Reunion After Hundreds of Years
It had been hundreds of years. The deluge of calamities. The erosion of the Black Fog. And the end of the world. All of it—things once relegated to mere legends in history books—had now become a horrific reality that swallowed the founding festival whole.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
“This way! Come this way!”
“Stop pushing! Please, for the love of God, stop pushing!”
The garden had transformed into pandemonium in the blink of an eye, overrun by nobles scrambling to flee.
Diana remained seated, calmly surveying the chaos. Despite scanning her surroundings without pause, she could not locate Kyle anywhere.
“......”
Without a moment’s hesitation, she rose from her chair. There had been no explicit order to remain in place, so her decision came without guilt.
She pricked her ears, activating her supremely honed hearing. The tangled web of screams, the frantic footsteps, the distant rumbling of the earth—it all flooded in.
A deluge of information crashed into her mind. In that instant, Diana’s brows drew together sharply.
“...!”
It was unmistakable. That was her lord’s voice.
Diana ran.
The cumbersome dress fluttered and dragged across the ground, tearing and staining, but she paid it no mind. In a situation this urgent, the damn thing was utterly irrelevant.
Her breath came in ragged bursts, clawing up to her throat. She had to protect her lord. A near-obsessive determination seized her thoughts.
That was when it happened.
Grrrrrr—!
A low, sinister growl slammed into her skull.
Diana slowly lifted her gaze.
“......”
Skin like rotted tree bark, festering and oozing thick black pus. Massive fangs jutting out like spikes. A creature that looked as if every ugly thing in existence had been thrown into a mold and given hideous life.
A monster. The very root of evil, a beast steeped in pestilence.
Diana’s throat tightened at the sight of a monster she had never before witnessed.
Boom. Boom. Boom—!
With every step the beast took, the ground exploded. Tents stitched across the dirt shuddered violently, and the thunderous crashes made her ears ring.
“M-monster! It’s a monster!”
Screams tore through the air.
Low-hanging Black Fog began spreading at terrifying speed.
There was no time for this. She needed to reach her lord immediately.
Diana channeled mana into her legs and kicked off the ground. Yet the distance refused to close.
At that moment, a brilliant flash erupted from somewhere, devouring the darkness.
“...!”
Beams of light shot skyward. At the same time, golden radiance flooded the air, ripping the darkness apart as a ghastly shriek rang out.
Screeeeech—
The massive monster charging forward skidded to a halt. The Black Fog that had been writhing and expanding its territory began to melt slowly under the pouring light.
“What in the world...”
The dazzling brilliance blanketing the sky. A sight closer to divinity than anything she had ever seen.
A sigh slipped from Diana’s lips. The nobles who had been fleeing in panic froze, stunned by the divine miracle unfolding before them.
The monster’s colossal body began to collapse. Yet unlike the Black Fog that had dissolved instantly, the creature still clung to its form.
In one final act of defiance, it raised a fist the size of a cauldron lid into the air.
And then—
Whooooosh—
The enormous fist came hurtling down with a chilling roar.
“Get out of the way!”
“Kyaaaak!”
The nobles caught in its path screamed.
It was then.
Swoosh—
Dozens of crimson lines sliced across the descending fist. With a wet crunch, the massive hand shattered like a bursting watermelon.
“...!”
The shockwave slammed into Diana, whipping her bun so violently it nearly came undone.
The darkness that had swallowed the festival began to recede. The staggering monster, too, lost its shape and melted beneath the cascading rays of light.
Diana blinked, dazed.
A moment later, two women emerged from the sunlight, walking toward them.
Familiar faces.
“Isabelle Ustia… Luna Winfred…”
Scenario Progress: 55%
The first wave had hardly been threatening. Death fog writhed in every direction, and the monsters that burst forth were genuinely dangerous. To be honest, the situation had been quite perilous. When one of those things got right in front of my face, even I felt a twinge of dizziness.
“……This is ridiculous.”
Isabelle Ustia. And Luna Winfred.
They had already been powerful women. Now that they had regressed with their memories intact, they were essentially walking cheat codes. As expected of the world’s chosen protagonists.
The strength they displayed was nothing short of astonishing.
It was slightly suspicious that both of them had appeared in the same place at the exact same time, but that wasn’t what mattered to me.
The scenario progress had shot up like crazy.
“Tsk.”
There were two likely reasons. The erosion of the Black Fog, and the spine-chilling truth I had heard from Rudine.
‘It was definitely Korean.’
Rudine had murmured about the abnormal phenomena that occurred after Kyle’s death. The problem was that the content itself was utterly foreign to me. Especially since I had never once considered what might happen after Kyle’s death.
‘The world stopped…’
That was what she had said. After I died, it was as if time itself had frozen—everything in the world had come to a complete halt.
But that wasn’t the only shocking part. In that frozen world, Rudine claimed she had been the only one who could still move. She had said it while gently swaying the Holy Relic hanging from her neck.
‘The Black Fog…’
Yes. She had seen beyond the Black Fog in that stopped world. And then she had whispered to me—
—Lee Seung-jun.
My name. Not in the language of the empire, but in clear, unmistakable Korean.
“......”
She saw me beyond the Black Fog? How was that even possible?
If that was true… did the Black Fog serve as some kind of passage connecting to my original world?
“……Ha.”
The fragmented pieces of information began clicking together like gears. A chill raced down my spine and my eyes widened.
‘What the hell is this…’
My stomach churned. Countless possibilities swirled chaotically through my mind.
That was when Diana, standing beside me, spoke cautiously.
“Are you alright, my lord?”
“I’m fine. What about you?”
“I am unharmed.”
Diana then lowered her head with a gloomy expression.
“……I apologize.”
Deep guilt clouded her eyes. It was probably self-reproach for failing to stay by my side. I gave a small chuckle.
“It’s fine. Nothing happened in the end, right?”
“But… you were clearly in danger.”
“Were you worried?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I simply wanted to hear it. I was curious what answer she would give.
A brief silence fell between us. Diana slowly opened her mouth.
“You must return to your original world.”
“......”
I met Diana’s gaze. Her stoic face showed not a single flicker of doubt. Her blind loyalty, her unwavering eyes, her resolute tone—Diana was always, without fail, exactly the same.
Perhaps that was why the unease in my chest slowly settled. A strange sense of relief washed over me.
Right then—
“Kyle!”
A familiar voice pierced through from behind.
When I turned, I saw Isabelle approaching with a bright smile.
“You’re safe!”
She took one step after another toward me. I barely managed to keep my expression from twisting.
“Thank goodness. Truly.”
Isabelle smiled with warm eyes, her voice full of affection. There was a strange satisfaction in that smile. As if she felt proud for having saved Kyle.
“I missed you so much it drove me insane.”
“…”
“You know, I thought of nothing but you every single day without fail, right?”
What utter bullshit. I barely swallowed the words.
I had to endure it. I still needed something from her.
“Where’s the Holy Solvent?”
The moment I asked directly, the corners of Isabelle’s eyes curved into perfect crescents. She rummaged in her pocket and pulled something out.
“Here it is.”
I grinned. Then, in an even brighter voice, I said:
“Thank you, Isabelle.”
Isabelle’s face flushed crimson.
“As expected, you’re amazing.”
“Ah…”
“You worked hard.”
“Kyle……”
Plop—
A tear rolled silently down her cheek. With a trembling voice, Isabelle handed me the Holy Solvent.
“Finally… my feelings have reached you.”
Nonsense poured from her lips. I ignored it and carefully examined the item she had given me.
Yes. This was definitely the Holy Solvent.
“As I thought, you need me too—”
“Shut up.”
Isabelle’s face instantly darkened.
“K-Kyle…?”
Her eyelids fluttered violently. The look on her face was one of betrayal, as if she had been slapped.
I glared at her dazed expression and snarled.
“Move. I’m done with you.”
“……This can’t be happening…”
“What?”
“You… don’t need me…?”
What the hell was she saying? I scowled, irritation lacing my voice.
“Yeah. I don’t need you.”
A choked gasp escaped Isabelle’s lips. I turned away, ignoring her.
She grabbed my arm.
“…What are you doing?”
Isabelle remained silent. No—her lips moved as if she wanted to say something. Her face was a mask of confusion, as though she had encountered a situation she had never anticipated.
“Isabelle.”
“……”
“Let go.”
Her pupils shook violently. I clicked my tongue and roughly shook her hand off.
That was when it happened.
“Pfft.”
A refined laugh drifted over.
When I turned my head, my eyes met Luna’s. She had been leaning against the wall, watching the entire scene.
“Ah, I couldn’t hold it in any longer.”
Luna slowly straightened up. Her jet-black hair swayed gently.
“Have you been well, Kyle?”