Ch.194Chapter 194. IF – If the Cathedral Had Remained Intact (5)

Chapter 194. IF – If the Cathedral Had Remained Intact (5)

After getting my passport reissued for the first time in a while, I boarded a flight to America.

I wasn’t familiar with overseas travel, so I left everything to Hanna. I did try to look things up myself, but it wasn’t much help.

“Just trust me. I wandered all over a fantasy world with nothing but a crappy map. This is a piece of cake.”

Unlike me, who lived as a totem without limbs in the fantasy world, Hanna had explored the other world by walking and running. After looking at some internet maps and a few blogs, she’d mastered American travel.

“Want to call me noona? Little brother of UltraSansMadWithMoonlightMassacreMode.”

“What are you talking about? You’re a year younger than me.”

“Eek!”

I gave her confident forehead a light flick.

Still, I had to give her credit for getting us to America without any headaches. I put my luggage up and took my seat.

Whoosh-!

After the announcement ended, the plane took off. I curled up slightly.

“Hey. Why are you sweating? Are you sick?”

Hanna gently stroked my hand, looking concerned.

Ah. Was it that obvious?

“It’s nothing. I’m just nervous since it’s been a while since I’ve been on a plane.”

“It’s okay. You’ll get used to it soon. If your ears start hurting, just drink some water or chew gum.”

“Got it.”

Actually, I had a nightmare before coming here.

– Sanz! There you are?

It was a terrible dream where Charon appeared riding zombie Malak and hijacked the plane I was on. This dream felt so real until Charon appeared that I was completely fooled.

From attacks during jogging to ambushes during dates, and now hijacking dreams. This is ridiculous beyond ridiculous.

Thinking about it now, it was completely absurd, but at the time, I thought Charon had really appeared and made a fuss.

I hugged Hanna next to me and trembled. Looking back, it was quite a pathetic sight.

“I’m going to take a nap.”

Rather than staying awake with ominous thoughts, I decided to sleep. Surely I wouldn’t have nightmares here?

If I do, I’ll bite my tongue for real.

“Sanz. We’re here.”

“…Hmm.”

When I opened my eyes and got up, we were in America. I had a good, long sleep.

We stumbled out of the airport and took a taxi. Today we’ll rest at our accommodation, and tomorrow we’ll go to the fan meeting in the afternoon.

“It’ll just be returnees, right? Who would come to a fan meeting for a game that ended 10 years ago?”

Hanna asked me with dreamy eyes, already excited.

“Probably.”

“Then maybe about 80 people will come? We might see the Bella sisters and Jackson.”

Hmm. I think differently.

“I think quite a few people chose to live without their memories. Honestly, it wasn’t a good memory for everyone.”

The Demon Apocalypse. Meeting people was difficult, and surviving was even harder. It was a terrifying world where one wrong move could get you infected or caught in the ‘Devil’s Sight’ and die.

Hanna and I endured well and built some memories, so we chose to keep our memories, but most people probably wouldn’t.

“I guess… but at least 30 people will come, right?”

That was less than half her original estimate.

“We’ll see tomorrow, so why worry? Let’s rest well. We need to take care of our condition.”

That wasn’t something I should say when my condition was terrible due to nightmares.

“I need more sleep. I’m unusually tired today.”

I laid out a blanket on the floor and lay down. Hotel costs were too much for a mart part-timer’s salary, so Hanna and I decided to share a room.

There was really no other intention.

As I was trying to fall asleep, feeling the hard floor despite the blanket, I heard something.

“…Aren’t you cold?”

A small voice came from Hanna’s bed. I smirked.

“It’s summer, how could I be cold?”

I knew that wasn’t what she meant, but human nature makes you want to tease.

“No, no. I meant, isn’t the floor hard? No, I mean, you can be cold even in summer, right? It’s not like Korean floor heating. Ugh, I can’t even speak properly.”

Hanna was making excuses and then muttering complaints. I couldn’t see her face from this angle, but she must be bright red by now.

“It is hard.”

“…The bed is wide enough for two. Here.”

Looks like we’re about to make progress overseas. So new events and new places do advance relationships.

Hanna continued.

“And sleeping there will make your condition worse.”

“That’s true.”

It would be rude to refuse after all this. I slowly got up.

“So I’m really coming up?”

“…”

“Really?”

“…If you want.”

Actually, I needed the ‘direct warmth’ of a person too. I didn’t say it, but I was physically lonely.

I endured for two years as a totem. A man isn’t a man if he doesn’t feel the ache at night.

I slowly climbed onto the bed. Hanna, whose ears were as red as tomatoes, was facing the wall.

The same color as her dyed hair.

“It’s soft. And spacious.”

I turned off the lights.

This heavy, cool sensation. It’s time to return to ‘UltraSansMadWithMoonlightMassacreMode.’

***

After a long night, Hanna and I headed to the “Surviving as Paladin” fan meeting venue.

“…”

“…”

The inevitable awkwardness after the deed. I was somewhat used to it from previous experiences, but Hanna wasn’t.

“…Ugh.”

Walking behind me, she would glance at me occasionally, then reflexively turn away when our eyes met.

I tried to comfort her several times, but it didn’t seem to work. Besides being her first experience, our relationship started as friends, which probably made it more awkward.

“Hanna. I’m not good with directions.”

I calmly suggested she lead the way.

She might think I’m being bossy, but in situations like this, it’s better to start with something official(?). ‘We need to get to the meeting.’ That’s it.

“Oh, okay. Just a moment.”

Hanna awkwardly pulled out her map. She’s like this now, but she’ll be fine after some time passes.

After changing taxis several times, we arrived at the fan meeting venue.

“Wow.”

They rented an entire building? It was as big as a wedding hall.

“Hey, you there!”

As we were about to enter, a man called out from behind.

When I turned around, there was a handsome Asian man and a chubby Asian man.

Both had familiar faces.

“…Siwoo? Monkey?”

Though their race had changed and they looked a bit uglier(?) than in the other world, they were definitely “MorningTentInstaller” and “ITrustedMonkeyMister.”

“That’s right! I knew you were Korean! You dress just like Koreans!”

The handsome Asian, Siwoo, approached us.

“Hello! You’re returnees, right? Comrades of comrades!”

Siwoo shook hands with us cheerfully and asked various questions. I answered for Hanna, who was shy.

“Wow, Sanz and NotACatfish? For real?”

“I thought your hair colors looked similar.”

Siwoo clicked his tongue, and Monkey marveled.

“Sanz, this is the first time meeting you in person! Hahaha!”

Siwoo laughed loudly. So he was a well-built, handsome alpha male over 180cm tall. What a deceiver.

Our group, now grown to four, entered the building.

“Wow.”

“It’s so global.”

As Siwoo said, it looked global with people of various skin colors from all over the world. Everyone was drinking liquor or eating food from trays while chatting.

This is truly a returnee veterans’ meeting.

Since I wasn’t good at English and couldn’t join the conversations, we joined a group of Koreans. There were more Koreans since the original game was Korean.

A few hours later, a woman walked onto the stage under a spotlight.

She looked good in a women’s suit. More “cool” than “pretty.”

Her gait was disciplined, suggesting she wasn’t an ordinary person. Must be Princess Dina.

[Hello. I’m Dina Silverstein. You can call me ‘Princess Dina’.]

The screen behind Dina translated her words into various languages. Is this the latest technology? Impressive.

[This event is held with the permission of the Management Bureau, so you can relax. All food and drinks are provided by me, so let’s have a good time…]

A man who looked like a security guard rushed onto the stage and whispered something in Dina’s ear.

[A homeless person…? What? He said he’s MeleeSpy? Let him in.]

The translator must be high-quality since it even translated her muttering. But that’s not the important part.

“Melee?”

“MeleeSpy?”

Siwoo, Monkey, and even Hanna reacted with excitement. I was very interested too.

Shortly after, a scruffy man appeared with security guards.

“Damn it. I’m never coming to America again. Why are there so many scammers? I almost got my organs harvested.”

The grumbling man was MeleeSpy. How should I put it? He looked normal, but his behavior and gestures were off.

Yes. Very ‘MeleeSpy’-like.

“Greetings! Fellow comrades! Leader of the EunuchBro raid team! It is I, MeleeSpy!”

“…”

After dusting off his clothes a few times, MeleeSpy grinned at us and shouted loudly, but no one applauded.

“Pfft.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

This bastard, after all that suffering, he chose not to lose his memories after all.