Chapter 64
January, New Calendar 888.
With the Loop just around the corner, I was in my room, engrossed in a Card Battle with the Maids. I wanted to keep my distance since it felt like everything was about to reset, but when they invited me with such smiles, how could I refuse?
“Hmph, how naive, Shell. I read that attack of yours. I activate Holy Shield here!”
“Eh? Ah, aah…”
“That makes the attack nullified since it’s Dark attribute! And now it’s my turn! Psychic Angel attack! I win!”
“Uwaah, I lost again…”
“Then I’ll be taking this Ancient Mole.”
“Ah, my Mole…”
“It was originally my Mole, wasn’t it?”
My win rate with this Light Deck I recently built is pretty good. Shell had been fleecing me all this time, but I’ll slowly take it all back from now on.
“Lord Geld, you’ve gotten strong lately.”
“Yeah. Shell, isn’t this your consecutive loss?”
“Uwaah. I want Lord Geld’s Golden Scallop so badly… I wonder if I can win.”
“Kukuku… There’s no way I’d be content with remaining in the position of the weak forever.”
I took a breath and sipped my wine. The victory wine is more exceptional than anything else. It was worth gathering money at a pace that would hunt down all the nearby Monsters. If I poured almost all of that money into Cards, I could assemble a powerful Deck.
“Since Lord Geld himself is strong, it’s better for his Cards to be a little weak.”
“Ah, that’s true. It’s better to have at least one weakness.”
“That might be true. After all, being completely perfect makes you unapproachable.”
“Yeah.”
These girls, they say such things even though they play with me every day. Especially Shell, who has asked me to make her my concubine multiple times, doesn’t seem to feel any sense of unapproachability at all. In the end, I’m the closest to Shell again this time, so maybe Shell and I have good compatibility.
However, Millie has driven a thick nail into that, so I’m sorry, but Shell’s wish cannot be granted.
While I was thinking about such things, watching the Maids grumble, a soft, warm, vaguely-outlined ping pong ball-sized orb of light suddenly floated out of my body.
“Hmm? What’s this?”
At first, one from my arm. Then from my leg. From my stomach. Mysterious orbs of light gradually emerged from various parts of my body.
However, even though they were mysterious orbs of light, I felt a sense of familiarity, as if they weren’t strangers—
“—This, is it me?”
I understood it instinctively. This is me. It seems I’m gradually slipping out of this body. As the light emerges, I can feel my consciousness, my very existence, becoming more and more faint.
In other words, I’m about to disappear.
“No, no, that’s ridiculous.”
It was too sudden. There were no signs at all.
But the orbs of light continued to emerge one after another. The outflow of consciousness didn’t stop.
“………I see. So that’s how it was.”
I also understood that there was nothing I could do, and I gazed blankly at the sight of the orbs of light ascending.
As for the reason why this is happening, I have an idea. Millie and Shino must have done it.
I don’t know what happened to make me enter Geld, but it’s probably something like, “We defeated the Final Boss, so you’re no longer needed, you can disappear now.”
Since the day of the Loop is just around the corner, I’ll be able to meet Millie and Shino soon, whether the strategy succeeds or fails. Recently, I’ve been filled with such expectations, but it seems that won’t come true either.
I was imagining a future where I’d fail at something again and Loop, play around for three years in the throwaway Loop again, and secretly follow them on their next journey…
“Lord Geld? What’s wrong?”
“Lord Geld, what’s that light…?”
The Maids seem to be able to see this light too. That’s right, if I’m going to disappear, I need to do what I have to do before I get caught up in sentimentality.
“Um… I want you to listen calmly, but, well… Do you remember when my personality suddenly changed about three years ago?”
“I remember. I used to dislike you, but I’ve liked you since then.”
“Everyone was surprised that you suddenly became a little more decent.”
“Right? At first, no one believed it.”
The “a little” part bothers me, but after all, my Maids are good Maids. Even so, Shell is still the type to say things clearly in a vague tone.
“About that, I’m probably going back to normal. I’m like a personality that came later, but I’m about to disappear. This floating light is apparently me.”
“Eh? Eh?”
“This is, Lord Geld?”
“It’s not just the three of you here, but make sure you tell everyone properly. If you get all touchy-feely like you do with me, you don’t know what the Geld who’s back to normal will do to you.”
“Eh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Sorry. This is goodbye.”
“You’re joking, right… Eh? Really?”
The Maids are all stunned. It’s too sudden, and they can’t keep up with the conversation. It’s only natural that they can’t understand the story if I suddenly say I’m disappearing.
However, I don’t know how much time I have left, so I don’t have time to convince them to believe me. I need to say what I have to say while I’m still here.
“Hey, Shell. Do you remember Shino?”
“Shino, you mean the super beautiful woman who was here before?”
“That’s right. That Shino and a girl will be coming here soon, so I want to ask you to pass on a message. Tell them I’m sorry.”
“…Yes.”
I guess that’s about it for now. It’s such a sudden situation that that’s all I can think of. As for my father… well, never mind. It’s just his original son coming back, and more importantly, I probably don’t have any time left.
“It’s about time. Hey, get out of the room quickly. I’m going back to normal now.”
The amount of light coming out of my body has increased. It’s piercing through the ceiling as if ascending to the heavens.
“Lord Geld, no, I don’t want you to go.”
“Sorry, there’s nothing I can do. More importantly, get outside quickly… Ah, no, I’ll do this.”
I picked up Shell, who was just crying and wouldn’t move, and forced her out of the room. It reminded me of the end of the first Loop.
I closed the door and was alone in the room, and finally my consciousness became hazy. This is it.
“Haa… If this was going to happen, I shouldn’t have tried to strategize… I wanted to meet Millie and Shino one last time…”
I might have done something bad to those two. I made all sorts of promises for the future, but I’m going to end up breaking them all.
“………Hmm? Eh? What? This, isn’t this a little bad?”
Cold sweat gushed out from my whole body. What did I say to Millie and Shino before they left? I must have stirred them up and motivated them. Am I going to abandon all of that and disappear?
“Eh, wait, this is bad, bad, this isn’t the time for me to be sad. This is really bad. Something, something for those two… That’s right, I’ll write a letter of apology. I’ll apologize with all my sincerity—―n?”
Suddenly, the scenery changed. And I was standing, but suddenly I’m lying down. It feels like when I Loop, but this isn’t my room at the Waslein Estate.
“Where is this? This seems familiar… Ah, it’s my parents’ house.”
Even though it’s my parents’ house, it’s not the Waslein Estate, it’s my parents’ house in Japan. It’s so nostalgic that I didn’t recognize it right away, but this is definitely the house where I was born and raised. So I didn’t disappear, I returned?
Apparently, I’m lying on my back in my parents’ house, holding something I don’t recognize in my hand… This is a game software. The title is Fantasy—
“—Ah, ouch, ouch, ouch.”
My head hurts so much it feels like it’s going to split open. What the heck? I don’t understand anything anymore.
“My head hurts so much… Ah? Blood?”
When I pressed the area that hurt, a slimy sensation was transmitted to my hand. It’s blood. And a lot of it is coming out. Could it be that it’s not just about to split, it’s actually split open?
That’s right, I remember. I think I fell and hit my head and died right before I went to that world…?
“Was it a dream…?”
But I have such clear memories. No, that’s not the point right now.
“Anyway, recovery… I can’t use that, so, um, an Ambulance? That means a phone. Phone… What’s the number? And the address, I don’t even remember my parents’ house’s address.”
My head is completely confused, but anyway, I have to do something about my injury or I’ll die. I’ll think about it later, I just need to do what I need to do.
“Okay, I’ve got the Ambulance number. It should be here soon… Um, I’m going to the hospital, so my insurance card… Huh? Did something change with the system? I don’t understand anything anymore. Anyway, as long as I have my wallet, I should be able to manage. Now, what kind of wallet did I use?”
I’m not in a state where I can think with just my head, so I’m speaking and acting one by one. This is the best thing to do in a panic.
I’m proceeding with preparations, relying on the faint memories in my confused head.
“Okay, I’m ready now, so I just have to wait at the door. And then… Ah, crap. My consciousness…”