episode_0128

I won’t give them affection.

It’s something I’ve repeated to myself over and over again.

That’s how important it is for a regressor to maintain this attitude.

This world is a game.

Everyone except me is either an NPC or an extra.

When I regress, they all disappear.

All events become undone.

Laughter and chatter are forgotten.

They all become different people and reappear before my eyes.

That’s why I thought it was foolish to give them affection.

The more affection you give, the harder it is to deceive them.

The harder it is to face them.

And the more afraid I become of regressing…

But things don’t always go my way just because I will it.

If you’re human, you can’t help but develop affection even if you don’t want to.

You can’t help but like good people.

Even if you accumulate a lot of negative emotions, it eventually turns into affection.

Even if I try to forget, I keep thinking about it.

It’s inevitable.

But I never crossed that final line.

No. I couldn’t.

Because I’m blocked by the system.

If I cross the line and develop a certain level of relationship with the main characters, the completion rate reaches 100% and the ending is triggered.

That’s why I was trained to always stay behind that line.

I always had a psychological resistance against crossing that line no matter what.

Misunderstandings were plentiful.

But today…

“You seem very aloof. But that’s not the truth, is it? You’re just pretending to be aloof. You don’t give affection to people on purpose. Why is that?”

“…”

“Is it because they’re all people you’ll eventually part ways with?”

“I won’t deny that.”

“Every meeting is followed by a parting. In the end, it’s just a matter of how short or long it is. They’re all the same. So, Yujin… Don’t suppress your feelings too much. If you do, chances are you’ll end up with a heart full of regrets. Acknowledge that partings make meetings valuable, and be honest with yourself…”

I feel it.

I feel like Cornelia is trying to persuade me.

She hasn’t mentioned regression or the system at all.

But it feels like she sees right through me and is countering every argument.

It feels like she’s calling me a coward and a cowardly person.

But because it all seems true, I don’t know how to respond.

I am a coward.

A coward who is afraid of parting and unable to attempt meetings.

But after listening to Cornelia’s words, I realize.

I haven’t been sincere.

I haven’t been giving my best in this round, preparing for the next.

I haven’t been sincere.

So it’s not surprising that I fail in every round.

How can I expect to gain the affection of heroines while being afraid to give affection myself?

It’s foolish to expect the best results from a coward who approaches each round with anticipation of the next.

“Should I have been honest from the beginning?”

I shouldn’t have hidden my feelings.

If I had faced everything with an honest heart from the start, maybe I would have cleared the game sooner.

Just because I was afraid of parting, I’ve been prolonging my suffering.

“Partings make meetings valuable…”

There are no meetings without partings.

All relationships are bound to end.

Even after parting, the memories of those relationships don’t disappear.

Their value remains in my heart.

I need to acknowledge that.

I used my status as a regressor to forcibly delay partings.

I sought meetings without partings.

Perhaps my regression is blocked because of how pathetic I appear in that regard.

I keep running away, feeling frustrated.

So I start to think that maybe I should confront and challenge things head-on.

“This is the final round. From now on, I won’t hide my emotions.”

Cornelia’s small advice gave me a great realization.

I will no longer suppress my feelings.

And now, at this moment.

I am certain.

Of Cornelia’s affection towards me.

And I, too, do not dislike Cornelia.

No. I clearly like her.

I now admit the feelings I have denied.

Since Cornelia is not the main heroine, crossing the line won’t lead to an ending.

So there was no need to hesitate any longer.

“Hmm…”

It was a light kiss.

It had been so long that my body trembled as if it were the first time.

A pleasure I hadn’t tasted in 12 years shook my mind.

It seemed Cornelia was in the same state, unable to regain her composure.

Although there was a hint of fear in her eyes as she looked at me.

Yet her arms around my neck gradually pulled me closer.

The force of our embrace was intense, but our lips moved awkwardly, like inexperienced lovers.

In reality, neither of us were inexperienced lovers…

“Ugh…”

An uncontrollable impulse led me to push Cornelia against the door.

With a thud, our lips met again.

“Cornelia?”

A familiar voice came from beyond the door.

I widened my eyes.

I tried to lift my head, but Cornelia’s hand on my neck prevented me from doing so.

Perhaps this was the right answer.

If I had pulled away, I might have made a sound unintentionally.

“Cornelia. Are you in there?”

“…?”

Thud, thud, thud.

The door vibrated as it was knocked on.

Whether it was right or wrong, we shared our breaths and calmed our pounding hearts as our lips remained locked.

And when we finally calmed down.

I untangled Cornelia’s fingers from my neck and carefully pulled away, making sure there was no sound.

I thought we hadn’t mixed saliva, but a string of saliva hung between our lips before snapping.

“Phew. Yes, I’m in here.”

“Can I open the door?”

“No! Don’t! I’m changing clothes right now!”

“You’re changing clothes right in front of the door…?”

“I forgot to lock the door, so I just locked it now.”

“I see…”

A conversation continued with a door between us.

Meanwhile, Cornelia hurriedly changed into pants, pointing towards the window.

I nodded, silently moving towards the window without making a sound.

“I’ve gathered all the information I need. I’ve confirmed that Cornelia is safe.”

The white smoke that Jill saw.

Honestly, I didn’t trust the story from the first round.

Because it didn’t fit the story…

But by asking Cornelia the same question again, the likelihood of it being a lie was low.

Maybe Jill was actually seeing the white smoke.

Another threat lurked in Cologne.

After listening to Cornelia’s story, I came to a temporary conclusion.

‘This is…’

As I was about to jump out the window.

Inside the exhibition hall.

I saw the marble I had given Cornelia.

It wasn’t the top-grade marble I received from Elvengard.

It was the cheap mid-grade marble I first gave Cornelia.

It was displayed as if it were a grand marble.

‘What are you doing? Hurry up and leave!’

Cornelia, now dressed in pants, silently screamed at me with her mouth.

I chuckled and leaped out the window.

“I changed my clothes. So, what’s going on?”

“Mm. I have something to discuss. By the way, was there anyone else inside?”

“No? Why do you think that?”

“Just… I had a feeling…”

Stepping lightly while gripping the pieces of the wall to avoid making noise, I descended smoothly.

At that moment, Cornelia closed the window and drew the curtains with a swish.

I gracefully crossed over the mansion’s wall and slipped out.

Soon, Mi-jeong, who had been waiting by the roadside, approached me briskly, kicking stones along the way.

“Let’s go. We’re done here.”

“Eugene, something has changed.”

“What?”

“I don’t know what it is, but it’s different.”

“Not in a bad way?”

“No. In a good way.”

Mi-jeong seemed to have faintly smiled just now.

Maybe it was just my mood.

‘Come to think of it, this guy has a big influence on me.’

Upon reflecting on the reasons why I was easily persuaded by Cornelia’s words, it became clear that Mi-jeong had a significant impact.

Despite my initial intention to not develop feelings and just use him as a tool, I ended up giving my heart to Mi-jeong.

He had become someone precious to me.

But that didn’t mean I had become weak.

When it comes to protecting what’s precious, people can exhibit their greatest strength.

If I were to lose Mi-jeong, it would probably hurt so much that my heart would ache.

But I will overcome it.

I will become much stronger than I was in the past, when I treated Mi-jeong like a tool.

That much is certain.

“From now on, I’ve decided to be honest with my feelings.”

“Oh. What feelings?”

“I’ve come to accept that I seem to love multiple women at the same time.”

“Trash.”

Although momentarily swayed by Mi-jeong’s sharp retort, this was an undeniable truth.

What can I do about my innermost feelings?

It’s not a matter of indecision.

I’ve conquered the three main heroines over the course of 12 episodes.

And I love them all, including Cornelia.

Even though I know that the end will come and we will part ways.

I can confidently confess that.

“Alright. I’m going to investigate the sewers now. If there’s anything suspicious in Cologne, it’s likely to be in the sewers.”

“Trash.”

“Belphagor may not be here, but another Four Cardinal King could appear. So be careful.”

“Trash.”

It seems Mi-jeong has picked up a new habit of speaking.

.

.

.

|Uhh. Huh. Huhuhuh. Ugh…|

Drip. Drip.

The sound of water droplets falling and echoing in the clear sewers.

From the dark depths, a sinister laughter began to be heard.

Long ago, it was a massive storm drain built beneath the cathedral to prevent Cologne from flooding.

But as it aged and the risk of collapse increased, it was closed off.

In the tunnel with no way in or out.

|Hahaha!|

A spirit, not a person, emerged.

Breaking through the wall and entering, the spirit staggered inside the tunnel.

Inside, many people stood in rows, their faces devoid of life, frozen stiff like mannequins.

The spirit carefully examined each person as it passed by.

Soon, it brightly smiled and stood in front of a woman.

|Ah, today, I choose you!|

Swoosh.

The spirit entered the woman’s mouth.

Color returned to her pale face, vitality returned to her eyes.

The woman, who had been expressionless like the spirit, began to stagger in the same manner.

|You’ve finally arrived!|

At that moment, a long object floated in through a small channel.

The woman rushed towards it, pulled it out, and tore off the tape wrapped around it.

Soon, a human body emerged from inside.

The woman caressed the corpse as if she loved it, pouring magic inside.

To prevent the body from decaying any further.

Even though it was dead, always looking alive.

And prepared it to become her puppet.

“665th ingredient collected! Euk, heuk! It’s almost time now!”

The woman lined up the newly made puppet next to other corpses.

She staggered into the center of the row.

In the middle, a giant spider’s body lay.

A body with a deep wound in the abdomen.

“Kali. Can you wait a little? Hehe. I’ll revive you soon. No one will come here anyway, so don’t worry about being disturbed. Hehe. Heehee…”

Caressing the upper body of the woman protruding from the spider’s abdomen.

The woman let out a disturbing laugh.