I thought I had done pretty well dealing with the Majin.
I recalled as much as I could about the battle between the Madman and Alexia, relaying those details to Aria.
Since Aria thought I had come back from peering into the future, I was able to convince her without much difficulty.
In the case of the Traveler, the original work never described his combat scenes, but I figured he wouldn’t have any spectacularly unique fighting style.
So even if the Majin launched a surprise attack, I thought the Imperial Army could handle it just enough to stall for time.
Unless that Majin was Tiltitz…
But why did Tiltitz have to hit me from behind?
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got, so I decided to cool my head and stop thinking about her for a while.
“I don’t think anyone’s around…”
“True.”
The ruins of collapsed buildings surrounded us.
I held Yulia close and walked, glancing around.
Not a single building stood intact.
At least there was a structure somewhat close to its original form, but stepping inside, I found it completely wrecked and turned into a den for wild beasts.
I continued searching, wondering if there might be anyone living among the rubble, but it was all for nothing.
“Over there…”
“My house.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“No, it’s not just my house that’s like this.”
Finally reaching the Lichtenburg Mansion, it was shattered to pieces.
The building had crumbled down, leaving only the site behind, and the once green garden was now overgrown with wild brush.
More than half the city’s ruins were covered in dense greenery.
There wasn’t even a glimpse of anything human-like; just tall trees from the south, wild animals, and countless insects.
Still, I quietly proceeded to search just in case.
I thought about what had happened to Erica and the Lady, what had become of Emilia—it was something I dared not voice aloud.
A sudden thought occurred to me: was it just this institution that was in such a state?
So I caught a pair of birds flying side by side to ensure I could use Teleportation Technique whenever needed.
I really didn’t want to use it and leave Yulia behind, but…
“The sun’s setting. Should we spend the night here?”
“Sure…”
It was already late afternoon, and the sun began to set quickly.
I couldn’t skip a meal, so I magically hunted a deer I spotted from afar.
Feeling the mana density in the air was thick, my spells performed better than usual.
We built a fire inside the old cathedral in the Old Town.
Watching the deer meat sizzling on the sticks, I sat against the cathedral wall, and dark thoughts began to creep in.
To distract myself, I started talking to Yulia more.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“A little…”
“Then wear my jacket. I’m too warm.”
“Is it really that warm?”
“Trust me. Just put it on.”
“Thank you…”
“But how long are you planning to keep speaking so stiffly?”
“Huh? Well, Schlus is older than me, so…”
“Your mental age is way beyond that. Just call me casually.”
“……”
Yulia shut her mouth in surprise.
Looking at the state of the city, it seemed like the time I’d spend alone with Yulia would be quite long until we get back.
Even though our relationship was close, there felt like an unbreachable line present.
Something we both understood but couldn’t verbalize.
To break that awkwardness, I decided to shatter that taboo.
I acknowledged that I knew about Yulia’s reincarnation this time.
“Uh, how much do you know? You’re not just guessing, are you—”
“From start to finish. That you are Yulia and eternally reincarnate in the same appearance. Also, you always contracted an incurable illness and died around age 20.”
“How did you…?”
It was a difficult question to answer.
Yet if I held this back, things would only get more awkward.
Yulia’s decades-old secret had been revealed.
Shouldn’t I also share something in return?
“I made you.”
“You created me?”
“Yeah. How do I put it… You’re a character from a novel I wrote. I created this world too. Somehow, I ended up inside that novel.”
“So you’re like a god?”
“Maybe in the sense that I know the secrets of this world, but I’m not omnipotent. But—”
“Ha ha… huff…”
“What? What’s so funny?”
“Uh… it’s just kind of absurd. You know what kind of rumors circulate about Schlus?”
“I don’t.”
“That he’s a puppet of the Majin, the chosen one of Aigis, or even the Son of God… But you’re just a dude that knows a lot about this world. Not as special as I figured.”
Yulia laughed until she clutched her belly and wiped away a tear.
It seemed like the first time I had seen her laugh so much…
Her smile was so beautiful it made my heart ache.
“I’m your creator, you know? And that’s not special?”
“Still, you’re just a normal guy here, not omnipotent.”
“Ugh… you have a point.”
I had abilities from my embodiment, but if someone asked if that made me omnipotent, I’d have to say no.
In a way, Yulia was right.
I was just an ordinary person who knew too much about this world…
Thinking like this made me feel a bit foolish.
This place was one where people talked, ate, and lived normally; what made me look down on them as mere combinations of letters anyway?
Following that logic, the moment I entered, I too was just a string of words.
“That’s surprising.”
“What is?”
“I thought you’d be really shocked. I’ve thought a lot about saying it.”
“It’s surprising, but I’m glad to hear it. I’ve been really curious about who Schlus is. It feels refreshing to know. But others might actually faint from surprise.”
“Then let’s keep it just between us.”
“Okay?”
“Ah… I feel relieved. Saying it out feels good.”
All the tension felt like it was released.
I thought I’d never say this in a lifetime.
Even if I returned to reality, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell anyone I was embodied in my own novel.
I’d just be treated like a lunatic.
But after spilling everything to Yulia, I felt like a blockage inside me had cleared.
“Meat! It’s burning!”
“Oh, right.”
We had been talking and lost track of time.
I rushed to flip the meat before returning to lean against the wall again.
Somehow, it felt like we were sitting much closer than before.
It wasn’t just my imagination; Yulia’s head had found its way to my shoulder.
Was it because she was cold?
She even scooted closer and snuggled against me.
I gently held her small hand, and she intertwined her fingers with mine.
Her hands were really cold.
“Is there… really no one else here?”
“……”
Yulia’s sweet voice echoed softly against the cathedral wall.
What could she mean by ‘here’?
The institution? The empire? Or maybe even the entire continent?
In any case, it was clear that it was a difficult question to answer.
“I think it feels like a parallel world.”
“A parallel world?”
“Yeah. A parallel world. It’s similar to the one we lived in but split at some divergence point. For example, a world where you and I never took that boat into the cave… something like that.”
“I see. So, what happened in this world for the institutions to end up like this?”
“Maybe a war broke out.”
“It sounds like the empire lost.”
“True. Should we head to the south or desert tomorrow? Maybe there are people there.”
“Yes, let’s do that. I already want to see a human face.”
“My face isn’t human?”
“Heh heh. I mean another human face, not yours.”
Yulia wriggled and snuggled up to my arm.
She seemed to have calmed down quite a bit despite the sudden circumstances.
Not wanting to shock Yulia, I decided to keep the conversation in a positive direction.
It was likely the empire wasn’t the only thing that had fallen.
No matter how much distress signals were sent out, there was no reply.
This communication method was implemented continent-wide regardless of nations or languages, yet there was complete silence.
None of the communication magic typically flying around, day or night, was detectable in the mana-rich atmosphere.
It had felt eerie to have such a dead silence after being embodied.
That meant either humanity had lost the ability to use communication magic completely, or humanity itself had been wiped out.
Also, observing the trees, moss, and ivy covering the institution, it didn’t seem like this greenery could be established in just a few decades.
In the center of the imperial palace grew a tree that was said to live forever.
That small sapling had already grown to the height of a clock tower.
If that slow-growing tree had reached that size, thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years might have passed.
Additionally, the density of mana in the air had thickened significantly.
This too was evidence that much time had passed.
‘What if humanity has gone extinct?’
That thought suddenly crossed my mind.
I wasn’t sure what divergence point this world split at, but it certainly felt that the humanity of this world had perished long ago.
Probably due to war.
Was there a war between humans and elves?
No, the desert had neither the resources nor the focal point for a war right now.
So was it the Great Forest? Or perhaps a kingdom?
‘That can’t be…’
If it were a war between humanity, it shouldn’t have escalated to extinction levels.
After all, there were no nuclear weapons in this world.
That left only one possibility.
It was a war against the Majin.
Just thinking about it sent a chill down my spine.
Wasn’t I also preparing for a war against the Majin?
Maybe this place wasn’t a parallel world split at some divergence point but simply the future of the world I came from.
“Schlus.”
“Yeah?”
At that moment, Yulia pulled on my arm.
She led me towards her and whispered hot breath into my ear.
“Can you… feel that vibration?”
“Vibration?”
You feel a vibration?
I pressed my ear to the ground but felt nothing for a long while.
“I don’t hear anything.”
“Oh! I’m sorry; maybe it was just my imagination…”
“Wait a second.”
Instead, my instincts detected something.
I vaguely sensed something moving beneath the ground.
[Quest…]
At that moment, a quest window appeared.
I had been worried my shop coins were running low.
Completing this quest would allow me to buy a recovery potion, no matter what unexpected situation arose.
[Quest: Eliminate the Untier.]
[Difficulty: ★★★★☆]
[Reward: 8 Shop Coins]
“Huh?”
The Untier?
The ancient monster I had fought before?
Why was it still alive?
“Yulia! Hold on tight!”
“Huuh?!”
*KWAANG!*
Suddenly, the vibration intensified, and with a loud boom, dust flew everywhere.
I jumped, cradling Yulia, and looked back to see a huge hole in the ground where we had been.
From that hole, a gigantic pillar shot up.
No, it was a leg.
The massive leg of the Untier.
*THUD!*
“GRRRROAAARR!”
Another hole appeared, revealing its other leg.
We hurried to escape outside the cathedral and soon witnessed the grotesque creature rising from the ground, smashing through the cathedral.
The ancient monster, the Untier.
It was indeed the same one I had fought before.
“Ah, aaah…”
“It’s okay. Calm down. It’s not a big deal.”
“That… that’s not a big deal?!”
“I’ve fought it before.”
I set Yulia down, drew Vafe in my right hand, and the blue light formed into a sword shape, which I raised above my head with both hands.
‘This has some risks, but…’
I planned to use the same method I employed last time to defeat the Untier.
I would pour mana energy into Vafe like crazy, increase its size, and bring it down on the Untier.
Its skin repelled any powerful magic, leaving me with no other choice.
The downside was that using this would leave my arms in tatters.
Moreover, this damage wouldn’t heal with recovery potions or magic; I’d just have to wait a long time for them to recover.
For the time being, I wouldn’t be able to hold Yulia again, but taking down the Untier was my priority, so there was no other choice.
“Huh?”
Just then, something sparkled in the sky and came crashing down.
It moved so fast, I could barely catch the glint.
Was it magic…?
“GRRRUUARRR…”
Before I knew it, a massive hole had formed in the Untier’s jaw.
Through that hole, its entrails and blood gushed out as it collapsed.
[Quest Completed]
[You have received 8 shop coins as a reward.]
What the…?
I hadn’t even killed it, yet the quest was completed.
No, maybe I did play a part.
“What was that magic? It was so fast I couldn’t see it…”
“It wasn’t me.”
“Huh?”
Looking up at the sky, I saw Yulia following my gaze, her mouth slowly dropping open.
Someone was descending from the sky.
No, not ‘something’; it was someone.
Clearly, it took the form of a person dressed in black.
After six long hours, I should’ve felt glad to see a new face, but this one was not someone to welcome easily.
“Th-That person…”
With black hair and a big build.
And *empty eyes*.
That figure looked exactly like me.
