Chapter 39

Just a little more and I’ll make it… I don’t know how many times I swung this scythe, thinking that. My body’s charred from Godel’s magic, my shoulder’s been grazed by Bogart’s sword. The king kicked me in the gut, and the soldiers kept slashing at my neck with their blades.

Hey, I’ll be honest. I’m drenched in sweat and blood, my vision’s blurry, and I lost feeling in my arms and legs long ago. I can’t even tell if I’m still breathing or if I’ve forgotten how to. I have no idea where I am anymore.

I’m not as strong as Elise or skilled in combat. I can’t use mysterious magic like Ariel to wipe out enemies in one go. All I have is this giant scythe that’s barely manageable. What good am I as some legendary Grim Reaper? I don’t even feel like I have those kinds of powers.

I don’t want to be the protagonist. I don’t like standing in front of people, and I’m not an extrovert who enjoys playing outside. My most comfortable place is my home, where I can finally relax and smile peacefully. Lying around peacefully at home is way better than getting dragged into pointless events.

But look at me now.

Because of my stupid curiosity, I followed a rabbit and ended up being worshipped as some weird Grim Reaper, suffering through all kinds of hardships. All I want is to go back to my peaceful home, but here I am getting beaten up, committing murder, and struggling to survive.

I’m exhausted and miserable. My whole body feels crushed by fatigue. My eyelids are heavy, and my throat is parched.

“Haa… haa…”

I looked at my opponent. That arrogant Godel, with fireballs floating in both his hands. Just looking at his disgusting naked form makes my eyes hurt. I just want to go home and sleep in peace.

KWAH!!!

In the blink of an eye, the fireball from Godel’s hand reached me and exploded violently. My ears are ringing, the world’s spinning, and searing pain runs through my entire body. Trying to get up on shaky legs, I collapsed again.

But I had to get up.

To go home? Yeah, because I want to go home. But there’s something else driving me now.

I saw Rapunzel’s life. I understood her suffering. She’s not some unrelated third party. Even though we met briefly, she became special to me.

For someone who’s only lived an unwanted life, I wanted to become something special to her for the first time. Unlike Ariel and Elise who see me as some legendary Dark Reaper, Rapunzel was just a normal girl who saw me for who I really am.

She gave me a brief respite from my tough life, like being the protagonist in some school青春 drama. That’s when I realized…

Being the protagonist isn’t so bad. No, it was good. Her playful confession made my heart race.

There’s no way I can ignore Rapunzel, who gave me memories like rain in a drought. Having seen her painful life, I can’t step back now.

“Kueeeep!!!”

So get up.

Get up and face your girl.

With trembling hands, I raised my scythe and pointed it at the disgusting Godel.

“Hey, you were messing with my girlfriend, right?”

The creepy Godel grinned, showing his yellow teeth while throwing another fireball. Instead of dodging, I charged forward with my awkward movements.

KWAH!!!

A fierce explosion engulfed the area in thick smoke. And I…

Burst through the smoke, flying like a missile faster than the eye could follow toward my target. Right before the explosion, I squeezed all my strength to leap over the fireball and used the explosion’s recoil.

“Pay the price, you disgusting bald freak!!!”

Squeak.

The sensation of cutting something through my scythe. Then the dull pain felt as I tumble across the floor.

Godel’s head hit the ground, his meaningful smile returning his hair to normal color. Then dazzling light poured down, revealing a door.

An old door, weathered by time, so worn out it would crumble at a touch. I closed my eyes briefly, clutching my pounding heart, then opened them and struggled toward the door using my scythe as a cane.

The closer I got, the more pitiful the old door looked. I could sense her presence behind it. Rapunzel.

Placing my hand on the doorknob, I vowed.

I will definitely rescue her from this damn tower.

With all my might, I turned the knob. With a “click,” the entire door crumbled like sandcastle into a pile of dust. Shocked, I stumbled back as a strange sensation pulled my body somewhere else, like teleportation.

It was a palace glittering with gold, luxurious beyond measure. An elegant red carpet lined the floor, and extravagant artworks adorned the space. I knew exactly where I was. The size, furniture arrangement, everything matched.

The top room of the tower from Rapunzel’s memories.

On the gilded bed sat my beloved girlfriend, bound by her own hair which restrained her movements. Her golden pupils widened. Her mouth was gagged by her hair too.

Rapunzel tried desperately to speak, pulling against her restraints. Finally, the gag loosened.

“Why… why…!”

Her voice choked with emotion.

“Because I’m your boyfriend.”

I smiled broadly.

Rapunzel’s gem-like golden eyes trembled violently. Through her tears, she saw my wretched state – barely able to stand, leaning heavily on my scythe, bloodshot eyes, wounds all over, soaked hair, cracked lips, roughened skin.

Strangely, I could see myself clearly reflected in her eyes.

Her lips quivered. Suddenly, she bared her teeth and shouted fiercely.

“Now! Kill me! Cut off my head before it gets worse!! Do it now!!”

“No.”

I limped forward.

“I’m not some psycho boyfriend who kills his girlfriend casually. Instead…”

I watched the golden hair slithering toward me.

“I’m the boyfriend who’ll get you out of this hell.”

Rapunzel’s facial muscles twitched. Sadness, despair, uncontrollable anger flashed across her face in turns.

“If you don’t kill me now, you’ll die! I’ll kill you! You almost died getting here, didn’t you? Compared to that, I’ll push you to your limits! I’ll pierce your flesh, rip off your limbs, and brutally dismember you with my hair!”

“No, you can’t kill me.”

“What?”

“I can see you can’t even control your hair properly. How do you plan to kill me? Besides, if you could have killed me earlier, I wouldn’t have gotten here at all. Your head would have been separated from your body by now, right?”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

Rapunzel hung her head, glaring at me with frustration.

“I can’t control my power right now. Yeah, I’ve become what that damned prophecy said. I’m destined to be the monster that brings ruin to the world. Trapped in this tower, unable to take a single step outside, using my hair to curse the world – that’s the terrible demon I’ve become! If you don’t kill me, I don’t know what my out-of-control hair will do! Please, Siyoo, I’m begging you!”

“You’re not a demon.”

“…What?”

I forced my thousand-pound legs to move, taking one step at a time toward her.

“It’s not your fault either. You’re not someone destined to destroy the world, nor a terrifying monster who instills fear in others. You’re Rapunzel. My girlfriend. A girl who gives me charming smiles. Someone very attractive to me.”

“No, no, I’m a monster. I can’t take it anymore. Every second of being here is excruciating agony. It feels like my insides are burning. I have no allies. Everyone fears me. Living a life branded as a demon is hell itself. Moreover, I can’t endure it any longer.”

Her body shook as she spoke with unfocused eyes.

“Every day, my uncontrollable anger grows stronger. My resentment and hatred toward the world! I can’t suppress my emotions! If I keep going like this, I’ll bring ruin to the world. I’ll kill everyone living happily and peacefully unlike me!!! I won’t stop until then!!! So Siyoo!”

Tears streamed down Rapunzel’s face.

“Kill me before I truly become a demon…”

“No.”