Mistress Of The Evil Forest-Case 198: Outlaw of the system.

''A-Ah...''

''How...''

''...''

''There are two Auroras!!''

These noisy girls...

Since they hadn't stopped panicking and fighting one another earlier, I brought them to the Backrooms and swiftly called backup. Who can be more suitable than my future self, who has hundreds of thousands of times more experience than I do?

Thankfully, Aurora didn't particularly look annoyed. She is now more or less amused... maybe. I'm not too sure.

''How may I help you ladies?''

''Gah...?! That corny tone... y-you're not Aurora!''

''Ouch, that hurts.''

Seeing that she even jokes around like this, it should be fine. It's a relief.

I hate explaining things. I'm not good with words, but this other version of me is. So, I feel extremely comfortable letting her answer the many questions these two have. For a while, that is.

As a friend of theirs, I'd expected we would talk somewhat truthfully but leave some details, but...

''This planet is dying.''

'''' ... ''''

''Thanks to Neveah, humans have been able to hang on inside this cage—not for too long, though.''

Such a heavy topic. Still, I suppose it is necessary.

Even if its content is so depressing and outrageous that they have to glance at me for confirmation, they are, ultimately, the people who will decide the future of this world alongside me. One of them is the chosen heroine, and the other will soon lead the continent's most powerful nation. They need to know everything.

For some reason, Aurora tries to hide her true identity, but I'll ignore that for now.

'''' ... ''''

Predictably, both Claire and Nydia fall into a deep silence, heads hung low, fists clenched, as they slowly let the information sink in. Almost in a surge of courage, the heroine takes a deep breath and relaxes her face,

''B-By the way, I'd faintly suspected that you were Silaerob, but... y'know, it just seemed so ridiculous every time.''

''...Why?''

''That the potato chips girl was the mistress of Zircon.''

Hey, I know you're trying to change the topic, but isn't 'potato chips girl' disrespectful?

Before I can complain, be it with my expression or words, Claire gently clasps my hand, smiling, ''But I've always admired what you do, no matter what people say. Thank you for saving us so many times, and... u-um—''

As Claire's cheeks get dangerously flushed, a piercing sigh cuts in,

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''Your reputation isn't great, Aurora.'' Nydia yanks Claire's hand away, frowning. ''It was somewhat favorable before, but everyone just couldn't forget that... creature you summoned. Some are even associating you with the other side.''

''The serpent?''

''...Yes.''

And the serpent wasn't my fault. After accessing some of the memories of that battle from Smiley, I'm quite sure it could have been resolved if Aurora had just made another black hole, but she went for the flashy route and decided to summon an eldritch cosmic serpent.

...Admittedly, it was cool, but still.

Nonetheless, after some more minutes of chatting, Claire and Nydia obediently leave, promising they'll visit another time and quarrelling with each other on the way back.

Now, only the two of us are left in the Backrooms.

''...''

Aurora smiles thinly, as always.

I've been wondering, but what is her relationship with my horror creatures? They all came from her, so are they... whole? Are they complete and sentient beings or mere imitations formed by the void of power inside her?

''Sentience is a complicated topic, but largely, they are more your creations than mine.'' Aurora suddenly speaks up. ''These ones came to life, receiving your call, not mine. Just remember that.''

''...Okay.''

Right when I expect Aurora to suddenly teleport away, she actually rises from the chair and signals me to follow her. It seems she has something to say, after all.

''Where are we going?'' I ask.

Not turning around, Aurora shrugs, ''Outside. We're finalizing the convergence today.''

Snapping open an entrance, she drags her void-like figure out of the Backrooms. Sighing, I follow suit.

The sky is still lit colorfully by the aurora borealis, which has only been quieted down at 'daytime,' but never really disappeared. Between the rustling of dry leaves swimming in the air, a set of soft footsteps reaches my ears.

''Here she is.''

Surprisingly, it's a figure undetected by my internal radar—a humanoid robot I've seen before.

[Good day to you.]

It's supposedly the main body of ANNA, the automaton network set up by Neveah. After bowing respectfully, Anna wastes no time and gets straight into the business.

[All conditions have been met—we can proceed with the plan right away. Please follow me.]

Although her synthesized and emotionless voice sounds unusually cold, at least it sounds good enough. I wonder who it was modeled after.

Nonetheless, Anna takes us to a slightly familiar location inside West Zircon. Although the scene has changed somewhat since that time, it is indeed where I picked up Peln... or rather, the future me disguised as Peln.

This is...

To begin with, a sort of sense is integrated into my brain as I gain a new territory—something to 'feel' the things my territory feels. Of course, it doesn't go all the way. If anything, it's faint, and I certainly can't sense kilometers deep into the ground either.

Still, I didn't know that something like this existed right below the forest. Well, 'right below' might be an exaggeration since it is quite deep.

None of that actually matters at this moment, however. Now that I've come closer to it, I can indeed sense a giant bubble wrapping something underground, encasing it whole and concealing it from existence. This bubble is neither thick nor thin, strong nor weak, but it feels literally out of this world—like something not belonging to this dimension.

And it shields...

''A research lab?''

''I also guessed that when I first came here.'' Aurora chuckles. ''Close enough.''

Passing through numerous cold and brightly lit hallways, we arrive at one colossal chamber. The thick revolving door is tightly shut, but through the glass panels, I can see a swirling... heart.

[This is the core of the system.]

Nested between two sturdy pillars, the 'core' pulses intermittently, sending palpable shockwaves across my body. Its sky blue color gives a distinct system feel, somewhat familiar.

Even without hearing the details, I can already imagine how much effort and ingenuity went into designing it. Nowadays, I only think of that scene when the name 'Neveah' comes up, but I now have a newfound respect for her.

''But what are we doing here?''

''Removing the excess.''

Shrugging carelessly, Aurora continues, ''The system cannot handle something above its league, namely this goddess right here. As of now, you still have some connections to it, which might become a problem when we converge.

[You can feel at ease. The process will not cause harm.]

I wonder...

I'm somewhat hesitant about accepting this, even if I probably would have to later. Mainly, I'm worried that my bonds with the horror creatures will fade. If they somehow disappear... I can't bear to hunt them down with my hands.

But as if she had read me perfectly, Aurora sighs, ''There won't be a problem with your children. Your connections with them are not system-based. At most, you'd only make a fake system—like extension to monitor their strength as you do now, but that's it.''

Then... I'm glad.