Chapter 104
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Encounter (2)
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Is there something here?
At my words, Geumho gave a slight nod and looked at me.
His deep eyes seemed to be urging me to touch the wall.
For once, Baekho also had an earnest expression.
What is it?
Is there a hidden room or something?
I walked toward the wall the two were staring at.
Here?
*Nod.*
I guess this is it.
I casually placed my hand on the wall.
*Zzzzzzap!*
Whoa!
A fierce spark erupted. I wanted to pull my hand away, but my body wouldn't move.
Kuh!
Just as I was desperately struggling to move my hand.
I leave this message for the descendant of the clan who now stands in this place.
A man's voice suddenly spoke.
It wasn't Korean or English. It was a language I'd never heard before.
But for some reason, the meaning was clearly conveyed.
Please, take good care of the last hope of the Rena B. Riperiel clan.
*Crackle, zzzzzap!*
With those words, the sparks grew even more intense.
Aaaaargh!
The pain was more excruciating than anything I had ever felt. The agony made my consciousness fade.
* * *
I had a dream.
A dream of that day.
Seoyul. There's something I want to ask of you.
It was Shin Hyeong, with a desperate look I'd never seen before. In the hazy world of the dream, he was saying something to me.
I can't hear him.
It's all blurry, like a faint mist.
The dream world dissipated like a cloud.
But I could clearly see Shin Hyeong's face, on the verge of tears.
Thank you, Seoyul.
A single, choked-up phrase.
Through the blurry scenery, I heard those words clearly.
There's not much I can do to help. For now, I'll give you a memory sharp enough to remember everything about the original work... and all the knowledge of the world. With these, you'll surely have a big advantage....
After he said that.
The dream world shattered and dispersed.
* * *
I woke up.
...
What was that just now?
The first thing that filled my mind upon waking was a single question.
A dream. Yes, I had a dream.
I heard him say thank you.
And...
Memory and knowledge?
He definitely said that at the end.
I'm sure of it.
I couldn't hear the very last sentence, but there's no doubt.
...So that's why?
I'd questioned my memory before.
Even if I'd read the original [S-Class Status Window] a dozen times, was it really possible to remember a sprawling novel of nearly 1,000 chapters in such detail?
That was the question.
I had concluded it was simply because my 'Intelligence' stat had increased.
That the protagonist I possessed, 'Kang Seoyul,' was a multi-talented character, skilled in both combat and intellect, with a brilliant mind.
The fact that knowledge the original protagonist would have known was unknowingly present in my mind also supported my hypothesis.
But that wasn't it.
This memory and knowledge were a gift from Shin Hyeong?
It was a truth I'd never considered.
And I learned one more thing.
This possession wasn't something Shin Hyeong forced on me; it happened because I accepted it.
The conversation started with 'please' and ended with 'thank you,' so I'm pretty sure that's it.
Then why did I accept such a request?
...Agh.
I scratched my head vigorously.
My head is throbbing.
I can't think any further even if I try.
It feels like there's a brake halfway on inside my head.
A brake someone forced on it. And it feels like it's slowly being released.
What the hell is going on?
Just as I sighed.
Ah!
The cold, rough feeling of the floor against my back suddenly brought me to my senses.
I shot up from my spot.
A moment ago, I'd touched the wall, a spark had erupted.
And I'd passed out from the pain.
Where are Geumho and Baekho?
The two tigers that should have been near me were nowhere to be seen.
I could understand Baekho, but Geumho would never leave me behind while I was unconscious.
Wondering if something had happened, I quickly looked around.
Ah.
Thankfully, I found Geumho and Baekho right away. They were sitting side-by-side about ten meters away, looking up at something.
...Ice?
It was a block of ice.
A huge block of ice, twice my size. It was more opaque than normal ice, so I couldn't see inside. I walked toward it.
This ice was created with mana.
I could feel the scent of mana from the ice. What is this?
Why is there a block of ice in a place like this?
Nyaang.
Nyaaang.
As I was looking at the ice from all angles, the two of them gently bit my ankles and pulled.
...You want me to touch this, too?
*Nod.*
The two nodded at the same time.
Guys, I just passed out from touching that wall, you know?
Geumho seemed to hesitate for a moment, tilting his head, but then looked up at me with an imploring expression.
...
I have no idea why they're acting like this. Is there something important inside this ice?
Ah, whatever.
I don't get it.
It's not like it'll kill me.
I squeezed my eyes shut and placed my hand on the block of ice.
In that moment.
A crack appeared in the ice.
Clan contact confirmed.
A voice sounded at the same time.
The voice was strangely familiar.
Ah.
It was the voice I'd heard before passing out.
It definitely asked for a favor. And at the end...
At that moment, my pupils slowly dilated.
Rena. B. Riperiel.
Rena Beast Riperiel?
The moment I spoke her name.
Releasing the seal.
*Crack!*
The ice shattered into pieces.
Behind the shower of ice shards flying in all directions, a silver-haired girl appeared.
From her appearance, she looked to be about ten years old.
The silver ears sprouting from her head made their presence known.
...Holy shit.
That appearance.
There's no doubt.
Rena Beast Riperiel.
Beast is the middle name of the beastmen royal family. This kid is the last descendant of the beastmen royalty.
...She's the princess of the beastmen.
In the distant, yet near future, she would be one of the executives of the organization known as the 'Demon King', dedicated to the destruction of humanity.
The worst traitor of the beastmen race.
That was Rena Beast Riperiel.
Why...?
Questions piled on top of questions, creating countless question marks in my head.
* * *
...Phew.
Sunday, 11:26 PM.
After arriving home, the first thing I did was lay the beastmen princess I'd been carrying on my back onto the bed.
What a hassle because of her.
I can't even begin to describe how much trouble it was to bring her here secretly.
First, I had to prepare a hat and a hoodie to hide her two ears and brilliant silver hair.
I had to avoid people's gazes as much as possible, so I had to choose the least crowded times to use public transportation like trains and taxis.
I could have asked Yuhwa or Jia for help, but it felt awkward.
How was I supposed to explain the existence of this princess?
Anyway, after all that, we managed to arrive home safely.
Baekho and Geumho, you two worked hard as well.
I said to the two tigers curled up in a corner of the bed.
They must have been incredibly uncomfortable, hiding in the bag all the way here.
In fact, Geumho looked dazed.
Nyaaaaang~
...But Baekho actually looks happy?
Aha.
As long as she's with Geumho, she doesn't care if she's in a bag or the fires of hell?
Such a devoted wife.
I clicked my tongue.
Anyway...
I looked at the princess again.
Rena Beast Riperiel.
She was a 'villain' who played a significant role in the original story.
The image of her expressionlessly tearing people apart was the very definition of terror.
Burning people alive.
Using wind magic to slowly shave people down, starting from their fingertips and toes.
All while maintaining a perfect poker face, without a single change in expression.
Ugh.
Just thinking about the novel's brutal descriptions happening in reality made me shudder involuntarily.
What should I do?
What in the world should I do with this princess? Considering her future self in the novel, I should kill her right now, but...
*Tsk.*
The desperate voice of the man I heard at the ruins weighed on my mind.
He was probably the one who sealed this princess.
He called this princess the last hope of her clan.
The last hope of the beastmen.
The last hope of the beastmen, who stood on the side of protecting the world.
Which means.
This princess... was she originally good?
This hypothesis comes to mind.
Of course, she might not be.
If this princess is the same evil person from the novel, I could be in danger the moment she opens her eyes.
But I don't think I need to worry about that.
If she were evil, Geumho and Baekho wouldn't have so desperately asked me to save her.
Nyaang.
Just then, Geumho licked the princess's cheek, as if sincerely wishing for her to wake up soon.
For once, Baekho wasn't jealous. Instead, she watched as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
About ten minutes passed like that.
Ngh... mm.
It was then that a groan escaped the princess's lips.
She squeezed her eyes shut and shivered, as if having a nightmare.
Then, she opened her eyes.
?
She looked at me with brilliant eyes, as clear as a cloudless sky.
It was the complete opposite of the lifeless, inorganic gaze described in the novel.
In that moment, my thought turned into conviction.
This princess is not evil.
Are you awake?
But the princess didn't answer me.
Ngh.
She just trembled like a frightened rabbit.
Nyaang.
!
*Flinch!*
She shuddered violently at the sound of Geumho's cry right next to her ear.
With frightened eyes, she turned her head to look at Geumho.
In that instant, the princess's eyes lit up.
*Grab*
She immediately hugged Geumho and nuzzled her face against him.
Nyaang!!
Unable to stand it this time, Baekho squeezed in between them with an irritated look.
Waaah...
Then she hugged Baekho too.
She smiled the happiest smile in the world, hugging the two tiger-cats.
It was a smile that made even me, the observer, feel happy.
...Excuse me, Princess. Are you okay?
A good amount of time passed like that.
She seemed a bit more relaxed, so I asked again.
...
As I expected, she didn't tremble in fear this time. It seemed she no longer perceived me as an enemy.
She just tilted her head and replied like this.
Scuse me, Pwincess. You okay?
Huh?
The head tilted nearly 45 degrees and the slurred pronunciation were the key points.
Pfft.
I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight.
The princess seemed to get angry, her eyes hardening.
*How insolent! Do you know who I am to be so rude!*
And she shouted fluently.
Ah, so...rry?
Just now. What language was that?
The princess's face brightened at my reaction.
*Oh. You. From your expression, it seems you understand the language of the beastmen. Why did you not use it from the start, then?*
I hear it again.
A language that sounds like I'm hearing it for the first time.
It feels similar to the language system I heard with the sparks when I broke the seal.
It must be the language of the beastmen.
How can I understand this?
The answer came quickly.
The dream I just had.
It's because of Shin Hyeong's gift.
He said he was giving me the memory to remember everything about the original work, and the basic knowledge of this world.
Perhaps the beastmen language is a product of that basic knowledge.
...No, that can't be it. I couldn't read the elven language.
Is there some kind of difference?
*You. Are you listening?*
Ah.
Her words brought me back to my senses.
And I spoke what came to mind.
*Uh, is this how I do it?*
*Oho. So you do know how to speak the beastmen tongue. Excellent.*
Thankfully, it seems she understood me.
*Well then. What is the current situation?*
The princess stared at me intently with serious eyes.
*That's what I want to ask. Princess. Why were you sealed in there?*
*Se...aled? Did you say sealed?*
The princess's expression immediately turned grim.
*Sealed... Yes. Right. Sealed.*
Then, as if realizing something, she spoke with an urgent expression.
*J-Jinis. Where is Jinis?*
*Jinis?*
*My royal guard. I was definitely escaping with him...*
Looking confused, she clutched her head and her lips trembled.
*That's right. We definitely fled to the Elven Kingdom... and Jinis...*
*Princess?*
Her expression grew more and more serious.
*H-He said the kingdom could hold out no longer. That this was the only way to save me... that he would...*
She wrapped her arms tightly around her small body.
Her face was dark, consumed by fear.
I approached the princess, who was huddled with her head down, and gently placed a hand on her back. She flinched, as if unused to the warmth of another person.
A faint tremor traveled through my hand. I patted her back for a long while, to give her time to calm down and sort out her thoughts.
Thankfully, the princess's trembling gradually subsided.
*...My apologies. You have seen me in a disgraceful state.*
A moment later.
When the princess looked up again, her expression had returned to the one I saw earlier, the one that tried to be stern and dignified.
*Right. I have grasped my current situation.*
*Can you explain?*
*Very well. First, I...*
The princess's story went on for quite some time.
That the Beastmen Nation had suffered near-total annihilation at the hands of demons.
That an escape team, led by a royal guard named Jinis, was formed to help Princess Rena escape.
That they succeeded in fleeing to the Elven Kingdom.
But even the Elven Kingdom was not a safe haven.
*...In the end, I was sealed away by my subordinates. For the revival of the beastmen race in the distant future.*
And so, Rena Beast Riperiel was sealed in a hard-to-find floating ruin.
*That is all.*
*I see.*
I had heard that the Beastmen Nation was the first to fall in the Great War.
Her words were likely true.
Which means she didn't become an executive of the Demon King's army of her own free will.
What in the world happened to turn her into such an incarnation of evil?
*So, you. What is the situation now? What became of the war?*
Ah. She wouldn't know that either.
*The war ended ten thousand years ago.*
*Ten... thousand years?*
The princess's mouth fell open blankly.
*Th-Then the result! What was the result of the war!*
*A draw. Mutually assured destruction. Both sides were annihilated.*
This time, as if truly shocked, the princess hung her head low.
*I-Impossible. That can't be...*
Then she quickly raised her head and rushed toward me. She grabbed my shoulders and looked up at me with desperate eyes.
*Th-Then what are you? What are you?! If the war ended in a draw and everyone was annihilated, then there should be nothing left in this world!*
...Nothing should be left? What does she mean by that?
*I don't know the details either. Nothing was recorded about that war. People just assume that's what happened, based on the fact that all the other races disappeared from this world.*
*So I'm asking, what are you! If all the races disappeared, then you shouldn't exist either!*
I answered calmly.
*Human.*
*What...?*
*The only race that survived the Great War. Humans.*
*Human... The human race?*
The princess seemed flustered by my words, her lips trembling.
She had a look of complete disbelief.
*...What is the human race?*
*What?*
This time, it was my turn to be surprised.
*I have never heard of a race called humans.*
My eyes widened like saucers.