76th Episode: Pursuit
“Shut up and just follow me, would you!”
“But no, I at least want to know the reason! Why the rush?”
In this life of mine right now, feeling rather unsettled thanks to some random fishing incident from my past life.
Here I am, being dragged all the way to the residential area where inns gather by Lucy who’s gripping my hand.
As I keep pressing for a reason, Lucy suddenly raises her voice as if she’s getting irritated.
“Shouldn’t you know! It’s because of something your past self did! It’s not like I’m doing this because I want to, you know!”
“My past self…?”
“Yes! He said to bring someone here by force if they don’t listen!”
What nonsense is that? I immediately snickered.
“You’re telling me I said that to you? Write yourself a novel. You’re clearly the novelist of this story.”
“That, that irritating mouth of yours! I wish I could punch it…”
Lucy keeps beating her chest while glaring at me with obvious irritation.
Well, fine. If she’s so set on taking me there, might as well go along and see.
I moved my steps in the direction she was leading me.
We arrived at an inn with the embarrassingly cheesy name of “The Promised Refuge.”
Following Lucy’s orders, I took the key to room 403 and opened the door. Without thinking, I stepped inside.
“Aaaaaah!!”
And there, I saw my mutilated corpse along with a residual memory.
I collapsed on the floor with a scream.
“Mr. Jung Yong?! What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
Seop Baek’s voice rings in my ears, buzzing around and then fading away.
[Item Activation – Izanami’s Heart]
[Acquired a residual memory from the past life.]
[There were no lost abilities from the past life, so no abilities were restored.]
[There were no lost skills from the past life, so no skills were restored.]
[Memories from the past life have been fully restored.]
“Aaaargh…! Gggghh…!!”
After activating Izanami’s Heart, I writhed in agony across the blood-soaked inn room.
The pain subsided only after my corpse turned to ash and drifted away. Gasping for breath, I stumbled over to the bed and sat down.
“Huff… Alright, mission accomplished.”
As the pain faded, I couldn’t help but laugh. It was a laugh of achievement.
The past me certainly did his part.
The decoy in the Box of the Dead successfully identified the true nature of the wanderer. We learned not only his location but also his plans and influence. We also discovered the whereabouts of my companions.
For the first time in a while, I gave it my all. Well done, Park Jeong-yong.
“I really need to live up to my past self in this life.”
At the very least, the guy who knocked Lucy out under false pretenses – the guy whose identity as Zenon I now know – has to be taken out.
No. He must be taken out.
“Time’s running out.”
Whether it’s revenge or investigation, I only have today. Time’s tight. There’s no time for hesitation or deliberation. Action’s the only option.
“Shall we go?”
I immediately opened the door and stepped out. Or rather, I intended to.
However, the sight of Seop Baek blocking the doorway stopped me in my tracks.
I stammered, unsure of what to say.
“…Seop Baek? Why are you here?”
“Huh? Oh, well…”
For a moment, Seop Baek hesitated but then shook her head and asked carefully.
“Did you suddenly shout earlier? I was worried… Is there something wrong with you?”
“Oh. That…”
When I screamed seeing the corpse from my past life, Seop Baek was present.
How on earth should I explain this? This was giving me a headache.
“Hmm… actually…”
I’m absolutely terrible at making excuses. This level of panic, across both my past and current life, is unprecedented.
Past lives, if you could help me out here: did you ever face a situation like this? How did you handle it? Please give me some advice.
Ultimately, unable to resist Seop Baek’s intense gaze, I slowly responded.
“Just… nothing much. I thought I saw something that wasn’t there.”
“Hallucination?”
“Recently, the Demon King keeps appearing around us, right? I’ve been straining too hard to be a hero when it doesn’t suit me, and now the fatigue is catching up. I’ve decided to just take a good rest here today.”
Pretending to be cheerful, I patted Seop Baek on the shoulder. After flashing a forced smile, I tried quickly brushing past her.
But, my sleeve was promptly grabbed.
“That’s a lie, isn’t it Mr. Jung Yong?”
“…”
Without realizing it, I closed my mouth and turned my head.
Looking at Seop Baek, our eyes met. Then I understood.
She wasn’t clueless. She knew I was lying.
A faint, bittersweet smile formed on her lips.
“You know, Mr. Jung Yong… these past few months, I’ve learned a lot from being with you.”
“…What?”
“You’re the type of person who doesn’t show it when you have problems, right? You laugh and joke, you deflect attention… It’s almost like you’re trying to fool yourself. Not just others, but yourself.”
“…”
“That’s what you’re doing now, isn’t it?”
The words hit home, making my heart feel a pang.
Seop Baek was looking directly at me. As I stared back at her eyes, I eventually turned my head away.
I thought about it for some time.
However, the secret of temporal regression can’t be revealed to others.
I’m not the most responsible person, but I at least don’t want to burden others.
“It’s nothing. I’m just really tired, that’s all.”
“…”
“Ah, but speaking of which… there is a favor I’d like to ask of you.”
“Favor?”
Seop Baek’s eyes widened as she asked, and I presented my request with a slightly subdued voice.
“If anything… odd happens today, please make sure to protect Lucy first. Above anyone.”
“Odd things? What kind of… incident do you mean?”
“That’s…”
I couldn’t say anything more there. This was getting frustrating.
If the Demon King and I were both to die, there can be no further resurrection. The mysterious explosion might occur, and if I happen not to be around at the time…
…Maybe this was a miscalculation.
“Can you not tell me?”
Seop Baek’s eyebrows furrowed in eight-like wrinkles, her face showing deep regret.
“Yes. I understand. If you find yourself in a difficult situation… please let me know. Definitely.”
“…Thank you, Seop Baek.”
Seop Baek’s shoulders slumped as she walked away from me dejectedly. I watched her go mixed with complicated feelings.
Then she suddenly stopped.
“Mr. Jung Yong… haven’t you looked in a mirror lately?”
That question flew at me.
I hesitated for a moment but responded absentmindedly.
“Yes, but why?”
“…Why don’t you take a look?”
“Alright.”
After hearing my response, Seop Baek silently entered her room like a ghost.
With the door closing behind her, I scratched my head.
‘Is there something on my face?’
Though I’m in a rush, since Seop Baek brought it up it won’t take long to check the mirror before going out.
I returned to my room and stood in front of a full-length mirror.
“Hmm…”
I couldn’t help but let out an unintentional laugh.
Hollow-eyed and sunken, my sharp gaze gave off a cold impression.
My once-plump cheeks were now withered and cracked lips greeted the viewer.
An unkempt appearance radiating an ominous aura, as if ready to tear someone apart at a moment’s notice.
Saying everything’s fine with a face like this? I’d probably find it absurd myself if I were on the other side.
That’s why I laughed.
‘Third alleyway, eighth shack.’
This is it.
After searching through the maze-like shack village, I arrived in front of the shack from my past memories.
The home where Gena and her brother Zenon live. And me, standing awkwardly in front of it.
‘Time… there’s still plenty.’
Seeing the sun directly overhead, it was around noon.
Truly, I’ve managed to maximize the time available. It’s something to be proud of.
While thinking about the best way to approach Zenon.
“See you Gena. I’ll be back late, so go to sleep first.”
“Yeah… see you, Brother.”
Creak. The wooden door of the shack opened before I could act. Unconsciously, my body froze in place.
Zenon, casually stepping out after exchanging pleasant greetings, made direct eye contact with me standing there awkwardly.
It was completely unexpected. For a while, silence hung in the air.
“…”
“…”
Neither Zenon nor I moved a finger. I was surprised from the sudden encounter. Zenon’s eyes widened in shock, recognizing me.
“You know me, right?”
I gave a sly grin and placed my hand on Zenon’s shoulder.
Click. With a dull sound, Zenon’s eyes widened dramatically, as if he saw a bird egg flying towards him.
“You… What are you doing here…?”
The voice that came out was a mix of confusion and panic, laced with a hint of fear.
Glance. Zenon’s eyes darted towards Gena inside the shack. Beads of sweat poured down his forehead.
“…Brother? Is there someone outside?”
At that, Gena peeked out from behind Zenon.
She stared at me with a suspicious and guarded look for a moment, then her face contorted with surprise.
“Oh? You…?”
Recognition dawned on Gena’s face.
Ah, right. With the timeline reset, she wouldn’t remember me. This must be our first meeting from her perspective.
I flashed a smile and waved casually at her.
“It’s been a while. Is it our first meeting since the Trial of the Curtain?”
“A…!”
Realizing that she hadn’t imagined things, Gena gave an appropriate greeting. She seemed glad to see a familiar face after so long, though her lips curved into a faint smile.
“Hey, Gena. Go back inside.”
Perhaps disliking the scene, Zenon immediately tried to push Gena back indoors.
Naturally, Gena questioned with wide eyes.
“Huh? Why? Don’t you remember him, Brother? That’s the person who was with Frog Man in the Trial of the Curtain. He was the one who always reminded us to eat….”
“I get it. I know. But, Gena, please just go inside for now.”
“But…!”
“Come on! Just go inside already!!”
Eventually, Zenon shouted with a darkened expression.
“Alright… I understand…”
Gena immediately recoiled, looking disheartened. She slowly disappeared into the house with a deflated face.
“…”
Zenon watched this happen with an apologetic look but maintained silence by averting his gaze.
I watched this scene contentedly nodding my head.
Then I whispered into Zenon’s ear.
“Let’s have a chat right now.”
Of course, you must feel like you’ve encountered a ghost here.
You thought you evaded pursuit perfectly, yet here I am. You must wonder how I’m even here.
But you’re not the only one full of questions, Zenon. I have a mountain of questions I need to ask you.
“What…?”
“Conversations the princess hidden somewhere might not want to hear.”
“!!!”
“The details you know better than anyone.”
I outright threatened him. Zenon likewise openly gave me a hostile glare.
But he soon realized my gaze wasn’t on him. His eyes gradually followed mine.
And he saw Gena.
Hatred and murderous intent filled his eyes in an instant.
“You… you little bastard… What schemes are you up to…!”
“Tsk.”
And you’re the one to say that first? Anyone passing by would burst out laughing.
I didn’t match his anger but instead gave an icy smile.
“Nothing much. I just really want to have a chat.”
“Stop joking around. There’s nothing worth discussing with you…!”
“I never said with words. Don’t act all innocent.”
I don’t want to have a friendly chat with the guy who killed me. There’s no time for that either.
Whoever said anything about verbal conversation? All I want is some hot physical chat (?). Ow yeah.
I stretched my neck joint and pointed toward the opposite alley.
“Follow me. Let’s start with thirty-three of my lives.”
“…”
“You don’t want your little sister to see you licking your wounds, do you?”
He remained silent but couldn’t do anything else as I turned and walked decisively down the alley.
There are too many onlookers here. That goes for both me and Zenon.
In our positions, there’s plenty we don’t want each other to see or hear. He surely has plenty of questions for me too, so he has no choice but to follow me.
“…Damn it!!”
Just as expected. With a short curse, Zenon finally started following me from a distance.
Plodding heavy footfalls echoed behind me, and I couldn’t help but crack a satisfied smile.
