Chapter 169

Ha Yu-ri came to find me while I was resting in another reception room.

“Did the conversation go well?”

“… Yes, but what about that woman?”

“Ah, if you mean Charis, she said she needed some air and stepped out.”

“… Really?”

Ha Yu-ri blurted out and then plopped down next to me.

“… What’s wrong? Something happened?”

She looked like she had something complicated on her mind. It seemed like she had something to say.

After a long pause, Ha Yu-ri slowly began to speak.

“…. Kanda Koshiro, he’s a man I used to like.”

“Huh?”

I was taken aback by Ha Yu-ri’s sudden confession.

‘Why is she telling me this?’

“Why are you suddenly bringing this up? And you said ‘used to’…”

“… It’s not like that anymore.”

“Well, did that guy do something wrong to you?”

“No. That’s not it…”

“… Then why are you telling me this out of the blue?”

“……”

“Ha Yu-ri?”

“… No, it’s nothing. I just felt like saying it.”

Ha Yu-ri’s face looked strange. She seemed disheartened by her own situation.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s focus on other things for now. We need to heal your sister today.”

“… You’re right. That’s the priority. We need to save my sister.”

When Charis returned, she looked at Ha Yu-ri’s face and spoke up.

“What’s wrong with her face?”

“… What do you mean?”

“She looks like she just got dumped or something.”

“… It’s not like that.”

“Alright, whatever… Are you ready?”

She was asking if we were ready to enter Ha Yul’s mind.

“… Yes.”

“Then let’s head to the hospital room.”

When we entered the hospital room, we saw Ha Yul still lying there with her eyes closed, as if lifeless.

Ha Yu-ri looked at her sister’s face and seemed overwhelmed, on the verge of tears.

“… Why do you look like you’re about to break down again? Pull yourself together.”

“… It’s not as easy as you say.”

‘True.’

I glanced at Charis. We needed to hear her explanation first.

“Listen up, both of you. What I’m about to do is bind your consciousness with that kid’s. So, you’ll both be dropped into her mental space.”

“What about you, Charis?”

“Of course, I can’t go in. I need to control things from the outside. And just in case something happens.”

I understood. Since this was a rather unusual form of mental interference, someone needed to control it from the outside.

Naturally, Charis, the caster of the mental magic, had to stay outside.

“So, what do we do now? Just close our eyes like this?”

“… Are you stupid? You’ll just fall flat on the ground.”

“…..”

‘Damn…’

“Obviously, you need to lie down comfortably on the bed and close your eyes.”

“… Got it.”

I nodded, and Ha Yu-ri, with a desperate look, spoke to Charis.

“… Please take care of us.”

“Tch, whatever. Just don’t cry in there.”

With that, Ha Yu-ri and I each lay down on the bed, closed our eyes, and soon our consciousness sank into sleep.

******

Ha Yu-ri opened her eyes and immediately checked her body.

‘My body’s fine. Is Yul here?’

It felt like being in a dream. The closest comparison would be lucid dreaming.

“… Mr. Lee Yun-seong?”

But the problem was that the man who was supposed to be in this mental space with her was nowhere to be seen.

He must have been separated. Contrary to our expectation of starting at the same point, it seemed we were separated.

‘This is…’

Earth, to be precise. A scene of herself and Yul watching TV on Earth.

‘Yu, Yul…’

Seeing Yul’s figure, she felt a sudden surge of emotion, but instinctively realized.

This was just a scene from the subconscious. It wasn’t her real younger sister.

She saw herself and Yul having a conversation.

“Yul, do you really enjoy watching those male idols?”

“Of course! They’re so handsome. And they dance so well…”

… Yul was a very timid person. Unlike herself, who spoke her mind, Yul couldn’t bring herself to say harsh words to anyone.

However, there were times when her younger sister became talkative, and that was when watching idol shows.

“Kyaa! What do I do! This is crazy!”

“Ugh, this guy… What are you going to do if you end up with a bad guy later?”

“Hehe… Then you can just scold him for me.”

The sight of her younger sister looking at her with sparkling eyes was too much for her.

In reality, there had been a few times when bad guys had approached Yul, but she had always driven them away.

Yul was as pretty as she was, so it was inevitable that guys would flock to her on Earth.

To be precise, if she was the sexy and aloof type, Yul was the cute type.

Especially because Yul had a hard time refusing others’ requests, many guys had taken advantage of that.

‘And that… was the same even after coming to Eras.’

Just as many guys had approached her, they had also approached Yul.

Especially the master of a large clan who had tried to get to her.

When that guy looked at Yul with the same intentions, she wanted to gouge out his eyes.

It was only natural that she wanted to twist his neck when he came to her offering to sponsor her and her sister.

‘… This isn’t the time to be reminiscing. I need to find Yul.’

Yul must be somewhere in this subconscious. She had to find Yul.

After walking aimlessly, she saw a door in the dark space.

She was startled by the door that seemed to beckon her, but she soon opened it and went through.

‘Ah… This was…’

“Yu, Yul… Why are you here?”

“… Sister?”

It was when she had coincidentally met Yul during a party activity.

Later, after talking with Yul, she found out that Yul and I had entered Eras around the same time.

However, I was summoned in Baronia, while Yul was summoned in Tayos, so we didn’t meet until later.





I couldn’t do it.

And then, by chance, I met Yul and started party activities with her.

“Ah, what is this?! I almost died because of your sister!”

“Sorry, sorry…”

“…I’m sorry. Yul must have been nervous. She doesn’t usually act like this, but today she seemed really tense…”

“Control your magic better, will you? Honestly, what’s the point of being a fire mage if you can’t control your flames?”

“…I’m really sorry. I’ll work twice as hard to make up for Yul. Please calm down…”

“Making flames as small as a candle when you need to amp it up, and as big as a fireball when you need to tone it down—this is a first for me. Ugh, seriously…”

“Sorry…”

Next to the angry man, a pot-bellied guy tried to calm his friend down.

“Hey, hey, stop it. It wasn’t intentional, right?”

“Yeah…”

“But still, we did suffer some damage, right? So, we should get some compensation.”

“Huh? What…”

“Sorry, but I don’t think we can give you any payment.”

“You can’t pay us?! Clearly, my contribution alone was worth more than two people’s share…”

“Eh, even if you exceed one person’s share, the individual payout is fixed. The problem is that your sister didn’t pull her weight.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?!”

“Hey, calm down. Actually, we can pay you. But we’d like to compensate you in another way.”

“Another way…?”

Suddenly, the man blatantly eyed me and Yul up and down.

“Well, the numbers match, and we could book two rooms for the four of us to stay at the inn together. Huh? We need to relax our tired bodies, right?”

‘You bastards.’

Being pretty has its advantages, but it also has its downsides.

Especially in a society centered around military power.

“…Get lost.”

“Get lost? So, you’re saying you don’t care about the payment? This payment is quite substantial, you know?”

Ignoring the man, I grabbed Yul’s hand and turned to walk away.

“…Unnie.”

“……”

“Sorry… It’s my fault…”

“Why is it your fault? Forget it, we don’t need that measly payment.”

Yul looked dejected, thinking it was her fault we weren’t getting paid.

As proof, she hung her head low and just followed my lead.

Then, like a light going out, everything around us turned dark.

‘…Another door appeared.’

The scene beyond the door was horrifying.

“Grandpa! Please, stop this… Please…”

“Hoho… Child, you have untapped potential. I’m just trying to make you into the ultimate masterpiece. Why do you resist?”

“Please… I don’t want to forget… Unnie, save me… Sob… Unnie…”

“Now, now, you’ll be reborn anew. Don’t be afraid. First, we’ll start by inserting this magic heart.”

“Stop it, stop it. What is that… Don’t bring that sharp thing near me…”

“I’ll make an incision in your abdomen. There’s no anesthetic, but I have recovery potions, so you won’t die. Though, you might lose your mind from the pain.”

I wanted to tear my eyes out at the sight. I couldn’t bear the thought of my sister going through this.

But with Yul’s screams echoing, I could only shut my eyes, cover my ears, and collapse.

‘No, no, no, no, no!’

“AAAAAH! AAAH! Stop! Please stop!”

‘No, no, no, no, no!’

“Grandpa! Please… Ugh… AH! Stop! Please… Unnie…”

‘This can’t be happening. This can’t be…’

“Unnie! Save me! I don’t want to forget! Someone, save me! Please save me! Stop! Stop! Grandpa, please stop! It hurts! Save me!”

Yul’s screams felt like they were piercing directly into my heart.

Even though it was Yul’s screams I was hearing, I couldn’t understand why I was the one in pain.

All I could think of were the atrocities I had committed.

After losing my sister, all I could think about was saving her.

But to save her, I needed power and fame, so I joined the Swamp of Oblivion expedition, only to end up losing my memories of her.

I had completely forgotten the pain Yul went through, living my life as Ha Yu-ri, the master of the Mardan Clan.

That life itself felt like a lie, given the horrific outcome.

‘I… I…’

I wanted to tear myself apart. I wanted to kneel before Yul and beg for forgiveness.

I knew this wasn’t the time, but I couldn’t muster the courage to go on.

‘What have I been doing all this time?’

I couldn’t forgive myself for being obsessed with money, fame, and power.

‘Is this… punishment?’

Punishment for abandoning Yul and living a luxurious life.

My heart was breaking, and it was clearly punishment.

Yul’s screams kept piercing my ears.

It felt like someone was mercilessly stabbing me with a knife.

Each of Yul’s screams felt like a dagger flying at me.

‘Stop, stop… I was wrong…’

Tears streamed down my face.

‘Is this… the end…?’

Just as my heart was about to completely shatter.

Tap.

“…Ha Yu-ri.”

A hand touched my shoulder as I crouched, and his voice reached my ears.