"Godric noticed us!"
I shouted toward Orlie, who was running beside me, and he nodded in response.
"We'd better pick up the pace!"
With that, he hoisted me onto his back and began to run.
It wasn't the most dignified sight, but this wasn't the first—or even the second—time I'd been carried like this. I'd already gotten used to it through countless drills with Leonardo.
Besides, the shackles were dragging so close to the ground, they were starting to get on my nerves. In a way, this worked out better.
We had to launch the escape faster than planned, so there hadn't been time to deal with the shackles. Maybe because it was something from Kargasthol, no matter how hard Orlie tried to pull or break it, it would just restore itself even faster.
We didn't have the luxury to waste time on it, so in the end, I had no choice but to run with them still on. Thanks to that, my ankles were rubbed raw the entire time… but that was a minor issue, really.
The reason we had to execute the escape faster than I had originally planned was because of something I realized right after discovering the escape route out of Kargasthol.
***
'Now we just need to escape. When Godric returns, we'll—'
I was thinking this when, suddenly, letters appeared in my vision. It was a flawed, glitchy messenger that seemed to have been sent from somewhere with poor signal.
[Main Author: If you recei■e this message, immediately leave Karg■■■hol and head in opposite ■■rections.]
[Main Author: I tried to stop ■■, but it didn't work. Sorry ■■■.]
'What does this mean…?'
It seemed Orlie had read the same message. He and I exchanged a brief glance before heading straight back to the prison where the paladin's body was locked away.
The skill of picking locks is always useful.
Most small theatres have outdated facilities, and often locks automatically secure themselves, making such small tricks essential. With just a little technique, using the tip of a knife—it's not difficult once you learn the trick.
With that, I successfully unlocked the prison's lock by inserting the sharp edge of a cruel torture instrument that was scattered around the underground dungeon. It took quite some time to remove the iron nails that had embedded into Orlie's body.
I managed to pull out the nails.
However… I couldn't unlock the shackles, so I had to use another method…
"What did you say?"
"As long as I'm borrowing the body of the servant, any damage to Orlie's physical form doesn't affect me. Think of it as water in a container. If the container is damaged while holding water, it will leak, but if the container is empty, it won't leak even if it breaks."
"…Then how do you plan to return? If you put water into a cracked container, it will still leak, won't it?"
"I'll have to give up on durability, but as long as my head is intact, I can manage."
I was reminded of the things I had to do with the torture devices that were all over the prison, and I was filled with repugnance.
The voice of Orlie, who kept apologizing to me as I retched, still echoed in my ears. At that time, he was in the body of the donut-head attendant.
Should I say that this added another nightmare to my repertoire?
After "extracting" Orlie, the process that followed wasn't difficult. Orlie, who had emerged from the donut-head body, spoke as he reattached the severed limbs to the torso.
"It would be best to escape before he returns."
I wiped away the tears that had gathered in my eyes due to the retching, finally regaining my composure. The raw sensation of the human flesh, still vivid in my hands, was hard to shake off, but I had tasks to attend to now.
Suffering could wait for later.
"…What if we run into him along the way?"
It had been quite some time since Godric left the castle, so he might be on his way back by now. If we were to cross paths, things could get complicated.
However, Orlie shook his head with confidence.
"The route for transporting prisoners and the road back to the castle will be different. For security reasons, and because his presence hasn't been frequently around while I was imprisoned."
Just as the escape discussion was wrapping up…
"Are, are you leaving, too?"
The donut-head attendant suddenly spoke up. In the heat of the moment, I had momentarily forgotten about him, and I was taken by surprise.
The moment Orlie quickly grabbed the saw and stepped forward, I reflexively stopped him. The attendant went silent for a beat, then curved his lips into a faint smile.
"Th-the surveillance order… only applies to the bedchamber room."
As if he were turning a blind eye.
"I-I-I'm glad I could be of he-help! Please do visit ag-gain!"
With that, he turned and walked off—step by step, fading into the distance. Heading once more toward the ruined royal castle.
As I silently watched his retreating figure, Orlie spoke softly beside me.
"We must go, Isaac."
The ground sloshed with each step, wet from groundwater that had seeped in and pooled.
I could tell we were nearing the Vernis Mountains. Not just a feeling—but from the visible signs around us.
The text on the scenario window, which had been riddled with noise until now, began to clear up.
That moment of confusion quickly passed as a brief line appeared beneath the note's subtitle:
'Has the 31st scenario already ended?'
Take 1. Mid-slope of the Vernis Mountains (Day/Outside). Leonardo charges toward the old castle ruins.
That was the only line.
At first, I thought the connection was still unstable.
But no matter how long I waited, no further description followed. No dialogue, no narration. Nothing to indicate whether Leonardo was alone or if others were following him.
Just that one sentence stating Leonardo was heading for the old ruins.
The last time I checked the scenario notes, they had only suggested that the field army had been successfully rescued.
'And now he's suddenly charging the ruins?'
The recently rescued field army would likely be exhausted and in need of rest.
And considering that Godric had returned to the scene and confirmed Leonardo's reunion with the field army, it was clear he must've made a move of some kind.
In that moment, the message from the main author struck me like a bolt of lightning.
The urgent instruction to leave Kargasthol and return immediately.
And then—
[Main Author: I tried to stop ■■, but it didn't work. Sorry ■■■.]
'Don't tell me… he figured it out?'
That I had been captured by Godric.
If it were Leonardo, it almost felt possible that he could have made it all the way to Kargasthol. An irrational belief—but this was the protagonist of the stage, after all.
'It's not just Sub-writer 1 who's the problem anymore.'
I had to return to the protagonist's side. Immediately.
[Sub-writer 1: Where are you off to in such a hurry?]
"…!"
Orlie, who had been carrying me on his back as he ran, suddenly came to a halt. Slung over his shoulder, I couldn't see what was happening right away—so I realized a moment too late.
Royal guards.
More precisely, the ones occupying the bodies of the royal guards who once served the king. Now, they stood packed across the passageway, completely blocking our path.
And now—I understood.
[Accessing designated entity's information.][Viewing information.]
Rank – None (Scenario weight: 0.05%)
Role – None
Script – Great Empire's Subject
Dialogue – None
! Status Effect – This entity is under the influence of the special ability
'Great Empire's Subject…'
The Emperor's people.
Beings that had lost their true form—unable to properly take shape unless they devoured the residents of this stage and claimed a piece of its "importance."
Ghosts of a bygone stage.
Orlie pressed his lips into a hard line and gently set me down. He gripped the saw he had brought from the underground prison.
"We'll have to break through."
Behind us, Godric was closing the distance. Ahead, puppets controlled by the King stood in our path.
Retreat was not an option. That left only one direction—forward.
Orlie stepped ahead, cutting a path through. Even with his body's decreased durability, the extras-level importance of the royal guards couldn't compare to that of a paladin—the swordmaster who once taught Leovald.
Ash scattered like snow, and a grey haze began to fall upon the underground world.
Slosh!
I started running again, my feet slapping into the muck that coated the underground floor.
The farther we went through the underground passage, the narrower the path became—transforming from a cavern to a small tunnel. The ceiling of solid rock gave way to brownish soil, tangled tightly with tree roots that formed a crude roof.
I could feel it—we were nearing the surface.
The sounds of battle faded into the distance, my breath grew ragged, and my legs throbbed with pain. The shackles around my ankles clattered loudly—like they were shouting to the pursuer, "Over here!"
[Sub-writer 1: I thought I took good care of you in my own way… What more could you have wanted?]
[Sub-writer 1: Must you cause so much trouble?]
"If you'd just behaved, I might've even taken you out for a walk."
A calm voice pierced my ears—letters turning into spoken words. Godric had drawn close enough for sound to carry, approaching like a looming calamity.
Shrouded in the underground gloom, his figure looked like a living shadow—dark and oppressive.
"Looks like you learned that impatience from Leovald."
With graceful poise, Godric bent down and yanked on the chain. My stance collapsed, and I was dragged to the floor.
"You would've been better off never trying at all."
Clink, clink.
Godric slowly began winding the chain around his forearm. And with each movement, my body slid back effortlessly, without resistance.
"No point in running. It's not like you'll ever see the light again."
"Isaac!"
As Orlie cried out in alarm, Godric had already closed the distance. Before I could react, he loomed over me where I lay on the ground. His expression seemed calm at a glance, but a flicker of restrained fury glinted in his eyes—too subtle to catch at first.
He must've chased us in haste—his usual composed appearance was disheveled, harsher, almost feral.
His hand pressed down firmly on my neck.
"I tried to preserve you as best I could, since you're no longer fit to be fixed. But those arms and legs… they're only good for running, aren't they? Better to cut them off."
Gasping, I grabbed the hand tightening around my throat. My vision spun, and my heart pounded like mad.
But not out of fear—out of joy.
Because Godric had made a mistake.
[Scenario Zone Entered:
Even if I hadn't made it to the surface, I had escaped Kargasthol—by the slimmest margin.
「Isaac.」
The voice from
「Close your eyes.」
And I did exactly as he said.
In the next moment, a sound like the collapse of a tunnel ceiling rang through the underground passage. It boomed like thunder, and with it came a rush of thick, dusty earth that grazed against my skin.
The pressure on my neck vanished as Godric's grip faltered, and cold air flooded in like a wave. My lungs expanded, drinking in the air freely for the first time.
And then—familiar warmth.
It wrapped around me as if it would never let go again.
My entire body relaxed, and for a fleeting second, I forgot to even breathe—overwhelmed by a wave of relief.
"Found you."