Chapter 402
"...Milady. I have conveyed the truth to you as you commanded, without any alterations or lies."
Amidst the haze clouding my consciousness, the Undertaker's voice slipped in like a whisper.
"Oh, yes. Yes, I heard it well."
I snapped back to clarity, seeing the Undertaker regarding me with a peculiar gaze.
It wasn't difficult to discern its meaning, as it was a reflection of my own expression.
Tension, suspicion...
It was only natural. Would the person before me believe such outlandish claims about the end of the world and foreign news?
Anxiety and a bit of... remorse?
This aspect remained uncertain. Perhaps for the Undertaker, sharing the 'truth' today was an unexpected occurrence.
'If that's the case, then the Undertaker's decision to share this information without consulting Go Yuri was an impulsive move... Ah, I see.'
That's where the remorse came from.
'This impulsiveness could disrupt the plans my colleague has put in place. Hence, the feelings of guilt.'
Even without a [Status Window] or [Telepathy], I could clearly see into his thoughts.
Thus, I managed to calm my anxious mind.
Yes, the Undertaker was even more nervous than I was.
Better to bite his tongue and perish than to show an unreliable side to the past me.
"Of course, I understand it may be difficult to believe. Speaking of world destruction in such a reality makes me appear delusional. But we are..."
"No, I believe you."
"What?"
The Undertaker's eyes widened.
Inwardly feeling a sadistic thrill at his stunned expression, I suppressed my emotions as Cheon-hwa while calmly speaking.
"I was raised among people who believed lies as truths and dismissed truths as lies. I have developed a keen eye for identifying what's true."
"......"
"It may objectively be false. However, I can sense that at least you genuinely believe in what you’re saying."
"Then―."
"Yes."
I smiled.
"I will believe. That you and my teacher are in a cooperative relationship, and that your cooperation aims to prevent world annihilation."
“...! Thank goodness!”
The Undertaker's face lit up.
Simultaneously, the tense atmosphere of the study, drawn taut like strings, eased.
"Indeed. From the moment I saw you, I could tell you were exceptionally intelligent."
Was he celebrating a successful gamble? The Undertaker, in high spirits, hummed.
"My friend advised me to remain cautious until the end. Yet, I trusted my own eyes."
"Oh? Your friend...?”
"Ah. I mean your teacher."
I blinked.
"My teacher was... suspicious of me?"
"Yes. They said something was a bit off."
“......”
"They couldn't pinpoint it, but it felt different, enough to warrant caution. Honestly, that person worries too much―."
Then it happened.
The world's colors vanished.
The Undertaker, who was chattering before me, froze. He hadn't chosen to stop. Everything literally came to a halt.
The sky turned gray. The walls transformed into black and white dots. The murmurs of the congregants beyond the door ceased, and the colors in the study dissolved into monochrome.
Amidst it all.
“Ahaha.”
Footsteps.
“I thought so."
From beyond the door.
Footsteps and a voice grew nearer.
“It seemed odd. Uhm, I haven't changed at all. Why has Lady Cheon-hwa become so clever?”
Step, step, step.
Frozen in place, I could do nothing as the 'sound' became clearer.
“Did she change her DNA? No way. Not a single detail from the environment where Lady Cheon-hwa and Lady Yo-hwa were born was altered. They might easily become miscarried if anything's wrong.”
The adversary seemed to know as well.
And no wonder.
“The conclusion is simple. A change occurred. If the 'external' environment remains unchanged, the change must have arisen from the 'internal' environment.”
So they whispered.
As if they were certain I could hear, no matter how quietly they murmured.
Whisper, whisper. Step.
Approaching the door, the 'voice' spoke with seemingly joyful tones.
“That’s why I relinquished my teacher position earlier than planned. Ehehe. I half-expected that my disappearance might make the opponent relax and reveal their true colors.”
“......”
"Thank you for meeting my expectations, milady. Oops! Perhaps this isn’t right? You might not be Lady Cheon-hwa."
Creaking.
The door opened.
“Who knows?”
Through the crack, a pair of eyes with a smiling gaze appeared.
"Ugh."
In the monochrome world, only the eyes through the crack held any 'color.' The smile, the face, the hair—all exuded their natural luster.
Like a poisonous plant.
"Wait a moment! Please, wait!"
"Yes. I'll wait."
Creak, the door fully opened.
The figure that appeared was the very likeness of 'Go Yuri' when she quit her job as a tutor.
Neat attire. Graceful hair.
Even her smile, as if she aimed to define the world.
"I'm not a monster! I hold no intention of being hostile! I just... It's a long story, but I want to know the truth."
"Yes."
Step, approaching.
Even when asked to wait. Even though she said she would.
As if such 'words' held no value at all.
"Monsters often assure us like that.”
"I am not a monster! I'm the future of this frozen person here!"
"Oh my, now that's quite intriguing."
Step.
"But it's not enough. Monsters often mimic speech to capture my interest. Could you cry out a bit more interestingly, miss?"
"This is a dream. It's not reality! I accessed this place through Yo-hwa's dream."
"It's insufficient."
Step.
"A little more."
"In the future, you're not human. You're a monster! Yet, I was certain you held the clues to prevent world annihilation. So, I came to recover Yo-hwa's lost memories... I used the power of the dream fairies of the tutorial!"
"Not quite. Just a bit more."
Step.
"Go Yuri!"
"......"
Right in front of me.
Go Yuri stopped.
As her lips parted, from the abyss within her mouth, a vibrant red tongue flicked like the tail of a snake.
"Interesting."
A scent, like crushed apple peels, brushed past my face with her breath.
"Where did you hear that name?"
"You introduced yourself, Go Yuri. We can cooperate. I don't know your plans at this point, but if you share your information with me, I could possibly―."
"No."
She tightly gripped my head with both hands, lightly pressing on my cheeks.
Her eyes stared deeply, even deeper, into mine.
"It's not me who should be sharing information. It should be you, mysterious monster."
"I'm not."
My lips quivered.
"I'm not a monster―"
"I told you."
Go Yuri smiled sweetly.
"Monsters usually say the same thing."
Thud!
A bursting sensation.
That was the end of this cycle.
21
...I was complacent.
Yes. I'll admit it. In my impatience to gather information, in the thrill of discovery, I underestimated Go Yuri's danger.
But please understand.
If you were offered a glimpse of secrets impossible to uncover after over a thousand cycles, wouldn't you charge in like a dog with a bone?
I still have much to learn.
That aside.
...There is still no definite proof whether Go Yuri is another 'regressor' or a different kind of entity.
Nonetheless, it was clear that Go Yuri was on par with a 'regressor.' Whether she's a prophet or something else.
She knew the future and was plotting a path to break through a despairing fate.
Then... what does Go Yuri fear the most?
As a regressor myself, I can confidently say.
It’s 'unpredictability.'
In a continually repeating world, the emergence of variables is a serious matter in itself.
A monster. It’s a clear sign, with high probability, that an outer god-class monster has interfered.
And these outer gods typically possess powers like 'mental manipulation' or 'reality distortion' as if it's their birthright.
Just conversing with them could easily contaminate one's mental state.
From Go Yuri's perspective, they should be dismissed as viruses.
'More thoroughly.'
In the next cycle, I infiltrated Yo-hwa’s dream once more, retracing my previous steps.
However.
'This time, truly immerse myself completely into the psyche of Cheon-hwa. I will never expose my identity as the [Undertaker].'
Never to let Go Yuri catch onto me.
One mistake was always enough.
――Time passed again.
This time, I avoided making any significant moves that would attract Go Yuri's 'interest.'
I immersed 99% into the role of Cheon-hwa, a successor raised as a sacrificial pawn of a cult.
"Miss Cheon-hwa. Miss Yo-hwa. I'm sorry, but I'll have difficulty continuing lessons from next week."
My childhood spent with Go Yuri, followed calmly by the private lessons with the Undertaker.
Observing as Yo-hwa developed her first love for the Undertaker and as Cheon-hwa built trust with him.
I followed the historical path precisely.
Perhaps as a reward for my efforts.
"Cheon-hwa."
"Hmm? Senior?"
"I've informed your father that it will be difficult to hold classes next week. If there's any trouble, feel free to contact me anytime."
D-DAY approached swiftly.
In just a week, it would be June 17th.
Yes, the day when the void descends on Seoul and the point where the Undertaker's regression always begins.
The day everything started.
No matter how hard the Undertaker tries, he can never return to a time before this point—the absolute point of no return in his regressions.
"Hoo."
My heart pounded.
It was the perfect chance to witness the truth with my own eyes.
Yet as Cheon-hwa, I calmed the abnormal excitement and smiled as if I knew nothing.
"Well, I'm sure senior has your reasons. I don't mind. But Yo-hwa might be a little disappointed—."
"Haha. I'll leave Yo-hwa to you."
My initially formal relationship with the Undertaker had warmed into one where we could exchange jokes freely.
'But, the Undertaker seems too relaxed.'
In a week, on June 17th, the world would begin its march toward destruction.
Even though Yo-hwa would soon find herself trapped in Baekhwa Girls' High School, wandering in hell until the 109th cycle.
No peculiar signs could be sensed from the Undertaker's easy pat on my shoulder.
The time passed, leading to June 17th.
"......"
Inside the room, I kept vigil over the clock. It pointed to 1:30 p.m.
'When the void arrives in Seoul at 2:00 p.m., Madam Adele will die. Dr. Show will lose his wife forever.'
Tick-tock.
Time passed slightly slower than the wick burning in my anxious heart.
'Soon. Five seconds, four, three, two.'
And then—the tick.
'Arrival of the void!'
I looked out the window.
The sky was tranquil, yet I knew. At this very moment, the world had taken a decisive step towards its demise.
'South of the Han River in Seoul has been devastated right now. Madame Adele has perished, and the core of the ten houses has emerged. The Undertaker has undoubtedly commenced his own first cycle!'
'Come on. Reveal it to me.'
'What... occurred in this vanished past...?'
It was then.
"What?"
Something.
"...? Huh, ...what?"
Something had.
Vanished from my mind.
No, saying it vanished from my mind isn't accurate. From my memories, from my consciousness.
――Something had disappeared from my very soul.
"......?"
A strange sensation.
For an ordinary person, it might have been dismissed as a fleeting déjà vu... But even if only 1%, I still retained the self-awareness of the Undertaker.
Vague memories remained of a very significant and dangerous moment I had been preparing for just moments ago.
So barely. Truly, just barely.
I realized that whatever I had just lost was something too precious to be ignored.
□.
It was as if a hole had been punched in my heart.
'What did I lose? Just now?'
I listed the precious beings in my life one by one.
'Yo-hwa. My beloved sister. Senior. The one who showed me that people existed outside. Mother. Though she passed away early, I hadn’t forgotten her. And...'
And?
'And is there anything else precious in my life? The congregants? No. Losing them wouldn’t be particularly devastating.'
Wait?
'Yeah. I haven't lost anything.'
No.
'Since childhood, I've been exposed to my father's brainwashing education, but I was exceptionally intelligent and managed to resist such tactics. It was by my strength alone.'
......
'Furthermore, I even rescued my sister from the clutches of brainwashing. Just the two of us, deceiving our father, somehow maintaining our identities.'
......
'And I met Senior for the first time. Senior. He was the first to show us, the sisters, the real world, beyond this cult or the cult-tainted school, the real outside...'
No.
"......?"
That was wrong.
"......"
'You' couldn't perceive it. Naturally. You weren't furnished with the means or methods to protect your own memories from the void toxicity.
However, 'I' wasn't the same. Not the past 'I', but the 'I' who arrived here through countless coincidences and inevitable events could unravel this oddity.
Could see through the shards of distortion.
"...Go Yuri."
Indeed.
"Go Yuri, teacher."
You forgot about that existence.
Just now, at 2 p.m. on June 17th.
As if it were nothing. As if it were expected.
"Ah."
Drip.
The dream collapsed. Wax dripped from the sky, erasing the colors wherever it flowed, turning it into a monochrome space.
There was no choice. Once Cheon-hwa became aware of that 'lost being', it had become too different from the dream of the past.
I could no longer be Cheon-hwa.
I was the Undertaker.
Awakening.
"......"
I looked around.
Reality. The cafeteria of Baekhwa Girls' High School. Students trapped in the tutorial dungeon lay asleep, huddled under blankets scattered around.
I had spread bedding at the entrance of the cafeteria to protect the children. And around me lay the torn remains of fairy number 264.
As the gentle sounds of their breathing subsided, I touched my forehead and whispered internally.
'The hole in Yo-hwa's heart... The void wasn't just about her twin sister.'
□.
It wasn’t only about her sister, Cheon-hwa.
'Go Yuri.'
The teacher who had taught the twins from their childhood.
'Go Yuri's existence has vanished.'
She had disappeared.