"Where am I...?"
The thought drifted through my mind as I opened my eyes. An unfamiliar landscape stretched out before me—or rather, a complete lack of one. There was nothing. No sky, no earth, and naturally, no horizon.
I had seen a vista like this once before. The world that had been destroyed after Black Ageha used her <Reset> had looked much the same. Back then, a being calling himself the Observer had approached me, and I had eventually been sent back a century to save the world.
But this felt different from that time.
In the first place, how did I get here? Ah, right. Warrior Golgano had mentioned something about a seal. I had presumably been sealed away by him. I didn't fully understand the mechanics of it, but my mind jumped to Ageha. I had rescued her from a seal within the Kataroff Dungeon once. It was highly likely that the seal placed on me was of the same nature.
But why bother sealing me?
"If he is the Hero's Apostle, killing him might lead to something even more troublesome." I recalled Golgano’s words.
Judging by that, did he suspect that I would Return by Death if I were killed? Is that why he chose to imprison me instead of finishing me off? If my hypothesis was correct, this was a nightmare scenario. I would have to figure out a countermeasure for the future.
Well, there was no point in overthinking it now. First, I had to find a way out of this mess.
With that thought, I tried to take a step, only to realize I couldn't move an inch. I couldn't walk. I couldn't move my hands. I couldn't speak. I couldn't even blink. No matter which part of my body I tried to command, it remained a frozen statue. Only my consciousness remained active.
What was I supposed to do?
The moment I realized my utter helplessness, a wave of anxiety washed over me. What could I possibly achieve in this state? I wanted to scream for help, but I couldn't even part my lips.
Was I destined to be trapped in this World of Void forever? As the realization sank in, I felt a cold, sharp terror. From here on, I was facing an eternity of inescapable, absolute boredom.
◆
How much time had passed since I was sealed?
There was no clock, and since the sun never rose, I had no way to gauge the passage of time. There was only the endless, hollow void. I never knew that being unable to do anything could be so agonizing.
The boredom was suffocating. To keep my mind from fraying, I decided to recall the stories my mother used to tell me—the legends of the very first Hero and the Demon King.
It was said that this world was created at the same moment a certain deity awakened: the Demon God Deusgort. In the world ruled by Deusgort, nothing existed but shadows. It seemed as though darkness would reign for eternity.
However, a God from another realm visited this world: the Supreme God Pyutos.
Pyutos normally resided in a higher-dimensional world. In fact, even Deusgort was merely a being born from Pyutos. When the Supreme God looked upon the empty world and lamented its void, a single drop of light was born.
That light illuminated the world.
After that, Pyutos created the Spirits of fire, water, wind, and earth, tasking them with shaping the land, the atmosphere, and the sea. Finally, Pyutos breathed life into the world, creating the Human Race—which included humans, elves, and all other living races.
While this brought prosperity, it also sparked jealousy in the heart of the Demon God Deusgort. First, he unleashed death and disease upon the world. When the world persisted despite this, he created Monsters and Dungeons to bring about humanity's ruin.
To counter this threat, the Supreme God Pyutos granted Skills to the Human Race. When the people used these Skills to decimate the Monsters, Deusgort made his next move: an invasion by the Demon King and his subordinate Demon Race.
The sudden appearance of the Demon King pushed the Human Race to the brink of extinction. Just when all hope seemed lost, a Savior appeared. That Savior was the First Hero.
The Hero was a being who had received the Divine Protection of the Supreme God Pyutos, and with that power, he succeeded in slaying the Demon King. Yet, Deusgort did not surrender. Time and again, the Demon King would manifest in the world, and each time, a Hero would appear to strike him down. That cycle of conflict has continued to the present day.
That was the legend I’d heard from my mother. Apparently, there were many other tales of the First Hero's exploits, but she had only told me that much. I didn't know the specific details of his other deeds.
Reciting the story in my head helped a little time pass. In this empty world, my thoughts were the only thing keeping me sane.
◆
How much time had passed since I was sealed...?
I was so bored. I was so bored I felt like my mind was going to snap. I needed something—anything—to occupy my thoughts.
Ah, I know. I'll do some arithmetic.
Growing up as a Farmer, I’d never had a formal education, but my mother had taught me the basics of literacy and how to count.
Let’s see. 1 plus 1 is 2. 2 plus 2 is 4. 4 plus 4 is 8. 8 plus 8 is 16. 16 plus 16 is 32. 32 plus 32 is 64. 64 plus 64 is... 128. 128 plus 128 is... 256. 256 plus 256 is 512. 512 plus 512 is 1024. 1024 plus 1024 is 2048.
...
213,901,312 plus 213,901,312 is 427,802,624.
How many more numbers do I have to count before I’m released from this agony?
◆
How much time had passed?
I felt as though I had spent an eternity here. It wouldn't have surprised me to learn that a century had gone by. Every time I looked, there was only pitch-black nothingness. I never grew hungry, and I never felt sleepy. There was only the weight of time.
I never imagined that extreme boredom could be such a exquisite form of torture. I just wanted to die. If I died, I could finally be at peace. I could sleep. How wonderful that would be.
I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die.
Please... someone, just kill me!
◆
...Ah, light.
It happened without any warning. I had been bracing myself for another day of agonizing boredom when a flicker of light appeared before my eyes.
A few seconds later, there was a sound like glass shattering. It was the first change I had experienced in this void. The scenery around me cracked and fell away like a broken shell.
"Oh, it seems I have finally managed to destroy the Sealing Barrier."
It was a voice I recognized. The air of the outside world rushed over me for the first time in ages.
"Eudite..."
Yes, standing before me was the Vampire, Eudite. She was the one who had broken the seal. Tears spilled from my eyes uncontrollably. They were tears of pure, unadulterated joy. She had saved me from the abyss.
"I feel bad doing this immediately after releasing the seal, but could you please die? You’re quite a nuisance, standing there."
The moment her voice reached my ears, I heard the sound of blood splattering. It seemed I was to be killed by her hand.
She hadn't broken the seal to save me; I was likely just an obstacle in her dungeon that she wanted cleared away. Even so, it didn't change the fact that she had rescued me. If I died, I could start over. Anything was better than the alternative.
"Thank you, Eudite. I love you."
I offered her those words of gratitude. She would surely look at me with disgust, but my consciousness faded before I could see her reaction.