
“Even if that happens, I will have to accept it.”
“….”
I was at a loss for words for a moment.
‘No. Persuasion doesn’t seem to be working at all.’
As the situation didn’t go my way, my emotions welled up and tears fell. While Lilith trembled with the Flamberge in her hand, I was also lost in thought. Seriously. Why am I crying…
Because I’m angry that I might lose what clearly seems to be an opportunity to escape the game? Because I tried to persuade Basileon and Lilith, but it didn’t work at all?
Thump— thump—.
My heart beat fast.
‘….’
I wiped my tears with my hand. And to feel my thumping heart, I placed my hand on my chest.
It was the moment I realized the reaction of a body no different from a human’s. When I raised my head again, I saw Basileon at the end of my gaze. Basileon was looking at me, prepared to die at the hands of a survivor.
‘I’m fine.’
His eyes seemed to be saying words like that.
‘Last time, you said you wanted to be with me without receiving any courtship.’
I recalled the fluttering feeling I felt during our conversation back then. I barely managed to meet Basileon after a long time, but he was thinking of dying. A corner of my chest felt heavy. I wanted to avoid a situation like this, but it ended up like this in the end. The flowing tears, the pounding heart, the heaviness pressing down on my chest were all because of Basileon.
‘…Yes. Even if he dies and comes back to life, I don’t want the current Basileon to disappear.’
Basileon continued to look at me, and Lilith still stood still, whatever she was thinking.
“You clearly said you wanted to be with me. In a peaceful place…”
As my emotions welled up a little, words driven by emotion rather than reason popped out.
Basileon’s eyes wavered.
“Besides, I…”
“I like you.”
“Eve. I like you.”
I recalled Basileon’s confession. No matter how agitated my emotions were right now, they were words too embarrassing for me to spit out with my own mouth.
“….”
As I slightly raised my head, my eyes met Basileon’s.
[Basileon Ravenwood]
◇ Intimacy: 97%
◇ Anger: 32%
‘When did it get that high…’
It was an intimacy stat I was seeing after a long time since we met, and it was right on the verge of becoming 100 percent.
[Basileon Ravenwood]
◇ Intimacy: 98%
◇ Intimacy: 99%
‘Wait. It’s not my imagination that it’s gradually going up, right?’
Basileon was still looking at me intently.
[Basileon Ravenwood]
◇ Intimacy: 100%
‘Ack!’
Wondering if something might happen, I squeezed my eyes shut.
‘….’
But I didn’t hear any sound and it was very quiet.
I opened my eyes a slit first to check the situation.
‘It’s the status window?’
! Intimacy with <Basileon Ravenwood> has reached 100%.
! <???> has been unlocked.
‘Eh?’
Swoosh—!
While I was distracted by the status window, Adolf’s rapier blocked Lilith’s path. It seemed he did it out of fear that she might swing the Flamberge and attack Basileon.
Clatter—. Clatter—.
Adolf approached Lilith.
“I understand how you feel, but we can’t miss an opportunity that has finally come.”
Unlike before, Lilith’s eyes were submissive.
“…The evil spirit’s words are right. We have to escape the curse. All of us.”
As if her tension had been released and she lost her strength, the Flamberge fell from Lilith’s hand to the floor.
“I can’t do it anyway, I…”
Lilith looked at her two hands in vain.
“I guess I… don’t have the courage to kill someone. However.”
Lilith hugged the music box she had placed behind her back again.
“I can’t concede this.”
Basileon no longer asked Lilith to give him the music box. He just sat still in a kneeling position like earlier.
“Just because I don’t kill you doesn’t mean I forgive you. I have no intention of doing so.”
Lilith dragged her trembling legs past Basileon.
“Havel, Mary. Follow me.”
The survivors followed Lilith and moved to another part of the passage.
Hi! Thank you for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. Please continue to support this novel by giving it a good rating on Novel Updates. Thank you! ^^ ❤︎
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