Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: Freefall
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On the way back, Han U-sol and Reisi's faces were grim. They must have been just as shocked as I was.
Even though Han U-sol tried to say something positive, it did nothing to lift the heavy mood.
The city was in an uproar over the sudden appearance of a high-rank magic beast.
People were demanding to know if this was really okay, insisting that high-rank heroes needed to be stationed in the central area too. Public opinion was boiling over.
Screeech—
I entered my dorm room and closed the door behind me. The room was dark, no light coming in.
"……"
It was dark. And quiet.
The darkness and silence drew me into my thoughts.
And it didn't take long for those thoughts to twist into self-loathing and torment.
Why.
Why now, all of a sudden.
"Ah…"
I've loved novels since I was a kid.
Because they were better than reality.
Fictional stories always had their twists and turns, backed by proper foreshadowing and logic.
The protagonists in those stories would tumble down but always overcome their trials and make a comeback.
That's why I loved novels.
Reality, on the other hand, just kept hurling you downward endlessly, without any foreshadowing or logic.
Misfortunes and trials in real life always struck suddenly, without warning.
"Ugh…"
There had been foreshadowing… sort of.
The attack during the picnic.
The traitor's cult.
The occasional magic beast raids inside the city lately.
But. But this.
I recalled the scene I'd witnessed just an hour ago.
A mountain of corpses.
It was cold. Their eyes were vacant.
Why.
Why now, after holding strong without any casualties until now…
Ah.
Ugh.
Urk.
Maybe, just maybe, when I realized this world was from a novel, I'd let my guard down a bit.
A novel.
A world from a novel.
Wouldn't plummet off a cliff like reality does.
Since I'd become part of that novel world, I thought this peace, this happiness, would last a little longer.
But no.
The peaceful daily life had suddenly nosedived.
The burning sense of duty scattered to the winds in less than five minutes.
"……"
In the quiet, dark room. Sounds tangled in my mind. Echoing, spreading.
…Not good. Especially for my mental health.
'Ah. Forgot to pick up the dagger again.'
Forgot to store it somewhere again. Well, with everything that happened today, it's no surprise.
…Calling now to ask for it back would be weird.
Guess I'll have to tough it out again today… Not feeling confident when I'm this depressed.
I buried my face in the pillow and plugged my ears.
"Fergus, can you specially enroll this child?"
Yeriel pointed at something with her finger.
"…Special enrollment, Lady Yeriel? That thing you've brought…"
Fergus's gaze followed her fingertip. What entered his view was a black-haired girl lying in a coffin.
"It's a corpse."
"She'll wake up soon."
This child… After hearing Yeriel's long explanation, Fergus's face hardened.
Clink.
Yeriel pulled something from her pocket. It was shaped like a small syringe.
"…Lady Yeriel. What is that?"
"Magi."
"…Lady Yeriel."
The old man's beard trembled.
"Did you sacrifice humans for this?"
"……"
Yeriel's faint smile vanished, her expression turning blank.
"Everything is for the greater good. A sacrifice to protect all of humanity."
"……And what do you plan to use that magi for?"
"Her, of course."
"…Magi is poison to humans."
Yeriel spoke in a flat voice.
"She's human, but not human, so it'll be fine."
Of course, there would be side effects.
Magi was a mass of negative emotions.
Hallucinations. Auditory hallucinations. Negative thought patterns. Maybe even madness.
But it didn't matter.
As long as she regained her power.
She could just erase it then.
"…Do you pity her?"
"Do you feel sorry for those sacrificed to extract the magi?"
"……"
"No need for guilt."
I'll bear all the sins.
How much time had passed? After lying in bed like a corpse, the raging hallucinations finally quieted a bit.
I checked my phone: 1 a.m.
…I made it through after all.
Couldn't do it twice. I vowed to go straight to Han U-sol in the morning for the dagger.
Ding—
"……"
I flipped the phone over. Didn't want to see it.
Ding—
"…What the."
The alarm kept going off.
Ding—
It wasn't multiple new episodes. The same episode alert kept repeating.
As if begging me to look.
Ding—
A bad feeling crept in.
My instincts screamed not to look, but I ignored them and opened the phone to read.
The small glow from the screen filled the dark room.
In the silence, the occasional swipe sounds broke through.
Swipe— Swipe—
The further I scrolled, the deeper it went. My face grew paler.
Swipe—
Finally, the scroll hit the bottom.
"……"
Ah.
Ugh.
"Uwaaaagh…"
I bolted upright and vomited onto the floor.
"Kuhk, cough…"
The mess on the floor was clear. I hadn't eaten since lunch.
"Haa, ugh…"
I clutched my chest, gasping for air.
Please.
Someone tell me it's a lie.
I stared at the floor for a long time before looking back at my phone.
In the novel.
No one died.
No siren went off.
No siren meant no Chimera appeared.
No Chimera meant no one died.
The novel.
The novel's world.
Didn't plummet off a cliff like reality.
It was peaceful. Everyone was smiling.
The cold, tangled corpses.
The blood pooled and hardened on the concrete floor. It should have been flowing with life inside them.
They were people who were supposed to be alive.
"Ah, sob…"
Then why. Why did innocent people have to die.
What's the difference between the novel and here.
It was me.
Because of me. My existence, my actions.
A tiny flap of a butterfly's wings became the butterfly effect, killing those who shouldn't have died.
"Ugh, keh…"
My body dry-heaved, squeezing out what little was left. Hallucinations echoed beyond my fading mind.
I couldn't save them.
No, worse…
My vision shook.
To steady it, I focused on the desk.
A framed photo came into view.
In it, I wore a cracked medal around my neck and held a crumpled certificate.
My expression was blurry.
Ah.
Downhill.
The end was a cliff.
Falling.
The bottom isn't visible yet.
——Tick.
The hand pointing at 3 now pointed at 6.
Yeriel opened her eyes and sat up in bed.
Finally.
She's fallen.
"Now, half."
Half her power regained.
The child who clung on during the descent finally plummeted.
Once the fall begins, no one can stop it.
Hitting the bottom is just a matter of time.
When she does, she'll shatter.
That pure, resilient child who endured against all the negativity will break into pieces.
Child. Mortal.
I'm sorry.
My sin is deep for dragging you down when you did nothing wrong.
Hate me if you want. It's all my failing, my original sin.
"Ah, my God…"
I repent my sins. Please forgive me.
For the salvation of all humanity, I threw myself into dark, sticky sin. As you commanded, I spared no effort to protect mankind.
So forgive me.
Forgive my sins…
And pity that child.
Falling.
Can't see the bottom yet, but soon.
The longer I fall, the faster it gets. Plummeting.
It was familiar. A sensation I hated most.
The end of this fall is probably…
Ah.
The dagger. I need the dagger.
With shaking hands, I messaged Han U-sol and bolted out of the dorm.
"Hah… hak…"
Breath burned in my throat. My body trembled nonstop, but my legs kept moving.
I didn't know exactly where Han U-sol lived, but I had a rough direction and sprinted that way like mad.
Hot energy surged through my body. Mana circulating.
Maybe from running desperately? I felt way faster than usual.
Far off, I glimpsed Han U-sol's white hair. Panting, I approached, and he noticed me, turning his head.
"Anis…?"
Seeing my wrecked state, Han U-sol's eyes widened in shock.
"Haa… haa…"
The distance closed. The dagger around his neck entered my view.
I hadn't entered its range yet, but I stopped dead.
"……"
Because it gave off an intensely unpleasant vibe.
Just like when I met that Yeriel woman.
'…Why? How?'
The aura leaking from the dagger felt off-putting somehow.
Why? Did they alter its ability in the meantime?
Confused, I looked at Han U-sol. His reaction was the same as mine.
"Anis… why?"
Han U-sol covered his nose, face twisted in confusion.
As if he'd smelled something foul.
Like when he smelled a magic beast.
"Ah…"
What.
Why.
Why are you looking at me like that?
Nausea rose.
Was it the dagger around Han U-sol's neck, or something else? I couldn't tell.
"A-Anis!"
I turned and fled back to the dorm.
I ignored his incoming calls and stayed up all night.
The relentless hallucinations and revived phrases tormented me nonstop, but isn't man an animal of adaptation?
Holed up in my dorm over the weekend, I got used to it quick.
It's fine.
I haven't broken yet.
Probably.