Mistaken for a Masked Munchkin

"How many times... did you die there?"

"Not three times, but three hundred times...?"

It was something I had let slip without thinking.

Fatigue must have gotten to me, because my mouth had started running on its own.

The obvious result was that the princess gave me a merciless scolding.

"You're insane! Have you truly lost your mind?!"

Thud, thud, thud!

Her clenched fists struck my chest.

I glanced down at the girl's pale face.

"No, well... I'm really fine. I wasn't actually hurt or anything..."

"Do you think that makes any sense?! Even if it was a deep layer, death is still death! How could your mind possibly be unharmed?!"

"Ah, well..."

"And not once or twice, but hundreds of times? Do you think that's something to say with a bright smile on your face?!"

"I, I knew it was dangerous, but... it was a necessary process..."

"What was necessary?! Was that leisure really so important that you could gamble your one and only life without hesitation?!"

"I didn't gamble it without hesitation..."

"Be quiet! Every time, Viktor, you only ever do dangerous things...!"

The princess showed a level of anger I had never seen before.

No. Those tears looked closer to sorrow than anger.

I had nothing to say in my defense.

Anyone would think I was insane.

I had died nearly three hundred times, then laughed it off as though it were nothing.

"What would you have done if something had really gone wrong?!"

"Princess..."

"I truly have no one but you now, Viktor..."

Her hand gripped my clothes.

That weak grip seemed to seize my heart more painfully than anything else.

"If even you leave my side, then there'll truly be no one left for me..."

"......"

She stifled a sob.

Not knowing what else to do, I gently patted her slender back.

The princess, who looked as though she might break, buried her face in my chest.

Her arms wrapped around me tightly, so desperately.

"......I'm sorry. I didn't think it through."

The princess was still the only person who could leave me at such a loss.

I had to hold my liege for a long while.

I whispered reassurances in her ear, promising that I would never act so recklessly again.

Even if they were lies, I wanted to calm her down.

"......Sniff."

Only after quite some time did the princess regain her composure.

Her eye rims were a pale red, as though flowers had withered.

Bonk.

The girl bumped her forehead against mine.

She put a little force into it, as though getting revenge for making her worry.

"Never do something so dangerous again."

"Yes."

"Don't make me worry."

"Yes."

"And stop going around seducing everyone."

"......I don't think I've ever tried to seduce or tease anyone."

"That's why it's worse. Saying and doing such things without any special intent is far more malicious."

"That's unfair."

"Tch, answer me."

"I'll keep it in mind..."

The princess grumbled at me.

I had to keep holding her tightly.

After some time, she spoke up as though something had just occurred to her.

"......Come to think of it, Viktor."

"Yes, Princess."

"You said it was a deep-layered world, didn't you? The trial on the ninetieth floor of Purgatory."

"That's right. The trial was to glimpse and overcome the things I had regretted before, regretted now, and would regret later."

"Didn't you enter Purgatory too? Then did you undergo the same trial as that woman, Javert?"

"......"

The ninetieth floor of Purgatory.

What had I seen there?

"......Who knows."

I only gave her an ambiguous smile.

* * *

A week passed after that.

The academy, which had been in an uproar, quickly returned to normal.

'It's peaceful.'

Even the matters that seemed likely to cause trouble had been handled well by the faculty.

Perhaps it was thanks to the headmaster stepping in.

Javert safely returned to teaching.

The rumor that she had been imprisoned in an underground prison was gradually dying down as well.

It was now treated as little more than a wild rumor, and it seemed the academy would no longer be plagued by idle gossip.

'That's a relief.'

Javert and Valter seemed to have had a thorough conversation.

The resentment that had built up over so long.

It seemed they had torn down at least some of the wall between father and daughter.

Unlike the original story, where it had always been too late, their true feelings had managed to reach each other.

A pleased smile formed on my face.

The summer sky was hot and perfectly clear.

Beyond that calm, I sat quietly, moving my pen.

"Ahem."

I sat in one corner of the research room.

It was a sight I hadn't seen in quite a while.

I had come to help Javert with paperwork.

Whenever my pen scratched quietly across the page, a cool breeze drifted in through the open window.

Whoooosh.

Across from me, red hair fluttered briefly.

Javert and I sat facing one another.

Quiet weather.

Quiet air.

Quiet surroundings.

All that accumulated silence created a peaceful atmosphere.

Even as I fiddled with my pen, I took a moment to savor that stillness.

My gently closed eyelids felt heavy with drowsiness.

Perhaps it was because it had been so long since I had enjoyed such a tranquil day.

Just reflecting on the moment filled me with a deep sense of peace.

"Student Viktor."

When my hand paused for a moment, I heard a careful voice call out.

Beyond my eyelids, I could make out the red-haired woman.

"Professor."

"Are you tired? Don't push yourself. You may return to the dormitory whenever you wish."

"No. I'm just feeling sentimental. Being here in this research room, doing paperwork with you again..."

I smiled lightly.

Javert stiffened, unable to say anything for a moment.

Only after a brief silence did she speak in a voice that sounded forced out.

"......I'm happy as well."

Thump, thump, thump.

Javert's heartbeat reached me clearly.

It wasn't merely a sentimental turn of phrase.

Her feelings were really being conveyed to me in real time.

Clutching my chest, I read the blue window that had appeared before me.

Ding!

[Forgotten Sage's Contract]

-Category: Document

-Rank: A+

-Status: Pristine, Contracted

-Description: A parchment left behind by the ancient sage Anael. Its effect is Assimilation. The two people who form the contract share each other's deep-layered worlds. They can instinctively perceive parts of each other's thoughts and true feelings. In ancient times, this form of contract was also called a Soul Marriage, and it is highly effective at strengthening mental fortitude and relieving trauma. However, the first party may limit the information disclosed to the second party.

[The contract is active.]

-First Party: Viktor

-Second Party: Javert Droit

It was the item I had obtained on the eightieth floor of Purgatory.

Its description explained the contract I had formed with Javert.

I smiled.

Through the status window, I asked the woman who was glancing my way.

"How does it feel? Can you sense the contract's effects or anything like that?"

"Ah... yes, it's a strange feeling. It feels as if a pillar has been erected inside my heart. I suppose it feels reassuring."

"That's good."

"And... I can feel Student Viktor's emotions, if only a little. It makes me feel strangely at ease..."

"I can feel your deep layer too, Investigator. You seem tense for some reason right now."

"Tense...?"

Whenever our eyes met, her heartbeat grew a little stronger.

A drunken sort of dizziness rose within her.

I smiled without teasing her too much.

Javert's ears reddened slightly, matching her hair.

In contrast to her expressionless face, her inner state was in turmoil, like an earthquake.

"Student Viktor."

"Yes."

"If it isn't too much trouble, could you... um, stop reading what's inside me for a moment...?"

"Why all of a sudden? Are you about to have some bad thoughts?"

"N, no, it's not that... Or perhaps I should say that it is..."

"All right. Peeking when you don't want me to would be improper."

"......Thank you."

Javert took a deep breath.

Whatever she was thinking, she kept avoiding my gaze.

'Looking at her now, her reactions have become much more varied...'

A pleased smile came to my face.

Little by little, I felt that everything I had done until now had truly saved someone.

'And the contract worked out well.'

It was a perfect ending.

Besides, that wasn't all the contract could do.

Just as I gave Javert reassurance, I had something to gain from this contract as well.

'I should test it sometime.'

Throb.

I absentmindedly rubbed the back of my neck.

Then Javert's hand suddenly came closer and took mine.

"......Um, Student Viktor."

"Hm? Investigator?"

Her green eyes met mine.

The woman hesitated for a moment before parting her lips, like someone carefully choosing her words over and over.

"Thank you..."

"Excuse me?"

"For everything Student Viktor has done for me. Everything you've shown me, and everything you've given me... all of it."

"Why bring this up all of a sudden?"

"I didn't think I had ever properly said it."

"Pfft... I'm the one who should thank you. For putting up with my stubbornness again and again."

The summer air hummed gently.

I clasped her hand in return.

Our fingers naturally intertwined.

Then her heartbeat grew so loud it was hard to breathe.

"......"

"......"

We sat there without saying much.

Our palms grew warm as our body heat mingled.

A silence like a summer night.

The two of us spent that languid, peaceful moment together.

Holding a soft breath, I reflected on the hands of the clock racing onward.

'It really is over.'

The realization came late.

Various thoughts settled into place in my head.

'Maybe I'll have some breathing room for a while now.'

The next Calamity was at least one or two months away.

It wasn't an abundance of time, but it was still enough to catch my breath for a little while.

'So.'

Wouldn't it be nice to enjoy this leisure for at least a few days?

Following my quickening heartbeat, I squeezed her hand tighter.

The woman's earlobes grew a little redder.

Time melted away, drop by drop, like ice.

I closed my eyes as though I might melt into that coolness.

'This is nice.'

It was my first vacation in a long time.

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