“Alright, that’s basically it.” After meeting Jose, time progressed as expected to “dusk,” not far from the “bonfire party” and “bedtime.”

First to explain the situation was, unsurprisingly, Louise. Jose, whose experiences were entirely unlike those of Loop 2, caused Selene to have some suspicions, but Jose showed no reaction, as he genuinely didn’t know anything; his mind was a blank.

Then, Selene’s guarded explanation further made him question his hearing.

“You mean this is the third time? A time loop? Are you serious?” Jose’s face twitched. “If my brain isn’t damaged, time should be the God of Time’s domain? Not something magic can match. The God of Time has no church, no priests, and divine magic related to him is limited to low-level Storm magic…”

“Believe it or not,” Selene replied simply.

She was highly suspicious of Jose. Despite their interactions in the previous two loops, suggesting he was far from stupid at this point, the real-world Jose had lived through ten years, and had the stigma of being a cultist. It was hard to say how similar he was to the Jose before them. Furthermore, in the previous two loops, the greatest danger within the box world had been identified, and plans had been made, yet the Jose here had remained consistently unseen.

If he was dead, Selene wouldn't believe it.

“…No need to be so hostile,” Richter, the de facto team caretaker, soothed Selene, whose hostility was palpable. “At least for now, we’re still a team, with the same goals.”

For example, Jose wanted to understand what happened; so did they.

They wanted to survive and escape; Jose naturally wanted the same.

Until they received definite information that they needed to be enemies, this team remained intact.

“Alright, let’s organize the information first,” Louise, who had been sketching on Jose's paper since earlier, suddenly spoke, drawing their attention and displaying her work.

“First, location information. We’re currently in a small world created by the miracle, 【Scene in a Box】, a blend of reality and illusion. We lack knowledge about this miracle, but it’s highly likely a form of barrier magic. Therefore, we have two escape methods: forceful destruction and waiting for time to pass.

“Unfortunately, according to Selene, under normal circumstances, we lack the force necessary for the first method, and we wouldn’t live long enough for the second method. There’s also a restricted, semi-corporeal, near-superlative monster with mental corruption abilities watching us… This is all agreed upon, right?”

Richter and Selene nodded, while Jose hesitated before speaking:

“Regarding that monster’s identity…”

“Yes, Richter’s previous information on the ‘soul-snatching monster,’ what you said about ‘Augusta,’ combined with Selene’s statement that the monster ‘seems female’—this is quite clear. It should be the entity calling itself Augusta,” Louise held up a sketch with arrows and simplified portraits. “Any questions?”

Jose pondered for a few seconds, shaking his head.

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“Actually, I feel this conclusion is presumptive… But compared to the vague impressions in my memory, your explanation is more plausible. Perhaps my thoughts are also being manipulated.”

“Sensible,” Selene commented.

“Ahem, next is information concerning ‘Tatra Village,’” Louise switched to another drawing—a topographic map of Tatra Village that she and Selene had collaboratively completed. “Currently, we know that after we sleep, we’ll arrive in Tatra Village. The exterior of the village appears devoid of creatures aside from insects, but each house likely contains a monster. They have low intelligence and only show aggression when specific actions are taken.

“The main dangers in the village are monster attacks and Augusta’s latent mental corruption. The ruined cathedral on the hillside is the boundary between safety and danger. The safe zone has some risks, but appears manageable. Crossing this line will either weaken Augusta’s restrictions or make us more susceptible to her influence. Both are extremely dangerous; we’ll be completely defenseless against her corruption… Crossing the line is essentially a death sentence. Any questions about this?”

“Yes,” Jose asked hesitantly. “One question: logically, I should have spent a considerable time in Tatra Village, right? My real-world self survived.”

“Correct,” Selene crossed her arms. “You’re asking… how you managed that?”

“That’s true. If Tatra Village in the real world were as dangerous, I wouldn’t have survived,” Jose said calmly. “After all, as you saw, I was just an apprentice… or, from ten years in the future’s perspective, a leader. I couldn’t even beat an ordinary, strong person with a weapon, let alone monsters.”

“To clarify, the entire caravan was trapped in Tatra Village; only you escaped… That’s one suspicious point, but forgive my bluntness; there are many suspicious points, not just that one,” Louise sighed. “For example, how Augusta was born, what exactly happened in the village, Selene’s statements, the origin of that drop of blood from the sky, where the monsters came from, why there’s no information about Tatra Village ten years later, and why this box world is so strange…”

“…True, thinking about it gives me a headache,” Jose agreed.

“Back to the main point, we now know that the real-world Jose has experienced all this; therefore, information from the real world is valid. After organizing it, we can create this timeline.” Louise produced another densely written sketch.

“First, the legend of the dragon-slaying hero occurred in the late to final stages of the Fourth Era. Regarding this legend, it’s said that a wicked dragon suddenly appeared and wreaked havoc, then a passing hero bravely fought back, slaying the dragon in the mountains; the dragon's blood fell to the earth… The origin of the blood falling from the sky, the dragon’s blood in the legend, the blood pool atop Tatra Village’s mountain—these are likely interconnected, but the information is too scarce to draw any logical conclusions.”

“Then there’s Tatra Village in the Fifth Era… None of us have any information about Tatra Village, but Jose does. According to him, it’s a relatively unknown village near Nymph Fu, attracting adventurers annually who are drawn to the legend of the dragon-slaying hero. The blood pool atop the mountain is a focal point. At least during that period, Tatra Village remained normal… There’s something suspicious here. If Richter and Selene were still children in 1446—the real-world Jose's imprisonment—lack of memory would be reasonable. But I’ve been active here for over a hundred years and should have known about Tatra Village… Does anyone have any thoughts?”

“It’s likely not just us who forgot about Tatra Village,” Richter added, having been mentally reviewing the word "Tatra" since earlier. “No one from Schwerdt Town or Nymph Fu mentioned it. This is illogical. A village undergoing unusual changes in the Fifth Era would be considered a major event; not only Lanstier but the dwarves and elves would have noticed, let alone something this strange? The probability of Tatra Village being forgotten by everyone in just ten years is low.”

“A village whose existence has been erased, or a village that never existed…” Selene murmured.

The strangeness surpassed everyone's understanding. If Selene were correct, and Tatra Village originally existed but was erased by someone or something… then it could only be a god.

Was this place connected to a deity, even prompting divine intervention?

While unimaginable, combined with Selene's "time loop," it seemed plausible.

“Could it be the God of Time, the God of Storms, the God of Convergence?”

Jose, visibly anxious, blurted out all three titles of the God of Time.

No one answered.

Logically, it seemed to be the only possibility.