Chapter 75 – 74 – Lies (2)

Huran City is an ancient city with a long history. The city walls, built hundreds of years ago, were low, old, and looked utterly dilapidated.

Compared to the tall, thick walls of the Free City, Huran City’s outer walls were pathetic, a testament to the power of this ‘Kingdom.’

The Free City was constantly eyed by surrounding nations, nobles, and opportunistic bandits. Like a hen that lays golden eggs, this wealthy place had to go to great lengths to protect itself. The autonomy it had barely gained was always precarious.

Compared to the Free City, which bared its sharp teeth like a stray dog, constantly on guard to protect its autonomy and wealth, Huran City was different.

It was the same kind of city, but instead of autonomy, it was guaranteed safety. Its old, low walls and peace-soaked guards were a stark contrast to the autonomous city.

‘Autonomy and safety, huh? That’s a tough question.’

Neither is right or wrong. It’s just a matter of choice. But the comparison between the Free City and Huran City was inevitable.

The Free City, like a stray dog baring its sharp teeth, constantly on guard for self-preservation, and Huran City, like a pet dog belonging to a powerful kingdom, with no need to worry about external attacks.

…Well, it’s not my problem.

Although it’s generally called a ‘Kingdom,’ there are many kingdoms in this region. And the most powerful of them all is the Falken Kingdom, to which Huran City belongs.

Although not surpassing the Empire, Falken was a powerful nation comparable to it, and had been the leader of this region for nearly a hundred years. Huran City was located relatively on the outskirts of the Falken Kingdom, but perhaps because they trusted in the kingdom’s power, even the inspections were very perfunctory.

Even though there were dozens of armed people.

“Those soldiers are missing a few screws. Such a lax inspection.”

As Cha Hyewon muttered, the soldiers’ hazy eyes as they roughly inspected and passed dozens of sturdy men with weapons were a bit concerning. Could it be that they trusted in the Falken Kingdom’s background? Or… did they trust in the Magic Tower?

“So, why did you come to Huran City?”

At Cha Hyewon’s question, I gestured with my chin towards Karsilla, who was swinging her knuckled hands in front. She still had those knuckles. Why does a kid with magical aptitude like punching things so much?

“…She’s a witch.”
“Exactly. I came here to help Karsilla make use of her aptitude. The Magic Tower is perfect for magical aptitude.”
“Hmm. I don’t know, but if you go to the Magic Tower and say you came to learn magic, will they teach you? Isn’t it usually hard to learn?”

As I stared at Cha Hyewon, who was tilting her head, she widened her eyes as if asking why. Why else? I’m trying to get some help from our Cha Hyewon. Why else would I have asked to meet her here?

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Cha Hyewon, please help me.”

I threw a direct ball right away, and she took a step back with a disgruntled expression. …Look at her. Why is she avoiding me when I’m asking for help?

“…What is it?”
“Our poor Karsilla. Please vouch for her so she can learn magic.”
“You crazy. Vouch? Are you nuts?”
“Come on, calm down. It’s not like it’s a real joint guarantee.”
“No way! A guarantee is a guarantee!”

She showed more resistance than I expected, even shaking her head. This is difficult.

“Oh, come on. Can’t you help me? With the magistrate’s guarantee, our Karsilla, who has no connections, won’t be ignored and can learn magic. Come on! Help me out.”
“Do I owe you something? Why are you so confident? I don’t know. Do it yourself.”
“Oh, come on. Is our friendship worth so little?”
“Yeah. It’s worth that little.”

Tsk. She’s not budging. What should I do?
In the first place, she’s hiding her identity as a saintess, so how easy would it be to learn magic from those high-nosed Magic Tower people? Magic is a difficult field to learn, and it’s also quite expensive. And it’s also secretive.

It’s hard to even start learning, and even if you do, it’s hard to learn properly without great talent or connections. It’s so dirty.

That’s why I was trying to use Cha Hyewon’s background as an Imperial Magistrate. …In the end, she’s the one who needs to help me.

“What do you want? Don’t you feel sorry for our kid? Look at those bright eyes. How smart she looks. Such a prodigy just swinging her fists around, how can I not be worried? It’s not like we don’t know her aptitude. It’s a guaranteed talent, can’t you invest a little?”
“No.”
“Oh, why! Just help me!”
“Haa.”

Suddenly, Cha Hyewon sighed and slowed her pace. I naturally slowed down to match her pace, and we ended up at the back of the group, slightly separated from the others.

“Why are you so desperate? She’s not really your daughter. …She’s not really your daughter, is she?”
“Would I have a daughter that big? Think before you speak.”
“The way you act, it wouldn’t be strange if you did, you womanizer.”

Ahem. What did I do in front of Cha Hyewon…? At most, I was doing a butt dance to seduce Lilis and rolling around naked with our Diana. …That’s a lot.

“Does she have to be my biological daughter to be my daughter? She’s a daughter of the heart.”
“…Are you serious? You really feel like she’s your daughter?”
“Not exactly my daughter, but I feel precious about her. Why?”

Cha Hyewon, who was observing me with a strange expression, let out a sigh. After scratching her head and staring blankly into the air, she finally spoke after a while.

“You know, do the people around here feel like real people to you?”

The people around here.
As befitting Huran City, which was an old but relatively bustling city, the streets were filled with people. People bumping shoulders as they passed by on the narrow streets, people selling goods at stalls, people haggling and buying goods, people passing by in fancy clothes, people running with expressions of hardship, and children running around with bright smiles.

So many people were living their own lives. They were just NPCs, but they were all living their own lives. Do all these people feel like real people?

“…No. Not really.”
“That’s a relief. Then why the hell…”
“But it’s not like they just look like NPCs either.”
“…Then what are they?”
“I don’t know. They’re not enough to be considered people, but they’re too awkward to see as just NPCs.”
“You… you’ve really assimilated here, haven’t you?”

Assimilated?
Maybe. I’ve spent 16 long years here, how could I not be influenced by this place? If they were just beings repeating the same actions as programmed, I wouldn’t be in this dilemma. But they all move according to their own thoughts, values, interests, and feelings. Can such beings be seen as mere NPCs?

“Snap out of it, you idiot. They’re just NPCs. Don’t get emotionally attached. Don’t think too deeply. Just think about using them according to your needs and value.”

A cold tone. Is this Cha Hyewon’s way of adapting to this world?
If I chose to assimilate into this world, Cha Hyewon chose to completely separate herself. She separated them as separate beings called NPCs and chose not to get involved as much as possible.

“Your group. The saintess, the knight, and that little witch. I won’t say anything about getting attached to them. 16 years… yeah, I guess that’s possible. But don’t go too far. Draw a clear line, and distinguish the NPCs. How are you going to get out of here with that soft brain of yours? This world… isn’t the goal to defeat the Demon King? Let’s just focus on that goal. Okay?”
“Do you… want to go back to reality?”
“Of course. Isn’t that obvious? Do you like this backward world? I don’t. I still have things I want to do, things I have to do… and my family is waiting for me. I’m going to escape no matter what. So, you need to get your act together too. Got it?”

I looked at Cha Hyewon’s face as she spoke in a firm tone. Her eyes were firm and unwavering.
Reality… reality, huh? Who would welcome me if I went back to reality? It’s been 16 years, what would have happened to my body?

Would it have already been buried in the ground or burned? Or would it have been declared missing and dead? Or would it be lying in a hospital in a vegetative state? …Or maybe all of this is just my delusion or a brain-in-a-vat scenario.

That’s why… after 16 years of intense contemplation, I decided to be faithful to my current life. What if all of this is my delusion or a brain-in-a-vat scenario? What could I do even if I found out? No, is there even a way to find out? No.

There’s no guarantee that all of this is reality, and there’s no guarantee that it’s not reality. I’ve been thinking, thinking, and thinking for over 10 years… I’ve been thinking so hard that my head was about to break. I don’t know. I still don’t know at all. Whether this world is real or fake.

So, I’ve concluded that it’s better to focus on the present. Let’s throw away the worries that we can’t know anyway, the worries that only make our heads hurt… and let’s focus on the present.

“Do you think you can go back to reality?”
“What? That’s why I’m saying let’s find a way together…”
“What’s the guarantee that this is reality? What’s the guarantee that it’s not reality? All of this could be your delusion, or it might not be. There’s nothing certain. Us, the players? Maybe we’re all collectively crazy? Or maybe one of us is just lying and going along with it.”
“Stop talking nonsense. And get a grip.”
“Nonsense? I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine. Look at this world. All of this, so beautiful yet ugly, so vivid yet unreal… who can judge whether it’s real or fake? If you think it’s real, it’s as good as real, and if you think it’s fake, everything is as good as fake, isn’t it?”

Looking at Cha Hyewon’s pale face, I suddenly felt cheerful. She makes that kind of face too? But why does she look so scared? What’s so scary?

Ah. I see. Facing the cold reality is hard. It’s hard indeed.
I also realized after 10 years of intense contemplation and agony. Facing the cold reality is very difficult. But what can I do? I have to let this poor child know the reality too.

“Hey. Sharpen your reason, and think about it. Do you think you can go back to reality? If you do? Who knows what state your body will be in. In the worst case, you’d be dead, or even if you were alive, you’d just be a vegetable. Ah, this is just a negative outcome… if we think positively… yeah, maybe time has stopped. So?”
“…You.”
“Shh. I’m not done yet. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, you know? Really… I’ve been thinking about it for a really long time. So much that my head felt like it was going to break. So do you know what conclusion I came to?”

I smiled at Cha Hyewon, who was looking at me with a pale face. Geez, why is she so scared? I wish she’d find some stability looking at this handsome face.

“I wouldn’t normally tell you this easily, but you know, the conclusion I came to after thinking so hard that my head was about to break is that such thoughts are useless. Go back? I don’t know. I think it’s better to focus on the present than on such illusions. So, you… you should try to blend into this world more.”
“You… you’re crazy. You, you’re crazy.”