[ Rohan’s story is now open. ]
Though his gaze was clearly directed towards the dungeon’s sky, the things seeping into his mind made him forget the scorching heat.
Rohan’s consciousness began to drift elsewhere.
Even though he had never experienced it before, vivid moments started to paint themselves in his mind.
Was it something that didn’t exist before? Or was it something he had forgotten?
For now, he couldn’t make sense of it.
[ Playing restricted footage #1 for authorized personnel only. ]
A notification window flashed briefly, and his consciousness flickered.
Then, Rohan began to see a completely different place, not the dungeon.
“…”
*Click. Click. Click.*
He was walking inside an old-fashioned building, unsure of where he was.
He couldn’t pinpoint the exact location.
But he recognized that it was a building that once existed in Solaria.
‘No.’
This isn’t me. It’s someone else, though of the same gender.
He was clearly borrowing someone else’s perspective. He was just an observer, unable to intervene.
“Hmm.”
The man naturally stopped walking and admired a large painting hanging in the hallway.
It was an oil painting depicting the horizon at dawn. The title, “Light,” was written at the bottom.
Rohan, who could only watch, understood.
‘…I can feel emotions.’
It seemed the man really liked this painting.
For him, starting the day by briefly appreciating the artwork in the hallway was part of his routine.
“Master!”
The man, who had been quietly admiring the painting, turned his head upon hearing the voice of someone who had been approaching.
‘So this is how it is.’
It felt like the man lending his perspective was informing Rohan. The emerging information was filled with certainty.
The woman approaching with a greeting was Faylor’s adopted daughter.
“■■■. You’re early.”
He must have called her name, but to Rohan, who was watching, it was unrecognizable, filled with noise and distortion.
Moreover, the face of the woman who came to see the master was shattered like a mosaic.
He could only tell her gender by looking below her face.
Was this an intentional block of information?
Or perhaps it was a result of this man’s perception and emotions.
‘…Who is Faylor’s adopted daughter? I’ve never even heard of Faylor before.’
Rohan had a strong intuition that he needed to know this woman’s identity.
He tried to absorb every small and trivial piece of information around him without missing anything.
“It’s not that I came early, but I never left since yesterday.”
“Take care not to hurt yourself. Faylor would worry.”
The man smiled and turned his gaze back to the painting. He didn’t offer any further small talk.
The man called “Master” didn’t seem to care much about this woman from the start.
I was suspicious of it.
But the lord is confident that it doesn’t matter.
No matter what intention ■■■ had when pushing to work in this place, he only needs to protect one thing and maintain the dignity of his friend, Failer.
‘As long as that child isn’t exposed, it’s enough.’
After finishing a brief conversation with ■■■, he moves on.
He checks his surroundings repeatedly, confirming with magic that no one is around.
No one in Solaréa can escape his senses. The same goes for ■■■.
*Creak—!*
Only after confirming multiple times that there are no eyes on him does the lord step into his office.
He slumps into his chair and smiles, basking in the sunlight.
The thriving Solaréa, which couldn’t be seen in Abyss City, came into view at a glance.
“Nice weather.”
Though the lord is in a relaxed posture and atmosphere, Rohan can sense his emotions.
‘He’s uneasy. Why?’
His heart is filled only with the word “guilt.”
It was an inner turmoil that couldn’t be associated with his habitually smiling face.
How long did he spend staring at the sky?
“…”
He gets up and stands in front of the bookshelf filled with books.
As he grabs a book and channels magic into it, the bookshelf turns translucent.
The lord casually walks through it and steps into a secretive place.
“Why are you so late?”
A woman scolds him as soon as he arrives.
Unfortunately, this person’s face is also invisible to Rohan.
But there’s a difference from the previous woman. This woman’s face isn’t shattered and unrecognizable.
Her face is blurred, as if tears had streamed down it.
‘Still.’
He can tell she’s holding a cigarette in her mouth.
The lord brushes off the question with a laugh and asks her,
“How’s the condition?”
“Same as always.”
“Good. Thanks for watching over him, but don’t smoke in front of the kid.”
“Ugh… This wasn’t part of the deal.”
She grumbles as she stubs out the cigarette in the ashtray.
The lord nods in satisfaction and shifts his gaze to one side.
He approaches with a smile.
And greets.
“Good morning.”
“…”
A boy sits in the chair. At a glance, it’s clear he’s not in a normal state.
There are no visible external injuries, but his pupils are dilated. He doesn’t respond to the greeting or even make eye contact.
He looks like an empty doll.
‘What is this?’
Rohan, watching the scene, is bewildered.
No matter how young the boy looks, it’s undeniable. That’s definitely Rohan himself.
“Hey. No matter how much you talk to him, it won’t leave a memory, you know?”
“You probably don’t get it, being all about theory. But I’m sure I’ll remember.”
“Here we go again with the nonsense.”
“Tsk, watch your language in front of the kid.”
The family head was endlessly grateful to the woman who was glaring at him sharply.
Rohan could feel it too.
This man finds a bit of peace in his heart when he’s with this woman.
“And this is something I’m saying to myself too.”
“Idiot… Do whatever you want.”
The woman, sighing as if giving up, pulled out a cigarette from her pocket and walked away.
She probably went to the next room to smoke a cigarette.
Then, the family head knelt down and took the hand of the boy sitting in the chair.
He held it gently, without force.
Staring into the boy’s unfocused eyes, he spoke as if making a vow.
“Remember this. You must never forget this mindset.”
“…”
“You’re not like us, fighting a war against those things.”
Never stand on equal footing with them. You can’t win against those beings that way.
Humanity still doesn’t truly understand the Abyss.
“You simply hunt and crush them.”
When the dark beings persistently commit their sins, we were certain.
They fear this power.
Thus, they recklessly try to overflow.
The turbulent waters are churning, trying to cross the line.
The family head could sense that some kind of end, whose shape he couldn’t fathom, was approaching.
Yet, he didn’t care. He wouldn’t struggle.
He was willing to give up his life. In fact, he felt a joy akin to ecstasy.
Because the path he was forging now was instilling enough fear to make them tremble.
“And…”
The family head had something he wanted to say to the boy, not just a story to tell.
A story filled with personal emotions. He chewed his lip, wondering if it was okay to spit it out.
It was something he had never said before.
But he decided to do it just for today.
“You… unlike anyone else… never forgive me.”
“…”
“If I die, come to my grave, stab it, and curse me. That would put my mind at ease.”
Those words carved into Rohan’s mind like a scar.
His consciousness swirled and shook, and his vision began to blur.
‘Ah.’
Finally, his consciousness flickered.
[Restricted Video #1 for authorized personnel only is now ending.]
…
…
“Ugh!”
Rohan, who had been muttering with a dazed expression, staggered heavily.
Sion and Clara reflexively stomped the ground.
“Oh, Oppa!”
“What’s going on all of a sudden?”
The voices of Sion and Clara, who came over to support him, pierced his ears.
Rohan was at the bottom.
Slowly floating in consciousness, he lifted his tightly closed eyelids.
“Ah, the video ended… Did I come back?”
Rohan sat down and repeatedly wiped his face with dry hands.
The stickiness of his body and mind, as if submerged in a swamp, wasn’t easily shaken off.
“Phew…”
Perhaps because he had borrowed someone’s perspective and even tasted their emotions. A heavy sigh flowed endlessly.
It was a strange feeling, as if the tangled senses were slowly unraveling.
“Is it hard to move from this spot? Maybe it’s heatstroke.”
“Oppa. Are you okay?”
Clara couldn’t easily approach Rohan, who seemed different from usual.
With a worried face, she crouched down and tried to make eye contact.
“I’m fine. I just need to catch my breath.”
Rohan tried to calm the two flustered girls by lifting his head and forcing a smile.
But contrary to Rohan’s expectation that he had made his usual expression, his face gave Sion and Clara a very alien sensation.
It made them sure he was faking it.
“This won’t do. I’ll look for a safe place around here. It’s better to let him rest.”
“Y-yes, do that…!”
Rohan repeatedly said he would recover if he rested for a while, but the girls started to ignore him.
He couldn’t even get up from his spot because his head was actually spinning.
He wasn’t in a good state either.
“Clara. I’ll check inside the building. Until then, go under the shade and give him first aid.”
“…First aid?”
When Clara showed a nuance of asking how.
Sion calmly continued the explanation and handed Clara a canteen with cold water.
“First aid for heatstroke is simple. First, loosen his clothes. Then wet his body and fan him.”
“Ah…!”
“And use this canteen as an ice pack to lower his body temperature by placing it on his neck, under his armpits, and his groin.”
“!?”
With those words, Sion entered the small commercial building to check it out.
Clara alternated her gaze between the canteen in her hand and Rohan, who was sitting down.
