[Vol. 7] Chapter 243: Who Is the Source of All Evil?
It seemed like the strange, sudden dangerous statement from someone had caught the girl with different-colored eyes off guard. After a moment of surprise, she quickly started to fluster and tried to stop them.
"No, no! Uh, what I mean is... everyone was just misled, they definitely don't really want to hurt us! And look, Miss Violet, they're all unarmed, right? I know that as someone being protected, I don't have the right to ask for too much, but if possible, please..."
"Alright, alright... Princess, you're really good at ordering people around~"
Without much care, the priestess shrugged, actually just testing her attitude. She didn't say much else, then ignored the guards who had been knocked down and continued leading the princess downstairs.
Princess Carinvega's exclusive room was on one of the highest floors of the hotel, and the royal guards, several hundred strong, were distributed throughout the entire building, from the lowest to the highest levels. Upon arriving, they took over all security and defense, and even hotel staff were not allowed to come close to the princess's room.
But now, this strict defense was becoming an obstacle for Princess Carinvega to leave.
From what was happening, it seemed that everyone in the hotel, including the guards, had been mentally controlled by some special force. As the princess noticed, their goal was very clear, to limit her movements without harming her, to prevent her from leaving the hotel.
To put it bluntly, "not harming the princess" clearly wasn't because these guards were loyal and naturally resisting the control, nor was it to stop them from doing something they might regret. The more likely reason was that the person controlling them had specifically given this order.
The priestess understood this clearly, and from there, she could roughly guess the identity of the mastermind, the one named Orluk.
While walking with the girl with different-colored eyes down the corridor and staircase, the priestess, probably because she was simply bored of the journey and didn’t feel tense at all, casually brought up a topic they hadn’t discussed during their earlier conversation.
"By the way, Princess Carinvega, earlier you said that you could always act with foresight because you learned about the plot from that game called [Starlight Concerto]... Well, now that the timeline has gone past the plot of the game, you’ve become completely unsure of what to do, right?"
"Shh! Miss Violet, please be quiet! This is my biggest secret, only you know about it! If anyone else hears it, it’ll be terrible!"
Seeing the girl with different-colored eyes freeze for a moment, then frantically make gestures to stop her with a guilty expression, the priestess couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head.
"No need to be so nervous. Didn't I say it? All the beings in this building are currently dreaming. Unless the mastermind intentionally transferred their consciousness here, no one will hear us talking... What I want to ask is, do you remember which company developed the game called [Starlight Concerto]?"
"Company?"
Princess Carinvega tilted her head in confusion.
"Why are you asking this suddenly? How does it relate to our current situation?"
"Of course, it’s related. It’s simple logic. Do you ever wonder why the plot of that game perfectly mirrors this world?"
The black-haired girl smiled slightly.
"Princess Carinvega, considering that before you woke up your memories, you’ve been living in this real world for almost twenty years, do you still believe that the idea of 'being transported into a game world' makes sense? The short storyline of [Starlight Concerto] is only the tip of the iceberg in this world. Do you really think the gods would go to all the trouble to create a whole, perfect world just for that? Logically, that doesn’t make sense at all."
"That... actually makes sense."
Princess Carinvega walked thoughtfully, then quickly showed a curious expression.
"So, Miss Violet, what do you think is going on? Are you saying there are actually no gods in this world? Or is this world not made by the gods based on [Starlight Concerto] as a template? But the events that have happened these past few years really do match the main storyline of the game..."
The black-haired girl was non-committal.
"Gods definitely exist, but they might be a bit different from what you imagine. As for why the events in the game are appearing in this world... Apart from the hypothesis that this world is built based on the game as a template, there's actually another possibility, which is the opposite, and much easier to realize."
"Hmm? Ah!"
Princess Carinvega wasn't stupid. After a few simple hints from Violet, she immediately realized and her face showed shock!
"Are you suggesting... that someone actually wrote a game like [Starlight Concerto] based on real events that happened in this world!?"
"Mhm~"
“That is possible, but... the content of this script, it all happened in the [future] after I transmigrated and was reborn. Even if there might be some time difference between different worlds, this logic doesn't make any sense at all, right? I saw in the [future] a game made using an event that happened in the [past] and was re-experienced in the [past] as a template, and then I was reborn in the [past]? Uh, my head's a bit dizzy…”
"Stop, stop, stop! What are you talking about? You're making my head spin..."
The priestess shook her head, laughing and crying at the same time.
"It's not that complicated. In the end, if someone can [predict the future], then doesn't everything logically fit together?"
"Eh... it feels like you're casually saying something really scary. Predicting the future... if such a power really exists, it would be too unreal, right? So, Miss Violet, do you think the company that made [Starlight Concerto] can do something like that?"
"Heh, at least it should be connected to beings who have this ability, and to this world. Logically, the possibility is completely reasonable. So, do you remember?"
Seeing the serious expression on the black-haired girl's face, which didn't seem like a joke, Princess Carinvega paused for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully and tried to recall.
Soon, she raised her head and loudly declared seriously,
"Uh... I don't remember!"
"...?"
When the priestess immediately showed an expression of disbelief, Carinvega scratched her head, a bit embarrassed, and laughed awkwardly.
"How should I put this... [Starlight Concerto] is actually a less-known game. The developer probably isn't even a company, but more like a community group. They don't have any other works besides this series. You could say they’re practically unknown."
"Because I’ve followed several of their releases, I should have some impression of the name, but you know, it’s been four or five years since I crossed over, and many of the less important memories from before have already become blurry. Would you like me to think about it some more? If I have enough time, I’m sure I can... Woah!"
Before Princess Carinvega could finish her sentence with a nervous laugh, Violet suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her back forcefully. In the midst of the startled cry of the two-colored-eyed girl and the sharp wind, they avoided the attack that was originally aimed directly at her!