Chapter 31: I Want Answers

“I’m staying in bed today,” I told Sally without taking my head out from under the covers. “If the prince comes, tell him to just kill me quietly.”

Sally hesitated for a moment. Of course, she did. Even for one as loyal as her, those orders were insane, but she did not object. However, what she said next left me nearly speechless.

“Understand, milady. Should I tell your guest to come back another time?”

A guest? I had a guest? In the years I had spent trapped in this loop, I had never once had a guest, especially not this early in the morning. Something had changed, and I needed to find out why. I quickly ordered Sally to help me get dressed, and as she did, I asked her who had come looking for me.

“He claims himself to be Lord Logos, himself, and while I initially doubted such a claim, I am quite certain that he is not human.”

“Lord Logos!?”

“That is what he claimed, milady,” Sally responded as she finished helping me into my attire. “Shall I prepare some tea?”

Five minutes later, I was sipping tea while sitting across from a figure that I could only describe as an invisible man, dressed in nothing more than a long blue ribbon, which formed the outline of his body. However, I suspected that there was nothing beneath the ribbon and that it was, in fact, the entirety of his body. Still, despite his strange appearance, I could tell from his body language that he was quite irked, especially since I had forced him to wait for Sally to serve tea before we could speak.

“This truly is lovely tea.”

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?” he screamed in a voice that did not seem to fit how a god of logic should speak, though surprisingly, it lacked the pressure of his usual words. I quickly realized that he had chosen this form entirely so he could yell at me without harming me, though I couldn’t tell if such a move was sweet or sadistic.

“You lied,” I responded in a near whisper that made him flinch. “You said there was an escape. You said there was a good ending.”

“...I didn’t think she’d go that far,” he replied hesitantly.

“And yet, you didn’t stop her.”

“This world would not survive if my sister and I came to blows, and as such, there are laws that forbid us from directly interfering with one another.”

“But she can show up whenever she wants to mess with us?”

“No. After she stole that stupid flower, we passed a new law that forbade interacting with humans directly.”

“So I’m not currently having tea with a god?” I asked sarcastically, while choosing to ignore the implications his comments had about the history of my country’s founding.

“As laws bind us both, I cannot create one unilaterally, and she did not want to stop playing with humanity, so I agreed to a compromise. I would allow continued interference, but only in matters related to the selection of a saint. Given that this was a fairly rare occurrence by human standards, I was confident that her impact would be moderately limited.”

“Then, she created this entire game so she could make Holly saint?”

“No, I created this game, and I trapped you within it as it was the only way I could save both you and the country,” he explained in a heavy tone.

“Save me, how?”

“You were my candidate as you made the most logical sense, given your social standing, healing affinity, and otherworldly knowledge.”

“Even with my anxieties?” I asked, somewhat self-depricatingly.

“A concern, yes, but not an impossible obstacle with the proper support. However, my sister objected to the lack of passion between the two of you, and likely taking inspiration from the game you had created, took steps to push Leo and Holly together. I, of course, objected as I believed such a union would destabilize the country and anger the four dukes, but she disagreed. As neither of us was willing to compromise, I proposed something rather drastic. We would let the game play out and see how things fell.”

I couldn’t help but groan as I realized I had created my own nightmare. It was no surprise that my life so closely matched that of my game, when that had been the god’s plan from the beginning. However, something about his story still didn’t make sense.

“Your sister’s an idiot, right?”

“I...would prefer not to describe her that way,” Logos responded after a very deliberate and heavy pause. “She is impulsive and shortsighted, but her overall intelligence is no different from my own. However, I suspect that your question was intended to be more than an insult. What do you wish to know?”

“How is this a game if neither side can win?”

Logos had already essentially confirmed that my last attempt was the good ending, or at least it should have been, before Eros interfered. However, if she was blocking my only way out, then I’d be trapped here forever, and nobody wanted that. Plus, Eros wouldn’t have agreed to a game that she couldn’t win, unless she was even dumber than Logos claimed.

Logos, meanwhile, hesitated before he answered, clearly wanting to avoid this topic.

“You have been on the right track up to this point. Learning Restore and outshining Holly were the requirements for unlocking the good ending you desired. However, Tears of the Goddess was only necessary if you sought a better ending.”

“Because my patients supported me?”

“Their support is necessary but insufficient. Regardless, even if you had met all the requirements, my sister’s intervention would have made victory impossible.”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” I pressed, tired of his continued delays. “How does your sister win?”

“You must simply give up,” he answered, with a tone of defeat, following another long pause. “Your willpower thus far has been impressive and beyond what either of us expected, but should you ever give in, you may choose any of the endings you’ve acquired so far and make it canon.”

“Any ending?”

“Yes,” he assured me. “You will not survive, but you may choose how you are remembered. My sister and I agreed that such a thing was the least we could offer after putting you through so much.”

“Is that a law?”

“Yes,” he confirmed. “It is one of many laws we passed when creating this game, though neither of us expected how far you would push things. Still, I suspect I already know your decision. You mentioned previously how much you enjoyed seeing Leo kill Roman. I have my own concerns over the ripples such an ending will cause. Likewise, my sister will not be happy to see her descendant placed in such conditions, but we cannot and will not object if that is the end you choose.”

“And what if I choose the last ending? Would you still remain silent?”

“The last...YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!” he exclaimed, suddenly realizing my intention. “Do you understand what that would entail? Every noble in the ballroom perished, including the heirs to both churches, and even the crown prince himself. Even I cannot predict the outcome of such a chaotic event. Such a loss will be nothing short of cataclysmic. This country will survive.”

“So not even the prince could survive her temper tantrum, huh?” I asked with a cold smirk. “How would your sister feel about killing her own precious little boy?”

“Liliana, I know that this experience has taken a significant toll on you, but my sister and I will not respond to empty threats. We may not know what is in your mind, but we’ve witnessed both your lives and understand who you are as a person. You will not make a choice that brings such harm to so many.”

“Then you’ve absolutely underestimated how petty I am,” I shot back. “Tell your sister that if she interferes again, I won’t settle for just breaking her face. I’ll destroy everything she’s built.”

“I will pass the message along, but pray that it is no more than an idle threat,” he replied with a resigned sigh before the ribbon that composed his body quickly unraveled and disappeared.”

In frustration, I threw my teacup at the chair he had sat in and loudly cursed him out. Seconds later, Sally was by my side with a fresh cup of tea. She had remained utterly silent and emotionless throughout this entire conversation, despite the insane conversation she had witnessed.

“Do you have any questions?”

“Only if you wish for me to ask them.”

“Would you judge me if I destroyed the kingdom?”

“I have faith in you and trust that whatever decision you make will be the right one.”

Somehow that felt more convincing than if she’d tried to talk me out of it.