Why the World Must Not Be Allowed to End
The guard captain. More precisely, it was the captain's armor that had left a deep impression on Caric.
Their recent duel had, of course, ended in his victory. If they fought a hundred times, ninety-nine of them would end the same way — probably all hundred, honestly.
But what if the captain had been two men? What if the other imperial guards had attacked in a coordinated assault, gritting their teeth together? Victory was anything but guaranteed.
Besides, this world had magic and divine power in it.
So far it's been nothing but relatively simple one-on-one fights. I got lucky.
But there was no guarantee that luck would keep holding. He had to get stronger.
And the 'wisdom' he'd acquired at exactly the right moment… was the best.
As Caric looked down at the axe, Annette crept cautiously toward him.
"C-Caric, sir?"
Her red eyes were trembling visibly. The sheer impact of the Sincere Strike must have been quite a shock.
"Are you hurt anywhere, Caric? You were standing right in front of it."
"Just my clothes got ruined, that's all. More importantly, sorry about the floor."
"The floor can be fixed with magic. But, um… you're not angry or anything, are you?"
She looked like a frightened little rabbit. Caric answered with a wry smile.
"Not at all. I just got a little excited about acquiring a magnificent axe."
"An axe like that certainly deserves the excitement."
Lily, who had somehow made her way over, spoke up, her face still faintly pale.
"It's the axe of the Grand Duke of the North."
"The Grand Duke of the North?"
That existed in this world's lore too?
"The family crest was engraved on the storage compartment. It's a title that vanished long ago, when the Great Wall was built."
"Oh, I remember that too. They say the direct bloodline died out completely."
"I see."
One mystery solved. So that was why, in the original story, the knight-captain male lead had to come rescue Annette — the Grand Duchy of the North simply didn't exist anymore.
"By the way, I'm late in introducing myself."
Lily gathered the hem of her skirt and bowed to Caric.
"I am Lily Foster, Her Highness Annette's personal maid."
"We've been together since practically the day she was born!"
"Yes, that's right."
Lily gave Annette a warm smile, then turned to look at Caric. Her expression grew noticeably more solemn.
"And so there is one thing I simply must say."
Her voice was firm and steady.
"Thank you, Caric. For bringing Lady Annette back to me… truly, thank you."
It was gratitude with no calculation behind it whatsoever.
Hearing it from Lily, of all people, when he'd never once heard it from her own father, the Emperor — the feeling was strangely odd. Caric smirked.
"So I'm off the hook for trashing the courtyard, then?"
"I can't say how it would have been otherwise, but from you, Caric, I will gladly overlook it. You are now the second most important person in my world, after Her Highness Annette."
"Hmm. For someone like that, you'd probably still scold her if she cracked the floor."
"That is true."
"I-I've never cracked the floor!"
Anyway, Lily genuinely seemed to regard Caric as her savior. Even after witnessing the Sincere Strike, she showed not a trace of fear or revulsion.
"Still, you should change out of those clothes now."
Lily narrowed her eyes into little triangles as she surveyed Caric's shredded fur garment.
"Let's, let's head inside for now. As it happens, His Majesty has sent you clothes."
"Has he? I wonder if I can trust that man's sense of fashion…."
The three of them made their way naturally back to the main hall, where they finished going through the gifts and rewards the Emperor had sent. Along the way, Caric discovered a package of macarons — and once again downed an entire box in a single bite.
Lily, watching, was stunned. She had never seen anyone eat even a cookie like that.
"Caric…."
She gave him a look of profound mystery.
"Were you that hungry? I'll go cook something for you right away."
"Hm? No, this is just how I eat."
"You're always terribly hungry, aren't you. Well, I suppose it makes sense — you don't seem to have an ounce of fat on you. It's nothing but muscle."
Lily gazed at Caric with pitying eyes. It was the look of someone watching a tiger driven to the brink by some desperate survival struggle.
"You really are a strange one…."
"You mean me?"
Caric answered with nothing but a shrug of his massive shoulders.
Just then, Annette came over carrying a box.
"Caric! Found the clothes! I think it's this one?"
Taking the garment from her and unfolding it, Caric tilted his head.
"Hm? It looks better than I expected. But it looks way too small."
"It's probably enchanted clothing. The size will adjust automatically."
"Fair enough — there's no way he stocked anything that would fit me."
So Caric went into an empty room to change and came back out. From a torn fur coat to a black leather tunic.
"Wow! Caric! It suits you so well!"
"In ordinary clothing, your build really stands out, sir."
"Right? I've never seen clothes with shoulders like that!"
He'd also put on wrist guards, a chest protector, and boots. They looked like fine pieces, suited for both daily wear and combat.
Well, in a moment where I actually needed defense, these probably wouldn't help much.
But they had convenience features like self-repair, so he'd wear them anyway.
Beyond that, there were five throwing axes, a dress for Annette, assorted other gifts, spare clothes, and more.
He sent generously. That's an emperor for you, I suppose.
But the item that sent the Emperor's affection skyrocketing in Caric's heart was something else entirely.
"Th-this is…."
Caric doubted his own eyes the moment he saw it.
"No way. Ramen? Is this actually ramen?"
Different packaging, but unmistakable to anyone.
"You know ramen, sir? It seems His Majesty is fond of food from the Eastern Continent. Shall I cook it for you?"
"You know how? For the record, I like my noodles firm."
"Prepare to be amazed, and wait in the dining hall."
The three of them headed to the dining area together. While Lily disappeared into the small kitchen, Caric quietly asked Annette, who was seated at the head of the table.
"Is Lily any good at cooking? Weren't there dedicated chefs before?"
"Um, well, the chefs… changed quite a few times, actually…."
Annette's voice carried a faint gloom.
"Sounds like I poked at some bad memories."
"It's all right. Lily has always stayed by my side."
With that, she smiled brightly again.
"That's a relief."
The conversation lapsed naturally. And it was at exactly that moment that the smell began to drift over.
Savory and spicy. That viciously artificial aroma that struck the brain directly.
"Th-this is…."
Ramen. It really was the smell of ramen!
The moment he caught that long-forgotten scent, memories flashed through Caric's mind like a life-flashing-before-your-eyes montage.
The ramen he'd eaten at the PC café after exams in high school. The ramen he'd eaten on a trip to the Han River. The ramen he'd secretly cooked after finishing the dawn shift during his military service.
Ah, it was on an entirely different level from macarons. Ramen — ramen was life itself.
"The ramen is served."
Lily came out carrying a tray with two servings of ramen. A steaming bowl was set down in front of Caric.
They'd even brought chopsticks instead of a fork. Caric carefully picked up a single tangle of noodles.
Maybe it was the heat. Somehow it felt like tears were about to well up in his eyes.
He blew on the ramen gently, as though it might fly away if he breathed on it too hard. Then, as if doubting whether someone like him was even worthy of putting this in his mouth — slowly, with gratitude in his heart — he took his first bite.
Inside his mouth, the MSG recreated by magic — no, life itself — swirled and surged.
"Halle…lu…jah…!"
Caric let out the smallest, most desperate, most tear-soaked hallelujah of his life.
One bite. Then two more. Slurrrp. After a dozen-odd consecutive chopstick strikes of thanksgiving, the bowl was somehow empty — down to the last drop of broth.
Caric set his chopsticks down in a daze and looked up at the ceiling.
"C-Caric?"
Annette and Lily were utterly overwhelmed by the almost sacred spectacle of his meal. Annette's ramen sat barely touched, the noodles swollen and soggy.
"Annette. Listen to me."
Caric spoke like a man confessing his faith.
"I really, truly think I'm glad to be alive."
And so he made his vow.
I will kill the cultists. I will kill the demons. If possible, I'll kill the evil god too.
This world must not be allowed to end.
Such was Caric's review, some twenty years after eating ramen for the first time.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next morning, Caric woke up with clearer motivation than anyone alive.
"A strong and mighty morning!"
As he drew back the curtains, he thought: As of yesterday, I have been completely reborn. From now on, I'll do anything to protect this world.
But something about the view outside the window was strange.
"Who are those guys? They haven't even debuted yet and they're already paparazzi?"
First thing in the morning, a crowd he'd never seen before had gathered in front of Camellia Palace. Judging by their outfits — knights and servants?
But hold on. They weren't stopping at the fence; they'd come all the way up to the building itself. What the hell were they?
There was no need to sit on the question. Caric promptly threw open the window and leapt down to the first floor.
THOOM.
A colossal barbarian dropped from the sky like a falling stone.
"HiiiK!"
The servants startled at the ground-shaking entrance. Dust billowed in every direction, and through it Caric rose to his full height.
The knights flinched, hands darting to their sword hilts. But it didn't last.
"Hmhm…."
The men confirmed that Caric radiated absolutely no killing intent toward them.
"So you're that barbarian."
One of the knights stepped forward with an air of arrogance.
"All those exaggerated rumors flying about, and it turns out you were just a lucky man after all."
The knights were dressed in flashy, ornate magical armor.
"Who are you people? Making a racket first thing in the morning."
"We are Her Highness the Princess's true guardian knights."
Come to think of it, the crest on their cape brooches did look familiar. Now he understood. These were the remnants of Annette's old guard and household staff — the ones that had been disbanded.
Most of them should have been killed or imprisoned over the assassination affair. These must be the scraps that somehow survived.
And here I was, waking up in a great mood after ramen.
Caric cracked his neck with a series of pops.
"So the First Prince's faction sent their discarded pawns to test me."
Handed expensive armor and the bare minimum of a justification, then shoved out the door.
"Working hard for your pay, huh. Too busy policing your own house to do anything about it, but you never skip the posturing-and-reconnaissance assignment."
Well, they'd make a perfect morning workout.
"You—"
The knight was just opening his mouth to say something more when —
BANG.
The front door burst open and Annette came running out with Lily right behind her.
"What is the meaning of this outrage!"
Annette shouted with a voice that carried real authority now.
"Entering my palace without permission — and of all people, you do it?"
"Ah, Your Highness. We're relieved to see you unharmed."
The knight's voice showed not the slightest concern for her anger. The other knights didn't so much as bow to Annette — just a careless tilt of their heads.
It was an attitude that displayed, perfectly intact, the past in which they had watched her powerlessly from the sidelines and ignored her.
"Well timed, actually. From now on, we shall escort you personally. You may discard that barbarian."
"Not needed. Disappear from my sight this instant."
There was none of her old frailty in Annette's voice. But the knights didn't budge an inch. They all wore the same look of men certain that, no matter what anyone said, she couldn't possibly have changed.
"Are you truly certain about that? You'll find yourselves quite short of hands."
Annette's eyes went cold. There was no more time to waste.
"Caric, would you handle this for me? Some etiquette education for these men, along with their retirement briefing."
"Sounds great to me."
Caric drew his axe.
"Today happens to be blood-donation service day — upgraded to include etiquette and wisdom."
"Your nonsense ends here."
The man at the front drew his sword as if he'd been waiting for exactly this. His magical armor hummed, radiating blue light. Every enchantment array upon it flared to life, reinforcing the knight.
"Watch closely, Your Highness. Before knights such as us, a creature like that is nothing more than—"
BOOOOOM!
The knight went flying off into the distance as though struck by a siege ram. His parabolic trajectory was truly beautiful. He sailed clean over the fence and slammed into the ground beyond.
A home run.
"Nice, nice. Great hang time. Trash doesn't belong in the garden, after all."
As Caric murmured in satisfaction, every eye in the yard was fixed beyond the fence. The fallen knight trembled violently, unable to rise. Even the top-grade magical armor had crumpled like paper, blue smoke leaking ominously from its joints.
"Next man up."
Caric swung the axe in easy circles.
"Your severance pay will come in the form of 'wisdom' — the kind that'll support you for the rest of your life."