Grin truthfully told Alberke everything he saw in the dreamscape, even including the inner thoughts.
As she listened, Alberke’s expression gradually turned serious, then shifted to helplessness and a sigh.
“If that’s the case, then I can understand why you’d come out alone in the middle of the night. Thank you for being willing to tell me all this.”
“You’re Dolores’s best friend, aren’t you?” Grin replied.
“Mm… Although that’s only because I’m the only one she considers a friend, that statement isn’t wrong.”
“But for you to be willing to tell me all this honestly—even I feel a bit flattered. So… are you planning to start completing the System’s tasks?”
Alberke asked.
From Grin’s perspective, he didn’t know Alberke could see the System. He made the same choice she had with Dolores: only telling her about Option One.
Options Two and Three, which required someone to die, he never even considered from the start.
At the same time, Grin also told Alberke the specific content of the Main Quest. Although Alberke already knew it, she didn’t intend to interrupt.
Instead of continuing the conversation about the System Tasks, Alberke carefully studied Grin’s expression and asked an extra question:
“After venting, do you feel a little better? I listened very seriously to little Dolores’s story.”
“A child as strong as that deserves a good ending, don’t you think?”
“I feel a lot better. Yeah, I agree.”
Alberke nodded, then reminded him:
“You’ve spent more time with Dolores than I have. I believe that after confirming she didn’t betray you, you should have understood her intentions.”
“I don’t want to say something like ‘she did it for your own good.’ I think maybe she didn’t tell you everything, or maybe little Dolores really did forget.”
“She doesn’t just want to see you fix your regrets. Viseliane is clearly one of her regrets… and then there’s Hagel and Doroth. There’s no need to deliberately avoid them—they’re facts.”
“I know.” After answering, Grin nodded again.
“Then let’s end the topic about Dolores here. You already know the answers in your own heart. I’m just repeating them.”
Alberke paused, then continued speaking to Grin:
“I have some impression of the task locations you mentioned. They’re all in the Past Kingdom area beneath The Hollow. If I can see some landmark structures down there, I should be able to guide you to them.”
As for the map’s art, she hadn’t troubled Dolores. Instead, Alberke had directly found free or paid assets to piece together.
But a two-dimensional flat map had become a complex three-dimensional space. Knowing it perfectly was completely impossible, but identifying locations and determining direction through landmarks—that Alberke could still do.
Just like she had in the Ruins Forest.
Now, throughout the entire Land Kingdom, aside from a few old monsters and the half-dead Natives underground, probably no one was more familiar with the below than the half-baked Alberke.
“Fifteen days is a very delicate time frame. Your Main Quest must not fail, and Dolores’s Favor Quest must not fail either. Otherwise, there will be big problems.” Alberke analyzed the stakes.
“Would failing the quests cause something serious?” Grin asked uneasily.
“Based on the conditions you mentioned, a ten-year gap is far too long. To continue the quests, you’d have to go to the neighboring Vass Kingdom or the Hyde Holley Magic Academy to restart the regional Main Quest, just to ensure your growth in strength.”
“At the same time, that means you won’t be able to intervene in many events in the Land Kingdom. Your strength won’t allow it, and the tragedies you once witnessed in the Land Kingdom will still repeat.”
“Maybe you can save Viseliane, and maybe save a small number of people. But I believe you don’t want to stop there.”
“So…” Grin’s eyes grew resolute. He asked, “We can’t let my System Task fail, can we?”
Alberke nodded, but added:
“To be precise, even if you fail, there’s no penalty. Complete it and you get a reward; fail and there’s no punishment. If you choose to shed your moral burden, then none of the tragedies have anything to do with you.”
The game was essentially about satisfying revenge. Although there were several crises that involved the world, even if Grin didn’t participate in them, those crises would resolve themselves—except for the final game-ending World Destruction.
A classic example was the Undersea City plot involving Prophet Phil. In the Second Playthrough, even if Grin chose not to find Phil at all, she would still choose to sacrifice herself to suppress the Undersea City.
Only if he met her and then gave up halfway would Phil cause a world-class catastrophe.
He could completely do whatever he wanted.
“Miss Alberke, you know I can’t stand by and watch tragedies happen—especially those I now have the power to prevent.”
“Maybe, at the very beginning of my Rebirth, I had such thoughts. But now I’ve reaffirmed my heart. My goal will no longer waver.”
“I will still be the Hero carrying others’ expectations, and Dolores will still be the kind girl in my memories who likes me.”
Grin said each word deliberately.
“Mr. Grin, you’re carrying her expectations on your shoulders.”
Hearing Alberke’s seemingly contemplative remark, Grin shook his head and retorted:
“No, it’s not just her expectations. It’s also mine, and the expectations of many people from the past.”
“I once wavered because I saw too many tragedies I couldn’t reverse. I saw them, but I couldn’t save them.”
“Back then, Dolores comforted me, saying that everywhere we looked was tragedy—not because that’s the nature of this world, but because we walked too fast and too far, so we saw these things.”
“She asked me in return: ‘We could find a remote, uninhabited place to live, never again paying attention to anything outside. Then there would be no more heartbreaking tragedies. But would I be willing to live that life?’”
Alberke let out a soft hum. The answer was obvious—even an idiot could guess.
“Everything happening now is our shared expectation.”
“No matter how many times our positions were swapped, I think we would make the same choice. The only difference is that I might not be as smart or as far-sighted as Dolores.”
“The doubts and suspicions I once had about why she didn’t tell me everything—all of them vanished with this meeting with little Dolores.”
“So now, I don’t want to and won’t betray her expectations.”
“Mm-hmm.” Alberke made an adorable sound of agreement, then continued.
“There were many things you couldn’t change at this point in time in the past. Now, there’s the chance and possibility to change them.”
*
“After all, you’ve obtained power through the System that would have been impossible at this point in the past.”
“As you change, it will gradually become harder for me to give you appropriate advice. But for now, you can still trust my suggestions.”
“This chat ends here. See you tomorrow, Mr. Grin.”
Alberke stood up to leave, but Grin called out to her.
“Miss Alberke, I’ve always been curious—why do you keep helping me?”
Alberke stopped. A hint of confusion crossed her face as she tugged at her hat brim. “Why would you suddenly ask me that? Maybe because I don’t have much sense of security, so I want to find a reliable strong person to rely on.”
“After all, I’m very weak. I just want a stable life.”
Grin’s expression grew complicated as he continued:
“Back then, when I was with Dolores, carrying hatred in my heart—was it really safe to be around someone like me?”
“At that time, I was stubborn and straying down the wrong path. You knew I was dangerous back then; otherwise, you wouldn’t have used the words ‘guidance’ and ‘correction.’”
“Moreover, at least up to now, you’ve never gained anything from me. You’ve only given, and even experienced danger because of it.”
“Tch…” Alberke’s eyes darted away. “The things I want—you’ll only be able to get them for me after you become stronger. And only by becoming stronger will you have the ability to make up for your regrets. These aren’t contradictory—both require you to get stronger first.”
“Miss Alberke, if you wanted a stable life, with your knowledge and insight, you shouldn’t have approached this place at this time. You knew the Capital would be full of incidents. Wouldn’t that have been better?”
Grin pressed further.
“And you even said to me…”
‘Let me be happy—that’s your goal.’—something like that.
“Stop here.” Alberke interrupted him, then continued.
“I feel that if we keep talking, you might start thinking I have feelings for you. Don’t say things that can be easily misunderstood.”
“I’m definitely not a good person. Otherwise, the first time I met you, I would have chosen to help Dolores.”
“I’m helping you only because there’s something I hope to gain from you.”
Grin met Alberke’s eyes and asked:
“Then what is it?”
Under Grin’s gaze, Alberke looked away nervously, but her mouth still stubbornly replied. “I’ll tell you later. When the time comes, I hope you remember the debt you owe me and retrieve it for me.”
“I help you because I want something from you. I’m not your family; my help isn’t without any request.”
Alberke’s voice had dropped very low for that short speech, but it still didn’t escape Grin’s ears.
“Alright, it’s settled, Miss Alberke.”
“If in the future you think of something you need me to retrieve, I’ll get it for you as repayment.”
The corners of Grin’s mouth lifted slightly, and he couldn’t help but find Alberke adorable.
Then he bid farewell:
“See you tomorrow.”
Alberke hurried away, her hat brim pulled very, very low, and her face a little red.
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