Future Diary Survival Game

Chapter 25: A Familiar Face - 2

To think I’d be facing an unknown ability user the day after tomorrow.

I felt a faint sense of nervousness creeping up on me.

Was it perhaps an unconscious desire to shake off that tension?

My thoughts suddenly drifted elsewhere.

‘Come to think of it, a new feature was upgraded this time.’

[Yes. It’s the Administrator Page feature.]

‘What is that, and how do I use it?’

[Like this.]

Shrrrk—

The Diary Book opened in midair.

I could see countless names filling the pages to the brim.

W–What?

I scanned down the Administrator Page carefully.

<1st. Armelia Kerr Dneroum

Trust Level: 53 / 100

One-line Evaluation Interview about Mason:

‘He’s the one who keeps me from falling into traps and shows me where to go.’

Insights Useful to Mason:

None in particular.

2nd. Aina Noel

Trust Level: 44 / 100

One-line Evaluation Interview about Mason:

‘That guy’s pretty useful, isn’t he? A bit arrogant though.’

Insights Useful to Mason:

None in particular.

……

……

155th. Gerf Wilson

Trust Level: 12 / 100

One-line Evaluation Interview about Mason:

‘He helped me a lot this time, but we’re competitors anyway.’

Insights Useful to Mason:

None in particular.>

So that’s how it worked.

I scrolled the page up and down several times in fascination.

Then suddenly, a question struck me.

‘Why does it go up to 155?’

[Sorry?]

‘In the quiz test, we saved 152 people. Add Armelia and Aina, and that should make 154 total.’

Muttering to myself, I scanned the list once again meticulously.

Of course, there was no way I’d find anything unusual by doing that.

After all, aside from Armelia and Aina, I hadn’t even exchanged names with anyone else during the three quests.

Just reading the names wouldn’t bring any meaningful information…

‘Huh? Wh–What the!’

I rubbed my eyes several times.

There it was.

A name even I knew well—someone famous enough that no one on the continent wouldn’t recognize them.

I saved this person?

When? How?

Just then—

Tak.

The Diary Book suddenly closed on its own.

[It’s embarrassing when you stare at me like that.]

‘Where did you even learn to talk like that?’

[Who else would I learn it from, if not you, Mason?]

‘……’

[In any case, you can check this anytime, so I recommend you rest for today.]

To be fair, my eyelids were already drooping on their own.

I shook my head.

‘Now’s not the time to sleep. A great threat will come in two days.’

[Yes, in two days. Which is exactly why you should rest today.]

‘No, I don’t have the time—’

But before I could finish, my eyes slowly drifted shut.

And then, I heard the Diary Book’s voice.

[Don’t worry too much. After all, this time, you have me.]

The next morning.

Feeling refreshed, I sprang up and headed downstairs.

In the first-floor dining hall, the Princess and Aina were already seated, with their meals ordered and served.

Seeing those two sitting side by side and eating together—

That was something I couldn’t have imagined when we first met. Truly, they had come a long way.

“Mason. You’re up.”

Armelia had returned from the black hair she’d shown throughout the third quest to her original bright platinum blonde.

“Yes. Good morning. You’ve gone back to your original hair.”

“Mm. Aina did the work for me.”

“Is it all right not to disguise yourself anymore?”

“The Tower of Knowledge is a place frequently visited by renowned figures. I was only cautious for that reason. I prefer my real hair.”

At that, Aina shrugged and cut in.

“I think it looks better too.”

“Oh? Ahem. Th–Thank you. I didn’t expect you to say that.”

“You’ve got a gloomy look already. Dark hair just makes you look duller.”

“……”

That girl didn’t just wear her heart on her sleeve—she simply had no filter at all.

As soon as we all sat down, Armelia spoke, her tone firm and dignified.

“I’ve ordered your meal as well. Forgive me for choosing without asking.”

“Not at all.”

“Then listen as we eat. The reason I proposed coming to Deut Territory was—”

“Ah, before that, let me say this first. We’re going to die in two days.”

Drip, drip.

The soup Aina had just scooped spilled down her spoon.

“Hot!”

“Don’t wipe it with your hand. What do you think napkins are for?”

“Do you think now’s the time to care about that? How can you say something like ‘we’re going to die’ so casually?”

“Says the assassin. I’d say you should do a little self-reflection.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Wait, don’t tell me—the fourth quest starts in two days? Already?”

I shook my head.

Then, using the convenient groundwork I’d laid earlier, I told them I’d divined the future using my ability as an astrologer and magician.

Armelia, with her unmatched trust level, accepted my words without hesitation. Aina, though frowning, still nodded.

“So someone will come for us—to take our lives.”

“Yes. Astrology couldn’t reveal their name or appearance, but I’m certain that person is another participant in the game.”

“Hmm.”

“This part is my intuition, but I believe it’s the one who took first place in both the first and second quests.”

Both of their faces stiffened.

Even I, who could see the Future Diary and had joined hands with the greatest talents of the era, had only managed to place first once so far.

That was how difficult an achievement it was.

To think such a person was now targeting our lives—it was only natural to feel a chill.

Armelia spoke.

“Why would he want to kill us specifically?”

“I don’t know that either.”

“Then I’ll make sure to ask when we meet him.”

“I don’t think we’ll have the leisure to ask.”

“What are you talking about? We have Aina with us.”

At those words, Aina lifted her chin proudly.

It seemed she had left her humility back in the cradle.

But I shook my head.

Of course, her skills were among the best on the continent, yet the Future Diary had clearly shown that she would die by that man’s hand.

“My astrology still shows our deaths. It means Aina won’t be able to stop him.”

“But her skill is…”

“This isn’t a matter of skill. Don’t forget that he’s holding two first-place prizes.”

Both of them nodded in agreement.

It was far more realistic to assume he’d made use of Magireta’s first-place rewards somehow than to imagine someone more talented than Aina.

Aina let out a small groan before speaking.

“Then we’ll have to counter with a first-place prize of our own.”

She pulled out a teleportation bead—

a mystical orb that allowed one to teleport anywhere on the continent by simply speaking the destination aloud.

Indeed, with this, escaping from him would be easy.

If we just left Deut Territory, there’d be nothing he could do.

“How about we move to another region right now?”

“That’s too passive. I’d rather take this opportunity to learn more about him.”

“Learn about him?”

“Yes. To be precise… after I find out, I want to kill him.”

A brief silence fell over the table.

Resting my arms on the table, I continued calmly,

“I want to uncover how he managed to take first place twice, and how he pulled it off. And if we can seize his prizes in the process, all the better.”

“Heh. Well, they do say crisis breeds opportunity.”

“I doubt he’ll talk willingly… Aina, you have some knowledge of torture, don’t you?”

“I’m not sure it qualifies as knowledge, but yes, somewhat.”

“Make him talk. And once he spills everything—”

At that point, I glanced toward Armelia without realizing it.

It felt awkward to talk about killing someone in front of a princess with her kind of temperament.

However, Armelia merely tilted her head and asked,

“Why did you stop speaking?”

“Ah, well, it’s just that…”

“Because of me, perhaps?”

Aina cut in immediately.

“Of course. You tried so hard to save people during the quiz test quest.”

“Did you already forget I tried to kill Matets?”

“...Ah.”

“The only reason I tried to save the other participants was because they hadn’t shown hostility toward us. You could say they were neutral. I simply focused on bringing neutrals to our side.”

“……”

“Machet and that unknown double first-prize winner are a completely different matter. Both have already declared themselves our enemies. In that case—”

Her voice turned cold.

“There’s no need to hesitate to take action.”

“Uh, right. You’re… unexpectedly decisive.”

“Someone once taught me that hesitation shortens one’s lifespan.”

“That someone being Cecil?”

“Cecil, yes… and also—”

She cast a brief glance my way.

I chuckled softly and clasped my hands together.

“Anyway, that man will come in two days. So let’s put that aside for now. Please tell us, Your Highness, why you chose this place as our next destination.”

“Ah, right.”

Armelia set her spoon down with a soft clack.

Then, after wiping her lips with a napkin, she straightened her back.

It looked like she was about to say something important.

“Mason. Don’t be too shocked when you hear this.”

“Yes? O-Okay.”

“This is Berseum’s hometown.”

“I see.”

……

Huh? Berseum?

Berseum was a cult leader.

But before he went mad, he had been a great scholar—an astrologer renowned across the continent.

Even the Emperor once sought his counsel before making important decisions.

Yet, in his later years, he spread the claim that ‘The Demon King will descend,’ deceiving the masses, and was ultimately captured and executed.

By now, we had left the inn.

Armelia was leading us somewhere, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Isn’t this thrilling?” she said.

“Sorry?”

“Why are you so unenthusiastic? We’re visiting your master’s hometown. Who knows, you might find your lost memories here.”

I replied dryly,

“That was your made-up backstory, Your Highness.”

“Fufu. Don’t be embarrassed.”

“No, seriously, why are you so fixated on this? He was executed under Imperial law. Shouldn’t that disqualify him as my master?”

Armelia fell silent, speechless for a moment.

Then her shoulders drooped, and she muttered,

“Now that you mention it… you’re right.”

“……”

“But this was such a brilliant deduction of mine. It’d be a shame to toss it out.”

“Your Highness.”

“Cecil, I’ve still got a long way to go. I forgot your advice—that arrogance always clouds the eyes. To think I, who remember everything, could forget your counsel. Foolish of me indeed.”

It seemed the Princess had quite a bit of pride in her own theory.

Well, to be honest, the idea wasn’t entirely baseless—

that Berseum had gone mad while researching magic and began talking about the Demon King’s descent,

or that my memory loss was a side effect of my magical studies.

Aina spoke softly, almost comfortingly.

“I can understand it. The bizarre nature of his magic and the strange depth of his astrology… it almost requires invoking Berseum’s name to make sense of it.”

“Right? You think so too—”

“I’ll pretend I do. Now, how about telling us why we’re actually here?”

Armelia deflated again, but quickly gathered herself and spoke.

“It’s just a simple deduction. Berseum deceived people by saying the Demon King would descend, right?”

“He did.”

“Then tell me—who in this world could be closer to a Demon King than Magireta?”

“……! You mean—”

“Yes. I believe the Demon King Berseum spoke of was Magireta. He had seen our present through astrology.”

That meant…

Berseum must have known about Magireta’s game.