chapter 03
“Alright. Let’s go home first.”
I confidently opened the door. At the same time, I heard quick footsteps running toward me. It was Echo. I tensed my stomach, getting ready to scold her.
“L-Lord Godel, are you okay?”
But Echo was faster than me. She looked at me with a worried expression.
“You suddenly ran out… I was so surprised. Y-Your leg must really hurt…”
“My leg?”
At her words, I forgot all about scolding and looked down.
I had completely forgotten, but my ankle was wrapped in bandages—messily, at that. When I lifted my foot slightly, I could see white paint all over the sole through the bandages.
“What is this…?”
“T-That’s the paint I didn’t clean up properly…”
Echo said in a small, nervous voice.
“I was trying to mix new colors myself… but I guess I added too much egg and oil. I accidentally spilled it, and I think you stepped on it…”
I had set Echo, my in-game daughter, to relieve stress through painting.
In fact, Echo wasn’t just good at painting—she was very talented in all kinds of art. According to rumors, you had to do everything perfectly to unlock the hidden ending. That’s why I made sure to give her high emotional sensitivity from the beginning.
So even when starting over, that setting still stayed the same. I was thinking that when—
“I shouldn’t have been painting… You got hurt because of me. I-It’s all my fault…”
“What?”
I lifted my head quickly at Echo’s words.
What was she saying? That painting is wrong? Sure, technically, spilling paint and someone slipping because of it could be considered her fault.
But painting itself is never a bad thing.
That was such an obvious truth—but this child was blaming herself for everything.
And I’m probably the one who made her like that. Me, Godel.
“……”
I tried to act mean and scold her, but when I saw Echo’s face, I couldn’t even open my mouth. She looked just like me in the past—always shrinking away, biting her lip, staring down, afraid of getting scolded again…
“…You don’t have to say sorry anymore.”
Maybe that’s why. My mouth opened on its own. My voice was low and tight, but strangely, it felt like something heavy in my chest had been lifted.
“This isn’t your fault.”
Maybe… those were the words I had wanted someone to say to me.
“…What?”
Echo looked up, shocked.
“I’m fine. And more importantly, it’s not your fault. I went out suddenly… because of something else.”
Of course, suddenly getting pulled into this world wasn’t fine at all.
I held back that last part and looked down again.
“Did you wrap this bandage on my ankle?”
I pointed to my ankle as I asked. Echo kept looking at the ground but slowly nodded.
“Y-Your ankle was really swollen and red…”
She mumbled in a tiny voice.
“I-I tried to find some medicine, but the cabinets only had empty wine bottles…”
As she explained, she suddenly covered her mouth with her hands.
Oh, right. After losing Gilbert, Godel fell into deep sadness and drank every day. That’s why she collapsed in the intro scene.
‘Even without the paint, this setup was perfect for ending up like that…’
I let out a short laugh, finding it a little ridiculous. Echo’s face went pale.
“S-Sorry! I shouldn’t have said that…”
She was so scared, she started trembling. I shook my head, but the pain came back, and I held my forehead. Then, in a tired voice, I spoke again.
“Leaving wine bottles lying around where kids are—that’s Godel’s fault… no, it’s my fault.”
“B-But still…”
“If you say sorry one more time, I think my headache’s going to get worse.”
After I spoke, Echo quickly closed her mouth. She blinked her round eyes, and I gave a small smile—but that quickly faded as I noticed how dark the room was.
Like someone afraid of light, all the windows were covered with curtains. Only a faint bit of sunlight slipped through, barely lighting the room.
‘No wonder she didn’t clean up the paint properly. She was painting in a place this dark.’
Holding my still-throbbing head, I said,
“Sorry, but can you open the curtains for me?”
“…Huh?”
“The curtains. It’s too dark in here. I want to open them myself, but my foot’s like this… So, I’m asking you.”
“Ah…”
Echo didn’t answer right away. I could feel her hesitating in the darkness.
“But… Lord Godel…”
“Hmm?”
“You… didn’t you hate looking at me?”
Echo said that quietly, staring down at the floor.
Hearing her say that, I completely forgot about the pain in my head and just looked at her.
Messy hair. Eyes fixed on the ground. Slouched shoulders. That sad, but deeply certain feeling that no one would ever welcome you. Somehow, she reminded me of my younger self. So, without thinking, I said:
“It’s okay.”
“……”
“I actually want to see you now. So will you open the curtains?”
After a bit of hesitation, Echo carefully pulled the curtains open.
In an instant, bright sunlight flooded the room, making me squint.
My eyes soon adjusted. I blinked a couple of times and looked around.
Standing in the sunlight, Echo looked just like a little sun fairy.
Her hair sparkled like it was holding sunlight, and her eyes were as clear and blue as a lake. Even though she looked so thin and small for her age, I could finally see why she was the heroine of the story.
But she looked nothing like a main character—she seemed so unsure and small. When our eyes met, she quickly looked down again, her hands gripping the edge of her clothes tightly.
She looked about fifteen, maybe. Too old to be called a kid, but too young to be called an adult. But no matter how you looked at it, she was far too young to endure Godel’s cruelty.
Even as someone who had only played the game and never met her in person, I felt sorry for her. So why did Godel torment a child like this?
If it was just a game mechanic, it felt far too cruel.
And even though I had played this game thousands of times, I’d always brushed off the intro before the hero appears with a laugh…
As I sank into guilt deeper and deeper—
Growl.
“……!”
A strange sound snapped me out of my thoughts.
Echo quickly held her stomach in embarrassment.
“S-Sorry! That was loud, wasn’t it? I’ll go sit in the corner…”
She mumbled, flustered.
But it wasn’t surprising at all. Godel had only given her tiny portions of food so she wouldn’t gain weight and grow stronger.
Because she didn’t want Echo to ever be strong enough to stand up to her.
And more than that… because she truly hated the girl.
That’s the kind of pathetic and shameful evil only an adult could do.
I looked down again and saw the messy bandage on my ankle.
“……”
She could’ve run away when Godel passed out. Even when I ran outside earlier, there were chances to escape.
But Echo didn’t run. She stayed and clumsily wrapped my ankle with bandages. She waited for me to come back.
Maybe part of it was fear of the outside world… but more than that—
‘She was worried about me.’
She was really, incredibly kind. Tragically so.
‘Yeah… I can’t do this.’
I don’t think I can act like Godel.
No matter how important the hero is, I just can’t bring myself to say cruel things to this child. There’s no way I can do that.
Oddly enough, with that decision made, my heavy heart felt lighter.
So, what should I do now? What’s the one thing I can do for her right now?
The answer was simple.
“You don’t have to be sorry.”
“…Huh?”
Echo blinked in surprise at the unexpected words.
“You didn’t eat much, so of course you’re hungry.”
I limped into the house. My ankle hurt, but it wasn’t too bad.
“B-But Lord Godel said children should only eat once a day…”
“Tch.”
I shook my head at that ridiculous logic.
“That’s total nonsense.”
My sharp reply made Echo’s eyes go wide.
I had more to say, but if I kept going, I’d just sound like an old nag. So, for now—
“Let’s eat
“What… is all this?”
A little later, Echo looked at the table in disbelief. I poured milk into a cup and pushed it toward her as I said,
“It’s not anything fancy, but it’s still pretty good.”
I made honey butter sweet potatoes using sweet potatoes, butter, and honey.
With the leftover sweet potatoes, I mixed them with eggs and made some bread. My arms were a bit sore from whipping the egg whites into meringue, but I could still move, so it was fine.
Even after hearing my explanation, Echo just blinked at me. She looked confused.
Oh—maybe she doesn’t know these foods? Honey butter isn’t something that exists in this world yet, so maybe that’s why she’s surprised?
As I tilted my head, I realized something.
The nervous look in her eyes wasn’t because of the food—it was because of me.
Understanding that, I picked up a fork without hesitation. Echo flinched a little at my sudden movement, but I ignored it and took a bite of each dish.
