CHAPTER 10

If that’s a Demon, I’ve seen one of them before.

It happened when I was still living with my third mom. It was my first week in school. I was nervous like every other kid. One kid in particular stood out for having a white hair. I tried to be friend, but the kid was shy. We talked and talked, but the only topic that connected both of us is how to run away from school.

He knew of a hole on the school’s wall at the back of the school. During break, we both ran over there. It was fun while it lasted. But out of nowhere, came a Demon.

The Demon burned down a house. It roared and rampaged on. Some people saw it as well. They called the police and fire brigades. Guns proved to be able to hurt the Demon. The fire was taken out by the fire brigade. Before the Demon died, I heard something.

“Where is the Perfect Blent?”

Ever since that, me and my white-haired friend never skip school anymore.

I lost my arm in the boss fight. For a moment, I’m armless on the left side of my body. I could’ve died back then. Supposed that I ran away back then, would my arm suddenly regenerate if someone else killed Pan? Would it simply heal the one that dealt the final hit?

The fight was exhilarating. My adrenaline stops the pain, and I’ll be healed by the end of the fight. I want to tell mom about this. About everything! I want to let her know everything while we’re waiting for the pastries to rise. Maybe we could discuss about it over lunch break. Maybe we can… we can…

If I can go back. Keyward Stones never existed in my original world, but it sure do here. I can’t do everything I did today in World Number 1, but I can here. There is a possibility that I can’t even go back—even with Goldcalibur and the portal in Bread Village. The golden sword could’ve simply functioned differently here. Mom isn’t here. I’m here. Am I destined to never be a baker again? Do I have to live beating random people up every day? Should I give up on mom?

I don’t have all the answers right now. I’m living moment by moment. I am the pastry rising up from the oven. From a crawling woman into a formidable warrior. Even with a faulty floating words, I can figure out quite a lot about this world and how it works. But, the more I think about it, the more that it makes no sense.

Okay. The Keyward Stone was set up to keep something magical in. This cult couldn’t be it. There are at least 39 worlds. 38 if I exclude this world. They must be really desperate to hide… something. Something so bad that it cannot be solved by traveling to other worlds to escape it. And what’s worse: I’ve unleashed this... something.

I’ve doomed this world.

Me. I did it. Because I want to keep my stock of tasty fishes secured for me. Me. Because this might be the only way for me to escape my stalker. Me. Because this might lead me to a way to return home.

Am I selfish? No. That doesn’t matter. If I tried to justify it to any denizens of this world, they will never understand it. To them, I triggered their own version of apocalypse. I should clean up my mess. It won’t be for anyone. It will be for me. I will clean up my mess for myself. I’ll kill whatever they have over here so that I can live peacefully. No one will have to know I let something out. I’ll quietly pick up my trash along the way.

Now, what should I do? My only clues right now are the direction where the cult came from, and the audio log I’ve unlocked. How do I access it? Floating words. Can you play the audio log I just got?

DETAIL CHECK
Order confirmed.

“I fell in love with Brenuaza the first moment I laid my eyes on her. She always came up with the most bizarre theories and she will do everything to test it out. She had always been insecure about the stitches on her head, but I find it beautiful. It is a symbol of her brilliance.”

Is this a Demon’s love letter?

“I remember volunteering myself for one of her experiments. She took my organs one by one in order to create artificial Demons. Six of them died. Only three lived. The longest they ever lived is one year. There was a rumor about the fourth one, but I never seen it myself. I don’t care about them. As long as Brenuaza is happy, that’s all I care about.”

Bro! What the flour is wrong with you?!

“When she said that Demons like us can travel to other worlds without Goldcalibur, only I stood by her. It was genius. Taking fire magic, gravity magic, and Demon blood to create a path. GENIUS! No one would’ve thought of that. The problem is that someone from the other world must knowingly sacrifice a huge number of lives for one of us to go there.”

That’s interesting. Good thing that I got this audio log. If some other bozos got it, who knows how many Demons they would bring here.

“Her latest invention is incomplete. Not for the lack of magic, but the lack of material. According to her, it is actually possible for Demons to travel via Keyward Stone. There is only one in the entire World Number 69. We have to find another one in other worlds. There’s no choice but to hope that someone will call us by name!”

Wait what?! Keyward Stone can do that?! Okay, that’s bad! I have one, right? I should go get it back before some morons use it!

“It saddens me that Brenuaza stopped her experiments because she fell in love with another Demon. She convinced me that this is to further her research, but had her lover ever achieved? He made her laugh all the time! How is that helping?! Not only that, they are trying to get a child! How do you expect me to just sit and watch?! I’m the most loyal Demon to her! If anything, she should be with me! Not that buffoon!”

Okay, we’re back to a Demon’s love story.

“Come back to me, my darling! I can prove to you that I’m better than him!”

Yep. Demon’s romance. Luckily for me, it ended there before I lose my mind. Let’s analyze this for a bit.

First, why did the Demon speak normally in the audio log? Floating words, did you do any translation?

DETAIL CHECK
Correct.

Okay. That’s done. Now. What the flour should I do with my Keyward Stone I left way back when? If my stalker had it or if he have one for himself, he would’ve used it to seal me. My theory is that it must come from a Sorcerer with a specific subclass. My next suspect would be the white-haired guy. I don’t have any information about him. Just in case. Floating words. Who is the white-haired guy I saw earlier?

DETAIL CHECK
Check failed.

Moving on. Is there a way for me to track my own Keyward Stone?

DETAIL CHECK
One method is available.

Tell me everything about it!

DETAIL CHECK
The location of the Keyward Stone
has been marked into your mind.

Thank yo—what?! Mind? You can mark it straight into my mind?

DETAIL CHECK
An Adventurer’s mind can be marked
for some functions.

Let me guess. You don’t know what else you can mark unless it’s conveniently fit whatever niche system in your stupid programming?

DETAIL CHECK
Correct.

Fine! Whatever! At least I know where it is!

Based on my feeling, I should go back. I have no choice but to climb the waterfall back. It doesn’t look like I’ll ever reach Bread Village at this rate. No matter. My Keyward Stone first.