Chapter 282: Final Destination? and Close Protection

Over the next few days, Leo's condition grew increasingly worse.

The Staya camp had just survived a battle, and it was the time when they needed him to take charge the most. Yet, he spent all day hiding in his small wooden cabin, consumed by paranoia, rarely stepping outside.

On this day, Ansu pushed open his door once again.

Seeing his current state, Ansu raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Leo, what's wrong with you?”

Leo sat on the edge of the bed, slowly lifting his head. His eyes were hollow and vacant.

He had completely lost the high-spirited air of a Chosen One. His eyes were sunken, his complexion ashen, and he looked so haggard he was almost unrecognizable.

“Who am I... who exactly am I?”

He asked in a raspy voice, “Morris... tell me, who am I really? Does a person named Leo really... exist in this world?”

“What are you talking about?” Ansu frowned and walked quickly to his side.

“You are the Chosen One, Leo. You're the leader of the hero party, the great hero who led us to victory!”

“Great hero...” Leo murmured, his gaze becoming even more bewildered.

He clutched his hair. “But what about before that? Who was I before? Where did I come from? What kind of life did I have?”

Leo squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to remember.

“Don't overthink it. Don't worry yet,” Ansu quickly spoke to comfort him, though he was actually guiding him intentionally.

“You can take your time. Think about your hometown, your childhood...”

“Think about what you used to look like, think about the faces of your family and friends.”

Leo gritted his teeth, scouring his mind for memories.

“I... I was born into a blacksmith's family... I had a talent for swordsmanship since I was young... so my father took me to apprentice under a sword master.”

“Later, I went on an adventure alone. I saw the suffering and the coldness of the world, and only then did the idea of saving the world sprout in my mind.”

“And then, I received a divine call from the gods and was chosen to be the Chosen One.”

He clearly remembered all of this, and at first glance, it seemed flawless.

But when Morris asked him to recall more specific images...

There was nothing.

There were only blurry, indistinct faces, as if separated by a layer of fog that could never be wiped away.

He snapped his eyes open. “I can't remember my father's face! I can't picture my master! I don't even have any impression of what my hometown looked like!”

“Then what about your experiences during your solo adventure? Before you met the four of them?” Ansu's face wore a look of concern, but he was actually adding fuel to the fire.

Leo's emotions spiraled completely out of control as he shook his head frantically.

“No... that's not right...”

He gripped his hair tightly. “What's happening? What's going on... I can't even remember those experiences from my adventure!”

Many of his past memories were blurry and lacked any sense of reality.

Leo felt as if he were a person created out of thin air, and all his memories had been forcibly stuffed into his head by someone else.

Could it be...

Am I a fake?

“You really need to rest, Leo...” Seeing that he was on the verge of collapse, Ansu didn't press further. A light touch was enough.

After a few more comforting words, he took Freya, who had been waiting outside, and silently left the cabin.

Back in his own room, the worry in Ansu's eyes slowly faded.

He needed to run a simulation to verify the results.

Ansu called up the system panel and directly started a 100-hour session.

【100 hours later (September 3rd, 14:15). 100 points consumed.】

【Simulation starting...】

In the next second, darkness quickly shrouded his vision, and the countdown gradually faded away.

After an unknown amount of time, Ansu opened his eyes.

An indescribable sense of exhaustion swept over his body, and his mind was groggy, as if he hadn't slept for several days.

Why am I so tired... did I not sleep at all these past few days?

He forced himself to stand up and look around, his brow furrowing slightly.

The scene before him hadn't changed; he was still in his temporary wooden cabin.

The noise of the Staya camp drifted in from the window—the sounds of warriors repairing fortifications and transporting supplies intertwined in a bustle of activity.

【Reality】

【Radiant Calendar Year 625, August 31st, 10:15】

【Host died on the third day of the "100-hour simulation." Therefore, the simulation has been terminated early, and the future deduction beyond 100 hours cannot be completed.】

【Commentary: Man! Twice now!】

【Rating: D】

【Reward: 8 points】

【Remaining points: 285】

Ansu was somewhat helpless. Well... he wasn't too surprised by this result.

After all, this was what life was like without the vile witch by his side.

If Celia were also pulled into this divine realm, there would be no way for someone like Gulzan, a mere Saint Tier, to be so arrogant here (even though the witch was at the same level). If he truly annoyed her, she might just tear the divine realm open with her bare hands.

Fortunately, it wasn't a total loss.

Ansu quickly pulled out his 《Future Diary》.

Scenes flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern as he read all the memories from the past three days—

【Day 1: Leo's self-doubt erupted completely.】

【Guiding him along, I directed all suspicion toward High Priest Gulzan, telling Leo that the divine call in his heart and the voices controlling him might be the work of black magic cast by Gulzan.】

【You are still Leo. There's no need to doubt yourself. This is all Gulzan's conspiracy; he is the one pulling the strings in the shadows.】

Humans are naturally inclined to look for external causes for their pain and confusion.

Even though Leo had begun to doubt his own existence, once he learned that all of this was Gulzan's doing, he instantly felt as if he had grasped a lifeline. He was overjoyed, looking as if he had come back to life...

【I told him that perhaps Gulzan's goal was to destroy the Chosen One and completely dismantle the Staya resistance. This rhetoric accurately hit Leo's suspicions.】

【Leo prepared to assemble an elite team to launch a proactive strike against Gulzan, expose the conspiracy, and uncover the truth of his own existence.】

【Day 2: The team began secret preparations, but at the same time, I encountered a strange turn of events...】

Ansu's finger slid across the paper, his gaze gradually becoming solemn.

He finally understood why he was so mentally exhausted and figured out the cause of his death mid-simulation.

【During a routine daily reconnaissance, while walking on a mountain path, the rocks beneath my feet loosened without warning, and I nearly fell down a bottomless cliff.】

【At lunch, my dry rations somehow got stuck in my throat, and I nearly choked to death.】

【An arrow from the hero party's archer slipped from the string, and a poisoned arrowhead shot straight toward my head.】

【The most ridiculous thing happened on the night of camping in the wild.】

【Luckily, I stayed up a bit late and didn't fall asleep. First, a crow suddenly landed on the roof of the tent. The seemingly stable structure broke instantly when a load-bearing wooden beam snapped. As the tent collapsed, a sharpened wooden pole poked straight toward my heart.】

【That wasn't all... because the kerosene lamp was knocked over, the fire spread instantly, and a nearby haystack was also ignited by sparks. If I hadn't run fast, I would have been buried in a forest fire.】

【Day 3: All sorts of inconceivable fatal accidents occurred one after another, linked together like a chain. I thought I was filming 《Final Destination》...】

【Freya was almost crying from anxiety and had to stay by my side every second. Her eyes were as red as a rabbit's.】

However, he eventually crashed...

The final fatal accident was something Ansu didn't even have time to record in the diary. He didn't make it to the fourth morning.

After reading the memories, Ansu understood.

The moment he directed Leo's suspicion toward Gulzan, he had essentially exposed himself and was targeted by the ruler of this divine realm.

An invisible will had begun to frantically reject him, trying to erase him by any means necessary.

Ansu slowly closed the 《Future Diary》.

Then, without any stinginess, he pulled out more than a dozen life-saving magic items.

There were those that could instantly teleport him out of danger in a crisis, high-level shield magic scrolls that could withstand powerful attacks, various amulets, and substitute puppets that would automatically trigger upon receiving a fatal blow...

He hung them all over himself, clinking and clattering like a walking magic general store.

However, these preparations were not enough.

Ansu quickly tidied his clothes, slowly pushed open the door, and walked straight toward Freya's quarters next door.

After he knocked on the door, Freya's eyes held a hint of confusion, as the two of them had just returned from Leo's place.

“What's wrong? An... Mr. Morris?”

“Let's talk inside. It's not convenient here.” Ansu lowered his voice and gently closed the door behind him.

“Mhm.” Freya didn't think much of it. She smiled and walked to the table, picking up the kettle to pour Ansu a cup of water.

But Ansu's next sentence made her so shocked she almost dropped the kettle on the floor.

“Freya, let's stay in the same room!”

“Eh!?” Freya's pale gold eyes instantly went wide, and she froze in place.

In the next second, after realizing what he had said, a flush of crimson quickly climbed from her neck to her cheeks, until her entire face was bright red.

“An...”

She lowered her head shyly, her voice soft and panicked. “Are, are you serious...”

“Mhm, okay! Okay... of course I can...”

“What are you thinking?” Ansu couldn't help but laugh, interrupting her wild thoughts. “What I mean is, I need your close protection. From now on, I need you to be with me at all times, protecting me inseparably.”

He already had a new plan in mind.

Guiding Leo to target Gulzan was a key part of his plan; he wanted to make the two of them suspicious of each other and destroy one another.

Even if he took a more subtle approach to guide Leo now, regardless of what happened, Gulzan would eventually focus his attention on him.

His exposure was only a matter of time.

So Ansu needed Freya's protection. In this divine realm ruled by Gulzan, Gulzan was certainly the strongest in terms of power, followed by Freya.

“Oh, I see...”

A flash of slight disappointment crossed Freya's expression, and her long eyelashes fluttered a few times.

However, it was quickly replaced by curiosity. She looked up at Ansu and nodded seriously. “Okay, I understand. But what kind of danger is it that requires me to protect you inseparably? Could the enemy be...”

Ansu didn't say much, but his expression became extremely grave.

Freya subconsciously glanced at the sky outside the window and understood instantly.

She blinked and gazed seriously at Ansu, nodding solemnly once more.

“Alright. From now on, I will never let you leave my sight. I will definitely do my best to protect you!”

...