Future Diary Survival Game

Chapter 29: The Light of Despair - 3

We arrived at Berseum’s house.

Berseum asked us to wait for just thirty minutes and went in first.

While we stood blankly outside, Aina muttered,

“Don’t tell me that old man’s planning to spill everything?”

“You can’t talk about the quest. Not unless you’ve got a death wish.”

“Then how exactly are we supposed to persuade Eris?”

“……”

“What? Why are you staring at me like that?”

“I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, but your father, Count Vanhart Noel…”

“Why are you bringing up that man here? Stop talking nonsense and focus.”

Armelia clamped her mouth shut.

I was itching with curiosity, but I held it in.

I wasn’t the kind to meddle in others’ business anyway, and my instincts told me—once our ‘trust level’ rose past a certain point, she would open up first.

‘More importantly, that’s not what matters right now.’

Time passed.

Creak.

The door opened, and Berseum came out.

“Come in.”

“Huh? Old man, your face…”

Berseum wasn’t wearing Bake’s face anymore.

He had taken off that usual mask.

Without a word of explanation, he turned around.

We followed him into the house.

After climbing the stairs and opening a door, we found Eris sitting on the bed, sobbing.

“Eris. These people will be performing surgery on you.”

“Sob… sob…”

“I’m sorry I can’t tell you everything. But believe this one thing—I promise. You’re gravely ill, and these people will cure you.”

“Shut up. I don’t believe a word you say.”

Berseum pressed his lips together with a pained look.

But Eris wiped her tears roughly and continued,

“But I believe Mr. Bake.”

“Eris.”

“When everyone pointed fingers at Mother and me, he appeared out of nowhere. Said he didn’t need a salary, just a meal.”

“……”

“Officially, he was just a gardener, but in truth, he handled everything for the family. He took all the scorn for us and opened a path for us to live. The man who supported me for ten years—that was Mr. Bake.”

She forced her tears back and looked at Berseum.

“I’m not trusting you. I’m trusting Mr. Bake.”

“...That’s good enough.”

“So what do I need to do now?”

Then Aina stepped forward.

“Just sleep for a bit.”

“And you are?”

“When you wake up, everything will be over. I promise.”

It was the first time I’d ever seen Aina speak formally.

She was usually casual—even with the Princess of the Empire, even with Berseum, who was much older.

Aina took several medicine bottles out of her bag.

She mixed and shook them together, then handed them to Eris.

“Drink this.”

“……”

Eris glanced at Berseum once, then drank it all in one go.

Soon, her eyes closed, and her body collapsed softly onto the bed.

I asked carefully,

“There wasn’t really another option anyway, but I didn’t know you could perform surgical procedures like this.”

“When it comes to the human body, assassins are way ahead of the Tower of Knowledge scholars. They don’t just study theory—they handle it for real.”

“……”

“Besides, like I said before, ‘assassin’ is only my primary profession, not the only one. Originally, what I learned from my family was…”

She trailed off and changed the topic.

“Alright, we’ll start with a blood test. Old man, you’re the best fit for this, so give me your hand.”

“Alright.”

“Princess, you’ll assist me here. Just hand me the tools and supplies I ask for. I’ll explain what’s what once—think you can remember?”

“Of course.”

“Mason, you…”

I swallowed hard and stepped forward.

Aina smiled faintly.

“Stay outside.”

I was kicked out.

Well, that was only natural.

I wasn’t a professional, and they’d likely have to undress her to operate.

Having nothing else to do, I spoke to the Diary Book.

‘Open up, Diary Book. Let’s see if there’s any useful information while we wait.’

Whirr.

The Diary Book flipped to the administrator pages—information I could check without spending points.

<1st. Armelia Kerr Dneroum

2nd. Aina Noel

……

……>

As expected, nothing special.

I turned to the next page out of restless curiosity.

‘Hm? Wait.’

Then my eyes stopped on a name.

<48th. Diana Mame

Trust Level: 38 / 100

One-line interview about Mason:

“He’s the one who avenged my husband. I’m grateful.”

Insight that could be useful to Mason:

“Her eyes were very pretty, which Magireta liked a lot. Thought I’d use that someday.”>

What kind of ridiculous information was that?

Was this that woman?

The widow from the first week of the Third Quest’s test—the one who lost her husband.

She’d sworn to kill Matets with her own hands, but I was the one who took care of that revenge for her.

‘But were her eyes really that pretty? I don’t remember.’

[Everyone’s taste is different.]

‘Still, how is that supposed to be a useful insight for me?’

[Who knows.]

Then suddenly—

“Damn it!”

Armelia’s rough voice rang from the room.

For the Princess to curse like that, things had to be serious.

Without thinking, I threw the door open.

“What’s going on?”

“M–Mason.”

No explanation was needed.

Above the bed, which had been turned into an operating table, a transparent window had appeared.

It looked exactly like a miniature version of the Bulletin Board.

I quickly read the text displayed there.

Whoever’s reading this, if you can see this board, you must be a magician, right?

Didn’t think there’d be any of you left in this era.

But since you’re a magician, you should know better, huh?

What you’ve touched is the core of Kanesella.

And every Kanesella core—without exception—has a security lock. In case someone like you tries to tamper with it.

Obviously, I’m the one who set the security myself.

You probably tried to manipulate the mana inside the core to unlock it, didn’t you?

Come on, you really think I’d use such a boring, old-fashioned security method?

Now, bring your eye close to this spot here—see the little (_) mark below the board?

If it’s the eye I registered, the lock will deactivate automatically.

Ah. You’re asking whose eyes they are?

If I told you that, it wouldn’t be security anymore, would it, idiot?

Clatter.

Something fell to the ground.

Aina had dropped one of the surgical tools.

She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

“Damn it…”

“Aina. Is there no other way?”

“How could there possibly be a way for something like this?”

“Berseum. You, perhaps…”

“Urgh. That board uses power far beyond anything I can comprehend. I have no idea how to deal with it…”

The room was filled with grief, sorrow, and sighs.

Everyone—except me.

“I think I know who it is. I know whose eyes can unlock the security.”

“W–What?”

“How?”

“Do you remember the woman who lost her husband during the first week of the Third Quest’s test?”

“Of course. Diana Mame.”

A direct answer.

…

How does she know her name?

Did Armelia actually introduce herself to every participant in the Third Quest?

No, maybe that’s normal. I should reflect on myself.

I opened my mouth.

“It’s that woman’s eyes. We need to bring her here.”

“And how can you be so certain of that?”

“There’s no time to explain. I’ll bring her with this teleportation bead. Each bead allows up to three companions, correct?”

I took out the teleportation bead.

But Aina quickly shouted,

“Wait. Do you even know where that woman is right now? Somewhere on the continent?”

I froze for a moment.

Right. I didn’t know.

No one in this room knew where Diana was.

Everyone’s faces turned grim as they realized my hesitation.

‘Calm down. Think.’

What did Magireta say when she handed this to me?

—It’s a kind of teleportation device. Grip it tight and say where you want to go. It’ll fling you there—just like how I sent you flying across the continent. Each one can take up to three people.

Right. That’s it.

“You recite where you want to go.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“When Magireta gave this to me, she said to grip it tightly and say where you want to go.”

“I know that. But we don’t know where that is!”

Aina smacked her chest in frustration.

I shook my head.

“Magireta never said to say the name of a place. She just said to say where I wanted to go.”

“……!”

“You know how that demon loves wordplay and traps. Even when she gives you something, she hides the truth behind clever phrasing.”

Armelia seemed to realize something.

“Could it be?”

“Yes. I’ll be back soon.”

I gripped the bead tightly and shouted,

“I want to go where Diana Mame is!”

In the next instant—

A wave of dizziness hit me.

It was the same feeling as when Magireta scattered us across the continent at the end of every quest.

Mason vanished—just like that.

The moment Aina confirmed it, she turned to Armelia.

“Vial No. 5. And the dart ring.”

“Here.”

Immediately, she began stitching Eris’s skin back together.

Berseum asked in alarm,

“What are you doing?”

“Can’t you see? I’m stitching her up again.”

“But the core isn’t unlocked yet!”

“It will be soon. Mason said he’d bring her back. And it’s the heart, not just anywhere else. We can’t leave it open too long, so I’m getting things ready.”

Berseum couldn’t understand these two—Aina and Armelia—both so calm.

As if they already believed this problem was solved.

But this was his daughter’s life on the line.

With a cautious expression, he spoke,

“Do you really think it will be that soon?”

“Of course.”

“…Your Highness.”

“Did you see Mason’s face right before he disappeared? He was smiling.”

“……”

“When he smiles like that, there’s nothing he can’t do.”

Berseum let out a quiet sigh.

He didn’t know who this Diana woman was, but surely she had no reason to help them.

Who would want to get involved in something as bizarre as a teleportation incident—especially during a break between quests?

Naturally, she’d be cautious, maybe even hostile, toward Mason who suddenly appeared before her.

“I don’t know… We can’t even be sure if the registered iris really belongs to Diana…”

“You say that because you’ve never gone through a full quest with Mason. You’ve only seen fragments during the First Quest, haven’t you?”

“……”

“Don’t worry. Mason has never once disappointed us—and he never will.”

Aina cut in, though her hands never stopped moving.

“I can’t say pretty things like the Princess here. But I’ll admit—his brain works fast.”

“……”

“I bet he’ll trick her a bit, smooth-talk her, and bring her back.”

“You call Mason’s ability ‘trickery’? Mason isn’t cunning or sly—he’s simply brilliant.”

“You’re saying that seriously?”

“Of course. He’ll convince her with sincerity and bring her back…”

And at that moment—

Whirr.

Mason suddenly appeared in the room.

“I’m back.”

On his back, he carried a woman—eyes closed.

“…What? Was Diana asleep? It’s not even time to sleep yet.”

“No. I just knocked her out and carried her here.”

“……”

“Step aside for a moment. I just need to put her eye here, right?”

Mason pulled Diana closer and forced her eyelid open.

Then, he brought her eye to the Bulletin Board.

Beep! A clear sound rang out, followed by new words appearing on the board.

– Correct! Congratulations. Kanesella has been safely unlocked.

At that moment—

The blue threads that had been wrapped around the heart began to unravel.

The same blue strands in the room loosened and drifted away.

They slipped through the door cracks and out the window.

And everyone understood instantly.

The Light of Despair would not appear. Kanesella would not explode.

“Phew.”

Mason dropped Diana to the side and slumped to the floor.

Aina glanced at the dazed Armelia and snickered.

“Heh. He brought her back in a much dumber way than I expected. What? ‘Convince her with sincerity’?”

“Splendid.”

“Huh?”

“In an emergency, sometimes extreme measures are necessary. It was an ingenious move—one I could never have imagined.”

Aina shook her head as she finished up the surgery.

“That guy’s definitely broken.”