A strange plaza came into view.
Soon, flames engulfing the surroundings were visible. The waves of fire consuming the city were now claiming people’s lives as well.
Black smoke filled the sky, blocking out the sunlight like dark clouds. Under the dark sky, as bright flames swept through, screams could be heard.
Turning my head, I spotted a statue. A bizarrely engraved pedestal with complicated writings in the imperial language.
It appeared to have been broken by someone long ago, with only the lower half grotesquely remaining. Strangely, beside it sat a woman.
Could she be the one who shattered the statue?
I walked toward her as if in a daze, feeling as if I simply had to.
As I approached, her faint face finally came into focus.
‘That’s… me?’
Long black hair down to her waist, striking red eyes glimmering ominously. Pupils that looked like those of a reptile, and delicate, pale skin.
She looked a bit more mature, but without a doubt, it was Adele’s figure. But why was she sitting next to that statue like that?
‘This is…’
As I stepped closer, I noticed corpses with their chests and heads split open lying around her.
Each face was familiar. The Tower Master, Crown Prince, even the Emperor.
Amid the brutally hellish scene, I—no, Adele—was smiling brightly.
Wiping her blood-stained arms casually and using the sleeve of her red dress to wipe off droplets of blood from her face, she looked nonchalant.
That sight sent chills down my spine, making me nervously wipe my own arms.
Adele, who had been sitting under the smoky black sky, suddenly landed on the ground and began approaching me.
I stared at her in fear, unable to move a muscle.
As she drew closer, my heart raced more violently. Her ghastly appearance reached right in front of me, and she chuckled.
“Don’t be so scared.”
That voice was identical to the one I had heard before.
Could it be that the owner of that voice, the one who helped me, was the real owner of this body, Adele?
Before I could finish my thoughts, she grabbed my chin and stared intently into my eyes.
Muttering something in an incomprehensible language, she smiled.
Just as I started to feel terror from that inscrutable smile, Adele spoke to me.
“It’s not your time to be here yet.”
“What?”
With that, she pushed me away roughly.
Before I could even question what was happening, my body toppled backward. Soon, I felt as if I was sinking underwater, my ears ringing and my vision growing dark.
I felt as though I was drowning slowly in the ocean, forcing out a breath. I tried to reach out and move, but my body wouldn’t budge.
After a while of flailing, the blackness began to fade into white, and light flashed.
“Ugh, cough… Hah…”
I opened my eyes, gasping as if releasing all the breath I had held back at once.
Trying to calm my rapid breaths with deep inhalations, I wiped the tears from my eyes.
[Contractor, are you okay?!]
“…No. I’m not okay.”
It was so exhausting that I didn’t even want to pretend I was alright.
Had there ever been a moment like this during my time of regression? I had never seen the real Adele before.
I didn’t even know why I was confronting the real her now.
Judging by her expression, she didn’t seem particularly displeased with having lost her body. Taking a deep breath, I reflexively asked Silphy.
“What about Katra?”
As soon as the question escaped my lips, I realized my mistake and clamped my mouth shut. It didn’t make sense for Silphy to know about time being reverted through regression.
However, without showing any sign of doubt, he replied calmly.
[He collapsed.]
“…Huh?”
As I asked him for clarification, he pointed a finger to one side.
There, Katra was kneeling, unconscious. I was momentarily stunned. What on earth had happened?
I cast a questioning gaze at Silphy, who shrugged his shoulders.
[I don’t know. It’s too long of an explanation for now.]
He pointed toward Yurph.
[We need to save Yurph first.]
“Oh, right.”
I tried to get up quickly, but my sore muscles hindered me. Was this related to whatever happened while I was out cold?
“This isn’t the time to be dawdling.”
Grimacing, I managed to raise my body. My limbs trembled so much that it was hard to take even a step.
Seeing this, Silphy reached out to me.
[Blessing of the Wind.]
A blue wind wrapped around my arms and legs, making my body feel much lighter. Turning my head, I noticed Silphy, arms crossed, observing me.
[The duration is still five minutes.]
“Thanks, Silphy.”
At my gratitude, he averted his gaze shyly and spoke brusquely.
[Yeah, yeah. You should hurry up and go.]
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Gently cradling Yurph, I glanced at the entrance where I had come from. It was so far that the entrance was out of sight.
Taking a deep breath, I slammed my feet into the ground. Ignoring the slippery feel of my flesh, I dashed forward.
[This way!]
With Silphy’s direction, the blue wind sped ahead in the direction I needed to go.
Following that rapid movement, I hastened my pace even more.
I thought it would take time to figure out which direction to head, but with Silphy guiding me, I felt somewhat relieved.
Of course, that didn’t mean I had plenty of time.
‘I have no idea how long I was out cold.’
Right now, all I could do was escape this place as quickly as possible.
Bwooo…
As if my movements were detected from inside, holes opened up, and mist began spewing out.
Holding my breath, I rushed through the spreading fog.
Silphy clicked his tongue and shouted at me.
[Avoid it as much as possible! It’s not leisurely enough to block your breathing!]
‘Got it.’
I nodded at Silphy’s urgent words and dodged where the mist was gushing out.
Even if I had to inhale some of the fog, escaping quickly was better. I held Yurph a little tighter and continued to push forward.
My breathing grew ragged, but I couldn’t afford to stop running.
There was no time to waste. Since they said it’s not dangerous to inhale a little, I figured there was no harm in hurrying.
After running for a while, I finally saw the mouth of the whale I had entered through.
I stood on the pink tongue and noticed the sparse fangs scattered near the entrance.
‘That’s the opening.’
To get out of here, I first needed to open the mouth of the Forgetting Whale. I carefully set Yurph down and drew my rapier.
[Are you sure about this?]
“Getting out is the priority.”
Responding to Silphy’s concerned tone, I concentrated wind into my rapier. With a low hum, the blue wind wrapped around the sword.
It was powerful enough, though perhaps not as strong as when I faced Katra. This should be enough to pry open its mouth.
Thinking this, I unleashed the wind blade.
Swoosh!
As the blade met the roof of the mouth, red blood spurted everywhere.
Gwaaaaah!
The painful scream reverberated down my throat, making my ears ache.
Still holding Yurph, I barely avoided the wildly thrashing tongue.
It seemed Silphy’s strength was also waning, making it increasingly difficult to evade. Just as I struggled to stay safe, the whale’s mouth began to open.
Crack.
Could it not withstand the pain from the roof of its mouth being cut? The gaping maw opened wide, releasing a bubbling sound as I leapt through the gap.
At that moment, it felt like the power of the spirit was dissipating, and my body grew weak. The muscle pain made it nearly impossible to move.
Upon escaping the mouth of the Forgetting Whale, a vast prairie spread out before me.
A fierce wind whipped my white hair, obscuring my view.
‘Damn it.’
I never imagined the Forgetting Whale would be floating in mid-air. Regret washed over me for not considering that when I just blindly jumped out.
Could this be what Silphy was worried about when he asked me earlier?
Had I known, I might have considered another way out.
‘I hope the save point is close enough.’
As the prairie quickly approached, I squeezed my eyes shut and held Yurph tightly.
Bracing myself for the pain of falling to my death, I plummeted.
However, the fierce wind vanished without a trace, leaving only the sensation of someone catching me.
When I gently opened my tightly shut eyes, I saw Abel smiling softly at me.
“You still wrap things up clumsily.”
“Haha.”
I awkwardly chuckled, trying to shy away from his incredulous gaze.
He was right, as expected. I had rescued Yurph inside, yet I hadn’t prepared for the final fall.
No matter how I looked at it, this was undeniably my foolish mistake.
“Oh, what about Yurph?”
At my question, he sighed and slowly landed on the ground.
“How about you focus on yourself first, then worry about others afterward?”
He pointed a finger in the direction where Yurph lay peacefully on a white magic circle amidst the prairie.
Seeing her like that, a sigh of relief escaped me.
“I was able to save someone for the first time.”
Back then, I had been too weak to protect anyone. I had been so weak that I needed someone like Evan or Abel to shield me.
In response to my words, he chuckled softly.
“Indeed. You’ve grown quite strong.”
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