Future Diary Survival Game

Chapter 7: Offering a Sacrifice - 2

I stared quietly at the diary and spoke.

“How can I save her? How could I possibly bring Armelia out of that heavily guarded Imperial Palace?”

< I do not know. >

“Hey.”

< …… >

What the hell was I even doing right now?

I looked pitiful, pestering a diary like this.

Well, to be fair, this thing had already done more than its share by helping me until now.

I started thinking hard.

Then, suddenly, a thought struck me.

“Come to think of it… before I fell asleep in that field, I thought I heard a voice. That was you, wasn’t it? If you can’t show words, you speak through a voice instead?”

< Yes. >

“Then from now on, just speak with your voice.”

[ Understood. ]

The voice clearly rang in my ears.

I tried to guess the owner of that voice, but failed.

‘I have no idea.’

Actually, if it had been a familiar voice, that would’ve been even creepier.

Anyway, that wasn’t the important part right now.

“At that time, you said your functions had been upgraded. I think it was something like a secret communication feature. What exactly is that?”

[ It is a communication function. Sir Mason can converse mentally, regardless of distance, but only with those whom he has saved. ]

……

It said something incredible in such a casual tone.

If that was true, then I could try to talk to Armelia.

“Wait. Then why didn’t my future self ever try that? He could’ve warned Armelia beforehand not to kill anyone. The book must have been upgraded even then, right?”

[ The Mason in the Future Diary did not obtain ‘me’. ]

“What?”

[ The Mason in the Future Diary did not obtain ‘me’. ]

“I didn’t ask you to repeat yourself.”

The diary went silent.

Whatever. It didn’t matter anymore.

There were too many things I couldn’t understand, and I didn’t have time to dwell on each one.

The most important thing now was saving Armelia again in this second game.

“I’ll use the function right away. What do I need to do?”

[ Hold the diary in your hand… ]

Just then—

Knock, knock.

“Mason? Are you still not ready?”

Mrs. Meyren.

I pulled my hand away from the diary and lightly slapped my cheeks.

“It’s done. I’ll be right there.”

“All right.”

Suddenly, my chest felt heavy.

I had already stepped out of my ordinary life.

As someone who belonged to the extraordinary now, I could no longer help Mrs. Meyren in her daily life.

That night.

I was riding in a carriage, speeding along the road.

The image of Mrs. Meyren, who had been sad and gloomy all day, lingered in my mind.

She had finally reported Mr. Forgotten’s disappearance and told me that a formal investigation would take place.

“Mason, he’ll be all right, won’t he? They’ll find him soon?”

To that, I answered, “Of course.”

While enduring the sharp pain stabbing through my chest.

That night, after closing the restaurant and confirming that she had gone to bed, I slipped out—almost like I was running away.

Not just from the restaurant, but from the entire domain itself.

“Diary. Mrs. Meyren will be all right, won’t she?”

[ I do not understand the intent of your question. ]

“The pouch of gold coins Magireta gave me—I left it in my attic just as it was. With that, she could live as a wealthy woman for the rest of her life even without a head of household. Her son, who lives independently, will surely return to help her.”

[ I do not understand what you mean. ]

“But… can something like that really fill the hole in her heart? No, of course not.”

[ I see. The question was not directed at me. Returning to standby mode. ]

This diary really didn’t know how to read the mood.

I let out a deep sigh and said,

“I have something to do, so don’t fall asleep.”

[ Standby mode is different from sleep mode. ]

“Never mind that. Let’s continue what we were doing earlier. I want to speak to Armelia.”

Following the diary’s instructions, I reached out to her.

The diary floated in the air—it had no physical form, yet once I decided to use the feature, I could grasp it in my hands.

Holding it tightly, I pictured Armelia in my mind and spoke.

“Are you safe, Your Highness?”

There was no reply.

But I could clearly hear the sound of someone gasping in surprise.

She must have been startled by this strange phenomenon.

After waiting a few moments, Armelia’s voice finally came through.

[ Mason? Is that you, Mason? ]

“Yes. I hope you’ve been well, though it’s only been a day.”

[ You—you’re not… with Magireta, are you? ]

That suspicion was fair.

I wasn’t some wizard from a fairy tale or legend—if someone could cause such an impossible event, Magireta was the only person she knew who could.

I answered firmly.

“Of course not.”

[ I see. ]

“I’ll explain—wait, are you already convinced?”

[ Yes. You’re the one who saved my life. I’ll believe whatever you say. ]

What did saving her life have to do with that?

I’d spent all day coming up with a “reasonable” story that Armelia might believe.

Something more plausible than a diary only I could see, one that recorded the future.

“Well, as I said, I’m not allied with Magireta. This is merely a magical means of communication.”

[ What nonsense. Do you take me for a fool? ]

“You just said you’d believe anything I said.”

[ Still, it can’t be magic. Magic? Really? ]

I protested, sounding almost wronged.

“Why not? Magic exists. Even the things Magireta did must have used some form of it.”

[ Well… maybe. But you were a restaurant worker, weren’t you? I don’t mean to belittle the job, but a restaurant worker being a wizard from legend—it just doesn’t match.]

As expected, this wasn’t going to be easy.

Well, that was understandable—magic was a word that had long faded from the modern world.

So, I decided to use the story I’d prepared.

“Your Highness knows I’ve lost my memories, right?”

[ Hm? Yes. ]

“Some of those memories have returned.”

[ ……! ]

“In the distant corners of my mind, I remember learning magic and astrology from someone. I can’t recall their face, their name, or their age, but I clearly remember that they taught me those things.”

By setting up an unnamed, untraceable teacher, my story would sound more believable.

Claiming I’d learned magic on my own out of nowhere would’ve been ridiculous.

Thanks to my memory loss, I could keep things vague and foggy like this.

Then suddenly—

Armelia exclaimed in a tone of realization.

[ Berseum! ]

“Yes?”

[ The person who taught you magic—it might have been Berseum! ]

Berseum.

Around ten years ago, that name was notorious across the land.

Once, Berseum had been a great scholar and astrologer whose fame shook the entire continent.

Even the Emperor was said to have sought his counsel before deciding the Empire’s most important matters.

However, that great man went mad one day.

He began to claim that he had seen the future through astrology, and he went around shouting that a Demon King would descend upon this land and destroy the world.

Since he had already been famous as a prophet, the world was shaken by his words — so much so that a new religion was even born around them.

But in the end, he was accused of deceiving the masses and executed for it.

I scratched my head.

“I’d rather not believe that my teacher was a cult leader.”

[ Berseum, as a great scholar, wandered through countless ruins and devoted himself to researching ancient texts. I’m sure he found a clue about magic there. ]

“Your Highness?”

[ But such a great discovery is always taken away by the Empire and the Imperial Family. I see now. He must have secretly studied magic—with one brilliant disciple. ]

“Um…”

[ Then perhaps Berseum’s madness was also connected to his magical research. The same reason could explain why you lost your memory. ]

……

Why did it feel like…

Even I was starting to believe her.

Listening to her, it almost sounded like Berseum really had been my teacher.

‘Well, if she concludes it that way, it makes things easier for me.’

I returned to the main point.

“Whatever the truth is, we can’t verify it right now. What I’m about to tell you is far more important. Please focus.”

[ You sound like my private tutor. ]

From Armelia’s voice, I could tell she had regained her composure.

So, I decided to bring up the main topic of today’s conversation.

“As I mentioned earlier, I learned astrology alongside magic.”

[ Hmm. That makes sense. Berseum was well-versed in astrology, after all. ]

“…Anyway, once my memories came back, the first thing I tried was astrology. I was curious about what my future would look like, being caught up in such a strange game.”

Gulp.

The diary’s function was impressive—it even conveyed the sound of Armelia swallowing.

[ And? What did you see? ]

“I couldn’t see far into the future. But one month from now, I was still alive and well.”

[ Are you sure Magireta’s second quest hasn’t started yet? She didn’t tell you when it would begin, did she? ]

“No.”

I took a deep breath before continuing.

“The second quest will begin within a month.”

[ Why… ]

“Because Your Highness will die within a month.”

Hup.

Armelia sharply inhaled.

I quickly continued speaking.

“After I looked into my own future, the next person I checked was you, Your Highness.”

[ Me? Why? ]

“I told you back in the first game, didn’t I? I want to save you.”

[ …Why, though? ]

“I don’t really know. I can only say that I just… really want to.”

Armelia fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

[ So, I really die, then. ]

“No. I’ll make sure you live.”

[ Mason. ]

“Let’s meet in person first, Your Highness. I’m on a carriage headed toward the capital right now.”

Was she surprised?

Or afraid?

There was no response for a while.

But when Armelia finally spoke again, her voice had steadied.

[ You can’t enter the Imperial Palace. ]

“I’m not asking to. That’s why I need Your Highness to come out instead.”

[ …All right. Where should we meet? ]

“I’m not familiar with the geography of the capital. Is there a place where we could meet without drawing attention?”

She hesitated briefly, then said,

[ Don’t come into the capital. Once you’re inside, there’s nowhere to hide from people’s eyes. ]

“Then…”

[ There’s a hunting ground where the Imperial Family holds an event twice a year. It’s forbidden to all except by the Emperor’s command. On the road to the capital, about twenty minutes before you arrive, you’ll find a fork—take that path. ]

Armelia said that the hunting ground was called Mount Glory.

An entire mountain reserved as a private hunting ground.

Truly, the thoughts of high-ranking people always surpassed common sense.

“If it’s restricted, wouldn’t it be difficult for me to enter? There must be guards stationed at the entrance.”

[ I’ll give an order under some pretext to clear them out. When do you expect to reach the capital? ]

“Hmm… if nothing goes wrong, in about a week.”

[ Then a week from now, at 8 p.m., I’ll create a gap in the guards’ patrol. Sneak in during that time. If your arrival time changes, report to me in real time like you did now. ]

“Understood.”

[ Follow the narrow path up the hill, and you’ll find a cabin. It’s used to process the first round of hunted animals. Hide there, and I’ll come to find you. ]

I nodded, then suddenly had a curious thought.

“But Your Highness, do you attend those hunting events too? How do you know the place so well?”

Armelia answered in a light tone.

[ I’m not interested in such events. But that place—outside of hunting season, no one goes there. When I want to be alone, there’s no better spot. ]

“You have times like that too, Your Highness?”

[ It’s because I’m a princess that I do. Ever since I was little, whenever I felt sad, I’d go there to watch the stars. ]

Regardless of her tone, she was quite a sensitive and introspective princess.

Anyway, it seemed our first round of discussion was complete.

I reminded her once again, firmly.

“As you know, you must not bring anyone with you. You must come alone.”

[ Of course. If this bizarre game gets exposed, we’ll both be killed. ]

That was true—but there was another reason.

According to the diary, before the second game even began, Armelia was forced to kill the person she cherished most.

And that trauma had broken her completely.

Since I didn’t know who the victim was or why it happened, I had to make sure she stayed away from everyone from the start.

“I’ll be counting on you, then.”

[ And I on you. ]

“That’s all for today’s conversation. Uh, right… I’ll cancel the magic now.”

[ It’s an honor to have met a wizard from legend. ]

Her last words carried a trace of playful teasing.

As I scratched my head, she added softly,

Her tone this time was gentle.

[ Thank you, truly, for last time as well, Mason. I’ll be sure to repay this debt. ]