Chapter 353: The One Who is Remembered
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 353: The One Who is Remembered
“Huu… huu…”
Gram was sent flying, crashing down upon the icy earth. A cold wind was still blowing, and the clamor of the battlefield was slowly fading.
I slowly approached Gram and leaned my body over him. I was in no state to move either. But from the corpse on the cold ground below, I could feel no movement whatsoever. If he had been human, he would have died long ago. No, the same was true even for an undead. I hadn't cut him down with a sword, but his body was so thoroughly broken and beaten to a pulp that he was no longer capable of moving.
Instead, I heard a small voice. It was a curious voice, unlike him.
“What right are you talking about?”
It seemed my final words had stuck with him.
“You don’t need to know. You’re going to die.”
“I believe I already told you that I am already dead.”
“…”
“I did not think I would lose… but… I think I understand why I am lying here now.”
“You can feel something like that?”
“I do not know. But… I am a little angry… It was a fight I could have won… I do not understand…”
“You’ll never understand.”
I raised Levatain. I still had enough magic left to burn the unmoving creature. As I slowly summoned my magic, flames immediately shot forth. It took a great deal of effort just to conjure a fire of this size. But it was right to finish this.
As I slowly extended my sword, the body of the creature lying still was instantly engulfed in flames.
I had won, but it was a dirty feeling. It wasn't an enjoyable fight; it felt exactly like I’d been fighting a corpse. I couldn't feel any fighting spirit, any rage. For a being who held the Seat of Wrath, he was an incredibly cold bastard. He might have been human at first, too.
He must have held memories of moments when he laughed, grieved, and was genuinely angry. Those memories might have faded now, but when he said he was angry, I couldn't help but think he remembered some part of his past. I’d heard that the resurrected remember to some extent the lingering regrets they had in life. They say it weathers away with time, but there was likely something that still moved him.
“Hot.”
“You can feel heat?”
“That is not what I mean. The sorrow. I am talking about you. You are hot.”
“Bullshit.”
“It is faint… but I believe there was a time when I, too, was like you.”
“…”
“Now, I am cold.”
“…”
“I have spoken for too long.”
“You’re damn right you have.”
No more voices were heard.
“Huu…”
An uninteresting fight. An undead with intelligence is truly a fucking pain. He departed without ever knowing what he truly wanted. I wasn't certain. But I couldn't help but think that perhaps his attempt to create other undead wasn't born from a hatred for the living, but from a desire to be with them.
Of course, I knew how absurd that sounded.
I didn't know if it was the influence of absorbing so many emotions or something else, but it seemed I had become needlessly sentimental. I slowly began to walk. There was no need to waste any more emotion on him. The only thing that mattered was that he had defined me as an enemy. Nothing else was important.
“My lord… are you alright?”
“Blood Dagger… are you hurt?”
I thought they would have fainted, but they seemed to be in better shape than I expected. I could see Han So-Hye and Jang Ye Ri speaking to me. I tried to answer, but the words wouldn't come out. No, more than that…
My body felt like it was tilting to the right.
Ha…
There were so many things I wanted to see with my own eyes. The rest of the battle would not be lost. With Jang Ye Ri and Han So-Hye joining the fray, the tide of war would turn by the second, and the undead under the Fallen Prince's command would slowly lose their strength.
The most important thing was whether Choi Eunju… was alive. I had done something terrible to her. Baek Ahyeon would surely save her. My vision slowly blurred. I felt someone catch my falling body.
“Fuck… Kim Taesung… Kim Taesung! Priest!! Priest!!!”
A familiar voice.
“Choi… Eunju?”
Muttering that single name, I lost consciousness.
*
I felt strands of hair tickling the tip of my nose. It was a rather comfortable feeling. I wanted to sleep a little longer. I tried to move my hand, but my body wouldn't budge. As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw snow-white hair brushing against my face.
Ah…
The memories of before slowly replayed in my mind.
The war with the undead had begun, and I had collapsed right after our victory. Choi Eunju had suffered a fatal wound…
“Choi… Eun…”
“Yes, darling. I’m right here.”
I heard a voice tinged with laughter.
She’s alive…
“You’re alive…”
“Yes.”
As I slowly opened my eyes, it felt like light was pouring into them all at once. My blurry vision began to clear. Everything came into sharp focus. It was the same place I had woken up in before. The great city of the North. The fact that I was here, and that Choi Eunju was here, must mean we had safely won the final battle.
“How long…?”
“I think it’s been about three months, darling.”
I had been asleep for quite a long time. It wasn't just Levatain; I had truly pushed myself too far this time. It was a good thing the ability I gained from the Seat was physical enhancement. If it had been any other type, I would not have survived.
My mind felt quite dazed. I slowly sat up, leaning my body slightly against the headboard.
“How did you…”
“I think I probably died and came back. If it weren't for Ahyeon, I would have really died… Thanks to that, Ahyeon is lying in bed now instead of me. It seems she overused her divine power.”
Choi Eunju’s expression was quite bright. Her black hair hadn't returned, but if she recovered a little more, it would probably come back soon.
“The others…”
“They seem to be cleaning up the Northern Continent. Everyone has a lot to do… I wanted to lend a hand, but Seulgi insisted that I take care of you, Taesung. She asked me to tell you… ‘Sorry it’s not Eunju-unni…’”
“…”
I didn't want to remember it, but I recalled calling Choi Seulgi by Choi Eunju’s name at the end. I had hoped she wouldn't be angry, but from the sound of it, she seemed to be seriously sulking. Looking at her now, Choi Eunju’s expression seemed quite good. She was still gaunt, but she looked incredibly happy.
I couldn't help but think she must have heard me call her name before I collapsed. Or perhaps she felt as if she had finally shed some of her emotional burden.
It was probably because she had cast off the burden of being by my side while her memories had returned. I looked at the smiling Choi Eunju and slowly opened my mouth.
“Since when?”
As expected, her expression began to change slightly.
“It hasn't been that long…”
“…”
“It’s a bit ambiguous to pinpoint a specific moment… It would be more accurate to say the memories came back slowly.”
“Hmm…”
“There were times when I felt like things didn't add up. Maybe I just didn't want to remember. Because I liked you. To be honest… my life after being with you was truly happy. Except for the fact that you have a few too many women.”
Hearing something like that to my face was quite embarrassing.
“The moment I remembered everything clearly was…”
“Yes.”
“I think it was when I met my former husband.”
For a moment, I couldn't understand what she was talking about. Her words sounded so out of the blue. But after thinking about what had happened on our continent, I could only nod.
“You don’t have to scowl like that. I like you, you know.”
It seemed I had grimaced without realizing it. There was nothing to be jealous of, yet I had acted like such a child.
“It’s not because of that.”
“Yes… hehe. I know.”
She seemed to be smiling a little. I guess she found my reaction cute. But soon, Choi Eunju’s smile faded as she began to speak.
“I stopped by our old house for a bit.”
“…”
“There was so much I wanted to say. Because what happened was, in the end, my mistake.”
“You can’t say it was your fault.”
“He said the same thing. He said it wasn't my fault, that we were just unlucky. He truly didn't resent me. He just said he was happy to be able to see me one more time.”
Choi Eunju must have buried her resurrected husband with her own hands. That was likely the reason for her slightly bitter expression.
“He asked me. If I had found another man.”
“…”
“He was usually a bit clueless…”
“And?”
“Hehe. Of course, I told him yes. That I’d met someone good. He’s not a kind person, and he has a lot of women around him, and if I had to classify him, he’s a bit of a bad person… but I told him I met someone who cherishes me, is always grateful for me, and loves me.”
I couldn't imagine how that must have felt. If I thought about Choi Seulgi remarrying, I didn't think I could just smile.
“He looked a little bitter, but he definitely smiled for me. The undead can’t smile, but… in my eyes, it clearly looked like he was smiling. He kept saying, ‘That’s good. That’s good.’”
I felt Choi Eunju’s shoulders begin to tremble slightly. There was no way she wasn't sad. The emotions she was sending out were continuously piling up inside me.
She must have been in the same state after she went to see him. Tears were streaming from her eyes, and her face was trembling slightly, as if she was finding it hard to continue speaking.
He wasn't a bad guy. The man who was always smiling in Choi Eunju’s memories had become very faint in my own memory now, but he was definitely a great guy. He was a man who knew how to love his wife and how to protect his family. If someone asked me what I thought of him as a man, I would answer that he was someone I could respect.
“I’m indebted to him. Did he happen to leave a message for me?”
It was less of a question and more of a certainty. As if my prediction was correct, Choi Eunju began to hesitate slightly. It didn't feel like she was reluctant to speak, but rather like she was holding back tears. Finally, she slowly began to speak. As expected, her voice was thick with tears.
“…”
“Please… take… good care of her… Thank you… It seems… you cherish her… so I’m relieved… Later… after some time has passed… I’d… like… to have… a drink… with… you…”
I stroked her hair. He was a man whose memory was certainly fading. But looking at Choi Eunju, I opened my mouth.
It was the wholehearted truth.
“I’ll remember him.”
No answer came. Only the sound of her continuous sobbing could be heard.
*
“By the way, darling.”
“Hm?”
“When Seulgi was holding you. Is it true you called out, ‘Eunju’?”
“Ahem…”
“That makes me happy. Hehe… Is it okay if I lean on you for a bit?”
“Of course.”
“I’m so happy.”