The System Guild

Chapter 4 (updated)

"Welcome, everyone!"

The crowd was cheering as an array of performers filtered through the stage. Each one was talented, making everyone laugh and excited as magical tricks and comedic actions took place back to back.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! I present to you...Our dearest Harlequin!"

Germ felt her body vibrate, her heart beating along with the deafening crowds.

"It seems like...Cricket is a well-loved performer," Germ grimaced to herself.

[Don't forget Boss that this world thrives on performances. No such thing as love to the upper-class.] Silver twirled around but shivered to see a man being strapped onto a large target.

Germ followed Cricket as they approached the glass table. On it was a row of cold daggers. Like jagged teeth, they were a blinding white set of mismatched blades. Some were as thin as needles or as wide as a grin. Some drew a smooth curve along its blade or appeared to have been bitten off. They all had one thing in common: "Cricket" was engraved in them.

Oh, they also caused Germ to view Cricket in a darker light.

"Germ?" Cricket whispered. He had his hand outstretched towards her face, waiting for his new assistant to pass him a knife. He turned to look at her, seeing that she was in a daze despite the matching white mask covering her face.

"Odd..." Cricket muttered. He completely turned his body and tapped her covered forehead.

Tic. Tic.

He gave her two tiny knocks.

The crowds were growing a bit quiet as the performance crawled to a slow pace, eventually stopping at their beloved harlequin was busy prompting the small female assistant at his side.

"Put her on the target!"

"Cut her up!"

"Let her be the main performance of the night!"

"Maybe she'd react this time!"

The crowds started to jeer and laugh, constraining themselves from toppling over their bellows. Germ gave them a quick glance before looking at Cricket.

"Are...you going to kill him?"

Cricket paused at her words. It was as if this was the first time he had heard her in a very long time.

But it's only been a few days? Maybe over a week or so?

He straightened up, wanting to tell her it was so...but what was stopping him?

Was it her?

Germ had been looking at the strapped man this whole time, only until at his moment did her eyesight move. This was also noticed by Cricket. It was then that he noticed. After all, Cricket was no fool.

"He is..." your father.

Cricket did not have the heart to finish his sentence. This world was a world were fools like Germ would lose her memories every cycle, which lasted a week. Everyone knew that, even the fools who made effort to remind themselves everyday.

Fortunately or not, the Boss was currently in Germ's body. Therefore, she knew this man was technically her father.

"Father..." memories of Germ were long forgotten from this body, but she could still recall some of them from the information Silver provided.

The fact that her parents no longer know themselves tested at her soul. She wished that...her mission was not to stop Cricket from his Grand Finale. Who would want to live in a world where you're life could be forgotten in a blink of an eye? It's truly scary, something that Germ couldn't wrap her head around.