Chapter 136
Chapter 136
Chapter 136
Honestly, it wasn’t that surprising.
It wasn’t shocking either.
I could accept this fact calmly, as if I had just fitted the last piece into a puzzle I had been searching for all along.
Even if I tried to deny it, there was too much circumstantial evidence from the start.
The first time Lena came to me.
The day I had a nightmare about seeing him in the mirror.
When I discovered the [Parade] observing me from afar.
When I traced back past memories and saw him spitting words of disgust at Alexios.
When I found out that Salem, who seemed to have no connection whatsoever, bore the title of [Spokesperson of the Other Side].
When I heard Lustitia explain that an avatar could be born from a key.
“I really don’t understand it.”
define U.R Character(Oz Quabadis, Alignment=N,G)
The code was written in a book I had briefly reviewed before confronting Oz.
At the time, I simply thought the term U.R meant Ultra Rare. But if you translate its meaning literally.
If you interpret it in such an absurd, forced way.
Ulterior Representative.
An agent from the other side.
The following phrase appears. Yes, this world was overtly, without a single shred of concealment.
“……Well, at least one objective has become clear.”
“Objective? What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?”
It had been telling me about his true identity all along.
What my goal would be.
What only I could do.
“Well. Don’t you know better than I do what my objective is?”
If he was truly born from Oz, possessing the same memories and the same power.
And considering that he could even use the power of the key. Oz would never. He wouldn't have been able to defeat him.
“That’s a funny joke. After all that struggling, are you finally admitting that you’re beneath me?”
That’s why I exist. I am Oz’s joker card.
I might not have any special power, but I’m definitely a variable that will have the biggest impact.
At the very least, he hasn't yet grasped my existence.
“It’s not even funny. Oz, I know. How could I not know? That you’re still struggling, diligently racking your brain for a solution. How could I not know?”
“……Think whatever you want.”
“Haha. Interesting. Yes, I’m looking forward to it. That pathetic plan you’re going to come up with.”
Then, at least once.
“Well, it’ll be the same in the end.”
“……”
I’ll be able to stab him in the back. He'll be misreading me.
He can continue to be mistaken.
By the time he realizes that the direction my existence is heading is slightly different from what he thinks, it will already be too late.
Janus soon walked out from beyond the fog and stood before me.
Even my companions, who had been clinging to me, recoiled due to his overwhelming presence.
“You taught Alexios those useless methods, didn’t you?”
Beyond his sneering mask, I met his cold blue eyes.
“I spared him because I desperately tried not to get involved……. But now I have no choice but to kill him. Because of you, Oz.”
“……”
I understood a lot from those few words of his.
So this was it.
This was why Oz had left everyone and wandered alone.
He had struggled so hard, trying to protect his family no matter what.
But unlike Oz, I chose to embrace everyone and move forward.
That’s why I didn’t hinder Alexios from doing what he intended.
I even pushed him to go through with it properly.
And this is the result.
“From the way you’re talking, it seems you failed. Alexios must have dealt you a big blow?”
“……”
Now it was his turn to be silent.
I have no regrets. It was my choice from the beginning. I have no intention of cowering in fear like Oz.
I decided to live proactively. That this was my choice.
It hasn't changed once from the start.
“……You’ll regret it.”
“You too. You’ll regret underestimating him, and missing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because of it.”
I now know his true identity.
What was uncertain has turned into conviction.
If so, I can build a design for victory. This encounter will tighten the noose around his neck.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The meeting was dramatic, but the parting was ordinary.
Since we couldn't cause a commotion in the Samdo River anyway, he and I simply went our separate ways, ignoring each other for now.
It was amusing to see his humiliated, distorted mask, but the cold, sky-blue eyes visible through it were chilling.
But it's okay. It will be okay.
Because I can win.
That’s what I believed, and so I began to make plans for the future.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Are we almost there?”
There's only a short path left.
A little further, and we'll reach [Goblin Forest], the midpoint of this journey.
Until then, I just need to make sure Eleanor doesn't cause any trouble.
But no sooner had I made that resolve.
“Ugh……?!”
“What? What is it?”
Baekyang let out a frustrated scream.
Just in case, I checked Eleanor, who was clinging to my left, but she didn't seem to have caused any trouble.
Then what could it be?
Baekyang’s steps began to falter as if she were possessed by something.
“This guy……?”
Baekyang was staring into space as if looking at something.
Come to think of it, I had never considered it. Since she was a yokai who naturally used Yokai energy as power, I thought she would be fine. I was careless.
Moreover, there was a point where I could have noticed it in the middle. Ever since we started finding our way in the Samdo River. Baekyang hadn't said a word.
“Ugh?!”
First, I knocked out Baekyang, who was losing her mind and starting to head towards the ideal paradise.
Once I knocked her out, I saw tears welling up in her eyes.
What kind of illusion did she see?
“This is a problem. Ulla, I’m asking just in case……”
“My apologies, Prince Oz. Even my eyes see nothing……”
“Those eyes are just for show……”
“……”
“No, it’s too late for that now.”
Nothing is as dangerous as losing a guide in the Samdo River.
Among us, no one besides Baekyang can navigate the way.
To put it simply.
“We’re lost here……”
We were isolated in the middle of the Samdo River, unable to distinguish front from back.
“What should we do, Master?”
“Well……”
We have two choices.
One is to wait for Baekyang, our guide, to regain consciousness.
This option is actually unlikely.
If she was once enchanted, wouldn't she be enchanted a second time? Baekyang’s mental strength has already reached its limit.
Even if she opens her eyes again, there’s a high probability she’ll be trapped in an illusion.
Furthermore……
“It would be better not to wake Baekyang until we arrive, wouldn’t it?”
“……You rarely say something sensible.”
“I always say sensible things.”
“Ah, right.”
Eleanor’s nonsense aside.
The means we can choose, realistically speaking, would be the second one.
That’s not exactly realistic either, but relying on luck is better than overworking a precarious Baekyang.
“From now on, we just have to conserve as much energy as possible and wait.”
“For whom?”
“The Miko.”
The Samdo River is by no means an easy path. However, even if it is a dangerous place, it is not what the [Yokai King] intended.
He merely wanted to live a long life; he had no intention of mass murder.
That’s why the [Yokai King] picked up an abandoned child in the Samdo River and made her a Miko.
They periodically wander inside the Samdo River, guiding those who have lost their way out. They are top-class guides.
The [Goblin Forest] episode also involved that Miko, so if we're in a nearby location, she might be around.
“Master, then what should we do while we wait?”
“Did you hear me correctly? We need to conserve as much energy as possible, remember? It could take days, so just stay put.”
“Ugh. But that’s boring, isn’t it?”
This one simply doesn’t understand words. In fact, it's admirable that she’s held back until now.
“Oh? What, what is it? No, I mean, I don’t dislike it, hmm, hmm……”
“Rest.”
I grabbed Eleanor, who looked ready to dash off, and sat her down right next to me, and she quieted down a bit.
Indeed, keeping her close and under supervision gave me peace of mind. With this, Eleanor won’t harbor any wild ideas.
“Wow. I can’t believe there’s someone with two women clinging to him on this road.”
“Ulla, if you talk nonsense……. No.”
It wasn't Ulla. It was a similar tone to Ulla’s, but the feeling was different.
Ulla’s openly dissatisfied gaze wasn’t important right now.
“Looking closely, he’s a handsome fellow.”
“I hear that often.”
“Oh……. Right. Well, I guess you would hear that often.”
Pink hair and golden eyes reminiscent of the full moon.
Her smiling eyes, somewhat playful, gave off an eerie feeling.
To put it nicely, her impression was the opposite of Arietta’s, and to put it negatively, she was of the same ilk as Baekyang and Eleanor.
[SSR Moon Miko]
Soyeon
The person we were waiting for appeared at an unbelievably timely moment.
“I have a bad feeling about this……”
“Oh? So you weren’t lost after all? I thought you were waiting for me.”
“No, that’s correct.”
It’s just that things were going too well when they shouldn’t.
She appeared too quickly.
Considering my usual luck, I thought she wouldn’t appear until a critical situation.
So I had envisioned a scenario where we would either be taken in by the Miko at that critical moment, or by goblins who had come out to greet us, tired of waiting…….
But to meet so easily?
This is not good.
Reflecting on my past experiences, it seems today's fortune was bad. It always has been!
“Hello, friends. I’m Soyeon, the Moon Miko, one of the Miko of the Samdo River. I’ll ask simply: are you lost?”
“Yes.”
“Good, a concise answer. Very good. I'd like to talk for a long time, as it's been a while since I've conversed with people, but we're both busy, so I suppose we can't.”
This person talks a lot.
She’s the type of person who doesn't get many opportunities to meet people, considering her personality.
“But what about your guide…… Is it that person lying down over there? This is why you shouldn’t bring amateur guides.”
“……She’s a friend.”
“Ah, I misspoke there. But, still, if you weren’t confident, wouldn’t it have been better to hire a proper guide……? No, I wasn’t trying to disparage her……”
She's an interesting person.
Seeing her surprised by her own words, she feels like she's in the same category as Marie.
Indeed, all the playable characters marked in the game are full of unique personalities.
“Um, if you stare at me with such an intrigued gaze, I get nervous……”
“My apologies.”
“No, yes…… right. Well, first, shall we check on the condition of the friend lying down?”
“If possible, could you take measures to prevent her from having nightmares?”
“Hehe, just trust me. What shall I take as payment?”
Soyeon giggled and looked at me with squinted eyes.
I’ve seen those eyes once before. Stacia, the Princess’s eyes.
“Shall I offer you some blood?”
“……I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand people’s sensibilities these days. Not that, but……. It was a joke, what should I say?”
Soyeon babbled for a long time, then let out a deep sigh and headed towards Baekyang, who was lying down.
She must have given up on making excuses.
That kind of evasive personality, I don’t dislike it.
“Ah……”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, well…… I thought she was a goblin. Yes, she’s a goblin, but she got lost in the Samdo River. Right, yes……”
Soyeon started babbling again, repeating the same words as if something was wrong. But there was one difference…….
“You still……”
It was only for a moment, but she had a somewhat wistful smile.
Perhaps I was mistaken due to the fog, but it seems Soyeon also knows something about Baekyang.
If [Contemplation] had been working properly, it would have been easy to guess, but it’s still out of order except for the encounter with Janus.
Meanwhile, Soyeon smiled awkwardly and drew a ritual on Baekyang’s forehead.
It was a magical art, different from magic, like drawing a talisman.
A magical art also called sequential magic.
I suppose I'll need to look into it.
“Okay, it's done. But this is only a temporary measure, so it would be best to leave the Samdo River as quickly as possible. Can you move?”
“It’s fine. Arietta, it seems I’ll have to carry Baekyang, so if it’s alright, could you change where you’re clinging?”
“Ah, yes……”
Arietta moved from behind my back to my right arm.
Eleanor on the left, Arietta on the right, and Baekyang on my back.
At this point, it’s not about volume or anything; they’re truly just dead weight.
But Baekyang’s volume is uniquely overwhelming. That’s true……
“I don’t understand any of your relationships……. Is that what modern sensibilities are like?”
“That’s right.”
I just vaguely glossed it over because I'm too lazy to explain. Soyeon, who rarely has contact with the human world, must be quite perplexed, but it will be fine.
She’ll be able to travel the outside world to her heart’s content soon enough, so she’ll probably correct this misunderstanding on her own.
That’s how people usually grow up.
Fortunately, [Goblin Forest] was close by. At least Baekyang had been guiding us correctly until she was enchanted by an illusion.
Looking at that, it seems her offer to guide us wasn't just bravado but a calculated move.
The only problem was the delay caused by those madmen, Pied Dunn and Janus, in the middle.
“Alright, just ahead is our destination. Next time, be careful not to get lost, okay?”
“Thank you, Soyeon.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I also had a decent conversation with a person after a long time, and it wasn’t bad at all.”
“I see.”
A Miko’s role is to guide those who are lost out of the Samdo River.
And usually, those who get lost in the Samdo River are terrified.
Naturally, of course. It’s a path that can drive a person mad even if they just stand still. We were just lucky; most of the people she found must have been mad or stunned.
“Then, see you next ti—... No, it’s nothing.”
‘See you next time.’
Those words probably slipped out unconsciously.
In fact, for a Miko who generally cannot leave the Samdo River, saying “see you again” is no different from cursing them.
But at the same time, the fact that such words slipped out unconsciously reveals how lonely she lives.
She covered her mouth, startled by her own words, but I know.
She will leave the Samdo River soon anyway.
So for now.
“Yes, I look forward to seeing you again soon, Soyeon.”
I can reply to such a greeting without a second thought.
Soyeon blinked at my reply, then answered with a trembling voice, as if troubled.
“You shouldn’t say such things lightly……. It’s better not to encounter beings like me at all.”
“Then I’ll say it a bit more heavily. We will meet again, Soyeon. In a much better situation than now.”
“……”
Soyeon turned her back again, speechless. It was the same as before.
The act of fleeing while deferring a response.
But this time, something was different.
[Contemplation – Activated]
On her retreating back, I saw a joyful expression.