Anton Pasaribu's point of view.
"You can let me go now!"
"Aren't you the one holding me?" I asked, confused by her behaviour.
"Oh, you're right. Sorry."
Alice slowly removed her hand from me. Then she lowered her shoulders and looked at me.
"What? What's with that look of yours." I'm embarrassed by her look.
"You're dating Princess Veronica, aren't you?"
"Hah!!!???" I was surprised, even almost backwards.
"I knew that. I knew you liked her because she was beautiful."
"Hah!!!???"
"That's true, isn't it?"
"What's true?"
She was wrong.
"What happened to you, Alice?" I continued, "Did you eat something that had fallen on the ground? Or did you see someone who had soft teeth and walked backwards? Or maybe... you're like this because you did a 360-degree turn? You're so weird. Dating her? That can't be happening."
I don't know why I panicked. It's like when I was suspected of dating Karina Martin in high school. I was the one who panicked and couldn't explain what was going on.
"I-I..."
She looked like she wanted to talk about why she was like this, but she hesitated.
"What's wrong with you!?" I asked, confirming again.
"Adventurers... they're talking about you."
"Talk about what?"
"You like Veronica."
"... What?"
"Someone caught you. He said you were looking into Veronica. So that's why he thinks you and Veronica are very close, like a couple."
I did find out about Veronica, but that was hours ago in the real world. The one who knew that was me and... Wait, didn't he see that too? Norman found me looking at an article about Veronica during office hours. It means...
"Norman... is that Norman?"
I asked her something that confused her. The look on her face showed what had happened to her, confused. She didn't know who Norman was.
"Oh, I forgot. Nevermind!"
Alice couldn't possibly know us, the players. I'm not sure she thinks we are like the NPCs, but I can tell she and the NPCs think what we are. And that, she said, "adventurers talk about me", I could tell that she mentioned us as adventurers. So most likely, the players were called adventurers by her and the other NPCs.
"So, is it true?" Alice asked.
"No, that's not true. Why would you believe a stupid thing?"
After saying that, I looked up at the sky from a distance. I half my forehead with my right hand, then set my eyeballs to look there. There I could see the twilight attached by the two very high hills. Even if the clouds look brighter than usual, this is a magnificent sight to me. This is a moment I have never felt while living in an urban area.
After fifteen seconds of staring at the sky, I looked back at Alice standing in front of me.
"Alice, whatever you hear, whatever you feel, whatever you see, whatever happens to you today, believe me, it will end beautifully. The night will come because the twilight will end. You can trust your efforts today were not in vain. You have tried to trust me, thank you. Keep it that way, and I will not betray you. Don't listen to the words of those who can only talk nonsense. They have no proof. So..." I smiled as the last rays of the sun shone on us. "Stay like this."
Too many rumours about me, and it sucks. I'm so sick of people talking nonsense. I've tasted their crap repeatedly, so that's enough for me. I don't want people who believe in me to doubt me just because of their bullshit. I don't want that to happen again.
"So, what is it? Are they...?" Alice asked.
I explained what I had done earlier—of course, that was with a bit of a lie. There are two different points of view between the NPCs and us; we know that they are NPCs, and the NPCs don't know we are players, so I lied to her.
I explained that I was looking into Veronica because I suspected her. It was involved with what was in the Jajaro Ruins. I want to know more about her. I lied that I found out about her through informants who had met Veronica.
Well, even if I get nothing about Veronica, at least I explained it well.
Alice accepted it. She finally came to terms with the truth, which happened to me a few hours ago. Also, I told her not to listen to their stories, those adventurers spoken of. They talk nonsense. It was only natural since they could only think like that. They were too lazy to find out what had happened to me. Luckily I wasn't mad about it and was able to act mature.
"Can you accept that?" I asked, confirming one more time.
"Okay, I'll believe you. But..."
Her gaze was quite sharp towards me. She looked like she had just found the prey she wanted to hunt, so sharp that she couldn't be diverted. Even so, I still responded.
"But?"
"If you really did find out about Veronica, why didn't you get me involved?"
"It because..."
Of course, that couldn't possibly happen. She was an NPC who lived in this world, so it was impossible to live with me in the real world. If I say, "You are just a program created by the EVO company," will her feelings hurt? Or does she not understand about a program?
"Sorry. Next time I'll take you."
In the end, I can't say that. I can only apologise to her.
"All right. I'll come if you find out about her."
Her face was expressionless, but she seemed quite happy that I apologised and was going to take her.
***
Five months later, on December 23, 2031, before the Christmas event began.
"Alice, are you all right?" I ask.
"I-I..."
I looked around me, which was filled with fire. There was nothing there but burning trees and grass, animals running for safety, and black smoke in the sky.
"What the hell? Why is this happening? Hey, Alice..."
My eyes bulged sharply when I looked at her, who was 20 meters away from me.
"Alice...?"
I ran forcibly when I found out that there was a sword stuck in her chest.
A feeling of worry began to well up inside of me. I saw Alice was already helpless there, lying limply covered in wounds. I was so worried about her condition even I forgot about the pain in my broken right leg.
I limped to be able to run there.
Arriving there, I grabbed her body.
"Alice... Hey, Alice, say you're fine!"
"S-Sorry Anton, I-I..."
"Don't talk too much! You have a deep wound!"
I'm not a doctor, but I know I can't pull out the sword stuck in her chest. The wound will get worse if I remove it.
"Healer... I need a healer!"
There was no one there. All around us was a blazing fire, and it was getting bigger. It wasn't easy to find help. Even so, I kept screaming and hoping a player or NPC could heal her.
"Anton..."
Alice held my cheek with her blood-stained hand. She looked at me lazily.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
"No, you're not fine! Don't lie!"
"T-Thank you for trusting me when you found out I betrayed you. I'm so happy. You continue to trust me, even if I lied about Veronica..."
"Don't talk too much! Healer, I need a healer!"
I kept screaming and trying not to look at her. In other words, I do not accept the reality that happened to her. However, she kept forcing me to look at her condition.
"Even at the last moment, you protected me. Thank you very much."
"No... you can't say that. No matter what happens, I will always accept you and protect you. Don't go! Alice... please..."
My tears fell all over her body when I saw her smiling face.
"I can't. But at least it's better. I've been fighting for my life all this time, and this is the end of my life. All this time, I only lived with people who hated me. But after you came, my life changed. Very pleased to meet you, Anton."
Her voice was too soft and low. She was too weak to speak. Even so, she continued to force herself to speak.
"Didn't you say you wanted to avenge that man? You wanted to kill your uncle, didn't you? Then why do you think your life is over just because of that bastard, Veronica? Please don't go!"
"A-At least... it's fun. Finding out about her with you is so much fun. I can find out what happened a thousand years ago in this country. Veronica... even if she doesn't think of me as her friend, I still have you. You are a good man, willing to accept my flaws that people hate."
The trees in this forest are getting burned. The fire started to spread and was heading towards us. I could see my entire skin turning black and feel the oxygen levels running low.
"Alice... don't say that, please! Don't go! Hang on!"
There is one way to save her life, which is to take her through this forest. But just as I was about to lift her, she took my hand, shook her head, and smiled.
"It's all right. Leave me here! You can save yourself! You won't be able to carry me with your legs."
"Alice..."
She didn't want me to take her away. She knows what happened to my right leg. She just wanted me to go for her.
"I only have one request. Please help Veronica! She's trapped and can't get out. You have to help her, so she can realise that she isn't her..."
She said her plea. I listened to her with great concern. She spoke as if it was her last plea to me. I don't want this. I really wanted her to stay alive and by my side. We still have a lot to do. I can't be alone. I can't explore this world without her.
But then, she closed her eyes with a smile.
"ALICEEEEEEE!!!"
I screamed her name, hugged her, and cried under the twilight sky covered in thick black smoke and snowflakes mixed with falling embers.