“This manuscript is nice too, Eve.”
With his legs crossed, Professor Veritio read through the entire manuscript, replying with a slight smile. While sipping tea, Eve carefully set her cup down and expressed her gratitude.
It had been about a year since she graduated from Aios Academy last year. Twenty-one-year-old Eve had become a well-known novelist throughout the kingdom.
Her debut and hit work, ‘The Shadowed Forest,’ was popular not only in the kingdom but also among elves and dragonkin.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Professor Veritio, a playwright, was also skilled at making tea. It seemed he drank a lot of tea while writing.
Eve was about to finish her cup and get up when Professor Veritio let out a thoughtful sound and asked, “By the way, Eve, I’ve been thinking since last time that the overall mood of your writing is quite dark.”
“……”
“I know it sounds rude, but it feels like your heart is reflected in it. While the content is heading towards hope, the descriptions and word choices are dark.”
She already knew that.
She had heard the same from her editor many times and had been making efforts to change it.
“It doesn’t go as smoothly as I’d like.”
Eve sighed, venting her frustrations, and took another sip of her tea. The smooth black tea had strangely started to taste bitter on her tongue.
Slurp.
“Huh.”
Eve emerged from Professor Veritio’s study and slowly wandered around the academy. It seemed to be break time, as students began spilling out of classrooms, filling the surroundings.
Some spirited male students snuck glances at Eve, flushing with color, but she ignored them as if it were a daily occurrence.
Watching the lively students bustling about the academy, she thought they were one of the symbols of peace on the continent.
“Let’s go to the café!”
“There are 5 minutes left in break time!”
“It’s fine, we can sneak in through the back door since it’s Professor Chenil!”
With that, the students dashed toward the café located in front of the dormitory.
Ah, we used to go to the café a lot too.
Seeing their backs triggered a wave of nostalgia, filling her chest with a bittersweet longing.
[Daniel! You’re buying coffee today!]
[If it’s coffee, I’ll buy it, but don’t put cream or condensed milk on top.]
[Then that’s not coffee!]
[Oh really? Let me have a sip, but you better prepare for early morning exercises after this.]
[……Let’s just go have yuzu tea.]
Recalling a conversation from her academy days, Eve discreetly wiped her tear-filled eyes and hurried her steps.
Three years had passed since they had stopped the apocalypse and found peace on the continent.
It meant that it had been three years since the death of Daniel McLean.
I wanted to be a novelist, but I lacked imagination back then.
If Rin and Ares were the apocalypse, then Daniel, as their childhood friend, also seemed like an obvious possibility she never considered.
Even though she had felt that Daniel was hiding something from her.
Maybe I thought it was only natural back then.
Of course, Daniel would always be by her side. She was caught in a foolish hope that he would never leave and lost her clarity of thought.
That’s why she could only regret it now.
The results were left for those still alive to bear.
Everyone cried until they could cry no more. Even after the grand funeral, many could not leave that place and lingered on.
Still, time kept flowing, and the survivors had to keep living.
Perhaps now, many had dulled their memories of that time?
Ugh!
Eve stretched as she headed outside the academy. Having received the manuscript review from Professor Veritio, she had no tasks left.
At that moment, a handsome, intellectual-looking man with glasses entered the academy. He was stylishly dressed, with a light makeup, famous actor, and academy graduate senior Althric.
“Oh? You’re Eve, right?”
“……Ah, senior.”
Eve also recognized him.
He had entered a famous theater group thanks to Professor Veritio’s recommendation.
Behind his shoulder, his fan club was already waiting at the academy’s main gate.
“It’s been a while; I enjoyed reading your book. The content was great.”
“Yes, thank you.”
During their academy days, they hadn’t had much interaction, but they were acquainted through Professor Veritio.
“I suppose you met with Professor Veritio? Do you have time now?”
“Yes, he mentioned he has no lectures until lunch.”
“Good to hear! I’ve been a bit worried about the script that just came in.”
Eve nodded politely, ready to walk away, but Althric stopped her, saying it was perfect timing.
“By the way, I wanted to ask for your opinion, is that okay?”
“……As long as it doesn’t take too long.”
Sigh, that sounded a bit bothersome.
Eve thought.
“In this new play, there’s a mention of ‘the continent’s nightmare.’”
The continent’s nightmare.
It was the dream everyone across the continent had three years ago.
The details varied, but the overall content was the same.
In the dream, the continent was destroyed three times.
The undead army destroyed it twice, and the first time, it was destroyed by a giant meteorite.
What was important was that this dream felt alarmingly realistic, leaving a vivid memory.
There were even talks about it being an actual event or a glimpse of the future.
Thanks to that dream, chaos erupted across the continent, and incidents didn’t cease.
Moreover, the woman leading the undead in the dream, Rin, had become a wanted person and disappeared somewhere, never advancing to her fourth year.
While different groups tried to understand this as dreams, mass hallucinations, new disasters, or some strange trick from a great mage, those directly related knew the truth.
That this was a world that Daniel McLean experienced alone and remembered.
“And our theater’s playwright wants to write a script based on the continent’s nightmare, what do you think about that?”
Eve felt indifferent about it.
Three years had passed, and while the flames were slowly dying down, the aftermath still lingered.
Famous noble families like the Reylos family were still at odds with other families since they saw betrayal in the dream.
Rumor had it that there had been stabbings among them already.
In any case, mentioning the continent’s nightmare in the script during this time seemed more harmful than helpful.
Unless the author was a narcissist who thought finger-pointing was attention or was trying to transform wounds into art.
“It’s been three years, but it’s still only three years. There’s no need to dig up unpleasant memories for the audience who came to laugh and enjoy.”
“Right?”
“Yes.”
Eve glanced at her watch and stated matter-of-factly.
“I’ll take my leave now. I have an appointment.”
“Ah, I’m sorry! Really, thank you for your advice. If we mention that a great writer like you said that, our playwright will definitely get his act together.”
With that, Eve exited the academy.
Althric’s fan club shot her dazed looks, but that wasn’t a big deal. The problem was the male fans.
Among the fan club, a few men started staring at her with bright eyes. That was a bit unpleasant, so she clutched her manuscript to cover her chest.
She thought the thick sweater would provide some relief, but it didn’t help.
Eve’s chest, which had filled out slightly more than during her academy days, could now easily earn her the title of “Goddess of Fertility.”
I really should wear a coat.
Determined to protect herself better, Eve headed toward Elgrid Street.
It felt like the energy she had felt at the academy was washed away by the sea breeze of the city. There were still piles of snow from days ago in alleys and corners that weren’t often traveled.
[You went on a date with Hayun!]
[No, it wasn’t a date! I just went because I needed to leave my sword with the blacksmith!]
[Don’t you know that walking together is a date?]
[Then right now, walking with you, is that a date?]
[Um… So where should we go now?]
[Ugh, maybe eat something.]
Pfft.
As she recalled walking down this path in her school uniform, a faint smile crept onto her lips.
As she walked along the path, she spotted the café at the end of the street. The café had changed its name, its interior had been revamped, and the owner was different too.
[It’s really delicious here!]
[The coffee tasted great… what? It really is delicious.]
[Right? It’s a bit expensive, but it’s worth it!]
[……Just one more sip.]
[Eh! Daniel’s buying it!]
“Wow.”
The cold wind made her cheeks redden. Stretching her sweater’s collar, Eve made a complicated expression.
“It’s only been a year, yet there are so many memories.”
Eve had spent her third year at Aios with Daniel McLean.
So it was exactly a year.
But oddly enough, those memories stood out more clearly than her other four years and lingered strongly.
“Now I remember why I left Elgrid.”
The reason why she left the city right after graduating flickered back to her. No matter where she went, memories with him haunted her, leading her to escape back to her hometown.
This time, she had no choice but to come for a meeting with the publisher.
Eve entered the luxurious hotel where she was staying, prepared by the publishing company because of her fame. Entering room 10 on the highest floor, she stretched and pulled out her typewriter.
“There weren’t hotels like this back then.”
Returning to Elgrid after a long while, it had developed far beyond her memories. Just this luxurious hotel was a testament to that.
The tallest building towered prominently, greatly influencing the city’s appearance.
Tap, tap.
She settled at the desk and began typing.
As she typed away for a while, the magnificent view of Elgrid caught her eye through the gigantic window.
“Wow……”
Her eyes slowly welled up with tears.
She had thought that three years would have dulled the pain, but…
This city was saturated with sadness to the point of pulling at her heartstrings.
Just looking at it made tears well up.
“That’s harsh.”
With her hands resting on the typewriter, Eve bowed her head deeply. Tears formed droplets, falling onto her round chest before hitting the floor.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, a knock sounded.
Eve hurriedly wiped her eyes and went to the door, but realized after the second knock that it wasn’t from outside.
“Hello.”
A blonde elf floated outside the window, knocking toward her. With a bright smile, she entered.
“Brr, it’s really cold outside. Is it because we’re near the sea? It’s much colder than our forest.”
-Indeed, it is. My staff might crack.
Eris Anen Seriere and the staff of Yggdrasil.
Eris shook off dirt from her clothes and, with a playful look, said to the flabbergasted Eve, “I’ve become jobless this time, and I want to fulfill a bucket list, can you help me?”
“Uh, um.”
Caught off guard, Eve couldn’t say anything, and Eris pulled a small gem from her pocket and proposed.
“I originally planned to keep it all for myself, but it seems difficult. I could offer you a share.”
“……What share?”
Eve didn’t understand.
It was the first time since becoming an adult that she couldn’t follow the conversation this much. To Eve, Eris winked playfully, unlike her usual demeanor.
“About the share of the Sherpa.”
-How would she know that by saying that?
“Oh, I see. I’m sorry. I just called you Sherpa when living together.”
Fidget.
Eve’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
She felt quite offended.
Still, Eris smiled and added an explanation.
“I was talking about Daniel.”
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Droplets fell, moistening her nose.
As they traveled down to her eyes, her once-sealed eyes slowly opened.
An eerie location filled her sight, resembling a dark cave.
“Uh……”
Her throat felt thick with dirt. She tried to speak, but only a thin, awkward sound emerged.
“Awake now?”
A woman gazed down at her.
Her long black hair swept the floor, particularly a lock that hung low enough to cover her right eye.
Though she had a figure more voluptuous than Eve or Eris, she appeared somewhat older. If pressed, she seemed to be in her mid-thirties?
Regardless, she was a stunning beauty.
She had a very unique atmosphere; however, it wasn’t strange enough to be unwelcome.
She felt like someone she had encountered in the past, yet her head was still a bit foggy from just waking up, making it hard to grasp any answers.
“Whe-where is this……”
She started to rise slowly.
It felt like she had been asleep for a long time, but moving her body wasn’t particularly difficult.
The woman, with a look of annoyance, took a pipe from her possession, put it in her mouth, and replied.
“Where would you be if you’re dead? Of course, you’re in the Spirit Realm.”
“……”
Now her mind began to process.
She recalled what she had been doing and the experiences she had gone through in order.
She sealed the impending apocalypse and became the salvation of the end, halting the world’s time. And after waiting endlessly for Eris, eventually, she had stopped her own time as well……
“Successful, huh!”
The realization that she had died implied that Eris had woken up and killed her.
“Wait a minute.”
I’m dead, and this is the afterlife?
“Then you are the Goddess of Death?”
Looking up at her, the woman, slightly excited, looked down at me with a smirk.
“Who else would be the owner here besides me? More importantly, I’m here to welcome you!”
“……”
“I wonder why?”
I really didn’t want to answer.
Moreover, I sprang up immediately and dashed toward the goddess.
“What, what’s that!”
But my body felt strange.
I was neither the 18-year-old I had been when I died nor the 28-year-old Sherpa before my regression.
I had reverted to looking like me at around 10 years old.
My body was no longer able to run easily, and something flew toward my neck.
With a clink, a collar attached, and a clatter of chains dangled from it, with the other end tangled around the goddess’s hand.
“Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused me?”
“That sounds like a deep conversation we should have over a cup of tea discussing things in an elegant manner……!”
Before I could finish, the Goddess of Death roughly pulled the chain, sending my body pitching forward and rolling on the ground. Looking down at me, the goddess blushed and raised her hand in excitement.
“Finally! Finally, I can get my revenge! Daniel McLean! You have no idea how much I struggled to sleep properly because of you! How long I’ve awaited this day! Oh my! I can’t believe it!”
“Can we talk for a moment…..!”
“Come here! I have so much prepared for you!”
