Vol 3 Chapter 1 (1/2)

Chapter 1 - Sky

Walk/Disassociation Method

3 steps left

——No consciousness, no memories, not even the five senses

Not even thinking about the whereabouts of the place, or the identity of the

person

In the absence ofsenses, even one's own definitions would be auous,

what more is there to ask?

It can't speak, it can't question, it doesn't even knohat it should ask

The sliver of consciousness was as good as nothing, but even so, it weakly

proclaiht]

What was keeping the consciousness alive was the agonising wait for victory

——Victory? What victory?

————It doesn't know, it doesn't know anything

Part 2

”How's the situation?”

In front of the King's bedroom, Steph inquired Jibril

However, Jibrilshook her head and sighed

”——I didn't go in, Master refuses to let nored me”

”Is she still calling for this person named [Sora]?”

”YeahWhat about your side?”

”I asked everyone in the city, but everyone held the same answer——”

”They didn't knoho Sora was, and Master is the only King to Elchea——

right?”

”YeahWhat exactly is happening?”

”I want to know too” Jibrilsighed again

”A reasonable explanation would be the fact that Master's memory has been

tampered with”

”Doesn't that mean——”

”Yes, this means that Master————lost”

——this was very odd

All of a sudden, shi+ro becaure

named [Sora]

The situation presented was perplexing in a way that it overrode the presently

confusing position Elchea was facing right now

——it appears that their conversation was overheard

As they saw a thin board slid out of the crack underneath the door

”? This is that?”

”Master's tablet”

Picking up the tablet froround, Jibril and Steph looked at the screen

”Guu, what is written on it?”

”This is the language from the world Master was previously in——[Question]

is written on it”

Hearing a sound, a new e appeared

”I see, so you are trying to start a conversation with a [Secret language]

right?”

The abundance of knowledge that her ht to this world

Even though Jibril has yet to fully grasp hold of it, she understood shi+ro's

intentions

”What is written this time?”

Glancing down, Steph still couldn't understand the words so she had to ask

”It says—— [1: What is the name of the person that did battle with Jibril?]”

”Isn't itshi+ro?”

”Yes, ermHow do you reply with this——”

Jibril didn't kno to use the tablet, but then another sound came

”I see, answering verbally should be okay——[2: The name of the person

Steph was to fall in love in was?]”

”It, it should be shi+ro right!”

Quickly, another e came

”Written on it is[3: An 11-year-old girl of the saender asks you to fall

in love with her?]”

”Gu,gu~So, so didn't I keep scolding you a pervert and a demon”

Steph responded while twitching Nevertheless, another ain

”——[Describe your loss in full detail]”

Taking into account on shi+ro's condition, Steph couldn't reply sloppily

Probably thinking that it would stimulate her memory, Steph pressed her

fingers on her forehead and desperately recalled

”Guu~ It was rock-paper-scissors, you used psychological warfare to aim for

a tie by shocking me with your words But more importantly was the

[Required content], I was asked to not promise any specific requests if it

ended up with a tie, but as soon as you scammed me, you told me to [Fall in

love with you]”

After Steph's narration was over, a new e immediately surfaced

”——[5: Why not claimed to be their own slave, but 『Fall in love with

me』?]”

”To, to let me pay tribute, but after shi+ro discovered the mistake shi+ro was

pretty disappointed too”

The es were sent this time, albeit slower than before

”——[6: Who was the one who debunked the Eastern Union's game?]”

But for this question, both Steph and Jibril had the saave out

their answers

”It was shi+ro and randfather's item”

”That is currently consistent with my memories”

The next e was not sent after awhile

Jibril and Steph could only wait in silence, helpless in front of the king's

bedroom

After a few minutes, it wasn't a question, but an affirmation that came

No, it was ly unconfident answer

”Everyone's memory iped out”

Seeing that sort of e, Jibrilsaid out:

”Master, with all due respect, the memory is owned by many, and if this

[Sora] really did conduct a game, it can only wipe one's memory It is

impossible to erase everyone else's memory”

However, the refuting e came almost immediately

It wrote :[A bet that gained everyone's approval]

”——then, the question now is how come Master was the only one who

didn't lose any memory”

The e abruptly stopped

On the other side of the door was shi+ro, head buried in her lap while holding

her phone, unable to answer that question

——she knew this question would come

How could her brother hold the game without her at all?

——and was it possible for a game to lead to such a serious situation Even

so, by losing the game——

”Ahh, h”

Steph's barely audible voice could be heard outside the door

”shi+ro, although this is tough, but the informants have already come back

Due to the fact that [shi+ro bet on the hu],

theall the complaints

that came from the citizens——none of them shouted out the name of

[Sora]”

Hearing such reports, shi+ro's eyes gradually turned into darkness again

She bit her lips and started thinking, barely keeping conscious

There should be

There must be some contradictions between everyone's memories, because

——

——if this wasn't the case, that meant that her own memories were fake

(ImpossibleThis can't be)

shi+ro kept trying to convince herself by desperately shaking her head

Co implanted with false memories——this

assuood

Could her memories from this world and her previous world be fake?

This should be impossible, this couldn't be done

Despite her atte to convince herself, shi+ro was

very clear——this could be overruled

This world had both [Magic] and the [Oaths], so there was the possibility that

the memory was not specifically altered For example [Split the memory into

two], such things were possible

——No, strictly speaking, there was no evidence that this brother of hers

existed at all——

There was no one who could prove that shi+ro was [Currently sane]

[Sora]'s existence to her was very convenient, there was such a plausiblity

—— but this was so

reasoning started to appear

This possibility was

Sora was a fictional existence that shi+ro created to cater to herself

(——III refuseI refuse to accept this!)

Ifshe accepted that, then right from the start——

The tablet didn't respond anymore

Steph and Jibril looked at each other, co shi+ro's depressed

mood

”Wh, what is going on? What should we dooooo!”

”We should clear ourabout it”

Jibrilsaid whilea cool expression

”The gaainst the Eastern Union with the human

piece——the entirety of hu soon, and at this point

of tiain the maximum benefit

out of it?”

”Even I know this sort of thing——the culprit must be the Eastern Union

right!?”

——Indeed, the Eastern Union whose gaed shi+ro

to a private match to eliminate her memory so she would be depressed——

logically speaking, this would be the most natural way of approach for them

However, Jibril looked at the e on the tablet

——[6: Who was the one who debunked the Eastern Union's game?]

”If the culprit was the Eastern Union, what they would want to eliminate

should be the contents of the gaht”

The Eastern Union had successfully concealed the contents of their game by

si to the game

But because the secret is revealed, the Eastern Union had to take a gamble,

also——

”Master had no reason to accept this request either”

[Ten Oaths]—— the challenged party has the right to decide the contents of

the game

This of course included the right to [reject the game]

Since it was obviously the Eastern Union's initiative to challenge, there was

really no reason to accept

”——ArghhhThe inforh to explain this

situation”

Jibrilsighed and shook her head, having a look of deep distress

Fro

For Master to keep calling her brother——the man called Sora, Jibril was

forced to take action

——Suspecting her raceful

If herthe three thousand

crows in this world white was her duty

Therefore, if her master said that the person called [Sora] exists, then he

really must

Then another sound came from the other side of the door——

”shi+ro can't sustain herself if this continues!!”

This was enough to force Steph to shout i the door

——As The Flügelfro

huge Eleic combatant race

Because they theic], they couldn't use

coic at all

Not to ical

changes in the human species

”Looks like this is the only way”

——even without the use of ic, it was clear that her master was on the

brink of a spiritual collapse

It was a crime to even suspect her master, but——

”——Master, let us play a game”

”Eh?”

Hearing Jibril's words, Steph——together with shi+ro as beyond the

door had a reaction

”[Acciente] and conduct a gah this is extremely rude,

but could you lose to me?”

——the sobbing did not stop

But feeling that her intentions have gotten through——Jibrilreplied:

”——I would request for a [Seal on the memories about Sora]”

Steph widened her eyes in a the proclamation from

Jibril

Jibril understood thebehind her eyes

Jibril and Steph could both understand, the sense of violation behind that bet

That feeling told her to not abandon shi+ro, but——

”At this rate, Master would——get broken”

Even ifshe were to die, she wouldn't ignore this dilemma

Originally she should try and identify the contents of the Oath, and find a way

to counteract it

But that was too tiht collapse before that was

completed

For the ti, it was necessary to seal the memory to calm her master

down, before finding the culprit and——

(Be sure to decapitate and turn him into sauce)

With a gentle s intent] This sent

chills down Steph's spines as she stood petrified, but nevertheless she tried to

appease the uneasy Jibril

”Ji, Jibril Ca, calm down——”

However, the at out didn't allow her to

continue speaking

——forbid the usage of force in the [Ten Oaths]so what?

As long as the culprit was found and she wins the game, she would personally

kill the person after getting the [Approval]

After that, she would be willing to accept any form of punishment from her

that Sora didn't exist

Ping, an application started up in the tablet on Jibril's hand

The application that opened was———chess

To shi+ro, this was a game that she would never lose, it was entirely

inforame of limited decisions

Thus——as long as she wanted to lose, she could do it

A timid and small voice that had sobs in between, came out of the door

”[Acciente]”

Bowing deeply, Jibrilreplied:

”Thank you, Master[Acciente]

4 steps left

[Left with——4 steps]

——No memories, even she herself didn't knoho she was

Her hands were nu

Who she hy she was here, as she playing a game

Everything was auous; however, even so

She won't lose even ifshe forgot about everything else, for this was the only

way to push herself

She used herhands

She used her tongue to write down theher piece

She won't think, she didn't need to think, because there was no such thing as

defeat

Yes——Losing was not an option

——Who won't lose?

No, don't think, that sort of thing is not important!

Not knohose hand touched her shoulder——it was the warmth of a

small hand

This was all the answers she held, to never doubt this slight residualfeeling

In the process of beco insane, she shook frantically to rid away her

insanity, before placing the chess piece in her mouth on the board

Part 3

——This was a game of chess with absolutely normalrules

If it was shi+ro, winning was easySi was also easy for her

Indeed, she would lose as long as the king gets beaten

Just by doing that, everything would be sealed

The tiether with her brother——would disappear

The first time she met him, she actually felt alive as a person

When she wore a uniform, she was praised as ”cute”

After returning fro back , she

hugged herself and cried; unable to do anything on her own, she gently

dragged herself down

Her brotherHer brother that was more important than anyone else, the

time spent with him——

After this step——everything would fall into nothingness

(——!)

Although thosehe had said

to her flashed past shi+ro's mind

At the same time, shi+ro moved——after some considerations

Jibril closed her eyes, and quietly mumbled:

”Master, why do youWant to win?”

Yes—— it was laughable, a move in chess to reverse one's position from

losing to wining

Jibril questioned her mentality, and the response was an extremely weak

voice

However, the voice had courage, enough to force Jibril and Steph to take a

step back

”Because[ ]DoesNOT ACCEPT DEFEAT!”

In the di noise

Pulling back the blanket, shi+ro with tears flowing down her cheeks started to

think about her brother

Re after the first day of

school, the words that her brother said

——shi+ro, is it real ifso is possible?

If you strongly hope to fly, would you be able to groings? I don't think so

What you change isn't yourself, you just have to find the means to fly isn't it?

The only way is to create, formulate ideas to soar into the sky

You h I can't fly

——

But we should take this slowly, and think of a way to allow shi+ro to soar with

wings

Although I'm a useless brother, I will think with you

——How could she live on ifshe forgot about those words?

The memories about her brother was her [Reason for existence], what could

she do ifshe sealed her memories about her brother?

If these were really implanted memories, then she must have really lost a

brutal game

Because such a thing——

Such a thing——was too cruel!

”NiiNoTo forget about my brother——I'd be better off dead!!”

Shouting out with her hoarse voice, Jibril and Steph took a deep breath

This was a proposalfro

With this rejection, Jibril was stunned speechless

Jibrilsilently lowered her head, while Steph as tre opened her

mouth

”Th, thatAlthough I'm not so sure”

Steph's words were simply incomprehensible

She just wanted to comfort shi+ro——and blurted out her idea

”To shi+ro, Sora exists right? Then, if the fact that shi+ro turned like this since

he isn't here, doesn't that mean that——he indeed exists”

——and her sentence

”Then there ht?”

——brought a ray of hope to their predicament

Only Steph was unaware of this

Jibril and shi+ro widened their eyes and stopped , as if time stopped

”Fo, for example, if the situation couldn't be explained and it was the Oaths

that wiped out everyone's memories——”

”Ah, no, its not like that——what I mean is~”

Hearing Steph's words, both of theasped

”——what if the ga?”

Jibrilstared forith her glass-like eyes

Perhaps she didn't understand thebehind shi+ro's stare, Steph

continued staly:

”So, soooo——the possibility of thetampered ere not

caused by the [Oaths], but the influence of the game? Just like what shi+ro

said, if only our memories were tampered with, thenThe person called

Sora got all of our consent and started the gaamehasn't

ended yetthis”

With her confidence wavering, Steph continued quietly, but shi+ro lifted her

face after hearing her speculations

”——do, do you have any evidenceto prove that”

After listening to the hypothesis that she overlooked, Jibril barely squeezed

out those words

”Evi, evidencebu, but——I just feel that so is [odd]”

Yes, without any basis——that was it

Steph was the type of person to say sohts

”That person to [lose]—— is definitely weird”

Regarding that person——it was not specified whether it was shi+ro or Sora,

which turned Jibrilspeechless

——Steph's speculation was filled with loopholes

No matter if the [Oaths] could actually cause such a e to

happen

Or eli related to a person, except the representative——

shi+ro could've refused the game This was all incomprehensible

But if Steph's hypothesis is correct, then a more worrisome question would

surface, an indisputable fact

That——Elchea's king, I, her own master who defeated God,

subjugated The Flügel, and will even partake in the upco annexation of

the Eastern Unionlost? To have this sort of thinking was so unheard

of from her

If Steph's hypothesis was true, then this incomprehensible situation wasn't

caused by the enemy

It was a situation caused to ensure victory——?

”In that case——there is a way to confirm it”

After shaking her head, Jibril continued:

”Indeed, the [Oaths] can't entirely eli to the

existence of a specific object or person However, what if——”

——this was so that could only be accomplished with the harshest

conditions

”Supposedly this Sora is master's brother, then if he used the status of

[Imanity's representative] to accept the bet, it is possible to cause everyone's

related to him”

Listening to Jibril's proclamation, Steph suddenly understood and said:

”So, he can't disappear from another representative's memories——and as

long as we ask someone else from another race!”

”Yes, I'll immediately use space shi+ft into the Eastern Union embassy to

confirm——and also”

Kneeling in front of the door, she bowed

”For ainst Master, is an act that is

si to accept any punishment, however——I

require some time first”

Concluding her sentence, Jibrilsuddenly disappeared

The air filled the space caused byonly a breeze

Steph as left alone didn't kno to react, but she stillfaced the

door and said:

”Ah, guushi+ro, shi+roAre you okay?”

However, at this ti

else

——the possibility of her brother's existence

With that possibility present, her forhts re-activated to start

the rapid processing

Sora——her brother's existence, in order to turn that into definitive proof,

she has to dig through its [Roots] first

Erecting her heavy body on the bed, she staggered to the center of the room

Her moist ruby eyes were usually in a half-open state

However, this ti the entire room

While rapidly processing her thoughts, she glanced around the room, not

letting even a speck of dust go unnoticed

(If Niireally exists, then whycreate this situation)

If the hypothesis was true, then this situation hat her brother had

plotted

The reason for his actions——it was possible ifshe could read her brother's

thoughts, but

——her brother's thinking process, has a style that couldn't be read; easily

s a war

shi+ro felt that she could never reach that kind of level, yet she has to interpret

his thoughts——?

Impossible, shi+ro knew she couldn't do it

However, it was obvious what her brother was doing, as he clearly left a trail

”NiiCan't——lose”

——Indeed, [ ] will never lose

Then——she accepted this situation, her brother believed in her, she believed

in her brother, accepting thissituation that he had created

Why——for her to not have noticed it, shi+ro couldn't help but pull her hair

(——I'm sostupid! How could I be so stupid!)

Panicking so easily, how could she live up to the expectation as her [Brother's

proud sister]

——Only a fragment ofsome memories disappeared

”How could Isuspect Nii!”

But she repressed her emotions, as this wasn't the time to blame herself

Her brother believed and entrusted this [situation] to her——she must finish

the job

——it was fine even if her brain burnt out———receiving the action to go all

out, shi+ro's mind responded

Her head gave a coen while shi+ro's small heart

responded quickly to the rapid intake

shi+ro began to review all thethe rapid rise in

body temperature

Filtering everything related to Sora by turning his words, actions and gestures

into a movie

Because since this situation [Noas planned by her brother, trails would

definitely be present

In the lastshe didn't

understand

——shi+ro, we are indispensable

”Indispensable, noNii won'tLeave shi+ro alone”

Why did she wake up in the room that was supposedly Steph's?

Why didn't she suspect? Why didn't she notice!

shi+ro bit her lip, this was probably the reason why she couldn't compare with

her brother

Such a simple anshich means Sora, her brother——

(Started froht here!)

With her sharp eyes staring at the bedroom, shi+ro's eyes didn't have any

tears

5 steps left

I aot

My proud little sister is shi+ro, 11 years old A little beauty with beautiful white

hair and ruby-red eyes

No problem, I'llstillremember

”shi+ro, are you there?”

I felt soh my mind, body and memory were in

disrepair, I can stillrecognize, though barely, that the nod came from shi+ro

”shi+ro, are you still there?”

Once again I felt that nod This became my pillar ofsupport

Even when I lost a large part of

It also far exceeded my expectations

My vision robbed away, my hands and feet numbed

I could hear a countless number of voices——but whose voice did all these

belong to? Where as I couldn't remember anymore

I couldn't fatho could be this horrible

”shi+roI would probably soonThat way——”

I felt three nods this time, however, it was tolerant this time

Then the whisper came——”I know”

Hearing that sentence, Sora s to her

”Could you doalreadyHaha”

I continued withself-esteem

”Anywhere is fine, but could you hold o crazy”

My shoulders were fir me feel assured as I take a breath

Then——using the pawn in his mouth, he placed it on the board

Part 4

shi+ro stared at the void, her heartbeat constantly rising

——Organize all the information

Her brother said——[We are indispensable]

Then he hiame has yet to end,

he is still participating

Her brother said——[We alin before the game starts]

This suggested that this situation caused was intentional

Her brother said——[We are not the main characters like in a Shounen

Manga]

If this situation was in a Shounen roas

raised Bullseye

She will become independent without Sora——but her brother clearly

[forbade] that kind of development

Her brother said——[We are bound together by a promise]

It meant thatTwo people are counted as one, and they were the finished

product

(Finished product——growth isn't necessary!)

shi+ro ignored the pain that her head was issuing and continued to order it

Think! Think harder——!

The need to come up with this situation

Her brother said——[We'll go and get the last required piece of the puzzle]

Her brother promised everyone that he would obtain the necessary puzzle

piece needed to ——

(Then——who isThe enemy?)

Before she had the last matic

words

That ti ho? No

matter how much she re-examined, the person was——[Invisible] Why was

it invisible? Why did she eliminate her presence to everyone aside from her

brother——in that case Jibrilshould——have——so——in——her

memory——so——

(ThinkThink, think!!)

shi+ro's pulse and thoughts were constantly accelerating——so fast that the

clock on the wallseemed to have stopped

——yet she still couldn't track her brother, even to this extent

Her brother's actions always contained two to three——sometimes even ten

to twenty layers of

He would use unorthodoxtactics that were unrivaled

Tracing that kind of creativity, subversive thought process and the constant

cutting of corners was impossible

(Thenshi+ro can onlyuse shi+ro's methodto do it!)

Sweating profusely, her temperature continued to rise while her head felt as if

it was gripped

——This wasn't inefficient, but more of a violent action

She was using residual memories, clues and alternatives to determine the

answer

Adding them up resulted in thousands and thousands of possibilities, and

si those kind of possibilities would result in millions and millions of

situations

——to screen all the situations one by one, was arguably similar to a

computer

Forcing all these on a small head such as shi+ro's resulted in a pain so intense

that sweat started oozing out

Then——when the second tick from the second-hand clock resounded

Feeling as if hours had past, a person appeared in her head——the answer

eed