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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Peptobismol]
[Proofreader – Demon God]
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Chapter 83 – Blackout
I couldn’t sleep.
Even after Isabel disappeared, I remained seated on the couch, unable to move.
I was frozen like a statue, lost in thought.
Everything was that confusing and chaotic.
“Thank you for everything.”
Isabel disappeared after saying those words.
Her face looked resolute as she said it.
There was a certain distance from her usual demeanor.
But it didn’t seem like she had regained her memory either.
‘Is it just my imagination?’
A possibility suddenly flashed through my mind.
It was a very dreadful possibility.
‘Could she be planning to return to the Papal See to take revenge on me?’
No, that’s absurd.
Wasn’t it Luna’s impulsive act in the first place?
Why would she blame me for her impulsiveness?
Right, there’s no such possibility.
Unless she’s lost her mind, there’s no way she would…
But…
Was Isabel in her right mind?
She had already lost her memory and completely forgotten all the karma she had accumulated.
In such a situation, it’s natural she’d feel wronged after barely escaping death.
So she must have spouted nonsense about my intentions.
‘…Damn it.’
I licked my parched lips.
Every swallow brought a rough, painful sensation.
And then, Diana’s voice came.
“How about leaving Asven?”
Yeah, that’s one way.
The last step needed to tear through dimensions is just the Relic.
The intermediate steps aren’t that important.
No matter the procedure, only the Relic is necessary.
The problem is that the current situation on the continent is unusual.
The Papal See has moved its base to the Eastern Continent.
The Empire hasn’t shown much reaction to the Papal See’s provocation.
‘The only option is war.’
The Empire will attack the Eastern Continent.
It’s not just a possibility, but an inevitable future.
In the main scenario, war was always an inevitable event, and the participants were always the Empire and the Eastern Continent.
The Emperor was particularly obsessed with the Eastern Continent.
If he had a reason, he probably would have attacked long ago.
“What about the movements of the Royal Family?”
“They seem quiet for now.”
Still preparing, huh.
The problem is no one knows how long this peace will last.
With a short sigh, I lifted my head, meeting a pair of eyes as calm as a lake past a sharp jawline.
Diana was looking at me with a face full of curiosity.
She was probably wondering about the direction of the imminent war.
“The Empire will most likely win.”
“The Empire?”
Diana asked, looking surprised.
It was a natural reaction.
No matter how powerful the Empire is, the size of the Eastern Continent is enormous and not to be underestimated.
There’s a reason why the Empire hasn’t recklessly attacked the Eastern Continent all this time.
But.
“Yes, the Eastern Continent isn’t united.”
The Eastern Continent is divided into several kingdoms, and being a continent with frequent conflicts over interests, it has a completely different atmosphere compared to the peaceful Empire.
The public order is poor, the development of civilization is slow, and the leadership is corrupt.
There’s no way meaningful unity can be achieved in such a rotten environment.
Some will side with the Royal Family and sell internal information, others will rebel in the midst of chaos, it’s a mess.
There’s no way they can stand against the Empire.
The war always ended in the Empire’s victory.
Yes, at least in all the routes I cleared.
At that moment.
Knock, knock—A knocking sound echoed in the air.
“Kyle, are you awake?”
At that voice, Diana and I simultaneously turned our gaze to the door.
“Can I come in?”
It was Luna’s voice from beyond the door.
“Come in.”
The door clicked open.
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Peptobismol]
[Proofreader – Demon God]
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Luna cautiously poked her head in before carefully stepping inside the room.
“……”
As Luna entered, the air in the room froze sharply.
She coughed a few times and began to glance around the room.
“Have you been staying here all this time?”
“Yes.”
“It must have been tough. In such a poor place…”
“It’s at least better than Winfred.”
When I replied coldly, Luna swallowed hard.
“What are you planning to do about that woman Isabel?”
“What do you mean? Leave her be. I’m sure I explained it on the way here.”
“Yes, she completely lost her memory…”
That’s convenient.
Luna muttered under her breath.
What exactly does she want to say?
Barely suppressing my boiling irritation, I spoke.
“So what do you want to say?”
“Well…”
“Just get to the point.”
At my words, Luna completely froze.
Her pupils shook, startled by my icy demeanor.
But that was all.
There was no usual leisurely smile, no elegantly crafted voice.
“Aren’t you curious?”
A chillingly calm voice.
Luna muttered darkly with a grim expression.
“How do you think I found this place?”
At that moment, the playfulness in Luna’s eyes vanished completely.
And then she started to tell an unexpected story.
“A woman with purple hair and green eyes, always cloaked in a robe, trading information.”
“What?”
“You know her, right? Yeah, I thought so.”
I was so shocked that my mouth fell open.
There was only one woman in this world who matched the description Luna gave.
The information broker Emily.
Her real name was Merlin Trivia, the fallen cleric.
Why was Merlin being mentioned by Luna?
Could it be…
“She told me. Kyle, she told me you were in Asven.”
“…Is that true?”
“Yes, how else could I have found this place?”
What is this?
Why would Merlin tell Luna my location?
“Judging by your expression, you really didn’t know.”
A shiver ran down my spine.
I couldn’t keep up with the flow of the conversation.
Luna glanced at my expression and continued her explanation.
The reason she first came to the Eastern Continent.
The reason she ended up opposing the Princess she met by chance in the Eastern Continent.
And the reason she became seriously pursued by the Royal Family.
Luna slowly unraveled all these events.
“One day, that woman came to find me.”
“……”
“Who is she? How did she know my location and yours, Kyle? And what’s her intention in leaking information to me? Even a little thought makes it suspicious, but I had no choice. At the time, I was desperate enough to grab at even a rotten straw.”
“So, you finally got my location?”
“Please don’t judge me too harshly. I came here because I wanted to help you.”
I couldn’t speak, my mind a chaotic mess.
I gave up trying to understand and just listened to her continuing explanation.
“Though it was uncomfortable, I urgently accepted the information.”
“……”
“I didn’t think much even when I heard you were in Asven, Kyle. I had nowhere to go, and if I could just confirm your death with my own eyes, I was planning to die without regret.”
She spoke of her death calmly.
There was no sadness in her murmuring voice.
Only emptiness.
“That’s what I thought…”
Luna approached me.
At that moment, Diana, who had been observing the situation, stepped between Luna and me.
“That woman told me.”
Luna clenched her fist.
Heat gathered in her eyes.
“This world…”
Her words trailed off.
She started to speak, stopped, and then started again.
After repeating this several times,
“This world is fake.”
Fake, fake, fake.
The word echoed endlessly in my mind.
“And, Kyle.”
I swallowed dryly.
“You…”
Srring, Diana drew her sword from its sheath and pointed it at Luna.
Luna took a rough breath and sank to the ground.
I watched in a daze.
I couldn’t say anything.
Thud, a tear fell silently from her eye.
And she muttered softly,
“You plan to leave this world.”
Her trembling voice mixed with her rough breaths.
I stood there, frozen like a statue, unable to speak.
“My brother.”
“……”
“My dear, beloved little brother.”
Luna’s hands trembled as she continued.
“Kyle.”
She called softly.
Her voice was still empty.
“No.”
Luna let out a bleak laugh.
Finally, a deeply locked voice squeezed out.
“No, no… That’s not right…”
My mind went blank.
I didn’t know what expression I was making.
Thump, thump.
My heart pounded as if it would burst out of my ribs.
Only one word drifted to my ears.
The scattered sound pierced my eardrums and split my mind in half.
“Lee Seung-jun.”
Not in the Imperial language, but in Korean.
That clear echo, as if whispering directly into my brain.
“Isn’t that right…?”
Luna looked up at me with unfocused eyes.
Then, she smiled as if about to cry.
“My brother, isn’t that right…?”
Her smile was so bright, it seemed she would take out her heart and show it to me.
——————
HEL SCANS
[Translator – Peptobismol]
[Proofreader – Demon God]
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