Returned
──────!
…Cough.
The sky churned with an ugly violet hue.
The earth screamed in agony.
On that day, this godforsaken world inside the novel raced toward its end.
Rain poured down in sheets!
"A betrayer of the gods! Kill him!"
"Death to the traitor!"
"Strike down that scum who dared betray the Empire! Executioner!"
The fury and malice of the soldiers surrounding me pierced through the downpour.
Rain-soaked hair clung to my face, blocking my vision.
"Ooh! The gods have spoken! They command us to kill him at once!"
"Almighty Savior of All Creation!"
'Fucking lunatics.'
My body was caked in blood and rain, too weak to even twitch a finger.
I lifted my head with a hollow, despairing expression and stared at the murky sky.
…
How the hell did it come to this?
No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn't pinpoint the cause.
If I had to name one mistake…
There was only a single sin.
The crime of reading this dogshit novel.
Just because I was bored.
Because I had too much free time.
If I'd known the price would be getting sucked into this crapfest of a story…
I'd never have touched it unless I was insane.
'Fuck.'
If I'd at least finished the damn thing, I wouldn't feel so cheated.
But I dropped it early.
I had no clue how the plot unfolded.
No idea who the real black was.
Absolutely nothing.
So when I got isekai'd into this mess all alone…
I thought I'd clawed my way to survival with everything I had.
I was confident I hadn't made a single wrong choice.
'And this is the result?'
It was beyond absurd—too ridiculous for even a bitter laugh.
Maybe that's why I bailed after the early chapters.
Or perhaps there was some late-game twist I missed.
No idea.
If I at least knew the reason, it wouldn't sting so much.
This was supposed to be a romance fantasy novel, right?
Though it stopped making sense the moment those eldritch cosmic monsters showed up.
"You're still alive, huh."
A familiar voice cut through the rain.
Tinged with faint surprise, as if she hadn't expected me to cling on.
"Why… the hell…"
I forced out the words with my last ounce of strength.
If I was going down, I at least wanted to know why.
…….
"Why… did you… betray me…?!"
Shing.
"Don't forgive me."
A bitter voice whispered past my ear.
My vision swam red with blood, but I could still make out the speaker.
The Empire's hero.
One of the strongest Executioners, the Empire's elite enforcers.
A girl who'd never tasted defeat in battle, more just than anyone, with a heart warmer than most.
My oldest friend, the one I trusted above all.
The protagonist of this novel—or so I'd believed.
'Lorraine Justein.'
…….
Yeah.
She wasn't about to explain a damn thing, even at the end.
That was her all right.
The one person I trusted with my life.
No matter what, she always shouldered everything alone.
So.
If you'd planned to kill me from the start.
If you were gonna betray me this pathetically…
"Don't… make that face…"
I wanted to land one massive blow on that tear-streaked expression.
But deep down, I knew.
I had no fight left, no strength at all.
Just barely hanging on by a thread.
Any lapse in consciousness, and I'd be gone.
Still.
One last word to her wouldn't hurt.
"…Even in death… I'll curse you."
"Yeah. I'll take it gladly."
Slash!
A chilling metallic ring echoed.
My vision spun grotesquely.
"Zeek… sorry… I'll be with you… soon…"
Beyond my tumbling view, I saw my friend weeping… and my headless body crumpling to the ground.
'I'm dead.'
So cold.
Consciousness faded; death crept in.
Is this really the end?
This pathetically?
…….
If I got one more chance.
Just one.
I'd make damn sure it never ended like this.
'Damn it…'
Before I could fully grasp my death…
Thick darkness swallowed my mind whole.
"Gah—!"
I jolted awake with a ragged gasp, like my lungs were tearing apart.
The first thing I did was clutch my neck.
That horrific sensation of a cold blade severing flesh.
The terror of watching my body slump headless on the ground—it still clung to my spine.
My heart pounded wildly with every breath.
…….
I touched my neck over and over.
The feel of skin under my fingers—if this wasn't a dream, my head was still attached.
'I'm alive.'
If it wasn't a hallucination, I'd definitely died.
No doubt about it. The memory was too vivid.
As I steadied my heaving breaths, my brows furrowed.
What the hell was going on?
Then—
"Hey, you okay? You just zoned out like…"
A familiar face popped into view.
Gazing down with worry.
…….
If I wasn't seeing things…
This bastard in front of me was the one who'd decapitated me minutes ago.
My brain hadn't caught up yet.
Battle-hardened instincts and boiling rage moved first.
Whoosh—!
"Kyaaah?!"
My heavy straight punch slammed into his face without thinking.
A solid crack, and he tumbled across the ground, spraying nosebleed.
"Hey! Hey! You asshole! Why'd you hit me?!"
He clutched his nose, eyes watering, yelling like he was the victim.
What nonsense was this?
Why hit you? As if he'd forgotten we were crossing blades moments ago.
I lunged to grab his collar and end him—
But as I scanned the surroundings in confusion, I froze.
"Huh…?"
Something was off.
This wasn't the place I knew.
No stench of rotting corpses or blood.
No battlefield.
The sky, once dyed violet by an ancient god's whim, was blindingly blue and clear.
"What the…"
"Fuck! Why'd you hit me?!"
And most of all…
My friend rolling on the ground, cursing me out—Lorraine's face.
Looked a full ten years younger. Boyish, innocent.
"What… happened…"
I thought I'd died in this isekai romance world.
But somehow, I was alive.
Back in time, before everything began.
"Are you insane? Seriously, Zeek?!"
Lorraine clutched her swollen red nose and screamed.
Her teary, fuming glare.
Nothing like the cold Executioner who'd sliced my head off without hesitation.
Academy uniform. Baby-soft cheeks without a hint of stubble.
Even the irritated tone aimed at me.
Too real to dismiss as a dream or illusion.
…….
I ignored her nonstop protests and stared at my palm.
Calluses, sure—but not the gnarled, twisted hand from swinging a sword thousands of times on the battlefield.
'I regressed.'
No idiot could deny it.
Regression at death's door—a fact that slammed into my brain.
I'd rolled like a dog to survive in this romance novel world.
Dedicated myself to the Empire, only to lose my head to a friend's blade.
And now? Back to academy days, before the tragedy kicked off.
'Isekai, then regression. What next?'
Unreal.
Even novels pulling this double whammy would get flak from readers.
"…Hey, say something! What's wrong with you? You sick or what?"
Worried by my blank stare at my hand, maybe.
Lorraine approached, still holding her nose, reaching for my forehead.
I knew it was pure concern.
But after dying by her hand minutes ago?
I slapped it away on instinct.
Smack!
"……!"
Lorraine's eyes went wide.
This colder rejection hit harder than the punch, apparently.
"Don't touch me."
I said it quietly, but it sounded ice-cold even to me.
She flinched and froze.
Sensing my uncharacteristic vibe, she stepped back.
"…What's really up? Did I do something wrong?"
Wrong? Oh, you did.
Something unforgivable.
…….
But not yet.
"Lorraine."
I spat her name like poison.
'Don't forgive me.'
Still echoed vividly.
Close my eyes, and I saw the blade falling, blood spraying.
Her voice, betraying me.
Haunting my ears.
Part of me wanted to grab her collar right now and demand answers.
Why.
Why'd you kill me?
How could you betray your only friend?
I wanted to scream it.
…….
But.
'Not yet.'
Right now, she hadn't done anything.
And I didn't have the power to overwhelm her.
Not then, not at the end.
Hated to admit it, but she'd always been ahead.
Not like me, the average joe, the dullard.
Genius. World-shaker.
That was one of her titles.
…….
But my knowledge remained.
How to grow strongest, fastest.
What doom awaited this world.
Meant I could at least struggle.
I'll survive.
I'll claw my way through, no matter what.
If living honorably, sticking to the line, got me beheaded by a trusted friend…
This time, I'll live selfishly. No holds barred.
"Go to class. Quit yapping."
I brushed past Lorraine, who stood staring worriedly.
"…Hey! Zeek! You're acting weird today! Stop right there?!"
I ignored her shout from behind.
No mood for a fight with her now.