CH 101

Adandito held his breath. It was because he knew immediately who the person wishing for annihilation was. If that was all, he wouldn’t have been so surprised. But to say “the end.”

‘If Dianel is annihilated, will the world end?’

Amidst Adandito’s confusion, the conversation came to an end. Collapsing to the ground, stretching her body as if it were her field of vision, Siara fell.

Adandito, as if familiar with the gesture, supported her and exhaled his breath. A perplexed expression settled on his weary face.

He had seen Siara fall asleep and collapse like this numerous times during prayers. It wasn’t that surprising. 

Soon enough, she would wake up and forget everything that had happened.

Adandito had no complaints since he hoped Siara would lose her memories as the savior.

However…

‘To say that everything will end if Dianel is annihilated…’

Adandito bit his lip and noticed Siara, who was about to wake up from her sleep. He stepped back and scolded her with a stern expression.

“Are you sleeping again?”

“Hmm… Oops! Did I fall asleep again?”

“I can’t tell if you were praying or taking a nap.”

“That’s strange. I’m sure I went to bed early…”

Siara scratched her head as if she didn’t understand. Adandito sighed as if tolerating it and said nothing more.

“Alright then, let’s go have our meal.”

“Okay! You’ve been acting strange lately. I like it, Adandito.”

Siara chuckled and stood up from her seat. Then she left the prayer room, humming a tune, with Adandito following her and making an expression of helplessness.

It was the usual sight, but there was something different about Adandito’s expression compared to other times.

He erased the mask-like expression he wore in front of Siara and hardened his face. Then he looked at Eora, who was standing in the place where Siara had been. The hazy mist-like cloud was still there.

After a moment of silence, Adandito finally spoke.

“Do you have something else to say?”

Eora remained silent for a while. In the distance, he could hear Siara’s voice saying, 

“What are you doing?” 

Adandito reflexively took a step forward. He was about to leave the prayer room.

[Soon, ‘the end’ will come.]

The voice of the goddess echoed in his mind before disappearing. Adandito stood still for a moment and then barely took a step forward.

Meanwhile, Siara, who had gone back and forth, looked at him strangely.

“Why are you so late today? Is something wrong?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“Then hurry up and come. I’m hungry.”

“Okay.”

Adandito replied calmly and took a step forward. Siara, too, quickly shook off her confusion and hastened her steps.

The newly risen sun cast its light all around. It was the time when Hierian would be nodding off on the reception room’s couch, waiting for Siara.

Unconsciously, Adandito headed towards the kitchen, where he had become accustomed to preparing breakfast ingredients.

While trimming ingredients like tomatoes and lettuce, he suddenly thought,

Why did Eora let him know that “the end” is coming?

Surprisingly, the answer came to him quickly.

* * *

Siara had gone elsewhere for family matters. The young lady who was to marry Therid had invited her to dinner.

Because of that, Hierian, who had parted ways with Siara, was sulking. Watching him complain constantly, Adandito casually asked,

“Why don’t you go to the Mage Tower early today and start your research?”

Hierian pursed his lips and grumbled,

“Tsk, I was planning to have fun with Siara today.”

“Last time, you said you would let Siara do as she pleases, but now you’re saying this?”

“No! I meant it. But… this might be the last time I can have fun with Siara.”

“……”

“You said to enjoy this lifetime. I just don’t want to miss the opportunity.”

“… Opportunity.”

Adandito pondered over those words.

He had advised Hierian to spend a good time with Siara, saying that this could be their last chance. Yet, he was bound by the rules of being a divine official.

At that time, he believed it was right for him to walk the path of a divine official for Siara’s sake. But if this lifetime was the end, it was a different story.

In the end, where Dianel might disappear and he would face an uncertain future, what did Adandito himself want?

As he thought about it, nothing came to mind. So, Adandito casually asked Hierian.

“If we have to part ways with Siara tomorrow, what would you do today?”

“We won’t part ways.”

“What if we did?”

Although he asked in a casual tone, Hierian seriously contemplated the question. He frowned and pursed his lips, staying silent for a while before finally speaking.

“I would spend it like any other day. Eating dessert, chatting, and having fun. That’s what I would enjoy the most. And what about you?”

Hierian’s mouth curved into a faint smile as he spoke of spending the day as usual. He truly seemed satisfied with this life.

Adandito, too, thought deeply about it. However, no matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t be satisfied with just spending the day as usual. The desires that had been suppressed suddenly surged up, overwhelming him.

There were so many things he wanted to do with Siara. One day was not enough. Even if he claimed all the remaining time for himself, it would still be insufficient.

Moreover, wouldn’t it be better to make a better impression? If this was the “end”…

As Adandito continued his thoughts, he hardened his expression. 

Once again, he nearly broke his promise to Siara. He was on the verge of disappointing her. After all, hadn’t they promised each other in the future, one hundred years from now, not to defy her wishes? 

Of course, it was a future that no one remembered and had disappeared.

Interrupting his endless train of thought, Adandito asked, 

“Does a vanished future truly exist?”

“What are you talking about? Are you referring to what happened a hundred years from now?”

Adandito didn’t respond, but Hierian muttered, lost in deep contemplation.

“If we ask whether it exists or not, we should consider that even a vanished future exists because we remember it. Above all, we remember it.”

“Can we consider it as existing just because we remember it?”

“Even the dragons knew about it, and Eora too. The Demon King probably knows as well. So, it must be recorded somewhere in the world. Why?”

“It’s nothing important.”

Adandito chuckled and continued, 

“I was just curious. Anyway, Hierian, your answer has been quite helpful.”

“Well, even I don’t know the conclusion.”

With those words, Hierian took a seat and, after engaging in some small talk, he became immersed in a book while savoring the dessert he had brought. 

Adandito quietly watched him, lost in thought.

‘Existence is determined by being remembered and recorded.’

If that’s the case, then for those who cannot access those records or remember anything, wouldn’t the future cease to exist for them?

As he realized that, Adandito couldn’t help but smirk. It was amusing how he tried to interpret the situation to his liking, no matter what.

Even knowing that, Adandito couldn’t stop rationalizing.

If Eora mentioned the “end,” then perhaps Dianel’s disappearance was predetermined. 

Adandito didn’t fear the “end” so much because he longed to escape from the tiresome fate as soon as possible. The soul that had lived as divine official dozens or hundreds of times was crying out from extreme exhaustion.

If the world were to perish, he wouldn’t exist either, so what difference did it make if it was the end or extinction? By then, he might not even remember the promise he made with Piasse or the existence of a savior.

If that was the case, he didn’t want to miss the last chance that might be lost while bound by the identity of a divine official.

Suddenly, he felt an anxious flutter in his heart. 

As a result, Adandito stared intently in the direction Siara had disappeared. He wanted to see her. 

Right now, he felt like clinging to her just as Hierian seemed to be endlessly fascinated by Siara.

What would Siara’s reaction be? Could he tease her and make her laugh? Could he tell her she looked cute? Would she get angry if he made fun of her?

As much as the restless desires wriggled, an equally pure curiosity lifted its head.

Those things had been suppressed deep within his heart all along, but now they popped out with a burst of excitement, shining with iridescent light.

Adandito awkwardly looked at his swirling emotions and absentmindedly tapped his chest as a habit. Then he murmured under his breath:

“I need to calm down, always be cautious of my desires, and regulate my emotions…”

‘The end’ is approaching. It’s also the end of his life as a divine official. 

Originally, as a divine official, he should have kept his body and mind pure to better listen to the words of the gods.

But now that the end is near, he wonders if it’s really important to communicate more closely with the gods. It’s called ‘the end.’ The gods themselves said so…

Tap—

Somehow, tears began to flow. 

Adandito unconsciously covered his eyes with the back of his hand. It was a childish act, just like the way Hierian had been poking fun at him all along.

Hierian glanced at Adandito for a moment, then shifted his gaze back to his book. In a soft, indistinct voice, he murmured:

“…You should come and play with me later.”