Chapter 2: The Ruin’s Secret

Chapter 2:
The Ruin’s Secret

 

“WHAT IN THE WORLD is this?”

Angie and the others had made their way deeper into the ruins only to discover a deep hole in the ground. She held her lantern over it, illuminating an endless darkness. The hole seemed quite deep. By the look of it, the floor had collapsed just moments ago.

“Don’t tell me the two of them fell?”

What sounded like gunshots echoed up from the pit. Angie’s stomach twisted.

“I’ll get a rope,” said Jilk, already prepared to descend.

Greg held up his spear. “I’m going in. There’s a good chance both Bartfort and Marie are down there. We need to hurry.”

“I—I’m going, too!” said Livia.

“You stay.”

“No, I’m going!”

Just then, the village leader dashed in, bellowing, “What do you think you’re doing?!”

Angie remained firm in the face of his anger. “The floor caved in. We think the other two may have fallen in. We’re heading in after them.”

“Y-you can’t—no, I understand.” The leader sighed. “I’ll head down to help them myself. The rest of you wait here, please.”

“They’re fighting down there!” Greg protested. “What are you going to do if something happens to Marie?!”

“If you want to help, head back to town and let the other villagers know. Have them come as well,” the leader instructed. He took his rifle from the holster at his back and leapt down into the hole.

Angie’s eyes followed him, suspicion weighing on her. He didn’t even hesitate, did he?

Even though they had no idea what might be lying in wait.

The echo of gunfire continued, unabated.

 

***

 

Luxion lit our surroundings while Marie and I made our way down a passage.

“Now I remember,” I said. “In the game, there was an underground area you could explore in the ruins.”

Parts of the ruin had collapsed, blocking our path with boulders and dirt. The place was virtually a labyrinth now.

I glanced over my shoulder at Marie. “I thought you used your healing magic already? You sure are walking slow.” She was limping, and I had to slow my pace to match hers.

Marie scowled. “I can heal it, but the pain lingers for a bit! Walk slower!”

“Livia’s healing is powerful enough to make the pain go away, too. This is exactly why I called you a fraud.”

“Excuse me?! That girl may be a little cute, but you sound obsessed, like a loser. You’re a no-name background character, remember? No one’s going to give you the time of day.”

I chuckled. “Hate to break it to you, but I’m actually pretty popular with the ladies right now. I have a mountain of letters begging me for tea parties.” Not that I loved that, but I smirked about it just to piss her off.

Marie wrinkled her nose.

Time to change the subject. “So what made you decide to try the reverse-harem route anyway?”

“Got a problem with it? It’s only natural to take happiness where you can find it.”

Happiness? What kind of motivation was that?

“You must feel pretty big then, huh? Kicking Livia out of her rightful place so you could get your own giggles? You owe her an apology.”

Marie’s gaze dropped to the floor. “What would you know?” she mumbled. “I was miserable in my previous life. What’s wrong with wanting to live the way I want in this one? I just… I just want to be happy!”

But the way she went about it was just cruel. She already had five men at her beck and call, yet she kept making mistakes—ones she could never hope to undo.

“You got in Livia’s way and then you set a trap for Angie. You really are a lowlife,” I said.

Then Luxion had to go and interject. “I believe the same could be said about you, Master. You found and took me for yourself even though you said I was originally intended for Olivia. Then you beat the life out of those five boys in front of the entire school. I believe you called the experience ‘exhilarating.’”

Marie glared at me. “You really are a worm. You have no right to lecture me.”

“You’re the last person I want to hear that from! Besides, it’s your fault I’ve had to suffer like this. What are you even planning to do for the final fight? If you screw things up, the kingdom will lose the war.”

In the game, Miss Hertrude used the Magic Flute to summon the final boss. The kingdom currently had both the princess and her flute in its possession, so the chances of things going down exactly the same way were low, but I still worried.

“Duh. I’ll use my Saint power to win.”

“What? You really think you can solve everything with the Saint’s power? And what about Livia’s power, huh?” I demanded.

“What are you talking about? Her power is the Saint’s power, right?”

I shook my head. “No! That’s what I’ve been trying to—”

Luxion interrupted us. “Master, I think I’ve found an answer to one of my suspicions.”

The area around us suddenly lit up, and I had to squint against the brightness. Once my eyes adjusted, I realized we’d entered a large room lined with tons of luminous capsules, each filled with liquid.

“Oh boy. You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“Eek!”

Creatures floated inside the capsules—creatures that resembled humans. But they weren’t the only thing we had to worry about.

A number of elves stood, waiting for us, holding rifles and pistols.

I stepped in front of Marie and held up my own gun. I still had a laundry list of questions I wanted to ask her, so I couldn’t let her die here.

One of the elves gave us an eerie smile. “Welcome, humans and strange round thing, to the place that gave birth to mankind. Your timing is impeccable. We were in need of more research subjects.”

Excuse me?

I realized then that the elves were wearing white lab coats, like some kind of mad scientists.

“Are you the one who made the beasts in these ruins?” I asked.

Ordinary monsters disappeared after being defeated, but the creatures down here remained even after you killed them. Whatever they were, they weren’t run-of-the-mill beasties.

“How observant.” The elf speaking kept the barrel of his gun trained on me. “I didn’t expect you lot to even notice.” He reached out and gently stroked one of the capsules. Inside floated an enormous flower with a human face at its center.

Talk about creepy. Far more unsettling than any monster I’d ever seen.

“We here have encroached upon God’s territory,” he went on. “We create life. I am sure this exceeds your base, human comprehension, but civilizations of the ancient past were far more technologically advanced. Elves ruled back then, not you mere humans. These ruins prove it.”

So this ancient facility had once been used to develop new life-forms. Since elves inhabited the island, they naturally assumed that proved elves had created humans.

The elf chuckled. “You still don’t get it? I’m telling you that your species is primitive. Our ancestors produced all kinds of life-forms in this place—you humans were one of those inferior races.”

“No way! I don’t remember that being part of the game!” Marie protested.

Oh, come on, don’t buy into his crap.

Still, it sent chills down my spine to think that elves had been down here cooking up creepy-crawlies since who knew when. I glanced questioningly at Luxion. He discreetly moved his eye from side to side, as if to say no—he disagreed.

“We’re going to take back the world you humans stole from us,” the elf boasted, drunk on his own vision. “From now on, elves will reign supreme. We’ll guide this world down the righteous path. Your sacrifices will further that goal. Now, what experiments shall we perform on you first? Ah, yes…”

“You’re mistaken,” Luxion said. “Humans managed this facility. And the creatures they created…are you elves.”

I gaped at him. Luxion had expressed a number of suspicions thus far, but this came out of nowhere.

Marie pinched the edge of my shirt and tugged while glancing at Luxion. “Hey, what is that familiar of yours anyway?”

“Luxion. He’s a cheat item. You know about him, right?”

“I didn’t until now. A cheat item, though? That’s not fair! Give him to me.”

“I do appreciate that you choose to be openly despicable.”

The elf’s expression contorted. “The humans made us? What a pitiful attempt at humor.”

“I managed to tap into this facility’s artificial intelligence,” Luxion went on, “which had been dormant. We have shared files, and thus I have determined this place was a testing site where humans pursued research outside ethical boundaries.”

As if in response, a robotic voice echoed around us. “That is correct. The elves inhabiting this island are feral descendants of the subjects created in this lab.”

The voice differed just a bit from Luxion’s; it was more feminine, for one.

“Another artificial intelligence?” I glanced around, but I didn’t see a body or mainframe or anything.

“Correct,” the voice answered. “I have spent many years in sleep mode. It is a pleasure to meet someone who carries the genes of the old humans. You are proof that our fight was not in vain.”

The lead elf glanced around frantically. “Wh-who are you?!” he bellowed. “Enough of your lies! We elves are clearly the superior race. We have longer life spans, and we’re more skilled at using magic!”

“We gave you long life spans to ensure you could be deployed in battle for as long as possible,” the AI responded matter-of-factly. “Premature, natural deaths would have been inconvenient. Your skill with magic was also our design. Although I must say, our first subjects were significantly stronger. Your abilities have deteriorated over the generations.”

While the other elves began to panic, their representative trembled in front of us, red with rage. His gaze darted about, trying to decide where he should aim his gun. “Quit playing with us!” he screamed. “That can’t be true. We are the real—”

I sensed someone behind us and swung around to find the village leader.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” he shouted.

“Oh, it’s you—uh…?” Gullible Marie clearly assumed he was here to save us, until she noticed the gun he had trained on her.

“I see,” said Luxion. “So the village leader was an accomplice.”

Seeing his comrades in disarray, the village leader snapped at them. “Finish these humans off. We need to make it look like the other research subjects were responsible.”

The elves scrambled into action. Some flew to a control panel, which at their command made the capsules discharge their fluid and release the beasts within.

“Perhaps I should at least praise them for figuring out how to work the controls,” Luxion remarked.

I lifted my rifle. “So they plan to kill us and erase the evidence? Elves are every bit as underhanded as they look.”

The leader laughed at me. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, human. Inferior creatures like you should bow your heads to the likes of us!”

“How foolish,” the female AI lamented. “I have classified this as an emergency situation. Commencing countermeasures.”

Panels opened on the walls, and weapons popped out, blasting right through the artificial creatures the elves had unleashed. The elves cowered in fear.

In the midst of the confusion, I fired my gun and sent a bullet tearing through the village leader’s shoulder.

“Argh!”

He dropped his weapon, and I charged him, slamming the butt of my rifle into his face.

“Shoot him!” the elves screamed.

Marie threw her arms over her head. “Nooo! I can’t take this!”

You sure are noisy! I turned to Luxion. “Do it.”

“I’m afraid you’ll need to do better than that if you want to harm my master.”

A wall of light encompassed us, deflecting the elves’ onslaught of magic and bullets.

I aimed my gun at the leader and glared at the other elves. Once they realized none of their weapons would work against us, they ceased firing and stood there, frozen.

“You wanna keep going?” I taunted. “You elves are supposed to be clever and noble, so I assume you know when to give up. Unless you’re feeling suicidal?”

It was clear they couldn’t win. They threw their weapons down and held their hands up in surrender.

“Time to restrain them all. You.” I pointed to Marie. “Hop to it.”

“Hold on a sec! I’m the Saint, which means I’m your boss!”

“Want a bullet in your head? Pretty sure I can destroy the evidence and make it look like an accident if I do it now.”

Not that I had any intention of actually following through with that, but it forced a smile out of Marie. “Oh, come on, don’t be angry. I—I’ll help out, I swear. Don’t shoot me.”

Tsk, where was that attitude to begin with?

 

***

 

After we tied up all the elves, the feminine AI called out to Luxion and me. “I understand our side lost, which means it is time for this facility to self-destruct.”

I shook my head. “You lot sure do like to blow yourselves up. Luxion had the same reaction when I first met him.”

She wouldn’t back down. “This facility was constructed in order to devise a way to resist the new humans. However, now that it is clear we failed, it is too dangerous to leave intact.”

True. I didn’t want to see anybody like these elves getting their hands on the place. These ruins had to go.

“But are you sure about this?” I asked. “After you finally woke up?”

She had managed this place for centuries, had just woken up after ages of sleep, and now she had to go and blow herself up. It just seemed cruel.

“Yes, it is fine this way. Luxion, I will be handing my data over to you. If you require anything from this facility, please take it with you. Also, take this along as well. A migrant ship like yours will need it.”

A number of floating, glimmering cube-like structures popped out of the ground.

“Yes, let’s take these,” Luxion agreed. “They will improve my performance.”

“What are they?” I asked.

“Incredibly valuable items.”

Excited, Marie hopped over. “Treasure!”

“Indeed. Treasure as far as we AI are concerned, but since your world wouldn’t know what to do with them, they’re little more than useless toys to you.”

She deflated. “This really is the worst. There’s no treasure at all. Maybe this place really is totally different from the game. I mean, I thought this was supposed to be a fantasy word. No one told me there’d be a bunch of science fiction crap.”

Marie had a point; the old humans had created the elves to combat the new humans. Most likely, the same went for the other demi-human races as well. This truly was a mysterious universe we’d stumbled into. Not at all the run-of-the-mill fantasy with swords and magic that we had imagined.

So much for a fluffy, lighthearted otome game.

“Is there no other treasure?” Marie asked, shoulders slumped.

“I am not sure why you would expect treasure from a research facility, but no, there is not,” the AI responded.

Marie wiped her tears with her sleeve. “I’m going home.”

Admittedly, it was kind of pitiful to see her go through all this and come out with nothing.

“However,” the AI continued, “I do have an item I would appreciate you taking with you. Perhaps you might find some value in it.”

“What? So you do have some treasure! Hurry up and hand it over!”

Marie instantly perked up, just like my little sister used to.

Honestly, some part of me couldn’t help suspecting she and Marie were one and the same…but the last thing I needed was to meet that brat again in my second life.

 

***

 

We were some distance away from the ruins, and I was still having a hell of a time calming Luxion down. If I had to find some way to express his sounds with human letters it would basically be: “Asdfghjkl!”

“Seriously, cool your jets.”

“I am perfectly calm,” he said. “And I will remain levelheaded as I blast this place to bits, pound it to sand, burn it to ash, and obliterate it until absolutely no trace remains—graaah!”

He’s snapped.

Marie was so devastated by the lack of treasure that she’d collapsed on the ground, her expression vacant. “This isn’t remotely what I wanted.”

Jilk and Greg tried to reassure her, though they were both just relieved to find her safe.

“At least nothing happened to you.”

“That’s right, Marie. Safety comes first. We can always search for more treasure later.”

On the ground in front of us lay the last item the ruin’s AI had requested we take. It looked like some spike-covered part of an Armor, but I had no idea what part. Marie wouldn’t stop whining about how this piece of junk wouldn’t net her any money.

To make things worse, Luxion had, you know, lost it.

Flustered, Livia tried to console him. “Please calm down, Lux! Come on, deep breaths. Deep breaths!”

“I do not require oxygen.”

“Oh, um, that’s right. S-sorry.”

His calm reply totally threw her off. Augh, adorable.

Angie stood beside me, trying to get a bead on the situation. “Leon, can you explain why you refuse to release the village leader despite his injury? And where did you find all these other elves? Don’t tell me they were being held down there?” She eyed them suspiciously.

I was genuinely at a loss for what to do with those guys. I could hardly explain the whole artificial life thing, but how else could I justify passing judgment on them?

“Yeah, about that… See, these guys kinda—whoa.”

The ground rumbled, throwing us all off balance. I reached to steady Angie, and the two of us turned our eyes toward the ruins.

Angie gaped in shock. The facility underground had safely self-destructed after all. Well, safely was maybe an odd word choice, but at least this way no one could create any more of those creepy beasties.

This is for the best.

Then the sky above us rippled unnaturally, just enough to catch my attention. While the outline was faint, I made out an enormous airship. Luxion’s main body. His optical camouflage helped conceal him, mostly.

“Hey!” I glared at him.

“This is punishment for deceiving me,” he replied icily. “Punishment for forcing this loathsome thing on me!”

In his rage, he fired a shot from the main ship, and a beam of light descended on the ruins.

The village leader quivered. “Don’t tell me the head elder spoke the truth?! It’s the demon king. We’ve angered him!”

Sorry, that’s not your fairy tale, that’s my partner throwing a hissy fit.

The other elves’ faces contorted in horror, as if they thought the end of the world was nigh. They couldn’t tear their eyes away from the bright pillar shooting down from the sky.

Only Miss Hertrude ignored it, her gaze instead focused on the Armor fragment we’d brought. Strangely, I felt like I’d seen the shape somewhere before. Black and spiky… Yeah, definitely familiar, but I couldn’t remember exactly why.

Miss Hertrude approached me. “May I have a word?”

“Hmm?”

“Would you mind handing this over to me? If you want money, I am more than willing to provide it.” The expression on her face was far too serious. She had to be up to something.

“I’ll pass,” I said.

“Whatever you want, as long as it’s within my power to give it to you, I will. And also, please know I meant it when I suggested you switch your allegiance. I promise you would be rewarded with a rank befitting someone of your skill. The kingdom has no true claim to your loyalty, does it?”

I hesitated, but only for a moment. “Nah, I don’t need anything from you.”

Her brows knit. “You really are fixated, aren’t you? I expected a regional lord would understand the kingdom is detestable. Or have they domesticated you so well that you don’t even realize your oppression?”

Oh, like I could argue with that! Still, switching allegiances wasn’t a simple matter. How could I guarantee Miss Hertrude would follow up on her promises? Especially when she came from an enemy nation, and one that absolutely loathed me at that. If I conceded and followed her to the principality, they might as easily arrest me for a public execution.

Dammit, I really shouldn’t have crawled so far up the principality’s butt.

“Not interested,” I said finally.

“I see. That’s too bad. Truly a shame.”

 

***

 

By the time we returned to the elf village, the head elder was waiting for us. Dozens of elves had fled their houses to kneel on the ground and pray to the heavens.

“Please, demon king, forgive us!”

“Spare our island, please!”

“This is why I was against it! I knew the village leader would disturb the ruins!”

Kyle surveyed their reactions with a mocking grin on his face, though it disappeared almost as quickly. I pretended not to see it. He clearly had his reasons for disdaining his fellows.

Greg scanned the area as he and Jilk carried the Armor fragment. “The atmosphere here sure has changed.”

“I thought they might blame us for destroying the ruins,” added Jilk, “but it seems that’s not the case.”

The head elder made her way over to us. She glanced at the captive elves we’d brought back and mumbled something to the assistant supporting her.

“She says she would like to speak with you regarding how you want to handle these elves,” the assistant relayed. “If possible, we’d like one of you to act as a representative for your party and come to the head elder’s estate.”

I’d figured we would have to explain things, so I stepped up.

The head elder glanced over at Marie.

“You want me to drag her along, too?” I asked.

“Yes,” the assistant confirmed. “Please bring the black-haired girl and those other two girls as well.”

Greg and Jilk would apparently be spared, so they set their burden down to take a break.

“You guys go on ahead,” said Greg. “We’ll get this thing to the ship.”

“Indeed,” Jilk agreed. “It would be a pain to lug back and forth. The faster we get it to the Partner, the better.”

Luxion’s voice filled with disgust. “Do you truly intend to put that filth on my ship?”

“Give it up already,” I grumbled. “Come on, let’s get moving.”

This little jerk really called that Armor fragment “filth.”

 

***

 

As we took our seats across from the elder at her estate, we were surprised to hear her assistant say, “The head elder would like to thank all of you.”

Marie blushed. “You don’t have to thank us. But if you’re feeling generous, you could give us treasure or something of value. I’d love that.”

Angie glared daggers at Marie, silencing her. “We’ve done nothing to deserve a reward. If anything, it’s our fault the ruins were destroyed. We don’t deserve your gratitude.”

The head elder shook her head.

“The elder says she’s relieved that the ancient demon king only destroyed the ruins. We’re fortunate that was the extent of his anger.”

Again with the demon king, huh?

“Uh, um!” Livia piped up. “I know this is unrelated, but what does it mean to be ‘impure’? Miss Yumeria used that word to describe herself, and Kyle has also been acting strange. Could you explain for us?”

Marie sneered at Livia’s obvious worry. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bring other people’s servants into the conversation, thank you very much.”

“B-but I can’t just leave things the way they are. He’s clearly not acting normal.” Livia had a point there.

The head elder’s assistant averted her gaze as she answered, “You’re aware that elven beauty standards are based on one’s mana, yes? Each individual’s mana is unique. It would be difficult to describe to a human, but we judge them in terms of their color. However, some rare elves are born with several different colors mixed together.”

That didn’t mean much to any of us, but apparently elves considered it, uh, weird.

“Elves with that type of mana possess strong, special magical powers. However, others cannot help but look at them with contempt. The villagers refer to such people as ‘impure.’”

So they have access to more than just your standard magic? I assumed that meant it was biological in some way.

“To add to that,” the assistant continued, “Kyle’s mother left the village for a period to work as a traveling entertainer. During that time, she became pregnant with a human’s child.”

Angie’s eyes flew wide open. “I’ve heard rumors, but you’re saying he’s a real half-elf? So they really exist?”

The woman nodded. “Half-elves have an awkward position in our society. Their existence is especially problematic for the men who work as personal servants to human women.”

Elves fetched a high price partly because of their inability to procreate with humans. If it got out that wasn’t entirely true, even if rarely, they feared women might hesitate to purchase them.

Would they really, though? In fact, there were probably some creeps out there who would get a thrill out of it. This world really is awful.

“So that’s why he said he was a half-elf!” Marie gasped.

Oh, come on! I ignored her. “So basically, the village considers both him and his mother eyesores. Well, leaving that aside for now—”

“Leon, please, you can’t just end the conversation there!” Livia scolded.

Really, what did she want me to do? “Even if we poke our noses into this, we can’t solve anything for them. Isn’t it enough to understand why Kyle hates this place? As for Miss Yumeria, it’s not like we can just tell the villagers to stop being jerks to her. We don’t control them.”

Sadness washed over the assistant’s face as she dropped her gaze. “You’re right about that. Unfortunately, there really is nothing you can do to resolve this matter.”

The elder leaned toward her assistant and started whispering.

“The head elder says she has already foretold your futures. Conveying what she has seen is the only form of thanks she can give you right now.”

It was obvious she didn’t have much money to spare. Her accommodations were far more modest than the village leader’s.

Might as well take her up on it. I shrugged.

“First, we’ll begin with the Saint.”

“Fortune-telling, huh?” Marie perked up. “All right then, let’s hear it. You better give me the best fortune you can.”

She really is full of herself. Now that I’d thought it, I couldn’t stop unseeing my little sister. That brat had religiously checked her horoscope every morning.

“You have been born to a strange fate. You have a destined partner, but somehow, you have yet to connect.”

“Who is this destined partner?!” Marie leaned forward.

The assistant shook her head. “That, she doesn’t know, but the two of you have already met. However, now that you have split paths, you will never again be together. Also…”

“Yeah, what?”

“You cannot escape the hand fate has dealt you. A harsh fate awaits you. Either you will obtain everything, or you will lose it all. Those are the only paths left for you.”

Marie’s mouth fell open. At last she shrieked, “Again! I demand a redo!”

“Now, for the black-haired girl—”

“Hey, I’m talking to you!”

Miss Hertrude waited quietly for the woman to continue, looking utterly disinterested.

“The head elder says there will soon be a turning point in your life, and with it will come great hardship.”

“Oh, really?”

“But that hardship will bring you your fated partner. If you can walk at their side, a light will shine on you and ease your troubles. They will become a source of great strength and support.”

“Tr-truly? Well, I’ll keep that in mind.” Miss Hertrude looked like a giddy schoolgirl the way she smiled. Guess she liked the sound of a fated partner.

I envy her in that.

“Next is you.”

“Me?” Angie had been waiting anxiously. She had an eager smile on her face.

I guess fortune-telling isn’t always so bad.

The assistant hesitated after the elder whispered to her.

“Wh-what is it?” Angie asked. “You’re making me antsy.”

“You and that girl over there…” she motioned to Livia “…seem to be protected by a hero. A hero to whom even the ancient demon king bends his knee. Though I cannot say for sure whether you have met him all ready or if you will meet him in the future.”

“A hero?” Angie tilted her head.

Livia was similarly confused. “I guess you always see heroes in a certain kind of fairy tale—usually the sort boys like. But I don’t know anyone quite like that.”

“Me neither,” Angie agreed. “Besides, who is this demon king?”

She and Livia conferred with one another quietly.

As for me, I thought this whole fortune-telling thing was starting to sound fishy. Plus, the elder was really stuck on that demon king thing. Well, not like I could tell them why they were wrong. And she’s kinda lost whatever gift she had, right? If she was ever a real fortune-teller to begin with.

To be clear, if there really was some hero out there, I was more than ready for him to show. He needed to hurry up and save this stupid world. And me, too, while he was at it. I genuinely wanted him to sweep me off my feet already.

“If the elder is feeling tired, maybe you should let her rest?” I suggested.

The assistant shook her head. “N-no, she’s fine. Um, this next one will also be for the both of you.” She motioned to Angie and Livia. Even the assistant seemed to be getting suspicious about the validity of these claims. The atmosphere had taken an awkward turn, but we politely listened nonetheless.

“Your futures are intricately intertwined. You have been greatly diverted from the path intended for you. Someone else has taken on the burdens you were originally supposed to bear.”

Livia’s face scrunched. “Uh, um…do you mean someone is helping us?”

“I think so. Or rather, someone has already helped you both.”

Angie glanced at me. “Well, true, we have been helped a number of times.”

The assistant frowned, clearly troubled. “She said your fates are so complex, she can’t view them clearly. Although, she is quite certain about this hero.”

Angie and Livia both glanced at me.

“You don’t think…”

“Well, you could say…”

I shook my head firmly. “No, definitely not.”

Marie rolled her eyes. “Of course not. He’s just a stupid background character.”

Miss Hertrude seemed equally exasperated. “You think far too highly of yourself.”

Okay, the way they put it so bluntly pissed me off.

As I cursed them inwardly, Livia pleaded with the head elder. “Um, please tell Leon’s future as well!”

Angie nodded. “Y-yes, please do. It would be a shame to leave him out when you’ve told everyone else’s, right? Not that I’m curious. I just think we should all have ours told so it’s fair.”

I glanced over at the elder. “No worries, you look after you. I don’t really care.”

The old woman straightened. Her voice was quiet and hoarse, as if she were straining to speak audibly.

I just said you don’t have to push yourself, old lady! You’re making me look like a jerk here.

“Thank you for saving the community of Fan. It seems you truly are a kind person,” she croaked.

Marie and Miss Hertrude’s eyes went wide with surprise.

What, do you guys have some kind of problem? Not to brag or anything, but I really am a nice guy.

More importantly, why were we only now learning this place called itself Fan?

“I’m afraid my foresight isn’t strong enough to see into your future. However, I can tell you this—you will eventually…lose something precious… A difficult decision awaits…”

Wow, what a wonderfully vague way to prophesy my oncoming doom. “Uh, Miss Elder? Could you try for something a little more concrete?”

She went silent.

“Uh, Elder Lady?”

The assistant leaned over to prop the woman up. “It seems she’s exhausted.”

“Hold on a minute!” I leaped to my feet and grabbed the elder by the shoulders. “Come on, you gotta open your eyes! I’m begging you here, give me something more to work with! Don’t say something that ominous then fall asleep on me!”

Angie and Livia lunged forward to pry me off the old woman.

“Leon, get a hold of yourself!”

“Leon, bad! Treating an elderly woman like that is a no-no!”

Yeah, sure, but how was I supposed to accept this?!

Marie and Miss Hertrude chuckled in amusement.

“Now that was entertaining.”

“Indeed, you poor thing.”

They didn’t feel the least bit sorry for me. I’d known Marie was rotten from the start, but Jerktrude wasn’t proving any better.

“Nooo, I don’t want this!” I moaned. “I demand a redo!”

Luxion, floating quietly nearby, mumbled, “You said you didn’t believe in this nonsense, yet here you are, throwing a tantrum.”

“Shut up! No one else would take this lying down either!”

I didn’t care if I looked lame. I wanted to live my life in peace! What did she even mean, saying I’d “lose something precious”?!