Ch.206Chapter 206. Another Me in the Hidden World

“Please reconsider, Master.”

After finishing my conversation with Baudouin, I entered my private room to organize my thoughts.

Just as I was about to make a decision, Flan burst into the room and expressed her objection.

“Don’t worry about the Ark. We’ll need time for maintenance and modifications anyway… If I return before that’s finished, it won’t disrupt our schedule.”

“The problem is that you can’t guarantee you’ll return at all!”

Flan raised her voice, shouting.

Her face was contorted as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

That’s how anxious she was about what might happen after I headed to the world Baudouin had told me about.

“He told us himself. Garam’s consciousness has gone to a world we don’t know, and even he can’t predict what will happen when a living person goes there.”

The afterlife.

A world beyond the material plane, supposedly formed from the remnants left behind by the dead.

According to his explanation, a living person venturing there risks falling into a “brain death” state like Garam.

With the will lost from the body, all involuntary physiological functions, including breathing, would cease…

“I also feel terrible about Garam’s accident, but if it means putting you in danger too…!”

“Garam.”

But I had to save Garam, even if it meant taking such risks.

At this moment, facing Flan’s desperate plea, only one thought kept circling in my mind.

“Garam was the first person to rely on me after entering this world.”

This wasn’t just an impulsive decision.

With thousands of people on the Ark depending on me right now, I know better than anyone that I can’t let such impulses ruin everything.

“During a time when I was nothing compared to now… she was the only one I could lean on and depend on in the most dangerous places.”

My current judgment came after reflecting on that position and maintaining my composure.

It was to gauge whether I could maintain the mindset I wanted to uphold through this situation and beyond.

“If I abandon her, I’ll probably choose to abandon someone else around me later too.”

After abandoning Garam, who would I send away from my side next?

It could be Tashian or Merilyn, or even Flan who’s worried about me right now.

Objectively, letting go might be the right answer, but if such things keep happening, eventually no one will remain by my side.

“I need that child.”

That’s why I’m going to save her.

Goodwill, cooperation, friendship, love…

Because I know how harsh this world is, to the point where one can only survive by maintaining connections with others in some form.

“As much as I’ve supported her, I want her to support me.”

Someone I’ve guided can later guide me and offer me answers.

I hope that by depending on and cooperating with each other, we can resist this cruel world.

“…”

“…I’m sorry. Your master is such a selfish person.”

Faced with my firm resolve, Flan couldn’t give any response.

I comforted her trembling shoulders briefly, then left the room and headed to where Baudouin was waiting.

Click, click. The sound of footsteps echoing in the corridor.

My body felt light since no physical armament was needed for this task, but each step still felt heavy, reflecting my turbulent mind.

Those weighted steps paused momentarily when I encountered a familiar face coming from the opposite direction.

“…Ms. Merilyn.”

“Take this with you.”

Merilyn handed me a box wrapped in cloth.

From the aroma rising from it, I could immediately identify its contents.

“A lunchbox?”

“Mom… I mean, Tashian asked me to give it to you. She said whatever happens, eat first.”

Eat first in such a serious situation.

It was both typical of her and somewhat unexpected.

“So neither of you is trying to stop me.”

Neither Tashian nor Merilyn.

I thought they might strongly oppose my decision out of concern.

“You’d go anyway even if we tried to stop you. And…”

But sending me off doesn’t mean they aren’t worried.

Despite their anxiety, they’re letting me go because there are things worth risking danger for.

“I agree that you can’t falter at this level of risk when you might have to face even greater dangers in the future.”

Irie Haven.

My companion who might soon be sacrificed to the God of Destruction, possibly choosing mutual destruction with the Demon Lord.

“…Please tell her thanks for the lunchbox.”

Yes, which option I’ll choose regarding her will also be decided after this situation is resolved.

“Before you leave, there’s something I’d like to ask,” Merilyn inquired carefully as I continued on my way with that thought in mind.

“What does this girl you’re trying to save mean to you?”

“She’s my sister.”

My immediate answer expressed everything I felt for that child.

“We may not be related by blood, but she’s family as precious to me as you are, Ms. Merilyn.”

“…Family, you say?”

But was there something wrong with my answer?

After considering my words, Merilyn muttered with a bitter voice while resting her chin on her hand.

“Both that child and you… your reactions are so different from what I expected…”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing. Please return safely~”

Merilyn walked away with a nonchalant attitude.

Was it just my imagination that I sensed some disappointment in her retreating figure?

****

In any case, the decision to save Garam had already been made.

After finishing the lunchbox, I visited the abandoned temple where priests were focused on healing Garam on the altar.

On the opposite altar stood Baudouin and his Undead followers.

Judging by their priestly robes, they seemed to be here to assist with the “ritual” mentioned earlier.

“Your presence here means you’re prepared, I assume?”

When I nodded quietly to Baudouin’s question, he stepped aside and gestured toward the empty altar.

The ritual would begin once I lay down there, and my consciousness would travel to the afterworld he had mentioned.

“May I repeat my warning from before?”

As he emphasized this point while I sat on the altar, Baudouin spoke while looking down at me.

The blue light in his empty eyes seemed to show sympathy for my decision.

It’s natural, isn’t it? He must be uneasy as well.

“…As you wish.”

I lay down on the altar, turning away from his gaze, and he began to repeat his previous explanation.

“The world of the dead I mentioned earlier… is quite different from the common conception of the afterlife, heaven, or hell.”

That was somewhat expected.

Since even the Undead born from lingering attachments are merely manifestations, the afterworld must also be just an imitation of what already exists.

“Everything that exists in this world eventually crumbles, and only its remnants remain… Though imperceptible to the eye and unable to interfere with the material world, everything that once existed leaves some form of record.”

What happened has happened, and unlike the future, the past can never be changed…

That phrase Irie always emphasized when making prophecies was helping me understand this concept.

In essence, every path walked by the living leaves traces, and these remain in the world in an invisible form even after death.

“Such remnants are more easily concentrated when they share the same nature, which makes them easier to reconstruct into their original form. The undead like myself who revive through lingering attachments also awaken their consciousness through this principle.”

The stronger one’s lingering attachment, the more it serves as a focal point to gather similar remnants, allowing them to endlessly revisit the past or awaken their personality.

This is the basic concept behind the existence of the Undead in this world, and a more precise reconstruction—closer to the essence of life—forms the concept of soul, like my other personality.

“And this phenomenon can occur beyond individuals, taking the form of entire worlds.”

When such remnants gather to create a replica phenomenon beyond individuals to the level of environments—that is the “other side world” that exists invisibly but definitely, accessible only by transcending the concept of matter.

“…Coincidentally, I too have never directly set foot in that world.”

As Baudouin mentioned this other world, anxiety gradually crept into his voice.

“Or more precisely, I may have visited before awakening my consciousness, but all memories of that place disappeared once my consciousness was realized. Do you understand what that means?”

“…Does it mean my mind will break if I go there?”

“Yes, crossing to the other side is close to shattering your consciousness and reassembling it.”

No matter how similar to the original it’s made, once broken, even when reassembled, it must be considered a separate entity.

For this reason, Baudouin said he could only open the path to the afterworld but couldn’t step into it himself.

If he, already reconstructed from remnants, were to enter the other side, his existence would immediately vanish.

“For the living, as long as the bond with the physical body remains, the mind won’t completely break, but even that won’t last long. Over time, the bond weakens, and the mind rapidly crumbles until only the consciousness is permanently trapped in the other world.”

As a result, the body becomes empty like Garam’s current state, and this condition continues forever.

What this means might be even more miserable than death.

While the body simply decays, the separated mind might wander the other side, suffering eternally.

“Even so, will you go there?”

Yes, for Garam.

If I delay any longer, Garam might end up like that.

“…You’ll open the way to where Garam is, right?”

“Yes, since she’s still connected, opening a passage will take you close to where that girl’s consciousness was drawn.”

“Then I just need to find her and bring her back before it’s too late.”

Having come this far, what’s the point of further deliberation?

I just need to focus on one fact.

I’ll enter the other side and find Garam before the connection between body and mind is severed.

If I succeed, everything will end safely.

“…Close your eyes.”

As I steeled my resolve, Baudouin turned away from me and gestured to the Undead priests around him.

Preparations had been made long ago. After asking about my final determination, all that remained was to boldly step onto the path to the other side.

“The first step will be the hardest. So remember this one thing above all else.”

As a strange sensation washed over me from the moment the path opened, making my mind dizzy, his whisper began to faintly reach me through the torrent of power.

“Never lose yourself. The moment you lose yourself, you’ll never return.”

Never lose yourself.

As warned, from the start of the ritual, my head felt like it was being torn apart, and everything began turning white.

Is this what it feels like when what we call a soul is ripped from the body?

“…I am.”

Despite the pain surging through me, I gritted my teeth and voiced the words emerging in my blank mind.

“I am… Hyoseong Woo.”

May my unforgettable ability help me endure this process.

****

And finally, at the end, I managed to grasp some composure.

“Huff!”

As my consciousness awakened, I reflexively clutched my head.

Calm down, Hyoseong Woo.

Catch your breath and assess the situation.

I am Hyoseong Woo, and according to my memory, this is the afterworld. My goal is to find Garam who was drawn here somewhere and return to the original world… Good, perfect.

“…Did I succeed?”

It felt like my brain was being torn completely from my body, no exaggeration. Did Garam feel the same when she was drawn here?

If so, Garam must be in terrible condition right now.

Feeling anxious, my gaze quickly began scanning my surroundings.

When in an unfamiliar place, checking your surroundings is necessary. From what I could see, it appeared to be the inside of a tent, with luggage bags and armor scattered around.

Like a tent where mercenaries might stay… Though this is the afterworld, the environment seems no different from the original world. Does that mean I can act just like in reality?

“…A mirror?”

In this unfamiliar environment, I soon found a full-length mirror in a corner.

I wondered why there would be a full-length mirror in a tent, but I took time to check the mirror anyway.

To confirm if I had properly entered this place, I needed to verify if my appearance was normal.

Yes, that’s why I checked the mirror, but…

“…Huh?”

What was reflected wasn’t me but someone else.

Looking more closely with confusion, I realized that person’s face was very familiar.

Of course, it’s my face. Not me, but my face… Wait, that doesn’t make sense?

“What, what is this?”

But even looking again, the result was the same.

What stood before me was clearly my appearance, but it couldn’t possibly be me.

Because I am Hyoseong Woo, and Hyoseong Woo is a man.

A man’s hair can’t be this long, and the frame can’t be this slender… And there’s no way my chest would protrude like this.

“W-why…”

Why is something missing that should be there, and something there that shouldn’t be…

I couldn’t understand the exact reason, but one thing was absolutely clear.

“Why have I become Pailoi?!”

What’s in the mirror is another me.

One that’s modeled after the living appearance of “Tachia Pailoi,” not Hyoseong Woo.