Chapter: 691
I stared blankly at the mirror.
The sensation from when I had contact with Hecate, and the cool feeling of washing my face with water, were still vividly felt.
So, even while knowing all this was a dream, I briefly entertained the thought that maybe it was real after all.
“Foolish.”
However, the moment I looked at the mirror, those pointless delusions were quickly suppressed.
The face reflected in the mirror looked a bit youthful. Unlike my 26-year-old self, who was undeniably in his mid-twenties, the face that stared back appeared several years younger—like I had just become the Executive Manager.
“Did you sleep well, our Executive Manager? I understand you’re tired, but is it too much for your wife to wake you up even at work?”
“She woke me up herself, so hurry up and wash your face. The others will be here soon.”
Then, Hecate’s words came to mind.
This dream seemed like another future I had wished for. A world where Hecate and those guys were alive. A future where I and they worked together as officers in the Information Department.
It was truly a future I had only ever dreamed about, making me chuckle. Seven years had passed since I lived alone, and here I was, three years into my married life, finally dreaming about this future. No matter how I thought about it, it made no sense.
“Did I get blessed because I took care of my younger brother?”
It was such a ridiculous possibility that I couldn’t help but laugh.
After I pulled off a grand finale at Erich’s wedding by deploying Jiz, it was as if, out of goodwill for helping my brother, Enen bestowed a blessing upon me. Anyone hearing such a notion would quickly deem it nonsense.
“…Just give me a moment; I’ll be right there.”
I murmured softly, looking at myself in the mirror.
I had no idea who I was speaking to—whether it was the reality sleeping in my bed, the family waiting for me in reality, my dream self I left behind, or perhaps Hecate and the others who were awaiting my return.
I couldn’t tell. Honestly, I didn’t want to know. If I thought too deeply about it, I might get kicked out of this dream.
“I’ll just take a little longer.”
Heard their voices again after seven years, and once we exchanged greetings, I would naturally return.
I hoped that until then, this fickle blessing would accept me.
As I opened the door to the once-seen Executive Manager’s office, Hecate, who was placing a teacup on the desk, welcomed me.
“You’ve arrived! What would you like, coffee or tea?”
With that, she smiled and lifted the teapot.
I almost teared up. It was such an ordinary conversation, yet I had missed this normalcy so much. How long had I wandered after losing this?
But I couldn’t cry. If I showed tears in this blessing, it would only sadden dream-Hecate.
“Coffee, please.”
“Wrong! The answer was tea!”
At her words, the tears that were about to brim retreated. It wasn’t just a question of what I wanted to drink; it was a quiz on her identity.
“If you’re going to be completely dressed in black, at least drink something bright red. I can’t believe a kid like you lacks artistic sense this much.”
“Of course, I’m wearing black because I’m with the Information Department.”
I retorted lightly towards Hecate, who shook her head sadly.
The Information Department’s uniforms were black, and unless you retired or switched jobs, you couldn’t escape this sea of black. Besides, my black hair and dark eyes were inherited from my father. It was too harsh to blame my lack of artistic sensibility on me.
“Then you should put more thought into the colors you can choose!”
After saying that, Hecate placed the teapot down on the desk, puffing out her chest proudly.
“Look at me. Amidst all this black, the bright red stands out more.”
“Your eyes were red from the moment you were born; it’s not like you had to put in extra effort…”
“Wrong again.”
Hecate waggled her finger side to side while lightly tapping her lips, then gave a wide smile.
“Those lips that our little brother absolutely adores are red, right?”
“What are you—”
Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
My little brother loves those lips? Saying that made me feel like a complete weirdo.
“Not smiling?”
Yet, pressed by her subtle insistence, I instinctively grinned.
Honestly, it’s true. I was a weirdo even before I reincarnated.
“Hey.”
Just as I was surprised by my unchanged instincts seven years later, a familiar voice came from the direction of the window.
“Am I way too early? Should I come back later?”
A young man with lavender hair that reached his shoulders looked a bit dazed.
He was climbing the wall instead of using the perfectly fine door to open the window.
‘Walter.’
I couldn’t help but smile, the corners of my mouth lifting involuntarily. You really are a strange guy, whether in reality or in dreams.
“Walter! I told you to go through the door when you come to the Executive Manager’s office! What if the Executive Manager and Senior Manager were in the middle of an important discussion?”
“I feel like I’ll end up acting more than having serious talks… Anyway, got it.”
At Hecate’s words, Walter jumped back down to the floor.
If he had gotten all the way up to the window, he could have just walked in. It was hard to tell if he was obedient or just confusing.
“Oh gosh…”
Watching this scene, Hecate sighed softly, placing a hand on her forehead.
I was a bit surprised by her stronger reaction than anticipated. Walter had pulled off his antics more than once; did she really need to sigh like that? Surely, she would be used to it after two years in the North?
“When is that guy going to grow up, I wonder?”
“That’s Walter’s charm. He plays uniquely but hasn’t been hurt before.”
“I feel like he’s going to get hurt soon.”
Hecate, furrowing her brow, closed the window Walter had opened and sighed again.
“He’s been making a fuss about wanting to walk in the sky lately.”
“Wait, what?”
“Why are you pretending not to know? You were the one who encouraged him, saying walking in the air is better than walking on water, right?”
Her words quickly jogged my memory.
‘…That’s true?’
And before long, I was able to retrieve a memory I had tucked away in the corner of my mind.
Hecate was right. When Walter was practicing walking on water in the North, I had indeed teased him by saying it would be better to walk in the air instead. The problem was he took it seriously.
Of course, Walter never did manage to walk in the air before he left this world—
“I thought if he had no results, he would have given up, but he managed to float for two steps or so…”
‘Wow.’
Dream-Walter was truly walking the route of the Wright brothers.
Amazing, Walter. You’re likely the first citizen of the Empire to challenge the skies with nothing but a body and not as a magician.
Starting with Walter, who had just come down from the rooftop, familiar faces began to gather in the Executive Manager’s office one after the other.
“Only three of us so far? Since the war ended, everyone has gotten lazy.”
I glanced at Idirid’s messy brown hair, which looked like it was between being grown out and trimmed.
He was one of the two ranged dealers among us, a prophet who swore to escape the Information Department after the war.
‘It’s unfortunate that it was an unfulfilled dream.’
It was funny that, despite Idirid himself, I still remained in the Information Department.
“You just have to come at the designated time. Since you’re not late, don’t stress too much about it.”
Following behind Idirid was Oliver, a huge man with gray hair.
Despite being a cleric, he had more experience punching his opponents than healing them. A miraculous priest who disabled enemies’ powers before healing his allies.
Add to that, being the oldest among us, he had a kind-hearted nature to embrace his younger brothers.
“Those who haven’t arrived are Gerard and Drake. They’ll definitely be late.”
“Uh…”
Even Oliver couldn’t show unconditional kindness towards the hopeless duo who were still absent.
‘Gerard and Drake.’
A chuckle burst out of me.
The main actor Gerard and the drinking-loving Drake were a duo that often stuck together even in the North. Especially Gerard had once diluted even disinfectant alcohol and tried to drink it, nearly blinding himself in return. There was no one crazier than him.
That said, Drake wasn’t exactly normal either. He loved drinking but had a low tolerance, leading to less trouble, though he was equally notorious for his antics.
What was it he said? If you hold one sword in each hand, you can double your cuts on the enemy, so it’s a win-win? It was a ridiculous notion, but the fact that he actually became a master of dual-wielding was shocking in itself.
“Look, even the Executive Manager is smiling madly.”
“I’m still completely sane.”
I hurriedly reset my expression at Idirid’s comment.
Who’d try to turn someone into a patient in an instant?
“Refer to me as the Executive Manager, not just the Executive. Even if we’re close, we must maintain respect.”
In the midst of everything, Hecate firmly pointed out Idirid.
“The Executive Manager is still smiling crazily.”
“Fine.”
Satisfied with Idirid’s correction, I nodded.
No, you just added ‘sama’ to the title. How is that any more respectful?
“Besides, since they’re going to be drunk anyway, should we just proceed with our meeting without them?”
“If we do that… won’t they bother us, asking what we were discussing?”
Anyway, Idirid’s certainty regarding their tardiness led Walter to tilt his head in counterargument.
“That’s something the Executive Manager should explain to them.”
“This jerk?”
The blatant undertone of “let’s bother the Executive Manager” slipped out, making me blurt out some curses.
Isn’t it tragic that this guy is considered the most normal among us? A tyrant without a qualm about sacrificing the few for the comfort of the many.
“Isn’t it the Executive Manager’s role to embrace the lower officers—”
“We’re here! We’re not late at all!”
“I thought I’d get too tipsy to wake up, so I just drank through the night!”
Before Idirid could finish, the Executive Manager’s door burst open, and the crazy nutcase and the freak with black hair entered.
You could smell the alcohol from afar; their red faces and one holding a bottle while the other had an arm slung over the other’s shoulders were the perfect comedic picture of drunkards.
Perfect. Truly, a picture-perfect scene of being wasted.
“Haha.”
At their sight, laughter erupted from me again.
It was just, I couldn’t help but laugh automatically.
“You idiots.”
Whether alive or dead, they never changed.
How could I have pushed through with such oddballs in the North?
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