Chapter 258: A■■ne(6)[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 258: A■■ne(6)[R-18]
[Screenshot-001.JPG]
“Poporing, I’ll ask you one more time. ...What does that look like to you?”
“H-hng... I don’t want to look at it...”
“...Please. This is important.”
Poporing scowled as if in pain, but eventually, she turned her eyes back to the screenshot displayed by the crystal ball.
[Author: ILoveTacticalNukesLoveDog■]
[Where’s the manager?? LOL Going full tactical nuke ㅋㅋㅋㅋ][7]
“H-hng-eck!! ...It... I mean... ugh! It’s white!... Everything... there’s nothing there... but looking at it makes... it feels like ants... crawling inside my head... it tickles! The whitey is... bad!... H-hng!”
“...Okay, that’s enough. That’s plenty.”
Swish—
I covered Poporing’s eyes with my hand to calm her down.
As I suspected, in Poporing’s eyes, it only appeared as something horrific and unpleasant.
“...H-hng. My head hurts... Ian oppa... can’t we turn off the crystal ball now?”
“Sorry, I still have things to do. If it’s too hard, go crawl under the covers.”
“...Okay... I get it... H-hng... I’ll be resting... so call me if you need me...”
Her reaction confirmed it.
Poporing usually acted like she was half out of her mind...
But she was by no means a bad child.
She would never behave like this if she saw someone desperately pleading for help.
[Help me...][7]
Which meant that, as expected, the screenshot was only showing its true form to me.
“....”
However...
Not only had Poporing found no trace of her when searching the Gallery...
Even when I checked the ‘Management Logs,’ there were no records of A■■ne being deleted.
It was as if the Gallery itself refused to acknowledge A■■ne’s existence.
In a situation like this, how was I supposed to find and help her?
‘No, wait...’
I was mistaken.
It was true that Poporing had searched the Gallery trying to find traces of ‘A■■ne’...
But Poporing would have searched using the nickname she saw: ‘ILoveTacticalNukesLoveDog■.’
‘In that case...’
A■■ne.
Even though the nickname was glitched and unreadable...
What if I didn’t need to read it, but simply copied and pasted the glitched characters exactly as they were?
Tap, tap!
[Search by Author: 아■■네]
[No search results found.]
“....”
The short sentence floated into my vision.
Right, there was no way things would be that easy.
If she were that easy to search for, she wouldn't have been deleted in a way that left no trace in the management logs in the first place.
But I still had one more thing I could try.
▶[You can check a ‘Fixed Nickname’s’ ‘Search History’ 10 times per month.]
‘...Please.’
With a desperate heart, I typed the name into the search bar.
[아■■네]
[Checking the search history of 아■■네.]
Flash!
- [Reasons why posts get deleted in the Gallery]
- [How to die without pain]
- [How to forget someone you miss]
- [How to have a precious dream]
- [How to have a happy dream]
- [How to die without being a burden]
...
..
.
-[Ian]
Countless traces of despair that reminded me of when I first met Estelle...
-[Ian]
And at the very end of it all was my name.
Was this a mere coincidence?
‘No.’
I shook my head.
Hadn't the Goddess Elice said it?
That everything is fate.
Tap, tap!
▶[You can check a ‘Fixed Nickname’s’ ‘Location’ 3 times per month!!]
[아■■네]
▷ Would you like to check the current location of Fixed Nickname ‘아■■네’? [Yes/No] (Remaining: 3/3)
[Yes]
▷ Checking... Please wait... Check complete!
▷ The current location of ‘아■■네’ is [QW5lb/W9uZQ==].
A translucent map unfolded before my eyes, and a small green dot labeled ‘아■■네’ flickered.
“QW5lb/W9uZQ==”
“...H-hng? Ian oppa, a-again... it was too fast, I didn't hear you. QW... what?”
Poporing poked her head out from under the covers and asked.
“You don’t need to know.”
I spoke to Poporing with intentional firmness.
“H-hng... Y-you’re mean...”
Poporing showed signs of being hurt, but I couldn't help it.
‘It’s better if Poporing doesn’t know.’
I could guess where that place was just by looking at the first part of the address.
‘The place Lord Robert brought me from.’
Back when I was still staying at the Marigold estate.
I had once asked Evelyn’s father, Lord Robert, about my past.
It wasn't because I felt any lack in my life at Marigold.
As I’ve always said, I received a level of love so great I could never repay it in a lifetime.
...I was just bothered by the past I couldn't remember.
After a long silence, Lord Robert had spoken in a heavy voice.
‘Ian... I’m sorry. I want to tell you... but that area has already been placed under a ‘Sealing Designation’ by the Church. It would be better for you not to know.’
I backed off then because I didn't want to worry Lord Robert, but I continued the investigation on my own.
The things I heard from Evelyn, the travel distance from the mansion, the date the seal was designated.
When I put everything together, the place where I must have been rescued narrowed down to just one location.
「The Silent Forest」
The address of the forest I had confirmed back then matched ‘QW5lb’ exactly.
‘...Let’s forget it.’
Having confirmed that much, the past version of me had decided to cleanly forget the past.
If I had been alone, I might have tried to go there and recover my memories no matter what.
But I wasn't alone.
Me stepping foot into a ‘Sealing Designation’ zone meant that the Marigold Family could end up at odds with the Church.
Of course, I could have made excuses like, ‘It was just a personal deviation by a stray orphan,’ or ‘The Marigold Family knew nothing about it’...
But that wouldn't happen.
Instead, they would surely have fought desperately to protect me.
I didn't want the Marigold Family to take that kind of risk.
The well-being and happiness of the people by my side now were far more precious than a vague past I had no memory of.
But...
If someone there was calling out to me through the Gallery and asking for help, the story changed.
Because I was the Gallery Manager of this world.
How could a Manager ignore a Gallerist’s plea for help?
Rustle—
I immediately stood up.
I packed emergency rations and money into a bag and strapped a sword to my waist.
“H-hng? I-Ian oppa? Where are you going? W-where are you going at this hour?”
“...It’s a secret. You, watch the house.”
“...H-hng-hic! ...Since a while ago!... Oppa... you’re being too much!”
Poporing, having been coldly rejected twice, sniveled, but it couldn't be helped.
Poporing must not know.
I had to be the only one to step into the taboo.
“I’ll be back, Poporing.”
“H-hng-hic! N-no! Ian oppa! Even if you’re going! You should at least tell me where...!”
Click—!
I heard Poporing’s panicked voice behind me, but I didn't look back.
My instinct was screaming at me.
▷ Would you like to start route guidance from your current location to the destination? [Yes/No]
[Yes]
Telling me not to hesitate.
▷ Starting route guidance from current location to [QW5lb/W9uZQ==].
Clop, clop— Clop, clop—
I rode for three days and nights without a moment’s rest, switching horses along the way.
“Haah... haah...”
When I finally arrived, old warning signs stood eerily at the entrance of the forest.
※ WARNING ※
300M ahead of this sign is the ‘Silent Forest.’ Turn back.
The Silent Forest is currently under ‘Sealing Designation’ in the name of the Church.
“Neeigh...”
Even the horse was frightened and refused to go any further, so I tied it nearby and entered on foot.
※ WARNING ※
100M ahead of this sign is the ‘Silent Forest.’ Turn back.
The Silent Forest is currently under ‘Sealing Designation’ in the name of the Church.
True to its name, the Silent Forest was filled with an ominous silence, devoid of the bird calls or insect chirps that would be heard in a normal forest.
Even without the ‘Sealing Designation,’ no person in their right mind would even think of entering.
※ WARNING ※
Past this sign is the ‘Silent Forest.’ This is your last chance. Turn back.
The Silent Forest is currently under ‘Sealing Designation’ in the name of the Church.
“....”
Step—
The moment I crossed the final warning sign, the texture of the air changed.
I had only taken one step, but it wasn't something that could be described simply as cold or damp...
A malice that seemed to reject life itself pricked my skin.
Step— Step—
My body grew heavier with every step I took toward the interior.
Thorny vines coiled around my ankles, and a toxic mist blurred my vision.
‘...This time, let’s go together so you don’t fall.’
As I pushed through the mist, I suddenly saw the figure of a young boy.
I shook my head to dispel the hallucination and kept walking.
[Continue straight for 44km. The destination is directly ahead.]
The green dot indicated by the map was still a long way off.
Rustle—!
At that chilling sound, I reflexively drew the sword at my waist.
—Grrrrr...
Along with a bizarre growl, something with pure white fur appeared.
‘...I’ll definitely protect you. For the rest of my life.’
Once again, a fragment of memory flashed by.
A promise made while holding a small, white hand.
...Who had I made that promise to?
Slash—!
“Kh!”
In the brief moment I was possessed by the hallucination, the creature lunged.
Thud—! Thud—!
By the time I managed to stop the thing’s breath, there was a deep wound on my left arm.
As if its claws were poisoned, a searing, burning pain radiated from my left arm.
Grip—!
“....”
But I couldn't stop.
I tore a piece of my clothing to bind the wound and started walking again.
[Continue straight for 4km. The destination is to your right.]
“Blegh...!!”
I snapped to my senses at the guidance voice and emptied my stomach.
It seemed I had fainted again.
How many days had it been since I entered this forest?
My entire body was covered in wounds, my sword was broken, and my tattered clothes were soaked in blood and hanging limp.
The concept of time had long since vanished, and with the constant hallucinations, the distinction between reality and illusion had become meaningless.
“Haah... haah...”
Step— Step—
[Continue straight for 400m. The destination is to your right.]
The sight of a ruined village appeared before my eyes.
A scene where everything had turned to ash and burned white.
The green dot glowing on the map was pointing exactly to the center of those ruins.
Step— Step—
Dragging my battered body, I arrived at the point glowing brightest on the map.
[You have arrived at your destination. Ending route guidance.]
...And there was no one there.
Was I too late?
If everything is ‘fate,’ was it also ‘fate’ for things to end up like this?
Thud—!
‘No...!’
I fell to my knees and began to dig into the earth with my bare hands.
My fingernails broke and blood seeped from my fingertips, but I didn't stop.
Thud—!
Even if everything ultimately flows according to the script written by ‘fate’...
Thud—!
I had the ‘power’ to change ‘fate.’
Thud—!
And the ending of the scripts I wrote was always only one.
‘A story where everyone definitely becomes happy!’
Touch—
Then, my fingertips brushed against something soft.
As I cleared away the dirt, I saw someone curled up in the pit.
Whoosh—!
The moment I saw her, the mist that had filled my head cleared.
Our first meeting in the nest, the flower crown I wove with clumsy hands, the stream where we splashed together, the winter forest where we had a snowball fight.
“Found... you.”
I wasn't too late.
I bit my lip hard and reached out a trembling hand.
“...A?”
“...I found you.”
“Hayangi.”