As Romis walked, welcomed by the patients, he waved his hands grandly. He manipulated the flames of the “Lord Flame God’s Sacred Stone” lining the room’s walls, blocking our escape route.
“Kuh—!”
I grunted. The flames, animated like living creatures, were dense and thick, convincing me that any touch would result in utter incineration.
“Heh heh. everyone, thank you for the hospitality. Another fine prayer today. However, I must ask for your forgiveness regarding the prophecy, as I have to deal with the two bandits who have been causing trouble since last night.”
Upon hearing his voice, the patients moved aside, not obstructing Romis’s path, and formed a human corridor that followed us.
Romis let out a sigh and approached us, adjusting his tone.
“Were you surprised? This movement is tiring, so it’s a ‘Miracle’ I’d rather not have performed often…”
This, too, seemed to be an application of the power of “The One Who Steals the Logic of Fire.” It must be similar to the new ‘Curse Technique’ our Master used on impulse earlier but the level of execution was vastly different.
Our Master had used up all the ‘Demonic Poison’ in his body and was still breathless. In contrast, Romis hadn’t even broken a sweat. The difference highlighted the disparity in preparation. Romis had likely anticipated many scenarios and, with the cooperation of competent individuals like the Director, had prepared various ‘Curse Techniques.’
That’s why he maintained his composure in any situation. Within Fanian, he was confident of victory. That confidence was reflected directly in Romis’s expression and tone.
“Are you speechless? …However, it’s not admirable for both of you to show your backs mid-conversation. Your business here isn’t concluded yet, is it? You should stay a while longer. You have companions, after all. As the liege lord, I will responsibly take care of both of you for years to come.”
With that, Romis raised his hand. The patients immediately began to move, approaching the walls. Then, they surrounded the three of us from a distance, and began to clap their hands, their backs to the blazing flames.
It seemed to be one of the gestures used in rituals and ceremonies. Not only the wall of fire but also a wall of people formed, and I clicked my tongue, glaring at the enemy before me. Romis serenely brushed aside my hostility and spread his hands proudly.
“Heh heh, isn’t it wonderful? Right now, I am more than just a liege lord; I am a prophet who brings miracles to the world. Merely shifting ‘the night that once was’ slightly, Fanian is bathed in morning. I can even manipulate the logic of the world, time itself.”
It seemed my internal clock wasn’t mistaken after all. The world’s time was currently night. However, in Fanian, where time had been adjusted by ‘the night that once was,’ that common sense didn’t apply. It could be changed by Romis’s whim. Perhaps, at the moment he initiated combat with us, he had made it morning in Fanian and started replenishing the ‘Demonic Poison.’
I could feel myself being cornered by Romis’s prior preparations. However, our Master, trying to deny this reality, appealed to the people around him who were clapping their hands.
“Everyone!! Please don’t be deceived! He is monopolizing the town and using it for his own selfish desires! I saw it! In this underground, the dismembered body of a little girl!! The figures of those sacrificed in research institutes all over the country!!”
However, his words did not reach them. The terminal patients here had a vague awareness that “there are secrets within the research institutes” and “inhumane experiments are conducted underground,” yet they accepted it with a “it’s fine” or “it can’t be helped.”
More importantly, the flames were also manipulating emotions. The people living in Fanian would be made to believe until death that “this is the best situation,” and they would never change their minds.
Therefore, our Master’s cries were in vain. The escape route remained blocked, the prayers worshipping Romis could not be stopped, and the gap in power continued to widen. Facing this unyielding atmosphere, our Master searched for a way to break through.
“Someone—!”
I knew who our Master was looking for. The patients who were saved by our Master’s ‘Level Up’ yesterday and called him a savior. For example, the boy who called our Master ‘The Great Savior.’ If even one person believed in our Master instead of Romis, there would be a glimmer of hope in this encirclement—Romis scoffed, as if to extinguish that hope.
“It’s futile. As I said before, in religion, numbers and unity are paramount. The principle is for everyone to become one, believe in one thing, and aim for one goal. …Therefore, I apologize, but the seeds of the ‘new religion’ you sprouted last night have been carefully pruned. Root and all.”
“P-pruned…?”
While we were standing still and talking, flame giants also emerged from the door through which we had entered, slowly surrounding us. The room’s temperature rapidly increased, but the patients’ prayers showed no disturbance and did not stop.
As I was preparing myself for the necessity of killing the unresisting followers of the “Artofel Religion” if necessary—Tiida, “The one who steals the logic of darkness,” who had likely finished her preparations before me, was trying to locate her. I knew she had moved from Romis’s shadow, but I didn’t know where she was hiding. There was a high probability she would try to stab me in the back again, so I kept my short sword ready and stayed close to our Master.
Meanwhile, Romis continued to speak with his usual composure.
“All the patients who bathed in your light showed physical abnormalities. In general, they gained superhuman strength, so they were sent to the basement as potential ‘Demons.’ I emphasized to the researchers to study and experiment thoroughly.”
“You… were you! You sent everyone who had recovered to that basement!?”
Romis used gentle words, but from his actions and personality up to this point, it was clear that he had “killed all the patients who received our Master’s ‘Level Up’ to silence them.” Furthermore, it was implied that they met gruesome deaths that an ordinary person would not be able to bear watching—
Therefore, our Master’s breathing became erratic.
“Hah, hah, hah…!”
He likely remembered the treatment of the demons in the research institute’s basement that he had seen last night. Understanding that the boy who called him ‘The Great Savior’ was no longer in this world, he was on the verge of despair. In that emotional state, our Master appealed to the surrounding patients again.
“Did you hear me!? Everyone!! This is someone who uses patients for experiments if necessary!! You never know when you’ll suffer the same fate!!”
However, it was in vain. The patients didn’t budge. It was confirmed that the faith in this room, channeled through the “Artofel Religion,” was directed towards Liege Lord Romis Neisha with perfect unity.
“Can’t you hear me!? Why!?”
“I have faithfully served this Fanian as its liege lord for three years. You appeared only yesterday and are nothing more than a suspicious bandit who yells around. Can you grasp the difference? And that difference is what granted me the power of ‘Miracle’ three years ago. Like this.”
Romis then stopped talking and waved his hand again. The flames that had been burning behind him extended like tubes, twisting like snakes. And they swam through the air like released arrows, attempting to devour our crying Master.
I immediately tried to fight in his place, kicking off the ground, but several flame giants that had maintained their distance charged at me, forcing me to give up.
“Master! Be careful!”
“Guh—!!”
I was charged by a flame giant, stopping my attempts to help, and only managed to cry out. Our Master avoided the gaping maw of the flame snake, but he was struck by its massive tail and blown to a corner of the room.
While fending off the flame giants, I assessed the situation. Neither I nor Master had sustained fatal wounds, but we were gradually having our stamina drained while suffering intermittent burns. The fact that we were still standing was solely due to Romis’s caution.
As our Master got back on his feet, he called out to the surrounding patients.
“Someone! Someone… no, everyone from that time is already—”
Gone. They were all already dead. Everyone who could have helped us had been excluded from this central infirmary. Our Master finally accepted this fact and gnashed his teeth in despair.
“It’s my fault… Because I saved them lightly… everyone… Tiara even tried to stop me…!”
Our Master was filled with regret. Then, as if making a last-ditch effort, he tried to emit the ‘Level Up’ light from his body, just like yesterday, but the light was overwhelmed by the illumination from the “Lord Flame God’s Sacred Stone” around them. More importantly, the faith the surrounding patients held for Romis interfered with the ‘Demonic Poison’ in the room, obstructing our Master’s ‘Level Up.’
Understanding that this space was on Romis’s side, our Master gave up on ‘Level Up’ and began constructing another ‘Curse Technique.’ The flame snake, as if pursuing the Master who had been blown away, swam through the air. Trying to disrupt the pursuit, our Master shouted the ‘Curse Technique’ he had used underground again.
“Bend—!!”
“I am surprised by that. However, it is no longer a threat. This room has enough power to hold it back.”
The room began to shift clockwise again—but Romis, who had predicted this change, manipulated the ‘Demonic Poison’ in the room and fixed the shift. It was an effortless response, as if he were grasping it with his hand. However, anyone knowledgeable about ‘Demonic Poison’ would recognize it as a divine feat. The judgment and control of the caster were vastly different. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in the amount and quality of the caster’s ‘Demonic Poison’ and their spatial advantage.
“Damn it! All the ‘Demonic Poison’ in the area is flowing to him…!”
“Precisely. Not overlooking your movement from the basement to the central infirmary was also for this purpose. Heh heh, the Light God looks quite pained, doesn’t he? Conversely, I am feeling refreshed. I can escape anytime now, you know? No matter where in the town, or beyond, I will leap there with ‘Miracle’.”
He informed us that our escape routes were sealed in multiple layers. As long as those flames could move from one to another, it would be futile no matter how “fast” we moved. Faced with this overwhelming difference in power, our Master’s body began to tremble. His spirit weakened more than his body. While the amount of ‘Dimensional Power’ leaking from his body visibly decreased—he still tried to fight using ‘Curse Technique.’
“—Curse Technique 《Flame》!”
“I understand that, too. It’s not a threat.”
It was a flame large enough to engulf a person, but it was minuscule compared to the flame snake. The moment they collided, our Master’s flames were unilaterally extinguished. Neither our Master’s ‘Curse Technique’ nor his ‘Dimensional Power’ had any effect. Of course, his sword was out of the question due to its short reach. It was too primitive; he would be burned to ashes before he could even get close.
Sensing our Master’s disadvantage, I desperately wanted to rush to his aid, but the flame giants blocked my path. Relying on their massive size and numbers, they formed an unbreakable wall on all sides, trapping me in multiple layers of encirclement. Romis, wary of my “speed,” was trying to corner me cautiously.
“Don’t be fooled by appearances and let your guard down. That swift princess over there is a monster surpassing even ‘Demons.’ Both her superhuman strength comparable to giants and her unwavering spirit against high temperatures are abnormal.”
He understood very well. That’s precisely why his prized flame giants never left my side. —It was perfect. With such flawless combat tactics, a reversal seemed impossible. The fatal flaw wasn’t the amount of power but the difference in the quality of power. Our Master’s developed ‘Curse Techniques’ and ‘Dimensional Power’ were both unsuited for combat. Even when dealing with flames, our Master’s were for ‘helping people’s lives,’ while Romis’s were for ‘defeating monsters.’ When pitted against each other, the outcome was predictable. I reconfirmed that this Fanian arc was doomed from the start, and Romis voiced it as well.
“That’s right. That princess should be slowly tightened around and carefully subdued. Let your limbs be partially burned so they can no longer move. That is a checkmate.”
His tone implied an intention to capture us for useful purposes. Once I realized my life wouldn’t be taken, I gave up resisting and relaxed my body. I accepted the countless hands of the approaching giants from all directions. I already knew the last page of this chapter through my skills.
“Tiara Fuziaze’s desperate struggle is in vain, and she bows to Romis Neisha’s overwhelming fire power. Her limbs, burned and rendered immobile, she is captured and imprisoned in the basement of ‘The First Demon Obstruction Research Institute.’ Together with her beloved Master, she waits. For the ‘Apostles’ in Fuziaze. And for the help of the ‘Foreigner,’ Aikawa Hidaki—”
It was a conclusion that sufficiently built anticipation for the next chapter. Conversely, it was something we had to avoid: Romis unexpectedly resisting and deciding that “if I can’t capture them, I’d rather kill them.” Deciding this, I endured the burning as I was grabbed by the limbs and forced to the ground.
“Kuh—!!”
Ignoring the pain, I let out a clear groan. Hearing my voice, our Master exposed a weakness out of concern for me.
“Ti, Tiara—!!”
“You’re wavering. The flames have slackened.”
As expected, Romis didn’t miss this opening. Manipulating the flame snake, he made its jaws clamp down on on our Master’s torso. With that momentum, he slammed our Master to the ground, pinning him. Unlike me, our Master, who had no resistance to pain, let out a scream.
“Kuh, Ah, Aaahhh—!!”
“This is the end. Now, we will patiently wait for you two to exhaust yourselves. Oh, if it’s agonizing, you can faint, you know? That would be easier.”
He had no intention of easing the flames until we could no longer endure the heat and pain. Romis was perfect. We would faint, be captured, and defeated.
“Aaaahhh…, Aaaah…, Aaaah…”
At that moment, as the flame snake bit into him, our Master dropped the mask. His face, on the verge of tears, was revealed, and like me, he had accepted defeat. The first thing he spoke was—
“Aaaahhh…, I’m sorry…. Tiara…. Because you followed someone like me…. you too, Tiara…”
It was an apology. I had thought our Master would continue to rage at Romis and spew hateful words until the end. However, he was angry at himself. It was as if his anger towards Romis until now had been false, like the mask he had just dropped—
At that moment, it felt like— my heart and body trembled.
“I’m truly sorry… if it were Hidaki, this wouldn’t have happened… It’s because it’s me, not Hidaki, that this happened…! Ah, it’s all, all, all my fault…!!”
Our Master felt an abnormal amount of responsibility. If things went poorly, he might even blame himself for everything that happened in Fanian.
“That day, you would have been better off not meeting me… If I hadn’t taken you from that tower, you wouldn’t have gone through this…”
“Mas… ter…?”
That’s not right. It was precisely because I expected to go through something like this that I embarked on this journey with our Master. If anyone is responsible for this outcome, it’s me, not our Master. Yet, to say I would have been better off not meeting him— I wish he wouldn’t say that. I still believe that our meeting was fate. Our Master is the ‘Protagonist’ of my ‘Ideal.’ Yet—
“That boy, too, died because he guided someone like me. He was a good kid, just like Tiara… All because he met me…”
With tear-filled eyes, our Master regretted everything about himself.
“It’s because I didn’t know my place and tried to imitate Hidaki… As expected, I was wrong. Ever since coming to this Another World, from beginning to end, I was wrong…”
Finally, the ‘Protagonist’ I loved was trying to deny that he was the ‘Protagonist.’ —The trembling heart began to burn with intense heat. No matter the genre, tendency, or ending of any book, I was confident I could enjoy it. However, the absence of a ‘Protagonist’ from my world was something I could not accept. Feeling a heat in my chest greater than that of the flames, I let it escape from my mouth.
“No…”
My chest was hot. So hot I couldn’t stand it, I stopped myself from closing the book of the Fanian arc. Right now, I had a sense of satisfaction after finishing the book. However, something far more burning, like a heavy weight, was placed deep in my chest, causing me pain. “In a book, it would have been described as ‘overwhelmed by a sense of impatience and loneliness, Tiara Fuziaze’s heart felt like it would burst,’ but in reality, it was just the repetition of the word ‘hot.'” Amidst my confusion at this unprecedented emotion, Romis continued to corner our Master.
“—Light God, there’s no need to be so sad. You can still start over. Unlike the princess over there, I will not let you die, no matter what. That’s right, you won’t die. Heh heh, soon I will empty that head of yours. The town of Fanian excels at that kind of thing.”
“R-restart? Only I won’t die…?”
“You will be reborn as a new you who feels happiness by serving me. You will become a hero of Fanian, not Fuziaze. How is it? Aren’t you looking forward to it?”
“Ah, Ahhh…. It’s only me again. Everyone made miserable, and only I remain? This weakest, most pathetic me, living comfortably alone…! Forgetting everything…!!”
“Yes, you will lose much of your memory. However, there is no need to worry. I will thoroughly research and sublimate your light power into true, holy ‘Magic’! I, Romis Neisha, will ensure it!”
I could read that development with my skills as well. If we lost now, our Master would likely be controlled just like “The One Who Steals the Logic of Fire.” During that process, his personality would surely be manipulated to Romis’s advantage. In a book, it would have read, “Aikawa Uzunami is defeated and captured. From now on, he will experience every kind of despair and close himself off from memory. And he will forget about Tiara Fuziaze, with whom he traveled—”
The future that my skill foretold finally ignited my heat, surpassing the flames that were scorching my body. Our Master would be defeated and captured. From now on, he would drown in despair and seal himself away from memory. And to forget me, with whom he had traveled—I absolutely could not allow it. I absolutely cannot forgive it!! Overflowing with hot emotion, not cold text, I screamed.
“That’s not true! Master!!”
Ignoring the pain of the burns, I contorted my body and shouted with all my might to our Master.
“What you’ve done is not wrong! I was happy to be saved!! I was so happy to meet you, to play and laugh and suffer together, to travel with you! I had a blast! Of course, we failed many times, but I love that Master of mine so, so, so much!!”
My whole body trembled as I tried to break free from the flame giants’ arms. Noticing my resistance, Romis frowned and commanded the flame giants.
“Tch. As expected, you were still hiding your power—”
In an instant, my left and right arms, which were being held, snapped like twigs. A sound like thunder boomed in my head, and a searing pain, exceeding that of the burns, coursed through my entire body. But I didn’t flinch at all and continued to shout.
“So, it’s alright!! I will never disappear from the sight of my beloved Master! This doesn’t hurt at all! It’s fun!!”
Even I didn’t know what I was trying to convey. Honestly, I thought I was wasting the remaining energy I had left.
“That boy who guided me yesterday must still be alive! Everyone who was there— they must still be alive somewhere! That his kindness was wrong, I will never believe it! It’s not over yet! There’s still a possibility that we can reach a happy ending where ‘everyone is together’ someday! So—!!!!”
But this, I felt, was the genuine raw emotion I had been seeking. The reason I hadn’t noticed what had been within myself all along was none other than my innate difference— ‘Reading.’ However, I was now shaking off my own skills for the first time in my life and coming to understand the true meaning of the words, “Experiencing it firsthand is vastly different from reading about it.”
—If I could just protect my beloved Master’s life, any ending would be fine?
No! I could only say that because I had never experienced reality before! Because I had only been foolishly excited by meeting the ‘Ideal’ ‘Protagonist,’ I hadn’t truly fallen in love yet! If I truly loved him, I would have wanted to see his smile! If I truly loved him, I would have wanted to make him happy! I would have been driven to fulfill Master’s wish of ‘everyone together,’ no matter what! I wouldn’t want him to forget me even for a moment! I would want to laugh together forever! I would want to be together until we die! Isn’t that what it means to truly love someone?! To want a happy ending no matter what! Then, instead of “Tiara Fuziaze loves Aikawa Uzunami!!” it should be [I love Master so, so, so much] that is my true feeling!!
“So, please don’t cry…! Master!”
I spat out all those feelings. I couldn’t stop. Leaping from the world of books into the real world— and nearly losing someone I cherished, I finally realized— the true meaning of raw emotion, my “first love.” It reached our Master, who was pinned to the ground by the flame snake.
“Tiara…”
With tearful eyes, our Master reflected the image of me, collapsing in the distance. I confirmed my own reflection in his eyes. I saw myself, rampage in the throes of first love, spewing out my feelings. The situation was dire, but I felt a slight sense of accomplishment. I felt a connection with our Master’s heart. At the moment I truly felt it was worth sacrificing all my remaining strength to convey—
“That can’t be—”
Suddenly, our Master’s expression changed. We were clearly reflecting each other’s images. I had confessed my love, the confession of my life, and our Master had received it. However, within his response to that confession— another girl was mixed in.
My heart began to pound. My heart, which had been so hot, suddenly cooled down, and I was greatly bewildered. However, our Master was even more bewildered than I was. He looked at the scene he had just witnessed, the words he had heard, the name he had spoken— all in shock, his face turning pale, his gaze drifting away from me with a look like he was about to cry.
“‘Her’…? Who is it? Who could it be? No, I know…”
Our Master asked himself questions, his breathing becoming shallow and thin, making him appear short of breath. It was as if he were talking to a part of himself he didn’t know, and to an outsider, it looked like madness. Finally, our Master lowered his head and, not looking at Romis or me, cried out towards his own chest.
“I know. Because I wished for it to be this way…! Ah, Ahhh…!! Ah, Ahhh, Ahhh—!!”
I realized I didn’t have time to mourn the failure of my confession. Seeing him, I knew our Master was in the midst of a failure far greater than mine. After all, his twisted, contorted face was fitting to describe as “his mind collapsing.” If things continued like this, our Master would break beyond repair.
“Master…!”
Even while lying down, I tried to extend my broken right arm. However, the bones were crushed, and the flame giant grabbed my arm, rendering me unable to move an inch. I gritted my teeth and glared at the flame giant gripping me with a fierce gaze— At the tip of my broken right arm, I saw a faintly swaying thread. There was something on my fingertip that shouldn’t have been there.
“Eh? ‘Threads’—”
A thin, white ‘thread’ was caught on my fingertip. It was composed of ‘Demonic Poison,’ a ‘thread’ that one normally couldn’t see. And yet, for some reason, I could see it now, at this very moment. And perhaps because of my skills, I was assailed by a strange sensation. This development, this book, this ending— the growth story of our Master and me felt as if it had been written by someone from the beginning, and all the characters: ‘Protagonist,’ ‘Heroine,’ and ‘Villain,’ were merely being manipulated by the ‘author’— In that sensation, our Master’s long-strained heart finally crumbled. Before my eyes, the conditions for becoming a “Thief of Principles” deepened further.
