Chapter 9

――This ○○○!

The face of the being in front of her was distorted with fear.

It wasn't just one person; the faces of many adults were uniformly colored with terror.

What was given was one-sided abuse and violence.

A scene that repeated over and over again.

――I've seen enough of this scene.

Her hazy consciousness began to awaken, and Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes.

She got up, tidied her short hair and appearance, and left the room.

As usual, she took up a position by the window to look outside the mansion.

This had become her only daily routine.

Her pale blue eyes caught the world outside the mansion.

The girl gazed blankly at the unchanging scenery.

Although the scenery changed slightly with the seasons, she had already grown tired of these changes.

She had been looking at this view for so long.

She started looking outside because the inside of the mansion was an even more unchanging and boring world, and she held a faint hope that there might be new discoveries even if she couldn't touch them.

But she had already given up on that.

Thus, this action had no meaning and had become a mere formality.

If she could go outside, she wouldn't have to spend her life just looking at this place.

However, she had always been weak and had never been outside.

Even now, she couldn't leave the mansion.

That's why she spent her days doing the only thing she was allowed to do.

Today, she thought, the same scene would continue as always.

But there was a change in the scene.

A single anomaly had mixed into the unchanging landscape.

There was a man standing there.

A man—Elizabeth instinctively shuddered.

Her memory held only the terrible treatment she had received from others, except for her father.

She stood up from the chair, hid behind the window to avoid being seen, and observed the man.

It seemed the man was fighting a monster.

The monster was a zombie, a type of undead with a decayed body.

There were many undead in this area, and they seemed to bear a grudge against the living, attacking travelers.

Killed travelers generally joined the ranks of the undead.

That's why travelers usually avoided this area, but perhaps this man didn't know.

However, the man didn't look particularly strong.

He was rather slender, one might even say frail.

If things continued like this, he might end up the same as the undead.

But she couldn't help him, being weak and unable to leave the mansion, so all she could do was watch.

The zombie opened its mouth wide and lunged at the man.

Just as she thought the man would be eaten, a flame arrow was released from the staff in his hand.

The zombie, whose face was burning, fell and writhed in pain, but still moved toward the man.

The man, undeterred by this, repeatedly directed purple lightning at the zombie.

He's a mage—Elizabeth was taken aback by the unexpected strength of the man, who looked frail.

Her father was also a mage, but she had never seen him fight.

Are mages really that strong?

But the man's actions didn't stop there.

When the zombie stopped moving, the man touched the corpse and made it disappear.

It was as if he wouldn't leave even a speck of anything that opposed him.

Not good—her mind rang with a warning.

It's fine to defeat monsters, but that man is dangerous.

What if he finds me?

Elizabeth hadn't harmed him, but he might think she had abandoned him.

If he thought she had abandoned him, what would he do—just thinking about it was terrifying.

She desperately prayed that he wouldn't come to the mansion.

But the man slowly approached the mansion.

And—Elizabeth's eyes met his.

Not good, not good, not good!

I've been found. I need to hide quickly.

She left the room and thought about where to hide.

The basement or the first floor—going there now would be dangerous as she might run into the man.

On the second floor, there were only her room, her father's room, and a large study.

Her father's room was out of the question. The storage room didn't have enough space to hide.

The only place she could think of to hide was the closet in her room.

Reluctantly, she barricaded herself in the room and entered the closet.

At about the same time, a knocking sound echoed from downstairs.

She trembled, praying like she was waiting for a storm to pass.

The sound of a door creaking open—then footsteps followed.

She wished he would search the first floor or the basement, but the man had clearly seen her.

The sound of footsteps climbing the stairs indicated he was heading for the second floor.

He might go to the room where she had been looking outside or another room—no, please go to another room, she pleaded in her heart.

She had intended to evacuate to the first floor or the basement during that time.

The footsteps got closer—don't come, don't come—

The footsteps stopped abruptly.

Then the closet door opened.

In front of the open door stood a tall man with black hair and black eyes, wearing a cloth mantle, looking down at Elizabeth.

How could he find me so easily without hesitation!

Questions filled her mind, but she just stared at him.

The man's expression was unreadable, appearing indifferent, which only fueled her anxiety that he might be angry inside.

Recalling the merciless actions he had taken against the zombie, she feared he might do the same to her, and her face contorted in fear, closing her eyes to escape it.

"I'm sorry for startling you."

The man spoke clearly.

She cautiously opened her eyes and looked up to see a man with a guilty expression.

...What's going on here?

His demeanor had completely changed from before, and he looked like a man of his age.

Perhaps he wasn't as scary as she had thought, Elizabeth considered.

"Um... Are you not going to do anything?"

"Yes."

The man responded. It seemed he really had no intention of harming her.

The tension eased, and she let out a sigh of relief.

...The man seemed more rational than she had thought. If so, this could be very convenient.

Perhaps what she had been thinking about for a long time could come true.

―You monster!

As hope flashed through her mind, she remembered those words.

This man might be the same as the other adults.

She was an abnormal existence, different from humans, and it was obvious at first glance.

Would he be afraid if he noticed?

Driven by anxiety, she stared at the man, but he didn't seem particularly frightened.

"Um! ...Aren't you afraid of me?"

Silence filled the room. Elizabeth bit her lip tightly.

"I'm not particularly afraid."

"Why... Why not!?"

She shouted loudly.

People who knew her were all afraid of her.

Some insulted her, some wielded swords, some ran away—these were all actions taken in the face of fear.

That's because she was—

"I'm already dead. I'm a genuine ghost. A monster. My body is even see-through, and—"

Because she was a ghost—

An existence shunned by humans.

An abnormal existence, different from humans.

But she wasn't the only one who was different.

"A ghost that doesn't attack isn't a problem."

The man answered nonchalantly.

He was also a person with a different worldview from this world.

She was stunned by his words, but when she understood their meaning, tears began to stream down her face.

Once they started, she couldn't stop and began to cry loudly.

"I'm sorry."

Elizabeth apologized, blushing.

The compassionate gaze further reddened her face.

"Don't worry about it."

The man waved it off, saying it was no big deal.

"My name is Elizabeth. What's your name, sir?"

"Chaos."

"Mr. Chaos, then. Why are you in such a remote place?"

According to Chaos, he was on his way to the capital from Meridia.

After passing through the mountain path, the attacks by undead suddenly increased, so he had been fighting while moving and accidentally found this abandoned house.

He had come to see what was in the abandoned house after noticing Elizabeth.

Elizabeth had never been outside, so she didn't know what the capital or Meridia were like.

She asked Chaos about them.

Chaos said he didn't know much about the capital since it was his first time going there, but he talked about his life as an adventurer in Meridia.

He shared stories about his first quest and party quests.

Although some of the terms were unfamiliar to the sheltered Elizabeth, everything was fresh and she listened intently.

How long has it been since things were this lively?

Since her father died, she had never talked this much.

It felt as if a world that had faded was suddenly being colored.

"That's what it was like in Meridia."

"Thank you, Mr. Chaos. It was really fun!"

"...I see."

After a while, Elizabeth thanked Chaos.

As they talked, she realized that he wasn't as scary as she had initially thought and was actually a very kind person.

Perhaps he could help her.

"Mr. Chaos, I have a request. Can you break the gem in the basement?"

The basement of the mansion was her father's laboratory, where he often spent time making magic items.

She rarely visited it, both in her lifetime and after her current state.

When her father was alive, the basement was well-organized with books, specimens, and magic items.

But after being left for years, it was covered in dust and spider webs, making it unrecognizable.

On a pedestal in the room sat a single gem.

This was the gem she wanted broken.

"Is this it?"

Chaos asked Elizabeth to confirm.

"Yes, as long as this gem exists, I can't leave the mansion. If you break it, I should be free. I can interfere with other things in the mansion, but I can't touch this gem."

When Elizabeth tried to approach, she was blocked by an invisible barrier, as if there was a wall.

"That's why I'm asking you. Please break it."

"...Alright."

Chaos slowly raised his staff and smashed the gem.

Chaos himself might not have felt anything, but Elizabeth felt something that had been in her body for years disappear.

It was a feeling like being released from chains that had bound her body.

"...Finally... Thank you, Mr. Chaos."

Ah—finally free.

Her long-held dream had come true, and her heart trembled with joy.

Standing at the entrance of the mansion.

Elizabeth naturally swallowed.

The place that usually looked like the iron bars of a prison now looked like just a door.

She resolved herself and opened the door.

Sunlight poured in from the open door, blindingly bright.

She closed her eyes and took one step, then another.

—And finally, she was able to leave the mansion.

"Thank you, Mr. Chaos. Now I have no regrets."

Elizabeth smiled broadly.

"As a thank you, I'll give you something from this house."

I don't know if there's anything useful, she added with a wry smile.

Chaos's reaction was slow. She looked up slightly, curious.

His expression was—

"You're really a kind person. I'm glad I met you last."

You were the only one besides my father who didn't treat me like a monster.

Just that alone must have saved her heart so much.

"Don't look so sad. Thanks to you, I can finally move on. This is what I wanted, so please send me off with a smile."

She showed him her smile, running her fingers through her long hair.

Chaos responded with a strained smile.

—Thank you, Mr. Chaos—.

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

The quest was over.

On the way to the capital, I had found an abandoned house and visited it out of curiosity, finding a young girl inside.

When I first saw Elizabeth with her pink hair, she was semi-transparent, so I thought she might be a monster and was on guard, but she wasn't recognized as an enemy on the map, so she was probably an NPC.

I had scared her a bit because I was on guard.

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

As we talked, I received a new quest.

The quest name was "Liberation of the Captive Soul."

I found out later that Elizabeth had been sick and weak, and her father had tried everything to save her.

But he couldn't cure her.

In the end, he found a way to keep her soul in this world, like the undead.

She was a ghost but could interact with objects and move freely within the mansion.

At first glance, it seemed like a successful attempt.

But it wasn't just that.

Perhaps it was the downside of forcibly trapping her soul, or a punishment for toying with life—

She was cursed to be born, grow, age, and decay within a day.

When I first met her, she was a young girl with short hair and a long, tattered cloth.

By the time she was freed, she had transformed into a long-haired woman past her prime.

Her father struggled to save her, but ultimately failed and died in anguish.

The mummy-like remains of what seemed to be his corpse were left on the beds in the other rooms on the second floor, except for the room where I met her.

—That was the setting.

The rest was to destroy the gem that desecrated the dead and free her.

The reward was the staff her father had used.

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

It was a typical depressing quest.

In a few hours, it would reset, and she would return to this place, ready for another player to take the quest.

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

But.

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

Why am I so sad?

Was I really that sensitive and emotional?

If I had been an observer watching from outside the usual display, I would have just thought it was a sad event.

Was it because the VR world was too realistic?

Was it the sentiment brought by a brief encounter?

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

I can't help but wonder.

Was there another way to save her?

But this quest could only be completed by destroying the gem.

Was she, like the setting, a being bound by the game, a mere event experienced repeatedly by players?

Was her liberation truly a rewarding result?

So—* * *

I dug a hole with the staff, burying Elizabeth and her father's remains.

I stuck the staff I had been using as a marker.

I thought I could dig a hole because the ground had been gouged out by a giant mole, but now that I think about it, the game's developers must be geniuses.

This act had no meaning.

Elizabeth would return in a few hours.

So it was just self-satisfaction.

But is it too presumptuous to think that there should be at least one player like this?