Chapter 127: A Somewhat Unique Relationship
"That is my story so far."
Aria spoke calmly from beyond the door. Though I could only sense muted emotions in her voice, I knew that expressing her story in any other way would have been difficult.
In contrast to her, I was in a state of shock for the first time since entering this game; I had never heard something so startling before.
I couldn't even think straight. A single sentence had grasped me, preventing me from thinking properly.
It was I who ruined her in this manner.
Her distorted desire for recognition and obsession towards me were something I myself had created.
On top of that, it was intentional; I did it to make Aria listen to me more.
I deliberately manipulated her, making her become excessively obsessed and reliant on me.
I understand.
Now that I had learned Necromancy, it was possible for me to be actively involved like this since she was in the first year.
However, the first-round’s Kim Shinwoo fought with Deus' original soul for almost two years.
This blew away the early part of the game, and since it was the first round, he must have known that it would have been impossible to see a proper ending.
Therefore, the first-round’s Kim Shinwoo made a choice.
He acted as if he were in the game, controlling the protagonist, Aria, and trying to achieve the best ending he could imagine.
In [Retry] where the second round was inevitable, he wanted to discard more of her humane aspects to achieve the happy ending in the first round.
"Sigh."
I let out a rough yet heated breath. I never thought I would have a moment where I would feel such an emotion.
Thud.
I banged my head against the door and clenched both of my fists tightly, blaming myself.
The forceful impact made my body tremble uncontrollably.
Now, I finally understood everything.
I had all the answers to my questions.
And I also realized that the current me almost walked the same path as my past self, making the same mistake.
"Sigh."
I sighed once again.
Otherwise, it felt like my head was going to explode from the suffocating and sinking feeling that was encroaching my chest.
Even though I felt so pathetic for dragging this child to such extremes, I understood the decisions he made so well.
Even if it was a little twisted, it was the path I should have followed.
Therefore, I felt disgust surge at the thought of repeating those acts once more.
"Professor?"
Aria called out to me with concern. It seemed like she put her hand on the doorknob and shook it slightly, however, she didn't open it. Fôll0w current novÊls on n/o/(v)/3l/b((in).(co/m)
"Wait."
Seeing her behave that way, I managed to force out a word. The next words I struggled to utter didn't sound like me.
"I am leaving now."
"Oh, okay! I understand! I'll wait!"
And yet, I didn’t hear Aria's footsteps move, perhaps because she was still standing before the door.
I felt guilty for leaving her like that, but I still had to leave this place for now.
Findenai, who was sitting on the descending stairs with a cigarette between her lips, tilted her chin upon sensing someone approaching.
"Huh, is it ov..."
After seeing me, Findenai opened her mouth, causing her cigarette to drop. Then, she suddenly stood up and forcefully pulled me in, wrapping her arms around me.
"What... are you doing?"
I was startled by the sudden reaction, but Findenai clenched her teeth and started carrying me as we went downstairs.
"Shut the hell up. Damn it. What kind of fucking conversation did you actually have with her that made your face change like that?"
"What?"
"Forget it, you don't need to know. If she wasn’t someone you cherished, I would've chopped that bitch Aria’s neck."
"No, you should never do that."
As soon as I muttered these words, Findenai retorted irritably.
"I know, damn it."
The place Findenai took me to was my room in the professor's dormitory. She laid me down on my bed and then turned around.
The Dark Spiritualist gently embraced me. It was a very unexpected action even though I didn't feel any sensation.
Yet, through mana, she conveyed a subtle warmth to me.
[Because it's the weakest part of you that you have.]
"I..."
[I know I can’t recklessly try to reach beyond because that's your own past. So, I'll keep my distance and wait for you.]
The Dark Spiritualist moved away from me and smiled softly.
[It’s okay; no matter how long it takes. I don’t mind because I'm already dead anyway.]
"...."
[But I believe that if it is you, you'll surely overcome it soon.]
After saying those words, the Dark Spiritualist slowly disappeared. She was trying to give me time for myself.
Later, Caren and Erica, who were brought by Findenai, came looking for me, but I sent them away.
Alone in the room, I closed my eyes and started to contemplate on things deeply.
As someone who experienced very little fluctuation in my emotions, why was I so affected by Aria's actions to this extent?
The reason was...
"It is not because of Deus' past."
It was not simply because of the atrocities I had committed in the first round.
"It is because of events that occurred much earlier than that."
It was earlier than the first round.
It was because of the story from back when I still lived as Kim Shinwoo.
The past I had kept hidden from everyone, so no one could see my weakness.
When I captured the soul of Dante’s Dark Mage, Dina, the Dark Spiritualist once said such words to me.
- I hope that you won't become a monster in the process of defeating those monsters.
In order to survive, perhaps the me from the first round seemed to have become a monster.
* * *
As the sunset streamed through the window, a black-haired girl absentmindedly stared at it.
No, actually, she just blankly staring forward.
It was boring.
Things were dull to the point that it made her suffer.
She was supposed to be in her usual dorm room, but now that she thought of being trapped in it, it was mentally hard to accept.
At that moment.
Suddenly.
The door opened without warning.
Aria immediately turned her head with a bright smile.
There stood Deus Verdi.
However, soon after...
"Huh! The imposter."
Aria glared at him with narrowed eyes. He did resemble Professor Deus, but he was an imposter.
Someone who had skillfully disguised themselves to deceive her.
Thinking so, Aria immediately channeled her mana.
And yet, a somewhat clumsy reply came out of Deus' mouth.
"Yeah."
As if it were obvious.
"I’m not Deus."
What would follow after this was a slightly different story.
It was not the cliché tale between a student and a professor.
It was not just another story of someone who loved and was loved.
It was the time for a story between two people with a somewhat unique relationship.
The protagonist of a game who endured death repeatedly to reach a happy ending.
And a boy who continued to play the game to escape from the tragedy in his /genesisforsaken