episode_0021

The secret letter Cain left behind, written in special ink, was quite lengthy—

But in short, it boiled down to this:

1. There’s something only I can do, so I’m leaving. 2. Alice, I trust that you’ll take good care of Lia and lead the party well enough to overthrow the Demon King.

That was pretty much it.

And because of that, I became even more certain.

‘Cain…’ ‘My savior…’ ‘The future version of us must’ve had a relationship far from ordinary…’

“I believe in you.” “If it’s you, you’ll support Lia’s journey flawlessly.” “Even if Lia stays a crybaby, it doesn’t matter—you’ll manage.” “Even if the hero doesn’t fight, you and the others can defeat the Demon King on your own.”

…Were the kinds of things he wrote.

Words like those could only come from someone who genuinely trusted me.

‘Well, it’s only possible because he trusts all of us…’

Still, Cain had designated me as the leader of the hero’s party.

That alone spoke volumes about his faith in me.

‘Cain…’ ‘We’ve just met…’ ‘If you trust me this much, how can I not want to know more?’

If we had just been ordinary friends— If we had just been regular comrades— He wouldn’t have trusted me this much.

This level of trust could only come from a relationship that transcended the ordinary.

What kind of relationship would that be?

‘Lovers.’ ‘That’s the most likely possibility.’

Maybe not.

But even then, it’d just be a margin of error.

‘I don’t know if we actually did… ugh… that stuff as a married couple, but…’

We must have loved each other.

The possibility that Cain was the only one in love?

No way.

‘You expect me to believe I didn’t love the man who researched curses just for me?’ ‘Absolutely impossible.’

If I hadn’t loved him, Future-me would’ve slapped my own cheeks raw, screaming, “Why didn’t you do anything when a man like this was right beside you?!”

And—

This applied to present-me, too.

‘He researched curses—for me.’

That was more than enough.

More than enough reason to love a man like Cain.

Curses weren’t something to mess around with. They were dangerous—potentially life-threatening. They could strip you of everything.

Yet, Cain studied them anyway. For me. And he found a way.

He found a way to suppress my cursed power.

How could I ever dislike a man like that? How could I not love a man who risked his life to save mine?

Just thinking about it made my heart race.

And when I read the last part—

Tears spilled over.

—

It’s better if you don’t think about finding me. We won’t be seeing each other again.

But don’t be sad. We only spent a few days together. Such a fleeting bond shouldn’t be enough to mourn.

As you journey through the world, you’ll find better bonds. You’ll meet far better men than me.

Not some loser like me— You’ll find someone good, and you’ll live a happy life.

Stay strong, till the end. – Cain –

—

Plop. Plop.

Tears fell one after another.

“Idiot…”

He researched curses to save me, yet…

Where in the world would you find an idiot who’d say, “Go find another good man and be happy”…?

That kind of thing only happens in romance novels…

If he went that far… If he risked his life just to save one person like me…

Then instead of passing me off to someone else…

He should have just claimed me himself… and given me that happy life…

“What do you mean, ‘We won’t be seeing each other again’…?”

I can’t let this slide.

This much, I absolutely refuse to tolerate.

I won’t let the man who went this far for me just… throw himself away.

“You agree, right?”

nod

My best friend felt the same way.

“I don’t know what the teacher plans to do.” “But I’m not just going to sit back and watch him sacrifice himself.”

The word “sacrifice” wasn’t written anywhere, but—

That was the only explanation.

The only way Cain could say with certainty that we’d never meet again… was if he planned to die.

His true intention was likely to deter us from chasing after him—knowing that if we did, we might run straight into his “favorite character,” resulting in a bad ending…

But without knowing that truth, Lia and Alice assumed Cain was planning to die. And so, they began strategizing.

“Lia.” “First, we need to figure out how to approach this.” “Should we grab him immediately and show him the letter?”

Since we don’t know when he might leave,

Acting fast and confronting him directly might be best.

But—

Would he really answer sincerely if we cornered him?

I doubted it.

Judging by the stubborn sacrificial types in romance novels, no amount of persuasion would sway him once his mind was made up.

Especially if the stakes involved someone he loved.

…With that in mind, we continued planning.

“Lia.” “Yeah?” “First, let’s stick to the original plan.” “Original plan?” “I’ll avoid Cain as much as possible to buy us time.” “You’ll ask him what his goal is.” “And if he doesn’t answer?” “Then we tail him.” “Tail him?” “If he won’t tell us, we follow him in secret to find out what he’s up to.” “Only then can we stop him—whatever it takes.” “So… stalking?” “Yeah.” “Can you do it?” “I can.”

Lia answered with confidence.

After all, the Teacher was an extraordinary figure who seemed to know everything.

She assumed he’d notice if they tailed him…

But things were different now.

‘If the Teacher knows everything because he experienced the future…’ ‘Then he wouldn’t know a future he hasn’t lived through.’

If variables changed, the Teacher would just be an experienced D-rank adventurer.

If they moved carefully, the chances of detection would be minimal.

‘I’ve never stalked anyone before, but…’

There was a guidebook.

It detailed everything—techniques for stealth, necessary spells…

All she had to do was study and practice.

####

The moment Cain woke up, he checked the space beside his bed.

“No one’s here.”

He checked the door and window next.

“No signs of intrusion.”

The slips of paper wedged into the door and window were undisturbed.

“Phew…” “I made it through today safely.”

What a relief.

If Lia had snuck in overnight and forced herself on him, he wouldn’t have stood a chance.

But today, he was spared.

That was what mattered.

‘If I recruit the Ice Princess Alice today, it’s over.’

Once she joined, he could leave immediately—

And avoid getting caught by Lia and forced into that.

‘Well…’ ‘Having an ultra-beautiful girl like Lia do that to me wouldn’t be bad, per se…’

The problem was the aftermath.

Not only would his favorite character’s route be completely destroyed,

But the Goddess of Light, Serena, might straight-up murder him.

Now that was a problem.

‘It’s bad for Lia, too.’

If she did that just because she wanted to stay close as a friend,

She might regret it later when she met the man who’d become her true husband.

This world took virginity far more seriously than Korea.

Which was why—

The faster he ran, the better.

‘Lia’s fixation on me right now is just because I’m her only friend.’ ‘Once she makes other friends, she’ll be fine.’

That’s why he chose the Ice Princess Alice as his first recruit.

Not just because she was resourceful—having traveled the world alone— Nor because she was intelligent.

But because, in the game, Alice becomes Lia’s closest friend.

She would be the companion Lia grew closer to than him.

Lia would be fine without someone like him.

Of course…

At first, she might cry and make a fuss.

So, he prepared for that.

A long, secret letter was tucked into the back of the guidebook—

Encouraging Lia to stay strong. And asking Alice to take care of her in his stead.

With that, everything would be fine.

Alice was smart and decisive. She’d handle things well.

‘If they discover that letter now, it’d be a disaster…’

But that wouldn’t happen.

The letter was written in special ink, visible only when Alice read the guidebook after unlocking .

As long as he gave Alice upon recruitment,

The chances of them finding the letter before he escaped were zero percent.

‘Well, if Crybaby Lia secretly recruits Alice and shows her the guidebook first, things would go south…’

But if that were possible, she wouldn’t have followed him this far to begin with.

So—

The odds of early discovery?

Zero percent.

He could rest easy on that front.

…With that reassurance, he knocked on the door.

Knock. Knock.

“Lia.” “Are you awake?”

“I’m awake!”

Lia beamed as she flung herself into his arms.

“Hehe…”

She nuzzled her face against his chest, giggling—

Then suddenly asked:

“Teacher.” “There’s something I’ve been wondering…” “Hm?” “What’s your wish?” “My wish?” “Yeah.”

“My wish…”

Why was she asking this out of the blue?

‘Hmm…’ ‘Is she just curious?’

Since defeating the Demon King granted a wish,

Maybe she wanted to hear others’ wishes for reference.

So he answered honestly.

“For my precious person not to die.”

That was his wish.

To change the future where his favorite character died.

Being with her was important too, but—

That was only possible if she lived.

If she died, everything ended.

So above all else—

Keeping her alive was the priority.

Only then could they date, have sex, and do everything else.

But when he said it—

“……”

Lia’s expression twisted strangely.

“Lia?”

“Ah—Ahh!” “That’s right!” “Keeping your precious person alive is the most important thing!” “When my mom died, I felt like the world was collapsing!” “Right?” “You gotta survive first if you want to do anything!”

Lia agreed emphatically.

Meanwhile, she thought to herself—

‘Teacher…’ ‘Just what kind of future did you see…?’

If the Teacher’s wish was for his precious person not to die…

Then that meant—

He had seen a future where they did.

‘Don’t tell me…’ ‘One of us is going to die…?’

Lia’s misunderstanding deepened.