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The tower, with the guide window and illustrations gone, was plunged into a heavy silence.
“……”
Presibe looked absently at the space that had been occupied by the illustrations until moments ago.
What did you just see?
Whose hand was that?
And why did the directory window shatter exactly as it did when viewing the accident log?
Presibe swallowed and stammered in a tight, throaty voice:
“The... map...”
“Show me the map.”
[??: ??? ??? ????? ??]
It was the same with the accident log and flashbacks, the evidence window now displayed only vague question marks and served no other function. Nothing at all.
“The first time question marks appeared...”
When she made a strange choice while talking to Atari Hanan.
“Since then, whenever an error appears, the result is that question marks appear...”
Atari, Noah, Dietrich, and the broken statues in the church, everything became just question marks.
“But, what if this is just the beginning?”
“What if increasing errors will eventually lead to the collapse of the entire system?”
Precipe's face suddenly hardened. I have realized the truth.
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The system, and indeed the game itself, the Precipi cage, was collapsing little by little.
“I could only see the illustrations because the system was completely collapsing...”
As if the virus was consuming and killing everything, perhaps the bug was spreading in the same way, eroding this game.
Even worse, the characters who chose the error-filled options regained all their memories from previous cycles—including the moments when Priscipe was brutally murdered, as well as the end of the story.
What would happen if everyone regained their memories and became self-aware?
Was this really just a technical error?
“No, even if the game is full of bugs... there can't be meaningless choices like this...”
Presibe hesitated for a moment, then moved quickly:
“Show me the book of memories.”
[Guide: The Book of Memories is summoned.]
[Clue: The Book of Memories has been displayed.]
Unlike other functions, no errors appeared in the directory window this time. It was working completely normally, without any glitches.
Was this just a coincidence?
How can it be a coincidence that all other functions are broken down, while the most crucial function still works perfectly?
Does this make sense?
She couldn't understand anything.
“Now, what can I do... at least for now...”
On the old bed, Precipe's clenched fist was shaking gently. Then she slowly took a deep breath, recalling the scenes she had just seen and the words Ivan had told her.
Two hands clasped tightly together.
One of them was definitely her hand, but there was no way of knowing whose other hand belonged. There were no memories to come back to.
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Perhaps, if she got another trigger to help her recover the past, she would then be able to remember the truth—just as had happened a moment ago when the first scene of instruction had brought back a forgotten memory.
Then there was this thick forest with trees. The lake. The notes fell into the water with a clear thud. Perhaps, that diary contained Yoon Joo-eun's goals, which she doesn't remember now.
That's what Ivan said. He told her that Prisippi's mother, Vanessa, lived near the West Woods, and that she had once been found there...
All the leads were pointing to one place.
West of Atiloya, the Forbidden Forest.
“……”
I have to go there...no matter what it takes.
Even if you still can't find out much, it's not the same as it was when you didn't know anything at all.
Finally, with a determined expression, Precipe slowly got up from the bed. She looked silently at the empty tower for a moment, then began to stagger away from it.
—
The Foundation Festival began in the late afternoon.
As expected from the largest event in Atiloya, the ballroom was crowded with all members of the royal family, including side branches, and countless nobles.
And among this crowd, there were of course some people that Preseppe didn't even want to see.
The first of them, sitting on the throne, is Dietrich.
She hadn't seen him in a while... but he looked strangely emaciated. It was said that he was bedridden due to illness. Was this the reason?
“This is the first time I've seen him sick.”
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Even after repeating Dietrich's path countless times, she had never seen him in this state. He must have been seriously ill this time.
Then, in the distance, Ivan was leaning against a pillar, staring straight at her.
There was a white bandage wrapped around his neck.
“What's wrong with his neck?”
She didn't know what had happened to him, but she sincerely hoped he had taken a good hit from someone.
“By the way, where did Riegfried go?”
He was the leader of the knights, and one of the few people whom Dietrich trusted. His absence from such an event was strange.
Not only that, they were actually supposed to talk during Dietrich's coronation ball, but since she had left the Imperial Palace and thrown things into a turmoil, she had not yet had the chance to meet him properly.
'Hmm… It's okay, it would be better if I never met him at all.'
A few days ago, when she met Evan for the first time, buggy conversation options appeared. If things continued like this, it would be better if they remained strangers to each other.
Now, the only person unaffected by the mistakes was none other than Riegfried. If something went wrong too, she couldn't even imagine the consequences.
“……”
As she continued to think, she felt the gazes of the two people watching her intently.
Their piercing gazes were too annoying, so she subconsciously hid behind Fenric's broad back.
“……”
Fenric looked down, as Presibe moved closer to him. Then he leaned down slightly and whispered softly in her ear.
“Shall we go out?”
“Huh?”
“If you ask, I can take you out right away.”
The Emperor's speech was supposed to begin soon. Since Fenric was one of the Emperor's advisors, it would be considered disrespectful for him to say this. But she didn't mind that.
It was comforting to know that, whenever she wanted to escape, he would be able to get her out of any situation.
“But the driver is resting now, right?” Presippi said, laughing lightly.
“I can put you on my horse.”
“But today you did not bring your horse with you, Duke.”
“So, shall I hold you in my arms?”
Fenric's expression when he said this was very calm, which made Prisippi feel embarrassed.
"If you do that, you might break your back, Duke. I know I'm dependent on you now, but I'm not without conscience."
Fenric laughed softly.
"You seem fine now. I was worried about you earlier."
Even though she had tried to hide her feelings since leaving the tower, he seemed to notice.
“No, there is nothing. There is no need to worry.”
"Anyway, don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything. I have the confidence to drive a carriage, or even find a horse, or even carry you in my arms."
Fenric didn't realize that, did he?
How his simple words meant so much to her, giving her indescribable comfort and strength.
But since she had promised not to express her gratitude, she had nothing to say.
So, she chose another answer.
“Okay, I'll trust you.”
“……”
“Honestly.”
“This is much better than hearing a thank you.”
Fenric smiled weakly, then stood in front of her, completely blocking her from view. Then he looked at Ivan, who was staring at her from afar.
After an incident occurred during the previous concert, it was clear that protection would be tighter at today's festival.
There was an entire squad of knights hidden in the crowd, monitoring the situation.
That was completely expected.
But the presence of so many people means that moving freely will be difficult... and at the same time, it will be easy to blend into the crowd.
In addition, there was no one who knew the palace corridors better than Fenric.
If he had the chance, he didn't intend to miss it.
As he did with Atari, his plan was not complicated.
As soon as he gets the chance, he'll pounce on Ivan. It wouldn't take long, and Ivan wouldn't have a chance to use any force against him, just like last time.
But still, he didn't intend to rush into any decision.
Today… he was with Presippi.
He didn't want her to witness that.
He didn't want his true identity to be revealed to her.
Because, then, she will feel afraid.
And you will run away from him, just as you did with the others.
This was the last thing Fenric wanted.
“……”
At that moment, Dietrich quietly rose from the throne.
With his pale face, he looked at the nobles.
But instead, he focused his gaze on Prisippi, who was hiding behind Fenric, while Ivan smiled sarcastically at her, tilting his head slightly.