Future Diary Survival Game

Chapter 28: The Light of Despair – 2

Armelia hurriedly spoke.

“Couldn’t we exclude your house? You’ve always stayed there as the gardener. There hasn’t been anything strange yesterday or today, has there?”

“Yes. However, the mana that gathers into Kanesella’s core is something even a mage can’t detect. That spell’s primary goal is to remain hidden until the moment it activates.”

“……”

“You must use the spell ‘Contens,’ which allows one to see the flow of mana directly. Let’s begin right away.”

Perhaps because he had already admitted to being a mage, he began preparing without hiding it any longer.

I was curious what a mage’s preparation process would look like, but it wasn’t particularly impressive.

He merely closed his eyes and moved his lips a few times.

I couldn’t sense anything at all, but Aina shivered for some reason and muttered,

“That old man suddenly turned into someone else.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. It’s more of a gut feeling... but it’s like he’s not the same person I knew before. More precisely, he’s become something not human.”

I had no idea what she was talking about.

At that moment, Berseum opened his eyes and said,

“You’ve got quite the sharp instinct.”

“Huh?”

“Mana—the source of a mage’s power—is an alien energy that doesn’t originally belong to this world. To control mana is akin to stepping one foot away from humanity itself.”

“……”

“Of course, that’s not what’s important right now. Hold on.”

He murmured another spell, then covered and uncovered his eyes with his palm.

Then he suddenly sprang to his feet.

“T-This... this is far worse than I expected.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s hard to explain in words—see for yourself.”

Before I could even respond, he pressed his palm over my eyes.

Moments later—

I witnessed a sight I had never seen before.

The world was overflowing with blue energy.

Like countless thin threads, they spread through the house like spiderwebs.

The only difference from actual webs was that these threads were violently trembling.

Berseum covered and uncovered Armelia’s and Aina’s eyes as well.

“I’ve cast the Contens spell on you, too.”

“These blue threads... are they mana?”

“Yes. Normally, mana doesn’t gather so densely in one place. The fact that it’s condensed to this overwhelming degree is proof that Kanesella is on the verge of exploding.”

“That’s fortunate, at least. The spot where these blue threads are most concentrated must be the source—and the core will be there. It might be easier to find than we thought.”

“Or will it?”

Berseum replied skeptically, then opened the door.

We followed him outside.

“Ah...”

“This is going to be difficult.”

“Difficult? More like impossible.”

The world was filled with blue threads everywhere.

Their density was almost the same no matter where we looked—it seemed nearly impossible to pinpoint the location of the core.

Berseum said,

“To use an analogy, we’re standing inside a giant typhoon. From high above, you can tell where the typhoon’s center lies—but someone trapped inside can never find it.”

“……”

“Mana is so thickly gathered within this confined space that it’s almost impossible to locate the origin. Still, we should try. We’ll observe from the highest point in this territory.”

He put on his coat and turned to Armelia.

“Will you come with me?”

“Of course. That’s not even a question.”

“Thank you.”

“We’re the ones who should thank you.”

Alright. The plan was roughly set now.

It was time to move faster than my thoughts.

But then—

As if there was still something left, the Diary Book suddenly opened.

Huh?

An unexpected quest? Not a hidden one?

[Hidden Quests occur only during Magireta’s quest scenarios. Since this is happening in your daily life, it’s an Unexpected Quest.]

‘How the hell does this count as daily life?’

[Anyway, good luck! Fighting!]

‘Wait, but why is Berseum included too? If he’s mentioned alongside Armelia and Aina, that must mean he’s also worth 100 points?’

[Correct. Sharp as ever.]

The Diary Book leisurely explained, completely out of sync with the urgency of the situation.

[Berseum is also a valid candidate, after all.]

‘Huh? Then why didn’t a Hidden Quest trigger back during the First Quest?’

[Because back then, Berseum wasn’t showing his real face.]

So the quest only triggered once I’d seen his true face, huh.

Either way, that meant Berseum was also someone I had to save—

If I wanted to extend my lifespan beyond three years.

Crack.

I flexed my fingers and muttered,

“Let’s give it a try.”

The tallest building in Deut Territory was the bell tower.

Of course, there were guards stationed there, but Aina gracefully knocked them out under the pretext of an emergency.

We sprinted all the way up to the top.

Naturally, first place went to Aina.

Second, me.

Surprisingly, Berseum came in third. For someone who looked around sixty, he was incredibly fit.

Embarrassingly enough, Armelia came in last.

She panted heavily, her expression showing pure humiliation.

“Haah... Even after tree climbing, now I’m last at stair climbing too...”

“That’s why I told you not to compete in things like that, Your Highness.”

“Anyway, how’s the situation?”

Aina, who had already been peering down, replied,

“No idea at all. Come look.”

“...I see. It’s nothing but a huge ball of threads.”

“A squirming ball of threads. From up here, it looks like a blue slug.”

We stared at the mass of blue slugs—or rather, condensed mana—until our eyes nearly went bloodshot.

After about ten minutes, one by one, we began to give up.

“I guess it’s impossible.”

“This is strange. I can’t figure out where the center is at all.”

“Old man, are you sure the mana’s gathering toward the core? It’s moving around too much.”

That’s when it hit me.

“Sir Berseum.”

“What is it?”

“As Aina said, the center keeps shifting. Just when I think it’s here, it suddenly moves over there.”

“……”

“Could it be that there’s more than one core?”

Berseum shook his head.

“Kanesella’s core can never exist in two places at once.”

“Then there’s only one answer.”

“What answer?”

“The core is moving.”

At that, Armelia tilted her head.

“Moving? How could that be?”

“It’s not impossible. Berseum said the core could become anything. That doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be an object.”

“If it’s not an object, then what could it be?”

“Maybe it’s a stray cat or a passing carriage. Or perhaps—”

I hesitated, then continued.

“It might be a person.”

“……!”

“That’s just my guess.”

“No. As always, your insight is exceptional. Mason, could you draw a map of this place for us? Like the one you showed before.”

“That’s easy.”

I spoke to the Diary Book.

‘Please help me out.’

[Easy, huh? When you’re not the one doing the work.]

Despite its grumbling, the Diary Book soon began to draw a map.

Meanwhile, I climbed even higher than the rooftop of the bell tower—

using the excuse that I needed to draw from the highest point possible.

I took out a pen and notebook, pretending to sketch something.

The group watched me for a while, then, thinking it wouldn’t end anytime soon, turned their attention back down below.

[It’s done.]

‘Good work.’

[Please, be gentle when you tear it out.]

‘Yeah, I’ll really be gentle this time.’

I carefully tore out one page from the Diary Book.

When I was about halfway through, it spoke again.

[Just rip it out already. That should be fine.]

‘Really?’

[Yes. I can’t stand the suspense.]

Alright, then. No holding back.

Riiip!

[Kyaaaagh!]

‘…….’

[Ahem. Cough. Cough.]

Embarrassed, it quietly disappeared.

I brought the torn page down with me and handed it to Armelia without a word.

Everyone looked at my map and showered me with praise.

“To think you could make something so detailed in such a short time. Truly impressive.”

“Unbelievable. You’d go far in this line of work. No—you already have.”

“You really can do just about anything, huh.”

I merely shrugged.

Armelia spoke in a serious tone.

“I’ve decided. Once Magireta’s quest is over, I’ll make sure you’re appointed to the Imperial Capital. Remember that.”

“Uh... thank you?”

“Now, may I borrow your pen?”

“Here.”

Armelia began drawing something over the map with her pen.

Aina asked,

“What are you doing?”

“Analyzing the movement patterns.”

“Huh?”

“From earlier observation, the writhing of those mana threads had a pattern. If Mason’s intuition is correct and the core is really a person, then those movements might correspond to patrolling soldiers. By tracing their routes, we can narrow down who the core is.”

I clicked my tongue in admiration.

“Impressive. But are you sure there’s a pattern?”

“Without a doubt. I memorized it.”

“Well, if it’s Your Highness’s memory, that’s enough proof for me.”

“It’s all thanks to your excellent map.”

While replying, Armelia continued drawing lines across the map with ease.

Aina glanced at her work and muttered,

“There’s no way I could ever do that.”

Well, everyone had their own kind of talent.

After some time—

Her pen suddenly stopped.

At the same moment, the writhing of the mana threads ceased as well.

“The core stopped moving. Did the patrol return to base?”

“I’m not sure.”

“In any case, here’s the overall route. Berseum, since this is your homeland, could you verify these buildings the core visited?”

Berseum took the map.

At first, he tilted his head.

Then, slowly, his expression began to change.

Soon his lips trembled as he spoke.

“Are you certain this is accurate, Your Highness?”

“Of course.”

“These buildings... they’re all private homes.”

“Private homes? If a patrolman visited houses, maybe it was for investigation?”

“No. It’s not a patrolman.”

He let out a long sigh before continuing.

“All the money I’d saved in my life was seized by the Empire. I kept my mansion, but living expenses were difficult.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Eris couldn’t find any decent work. So I arranged for her to do clothing repairs for the neighborhood.”

“……!”

“Today was the day she was to return the finished clothes and collect payment.”

None of us could say a word.

At first, Berseum had said—

The core was usually placed at the very center of the explosion radius.

And at the center of this territory were a park, a fountain, a fruit shop, a performance hall... and Eris’s house.

Berseum spoke again, trying to sound calm.

“She must have finished her collections and returned home. That’s why the movements stopped.”

“We—We can’t just stand around! We have to go release it right now!”

“Kanesella’s core prioritizes remaining undetected above all. If it’s using a person’s body as the core...”

“If it is?”

“Then the invisible part of Eris’s body has become the core. For example... an internal organ.”

Grit.

He clenched his teeth and continued.

“To dispel the core, physical contact is necessary. If some part inside Eris’s body has become the core... then we’ll have to perform an incision.”

“……”

“I have no skill in cutting into a human body without harming it.”

It wasn’t an explanation—it sounded like a confession.

It was a wonder he wasn’t already coughing up blood from despair.

Berseum staggered, leaning against the wall.

“...I’ll have to take my daughter and leave this territory tonight.”

“What?”

“To somewhere far enough that no one here will be harmed.”

“So you’re giving up?”

“Do you have any other solution!?”

That’s when Aina suddenly spoke, her voice colder than ice.

“What are you doing, old man?”

“...What?”

“She’s your daughter. Your own daughter. How can you give up so easily?”

“Silence! Don’t speak so carelessly about someone else’s affairs!”

“It’s not someone else’s affair.”

She stopped mid-sentence.

For a moment, she sounded uncharacteristically emotional.

But Armelia nodded, as though she understood something.

“...It’s not someone else’s affair. I’m part of this territory too.”

“……”

“I’ll help you. With the incision.”

“What?”

“I’ll make the cut as carefully as possible, and once it’s done, I’ll stitch it back. You just focus on dispelling the core. Understood?”

Berseum nodded blankly.

I asked carefully,

“Do you have some special technique for that? The bleeding will be severe.”

“I’ll perform a transfusion. Magireta packed my tools in the bag, so I can manage somehow. Of course, I’ll check the blood beforehand.”

“How long do we have between the incision and the stitching? How much time can we buy?”

“...Three minutes. No—five.”

Then Berseum said,

“I’ll finish within three.”

“Huh?”

“I swear I will. On my life.”

“……”

“So please—save Eris. Save my daughter.”

Aina rolled up her sleeves and replied,

“I can do that. Just don’t mess up, old man.”