Future Diary Survival Game

Chapter 83: Doppelgänger - 1

The woman answered politely.

“Please give me an order, not a request.”

“Alright. I’ll give you one. Go and investigate Mason.”

“When you say investigate… specifically what do you mean?”

“That guy is so shrouded in mystery that I don’t even know what exactly I should be trying to find out. But if I had to say something, maybe how he reads the future, or how he managed to scatter Edgar’s letters across the sky, that kind of thing?”

Even as she said that, Magireta admitted it was not an easy order.

In truth, even Magireta herself had not been able to uncover Mason’s true identity.

No matter how advantageous the woman’s abilities were for espionage, she didn’t seem to be a match for Magireta’s clever younger brother.

So, Magireta added one more sentence.

“Of course, the best outcome would be to dig up everything about Mason. But… if that’s impossible, at least bring me some of his blood.”

“His blood?”

“Yeah. I want to experiment with it.”

The woman crossed her arms and asked,

“May I kill him?”

“In the past, I would’ve said ‘Of course.’ But not now. I want my little brother to continue participating in the quests for a long, long time. It’s entertaining to watch.”

“……”

“If it’s elimination through a quest, that’s fine. But I’d like to avoid any artificial deaths if possible. All I want is to observe or study my brother.”

The woman nodded.

Magireta added playfully,

“Not that you could kill him anyway. You’re not that strong.”

“I’m a lot stronger than that man lying over there.”

“Aww, someone’s getting cute and pouty.”

The woman grabbed the hem of her skirt again and gave a polite bow.

“Then I’ll do as you said. I’ll investigate Mason as thoroughly as I can. If that fails, I’ll bring back some blood instead.”

“Good. How do you plan to approach him?”

“There’s someone among the current Frozen Season participants who used to have a connection with Mason.”

“Ah, I get what you mean. But it won’t work. He can read the future.”

“I’ve got a plan for that too. More importantly, could you send me to where Mason’s group is?”

Magireta was about to snap her fingers in response—

—but at that moment, Edgar’s voice was heard.

His tongue had barely healed.

“Ah, now I remember. I know who you are. I’m really glad to see you again.”

“……”

“But that’s strange, isn’t it? I’m pretty sure I eliminated you in the ‘batch before last.’”

“Let’s not talk about that. It ruins my mood.”

“A dropout from hell taking part in the next batch’s game? Ohh, I see. So that was one of the hidden rules, huh?”

By then, the muscles in his neck had recovered too.

He turned his head slightly and looked at the woman, twisting his still-unformed lips.

“A revival match. There was a revival match after all.”

“……”

“What the hell. So even if I got eliminated this time, I could’ve rejoined the game through a revival match, right?”

Step. Step.

The woman approached Edgar, her expression anything but friendly.

But knowing that full well, Edgar continued to speak with a sly grin.

“Heh, heh. So Mason can’t read the future perfectly after all.”

“……”

“He was spouting nonsense about how this batch would be my last, and that I should choose my last words carefully—”

Crack.

Edgar’s head burst open.

But this time, it wasn’t because of the side effect from reading a letter.

The woman had stomped on his head and crushed it.

She rubbed her shoe against the ground to wipe it clean and muttered,

“Damn traitor.”

***

We returned to Deut Territory.

Up to now, the pattern had been to let everyone rest peacefully and forget everything for one night after each quest.

But this time, that wouldn’t do.

I needed to share what I realized at the end.

“Everyone, may I have your attention for a moment?”

Perhaps because of how serious the mood had been during the final stage of the quest, my companions nodded without a word of complaint.

I clasped my hands on the table and spoke gravely.

“I debated for a while whether to tell you this. But I decided it’s better that you all know.”

“What on earth is this about?”

“Do you remember what Magireta said at the end?”

Naturally, Armelia recited her words without a single mistake.

—You shouldn’t get too arrogant. To be honest, your group was short by about a hundred compared to the first place team.

“Exactly. She specifically said about a hundred.”

“So what? She told us second place’s score during the third ‘Pop Quiz’ quest too.”

“Right. It might not be a big deal if we just brushed it off like that. It’s only my intuition—no real evidence.”

“……Let’s hear it anyway.”

“Doesn’t the number ‘hundred’ ring any bells? For example—”

Before I could continue, Benjamin spoke up.

“The number of participants, perhaps.”

“……!”

“I just realized it myself a moment ago. Since my body allows me to turn people into dolls, my mind naturally went that way.”

“Brother, what are you saying? Don’t tell me—”

“Think about it. Magireta said the total number of firewood—the monsters—was the same everywhere.”

The total amount of firewood was the same.

We had hunted almost every monster and thrown them into the altar.

So how could there be a difference of about a hundred?

Taking a deep breath, I voiced the answer.

“The first-place team must have turned the ordinary participants into monsters. Then they used those monsters as firewood.”

That was why there was a difference roughly equal to the number of participants.

Berseum spoke with a grave expression.

“Turning humans into monsters… How could that even be possible?”

“I don’t know the method. Maybe they used some unknown ritual, or made them drink blood… Or perhaps it was some unimaginable, bizarre technique.”

“……”

“But that’s not the real point I want to make.”

I swallowed hard.

“If it’s true that humans can be turned into monsters—”

“……”

“Then all those countless monsters we saw in hell… could they have originally been humans?”

“……!”

“Brother, you said Magireta takes the eliminated quest participants to hell to toy with them, right?”

If those two facts were connected, it would mean this:

—Magireta takes the eliminated to hell and turns them into monsters.

Thud!

Berseum slammed the table.

“Wait. What I saw was her burning the eliminated participants in blazing flames… that’s all!”

“Maybe that’s all you saw. You said you only caught a glimpse for a few seconds.”

“……”

“Maybe she doesn’t turn all participants into monsters at once. Perhaps, depending on her mood, Magireta prepares all sorts of different amusements.”

“That’s absurd. That’s impossible. Then…”

He grabbed his head with both hands.

“Are you saying one of the monsters we killed could have been my son?”

That’s right.

That was exactly the conclusion I’d hesitated to share—because I didn’t want to reach it myself.

Sienne’s complexion also turned pale.

“Then could my lover have been one of them too?”

“He wasn’t eliminated. He was just betrayed and killed by Edgar in the end. I think the ‘eliminated’ and the ‘dead’ are treated differently.”

“You can’t be sure of that.”

“……No. Honestly, I can’t guarantee anything. Magireta wields power as if she were the ruler of the world. If that demon decided to, there’s nothing she couldn’t do.”

At that, everyone fell silent.

Even our seasoned group couldn’t remain calm this time.

If this theory was true, it wasn’t just Berseum’s son or Sienne’s lover at stake.

For example, like Armelia’s late mother—those precious people we already mourned might be suffering in hell.

Armelia spoke.

“Then are you saying we used beings who were once human as firewood?”

“If my assumption is right, then yes, that would be the result. But back then, we had no other choice.”

“No, I’m not blaming anyone. Even if I went back, I’d make the same decision. I just… think I need to brace myself.”

Her voice was heavy with sorrow.

“There might be another quest where we face monsters again.”

Her words plunged everyone into silence.

After a while, Aina spoke up.

“My head’s kind of hurting… can we stop here for today?”

“Actually, me too.”

“Sorry for showing such weakness. I’d like to rest as well.”

“Same here.”

“Me too.”

Yeah. I felt the same.

I nodded heavily.

“I’m also quite exhausted. Let’s end it here.”

“Alright.”

“I know everyone’s shaken, but please rest as well as you can.”

“Thank you. You should rest too.”

One by one, my companions staggered back to their rooms.

I also returned to my room and lay on the bed.

What I realized today went beyond the simple idea that “monsters were once humans.”

That was only a secondary issue.

Maybe this world is already wrong.

Like Sienne said—if everyone, regardless of whether they joined the game or not, was dragged to hell after death…

And if they all ended up in Magireta’s clutches, tormented by her whims—

Then whether one won this stupid quest or not no longer mattered.

Unless you wished for immortality like Edgar, all of us would someday meet again in hell.

A world without salvation. A world stripped of hope.

I let out a long sigh.

Then, the Diary Book spoke.

[You must not lose hope, Mason.]

That’s easier said than done. Even if I win with your help, I could still end up in the same hell someday.

[I’m not helping you just so you can win, Mason.]

…What?

[Winning is only one step. Ultimately, it’s to save the world from Magireta’s grasp.]

What do you mean? Explain in detail.

[Anyway, aren’t you going to do it today? Checking the final page?] ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by noⅴelfire.net

It was obvious that it was changing the subject.

Still, the Diary Book had no reason to hide anything from me out of malice.

Maybe it was something I wasn’t ready to understand yet—or something I wasn’t supposed to know.

I steadied my thoughts and said,

Yeah. I guess it’s better to focus on the present for now. Show me.

[Understood.]

[Opening the final page.]

[Points consumed: 50]

[Remaining points: 1,158]

<Year 327, January 10.

I survived until the final game.

So I believed this wretched nightmare was finally over.

But I knew nothing.

No— even as I write this entry, I still know nothing.

However, in my final conversation with Magireta, I managed to glean one clue.

In this game, there were several “possibilities.”

If I had reached the final game with all those possibilities alive… perhaps the ending could have been different.

Magireta listed the names of each “possibility” she had confirmed.

After hearing every name, I protested vehemently.

—Those names you just mentioned. Starting with Her Highness the Princess—they’re all right beside me! They’re right here!

—Little brother.

—We came all the way here with every possibility intact, so why? Why would it end like this…?

—Do you really think so?

Then came her next words.

I still don’t understand them.

No—perhaps my subconscious refuses to understand.

Magireta definitely said this next:

—Do you really believe the companions beside you are real?>