Even after she barely made it back to the tower, Presibe was unable to find peace of mind.
The first thing she did upon returning to the relatively safe place was to reconsider any information regarding Atari Hanan.
This means sifting through accident records filled with question marks and photo albums in which faces are hidden.
“Show me Atari Hanan’s accident records and his past memories.”
But…
[System: The character named Atari Hanan does not exist.]
“……”
[System: Would you like to review another character's past accident records and memories?]
No matter how many times I tried, the result was the same.
Even in the group illustrations—scenes drawn with all the characters—Atari's character was nowhere to be found. It was as if someone had eradicated it and left no trace of it.
Atari Hannan disappeared from the game completely.
It was as if he had never existed.
Presibe was completely stunned. Like crazy, I searched through every detail of the game's settings, desperate to find answers. But apart from Attar's disappearance, everything else remained the same.
“Show me information about Grand Duke Fenric.”
Then an image of Fenric came to her mind. His words, veiled by invisible thorns, always echoed in her mind, along with those piercing crimson eyes.
But…
[System: The character named Grand Duke Fenric does not exist.]
...what?
Could this person be an unimportant character? Prisippi quickly searched for data on Ella, the palace maid.
[System: Ella. A maid belonging to the Imperial Palace…]
Ella was also just an NPC. So why was it accessible, but Fenric was not?
This was unprecedented.
Could it be…?
Maybe there was something hidden in the “Book of Memories.” It was added as a feature after unlocking Secret Mode.
“Show me the book of memories.”
[System: Retrieve the Book of Memories.]
[System: The Book of Memories has been accessed.]
Once again, the regime started spreading nonsense about the book being shown, even though it had not been shown.
What was happening on Earth...?
“I don't understand any of this...”
In the end, Preseppe fell to the ground in despair.
“I really… I want to stop…”
How did she manage to keep playing this game full of mistakes? Honestly, it was a miracle that she was able to last this long.
Her initial determination to discover the true male hero, win his heart, and escape the game has long since faded. Now, she only felt fear. The feeling was like being swept away in a vast ocean with nothing but her naked body.
What did I do to deserve this...?
Prisippi buried her face in her hands and cried softly.
“Why should I...?”
Of course, she wasn't the only one who installed this cursed game. Why did this happen to her?
In her agony, Preseppe kept asking unanswered questions, and eventually, overcome with exhaustion, she fell asleep, her tears still wet on her face.
When she opened her eyes, the first thing that greeted her was something she had not seen in a long time – the ceiling of the room.
“Oh…?”
...Was she having hallucinations?
Or did she not fully wake up?
In a daze, she blinked repeatedly before slowly turning her head.
There was a worn desk with a damaged corner, a laptop, and some trash randomly scattered on top of it.
An incomplete cup of instant noodles. Chopsticks stained red. A carelessly torn medicine box.
Tight single room space.
She realized that she was back in her world.
“Was it... a dream...?”
A very long, very terrifying nightmare.
“Yes, this kind of thing could never happen in reality...”
Well, this kind of thing only happened in stories.
She muttered as if she was trying to brainwash her, ignoring the memories of what she experienced in the game.
But…
Her gaze landed on her laptop, still running on top of the desk.
Precipi quickly got out of bed, sat down in her chair, and started looking at the screen.
“Cage Introduction”
The game's cursed title and opening screen stared at her.
Presibe, trapped in a cage and looking sad, is just as the title suggests.
[System: The game is not ready to launch.]
The familiar notification box appeared.
“……”
Without saying a word, she stared at her image in the corner of the screen, then pressed the power button hard.
With a gentle click, the screen went black, and the laptop closed without a struggle.
“Ha…”
Finally, she let out a deep sigh of relief and sat down in the chair.
She would never play this miserable game again, she would even throw out the entire laptop if she had to.
Why did you start playing such a miserable game...?
...why?
Suddenly, her voice echoed in her ears.
[Be sure... I have to check...]
“Are you checking…?”
...Check what?
Her thoughts faltered, but her attention did not stop.
She rubbed her face, and froze like someone who saw the unseen.
Her gaze fell on the mirror on the wall behind the laptop.
In the reflection stood a woman she knew well.
Silky silver hair fell to her waist. Her skin was so pale it seemed translucent. Her eyes are violet.
Game hero.
Precipi.
“No…no…”
Prisippi mumbled frantically, her hands trembling when she touched her face.
“I'm not...precipie...”
I…
What's my name again...?
[Introduction.]
A familiar voice echoed. It wasn't just one voice, it was all the voices. Dietrich, Ivan, Siegfried, Noah, Atari...they all called her.
As if he was saying: This is your name.
[You're not going anywhere.]
Then an unfamiliar and brightening voice spoke.
[I will never let you leave.]
An evil laugh followed, echoing in her ears.
"No…!"
Prisippi fell out of her chair, curling in on herself as she clutched her ears. But their voices got louder, burrowing into her head.
“…precipie”
“…”
“Precipie!”
A nearby scream woke her up.
The first thing she saw was Dietrich's face, looming over her as he held her by the shoulders.
It didn't take long to realize what was happening.
...It was a dream.
That place - her world - was like a dream.
She wanted to scream.
“You...”
Dietrich started to say something, then stopped. His gaze fell on the silent tears that were streaming down her pale face.
Presibe did not react, did not back down or blush, but just looked at him with eyes like those of a dead fish.
It was a face Dietrich had never seen before.
“…”
He slowly released her shoulders, his expression contorted.
“Wipe your tears, I have questions for you.”
Dietrich had come to her at sunrise for a reason.
He had something he needed to confirm.
Dietrich waited for her tears to dry, but not for long. His face hardened as he stared at her coldly.
“What were you doing with Atari Hanan in the park yesterday?”
“…”
“If you value your life, don't even think about lying. I already heard the story from Noah Duffern.”