Book 10 Chapter 28

Episode 253

I merely wanted to know the truth.

I merely wanted to reach the secret of the gods, something I couldn't understand no matter how much I researched and investigated.

I wanted to convey that to my master. I wanted him to be remembered as a sage among all ages.

'But all I gain at the end of my quest is hatred and resentment towards the gods.'

Just how grand is this "truth" that it's made so difficult for humans to easily reach?

- If so, you should explore the truth of darkness.

As I wandered the continent in search of truth, the Lord of the Deep, one of the <Forgotten Kings>, visited me in a dream.

- Light and darkness are not so different. From the beginning, they were one.

- Go shove it and get lost, you punk. The dragons said that humans would surely die if they fell into the Abyss.

- Die? How ridiculous! On the contrary, you will gain immortal life. Do you truly not know why the Gods of Creation forbade the truth of darkness?

- What did you say?

- On the day you accept the truth of darkness, your eyes will be opened, and you will become like the gods, knowing all the wisdom of this universe. Know that those abominable dragons spread such ominous rumors out of fear that humans would become like gods.

I swear, I wasn't swayed by the Abyss's temptation.

I intended to use the Abyss.

My plan was to awaken all the wisdom of the world from the truth of darkness, then teach that wisdom to my master so he could ascend to the truth.

'Yes, that must have been it…'

But from the moment I awakened the wisdom of the universe and was freed from the shackles of ignorance, everything changed.

Why should I obey the gods, or the dragons, their servants? I already possess wisdom akin to the gods.

It felt as if instinct, rather than reason, enveloped my entire being. As I grasped that wisdom, worldly affairs became so simple and comfortable.

I can live as I please. Without being bound by anything.

Just because I touched the wisdom of darkness wanting to know the truth, the White Dragon Legion relentlessly pursued me to kill me.

'Those despicable wretches…'

The same goes for Lyuken Ludwig.

I merely wanted to help him realize this great wisdom, but the master I met again…

- It's all my fault.

He didn't listen to his disciple's story, a disciple who had embarked on a journey for him and peered into the Abyss for him.

He simply blew away my body and soul with a forbidden technique he had never taught me.

How unfair was this treatment? He must have done such a thing because he was confident I couldn't attack him.

'Hatred. My respect instantly turned into hatred. It turned into resentment.'

Fifty years later, I crawled out of my grave.

That's how I met the first pillar of the Black Church. The Lord of the Deep had commanded me to be resurrected, claiming I was his servant.

The day I was resurrected, I immediately sought out my master.

The master's mansion, which he had established his House of Magic with the price of killing his disciple, was several times grander than it had been fifty years ago.

Lyuken sat on the main veranda, reading a book.

My nerves were on edge, anticipating that familiar attack.

- It's been a long time, Master. You've aged rather unattractively.

At my jocular greeting, Master raised his head.

The moment our eyes met, for some reason, tears flowed from his eyes.

Then he lowered his head again and collapsed as if tumbling down onto the main veranda, and he didn't move again from that state.

That was the master's death.

- Hey, Master. Are you running away to the next world like this? In front of a disciple who came for a fiery revenge?

Why was his voice trembling at that moment?

The book Master was reading lay scattered on the main veranda.

It was a fragment of a distant memory, Lyuken's careful transcription of the century's masterpiece, "Magic Theory," bound into a book for Zernix.

Proof of the day I was taken in as a disciple and cared for like a son.

Why my vision had started to blur and break at that moment, why I had taken that book and fled the mansion as if escaping, I never knew in my life.

'No, I never tried to know in my life.'

My master hated me and was an evil person who personally stained his hands with blood to kill his disciple. I only thought that and lived a life immersed in wine and women.

Over a thousand years, I fathered several illegitimate children, but they were inconvenient. Their very existence was inconvenient.

'Especially that vampire girl I recently took in out of curiosity…'

Every time she called me father, irritation welled up.

It felt as if they were trying to force me to know, as if dealing with them would make me know.

So I made no family and no friends. All human relationships were merely marked by mischief and play.

- You weren't obsessed with Bell Quirious because of her ability.

And when I saw a world, a family, living happily, I would get angry for no reason.

Was it truly for no reason?

It must be because they had what I had kicked away with my own feet.

- Didn't you just want to become Lyuken's blood relative, no matter what?

Ah, damn it…

It's exactly as this insolent fellow said.

Because I couldn't be honest with my own feelings even once, I've come such a long way around.

'Actually, when I was resurrected and sought out Lyuken…'

I had hoped he would be angry at what I did, that he would scold me; if he had, I would have knelt and apologized.

Why did it turn out this way? What I truly wanted was, yes, to walk the same path with him until the very end…

"But."

How ugly.

How dirty.

How twisted this ending is.

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

In the light of creation that was melting his soul and body, Zernix glared with wide eyes.

"Did I, Lord Zernix, look like I would come all this way just to shed tears and repent?!"

That bastard…

Rin's eyes narrowed.

He's enduring in that light? Has he perhaps become able to send this power to another dimension?

"If I have a fault, it is merely that I truly pursued the truth to the very end!"

The dimension around where he stood began to painfully warp, tangle, and scream.

"And everything became so twisted because of the gods who hid their truth away so no one could see it, and then lined up mages! What's the difference between the truth I know and the truth you know, anyway?!"

No, it's clear the light is devouring that body. So that's his last struggle, before he completely disappears.

"There's a huge difference. What you know isn't truth! It's just the crystallization of your own ambition!"

"Shut your mouth, whelp! I! This Zernix! The truth! Just the truth! More than anyone, the truth---!"

That was his last dying breath.

The moment the emerald light reached its peak, everything vanished and then restored in the light… Is this how my journey ends?

'But wait…'

Why is my consciousness gradually…

* * *

Beyond the darkness, I see their backs.

My comrades whom I can no longer meet in death… Chief Tinker Nils Blantz, Demon Slayer Cassel Ringkan, Archer Kiers.

Naturally, I intended to step forward, thinking I should join that line, but two hands gripped my shoulders.

"Rin."

"Not that way."

The moment I heard that voice, the darkness cleared, and my foggy five senses awakened.

"Huh…?"

For a moment, I thought I was crying, but it was too hot, sticky, and stinging for that.

"Abwooo!"

"Abwaaang!"

Yes, of course, this would be the development.

From both sides of my blurry vision, Akki and Nenn, drooling profusely, were rubbing their heads all over my face.

"Akki, you rascal, how old are you, and you're still drooling… Oh, you're not even two years old yet."

I muttered in a deflated voice, and a red hand grabbed the scruffs of the two dragonets' necks and lifted them up. The dragonets clamped their mouths shut.

"Ugh, you rascals. Who taught you that it's okay for a lady to drool?"

Hearing that beloved voice again, it seems I truly shed tears this time. Gods of Creation, thank you.

"Who ar you?"

"Who ar youuuuu?"

As Akki and Setsunen tilted their heads, asking her identity, Frieda raised an eyebrow very seriously.

"Me? You don't know me? You really had a terrible upbringing! Though it's fine if you don't know. Then just call me Aunt Frieda."

"Aunt Fwieda?"

"Auntieeeeee."

"Kyaaa, so cute, so cute, so cute, so cute."

As Frieda kissed the dragonets' cheeks frantically, as if she couldn't get enough of their cuteness, Pipi, who was sitting on my shoulder, poked Frieda's side face with her beak.

"Ah, of course, our Pipi is the cutest in the world. You know that without me saying it, right?"

It felt like such a long time since I'd seen Pipi so happy.

Not to be outdone, Serwebon extended a vine and even clung to Frieda's back.

It's a little disappointing, why didn't they put on such a performance when they reunited with me?

Everything was complicated and confusing.

Also, how did I get back into this body? Rain Ludwig's body, that is.

Did Frieda do something?

"After you defeated Zernix, the Black Yang Rin emitted an enormous light. That light absorbed your soul, Rin-nim."

Shirin, who had assisted Miria to this place, clearly explained the question.

"It seems that light brought your soul back here. Or so Master judged. Everyone was worried because you didn't wake up for a long time."

At that moment, Lista… I couldn't help but mistake her for a moment.

Not only because of her hair color, which had turned white, but also because she spoke with the elegant vocabulary of an imperial noble, which Lista often used.

"You're back."

And she held my hands with both of hers; this too was an action more akin to Lista than Miria.

"No, hey, you…"

I struggled in my bewilderment, but suddenly a thought struck me.

If I had been able to break out of the ice 300 years ago, we would have reunited like this. We could have reunited like this.

So I stopped struggling and said:

"It seems I'm not the only one who's back."

Then the two women whistled. Frieda was the first to let out a clear whistle.

"These days, in popular novels, couples always share a long, sticky kiss in scenes like this. Will you show us one?!"

Rem immediately chimed in with a mischievous whistle.

"Those old folks have already registered their marriage and had two kids, so there's nothing to hold them back, right? They're all over each other every night, it seems."

It was only then that I realized.

The biggest prankster in Lista's party had met the biggest prankster in our party…

"Will you show us?! Will you really show us one blazing 300-year-old kiss?!!"

"What is a kiss?"

"It's a good thing."

"Is it gooood?"

"Yes, absolute good. With just that, you can revive the world again. In novels."

"Akki is curious what a kiss is!"

"Akki and Setsunen want to see?! Kiss! Kiss!"

Please stop.

My face is turning crimson, I feel like I'm going to explode. Miria missed her chance to pull away.

That's why I can feel her heartbeat so clearly.

"…"

If it had been Lista, she would have met Frieda's prank with an even bigger one, but Miria, with a crimson face, cleared her throat to compose herself.

"It's only embarrassing and not fun to make strange conjectures just because we hugged once. And you must be tired from dying and coming back to life; neither of us is in the mood for jokes."

"Ah, yes, yes. So, Grandma, are you going to kiss?"

As Miria chased Rem, fist raised, a large, thick hand was placed on my head. I didn't even need to turn around to know its owner.

"Bhart."

"Should I use honorifics since you're a 300-year-old grandpa?"

"No, it's fine. My heart is still in its teens. Maybe it's because I've never been in my twenties."

"Hmph."

"Ha."

As Bhart and I exchanged silly laughs, my eyes caught sight of Bhart's right arm, which was unusually clean.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. It was blown off by Zernix."

"What?"

Bhart swung his arm, which had no armor and no blood-soaked, clinging clothes.

"When I came to my senses, it was back. I actually wonder if I saw a hallucination."

A hallucination?

Was Zernix a hallucination magic user?

As I frowned, Akki and Setsunen had already rushed over and clung to both sides of me, and Frieda's voice came from above.

"It's all your power."

"My power?"

"You see how cleanly the city is repaired, right? It's the same for that."

"Huh."

"I became a dragon through the guidance of the Fire Dragon, but you, hmm, perhaps you became a demigod through the guidance of Karenden-nim? Though you won't be able to live forever."

A demigod, huh…

It's probably not something that grand. Anyone living in this world can reach this realization.

If you live like a human, you vaguely come to know it. You just don't know that it's a precious truth.

"Did Frieda become a dragon?"

"Yes, it's only a half-dragon, so it's not eternal immortality. But look, now I can breathe fire without a cigarette."

"Breath, breath, breath."

"Cough, cough cough, ah damn, I can't breathe, stop it."

"Akki will be angry at Auntie if she harasses Daddy."

Looking at Frieda giggling at Akki's bold words, a profound, touching joy swelled in my chest once again.

"Were you waiting for me?"

Then Frieda burst into laughter as if she had never heard such a funny thing in the world.

"Funny! So funny! Who would become a dragon to wait for a brat like you who has no charm whatsoever, is always crooked, and always causes irritation with everything you do? It's all because of our cute Pipi."

"Damn it… Do you always have to break the mood like that to feel refreshed?"

"You're not cute, you're crooked, and you're annoying, but you're much softer-hearted than you appear."

Suddenly, genuine joy gleamed in Frieda's eyes. It was Frieda's mature smile that I had always yearned for.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to forgive yourself for not keeping your promise, even if we all left letters saying we were okay."

"…"

"So, I thought I had to meet you again and tell you this on behalf of all of us."

I wish it would stop now.

I've cried too much since we met again; I wish the tears would just stop flowing.

"Because we truly are okay."

Though I barely managed to keep my expression indifferent, there was no way to fix the dam in my heart that was overflowing and hot with tears.

"Rin, please forgive yourself now."