Pick Me Up!-Chapter 312: Embers (2)

Siris tidied up her bed and changed into Niflheim’s standard-issue black uniform.

‘A lot of work today too.’

Smack.

She slapped her pallid cheek.

Another day had begun.

[Here’s the next batch!]

A stack of papers landed beside her as she worked at her desk.

The delivery came from a red-haired fairy. Known as “Niselle,” this fairy had once managed Niflheim before Loki fell into the game world. Niselle had accompanied Siris when she left Niflheim to learn more about Pick Me Up, and even after returning to the waiting room, she remained by her side, assisting her with various tasks.

[You seem busier than ever these days.]

“It’s because the situation’s changed.”

Siris replied bluntly and began reading through the documents.

The contents were just as she had expected.

Several of Niflheim’s Heroes were requesting discharge.

‘Ever since that incident... everything’s changed.’

After the headquarters on Server 1 collapsed and the gates between servers were sealed shut.

To be more precise, after Loki—Niflheim’s Master—locked himself away in the Boundary Realm.

The situation in the waiting room, which had once been a last bastion of survival, had shifted dramatically.

Under the interim leadership of Cizel, Möbius staff began the process of restoring the worlds.

There was not a single one of the minor clashes one might expect from such a massive undertaking. As if they had all been waiting for this moment, within days—no, hours—thousands, even tens of thousands of dimensions were brought back online. Niflheim and Townia were among those listed as restored.

A discharge request, huh.

Siris dipped a quill into ink and signed her name in the designated box.

Siris Argentheim, Acting Master of Niflheim. With her approval, the discharge applications were processed, and those Heroes would soon return to their homelands through the dimensional gates.

Niflheim, once a living hell...

Had changed.

The weather was still bitterly cold, and the fog still hung thick all day long, but in this reborn world, the White Oni had gone extinct. That outcome had remained fixed after the corrected timeline was applied. The discharged Heroes would return to unclaimed lands and begin anew.

[Um, Siris.]

As she continued signing, Niselle fluttered down beside her.

[What about the Master?]

“......”

[The Möbius staff say he’s still alone in there.]

Siris didn’t answer.

Her hand sped up as she flipped through the next set of papers.

[There’s also a rumor... that the Master lost his memories from when he was human. Maybe that’s why he left us behind? I’m just worried. Shouldn’t we try to confirm it...?]

“...Stop.”

Siris froze, her right hand still holding the quill.

A cold, flat voice fell from her lips.

“It was the Master’s wish. I have no right to undo that choice.”

[Do you really mean that? You’re just going to leave him like that?]

Siris bit down hard on her lip.

Go after the Master?

Under what justification?

She had failed.

She had misjudged everything, blinded by despair, unable to read the situation properly.

How shameless.

Her Master must have been disappointed in her.

She couldn’t imagine standing before him with her head held high.

[You mean... you can’t even face him?]

“He must’ve been disappointed in me. I gave him every reason to be.”

She wished she could turn back time.

If she could face her past self, she would’ve slapped herself hard enough to rattle her skull.

Wake up.

I forced the Master to make a choice he shouldn’t have had to.

She hadn’t told him anything.

She had forced her desired outcome onto him, driven purely by her own emotions.

She never once stopped to consider what the Master truly wanted.

I failed.

It was no wonder the Master left.

He must have been sick of someone as selfish as her.

Even if she did find a way to reach him now, he might only curse her and send her away.

He might look at her with loathing and contempt. She had prepared herself for the Master’s hatred when she made the decision to send him back to Earth...

...but now, that resolve was gone.

Why did I ever think that was right?

She hadn’t been rational.

Maybe it was because she realized everything she had fought for—for the Master, for Niflheim—had become meaningless.

When she’d happened upon Alpha Zero and his adjutant and learned the truth... she’d lost sight of everything else.

If only I had stayed calm.

If she had handled things better, maybe this outcome could’ve been avoided.

Maybe they could’ve laughed together again.

Maybe they wouldn’t have had to part like this.

I’m such an idiot.

She had thrown away something irreplaceable.

And the price of that mistake... was the Master suffering in agony, alone.

No number of deaths could redeem it.

However long it takes... until the Master returns...

She would wait.

And she would beg for forgiveness.

Fortunately, Niflheim still had the resources to maintain the waiting room.

The U-Rank artifact Levatain, Siris’s sword—and Bifröst, the blade once wielded by Loki, imbued with his interference power.

When her work was finished, Siris returned to her quarters.

Niselle had suggested a meeting with other Floor 13 members, but she wasn’t in the mood.

Was I dreaming?

Siris stared into the mirror.

Reflected there was a blonde woman «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» in a black uniform, glaring back at her.

That’s not real.

She was never a true knight.

Just a namesake figure thrown together by the executive Tell.

She had risen on the back of Loki’s strength, but once her Master disappeared, she’d been unable to do anything.

“I...”

“What are you, exactly?”

Siris turned around.

Leaning against the wall was a young man in an ash-gray coat.

Short, spiked gray hair and a frigid expression. Ridigion, third-ranked on Floor 13.

His emotionless eyes were fixed on her.

“Still at it, huh. It’s been over a week since the Master left. Are you really planning to keep wasting time beating yourself up? I don’t think you were made Sub-Master so you could slack off.”

“When did you get here?”

“Make a decision. We don’t have time. Even now, the Master is suffering.”

Siris bowed her head.

Ridigion clicked his tongue as he looked at her.

“Siris Argentheim.”

“...I know.”

“Do you? You made a monumental mistake. I told you—tell the Master everything, let him decide. But what did you do? You pressured him. You forced him to go back. And if that didn’t work, you were ready to draw your sword? I was so stunned I couldn’t even laugh.”

His eyes turned ice-cold.

“This is the result. The Master abandoned us.”

“......”

“Was our goal always to go back to our home continent? That barren wasteland? What would we even do there? Just throw away everything we’ve lived through and start over?”

Siris shut her eyes.

She had never intended to return to the home continent.

She and her comrades had sworn, just before challenging Floor 80, with their lives on the line.

“The Master gave us everything. A new homeland. A miracle victory. Even a reason to live. Don’t throw that vow away like it’s nothing.”

Shing.

The hilt of the sword hanging from Ridigion’s hip made a metallic sound as the blade was drawn halfway from its sheath.

Siris couldn’t say anything. His words pierced her to the core.

In that case...

Maybe that cold-eyed young man, already looking ahead, was better suited for her role than she was.

Siris bit her lip and opened her mouth to speak.

“Ridigion, I...!”

“I’m not finished. Listen to the end.”

Click.

Ridigion sheathed his blade.

“I used to think about you a lot back in the day.”

His arms folded, he shifted his posture. A faint, ambiguous smile curved his lips.

“Why did the Master choose you to lead us? There were others far more suited. In terms of analysis, we had Yurnet. Without her, none of our operations would’ve been properly planned. Your command skills aren’t particularly outstanding. You’re not overwhelmingly strong enough to dominate us, either. But the Master still chose you. Without a second thought. Do you know why?”

Once again, Siris gave no answer.

She just bowed her head in silence.

“This isn’t your first failure.”

“...”

“You’re not perfect. Neither am I, nor Yurnet, nor any of us—not even the Master. We all make mistakes. But mistakes aren’t the problem. The question is what you learn from them.”

Ridigion continued.

“So what, one failure and you’re ready to give up? Is that it, Siris?”

“But...!”

“Don’t give me excuses. You’re the face of Niflheim. Twenty thousand Heroes live under your command. Recognize the weight of your position. It’s not something you just hand over when things get hard.”

He pulled something from inside his coat and tossed it.

She caught it reflexively—and immediately felt its weight.

A scabbard engraved with the image of roaring flame.

It was Levatein, the U-Rank weapon her Master had poured his heart into forging for her.

“I found it tossed aside. You’re neglecting the weapon the Master gifted you. Don’t ever treat it so carelessly.”

“...”

“Don’t say you can’t. If you feel responsible, then come up with a method that satisfies all of us. I don’t want temporary fixes. I want a real way to save the Master. That’s the duty you bear.”

Siris took two steps back.

A way to completely save the Master?

Ridigion lowered his voice.

“If you, as Niflheim’s Sub-Master and Captain of the 13th Floor, give the order—then we’re ready to charge through fire or hell itself. Don’t let that resolve... be for nothing.”

“...”

“I’ll place my trust in you.”

Ridigion pushed off the wall.

He cast one last glance at Siris before leaving the room.

A way to save the Master...

Siris stood still, dazed, as her thoughts began to stir.

Her Master—Loki—who had gained power nearing the infinite, now fought alone in the Boundary Realm.

In exchange for that power, he had lost nearly all his memories and humanity. Even if she stood right in front of him, he probably wouldn’t recognize her.

That... was what scared her most.

If he had lost everything—then what was the point in finding him?

Would her voice even reach him?

Would they even be able to talk?

No... before even that— frёewebnoѵēl.com

Was it possible to get to where Loki was in the first place?

If I could just... make up for the mistake I made.

If she, a failure, were given just one more chance...

“Master.”

Siris murmured.

The despair that had consumed her moments ago was gone.

It’s my duty to find a way.

And if none existed—she’d forge one herself.

She gritted her teeth.

Blood welled in her gums, but she didn’t care.

Ridigion’s right.

Just waiting didn’t suit her.

If something was needed, she would seize it.

That was how Siris had lived—as Loki’s Hero.

If anyone knows how to save the Master...

Suddenly, a name flashed through her mind.

“Niselle!”

[Right here, Siris-chaan~!]

Fwoosh!

A flash of flame, and the fairy appeared.

Seeing Siris’s face, Niselle thumped her flat chest with confidence.

[Alright! Say whatever you want, I’ll make it happen!]

“You got Alpha Zero’s contact info, right?”

[Alpha Zero... ah! That pervy old geezer, you mean? He wanted your panties in exchange for information, didn’t he? So, what happened to those panties in the en—]

Shing.

Levatein’s blade slid halfway out of its sheath.

[N-no! It’s a joke! A joke! A JOKE!!]

Niselle flailed her hands in panic.

Then her face straightened as she twirled her arms.

[Initiating remote comms~!]

Beep-beep-beep. Click.

In under ten seconds, the recipient picked up.

A voice echoed in Siris’s mind.

<So it’s you.>

But it was a voice she didn’t recognize at all.

Siris scowled.

“Where’s that senile old man?”

<The Sage has... entered eternal sleep.>

“Eternal sleep?”

The Sage.

‘Siris-chaan... panties... slurp...’

That pervert... was a Sage?

Siris clenched her right hand into a fist.

“You’re the adjutant who was with him?”

<Yes. I introduced myself during our first meeting. I’m Cizel. Acting Chair of Möbius. I’ve been overseeing the Hero repatriation project. We’ve dispatched a few of our staff to Niflheim as well.>

“No need to explain. I saw the official memo.”

<Then... the fact that the esteemed Sub-Master of Niflheim is contacting me personally must mean—>

Cizel paused briefly before continuing.

“......”

<I knew this day would come. I owe him my life. That man fulfilled my greatest wish—he is my savior.>

“Then I’ll get straight to the point. I need a way to save the Master. Even something small will do. If you know anything, tell me.”

<As you know, Master Loki has long since passed the critical threshold. By now, he’s likely become a wraith. Restoring his identity... is nearly impossible.>

“‘Nearly’? So you’re not ruling it out. That means you do know something.”

Cizel didn’t deny it.

“Tell me. Now.”

<It’s not something I can do alone. I’ve lost my divine authority, after all.>

“So?”

<I need a helper. Someone who’s close to Master Loki, and who also holds significant power. Fortunately, I’ve identified a suitable candidate.>

“Who is it?”

Cizel said:

<The former Master of Townia—Amkena.>