Chapter 1481. Backstage (2)

Kim Hyun-Sung’s arm wrapped around me tightly.

“Mr. Ki-Young!” Kim Hyun-Sung shouted.

“...”

“Mr. Ki-Young!” he shouted again.

“...”

“MR. KI-YOUNG!!!” he shouted once more.

“

Uh... huh?

” I mumbled.

“

Whoo

... are you alright?” he asked.

“

Huh

?

Ah...

yes,” I answered.

“Hold on tight,” he said.

“...”

Immediately afterwards, I felt myself showing upward. I looked up slightly and caught sight of Kim Hyun-Sung gritting his teeth and crushing the fragments of the dimension. It seemed he had already spread his sunset wings. He seemed to have reached the conclusion that there was no way to overcome this situation without the sunset.

I worried that he'd get hit with a penalty and get forcibly recalled, but he received no penalty. It made sense. After all, we were backstage, where we couldn’t exert any influence.

Since I was in his arms like a child wrapped in a blanket, the ride felt strangely comfortable, but the comfort lasted only for a brief moment, as the world before us shattered like a mirror once again.

Kim Hyun-Sung had been maintaining his balance the whole time, but he was violently shaken. In the end, rather than trying to fly away, he chose to spread his wings as wide as possible to protect me.

He had to have judged that moving recklessly could make him lose his grip on me. Even amidst all that, many different scenes flashed past us. Kim Hyun-Sung, however, didn't seem to have the leisure to look around.

— Thank you for your help.

— Miss Elena?

I saw the pigeons surrounding the World Tree and the allied forces standing against them. The background was the Kingdom of Everia. Along with Lindel and Castle Rock, the Kingdom of Everia became humanity’s final sanctuary.

— Until a few years ago, I never imagined we would receive help from humans... If it hadn't been for you, our kingdom and the other races would’ve collapsed long ago, especially during the Liberation War.

— No, we...

— On behalf of the kingdom, I would like to offer my heartfelt gratitude to the Black Rose Salon. For recovering my brother’s body, and for standing with us in resistance until the very end... for everything... truly, for everything, thank you.

— We’re the ones who should be thanking you, Your Majesty. You were kind to us... in many ways. We only did what we had to do.

‘So you guys were the link.’

They were the chain that connected everyone through the countless battles. In the second life, we successfully shifted the Empire’s path toward a democracy, banned retainer trading, and built friendly relations with the other races through Elena, but in the first life, where battles erupted nonstop, the chain that connected everyone was

them.

I knew they had roles that suited them, but I was still surprised because it felt like they had done far more than simply act as pieces of the puzzle. Of course, something had to have happened even during the process of resolving the World Tree’s corruption, but I couldn’t help thinking that they had played the central role.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Otherwise, Elena wouldn’t offer her gratitude to them. Elena bent at the waist and showed them proper respect.

The one speaking with her was the young lady of the Paint Family. It looked like she had decided to treat her face, as her scars had disappeared, but the exhaustion from long battles was plainly written all over her. No, she looked even more worn down than before.

Meanwhile, there was no sign of Brush anywhere. Naturally, I concluded that she was already dead.

— So... this will be the final battle.

— It seems so. It might’ve been long to some... and short to others... Thank you for everything.

— May... Elune’s blessing be with you...

— May... the protection of the Black Rose be with you...

Kaboooooooom!

— All forces! Fire!!!

KABOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

—

Aaaaargh!

— Move! Don’t stop attacking!!

— We must protect the World Tree even if we die!

— HOLD THE LINE!!! HOLD IT!!! HOLD IT!!!!

— LIGHT IT UP!!! LIGHT THE WORLD TREE!!!

— HOLD THE LINE!!!

The two forces collided. Paint, who had blood dripping down her head, took up her sword and headed toward the battlefield. The young ladies stepped forward alongside her. Elena’s holy power rained down here and there, and before I knew it, the spells of the young ladies suffused the sky.

The troops became entangled as close-quarters combat broke out.

Paint’s shoulder was blown away, andd she collapsed to her knees. A golden sword that felt strangely familiar floated in the air. Judgement—countless blades formed from guilt transformed into golden swords, and they all rushed toward Paint. It wasn’t just her. Golden blades had engulfed half the battlefield.

Pastel stepped forward and stood in front of the fallen Paint.

—

Aaagh! Aaaaaaagh!

— Help...

— Get away... MOVE!!!

—

Aaaaaaaaaaah!

- ...

— Get up...

— Pastel...

— Get... up...

— Pastel! Pastel!

— Hurry and get up... Run... Paint... Go to Lindel... Go to Lindel.

— Palette! RUSVILLA!!! Pastel... PASTEL!!!

— I... I can finally... now...

heh...

— Pastel! PASTEL!!! Stay with me. PASTEL!!!"

— Going to meet...

hehe

... I’m going to meet her...

— PASTEL!!!

— Pene...lo...ti...

heh... hehe...

Crack!

The world shattered once more.

"..."

"..."

‘Why are you showing me this... What exactly do you want me to do about it? They were all going to die anyway... What do you want me to do?’

"Mr. Ki-Young..." Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.

'And what about Sung Ji-Hoon? What was I supposed to do about him... Come on... whether he dies or not, what does it have to do with me? In the end, he'll die anyway.'

No, perhaps there was no reason behind this. Literally, this place behind the stage was simply showing the large and small stories that had unfolded across the continent at random.

My gaze swept across these familiar places, and it was probably because I was looking for the people familiar to me. I saw many wars, people clearing dungeons, and the deaths of nameless extras. I also saw their lives, their adventures, their suffering, and their pain.

In the midst of it, I spotted a few familiar faces.

"Big Boy... Carlton... Yoojin..." I muttered.

— I told you, he’s not the type who will go starving.

— Still, we’ve gotta make money. You idiot! So are we doing this or not?

— No, I mean, of course we’re doing it...

whoo

... Seriously, I got old, and my luck got worse, too.

— Hey! Pack up some hambier skewers for me. Our little one’s gonna love them.

Heh heh.

Right?

Even faces whose names I couldn’t remember anymore drifted past my sight.

— Ito... Sota...

He was the very first enemy Kim Hyun-Sung had ever encountered upon setting foot on the continent—no, he was not just an enemy; he was evil itself.

— Impressive. Strong enough that no one will ever imagine that you’re still just a rookie...

— ITO SOTA!!!

— Even so, you’re still just a rookie... and I’m a swordsman who prioritizes agility as well... Unfortunately for you, that’s bad news.

The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out, and the world shattered once again. The things that happened before and the things that would happen in the future unfolded before me here in the backstage. I realized that from behind the stage, there was no way to interfere. The world shattered and collapsed over and over.

Screams echoed from everywhere, along with laughter, strange roars, music drifting from parties, the songs of laborers, military anthems dedicated to allies and enemies alike, and hymns offered to the gods in faith.

Flowers bloomed and withered, water flowed toward the sea. Whales leapt above the surface of the sea, beasts howled at the sky, and birds fell from the heavens. I witnessed progress and decline as well as rage and joy.

I also saw people sharing their love with each other in their most primal forms.

I witnessed the birth of life, growth, and then... death.

Before long, everything became quiet. No sound could be heard anymore. It didn’t take long for me to realize why. A bright sunset glow was shining down on me. The world had stopped and shattered, but the scenery bathed in that sunset continued to move.

No sound existed here; nothing happened, and no one came into view. Nothing was born, and nothing died. However, the world continued to shatter. The reason the scenery didn’t change was that this situation had been going on for an incredibly long time.

I believed that was the reason the same view kept appearing before my eyes.

I looked up slightly and saw Kim Hyun-Sung holding me tightly, as if he was afraid that I'd get hurt by the fragments. He was covered in wounds. He had shed so much blood that it was soaking through my clothes.

Absurdly enough, drifting and falling through this unidentified space seemed comfortable for him. In this place with no identity, where we were simply moving adrift, Kim Hyun-Sung looked unexpectedly peaceful. He was covered in injuries, yet his breathing had strangely calmed down.

Honestly, I was feeling a bit stressed, but watching his relaxed face, I couldn’t help but let go of some of my anxiety.

“...”

"Do you remember the Sea of Dimensions?" I asked.

"Yes, of course. The boat ride across Mirror Lake... the fishing as well..." Kim Hyun-Sung answered.

"You were really bad at fishing, Mr. Hyun-Sung. This looks something like that. Except this is the first life..." I said.

"I was just unlucky. In the end, I did manage to..." he mumbled.

"Well... now that I think about it, maybe that’s true," I said.

"..."

"..."

"But... what in the world were you thinking by coming here? If I hadn’t been here, what would you have done..." he questioned.

"Are you angry?" I asked.

"I’m not angry. I’m just... worried... that’s all. Even earlier... when I lost my temper for a moment... it was all... just because I was worried... even now..." he answered.

"You don’t need to worry. For some reason, it feels like I’m being welcomed here. More importantly... are you really not going to tell me?" I asked.

"T-that...

haha... ha

... I’m sorry, Mr. Ki-Young," he said.

"But I’m begging you," I said.

“...”

‘This isn’t working.’

“We might just keep falling like this forever anyway. If that’s the case...” I said.

“

Hahaha...

Honestly... that might not be so bad,” he said.

‘What nonsense is this idiot saying...’

“Or maybe being pushed away like this into another dimension won't be so bad either,” he added.

‘That’s impossible, Hyun-Sung. This isn’t the Sea of Dimensions. Even if we get swept somewhere and flung out, it’ll just be somewhere in the first life.’

“Where would you want to go? If you could go anywhere...” I asked.

“I’ve never really thought about it...

Hmm...

if I could go anywhere...” he mumbled.

“What about Earth? Haven’t you ever thought about going back?” I asked.

“I feel like... I’ve changed too much to return there now...” he replied.

“There’s no such thing. Humans adapt. You're scared of it right now, but if you actually went back, you’d adjust faster than you think,” I told him.

“If it were you, Mr. Ki-Young, you probably could adjust. You’re smart... you could become a lawyer, or...” he trailed off.

“That got very specific all of a sudden,” I commented.

“

Hahahahahaha

. It’s embarrassing to admit, but actually...”

“What? In a dream?” I guessed.

“Yes.”

‘That’s so like you, damn it.’

“Is there anywhere you’d like to go, Mr. Ki-Young?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” I answered.

“...”

“Actually, there are many places that come to mind," I said.

“...”

“But I think I like it here the most,” I said.

“...”

“...”

“I thought you might say that, Mr. Ki-Young,” he said.

It suddenly occurred to me that it had been a really long time since we had such an ordinary conversation. Kim Hyun-Sung probably felt the same. I saw him smiling pleasantly. If I were to smile back just a little, he'd probably grin and say something foolish.

Crack!

Just then, the world stopped and shattered once again.

“...”

“...”

I saw the unfamiliar figure of First Life Kim Hyun-Sung.

I turned and saw Second Life Kim Hyun-Sung staring at the scenery as if he were a statue. Then, he wrapped his arms around me as if he were terrified. He also curled up as much as possible and used his wings to cover me as if he was afraid that I'd see what was going on.

Probably. This was only a guess, but I had a feeling that I was staring at Kim Hyun-Sung... during the Purge Incident.