Chapter 114: The Price of Resurrection (3)

[114] 17. The Price of Resurrection (3)

“Sorry, I just really wanted to say that line at least once.”

The man replied nonchalantly and then held out his hand to Rem. As Rem took his hand and stood up, the man smiled and added,

“Follow me. I meant it when I said I wanted to hear your story.”

Then, the man began to walk leisurely towards the white space. Rem couldn’t tell where he was heading in this entirely white expanse, but he followed behind.

It’s not like he had anything else to do anyway.

“…”

“…”

Despite having said he wanted to hear Rem’s story, the man did not open his mouth for a long time. He didn’t even look back.

He just walked ahead, humming softly to himself.

At first, Rem found this rather strange. But soon, he stopped caring.

Because his buried memories were starting to resurface, one by one.

And those memories were telling him one thing.

“Am I dead?”

The man didn’t stop walking.

“Why do you think so?”

“Because my last memory was of some uneducated punk slicing my throat.”

Rem shrugged his shoulders.

“And then I wake up in a completely white space? It’s harder to believe I’m *not* dead.”

“You seem quite calm for someone who thinks that.”

“It’s not calmness, it’s resignation.”

Rem replied in a flat voice.

“Actually, I’m surprised I even lasted this long.”

The man didn’t ask what Rem had been enduring. Instead, he chuckled softly and asked.

“So, is this the afterlife? And I’m like the ferryman of the River Styx?”

(TL Note: The River Styx is a river in Greek mythology that forms the boundary between Earth and the Underworld.)

“Maybe? You’d know better than me, right?”

The man laughed and shook his head. Just as confusion began to show on Rem’s face, the man stopped laughing and said.

“My name is Alain.”

Those words hit Rem like a blow to the back of the head. Rem blinked and stared at the man.

“No way…”

“Yes, the Alain you know.”

The hero who defeated the Demon King 200 years ago.

The first Emperor who conquered the seven kingdoms and founded the Empire.

And the hero who vanished without a trace one day.

Rem stared at Alain with a dumbfounded expression, then rubbed his face.

“Alain was Korean?”

“Korean? What do you mean?”

“You were just quoting lines from a webtoon while wearing a black suit, and you’re saying you’re *not* Korean?” (TL Note: Webtoons are Korean digital comics.)

“Hmm, an astute observation. I wasn’t actually planning to reveal that.”

Rem looked at Alain with an expression of disbelief. Alain chuckled and shook his head.

“It’s a joke, don’t make that face.”

“No… Hah…”

“Anyway, now that your memories seem to be back, let’s get down to business.”

“Business?”

Alain snapped his fingers.

“…!”

Suddenly, color and form returned to the monotonous white world. Like how all things hidden in the night are revealed at dawn, the scenery came into view.

And it was a sight all too familiar to Rem.

A shabby cabin surrounded by a forest.

A signboard hanging on the front door that read, ‘Rem and Amy.’

“Your story.”

Rem walked toward the cabin. He let out a hollow laugh when he realized even the scribbles carved on the front door matched his memory.

“I guess this really is the afterlife. Whether it’s heaven or hell, I’m not sure.”

“Isn’t it a bit early to be making such assumptions?”

“Enough with the bullshit.”

Rem sat down on an old box he used to use as a chair.

“So, what am I supposed to do? Tell you my life story?”

“I’d be grateful if you did.”

Rem chuckled and rested his chin on his hand.

Right, it might be good to take time to sort everything out one last time.

“First of all, I came to this damned world when I was seven…”

.

.

.

As Rem told his story, the scenery changed.

When he talked about Amy, it shifted to the cabin in the forest.

When he talked about Clara, it became the hallway of the Crystal Palace.

When he talked about Parsley, it was the inside of a laboratory.

And to the interior of Rem’s magic tool shop.

To the inn where he stayed with Rosalia.

To Feya’s tent.

…And to under the tree where Rem had breathed his last.

“And that’s where I died. Probably.”

Rem plopped down next to his own head. He let out a hearty laugh, feeling a strange sense of relief.

“This is my first time telling anyone about my past, and it’s not as bad as I thought. If I’d known, I might have talked more often.”

Of course, even as he said that, Rem thought that he probably wouldn’t do it again.

It wasn’t exactly a pleasant story to listen to, nor was it meaningful.

…And now, he wouldn’t have the chance to tell such stories anymore.

“So, what happens now?”

“Well…”

Alain, who had been silently listening to the story until now, stroked his chin, his words trailing off.

“There should be a next step, shouldn’t there? Like, send me to hell or ascend me to heaven. Considering what I’ve done, hell seems more appropriate…”

“Don’t you want to live?”

Rem’s mechanical eyes turned to Alain.

“Weren’t I dead?”

“I don’t think I ever said that.”

Alain crossed his arms with an indifferent look.

“And I’m just asking out of curiosity. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

But there was a strange pressure in Alain’s tone. As if this was the question he really wanted to ask.

Rem looked at his severed head for a moment.

His head, lying at the base of the tree, looked annoyingly at peace.

“Haven’t I done enough?”

It was a thoughtlessly spoken response, but sometimes, there are words that perfectly describe a situation. This was one of those times.

“I’ve suffered enough to have suffered, and I’ve been happy enough to have been happy. I’ve done good, and I’ve done evil.”

Rem looked up at the sky.

A Milky Way flowed through the black night sky. The Milky Way, full of sharp stars, looked like the path he had walked until now.

“I think I’ve done enough.”

Alain raised his eyebrows.

“What about the people you left behind?”

“They’ll forget about me on their own.”

Rem smiled bitterly.

“I wasn’t that important to them anyway.”

“Even after you sacrificed your life to save them?”

“What meaning does that have?”

Rem showed his prosthetic hand.

“I’m just a beggar with a monstrous body.”

Rem’s voice was thick with self-loathing. It was a genuine feeling he had never shown to anyone else before.

“People quickly forget those who are insignificant. They’ll probably forget about me, too.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because…”

Alain snapped his fingers again.

“Is it because of this?”

Once again, the scenery changed.

But it wasn’t a scenery from this world.

It was a scenery from a completely different world.

Towering skyscrapers reaching high into the blue sky.

Asphalt roads where shiny cars sped by.

Sparrows perched on a spiderweb of electrical wires.

And a familiar playground.

Rem as a child, or rather, ‘Kang Seojun’ was sitting on top of a slide.

Looking at someone he never thought he’d see again.

[Son.]

His mother was wearing a gentle smile.

An incredibly unfamiliar sight.

His mother was almost always angry with him. Or looking at him with a face that seemed to resent him.

[You need to sit here quietly. Understand? Don’t call anyone else or the police if you get scared, okay?]

Young ‘Kang Seojun’ nodded with a stiff face.

Looking back now, maybe he had already sensed what was to come.

Because his mother was being unusually kind that day.

[Yes, just stay here quietly, okay? You understand?]

Maybe she still had a shred of conscience left, because she didn’t promise to come back.

She just smiled one more time and then,

[Take care, son.]

Disappeared between the buildings.

Actually, ‘Kang Seojun’ already knew.

That his mother was abandoning him.

That he would never see her face again.

But ‘Kang Seojun’ didn’t do anything. He just sat there as his mom had told him to.

Knowing his mom’s true feelings, he didn’t try to stop her.

And he waited there patiently because he still had hope.

What else could a seven-year-old boy have done.

[Hey, what are you doing here?]

“Stop it.”

The scenery dissolved. They returned to the original white space.

Rem glared at Alain with sharp eyes.

“What are you trying to pull?”

“An evaluation.”

Alain’s answer was simple.

“Evaluation? What the fuck…”

“When I first gave you the name ‘Rem’ and brought you here, I honestly didn’t think much of it.”

Rem was struck speechless.

Alain looked at the distant sky and scratched his head.

“I just needed a scapegoat. No, not even a scapegoat, I just wanted to fuck with that woman a little. She was getting on my nerves.”

Rem felt his head turning cold.

A chilling light flickered in his eyes.

“You, what kind of bastard are you.”

But Alain continued as if he hadn’t heard Rem.

“But you did much better than I expected. And you made things much more complicated than I anticipated. So, I was wondering what I should do with you…”

Rem couldn’t hold back and pulled out a magic tool.

“You…!”

“But after hearing your story, I’ve finally made up my mind.”

Alain flicked his finger.

“…!”

A strange force muffled Rem’s mouth. As if there were invisible hands, it pulled his body backward.

Alain smiled faintly.

“It’s fine to send you back.”

“You son of a…!!”

Suddenly, Rem’s consciousness plummeted, and his tongue went limp. Then, the pulling force became too strong to resist.

“You…!!”

In his darkening vision.

Alain spoke with a grin.

“Above all, I dislike tragedies.”

And then, Rem lost consciousness.

***

When Rem opened his eyes, he noticed three strange things.

The first was the ceiling.

A cave ceiling where stalactites looked ready to fall at any moment.

Not exactly a common sight.

The second was how cold his body felt.

It wasn’t that it was cold. Rather, the temperature itself was warm. But his body felt strangely chilly.

The third was the very fact that he was breathing.

Rem remembered how his neck had been severed. He also remembered when his artery was cut.

The fact that he was alive was literally unbelievable.

Rem grabbed his head and sat up.

“What the hell is…”

Rem couldn’t finish his sentence.

Because a beast with red hair suddenly burrowed herself into his arms.

Rem raised his hands in surprise.

“Rem…!”

But the moment he heard her tearful voice, his arms froze.

“Rosalia…?”

“Rem…! Rem…!”

Rosalia’s arms wrapped around Rem’s back. She buried her face in his neck, wetting his collar with her tears.

Naturally, Rem still couldn’t grasp the situation. He didn’t know how he was alive.

[When I first gave you the name ‘Rem’ and brought you here, I honestly didn’t think much of it.]

Or what bullshit that Alain bastard had been spouting, either.

But for now, he’d have to put those thoughts aside.

Rem sighed and hugged Rosalia back.

“Yeah, I’m here. Did you miss me?”

“You jerk… You’re a real jerk…!!”

And so, Rem was brought back to life.

***

“Old man, are you sure this is alright?”

“Huh? Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine. It’ll probably work out.”

“That woman came back because of that guy.”

“Even if it wasn’t for him, she would have come back eventually, right? And if we’re being honest, isn’t this technically your fault?”

“…I did my best.”

“And your ‘best’ was to trick a pitiful woman, give her the title of ‘all-knowing witch’ or whatever, and use her as an unpaid slave?”

“…”

“Anyhow, I was the one who hired you, so what more can I say?”

“So what happens now?”

“You’re asking the same thing as that guy. What do you mean, what happens? We wait, of course.”

“And we’re not going to do anything?”

“At this point, if we interfere, it’ll only create more variables. We should let them handle it on their own. Let’s just watch. They’ll manage somehow.”

“And if they don’t?”

“Then they’ll all die, and we’re fucked. What’s new?”