Ch.212Chapter 212: At Least Not Today

Except for the morning’s unexpected incident, my date with Shizu flowed as naturally as water.

After breakfast, we stopped by a cafeteria to escape the chilly morning air, enjoying tea and snacks while sharing warm conversation.

As noon approached and the cold gradually subsided, we wandered through the bustling downtown, taking in the district’s vibrant energy with our own eyes.

We satisfied our hunger from all the walking with street food.

And as the slightly late afternoon arrived…

I led Shizu toward the place that would mark the grand finale of our date.

Where were we going?

“Kal, were you really interested in this play premiering today?”

“I’ve noticed you often reading the original novel when you have free time.”

“…Hehe, so you saw that.”

“There was quite a frenzy when people heard it was being adapted into a play. Since it happened to premiere on our date, I specially got us tickets.”

“So that’s why you wouldn’t reveal the last item on our date schedule.”

“A surprise gift is most effective when kept secret until the end.”

“I was planning to see it sometime anyway. Thank you, Kal.”

“No need for thanks. Let’s hurry to the theater. It’s almost showtime.”

“How did you manage to get tickets for today’s premiere? Even our classmates were struggling to get them. Was it difficult?”

“Not at all. Thinking about the expression you’d have when I showed you these tickets made it completely worth it.”

“…Thank you.”

As we exchanged this brief conversation, with Shizu thanking me twice, we headed toward the Imperial Grand Theater.

The cultural center of the district’s downtown area, recently hailed as the holy ground for theatrical performances that have become immensely popular among the district’s citizens.

Shizu and I were on our way to see “Flowers Blooming Under Moonlight,” a play based on a famous romance novel premiering today.

Eating delicious food, facing each other and sharing heartfelt conversations that made us lose track of time.

Walking hand in hand through the streets, staying close together.

Then silently spending time with our gazes fixed in the same direction.

It might be considered simple or even cliché by some standards.

But I had no regrets, as just being able to see Shizu’s bright smile up close made this the perfect date for me.

Lately, though she still smiled as always, I could see traces of fatigue seeping into her smile as she fulfilled her duties as an Imperial Knight.

The fact that today’s smile showed no such shadows made me consider this date a success.

When I took out the tickets for our final activity, the smile that bloomed on Shizu’s face contained more sparkle than any other smile I’d seen today.

It filled my heart to the point where I felt like I had everything.

Mock me for being cliché if you want.

Such mockery wouldn’t even reach my ears.

“We’re here. Hehe, I’m looking forward to this play.”

All I care about now is the joy and smile of my precious person who will be delighted by the epic love story about to unfold in this theater.

With that thought, I held Shizu’s hand with added gentleness.

And walked with a spring in my step.

This long yet incredibly happy day.

I hoped this play would be the key to fulfilling my modest wish as it crowned our day.

#

Reflecting on my clear memories of the past, just like before my regression,

And the somewhat ambiguous “memories” that seeped into my mind after the incident at the Sword Tomb three years ago—traces of a life lived by another version of me in a different timeline.

Though that life was mostly filled with hardship, there were still moments that shined.

I rarely shined alone; most of those moments were with Shizu, who now sits beside me waiting for the play to begin.

In that sense, my current life after regression, lived thinking only of Shizu’s happiness, has had many such shining moments.

Like when I faced my 18th birthday—a moment that had invariably been the most miserable point in all my lives—as a tender moment instead.

And every memory with Shizu, after recovering our original closeness, has taken its place as a shining moment.

Beeeep-!!

As the bell signaling the start of the play rang out, Shizu’s face as she focused on the stage showed the potential to outshine any moment I had ever witnessed.

Everything would depend on how well the play satisfied us and the other audience members.

But I felt that today’s experience, something I had never had in any of my lives, would take its place in my mind as the most brilliant memory, regardless of how it turned out.

It was beginning.

The moment when a brilliance that would overwhelm everything else would emerge.

#

The play “Flowers Blooming Under Moonlight,” as mentioned earlier, is based on a romance novel that took the empire, including this district, by storm.

The plot was simple.

Among divine beings who watched over the world from on high,

A goddess of unparalleled beauty, both in appearance and heart,

Felt compassion for a man who fought alone to protect a world facing destruction.

Despite his efforts, when the world was about to perish, she brought him to her realm, saving him.

But for the man who had intended to share his fate with the dying world, this was tantamount to robbing him of his place to die.

Due to this misunderstanding born from their different perspectives, the two immortal beings spent ages exchanging only cold emotions.

Until a very small incident gradually narrowed the distance between them.

Finally, as they realized their love for each other and exchanged eternal love,

A flower bud in a pot by the male protagonist’s window absorbed the moonlight and bloomed, bringing the story to its end.

Though the explanation sounds simple, the numerous stories that unfolded in the process gave the original work its immortal fame.

I was curious to see how the novel I had read in one sitting would be adapted for the stage.

But since a two-hour play couldn’t fully capture the extensive original work, today’s premiere covered just the introduction.

It began in a typical fashion.

The protagonist, walking the path of a hero with a simple wish to protect the world,

Stood firm against bottomless evil that devoured the world, displaying nobility even as countless heroes fell.

But as he was about to collapse before an overwhelming power that no human could resist,

Feeling satisfied that he had done everything possible even if he couldn’t protect the world,

Not refusing to share his fate with the crumbling world, he was about to close his eyes slowly when—

“…What is this?”

As the dim lighting suddenly brightened and the man found himself transported to a hall that could only be described as a palace of light, he expressed his bewilderment.

“I saw it. Your nobility as you fought to protect the world, shining by yourself in a place without a single point of light.”

As the goddess appeared before the protagonist, speaking in a voice that naturally fused the contradictory concepts of solemnity and gentleness,

The atmosphere of the play intensified.

People who knew the original work well,

And those who came to see the play led by fans of the original—everyone was on the edge of their seats for the scene that was unfolding.

“This is not… this is not what I wanted! Goddess! Why did you save me? Even though I couldn’t protect it, I was ready to accept my fate alongside the vanishing world! What do you want me to do? Carry the burden of everything from the lost world all by myself? Did you want everything from my world to turn to ashes with me as the last one?”

The man, enraged at having his place of death taken away and being unable to die as he wished, poured out his passion to the goddess who could erase him with mere will rather than gesture.

As his passion continued to burn, the scene depicted his fiery red hair—as passionate as my own—turning white.

-Wow…

-Gulp.

-Oh…

From the audience seats, exclamations of admiration began to flow at a level that wouldn’t disturb others’ viewing.

[Modern plays are executed with such precision compared to individual bard performances. How does the hair color change so instantly like that?]

Even Fafnir, who had barely spoken throughout our date, expressed brief admiration through my mind.

That’s how impressive the sight was.

Originally, it was a scene where the protagonist’s hair turned white after being soaked in pitch-black rain falling from the sky of a completely dead world.

Though it was adapted to the current scene due to production and planning limitations,

The protagonist’s despair and anger described in the original work were conveyed so vividly in this adapted scene that…

‘It’s a kind of illusion created through magical means. But even knowing that, the direction is so exquisite it draws admiration.’

I too expressed a brief appreciation before focusing back on the play.

After a moment of silence following the eruption of the man’s volcanic passion,

“I… I…”

As the goddess appeared flustered by the man’s unexpected outburst, forgetting even that she was the greatest being who had reached transcendence,

The play signaled the beginning of a long journey.

Throughout all these scenes,

The audience held their breath, focusing on the actors’ passionate performances.

“…”

This was also true for Shizu, who, though silent, focused on the play with sparkling eyes.

Me? It’s not that I wasn’t focused on the play, but…

As the play continued, I couldn’t help but have my gaze drawn elsewhere than the stage.

More than the lighting that adjusted brightness according to the situation to lead the mood of the play,

The sparkle that led my heart was right beside me—where else would my gaze be drawn?

Come on, stage, try harder.

So I can focus solely on you without my attention being drawn elsewhere.

As I continued these idle thoughts with a bitter smile no one could hear,

The stage showed the figure of a man walking desolately through the center of a garden under a full moon.

It was the moment of the “small incident,” one of the most important scenes from the early part of the original work.