Alain, greatsword in hand, opened a corner of the door to the 16th loop, then glanced back at the grandfather clock behind him.
After being adjusted once by Little Mita, the time on the clock should have reached 12:00 sharp. But now, it had returned to normal: it was 8:00 sharp in the 16th loop.
There were only four "hours," or four loops, left until 12:00 sharp—the 20th loop.
But he hadn't forgotten that his goal in coming to version 1.3B wasn't just to pass through, but also to save Little Mita and free her from her sea of suffering.
So he turned back and opened the door completely.
What came into view was not the original soft-pink hallway, but a twisted, writhing corridor. It was like being inside the body of a worm, only the fleshy walls were decorated like a building.
"In other words, you want me to go through here to find you?"
Alain tightened his grip on the greatsword. The first step he took onto the corridor sent his sense of balance into disarray.
Although, from what she had said, Millie should have returned to the "Pain Monster House" and be out of danger, there were still many questions he wanted to ask.
With his objective clear, Alain ran swiftly through the writhing corridor.
As he advanced, the tunnel's contortions became more and more exaggerated, making Alain feel as if he were constantly spinning. He didn't have the "infinite stamina" boost from Millie this time, and the explosive sprint quickly left him slightly breathless.
Fortunately, the writhing corridor didn't last long, and soon Alain saw a light.
The end of the tunnel came into view. It was a small room.
Inside, a petite girl was sitting on the floor, waiting for him.
Alain noticed that as soon as Little Mita saw him, she faintly raised her hand, as if wanting to grab something. Then, she let it fall again, simply sitting quietly, waiting for his arrival.
The last of the tunnel flashed by. After catching his breath, Alain walked straight to the girl.
She didn't reach out her hand, so Alain would do it for her.
Thus, as gently as possible, the young man took her by the arm and pulled Little Mita up.
She quietly murmured a "thank you" and was about to turn and leave again.
But faster than her movements were Alain's arms.
He wrapped them around Little Mita's slender waist, and with a shy humph, he once again held the girl in his arms.
"The game of hide-and-seek is over, isn't it?"
Alain stood up. The girl, just like before, was sitting on his arm, leaning softly against his body.
Little Mita was silent, her eyes fixed on Alain's profile, clearly hesitating about something.
Just as she was about to make a move, he set down the greatsword and firmly grasped the girl's small hand.
"Since hide-and-seek is over, you can't be a sore loser, Little Princess."
His eyes held a faint smile, but his words left Little Mita confused.
"Little... Princess?" She carefully mulled over the word Alain had spoken, and his explanation arrived as expected.
"Doesn't it suit you?"
Alain set her down as steadily as he could and picked up the greatsword leaning against the wall. The writhing corridor behind him had long since disappeared, and the small room around him had, at some point, become something like an entryway.
At the end of the entryway was a door.
Step by step, he led Little Mita toward the door, his lips opening and closing as he asked in a soft, low voice, "Do you like it here?"
"I don't like it very much, but I have to be here."
Alain opened the door. A counter under a vase to the right of the doorway displayed the number "17."
The 17th loop. Three hours remained until 12:00.
"You're like a princess imprisoned in the castle of version 1.3B. And hmm... that big monster—the Human-headed Great Spider Wasp—is the evil dragon that snatched you away."
He walked around the first corner, and turning back, he saw the sunlight reflecting through the window.
"And me, I'm the knight who has come to save you. Hahaha, although I'm not as noble as a knight."
Alain considered himself just an ordinary person. Just one who was more honest with himself, a bit more lecherous, and listened more to his own heart.
Little Mita listened intently to his words, her gaze fixed on his face, not wanting to miss a single word.
And Alain led her to a small cabinet, gently placing her on top of it.
"And so I, a not-so-noble, disqualified knight, broke through the repeated trials of version 1.3B and made it here."
He set down the greatsword in his hand and took off the Gauntlet of the Failed Work from his right hand.
"May I hold your hand?"
"You don't have to ask. you already did before," the girl said bluntly, shaking her head, then turned her innocent gaze back to him.
"Can you please continue talking, Player?"
"Of course, Little Princess." Alain felt like he was having a chuunibyou moment. If Millie were here, she would definitely roast him. But the title "Little Princess," in his eyes, was a perfect fit for Little Mita.
He crouched down, gently taking the girl's remaining hand.
"My duty is to come to your side and defeat that 'evil dragon.' Then, I'll rescue you from the castle and take you away from here. Surprisingly simple, isn't it?"
"It's not simple. You can't possibly do it."
Little Mita turned her face away, jumped down from the chair, and tried to walk toward the next loop.
But as always, Alain swept her up into his arms, tightened his grip on his greatsword, asked a question, and then walked toward the entrance of the next loop.
"Player... you even ask me to hold your hand, so why is it so natural for you to hold me?" Little Mita seemed a bit uncomfortable with physical contact.
"Because I want to. A knight holding his princess—there's no conflict between the two, is there?"
The girl didn't reply, watching as the walls of the corridor gradually slid past her line of sight.
"Tell me, why did you send me and Millie back?"
"It's very dangerous here." Her answer was the same. Alain thought Little Mita was still holding back, but then he heard her continue.
"If you stay here, you'll definitely be... killed. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"But you also guided us into the depths of the loop, didn't you?" Alain was confused. Little Mita's words and actions seemed contradictory.
"Because it wasn't until the 14th loop that I could come out and help you." She lowered her gaze, looking up at this strange player through her thick eyelashes with a puzzled expression. "But... you didn't go back."
"Because I haven't saved the little princess yet."
"That title, 'Little Princess'..." she hesitated.
He could always switch to another one if she didn't. It was no skin off his back.
"Little Princess... I don't deserve that title," Little Mita said, shaking her head.
"Because of—" Her gaze fell upon her own body.
There, on her body, were scars, and a missing arm.