The Ending I Hoped For

,I was happy to meet you in my final moments.”

Rotten’s words made my emotions surge. I bit my lip, trying to suppress them, but tears flowed against my will.

Seeing me like that, Rotten gave a warm smile.

,Don’t cry. There’s no reason to be sad.”

I struggled to reply to Rotten’s words.

,I finally… found the cure…”

Rotten shook his head at my words and asked.

,Do you know what I felt before I died?”

I slowly shook my head at Rotten’s question.

,Relief.”

Seeing my confused expression, Rotten smiled and added.

,If I gave you the research data and the box with the cure, I believed that a good kid like you would definitely use it for good.”

I wiped away my tears with my hand. My blurred vision became a little clearer.

,It was a short meeting, but I was really happy to meet you. Thanks to you, I was able to find a clue to the cure for the Stone Thorn Disease, and I was able to help Luna too.”

,Aren’t you resentful…? Tarantra, who you thought was your friend, deceived you your whole life… and eventually killed you.”

Recalling that, anger surged from the bottom of my heart, making my body tremble.

Rotten, who had silently approached me, reached out and grabbed my clenched fist.

,Ross, as a senior who’s lived a little longer than you… let me give you one piece of advice… Life is too precious to live obsessed with revenge.”

Rotten’s words suddenly filled my heart with defiance. If Rotten knew the ugly truth I learned in Modest, would he still say the same thing?

,Grandpa, Rael is actually-“

Rotten cut me off. As if he knew what I was about to say.

,Do you know why the medicine of time is good? It leaves only good memories, not bad ones, of someone. Whether it’s Rael or Raphael, she’s still the most precious person in my life.”

I stared straight into Rotten’s eyes. Eyes filled with pure sincerity, without a hint of falsehood.

Rotten already knew what kind of person Rael was in the past.

,You knew… then why…?”

I couldn’t understand Rotten at all. How could he forgive Rael for deceiving him for years?

,I found out about Rael’s past a few years after losing her. I accidentally found out while looking into things about Rael… At first, I was so betrayed and resentful that I spent days drinking.”

Rotten sighed briefly, as if recalling that time.

,Funnily enough, all the things that came to my mind when I was drunk were related to Rael. Eating together and laughing, talking, the small everyday life we shared was such a precious memory to me. The memories of whispering love with Rael were emotions I genuinely felt, and the fact that they were happy memories didn’t change.”

Rotten raised a finger and tapped my heart a few times.

,Living with resentment and anger is less meaningful than living for someone, loving, and longing for them. I knew about Rael’s lies, but the reason I could continue to love Rael and continue my research to keep my promise was because of the precious memories left in my heart. Precious memories are the driving force of life.”

I had heard similar words from Nelson.

,Good memories stay in your mind for a very long time. Those things gather together and give you the strength to find hope and get back on your feet, even if you fall in the face of adversity.”

I don’t know if this is a simple coincidence or the answer that someone who has lived a long life gets, but it was a word that pierced my heart.

The precious memories with the Messiah club members became the driving force for me to grow enough to protect everyone.

,I understand if you look at the life I’ve lived and don’t understand it, or think I’m stupid. But Ross, this is the ending I hoped for.”

I gave Rotten a blank look at his words. I couldn’t find an answer for a long time about what to say.

,I’ve met a trustworthy disciple, and I’ve kept my promise to Rael, which I couldn’t keep for a long time. I have no regrets left.”

Seeing Rotten’s satisfied smile, I had to wipe my face with my hands.

,Ross, love. Don’t be afraid of pain and getting hurt, because love makes life so beautiful and precious.”

Rotten added with a mischievous smile.

,So hurry up and confess to Luna! You already know what your feelings are, what are you waiting for?”

I chuckled at Rotten, who had shed his serious demeanor and returned to his usual self. I stared at Rotten for a moment, as if asking if he was really going to be like this at the end, and then spoke.

Wanting to have a conversation with Rotten for the last time with nothing but sincerity, I revealed my complete truth.

,Luna is still too good for me. My reputation at the academy isn’t good, and there’s also the class difference between a commoner and a count… I was going to confess if I got a good score on the ranking exam-“

Ttaak-!

I was dumbfounded by Rotten’s sudden action of hitting the back of my head and glared at him.

,Tsk, you’re talking nonsense like you’re not my disciple.”

,What’s nonsense?”

Rotten scoffed at my question and crossed his arms with his usual grumpy face.

,You know Luna likes you, right?”

,Yeah…”

When I answered weakly to Rotten’s question, he unfolded his arms and hit my arm with his fist.

,Luna likes you as you are now, whether you get good or bad reviews from others, right? But why are you doing something stupid like worrying about what others think?”

,Because I’m embarrassed. A man’s heart wants to show only the good side to the person he likes-“

This time, I quickly bent down and avoided Rotten’s hand trying to hit the back of my head.

,You idiot! Being there for each other when things are tough is true love! If you get last place on the ranking exam, will Luna start to hate you?”

,I don’t think so…”

If it was Luna, who I’ve been watching until now, she would have been discouraged by getting last place. She would have worried and comforted me by my side and told me to study together.

,You already know that Luna’s feelings for you won’t change whether you’re first or last. But why are you acting like Luna won’t accept your confession unless you’re a successful Ross?”

I lowered my head silently at Rotten’s scolding.

,So you want her to think, ‘He didn’t think about confessing when Luna wasn’t feeling well, but now that she’s feeling better, he’s confessing’?”

I answered with a surge of emotion at Rotten’s sarcastic voice.

,You know that’s not it.”

,That’s what your actions are saying right now. You can’t confess when you’re Ross, who’s being pointed at by others, but you can confess when you’re Ross, who’s being praised by others. Don’t you still know how strange that is?”

I scratched my eyebrow, speechless at Rotten’s words.

,Do you know what I regret most in my life?”

I answered grumpily, feeling spiteful at Rotten’s question.

,Well, there are so many that I can’t pick just one-“

Peoeok-!

I quickly bent down, but Rotten’s hand followed and hit the back of my head.

,You’re still an impudent disciple.”

I touched the back of my head and straightened up. Rotten said.

,I used to think like you too. Remember? When I received the offer from Sir Owell, I focused on research for years. I accepted the offer because I thought I could live more happily with Rael if I became the next Magic Tower Master. Because of that, I left Rael alone for years.”

I was momentarily speechless at Rotten’s guilt-ridden expression. Having seen Rotten’s past, I knew how hard Rotten had worked, even cutting down on sleep, to live happily with Rael.

,Are you going to leave Luna waiting alone like I did, thinking you want to be a good Ross?”

When I couldn’t answer and hesitated, Rotten patted my shoulder and said.

,You’re a better person than me, and you’re young with many chances to make up for mistakes. Think carefully about what’s good and make your own decision.”

Rotten said with a regretful expression.

,It’s time for me to leave.”

,Huh? Wait a minute! I still have so much more to say…”

Rotten gave a warm smile at my urgent reply.

,I’m glad I could have this conversation, even if it was just for a moment.”

Rotten’s words made me realize that this was really the end.

,Ross, thank you so much for the short time we had together.”

I struggled to answer, suppressing the surge of emotion from the bottom of my heart at Rotten’s sincere voice.

,Thank you… for everything. Master…”

Rotten gave a bright smile at my words.

,I’ll be watching from afar, praying for your happiness. Unlike your lacking master, become a good hero like Luna said.”

As Rotten finished speaking, the world began to distort as if it were turning upside down.

Feeling like I was floating into the air, I broke free from the illusion.

I shook my head to clear my mind, back in the form of kneeling in front of the open box, holding the pocket watch.

It felt like I had a dream, but unlike a dream, the memories in the pocket watch were vivid.

As if it had fulfilled its role, the pocket watch I was holding shattered and rolled into the ashes.

When I wiped away a single tear that had been welling up, running down my cheek, with the back of my hand, realizing that I had really sent Rotten away.

I heard a presence behind me and unconsciously turned my head back.

,Did you send your friend off without him being lonely?”

Tarantra emerged from the darkness with a gentle smile.