"Hey, what do you think of this world, from your perspective?"
"It’s insane and twisted."
She had asked with an air that lacked any trace of hostility, so I gave her an honest answer.
Just where exactly had the madness begun? To find out, one would likely have to trace the thread all the way back to the distant past.
Patricia was staring at the barrier visible through the window. I wondered if she, too, knew about the complications of history.
"You’ve never thought about wanting to go back to your original world?"
"Not particularly."
When my memories of my previous life first resurfaced as a hazy blur, I was suffering from a massive injury that had me hovering on the threshold of death. Every day was a struggle to survive against the constant terror of dying. That was my childhood.
"By the time those memories returned, I was at a crossroads between life and death. I didn't have the luxury to think about things like that."
I didn't fully grasp that I was a Reincarnator, or that this was the world of a game, until I had grown somewhat accustomed to this life and began looking toward the outside world through books. By then, the desire to return to my original world had long since vanished.
In truth, I only had vague impressions of what kind of job I’d held or what my previous childhood had been like. I remember thinking quite indifferently that I must have died anyway, so there was no point in looking back. I was already focused on how I would survive once I left home.
"I’m dead in my previous life regardless, so there’s no way back."
"You’ve had a rough time of it too, I see."
"By 'too,' do you mean you’re in the same boat?"
I wondered if this world offered nothing but cruel fates for Reincarnators.
"Unlike you, I had plenty of time to think," she said, before continuing, "Enough to fall into total despair, you know?"
Something pitch-black swirled in the depths of Patricia's eyes. Compared to the eyes of Jelasis—a character known for his deep darkness—which felt more like a mental illness, hers held a cold, rational void. Whatever lay behind that darkness was likely the engine driving her actions.
"Do you want to hear it? What happened to me?"
"I don't expect you to tell the truth."
Patricia let out a small, mocking chuckle. "I suppose not. Though if you were to cooperate with me, I might consider telling you the story."
"I’ll pass. I have a fiancée."
"Ugh, annoying."
If I were alone with her, people would start getting the wrong idea. Plus, she seemed like the type to work a man to the bone without him even realizing it. Hard pass.
"Besides, no man who gets involved with you ever ends up well. Just look at him. That man used to be the Crown Prince of this country."
A Capture Target of the Otome Game, a man who had stood proudly at the number one spot in the Character Popularity Ranking, was now a bald, chuunibyou idiot. He had surrendered many things in exchange for power. If I were asked if I wanted power enough to pay that price, the answer would be a resounding 'no.'
"You should take responsibility for that."
"Don't blame me for his mess."
Still, I was grateful to Edward. He had a way of shattering a serious atmosphere. Whenever he was around, Patricia’s heavy, dark aura shifted into that of a mere brat.
"Sigh, I’m over this. Bye-bye. I have business to attend to."
I reached out and firmly grabbed Patricia’s head as she tried to slip away.
"No can do. You’re a Guest who needs to be guided, remember?"
"Tch."
"There is no freedom for you in this Academy. No matter how you struggle, you’re stuck under my surveillance."
"I’ll request a change of Guides. You two aren't fit for the job."
If she actually did that, I’d be in a bind. That baldy caused nothing but problems, after all.
"The one who decides that is Alicia—the one you lost to in the Duel."
"Hmph. I really should have killed her back then."
"Don't push your jokes too far."
I couldn't just let those words slide.
"I don't know what you’re planning and I don't care, but if you harm me or Alicia, I will kill you without hesitation, fellow countryman or not."
"How violent. Nothing but trouble would come from starting something here, you know?"
I directed a surge of killing intent at her, but Patricia brushed it off effortlessly. While those thugs from earlier would have trembled at even a hint of Edward’s pressure, the woman before me had likely survived experiences on the same level as my own.
"I suppose so."
"If you understand that, then stop it. Sending killing intent at me is pointless."
Patricia possessed something capable of shattering my barriers. If I didn't figure out the trick behind it, she might escape just like Jelasis did. That was why I was attempting this dialogue instead of moving abruptly, though I didn't know if it would actually yield any results.
"Besides Alicia, don't you have to protect Mariana as well?"
"You have a lot of nerve saying that after stealing her position. If your goal isn't a Reverse Harem, did you do all this just to steal the Barrier Authority?"
If her goal was the throne, then her decision to cut Edward loose the moment he lost the Pendant—the Saint's Relic—made sense.
"I wonder."
"In the story, the only one who can restore the barrier is the Saint. And you aren't her."
To begin with, any plan she tried to execute should have collapsed at that point.
"But I don't think you’d lie without a reason. Just how do you plan to do it? I’m going to stick to you until you tell me."
At my words, Patricia muttered, "How tedious," before continuing. "Do you know what that barrier is actually made of?"
"The Ancient Sage created it by utilizing the Saint, right?" I had heard that story quite recently.
"Then this will be quick. While the Saint was the original source, the Barrier Authority can be reassigned as long as one possesses the Saint's Relic. So, it doesn't matter whether I’m the Saint or not."
"That wasn't in the story. Where did you learn that?"
"That’s a secret." She placed her index finger over her lips and gave me a wink.
"I’ve never seen a wink that made me feel so absolutely nothing before."
If Alicia did that to me, the Beast of Brave inside me would likely start a ruckus, but I felt nothing from Patricia. As I looked at her with cold eyes, her playful expression vanished.
"It’s almost funny how easily the Sage Bloodline gets deceived after forgetting their own history, isn't it?" Patricia let out a small, sharp giggle.
It wasn't exactly a laughing matter for the ones being played.
"Now, here’s the main point. You’re skilled with barriers, aren't you?"
"I am." I nodded honestly. Since I had fought Jelasis multiple times, I assumed Patricia, who was pulling the strings, already knew.
"Where do you think the massive magic power for this barrier comes from?"
"Thinking logically, from the Saints of the past."
"Thinking normally, doesn't it seem strange for a barrier to remain active forever?"
"I suppose."
"Then, why do you think Mariana is here at this specific timing, when there has never been a Reincarnated Saint until now? She’s the heroine in the game, but this is reality."