Chapter 102

I nodded to myself.

Outwardly, I calmly watched the blazing lava.

‘This is a pretty simple trial.’

The earthen statue was made entirely of white clay, except for its face, which was red.

[Begin.]

Among its many eyes, only one opened as the statue moved its lips.

“H-huh? My hands are moving again?!”

“T-the trumpet’s hard to play, I said, bwooooo—!”

Chaos broke out above us. The drums, cymbals, and trumpet that had briefly stopped started blaring again.

“Haha! What kind of paranormal phenomenon is this?! Ern, don’t you know?!”

The moment Alexa Michelle shouted while forcibly stopping her hands.

[The moment the band stops, the one below dies.]

“…Haah! I’m out of breath!! I don’t know exactly, but we’re clowns who have to keep playing without stopping! Damn it. Bwooooo—!”

Ern put the trumpet back to his lips.

And the massive statue’s eye turned toward me and Daddy.

[Cross the stepping stones.]

At the same time, more stones rose above the lava where there had only been one.

A literal stepping path was formed.

And not just that.

The stones floating above the lava—

Whiiiiing!

All began spinning at once!

‘…Hmm, is this really simple?’

That’s weird. It didn’t look this brutal in the game…?

“It seems we have no choice but to cross that.”

Daddy, who had been silently observing, spoke.

“Flames are approaching from behind.”

At his words, I glanced over his shoulder.

‘Eek.’

A massive wall of fire was rushing toward us.

Without hesitation, Daddy stepped onto the first stone.

[Speak less.]

The moment we stepped onto the stone, our lips sealed shut.

Mmph.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t speak.

[This bridge is connected by language.]

[One person’s steps will collapse.]

The statue’s voice echoed, strangely layered as if two voices overlapped.

[Only when meanings overlap will the next stone be allowed.]

The moment those words ended, I felt my mouth free again.

Daddy too.

“Please bear with it, even if you feel dizzy.”

Even on the spinning stone, Daddy maintained perfect balance.

Even while holding me.

[Whispering Stepping Stones]

[Complete the sentence hidden in the silence.]

And then.

Thud!

A massive stone slab dropped down from the ceiling.

On it was a sentence written large enough for us to see.

[Flames are?]

The moment the sentence appeared, the statue declared.

[If the meanings differ, you fall.]

Game Category [Post][Strategy Guide]

[Monster Encyclopedia 46]

~Paranormal Class~

‘Whispering Stepping Stones’

Grade: Safe

◆ One of the easiest paranormal phenomena, but it depends on how well you know your Guardian

Each time you cross a stepping stone, a sentence is given. If the protagonist and Guardian complete it the same way, you move on.

Failing once doesn’t make you fall immediately. You get three chances.

Fail all three, and it’s a bad ending.

◆ Of course, some Guardians are harder. Corrupted Holy Knights are one of those cases.

But don’t worry! There’s a method!

Just die twice and try again!

There are six stones, so use your three chances to check all the lines.

Then you’ll end up memorizing them all lol

Wow, you only need to die twice. What a kind paranormal phenomenon, right?

‘Hehe. I’ve already memorized all the questions here!’

How many times do you think I’ve played this chapter?

The letters shimmered brightly so there was no way to miss them.

[Speak at the same time.]

“Looks like they’re letting us talk now so we can answer the questions.”

“That seems to be the case… Should we complete the sentence based on what comes to mind?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Daddy frowned slightly.

“But if we have to say the same thing, isn’t that nearly impossible?”

Normally, yes.

Even between close friends, comrades, or family, it wouldn’t be easy.

“It’s fine.”

I smiled brightly like it was nothing.

“Ah… I mean. Just say what you think, Sir Derek. I’ll be fine.”

Daddy fell silent for a moment. His gaze was strange.

“How do you know my name?”

Ah.

“Haha, is there anyone who doesn’t know the hero of the Order?”

“…”

“And don’t worry. We’ll clear this in one go. Trust me.”

I covered my mouth and whispered softly.

“I’m the Pope.”

After a moment of silence, Daddy nodded slightly.

He still looked worried, but the shadow in his expression slowly faded.

“Understood, Your Holiness.”

Hmm, hearing Daddy speak so formally felt a little disappointing.

[Speak.]

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Flames are?]

“Not an end, but a beginning.”

“Not an end, but a beginning.”

At that moment, Daddy stared at me in shock.

I just shrugged like, see?

Told you I’d handle it.

‘The first one is easy. There’s a similar phrase written at the entrance of the Order.’

That’s why most players clear the first stone without losing any lives.

[…]

Creeeak!

The stone we stood on stopped spinning.

Cracks formed on the slab, and it slowly disappeared.

“Looks like we passed. I think it’s telling us to go to the next one.”

“That seems right.”

Daddy lightly landed on the next stone.

Even on the spinning surface, he remained perfectly steady.

[Speak at the same time.]

[Fate is not a fixed path, but merely]

This time, it wasn’t related to any known phrase.

Still, I wasn’t worried.

Daddy looked uneasy, but I nodded again to reassure him.

“—it changes shape depending on who you walk with.”

“—it changes shape depending on who you walk with.”

“…!!”

This time, even Daddy was shocked.

Of course he was.

This was something he had once said to his comrades.

‘I saw it in a cinematic from the developers.’

For reference, when Derek was my Guardian in the game, I cleared four stones without a single failure on my first try.

Ahem, don’t underestimate a veteran player!

Daddy looked like he had a lot to say, but from the second stone onward, there was no time to think.

We had no choice but to keep going.

Clang!

Boom boom boom!

“Hang in there, Captain!!”

“You can do it! I-it’d be really great if you could clear it a bit faster…!”

From inside the iron cage above, the Azure Holy Knights kept playing nonstop.

Don’t worry!

When you know the answers, this is ridiculously easy!

“…I can’t believe it.”

Before long, we were standing before the final stepping stone.

“How are you matching my thoughts so perfectly? Could it be…”

Daddy glanced around, then whispered softly so only I could hear.

“Has Your Holiness been granted the power to read minds?”

Well, that’s one way to think about it.

But.

‘I was so obsessed I even made an Excel sheet of your stats, skill ratios, lore, and life story…’

Yeah, can’t say that.

Of course, not just Daddy. I did it for a few other favorite Guardians too.

And I’ve played this game.

We stood on the final stone.

Even the Azure Holy Knights, with their stamina, were starting to tire.

The sound of instruments from above was weakening.

‘This is bad. We need to finish quickly.’

In the game, that sound was basically a time limit.

We can’t die here.

At last, the final slab revealed the question.

[Names are not merely something to call—]

I froze.

‘What…?’

Because—

“…Your Holiness?”

This was a question I had never seen before.