Surviving without God

[Easter Egg: The Girl’s Hunger]

You have pierced the very essence of the illusion and finally obtained the easter egg. Since the current space is separated from reality, only part of the reward is granted.

[Trait “Savior” activated]

[You are the savior who will drive out the darkness that has fallen over Bellamor Estate]

-You are unaffected by the hunger gauge, and those you protect are also free from it to a certain extent.

-A powerful bonus is applied to all combat abilities.

※ In this easter egg, there is a branching path determined by the “hidden conditions.” If you fulfill them completely and escape the illusion, you will receive a highest-rank reward.

Do not give up. The girl’s story is not over yet.

A message followed, different from all the previous easter eggs. After reading it, Gunther lifted his gaze forward again. In truth, the reward here and now did not concern him that much.

What mattered was that his role had finally changed from maid to the “Savior” of the estate.

U-u-u-u-um...

The strength that had been taken from him, or perhaps even something greater, began to flow through his body again. It felt as though every cell in his body was awakening one after another. Fiery mana surged through the magical circuits that had almost dried up. Compared to the weakness he had felt just moments ago, he now felt almost omnipotent.

[The Drug-Addicted Saint is deeply impressed by your kindness]

[The King of Ninety-Nine Defeats praises your knightliness]

[Alphonse of Red Street is pleased that you can make a woman smile even in the face of death]

Along with the returning gods, his equipment also returned to its proper place.

Clang-

Gunther picked up “Straight Line of Despair” and poured mana into the ring gifted by Dramcrow. At once, coal-black light began to flow out of the ring—

U-u-u-u-u-um-

Black particles swirled through the air like a vortex. Fragments of metal scattering like dust took shape in an instant and wrapped themselves around Gunther. In no more than a few seconds, Gunther, who had been in a bloodstained maid dress, turned into a warrior clad in black steel. Mari stared wide-eyed at Gunther, who had in a single moment become an entirely different being.

“G-Gun... ther?”

There was no need to calm Mari separately, however. She instinctively felt that Gunther was safe. Her ragged breathing gradually steadied, and light began to shine in her eyes. But that calm did not last long.

“But... why is it so quiet here?”

At some point, the mansion had become frighteningly silent. The screams, groans, and sounds of battle that had been coming from all directions—everything had gone still. Only a dreadful silence remained.

Srr-ring-

Without a word, Gunther raised “Straight Line of Despair.”

This silence meant that Albino had completely suppressed the estate. Naturally, he had not had time to kill everyone yet. To turn Mari into a “vessel” through the Feast of the Devouring God, just as in previous lives, he needed to drive people to the extreme of hunger until they began devouring one another.

In that context, the squad had to still be alive for now as well. Perhaps they were hiding somewhere, waiting for a chance to counterattack. But at this very moment, they clearly could not afford to come help him.

Shuffle-

Which meant those approaching footsteps belonged to enemies.

Gunther looked at Mari. Under the dim lantern light, her shoulders were trembling as though they might crumble apart. He knew that for an ordinary maid, this situation was far too cruel. But now was not the time to let himself break.

“Mari.”

“Y-yes.”

“Do you go outside the estate often?”

It was a strange question. But, as always, Mari answered honestly.

“Not often... Sometimes I go out around the estate. But I don’t remember ever going beyond it.”

“That’s a shame. There are a lot of interesting things outside.”

“Interesting...?”

Gunther closed his eyes for a moment, then continued quietly.

“Have you heard of the Border City?”

“The Border City...?”

“They have kitchen stoves there that regulate temperature by themselves instead of using fire. With the press of a button, you can boil, fry, or chill—everything is possible. And there are storage boxes that keep themselves cold so food won’t spoil. There’s even a magical tool that washes dishes for you. If Mari ever lives alone, it would be nice to have one of those at home.”

Mari’s eyes flew open in surprise. Her lips trembled slightly, but this time not from fear.

“...Lying is mean. You shouldn’t tease people like that.”

“I’m not lying.”

Gunther lifted his gaze for a second. Beyond the corridor, the sounds of footsteps were growing louder as they bounced off the walls.

“If you opened a diner there someday, there’d be an endless line of people.”

“A diner... me?”

“Exactly. I’m sure everyone would line up to eat Mari’s food.”

Mari looked at him in confusion, and then, as though she believed him at least a little, smiled carefully.

Watching that smile, Gunther fell silent for a moment. From the beginning he had known that these were only empty words of comfort for a being inside an illusion. But they were the best words he could offer in the current situation. He tightened his grip on “Straight Line of Despair” and finished:

“So don’t give up.”

“...Mm.”

There was clear strength in the quiet response that came from behind him. Feeling relieved, Gunther turned to face forward again.

In truth, the outcome of this battle had already been decided.

The order of priests and their elite guards—the holy knights? There were many of them, but they could be dealt with well enough.

The problem was Albino.

In his advanced years, he had been a priest and summoner who had reached as high as the 6th hierarchy. Even in his youth, his level had been no lower than the beginning of the 5th. A contractor’s power barely depended on age or training; it was determined solely by the favor of the god.

But Gunther’s current real combat strength was at the level of the beginning of the 4th hierarchy, comparable to a Perfumer. Even taking the “Savior” bonus into account, he still could not reach Albino.

“...Unless I can only stall him for a while.”

The conclusion followed naturally.

Which meant there was only one path left for him in this life.

“Mari.”

He gave her a single instruction.

“He’s here!”

The sounds of the approaching holy knights began echoing from the far end of the corridor. Along with them came the feeling of the priestly order preparing holy magic.

U-u-u-um-!

Vibrations spread through the corridor. Amid crimson-glimmering magic circles, a man in a bloodstained cassock appeared.

Albino Lacreta.

The moment he saw Mari, he smiled and held out his hand. Limping, Gunther stepped in front of her before she could properly see him.

[Would you like to “Read” “Albino Lacreta”?]

Then he glanced back over his shoulder.

“Can you do it?”

“...I, I’ll try.”

Whoosh-

“Straight Line of Despair” burst into scarlet flames. At the moment that warmth enveloped the two of them, just like in those days when they had stood together at the kitchen stove—

“Run.”

Without hesitation, Gunther shoved little Mari forward.

.

.

.

[You have died]

[Counting number of deaths]

[20/99]

[#20 Life as a Consumable]

[You sacrificed yourself to save someone. It cannot be called smart, but you are kind]

As Gunther had asked, Mari headed toward the wing in search of the squad fighters. Without waiting for words, they understood Gunther’s intention and did everything they could to help Mari escape the estate. Gunther did his utmost to hold out until they escaped, but with his battered body he could not withstand Albino and his order. Albino’s summoned creatures tore Gunther to pieces, then attacked the squad fighters as well, and Mari once again fell into Albino’s hands.

[“Marien” has been designated as the target of Partial Co-Return]

[Affinity with “Marien” rises sharply]

[Affinity 75/100]

[※ Due to the properties of the illusion, a bonus has been applied to affinity growth]

[Returning to Save Point #13]

***

But Gunther did not fall into despair.

Even after the terrible failure, he did not break. Whether that was thanks to the power of the new “Savior” role, or simply because of the resolve he had made himself, was unknown. In any case, he had gained clues from his death in the previous life, and the hope that he could still move forward kept a person from collapsing.

As soon as the new life began, he moved quickly. Fortunately, this time everything was clearly easier than in the previous life.

“G-Guntra?”

The holy knight who had attacked from behind was no longer a threat. There was no need, as before, to use complicated techniques to strike the joints of the legs. A single punch to the cuirass was enough to send the knight crashing down, coughing blood. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

“Ah, ah!”

While Mari froze in shock, Gunther looked down at his hands for a moment.

“Was it my imagination?”

A strange vigor was spreading through his body. But there was no time to investigate it now. After a brief explanation, Gunther immediately grabbed Mari firmly by the hand and ran. Their route was different from before. They were heading toward the wing.

“G-Gunther, where are you going?!”

Fortunately, thanks to their affinity, though wary, she did not yank her hand away. In the end, a score of 75 was not low. Normally that level required a long time spent together, but his bond with Mari had deepened with surprising speed. ...Perhaps because she had waited far too long for someone who would become her friend.

Boom-!

Meanwhile, noise rose from the mansion, especially from the banquet hall, and soon explosions followed. It seemed Moretia was putting up fierce resistance. However...

“Still, it’s useless.”

Albino’s sinister aura was far more overwhelming. She would be suppressed soon. At the moment Mari turned with a worried face toward the banquet hall—

“Gunther!”

“Commander!”

“You’re alive!”

Familiar voices rang out from the wing. Gunther saw his squadmates running at full speed. As veterans, even after only a brief explanation they almost completely understood the situation.

“Damn, in the end you were the one who took off the maid dress,” Levain muttered. Meanwhile, Tarsha, standing beside him, spread her arms wide with delight and smiled at Mari.

“Welcome to the Fourth Platoon, Marien!”

“A-a platoon? Are you soldiers?”

“Well, something like that.”

Looking at them (they were still dressed as maids), Gunther let out a quiet breath. He had suspected it, but unfortunately the “Savior” bonus had fully applied only to him. Even taking his Commander traits into account, the fighters still were not in perfect condition.

But it couldn’t be helped. They would have to manage like this. Gunther immediately got to the point.

“A direct confrontation is out of the question.”

At his resolute tone, Blanc tilted her head questioningly.

“A-are they really that strong? You yourself seem to have become absurdly strong...”

“Our opponent is ‘Albino.’”

“...Ah.”

“A-Albino, you say?”

The fighters immediately understood. ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) For those who had worked long in the Border City, Albino was practically evil incarnate.

He was exactly the kind of boss against whom a small group was utterly powerless. Gunther had felt that firsthand in the previous life.

The enemy pattern went like this: first he pinned down opponents with holy magic and area curses like an ordinary priest. If you tried to close the distance, he suddenly summoned bizarre creatures onto the battlefield. Once the enemy was disoriented, he started bombarding from afar with high-powered magic. Simple, but with the squad’s current strength, there was no countermeasure.

Parco scratched his chin in confusion.

“Hmm, then maybe we should just run away with this lady? If we leave the sacrifice site, that should solve the problem, right?”

“The garden is already full of summoned creatures. They’ll stall us until Albino arrives.”

“Oh, hell...”

And that still wasn’t all.

Gunther briefly and clearly gave them a briefing on the existence of the Feast of the Devouring God, as well as the composition of the priests, knights, and summoned monstrosities. Defeating the boss, escaping, or even simply holding out—none of it was possible.

At the moment the fighters sighed at the hopelessness of the situation, Gunther opened his mouth again.

“But there is a way.”

Information accumulated through many deaths. There was only one path, derived from all that experience. It could not be called optimal, but of all the cards in hand, it was the only correct answer.

Gunther shifted his gaze not to the fighters, but to Mari, who had been silently listening to the conversation, and finished:

“Can you do it?”