Chapter 4: Self-Introduction - 3
After gaining my own kind of lesson from the first blacksmith, I set a condition to uncover my second occupation.
And after spending as many as six questions, I was finally able to find the person I was looking for.
That very person was the old man standing before .
“Here’s my question. How many occupations have you discovered so far, and how many people have found out about yours?”
“……I’ve discovered two occupations, and no one has found out mine. Though, I can’t be completely sure about the latter.”
“Good.”
“Why waste a question on sothing like that?”
“I was looking for soone who’d be the perfect partner to make a deal with us.”
The old man tilted his head in confusion, but Arlia’s eyes lit up as if she had realized sothing.
She let out a small gasp and said to ,
“Wait. You don’t have to go that far because of .”
“No. I’m only doing this because it minimizes potential victims.”
“Mason…….”
I turned to the old man.
“You only need to find one more person’s occupation, right? And since no one’s discovered yours yet, even if two people find out, there’s no risk for you.”
“That’s true, but still.”
“Then I’ll tell you one person’s occupation, and in return, you’ll tell both of us yours.”
“…….”
“We also each need to discover just one more. There’s not much ti left anyway. I admit it’s a deal where you lose out, but nothing’s more valuable than your life, is it?”
After a mont of hesitation, the old man spoke.
“What if you two sell my occupation to others?”
“Why would we? We already know two occupations each.”
“Do you really? Can I use a question to confirm that?”
“Go ahead.”
The old man imdiately asked a question, and I answered honestly.
Even so, the wrinkles on his face did not smooth out.
“I’d like to believe that won’t happen, but after selling my information, you might receive a monetary reward once you escape this hell.”
“We’re not that kind of shaless people.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Well, that was expected.
I glanced at the board that displayed the remaining ti.
About twenty minutes left.
We had to hurry.
There might be others under the sa conditions as this old man, but we didn’t have enough ti or questions left to look for them.
‘No choice, then.’
I spoke up.
“I’ll provide a guarantee.”
“What kind of guarantee?”
“Magireta!”
Although Magireta was actually very far from here, that inhuman being appeared before us as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“What is it, little brother?”
“Can I ask for a personal favor?”
“As long as it doesn’t interfere with the ga.”
“If this old man tells us his occupation, we promise not to sell that information to anyone. Please be our witness to that.”
“What kind of witness exactly?”
“If we sell the old man’s occupation to anyone else, you can take my life.”
The old man was surprised, but Arlia was even more shocked.
“Hey! How can you wager your life so recklessly?”
“There’s not much ti.”
“Even so—”
“Let’s first check if it’s even possible before talking more. Sis, can we do it?”
Magireta, who I had just called ‘sis,’ smiled brightly and answered.
“Hm~ It’s not impossible, but the balance must be fair.”
“What do you an?”
“You both gain the information, but only one life is at stake? If the young lady’s life is also on the line, then I’ll agree.”
I clicked my tongue in frustration.
At that mont, Arlia spoke up.
“Let’s do it.”
“Your H—… ahem, what do you an? You just scolded for wagering my life carelessly.”
“I know you were looking for soone suitable because you were worried about . I should have at least that much resolve.”
“…….”
“Magireta, I’ll stake my life as well. Do it that way.”
Magireta shrugged.
“I don’t know why you’re saying it like an order, but fine. I promise on my na.”
“Doesn’t sound like a na worth much, but fine.”
“Young people these days have no manners.”
Grumbling, Magireta flew away into the sky with a whoosh.
I looked back at the old man.
His pupils were noticeably dilated.
“You young ones are quite reckless.”
“It’s a situation that demands recklessness.”
“……Alright then. If you’ve gone that far, I can’t help but trust you.”
He slowly revealed his occupation.
And in turn, we told him Mr. Forgotten’s occupation.
Thus, both Arlia and I were able to safely discover three occupations each.
Fifty minutes after the ga began—
With only ten minutes remaining before the end, I t Mr. Forgotten again at our promised location.
‘I didn’t think he’d show up.’
If I hadn’t appeared, he would’ve realized he’d been deceived.
And since an enraged could’ve spread his occupation to everyone, he must’ve decided it was safer to et and calm things down.
“Mason. Did you manage to uncover all the occupations?”
“Yes. What about you?”
“I sohow managed it too.”
“…….”
“Then we’re both safe now, huh?”
He narrowed his eyes as he asked, closely watching my expression.
I answered, almost amazed at how naturally the words ca out.
“Yes. I’m really glad.”
And then, I smiled.
Mr. Forgotten seed to think that my calm tone and expression were enough reassurance.
He said he’d move separately for a while and stepped away from .
In the anti, Arlia, who had approached my side, spoke.
“Was that man your employer?”
“Yes.”
“You must have had a hard ti.”
“No. To be honest... he treated quite well. For the past three years.”
Of course, I had worked hard too.
During those three years, the restaurant had grown more than twice its original size, and I was confident that more than eighty percent of that was thanks to .
Still, no matter how I put it, it was true that Mr. Forgotten had taken in when I had nowhere else to go.
“...Do you regret it? Spreading word about that man’s job?”
“No. He did the sa thing, just on a larger scale.”
“Then stop making that face.”
“What kind of face am I making?”
Arlia didn’t answer and instead changed the subject.
She pointed toward the blacksmith from earlier.
“Anyway, that’s a relief. That man—whose child’s birthday is tomorrow—will be safe too.”
Just before eting Mr. Forgotten, the blacksmith had sohow obtained information about two other people’s professions and handed it to Arlia.
Arlia had replied to him like this:
-Use that for yourself.
-Huh? What?
-Instead, don’t ntion my profession or this man’s. Especially mine. As a princess, I despise the thought of my na being dragged into sothing so disgraceful. If we make it out alive, people will gossip endlessly.
-But you said you need to save your attendants and retainers...
-That’s not sothing you should concern yourself with, is it?
The blacksmith nodded reluctantly, his expression unwilling.
At that mont, I had read “discontent” in his eyes.
Just as I was about to tell Arlia about it, Magireta’s voice rang out.
“Bam-ba-da-bam! Ti over. Everyone, from now on—don’t even open your mouths! Say one word, and off goes your head.”
My heart pounded.
Magireta spoke.
“Now it’s grading ti. You had a whole hour, but anyone who failed to figure out at least three professions dies. And those who foolishly revealed their own jobs to as many as three people in this cruel world—also die.”
“……”
“Alright. A few died along the way, but there’s still a huge crowd left, so let’s move quickly. You there, in the front! What professions did you find out?”
Drum roll.
Magireta clapped her hands against the air like she was beating a drum.
The man she pointed at opened his mouth.
“That person’s a carpenter, that one runs a butcher’s shop... and that one’s, uh, a farr, I think.”
“Wrong! The last one’s incorrect. Still, good effort!”
Slash.
A thin line appeared across the man’s neck.
He let out a confused “Huh?” before his head hit the ground.
Splash.
His blood soaked the earth.
It was a sight I’d already seen several tis, yet people still dropped to the floor or scread in terror.
But I—
“Shall we move on to the next person?”
—focused on sothing else.
“Wait! You can’t do it like that.”
I shouted and raised my hand high.
Arlia looked at , startled, her expression stiff with shock.
With only her lips, she mouthed:
Are you insane?
Magireta glanced at and said,
“Oh, my little brother. But didn’t I just tell everyone to keep quiet?”
“……”
“I’m kidding. If you’re curious, you should ask. I’m quite generous, you know.”
I slowly opened my mouth.
“Isn’t it unfair to ntion who got it right or wrong?”
“Hm?”
“Announcing the grading results like that is unfair. The later soone goes, the more of an advantage they’ll have.”
The man who had just died had guessed two professions correctly and one wrong—and still died.
And Magireta had openly revealed which ones were correct and which were not for everyone to hear.
That ant the identities of those two correctly guessed professions were now exposed to everyone here.
The later the turn, the more cases like this would pile up—so even those who hadn’t discovered three professions might find loopholes to survive.
But Magireta replied indifferently,
“So what? What were the professions that got ntioned earlier?”
“Are you kidding ? Just now, that person was... huh? Wait. That person definitely—”
I found myself looking at Arlia Kerr Dneroum without aning to.
She shook her head with a confused expression.
I felt cold sweat trickle down my back.
‘My mory… didn’t co back. It had just happened.’
Magireta asked playfully.
“You forgot, didn’t you?”
“……”
“For soone like my little brother who once lost their mories, that might be traumatic. Anyway, don’t worry. I just erased the grading results from everyone’s heads.”
She had erased the mories of all these people in an instant?
Magireta swept her gaze across the crowd gathered in the field.
“You all were so hopeful, weren’t you? Thinking that if grading was done like that, it wouldn’t matter if you hadn’t found out their jobs within the ti limit. That there’d be a way to survive.”
“……”
“Heh heh. I wanted to see those desperate faces. Honestly, it was an even more spectacular show that I could have watched longer. My little brother ruined it by butting in.”
I understood.
That woman had intentionally made the grading announcents audible to everyone.
To give people temporary hope.
And then, by erasing their mories, to turn that hope back into despair.
“Anyway, this should put your mind at ease, right? Little brother.”
“……How is such a thing possible?”
“Why make such a fuss over this. I told you—”
Magireta continued casually.
“I’m pretty omnipotent, you know.”
The grading proceeded very quickly.
It was a strange experience.
Given the countless throng, I had expected the grading to continue for days.
Though ti was flowing normally, it felt as if everything had ended in re minutes… that unplaceable sensation.
Was this also Magireta’s omnipotence?
In any case, when I ca to my senses, more than half of the people had already finished being graded.
‘A third of them were dead.’
The ground was bright red.
The blood and bodies of those eliminated stained my entire view.
And next.
Magireta pointed to the Blacksmith as usual.
“All right, next person. What professions did you find out?”
At that mont Arlia Kerr Dneroum murmured.
“Phew. At least this ti I won’t have to watch anyone die.”
“They will.”
“As I thought... Wait, what did you just say?”
I answered calmly once more.
“That person will die.”
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