Chapter 26 - The Story You Don't Know

Huh...?

Why am I in this ending...?

"I'm just an extra—"

"Your part is over now. Farewell, Laward."

As Daywin murmured those words, Esther snapped her fingers.

With that one tiny movement, I was burned.

"It's a shame you won't see the new world. If you could, I'm sure you would follow Him too."

The world ended.

No.

It had been over from the moment the man who inherited Hasgard's steel saved Esther.

Ending 29 had neither the usual infuriating narration nor any fan-service CGs the illustrator had poured heart and soul into.

There was only a city engulfed in flames, Esther's cold face, and Daywin looking down on Laward.

I couldn't part my lips. I simply stared at the message window with vacant eyes.

Seeing my name there felt so utterly wrong. Like watching some bizarre end credits with an extra's name wedged among the leads.

["Are you certain it was Hasgard's second son the Death God's cult was after?"]

Words I had brushed aside not long ago came back to me, one by one.

["Perhaps their aim wasn't to 'kill one,' but to 'leave only one alive.'"]

["They call them the Five Lamps, but I've only seen four."]

["You never met him. You went straight into the hidden-ending route on your first try. You didn't even encounter the villains I made."]

As always, this damned world gave me the most important information last.

Only after I had lived through the apocalypse.

Only after I had returned to the past once.

One fact was now clearer than anything else.

Ending Preview complete.

Returning to the selection screen.

Would you like to view the ending again?

"I was... just an extra..."

No, I wasn't.

026

If.

If the place I reached while fleeing those killers hadn't been the monastery. If I hadn't met the bishop.

I had wondered before what I might have become.

Thinking about it again now, they hadn't even been "killers." The men pursuing me hadn't been assassins hired by a rival house, but agents of the Death God's cult. They probably hadn't intended to kill me at all.

Anyway.

I had learned nothing and done nothing but laze around at home. My family had died one after another, and being the last survivor filled me with despair and shame.

The Hasgard heirloom had come into my hands because I was the only one left, but I hadn't even thought of using it for revenge.

What choice would I have made back then if I'd heard that a necromancer could bring back the dead?

Never mind the twisted hope it would have given me; I probably would have realized sooner that I was inside a game. Naturally, I would also have figured out that the world would end in a few years.

A world doomed to fall at the mastermind's hands anyway.

In that case, I probably would have—

"Joined the winning side."

Thirty-one possible outcomes. Only one in which the protagonist won.

There was no need to agonize over which one to bet on. Especially if the mastermind wanted me on their side.

... Right.

What about now?

Did they still want me?

Not destroying House Hasgard, but leaving only Daywin Hasgard alive.

Amelia's theory had been correct. A clear-cut answer, with no room for debate or partial credit.

Their objective might still be unchanged. They had yet to recruit Daywin Hasgard—the antagonist who used the heroines to obstruct the protagonist.

"Hmm..."

But wasn't that true even now?

Here I was, approaching the heroines and doing my utmost to get in the protagonist's way. Whether I was obstructing his victory or his love life, it was interference all the same.

Whatever path we took, reaching the hidden ending was all that mattered. Once we crossed that finish line, I would leave things to the leads and go home.

Then I wouldn't need to fight anymore, or remain chaste to retain my divine power.

When that time came, yes...

Only then could I give up my chastity.

As long as I didn't slip up and trigger something like Ending 29, I couldn't fail.

While I'm on the subject, Ending 29 had two requirements.

1. [All heroines except Esther have an affection level of (99) toward Laward.]

2. [Daywin Hasgard and Esther meet at least (1) time before graduation.]

Just two.

And the second had already been fulfilled: Esther and I meeting while Laward was an academy student.

Only one trigger remained. If I mishandled affection levels from here on, Ending 29 would activate.

Everything would burn to the ground.

I needed all the heroines to distance themselves from Laward, fast. If I left things halfway, a land-mine ending lay in wait.

Esther's soulless expression and eyes lingered in my mind, refusing to fade.

Raise her well, and she became a saint. Raise her badly, and she became a witch... was that it?

"Good thing I'm raising her well..."

Still, now that I knew such an ending existed, I had a fair bit more to do.

Time to head back, perhaps.

"Lucia!"

The moment I called, I heard footsteps in the distance. A brief patter sounded, then...

WHOOSH!

She reached me at incredible speed, just as she had when she caught that butterfly earlier.

Her physical prowess was so extraordinary that it felt like a waste not to put her current condition to use. She was in such peak form that I almost wished someone would pick a fight with us.

"You called?"

"Lucia. About choosing Houndry's elite members, as I asked earlier. Have you given it any thought?"

"Was I supposed to do that right away?"

"Yes. We'll need to hurry a little."

"Is everyone here?"

Forty Houndry members, gathered by Lucia.

I walked along, examining their faces one by one. They stood rigidly at attention, bodies taut with tension. Only their eyes moved, following me as I passed.

"I intend to entrust you with a very important task."

TAP!

I stopped around the middle of the formation.

"This mission will take a long time. You would do well to say your goodbyes to your families in advance."

At that, their expressions began to change. Hardly good news, I supposed.

"Whether you take part is entirely up to you. You'll have to leave your families, and frankly, it won't be safe. You'll be risking your lives. But I promise you will be handsomely rewarded."

I turned to meet Lucia's eyes.

"Lucia."

THUD!

She set the safe on the floor. The impact knocked its lid open, and the Houndry members' eyes nearly popped out at the sight.

"This is the money accumulated by generations of Karma. In other words, my money."

When I spoke again, those who had been distracted by the safe stiffened their necks once more.

"But as you can see, it's far too much for me to spend alone. Well? This is your chance to share in it."

GULP.

In the brief silence, someone audibly swallowed.

"Again, the choice is yours. If you have the slightest reluctance, leave. I need people who can focus solely on my orders. People who can give everything."

I drew a breath and steadied my voice.

"Those who cannot part with their families, step back."

The moment I finished, fifteen or so men stepped back at once.

More than I'd expected. Even these gangster bastards treasured their own children, did they?

"If you value your life too much, or lack confidence in your ability to protect it, you too should step back."

Another fifteen or so quietly moved back.

"Then it's you lot."

I tapped the safe and surveyed those who remained.

"The ones willing to sacrifice both family and life for this money."

Eight out of forty.

I'd planned on ten teams of four, but I had only two. Still, this would be far better than commanding a ragtag bunch who lacked the proper resolve.

At last, I had a true elite force. I nodded in satisfaction.

Soon, the divine power overflowing in my hand transformed into mana with a dark, clammy aura. I approached each of the remaining eight and lightly pressed a thumb to his forehead.

Sigil of Protection.

A single-use protective buff with no time limit. Rank A.

It was a highly regarded spell, capable of saving someone from death once.

I pressed firmly. One by one, I inscribed the sigils with my thumb, filled with pitch-black mana. Each mark on their foreheads slipped smoothly into their bodies.

As I personally infused them with mana, those who had stepped back cast envious looks their way. Too late now, but they seemed to regret not stubbornly holding their ground.

That was how enthralled Houndry was with this fake dark magic.

"Follow me. I'll explain the details."

"I thought I'd find you here."

The marquisate's Second District. Amelia's usual teahouse.

"Hasgard!"

Amelia looked up from the book she'd been absorbed in and smiled brightly.

Had I been a demon, the smile in her eyes would surely have exorcised me on sight.

Thank goodness I hadn't become a villain.

"What brings you here? And how did you know where I was?"

"You always follow your schedule, Your Highness. I knew this was the time you'd be here."

"Ahem. Surely you could have found a better answer. That you followed the scent of flowers, perhaps."

"I'm not an insect."

"Haha! I'd find you charming even if you were. You there, make room for Hasgard to sit."

She addressed her guards.

"You're keeping guards at your side now."

Probably not the same guards as before. She had said she'd have them all beheaded...

"... Yes. It can't be helped now."

For some reason, Amelia looked sorrowful.

"Still, if they've assigned you guards, the royal family must accept that the Death God's cult..."

"Unfortunately, they don't believe it."

"... I see."

"No one believes the Death God's cult has returned. They're firmly convinced it was wiped out a hundred years ago, without so much as a speck of dust remaining. Or perhaps they simply don't want to believe it because I'm the one saying it..."

Her brows drew together slightly.

"They believe the job was done perfectly a hundred years ago. Even my brother. He said he would thank you, Hasgard, but he refused to believe the cult was responsible."

He said he would thank me?

That sounded a little odd.

At any rate, it seemed getting the royal family's help would be difficult. For now.

But if just one person believed me, I could secure their help someday.

"What about you, Your Highness?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you believe me when I say the Death God's cult was responsible?"

Amelia went utterly still.

"Of course."

She slowly looked up at me.

"Of course, Hasgard. How could I disregard the man who saved my life? Even if no one else believes you, no matter what happens, I will. I promise."

"Then there's nothing to worry about."

When the second semester began, the game's story would drop a hint announcing the cult's resurgence. Even if they didn't believe me now, I could take advantage of that moment.

"But Hasgard."

"Yes?"

"If our suspicions are correct, you're in danger now. No, your house is in danger. Having failed to kill the second son, won't they look for their next opening? This is no time to sit here. You must hurry home and..."

"It's all right."

"All right? Have you made preparations?"

"That too, but first of all... as you said, he didn't die."

Right.

He hadn't died.

Despite being stabbed in the heart, Romans Hasgard had been brought back by Esther's magic.

No one in House Hasgard had died.

In my previous life, everyone but me had died. Romans had only been the beginning. They had died one after another.

The middle Hasgard, then Father.

Our house had fallen because Father—because Hasgard—had grown weaker than ever before. His second son's death had weakened both his body and his spirit.

So...

"As things stand now, we're all right."

Now, with no one dead, he was strong.

"I hear the first outfit they hired failed."

"I heard too. Tried to kill him at the Subjugation Festival disguised as goblins, was it? Honestly, whoever they were, what a bunch of stupid bastards. Why choose a method like that?"

"Exactly. Just break into the house and kill them one by one..."

SHING!

The cloaked intruder quietly drew his blade.

"It's this easy."

Holding his blade carefully, he climbed onto the wall surrounding the Hasgard mansion. Then he turned to help his companion up.

"Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up and climb..."

That was when it happened.

"H-huh...? Something's wrong with..."

CREEEAK, CREAAAK.

His companion's blade bent of its own accord—

SHUNK!

And stabbed its owner in the throat.