Camon's Chronicle and Libentia's Diary
[This journal tells the story of my time as Camon. I bury my regretful life and name in these pages, hoping to fulfill my duty. May this nameless corpse achieve its purpose.]
-Whoa
-Nameless Corpse;
-Who's Camon?
-Liora's family?
-Edlen had more NPCs;
The notebook's first page began with a heavy, solemn introduction. Hanbit slowly turned to the next page.
Snap-
[Camon was an unfortunate man. A hideous face, hunched back, skin covered in burn scars. Adults and children alike recoiled from him with expressions of disgust, as if they'd seen something repulsive. It had been over sixty years of unchanging life.]
[One day, someone appeared who didn't despise such a Camon. A yellow-haired little girl whose eyes he met by chance. Their first encounter was when she crept stealthily into the alley where his workshop was.]
[The girl introduced herself as Liora with a gaze devoid of even a speck of revulsion. She came every day, claiming she was being chased by a man named Cown. Camon had been at a loss, flustered at first, but as time passed, he found great solace. How many decades had it been since he'd had a conversation like this with someone? In gratitude, Camon presented the girl with a toy doll he'd meticulously crafted.]
[One day, the girl came to Camon accompanied by a man named William. He introduced himself as the girl's father and the mayor of Edlen. Their family name was Norton. The girl's name was Libentia.]
-Libentia?
-Liora's Libentia?
-Didn't she call it her room when we came in?
-Yeah, Libentia's diary is right next to it.
-So she really is from the Norton family?
-Even the former mayor's daughter. lol
The viewers erupted in shock at Liora's confirmed identity. Hanbit glanced toward the back.
"Liora, come here and take a look at this."
"...Okay."
Liora, who had been fiddling with the toys, slowly stood up.
"What is it?"
Standing beside Hanbit, she looked at the two notebooks on the table. When she saw their titles, her eyes widened.
"Huh...?"
Flustered, she quickly opened Libentia's Diary (Do Not Read).
[Today I snuck out to play in the streets. People gave me lots of snacks, which was great. But Cown caught me, so I came home early.]
[I met a grandpa named Camon who hides his face a lot. Is he shy? He looked like he was about to cry, so I shared one of my snacks with him.]
[Grandpa Camon listens well to my stories. But why does he thank me every day? He's so different from Cown—it's fun.]
[I got tons of birthday presents. Lots of toys, but Grandpa Camon's doll was the prettiest. Gotta brag to Dad. Oh, Cown gave me a wooden sword, so I was a little mad.]
[Today I went to see Grandpa Camon with Dad. It seems like he wants something made for our house. I hope we get a playground.]
-So cute.
-Cown knew Liora after all;
-Same name or what?
-Didn't look for the guild master when Plona disappeared?
-Does he even know Liora's alive?
The diary, so childlike and pure, continued on. Then, after a few years, the tone shifted.
[Dad fought with Uncle Brooke. Uncle yells a lot—scary. I wish he wouldn't come to our house.]
[Uncle Brooke came again. He asked Cown to take me outside.]
[I went to Camon's workshop with Dad to play. But he sent me outside saying he had something to discuss. It made me sad being left out.]
"......"
The diary ended on that page. Liora fell silent for a moment. Her only reaction was the slight trembling of the hand gripping the notebook.
"Check this one too. It's written by someone named Camon."
"...Camon?"
Hanbit handed her Camon's notebook. Liora took it with a puzzled expression and scanned the contents.
[When he came to his senses, Camon had been tasked with renovating the Norton family estate. It was his first time receiving such a massive job, leaving him flustered. But he was glad to express his gratitude to the Norton mother and daughter, who treated him as a person.]
[The request was to create a secret passage—for his daughter's play, perhaps?]
[Shortly after the estate renovation ended, the Norton father and daughter visited the workshop. Lord William sent young Lady Libentia outside. Then, with a darkened face, he made his request: to create a space preserving his daughter's memories, somewhere no one could find.]
[Lord William's expression as he spoke was indescribably sorrowful. Camon nodded, vowing to obey.]
[Days later, an official decree came: William Norton and his kin were to be executed for treason and rebellion. It was absurd. Shocked, Camon ran barefoot to the Norton estate. But it was already too late.]
[Camon collapsed to the ground and sobbed. He truly loathed himself for doing nothing. He could have gladly sacrificed this worthless life. Then, a man named Bares approached.]
-Bares?
-Why the hell are you here.
-Backstab GOAT
-Should've killed that bastard first.
The viewers vented their fury at the mention of Bares. A powerful ally in the Edlen episode, he later became a recurring antagonist tormenting players. Even knowing this, players had no choice but to follow his words—no one had proof he was the black幕 at that point.
"Bares...!"
The trembling in Liora's hand intensified. Biting her lip hard, she composed her anger and turned the page.
[Bares took Camon somewhere and introduced himself as a confidant of the new mayor, Brooke. For some reason, he ordered the construction of a Holy Nation temple in the underground aqueducts, complete with detailed blueprints.]
[A blunt threat: obey or die. Camon placed no value on his own life. His only regret was failing to help the Nortons. Everything was too late, but he had to fulfill the mayor's request at least.]
[From that day, the work began alongside some dolls. Apparently, they were labor constructs made with Holy Nation tech. Absurd, but fewer people suited Camon's plan better.]
[There are no secret spaces in Edlen. So the best way was to hide it within a new space. A place to preserve Lady Libentia's memories: the room in the estate where she spent the most time.]
[The structure of every room from the renovation was crystal clear in his mind. Plus, there were reference materials from Lord Mayor. The key was a magic ring among the Norton family heirlooms. Incorporating an authentication process with it was crucial.]
[It was a fiendishly complex item, but by sourcing ancient tomes from across the sea, he succeeded in deciphering it.]
[Thus, Camon created the space beneath the temple altar. He matched every detail meticulously. He decorated the entrance wall with the lady's playful doodles and replicated the toy doll he'd gifted her. Finally, he carefully placed Lady Libentia's diary—given by Lord Mayor—on the table, alongside this notebook of his own.]
[Whoever reaches this space via the ring must be a Norton associate loyal to Lord Mayor. If you seek the truth, or wish to judge the vile Brooke and Bares's gang, go to my workshop.]
The record, now shifting to the author's perspective, ended there. What remained was a hidden message on the back of the final page.
[Now, I leave words for a daughter who will never receive them from her father.]
"......?"
Liora slowly lowered her gaze upon reading that line. There, in handwriting utterly different from the journal's, words were engraved.
[To Libentia]
Your birthday gift is so very late. Hate your foolish father if you wish, cry as much as you want. My beloved daughter Libentia. May happy days be with you.
"Ah...."
Liora caressed her father's handwriting, so achingly familiar. Tears welled in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. That soundless weeping told the story of her life.
-T_T T_T T_T
-Brooke you bastard x10.
-Bares is the black幕.
-Same scumbags.
-Black Dragon, let's kill them all.
-This was the real main story;
-A player progressed the story without the protagonist?
-All Adventure A's fault.
-Agreed.
The viewers, empathizing with the emotion, began to rage. The Edlen episode they'd experienced was just a tiny fraction. Excluding Liora from the start made no sense.
"This was the real story?"
Yeonwoo, who had progressed the same as other players, reacted with bewilderment. Yet it was a place anyone could reach with time and effort.
*Ding-*
[You have completed Main Quest #3.]
[Received 80,000 gold.]
[4 stat points granted.]
[40,000 experience gained.]
[Level increased by 1.]
[1 stat point granted.]
[Progress greatly increased.]
[Main Quest #4: Evidence]
You've found the Holy Nation temple in the underground aqueducts and Libentia's hidden room within. The name Cown appears in the diary and Camon's record. He must know something.
Objective: Talk to Guild Master Cown.
Reward: None
*Current progress: 43%
-Progress for real? lol
-15% jump wtf.
-Takes like main quest 16 to hit 40%.
-My fault for trusting guidebooks and communities.
-Newbies are innocent.
The familiar viewer reactions aside, things progressed quickly. Hanbit turned to Liora, who was still in tears.
"Liora, let's head outside for now. There might be Holy Nation guys around."
"...Yeah."
Liora wiped her tears with her hem and nodded. Pocketing the notebooks, they closed the secret room and headed out of the aqueducts.