["Elizabeth von Etherion, are you guilty of killing your father?"]
The voice of the Administrator reverberated in Elizabeth's head. It seed to continually bounce on her brain and shook up her skull.
She was perplexed, not knowing how to properly react at what she just heard. Elizabeth wanted to quickly retort, but even reflexively, she couldn't do so.
It was like her mory was being jumbled up at the mont that she couldn't deny and agree with the words of the Administrator.
Uncontrollably, tears started to form in her light green eyes. For so reason, she didn't rub her eyes and just let it flow.
"H-huh...?"
Still confused, Elizabeth muttered. She didn't understand the question, but sohow, within her, she felt like she had known about it all along.
Taking up a mont, Elizabeth took a long breath that seed like she had used every ounce of her strength to do so.
With her mouth slightly trembling, she asked:
"W-what d-do you an k-killing my father? A-are you playing tricks with ?"
Elizabeth had seen the panoramic film-like scenery after every question was answered, but at this mont, with conviction, she requested the Administrator.
"I-I don't understand. C-can you show w-what you're talking about?"
She was torn between reality and an illusion, denying and accepting the situation or remnant of the past that was a part of her life as a princess of Etheria.
["Your request will be granted."]
At that mont, the moving stars that acted as a wall in this Area of Fealty turned into a mory fragnt.
Elizabeth, with her watery light green eyes, watched the scenes in front of her.
Upon seeing the scenes, Elizabeth's mory, which seed to have been erased and fabricated, was gradually returning.
She fell to her knees. Her energy quickly left her body, turning her into a lethargic princess. Her mouth agape, trembling as crystal-like tears continually flowed down from her eyes, which were being swept away by the cold air inside the mysterious Area of Fealty or the unexpected place of judgnt.
What was screened in her eyes was a mory of her childhood, specifically, it was Elizabeth who just turned seven years old and received the System, as well as the skills that were ant for her, and the blessings of being under the care of a Guild Master, her mother.
Getting lifted up in the air by her father and getting smiled at by him and his wife, and with the presence of so important people, they didn't check the information regarding Elizabeth's newly acquired skills. And with an undying curiosity of a seven-year-old child, Elizabeth, with White World or her Personal Weapon, she received as a gift, tried the skill that would let her cut into space.
But, at that mont, she didn't know anything about the consequences it would cause. She had cut a space that opened up a portal to another dinsion, and what ca out of it was a single hand.
Elizabeth had no idea, but her father and her mother's eyes widened at the sight. The monstrosity that she inadvertently called in the world was tearing the space apart, wanting to completely crossover through from where it ca from to the world.
A voice was heard behind the crack. It was a terrifyingly deep voice.
- Who dares to disturb ?!
Even with the strength of her father and mother, they knew that they wouldn't be able to beat the being that was sticking its body out of the tearing space.
With that said, Elizabeth's father had used a Legendary artifact and mustered up everything he could to stop the incoming catastrophe. And by doing so, it cost him his life.
With a smile on Elizabeth's father's face, looking at the young Elizabeth who had no idea what was happening at that ti or seed couldn't process everything in front of her, he was pierced from behind by a gigantic scythe. It was the enormous hand that turned into a scythe weapon.
The last words of her father lingered in her mind.
- T-take care of our daughter. I-I love y-.
The torn space closed as the dead body of her father got dragged from wherever part of the Great Universe it was.
At this mont, Elizabeth let her emotions explode. Crying at rembering sothing terrible — her sin. Although she was just a child at that ti, she should have been at least aware first of the powers that were given to her by the System.
She couldn't speak a word. Her body was trembling, her hands and mouth shaking.
With reddened eyes, as her long hair fluttered, Elizabeth looked at the panorama that was still playing. The scene then changed.
- My Queen, do you think it will be for her best to wipe her mory of that ti? I apologize for asking, but we know that it will only be a temporary asure.
- It's alright. There would co a ti when she would know about it, but until then, let her live without a scar.
It was the conversation between Eliana and her equerry.
Under the confidentiality agreent with the percentage of overall stats due Mana Contract on the line, one of the personnel or guild mbers of the Ethereal Guild with the ability to wipe a mory had erased Elizabeth's mories of that day.
The person that did such a job was none other than...
"N-nanny...?"
The maid that was with her in the Obelisk Academy. The maid that took care of her when she was still learning to crawl. The maid that's been with her for a long ti.
Elizabeth knew that every subordinate of her mother was anything but weak, but she never expected that she's been with the one who erased her mory of what truly happened with her father.
The Administrator was kind enough to let Elizabeth bawl her eyes out upon the rembrance of everything that had happened. What's frightening, even though her mories were altered, was that she never felt anything amiss.
"M-mother lied to ...'
Elizabeth muttered as the panorama of mories ended.
Four to five minutes had passed, and the Administrator asked again.
["Elizabeth von Etherion, are you guilty of killing your father?"]
Taking a heavy breath before answering, Elizabeth then responded with a heavy heart.
"Yes."
At that mont, the System ssages entered her ears and reverberated in her head.
[You have finished answering the Player Judgnt questions according to the best of your ability!]
[The Tower of Growth is assessing everything you have said.]
[...assessing...]
[The Tower of Growth has taken note of your fealty toward yourself!]
[The Tower of Growth has finished assessing your responses!]
[You have passed the trials of the Tower!]
[You have received the Title: First Close Mystery Tower's Conqueror!]
[Due to your resolve on facing the reality of your story, the Tower of Growth has granted you one wish!]
[This one wish can only be granted at this mont and only limited to the Tower of Growth's will.]
[Worthy! State your wish!]
Elizabeth felt her body rejuvenated, and she felt anew, but her emotional state was hanging on the balance.
The Title she received was the one that boosted the player's Growth Rate by ten tis. Processing the other nurous System ssages, Elizabeth contemplated.
'Tower's will...'
Elizabeth didn't have any idea or knowledge enough to know the confines or scope of influence of the Tower of Growth, but she tried to wish with what she was curious about.
"My wish... is for the Tower to reveal everything about the being that k-killed my father..."
She almost choked in saying the last words of her sentence since she's sohow directly involved in her father's death.
[You have stated your wish!]
["Is that your ultimate wish?"]
The Administrator asked as the System's voice reverberated.
"Yes. It is my ultimate wish."
Elizabeth spoke, resolve could be seen in her light green eyes. It seed those eyes lost the color of the cheeky princess.
[With the ancient power of the Tower of Growth, your wish will be granted!]
At that mont, either useful or irrelevant information regarding the monster from another dinsion that killed his father has been screened in front of her through the panoramic wall of the enclosed room. The room's wall, in front of her, turned into a gigantic holographic screen.
Elizabeth then read it from left to right.
***
Na: Muzak
Race: Space Insectoid
Title: [First Floor's Conqueror...] and 61 others.
Health Points (HP): 100%r
Mana Points (MP): 219,999r
Stamina Points (SP): 219,999r
Age: 841 (Earth Years)r
Sex: [Male]
Height: [210 cm]r
World: [30th Floor of the Last Close Mystery Tower]r
Rank: Transcendentr
Profession: [Clay of Space]
Main Stats: Strength, Swift
Star Contract: [Goddess of False Space]
— STATS —
Strength: 21999
Swift: 21999
Intelligence: 21999
Constitution: 21999
Vitality: 21999
Fortitude: 21999
Luck: 7
Magic Power: 21999
Unallocated Stats: 0
— Unique Skill [5/–] —
— Skill [21/–] —
— Attribute [5/–] —
— Authority [3/–] —
***
Elizabeth frowned at the rank that was beyond the SSS rank that was revealed to her, but she moved on as it seed to didn't matter to her at this mont, and quickly read the next sentences that were automatically translated for her.
— Current Location: 41st Floor of the Last Close Mystery Tower.
— Circumstances of your father's death: With the Goddess of False Space's order, Muzak had been asked to kill the one who tapped into space without her permission, which resulted in your father's death. The Skill: Weapon Space Coating was a blessing that had cut through space that connected on one of the floors of the Last Close Mystery Tower, which then garnered the attention of the Goddess of False Space.
— Goddess of False Space, a deceived one and an evil goddess. She's a masochistic woman who thought that she was the only one who could manipulate space. With her twisted personality, any players with space-related skills inside or even outside the Last Close Mystery Tower were always in danger.
***
After so ti, Elizabeth had read everything. Her fist clenched as her resolve strengthened. Apart from being a princess, her current circumstances opened her eyes to many things.
'I don't know anything about the Last Close Mystery Tower... but I'm surprised that Goddess' eyes aren't even gazing here.'
'Even if it takes many, many years. I will put you down from your false throne...'
["I know what you are thinking, but worry not. Inside the Last Close Mystery Tower, a player is physically unaging."]
["Seek your story!"]
With the turmoil of winds, Elizabeth then vanished from the Area of Fealty.
[You are exiting the Tower of Growth!]
***
In Russell's Area of Fealty. He was on his seventh question at this mont. Since the question was only answerable for seven minutes, almost everyone was on the sa pace.
With everything that had been shown to him, Russell felt like his head was going to burst open. The first panoramic scene already sent him into a level of existential crisis. Russell, who knew the Tower of Growth seed better than anyone else, was certain that the first and last questions were the hardest.
But Russell knew... that being loyal to oneself and answering truthfully for the benefit of the self was the correct way to pass the Tower's Judgnt. In other words, the Tower of Growth was looking for selfish players who would not be bound by anything to hinder their growth.
Waiting for the seventh question, Russell thought about Elizabeth — the woman whom he was looking at earlier before proceeding to the 30th floor.
'Sorry, Elizabeth.'
Though he couldn't be blad for being thrown into a pile of mysteries of his own, he couldn't help but feel sowhat guilty for writing his unpublished novel that turned into reality.
["Russell Moon..."]
With a pause of the deep voice, Russell was jolted awake from her montary stupor.
["Are you guilty of writing the Incomplete Last Defector of Reality?"]
At the words of the Administrator, Russell felt like his soul left his body.
A second later, the System ssage entered his ears.
[Your Attribute: Nihility has concealed the Administrator's words from the ears of the stars!]
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