episode_0039

“Kyle?”

Ludine called me.

She was standing with an elegant smile.

“Who is the lady sitting next to you?”

“Ah… … .”

How should I answer this?

Suddenly, the story that Merlin had told me rang in my ears like an auditory hallucination.

— Her name is Odette Astoria.

— You can know her as the tomboy count’s daughter from a principality.

Ah, that was the concept.

Surprisingly enough, even the name is perfect.

After completing the calculations in my head, I soon answered Rudine’s question with a smile on my face.

“I am Odette, the daughter of the Countess of Astoria. ”

“Count Astoria?”

The Earl of Astoria’s family is a real family.

If he didn’t exist, he wouldn’t have been on the invitation list for the Konkuk Festival.

I don’t know how Merlin obtained the invitation and fake identity.

However, since it is a real family, the princess would naturally know about the Count Astoria family.

“Aha, you are a guest from the principality.”

just as expected.

Ludine’s big eyes sparkled with curiosity.

I wasn’t particularly worried about Diana.

From appearance to clothing and even voice.

Because it would be impossible to infer Diana from that appearance where everything has been changed by the camouflage artifact.

“… … See the sun of the empire. Odette Astoria of the Countess of Astoria… It is said.”

Diana bowed and bowed, hiding her expression with a fluttering fan.

Although her movements were creaky, like a wind-up doll, it would just seem like a cute mistake made by a nervous noblewoman in front of the royal family.

‘It’s not easy to think of Diana when you look at that image.’

Look at that bun hair.

How many layers of waves did it take to get such rich curls?

“Thank you for your hard work on the long journey.”

“Thank you for inviting me.”

“Not much to say. I am simply grateful, Lady Odette, for honoring the occasion provided by the royal family.”

Diana’s lips, hidden behind the fan, twitched.

Ludine clapped her hands and asked Diana a question.

“What is Lady Odette’s relationship with Kyle?”

“… … We met for the first time today.”

“Oh, really? Somehow things seemed awkward between the two.”

Rudine was startled and muttered.

Then, with an embarrassed expression on his face, he added:

“I have a story to share with Kyle alone. If it’s okay with Lady Odette, I’m planning to go away with Kyle for a while… How is it okay?”

“… … it’s okay. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Thank you so much, Lady Odette.”

Ludine smiled brightly and stood up.

Diana smiled awkwardly, still covering her mouth with her fan.

Ludine slowly walked to a deserted forest path.

It’s a bit unsettling to leave Diana alone, but I’m sure she’ll handle it well.

I thought nothing of it and followed Ludine.

At that time, Ludine’s soft voice came.

“Kyle, do you remember?”

“What?”

“Today. It’s the day when the black fog begins to encroach in earnest.”

How could you not know?

It is a monumental event that will be the start of a full-blown disaster.

‘Are you thinking about it now?’

Instead of answering, I blinked my eyes stupidly.

Since I don’t know his intentions, it would be better to refrain from saying anything.

“Soon there will be chaos here too.”

“… ”

“Are you curious why I called you here?”

I’m not particularly curious.

The reason is obvious.

Like the previous episode, he called me here to screw me, or else he had some business for me.

“Want me to tell you a fun fact?”

“What is it?”

“You will remember it too. Before we returned to the past, the fact that the founding nation was completely devastated by the encroachment of black fog.”

Of course I know.

It is safe to say that from then on, the main scenario begins in earnest.

Of course, I couldn’t attend the founding festival because I was possessed by Kyle Winfred, but I remember it clearly because the entire empire was so tumultuous.

What on earth do you want to say?

I stood still and listened to her.

“Do you know how it was resolved back then?”

Ludine slowly turned her head.

Our eyes met.

“Lady Isabel, and Duke Winfred.”

“… ”

“Thanks to the two’s activities, no one died. The responsibility for the disaster was not passed on to the imperial family.”

That’s right.

With those two, the first wave wouldn’t have been difficult.

To be honest, if only Isabelle had fully developed her abilities, it would have been successfully prevented to some extent, right?

“Have you ever thought it was strange?”

“What?”

“The black fog. What on earth is the principle, and why did such a non-standard disaster appear in this world?”

The story behind the birth of Black Fog is simple.

No, there is no story behind its birth.

This world is a game world.

The setting was a world under threat of destruction from the beginning, and the element of ‘black fog’ was simply added as a device for plausibility.

Ludine tilted her head.

Her eyes widened.

“It’s artificial.”

Ludine pointed out the nature of the black fog.

“The black fog and this world are just too artificial.”

Rudine was looking at me closely.

It was a look of blatant observation.

“What is the fate of this world, and what exists beyond that terrible black fog? Isn’t everything just full of questions?”

A dry voice filled the air.

Fate of the world? The truth that exists beyond the black fog?

I’ve never thought deeply about anything.

Because it’s a world in a game.

For that reason alone, I did not doubt the world in which I was possessed.

“Do you know how I ended up back in the past?”

Ludine bent forward.

The breaking sunlight illuminated her.

A frighteningly beautiful face looked into me.

“Kyle, you were poisoned.”

“… ”

“A week after you died, Luna Winfred died like a ghost? By poisoning the food served at the banquet.”

Ludine’s eyes were grave.

“And, soon enough, Isabel also died.”

I swallowed deeply.

My throat burned as if I had swallowed a fireball.

Rudine paused for a moment.

That was all, and an eerie silence fell.

“Do you know what happened next?”

“… ”

“The world stopped.”

I was speechless.

Because I have never once thought about this world after I die.

Ludine continued speaking slowly.

“Everything in the world was stuffed as is. Not alive, but not dead either. As if time had stopped.”

The world stopped.

“Isn’t it fascinating? Kyle, after you died, the world stopped like a ghost? Like a world that exists only for you? How on earth is this possible?”

But, it’s strange.

If the world had truly stopped as Ludine said, how did Ludine maintain consciousness in that stopped world?

Rudine read my eyes and burst into laughter.

Then he gently shook the rosary around his neck.

“I heard I could move?”

I became dizzy from the overflow of information.

Is it true? If it’s true, why are you confessing it to me so obediently?

“Isn’t it so scary to live in a world where I’m the only one alive?”

“… … ”

“So, do you know what I did first?”

Before answering, Ludine whispered in a friendly voice.

“I was always curious. Where on earth did the black fog come from?”

“… ”

“And indeed.”

The smile on her lips deepened.

“What is beyond.”

I slowly raised my head.

And, I barely managed to spit out the question that was welling up in my throat.

“What did you see?”

Ludine closed her eyes and smiled.

That smile was so beautiful that it gave me goosebumps.

Ludine bent down and whispered to me.

At that time, a huge tremor shook the forest.

Cuuuch—

The forest shook.

With the strong wind, the shadows on the dirt floor swayed like crazy.

The air suddenly became thick.

Thump thump—the distant sound of a monster approaching could be heard.

It’s definitely true.

This is a precursor to full-scale encroachment.

It was then.

— 41%

— 42%

— 43%

…

…

The progress rate began to rise rapidly.

The screams of people mixed with confusion were entangled in the air.

The peaceful founding system suddenly turned into a chaos of chaos.

“This way, Kyle.”

Ludine smiled brightly and walked slowly.

This place will soon become a wasteland.

For safety, you must immediately move to where Isabel is.

Oh yeah.

Diana was there too.

This is not the time to be like this.

This is not the time to stand around like an idiot like this.

but.

Still, I couldn’t move a single finger.

My whole body became stiff as if it were tied tightly with rope.

‘just now… ‘

What did I hear?

‘What on earth…? ‘

I don’t understand.

The huge shock made my mind turn blank.

‘how… ‘

It’s not an illusion.

Rudine clearly whispered to me.

What did you say?

— Seungjun Lee.

My real name.

She said my real name.

Not the imperial language.

In clear Korean.