episode_0201

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… ”

I left my luggage with you again.

That’s what I wanted to say. But Veronica hated saying that.

That’s why I couldn’t say something like that.

Because I couldn’t forget the story that if I considered this a burden, it could be considered a burden when I bring her in and give her this and that.

“Kaillon, let’s go home… Remember me. Your name, and the place we agreed to meet.”

“Yeah, definitely do that… ”

Tap, tap. I wiped away the golden flames that seemed to burn her cheeks with my hands, and my tears began to wet her cheeks.

“Are you cold? Wear this.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

I defeated the Demon King. I won, and the rain stopped.

There she was, dressed in her last spare garment, a saint’s habit.

He seemed more noble than anyone else, more sacred than anyone else.

Her smile widened as she squinted her eyes.

And slowly the world falls apart.

“Kaillon!”

Veronica opened her eyes wide, looked around, and then reached out to me.

But the hand disappeared without ever reaching me.

“… Huh?”

It was so embarrassing.

Why did Veronica disappear? The moment I thought that, my vision was destroyed and I felt like I was being pulled into a space in an instant.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a small room.

In the room, there was a futon on the floor for sleeping, and right next to it was a gaming desk where you could sit on the floor and use your computer. The fact that the keyboard was tilted was a bit annoying.

But what bothered me the most was the pile of trash next to the desk where the computer was.

I realized that the date drawn on the computer and the date on the triangle kimbap trash were strangely different.

And I could also tell that the bibimbap bowl next to me was stinking bad.

What kind of room is this? I groaned like that, and the moment I came to my senses, a being appeared before my eyes.

[Fuck!]

It was a being whose entire body was surrounded by pure white light.

I could call her ‘her’.

Because I could intuitively tell that it was God.

As soon as she appeared in front of me, she kicked the monitor in the room with her foot, breaking the screen.

“… What the. Where did Veronica go?”

I asked about Veronica’s whereabouts, which was more important than anything else.

Then she scratched her head as if she was even more annoyed, then came over to me and poked my chest with her finger.

[Veronica? Veronica… ? My world is ruined because of her…]

It was a strange year. It had been a while since I had told them that I should perish together with them since I had not entered the same existence as them, but it seemed really ugly to be complaining about the world after having saved it.

“What are you talking about, the world is already saved? There’s no one to watch it with.”

I said so indifferently.

The Demon King did not devour the world, nor did the Goddess arbitrarily destroy the world.

But I couldn’t understand what the problem was, so I just tried to ask again about Veronica’s whereabouts.

But there was a voice in her voice that seemed to shout that she would not give him time for that.

[What? My seat is… gone right now?]

He just keeps talking nonsense that I can’t understand.

It seemed like she was dragging me to a place like this to vent her feelings and ask me to understand, but I couldn’t understand her.

He protected the world he had drawn.

There wasn’t much of a problem except that I refused to give in to her insistence that I find my own way in life.

But what’s the problem? Now I was curious, so I was going to just ask and leave, but her voice continued without me having to.

[That bitch became a god…! Because of that, my ability to intervene disappeared! I, I created this world, how does this make sense? How does this make sense!! Quickly, bring that bitch back. Bring that bitch back to her original world with the Demon King’s special privilege…!]

“If you insist on it like that, why don’t you just go?”

[Since the poem and divinity are gone, there is no power to do so.]

“Oh, I don’t have any either.”

Even as I said that, I felt my heart pounding.

In the end, my heart couldn’t stop pounding because I thought she had surpassed this crazy bitch.

I told her to be rude on purpose to make her feel shitty, but she started destroying the room because she couldn’t seem to let her anger out.

[Does that make sense? In this world that I created, there is a being that is superior to me?! It is an immutable truth that the characters in a work cannot surpass their creator!!]

“That’s a strange sound.”

When I heard that, I was so shocked that I burst out laughing.

I thought I knew why he was angry. I could understand. It was his own work, but the owner changed hands and he couldn’t touch it.

But that’s about all I can understand.

“Veronica isn’t a character you made up.”

This world was fake, it was a game. The people living in that world were characters.

Because of that gaze, I must have been someone she had her eyes on.

But it was clear that the one he coveted the most was Veronica.

How can she be called an ordinary character when she defines herself beyond how she was born and how she was raised?

She was a real person.

And in this world, it could be said that there was a being that surpassed God.

I didn’t surpass God, but I couldn’t help but smile because I was so proud of that fact.

“Oh, but I owe you something.”

[what?]

match!

A strong slamming sound.

Now that I’m neither a god nor anything else, I guess it doesn’t matter if I get hit.

Thinking that way, I felt relieved, then I opened the door and went out, leaving her sitting there in a daze.

Because I wanted to get out of this room right away.

*

Bang! Bang!

I opened my eyes wide and looked down the street at the startling sound.

I walked diligently, following the shape that seemed to indicate at some point whether it was a road for people or a road for cars.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to a city that feels awkward yet welcoming.

But if you ask me if I only have good memories, I can’t say yes.

What happened to my body? Did my body die, and did I just receive new life in this body?

If that’s the case, what will become of my life?

A vague sense of uneasiness seeped into me.

What if everything is a delusion caused by my mental illness?

With the confidence that I couldn’t do anything, in the end I was left trembling in fear.

But I couldn’t give up, so I just walked around, hoping that what I remembered was true, since it was still in my heart.

“Excuse me, do you know how to get here?”

People who just pass by in a flash.

I wanted to say, “How heartless,” but honestly, I couldn’t do that because I was wearing a saint’s outfit.

Do you think I’m giving religious advice?

The Demon King died, and Kylon gave me the saint’s robe to wear, so I put it on, but then it was taken out without permission and ended up like this.

The suddenness was truly painful.

Damn goddess, I think I know why the Demon King hated her so much.

No matter what, it really pisses me off to see someone being treated like shit.

I groaned, but I knew there would be someone waiting for me. I just kept walking.

I honestly didn’t know where this was. I just said let’s meet near the house where I was! That’s what I did, but since this wasn’t where I lived, I had to find my way back home.

It was cold. The feeling of winter was approaching.

Although she was wearing a saint’s habit, the material of the saint’s habit was not that thick, so her body was just shivering for no reason.

“It’s cold. Haaah.”

The nuns’ habit had no pockets, so there was no place to put their hands.

So my hands were numb, and I just melted them with my breath.

How many times have I been rejected? Even in those times, there were people who readily answered my questions for directions.

By the time I asked around and crossed the street, it was already deep into the night.

It was near my house. But I didn’t go into that alley.

I’m afraid that if I ever run into my mom or dad, I won’t be able to handle it.

As promised to Kyleon, I walked a little way out onto the street and towards the road.

Should I go to a convenience store? I thought about it, but I ended up closing it. I didn’t have any money, and I was worried that if I went in there and Kyleron passed by without finding me, what would I do?

As I spent time like that, something tickled my nose.

“Oh, the car.”

The moment I raised my head to find the cause, letting out a small groan, the black sky and countless white pieces illuminated by streetlights turned the world white.

Bang bang, a horn honked along the road. The voices of people passing by filled the area.

I didn’t think it was a place where many people would go, but seeing people passing by gave me a strange feeling.

I wondered if things had changed much from the world I knew, and wanted to ask about the date, but I shook my head because I couldn’t do something that seemed too suspicious.

On a snowy day, I took refuge in the passageway of a nearby building.

How long do I have to wait?

How long do I have to wait for Kylon to come?

I don’t know.

What if he doesn’t come like this?

What if it was all a lie?

It’s not that I don’t trust Kyleron, it was just a moment when I got depressed because it was so cold.

Just as I was feeling like tears were welling up in my eyes, someone who stood out passed me by.

A white-haired man who seems to be searching for something.

“… Huh, gasp.”

My eyes lit up when I saw him breathing heavily.

Are you looking for me? Are you looking for me? As I was thinking that, Kylon’s eyes found me.

The body came towards me.

A thud, thud, the sound of footsteps echoed through the building’s hallway.

The sound of breathing coming from nearby became thick.

What should I talk about?

Since it wasn’t our first time meeting, there was no need to greet each other awkwardly.

But somehow, I couldn’t help feeling awkward again because I thought we met after the world had changed.

It seemed so obvious to ask, “Is it Kylon?” but I wondered if it might not be the case, so I ended up asking the question I had asked before.

“… You, you come from another world.”

And to that question, the answer came back.

“Yeah, to see you… ”

Tears welled up in Kaylon’s eyes.

It was no different for me.

Without saying anything, I hugged her tightly and opened my mouth to sob.

“Sigh, why, why are you here now… You thought I wasn’t coming… Sob.”

“Sorry, sorry… I’m late because of the traffic.”

“Ugh, what, what car?”

“I came by taxi. Okay, Merry Christmas.”

Mary, what? As I stared blankly at Kylon with my eyes wide open, Kylon wiped away his tears and handed me something.

The date is Christmas? I wondered for a moment, but my eyes were drawn to the small box in his hand.

“I bought it in a hurry.”

“What, what is it?”

“Christmas gift.”

“… Oh, thank you. I didn’t even know it was Christmas so I just came, what should I do… I’m sorry I don’t have any money.”

Kyleon woke up at his house, took a taxi, and even brought a present.

But I didn’t wake up at home, so I didn’t know the date. Of course, even if I had woken up at home, I would have had a problem getting out, and I wouldn’t have any money.

As he mumbled and said that, Kylon grinned.

“It’s okay. If I receive that gift, I receive a gift too.”

“… Something like that, something like that… You really like that kind of thing too… ”

I hesitated and tried to reach for the gift in Kaylon’s hand.

But Kylon stopped him and quickly grabbed the lid with his own hand.

“Well, I’m glad to see you happy, do you think that’s what I want?”

Behind his playful voice, his hand moved, and a small gift greeted me at the tip of my outstretched finger.

A small ring.

“Does it still matter what you say about mine?”

The triangle kimbap was past its expiration date.

Strangely enough, I realized that my feelings for Kaylon had no expiration date.

“Uh, yeah… ”

I answered with a sense of trembling.

Then, Kylon’s hands moved busily and he put the ring on my finger.

The ring on her left ring finger was sparkling.

I looked at the ring and my eyes sparkled.

I felt like crying, but I barely raised the corners of my mouth because I was so happy and didn’t know why I was crying.

“Heh, heh heh… Go, thank you.”

It was a stupid laugh, but I hoped that the sincerity was conveyed.

And it was the same for Kylon, the answer came back quickly.

“I love you. Even if the world changes, this will not change.”

That voice warmed my heart.

It was the warmest winter in the world.