Future Diary Survival Game

Chapter 9: First-Come, First-Served - 1

Armelia tilted her head and spoke.

“‘We said many things. Now, now. Everyone, stand up. Although the round sun has not risen yet……’ — and so on.”

Then she slowly put into words every single remark Magireta had recited.

Huh? Every single remark?

At first I had listened quietly, then my mouth slowly opened.

Armelia remembered every single thing Magireta had said with not a hair’s breadth of error!

“Uh…… hold on. You remember all of that?” I asked.

“Yes. For now.”

“I only recalled a lot after I heard it. That’s impressive.”

“I’ve always had a good memory.”

That was an understatement.

Anyway, that wasn’t what mattered right now.

“Continue. After what I just said, what did Magireta say next?”

The lines Armelia had just recited were from the moment the translucent plates first floated up during the first quest.

What Magireta had said after that flowed out of her mouth.

“From now on I will name these translucent plates ‘notice boards.’ It means a new quest only began when this notice board floated. Conveying rules by speech could be forgotten or misconstrued, so I meant to put them in writing…… huh? Wait a moment.”

Right.

Magireta had already given a hint during the first quest.

“Yes. She said a new quest only started when the notice board appeared.”

“Y-yes. She definitely said that.”

“And earlier, the notice board didn’t appear.”

“……!”

“Offering sacrifices in the first place isn’t a quest. It’s just a lie. Or Magireta’s plaything. We mustn’t be toyed with by that.”

I had thought there might be a chance to save Mr. Forgotten.

So I’d tried in every way to give him a hint.

But hadn’t Magireta deceived me by separating Mr. Forgotten’s body and head?

I swore I wouldn’t be toyed with like that again.

For some reason, it was just such a sickening experience.

Armelia grabbed her head.

“I’m truly an idiot. Even while remembering every single thing that woman said, why didn’t I connect it to this?”

“It was a confusing situation to begin with.”

“……If you hadn’t stepped in, I would have certainly killed Cecil.”

I couldn’t deny it.

In the future diary Armelia had killed the nanny, after all.

She shot me a glare then.

“You should have said ‘no’ back there.”

“You should have said no.”

“No, Your Highness would never do such a thing.”

“It’s too late.”

“…….”

For the first time, Armelia smiled.

She leant against the wall and hugged her knees.

“Magireta said she would kill everyone close to me if I didn’t kill Cecil. That meant the Emperor, the princes, and the central figures of the Empire — all of them. If that happened, the Empire would have collapsed. I couldn’t bear that.”

“…….”

“Even now, knowing your deduction was reasonable, I’m still anxious. Even if this isn’t the second quest, what if Magireta decides to keep her word?”

I couldn’t guarantee that either.

That demon might think, ‘It’s true it’s not a quest — so what?’ and really exterminate everyone close to me.

I admitted honestly.

“That’s right. So I will say no more and pass the choice to you.”

“Mason.”

“What would you do? Because of that possible outcome, would you kill the nanny?”

Armelia shivered.

After a moment she answered.

“Call Cecil. And you step outside for a bit.”

“How long?”

“……One hour.”

That was the sacrifice time limit.

Within that hour Armelia would make a decision either way.

I said heavily.

“Should I hand you a weapon?”

“I brought one.”

“You came prepared with a weapon to meet me — how disappointing.”

“I brought it intending to stab that madwoman through the heart if the chance came.”

“You’re bold. Then go outside.”

I turned.

As I grabbed the doorknob, Armelia said,

“Mason. If you were in this situation, what would you choose?”

I answered without turning back.

“‘If it were between someone I had to save and someone I wanted to save, I would choose the one I wanted to save.’”

“…….”

“Because I was pretty selfish.”

Click.

With those words she left the hut.

It had already been quite some time since I had sent the nanny, who glared at me as if she wanted to eat me alive, away.

How many minutes were left now?

That was when—

Click.

The hut door opened and Armelia came out.

I hurriedly peered inside over her shoulder.

“……!”

The nanny was lying on the floor.

I said with a taste like bile in my mouth.

“You ended up killing her.”

“What kind of thing to say.”

“Excuse me? But she’s collapsed like that……”

“I knocked her out. I simply couldn’t persuade Cecil.”

She stuck her tongue out lightly.

Instead of sticking my tongue out I wanted to curse.

“What kind of technique suddenly knocks a perfectly fine person unconscious? Is that part of the princess’s education?”

“Of course it wasn’t part of the formal curriculum. I don’t like to say it out loud, but I was rather an oddity at court.”

“His Majesty the Emperor must have quite the headache, then.”

“He wouldn’t care. That man.”

Huh?

Just as I was about to ask what felt off, the princess spoke.

“But more importantly, isn’t it a bit presumptuous for me to be saying such arrogant things?”

“What do you mean, ‘a bit presumptuous’?”

“First, apologize.”

“Right. I’m sorry for now.”

She laughed playfully.

Surely my tone and replies were blasphemous enough that my head could have been cut off at any moment.

Seeing her laugh that off made it clear this princess really was an oddity.

Then Armelia said,

“Soon the hour will be up.”

“Yes.”

“If Magireta were to slaughter everyone close to me, the Empire would be destroyed. Make sure it’s your responsibility.”

“Later, Your Highness can found a new empire. I’ll help with it.”

“Somehow, if you were with me it might actually be possible.”

I tried to return that joke with a smile.

Then—

Whoosh.

All the scenery around us suddenly shifted.

And when I recovered my senses again,

we were in a forest.

Murmur, murmur.

“Waaaaa! Aaah.”

“Sob sob. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Darling.”

“I killed my mother with my own hands…… hehe. ehehe.”

“Panting…… I killed him. Finally killed him. That damned child!”

The area was filled with noise so intense that directions lost their meaning.

It wasn’t the countless crowd from the first day.

But the noise they made was worse than that day.

They were all tearing at their hair, shedding bloody tears, writhing in agony.

Someone was vomiting on the ground, another was clawing at their own face and leaving wounds.

And on top of a huge rock—

“Kh—. Puhahahah.”

Magireta was enjoying this little hell.

Armelia spat the name like she was chewing and throwing it out.

“Magireta!”

“Tsk. What a boring couple.”

“What did you say?”

“I was most looking forward to you. This second fake quest.”

Good!

I clenched my fist.

I had already been sure, but sure enough the ‘sacrifice’ had been a fake quest.

At least our survival was certain.

Next I asked what I wanted to know.

“So it was a fake quest after all. Sister.”

“Is our lazy little brother doing okay?”

“Then the condition about massacring everyone close to you was fake too, right?”

“Kukuk. Well, who knows. Sorry, but I have to give you a somewhat disappointing answer.”

Armelia’s face stiffened.

I could hear the thumping of her heart as if it were in my ear.

But I asked casually.

“Who’s the one getting the disappointing answer?”

“Huh?”

“You left out the subject. Tell us properly whether it’s disappointing for us or disappointing for you.”

Magireta sighed deeply and raised both hands.

“Fine. I lost, I lost. Are you happy that your sister won?”

“…….”

“I’ve already enjoyed the entertaining scenes enough. From here on, it’s not cost-effective compared to letting things play out. All of your surrounding people are safe.”

I couldn’t take that demon’s words at face value, but Armelia’s expression brightened for now.

I decided to relax for the time being.

Then a commotion arose elsewhere.

The man who had been repeatedly calling “darling” just moments ago shouted.

“What, what did you just say!”

“If you want me to speak informally to you, you first have to be someone I like. And you’re not someone I like.”

“……What did you say? You won’t slaughter our surrounding people?”

“Yep. The ‘sacrifice’ from a moment ago wasn’t a quest to begin with.”

Murmurs.

A woman who had been crying bloody tears shouted.

“Are you saying it was a lie?”

“Yep. Say it again.”

“Why, why on earth did you do that! I just killed my mother. With my own hands, I strangled her to death!”

“Exactly for that look on your face.”

Under her hood, Magireta grinned slyly as she continued.

“Are you all idiots? I clearly told you during the first game. A quest only starts when the notice board appears.”

“Y… you!”

“Don’t grit your teeth at me. You were already exhausted from taking care of your sick mother who’s been bedridden for five years. Honestly, how does it feel? Isn’t there a part of you that’s relieved it’s finally over?”

“Aaah! No, nooo!”

Suddenly, the woman lunged at Magireta like a mad beast.

But Magireta simply sat on the tall rock, looking down at us.

“Come down here! Get down! I’ll kill you right now!”

“Hm.”

“I’ll kill you! I’ll strangle you myself! Khuk—”

In that instant, the woman clutched her own throat.

“Who’s strangling who now?”

“Ghh… khak khak.”

From that distant rock, Magireta merely stretched out her hand.

That alone made the woman’s eyes roll back white.

“Krrrk.”

With that strange final sound, her body went limp.

The air, filled moments ago with screams and sobs, sank into an icy silence.

Armelia bit her lip and spoke.

“……I was foolish to think I could kill that thing with a dagger.”

“You’ll get your chance someday.”

“Mason?”

“Please keep what I just said a secret.”

Perhaps because I had indirectly told her I felt the same way, Armelia’s expression turned solemn.

Whoosh.

When Magireta flicked her hand, the woman’s body flew through the air.

Thud.

It slammed into a huge tree beneath the cliff.

We all swallowed hard.

Then Magireta shouted.

“Now, now. Everyone, attention here!”

Flash.

Suddenly, a ‘notice board’ appeared in midair.

The start of the second quest.

Within one week from now, gather again beneath the rock in front of you.

Passing or failing will be decided by order of arrival.

Among those present here, only the first half to arrive will pass.

The moment half have arrived, the quest ends, and those who haven’t arrived by then fail.

Even if less than half have gathered, anyone who doesn’t arrive within a week fails.

As soon as I saw the quest, I scanned around.

‘Including Armelia and me…… a total of thirty-three.’

Magireta swung her legs back and forth from atop the rock and said,

“This rock I’m sitting on is right at the center of Bucklet Forest. It’s also the goal point for this quest.”

“…….”

“Soon, I’ll scatter you all throughout the forest. The moment that happens, the quest begins.”

I pricked up my ears, trying not to miss a single word from Magireta.

Everyone else did the same.

“As you probably know, Bucklet Forest is remote. There aren’t even proper roads here.”

“…….”

“Telling you to find your way here without any landmarks basically means I’d be disqualifying all of you, right? So I’ll give you a special service.”

As soon as she finished speaking—

Light burst from the rock.

Not figuratively, but literally.

From the rock shot a beam of light straight into the sky, piercing through the clouds.

“Even someone nearly blind could see this much light no matter where they’re placed in the forest. It’ll shine like this for an entire week, so just find your way here.”

“…….”

“That’s all for the explanation. No questions, right?”

“I have one.”

“What now. Little brother— oh, wait, not you?”

Right. This time, it wasn’t me.

Nor Armelia.

The one who raised her hand was a small girl whose head barely reached my shoulder.

She looked around fifteen or sixteen.

She brushed back her light brown hair and asked,

“There are thirty-three of us.”

“And?”

“If only half pass, does that mean sixteen people pass? Or will you make it seventeen?”

That was exactly what I’d been about to ask.