An unfamiliar, strange atmosphere flowed through the vast study.
"..."
Although he had spent a considerable amount of time with Fenrir, this was the first time he had faced him face-to-face at such close range. Consequently, Presepe looked down at Fenrir as if he had been startled by something.
Before she knew it, Presepe's cheeks were flushed red, just like Fenrir's eyes staring intently at her.
What brought Presepe back to her senses after she had been wearing such a blank expression was neither Fenrir’s hand holding her waist nor the eyes staring intently at her.
It was the sound of her own heart beating wildly, to the point of being excessive.
“S-sorry!”
Only then did Presepe come to her senses and jump up in surprise.
"I... I guess I was a bit clumsy since it was my first time learning something like this. I'll keep practicing on my own from now on, so please don't worry too much."
Fenrir did not answer.
He simply looked for a moment at his hand that had been wrapped around Presepe's waist just moments ago, and then stood up from his seat as if nothing had happened.
Of course, he was just as troubled inside, but Presepe had no way of knowing that.
"...It seems it will take quite some time to get used to it, so for now, I will also give you a self-defense sword."
The place Fenrir headed to after getting up was a large cabinet placed in the corner of the study.
Presepe, who had followed Fenrir at a slight distance, craned her neck slightly to watch what he was doing.
It looked as big as a wardrobe on the outside, but when he actually opened the door, what was inside was not clothes.
There were only swords.
The swords, which varied greatly in size, were perfectly polished, and even to Presepe's unsuspecting eyes, the sharp, gleaming blades were visible.
“This would be good.”
What Fenrir picked up was a sword so small and light that even Presepe could wield it without difficulty.
"It would be best to carry it with you. However, do not take it out carelessly. You should only use it in the absolute worst-case scenario. You could end up being taken advantage of if it is snatched away."
"..."
"Even though it is small, it is just as sharp, so please handle it with care."
"..."
"Lady Presepe?"
He had been rambling on with his explanation, but there was no reply. Only then did Fenrir look puzzled and follow Presepe's gaze.
What Presepe was looking at was the one placed in the deepest corner.
As if it were a very precious object. It was a forearm-sized sword wrapped in black silk.
“What is that?”
Presepe looked at Fenrir and asked.
"You kept the other swords just in their scabbards, but why is only that sword like that...?"
"...It’s nothing.”
Fenrir gave a short answer and closed the door again.
What is it?
Is this a sword with special meaning?
Presepe tilted her head slightly.
“Try holding it.”
Fenrir, who stood blocking the path, held out his sword to Presepe, and only then did Presepe avert her gaze and accept the sword.
Whether it was because her hands were small or because she lacked muscle strength, the fact that it was small and light was a disadvantage, yet it was a burden for Presepe. It was completely impossible to hold it with one hand. On top of that, she could even feel her arm hanging limply.
"...I think it would be better to buy a new one."
That was true.
"A report from the Knights will likely come in by tomorrow morning. I will send soldiers and a carriage to the mansion, so why don't you come with me to see the sword?"
"Ah. Yes. Okay."
Presepe nodded and answered.
"But I am a little worried. You are clearly outstanding, but the student seems utterly lacking."
Then, with a slightly embarrassed expression, she said.
"Actually, in a fight, you need to grasp the overall situation and context to increase your chances of winning."
"...Lady Presepe?
"But I lack that ability. You know the saying, 'Don't just look at the trees, look at the forest'? I'm not good at that. Like a fool."
She can't recall a single thing about Yoon Ju-yeon's life. She doesn't know what it was like in reality, but at least ever since she was possessed by the game, it has always been like that.
She thought she could exit the game simply by pursuing the five male characters. She didn't notice, nor did she even think to find out, about any of the hidden clues within the game, such as Vanessa's will or the nature of her father.
It was the same now. All she could think was that she had to collapse the system, but she couldn't even get a grasp of what she needed to do to achieve it. Presepe couldn't even fully grasp how the situation was unfolding.
Every time she saw Presepe in the game, she was so incredibly naive that she thought she was 'not just twisting her own fate, but knitting it.' However, if you put them side by side, there might not be much difference in terms of being foolish.
“I don’t think so.”
But Fenrir shook his head and said.
"Of course, I am not unaware of the meaning of the saying that one should look at the forest, not just the trees. It is a valid point, too. But there is also a different way to look at it."
“How?”
"Sometimes, a single tree can burn down an entire forest."
"..."
"It simply depends on your perspective. To others, it may appear as paying attention to trivial details that seem insignificant, and you might even be ridiculed, but conversely, those details could become the decisive clue."
...Is that so?
Presepe mulled over Fenrir's words, blinked a few times, and smiled faintly to herself.
"I didn't mean to make fun of you."
“What a joke!”
Presepe waved her hand and said.
"I just thought Grand Duke Fenrir was very eloquent. Now that I've listened to you, I don't think I'm that stupid after all."
"Because you're not actually stupid."
Fenrir answered firmly, and Presepe burst into laughter again.
"...It seems you have taken up a new hobby, Lady Presepe. I mean teasing me."
However, even the person saying it ended up laughing, so it didn't really do any good.
"It looks like something happy has happened!"
And Hannah, who happened to enter the study at that moment, opened her eyes wide and looked back and forth between the two of them.
"It's nice to have fun, but it's time for dinner."
"Yeah, thanks for coming to pick me up, Hannah."
"You're welcome. Anyway, Lady Presepe, you've gotten so thin you're unrecognizable, so you really need to eat your fill today. I asked for it in advance—I specifically requested that you prepare foods that are good for gaining weight. Ah! But you don't need to force yourself to eat if it doesn't suit your taste. I anticipated that, so I asked for a wide variety of dishes."
Hannah chattered incessantly, and before he knew it, Fenrir was wearing a look of slight boredom. The sight of the two of them felt so comfortable and familiar that Presepe couldn't help but laugh once again.
After having dinner with Fenrir, Presepe returned to her room.
She took out the 'Book of Prophecy' she had hidden under the bed again, sat on the bed, and fell into thought once more.
Let's think again.
She wondered if she was missing anything.
What information did I find out after possessing the game?
Ever since the Demon King's whereabouts became unknown, she kept blaming herself, but strangely enough, she wasn't as depressed as before.
It's probably thanks to what Grand Duke Fenrir told her.
Presepe was grateful for his kind heart. Although he seemed to speak nonchalantly, Fenrir's words provided Presepe with considerable comfort in one way or another.
Recalling the strange silence and atmosphere that had flowed through the study made her feel as though her face was turning red again, but Presepe tried her best not to think about it and meticulously organized the information she knew once more.
And she fell asleep around dawn.
***
Fenrir's prediction that a report would come from the Knights by morning seemed to have turned out to be spot-on.
Hannah said that Fenrir left the mansion early in the morning with the knights who had come to report.
"He said he is going to the place where the Archmage was last seen to check. He also mentioned that since the investigation hasn't been long, it won't take much time."
Anyway, since he had to find a clue and track down their whereabouts, he would have to go there myself.
"He said you would send a soldier and a carriage together sometime in the afternoon. I will let you know as soon as they arrive."
Hannah brought her tea to the room so it would be easy to drink and spoke, and Presepe replied that she understood while reviewing the information she had organized last night over and over again.
And around 2 p.m., soldiers and wagons arrived.
"Shall I go with you? I'm worried about you, Lady Presepe..."
Hannah, who had come out to see her off, looked at Presepe with a worried expression, as just mentioned, but Presepe replied that she was fine.
Since Hannah likely had business at the mansion as well, she didn't want to waste her time unnecessarily.
"The soldiers are with me, too. Don't worry too much. Well then, I'll be back, Hannah."
"Yes! Have a safe trip."
And so, Presepe boarded the carriage sent by Fenrir and looked out the window as several mounted soldiers approached, acting as escorts.
"Since Ivan was last seen at the entrance to the market, the Grand Duke is also there and is on his way."
One soldier bowed his head slightly, looked at Presepe, and spoke.
"It won't take long, so please rest for a while."
With those words, the soldier closed the window, and Presepe, leaning back against the carriage, fell into brief thought again.
'Come to think of it, the game system started to collapse during Prince Attar's time as well.'
There were small bugs before, but things this ridiculous never happened.
'As I kept choosing the buggy options like that, I ended up unable to view things like the Book of Memories or the Case Log.'
...But why did the Book of Memories have errors from the very beginning? She couldn't guess the answer to that at all.
'Anyway, the more I deviate from the original plot or setting, the more it collapses. Doesn't that mean that to completely destroy the system itself, I would have to do something even worse than the bugs that have occurred so far?'
Since the game is still running even though Attar and Noah are dead, it probably isn't just a matter of murder.
Of course, I don't intend to go as far as committing murder yet, but...
It was the moment she was lost in her own thoughts, stroking her chin for quite a while.
The carriage rattled violently.
As if driving on a bumpy road.
"...Huh?"
But going to the market, is there a road like this?
Wait for a sec.
Hasn't it been quite a while since I got on the carriage?
Presepe hurriedly sat up and looked out the window.
And she saw a sight she had never expected.
Soldiers with glazed eyes, as if possessed by something, and an extremely secluded forest path.
"Uh. Where are you going!"
Presepe, growing desperate, opened the window and shouted, but it seemed that neither the soldiers nor the coachman could hear her at all.
Something is wrong.
I have to get off.
Presepe reached out to open the door and jump, but it was that very moment.
"Hello, Presepe."
And then, a person she absolutely never wanted to see again appeared.
"Long time no see."
Ivan's face, smiling with the corners of his mouth turned up, was reflected in Presepe's violet eyes.
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