'Why the hell are you here?'

"I-It’s Lee Ki-Young.

Wheeew…

I’m glad. I was really shocked when I opened my eyes and suddenly found myself in a strange place. I thought the higher-ups had come back for me again!"

'She's really…'

"We had some trouble becoming independent. I think it was handled, but I still felt uneasy. I don’t know about you… but I had a personal debt to take care of… and I recently forgot to pay the interest… A-Anyway, I know it’s impossible, so I thought that was why I was suddenly whisked away… I was really surprised to find myself here!"

“...”

"T-That’s strange. W-Why was I brought here?"

“It’s been a while,” I greeted her.

I felt like I had an idea as to why Benigoa was here instead of Altanus.

Actually, it was not just an idea. I was sure of it.

‘It’s true.’

“...”

‘Since Altanus no longer exists.’

After starting the next life, Altanus disappeared, leaving only her will. It was a shame considering I thought I had one more chance to talk to Altanus. I never thought about what I would say to her, but I thought we had many things to talk about.

‘There are also many things we need to clear up…’

And I had a lot of questions for her...

Nothing was clear. There were so many things to talk about that I couldn’t decide what to talk about first. Even though she wasn’t Altanus, Benigoa could at least answer my questions.

‘I’m sure Altanus had a reason for bringing her here.’

While confused about why she was here, Benigoa was still making her silly jokes, but I believe Altanus’ will was imbued in her, even if it was only for a moment.

"

Ah

, come to think of it, Mr. Bel told me this..."

“...”

"He said he remembers meeting you a long time ago. He even mumbled, “

Hm

… is that what happened?" He looked happy about it."

I had no choice but to look at Benigoa, who was saying strange things. I kept signaling her as if asking if there was something she wanted to tell me, and her energy went down noticeably.

“...”

"

Uh…

"

“...”

"

Uh…

s-so."

Her face was facing me, but her eyes were looking elsewhere. She even turned her gaze away and mumbled while whistling. She was the same Benigoa that I knew.

Just like a puppy that made a mistake and was worried about its owner’s reaction, Benigoa became worried about my reaction.

"Weeeell… you were… r-really amazing. T-The dungeon was more difficult than I imagined…

Ugh…

"

“...”

"I-I made a mistake, right? Y-You’re not going to abandon me, are you?"

“...”

"I-I’m sorry, Lee Ki-Young. I-I never imagined things would get this difficult. So… I had a feeling that’s what I needed to do… b-but you knew it as well! The Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary was already turning into a dungeon.

"If it hadn't turned into a dungeon earlier… w-we would’ve encountered a bigger threat! The Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary was the main story of this continent, so we eventually needed to take care of it! If we had done nothing, it would’ve turned into a bomb that would explode one day! A-And the timing was perfect as well…"

“...”

"I know you’re angry… b-but I had no other choice. B-Basically, I needed you for this as well. The Priest of Prophecy was needed for you to be here right now. I-I’m sure of it. A-Anyway, I'm sorry that you suffered so much."

“Couldn’t you have given me a clue or something?” I asked.

"You know that I couldn’t give you a hint! We don’t know how the system will react if an admin gets too involved. I needed to consider the possibility that the difficulty would go even higher.

"The reason I did nothing was that it was for your sake. You don't think I'd just put this out without thinking, hoping that you'll take care of it for me, right? D-Do you know how much I’ve suffered?"

“...”

"O-Of course, I was being greedy and selfish as well. I-I may not be Altanus, but I-I was still curious about the background. Still…

Ahem

…"

“...”

"You’re the one who gave me my name."

“You could say that. To be exact, it’s Altanus’ will that gave you your name…” I corrected her.

"But still…"

“To be honest, I’m not sure if the invitation sent from the past is the right future. I don’t know if you became Benigoa because I called you by that name or if you've always been Benigoa. There’s no way of knowing whether the past where the Priest of Prophecy has taken root was the original past,” I explained.

"No, the result is what’s important, Lee Ki-Young. The original past no longer exists. The present is the result of what you created."

‘She’s so dense…’

She seemed like a different person whenever she showed a different way of thinking from humans. She wasn’t wrong. The original past, the changed past, and whether the Priest of Prophecy needed to be in the past or not wasn’t important.

The result was more important than the useless process.

It wasn’t important whether she became Benigoa because I called her by that name or not. I called her Benigoa when I first met Altanus, and that past had become the present, so only the result mattered.

“So, did I answer your question?” I asked.

"Yeah… and I’m sure Altanus will be able to rest in peace now."

“Did you know you were Altanus?” I asked.

"I’m not Altanus, Lee Ki-Young."

“You know that’s not what I meant, Benigoa,” I said.

"Y-Yeah. I didn’t know at first. I knew Altanus’ will was passed on to me, but I didn’t know that Altanus and I were born from the same roots."

“Really?”

"Yeah. I have no reason to lie. I’m not sure exactly when I realized it… Actually, I didn’t even realize it. It’s safe to say I suspected it. I-It was only until recently… that I realized she and I were born from the same roots."

“How do you feel now? I’m curious as to why you’re here. Do you feel her will right now?” I asked.

"..."

“...”

"

Ah! Ahh!

"

‘Damn it. I knew this was going to happen.’

"Yeah, I feel it… It’s faint, but I feel it, Lee Ki-Young."

‘What would you have done if I hadn’t said anything?’

I felt a bit angry to see Benigoa nodding and mumbling to herself, but I decided to just stare at her. After creating a small chair and sitting on it, she started reading Altanus' will.

"

Hm… hm…

" She nodded quietly and mumbled without any emotions. "Altanus…"

“Yeah.”

"Altanus must’ve loved you, Lee Ki-Young."

“What are you…”

"No, no. Maybe it’s not love. Or…

maybe

it is love. Maybe it's both love and hate? No… no. Love is the best way to describe it since there are many forms of love. Love is the best way to describe the emotion that Altanus feels for you."

“...”

"I don’t think she entered the iron maiden because of you, Lee Ki-Young. I think she had an idea of her own fate, and she knew you weren’t trying to sacrifice yourself for her… she must have also felt responsible because that’s how she’s been living her life."

“

Hmm…

”

"Of course, she’s grateful to you, as she had fun thanks to you. Altanus didn’t have many things to be happy about. After entering the iron maiden, the only memory she could recall was the memory she made with you… Yeah… I’m sure of it. Altanus was stuck in the iron maiden for a long time."

If I were in her shoes and entered the iron maiden in her stead, I'd think of the guild members, Yul-Ha, and my friends back on Earth because all of my good memories were with them. If the only memory she could recall was her memory with the Priest of Prophecy, I couldn’t imagine how miserable her life had to have been.

She was a saint who had never seen the sky, and it was prophesied that she'd lose everything the moment she saw the light.

‘That light must’ve been me.’

The truth gave me goosebumps.

"As you’ve already predicted, the continent walked the path of destruction after that… and Altanus became the admin of this world after Lucifer. Altanus must’ve wanted to return the fallen continent back to its original state. She didn’t want another sacrifice like her to appear while the continent was recovering slowly."

“Really?” I asked.

"That’s why she started accepting those who were abandoned on Earth."

“So she’s the one who came up with the summoning ceremony,” I said.

"To be exact, it was with Guardian Metel. Altanus knew exactly what she needed to do. She knew how the continent was operating, and she was familiar with its system. How was Altanus able to create such a system when Lucifer didn’t hand over any of that information?

"It’s thanks to the data in the Goddess’ Hand Mirror. The dummy world inside it and the programs were extremely helpful. Guardian Metel didn’t have access to it, but Altanus knew what was stored inside it.

"The traces you left showed what needed to be done in order for the continent to prosper and to head to a brighter future. I think she had decided to accept those abandoned on Earth because of you. That’s probably around when she realized that you were one of the people who were summoned here.

"Altanus must've been curious about you. Despite thinking that she was guided by you and was deceived by you, she was longing for you. Upon your arrival here, looking at you became part of her daily routine.

"She laughed and cried with you. She had fun, was sad, and angry with you. She followed your story for a long time. She hoped more than anyone else that your story wouldn’t end… she wanted to meet you… talk to you… and help you even after she disappeared…"

“What about now?” I asked.

"She’s enjoying it."

“...” "She said, 'Tell him I said thank you.'"

“...”

"For coming here, for keeping your promise…"

“...”

"For being with her from start to finish."

“...”

"Also…"

“...”

"She said… 'don’t be… so scummy.'"

I honestly couldn’t understand what was going on because I was getting too much information at once, and I was having trouble organizing them. I still had questions, but when I saw her dispersing, I started doing what I had to do.

"

Uh…

my time must be up. I-It’s too short," Benigoa remarked.

“...”

"

Ack…

W-What the heck? I’m not dying, right? I-I’m just disappearing from this place, right?"

“...”

"L-Lee Ki-Young! I-I’m disappearing! I’m going away.

Heuuuung…

Lee Ki-Young! Help me! H-Help… me."

‘It’s not like that.’

It was embarrassing to say this to Benigoa, but I had to say it even though I wasn’t sure whether she wanted to hear it or not.

"Lee Ki-Young! Lee Ki-Young!"

“...”

“Thanks, Altanus.”

"

Uh…

"

“Thank you, Altanus.”

My surroundings changed once again.

[You have completed the raid of the Unranked Mole Saint's Cozy Sanctuary.]

Altanus’ wounded figure crumbled like sand.