"Where am I, is this…?
As I opened my eyes, I thought such things.
An unfamiliar scene spread out before my eyes.
That being said, there wasn't anything particularly noteworthy about the scene.
It was just an endless void.
There was neither sky nor earth, and the horizon, of course, did not exist.
Ah, I've seen a similar scene in the past.
When Black Agetha 'reset' the world, it felt like everything had perished. I remember speaking to a person who claimed to be an observer at that time, and after that, I traveled back a hundred years to save the world.
But this time, the situation is different.
In the first place, why did this happen?
Ah, right. I remember, the warrior Gorgano was talking about how a seal worked.
Most likely, I was sealed by him.
I don't really understand what a seal is, but the first thing that comes to mind is Agetha. I've saved Agetha when she was sealed inside the Katarov Dungeon. I don't know if the seal on Agetha and the one on me are the same, but the possibility seems quite high.
But why would they go through the trouble of sealing me?
I recall the words of Gorgano, the warrior, "If you're the Apostle of the Hero, killing you might lead to more trouble." From those words, it seems he knew about my ability to return from death…? So, instead of killing me, he chose to seal me.
Certainly, if I'm sealed, I won't return from death…
If this hypothesis is correct, it's going to be a major problem.
In the future, I might need to take some measures if something happens.
However, no matter how much I think about it, it doesn't change anything.
For now, I need to figure out how to get out of this situation.
Thinking that, I tried to take a step, but I realized.
I couldn't take a single step.
In fact, I couldn't even move my hands, speak, or blink. I couldn't make the slightest movement in my body.
Only my consciousness remained.
What should I do?
The moment I realized I couldn't do anything, anxiety welled up within me.
What can I do in this situation?
Is there anyone here? I wanted to shout, but I couldn't even move my mouth.
Will I be trapped in this world of nothingness forever?
Only then did I finally feel fear.
From now on, an unbearable boredom will continue for eternity.
◆
I wonder how much time has passed since I was sealed.
There's no sun or clock here, so I have no idea how much time has gone by. It's just been an endless stretch of emptiness.
I didn't know that being completely unable to do anything would be this agonizing.
Oh, it's so boring.
In my boredom, I decided to recall the story my mother used to tell me.
It's the story of the first hero and the Demon Lord.
This world is said to have been created at the same time a demon god awoke.
The name of that being is Deusgoat, the Demon God.
In Deusgoat's world, there was nothing but darkness. It seemed like darkness would rule the world for eternity.
However, a god visited this world.
Puthos, the Supreme God.
Puthos normally resided in a higher-dimensional world separate from this one. In fact, even Deusgoat was just a creation of Puthos.
Puthos looked at the empty world and lamented, and from that, a single drop of light was born.
That light illuminated the world.
From there, Puthos created the spirits of fire, water, wind, and earth and had them create the world as we know it today, with features like land, air, and sea.
Finally, Puthos breathed souls into living beings, including plants, animals, humans, and elves, bringing forth life.
The world flourished as a result, but there was someone who envied it.
That someone was Deusgoat, the Demon God.
Deusgoat began by introducing death and disease into the world. Even then, the world persisted, so Deusgoat created monsters and dungeons, attempting to bring about the downfall of humanity.
In response, Puthos granted skills to the human race.
Thanks to those bestowed with skills, the monsters were defeated, and Deusgoat had to resort to his next plan.
That plan involved an invasion by a Demon Lord and his demon underlings.
The sudden appearance of the Demon Lord put the human race in peril.
Just when it seemed like they were in dire straits, a savior appeared.
That savior was none other than the first hero.
The hero is a being blessed by the Supreme God, Puthos, and with that power, they vanquish the Demon Lord.
However, the Demon God, Deusgoat, didn't give up.
Time and again, a Demon Lord would manifest in this world, and a hero would appear to defeat that Demon Lord.
In this way, from ancient times to the present, the battle between the Demon Lord and the hero has continued.
That's the story I heard from my mother.
It seems there are more tales of the first hero's exploits, but this is all my mother ever told me. So, I don't know what kind of deeds the first hero accomplished.
While I was lost in these thoughts, some time passed.
In this empty world, pondering is the only thing that keeps my mind at ease.
◆
How much time has passed since I was sealed…?
Boredom.
It's so boring that it feels like my mind is about to break.
Isn't there something? Something to fill my mind.
Ah, I know, let's do some math.
I grew up as a farmer and didn't receive a proper education, but my mother did teach me the basics of writing and counting.
I remember, 1 plus 1 is 2.
2 plus 2 is 4.
4 plus 4 is 8.
8 plus 8 is 16.
16 plus 16 is 32.
32 plus 32 is 64.
64 plus 64 is… 128.
128 plus 128 is, um… 256.
256 plus 256 is 512.
512 plus 512 is 1024.
1024 plus 1024 is 2048.
213901312 plus 213901312 is 427802624.
Ah, how many more numbers do I have to count before I'm liberated from this torment?
◆
How much time has passed since I was sealed?
I feel like I've been enduring an endless, incalculable amount of time. It wouldn't be surprising if it had been over a hundred years.
Whenever I look, there's nothing but darkness in front of me.
I don't get hungry, and I don't get sleepy.
It's just an eternal, boring time.
Extreme boredom is so painful.
Oh, it's so boring.
I wish I could just die.
If I die, I can finally rest peacefully.
How wonderful that would be.
So, I want to die.
I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die…
Please, someone, kill me…!
◆
… Ah, there's light.
There was no warning whatsoever.
It happened just when I thought I would spend another boring day.
Right in front of me, light appeared.
Light, followed by a sound like breaking glass a few seconds later.
It was the first change in this world of nothingness.
Before I knew it, the scene in front of my eyes shattered like breaking out of a shell.
"Oh, I've finally managed to break the seal's barrier," a voice I recognized said.
The long-lost air of the outside world enveloped my entire body.
"Judite…"
Yes, the one in front of me was the vampire Judite.
She was the one who saved me from the barrier, I realized.
Tears welled up in my eyes at that realization.
Tears of joy.
She had saved me from despair.
"Forgive me for immediately asking this after releasing the seal, but would you mind dying? You're quite an inconvenience being there," I heard her say.
The moment her voice reached me, I heard the sound of blood splattering.
It seemed I was about to be killed by her.
Perhaps she didn't release the seal to save me, but merely to get rid of me since I was an interference to her, as she made the dungeon her home.
However, that fact didn't change that she had saved me.
After all, I could start over if I died.
Not being able to die was much more painful.
"Thank you, Judite. I love you."
So, I expressed my gratitude.
She would probably wear an unpleasant expression, but before I could confirm that, my consciousness faded away.
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