Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: Return...?!
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It was undeniably a warm and cozy time.
If I were to call this period, when I'd lost my body and existed only as a soul, a single dream.
My time with Stella was so sweet that I didn't even want to wake up from it.
It wasn't just because our conversations were enjoyable. We understood each other completely, shared everything without secrets, and had no worries weighing on us.
For the first time since falling into this continent.
I thought, acted, and spoke purely as Kim Shin-woo.
"It's fun."
I couldn't help but agree with Stella, who smiled brightly. My time with her truly had been enjoyable.
"Your world is truly fascinating."
Back when we spent time together at the Elia Convent, we had shared stories about our lives.
It was a time of listening intently as if unraveling a single tale.
But now, it was a little different.
From serious deliberations to trivial chit-chat.
We shared thoughts, exchanged stories, and voiced our various impressions.
Bellica occasionally chimed in like a seasoning, adding even more life to our conversations.
"There's one thing I've realized since meeting you."
Stella slowly turned her head, gazing down at the village in the distance. Even after our long conversation, the village was still reveling in its festival.
As if that part was looping on repeat.
Maybe that's why my sense of time felt so vague.
"What is it?"
As if answering my question, Stella slowly leaned her shoulder against mine.
"In the end, I'm human too."
"......"
"People looked up to me as I lived as a saintess, shedding tears at my nobility, while demons marveled that I'd transcended humanity."
She was right.
Magan had once acknowledged Stella in the same way.
It was the same context for Aria, who had become a hero beyond human limits, and the Black Necromancer, who had become a necromancer.
"But do you know?"
With a soft chuckle, as if whispering a secret, Stella cautiously buried her face in my shoulder.
"It's not transcendence at all."
"......"
"It was the opposite."
"The opposite?"
"Not transcending humanity—it was just confining myself within the framework of being a saintess."
That's why she didn't seem human.
Because she'd locked herself into the mold of a saintess, she couldn't live an ordinary life like others.
That's what Stella was telling me now.
The moment I heard it, I knew it was the truth. Stella's realization, gained only after death.
"Kim Shin-woo, don't confine yourself."
"......"
"Don't restrict yourself with the label of necromancer. Don't abandon everything for that alone."
Saintess.
For those two words alone, she'd given up everything.
Even herself.
It was the same for Aria Rias the hero and the Black Necromancer the necromancer.
But Stella was passing on to me what they hadn't realized.
"You're just an ordinary human, really. You can't be defined solely by the name necromancer."
"Yeah."
Stella slowly lifted her face from my shoulder, her hand gently touching my cheek.
I entrusted my body to her touch, as if she were cherishing something precious.
"You're Kim Shin-woo, the second son of the Verdi Family, a professor at Rovern Academy, and Erica Bright's fiancé."
A flurry of names poured out.
All of them referred to me in the end.
"A precious guest from another dimension."
The wistful smile on Stella's lips revealed her feelings.
"And the person I truly love."
"......"
"You can't abandon all that and trap yourself in one name."
The unspoken "like I did" echoed bitterly.
Stella, who had forsaken everything to live solely as a saintess.
When the divine power was reclaimed by the gods and the name saintess vanished, she lived on in tragedy.
Aria, captivated by the name hero, and the Black Necromancer, obsessed with being a necromancer.
I knew how their ends had turned out.
That's why Stella was worried.
Hoping my end wouldn't be the same tragic fate as theirs.
Necromancer.
One who consoles the departed.
I had no choice but to admit now that I hadn't looked inward at myself.
"Yeah, thank you."
Was my response satisfying?
Stella cautiously nestled into my arms, and I naturally pulled her close.
During that brief moment together.
Stella carefully spoke up.
"Can you answer me now?"
I knew what she was asking.
The first question, which I had ultimately dodged.
"Why are you fighting for this continent?"
At that question.
I briefly turned my gaze to the night sky.
My eyes naturally drifted down, taking in the continent's land and the village.
Maybe because of this scenery.
An answer I would never have given under normal circumstances.
Emerged with a bright smile.
"Because I—"
After that long-yet-short answer ended, a brief silence.
Stella, who had been staring at me blankly, grabbed my shoulders and slowly met my eyes. Her expression showed she hadn't expected it at all, giving me a sense of having landed a solid hit.
Smack.
Stella leaned in and pressed her lips to mine.
Not lingering like with Erica, nor intense like with Pindenai.
A kiss so fleeting it made me wonder if it had even happened.
Then Stella smiled more radiantly than ever.
"How could I not love you?"
* * *
A week had already passed since returning from the Clock Republic.
The nerve war between the Griffin Kingdom and the Clock Republic continued, with diplomatic issues escalating.
Griffin claimed they had merely responded to the Clock Republic's surprise preemptive strike.
But the Clock Republic argued that the Griffin attackers were the Resistance they themselves opposed, so it was irrelevant, and the response was overly aggressive.
They even took the stance that getting breached by one person was your own fault.
In response, Doberman presented the Unbreakable Armor he had been wearing as evidence, but the Republic shamelessly denied any involvement.
The other nations on the continent watched the two neighboring powers with great interest.
Whether this standoff would lead to dramatic reconciliation or reignite the flames of massive war on the once-peaceful continent remained uncertain.
Naturally, voices arose demanding the Verdi Family, guardians of the border, take responsibility for their incompetence.
But since the Verdi Family had thoroughly wrecked the Clock Republic side, the situation was ambiguous.
King Orpheus declared he would sort out the rights and wrongs after the situation stabilized, buying time while preparing for potential war with the Clock Republic.
However, here.
In Northsweden, the border region directly adjacent to Clock.
A quiet stillness enveloped the area.
"......"
Gazing at Dayus Verdi lying on the bed with his eyes closed, Deia felt a gloomy emotion piercing her heart.
Darius Verdi had finally risen from his sickbed two days ago, providing some relief, but Dayus showed no signs of waking.
Clunk.
At that moment, two women entered through the door.
Pindenai and Erica Bright.
Both approached Deia without a word. Pindenai, in her usual maid outfit, replaced the incense stick by Dayus's side.
"He's still not awake."
Deia spoke flatly, and Erica gently placed a hand on her shoulder in response.
"It's okay. He'll wake up soon."
"It's already been a week."
"Owen heard from the Black Necromancer. Dayus's soul isn't resting or gone."
Owen and Iluania from Rovern had also joined them here.
According to Owen, the only one who could communicate with the Black Necromancer, the soul itself was still within the body.
For reference, the Black Necromancer had been constantly by Dayus's side.
"Unlike at first, he's breathing, and his pulse is steady."
Pindenai was right.
When they first brought Dayus back, he wasn't breathing at all—practically dead.
At some point, a quiet breathing sound suddenly started, a miracle from the gods that could only be described that way.
"......"
She'd just smoked incense moments ago, but looking at Dayus made the craving creep up again. Pindenai turned her gaze to the window.
Outside the mansion, Aria Rias was swinging her sword with a fierce aura, training to regain her old senses.
Elenoa, being a princess who had crossed into Clock Republic territory for direct combat, was currently at the royal palace.
'I had so much I wanted to do when we reunited.'
Pindenai turned from the window, looking back at Dayus.
She'd thought it was farewell, but it wasn't.
Just knowing he had come for her filled Pindenai with a happiness unlike any she'd felt in her life.
But now, a greater sorrow than when she'd faced her own death bound her entire body.
The mere sight of that man lying in bed with eyes closed made her this anxious.
The moment that thought crossed her mind.
"Mmm."
The eyes of all four in the room turned simultaneously to Dayus.
A low groan emanated.
No one could speak, but they all shared the exact same thought.
'Please.'
And as if in response.
Dayus's eyes, closed for the past week, began to slowly open.
"Where... am I?"
That one hoarse utterance.
It was enough for the four to realize something was wrong.
"Ugh, my head. What? I was definitely......"
Dayus frowned, looking around. He grimaced as if he'd drunk bitter liquor, mumbling.
"Ugh, damn. I feel like puking."
In this chaotic situation, the only one to hit on the right answer was Deia alone.
"Rogue Dayus?"