Chapter 59: Heroin must be responsible for the end

After about an hour of patting Luna until she was completely asleep,

“Ah, I really need to sleep now too.”

I let out a long yawn and settled down next to Luna.

The moment I felt both Luna and the Notification Window, both girls, had quieted down, I truly realized that a peaceful night had finally arrived.

Lying in bed, I stretched out once.

“Tsuaaahhhh! It’s the norm to make a sound when you stretch.”

Today was truly one of the most exhausting and difficult days ever.

“Honestly, it was tough with Laura and Tsuki too… but this time, I genuinely dipped my foot in the Jordan River.”

As expected, it’s not easy for an ordinary commoner like me to save a beautiful princess.

– *Swoosh.*

I stroked Luna, who was softly breathing in her sleep, a happy smile on my face.

“Mmmnya…… Hehe… Sihyun…”

“She’s even sleep-talking now. Are you having a good dream, Luna? Haha.”

Luna’s soft silver hair.

I’ve never touched clothes made of silk, but Luna’s hair might be even softer than that.

Each strand of the girl’s silver hair, as my hand brushed past it, shone even more beautifully under the moonlight.

“I thought the moonlight was unusually bright today, but it turns out it’s a full moon.”

I shifted my gaze to follow the moonlight streaming in through the window.

The perfectly spherical full moon shone so brightly that it transcended silver, creating the illusion that it looked golden, just like Luna’s eyes.

‘How strange. I thought I’d seen enough full moons in my life to be sick of them, but today it feels brighter and prettier somehow.’

Suddenly, the thought occurred to me that it would be nice to take a night walk with Luna under that full moon.

“Luna’s asleep right now, so we can go the next time the full moon rises. By then, the Full Moon Flowers will bloom, and Luna running around in a field of silver-glowing flowers… she’d look really beautiful.”

Now that I think about it, it’s been a long time since I last saw a Full Moon Flower.

‘They’re strangely not seen ‘here.’ They were rare ‘there,’ but you could still see them.’

“When the sun rises, I’ll go to the market with Luna to buy some Full Moon Flower seeds… huh…? What… am I saying right now…?”

Full Moon Flower?

I’ve never heard of a flower by that name.

‘No, have I… heard of it…?’

Is it the name of an item from a game I used to play often?

No, I’ve never heard that name in my life.

But it definitely came back to me naturally.

The memory of seeing a garden of flowers freely emitting silver light under a full moon.

‘Where… did I see that?’

“Did I hurt my head when I saved Luna? Why am I like this… It feels like my memories are getting jumbled—”

At that moment.

*Throb!*

Just as a slight headache seemed to set in, heavily distorted memories flashed rapidly through my mind.

“Ugh…! M-my head suddenly…!”

– *Static!*

****

– “Luna, if you run like that, you’ll fall? What will you do if you get hurt, Princess?”

– “Oh, the scratch on my arm? That’s a scar from fighting bad calamities on Celos Hill last time, but it’s nothing serious, so don’t worry too much, haha.”

– “You got scolded by Head Maid Elsie again today, didn’t you? That’s why you need to brush your teeth properly after eating snacks. Everything she says is out of concern for Luna, so you should listen carefully.”

– “Hmm, this journey, you ask? I’m not sure about the details, but news has arrived that destruction has appeared in a country far from here. It seems it will take some time to return to Seleneum. Still, I promise, I’ll finish quickly and come back to Luna.”

– “There are many reasons why I especially love Seleneum… the beautifully falling moonlight of the Full Moon and the Full Moon Flowers that proudly display themselves in response. And above all, perhaps it’s because there’s a beautiful princess who seems like the Moon Goddess herself descended to earth… right? Haha.”

****

– *Static!*

“Ugh… what in the world is this…?”

Unfamiliar memories suddenly flooded in.

I had definitely experienced a similar phenomenon before.

On the morning I still only knew Luna as ‘the Collector,’ strange memories suddenly came to mind when the girl said she had no name.

“I heard the name ‘Luna’ in that memory and gave her that name.”

The phenomenon I was experiencing now was very similar to that time.

‘But it feels a little different from back then. At that time, I only heard two people’s conversation, but now multiple scenes are passing by together.’

Memories appearing blurry, as if data from an old video had been corrupted.

*Throb!*

“Ugh…! Ah, it’s not over yet…?”

– *Staaaaatic!!*

****

– “Honestly, it’s true I’m a bit dazed and flustered by this situation… but I’m more surprised by your appearance. I didn’t expect you to be this beautiful, hahahaha.”

– “This is definitely the path I chose. It’s also true that I made all the choices. But I’m also human… so I worry about how long this path will continue. I’d be grateful if you’d just let this pass. It’s just a small grumble from a weak human.”

– “Haha, how interesting. You also cry and laugh like us. At first, you were just expressionless… but I prefer your current appearance.”

– “Well… I’m not sure either. But one thing is certain. While they are precious to me… now, you have become precious too.”

****

– *Staaatic…*

The static sound gradually faded, and soon, along with the disappearance of the headache, no more unfamiliar memories surfaced.

I pressed my right hand firmly against my temples, waiting for the headache to completely subside.

“Ugh… damn it. What is this, really…! Did the migraines I got from my old job flare up again?”

I was just trying to sleep, and now this happens.

Unknown memories swept through my mind like a tsunami, then vanished.

“No, they weren’t unknown memories. I’ve heard that voice so many times.”

The voice I had seen and heard countless times in the story fragments obtained after resolving the Eclipse, and in Luna’s past shown by Greed in the Void.

Lucian.

A man very similar to my appearance when I transform at night.

The memories that just flashed through my mind were definitely his.

‘But why did these memories suddenly appear?’

Just then, as if to answer my question, the Notification Window appeared before my eyes.

*Ding!*

[Oh, right, right! Sihyun, you’ve resolved Luna’s story, so you probably gained a new memory fragment. That might be why your head hurts——]

“……You’re certainly quick to inform me, aren’t you?”

[Ahhh…! C-could it be already?]

“Can’t you tell when I’m holding my head and grimacing? The situation’s already over.”

[Huweeeeeng… I’m so sorryyy…! I got a little distracted by you and Luna being all lovey-dovey earlier and forgot to tell you…]

The Notification Window, as if apologizing, began to blink faintly and hover around me.

‘Was it that shocking that Luna and I were so close, to the point she forgot what she had to say? I didn’t realize it would be that hard for her. I should comfort her a bit more.’

I let out a small sigh and gave the Notification Window a look that said it was nothing.

“It’s fine. It wasn’t anything super special anyway. They were memories of Lucian, the man Luna mistakes for me right now.”

[……Lucian?]

As soon as the Notification Window heard the name Lucian, it stopped in mid-air and began to stare intently at me.

[……Sihyun, did you see all of that person’s memories?]

“I saw them, but they weren’t clear. It felt like watching a video with a lot of static? The voices were clear, but the visuals were completely blurry. And they were scattered memories, so much so that I couldn’t tell the chronological order.”

[……I see. It seems it’s still… not yet.]

“Huh? What’s ‘not yet’?”

[Ah…! It’s nothing!! Oh, more importantly, look at this, Sihyun!]

The Notification Window mumbled something, then hastily changed the subject and brought up a system window in front of me.

*Ding!*

[Please end the story of the Calamity-level urban legend.]

[Resolved stories: 0 -> 1]

[I was supposed to show you this right after you resolved Luna’s story, but I forgot! I’m so sorryyy (˶> _ <˶)]

“It’s fine, don’t be too sorry. I just remembered this was the goal too.”

Ending the story of destruction.

The ultimate goal for which I suffered so much, collected story fragments, and saved Luna.

“After all this hardship, only 1… There’s a long, long way to go.”

[B-but there’s a saying that a good start is half the battle. I’ll always be by your side to help, so don’t worry too much, Sihyun!]

“Of course you have to be by my side. I’d die without you. You’ll stay with me until the world returns to normal, right?”

[Hehe, of course! A-and… even after it’s normalized, forever… Heeheehee.]

As if imagining something happy, the Notification Window started giggling.

‘When you look at her, she really is like a child.’

I raised my right hand and gently poked the laughing Notification Window.

Since the story of destruction was also resolved, there was something I absolutely had to ask.

It was about parting ways.

“Notification Window, actually, every time I resolve an urban legend story, I’ve wondered, does Luna… have to leave my side too?”

[…Sihyun… you knew…?]

“Wouldn’t it be stranger not to know? Both Laura and Tsuki, after I resolved their stories, were enveloped in light and disappeared somewhere.”

[You sensed it too, Sihyun… Yes, that’s right. When the twisted story held by an urban legend ends, they must return to the story they lived in. Sihyun, would you take a look at this?]

With those words, the Notification Window brought up an additional system window in mid-air.

*Ding!*

[The story of Seleneum’s Princess has ended.]

[Luna must now return to her own story.]

– *Thump.*

It felt like someone had tightly gripped my heart.

“I expected it… but seeing it with my own eyes, my chest feels quite empty.”

[The very reason urban legends can exist here is because of the ‘distortion’ they carry. Since you, Sihyun, resolved that distortion, Laura, Tsuki… and now Luna, must all return. Back to the stories they originally lived in.]

“If I part with Luna, can I meet her again? Even so, it feels like raising someone well only to send them away, and it bothers me a bit.”

[It’s difficult now… but there might be a possibility if your system level increases further in the future!]

“Is it that ‘you’ll know once you get stronger!’ pattern again? Isn’t that a really overused cliché?”

[Huweeeeng… Clichés are just like that!]

When my system level increased from 1 to 2, I gained the powerful ability called Narrative Reorganization.

‘Moreover, it said Narrative Reorganization was the ‘first’ new ability. Maybe a second or third ability to meet Luna could appear before my level rises to 3.’

I couldn’t know for sure, but precisely because of that, I decided to think positively.

If I didn’t think positively, I wouldn’t have the motivation to resolve stories in the future.

“For now, I need to make a lot of memories with Luna before we part. So she can live happily even after she returns to Seleneum.”

– *Hug.*

I pulled Luna, who was softly breathing in her sleep beside me, into my arms.

“Mmmh…… Si… hyun…”

The girl mumbled something with her mouth, tossing slightly.

Is she dreaming of eating something delicious?

Watching Luna’s expression, blissfully unaware and smiling happily, I made two decisions.

First,

“Starting tomorrow, I’m taking all my accumulated vacation days and sticking with Luna 24/7!”

And second,

“I’ll use all the abilities I’ve been given, including Phantom and Narrative Reorganization, as well as my novel knowledge, to smash through urban legends in the shortest possible time!”

That way, I can go see our princess again!!

Do you think I’d leave our Luna alone? Abandoning the heroine cannot exist in my dictionary!!