Episode 207
“Th… Mom…”
Of course, I was baffled. Completely caught off guard.
When I’m flustered, I curse out of habit. So, a string of curses kept rolling off my tongue.
“Shit damn! A… fuck. Ugh fuck damn.”
It couldn’t be helped.
I mean, making someone cry is one thing, but this—Luci was sobbing like a lost monarch, and there was no way I wouldn’t be disoriented.
Luci hasn’t cried like this since right before her death. And even then, there was no time to process. Now, it was ten times worse.
“Hey. What’s wrong?”
After a long moment, I finally managed to ask.
I had no clue why she was crying, and that was the biggest problem. Still dazed, I flashed a shaky grin and tried to brush it off.
“Come on. I’ll just keep respawning anyway, right? Why are you so angry? We know each other well enough.”
“Hic… snif—wahh…!”
“Are you watching One Day again? Haven’t you even done that yourself already? And now you’re sobbing like a 17-year-old drama queen just because my head got cut off…”
I broke it down point by point—all the reasons why Luci shouldn’t be crying—but it was pretty useless.
“Stop calling me a juicer! I’m not a juicer!!”
Instead, Luci got even more upset and started hitting me harder. This time felt more genuine, especially since her kicks to my shins were vicious.
“Juicer…? No, you’re right. Hmm. Got it. Sorry.”
Guess my choice of words didn’t sit well with her.
Cursing my dad for leaving me with this tone of voice, I softened my language as much as possible.
“Alright, just stop crying already! Would you tell me why you’re crying? You need to explain things, dammit!”
“Don’t keep questioning me! I don’t know! I don’t know, okay!”
“Damn it, why are you throwing this ridiculous tantrum… seriously…”
If you don’t know why you’re crying, who’s supposed to know? Dad, if you’re watching, please give me the answer.
I sighed deeply, gazing at the stars scattered across the night sky. Suddenly, Luci stopped her one-sided assault.
“Huh…?”
I belatedly looked down at her. Luci was staring up at me with tearful red eyes.
“Wow, she’s really serious…”
My breath caught in my throat.
I was taken aback by the desperation in her eyes, which was much stronger than I expected.
“Because… I’m worried. Don’t die without my permission. It’s… an order. Soldier.”
Suddenly, Luci said this and leaned her head against my chest. Her voice sounded like she might fall apart at any moment.
She tightly gripped the sleeve of my shirt.
“It’s true. I—I don’t know why I’m doing this either. But… but I hate it. I hate seeing you lose control like just now. I hate the thought of you dying. I couldn’t bear it. That’s why I came to find you!”
“… You do, huh.”
“That’s right. So don’t die recklessly. And don’t let others kill you recklessly. Promise me now. Please…”
In that instant, my head went numb as a stupid exclamation escaped me.
For some reason, it felt incredibly familiar. Of course—it was pretty much a repeat of what she said in the bamboo forest during Crossfade.
“… Luci.”
When I called her name softly, she stiffened. Her reaction was shockingly identical to the one from my past life, and I couldn’t help but chuckle awkwardly.
Luci leaned even closer, pressing her head against me, and said,
“Soldier, do you know… why I’m acting like this? If you do, please tell me.”
I couldn’t say anything.
This wasn’t like my past life, where I could joke around and ask, “Do you like me or something?”
No, no. I don’t have the nerve. If she says yes, that feels awful. If she says no, that feels even more awful.
And there was one big issue I couldn’t ignore…
“Oh, fuck it. Damn. It hurts! OW!”
Damn, it’s her horns again. They’re carving into Park Jeong-yong like a bloody kebab.
Given her emotional moment, it felt wrong to disturb her, so I gently took hold of her shoulders and pulled her away slightly. Luci flinched at the contact.
We stared at each other for a long time, then I sighed heavily, feeling the ground collapse beneath me.
“Phew…”
I relaxed the strength I’d been holding in my hand to kill Astarte. Clang. The Sword of Annihilation rolled across the ground with a long metallic sound.
With the emptiness I felt in my now free hand, I absentmindedly patted her head.
“I won’t die, and I won’t let myself get killed, so stop crying. Why do you have to bawl like this? It’s embarrassing.”
“… Is that true? Are you really promising…?”
“Yes. I promise. You’re making me feel weird now.”
Luci closed her eyes as if savoring my words and touch.
After a quiet pause where she seemed to accept my comfort, she suddenly stepped back.
“… Alright.”
Then she lifted her arms toward me just like she did before.
“Huh?”
I’ve seen this before.
She did this when she comforted Yuria in a panic. She suddenly did this, and then she ended up attacking me.
“W-warmup’s done! Alright.”
Luci said it like a favor she was giving, extending her arms toward me dramatically.
What’s going on now? Luci’s glare clearly said, “If you don’t understand this, I’ll tear you limb from limb.”
“Huh…”
But I’m not about to start being perceptive out of nowhere. My brain doesn’t come equipped with precognition.
Standing perplexed under her wide-open arms, I awkwardly scratched my head. Luci started trembling, her face quickly turning red.
It looked like anger or embarrassment—more likely anger. A warning bell rang in my mind.
“Fuck, Jeong-yong, I was trying to stay low-profile here, but isn’t this Luci asking for a hug? Seriously, did you even survive life on Earth?”
“Ahhh!”
Unable to bear watching, Older Brother Sooho chimed in. I realized it with an exasperated outburst, slapping my forehead.
The situation where I comforted Yuria—it all clicked together with the context of the conversations I had with Luci back then.
“What, you’ll boil my balls into noodles or something? Just talk, damn it.”
With that said, I dealt with the situation by addressing Luci, who’d made things unnecessarily difficult.
And then I hugged her.
“Ugh…!”
Surprised by my sudden action, Luci gasped and caught her breath.
For a few moments, she squirmed around, but quickly calmed down. She gently rested her head on my chest.
“… Tch.”
Ah, fuck. Her horns are so damn sharp. Does she sharpen them on trees like wild boars? How can they be this sharp?
After a while, Luci pulled away.
“Are you satisfied?”
While I rubbed my sore chest and asked, Luci turned her head away.
But I caught a fleeting smile on her face. Predictably, she nodded vigorously.
“Yes. I’m satisfied.”
Thank goodness.
I ruffled her hair roughly and retraced my steps, heading back to the checkpoint where Yuria was likely waiting anxiously for us.
*
I brought Yuria along and we crossed through the amusement park again.
“Eeeeek! Ah, ugh!”
Midway through, Yuria shrieked when she saw the two fugitive knights’ corpses and Astarte’s body (fake).
Inadvertently, this gave me a chance to belatedly perform Astarte’s binding procedures.
“Lady Saint, thanks to you, the aftercare was thorough. Appreciated for your reaction.”
“Ugh!”
I briefly thanked Yuria. I bound Astarte tightly with shadow chains, then continued on my way.
Yuria shot me sharp questioning glances from behind, but I ignored them completely.
“I deliberately pushed myself to the brink of death, but I won’t die.”
Probably.
… That little detail I left out. It was my declaration that I wouldn’t mention anything further about this amusement park debacle.
“… Haa.”
Yuria realized this from my tone and sighed in resignation. She followed me quietly with a troubled expression.
“Here we go.”
I recalled my memories and slowly walked along the edge of the cliff at the end of the amusement park. Then I boldly stuck my hand into the space.
Whoom. My hand instantly slipped inside the wall as if being sucked in. Grinning, I gestured to the other two.
“Modest welcome, but please enter.”
“Er… ah, okay…”
Luci and Yuria hesitantly approached the foggy wall.
They poked their fingertips cautiously, testing it, and then slowly inserted their arms one by one. Both were exceptionally cautious.
I grew impatient waiting and grabbed Luci’s arm, pulling her inside abruptly.
“Wha—aaa!!”
With a scream like a post-service high school girl, Luci was dragged into the internal cave of the illusion.
Embarrassed by her scream, she started pounding on me furiously, her face red.
Why the hell is she hitting me?
“… Ugh.”
Finally, Yuria cautiously stepped inside as well.
After confirming that, I moved forward while happily enduring a beating, walking deeper into the cave.
“Wow…”
Yuria stared dreamily at the vast blooms of Dreaming Lotus.
Of course, if it was your first time, it was an impressive sight indeed. When we got near the end of the cave, all you’d want to see is blue, making you gag.
I flashed her a quick grin, then kept moving forward.
‘Almost there…’
How much farther? We reached the exit of the cave.
The Dreaming Lotus abruptly ended at a certain point like magic. I wrinkled my brow slightly at the nearby scenery, then took a step out of the cave’s mouth.
“That… that’s…”
We arrived where the enormous white tree was visible. Luci and Yuria stared wide-eyed at it.
I stood firmly in front of them. I looked at the two women, who were staring at the ghostly white cocoon hanging off the tree.
“That’s Zadkiel.”
I gave a quick introduction and also scanned Zadkiel’s appearance.
Just as in my previous life’s memory, Zadkiel looked absolutely pitiful. It was grotesquely artistic and oppressive.
“Luci. Do you recognize this face?”
I casually asked the trembling Luci, half-expecting she would. But Luci shook her head slowly, with a look of confusion.
“No, I—I’ve never seen this kind of monster… I don’t know.”
“I see.”
“However… hard to explain. While I feel repulsed, there’s something weirdly familiar about it… Strange feelings…”
“… I see.”
Honestly, I didn’t understand what she meant, but if she said so, then that’s that. I accepted and stepped aside from Luci.
I quickly grabbed Yuria’s wrist and approached the tree.
“Come along, Lady Saint.”
“Ah…!”
Squish. We stepped into the deep pools of blood surrounding the giant tree.
Needless to say, Yuria’s resistance was massive. Her face pale, she struggled fiercely in front of the pool of blood.
“Well, it makes sense.”
I gave her wrist a slight tightening.
It wasn’t forceful. I was simply waiting for Yuria to suppress her fear.
“… Ah.”
Perhaps moved by my understanding, or maybe she picked up on my intention quickly, Yuria fixed her gaze on my face.
Then with a determined expression, she hesitantly dipped her foot into the pool of blood.
And in that moment, a panel appeared before my eyes.
[Quest Triggered (Epic)]
This wasn’t just a simple warning panel from before.
It was a quest—an epic one at that, similar to what happened with Astarte: the second rite.
[Name: Destroy the Witch—The Second Rite]
[Difficulty: Legendary]
[Details: Reached the Witch’s tormented mind within Zadkiel’s nightmare. Annihilate her tragic memories and bring her one step closer to rest.]
[Condition 1: Break through the barrier—the Labyrinth of Passage (Unfulfilled)]
[Condition 2: Enter the special dungeon—the Nightmares of Passage (Unfulfilled)]
[Condition 3: Destroy three fragments of the nightmare (Unfulfilled)]
[Reward: Relic of Annihilation—the Nightmares of Passage. Health + 1000. Mana + 500. All Stats +150. Hero Sense +20.]
“Good. Let’s go.”
I took a deep breath, giving Yuria a quick glance. Yuria, who was staring ahead blankly, then resolved herself firmly.
Her eyes lit up with an unusually bright white light, glowing softly like a full moon.
“Wow…”
I was mesmerized by the light for a moment but quickly shook off the trance. I gave a throaty cough and extended my hand.
Whooom. A deep crimson veil wavered before my eyes.
“Can you please disable this barrier in front of us?”
“…Uh.”
Yuria nodded and slowly extended her hand forward.
Gooong. A heavy sound echoed as a translucent red wall violently rippled. It began crumbling apart from the top.
The foggy wall encasing Zadkiel, the Labyrinth of Passage, was breaking down.
