Chapter 79
<What did you say?!>
“Chaotic Evil finally manages to kill Tesilid, but when the day rewinds, he kills him again. Then when it resets again, he kills him in a different way… and when it resets again, he kills him in an even more cruel way… He repeats killing him seven times like that. Like he’s experimenting. So the world restarts the same day seven times too.”
<Seven times…?>
“That’s actually a pretty humane number. Originally, he’s the kind of lunatic who could do it seventy times… or even seven hundred times.”
Thankfully, he was the type to get bored quickly.
Otherwise, the reincarnator privilege that lets me perceive the rollbacks might have driven me insane.
“Instead, he waits until Tesilid becomes a regressor and then kills him immediately. That timing is exactly when my movement restriction in the Count’s castle gets lifted.”
<So that’s why you said you’d go meet Tesilid first as soon as you leave the estate. To save him.>
“Yes.”
Agnes fell silent with a stiff expression. She probably needed time to process everything she had just heard.
<This is shocking… That one person could influence this world to such a degree… Tesilid Argent truly is someone loved by the world.>
Loved?
I wasn’t sure that was the right word.
Obsessed over might be more accurate.
While I stayed silent, she asked:
<I have two questions, Ailet.>
“Of course. Ask anything.”
<In the future you know… what happens to the world? …Does it fall?>
There was no reason to hesitate.
“Yes.”
Because in the original story’s 17th timeline, after losing the protagonist, the final hidden villain ran wild and the world ended.
Agnes seemed to have vaguely expected that answer.
She moved straight to the second question.
The real question.
<Then how do you know all this? What exactly are you?>
“……”
At that moment—
[<System> Emergency reboot of the Possessor Support System due to difficulty adjustment issues completed.]
[‘The Word that Builds the World’ rushes in and checks on your condition.]
[‘Inspector of Heavenly Secrets’ hurriedly arrives to see what you are doing.]
The system, which had crashed when the disaster began, came back online as the gods arrived late.
<Ailet.>
Her quiet prompting continued.
I had to answer.
“I am……”
I smiled.
“I’m your student, your disciple, and your friend, Ailet Rodeline.”
<…I see. So that’s as much as you can say.>
Perhaps she understood there were circumstances preventing me from speaking further, because she didn’t press the issue.
I thanked her silently.
[‘Inspector of Heavenly Secrets’ says they arrived at just the right time.]
The inspector seemed satisfied with their job performance.
Honestly, I hadn’t planned to tell her anyway.
It was time to wrap up the conversation.
“Agnes, I like this world. Because I met my mother, father, Prinz, Bianca, and you here. So I don’t want this world to be destroyed.”
<So you carry a noble mission.>
Her eyes softened as she looked at me.
It was the kind of look that said “If I had known, I would have trained you much harder.”
I shook my head at the grand praise.
“That kind of praise suits Tesilid more than me. He’s the one who has to save the world. I’m just helping him because if the world ends, I die too. So you could say I’m doing it for survival… with a bit of convenience mixed in.”
<Alright, let’s say that’s true.>
The heavy mood lightened considerably.
<Thank you for telling me, Ailet. Now that I know everything, I won’t jokingly pair you with Tesilid anymore.>
“That’s something I’m truly grateful for.”
[‘The Scales that Judge Souls’ says they will continue anyway.]
[‘The Eye that Watches All Chaos’ reminds you not to forget Bianca.]
I stood up.
There was something important I needed to do.
“Then shall we go meet Cardinal Cattleya?”
<Sigh… Having to pretend it’s nice to see her again seven times…>
“I’ll handle that. Oh right, let’s stop by the library on the way back too. I need to pick books for the week.”
<Alright!>
I left the room.
Outside the annex, the dazzling morning sunlight and crisp air greeted me.
The world caught in the rollback disaster looked unbelievably peaceful.
Just an ordinary day.
In some ways, a one-week vacation.
But I must not forget.
For someone else, these seven repeated days would be nothing less than hell.
✠
“Hah!”
At the pale break of dawn, Tesilid woke up.
The familiar ceiling came into view. He clearly remembered falling asleep in his bed like usual.
But his body felt as if he had just fought for his life.
Cold sweat covered his forehead.
His heart pounded as if it might burst through his chest.
“…Was it a nightmare?”
After catching his breath, he sat up and looked at his hands.
Even in the dim dawn light, his eyes—accustomed to darkness—could see clearly.
Surprisingly, both his hands were trembling.
“……”
Even when facing Ileon Odrek, whose power completely surpassed his, his sword hand had never shaken.
But now—
Because of a nightmare?
The sense of wrongness pierced his mind.
Then suddenly—
“Kh—!”
He clamped his mouth shut as unbearable pain suddenly surged through his body.
It felt like invisible walls were slowly crushing him.
Phantom pain suffocated his lungs.
This is a nightmare?
What kind of nightmare could leave this level of terror and pain carved into my body?
“Who… did something to me…?”
At that moment, it might have been wiser not to know.
“……!”
A vision flashed before his eyes.
In front of the Altar of Atonement where today’s sacrifice would be held.
Countless believers’ corpses burned in blue holy flames.
Tesilid knelt in the center of the tragedy.
A strange voice echoed in his ears:
—Aren’t you going to beg me to kill you?
Filled with bottomless malice and contempt.
“Ugh…!”
Reality Tesilid was again struck by overwhelming pain.
So what had he done then?
—It would be wise to buy peace through begging. As expected… you are foolish.
A man far beyond even Carpeios radiated crushing pressure.
Tesilid struggled to lift his head to see his face.
But the next moment—
His vision went dark.
And he screamed.
—Next time, when you can remember, I will let you die in pain not even hell could contain.
That was the end of the fragmented memory.
“Huff… huff…”
Back in reality, Tesilid gasped like someone dragged out of deep water.
Surrounded by fear, pain, and unease, he wanted help.
But right now—
There was no salvation beside him.
Chapter 16 – Second Major Update
The silent disaster ended after a week, just like in the original story.
From the day the regressed world normalized, I returned to being the usual diligent and hardworking Ailet Rodeline.
I was making a memo of things to do once I left the Count’s estate when a thought occurred to me.
I called a god.
‘Word Spirit, are you planning to sell something like a 3-month Aura Master fast-track package?’
[‘The Word that Builds the World’ forwards the question to the business department.]
[‘Manager of Creative Economy’ replies that it’s too early to sell max-level jump tickets.]
Tch.
[‘The Word that Builds the World’ shouts that you must not make a contract with a Demon King!]
‘I won’t. I belong only to the Word Religion.’
After voluntarily proving my ideological loyalty, I complained a little.
This was also related to why I wanted to reach Master level quickly.
‘About the final hidden villain. In the original story he was described as god-level. Even Divine Descent couldn’t match him.’
[‘The Word that Builds the World’ says that calling someone god-level is actually proof they are not truly a god.]
Oh?
That was actually encouraging.
Even if they couldn’t awaken me into a Master, at least they comforted me with wise words.
‘I believe. Word-amen.’
[‘The Word that Builds the World’ smiles warmly.]
The Word Spirit and the Creative Economy Manager soon returned to work. A major update seemed to be coming soon.
Come to think of it, they said a VIP Point Shop would be added.
I remembered the VIP Point Shop Pass and 100,000 point coupon I received for completely clearing the Tower of Trials.
I’d probably be able to use them soon.
The possessor-exclusive cash shop sold class packages, growth buffs, skill books, training weapons, mid-tier healing potions, and various services.
Basically supply goods for possessors.
The point shop would probably sell something different.
Something special.
‘After all, it’s VIP only.’
I was feeling excited when another thought occurred to me.
The first major update added the 300-floor Tower of Trials.
Compared to that, a point shop felt too small to be the main content.
And it was VIP only, not something everyone could enjoy.
‘The point shop isn’t the main feature. There must be something else.’
What could it be?
I found out a week later.
