Chapter 11: On the Boundary Between Humans and Monsters (4)
‘How on earth did things end up like this?’
In the rugged mountain trail, I couldn’t dash in a straight line like Lien, who was practically flying. Instead, I wandered about, searching for a path to the village while trying to sort out my thoughts.
It’s strange.
No matter how much I think about it, it just doesn’t add up.
Why on earth is the empire attacking right now, and what on earth is Lien’s current status? And even…
‘What’s up with the sky?’
A red sky. That utterly surreal scene threw me into even more confusion.
In a way, this reaction is expected. I know why.
The true identity of that red sky.
It’s a scene I encountered once before in a previous work. When the Demon King was about to be born into this world.
This is a premonition that someone with the right traits is about to become the Demon King.
But why?
No matter how much I think about it, the only clear reason is… Lien.
She must have been chosen as the vessel after losing her mind at the sight of the village being in ruins.
So, just why?
This makes it even more incomprehensible. There was absolutely nothing about this in the spoilers. Not a single word about this scenario was written.
But logically, it’s just bizarre that such a crucial event wasn’t mentioned in the spoilers.
It simply doesn’t make any sense!
The contradiction felt like it could make me go insane at any moment.
‘…Let’s calm down for now.’
Taking a deep breath, I try to collect myself.
Let’s break down the situation step by step.
If this event wasn’t noted in the spoilers, then it means it didn’t happen in the original story.
So, what’s the difference between the original and now?
First, it’s Lien’s traits.
The skills she had, like Enragement or Weakness Insight, worsened Lien’s condition.
As the game turned into reality, the descriptions detailed in her traits reflected in her personality, causing her to develop dangerous tendencies such as losing her mind to bloodlust.
Probably, that increased Lien’s suitability as a vessel.
Second, it’s me.
The influence I’ve exerted on this world. I can’t help but think that my involvement with her has somehow twisted the future.
If I hadn’t stopped Lien back then, if I hadn’t informed her about the village being attacked…
What could have taken place?
Lien would likely have arrived at the village much later than now.
Absorbed in hunting far away, she would have discovered only the burnt village, left behind as the sole survivor.
What happened next would be obvious.
Even if the villagers treated her like an omen of misfortune, the bonds formed over time would have made Lien feel sorrow.
She would’ve set out on a journey of revenge, coincidentally met the protagonist, befriended him, and through him completely overcome her trauma to become a reliable ally.
But now, everything’s different.
Lien arrived at the village too early.
She must have gone berserk upon seeing the villagers being slaughtered by the empire’s knights.
Moreover, she had the traits and talent suitable to become a vessel.
‘…Is there really such a ridiculous twist of fate?’
A sigh escapes my lips. It’s the worst outcome crafted by coincidence after coincidence.
There needs to be a limit to the butterfly effect! Is it logical that such small changes could tangle matters so severely?
It feels profoundly unjust—I could just die right here!
‘…There’s not much time left.’
I recall the quest I played in my previous game.
A quest in which an orphaned child, having lost his last family member, his younger sibling, goes insane and transforms into the Demon King.
To solve that quest…
You needed to kill the orphan immediately upon meeting him.
To cut the throat of the little boy attempting to protect his sister with his tiny frame against the protagonist.
If you don’t eliminate the sister, she’ll come seeking vengeance later, so you just have to slice the throat of the five-year-old girl who’s crying over her brother’s corpse.
But.
‘This isn’t a game!’
Lien isn’t just some NPC in a game.
I know what worries Lien, what makes her sad.
I know she’s a genuinely good person.
She’s a girl so honest it’s almost foolish, unable to conceal her feelings, and easy to tease.
“……”
I can feel a curse infiltrating my body. If I had picked anything other than the trait to protect my sanity, I would have lost my mind long ago.
As I venture deeper into the heart of the curse, a foreboding aura surrounds me.
Yet, I find myself moving forward, continuing to walk.
It’s peculiar.
If killing is abhorrent, then fleeing would be the logical choice.
If it’s too unthinkable to kill the child before they completely transform…
Then, at the very least, preserving my own life should be the right thing to do.
And yet, my feet won’t stop. I just keep stumbling forward aimlessly.
Voices reach my ears. A man, desperately battling the curse, warns me that venturing there could lead to death.
Hearing this, I wonder.
Why won’t my feet stop?
Why do I keep pushing onward?
I ponder the reason… and then it dawns on me.
It’s quite simple. Ridiculously so.
“Because I promised.”
I promised that if she ever fell unconscious again, I would restore her to human form.
So, I must go to keep that promise.
*
In the mountain of corpses.
There are no living humans left there.
In the end, this is the conclusion she faced. Her father’s prediction came true.
She was meant to die.
She shouldn’t have cherished hope.
She wasn’t meant to live.
With these thoughts, she presses a blade against her own throat, desperately ignoring the ominous whispers in her ear.
And then…
She notices it.
The presence nearby.
A man, fully absorbing the curse, approaches her.
She couldn’t overlook it.
This strange man always shows up at times like this.
“Don’t come. You shouldn’t come.”
Even as she says this, she knows. This man won’t yield to such words.
He won’t leave her alone.
So,
“Did you not hear? I told you not to come!”
She points the blade at his throat. Blood begins to flow.
With just a slight movement of her hand, the man could lose his life.
Yet, despite that.
“When you say it with that face, it’s all too obvious that you’re lying.”
He strides closer, undeterred by the wound on his neck.
Unconcerned about her bloodstained appearance.
Just like back then, he advances towards her with a face as if it doesn’t matter at all.
“Kill me…”
The words slip out unintentionally. Her mind, soaked in blood, is far too hazy.
The whispers in her ear are too seductive. If she lets go of her sanity, she fears she might succumb to them at any moment.
She could become something other than herself.
So, she pleads.
“Please… kill me.”
It has to end here.
She must perish here.
She should have died a long time ago.
But why, why on earth…
Why does he keep coming closer to her?
At this rate, she’s bound to kill him.
She can hardly control herself any longer.
‘You’re full of vulnerabilities.’
It would be so easy to end him.
She doesn’t want that.
She can’t kill him, of all people.
She doesn’t want to take his life.
‘So, please stop tormenting me further.’
However, regardless of her pleas, the man remains unyielding.
She’s terrified.
She sees no future for herself.
Someday, she fears she might completely lose her sanity.
Someday, she might transform into something that’s not her at all.
In that case, rather than being treated like a monster by those she loves, by him…
It would be better to die now.
Despite knowing this,
Yet, regardless of everything,
The man simply gazes at her.
With eyes filled with trust, he watches her.
This is too much. Even cruelty has its limits.
Because when he looks at her like that,
She begins to wish she could go back.
She begins to wish she could spend more time with him.
In that case, she would once again find herself on the border between humans and monsters, forced to suppress her instincts for a lifetime.
Living in constant dread of losing her sanity—that would be her life.
And yet,
“Don’t worry. Everything will be alright.”
The boy expresses this with a smile, arms outstretched, wearing a playful grin.
When he says this, when he wears that expression,
She has no choice but to return.
Its embrace is irresistible.
While shedding endless tears,
Just feeling his warmth,
She has no choice but to reclaim her humanity.
Knowing it would be a painful path, she has no choice but to choose it.
The world, once drenched in blood, regains its original vibrancy.
The night sky shines high above, just as before, more majestic and beautiful than anything else.
But for Lien, such things no longer hold significance.
That’s only natural.
Because something more beautiful, something more precious,
Was standing right before her eyes.
There was no way she could focus on the night sky anymore.
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