Chapter 43: I Want Answers

This time, Logos didn’t bother appearing as a comical wizard or a pile of ribbons in the vague shape of a man. Instead, he took the form I was most familiar with, a booming voice. However, unlike before, I felt him approach long before he began to speak, and I had time to send Sally into the hall before his pressure overwhelmed her. I considered this a kindness on his part, though it may have simply been another instance of his manipulation.

“Well done,” he bellowed energetically. “I truly did not expect this outcome when the game began.”

I was certain that was a lie. While he had always attempted to give an air of neutrality, I couldn’t ignore the constant hints he had dropped throughout the game. His comment about obtaining a position of importance was the very reason I decided to become a saint. His comment about obtaining practical experience with healing magic was the reason I went to the infirmary, where multiple quest components were located. Additionally, I only knew about the side quests in the first place because Logos had let it slip that this game had a true ending and that treating my patients was a requirement to unlock it. As I looked back, I realized that I had been dancing in the palm of his hand this entire time. I didn’t like that, but I knew better than to make an enemy of the only god who didn’t currently hate me. Still, I had questions.

“How much of this was part of the game? You kept telling me that the people I encountered were real, but it all seems a bit too coincidental that so many people would need help on the same day. I know you messed with the prince’s thinking so he’d always hunt me down, but what about everyone else?”

“Everyone you met throughout this game was real, and so were their stories. While many of their personalities may have seemed bizarre or unbelievable, the world is truly just that strange a place when you look close enough.”

“So this is all stuff I would have encountered if I just left my room on an average day? That seems a bit unbelievable.”

“The stories were there, but finding them would have proven quite difficult if I had not interfered. I ensured that the quests were easily found and that those you encountered were more willing to speak about their various problems to a complete stranger than they would have been on an average day. In some cases, I manipulated things so that upcoming problems needed a more urgent solution or that problems with a more immediate need could be delayed until you were available to fix them.”

That all made a lot of sense. Even early on, I’d found it strange that people were just loudly proclaiming their various problems for all to hear, even when those problems were fairly sensitive topics, like asking for advice on how to end an engagement. Logos had ensured that I’d found those people and that their problems were at just the right stage where I could fix them. I recalled how Brennan’s wounds were obviously fatal, but did not worsen, no matter how long I waited. Logos had kept everything perpetually suspended until I arrived. However, there was still one last thing I needed to know.

“What about the prince? What about Leo? How much did you manipulate him? Did he really want me dead that badly?”

This was the question I’d been afraid to ask all this time. I had just unloaded on Leo for being a coward, but part of me really hoped it wasn’t true. Part of me hoped that this was just the game warping his personality. Roman was manipulated by his goddess. That I could understand, but Leo and I had been engaged for years. Did my life really matter so little to him?

“As you have already gathered, my sister pushed the prince into a relationship that she deemed more appropriate and romantic, while also ensuring that events transpired that heightened the emotions they both shared. However, her manipulations never directly altered his emotions, and while my game ensured that he would pursue your life until you became a saint, the initial plan to execute you was his own. I am sorry.”

That hurt more than I was willing to admit in the moment. I had spent nearly a decade hating the prince for betraying me, but some part of me had hoped that it wasn’t really his fault or maybe that it wasn’t my fault. Was I such a bad fiance that he had been fine killing me or was he the problem? I wasn’t sure. I knew it would take some time to sort through those mixed emotions, but at least, for now, he wasn’t trying to kill me anymore. That was certainly a victory.

“I am sure you have much to think about, so I will leave you...”

“Not so fast!” I shot back as I jumped up from my seat. “You can’t expect to put me through all of that and expect to just walk away. I beat your stupid game. I want a prize.”

“A prize?” he asked, befuddled. “The years of study I provided you have given you access to magical skills that most could only dream of. Is that not enough?”

“I died hundreds of times because of you. I ate that same awful cheese omelet every day because of you. I heard the same good morning every day because of you. I went through hell, and I demand compensation. Don’t forget that I’m still your saint. I can do a lot of damage down here.”

“You would threaten a god?”

"I hit a god. Threatening one seems like a serious step down after that.”

“Fine. What is it you desire? Wealth? Power? Immortality?”

“Are you insane? I’m already wealthy and powerful, and I’ve tried the immortality thing. It gets old fast.”

“Then what do you want?”

“I. Want. Moose.”

“You want a moose?”

“Don’t play games with me, you two-bit wizard cosplayer. You’ve read my memories. You know my life. You know who Moose is.”

“Your dog? You want the dog you had back on earth?”

“I have spent ten years getting woken up by Sally, and as much as I love her, I’m sick of it. I want to spend the rest of my life, however long or short that may be, getting woken up by my dog. I also want him to have all his old memories and immediately recognize me in this body. Plus, I want him to be immortal so long as I’m alive.”

“Are you insane?” he sputtered, more shocked than even when I had struck Eros. “Do you have any idea how much effort that would require? How many laws that would violate? This world doesn’t even have dogs. How are you planning on explaining his existence?”

“He is a divine beast sent by Lord Logos to safeguard his first and only saint,” I said with a smile.

“You have...thought about this a lot, haven’t you?”

“Ever since I decided to become your saint.”

“Very well,” he replied, defeated. “I will get to work on that immediately. If I rush, it may even be ready for the game’s next level.”

“That’s grea...Next level? What do you mean next level? You’re joking, right? Please tell me you’re joking!”

However, there was no reply. Logos was gone, and I was left completely uncertain if his final words were serious or nothing more than a joke intended to punish me for making such a ridiculous request, but either way, I knew I’d be okay. I had survived a decade of endless repetition. During that time, I had likely broken numerous records for learning spells, solved over a dozen ridiculous side quests, and had even struck the goddess herself. No matter what humanity or the gods threw at me, I would survive and overcome it. After all, I was a villainess.