Chapter 8 - Negotiation
The “Guardian of the Forbidden Archive,” Entia, the Witch of Knowledge, was strong.
In the original story, the eleven-year-old Hollow could never hope to defeat her, not even standing on his head.
But that was in the Arrogant and Lazy Route.
Now, I was on the Humble and Steady Route. I had calculated that I could win this time, but still...
As expected of a genius. In just two years, I’ve come this far.
My sharpened swordsmanship combined with my Unique Magic, <Void>, a perfect union of offense and defense, was formidable.
Through steady training, I had honed myself far beyond what I had imagined.
Before long, Entia’s remains dissolved into glowing particles, and in an instant, her body was restored to its healthy form.
“Phew... I’m impressed. I never imagined you could use <Void>... the same as that Xeno.”
Entia was immortal.
Strictly speaking, her unique magic placed her in a “pseudo-immortal state.”
Since I had played through the original game, I knew the secret behind her immortality. I could kill her anytime... but her death would mean the loss of the Forbidden Archive.
That would be far too wasteful, so this time I had limited myself to merely destroying her vessel.
“Hollow von Heisenberg, I hereby honor your valor and grant you the wisdom of the witch. Now, speak the knowledge you desire.”
Entia recited the exact same lines from the game.
I liked moments like this—when I could really feel that I was in the world of Ronzolkia.
“My mother, Layla, has fallen to the Curse of the Heaven-Eater and lies bedridden. I wish to know how to break the curse placed upon her.”
“You wish for the knowledge to break the curse on Layla von Heisenberg—in other words, the magic of dispelling curses?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Very well. I shall grant that wish.”
Entia snapped her fingers. A single book floated out from the shelves in the back and settled into her right hand.
“This is a grimoire left behind by the Great Sage Amour. It contains the curse-breaking magic you seek. A mage of your caliber should be able to master it at once.”
“My thanks.”
I accepted the ancient grimoire.
“Then, until we meet again.”
Leaving those words behind, I departed from the Forbidden Archive.
After returning to the mansion, I headed straight to my father’s study and knocked three times.
“...What is it?”
“It’s Hollow. I have something to report to you, Father.”
“Make it later. I’m busy now.”
He dismissed me curtly, but I decided to press forward boldly.
“Forgive me, but I have prepared everything necessary to break Mother’s curse.”
The moment I forced the words through, the sound of a chair clattering to the floor rang out, and the door swung open violently.
“W-what did you just say?! Explain yourself in detail!”
“I just passed the Witch’s Trial and was granted the magic to break curses.”
“You found the Forbidden Archive and defeated the witch?!”
“More accurately, I should say I discovered the archive and was acknowledged by Entia’s power.”
“Hollow... you...!”
My father trembled, then quickly turned toward my mother.
“The curse-breaking magic you received from the witch—you can use it now, can’t you?!”
“Yes, I have already mastered it.”
“Well done! Do it at once!”
“Understood.”
I stood at my mother’s bedside and focused my mana.
“—<Holy Purification Light>.”
A holy radiance enveloped her body, erasing the wicked curse.
One second... two seconds... three seconds... As the ticking of the clock marked the silence, my mother’s eyes slowly opened—and my father, unable to contain himself any longer, spoke.
“Layla! It’s me! Can you hear me?!”
“...Daph...nes...?”
“L-Layla...!”
Tears welled up in Father’s eyes and spilled down his cheeks in large drops.
He took Mother’s hand and spoke words of apology.
“I was wrong—terribly wrong... I should have abandoned my meaningless work and gone with you. Please... forgive this foolish man...”
“It was my own weakness that let the Heaven-Eater defeat me. You did nothing wrong,” Mother said, shaking her head faintly before turning her gaze toward me.
“Hollow... it was you who broke the Heaven-Eater’s curse, wasn’t it?”
“You can tell?”
“Yes. While I was struggling against the curse in that dark abyss, I felt your gentle magic. ...Thank you. You’ve grown into such a fine young man. I suppose your talent with magic comes from your father?”
Mother smiled warmly, and Father placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Hollow, what you have accomplished this time was truly... truly splendid. You are my pride.”
“I am honored,” I replied, bowing my head slightly.
Just then, Mother coughed lightly. “Koff, koff...”
“L-Layla, are you alright!? Don’t tell me the curse is still—!”
“No, no, it’s not that. I’ve been bedridden for so long that my throat seems a bit weak. Could I trouble you for something to drink?”
“O-oh, of course! Forgive me, I should have thought of that sooner!”
In his excitement, Father dashed into the hall, half his body still inside the room, and bellowed at the top of his lungs.
“Olvin! Bring something warm to drink! Quickly, at once! Layla has awakened!”
“T-the M-Mistress has...?!”
What followed was nothing short of chaos.
Not just Father, but Mister Olvin and the other servants all rejoiced from the bottom of their hearts at Mother’s recovery.
It was clear just how beloved she was.
At last... I can breathe easy.
Casting a glance at the commotion, I quietly slipped out of the room.
Father had only gotten involved with the Grand Magus Cult to find a way to break the Heaven-Eater’s curse on Mother.
Now that the curse was lifted, there was no longer any reason for him to associate with that heretical cult.
The flag was completely broken.
No more risk of heading toward the Judgment Guillotine Ending.
Next, I’d like to secure the Forbidden Archive.
It was a place where all the knowledge of the world gathered.
There was no way I could afford to let it go unused.
I extended my right hand and invoked <Void Step>, opening a swirling black vortex before me.
This was the entrance to the Void, and its exit was connected to the Forbidden Archive.
Since I had marked it earlier, I could jump there directly without taking the Fairy’s Way Home.
If I improved my mastery of Void further, I’d be able to jump with just the location’s coordinates... but at eleven years old, I wasn’t quite there yet.
Still, there was time. I’d get there eventually.
Stepping through the Void, I instantly emerged in the Forbidden Archive, where Entia, who had been absorbed in a thick tome, lifted her gaze toward me.
“Oh? Did you forget something? (He didn’t use the formal route, but came here directly... as I thought, Hollow possesses the <Void> factor. So the Arcana, the magical records, was false after all.)”
“Yeah. I came to take advantage of the knowledge here.”
“Hehe, no can do. This is my private archive, so you don’t get to read anything.”
Entia stood and playfully poked my forehead with her finger.
...She’s treating me like a complete kid.
Well, from her perspective, I was just a Void-using brat with some skill.
Her reaction was understandable.
...I suppose I can tell Entia the truth.
I knew her well—not just her discretion, but her infuriating habit of never revealing important things while flaunting her own knowledge.
Precisely because of that, I could trust her.
Even if I revealed my identity, Entia would never share it with anyone.
“Let’s negotiate, Entia. Or... should I call you Roy instead?”
The moment I dropped the act of arrogance and laziness and spoke her true name, her expression froze.
“Where did you hear that name...? (This kid’s aura just changed.)”
“I know everything about you. Let’s drop the secrets and speak openly.”
“And what exactly does a wet-behind-the-ears boy think he knows about me?”
“Well... let’s see. For example—the Witch of Knowledge is immortal, but not indestructible. If someone were to burn the original text, you’d wither away without a fight. Something like that?”
I said this while pointing to a particular spot among the countless shelves.
There, stored away, was the Book of Spirits that held Entia’s soul.
Burn it, and she would vanish from this world.
“...Who are you, really? *(Not only my true name... but he knows about the original book as well...)”
The composure drained from her face.
And that was only natural—
Her prized Unique Magic, <Book Garden>, had just been completely unraveled at first glance.
“To cut to the chase—I’m a reincarnator.”
“...I see. So that’s it.”
Her eyes widened for a moment, but then she nodded as if everything now made sense.
“I’ve never met one in person, but I know of their existence. Strangers from a distant age, flung forward through time to be reborn in the present. If you know so much about me, then you and I must have had a deep connection in some other era. If that’s the case, then this situation makes sense—”
“—No, that’s not it.”
“...What?”
“I was reincarnated from a world different from this one—an entirely different world.”
“...Huh?”
Entia gaped at me, jaw slack, and let out a bewildered sound.
“Well, to put it simply...”
I began to tell her the outline of my story.
How I was born and raised in an island nation called Japan.
How I was reincarnated into this world in the body of Hollow von Heisenberg.
How this place was actually the setting of a game called Ronzolkia, and how I knew the details of its characters and a broad outline of its future events—its “scenarios.”
Once I’d roughly explained it all—
“...Wait. Give me a moment to think.”
She closed her eyes slowly.
Even for this great witch, it seemed the shock was hard to hide.
According to Hollow, this is a world inside some “game,” with a script-like scenario...? It’s hard to believe.
She cracked one eye open to glance at me.
He doesn’t seem to be lying... It’s so outlandish that it almost feels true. And he did know my true name and the secret of Book Garden. No ordinary child could have reached the Forbidden Archive in the first place...
Having gathered her thoughts, Entia spoke.
“If everything you’ve said is true, then why do you want the Forbidden Archive? If you already have this... ‘original story knowledge,’ wouldn’t you have no need for it?”
“You’re underestimating Ronzolkia. This game has countless routes and an overwhelming amount of character data. I remember an interview once where the devs admitted, ‘Not even the development team has a single person who knows everything precisely.’”
“In other words, your so-called original knowledge isn’t perfect, so you want to use the archive to fill in the gaps. Is that it?”
“Exactly. You catch on quick—makes my life easier.”
With the information shared, it was time to finally get to the real negotiation.
“I get to read whatever I want from your Forbidden Archive. In return, once a month, I’ll share knowledge from another world with you. How about that?”
“Sorry, but that won’t do at all.”
She shrugged her shoulders as if to say she was utterly unimpressed.
“Really? I thought it was a pretty decent deal.”
“My Forbidden Archive contains every scrap of knowledge in this world. You’d have unlimited access to it, while all I’d get in return is a single piece of information each month? That’s nowhere near a fair trade.”
“I see... sure, in terms of quantity, you’re right—it’s a huge win for me. But the information in your archive is still just knowledge scattered across this world. The knowledge from another world, on the other hand, truly lies outside this one. In terms of quality, I’d say you’re the one who stands to gain more.”
“I admit, knowledge from another world is tempting. But there’s no guarantee you’re the only ‘reincarnator’ out there. And I’m immortal—I can easily wait until the next one comes along. What I’m saying is—my Forbidden Archives isn’t that cheap.”
Entia rejected the proposal with a firm, unyielding tone.
I argued from the superiority of quality. She argued from the superiority of quantity.
Our positions seemed hopelessly parallel, finding a middle ground unlikely—or at least, that’s what most people would have thought.
But my—Hollow’s—sharp eyes missed nothing.
Beneath her long skirt, Entia’s right foot was trembling ever so slightly.
Entia is the embodiment of curiosity. She must be dying for information about another world...
There was no guarantee another reincarnator would appear, and deep down, she must have wanted to close this deal here and now.
That confident attitude of hers? Just an act to squeeze more out of me.
The proof was that restless foot.
Her mouth might say one thing, but her body told the truth.
This is a negotiation. I’m the one holding the cards. The right move here is to press the advantage.
Noticing my silence, she must have decided the moment was ripe.
Entia’s voice came out slightly higher than usual as she reopened the conversation.
“W-well? The information from another world is certainly valuable, and I suppose I could make a few concessions—”
“—I see. That’s a shame.”
“Huh?”
I turned on my heel and opened a rift in the Void, ready to head back to the manor.
“Sorry to bother you, Entia. I doubt we’ll ever meet again.”
I stepped one foot into the Void—when a desperate cry rang out.
“W-wait, just a moment...!”
The witch’s voice clung to me.
“What is it? Still something you need?”
“...You know full well… you’re being cruel...”
Entia clenched her fists in frustration and glared at me with fiery eyes.
“I’m no god—you’ll have to put it into words if you want me to understand.”
“Ghh... f-fine! I give up! I surrender!”
Tears welled at the corners of her eyes as she all but shouted in defeat.
“You can read whatever you want from the Forbidden Archive. In exchange, just... teach me about the other world. Once a month is fine.”
As expected of the Witch of Knowledge—
Her boundless hunger for knowledge had won out in the end.
“I knew you’d see reason, Entia. Let’s seal the <Contract> right away.”
I held out my right hand, and a magic circle bloomed in the empty air.
Entia scanned the terms written there, then nodded with the expression of someone chewing on something bitter. She extended her left hand.
Our magical factors etched themselves into the circle—thus, the contract was sealed.
“My, my... to think you’d trick a witch. ‘Vile Aristocrat’ really is the perfect title for you.”
“Haha, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
If anything, it was this body that was vile, not me.
“Well then—shall I teach you about the other world?”
“...!”
Entia’s previously clouded face lit up like the sun. Her six black wings twitched excitedly.
Truly, her body was honest about her desires.
“In my world, there was something called a ‘vacuum cleaner.’”
“V-v-v-vacuum cleaner?! What is that?! A living creature? An inanimate object? Is it even matter? Or could it be a phenomenon!?”
Her eyes gleamed as she leaned toward me in excitement.
“A vacuum cleaner is a household appliance that sucks up dust—”
“‘Household appliance’?!”
Her cheeks flushed as she inched even closer.
Too close.
Soft.
Smells good.
Stop it—Hollow’s body was weak to every kind of desire.
When a beauty like Entia pressed in like that, I almost ended up pushing her down.
Summoning every ounce of willpower, I smothered the dangerous thoughts and continued to teach her about my world.
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