I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game

Chapter 87

"Alright then... The First Official Meeting of the Mystery Investigation Club will now commence. Let's give it a round of applause."

"Yay~!"

Clap clap clap...

We're in the club room.

Today, we've set a time for this to answer the kids' curiosities.

Ha-rim stands beside me, writing "1st Official Meeting" on the board.

Though we already had a ridiculous amount of meetings back then, she said she forgot the count, so we're starting fresh.

Ha-rim takes her seat, and four pairs of eyes turn to me.

"From now on, it's question time. If you have any questions, raise your hand and ask."

"Ella, why did you become Alice?"

First question. About Alice.

Of course, it would be this.

I figured this would be the first question.

But it's a tricky one because I don't have a straightforward answer for it either. I only have some guesses, so I can't really say "Because of this!" to them.

"I don't know for sure either. But I'll tell you what I think. First, there are beings in this world called devils. You all know that, right?"

Everyone nods.

We've met devils before.

Of the two we faced, the one that showed itself was the radio-head devil.

Now, it's no longer a devil but a pure monster who helps me, but back then, he was running towards us with his huge body trying to kill us, which was quite terrifying.

"According to what I heard from James, devils are born when a story or narrative (context) is fulfilled. For example... Imagine something that barks and walks on all fours. You would think, "This is a dog.", then a Dog Devil will be born. Of course, an evil offering might be needed too, but you get the idea."

This... Even I think it's such a strange explanation.

And I'm not even joking!

But I can't think of a better example.

The kids also look confused.

"So Ella fulfilled the context of the Alice in Wonderland series and became a devil of Alice? And that's why you're called Alice?"

I nod.

Honestly, I don't know what part of what I did was similar to the Alice series.

Aside from the blonde hair, there's not much in common.

"You probably don't understand. Actually... I don't understand it either."

"It's hard. It definitely seemed like you used up all your strength trying to save us and disappeared... But you were actually in the process of turning into a devil?"

I denied.

"That's not true. I definitely died back then. Only my soul remained and I left the stage of life."

The kids looked even more confused.

I tried to explain it to them properly.

I continued my speculations while talking nonsense.

"Hmm... Maybe I needed to die once to be reborn. Or maybe the victory over the half-devil triggered it later... However, one thing is certain. It wasn't my intention."

"So, you were forced to become Alice. It feels too artificial. Alice couldn't accidentally fulfill the context and become a devil. Maybe someone intended it."

As expected, Ha-rim is sharp.

First of all, it's certain that I became a devil by someone's intention.

The half-devil back then.

The guy I now call Jabberwock asked me for the seed.

The seed planted in me probably sprouted, and all the monsters, including those that flowed in from outside, became the offerings that gave birth to me now.

At this point, you might be wondering who planned this.

Of course, I know who.

That person is my school senior and the game developer M.P.

And his other name is Mephistopheles.

Was he the devil from the book Faust?

A fairly high-ranking devil, no doubt. But what is his goal?

Why create devils of fairy-tales?

Pinocchio. Jack. Ariel. Peter Pan. And me.

We're all fairy-tale devils.

When I was in danger after being stabbed in the back by Pinocchio, Mephistopheles appeared and told me that the fairy-tale devils were created to stop the Rulers.

Why me of all people? Why did it have to be devils of fairy-tales?

And what does the devil Mephistopheles gain by stopping the Rulers?

Is he trying to save people?

"That's right. The mastermind exists. And I know his name."

"!"

The children are surprised by the sudden declaration of the existence of the mastermind.

The children's expressions became more serious and they started paying more attention to hear his name.

"His name is Mephistopheles. He's the devil from Faust."

"What! He's real?"

The children are surprised by the familiar name.

Of course.

If things that were only told as stories actually come to light, it would be shocking.

"I just thought it was a play!"

In many ways, it will be an opportunity to expand your inner worldview.

It breaks the limits of your imagination and prepares your heart to face more things.

"I'm embarrassed because there's so much I don't know, but I don't know his purpose either. I'm going to find out little by little from now on. Oh, I have one thing to correct."

"?"

"You said forced. In fact, it was half-forced. I never dreamed it would turn out like this. But I was the one who decided to become a devil. Mephisto led me to my decision, and I went along with it. Don't misunderstand me, it's not because I have any regrets about life."

The kids became depressed when they heard that I had no regrets about life.

I stepped on a landmine!

"So that's how it is for Alice..."

"No!!! It's, uh, it's like this, alright? It's like how old folks face death with serenity! You'll understand when you're older! It's not that I didn't want to see you guys or anything...!"

"Then why did Alice become a devil?"

Phew. They believe me. I was shocked.

I almost hurt the kids again.

But it's surprising that you're curious about that.

It wasn't a particularly strange question, so it's okay.

"...Do you know that Mephistopheles launched a missile at you?"

"...!"

Guess not.

I can tell just by their faces.

"We didn't know at all! Devils shoot missiles these days?!"

"Yeah... They do. So I had no choice but to protect you. I couldn't stand the thought of you dying that way after everything we went through."

It's natural for someone who tried to do something to get what they deserved.

If there's a god, that's natural.

...If there really is a god.

The kids thought carefully.

They seemed confused as various pieces of information entered their heads.

I scratched my cheek and apologized.

"Umm... I'm sorry. I tried to explain, but I ended up leaving you with a lot of questions. Are you disappointed?"

Then Eun-jeong smiled brightly and said.

"No! Whatever it was, Alice came back to save us. I'm so happy about that!"

"Really? Hehehe... Me too, I'm so happy to see you again."

After that, Ha-rim looked serious and didn't say anything.

I asked her why she was thinking like that.

Then she opened her mouth.

"I get why Alice ended up this way. But where were you, and what were you doing all this time?"

Second question. Where was Alice and what was she doing?

Ha-rim seemed worried.

She must have thought I was homeless and lonely after the incident.

But though I missed them, I wasn't just a homeless person.

"Oh. I'm living well under the protection of a huge secret organization that practically controls the world."

"...?"

Ah, right. These kids think James and Maria were military operatives dispatched by the government.

I ended up giving them more information that would make their heads spin.

"I thought it was strange. The government sending a priest like Sister Maria!"

"It was full of strange and unusual things, so I just let it slide, but now it's coming back to haunt me like this...!"

"The idea of ​​a huge occult group was just an urban legend... Are we just going to have our memories erased or something?! Oh, we've already been through it."

The reaction was more intense than I thought.

I thought they'd get used to it by now.

I enjoyed the kids' confused reactions, but I wanted to ease their worries, so I said a word.

"Don't worry. If anyone tries to touch you, I'd drag half of them with me, even if it means dying. Even if that means a third of humanity."

"..."

Huh? The mood dropped.

Did I put too much intensity into that?

I asked the children in confusion.

"Uh, why the reaction?"

"It's nothing."

...

Alice wouldn't know.

That for a moment, she seemed more dangerous than anything else when she muttered that with dead eyes.

Even more so than when she'd erased their memories!

Having glimpsed a fragment of her madness, the kids decided to stay quiet.

...

"Okay, third question. What is the giant mechanical giant we saw?"

Third question. What does the self-proclaimed mechanical god do?

I decided to tell them what I knew.

"Um... A Ruler. The mechanical god is one of the Rulers. He's a being who desires control. He interfered with your fates, trying to push you to death. Oh, and Ruler is a term used by the Institution. They call beings who could single-handedly destroy the world Rulers. This world might not be as dangerous as the other one, where you could die on the streets, but it's more dangerous than you think."

After hearing the story, Suho opened his mouth with a tired face.

"I'm getting more and more scared to ask questions."

The more the story progresses, the bigger the scale becomes, and nothing is solved.

However, exploration is something that you have to experience every time you take a step forward.

"Alice who can speak calmly is scarier. In that sense, hug me."

Eun-jeong... Your words are full of contradictions.

I had no choice but to hug Eun-jeong and comfort her before continuing.

"I didn't say it calmly... Anyway, it's a terrifying monster. Last time, we fought and lost, but if something similar happens next time, I will never lose."

The god of machines was turned into a cogwheel by Pinocchio's ability.

Anticlimactic, sure.

But somehow, I doubt it's over that easily.

Maybe... No.

That's too baseless a guess.

I'll have to check for myself.

"Yeah! Let's defeat it together next time!"

"Haha... Thank you."

Next question.

"Fourth question. Who is Uncle Peter?"

Fourth question. Who is Peter?

I said clearly.

"He's Peter Pan."

"You mean Peter Pan from the fairy tale?"

"Of course, he's not exactly the same. He also became a devil of a fairy-tale like me. Yeah. You could say we're the same kind."

"I see. I never imagined Peter Pan in a military uniform."

Though I appear as Alice, I'm nothing like the Alice in the story.

After all, as a devil of Alice, I'm quite different from the original.

Peter Pan was even more extreme, though.

"I think his goal was... To create a world without horrors like war. So he tried to create Neverland... Hmm. But it became quite twisted. Someday he'll appear before us, but whether he'll be an ally or enemy, nobody knows."

Ha-rim muttered, glancing at his bag.

"He doesn't seem like a completely bad person... He even gave me a gift."

"Huh? What did you say, Ha-rim?"

"Ah. Hehe... It's a secret."

"...?"

Ha-rim's vague response is super suspicious.

I also have a lot of accumulated karma, so I can't say anything.

I pretended not to know and took the next question.

"Okay. Next question. That dragon you call Jabberwock... Is it that half-devil?"

Ah, that's what Kyeong-min had asked about.

Ha-rim must have been concerned about that too.

"Yes. He's known as Jabberwock, Bandersnatch, and Frumious Bandersnatch. Of those, his strongest name is Jabberwock. Back then, it was a powerful monster that could rival the Rulers, but now it's my plaything."

"Can you summon him now?"

"No. This guy doesn't listen to me at all. When I call his name to the mirror, he's clearly listening, but he doesn't even respond."

Jabberwock, that insufferable lizard!

I thought he'd reformed when he helped us, but he doesn't even respond, so I'm mad.

If you think about it, he was destined to disappear, but he's still relying on my existence to survive.

Show some respect, you damned reptile.

"That's too bad, he seemed so strong."

"He can only be summoned when certain conditions are met, so it's not perfect. Outside of special places like Neverland, I probably won't be able to summon him again."

Why do powerful monsters always have conditions?

If I could handle even one of them freely, I wouldn't have had to fight the machine god to a draw.

"The last question is... Yeah, this will do. You mentioned devils of fairy-tales, right? So, are there more besides Peter Pan and Alice?"

Last question. Devils of fairy-tales.

"Yes. There's Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk, Ariel the Little Mermaid, and the backstabbing... Pinocchio."

"Alice seems mad."

"She must have been hit."

Shut up!

"The ones I know of are these. According to Ariel, there might be two more... So, no more questions?"

The kids looked at each other and nodded.

Even though they didn't look relieved, they probably had a rough idea of ​​their current situation and the dangers of this world.

"Roughly... Haa. But what should we do now? Now that we've talked about it, there's nothing we can do."

Suho looked restless.

He wants to be prepared for any danger.

Suho is a tough kid who blocks attacks with his shield.

At the same time, an all-round tank that quickly detects threats, deflects strong attacks, and dodges them.

I understand his attitude.

"Hehehe... We just have to live our lives. We don't need to wander around looking for danger, and we certainly don't need to be afraid in advance. If trials come, we'll just do our best each time."

I decided to be with these kids.

Our bond became even stronger as we wavered and wavered here and there and made wrong choices.

They'll make up for my shortcomings.

...Okay. I've waited long enough.

Pinocchio.

Isn't it time for you to make a move?

I silently looked out the window.

I sharply stared somewhere beyond the buildings and mountains.

And the next day.

My portable Alice Protocol rings.