Chapter 20
“Hexion, where are you?”
-I cannot see you, Shin Joo.
Hexion spoke with utter devastation in his voice. Though I couldn’t be certain since he wasn’t explaining the situation properly, it seemed like he might be trapped somewhere.
‘Don’t tell me he came looking for me through the portal to demon territory and got lost? That would be troublesome.’
If I at least knew where he was, I could go rescue him, but if he’s trapped in darkness, Hexion probably doesn’t know his location either.
‘But if he’s in the Dark City, the items here might help.’
I searched the room and transferred everything that might help Hexion to the inventory.
A horn that makes a sound for calling for help if someone’s nearby, a pass with Marvis’s seal in case of demon attacks, even a summoned beast’s feather that was inexplicably in the console drawer – everything.
Though I felt like I was cleaning out Marvis’s belongings, I wasn’t particularly sorry.
‘Just when I was in the mood. Consider this payback for daring to reject me!’
I’ll take compensation in goods instead of words. If he wants them back, he can pay with his body.
Hexion’s previously empty inventory window was now completely full. I was a bit surprised at how many items were in this room. I feel like a burglar.
“Hexion, I’ve sent everything I could. I hope something among them will be helpful to you…”
-Shin Joo. You don’t need to do anything for me. My role is to help you.
“We’re supposed to help each other. Besides, Hexion, you’re in a difficult situation right now. As your superior, I should protect you.”
-Protecting you is my role. Please don’t entrust it to others.
“What? What do you mean entrust to others?”
-Don’t trust others. Only I can be of help to you, so you must keep me by your side, Shin Joo. Please, keep me, please keep me by your side.
“Um, Hexion. What are you talking about?”
-Please stay with me, Shin Joo. -Please stay with me, Shin Joo.
The same words are repeated consecutively. Thinking there might be some error, I shook the jewel, and Hexion’s voice flowed out again.
-Please stay with me. -Please stay with me.
“Hexion?”
-Please stay with me. Please stay with me. Please stay with me. With me, with me, with me, with me, with me, with me, with me, with me, with me, with me, together, together, together, together…
“Hexion? Hexion?”
Suddenly the sound quality dropped dramatically, and Hexion started spewing repeated sounds in an unnaturally monotone voice.
What’s this, a bug? This is scary!
Getting goosebumps suddenly, I threw the jewel fragment onto the bed. The sound cut off abruptly like a power button had been pressed.
The bedroom soon fell silent.
‘What is this? What happened to Hexion?’
I suddenly felt anxious.
What if something happened to Hexion while he was looking for me? This wasn’t the time to be casually dealing with other romance targets.
I called up the system window. I don’t know Niflheim’s geography, so I can’t go out looking for Hexion.
But if I return to the temple, I can use the warp gate to move around. I’ll have to get the exact coordinates by talking to Hexion again.
Would you like to forcefully end the episode and return to the starting point? Currently designated location: Temple
‘As expected, the starting point is saved as the temple.’
Though logout is impossible, it seems returning to the starting point is possible.
‘That’s fortunate. Let’s think after getting back first.’
I pressed the return button.
Returning to starting point.
The system window flickered, and everything went dark. Then, like being sucked up by a giant vacuum cleaner from above, my body was pulled up into the air.
It was an incredible force defying gravity. The pitch-black night sky cleared away and my body was thrown onto white clouds.
“Ahhh!”
As I flailed my arms and legs in the air, my floating body started descending again. The body that was slowly descending soon started accelerating as it fell.
“Kyaaah! I’m really falling!”
This random skydiving isn’t suitable for a romance simulation game in a fantasy novel setting. Save this for VR sports games!
A scream burst out from the chilling sensation. Soon something wide and fluttering wrapped around my body. Finally, my falling body stopped.
“Huk, heuk…”
I thought I was going to die. My heart nearly dropped!
Taking deep breaths, I opened my eyes and saw a blue sky where the white clouds had cleared.
And black hair.
…Black hair?
“Huh?”
A fair face with doll-like features. Deep blue eyes staring intently at me.
This feels familiar.
I’ve seen this man before in a dream. What was his name again?
“Miss Joo-ah.”
The blue-eyed beautiful man called my name and smiled brightly. It was like flowers blooming.
That enchanting smile was so beautiful that I forgot I had nearly died from skydiving without a parachute just moments ago, and just stared at the beautiful man’s face.
“Would you like to return to the starting point?”
The beautiful man asked in a melodious voice. Even though it was just a question, his voice sounded like singing. Is this what a heavenly voice sounds like? It’s unfortunate I don’t have a light stick to wave. Instead, I nodded my head vigorously.
Seeming to understand that my desperate gesture meant yes, the beautiful man loosened his arms that were holding me and brought his face closer while clasping his hands together.
“I’ll take you there.”
“Ah, wait, just a moment!”
I’ve had this dream before. A dream where I fall the moment the beautiful man lets go and wake up in the temple bed. That’s when I first realized this was a game world.
“Um, who are you?”
“Me?”
“Yes. Your name!”
I feel like I’ve heard it before, but I can’t remember the name.
“You don’t remember…”
The beautiful man’s eyebrows drooped. When I noticed his voice trembling slightly at the end, my heart ached terribly.
I hurt the beautiful man because of me. What should I do?
To not remember the name of such a pure beautiful man who’s like a flower. My head doesn’t deserve to contain a brain.
Work, memory!
“Yes. No matter how much one yearns, a fake can’t become real.”
“Huh, what?”
I was concentrating so hard on my brain that I missed what the beautiful man just said.
Don’t tell me I missed his name again?
No way. Give me one more chance!
When I looked up with a desperate face, the beautiful man smiled gently at me. But somehow, unlike before, it felt like the life had disappeared from his eyes. Is it just my imagination?
“I am Cedric, born to be with you from beginning to end.”
Ah, right. Cedric. That was definitely the name back then too.
It’s not even a particularly difficult name to understand, why did I forget it?
“Next time we meet, I hope you’ll call my name first, Miss Joo-ah.”
“O-Of course! I’ll call it right now!”
Just as I was about to call his name, Cedric, he suddenly became distant.
‘Huh?’
Before I could understand what happened, I felt my body falling again. An intense scream burst out unintentionally.
“Ahhh!”
I don’t know how many times I’ve shot up and fallen today.
They say leaving home brings hardship, but the karma for leaving the temple to avoid embarrassment was painfully severe.
***
My eyes opened groggily. Fortunately, instead of plummeting headfirst from the sky to the ground, I just opened my eyes to find myself lying on the ground.
‘Where is this?’
I thought it would naturally be my bed in the temple, but it was an unfamiliar place. More precisely, I know where it is but don’t understand why I’m here.
A forest with thick-trunked trees standing close together, dense with overgrown undergrowth. Judging by the overgrown leaves, it seemed no human hand had touched it for a long time, but fortunately, I could see a white building in the distance through the large branches.
‘That building in the distance looks like the temple.’
It seems I’ve revived, no, returned to a forest some distance from the temple. Though it’s far from the starting point, maybe there was an error in the coordinates?
“Still, it’s not too far, so I can walk back.”
I got up, dusted off my clothes, and started walking toward the temple.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.