Ch.115Long-Awaited Reunion

# 001.

“If you fail to achieve salvation, there is something you must do first immediately after.”

That is,

“Upon recognizing the failure of salvation, exterminate all members of the ‘Black Wolf.'”

If you keep this promise, even if you fail, I will erase your memories of this world and send you back to your original world.

“You must exterminate all members of the ‘Black Wolf’ regardless of the outcome… That is all.”

After Lactea finished speaking, silence fell over the hideout’s meeting room.

Neither Lactea nor Nahan.

Since neither knew what more to say to the other, both surrendered to the silence and organized their thoughts for a while.

So Nahan began to observe.

The trembling tip of the sword,

The voice growing quieter,

The continued use of formal speech.

‘She doesn’t seem to be in a good mood, but I’m not the cause. It must be her feelings about the Black Wolf.’

Lactea’s condition was just one.

‘To exterminate the “Black Wolf” regardless of whatever ending awaits.’

Having finished that thought, Nahan turned his head and asked Lactea.

“May I know the reason?”

Although much had changed from the original work until now, not once had a character’s established setting been completely broken.

The Black Wolf that Nahan knew, the mastermind of the novel “Babylonia,” was described as a reliable leader to the Black Wolf members, even if he was an object of fear to others.

Even when hiding, he would appear without fail to protect his members when they were in danger, and in the extreme latter part of the story, he even shed tears for the first time when his members were dying.

‘Why would such a Black Wolf…?’

Why would he ask someone to kill the members he cherished so much, even offering his own body?

“…The reason.”

As if understanding Nahan’s question, Lactea withdrew her sword and answered.

“Because all members of the ‘Black Wolf’ are destined to become seeds of destruction.”

“…Seeds of destruction?”

Though he asked to resolve his doubt, only more questions arose.

Lactea opened her mouth with an expressionless face toward the confused Nahan.

“This is also what the leader told me to add. I have conveyed everything I was told to convey, so I know no further information.”

“But this… isn’t this story too sudden and difficult?”

“No. It’s not difficult at all.”

Lactea, who had somehow returned to her usual self, slowly turned away and added.

“Continue as you have been, but if failure results, use the leader’s power to exterminate all members of the ‘Black Wolf.’ That’s all there is to it.”

“Wait! Let’s talk a bit more—!!”

“I’ll keep silent forever, so don’t worry about the members finding out.”

The door opened and began to close.

“…Ah, by the way.”

Just before the door closed completely, Lactea turned her head slightly and firmly stated.

“The leader said that if you, having failed at salvation, spare even one member of the ‘Black Wolf,’ the world will be destroyed… He concluded by saying you should accept it as fate.”

Only then did the keyword “seeds of destruction” that Lactea had mentioned finally connect.

“Why on earth…?”

At Nahan’s deeply troubled expression, Lactea turned away again and stepped outside.

“I’ll take my leave now, so rest well.”

In the end, Lactea left before Nahan could properly understand the cause.

“No…”

Finding Casler was urgent, and now Lactea had discovered his identity.

In a situation that only grew more complicated the more he struggled to resolve it, Nahan unconsciously let out a deep sigh and muttered.

“What am I supposed to do…?”

To be honest, until now, Nahan had been following the original Black Wolf’s path.

Of course, since he had buttoned the first button wrong, the story had become somewhat twisted, but after realizing he was the Black Wolf, he tried to act like him as much as possible.

‘Because I had to preserve the original content.’

To use information as a weapon, he had to make those events happen.

It wasn’t easy, but being with the members made it bearable, and as he spent each day with them, he came to realize.

The Black Wolf, the final mastermind of the original work, was actually just manipulated by Ilsik.

Somehow, by saving one person, he was given the “Main Scenario,” and as he saved those he felt empathy with in their sorrow, he came to cherish them deeply.

That’s why he could maintain his composure and endure even as the situation worsened.

Unlike his previous life where he only lost without answers, in this opportunity he had been given both the ability to cope and the power to do so.

The members, too, though obscured by sorrow, had more than enough power to help him save the world.

So Nahan would close his eyes every night, looking at the members who trusted and followed him, and imagine.

The scene where, after stopping Ilsik and saving all the members, he would confess everything before returning to his original world and be understood.

The image of the members willingly understanding his lies despite a life marked by falsehoods and mistakes, because the result was a happy ending.

Although “Black Wolf” had entrusted everything to him and disappeared, the picture of the members acknowledging what he had accomplished by staying until the end.

“Now… it’s probably impossible.”

He had tried to hide it, but who would have thought everything had already been discovered.

If he fails the main quest and main scenario even once, the members will naturally begin to doubt him.

Thinking that if it were the real Black Wolf, this wouldn’t have happened, that if it were the leader, he would have achieved good results.

The members who would attribute success to the Black Wolf and the reason for failure to him.

‘They would surely resent me, asking how I took possession of the leader’s body and deceived them.’

He would pour out excuses, and the members who couldn’t accept them would be outraged.

As a natural progression, the leash of the “Black Wolf,” maintained only by the Black Wolf himself, would break, and they might become the seeds of destruction for the world, as Lactea had just said.

Following the original work, they might massacre innocent people, and might become so corrupted that he couldn’t stop them.

As thoughts continued to spiral, Lactea’s final words echoed in Nahan’s mind.

-He concluded by saying you should accept it as fate.

Accept it as fate?

‘Does telling me to accept it as fate refer to the story of the “original work”?’

No matter how much the Black Wolf in the “original work” cherished the Black Wolf, the members of the “Black Wolf” in the “original work” were all annihilated for their respective reasons.

So if that,

If the death of the members is predetermined fate, should he alone accept it and execute that fate on their behalf, bearing it alone?

-Because all members of the ‘Black Wolf’ are destined to become seeds of destruction.

-The leader said that if you, having failed at salvation, spare even one member of the ‘Black Wolf,’ the world will be destroyed…

-He concluded by saying you should accept it as fate.

At Lactea’s words that surfaced again, Black Wolf unconsciously clenched his fist.

“Yes, perhaps that’s what I should do.”

When considering the numbers, the lives of the Black Wolf members are far fewer than the destruction of this entire world.

Like the trolley dilemma, if he could prevent the world’s destruction by directly taking the lives of the “Black Wolf” members, the sacrifice would be less.

So Nahan resolved.

‘If such a moment comes when I must do so, I will ask the members and follow their choice to choose the lesser evil.’

But like now, if there is even one happy ending that can be reached,

‘I will dedicate everything I have left to reach it.’

Perhaps because he had made his decision, his wavering heart settled in one place.

‘Find Casler. Eradicate Ilsik.’

And,

‘Save the Emperor, the Warrior, and the remaining members of the “Black Wolf” to reach a happy ending.’

Having made his resolution, Nahan rose without further deliberation, shaking off his dark emotions.

‘Two days until Lactea recovers.’

Within that time, he would retrieve Casler with his own power, and once again move toward a happy ending.

2.

Casler.

The second member of the Black Wolf.

One of the few remaining ancient species in the world, and the only surviving individual of the Blood Clan among those ancient species, and their Lord who ruled over them.

Born around the same time as the birth of this world and having aged with it, Casler possessed commensurate power.

-Casler! How about Casler of the Cold Heart?

“So they’re trying to tamper with my memories of Ran.”

Despite being affected by Flora’s magic, he was aware that he was under a spell.

Just like now.

【<Germination (SSS+)> is currently active.】

Having activated mental resistance as soon as the skill was activated, it didn’t even come close to infiltration.

Unlike the members who were completely immersed the moment they saw the past, Casler merely observed that place as a third party, as if watching a play,

Unable to intervene in any way, he watched the scenes as if observing a stage.

As if aware of this fact, Casler’s memories passed by increasingly quickly.

Casler and Ran’s meeting.

The deepening process.

Ran changing, and likewise Casler.

And,

Crack.

The image of Ran, the Empire’s 1st Warrior, being crushed underfoot by something massive.

If he were an ordinary human rather than Casler, he would have been infiltrated while raging, unable to distinguish between falsehood and truth, but having noticed that everything was an illusion, Casler smiled wryly and asked.

“I think that’s enough of such unpleasant acts, how about we have a cup of tea for a change?”

To which Ran, who was stuck to the floor, replied,

“Tea in this situation? You really are without blood or tears, aren’t you? Casler of the Cold Heart.”

It was a moment of reunion after a long time.

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