[Chapter 223]
[Miracle (7)]
Through Twenty-five, they could quickly figure out which dungeon Precise Memory had entered.
Eun-ha stepped into the red dungeon as soon as he formed the party.
At that moment, the world turned pure white.
"This is..."
"It's similar to when Eun-ah unnie activated
A white world.
Eun-ha, Jin Seo-na, and other clan members weren't flustered by the phenomenon occurring.
They had experienced
"It seems something has happened, so let's quickly go inside."
Eun-ha led the clan members.
Jin Seo-na, Noh Eun-ah, Bae Su-bin, Kang Si-hyeong, and Im Baek-yeon followed behind him.
It was then.
Eun-ha stopped walking.
I can see someone else's memories.
Whose memories are these?
Someone's memories were flowing into the clan members' minds.
They glanced at the memories passing through their minds.
Are these
There was a young girl.
The girl trapped in an iron cage wished for people not to die.
The girl's wish was granted, and in return, she grew into an adult.
"It looks like medieval Europe... Then are these memories from around the 16th century when witch hunts were prevalent? Doesn't that mean she's lived for hundreds of years?" "It seems
Bae Su-bin, Kang Si-hyeong.
The two commented after glimpsing the memories.
It was quite shocking that Precise Memory had really lived for hundreds of years as rumored.
But if she had wished on
People understood.
The important thing was finding Precise Memory who would be somewhere in this world.
"Something must be happening to
Jin Seo-na summarized the situation.
The clan members agreed.
They stepped forward again.
""""...."""
Step by step.
With each step deeper into the world, Precise Memory's memories kept flooding in.
Memories of running away from witch hunts, suffering because of the wish she made, and eventually wandering the world alone.
They felt as if they had directly experienced her memories.
The pace of their steps slowed.
Still, they moved forward, passing through the painful memories.
And finally─
"─Found them."
Eun-ha was able to find Precise Memory and the witch.
They were a bit late.
She had been stabbed by the spear.
Eun-ha finally understood the situation.
It seemed the spear had pierced her heart and activated
No, it's not activating.
It's collapsing.
Precise Memory is dying.
Eun-ha could tell that spear was a spear that would lead Precise Memory to death.
Then there was no hesitation in his actions.
He kicked off the ground.
Rain Step
He shortened the remaining distance with Rain Step.
The witch was focused on stabbing the spear into Precise Memory and wasn't paying attention to her surroundings.
Eun-ha took advantage of that gap and infused power into the Dawn Sword.
Dawn Sword
No matter what that spear is.
It can't overcome the Dawn Sword's power.
The Dawn Sword broke the spear shaft.
As the spear lost its function as a spear, the cause was destroyed.
Accordingly, her death as a result was also destroyed as if it never happened.
"Who decides to die on their own?"
Without his permission.
He won't let anyone die.
Eun-ha spoke while glaring at the witch, standing with his back to Precise Memory.
☆
"...A power that destroys results."
A witch who looked similar to
The witch muttered unpleasantly when the spear in her hand was destroyed.
Yet she confirmed Eun-ha's power.
The witch frowned.
Meanwhile, the clan members gathered around Eun-ha.
"It seems you've made like-minded companions."
The witch widened the distance.
Then she looked at Precise Memory who had collapsed on the floor under the clan members' protection.
But Precise Memory's gaze was directed at Eun-ha, not her.
"Pandora Clan Lord, what is this..."
"I followed because there was something bothering me. But it seems I did well to follow. With your skills, Witch, you could have fought to stop that witch, but seeing that you didn't, you were trying to die, right?"
"..."
Precise Memory didn't answer.
Her silence was the answer.
The clan members knew that.
"I glimpsed your memories on the way here, Witch. I can understand why you might want to die."
"Then why did you stop it?"
The witch interjected then.
The witch manifested her internal mana.
Eun-ha and the clan members took stances to respond to the witch's attack.
On the other hand, the witch's question was also Precise Memory's question who was being protected by them.
"Why did you save me?"
Precise Memory couldn't understand Eun-ha's actions either.
If he had glimpsed her memories, he should understand her feelings, so she wondered why he didn't let her die.
To this, Eun-ha answered─
"─Because we still need you, Witch. We're about to create a new world, so how can you try to leave when you need to work hard?"
"..." "Well, that's not the only reason."
He said with a chuckle.
It was an extremely selfish answer.
Precise Memory was at a loss for words and just waited for Eun-ha to speak his next words.
"I don't like you dying to end your unhappy life."
"What?"
"Were you really only unhappy?"
"..."
"Were there no happy times?"
"...There probably were."
"Then what about now?"
"..."
"Aren't you happy? Do you have no regrets?"
Precise Memory couldn't answer.
Am I happy now?
She didn't know what happiness was, but if enjoying and having fun every day counted, then she was.
Do I have no regrets?
No, she had many regrets left.
"Then why are you trying to die?"
"..."
"People should die when they have no regrets, not when they have regrets. And it's not even you directly taking your own life." "But Pandora Clan Lord. As you know, I..."
"Yes, I know well since I saw your memories. You don't die, Witch. But an opportunity to die came up, so you tried to die."
"Yes, that's right. Knowing that..."
"But I don't want to send you off like this."
A selfish and arbitrary answer.
There was no logic at all in his words.
Nevertheless, Precise Memory was shaken by his words saying he didn't want her to die.
"I'd like you to live with us, enjoy the same time period, and then die."
"But that's impossible."
"Might it not be something that may or may not be possible? Even Lee Yu-jeong's eyes were close to impossible. Also, looking at that spear just now, there must be a way for you to die."
"..."
"So don't try to die like this, let's find that method together with us."
For Eun-ha, Precise Memory was now within his fence.
So he didn't want her to die like this.
Even if she wanted it, Eun-ha had no intention of letting it be.
Moreover, it seems
On the other hand, Eun-ha discerned.
The fact that Precise Memory was listening to his words without getting angry could be evidence.
She had lingering attachments.
She had reasons for not wanting to die.
If so, he didn't want to let her die even more.
"That's right, PM unnie."
"Baek-yeon..."
"I want unnie to live with me for a long, long time without dying."
"..."
"And how can you try to die after skipping today's lesson? You should finish your work before you go. If you disappear, who will I learn from? You have to stay with me forever."
Others felt the same way.
Especially Im Baek-yeon.
Im Baek-yeon tightly hugged Precise Memory's arm.
Precise Memory's eyes trembled.
"You have reasons to live, don't you? Then you should live, how can you give up?" "Can I... really die?"
"I don't know. But I don't think dying like this is right. If you're going to do that, you might as well take care of us for life."
"That's... a bit unpleasant."
"Yu-seong will miss you a lot if you leave, you know?"
"...That might be true. Then I'd feel sorry towards Yu-seong."
A conversation that seemed like exchanging jokes.
Her expression softened.
The reasons for living weren't anything special.
Nevertheless, she recalled them and no longer wanted to die like this.
"So why don't you just get lost. This person will live with us."
Now Eun-ha spoke firmly.
Once Precise Memory expressed she didn't want to die, there was no reason for him to hesitate anymore.
He even drew out the Twilight Sword.
If the witch wouldn't back down, he intended to kill her outright.
"So. Is that really your wish?"
Meanwhile, the witch maintained an unperturbed face despite Eun-ha's pressure.
The witch asked.
It wasn't a displeased voice.
Rather, it was a soothing tone.
To this, Precise Memory stood up and answered her.
"...Yes, I want to live."
"..."
"I understand your feelings of wanting to kill me, unnie, but I still want to live. I don't want to die yet."
"...I see."
Precise Memory stepped forward.
It could be seen as an expression of will that she must be the one to face the witch.
Eun-ha let her step forward while closely observing the witch's situation.
It was right then.
"Then there's no choice."
The witch spread her hands.
The broken spear turned into mana particles and gathered in the space she was waving.
And the spear was recreated.
[Eun-ha.]
[I know. Tell Si-hyeong to cast a protection spell the moment that person attacks.]
A spear with an extremely alien power.
They had to be especially careful since they didn't know exactly what power the spear possessed.
Eun-ha tried to prepare for the worst case scenario while inwardly conversing with Jin Seo-na.
But there was no need for that.
"If you won't die, then I'll die alone."
""""...!!""""
Contrary to people's expectations.
The witch stabbed herself with the spear.
☆
The witch is dying.
Her body was disappearing, turning into mana particles.
Precise Memory couldn't string words together at the suddenly occurring situation.
"I told you from the start this is what I'd do."
The witch smiled faintly.
She moved her steps with difficulty.
She approaches Precise Memory.
The witch reached out her hand and caressed her face.
"I don't know what misunderstanding you have, but I don't resent you. Neither do the others besides me." "..."
"At first, I resented you a lot. But you wished like that to save us back then, didn't you?"
"No, it was my fault. If only I hadn't wished like that back then..."
"No, you did nothing wrong."
The witch's body gradually becomes younger, returning to the appearance of a 10-year-old girl.
Then she collapses on the floor.
Precise Memory bent her knees to meet her eyes and held her hand.
"When you suddenly left one day, we thought a lot too. Then we started to question why we had to hate you." "..."
"You did nothing wrong. What's wrong is this world. When we thought that, we didn't want to submit to this world. We really wanted to end this life. So we searched for a way to die, and finally found it."
"Is that... this spear?"
"No."
The witch denied it with a bitter smile.
She shook her head with difficulty, took a moment to steady her breath, and opened her mouth.
The words that came out of her mouth were just a rather empty answer.
"Unlike you, our lives weren't actually infinite. There's an end. We'll die someday." "Ah..."
"Thinking about it, it's too obvious. We weren't the direct objects of the world's will's power. And the price for making over twenty people immortal couldn't be covered by you alone. It would differ by individual, but we were going to die someday."
"Then why..."
Did you make this spear?
Why did you try to kill me when you don't even hate me?
Precise Memory couldn't voice the words that came to mind.
Because the witch's words were shocking.
But the witch seemed to notice what words she couldn't continue.
She reached out her semi-transparent hand.
"How could I die leaving only you behind? I'm your older sister."
"..."
"We at least lived together, so even if we got hurt, we could comfort each other. But you were alone for hundreds of years. You must have been very lonely, tired, and wanted to die." "..."
"So we made this to fulfill your wish, to kill you."
Only for your death.
To release you from the shackles of eternity binding you.
To not make you lonely.
That was the wish of me who had you as a little sister and the villagers who thought of you as a compatriot until they died.
The witch poured out her true feelings.
"I didn't know that..."
"Yes, you fool."
The witch hit Precise Memory's forehead with her fist that still had some form left.
Then tears flowed down her cheeks.
The witch wiped those tears.
Although her appearance was only 10 years old, her manner of soothing her was adult-like.
"But I'm glad. To think you would... come to think you don't want to die. It seems I don't need to worry. Because there are many people who like you."
Seeing Precise Memory's death.
The witch intended to die in peace.
But now she was satisfied with this.
The witch hugged Precise Memory and stroked her back.
"I hope you live happily and die. That's my last wish."
"Unnie..."
Precise Memory cried loudly.
The witch shrugged her shoulders with a helpless smile.
Tears were also forming in her eyes.
Soon her tears fell too.
"You there."
"Yes."
Then the witch pointed at Eun-ha.
Eun-ha's attitude became respectful.
He had grasped the situation unfolding and knew the witch was Precise Memory's older sister.
"I hope you don't use my little sister needlessly or make her live a hard life. Please."
"...I'll do that."
The witch warned as if admonishing.
Eun-ha nodded.
Then the witch pointed at the spear stuck in her chest.
"After I die, take this. You said you'd let her die, right? You might find some answers if you research with this spear."
"...Yes, I'll gratefully accept it."
"I hope there will be good results."
Not much time was left now.
The witch's body had almost disappeared.
She gave a bitter smile.
"It's regrettable to part like this. There's so much I haven't said. Let's talk about that after we die." "...Are you going?" "I have to go now."
"I'll definitely come too. I'll definitely come and apologize to the unnies waiting there."
"What apology? Just prepare one big bundle of stories and come. Let's just chat and play for thousands of years then."
"Okay."
The witch annihilates.
Mana particles scatter.
The pure white world fades.
"I pray for ───'s happiness."
"Goodbye, unnie."
That day, Precise Memory gained a new wish.
It was a reason to live.
☆
White world.
Noh Eun-ah was entranced by the world where
Ah...
She too could glimpse Precise Memory's memories.
But she could also glimpse someone else's memories.
'─If there's not enough price, take mine! Isn't that okay?'
There was a young girl.
The girl with her hair tied in a single braid was defending a woman sitting on the floor hugging a man.
Eun-ha and Yu-jeong?
The man and woman closely resembled them.
No, it was definitely them.
Noh Eun-ah focused on the memory appearing at the moment the white world was ending.
'Didn't they say I paid too much price? I think if that's supplemented it should be enough, isn't it impossible? Take my price too.'
By then, she could identify the young girl shouting at the white world.
It was herself.
Noh Eun-ah, looking about 10 years old.
Noh Eun-ah was perplexed seeing her younger self.
I don't have such a memory?
What kind of memory is this?
It's an unknown memory.
A memory that doesn't exist in this world.
Eventually, she realized.
This is a memory from the previous life, not this life.
To think this world is the second world.
Noh Eun-ah didn't question it.
Memories were slowly surfacing.
In the previous life, she and Lee Yu-jeong had wished together on
In my previous life... I wished for Eun-ha to live well while becoming part of the world's will.
Noh Eun-ah finally noticed the secret Noh Eun-ha had been trying to hide all this time.
Although it was just a fragment.
She could understand many things from the previous world's memories.
Including what price she had paid to make Eun-ha regress.
'Therefore, we propose. In exchange for maintaining his memories in the world he regresses to, we will take the price we couldn't receive from you who exist in that world.'
In the previous life.
She activated
But the world's will took too much price from her.
What the world's will took wasn't just her life.
It almost erased her existence from Eun-ha's memories.
'Noh Eun-ah, the price we will take from you in the next world is great.'
The world is made up of equivalent exchange.
So the world's will granted Lee Yu-jeong's wish to the extent of the price it took from her.
But the price of regression was considerable.
Regression that turns back the entire world.
It was too much for two people to bear.
So the world's will decided to take additional price from Lee Yu-jeong and her in the next world.
That's why Lee Yu-jeong lost her sight.
And for herself─
'─32 years. You will annihilate when you reach the age Noh Eun-ha died. Is that still alright?'
'That's fine.'
'Your very existence will annihilate. Just as Noh Eun-ha couldn't remember you, the world won't remember you.'
The price she had to pay was the annihilation of her existence.
Noh Eun-ah before regression had erased her existence from the world.
As a result of paying too much price, causality became twisted.
So the world's will decided to grant her wish additionally to correct the twisted causality from before regression.
It decided to make Noh Eun-ha regress to make the result of her existence annihilating normal.
Thus the world regressed.
'We give you 32 years of existence power.
32 years is not an exact time.
We will execute the result when you use up all the given power.'
On the other hand, in the life after regression.
Noh Eun-ah's fate was destined to die to the Kraken like before regression.
While it was just a coincidence before regression, it was determined after regression.
In the world's will's thinking, Noh Eun-ah had to fix causality by dying activating
But that didn't happen.
Noh Eun-ah didn't use
So that's why... I could exist until now.
After that, many times.
Noh Eun-ah overcame one fate and faced several crises.
Each time, she didn't fully activate
That's why she could live.
Then she ended up fully activating
The
"I see..."
Standing in the world returning to normal.
Noh Eun-ah looked at her hand.
Her hand was repeatedly becoming transparent and semi-transparent.
She finally noticed the change occurring to her body.
I'm about to disappear now.
There's not much time left.
Noh Eun-ah smiled a lonely smile.