GalaxyTL
* * *
“Let go…! Release the sword, you monster! Stop getting in my way!”
Karashia, shaken by the murderous aura the furball unleashed, trembled with her knees knocking as cold sweat poured down while desperately trying to reclaim the magic sword “Agzeliary.”
However, her resistance was futile. The sword seized by just the furball’s two fingers would not budge an inch no matter how much force Karashia exerted.
“Hey Karashia. I have a question. Let’s talk?”
“Shut up! Shut up, you monster!! Let go, let go, let gooooo!!!”
“……….”
Seeing Karashia’s frantic, unresponsive state, the furball let out a sigh. Then, with the casual ease of swatting away an insect, it swung its right hand grasping the sword horizontally.
Its motion showed no sign of being weighed down by Karashia gripping the sword’s hilt at all.
As a result, Karashia was whipped around by the momentum of the furball’s arm swing, inadvertently letting go of the magic sword “Agzeliary.”
She then tumbled away by the centrifugal force, rolling to the wall.
“……….”
The furball stared intently at the sword left in its hand before grasping it with both hands.
Both hands – but it did not grip the hilt area with both hands. Its right hand held the hilt while its left hand grasped the blade tip.
What did it intend to do?
As the room’s occupants watched in tense silence, the furball…forcefully slammed the sword gripped in both hands against its knee, snapping it in two like a twig!
Bakin!!
With that sound, the magic sword shattered into two pieces. Sparks scattered from the broken edges before quickly dissipating.
It was proof that “Agzeliary” had lost its function as a magic sword, reduced to mere scrap iron.
Seemingly satisfied, the furball tossed aside the broken sword and toddled toward the wheezing Karashia by the wall.
“Karashia, Karashia. I have a question for you. Will you answer?”
It seemed this furball truly meant no harm despite unleashing such murderous aura earlier, repeating similar words as before.
However, Karashia, who had been flung around by incomprehensible force and stripped of her magic sword, only responded with:
“Hih…!”
Trembling in fear of the mysterious, blood-stained furball creature slowly approaching.
“Ah…”
She rolled her eyes back and fainted.
“……….”
Seeing that, the furball made a motion like cradling its head.
A gesture that seemed to mimic exasperation in humans.
However, when it turned to gaze at Doj and the others afterward, its expression was utterly emotionless.
(Is it…imitating human behavior!?)
Manipulating human language and mimicking human behavior.
That furball was a terrifyingly intelligent monster.
On top of that, the sheer force it used to snap the magic sword like a twig…
Doj’s cold sweat would not stop from sheer terror.
“No! Nooooooo! Stop! Don’t come any cloooooseeeer!!”
Of course, Doj was not the only one gripped by terror.
Unable to withstand the oppressive presence of the furball slowly approaching, Fateu descended into frenzy, grabbing anything nearby like teacups and saucers to fling at it indiscriminately.
The furball showed no signs of minding as it simply blocked any objects about to strike its face while continuing to advance.
It didn’t even bother dodging things hitting its body, its thick fur seemingly mitigating any physical damage.
“In that regard, you may be similar.”
Having closed the distance to within around one meter from Fateu, the furball said that incomprehensible remark before continuing:
“Hey, you’ll do too. Answer my question? There’s something that feels off. It’s simple, Fateu.”
“Noooooo! Someone, someone help meeeee!!”
“Karashia is…”
“Nooooooooooo!!”
However, Fateu was too overwhelmed by terror to converse, covering her face with both hands as she crouched down, eventually bursting into tears.
“Stop it! Don’t bully my mother!”
Saying that as if to shield Fateu, Keranko ran up near the furball and Fateu.
Trembling, she hugged the crouching Fateu from behind, her adorable features twisted as she glared at the furball with all her might.
“……….”
The furball placed a hand on its chin, seeming to consider something briefly before speaking.
“Then I’ll ask you. What is your father’s name?”
“Sarelka! My father’s name is Sarelka Luclees! And I am Keranko Luclees! The lady of this household! Look at this ring!”
Keranko was being foolish.
However, on the flip side, her spirit was remarkably bold and resilient.
Unlike her sister and mother who could not respond due to terror, she boldly answered the furball while showing the ring on her left index finger.
“…….I see, understood.”
The furball said that with a sigh before leaving Keranko and Fateu.
“Stay strong, Mother!”
Keranko encouraged Fateu while patting her shoulder, but Doj did not join them.
For the furball, finished questioning Keranko, had approached none other than Doj instead.
“I have a question. A simple one.”
Doj gulped audibly.
This furball was a monster.
An extremely dangerous one at that.
High intelligence capable of comprehending human language.
The sheer might to effortlessly snap a magic sword.
He could not defy it.
His instincts rang the alarm bells.
Just what did this monster want to know?
“First, to confirm. What is Keranko’s…mother’s name?”
However, the question posed to the trembling Doj was just as simple as the one asked of Keranko earlier.
“Fateu…Luclees.”
Why was it asking such a thing? Doj answered with bewilderment, and the furball gave an expressionless nod before asking the next question.
“Then, what is her father’s name?”
“……..”
Doj’s heart rate suddenly spiked, cold sweat trickling down.
“Answer.”
“O-Of course, Sarelka Luclees.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Doj lied.
He ended up lying.
……It was in the next instant!
Guuuuuuu……!
A loud growl of hunger erupted from the furball’s belly!
Simultaneously, it unleashed another wave of oppressive murderous aura!
“I-It’s me! I’m sorry! Doj Chandal is that child’s…Keranko’s father!”
Unable to withstand the terror, Doj immediately recanted his previous statement!
“Eh…?”
Hearing Doj’s words, Keranko tilted her head in confusion on the other side.
Meanwhile, the furball seemed satisfied, giving off that kind of vibe.
The human face perched atop the furball remained utterly expressionless as always.
Well, that was only natural.
That face was likely an organ formed to lull humans into complacency and get close – a pseudo-lure of sorts.
The proof was in how unnaturally perfect its features were crafted.
Were it not for the ominous jet-black hair and eyes, Doj would have been entranced by the beauty of that young girl’s face instead.
“Mm. I’ll believe you. Now, my next question.”
Satisfied with Doj’s answer, the furball posed its next inquiry:
“What is Karashia’s father’s…name?”
“……Sarelka Luclees.”
Doj no longer had the willpower left to defy this furball.
Just being in the same space subjugated his spirit under the oppressive aura it exuded, sapping his vigor through sheer terror.
He stated only the bare answer without any honorifics.
“Then, what is Karashia’s…mother’s name?”
“Fateu Luclees.”
“……..”
Hearing that answer, the furball fell into contemplative silence.
“I-I’m telling the truth! I’m not lying! I’ve only spoken the truth!!”
Asserting that his testimony was truthful, Doj cried out desperately.
No more!
He could not withstand this terror any longer!
“I understand. I believe you. Then, my next question.”
“I’ll answer! I’ll answer anything!”
On the verge of snapping, the next question posed to Doj was:
“In this household, the Luclees family…are Karashia and Keranko the only two children?”
“Currently, yes!”
“……Currently?”
“There was another until recently! But no longer! She died! Following her mother!!”
“That child’s…name?”
“Nare!! ……Nare Luclees!!!”
* * *
Nare Luclees.
For some reason, the instant I heard that name from the wailing Doj, my vision was dyed pure white…and when I came to, I was standing in a snowy plain.
…Then what entered my field of view was a manor with an outwardly “strange” appearance.
First, the roof was bright red. Bright crimson red. Additionally, the window frames and other key areas were also painted red.
The walls were coated yellow, with red polka dot patterns drawn here and there.
With only pure white snow piled up around it, its outward appearance stood out bizarrely.
<Seems the loop occurred again. Since Keranko, Fateu, and Doj did not die this time, they are not the protagonists…Their deaths are not the loop’s trigger.>
Extra-sama calmly analyzed the situation.
That was certainly true.
But from this latest loop, I didn’t think that was the key point that came to light.
<……Nare Luclees, is it?>
That’s right.
Nare Luclees.
A new name that came up.
Another child of the Luclees family.
<It is certainly an intriguing element. Until now, we had assumed Karashia was the child of the former wife while Keranko was the child of the later wife. However…>
In the end, they were both the latter wife’s children.
Karashia’s words of reproach toward Fateu were clearly those of someone who did not receive a mother’s love.
Conversely, it meant Karashia had wanted Fateu’s maternal love.
While their fathers differed, they were both Fateu’s children.
And based on Doj’s testimony, Nare Luclees was the child of the former wife…
<Emi, Emi. But…what does that mean? Certainly, from the viewpoint of an isekai reincarnation broadcast viewer, being the “child of the former wife” is quite a strong protagonist attribute…but>
Nare Luclees is already dead.
<That’s right. Since she’s dead, Nare cannot be the loop’s trigger, meaning she is not the protagonist.>
……Is Nare really dead, though?
<When Doj gave that testimony, he was quite terrified of you. I can’t imagine him lying to you in that situation.>
Yeah, that’s true.
But…what if the one lying isn’t Doj?
<Huh?>
Extra-sama, Extra-sama.
I think I’ve figured it out.
<You’ve realized the loop’s trigger!?>
Yeah.
The trigger for this loop.
The protagonist of this broken story.
It’s…!
<It’s…!?>
Nare Luclees!!
<…No, but I said Nare is already dead, didn’t I…>
Yeah, and that’s the thing, Extra-sama. That’s probably a lie.
<Eh? But even if it’s a lie, why would there be any need to lie about that…?>
Honestly, I think we could just go ask for the answer directly, but shall we go hear the reason for the lie first, just in case?
<Go ask? Who?>
The liar…Sarelka Luclees.