Pick Me Up!

Vol 1. Chapter 3: Side Story – Aaron – Purity for One (1)

“......?”

Aaron Delcurd looked around.

The place he stood was a circular library.

A silver chandelier glowed on the ceiling.

Bookshelves so tall that you’d need a ladder to organize them.

Lower shelves beneath those. Countless large and small bookcases tightly packed the circular room.

‘When did I... get here?’

An unfamiliar place.

The flickering candlelight faintly illuminated the interior of the library.

“Are you alright, Sir Aaron?”

Startled, Aaron turned to the side.

A silver-haired woman in a long, flowing robe was smiling at him.

Her appearance was so mysterious, it felt unreal.

Like part of a dream.

But Aaron knew this woman’s name.

Yurnet Seed.

“Why are you spacing out? Please, have a seat.”

“Ah... yes.”

Following Yurnet’s guidance, Aaron sat at the table in the center of the library.

“Um, why am I here, exactly?”

“You don’t know? Because of my request.”

“Your... request, Miss Yurnet?”

“That’s right. Didn’t I ask you to accompany me in one of my hobbies?”

Hobby.

Only then did Aaron’s memory begin to return bit by bit.

‘Right.’

While Aaron had been resting at the fortress of Valhalla, Yurnet had suddenly visited his room.

She said she needed him, and asked if he would keep her company.

Normally, the Yurnet Seed he knew hardly ever expressed her intentions openly.

Yet she had asked for Aaron’s help.

Still bewildered, he accepted her request.

So, following her lead, he had stood before a door in some corridor—his memory ended there.

“How is life in Valhalla treating you, Sir Aaron?”

Clatter.

Yurnet spoke as she poured him some tea from who-knows-where.

“Yes, it’s fine.”

Valhalla.

A fortress built around the dimension once known as Niflheim.

Its purpose was to stave off the preordained destruction of certain worlds.

This fortress was maintained by a transcendent being named "Loki."

Aaron and Yurnet were both among the core officers of Valhalla.

Their roles differed, but the two had worked together even before “he” had ascended to ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) godhood.

Yurnet had been a mage in Niflheim.

Aaron had been a spearman from Taonier.

Now, after many events, they stood together in Valhalla.

“Please, drink.”

Aaron took a sip of the tea.

“......”

Normally, Yurnet Seed wore a black uniform, but today she was dressed in a plain white robe.

“To preserve combat effectiveness during prolonged wars, one must manage their condition.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“It’s something even the Master emphasized. Do you agree?”

“......Yes.”

The war was still ongoing.

Even now, some of Valhalla’s forces were on the front lines, locked in battle with the enemy.

Aaron was simply on break for the moment.

When his turn came, he would have to go.

War.

An endless war, one stretching toward eternity.

To keep from losing oneself in such a war, condition management was essential.

Whether they liked it or not, the heroes of Valhalla had to adopt hobbies.

It was a command from the Master.

For reference, Aaron’s hobby was writing letters.

They were addressed to his younger sister, Nina.

Even if those letters would never be delivered, he wrote them every day.

“Is your hobby reading, Miss Yurnet?”

“Yes. I like books. To be precise, I like the stories of various humans written in them.”

Yurnet gave a gentle smile.

“That’s why I called you to the library—so that you might assist me in my hobby.”

Aaron blinked.

“What help could I possibly offer? I’m not particularly interested in books...”

“The important thing isn’t the book—it’s the story. A book is just a vessel to carry it.”

“...Pardon?”

“Would you be willing to tell me your story, Sir Aaron?”

“My story? I wouldn’t even know where to start... I’m not really anyone special...”

“You’re still as humble as ever.”

Yurnet continued.

“I’m curious about how you came to possess that unidentified force called ‘Karma (業).’”

“......”

“If it’s alright with you, would you share it? Of course, it won’t be for free. If there’s a story you’d like to hear, I’ll tell you what I know.”

“Even so...”

Aaron lowered his head.

“I... don’t have memories from that time.”

“Oh dear.”

“I truly apologize.”

It wasn’t a lie.

The process by which Aaron had gained his Karma—

He could guess in broad strokes, but it wasn’t something formed well enough to recount as a story.

What Yurnet wanted must’ve been the complete truth.

Aaron’s memories were hazy, like fog.

“Hm. So... memory, huh. I see. That might be true. Your journey is one that no one else has ever experienced, after all.”

“...I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I more or less expected this. But to bring back your hidden memories, Sir Aaron, we’ll need some preparation.”

Bring them back.

Those memories?

Those eternal years?

That’s—

Not allowed.

“Oh my, please don’t make such a frightening face. I don’t mean to retrieve them directly. Only by indirect means. Will you trust me, Sir Aaron?”

“......”

“I ask this favor of you.”

Aaron gave up on trying to rise from his seat.

“Thank you, Sir Aaron. Then while the preparations are underway, shall I find you a few stories to pass the time?”

Lululu—

Humming softly, Yurnet began waving her hand.

With a heavy clack!, the bookshelves along the wall started to rotate on their own.

“Is there any story you’d like to read?”

Aaron looked around the library.

Nothing but books and more books.

He had no idea what to choose.

Still, there’s always a book that catches the eye.

His gaze drifted to a massive bookshelf directly ahead.

There, dozens of books were neatly lined up.

Same color. Same size. Most likely, they formed one great epic.

“You’ve got a sharp eye, as expected.”

“They just stood out to me somehow.”

“I’m sorry, but please choose another. That one—The Story of the King—is still unfinished. When his story ends someday, I’ll tell it to you then.”

The King.

A moment later, Aaron realized exactly who that term referred to.

So he simply nodded in silence.

“Now then, how about this one?”

Chuckle.

Yurnet smiled and gestured.

A black book came flying out from one of the shelves and was sucked into her hand.

“A tale of the Forgotten Gods.”

“Forgotten Gods?”

“The ones who ruled Möbius before Valhalla was ever formed.”

Aaron realized who she meant.

The gods who had governed and managed Möbius before Valhalla.

They were the ones who created the game Pick Me Up and toyed with heroes like playthings.

Tell. Icar.

The most prominent among them were the twin goddesses.

Said to represent Purity and Mercy, they were the ones who dragged Möbius into hell.

Back when he was still just a hero, Aaron hadn’t known.

But now, having entered Valhalla, he had heard the truth about them.

They’re forgotten now.

And he knew why.

They had been purged by the King of Valhalla—Loki.

Their very existences absorbed down to the last trace.

No matter where you go in the Möbius dimension now, you won’t hear a single voice praising a god.

The gods themselves have been erased from memory.

“My, your expression looks rather serious.”

“I was just thinking... how completely we were deceived.”

“You’re not wrong.”

Tell and Icar—

The goddess’s promise—that the world would be restored if one climbed the Tower—had been a lie.

The heroes and monsters of Pick Me Up became nothing more than toys for higher-dimensional beings, subjected to endless torment.

But in any case, that was in the past.

Now, only a tiny few remember that name.

Aaron wondered why, out of nowhere, the gods were being brought up.

“Most notably, the Goddess of Purity received her due for what she did. She was annihilated by the Master. Synthesized whole.”

“Why are you suddenly bringing this up?”

“Because I believe it’s necessary.”

Necessary?

“Right now, almost no one even remembers that goddess exists. But I dislike that kind of approach. Just being forgotten and that’s that? I won’t tolerate it.”

There was heat in Yurnet’s voice.

“If something’s been forgotten, then it must be known. What happened. Why it happened. You record it and pass it down for future generations to learn from. That’s what we call history.”

If it’s been forgotten, then it must be known—

Especially at that line, Yurnet raised her voice.

“Not just goddesses. Anyone else too. I don’t want to lose them.”

As she said this, Yurnet looked at Aaron.

As if someone stood behind him, watching.

But there were only the two of them here. Aaron had no idea who she meant.

“Ufufu. You’ll want to hear this. How the game Pick Me Up was first created. What its original purpose was. What happened to the gods long ago. Aren’t you curious?”

Curious...

To say he wasn’t would be a lie.

“You have no idea how many times I begged the Master to get those memories. This book took a lot of effort to obtain.”

Aaron stared at the pitch-black book on the table.

So this book contained the memories of the Forgotten Gods.

“Will you be alright, Sir Aaron?”

“I’ll be fine.”

Aaron answered.

Yurnet’s face lit up.

The game called Pick Me Up.

What had happened at its very beginning?

He happened to be curious.

“Then let’s begin.”

Yurnet opened the first page of the book.

Aaron’s vision was flooded with light.

The story was beginning.

***

“How’s development going?”

An office inside some company.

The office was busy with the sound of CPU fans spinning, fingers typing, and mice clicking.

A man and woman were chatting amidst the din.

“Ah, we should be able to meet the schedule.”

“Really? That’s such a relief! It was cutting it close.”

A girl lit up with joy at the response.

“Alright, everyone! You’ve been working late into the night, haven’t you? Let me get you all a drink!”

“No, that’s too much...”

“Oh come on, I only ever give orders. Let me do some grunt work too! I’ll take care of office cleaning! Let’s go, team!”

The girl placed coffees from her tray onto each desk.

Clatter.

Inside the transparent plastic cups, the ice clinked faintly.

“Alright, once we’re done, we’ll treat you to a big bonus.”

“Thank you!”

“Oh right—what do you think about going out after work today? I’ll pay! Whatever you want, just name it!”

“How about bluefin tuna belly? Is that doable?”

“Of course!”

“Prime ribeye?”

“Obviously!”

When she said she’d get them anything, the mood in the office surged with excitement.

They threw themselves into their assigned tasks with renewed fire.

Tonight was the team dinner.

The mere thought of all the fancy foods they normally couldn’t afford had their mouths watering.

“Well then, I’ll be off! Keep it up, everyone!”

“Yes!”

Just one round of cheer and the developers’ morale shot sky-high.

It was always like this.

Even though she held the top position of CEO, she treated the staff without discrimination and worked hard for their sake.

“Damn, ribeye on the company tab?”

“That’s food even Earth has trouble sourcing!”

“Bluefin tuna belly? What even is that?”

“Have you heard of sushi?”

As soon as the CEO left the office, the staff began murmuring among themselves.

The name of the company was Mobius.

A special-purpose corporation founded to develop a specific game.

Fitting for its special purpose, its headquarters weren’t even located on Earth.

“They say it’s the top-tier cuisine trending on Earth.”

“Sushi? Eating raw fish?”

“Dude, it’s popular on Earth, alright?”

Though they wore business suits and ID badges around their necks, they weren’t born on Earth.

In fact, they weren’t even human.

They were spirits (精靈).

A race created to help gods manage dimensions more efficiently.

These spirits had human-like bodies, but their core essence was a soul-flame lodged somewhere inside.

The body was just a vessel—if lost, they could float around as a translucent flame or inhabit another spare body.

They were possessing lifeless forms to imitate humans.

“Lady Icar is so thoughtful toward us. Ugh. And what’s she doing, I wonder.”

“All she does is bitch at us.”

“If she were even half as decent, I’d have no complaints.”

BANG!

The office door slammed open.

The gossiping staff instantly fell silent.

“......”

This time, it was a young girl who walked in.

She looked nearly identical to the cheerful woman who had just left.

The difference lay in her sharp gaze and a face that radiated frost.

“What are you looking at? Eyes down.”

Her glare turned nasty.

The spirit employees all lowered their eyes at once.

“Well, well. Iced coffee? The launch is right around the corner and you’ve got time for iced coffee?”

She grabbed someone’s cup off a desk and chugged it.

“So. What’s the progress?”

“Thankfully, we should be able to meet the schedule!”

The same person as before gave the same answer.

Her brow twisted.

“So what.”

“...Sorry?”

“Meeting deadlines is basic. The real issue is this—Is the game fun or not?”

“R-right, that’s true.”

“Can you guarantee it? That this game, when it comes out, will blow up? That we’ll rake in cash by the bucketload?”

“We won’t know until it launches...”

“Then what the hell are you doing as team lead?!”

BANG!

She slammed the table.