***
That night.
We stormed into the Erdi National Research Institute without hesitation—dragging along the flustered Antonio Benini against his will.
The institute was not far from Eiken, just a short ride away on a motorcycle.
As we neared the research institute, we hid behind a large tree in front of it.
“H-However, there’s a security system… We might get caught.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
I replied with a confident smile.
“I’m a spatial mage, after all.”
“Oh…”
“The security system—where exactly is it located?”
“It’s at all the entrances, w-windows, and doors.”
“In that case, it won’t be a problem.”
Of course, I couldn’t just teleport everyone inside. Moving this many people at once through teleportation was practically impossible.
Instead…
“Möbius.”
I cast a spatial distortion spell.
This spell twisted space in such a way that the entrance and exit merged into one, completely warping the area.
“The reason the Möbius strip is so special is because, mathematically, it’s non-orientable. That means it only has one surface. If you attach the edges of a Möbius strip to another surface and eliminate them, it becomes a closed shape like a sphere or a torus, with no distinction between inside and outside… But since I can hear readers losing interest, I’ll stop here.”
“What are you even talking about?”
Regardless, once the spatial distortion spell took effect, the entire layout of the research institute was altered.
In other words, we could now enter through areas where the security system didn’t exist.
“This way.”
Following my lead, we stealthily moved forward.
“By the way, there’s no one here at night.”
“Well, of course. Everyone leaves after work.”
“…No overtime?”
“What? That would be a violation of labor rights.”
Haha. So, 21st-century South Korea was a hotbed of labor rights violations, huh?
…Let’s not dwell on that.
Soon, Mr. Benini took the lead and guided us. Eventually, we reached the location of the data collection machine.
It was positioned at the center of the research institute, and its appearance—resembling a massive brain—gave me an unsettling feeling.
The machine, which looked like a giant brain, was connected to various colored wires, humming with a bluish glow.
At the ends of these wires were devices resembling computers, seemingly processing and displaying the data collected by the brain-like machine.
“Ugh… Let’s destroy this thing already. Raffaelo?”
“Got it.”
With a confident expression, Raffaelo stepped forward and raised his gun.
A burst of flames shot out from his weapon, piercing straight through the center of the brain. The once-bright, glowing machine was instantly engulfed in darkness.
“These things always have a core at the center.”
With that, we had partially succeeded in getting revenge on the National Research Institute.
Yes, only partially—because…
“I-If they just bring in a new machine, won’t all of this be pointless?”
Mr. Benini voiced his concern with a worried expression.
Arkhangelo scoffed in response.
“Hah, we’re not stopping here. This isn’t real revenge yet.”
“He’s right.”
We then approached a nearby table stacked with documents.
“Whoa… There’s some seriously sensitive information here….”
One document, which compiled statistics on elementary school education levels, contained detailed records about individual students—including their academic struggles, illnesses, and home environments.
As I flipped through the pages, I found something particularly interesting.
“This is it.”
『Baldness Statistics
– Friedrich Vivalon
·
·
·』
The document listed citizens affected by hair loss, and among the names…
“W-Wait… His Majesty the King?!”
Mr. Benini’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
“T-They’re collecting even this kind of information…?”
“Yes, and that’s a big problem. Which is why I’m going to send this.”
With a smug expression, I took the document.
Then, using the fax machine inside the research institute, I sent it directly to the royal palace.
“This marks the end of the National Research Institute. Hehehe….”
As I let out a villainous chuckle, Raffaelo gave me an uneasy look.
“You really are Aurora’s friend….”
“Please don’t lump me in with Aurora. You’re her friend too, you know.”
“…….….”
And so, with satisfied smiles, we walked out of the National Research Institute.
The next day, the newspapers reported that the Erdi Royal Family had officially sanctioned the National Research Institute.
***
“Thank you… for avenging me on my behalf….”
Mr. Benini looked at us with teary eyes.
“It—It’s all thanks to you….”
“Haha, it was nothing.”
“B-But what was the reason you originally came looking for me…?”
“Ah, that….”
It was time to get to the main point.
Since Antonio Benini seemed to have lowered his guard a little, I carefully began speaking.
“Do you happen to know a noblewoman named Aurora?”
“Oh… You mean that weird noblewoman? Of course, I do.”
As he recalled Aurora, a look of exasperation crossed Antonio’s face.
“S-She broke into my house….”
“……….”
Aurora, please stop trespassing… You’re the original protagonist, for god’s sake….
“We’re looking for her. Do you have any idea where Aurora Shae is?”
Simone asked politely, but Antonio shook his head.
“N-No, she didn’t t-tell me where she was going….”
“That insane Aurora!”
The words burst out of my mouth in frustration.
“Just how long does she plan on running away?! What does she mean by ‘the right time’? When is that?!”
“It’s hardly surprising that lunatic is up to something bizarre again.”
“…Seriously, she’s incredible.”
While we were still fuming over Aurora’s antics, Antonio hesitantly spoke up.
“B-But I can tell you about our conversation. W-Would that help?”
“…Yes, please. Anything.”
“S-She introduced herself as Aurora Shae and said she was being chased. She also begged me to keep it a secret.”
“Then why are you telling us this now?”
“Because… no matter how I look at it, you all seem normal, and she’s the one who seems suspicious.”
Antonio spoke with a serious expression.
“A-After spending a few days with her, I’m almost certain that she’s the one in the wrong.”
Aurora… You’re seriously losing everyone’s trust, aren’t you?
“Sh-She was looking for information about a woman. She wanted to know about someone named Maria.”
“Oh! Maria!”
Finally, a familiar name!
Now, I was starting to get a sense of what Aurora was after.
“Please tell us everything you know about Maria.”
Antonio hesitated for a moment before beginning his explanation.
“F-Fifteen years ago, Maria appeared in the Kingdom of Boleno. But the strange thing is… even I don’t have any records of her past. I don’t know where she came from, which country she belonged to, or how she arrived in Boleno.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“I found that… r-really odd. N-No person should exist without any records.”
Well, that made sense—Maria was a dimensional traveler and the original author of this novel.
“A-And then she started working as a maid in the Shae Marquisate and stayed there for a long time. But about two years ago, she left.”
“That was around the time Aurora debuted in society.”
“So at least Aurora was right about that part.”
“She then traveled across the continent. F-From Berlena, she headed to Trevelora, passed through the Tower of Mages, then through the Fairy Forest. A-After that, she crossed into the Cassan Empire, went through Crman and Saint-Ruvain, entered Erdi Kingdom’s borders, and arrived in Eiken.”
As soon as I heard that, a chill ran down my spine.
Because…
“That’s exactly the path we took.”
“…You’re right. It’s a perfect match.”
Simone’s voice took on a grave tone as he responded.
So, this wasn’t just a coincidence.
I found myself recalling Aurora’s mad, deep-crimson eyes once more.
She had a clearer purpose than I had ever imagined—and she was deliberately leading us down this path.
There were still too many things in this world that I didn’t understand, and the realization clouded my thoughts with confusion.
“What did Maria do after that?”
Simone asked, and Antonio shrugged.
“I—I can’t say for certain. I only inferred Maria’s movements through inn records and other documents. But according to Lady Shae, she already knew everything I just told you. Apparently, Maria sent letters from every city she visited.”
“So what we really wanted to ask you is….”
“A-After Eiken, Maria and Lady Shae lost contact for a long time. Then, several weeks later, Lady Shae received a final letter from Maria. After that… she was never heard from again.”
That final letter—it must be the one where Maria wrote about losing because she had come to love this world too much.
Maria may have tried to face Princess Eva herself, unwilling to let the world she created be destroyed.
And in the end, she may have lost.
“That’s why Lady Shae was desperate to know—what Maria did in Eiken, what she discovered, and… where she is now.”
But to figure out what Princess Eva really is and how to defeat her, the real work would begin now.
“Mr. Benini, do you know where Maria is now?”
“M-Maria was last seen heading toward the royal palace in the Kingdom of Boleno. After that… I don’t know where she went.”
“So you’re saying… you don’t even know if she’s alive or dead?”
“There are no records of her leaving the royal palace.”
“As expected….”
Maria must have fallen to Princess Eva’s power.
Either she had been killed by Eva’s hands… or she was imprisoned within the palace.
It had to be one of the two.
‘She’s most likely dead.’
That thought darkened my mood.
Maria was practically a divine existence in this world.
She knew every hidden secret, every intricate detail, every single foundational rule of this world—because she was the omniscient creator.
And yet… even she had been defeated.
If Eva possessed that kind of power…
Just how terrifyingly strong had she become?
I clenched my fists, my entire body tensing with anxiety.
