Chapter 131 

It had been a week since the smartphone had fallen into Alexa’s hands. That was how long it had taken her to read through the entire diary stored inside. Now, the smartphone, still warm from use, lay with a soft thud on her thigh.

“Ugh… I finished it.”

Alexa exhaled languidly and sprawled back on the sofa. The table before her was a mess of papers covered with notes she’d taken while reading. Ink stains here and there, and a few scattered quills showed just how immersed she had been.

She blinked slowly. Now that she had finished reading the diary, it felt like all the tangled misunderstandings surrounding Alexandria, Dephensores, and Temperchi had finally unraveled.

Over time, those misunderstandings had only piled up and been distorted beyond recognition. Alexandria, once Han Yu-hee, and now Alexa, had shared a deep friendship with the Dephensores.

Alexandria and Dephensores were comrades-in-arms who had trusted one another enough to literally watch each other’s backs on the battlefield. That was why Dephensores had asked Alexandria to craft the Oath Seal. He truly believed that she would never do anything to harm Thersion.

And Alexandria had intended exactly that. Just as Brillia had said, she had created the Oath Seal to benefit Thersion. That was why the protective barrier for Temperchi had been limited to the imperial capital.

But contrary to what Dephensores knew, and what the world had come to believe, Alexandria had not killed Dephensores out of love for Temperchi. In fact, it had been Temperchi, the recipient of the Oath Seal, who first chose to betray his liege. Upon discovering this, Alexandria had tried to stop him.

Dephensores had always harbored a strong hostility toward humans. It was Alexandria who had acted as a bridge between the wolf god and the knights. She had hoped this incident wouldn’t deepen Dephensores’ prejudice any further.

That’s why she had secretly met with Temperchi to talk him down, without Dephensores knowing. She hadn’t even considered how those secret meetings might look to others.

“People are the same wherever you go, huh.”

Alexa muttered under her breath. Why did she suddenly think of that senior who once ran off with all the money?

She clicked her tongue. In the past, Alexandria had failed to persuade Temperchi. In the end, he had rallied the knights loyal to him and plotted to kill Dephensores. Alexandria had tried to stop him, but instead, she had become the one branded a murderer. She hadn’t stabbed Dephensores with a sword – she had thrown herself in front of it.

She had known that even if she died, she would return to the real world. So she had tried to stop the conflict between the two war deities with her death. The diary ended there.

[Today, I’ve decided to die for my friends. I have no regrets. I’ve learned and experienced so much here. I know I’ll do well when I return to my world. I’ll leave what comes next to my friends and go back. I hope Dephensores, Lunailliah, and Temperchi won’t grieve too much. That’s all I want.]

The next entry was a message Alexandria had written to Alexa. So, how exactly Alexandria had come to be misunderstood remained unclear. The only certainty was that the true traitor, the one who betrayed everyone, was Temperchi.

To confirm what she had discovered… Alexa shot up from her seat.

“I have to see Lunailliah.”

* * *

“This is so cramped. Seriously, it’s way too cramped.”

Terrun muttered as he wriggled his shoulders. He, Ysildus, and Jeremiah had insisted on accompanying Alexa to meet Lunailliah. None of the three had been willing to back down. And they’d refused to budge on one more thing on who got to sit next to Alexa.

In the end, Alexa made the wisest choice: she sat alone and made the other three squeeze together. In order, Terrun, Ysildus, then Jeremiah. Watching the three burly men squashed together made Alexa burst into laughter. Terrun groaned again.

“Ugh, seriously, it’s so tight in here!”

He looked at Alexa with pleading eyes, as if begging her to rescue him and only him. But Alexa firmly shook her head. 

Not only did she have no intention of doing that, but she also knew all too well that if she gave Terrun special treatment, she’d be the one who’d suffer the consequences. Ysildus folded his arms and chuckled softly.

“Do you really think this was the best solution?”

“Yeah. I think it’s the smartest choice.”

“Even if I’m this uncomfortable?”

With clear intent, Ysildus reached out toward her. Alexa’s cheeks flushed faintly from the gesture, but it had already been a week. She had built some immunity by now.

“Wh-what do you think you’re doing!!”

Nope. Not fully immune yet. Alexa quickly covered her face with her palm and turned toward the window. She couldn’t let herself fall under Ysildus’s spell.

“Alexa, what if we let the wolves sit together and let us humans sit together instead?”

Jeremiah asked with a gentle smile. His face looked utterly harmless, but the goal was the same as the others. Which left Alexa with only one option. She politely tapped on the partition wall to the driver’s seat.

“Please go faster. I’m begging you!”

“Yes, Lady!”

The sound of horse hooves grew livelier. Alexa shrugged as if to say, Problem solved, and closed her eyes. A clear declaration that she wouldn’t entertain any more nonsense. 

She succeeded in spending the rest of the trip in peace, alone in her seat. By the time they arrived at Lunailliah’s residence, Alexa stepped down from the carriage looking refreshed.

Tenail, who had been watching them arrive, came out to meet them just as before.

“You again, huh.”

He spoke curtly as he let them in.

“And this time you’ve brought along Temperchi’s whole bloodline.”

Muttering that this is why I shouldn’t have opened the door in the first place, Tenail called loudly into the house.

“Mother! Mother!”

“I’m coming, just a minute!”

Lunailliah descended the stairs in her usual fashion.

“It’s been a while. I knew you’d come back.”

She greeted them with a bright smile.

“There are things I want to say… and things I want to hear from you, Lady Lunailliah.”

“I see. I understand.”

Alexa turned to the three who had followed her.

“How about heading outside to chop some firewood? I’d like to speak with her alone.”

“Hmph.”

Ysildus looked between Alexa and Lunailliah, then nodded. Taking her hand, he unexpectedly pressed a kiss to the back of it.

“If anything happens, shout. I’ll come running, Alexa.”

“Promise.”

“I didn’t agree to go outside!”

“Disobedient puppies need to be punished, you know?”

Ysildus wrapped an arm around Terrun’s neck and dragged him away. Jeremiah gave the house a reluctant look before following after them with a sigh. The brief chaos faded, and Alexa composed her expression. 

It was time to go beyond the previous conversation. Time to uncover the truth behind the world they had created.

“Lady Lunailliah. You once told me about the traitor… and that it wasn’t time to talk about it yet.”

“I remember.”

Alexa took a deep breath, closed her eyes tightly, and then opened them.

“I think I’m ready now, Luna.”

She reached out a hand to her.

“The past me, Han Yu-hee, asked me to say hello to you.”

Lunailliah’s pupils widened. The calm mask she had been wearing faltered.

“…What did you just say…?”

“Your friend is doing well. Do you remember Han Yu-hee?”

“…How could I forget? But how do you know that name…?”

“Because I’m Han Yu-hee. I don’t remember everything about my past, but… I was here a long time ago, Luna.”

The teaspoon fell from Lunailliah’s hand. Her pale, wide eyes were fixed entirely on Alexa. Her trembling lips moved.

“…Alexandria.”

“You once said I was a child who became the protagonist of this world by mistake… because of a reaper’s error. Maybe you were right. Luna, we created this world together.”

Tears welled up in Lunailliah’s eyes. Memories of the past began unfolding before her like a panorama: glorious days when Dephensores, Alexandria, and Temperchi had always been together.

Among them, Alexandria had always been warmer and stronger than anyone. Without her, they would never have built the Empire of Temperchi. Though it was Dephensores who quelled the chaos of the world, it was Alexandria who led them and laid the foundation of a nation. Until Temperchi’s betrayal, they had always stood side by side.

“I want to hear about that day, Luna.”

“…That day…”

Luna swallowed hard.

“Yu-hee… That day, we lost everything… including you.”

And just like that, she was pulled into the memory. Her heart echoed like a drum in her chest, not a heartbeat but a thunderous beat. Once again, Lunailliah stood on the day of fate, drenched in red blood.