Chapter 298: Let Go

“By the way, you had good grades and went to a decent school. Why did you end up at a company like this?”

`[Because my major was useless. Coincidentally, I played a lot of games and even made a demo with a club. Honestly, it was out of necessity.]`

“Hahaha, that’s the reason for most people entering this industry! Look, that copywriter girl over there studied medicine, and the operations guy was warehouse management before this.”

`[What about you? Why are you leaving so soon? Really dumping this mess on me.]`

“Isn’t this great? Lead planner for a new project! Lots of people would kill for that.”

`[I’ve only been here two years. If I mess this up, won’t I be blacklisted from the whole industry?]`

“Hmm… how about this? Do you believe the worlds in the novels, comics, and games you’ve seen or played are ‘real’?”

`[No. They’re just collections of text, data, images. Maybe with a few boss directives thrown in.]`

“After only two years, you’ve lost all your dreams?”

“Oh, I don’t mean idealism or theology. Anyway, could the worlds we create, the stories we write, the fiction we enjoy, actually be happening somewhere?”

`[Sounds like philosophy. Are you going to ask… if we’re living in a story too?]`

“You really are a science major. Can’t you be a little romantic?”

`[Sorry, no. Romance affects my calculations.]`

“How did you become so coldly serious, yet always spout nonsense?”

`[But I’m a little interested. Go on.]`

“Instead of whether our world is a story… I mean, how about this belief: that world exists because of imagination, belief, and emotion?”

`[So, what does that have to do with you leaving?]`

“I entered this field because I wanted to try creating a ‘real,’ ‘living’ world and story with my own hands.”

`[…Alright. I get it. The new project—the original author, the boss here, our boss—it’s all… pretty disgusting.]`

“Right? Anyway, I know you want to do well, but take care of yourself. You’ve been leaving the office at 1 AM for a month now, right?”

`[I get at least five hours of sleep. I measure my blood pressure and heart rate every morning. There are signs of fatigue, but nothing major. I can last until launch.]`

“You need to understand, sometimes it’s not your body that breaks down, but the mental stress.”

`[On my one day off, I sleep all day and don’t take calls.]`

“Okay, okay. But hey, like they said, no need to push yourself so hard.”

`[Maybe… even if I don’t like the work, in some ways, I do believe the things we create are ‘alive’.]`

……

…………

That was…

A memory of his previous life, something he hadn’t recalled before?

Much of his past life, especially the mundane parts, was hard to remember. Perhaps because he’d focused so hard on “strengthening” his memory of the original work to survive as a cannon fodder, his daily life memories faded.

In the blink of an eye, Will looked at the empty bowl in his hands, savoring the rare feeling of fullness. He’d finished.

His hands were unbound. Watching the light outside dim, he knew a long time had passed. So, he’d drunk the cooled porridge. He endured the throbbing pain—he hadn’t cast healing magic on himself, though he could have. He wanted to preserve the “pain,” as a form of respect for Eir’s actions, and the twisted love she’d given.

He didn’t try to open the door either. Even chained, it wouldn’t have been hard to blast open. But he… just didn’t care. Being raised by a yandere maid wasn’t so bad. So what if he lost a few fingers or limbs? In an era with effective painkillers and healing magic, it wasn’t terrifying.

Maybe a little pain would even bring out Eir’s happy smile.

He sat there, sinking into the chair. It was strange, though. Eir said she’d prepare to “cut fingers”—that should only require a chopping board and knife, right? He could even provide the healing magic himself, making it a self-performed amputation.

But… she hadn’t come back.

Will looked at his wrist, where he usually wore a watch. He always needed to keep track of time, so he wore a surprisingly accurate mechanical watch, even if it didn’t fit his Young Master persona. But his wrist was bare.

Since when? Probably Treya took it when she trapped him in the dreamscape, to prevent him from noticing the passage of time.

…

So he didn’t know the hour. He could only guess from the darkening sky, the increasingly blurred view of his fingers, and the encroaching darkness around him. Night had fallen—though winter nights came early.

He remembered hating twilight the most. That hazy edge between light and dark, never plunging you into blackness instantly. Instead, it crept in—the temperature dropping, the world turning black, streetlights flickering on…

Right. In his past life, he could just turn on a light.

He stared at his fingers. Now, whether his eyes were open or closed made little difference.

But here…

There wasn wasn’t even a light…

Click.

A flicker of light. Not a candle. Just bare flame magic on a fingertip. The first lesson in fire magic at Entark First Academy.

Eir…?

No. He hadn’t heard footsteps. No chain rattling. No door opening.

How could someone cast magic in a locked room?!

“Shhh—oh, you didn’t cry out. I thought you’d be surprised, maybe cry from relief, hug me, and sob.”

Behind the flame, one hand behind her back, stood…

Her long black hair, touched by the firelight, seemed to melt into the darkness. Her features, sharp and striking, were etched in firelight. And her black eyes… reflected the flame like setting suns, fixed on him.

Shuna.

He recognized her instantly. Even in the weak light, she was unmistakable.

“You…”

He started, but she cut him off.

“How did I know you were here? How did I get in without a sound? Why am I here? The reasons are complicated. Answer the middle one first—I’ll need it later.” She seemed happier seeing him than he was being rescued, chattering excitedly.

Will just watched her, illuminated by the tiny flame.

“Basically, this new weapon I got—you could say you gave it to me. It’s shapeless, a dagger normally, but it can change form freely, like those shadow guards in Dungeon 10.” Shuna spun the dagger, grinning. In the space of ten seconds, it shifted: slingshot, long blade, mini-handgun.

“Maybe because of its shadow nature, I can use it to ‘phase’ through anything covered in shadow. Thin walls? No problem. Good thing it’s night—plenty of shadows.”

“I see…” He sighed.

Right. Shuna was the “protagonist.” No matter the situation, she always escaped unscathed, always got the best rewards, always surged ahead.

“About Eir. The Hysterm estate is under some sort of barrier. The temperature and humidity are all wrong.”

“I got in thanks to the Rimefrost Phalanx stuff you showed me. Helped me figure out how to slip past.”

“But she’d notice an intruder. To trick her, I tore up my outer coat—the one with my scent—and scattered it in the forest. She won’t guess the phasing trick. Didn’t want another fight. Saved it for later.”

Optimistic. Fearless. Ready for anything.

“So, like you said, let’s escape, regroup, and then teach them all a lesson!” She reached for his hand. Just like at the palace gates, ready to lead him away.

She expected him to be eager to go.

“Oh, right, almost forgot. That stone you were researching? I got new leads! Out of here, we ditch them, and there’s cool stuff waiting for us in the dungeons!”

“Come on. I know a great place to hide out.”

“Hey, Dungeon 0’s floor Treya trapped me on? Super interesting stuff. I’ll tell you all about it once we’re out—”

…

She kept talking, planning their escape.

But Will had changed in the past two weeks.

“Wait… Will… are you… alright?” Shuna’s hand tightened. Will’s hand felt limp—heavy, like a doll’s.

“Let go.”

“…What?”

“Following you… there’s no point anymore.”

“What are you saying?” Shuna’s hand trembled.

“I… give up. Being kept here… it’s fine.”

—