Chapter 124
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Chapter 124 "Excuse me."
I called out to them, but they didn't respond—not even a twitch, as if my voice hadn't reached them. Once I illuminated the surroundings with the torch, I noticed one wall was completely covered with crimson Tentationem flowers. Had those been there before? The darkness had prevented me from examining the walls until now. -Are you alright? The Silver-haired Woman asked Yuanna, who nodded weakly with flushed cheeks. She appeared to be intoxicated by the Tentationem. The Silver-haired Woman showed no reaction whatsoever, which suggested she might be immune to it. -I'm sorry, but those flowers are Jenath's creation, so I can't remove them. But where's the key? At the Silver-haired Woman's words, I gazed at the crimson flowers once more. Jenath had likely planted the Tentationem here to prevent easy access to those two doors. Yuanna withdrew a key from her pocket and displayed it. It was the same shape as the one we had been shown at the Southern Island Cottage. Yuanna turned to the Silver-haired Woman and asked. -You really will save everyone, won't you? Her words puzzled me. Save everyone? But no one among us had died yet, had they? At her question, the Silver-haired Woman asked with a bewildered expression. -Everyone? Weren't you on bad terms with Flone Young Lady? She treated you like a servant. She even tried to kill you. I saw it all. She was likely Anata. That phrase "I saw it all" might mean she had witnessed it through the Monster's eyes, just as Jenath had. Moreover, servant treatment and an attempt on Yuanna's life—this was content from the novel "More Important Than Survival."
Yuanna smiled bitterly and lowered her gaze as if reminiscing about the past. -It was Margaret who disliked me. I actually liked Margaret quite a bit. -Why would you like someone who hates you? Are you a pervert? -I suppose so. It feels like a complicated mix of love and hate. Yet her eyes remained unwavering. There was no falsehood in the words she spoke. I could see her eyelashes trembling slightly. -I thought all nobles were two-faced and hypocritical. But Margaret was honest about her desires. Her front and back matched perfectly. That's what I liked about her. She quickly offered a cunning smile. With the Tentationem intoxication flushing her cheeks, her expression appeared remarkably enchanting. Strangely, Yuanna's evaluation of Margaret was excessively generous. The Silver-haired Woman, Anata, seemed to share my thoughts and asked Yuanna. -You're quite magnanimous for someone I expected otherwise? -Me? -It's surprising that you don't hate someone who tried to kill you for such a reason. -Well, I simply think Margaret is slightly better than those cowardly bastards who stab you in the back. Yuanna added her words with a somewhat bitter expression. -If I return to the past, I won't let Margaret or anyone else die so meaninglessly. The Silver-haired Woman, who had been listening quietly, nodded as if respecting her words. -Yes. Do that. That's why I'm helping you. -.... -In that regard, let's talk about Margaret's soul, which vanished Beyond Dimension. Only Jenath can open the Dimensional Gate. And it's not something he can open just like that—it's only possible after The Experiment concludes and the magical power of the dead is gathered. It's not a gate that opens with just one or two people's power. Was the purpose of The Experiment to gather magical power and open the Dimensional Gate? I couldn't hide my shock at Anata's startling revelation. Wait, but what does it mean that Margaret's soul vanished Beyond Dimension? -I'm not sure how Flone Young Lady's soul was ejected into another dimension when The Experiment hadn't even finished. It's possible the Island developed a flaw. This Island has accumulated many defects over a thousand years of continuous experimentation. Anata pointed to the door marked "Return."
Then she also pointed to the left door with the magical circle drawn on it. -But there isn't a complete lack of alternative methods to open the Dimensional Gate. If you open the Return Gate with that key, the Dimensional Gate will open as well. I'll retrieve Margaret then. Jenath still doesn't know we're colluding, so we need to move quickly. Yuanna had opened the Regression Gate. My legs gave way beneath me, and I found myself sinking to the ground. -But the Flone Young Lady brought back this way might not be the one you know. There's a very high possibility she's a different person with only the same soul. And you won't be able to remember your current life anyway. A different person with only the same soul—those words were unmistakably describing me, Jin-ju Lee. 'Then who am I?' Am I Margaret, or am I Jin-ju Lee? So I am... I am.... The successive shocks left my thoughts frozen in place. With trembling hands, I gripped the book I was holding tightly. Was the reason I alone could use mana, unlike the others, because I was Margaret and yet not Margaret at the same time? Then Yuanna's voice reached my ears. -It's alright. Everyone is dead now and only I've survived, but we can return to the past, can't we? Then we'll be able to see everyone alive. That's what matters. But the moment her words ended, Yuanna bit her lower lip firmly and closed her mouth, as if suppressing the anguish that rose up her throat. -You said that when the Regression Gate opens, only I return to the past timeline. Then is the Anata I'll meet also the Anata from the past? -No, I'll be the me of now. The Cabin that Jenath created is like the very body of this Island, so it's unaffected by the flow of time. However, once the Regression Gate opens, Jenath will find out. And then I might be sealed away. -The reason you created something like a Regression Gate.... -When all the test subjects suitable for The Experiment died, I created it as a last resort to restart The Experiment for the first time. To repeat it infinitely until we got the desired results. ...I'm sorry. Anata apologized with a pained expression. Her face was heavy with guilt. -I'll go save them. Together with Margaret. At Yuanna's words, Anata let out a bitter laugh. -I'm someone who has already accumulated so many sins alongside Jenath. I can't receive salvation. Anata gazed down at the magic circle drawn on the floor. When she touched the magic circle with her hand, light emanated from it. -It's the same for you. You know how to open the Regression Gate, don't you? It's not just about using the key. You're defying causality, so you must stake your soul as collateral. Stake my soul? I looked back and forth between Anata and Yuanna in shock. Yuanna's eyes trembled violently. She moved her lips repeatedly as if to answer, but ultimately clenched her teeth. And so she remained silent for a long while. Anata, who had been waiting for her response, spoke firmly. -Do you understand what it means to stake your soul? It means you must give your life to open the Regression Gate. Even if you return to the past and find a way to escape, even if everyone can escape this Island. You cannot leave. You will die alone on this Island. Because your soul is mortgaged to the Island. -.... -And yet you'll turn back time for everyone? At those words, the tip of Yuanna's nose reddened. She frowned in anguish, then slowly raised her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks. It was surely not an easy decision. Soon, she wiped away her tears roughly with the back of her hand, swallowed her sobs, and gazed intently at 【Something More Important Than Survival】 that lay on the floor. -Anata. You said it yourself. What's more important than survival is not forgetting that I am myself. That's why I tried to keep a record of everything I've experienced. In the end, I couldn't finish it. The poison of Tentationem made it impossible to write. But thanks to that, I realized something. I truly haven't been of any help to anyone all this time. If I'm given one more chance, then I must save everyone without fail. Yuanna now looked at Anata with complete resolve in her eyes. -I have to die alone here anyway, whether I go back to the past or not. Rather than that, I'll save everyone and then die. I have a duty to take responsibility for everyone. A duty to take responsibility for everyone. It was far too heavy a burden for Yuanna to bear alone. Anata nodded with a complicated expression. -The Flone Young Lady brought back by opening the dimensional gate will be the key. May she become everyone's hope, and may everyone in the past they return to be able to make different choices.... Anata murmured to herself as she picked up the book that had fallen to the floor—*More Important Than Survival*. —I'll finish recording this myself. I'm planning to use it as a medium to bring Flone Young Lady here. I should add elements interesting enough to capture her attention so she'll read it all the way through. Unfortunately, with those words from Anata, the hallucination faded away. The torches that had appeared alongside the illusion vanished entirely, and the light emanating from the magic circle was extinguished. I stood alone in the darkened underground, surrounded by silence. I had once suspected that *More Important Than Survival* might be Yuanna's personal notebook. The beginning was indeed that, but ultimately, it was a novel seasoned with embellishments by Anata to ensnare me. The fantasy I had just witnessed was not the contents of some novel—it was a record Anata had left behind through the magic circle before her regression. Now everything finally fell into place. Yes. I had always thought Yuanna's personality in the 'novel' differed from her actual self. The appearance of monsters unlike in the 'novel,' the key falling by Yuanna's bedside—all of it must have been effects of the regression. My mind went blank. I could do nothing but stand there, bewildered. Contemplating Anata's existence and the information she had revealed was secondary. I had become someone who was neither Margaret nor Jin-ju Lee nor anyone else. Yuanna, her soul mortgaged away, had become a self-imposed life with a countdown. The Yuanna I had seen until now did not appear to remember events before the regression. Yet traces of the past must have remained, reflected unconsciously. Her nonsensical words, her desire for control—all of it was influenced by that residue. Before such a shocking truth, my thoughts tangled into chaos. Honestly, I don't understand. What meaning does her sacrifice hold? Can I dare claim to comprehend it? Why is she the Holy Maiden who appeared after a hundred years, possessing such tremendous divine power? Why did God grant her such sacred strength? Now I thought I understood.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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