BRAND NEW WORLD

Several days had passed since the representatives of the four kingdoms visited Lake Dewata.

After Ringga fled and left me behind with Deva, King Siegfried, and Prime Minister Allan, I eventually went to the Temple of the Moon and Sun to retrieve the other players who had been transported there.

As expected, they were upset.

Very upset.

Fortunately, none of that anger was directed at me.

Once I explained that I had been the one struggling to figure out what to do with them after they had all collapsed from the previous night's party, they were understanding enough.

The problem was—

Ringga had moved them without permission.

While they were asleep.

So naturally, all that anger found a single target.

Ringga didn't return until the following morning.

And the moment he appeared at the house, he immediately dropped to his knees before me.

"Forgive me."

I took a sip of tea.

"Lun?"

I picked up a slice of bread.

"Luna?"

I spread some jam over it.

"Lunaria?"

Who?

I don't know this man.

Ringga apparently realised that asking me for help was getting him nowhere. So, with a solemn expression, he turned to seek another ally.

"Daisy."

"Hmph!"

Daisy, who was sitting beside me, immediately turned her face away.

Ringga froze.

But he wasn't giving up yet.

Somehow, a doll appeared in his hand.

"What if Father gives Daisy this—"

Daisy glanced at the doll.

Then at Ringga.

Then back at the doll.

For a moment, I thought the little girl's defences were about to crumble.

But—

"Hmph!"

Daisy turned away again.

"Daisy?!"

I nearly choked on my tea.

Even Daisy refused to help him.

Ringga was truly on his own this time.

Once I felt that his punishment had served its purpose, I finally forgave him.

So did Daisy.

Of course, only after taking the doll.

Kids...

After that incident, most of the players began returning to their homes or respective bases. A few chose to remain in the capital, Nuzantra, for a while longer.

Apparently, they were rather pleased to finally have the opportunity to visit the shops and purchase some high-quality equipment.

Still, of everyone who had fallen victim to Ringga's antics, Deva was probably the most unfortunate.

After acquiring Level Three Dragon Transformation and turning into a dragon at Lake Dewata, Deva was repeatedly questioned by the royal authorities.

The day after the incident, he was interrogated for nearly the entire day.

His appearance in dragon form had caused panic among the capital's residents, and the kingdom also suspected that he had deliberately concealed the ability all this time.

Eventually, Deva came to Ringga and me for help.

After considering several possibilities, we agreed on a story: Deva's draconic power had actually been sealed for a long time, and Mbah Dukun had only released the seal after the great battle against the Devil.

Fortunately, the kingdom believed us.

Unfortunately...

There was another consequence.

Mbah Dukun's identity had to be revealed.

News that a Draconian possessed the ability to unleash the draconic power of Nuzantra's Knight Commander spread at a frightening pace. Afterwards, I heard that many Draconians wanted to become his disciples or train under him in hopes of gaining the power to transform into true dragons themselves.

Before long, the name Mbah Dukun, the Wise, could be heard throughout the continent.

Unexpectedly, he had even begun attracting a sizeable following of admirers.

I wondered how he felt about that.

I wasn't brave enough to ask.

The gazebo Ringga and Bartasz had built remained standing as well.

We had deliberately decided not to dismantle it, because before long it would be used for something far more important.

The first gathering of the entire Oberyth family.

The idea had come up over dinner a few days after the visit from the four kingdoms.

"Oh! That's a great idea!" Rania exclaimed, slapping the table. "Our whole family hasn't gathered together even once since Mother returned."

"Mm!" Radhimar immediately nodded enthusiastically. "We should make it grander than the kingdom's anniversary celebration!"

"Don't go doing anything ridiculous," Bartasz replied without even stopping his meal. "Ma wouldn't agree to something like that anyway."

I nodded.

At least one of my children understood his mother.

"See? Told you," Bartasz continued.

Rania and Radhimar immediately glared at him.

"...Why are you looking at me like that?"

I chuckled softly.

That evening, we ate together as usual—Daisy, Ringga, Radhimar, Rania, Bartasz, Lusserina, Abiyasa, Anandhita, Tiamat, Ishtar, Aul, Azrail, and me.

With so many people, we had dinner in the gazebo. Fireflies flickered among the grass while the moon's reflection gently swayed across the surface of Lake Dewata.

Since returning from the battle against the Devil, Ishtar and Ringga's four subordinates had registered as adventurers. Officially, they had also become the "knights"—or perhaps guards would be more accurate—of the Oberyth family.

Because of that, we had begun planning the construction of a new house near the lodge.

At the very least, all of them deserved a proper place to rest.

Especially Tiamat.

Given the size of his body, an ordinary house probably wouldn't be enough.

Well...

That was a problem for another day.

One month later—

"Daisy! Could you take this to the gazebo for me?"

"Yes, Mom!"

"Careful. Don't drop it."

"Yes, Mom!"

Daisy walked away carefully, carrying the tray with both hands.

I smiled as I watched her small figure disappear into the distance.

The sky above Lake Dewata had turned a brilliant golden orange. The sun was slowly sinking behind the mountains, its final rays shimmering across the lake.

The others would be arriving soon.

And sure enough, as the sun began to disappear, the rest of our family arrived one after another.

The first were Radhimar, Rania, Elkin, and Bartasz.

I blinked when I saw what they were wearing.

The men were dressed in formal white attire, while Rania wore an elegant white gown that made her look quite different from usual.

"Good evening, Mom!" my children greeted almost simultaneously.

"Good evening, Mother-in-law!" Elkin added.

"Good evening. You really went all out with your clothes."

"Hehe. There's nothing wrong with dressing up once in a while, right, Mom?" Rania replied.

After exchanging greetings, I led them towards the gazebo.

Not long afterwards, a teleportation circle appeared.

Rima arrived with Rama, Raisya, and Rasha.

Slowly, the gazebo that had once seemed so spacious began to fill with voices and laughter.

I stood a short distance away and watched them.

My children.

My little sister.

My grandchildren.

And the people who had become part of their lives.

The Oberyth family.

Two hundred years ago, I could never have imagined seeing something like this.

Even after returning to this world, it was still difficult to believe that everyone standing before me was connected to me in some way.

This really has become one enormous family, hasn't it...?

"Wow!"

Rania's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"This is beautiful! It looks completely different from when the kings gathered here."

"She's right," Raisya said, looking up as well. "The last time I came here, these weren't here."

"That's because we only finished them a few days ago," Bartasz replied proudly. "Of course you wouldn't know."

Everyone looked up.

What had caught their attention were the new lights decorating the gazebo.

They resembled white crystals hanging from several points along the roof. Each emitted a soft glow, bright enough to illuminate the entire gazebo without being harsh on the eyes.

"This could be quite a breakthrough," Rama said as he examined one of the lamps. "If they can be mass-produced, they could become a promising business."

"See?" Bartasz grinned.

The lamps were one of Bartasz and Ringga's latest experiments.

During the day, a special device at the top absorbed energy from sunlight. That energy was then converted into mana and stored inside a mana crystal that functioned much like a battery. Once night fell, the circuitry inside the lamp regulated the release of that energy and converted it into light.

At least, that was how they had explained it to me.

All I understood was—

charge during the day, glow at night.

The rest?

I'd leave it to them.

With all the dishes ready, we finally began our first dinner together as one large family.

It was far livelier than our usual meals.

Rania and Rima exchanged stories several times. Radhimar kept piling food onto my plate until I told him to stop. Raisya and Rasha chatted with Daisy, while Bartasz repeatedly boasted about dishes that Lusserina and the others had actually prepared.

There were no kings.

No war.

No monsters.

Just family.

And for tonight, that was more than enough.

Once dinner was over, everyone gradually split into smaller groups.

Ringga and Bartasz were immediately surrounded by Rama and Rasha on one side of the gazebo.

"Grandpa! How did you make it?" Rasha asked, pointing towards one of the crystal lamps.

Bartasz scratched his cheek.

"If you're asking about how it works, Great-Grandpa would probably be better at explaining it."

Ringga, who had been drinking tea, stopped dead.

"Great-Grandpa?"

I held back a laugh.

"Why? Am I wrong?" Bartasz asked innocently.

Ringga stared at him for several seconds.

"...Continue."

"The mechanism itself isn't particularly difficult," Ringga eventually explained. "You only need a mana crystal about the size of a thumb to store the energy, and a circuit board to act as its brain."

Rama immediately leaned closer.

"How does the energy-conversion process work?"

"Now, that's the interesting part."

Within seconds, the four of them were completely absorbed in a conversation I could no longer understand.

I decided to leave before my head started hurting.

On the other side, Rania, Shany, Daisy, Raisya, and Radhimar had gathered together.

"Why are you sitting here so quietly?" Rania asked Radhimar.

Radhimar immediately puffed out his chest.

"Am I not allowed to stay near Daisy?"

"That's just an excuse," Rania replied. "Just admit you want to stay close to Mother."

"I do want to stay close to Mother. Is there a problem?"

"No. It's just funny."

"What's funny about it?!"

I shook my head with a smile.

They never changed.

Amid all the noise, I noticed Shana slowly walking towards the lakeshore.

I followed her.

The two of us sat side by side at the edge of Lake Dewata.

"The moonlight is beautiful tonight," Shana said.

I looked up.

The moon hung high in the night sky, its pale light reflected upon the almost perfectly still surface of the lake.

"This is the first time we've been able to talk alone like this," Shana continued.

"That's true. The last time we were here, there were too many players around. It was difficult to find any time for ourselves."

A gentle night breeze stirred the leaves around us.

For a while, neither of us said anything.

We sat beside one another, gazing across the lake.

But for the past several days, one question had refused to leave my mind.

After everything Adhama and Hawra had told me...

I wanted to know.

Not only about myself.

But about the others as well.

"Shana..."

"Mm?"

"How did you end up in this world?"

Shana's legs, which had been swinging idly, suddenly stopped.

She didn't answer immediately.

"Back then, I..."

Her gaze shifted towards the moon.

"It was New Year's Eve."

According to her, Shana had been spending that night with her extended family, celebrating the coming of the new year.

It should have been an enjoyable evening.

At least until her relatives started asking the same questions over and over again.

When are you getting married?

You're already in your thirties, you know.

Don't you have a boyfriend?

After being relentlessly bombarded with questions like those, Shana finally lost her patience and left the family gathering.

"I went to my room, put on my TNWO device, and logged in."

"Because you were annoyed that they kept asking when you were getting married?"

"Don't judge me, Big Sis Luna."

"I'm not judging you."

"Your face says otherwise."

I chuckled.

"Continue."

Shana gave a quiet snort.

"I was just sitting in one of the city squares. I wasn't doing anything. Then suddenly, there was this white light."

"A white light?"

"Mm. It covered everything. When I could see again..."

Shana paused.

"I was standing in the middle of a forest."

I stared at her.

So that was how it happened.

Shana was just like me.

"At first, I thought it was some kind of event or a system error," she continued. "But there was no interface. No logout button. Even the NPCs behaved differently. After a few days, I started realising that something was wrong."

"Three months later, I finally ran into Ringga at a tavern in Nyrranthea's capital."

"Ringga?"

"Mm."

A faint smile appeared on Shana's face.

"His face was just as annoying back then as it is now."

I chuckled.

"I can imagine."

"He told me there was a possibility we'd become trapped in a parallel world that closely resembled TNWO."

Shana looked out over the lake.

"I wasn't particularly surprised because I'd already considered that possibility myself. But even so..."

Her words trailed off.

I understood.

Thinking something by yourself and hearing someone else say it aloud as though it were reality were two very different things.

"At least I was grateful to meet someone I knew," Shana continued.

At the time, Ringga had also told her about the situation in Parahyangan and the players he had already encountered.

"What do we do now?" Shana had asked him.

According to her, Ringga had replied,

"There's something I want you to do. In the meantime, I'm going to look for Luna."

I fell silent.

So even back then...

Ringga had been searching for me.

Shana, meanwhile, decided to pose as an elven noble who had left her village to see the outside world.

To my surprise, she had also managed to become an S-Rank adventurer, just like Rima.

From there, her life only became stranger.

She became involved in numerous conflicts throughout Nyrranthea, gained the support of many people, and eventually helped overthrow its corrupt government.

And in the end—

Shana became the first Queen of Nyrranthea.

Under her leadership, with the help of Ringga, Brudack, Yzzat, and several other players, knowledge from Earth was gradually introduced throughout the kingdom.

Agriculture.

Administration.

Technology.

Education.

Little by little, Nyrranthea developed into a kingdom far more prosperous than it had ever been before.

"And after two hundred years..." Shana smiled at me. "I finally got to see you again, Big Sis Luna."

I lowered my head slightly.

"I'm sorry I made you worry."

"It's in the past now."

Her smile was calm.

But I knew that two hundred years was no small amount of time.

Even for an elf.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind us.

"What are you two talking about?"

I turned around.

Ringga was bending down to pick up a ball that had rolled towards us.

"I was telling her about how I first arrived in this world," Shana replied.

"Oh."

Ringga looked at me.

Our eyes met.

Then he gave a small nod.

I immediately understood what he meant.

Adhama.

Hawra.

And the truth about our old world.

"Dad! Hurry up and throw the ball!" Daisy shouted from a distance.

"Coming!"

Ringga picked up the ball and ran back towards Daisy.

I watched him for a moment.

Then I turned back to Shana.

She deserved to know too.

I told her everything.

About that endless white place.

About Grandpa's house.

About Adhama and Hawra.

About the accident that occurred on the night of TNWO's final event.

About the players who never woke up again.

And finally—

About the 18,062 players who had been declared dead on Earth.

Shana said nothing.

One minute.

Two.

Perhaps longer.

She sat there, staring across the surface of the lake.

I didn't disturb her.

I knew what she was doing.

Trying to accept reality.

Two hundred years.

Throughout those two centuries, perhaps some small part of her had continued to believe that one day we might find a way home.

And now...

I had just told her that in the world we had left behind, we had been considered dead since the very first day.

"Haaah..."

At last, Shana let out a long breath.

She leaned back on both hands and looked up at the sky.

"It's kind of funny."

I turned towards her.

"What is?"

"That night..."

A small smile appeared on her face.

But there was bitterness behind it.

"I remember wishing I could just get trapped in TNWO and never have to go back to my old life."

I fell silent.

Shana gave a quiet laugh.

"Haha... Looks like my wish really did come true."

"Shana..."

"It's fine."

She shook her head.

"Honestly, when I first arrived in this world, I was happy."

"Happy?"

"Mm. I was free."

Shana looked down at her hands.

"I could go anywhere I wanted. Explore. Fight monsters. Visit places I'd only ever been able to see through a screen."

Then her expression soured.

"But I hadn't even had time to enjoy that freedom before Ringga made me the ruler of an entire country."

I blinked.

Shana lowered her head.

"Two different worlds..."

Then she looked up with an expression of utter despair.

"...and I still ended up doing paperwork."

I failed to hold back my laughter.

"Pfft!"

"Big Sis Luna! You're laughing at me!"

"Sorry, sorry."

I covered my mouth.

But the more I imagined it, the funnier it became.

Escaping her old life to go adventuring in a fantasy world—

only to end up as a queen buried beneath paperwork for decades.

"By the way," I said once my laughter subsided, "how did you eventually become the leader of the elves?"

"Oh, that!"

Shana immediately brightened again.

"After I'd ruled Nyrranthea for about a century, an envoy suddenly arrived from the elven village."

"An envoy?"

"An elder."

Shana leaned slightly closer.

"By the way, even though everyone called him an elven elder, his face was still incredibly young!"

"..."

"And handsome!"

"Shana."

"I'm serious! He looked just like an actor from a drama!"

I sighed.

"So, what did he want?"

"Oh, right."

Shana straightened again.

"He wanted me to lead the elven village because I'm a High Elf."

"I see..."

"After discussing it with Ringga, we eventually decided that Shany would take my place as ruler of Nyrranthea while I returned to the elven village."

So that was what happened.

After that, we continued exchanging stories about the years we had spent living in this world.

Some were funny.

Some were strange.

And some were better left buried as memories.

Before we knew it, time had slipped away.

"Mom!"

I turned around.

Daisy was standing not far from the gazebo, waving both hands at me.

"Come play with us!"

Behind her, Ringga and the others were still gathered beneath the glow of the crystal lamps. Every so often, their laughter carried all the way to the lakeshore.

I looked back at Shana.

She smiled and nodded.

"Let's go."

I stood.

Shana rose beside me.

Our conversation about the world we had left behind still left us with countless questions.

About Adhama and Hawra.

About why we were here.

About what this world truly was.

Perhaps one day, we would find the answers.

But not tonight.

Shana and I walked back towards the light of the gazebo.

Towards Daisy.

Towards our children.

Towards everyone waiting for us.

The old world might no longer have a place for us.

But in this world—

we had already found a place to call home.