Chapter 39: In This Case, I Choose 6
YD1ctThe demonstration round of The Breath of Judgment continued.RUBKH6K
H8W“Good. Now you may perform two actions. One is ‘Accept’ and the other is ‘Verify.’”NfiD7
BVWIQBbIf the testimony is true, accept it.xUsr
ruQPIf it is false, verify it.fpE
yht“Try making a decision.”HJlS6
VDwBglECurrently, the top face of the die shows a 6.PfR
cwSmcbAnd Do has just testified that this event corresponds to the “first perfect number,” meaning the smallest perfect number.pkW
xFZHRQTherefore, the testimony is true.NzU
9AqqS“Accept.”ZX1
2hHt9Bang!ldG5T23
gmfhbDJ[Testimony X: “Aaaah! What I saw was the first perfect number!”]bWny
a374[(Accept)｜××]hfqmGJ8
4dvkgBelow the statement, among the options “Accept” and “Verify,” a red seal appeared over “Accept,” while “Verify” was crossed out.IIME2
56MP7zi“When you accept a testimony, its truthfulness is not revealed. Even if you judge a false testimony as true, the Breath will not judge you.”XEuzny5
AKFsNVNThat means if I consider a testimony to be true and accept it, I will never know whether I was right or wrong.g8CaA3S
WgQ6B9And even if I’m wrong, I won’t receive any penalty.dVY
LtkfCQk“Now try verifying it.”QTJ9Hur
z9q7lA second identical copy of the same statement appeared.hRax2U
PExqz“Verify.”oW98Bw7
g8P7feBang!eprEG
3w9eQU[Testimony X: “Aaaah! What I saw was the first perfect number!”]7yFFxkr
msw[××｜(Verify)]TeSwEH4
yyNmBr“Do not hesitate.”2zOP
bDlEAs that solemn sentence descended upon me, I heard a hissing sound coming from the gas mask.Joy
jnec“Mmph…!”4Q6PMAM
zVnTStartled, I immediately held my breath and tried to remove the mask.eB2
puoJNaturally, it was useless.LtysNo
S7IThe mask wouldn’t come off my face.VUX
62XIt was as if it were part of my skin.dbWeJ
3K8Ygw“This is still only a demonstration. Nothing that can harm you will happen.”5ryd
NoaO“Haa… Please warn me before doing things like that.”aLQ
A9UEZIgnoring me, Do continued his explanation.KJL
W73“On the other hand, when you verify a testimony, its truthfulness is revealed immediately. If you verify a false testimony, nothing happens. But if you verify a true testimony believing it to be false, the Breath will judge you.”p5BrE
auBuKq5“Will I die instantly if I inhale it?”yaijXv
3SskR“The Breath of Judgment enters one breath at a time. With a single breath, blood will begin pouring from your eyes, nose, and mouth. The more Breath you inhale, the faster and heavier the bleeding will become.”vcW
MROvIt seemed to be some kind of poisonous gas that caused hemorrhaging.jbqiXot
9oVCHolding my breath probably wouldn’t help.qe0
EomcV2IThe mask couldn’t even be removed.BBcYo
gi6Al5NAnd even if I tried, I would die from suffocation in a little over a minute.LOK
5W7PD1“After about three breaths, the game will end. You may even drown in your own blood before the internal bleeding kills you.”jqPU
gTQq5Fq“Ah.”PyYVHV
HmiDwThat means I can withstand two breaths.3Qe
TwgFThree, if I’m lucky.ozd
jnzMz“You truly will make an excellent gambler.”jUBi
8nbHXThe corners of all twenty-one eyes curved upward, as though they had read exactly what I was thinking.ayWUQ9U
4Ue“There will be a total of six events. If you manage to solve all six and remain alive for more than six minutes, you win.”c4yPEF7
Dawfw“Don’t I need to correctly determine whether they’re true or false?”5yTr
DfEyI just have to survive?M0tHCD
6FgyDIt doesn’t matter whether I correctly accepted a truth or correctly verified a lie?WUlrwCf
KxOo“Is that what you think is important? What truly matters is deciding what to believe and what not to believe.”LK76ih
MYwGhxSomething didn’t add up.7p7RQ
EVSibynIf I accept a testimony—D43olO
VlYL37gThe event ends regardless of whether it was true or false.38G
SF00I receive no penalty.Z7ZBJJ
D6QOn the other hand, if I verify a testimony…D7r78
8ndrfNothing happens if it’s false.feBcjq
JiSJBut if it turns out to be true, I inhale poisonous gas.d8C0nK
Y1JTzThen…igRK
czw7OzaWouldn’t it be enough to simply accept everything?g9Vo4
YDRKVI looked at the gambling die suspiciously.9M6ojl
ejKU0ouThere was no way he hadn’t realized that.pgnJ
jmQcrwTAnd there was no way he would offer me such a simple game.JR8JBg
kzMPwu“There is no wager without tricks.”0sN80Tk
bQmMUQFor some reason, that phrase came back to me.ByJgaf
9OgpkI had a feeling that winning The Breath of Judgment would not be so easy.MmAPyCv
CKLgI didn’t know exactly what trick Do intended to use.Ile
5eag1eKBut he would probably try to prevent me, somehow, from simply accepting every testimony.LfBppiW
DReLOV4Even so, I didn’t believe my chances of winning were zero.FDE
DdCEBecause, in theory, every labyrinth problem always has a solution.fthgmp4
5dDznjvAssuming you survive long enough to find it.9o45lQ
EL4“Then let us begin The Breath of Judgment.”zSaFYmT
1o3EbIn other words, the fact that Do had proposed this game meant there was a possibility of victory.omfLz
n3leTAnd if there was a possibility—Ud1F
p2PThen I could win.w0a
ZhQAnd if I won…8hh7JEK
o24ZdI could get Jung Jiho out of the labyrinth.UzQMZ
qW9YuvL…I could save someone from the labyrinth with my own hands.5qOs
kw6“Yes. Let’s begin.”BfvZTy
l8ZClack.UGj
OWQUThe die rolled and finally stopped.l3wV
MhKHdNTop face: 1.mjz
0Z7“An event has occurred. I will begin my testimony.”F8fL9
KrAp0[Event ① – Statement of 1]uwfPyE
wwAYQ[Testimony A: ]kOH3
BdNFF“I saw it clearly!”AovU
OzaThe statement continued in the voice of an unknown young man.KyKVsV
fWl“The number of eyes is equal to the floor number where the exit of this labyrinth is located!”4w5Mw
EJ8VEJ“You cheating bastard.”ql0xX1
NdGpOAt that moment, I realized I was doomed to lose.H7FUkA8
Nday***ul5
tnILXjWhen someone hits the back of your head hard with a thick book.tl3
Tm2vYSomething like that shook my mind.yYLY
STeJpPU[Testimony A: “I saw it clearly! The number of eyes is equal to the floor number where the exit of this labyrinth is located!”]jwXGRa
ZTVYgWhen you receive a hard blow to the back of the neck with a thick book.I9LAKou
zi68qSomething like that shook my mind.JUGN
6IY[Testimony A: “I saw it clearly! The number of eyes is equal to the floor number where the exit of this labyrinth is located!”]Uaw1eU
nPLcOIt was a game I was destined to lose.vVS4u
DayBecause of the nature of labyrinths, which respect “doors,” I assumed the exit was on the first floor.UANoA
kBYTmBut an assumption was not a certainty.M2RtQ
Gk0Ei4And if I could actually confirm it, all the better.ehEv
AbLm5pIf the labyrinth itself guaranteed it, there could be no more reliable proof.s5uREc
OA2g0“This…”fFI3Cu
6ByJ8BHIf I wanted to know the truth, I had to verify it.AluuBTL
r27dZseIf I accepted it, I would never know whether it was true or false.Gm35G
6H8gwOnly by verifying it could I find out.vK1jRd
QloAnd of course, if I verified it and it turned out the exit was not on the first floor, then I would be correct and everything would be fine.e0re9
nrQQBut if it really was on the first floor…T69oD
3Epae84Then I would inhale the poisonous gas.4aLP6e5
1GVKOHaa…7VFv
XDp0AA game that could be won simply by accepting all six statements in a row.cwMbEwa
jeHXEAnd yet, he was using this kind of trick to prevent me from accepting them.ujGd
dUTP“No way. This is too…”sollv
h9fUnfair.5aCrF
94F9vThat word reached the tip of my tongue.FxKu65
dXme“Then do you think it makes sense to escape this labyrinth simply by winning a single game?”8hy
ix85mdUThe die’s voice descended coldly from above.UwK
k44pYThe enormous pupils embedded in its six faces seemed to be laughing at me.kZQIGB
WDbnWK“It is precisely because it doesn’t make sense that the wager exists.”H56ga
ccw60lwThat a single game could change a life.i82
eCw3Yes.Q8p
wkHCoepThat was a wager.dmAf4XV
u74“Asymmetry. Irregularity. Irrationality. That is the essence of gambling. If it made sense, it would be nothing more than a simple transaction.”1nn
REXI had known that when I accepted.Cic9O
7qWBut even so…7OILI
6hV“Decide. Do not believe the time granted to you is infinite.”aTXG5Z
S6xXb6vI clenched my teeth.lk05G9
KrObTV“…Verify.”RRF
xYeBang!haNa
6K69VzB[Testimony A: “I saw it clearly! The number of eyes is equal to the floor number where the exit of this labyrinth is located!”]nXQWtK
B7C[××｜(Verify)]xDypG2
BRrINo matter how convinced I was that the exit was on the first floor, it was still only an assumption.j92a9
WnF1cAnd if, by some remote possibility, it wasn’t there…vSJsIf7
uxKmKIf I passed by an exit located on another floor…drUI
y2mPryWI might never get out.pEU0f
ESW7y6oNo.eVXNyS5
jJBJwcgNot that.Vk3jmKa
lGSMI don’t want that.SWIAzrb
hYQ1I have to get out.zOeVO
1snI…Nsgk
6wvR“Do not hesitate.”oUGlW
bEogQHissssss—mhGQhf
A9pdj“Y-You bastard…! Kugh!”tOCoEh
tNdqUIn the end, that metallic liquid burst violently from the depths of my body.QEG
gQZSgHrThe blood pouring from my nose didn’t even reach my lips before I started coughing blood inside the mask.5brxA
xafalxThe blood I expelled struck the mask and flowed back inside.3kfC
oMK5R“Cough… Ugh…”sLWh
tAcWvMy vision blurred.1cJ
0zKBDrops of blood mixed with tears fell onto my pants.slBHzZ
3PvIMy whole body trembled.eVJC8Hq
9WCxMEIt felt as though claws were tearing apart my internal organs.gRZ
akLf44Breathing was difficult.yNUp
HkVFrZA salty metallic taste lingered on the tip of my tongue.eOux
tTZu2H“The event has concluded.”z8kutAt
wsRb7Pl**6V0vBG
BkDBhPhDo not doubt. The exit of the labyrinth is on the first floor.n08HL
R0D5fN**YGP
J5R0Shhhk.sxpVfX
3R79QCThe statement slid aside.ahH
AMUqWVM“Ugh…”BKQhBk
sPyASIAnd that was after inhaling only a single breath of the Breath of Judgment.g1G
iAiHXzIf I was already this bad after one, I felt that after three I wouldn’t die afterward—I would die right then and there.nFQypzb
ad9Did I do something unnecessary?XI9Y
caNWouldn’t it have been enough to simply believe that the labyrinth’s exit was on the first floor…?Sgl
inFNo.QCZ4
eVTNo.jW6J
Omy8sI wasn’t wrong.aI6q0
D2tIf, in a labyrinth where you can’t be certain of anything until you’ve seen it with your own eyes, an assumption can become certainty…g99dA
pf1And the price is only a cup or two of my blood…mWf76
uUvxB3Then it’s a profitable deal, isn’t it?811
g5eQKjE“It seems the first incident is already weighing on you quite heavily. At this rate, I wonder whether you’ll even manage to solve the remaining five.”FO9ZK
aIFJ9O“Shut up…”ctvPUvY
dfg“Unfortunately, I don’t have a mouth to shut. It would be troublesome if you lost your eyesight so soon.”CcE
nwqFH“You bastard… not even once… do you ever stay quiet…”xzZx
MC9FCER“I dislike losing.”bC8HiYQ
AJIAs7FClack.BtLgr
yPwqRrrrk.odj
LeZKgThe red-eyed die rolled across the table and stopped.RdM
sbx24Top face: 6.eUJs
NnO0gv“An incident has occurred. I will begin the testimony.”KWZp
oq7[Incident ② – Statement for 6]AxD4NS
bVMhv9j[Testimony B: ]gO9r4
b0lTxI looked at the new statement placed before me and nervously waited for the next words.9IbguF
v6Ll8v“Ten years have already passed.”EjB9W2
9AwaJThis time it was the voice of an elderly woman in her seventies.nRpN
Fg7z4ou“The number of corpses you pulled out of the Moon Well was exactly this number, wasn’t it?”3qceMSN
6xXgUThe fist I had clenched began to tremble.CEOK6dy
LHxom“Violence not explicitly listed in the game’s rules is prohibited.”WiG
TvemAh.SIcRXE
DZQAh…audW
5wiBI swear I could never count that number.tc4JS
8Gt2vn5A simple six-sided die would never be enough.gFS
3QqV9Wx“Verify.”ExIaupk
KYLRNjBang!B4FyY
AAMGt[Testimony B: “Ten years have already passed. The number of corpses you pulled out of the Moon Well was exactly this number, wasn’t it?”]r04q2AH
4xOE[××｜(Verify)]p6DQSPp
RLI“A false testimony stands before your eyes.”XcrRJ9S
GpoIb5yHis voice sounded heavy, as though delivering a death sentence.DPVNjFx
Zr5c“The incident has concluded.”J7BpAO9
N1pu9JVShhhk.GDgbT
n2NThe statement slid aside once more.TCYB
hmAUMk0Clack.389
wEzPRattle.ubAms
zhlujThe ivory-colored die spun several times in the air, flipped over, and finally came to a stop.IXp3g
o0XUBXyTop face: 4.vJS50qv
LEe1“An incident has occurred. I will begin the testimony.”1T2dG
kZHP5[Incident ③ – Statement for 4]u3ZH
FF2T[Testimony C: ]2YdJt
dM3eXY“Hey, you know I really thought of you as my own little brother, right?”Pw8iBOV
eNGb“Ah.”hPbKHvQ
npEThat voice.uTo
1pzIGuYoung.f1S
oBmpThe voice of someone who had once been young.HqP
A4N65Someone who was the same age I am now.hAH
yFthv“Mom and Dad said the same thing. They said they felt relieved because it was like they’d gained another son.”3KU
Q52TxIc“Ah…”Nz8VsO
Qc89Breathing was difficult.bAVU
GoTljEGrrrk.4DY
rEgLWsCrack.qIrR
SVMThe mask.R7dB
vsHJjmnI couldn’t remove the mask.sx4zFpQ
OUJB“So if someone had asked me how many people were in our family before that happened to me, I would have answered with exactly this number.”qzs
WyBthvWhy?mWgoK
CefkWhy does it still hurt this much?c1F
eD5Why?dLSJ
IeffWhy do I still miss him this much?c6VflHK
QHagTuI thought I had already emptied it all out.AtdV
x8QAgain and again.X25
1ywtWithout stopping.avp
wxJDDWtUntil it was completely dry.KMq
MXFmDTt“Ugh… ah…”jwu
Dt5I looked at the four red dots swaying before me and tried to organize my thoughts.df8qfVN
BUlRight now, this was the third incident.5JMqC
tr1WThat meant there were still three remaining.gIR
eWtbuI had already inhaled the Breath of Judgment once.O05
kJrUIf I inhaled it two more times, I would die.hubzT
lATw…So.ZJhYe
vgB5loI can afford to inhale it one more time.2XKuuZQ
GwKZcPlease.MXMbB
jax5GRxJust this once.VzKM
UDPJust once.yhLpTB
fA4k“Verify.”yrcpQW
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
0 Comments
There are no comments yet. Be the first!