Ch.359[Epilogue] Even Across Dimensions (3)

I almost dropped my phone.

The screen quickly returned to normal. White background with black text. For a moment, I wondered if I had hallucinated.

Maybe not. I might be an existence that shouldn’t be bound to this place. Taking a deep breath, I move to the next page.

Chapter 3.

It was the chapter where the subtitles began to change, and also the first chapter where Cartesia appeared.

She was crying.

***

[RE 003. Even Across Dimensions (1)]

Compared to the 4th dimension, the 7th dimension is much closer to the 11th. Cartesia could sense fragments of higher-dimensional sights that ordinary humans couldn’t see.

The signal was cut off. The contract they had first established one-sidedly also lost its effect.

A broken contract generally means the death of the contractor. That’s why at first, she thought Eidel had died. So Cartesia, uncharacteristically, shed tears. Why am I acting like this?

But who is Cartesia? She is the God of Wisdom and Curiosity. She suddenly became curious.

That kid, is he really dead?

Eidel’s mental strength readings had been unusual from the start. From that point, she thought he wasn’t an ordinary human. And she also knew that he originally came from another world.

Therefore.

If.

If she could just connect the two worlds, it might be possible to revive him or summon him back.

Cartesia quickly realized it was theoretically possible. After all, if an 11th-dimensional outer god could do it, then she too, though it might be a bit difficult, could somehow manage it.

She was curious.

Would it be possible?

Cartesia had a personality where she had to resolve any curiosity that arose before she could feel satisfied.

“Black-haired girl, I have something to talk about.”

Even if it meant borrowing the hand of a rival in love.

***

[RE 004. Even Across Dimensions (2)]

Ireh, along with Cartesia, was one of only two beings who knew Eidel’s true name. That’s why she could empathize with Cartesia’s proposal.

“Let’s do it. I was thinking the same thing anyway.”

Eidel had shown her what hope was. She had been saved by him. So this time, she would be the one to save him.

“Tell the other companions too. We’ll bring that kid back with our own hands.”

“I’ve told them several times. No one believes me.”

“Why?”

“They say dead people don’t come back…”

Even the wives who had been wavering came to their senses as time passed. They couldn’t deny reality forever. Rustila and Zernya had children to take care of.

“Being realistic, huh?”

Cartesia hummed a tune. If they succeeded, opportunities would come tumbling in like vines.

“Black-haired girl, no, Ireh Hazlen. You and I will be the first penguins.”

First penguin.

Penguins need to dive to get food. But predators swarm beneath the surface. Penguins can’t help but hesitate.

Then, when the first penguin jumps into the water, the rest of the group follows. The future of the first penguin to enter is one of two: either it catches the biggest fish, or it gets eaten by an orca.

“If you want success, you can’t fear failure. If there’s even a slight possibility, I’ll drag that kid back here. Even if he throws a tantrum saying he doesn’t want to.”

“You… you really are an outer god.”

“Did you forget already? I’m selfish. I get everything I want.”

Cartesia stroked her lower abdomen and flicked her tongue.

***

[RE 005. Even Across Dimensions (3)]

When a thesis advisor dies in an unexpected accident, their graduate students typically get reassigned to other labs with similar research topics.

That’s why Ireh took a leave of absence from graduate school. She didn’t want to graduate under another professor. Above all, the physics department was male-dominated, and there were still many people who made her uncomfortable.

Ireh entered into joint research with Cartesia. Using Seti’s name, they revisited the graviton cannon activation facility. They could find clues there.

“A way to cross dimensions. Gravitons might be the key.”

The idea was simple. To summon him again using a method similar to how ‘The End’ had pulled Eidel into this world. But without any of the risk factors.

“We need to experiment…”

Support was poor. Humanity didn’t have enough money for a while to attempt large projects. Even if they wanted to open a dimensional gate, electricity was scarce.

Eventually, the plan to directly link the 4th dimension via the 11th dimension was scrapped.

They found a method that was a bit more complex but could minimize costs.

“I’ll go directly to the 7th dimension to meet that kid. I have plenty of Pron and Coin.”

They sourced necessary resources through the artifact ‘Star Egg.’ Cartesia collected and processed data. The primary information created this way was sent along her neural network.

Although the contract was broken, traces remained. After all, how many messages had they exchanged? Following that now-faint path to send letters, one naturally begins to hope. Perhaps, after sleeping and waking up, there might be a reply.

‘If a reply comes, I could immediately pinpoint the location.’

It wasn’t something to expect right away. Inevitably, they focused on anti-graviton research. They needed to find a way to mimic the Laplace-type outer gods somehow.

While Cartesia concentrated on that method, Ireh and Seti embarked on another venture.

It was making money with the legacy Eidel had left behind.

***

[RE 010. Legacy of the Departed (5)]

They succeeded. They confirmed that by colliding small black holes created with particle accelerators, they could generate energy stronger than ever before.

The yield was still insufficient, but the potential was visible. The project, undertaken at the cost of bleeding resources, concluded successfully. Humanity gained courage. Courage to move forward.

The era of living off constellations and nuclear fusion energy was coming to an end. People who smelled money bought stocks one after another. At the center of it all was Seti.

“Money… is accumulating!”

Seti was excited, looking at the rapidly rising line graphs.

“This, with this…!”

She could revive the business. She could clear the debts. She could restore the Rheinland family.

Once sufficient capital came in, Seti von Rheinland was a financial genius who could multiply money faster than any capitalist.

***

[RE 015. A Gift to a Loved One (1)]

Eidel von Rheinland’s death was confirmed. At least, that’s what the country thought.

As soon as the federation regained financial leeway, they held his funeral. It was a state funeral, no less. Since there were no remains, a coffin filled with clothes Eidel used to wear and his papers orbited space once before being laid to rest in the heroes’ cemetery.

Rustila and Zernya shed tears after a long time. They thought emotions would dull with time, but why.

Sonia couldn’t hold back either. She resented the young master who had saved everyone and then left.

Above all, she was sad that she didn’t have a child with the young master. If she had known this would happen, she would have pestered him for his seed.

“It’s enough now. I feel empty.”

Sonia had long lost her sense of purpose. Is a dedicated servant still a servant without a master? Even if she shouted for him to come back, she didn’t even know where he was.

At some point, Sonia stopped wearing her maid uniform.

“There will be a funeral service. Lastly, I ask the bereaved family to prepare burial goods to be buried with the coffin.”

The wives wrote letters. Asking where he went. Asking him to come back.

It was a gift to a loved one.

And in another place, a similar gift was being prepared.

It was Ireh and Cartesia. The two created letters with similar content, adopting a more sophisticated and scientific method of sending them.

It was the result of understanding the multiverse to some extent through anti-graviton research.

They decided to spread this wish to as many universes as possible. In the form of love letters.

***

I was surprised while reading chapter 15. It was because my name appeared directly.

[Eidel von Rheinland, no. Jinsoo Lee. If you’re seeing this, please contact us. Even a simple reply would be fine.]

[I want to see you. Everyone is waiting for you. We don’t even know where you are, whether you’re alive or dead.]

[Rustila and Zernya cry every day. Secretly at dawn so it doesn’t affect the children. My heart feels like it’s being torn apart too.]

[So, please…]

I remember telling Ireh my real name. The truth was that I was a possessor from another world, and I wanted to save her from her suffering. Starting from that, we opened up and became comrades.

From comrades to sister, from sister to a master-disciple relationship, and beyond that to lovers.

[Eidel von Rheinland. Jinsoo Lee. Whatever name, it doesn’t matter. To me, you’re just a kid. Like a potato that would crumble if squeezed.]

[Someday, I’ll search every universe to find you. Even if you’re dead, it’s okay. I’ll revive you by any means necessary. Surely you don’t think I can’t do that much?]

[It would be good for your body and mind to respond while I’m still being nice. I don’t have that much patience.]

[You jerk. If you were going to leave like this, you shouldn’t have seduced me in the first place.]

From chapter 16 to 20, it was filled with messages from Ireh and Cartesia. Despite the considerable amount of text, each word hit heavily.

Those days come back vividly. The days when I did my best to win the war against the outer gods. The more I read, the more I realize it wasn’t a dream.

[RE 762. Please Let You See This (584)]

Feeling like I couldn’t bear it anymore, I went to the latest chapter. It wasn’t long. Just one sentence.

[Come back.]

I also clicked on the previous chapter.

[Come back.]

Previous chapter, previous chapter, previous chapters too.

[Come back.]

[Come back.]

[Come back.]

[Please.]

[Where on earth are you?]

Yes, that’s right. I need to go back.

But where? And how?

Haven’t I actually returned to where I originally belonged? Wasn’t this my place originally? If I go back again, won’t another Laplace appear and intervene?

All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind. Reality and delusion. Truth or falsehood. Me as Jinsoo Lee and me as Eidel. Now I don’t even know which one is the real me.

I was confused.

While seriously considering whether I should visit a psychiatric hospital, I remembered what Senior Lee Taeyeon had told me.

To seize opportunities when they appear.

That recognizing when an opportunity has come is also a skill.

“…”

Let me be fooled just once.

I began writing a long, complaint-filled comment.