Chapter 169

With a cheerful smile, as if she was saying good-bye to an old friend, Jibril finished: “—if you cannot do that, then please end my life.” “Execution: Initiating memory-wipe sequence. Error. Initiating self-destruct sequence.” Jibril and Emir-Eins—sort of agreeing in a way—were more or less on the same wavelength, when: “Oh, my bad! Forgot to mention—you can’t tamper with your memories or hurt yourselves here.” As always, Foeniculum abruptly appeared out of nothingness. “You guys don’t have any say in changing your memories; this is something we decided at the beginning of the game. Don’t be mad at me, ’kay? ” Jibril and Emir-Eins turned pale with despair upon hearing the news. Sora, on the other hand, grew distraught—another one of his suspicions was affirmed. Foeniculum, as cheerfully as ever, continued: “Who’d wanna put a stop to some Flügel–Ex Machina romance anyway?! Do you have any idea how incredible a hook it is?! We can’t have you wiping your memories!! This ain’t a joke!! You guys need to lean into this love! Go big or go home, y’know what I’m sayin’?! Geh-heh-heh-heh!” She finished with a vulgar laugh to match her smile. “Look, I got tonight’s stream coming up. So are you guys gonna hit me with a question or what?” Just like two days before, she was probably going to show her viewers another highlight reel. Foeniculum was acting especially impatient, which the group took to mean she wasn’t yet finished editing the JibEm footage. “………” Steph, Jibril, Emir-Eins—and even Shiro—all shot Sora a shared look. A mere two nights ago, he’d declared this game impossible to win. Sora said he’d make that clear in the next question-and-answer session. He chose to repeat himself. “Like I said… I don’t really have any questions…” Therefore, he wasn’t asking a question but seeking a confirmation of what he believed to be true. Sora exhaled deeply before saying: “My question is: We can’t win this game no matter what we do… Right?” “What?! Huh? Wait… What do you mean by that?!” There was a long silence before Steph took the initiative to break it. With a defeated look about him, Sora explained to the group how this game really worked. “I’ll spell it out for you… To start off: There’s no way for us to escape this game.” No—that’s not right. Sora shook his head and spoke again. “Let me rephrase that… It’s really easy to escape from here—all you need to do is hold hands with your proclaimed significant other and cross through the gate. That’s too easy. We could just form consensual couples by the Covenants for four of us to escape. That’s the problem, though—it’d only work for four of us.” No matter which way they sliced it, a fifth member would have to stay behind. “Whoever’s left behind can’t fall in love with anyone, and that means they won’t earn any tips on their own.” Four people leaving the space would also throw a wrench in Foeniculum’s plans. It’d bring an end to the stream—and any tips it brought in. Kaput. “So first we gotta get a key. The only way to do that is to amass an exorbitant number of points—five billion, to be precise. We good so far?” “Y-yes… But you knew this before we even started, right?” Steph was correct—Sora was onto this fact from the get-go. Everything he was about to explain contained circumstances he was fully aware of. Hence why he’d been so depressed the entire time. In other words: “However… There’s no way we’re ever gonna raise five billion points.” They’d raised 8,970,000 points in tips over the past five days. It would take years for them to reach five billion at this rate. Not only that: “In fact, a group that can raise five billion…can also raise six, even ten billion. Who’s gonna let a golden goose like that fly the coop?” “” The conclusion was simple. “Foeniculum has no intention of ever letting us out of here.” “…B-but…Brother… There’s, no way…we’d ever agree to—” Shiro was right. Their memories had been erased, so they couldn’t possibly know the truth. What Sora did know: There was zero chance he’d ever agree to be locked away under conditions like these. “There’s only one answer—and that’s we lost. That’s how we ended up here.” Elven Gard was the most probable culprit. The siblings must have lost to them, been removed from the throne, and been thrown into this situation… In other words, this game was the punishment, the terms they had to fill for their earlier loss. Therefore: Sora asked—read: confirmed—one other thing. “Just think back to when she explained the rules. Foeniculum only ever described our way out of here—she never mentioned a way we could win… Why do you think that was? It’s because there’s no way for us to win.” “……………” A space that only couples can leave. That only mentions leaving this space: this Spratul. It doesn’t mention what’s outside this space; it might even be another Spratul… It wasn’t possible to save up five billion points, and even if it was, Foeniculum had no reason to ever let the five escape. Even if the group was to sacrifice one of its members and get out of the Spratul, all that awaited on the outside was their overall defeat. Which brings us back to the beginning—this is a death game. There was no victory for the group; they’d lost the moment they participated. They were only there because they lost in the first place. This was just some entertainment before the guillotine met their necks. …If the guillotine really was going to fall; if this really was their end… …then the most Sora could ever wish for was to have a girlfriend before it was all over… A teary-eyed Sora looked off in the distance—but this was when Foeniculum hit him with an unexpected answer: “Nope.” ……… ……… …………Come again? “I’ll say it as many times as ya need me to. I swear on the Covenants—the answer to your question is no.” She stopped her video editing and met Sora’s eyes—they were as dark as the night. Foeniculum looked straight into his eyes as she answered him. Her eyes were lime-colored; Sora stared back at her wide-eyed when he noticed— “…Welp, it’s almost time for the next stream. I’mma zoom on outta here!! Your next game is scheduled for eight PM tomorrow—don’t be late, ’kay? See ya!” Foeniculum disappeared with a poof and a smile—the way she always did—leaving the party behind. There was a brief period of bewilderment before the four female members eventually turned their attention to Sora, who was in the fetal position and biting his nails. “…Brother?” “…Uh, wait… Shiro… I need time to think…” Hooold on. Whoa, whoa, whoa… What just happened? Did she say…no? So there’s a way for us to win this…? Well, that changes everything— “…Sorry. After that whole speech I gave, it looks like I was wrong about everything. I need to clear my mind and think this through a bit,” Sora mumbled to the girls, who silently watched as he brought Shiro back to their room. No way… No frickin’ way. Is that really what’s going on here? Day SevenNighttime. The group participated in another game the day after Sora learned he’d misread the entire situation. Another day had passed since that game, bringing the group to their seventh night in the Spratul. Sora and Shiro left their quarters, only to witness some intense carnage in the living room. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you! I was forced to do what I did last night; it was against my will!!” “Oh, is that so? You don’t have to explain yourself to me. You were on my case two days ago, but it looks like you’re quite friendly with that lump of garbage now. My only wish is for you to bring it out with you to be collected for disposal. ” “Vindication: Free will is not observed during the forced-couple period. Irregular Number and this unit have already proven this concept. No legitimacy between Lady Dol and this unit. Assuming Irregular Number is jealous of this unit. How unsightly.” “…Wait a moment—by Lady Dol, are you referring to me?” “Goodness, she’s right. What happened to Woman of Unknown Name? Is this some sort of pet name? ” “Deliberation: Negative. Fact: This unit knows Stephanie Dol’s name. Therefore, all prior reference as Woman of Unknown Name has been an error. Error has been merely corrected. No affection involved.” “You’re literally one letter away!! I’m Stephanie Dol—” “Conclusion: This unit is still her master’s maid. The aforementioned female is his close associate and the chief minister of the Commonwealth of Elkia. Therefore, she is of higher social status than this unit. Thus, it is only suitable for this unit to refer to Stephanie Dol as Lady Dol. This unit is in the right. She loves her master.” “Whyyyyy does everyone insist on calling me by the wrong names?!” The group had played another simple psychological game the night before. Steph and Emir-Eins had emerged as the couple from that stream. The moment Sora had the chance to ask another question, he left the game with Shiro at his side to retire to their quarters for the day. He had no idea what happened after he left, especially between the new couple—he was in no place to even think about it. Setting aside the love triangle that their games had forcibly manufactured, Sora had spent the last twenty-four hours racking his brain as hard as he possibly could… “Hmmm… We’ve gotten more viewers, and tips ain’t looking too bad…but it seems like the Flügel-on-Ex Machina pair had more impact. The problem is Stephanie: You’re too easily won over, and that’s killing the whole vibe. Gawd, we gotta do something to get this shindig going, otherwise we’re up shit’s creek!” With a cigar in one hand and a drink in the other, a strangely irritated Foeniculum gave it to them straight. “…Foeniculum: It’s time for our question.” The others must have sensed something in Sora’s voice, in his expression, in his eyes. Foeniculum and the girls—along with the Steph-centric pandemonium—stopped and turned their attention to Sora. He’d thought it over for two nights. The only conclusions he was able to come up with were that their memories were erased and that rules had been set to make sure they couldn’t recover them. He just couldn’t figure out why their memories would be erased to this extent or why they’d agree to restrictions like these. Therefore, this situation could only have stemmed from a different loss—a mistake they’d made. Sora knew for a fact that, at the very least, they’d never cede this much power over the flow of the game to an opponent. Despite that—there remained a path to victory. If there really was an answer to all this that couldn’t be reached with preconceived notions—then… “FYI…this isn’t a question. I’m just confirming what I know. So you don’t need to answer me.” …Sora decided to rely on his usual methodology. Namely: “Foeniculum—you’re on our side, aren’t you?” I don’t have any proof, but my gut says she’s not our enemy. “” Foeniculum followed his wishes and remained silent, answering him with only an expressionless gaze. Her lime-colored eyes, however—they were just as Sora had seen them two days prior. They were absent of ill intent; they lacked even a tinge of animosity or malice. The only emotions her gaze showed were anticipation, trust—and anxiety. Able to confirm what he felt instinctually from their shared gaze, Sora decided to ask his question. “Here’s our question: You’re participating in this game with us—and your conditions to win are the same as ours, right?” Foeniculum was no executioner. She was definitely the host of the stream, but still—if anything, she could be the final example of winnable death games… When the game master and the players are in cahoots… This was Sora’s instinctual conclusion, and the answer was: “Yes, that’s right. ” Foeniculum replied with the boldest of grins, to which Sora gave a wry chuckle. “Oh…well… Sorry it took us so long to figure it out. We’re finally on the same page.” “Um… Would you mind filling us in?” Steph stepped forward to request an explanation for the group. Sora began scratching his head in self-reflection. He couldn’t believe how much he’d lost sight of himself—this conclusion should’ve been easy to reach had he been more levelheaded. That’s right: “Okay, so this proves Foeniculum is not working for Elven Gard.” She mentioned that Fairies are addicted to Elf drama. That some even willingly become slaves to get their fix—but she said all this like it wasn’t her business. My biggest hint was—I’ve never felt an ounce of ill intent from her. However: If Foeniculum really was on their side, then why did they have to lose their memories to this extent? For them to be thrown into a situation this overly dire—the only conclusion was that they were forced into it. “So we messed up somewhere along the line and lost. Probably to Elven Gard.” Whether it was to Elven Gard or not—Sora couldn’t be sure. But they’d lost to someone in order to find themselves in the situation at hand. That much he wouldn’t budge on. However, despite the direness of their circumstances, if there really was a path to victory—if Foeniculum really was on their side—then… “This means…in order to make a comeback, we swallowed these incredibly difficult terms and agreed to play this game with Foeniculum.” This posed the question: What if our host has the same terms of victory as we do? There was only one logical answer. If Foeniculum really was on their side—then the only way out of this game was what she’d explained to them at the very beginning. Namely: Make as much bank as possible. Otherwise, in order to escape with all five of them intact, they needed to purchase a key. We really do need to raise five billion in tips—it’s our only shot at victory. “…Um… I think I might be missing something here. So we still don’t know any of the important details? Like what our mistake was or who we lost to…?” Steph sounded doubtful—but she wasn’t alone: Jibril, Emir-Eins, and Shiro appeared to reciprocate her sentiment. The four of them stared at Sora, bewildered. He responded by shaking his head. The details Steph brought up weren’t actually that important. Quite frankly, Sora couldn’t care less about them. He simply— “Right, Foeniculum. Mind if I ask another question for Steph and the girls?” “Hmm? You only get one question. I can’t guarantee you’ll get a straight answer outta me this time.” Foeniculum was no longer bound by the Covenants to answer him honestly. She went out of her way to make sure he knew that, causing Sora to smirk as he responded, “Nah, I’m pretty sure we can trust you, seeing as we’re on the same team.” This Fairy talked way too much, for starters. Whether it was about how the stream worked or Fairies—she answered every question the group had for her. She’s probably beholden to a rule that keeps her from telling us information unless we ask for it… Those were similar to the restrictions placed on them for this game, after all. “Either way, I already know the answer to what I’m about to ask you. I’m just double-checking for Steph.” With utmost confidence, Sora continued: “Here’s our next question: Elkia is on the verge of collapse, and depending on whether we can win this game, it’ll barely survive by the skin of its teeth… Am I right?” “!!” Everyone with the exception of Foeniculum and Sora himself gasped. Sora didn’t care who they’d lost to or why. The five of them had been taken out of Elkia and forced to play under these rigorous circumstances. This was more than enough for him to know that Elkia was in danger. Sora had asked his question confidently, but—with a bold grin—Foeniculum replied: “…The answer’s no to that one.” Huh? Did I miss something else? Sora asked himself, but: “A lot more than just Elkia is at stake here. We’re talkin’ all of Immanity and a bunch of other races that’re on the chopping block. ” Uh…yikes? Sora listened to Foeniculum’s answer in a cold sweat. He looked into her eyes, which showed the same anticipation, trust, and anxiety as before. “I really need y’all to pull through for me here. I got a lot at stake as well—it’s a once-in-a-lifetime gamble,” Foeniculum warned the group with a serious expression before poofing away. “Soraaa… Soraaa…? Exactly what kind of mistake did we really make…?” Evidently, their mistake had far worse consequences than he could’ve ever imagined. Sora ignored Steph, who was wincing as she questioned him. He paced back and forth, deep in thought. What the heck kind of mistake did we make? With no memories or way to contact the outside world, there was no point in even thinking about it. Not only that, but considering what they’d have to do to turn the tables on this impossible game meant one thing—they didn’t have much time. Thus, Sora focused every brain cell he had on figuring out a way to acquire five billion points in tips as quickly as humanly possible… After the stream on the seventh day, Foeniculum sat in her private chambers she’d carved out of a corner in space, cackling to herself like a madwoman. “Hyeh-heh-heh-hoh-haaa!! Gweh-heh-heh, look at all this soul moola!!” Why wouldn’t she be cackling? Her followers—which started at eighty-seven—were now over one hundred and twenty thousand. The tips—Fairy souls—had reached numbers Foeniculum had never seen before. “Ahhh, I’m gonna be a top streamer—well, at this rate, at least. I’m still somewhere around the middle in terms of rankings!! I’m kinda like a celebrity! More souls must make for a bigger heart; bet I can even be nice to all my shit-talking haters—nah, actually, screw ’em. Yeah, I’m not one for lying to myself. ” She checked her screen—the stream was currently turned off—before giving a hearty Up yours with both her middle fingers to the sky. Looking down on those who looked down on you—was there a better feeling in the world? Nope! “Take that, losers!! Y’all can suck it!! Gyah-haaa!!” Foeniculum hooted and hollered while she pranced around the room—before stopping on a dime. She then took another peek at the screen. Her eyes fixed on the amount of soul tips Sora and the gang had accumulated, she looked at the total and whispered, “…With this many souls saved up, I bet no one’d notice if I used a few for myself, r-right…?” She could afford super-rare clips of that famous Grand Magus or a special kinky virtual-space patch for professionals… There were all sorts of things that made her swallow her tears and decide to forgo due to lack of funds, but she could afford them now. Like, all of them. …… “N-no, I probably shouldn’t!! But…they’d kinda sorta be like research, in a way… Th-that’s it—it’s an investment for future streams! Capital expenditure! I’ll need the right equipment to make it to the big leagues!!” Foeniculum justified her shopping spree, when— “THOU SHALL NOT WASTE.” “GYA-HAAA-HOOO?! Of coooourse I won’t; jeez, it was just a joke!! All right, all right, so I almost gave in to the ol’ devil on the shoulder there, but I didn’t in the end— Oh, it’s you.” The Fairy had prostrated herself onto the floor, ready to beg her viewers for forgiveness. But the voice wasn’t coming from her screen. Realizing who its owner was, Foeniculum sat up with a pout. “I can’t believe I got on the floor and begged for nothin’… So anyway, what’s up?” “THE CONFESSION HAS BEGUN. THERE ISN’T MUCH TIME. MAKE HASTE.” Foeniculum scoffed at the voice’s blunt remarks. Yeah, yeah, I know already. No need to remind me. Yes… The truth Sora and the others would never be able to recall. What had been completely erased from their memories—the situation on the outside, born from a poison… Namely, they needed to save Elkia—which was trapped in the spatial phase boundary Spratul via a Sprite Tune created by Fairies working for Elven Gard—before the spies confessed everything. That was the situation. In order to do that, they had to interfere with the spatial phase boundary by using more energy than it took for the boundary itself to engulf Elkia. The power they needed: souls to the tune of five billion. However: “I know that. But these things take time. You got any idea how hard it is to keep this a secret from the Elves? I gotta use the Covenants to stream this privately to make sure my subscribers don’t blab about it.” After all, Foeniculum’s plan went directly against Elven Gard’s. She couldn’t advertise her stream publicly, and since it was kept a secret by the Covenants, there was no way for it to spread by word of mouth, either. It was taking a while for her channel to really catch on—even with how quickly it’d blown up by now. But that was neither here nor there. “I bet this coulda gone a lot faster if you hadn’t erased all their memories and forbade me from talking to them. If you wanna complain to someone, maybe you should find a mirror.” That being said… Fairies were interested solely in authentic love and passionate, organic romance. Had the group known what they were getting into, they would’ve ended up pretending to love each other. There was no way Foeniculum’s piece-of-crap, keyboard-warrior viewers who thought they’re hot shit—er, Fairies with good taste—would take interest in saving Elkia from destruction. So…the current method at least kept things natural, in a way. She had to admit that… Nope! Everything is fine!! We just need to up the intensity, that’s all!! Foeniculum told herself as she took out a cigar. Smoke escaped her mouth as she asked the voice, “…Now that you mention it…can’t Dragonias see the future? What’re you so antsy about?” That’s right—the owner of the voice was none other than a dragon. Ixseed Rank Four, Dragonia… According to lore, Dragonia existed in the past, present, and future—all at the same time. They were like a living hurricane of spoilers—a strange, unfortunate race. Needless to say, such beings should know about the near future, at the very least. Especially this guy. Foeniculum furrowed her brow. However… “I CANNOT SEE THE FUTURE.” She met this succinct answer with wide eyes. She wasn’t surprised at the answer itself. According to Elf research, there were schools of thought that believed Dragonia surpassed even Old Deus in power. What shocked her was—as impossible as it seemed—she felt the slightest hint of anxiety in the dragon’s voice. “I SAW THAT THE GREAT WAR WOULD CONTINUE FOR AN ENTERNITY. BUT IT ENDED.” The impossible future became a thing of the past. This meant that the future was neither eternal nor definite, and what’s more— “I SHALL REPEAT MYSELF: THIS IS THE FIRST INSTANCE I HAVE INTERFERED WITH TIME.” —the future was uncertain, and the dragon was playing a role in directing it. Therefore, his interference of time could bring about any number of results. “I CONFESS TO THEE: I AM NOTHING BUT A FOOL. THE FUTURE IS UNKNOWABLE.” Though the dragon didn’t speak much, his words were fully understood. ……Ya don’t say. Foeniculum exhaled smoke out of a twisted smile and replied, “That means I know somethin’ you don’t. Guess you Dragonias ain’t all you’re cracked up to be, eh?” It now made sense to Foeniculum how Sora and the others could defeat an Old Deus. It was this easy for her to out-know an even higher being. After all: “The future’s already set in stone. There’s always just two possibilities.” Yep, and they are: “It’s heads or tails—ya either win or lose. That’s it!” Foeniculum continued with a victorious grin. “And I’ve put all my chips into winning. If I lose… Well, there ain’t much of a future for me then. That’s why I gotta win! So really, I guess there’s only one future.” She spat out her cigar, glared right at the dragon’s voice, and—scolded him. “I’m gonna win… That’ll be the next past you see, got it?” “LET THIS BE KNOWN: ANY VICTORY SHALL AMOUNT TO NOTHING MORE THAN A DRAW.” “Yeah, yeah, tell someone who cares.” “BUT I SHALL ADMIT THAT IT IS THE FUTURE I HOPE FOR.” And then, as if it had all been a dream, the voice vanished. In the very last moments of its presence, Foeniculum almost felt like the voice was chuckling—but it was probably just her imagination. She gave a long exhale before loosening up her shoulders. She could feel her entire body getting stiff, and now, of all times. “Jeez…,” she grumbled to herself. “Dumbass lizard doesn’t even have to show his stupid face to wear me out… But…he had a point. We’re not gonna make it in time at this rate…” Though the tips started off much stronger than she originally expected, it was still far too little than what they needed. What Foeniculum did with the points didn’t matter. It was going to take a few years to get to five billion. I need to do something, she thought. “…Welp, now what? …Hmm? Is something burning—? Gyaaaah! My cigar was still lit—the flowers are on fire!! Somebody get me some waterrrr!!” And as she ruminated, she started screaming at the top of her lungs…