I left the church after explaining what I meant by slowly dying in the span of a year to Sana, all by faking it as my real experience, even though I only knew about it thanks to the first event in the Sins Paradise.
After hearing my story, Sana looked horrified and disgusted. Of course, she would, especially after I told her what kind of thing could wait for the Kingdom Knight. Then she was relieved that our church knight didn't need to go to that place.
However, from that information, I was sure the first event hadn't begun yet. I could rest easy, yet I wanted to go to Lima Port City immediately.
But before that… maybe I should explain something to a curious someone.
"Hello. What are you doing here all alone, Isabelle?"
Standing at the end of the long stairway of the church in a white and black knight uniform with a tight skirt was the onyx-haired girl, Isabelle. Her uniform was altered so the skirt reached at least half of her thighs and had a slit to ease her movement and black stocking to hide her smooth skin.
She looked at me with narrowed eyes as I looked back at her with a soft smile.
'Her curiosity has gotten the better of her, eh?'
Right now, she was wary of me. Her guard was up, and she left no opening.
"Sir." She began to speak in a soft voice. "I am waiting for you. I have a question that I'd like to ask you, and I hope you will be honest with me."
"It seems that's a serious question," I said, walking toward her.
But then, when I took a step closer, she took a step back as if avoiding me, so I stopped. She wanted to talk but didn't want to get close to me due to her wariness. This was troubling. We couldn't talk in that café or restaurant then.
"This place won't do, right? How about we go to the training ground behind the church? I believe no one is there at such a time." I suggested.
"That's fine," Isabelle answered.
***
We then moved to the empty training ground behind the church, and I sat on the root of the big tree, leaning my back against the trunk, while Isabelle sat a bit away.
No one was here as the knights surely returned to their post or even dorm to rest as it was now near midnight. I talked with Sana longer than I initially thought, and Isabelle had been waiting for me since I left the dining room.
Currently, she was looking at me with a judging gaze. Her expression hardened with a mixed between curiosity and hostility.
"What is this?"
Isabelle suddenly asked as she showed me the [Night's Armor] that appeared in her hand with a bluish light.
"Can you explain to me, Sir Paladin?" Her tone was serious, and she would definitely take no lie as an answer. "What is this?" She repeated.
"That's armor fitting you," I replied with a calm voice, not disclosing anything with my answer. "Do you like it?"
"I do."
Seeing her blunt and direct personality, even toward me, I never expected her to reply honestly like that. I thought she would deny or even evade my question altogether.
"I like this armor so much that I really wanted it." She glanced at the armored dress for a second before returning to me. "But this armor should be impossible to exist. Yes, there is no way I can find this armor. That's why I wanted to ask you. Where did you get it?"
Such was the question she asked. Naturally, the first thing on her mind was where I got this armor and why did you have this.
It was due to the fact there was no way I came from the same place as her, Horizon Online. At least, that was in her mind.
That also answered one of the questions I had in my mind. If she didn't believe anyone other than her was in this world, she probably arrived in this world in an unconventional way or due to an accident.
I wasn't sure yet and still needed to find the answer myself. I doubted Isabelle would tell me happily. And even though I had no intention to hide that I knew Horizon Online, it would be more fun to see Isabelle trying to find the truth herself.
But if she was willing to open her identity to me and ask me about Horizon Online, I wouldn't dodge her question either.
"That was mine." I pointed at the armor in her hand. "I got it from my friend."
I was honest and didn't lie. That armor was something I got from my friend, but that was back in Horizon Online.
"He was quite an incredible blacksmith," I added with a nostalgic smile.
Those guys. My former comrades were great people. Talking with Isabelle like this made me remember them, probably because she had the nostalgic air around her, though it had been diluted by how long she had been in this world.
According to Sana earlier, Isabelle suddenly appeared in front of the Castitas Church a few years back. She was in an injured state, and the Archbishop helped her to get back to her feet. It took time, but Isabelle finally opened up and joined the church knight.
Isabelle looked at me with a gaze filled with suspicion. She didn't believe me yet that the armor was from my friend.
"… Is that true, Sir Paladin?"
"Yes." I nodded. "I provided him with the material, and he made it for me. Ah! Don't misunderstand it. I have no hobby in collecting armored dresses or anything. At first, I wanted to give someone that dress. But unfortunately…"
While I didn't plan to talk a lot, it seemed like the nostalgic atmosphere brought words out of my mouth.
Careless? Yes, I did lower my guard slightly because I wanted Isabelle to trust me.
Was it bad that she heard what I said? No. I had already thrown away all my memories in Horizon Online behind, whether it was bad or good memories, as I didn't want to remember them.
"The material…" The onyx-haired girl spoke again.
The [Night's Armor] disappeared with a blue flash from her hand. Her gaze narrowed dangerously as [Night's Edge], her sword, replaced the armor in her hand.
For someone with severe trauma, Isabelle was really wild. I prepared myself to move if she decided to attack me.
Slowly, she stood up and unsheathed her sword. So, in the end, she decided to attack me? Alright then. That was also fine.
This was how it should be in a meeting between two players. We never had peaceful one-on-one meetings unless we had been good friends since the start.
Isabelle surely understood that. However… the attack didn't come.
"That material… Is it from Shadow Mantis?" She showed her sword, glimmering under the moonlight as hope arrived in her eyes. Then with a mixed expression, she pointed her sword at me and asked, "Sir Paladin… Who are you? Are you also from Horizon Online?!"
How should I answer her question?
'Should I say I am the Paladin like usual?'
That would make her attack me. The fact she just pointed her sword at me and didn't attack me immediately meant at least she had a bit of trust and respect toward me. Or she might still be confused, and her trauma stopped her from attacking me.
The fact she brought up Horizon Online just proved how serious she was in her question. She was willing to blow away her real identity to get mine.
Both were possibilities.
Hiding my identity wasn't something I wanted to do. This was part of me, and the only reason for me not announcing it was because I didn't want to be looked at like a crazy person.
Who would believe that I came from another world? From a death game? Probably only Isabelle because she came from the same place as me.
Besides, having Arthur's identity was convenient for me. Still, that didn't affect Isabelle. She didn't know Arthur from Sins Paradise before she met me the first time a few days ago in this training ground.
So, it would be best if I answered it truthfully.
"I am Arthur," I responded with a clear voice, slowly standing up to match her gaze. "The strongest player from the Round Table Guild."
Isabelle immediately understood the term player and probably recognized my guild name. No one in this world used those terms, and her body shook as her eyes widened. An audible gasp escaped her lips.
While she had introduced herself to me back then, it still wasn't fair if only I had introduced myself to her using my player and guild name. So I asked her.
"And who might you be, Isabelle? It seems like you recognized my guild."
"I do." She replied with a resolution, sheathing her sword back to the scabbard. "And I had expected it, but I never thought it would be you."
Thankfully, it seemed she wasn't my enemy or my guild's. It would be awkward if she was my former enemy or related to them.
'I will kill her until she loses all her memories regardless of how much I like her if she was my former enemy in Horizon Online. I can't let those people live or remember anything.'
I was waiting for her answer when I noticed Isabelle's gaze toward me had changed. There was… recognition and nostalgia in her eyes.
"You asked who I am, right?"
Isabelle took out a pendant from her inventory. A simple silver pendant with a name roughly carved by a knife inside a circular surface.
'Why?'
My eyes widened in shock. I stood frozen in place, unable to think clearly.
Various thoughts flashed in my mind. Memories of the past five years. I was supposed to forget it.
Forgetting those memories would bring me peace, and I didn't want them to linger inside my head as I enjoyed my bonus stage.
But why?
'Why does she have that?'
Why should she remind me? I just thought she was just another person in Horizon Online.
"I am…"
Isabelle's answer was the one I had never wanted to hear. And I really regretted asking her about it just because of my curiosity and wanted to have fun with her.
