episode_0156

“Hmmmm… Two days have passed, and still no one has come out… Did something happen to the remaining people…?”

Yuria, who had been waiting for Zeke’s party above the pit where the collapsed and buried Levard Facility lay, grew increasingly anxious as no one emerged for two days, fearing they might all be buried under the rubble. Just then, Tiavel, who was equally restless, hastily wrote something on a piece of paper and showed it to Yuria.

‘If they’re really buried under there, shouldn’t we rescue them?!’

“What?! You’re right, it’s good that we destroyed the Levard Facility, but… that… that’s not right! Zeke! Aria! Dio V Runner! I’ll save you right away, just wait…!”

The moment Yuria, growing more anxious from Tiavel’s words, frantically began clearing the rubble with her hands to rescue Zeke’s party, a black-gloved hand suddenly shot out from the debris in front of her. Yuria and Tiavel were startled speechless.

“Aieeeeeek! He’s… he’s out! Something scarier than a snow woman came out!” “!!!!…!!!” “…. Huh… huh? Wait… these gloves…. Gasp! Di… Dio V Runner!”

Startled by the sudden hand bursting from the rubble, Yuria carefully observed the glove on the hand. Realizing it belonged to Dio V Runner, she quickly began clearing the surrounding rubble with Tiavel. From within, Dio V Runner slowly emerged, gasping for breath. Realizing Dio V Runner was safe, Yuria frantically embraced him, beginning to sob.

“Huff… huff….” “Oh my god! I’m so relieved, Dio V Runner! I stayed around here just in case, and… I’m so glad!” “Yu… Yuria? Whew… Ugh, my head… I think I lost consciousness down there… How many days has it been?” “Two days, two days! More importantly, where are Zeke and Aria? Are they still down there…?” “No…”

When Yuria told him two days had passed since he was buried underground, Dio V Runner clutched his head in pain from a headache and shook his head, saying no to Yuria’s question about Zeke and Aria being underground. He then looked at the ground, recalling the events of that time, and spoke to Yuria.

“Stein… The last researcher of Levard, as a last resort, opened a dimensional gate. Zeke and Aria were transported together somewhere in Crentid World via the dimensional gate, but I was hit by debris and thrown back, unable to use the gate, ending up buried with the Levard Facility… Anyway, to cut to the chase, both of them are safe now and should be somewhere in Crentid World.” “What?! W-wait… That can’t be! Aria has to be here right now so I can tell her this!” “….? What do you mean, Yuria?”

When Dio V Runner said Zeke and Aria had been transported somewhere else, unlike him, Yuria cried out that she urgently needed to tell Aria something. Dio V Runner asked her about it, and Yuria explained all her predictions to him. Dio V Runner, who had initially listened indifferently, became greatly astonished, showing a bewildered expression. He quickly stood up and spoke to Yuria.

“Whew… Then Stein might have just been a pawn… To think there was a mastermind behind all this… And if Aria truly has such a role, as you say… We really don’t have much time… Let’s hurry and find Aria! The fight isn’t over yet!” “Alright, Dio V Runner!”

Finally, at the Beastkin Village of Kartoon

“….. Are you really Karina? The Karina who only reached Aria’s waist?!” “I told you I am! Ugh… It’s been a while, and you don’t even recognize me… That’s a bit hurtful… But Hyung… no, Oppa and Unnie, what happened to you that your appearances haven’t changed? Zeke Oppa’s clothes have changed, but he’s otherwise the same… And Aria Unnie looks exactly as she did back then…” “…. O-Oppa?! Didn’t you call Zeke-nim ‘Hyung’ before?!”

Aria was greatly astonished that Karina called me “Oppa” instead of “Hyung,” and I too was a bit bewildered that Karina referred to me as “Oppa.” Before, she seemed to meticulously hide that she was a girl… But now… both her attire and appearance are those of an adult woman… As we were greatly flustered by her changed appearance, Karina scratched her head bashfully and said,

“Ahahaha… Well, I’m an adult now. I realized I don’t need to hide that I’m a girl anymore, so now I proudly reveal it… Also, it’s because I’ve been living in Kartoon all this time… Anyway, why haven’t Zeke Oppa and Aria Unnie changed? It’s been five years since we parted ways, hasn’t it?” “What…?” “Wh-what?! F-five years?!”

When Karina said five years had passed since we parted ways, Aria and I were greatly flustered by her words. As I expressed my shock, Karina, unable to understand why we were so bewildered, began to feel her head spin. She clutched her throbbing forehead and spoke to us.

“What’s wrong with both of you? It’s like you’ve been to a different world… Five years have passed…? Wait… been to a different world…? You don’t mean… Oppa and Unnie, surely not?!” “Uh… Well… it’s complicated to explain… Can we sit down and talk first, Karina?” “Uh… uh-huh…”

Karina, who had jokingly said we were like people who had been to another world, asked us with a dawning realization if it was really true. I confirmed it and suggested we sit down to talk. Karina stammered a nod and sat down with us. Once everyone was seated, Aria and I began to tell Karina about the Levard Facility. When we explained that time flowed differently between the Levard Facility and Crentid World, and that we had only spent a little over a month there, Karina cried out in great astonishment.

“What?! So your ages are still the same as back then?! Only we’ve grown older?!” “Uh… I didn’t realize so much time would pass… How many exact days have passed since we parted?” “Hmmmm… That was around February, I think… So, five years and three months… and about ten days have passed… Roughly 1925 days?” “….. An enormous amount of time has passed outside… I still can’t believe so much time has gone by…”

When Karina replied that approximately 1925 days had passed since we parted, I was still bewildered that such a long time had gone by. So, the time outside is roughly 1950 days since I left on my journey, right? Can that much time really pass? As I pondered the strangeness of so much time having passed outside, Aria gently poked my shoulder with her finger and said,

“Zeke-nim. Um… we did ride on that dimensional gate, didn’t we? Perhaps the time in Crentid World was passing faster while we were there? I don’t think there’s any other explanation…” “….!! That might be it… You’re truly Aria, after all…!” “Pffft… I’ve been by Zeke-nim’s side for several months now. Of course, I would be.”

When Aria thought of something I hadn’t, I admired her insight, and Aria shrugged, saying it was only natural given my reaction. Watching this, Karina suddenly recalled something and chuckled, then said to Aria,

“Aria Unnie, you’re really still the same. You haven’t stopped loving Zeke Oppa all this time, have you?” “If I were to ever stop loving Zeke-nim, it might signify the end of this world, so watch your words, Karina…!” “…. You’re… you’re still scary, Unnie… A-alright. I’ll watch my words…”

When Aria warned Karina with a chilling gaze to watch her words, saying that if she were to stop loving me, it could mean the end of the world, Karina was greatly flustered and agreed. I let out a hollow laugh at the sight and stood up, then asked Karina,

“Alright… Anyway, if what you say is true, then five years have passed in Crentid World… Oh, right. Karina, can we enter Kartoon now?” “Ugh… Zeke Oppa and Aria Unnie might not know… It’s just that the conflict with humans has intensified again recently… So, just like I was doing earlier, the vanguard is still expelling humans who’ve invaded our territory.” “Ah… as I thought… No wonder you were being cautious… Huh? Wait… then you’re currently…”

The moment Karina explained that the vanguard was still expelling humans who had invaded the Beastkin territory, I was surprised by her words, realizing that the vanguard was threatening humans, just like she had been. I turned to Karina and said, “Then you’re currently…” Karina scratched her head bashfully and shyly said to us,

“Hehehe… Correct. I’m a member of the vanguard now, Zeke Oppa. After parting ways with Zeke Oppa and Aria Unnie, I continued to train… So now I’ve become a proper member of the vanguard.” “And with that skill, you dared to threaten Zeke-nim… It’s far from enough for me, so you must have done it prepared to face my wrath, right…?” “Aieeeeeek! It was a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! That’s why I apologized earlier…” “You didn’t, you know?” “…. A-a-argh! Sorry! Sooo sorry!”

When Aria pointed out that Karina hadn’t apologized to us earlier, Karina felt immense fear, tears even welling up, and kept apologizing to us. I immediately intervened with Aria, and Karina, who knew Aria’s terrifying nature well, continued to beg Aria for forgiveness. About ten minutes passed…

“Huff… huff…. Hufffff….” “Aieeeeeek…. For a moment… it felt like I saw all of my past again….” “Hmph! I’m letting it go because Zeke-nim vehemently held me back, Karina. If you attack Zeke-nim again due to a misunderstanding…” “Please stop talking about that, Aria Unnie… I’m so scared…”

As Aria continued to warn her that she wouldn’t let it slide if Karina attacked me again due to a misunderstanding, Karina trembled and pleaded for her to stop, as she didn’t want to hear the warning anymore. Utterly drained from having held Aria back with all my might, I wiped the sweat from my forehead with my sleeve and asked Karina,

“Whew… So, we can’t enter Kartoon then? Whew… I was hoping to see Tess-nim and Fertea again after so long…” “Ah! You don’t have to worry about that, Zeke Oppa! I had something prepared, waiting for you and Unnie to return here!” “….? What are you talking about, Karina?” “Hehehe…! You’ll find out if you follow me!”

As I expressed my disappointment at not being able to see familiar faces in Kartoon, Karina told us she had something prepared while waiting for our return and urged us to follow her. Aria and I exchanged bewildered glances. However, seeing Karina loudly telling us to trust her, we stood up as she instructed and began to follow her. Karina then led us somewhere and asked,

“But Aria Unnie. You still like Zeke Oppa, right?” “Of course. There will never be a day when this Aria stops loving Zeke-nim.” “And Zeke Oppa seems to accept Unnie too… So… did you two become a couple while I was gone?!” “….. No… We’re not a couple yet…” “Huh?!”

When Karina asked with a confident voice if she and I had become a couple, Aria shook her head and replied with a hint of bitterness that we were not yet a couple. Karina was greatly flustered by Aria’s unexpected answer, then sharply turned her head towards me and cried out with a frustrated expression.

“Didn’t Zeke Oppa say it was time to accept Aria Unnie’s feelings?! She might be scary, but Aria Unnie truly loves Zeke Oppa!” “I know that, but… I’m still not ready for that.” “Oh, Zeke Oppa, you’re so frustrating… You used to tell me your mind was only full of adventure and exploration… Is it still like that?” “You needn’t interfere. Turning Zeke-nim’s heart is my responsibility. So, watch me, for I will surely make it happen someday!”

When Karina expressed her disbelief that I still hadn’t accepted Aria’s feelings, Aria told her not to interfere, asserting that she would definitely win my heart. Watching Aria, I couldn’t help but laugh. Even I didn’t know why. Was I laughing at Aria’s determination? Or was it due to the strange feeling I always felt when I saw her…?

“Hmmmm… Then I won’t interfere. But Zeke Oppa, Aria Unnie. Didn’t you feel anything strange while entering the forest?” “Strange? Not really…? We’re just passing through the forest.” “….! Zeke-nim. This is unusual. We are in beastkin territory, but the Kartoon vanguard is not attacking us.” “Oh…? Now that you mention it…”

When Aria questioned why the Kartoon vanguard wasn’t attacking us even though we were in beastkin territory, I finally felt that something was indeed strange, just as Aria said. Karina, as if waiting for that very answer, smiled sweetly and turned to face us, saying,

“That’s exactly it, Aria Unnie. The gift that I… no, that Uncle Tess and I prepared while waiting for Oppa and Unnie to return is…” “Welcome to Kartoon, the Beastkin Village, Black Saintess-nim!!!” “….?! Eh… Ehhh?!”

The moment Karina was about to reveal the gift she and Tess had prepared, several voices from behind Karina welcomed Aria. Aria and I were greatly bewildered and looked behind Karina. We saw several beastkin waving their hands from atop a huge wooden fence, welcoming us. Aria and I, seeing this, were greatly flustered, unable to comprehend what was happening. Wh-what? Karina clearly said that the beastkin still rejected humans…

“Hehehe… Surprised, Zeke Oppa? Aria Unnie? Uncle Tess and I waited eagerly for the day you both would return, and we convinced all the beastkin in Kartoon. We asked them to at least accept Oppa and Unnie, who saved us. And after a long persuasion, all the beastkin in Kartoon learned of your feats, and that’s why they’ve come to welcome you both like this!” “…!! Zeke…!! Zeke Hyung!!! It’s been a while!!!” “….!! Fertea!! W-wait… So, all the beastkin in Kartoon came here to welcome us?!” “Good heavens… Zeke-nim. I feel many presences beyond the fence… It seems that’s truly the case…”

When Fertea recognized me from atop the fence and waved, I was astonished, asking if all the beastkin of Kartoon had really gathered to welcome us. Aria, sensing the presences beyond the fence, confirmed that it seemed to be true. Thus, we received an unexpected welcome, and our promise was fulfilled.