Chapter 148

After defeating the White Devourer, some people who had lost their memories regained what they had forgotten.

Which means, Ha Yu-ri also got her memories back.

The memories she had been desperately trying to recover.

“I came to talk to Ha Yu-ri. Is that okay?”

“Who… Oh, are you Lee Yun-seong from Eternity?”

“Yes.”

“… This way.”

Following the aide’s guidance, I found Ha Yu-ri sitting on a rock, her head deeply bowed.

“What’s wrong? Why are you like this?”

“……”

“… Ha Yu-ri?”

‘What the…’

I stopped mid-sentence.

Because Ha Yu-ri was crying. And with an indescribable expression on her face.

“You… what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“……”

‘What the…’

I shuddered for a moment. Because a chilling aura was emanating from Ha Yu-ri.

Her distorted face, streaming with tears, clearly showed that her emotional state was far from normal.

‘What the hell… what’s going on?’

“You…”

“……”

“Why are you like this? You have to talk for me to understand, right?”

“……”

As Ha Yu-ri continued to remain silent, I felt incredibly frustrated.

Clearly, something had happened, and unless she spoke, I couldn’t take any action.

I could have commanded her to speak, but I didn’t.

Even if I were clueless, I instinctively knew this wasn’t the time for that.

“Sigh…”

Knowing that sometimes you just have to wait quietly, I also sat on the rock and waited in silence for a while.

After some time passed, Ha Yu-ri finally opened her tightly sealed lips.

“… I got my memories back.”

“I know, of course. The White Devourer is dead.”

“I… I had forgotten something really important.”

“…..”

“You told me, right? That you could help me figure out what I had forgotten. So, using your method, I realized that the reason I hate Dark Sorcerers is related to the memories I lost…”

“That’s right. So? What’s the fundamental reason you hate Dark Sorcerers? You should know now, right?”

“… Did you know I have a younger sibling who came to this world with me?”

“What?”

I couldn’t help but be shocked. The fact that Ha Yu-ri had a sibling was completely news to me.

“What are you talking about? You had a sibling?”

“Funny, right? The memories I had forgotten were about my sibling.

“……”

‘This doesn’t make sense. Even if she forgot about her sibling, how could she not know until now?’

“Well… first, calm down and listen. If you forgot about your sibling, how come no one around you knew about it?”

“Because it was a long time ago. It was before I had even been here for a year.”

I quietly continued to listen to Ha Yu-ri’s story.

“Back then, I hadn’t formed a clan yet, and I hadn’t fully awakened my talents. I was less than a year in, still searching for a place to settle, wandering around joining parties, and that’s when I met my sibling.”

Meeting family from Earth in Eras is rare, but it does happen.

There are cases like Yoo Rim and Yoo Hyun, who entered the same training facility at the same time, or cases like Ha Yu-ri’s, where they meet separately.

“My sibling… wasn’t particularly outstanding, to put it mildly. But I was a somewhat prominent mage, and I managed to include my sibling in the party by doing the work of two people.”

Somehow, the ending was already forming in my mind.

No, just the fact that Ha Yu-ri’s sibling isn’t by her side now tells the story.

“The five-member party, including my sibling, was captured by a group of Dark Sorcerers on our way to a dungeon. I barely managed to escape, but…”

The outcome was obvious.

“… The rest died.”

Even if they had survived, a horrific fate would have awaited them.

At my words, Ha Yu-ri sobbed and nodded.

“Then, the culprits? Do you know who they were?”

“… They’re already dead. The group of Dark Sorcerers the royal palace exterminated a while ago were the culprits.”

“What?”

I couldn’t help but be shocked by Ha Yu-ri’s words.

What she was saying was that the group of Dark Sorcerers I had exposed through Charis had either killed or abducted Ha Yu-ri’s sibling.

‘They’re practically dead. It’s been a long time.’

“I… I’ve lost the target of my revenge. What am I supposed to live for now…?”

Ha Yu-ri’s eyes were unfocused. Only the gaze of someone who had lost everything.

Unintentionally, I had taken away Ha Yu-ri’s target of revenge.

Not that Ha Yu-ri blamed me, but I still felt somewhat strange about it.

‘No. Thinking about it, it’s not like there’s no target for revenge.’

“Ha Yu-ri.”

“… Why? Are you going to mock me?”

“What?”

“You don’t like me, do you? From your perspective, this must be great. A woman who once acted up to you has now truly lost everything.”

“……”

“Haha… right? Now I’m just a slave to a man. In a position where I have to do whatever you command. If the master says bark, I bark, if he says lie down, I lie down… that kind of slave. And on top of that, I’ve lost my sibling too.”

Ha Yu-ri seemed to have given up on everything.

“To you or others, how pitiful must I look? What… what am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do here…?”

‘She’s lost her sanity.’

From Ha Yu-ri’s perspective, it’s impossible not to lose sanity.

She’s practically become my puppet, and the memories she regained this time were like a bomb dropped on her life.

“I… I’ve lost everything. A clan? That’s… not needed anymore….”

From my perspective, Ha Yu-ri is a valuable asset.

Her military power and the resources I can use at my discretion are practically irreplaceable.

‘She can’t collapse like this. It’s a waste.’

I approached Ha Yu-ri, who was sitting in a daze, and spoke.

“Why is everything over? Don’t you still have to take revenge?”

“Haha, revenge? What revenge?”



“Are you planning revenge? There’s no one to take revenge on…”

“No, the royal palace announced that they had exterminated that group of dark sorcerers, but they didn’t wipe out all of them.”

At my words, a strange light appeared in Ha Yu-ri’s eyes.

It felt like a flame igniting on a candle about to go out.

I had to keep this spark alive.

I couldn’t let Ha Yu-ri’s fire die out, as she was useful in many ways.

“…What do you mean? They didn’t wipe out all of them?”

“Except for the leader, they did exterminate the group. Except for the leader.”

“By any chance… is that leader an old man?”

“Right. How did you know? They didn’t announce anything about the leader.”

At my confirmation, Ha Yu-ri’s expression twisted fiercely.

As if she was desperate to kill that old man.

“That old monster… took my younger sibling to use in a dark magic experiment. I have to kill that monster, no matter what it takes.”

‘Should I be happy about this or not?’

It was just absurd that such a coincidence could exist.

Ha Yu-ri had a younger sibling, and that sibling was killed by the dark sorcerer group that Charis was part of.

Because I exposed Charis, the royal palace exterminated the dark sorcerer group, and the leader escaped—the very leader who is Ha Yu-ri’s sworn enemy.

‘Really… what kind of… huh? Wait a second.’

Suddenly, I couldn’t help but stiffen my expression.

Because I realized there was one thing I needed to be careful about.

‘Damn it, Charis…!’

Of course, Ha Yu-ri wouldn’t recognize Charis, who is active by my side, because it’s not her true form.

The problem is if Charis is involved in what happened to Ha Yu-ri’s sibling.

Clearly, Charis was part of that group, and though she might be less guilty than the others, she definitely committed various crimes.

‘…Considering that Charis didn’t show any reaction upon seeing Ha Yu-ri, there’s a chance she’s not involved, but it’s better to check.’

For now, I had to put aside thoughts about Charis and focus on Ha Yu-ri’s words.

“Where did that monster escape to? Tell me any information you have. Please…”

“Hmm…”

‘I don’t have much information.’

In fact, even the royal palace has stopped pursuing the escaped leader, as their group has been dismantled.

Not knowing what to say to Ha Yu-ri, I kept my mouth shut, and Ha Yu-ri knelt down, pressing her head to the ground as she spoke.

“I’ll do anything. No, even now, if you desire, you can do whatever you want with me, but if you give me information about that monster, I will devote the rest of my life to you sincerely. So…”

‘What, what’s this? Why is she like this?’

“No… wait…”

“All I can offer is my humble body and heart, but please… please…”

“Wait, it’s awkward, so get up first and talk.”

“No. I’ll stay like this until I get a definite answer. Please…”

Ha Yu-ri was being stubborn at my words.

“Hey, when did I say I wouldn’t help? I’ll help, so get up, it’s uncomfortable to look at.”

“R-really? You’ll help? I… I must avenge my sibling. No matter what, I have to do it…!”

“Sigh… fine, get up.”

Ha Yu-ri got up while watching my reaction.

In fact, since I could control her actions, Ha Yu-ri probably thought I might give her an order not to do anything reckless.

“But I need to make this clear. Me saying I’ll help doesn’t mean I know where that monster escaped to.”

“…Huh?”

“What I mean is, I won’t stop you from seeking revenge, and I’m willing to help. I don’t know where that monster is now, but at least I can help you find him.”

“Ah…”

“Anyway, since you’re in no position to go around blabbing, I’ll tell you—I have a secret information clan.”

“…An information clan?”

Ha Yu-ri looked utterly confused.

Actually, it’s not my clan but Ruska’s, but hers is mine.

“Yeah, so I can help a bit. So for now, let’s prioritize developing the Swamp of Oblivion.”

“…But I’m not in a situation to care about something like this right now!”

‘Of course, damn it, I’d feel the same way.’

Frankly, it’s not like we’re friends, and she just found out who killed her sibling.

If it were me, I’d be just as furious.

The problem is, she can’t act on it right now.

“You want to avenge your sibling? I completely understand. I’d want to tear them apart too. But right now, we’re in the middle of developing the Swamp of Oblivion, right? Let’s finish this first.”

I said this in case Ha Yu-ri tried to leave the development team to seek revenge immediately.

Ha Yu-ri is the commander of the 2nd Zone development team, and if she were to leave, the chaos would be indescribable.

Of course, if I ordered her, she couldn’t leave, but for a smooth development, her own effort is necessary.

“Do you understand? I get how you feel, but let’s think about the order of what needs to be done first.”

“…Alright. But once the Swamp of Oblivion development is over, you have to keep your promise. No, I’ll trust that you will.”

“Of course.”

First, to find out about that monster, I’d have to ask Charis privately.

‘Of course, before that, I need to find out if Charis is involved in the death of Ha Yu-ri’s sibling.’

If she is, I’m already getting a headache thinking about what choice I should make.