In a corner of Fildagreen’s royal palace.

“Hoo—”

Rine let out a light sigh.

After returning from seeing Alon off for the last time, she had recently continued exploring the Ilanef Empire.

It was to learn more about how to use Pluto.

But in truth, it was because she had recalled one lingering memory.

A very long time ago.

To her now, it had become a little faint—back when she was at the orphanage, and when she still couldn’t enter the Forbidden Book Zone.

She remembered information about the Ilanef Empire like this.

‘The age of the forgotten outer god, the Ilanef Empire,’ she’d thought.

Now, that wasn’t a remarkable memory at all.

It was simply wrong information.

And yet, the moment she realized that series of facts, that memory became extremely important to Rine.

Because in the Library of Eternity, only truth should ever exist.

So from the moment she discovered that fact until now, after steadily searching—

she realized one thing.

That until you entered the Forbidden Book Zone, some books were conveying not “truth,” but “falsehood.”

She didn’t know why the one who built this Library of Eternity had done such a thing.

But after learning that fact—

in the process of relearning information she’d acquired in the past, there were a few more truths she newly learned.

It was about the “black thing.”

Up until now, Rine had recognized the “black thing” as “sin,” and that wasn’t wrong.

Even in the age of the forgotten god, people also spoke of “sin” as the “black thing.”

But if there was something strange—

it was that the “black thing” was mentioned even in the era of the Ilanef Empire, when sin shouldn’t have existed.

“.......”

Rine tilted her head.

The truth she’d known and the truth she’d newly learned were spinning their wheels together in a subtle loop.

As if a single small gear was missing.

“.......”

After continuing her thoughts for a while, Rine drew in a deep breath.

She needed to calm her overloaded mind.

To distance herself for a moment from the throbbing, stubborn problem she’d been investigating, she closed her eyes.

She decided to rest, even if only briefly, by thinking happy thoughts.

‘......There aren’t many months left now. Even if it’s slow, four months at most.’

Stabilization that wasn’t far off now.

Rine smiled.

Because once the artifact stabilized, she could leave Fildagreen.

And once she could leave Fildagreen—

she’d be able to stay at Godfather’s side at all times.

‘If I show up before Godfather comes to find me... they’ll be surprised, won’t they?’

Just imagining it made the corners of Rine’s mouth lift naturally.

‘When that happens, first I’ll just stuff that red brooch into a pocket.’

For a while, the smile that had curled up on her lips showed no sign of fading.

####

“......Monster blood, you said?”

[Yes.]

At the Former Observer’s words, Alon frowned—if only for a moment.

Monster blood.

A strange word he’d never once heard in this world.

Even in Psychedelia, there was practically no description of Monster blood.

But even so.

Alon knew that word.

No—he couldn’t not know it.

Because that word—

[......Do you know something about Monster blood?]

—appeared when introducing Yutia in Psychedelia.

The first daughter of Monster blood.

Yutia Bloodia.

“......I don’t.”

Recalling that fact, Alon shook his head at the Former Observer’s question.

In a way, it wasn’t incorrect.

What he knew was three things.

That Yutia was of the Monster blood clan.

That the Monster blood clan worshiped a being like Cthulhu.

‘No.’

Alon immediately corrected his thought.

By this point, there was one error in the setting of the Monster blood clan as he understood it.

Namely, that the Monster blood clan worshiped a being like Cthulhu.

As for the Monster blood clan’s faith itself, it might not have been wrong to say that.

But the way Alon had understood it back when he played the game,

the object of Yutia’s worship had been the “black thing”—in other words, the sins.

Meaning that at this point, that setting had become wrong.

Sin was created by the Empire,

and Monster blood had existed even before sin did.

“Anyway—so what exactly is Monster blood?”

When Alon threw out the question, the Former Observer—who had been silently quiet—spoke.

[Honestly, I don’t really know either.]

“......What?”

[Even if you look at me like that, it can’t be helped. Because it’s true.]

“No, then why bring up Monster blood...?”

[Just so you know, I only mentioned Monster blood to explain the incident.]

“Ah.”

Only then did Alon let out a low exclamation.

Because he’d newly realized that the focus of the story she’d been telling wasn’t Monster blood, but the Watcher that had been behind his back.

[Even in the past I saw, Monster blood only ever appears as something dark. Beyond that, everything is unknown.]

“......The clear fact is that Monster blood destroyed both nations?”

[Yes. Both nations. Fairly, without any discrimination.]

The Former Observer muttered, “Of course, I don’t know the reason,” under her breath.

“Has Monster blood ever appeared after that?”

[After?]

“Yeah.”

After thinking quietly, the Former Observer said,

[Um—yes. In the time you call the age of the forgotten outer god, it appeared again, just like before, to destroy the world.]

“......Is there anything else you know?”

[I understand that you want information about Monster blood, but unfortunately, what I know ends there. If nothing else, Monster blood has a shocking lack of information. As if the information was perfectly erased.......]

At those words, Alon stayed silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

[Anyway, returning to the main point, the two nations were destroyed. The Divine blood crumbled without becoming a god, and the magitech humans piled up was buried in the abyss.]

[But even after everything collapsed, the Divine blood that created Babiloia survived shamelessly and didn’t give up. Even though it was exiled from this world, it aimed to rise again at any time through the achievements it left behind.]

Listening quietly, thinking, Alon opened his mouth.

“If it left behind knowledge...”

[Laws.]

She answered.

[Even if it failed to become a god and was exiled again, the laws it created were engraved into this world.]

“If it was already exiled, doesn’t that mean it’s meaningless?”

[If it had a chance to descend to the surface again, the story would be different.]

Alon didn’t have trouble understanding what the Watcher meant.

“It would stand above those who learned magic back then?”

[Correct. But unfortunately, that Divine blood’s plan ends in failure.]

“......Sin. And the Closed-Eyed One.”

[Right. Because of sin and the Closed-Eyed One, the Divine blood lost its chance forever. They killed the True Mages and buried the laws over time, and as sin, they completely sealed the hole the Divine blood would descend through.]

A question arose in Alon.

“......If humans don’t reach a certain number, the Divine blood can’t descend?”

[Yes.]

“Is there a reason?”

[Because that is a “law.” An unchanging truth that everyone in this world must obey. It’ll be easier for you to think of it as simply being made that way.]

The Former Observer let out a “Hoo,” and sighed.

[Anyway, if we continue the story, from the Divine blood’s perspective, you appeared in a situation that couldn’t have been worse.]

“......Me?”

[Yes. You—who knew the hand seals and phrases that should have been buried over time. More precisely, a being who could deal with sin, who could handle its own “laws,” appeared and requested a contract.]

Alon’s eye twitched slightly.

The Former Observer stared at him for a while, then continued.

[Didn’t you think it was strange?]

“Which part?”

[Why you were able to use hand seals and phrases. And further, why you were able to freely use laws that were only permitted to others without even having an “image.”]

At the Former Observer’s words, Alon fell silent.

It was true he hadn’t thought it was strange at first.

To Alon back then, hand seals and phrases had just been the concept of using elements from a game.

But after some time passed, and he gradually realized the truth of this world,

he had felt uneasy about that fact.

Even so, he hadn’t dragged it out into the open.

At the time, it was a thought that didn’t help much.

But now, in this moment—

having gotten a few puzzle pieces that had slipped out of the Former Observer’s story, Alon—

“The reason is because of the Watcher?”

[Correct.]

Without difficulty, he could face the truth.

[The reason you could use every law just by memorizing images you didn’t even know you had, was because of that contract.]

“So the point is, it tried to use me to deal with the sins, then descend to the surface again.”

[That’s right. As you can see, it succeeded beautifully. But if I correct one thing—you weren’t “used.” Rather, you were the one who “used” it.]

“......Me?”

At Alon’s reaction—unable to understand—she told him with a smile.

[You don’t know it, but it kept helping you. Appearing several times when you needed it.]

At that, Alon tilted his head—only for a moment.

Soon, he recalled one memory.

The voice that had whispered into his ear when he fought Kylrus.

[It even saved you again and again.]

“Wh... what...?”

[You don’t seriously think it was coincidence or luck that even in situations where your brain should have melted down from pushing yourself, you were fully cured with nothing more than short-term rest, do you?]

The Former Observer’s explanation continued as Alon was left speechless.

[Your life was saved by it again and again. You even received help. And more than anything—you can still freely use that Divine blood’s laws even now.]

“......If it’s an ability I received from Divine blood, can’t that thing take it back?”

[No? It can’t. It already gave you the ability. No matter what it does, it’s already impossible for it to steal your power.]

The Former Observer let out a swirling laugh.

[So rather than being “used,” you were the one who “used” it. You stole Divine blood’s power and, through its help, reached this point safely. You even kept its very own “laws,” at that.]

“.......”

Alon fell silent.

In truth, his mind was still in chaos.

The sheer flood of information kept generating new questions without end.

Even so, Alon tried to quickly organize the facts he’d gained from this conversation.

That Babiloia and Ilanef were destroyed by Monster blood.

That Alon had received help from the Divine blood that wished to descend to the surface.

That the True Mages’ magic were laws the Divine blood had engraved into this world in the past.

And—

And────────

“Who... are you?”

—That the Former Observer in front of him wasn’t the Former Observer.

[What do you mean by that?]

The Former Observer’s face remained calm, even at the sudden question.

But Alon looked at her with quiet certainty.

“You’re not the Former Observer.”

[How could that be? What are you talking about all of a sudden?]

She was right.

There was no special change in her that would let him conclude what she was.

Her appearance, the way she spoke, her behavior—nothing was different from the “real one.”

And yet.

The reason Alon realized she wasn’t the Former Observer was—

“I’ve never told the Former Observer about me even once.”

[That’s something you could figure out well enough—]

“Even that I made a contract?”

Because she knew Alon’s story.

In far too much detail.

[.......]

At Alon’s point, she fell silent for an instant.

And then—

[Oh dear.]

The Former Observer’s eyes, which had been nothing but dark until just a moment ago—

[I started watching from the middle, so I slipped up without realizing it.]

—were dyed a bluish color.