Chapter – 02
“Mr. Woohyun? Lee Woohyun?”
A hand shaking my shoulder startled me back to consciousness.
The old man, the Sword Saint, was looking at me with a pitiful expression.
“You seem very tired. Well, in a situation like this, being perfectly fine would be even more strange.”
“I’m alright. I was just lost in thought for a moment…”
“Hmm. Then I’ll ask again. I have something I must ask you.”
“Yes.”
As soon as I nodded, he voiced his curiosity.
“As I said before, what on earth happened to Franzt? How could a city be reduced to ruins overnight?”
Franzt. That was the name of the city that served as the stage for the prologue.
It was also the place where I was currently standing.
I took a moment to choose my words.
Of course, I knew the full story behind all these events, but I had not the slightest intention of telling this old man.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the Sword Saint.
It was even less some selfish thought, like feeling averse to sharing the future with others.
My worry was solely for my own safety.
If I spoke of what I knew, I would be killed.
The Sword Saint couldn’t prevent that.
Because ‘They’ are nowhere, yet exist everywhere at the same time.
The Great Old Ones.
The Apostles of the End.
The Hidden Masters of the World.
I recalled a scene from the Istalanisia Chronicles.
There was such a character.
The only character in this world who could travel through time.
A final bastion, prepared in case the protagonist’s last stand in the world on the brink of destruction ended in failure.
Realizing that Kang Juhyuk had failed and the world was falling to ruin, he activated a regression to the past.
The manifestation of his ability was successful,
and he approached Kang Juhyuk from the early parts of the story, trying to inform him of the future events, the things that could still be changed in this timeline despite the initial failure, and the hidden truths.
And then, he was immediately killed by ‘something’.
Because he had carelessly spoken of information he should not have originally known.
Having drawn the attention of the 『End』, which observes all things on the continent, his entire life up to that point was laid bare, and feeling incongruity at the information whose source remained unknown, he was eroded and eliminated by the End.
I didn’t want such an ending.
So, even though I knew everything,
I couldn’t seek anyone’s help.
The Sword Saint waited patiently for me, who had fallen silent.
After organizing my thoughts to some extent, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“To be honest, I can’t even tell if what I saw was real or not. It’s the same even at this moment. All this talk about Istalanisia, the World Tree, and who knows what else…”
“What? …Don’t tell me, you. How long has it been since you ‘crossed over’?”
“Crossed over?”
“You clearly said you came from Earth, didn’t you? Well, if this moment feels like a dream, I’m asking when that dream started.”
“…Just a moment ago.”
The old man’s mouth snapped shut.
The mischievously upturned corners of his mouth stiffened into a straight line as if they had never been curved.
As if he had a headache, he ran his hand through his white hair, tied up like a palm tree towards the sky, several times.
“Listen well. This is absolutely not a dream or a fantasy. This is reality. It might be hard to believe, but you must believe it. Folks like you are a dime a dozen on this continent. Although not all are from the same homeland as you. But there certainly are such people.”
“……”
“I was born and raised on the continent, but I’ve interacted with some of the crossers, so I know. It must be confusing. But you must pull yourself together. Because this is the world you must live in from now on.”
“I… still don’t really understand. But I get it.”
The old man seemed satisfied at last, his hardened expression softening.
The next question.
“Enough of that talk. You. Do you happen to know anything about what happened in Franzt?”
“Huh?”
“Franzt is a small city at the southeastern tip of the continent. Its population barely maintained two, three thousand. No, used to.”
The fact that he deliberately changed it to the past tense meant it was no longer the case.
“This old man had some business nearby and stopped by Franzt just two days ago. There was no problem at all until then. It wasn’t very bustling, but precisely because of that, it was one of those lively, ordinary rural towns. Children playing on a crude fountain, farmers heading to the fields, singing as they carried their hoes.”
“Yes.”
“But. I left Franzt, finished my business, and when I returned, the city was in ruins? I was only gone from Franzt for barely a day and a night. Who in the world could destroy an entire city in such a short time? Not to mention human corpses, you can’t even find a single common insect? It wouldn’t be impossible if it were the hellfire conjured by a Grand Archmage, but then there should be a body or two burned to a crisp. And it seems unlikely that a gentleman who can’t even take care of himself would personally come to a place like this.”
A tone of deep sorrow was evident in the Sword Saint’s calm voice.
“I have a few disciples, and they searched the city. Thoroughly. After about thirty of them combed through the entire city, the only ones they found were Kang Juhyuk and you. It seems Kang Juhyuk, like you, hasn’t been crossed over for long, so he still thinks this is a dream. I thought he needed time to think, so I’ve left him alone for now. So, as if clutching at straws, I’m asking you. What on earth happened? Do you know anything?”
“Even if I do know something… it’s too unrealistic.”
“That’s fine. It’s still better than knowing nothing at all.”
If I carelessly spoke of future events or identities that would be revealed later, I would attract their attention.
I had to only talk about what I had witnessed.
I recalled the description from the Istalanisia Chronicles.
“…There were hundreds of terrifying mask-like specters floating in the sky. Scattering black clouds in all directions. On the ground, white skeletons were walking around in hordes. I don’t know if such things are common in this world, but it was a sight I had never seen or heard of in the world I lived in.”
“Go on.”
“Not long after, the sky split open and a strange eye appeared. A deep amber color… It saw me. That eye. And then I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was in this room.”
“Hoh……”
It seemed the old man found it hard to readily accept my words, as he just swallowed a groan.
How utterly absurd this story must sound?
At this point in time, the Sword Saint did not know of the End.
『The End』
Istalanisia is a world on the verge of its end.
As the Day of the End approaches, the 『Apostles』 sweep across the world, destroying civilization and life.
The Istalanisia Chronicles was a novel about a journey to save such a world,
and the destruction of Franzt, along with the summoning of the protagonist, was the prologue of this novel.
“I see. Skeletons and specters, you say. I must relay that to the Papal State. They are the experts in such matters. More importantly, what will you do now?”
“Huh?”
“You probably don’t have a place to lay your head, do you? Can you even get your next meal? You likely don’t have a single penny to your name. And if monsters pick a fight, do you have a single skill to protect yourself?”
“…No, I don’t.”
“There’s a group I lead, called ‘Fūrinkazan’. We have a fairly large building, so there are some empty rooms. The kids who follow me are all quite good-natured and friendly. Above all, this old man doesn’t have much to do these days. Meaning I’m bored. So, I’ll say this.”
The old man reached his hand out to me.
His face was once again filled with a mischievous smile.
“Will you come with me?”
Looking at him, I thought for a moment.
How much time do I have left?
How much time remains until the first episode begins, beyond the prologue?
‘About six months, I think…’
The Sword Saint immediately relays the events in Franzt to the Papal State.
The Papal State waits a while before dispatching personnel,
and Kang Juhyuk, the sole survivor, heads back here to Franzt with the Saintess’s daughter.
The period until then is six months.
A time that is both long and short.
I reaffirmed my purpose.
I don’t want to die.
I want to survive.
I had to save the world.
In a situation where I couldn’t speak the truth directly, I had to persuade numerous characters, use them, and ultimately stop the End.
A task that felt impossible right now.
Since I couldn’t state my purpose, some would doubt and distrust me.
At times, they would likely point their weapons at me.
At such times, the only thing I could rely on was my own strength.
Six months.
Within six months, I had to grow at a pace at least equal to Kang Juhyuk, the greatest genius in the story.
Without the help of a special trait, is that possible?
It must be done.
Even that was the bare minimum required to stop the End.
Kang Juhyuk. He is a crosser with the most brilliant talent for the sword since the Sword Saint.
Is it possible?
“……”
I didn’t doubt it.
Wasn’t the person who could make it possible right in front of me?
All that remained was the resolve of my will.
I took the Sword Saint’s hand.
“Please take care of me.”
