Reverse Backstab

A roar that shook the earth and dust swirled behind me. But I didn’t stop walking or look back. I didn’t even have a moment to look back. Buying even a little time for the color of the runes to change would increase my chances of survival.

I repeatedly created dimensional portals until my magic was almost depleted, running away from Roel as far as possible. But I couldn’t help but stop when a presence approached from behind at an incredible speed and blocked my path. It wasn’t Roel who caught up with me. It was Roel’s heroine, Ilia-senpai.

Her crimson eyes, resembling blood, held a mixture of emotions as she looked at me. It seemed she had finally decided to help Roel’s actions to kill me. Could I win against Ilia? While I was recognizing the surrounding space coordinates, thinking of how to buy time, Ilia suddenly opened her mouth.

,Roel was very distressed about killing his younger brother with his own hands.”

I couldn’t help but smile bitterly at Ilia’s irrelevant words. The person who was so distressed was trying to kill his younger brother again with a sword, so I thought it was a bit unconvincing. Ilia stared at me with an inscrutable expression and continued in a quiet voice.

,But when Roel saw you from another world, he suddenly changed as if he were a different person. He kills his comrade Konrad, who fought with his life on the line, without hesitation, and tries to kill his younger brother again… The current Roel doesn’t seem like the person I loved.”

Ilia reaches out into the air. The hilt of a greatsword is materialized by her delicate fingertips, and a black greatsword appears. At that sight, I also materialized a shadow spear, putting strength into my muscles so that I could respond at any time. But unlike me, who was nervous, Ilia didn’t change at all.

,If you go back to another world, Roel will be able to come to his senses.”

With those words, Ilia lowered the tip of her greatsword to the ground as if to let me go. I had never had a conversation with Ilia separately, but as a writer, I knew Ilia very well. Ilia is basically a person who only says what she wants to say when she wants to, but that’s why she doesn’t put lies in her words.

Ilia is saying that she will buy time against Roel like Raelran so that I can return to my original world. I should just nod, express my gratitude, and pass by, but I wanted to ask why, perhaps because of my writer’s instinct. I was suddenly curious as to why this character did this. I sighed lightly to myself and asked.

,Why are you trying to let me go?”

,I can’t let Roel repeat the same mistake.”

After saying that, Ilia seemed to stare at me for a moment, then suddenly smiled. It was the first time I had seen the smile of the cold Northern Duchess Ilia, who always maintained a poker face. It was a smile with a magic that somehow made me smile back.

,I don’t want to see the person I love fall into sadness again because of his own mistakes.”

One thing is clear: Ilia truly loves Roel. I couldn’t help but nod in agreement with Ilia’s words. I also have someone I love, so I couldn’t help but understand Ilia’s choice. With a short word of thanks, I passed by Ilia. Just as I was about to create another dimensional portal and leave, Ilia’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

,…Could you tell me something to the me in another world?”

I could see a blush on Ilia’s face as I looked over my shoulder. Was she about to ask for something embarrassing? After hesitating for a moment, Ilia took a deep breath and said.

,If you receive flowers from Roel, please tell Flavia to cast a shape-maintaining magic on them… I was very sad because the flowers I received as a gift withered in just a few days…”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Ilia’s request. Even after several years, she is still a lovely girl. The words she wants to convey to her past self are just a selfless request to keep the flowers from withering, which is very fitting for Ilia. She was the purest person, untainted like white snow. I readily nodded and immediately moved towards the dimensional portal.

*

After parting ways with Ilia, I ran away for a long time. I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough magic to create a portal, so later I ran instead of creating a dimensional portal. I didn’t think about anything and just focused on running. Raelran and Ilia are helping me, so Roel won’t be able to catch up easily.

All that’s left is to wait for the runes to turn green. The red color is almost gone, and the runes are turning green. I stopped for a moment due to the pain in my lungs and knees and looked back.

The howling of the Chaos Worm is no longer heard. The occasional roar has also stopped. When I stopped running, thoughts filled my empty head again. What kind of expression should I make if I return to my original world and face Roel? My heart is already heavy.

I turned around to run a little more. But I couldn’t move. It was because I met Roel’s eyes in front of me.

I desperately ran away for more than an hour. It was a distance of more than 10 kilometers. Roel, who had faced the Chaos Worm, Raelran, and even Ilia, was covered in blood, but he finally caught up with me. And then he smiled at me as always.

,You’ve come a long way. It seems you have a reason to return to your original world.”

For some reason, Roel seemed very satisfied that I didn’t fight back and ran away to the end. Perhaps he liked my appearance of trying to survive and return to my original world more than Ross, who gave up everything and sold his soul to the Demon King. Whatever the reason, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Because the result of dying at Roel’s hands is the same.

,You finally followed me here.”

At my words, Roel sighed with a look of dismay.

,…Yeah, I worked hard to follow you to kill you one more time.”

,Raelran and Ilia must have blocked your way.”

Raelran must have died at Roel’s hands. If it was the Raelran I knew, he would have clung on tenaciously until he died to buy even a little time. He would have had no choice but to kill him. Then what happened when Ilia, Roel’s beloved lover, blocked Roel?

Funnily enough, even in this moment when Roel was trying to kill me, I wanted to trust Roel. But when I saw Roel’s eyes and hands shaking violently at my question, I could tell without hearing an answer. For some reason, I felt a lump in my throat.

,…You killed her.”

Roel flinched greatly as if he had been stabbed by a knife at my muttered words. Tears welled up in Roel’s eyes as he closed his mouth and bit his lip, as if trying to hold back his emotions. I couldn’t bear to see that, so I asked.

,How can you kill someone you love?”

Whenever I was with Luna, I was always worried that Luna would be in pain. Luna, whose left side was uncomfortable, felt pain when she walked for a long time because her left foot was slightly twisted. Because of her uncomfortable leg, her gait was strange, and her pelvis was slightly twisted.

After belatedly realizing that she was forcibly enduring the pain so as not to ruin the date atmosphere, I would stop by a cafe or sit on a bench to rest after walking a certain distance so that Luna wouldn’t be in pain. There was never a time when I felt uncomfortable or annoyed by that. I was happy just being together, so I just wanted the person I loved not to be in pain.

That’s the kind of love I learned from Luna. A love that wishes I could be in pain instead. That’s why I can’t understand Roel, who killed the girl who asked me to keep the flowers she received as a gift from withering.

Roel smiled. It was a very sad smile. It wasn’t a look of denying or ignoring his actions. It was the appearance of a sinner who understood and fully accepted his mistakes. Was it an illusion that that appearance overlapped with Roel’s old appearance, who was good to me?

Roel muttered in a low voice.

,I promised to save the world no matter what the cost. Even if I kill the person I love with my own hands… If I have another chance to save everyone, I’ll do anything.”

After speaking, Roel pointed his holy sword at me.

,It’s okay if you don’t understand me, it’s okay if you don’t forgive me. Even if I suffer endlessly for the rest of my life, even after death, I will walk my path.”

He was looking at me, but those words weren’t directed at me. Roel, who had made a promise to himself, smiled. It was the sincere smile he always showed me.

,So never forgive me for being like this.”

I knew this time the words were directed at me, but I didn’t answer. I just materialized a shadow spear and pointed it at Roel’s heart.

,Don’t worry. I’ve never given up.”

At my words, Roel let out a small breath. And he smiled weakly.

,Ross, if it weren’t for me, you would have definitely become a great hero.”

At those words, I twisted one corner of my mouth and said.

,Experience for yourself how much I, who didn’t die at hyung’s hands, have grown.”

As I gathered my magic and prepared to fight, a bitter smile appeared on Roel’s lips. Roel nodded, erased his emotions, and released his killing intent towards me.

At the same time as the holy sword moved, I connected a dimensional portal and aimed for Roel’s back. Roel twisted his body and blocked the spear that was stabbing in from an impossible angle, as if he had expected it.

But there was something that Roel, who could feel everything about me, didn’t notice. The current me is not the Ross that Roel knew. It was Ross who was possessed by Jinshian, who was born from lies.

In other words, I was good at lying, unlike the original Ross.

From the beginning, my goal was to buy time until the magic was ready. And thanks to the sacrifices of Raelran and Ilia, I was able to buy the necessary time.

While Roel was blocking the attack from behind and turned his body for a moment, I immediately opened a portal to another world.

And I raised my middle finger towards Roel, who turned back to me. Roel had a flustered look on his face at the sight of the newly appeared portal behind me. I guess he really thought I was going to fight him seriously.

I grinned at Roel’s dumbfounded face. As a bonus, I raised my other hand and raised my middle finger.

,Hyung, experience what it feels like to be backstabbed.”

At the same time as Roel threw the holy sword, I threw myself towards the portal.