Luna did not dare to move. He had absolutely no idea what this strange demigod was talking about or what she had understood. Meanwhile, the white-haired girl continued, “How about this? Meeting me right now is both good and bad luck for you. So, how about we play a game?
“The rules are very simple. We roll dice. If your total is higher than mine, I will answer any one of your questions, or do any one thing for you. But if I win, you will receive a tiny punishment as the price for bullying a cute young girl. What do you say?
“Oh, and it's worth mentioning that among the things I can do for you, I can even send you back to the real world, let you say a few words to your real self, and pass on some information. I can easily do something like that.”
Hearing this, Luna couldn't help but gulp. He could tell that this demigod didn't seem to like him very much. Although she was inviting him to play a game, in reality, it made no difference whether he agreed or not.
If he agreed to play, he would have to follow her rules. If he refused, he would probably be kicked to death by the roadside on a whim. That wouldn't be any different from losing the game, as he would just face the penalty directly.
In truth, Luna wasn't afraid of death. After all, he knew his current self was fake. His earlier despair was entirely because he had realized everything was meaningless. But now, since this demigod said she could send him to the real world if he won... could there really be such a good thing?
No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't refuse this game.
Luna paused, then asked, “Are you... the one who created this false timeline?”
The white-haired girl reached into her pocket as she spoke. “Who knows? Alright, make your choice.”
As she spoke, she pulled out a whole handful of dice. Crouching down, she scattered them all onto the ground. The dice clattered as they rolled across the pavement.
Luna was taken aback. “So many? What do you mean by 'make your choice'? Am I supposed to choose one of them?”
The white-haired girl replied, “No, I mean it literally. Pick as you please. You can take as many as you want.”
Hearing this, Luna used his only remaining hand to pick up the dice from the ground one by one, holding them all. “Then...”
“A very smart choice,” the white-haired girl said. “But could you leave at least one for me? Otherwise, we won't be able to play the game.”
As she spoke, she reached into Luna's hand and pulled out a faded, rather old-looking colored die. “I'll take this one. I feel like my luck will be better with it.”
Luna counted the dice in his hand—fourteen in total. He asked, “So... we just roll the dice and compare the totals? That's it?”
The white-haired girl nodded. “Yes, exactly.”
Luna looked at himself, then at her. He knew the game wouldn't be that simple, but comparing fourteen dice against a single die, how could he possibly lose? Even if he rolled all ones, the total would still be fourteen. Wasn't his victory guaranteed?
“Then I'll go first.” Luna threw all the dice in his hand. As they rolled on the ground, his heart couldn't help but leap into his throat.
Clatter, clatter...
A few moments later, all the dice stopped. Fourteen ones lay before them. Seeing this, the white-haired girl clicked her tongue. “Looks like your luck isn't very good.”
With that, she rolled the die in her hand.
Rumble, rumble...
As the die kept rolling, Luna's gaze followed it closely. Logically, he was in a position where he was guaranteed to win, yet he felt an inexplicable panic rising within him, as if something terrible was about to happen.
As it lost momentum, the die rolled slower and slower. It looked like it was about to settle on the number six. But right then, a sudden breeze swept by, causing the die to pause before tilting toward another side.
Then, an absurd scene unfolded. There happened to be a tiny crack in the pavement. Because of the breeze, as the die tilted, one of its corners wedged perfectly into the crack. In the end, the die came to a halt standing on its corner.
This meant that instead of having a single face pointing upward, its four, five, and six faces were all pointing upward at the same time.
This was a highly controversial outcome. Normally, whichever face had the largest upward-facing surface area would be considered the result. But what if the die was perfectly vertical, with all three faces sharing the exact same upward-facing area?
Luna's face froze at the sight. The white-haired girl, however, adopted a thoughtful expression, rubbing her chin with one hand. “Well, it looks like I rolled a fifteen. That's just one point higher than you. I win~”
Luna immediately protested, “That's not fair! Shouldn't we reroll in this situation? How could a single die possibly count as fifteen?!”
“Rerolling would be pointless,” the white-haired girl said. “Because no matter how many times I throw it, the result will always be the same.”
Immediately after, a rustling sound echoed as a slender, beautiful little snake slithered out from the white-haired girl's collar. The snake was entirely white with crimson, slit-like pupils. It looked at Luna, occasionally flicking its tongue, appearing strangely cute.
Yet Luna could sense that this... was actually another demigod?
The white-haired girl said, “Tell me, since you couldn't beat my single die even with fourteen of your own, and such an incredibly low-probability event occurred, it wouldn't be surprising if other highly improbable things happened next, right?
“For example... as you're walking down the street, the nearby spirit world and the real world suddenly intersect for a brief moment, tearing space apart, and you just happen to be standing right in the middle of that tear. I think the probability of something like that happening is extremely low, but it's definitely not zero. What do you think?”
Beads of cold sweat broke out on Luna's forehead. “Wait... what are you talking about?”
The white-haired girl gently tapped the head of the little white snake on her neck. “I'll leave the rest to you, Little White~”
The little white snake flicked its tongue without making any physical movement. However, Luna could faintly see the phantom of an unimaginably colossal serpent manifest around him. A single one of its eyes was larger than Luna's entire body.
The phantom serpent then opened its maw and swallowed Luna whole from above before vanishing once more. The entire process took less than three seconds.
The footsteps of the surrounding crowd returned. The white-haired girl bent down, picked up the alcohol bottle she had casually dropped earlier, and took another sip. Everything here seemed no different from before... except for the fact that a person had seemingly vanished into thin air.
...
Meanwhile, switching over to Freya and Euphemia's side—they had no idea that Luna had met with a terrible fate shortly after they left. Under Euphy's guidance, the two walked straight up to the gates of a very luxurious-looking manor.
Arriving at the entrance, Freya could see several maids and gardeners tending to the plants on both sides of the courtyard. She couldn't help but remark, “Wow... your house is huge.”
Euphy said, “Actually, my family is considered quite low-key. The estates of other nobles are far more extravagant than this.”
As she spoke, Euphy naturally walked forward, intending to push open the iron gate and head inside. However, a male servant standing at the entrance—or rather, a gatekeeper—stopped her. “Excuse me, miss, do you have an appointment?”
A question mark practically appeared over Euphemia's head. “Huh? What? I need an appointment to go back to my own home?”
The servant also looked puzzled. “May I ask who you are?”
Euphy said, “I'm Euphemia. Are you new here? You don't recognize me?”
Then, Euphy suddenly realized that this was ten years in the future. Perhaps she had grown and changed a lot over this decade, which was why these servants couldn't recognize her ten-years-younger self?
But the servant frowned. “That is impossible. Miss Holmes passed away ten years ago. Who exactly are you?”
Euphemia was stunned. “What on earth?”
Pausing for a moment, she continued, “Then... go and call Old Ian. Tell him someone has urgent business with him.”
Old Ian was the Holmes family butler. He had practically watched Euphy grow up, so he would definitely recognize her.
The servant still looked skeptical, but out of professional courtesy, he turned to deliver the message, leaving Euphy and Freya waiting outside.
Euphy said, “Wait, how could I have died ten years ago? If this really is a timeline ten years in the future, doesn't that mean once we return to reality, my death is just around the corner??”
Freya frowned slightly and said, “Euphy, I will do everything in my power to protect you!”
Soon, an old man with white hair and a hunched back approached the manor gates, guided by the servant. His face was lined with wrinkles, but his eyes were remarkably clear, showing none of the cloudiness typical of old age.
When the old butler saw the two girls talking at the entrance—especially when he saw Euphy—his eyes widened in disbelief. He stood frozen for several seconds. Then, he hurriedly ordered the servant to open the gate and rushed out to stand before Euphy.
Euphy had just opened her mouth. “Ian—”
But before she could finish, the old butler reached out to touch her cheek, his lips trembling. “Miss Euphemia? Are you... is this... is it really you?”
Euphy mumbled, “It's really me, it's really me!”
After finally breaking free from her butler's grasp, Euphy took a breath and said, “Well, it's a long story. Shall we go inside and talk?”
The old butler nodded. “Yes, of course!”
Freya and Euphy followed the old butler into the manor. Along the way, Euphy couldn't help but ask, “Ten years ago... when exactly did I die? And how?”
The old butler sighed. “It was during the 【Auxerre Fire】 on August 20th...”
August 20th? But in reality, that date had already passed long ago.
No, wait. Freya suddenly realized something. Wasn't that the exact date General Jerome would normally prepare and activate the occult array for his advancement ritual?
Euphy had clearly realized this as well. She turned her head and exchanged a look with Freya.
Soon, the three of them arrived in a parlor. Freya and Euphy sat on one side while the old butler sat opposite them. He asked, “Miss, you look exactly as you did ten years ago, and you seem completely unaware of the events that transpired back then. Does this mean you... used some sort of extraordinary power or occult array to briefly travel from the past into the future?”
“Uh... something like that?” Euphy didn't know how to answer. More accurately, they hadn't traveled from the past into the future, but rather from the future into the past.
Even though this 'past' was chronologically ten years ahead of their 'future'.
Euphy asked, “So, can you tell me what exactly happened over these ten years?”
The old butler thought for a moment and began to explain. His very first sentence left both Freya and Euphy utterly astounded.
The Kingdom of Tarapaca was no longer called by that name. It had been renamed the 【Pacca Empire】. It had repelled several attacks from the Red Alliance—which was the Pentagram Alliance—and pushed the front lines back a massive distance. It had even launched a war to completely annex the Fanipaca Empire to its west, becoming one of the most powerful nations in the world today.
The old butler continued, “You should be able to feel it, right? The entire city is currently shrouded in the power of Law. None of the extraordinaries in the capital can use their abilities. This is all the work of the Prince Regent, 【Trig】.
“At first, people called him the 【Usurper】. But it cannot be denied that after he killed the former king and began formally ruling this nation, the Pacca Empire has been constantly at war without suffering a single defeat.
“He brought the Church of the Earth fully under his wing, purged all the corrupt nobility with an iron fist, and implemented sweeping military reforms. Of course, another major reason for the empire's constant victories is that there are currently three Rank Eight demigods residing within this nation.
“The demigod of Law, His Highness Prince Regent Trig; the demigod of Destiny...”
Freya was listening intently when she noticed the old butler had suddenly stopped speaking. Not only that, but both the old butler and Euphy beside her had frozen completely in place, as if time itself had been locked.
Immediately after, a very familiar sensation washed over her—like floating up to the surface from deep underwater. When Freya regained her senses, she found herself back in her hotel room, sitting by the dining table.
A line of system prompts popped up in front of her: 【Simulation completed. Duration: 8 hours. Would you like to save this slot?】
Freya: “?”
Wait, what was going on? How did she get kicked out? And she wasn't just kicked back to the normal timeline from that bizarre past; she was actually kicked entirely out of the simulation, returning directly to the real world?
Rate on N.U.
