Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode

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Agartha has turned into Apta.

The Hunter seems to take this as a shocking event, but I don’t think it’s quite that serious.

In fact, looking back from the beginning, the fact that Agartha is Apta was something that could have been understood.

It was odd that Agartha, who was just a common thief at that time, showed no fear in reading the words written on the paper that had been in my possession from the start.

When she was accused of attempting to assault the Outsider, instead of showing disgust, she was merely jesting cheerfully.

Above all, it was strange how she seemed to be close friends with the Mystics.

Now that I think about it, the fact that her arm’s position and the position of her prosthetic limb were the same also provided sufficient evidence in hindsight.

However, that was information that could only be accepted once one knew the facts, and at that time, I couldn’t make any connections.

“So Apta… was it you who led me to play that game from the beginning?”

Apta just quietly nodded her head.

So that was it.

That’s why Agartha died right as the game started.

The reason why my grandfather, who believes in the Watcher, isn’t given much significance in the story.

The reason why all the Divine Race had to die for a happy ending.

It must all have been because I was absent, so anything related to me wasn’t even mentioned.

“Then Apta… just how many worlds did you repeat alone?”

Was it called the parallel world theory?

In the end, there were many players playing that game, and those players repeatedly played the game again and again.

Just how many times has the world been repeated?

Apta just sent her gaze upward in response to my question, but showed no emotion.

“It’s hard, isn’t it?”

…What’s that?

Is she trying to brush off the suffering she’s been through with such a casual remark?

I gave her a bitter look, but Apta tilted her head as if she didn’t understand why I was making such a face.

“You did well.”

“Then hug me, please.”

Apta seemed anxious, as she always was, not being able to hold me close.

Perhaps when she came at me with her true appearance, it was the eruption of all the things she had been holding back until now.

But with the Hunter watching, it felt a bit awkward.

“Can we do that later?”

“Che.”

Apta clicked her tongue, looking disappointed, withdrew the arms she had raised, and quietly watched us as if nothing had happened.

With that blank expression, I thought she might be able to create an impenetrable wall in any situation.

“By the way, why does it have to be called Super Coward Mode? There must be cooler names out there.”

At my words, Apta stiffly smiled and replied.

“Despite having lost countless lives, the intention is to sacrifice herself out of fear of losing just one life with a slightly different meaning; it’s self-deprecating.”

Ah.

The moment I heard that, I understood.

Right.

Great name they came up with.

Even I, who had known Oko’s feelings, had been dismissing her until the end.

There really is no one more cowardly.

#

On the way back on the train.

Having realized the truth, now only the last task remains: pulling Oko out of my body.

According to Apta, Oko came in to replace my life force, but now it’s said she can be replaced with another soul, so Oko doesn’t necessarily need to be inside me anymore.

Is she talking about the Interrogator we caught last time?

I had been wondering why the more pain I absorbed through the Interrogator’s ability, the more vitality I felt. It seemed that the sensation itself was filling with life force.

Since I had gathered quite a bit by now, there probably won’t be any problem surviving immediately.

The life force of the Interrogator, who had reached a high rank, must be quite substantial too.

“So, can I pull out Oko now then?”

“…That’s a bit difficult.”

But surprisingly, Apta disagreed with my statement.

“Why?”

“Even though she entered Raydan’s body without erasing her own concept, the process of returning to this world might cause pushback if her influence grows.”

As she spoke, Apta gazed at something massive standing far away.

It was the Giant of the Snow Mountain.

So Apta’s sudden appearance would influence the Giant of the Snow Mountain too, meaning it could only buy us some preparation time.

Truly, a very sound rational judgment compared to my hasty thoughts of wanting to see her soon.

Then, meeting Oko again would also be postponed.

Just a bit longer, Oko.

I’ll definitely meet you again.

#

The Hunter said he had something to prepare and immediately headed back.

Now only Apta and I remained.

With just the two of us, moments spent peacefully in Lintpia came to mind vividly, and I pondered what I would have done if I had known it would turn out like this.

Reflecting on the past that has already passed brings about a sense of gloom, but sometimes it can lead to finding new answers.

Yet the answer always remains the same.

No matter how I look at it, all I could do was stop the Knight Commander early, and that too was merely a temporary fix.

Ultimately, the flow of fate is something that must be forcibly carried out, no matter how one tries to reject it.

But just as she had done, I decided to think lightly.

In the end, when misfortunes come, fate returns the same number of chances equal to that misfortune to those who endure.

There are times when it pours down unbearable troubles like a device with an error in the system. Still, if one succeeds in enduring, peace will surely find them corresponding to that.

And that is.

The answer I want to give to myself now.

“Apta.”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

Just like that, saying thank you once, Apta casually approached and held me close.

I looked around near the now-empty entrance of Rondan and gently stroked her head with a nostalgic smile.

「…It seems we no longer even matter now.」

「That’s why I didn’t want to let you know…」

「Huh?」

…Hmm.

I felt a bit embarrassed at the voices of the Divine Race echoing inside my head.

Leydan Tanton.

While my memory hasn’t returned, I’ve stirred up quite a magnificent affair, haven’t I?

You should be blaming yourself, not me.

Damn Outsider assault attempt.

I couldn’t hear Zumiya’s voice, and it seems she’s somewhere venting her anger, judging by the sound of things breaking everywhere.

…Once the war is over, I should balance things out first.

Otherwise, I might end up bringing about the end of this Earth for entirely different reasons.

#

The place I just entered was the Princess’s Room.

Now that I knew all the answers, I had nothing to fear.

The Princess was just the semi-outsider I used to save.

The Knight Commander and the Deputy Director might as well enjoy their sweet romance.

In fact, before entering the Princess’s Room, I had barged into the Knight Commander’s office only to find the Deputy Director, who seemed rather unfortunate, sitting on the floor while grabbing onto the legs of the Knight Commander, as if trying to prevent him from going anywhere.

Well, it was my fault for barging into someone else’s room.

As I closed the door to respect their privacy, the voice of the Deputy Director from inside was quite remarkable.

Hearing such a heavy voice uttering words of such grievance was quite a quirky experience.

Well, still.

The sight of them each yearning for love in their own way was rather heartwarming.

Just like the Emperor, who loved the Empress until the very end.

I knocked on the door to the Princess’s Room.

Thinking about facing her now that my memories have returned brings a rush of emotions.

I felt a bit anxious.

What should I say when I see her?

Should I act just like ‘I’ used to do?

In a way, maybe it’d be better to just casually bring up a conversation that flows naturally.

But this time, I wanted to be a little more special.

I wanted to stop the pretense and casualness.

The door opens.

Inside, the Princess was looking at her burning arm where logs were on fire.

It seemed her recovery was already complete, and her body was intact.

I approached her.

The Princess welcomed me with the same bright smile as always.

“Tanton, you’ve returned?”

The Princess, with her face slightly reddening in embarrassment, glanced down shyly and spoke.

“Um, while I did ask you to come once a week, I didn’t mean right after your return.”

I see.

It must’ve taken quite a bit of time for me to come back.

That’s why she had grown so much.

So, to make it so the Princess couldn’t pretend not to know any longer, I smiled and said.

“You’ve grown a lot.”

“…?”

The Princess’s eyes widened in surprise.

And she looked up at me, forcing her trembling eyes to move.

Haha, a satisfying reaction.

“Seeing how mature you’ve become, I guess it was a good decision to kick the Knight Commander from that time, even if it was an act of treason.”

I grinned playfully at her.

“Thank you for always taking care of me, little lady, Princess.”

It might be a bit irreverent, but it seems my worries were for nothing.

The Princess embraced me with teary eyes.

 

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