Book 9
Chapter 72
Call 
呼び出し

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Reader's POV

"A phone...?"
I asked.

It continued to ring.
I picked it up and held it up so we could all hear.
"Hello?"

"This is William Minerva,"
the man said.

All of our eyes widened.
{ It's really him? }

I believe that you are an escapee. I will say what I need to say quickly.

{ This is... a recording, isn't it? }

First, I need to apologize to you. I'm sorry.
The elevator is the path to the human world. But it can't be used anymore.

{ So... it really was that. The elevator... was a way to cross to the human world. If we rode this, we could've gone to the other side!! }

"What do you mean we can't use it? Mr. Minerva, where are you right now?"
Emma asked.

I don't know what year and what month you are in right now... but the fact that you're listening to this recording that mean that the elevator still doesn't move.

{ I knew it... }

    It was stopped. They blocked the path.
It's my fault. I didn't expect that the one I trusted would betray me.

{ Blocked? A betrayal? }

     The settlement that I made here... is probably not safe anymore.
Perhaps the one who betrayed me destroyed it. Or they found out about it.

{ So Minerva created this settlement. To be a safe place... it wasn't made to be a hunting ground. }

     I wanted to atone. My real name is James Ratri.
I am a descendant of the clan that came up with the promise with them 1,000 years ago. I am the 35th head of the clan.

    My clan has been the mediator between the two worlds to keep this promise.

     For 1,000 years, generation after generation... we've been forcing the ultimate sacrifice upon you children to keep order in the human world.
I cannot abandon my duty. For the sake of the human world.

    But as a human being... I couldn't endure this injustice
So I wanted to give you this chance... to choose your own future.

    That's why I slipped clues into the books going to the farm. Pretending to be an imaginary person called William Minerva.

    They were small clues... but at least the children who noticed them... I wanted to provide them a safe shelter. And a secret path to cross over to the other world without getting caught.

    But that path was blocked... and the settlement cannot be used. And the schemes of the one who betrayed me have my clan after my life.
Currently it's May 20, 2031. By the time you're listening to this recording, I am likely already deceased.

"What?"
Emma muttered.

I'm sorry. But this is not a loss. I'm not going to let them kill me easily. And you have supporters other than me. The path between the worlds isn't just that one elevator. It may be dangerous, but there are multiple paths.
Such as... Grace Field House... and Glory Bell... Grand Valley... and Goodwill Ridge.

My eyes went wide. How?

Unlike the one here at Goldy Pond. The paths inside those four farms will never be blocked.
Choose the future you want. If you want to go to the human world in secret... I'll have supporters come in secret. You... and if you have friends, all of them too could use one of the paths to cross.

Or if you don't want that, and you want to destroy this distorted order and break the promise go ahead and do so. If that results in a full-scale war with them... and the world goes back to the situation of being hunter and prey, no one can blame you.

I will not break the promise myself. But if you want that, neither I nor my supporters will stop you.

{ So... escape in small groups, or get the children to start a war? }

If the future you want... is neither of those. Search for the Seven Walls. 

My eyes went wide. 
{ That's what Mujika told me! }

I regret that I have no more time. The rest of the details are in Marvine's bed.
Everything you need... will be in there. Good job getting there.
I'm sure you've suffered a lot. Yet you preserved to get here.

You... or maybe there are a few of you... I wanted to hear your voices. I wanted to see you all. There is happiness. And you can obtain it. Please live. Good luck.

Then, it ended.
I took a deep breath, then let it out.

"It hung up. He was on our side, right? As we thought, Mr. Minerva did it for us!"
Emma said.

"Yeah,"
Lucas agreed, smiling.

"He was our ally! We were getting suspicious about why he called us to the hunting ground, but... yeah! It just didn't go as planned because the situation changed."
Lucas smiled.

"The situation, eh?"
I muttered.

{ Mr. Minerva is dead. And he was betrayed? That's why this place got turned into a hunting ground? }

"And the location of the paths... I never thought that the place we escaped would have a way to the human world,"
I said softly.

"But... Now we know how to cross over and where the paths are! And that there are supporters. This is great! Now after we get out of Goldy Pond... we can arrange to have the Goldy Pond kids, the other children, and him escape.
And then, I can demolish the hunting ground without regret,"
Lucas said happily.

It was great to see him happy.
He was different from Yuugo in some ways.
Kinda surprises me that they were friends, since Yuugo is so grumpy.
But I guess thinking that all of your friends are dead turns you that way.

"Let's obtain the future that we want. And the details to do that..."
"Are in Marvine's bed!"

I finished for Lucas.

{ Those words only escapees can understand. Mr. Minerva's novel, The Adventures of Ugo. Ugo's partner is Marvine the lemur... and his favorite place to sleep was inside a drawer! }

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I looked at the drawer.
{ All the details Minerva wanted to tell us... are in here. About the paths, and the supporters, and the Seven Walls... are in here. We'll know everything? }

"Let's open it,"
Emma smiled, opening the drawer.

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5.11.2020
Word Count: 1026