The Truth Beyond the Fog
"Kyle?" Rudine called to me. She stood with an elegant smile curving her lips. "Who is the young lady sitting beside you?"
"Ah..." What was I supposed to say? Suddenly, Merlin's insistent instructions echoed in my ears like a phantom whisper.
—Her name is Odette Astoria.
—Just think of her as a spirited count's daughter from the duchy.
Right. That was the concept. Astonishingly, even the name suited her perfectly.
After running the calculations in my head, I finally answered with a pleasant smile.
"This is Lady Odette of House Astoria."
"House Astoria?"
The Astoria family was real. If it weren't, they would never have made the Founding Festival's invitation list. I had no idea how Merlin had secured both the invitation rights and the forged identity, but since the house existed, it was only natural that the princess would know of it.
"I see. A guest from the duchy, then."
As expected, Rudine's large eyes sparkled with curiosity.
I wasn't worried about Diana. Her appearance, clothing, even her voice—everything had been altered by the disguise artifact. No one could possibly connect this figure to her.
"...I greet the Empire's sun. I am Odette Astoria... of House Astoria."
Diana covered her expression with a fluttering fan and bowed. Her movements were stiff, like a wind-up doll, but it would likely come across as nothing more than an endearing mistake from a noble lady nervous in front of royalty.
It's hard to think of Diana when you look at that.
Just look at those bun-shaped curls. How many layers of waves had they added to create such voluminous ringlets?
"You must have traveled a long way. Thank you for coming."
"Thank you for the invitation."
"Not at all. The imperial family is simply grateful you've honored the seats we've prepared. Truly, Lady Odette."
Behind the fan, Diana's lips twitched. Rudine clapped her hands together and turned to her with a question.
"What is your relationship with Kyle, Lady Odette?"
"...We met for the first time today."
"Oh? No wonder the atmosphere between you seemed a bit awkward."
Rudine muttered in apparent surprise, then added with a troubled expression, "I have something to discuss with Kyle in private. If Lady Odette doesn't mind, I'd like to step away with him for a moment... Would that be all right?"
"...It's fine. Please don't concern yourself with me."
"Thank you ever so much, Lady Odette."
Rudine rose from her seat with a bright smile. Diana kept her mouth hidden behind the fan and offered an awkward, "Hoho—" of laughter.
Rudine walked slowly toward a secluded forest path. Leaving Diana alone made me uneasy, but she would surely handle herself well enough. Deciding it wasn't worth overthinking, I followed after Rudine.
Then her gentle voice drifted back.
"Kyle, do you remember?"
"Remember what?"
"Today. It's the day the Black Fog begins its full-scale encroachment."
How could I forget? It was the monumental event that marked the true beginning of the catastrophe.
Is she testing me?
Instead of answering, I simply blinked. Since I couldn't read her intentions, silence seemed safest.
"This place will descend into chaos soon."
"..."
"Aren't you curious why I called you here?"
Not particularly. The reason was obvious. Either she had brought me here to ruin me like in the previous round, or she had some other business with me.
"Shall I tell you something interesting?"
"What?"
"You'll remember this too. Before we regressed, the Black Fog's encroachment completely devastated the Founding Festival."
Of course I remembered. That was when the main scenario truly began. Though I hadn't attended the festival myself—thanks to being trapped in Kyle Winfred's body—the entire empire had been in an uproar, so the details were etched clearly in my mind.
What was she getting at? I stood quietly and listened.
"Do you know how it was resolved back then?"
Rudine slowly turned her head. Our eyes met.
"Lady Isabelle and Duke Winfred."
"..."
"Thanks to their efforts, not a single person died. The blame for the disaster never fell on the imperial family."
That made sense. With those two, the first wave would have been child's play. Honestly, even a single awakened Isabelle might have been enough to handle most of it.
"Have you never found it strange?"
"Found what strange?"
"The Black Fog. What exactly is its underlying principle? Why would a disaster of that magnitude appear in this world?"
The origin of the Black Fog was simple. Or rather, there was no real origin. This was a game world, after all. It had been designed from the beginning as a world facing destruction, and the Black Fog was merely a narrative device added for the sake of plausibility.
Rudine tilted her head. Her eyes curved softly.
"It's so contrived."
She had pointed directly at the heart of the Black Fog.
"The Black Fog, this world—everything about it is far too artificial."
Rudine stared at me with open scrutiny. Her gaze was blatant, almost invasive.
"What is the fate of this world? What truly exists beyond that horrifying Black Fog? Everything is shrouded in questions, isn't it?"
Her dry voice filled the space between us. The fate of the world? The truth beyond the Black Fog? I had never given any of it serious thought. Because this was a game world. That single fact had been enough to stop me from questioning the reality I had been thrust into.
"Do you know how I managed to regress?"
Rudine leaned forward. Shattered sunlight poured over her. Her face—beautiful to the point of being eerie—gazed into mine.
"Kyle, you were poisoned."
"..."
"Exactly one week after your death, Luna Winfred died as if by a curse. Poison in the banquet food."
Rudine's eyes remained indifferent.
"And soon after, Isabelle died as well."
I swallowed hard. My throat burned as though I'd gulped down fire. Rudine paused. That brief silence alone brought an icy stillness over the forest.
"Do you know what happened next?"
"..."
"The world stopped."
My tongue froze. I had never once imagined what became of this world after my death.
Rudine continued slowly.
"Everything in the world was frozen exactly as it was. Not alive, yet not dead either. As if time itself had halted."
The world had stopped.
"Isn't it fascinating? After you died, Kyle, the world stopped like magic. As though it existed only for you. How is something like that even possible?"
But something felt wrong. If the world had truly stopped as Rudine claimed, how had she maintained her consciousness within it?
Reading the doubt in my eyes, Rudine let out a soft laugh. Then she gently shook the Rosary hanging from her neck.
"I could still move."
The flood of information made my mind reel. Was this true? And if it was, why was she confessing it to me so openly?
"A world where only I remained alive and moving... isn't that utterly horrifying?"
"......"
"So, would you like to know what I did first?"
Before I could respond, Rudine whispered in a sweet, intimate voice.
"I've always wondered. Just where does the Black Fog come from?"
"..."
"And indeed..."
Her smile deepened.
"What lies beyond it?"
I slowly lifted my head. The question that had risen to my throat finally slipped out.
"What did you see?"
41% — 42% — 43% ...
The forest trembled violently.
Kuuuung—
A fierce wind swept through, and the shadows stretching across the ground writhed like living things. The air grew thick and heavy in an instant.
Thud. Thud.
The distant sound of monsters approaching echoed through the trees.
There was no doubt. These were the precursor signs of full-scale encroachment.
At that moment, the screams of confused people tangled in the air. The once-peaceful Founding Festival had become a scene of pandemonium.
"This way, Kyle."
Rudine smiled brightly and began walking. This place would soon be reduced to ruins. For safety, I needed to head immediately to where Isabelle was.
Right. Diana was there too.
This was no time to stand around.
I shouldn't be standing here like an idiot.
But I couldn't move a single finger.
My entire body had gone rigid, as though bound by invisible ropes.
Just now...
What had I heard?
What the hell...
It didn't make sense. My mind had gone completely blank from the shock.
How...
It wasn't a hallucination.
Rudine had definitely whispered it to me.
My real name.
She had spoken my real name.
Not in the language of the empire, but in clear, perfect Korean.