Thud.

I closed the thick book.

“I have become stronger!”

“Congratulations, Master.”

As I stood up, clenching both fists, Seth applauded.

I finally finished the history of the empire.

At first, I was perplexed because the content was completely unfamiliar, but as I read on, much of it was as I had imagined, so I was able to finish faster than I initially expected.

“As expected, my Master is amazing.”

Seth seems to think I finished quickly because I’m smart.

…No, knowing him, he might have figured something out.

“Seth.”

“Yes?”

“I hope you’ll listen without misunderstanding.”

“What is my Master trying to say?”

As Seth narrowed his eyes, my breathing quickened, but I focused my gaze and didn’t avoid his eyes.

“You said you saw a book that claimed this world was a novel, right?”

“…Yes.”

Unusually, Seth’s response was delayed.

“Do you remember what it was about?”

“Of course…”

He closed his mouth and furrowed his brow.

“I definitely saw it, but why…”

His muttering was tinged with a sense of confusion.

Eventually, Seth frowned openly and shook his head.

“I can’t remember.”

“What?”

“Really, I can’t remember. It’s as if it’s been completely erased.”

…He forget the contents of the book?

That’s absolutely impossible with Seth’s memory.

“What about the other one?”

“The other one? Was there another?”

What? He doesn’t know about my life story at all?

“Yes. It’s a two-part series. The original and the sequel. I’m talking about the sequel, you really don’t remember?”

I spoke as if I was just checking, but Seth still shook his head.

“Then there’s nothing we can do.”

I closed my mouth, worried that asking more might seem suspicious and that I might unknowingly give away information.

How messed up is this world?

* * *

 Time flowed swiftly, and the day came when the three of us would gather.

Yuno took blood samples from Dietrich and left, saying she would improve the medicine further, leaving only me, Seth, and Dietrich in the library.

I had finished the history of the empire, but I was still set to learn other necessary things from Seth.

Seth and I were sitting side by side at the table, and Dietrich was standing next to me.

“If your lower half is well taken care of, I guess the stupid beast cub won’t need to see Master anymore, right?”

“What?”

“That’s right. Didn’t you only want Master’s body?”

At Seth’s mocking words, Dietrich’s face contorted.

“Don’t speak carelessly, Chancellor. Even though my body has become like this, I still desire the writer.”

“So in the end, you’re still only after the body.”

Seth smiled leisurely as he brushed his hair back. That look had captivated many innocent women.

Dietrich glared at Seth with sharp eyes and drew his sword.

“Don’t presume to judge my feelings for the writer, Chancellor.”

Dietrich threatened the other with his well-honed sword without moving a muscle. This sight had driven many women crazy too.

However, to me, it was nothing more or less than a tiresome scene.

“Those two are fighting again…”

Let’s escape.

Even though it’s futile, let’s escape far, far away.

I quickly headed between the bookshelves and hid myself among the tall wooden bookcases.

“Oh… This looks extremely boring. Terribly thick too.”

Bang!

As I was gathering books that looked incredibly dull one by one, there was a sudden loud noise and my body shook. Soon, the sides and back felt empty.

“Huh…?”

There were definitely bookshelves here, but now I can see the blue sky. And the vast ocean too.

Before I could comprehend the situation, I heard voices calling me and turned my head in that direction.

“Master!”

“Writer!”

The two of them are running towards me, reaching out their hands. Dietrich even drew his sword from his waist to cut through the debris of the collapsing building.

That scene looked like it was playing in slow motion, so I deliberately blinked.

The pupils of the two men wearing desperate expressions were dilated beyond control. It was amusing to see the two who didn’t get along reaching out to me side by side.

Boom!

Amidst all this, another explosion was heard, and I felt my body tilting. The sight of books scattering from the bookshelves into the air was terribly surreal.

The sky with peacefully floating clouds and white papers fluttering as if defying gravity.

…And me.

Bang! Boom!

The impact of the explosion pushed me far away, and thanks to that, I saw a part of the intact tower explode as if bursting.

“Uh…”

Now I couldn’t even see the two of them anymore.

Suddenly, a tremendous wind swept in, and I couldn’t open my eyes properly. I raised my arm to cover my eyes, and my body was still defying gravity.

How long was I like that? The wind stopped, and I lowered the arm I had raised.

The blue sky was still visible.

However, I was no longer floating in the air, but lying down somewhere.

“…Huh?”

Let’s sort out the situation.

Question: I fell from the 100th floor. Below was the ocean, right?

But now I’m lying on something solid. There’s even a fragrant smell of grass.

Where could this be?

Is it the afterlife?

The answer came quickly.

“Ugh…”

I thought it wouldn’t hurt in the afterlife, but the muscles throughout my body ached with pain. I tried to exert force, but it wasn’t easy to move, so I took a moment to catch my breath.

Rustle.

I heard the sound of grass being rubbed, and I, who didn’t even have the strength to move my neck, stayed still. At most, it’s probably the Grim Reaper, right?

…To die like this, it’s truly meaningless.

Are the afterlives connected to each other?

While I was having these absurd thoughts, a shadow fell over me.

“Are you alright?”

Someone who appeared along with the sunlight looks down at me and asks.

“Can you hear me? If so, please blink.”

Blink.

“Fortunately, you’re conscious. Excuse me, but I’m going to touch your body.”

The man carefully lifted me by putting his arm under my shoulders.

As my upper body was raised, I could regain my sight from the intense sunlight, and I could also see the person who had spoken to me.

A man wearing peculiar white clothes. With his subdued brown hair and eyes, he smiled neatly.

“Uh…”

“Ah, your voice is coming out. I thought you couldn’t speak since you were silent.”

The man continued in a calm and kind tone.

“I was praying to the gods when you fell from the sky.”

I remained still, still unable to grasp the situation.

“You seem to be injured, but first, I should take you to the temple. If it’s difficult for you to walk, may I carry you?”

Temple.

Upon hearing this word, I realized that the clothes the man was wearing were priestly robes.

I hadn’t specifically thought about what they would look like, just vaguely wrote “white priestly robes,” so I didn’t recognize them at first.

“Ah…”

A priest with brown hair and kind green eyes.

The priest’s radiant beauty was so great that he could slap the male leads’ eyes wide open, and I know this man.

He was Vilau, the high priest of the temple located at the gateway to the end of the world.

I vividly remember getting excited about the idea that the corruption of a priest would be the epitome of blasphemy…