I thought she wouldn’t harm anyone.
Even though her appearance was very different from what I remembered, she was still the protagonist.
I believed she wasn’t a murderer, even though she wasn’t a perfect saint.
“Seo… Hyun-nim…?!”
I lost my words at the sight before me.
Erina met my gaze.
Shock immediately spread across her face.
The alley was filled with an uncomfortable heat and the smell of blood.]
Three men lay on the ground, bleeding.
“No, no… it’s not…!”
Erina shook her head vigorously, as if she couldn’t believe it.
I also hoped desperately that it wasn’t true.
I wanted to believe that all of this was a misunderstanding.
“Erina… Did you… do this?”
But the scene before me was the truth.
Erina had killed people. Three of them.
The bodies on the ground had their eyes rolled back.
They held knives and clubs in their hands.
They were all familiar faces.
A few days ago, they had approached Erina and me while we were eating, murmuring provocations.
“Seo, Seo-Hyun-nim…! It’s not what you think…”
She stepped forward, trying to say something.
I grabbed her wrist and led her away from the alley.
“Quickly, follow me…!”
Whether it was excuses or explanations, it could wait. We had to get out of there first.
There might be witnesses nearby.
We didn’t know when the guards would arrive.
Committing murder in the capital would result in complete banishment.
If we were barred from entering the capital now, it would be practically game over.
Fortunately, Erina seemed to have realized my intentions and followed me without a word.
The nameless dragon watching over us did the same.
Quietly, she followed behind me, having realized the situation.
Thankfully, there were no witnesses around.
As we entered the central streets of the capital, we slowed our pace, pretending to be calm.
“Let’s pass by quietly.”
“Understood.”
“…”
Erina didn’t say anything as I held onto her hand.
Even as I held her hand and walked, I couldn’t calm my heart.
After about five minutes, we reached the inn.
We went inside and quickly closed the door as everyone entered the room.
Turning my head towards her with rough breaths, I questioned her.
“What have you done…!”
“I… I…”
Erina, with both hands held by me, couldn’t say anything.
As our trembling eyes met, I could see how nervous she was.
But she wasn’t the only one nervous.
The cold gaze directed at the men.
The sight of her casually looking down at the corpses with a blood-stained sword.
It wasn’t something a protagonist would do.
Erina couldn’t be called the protagonist anymore.
Then who exactly was the person in front of me?
“Did you really kill them…?”
Erina hesitated for a moment at my question, then nodded her head.
I tightened my grip on her wrist.
At the same time, Erina’s face twisted in pain.
“Why on earth would you do such a thing.”
“T-those people… they started a fight at the inn last time…”
“I know.”
Could it be that she killed someone just because they started an argument?
I desperately hoped that wasn’t the only reason.
Suddenly, Erina’s gaze changed in an instant.
Her trembling pupils gradually calmed down, and she bit her lip tightly.
After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke as if she had made up her mind.
“That person started the fight first.”
After finishing her conversation with the nameless dragon, she wandered the streets to find me.
Then, she happened to encounter the men and they mocked her.
“I couldn’t just stand there!”
“So, you killed people because of that…?”
“They insulted you in front of me. I couldn’t just stand by and watch!”
As if her actions were justified, Erina boldly admitted to the crime.
There was no sense of guilt in her demeanor.
Rather, she spoke as if she had done what needed to be done.
That was when it hit me.
The words of the Goddess were indeed true.
‘Erina really is as the goddess said…’
A monster who killed everyone and destroyed Heaven.
The culprit who brought me to this world.
A liar who still deceives me.
Now, I had no choice but to accept the truth.
Betrayal swelled in my heart.
I wanted to expose all the facts right away.
I wanted to tell her the truth I heard from the Goddess, along with the fact that we met.
But instead, I sighed and spat out my anger.
And I let go of her hands.
“Erina.”
“Yes…!”
Though I spoke loudly, Erina’s body was still trembling.
She seemed to be forcing herself to appear strong, like a rebellious child, tensing her muscles and fixing her gaze.
I continued the conversation with her calmly.
“No matter what, you must not kill people.”
“I… I know. But I just couldn’t stand it this time.”
“No matter what happens, you must never take a life!”
I couldn’t compromise on this.
If Erina was the one who caused the destruction of this world, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill.
But if Erina truly was a character I created.
And if she truly had affection and trust in me.
I believed she would comply with my words.
Even if she was an evil character, she was still a character I created.
And she was the one I had invested the most affection and time into.
Even now, I wanted to believe that everything was a lie.
That’s how special Erina was to me.
“Please. I beg you. Don’t kill anyone else.”
“I… ”
“If you commit murder in the capital, at the very least, you’ll be banished. You could even face execution if things go wrong.”
This time, we couldn’t just let it slide.
No more of this should happen.
“I want to protect you.”
“But that man wasn’t trying to harm me…!”
Frustrated, I found myself raising my voice unintentionally.
But I couldn’t speak too loudly.
Causing a disturbance in the inn and attracting attention would be dangerous.
Surely, if the guards found the bodies, chaos would ensue in the capital.
There was also the possibility that guards were patrolling to find the culprit.
“Erina. Let me say this again. Never kill anyone.”
If Erina wasn’t found and deceived me.
Or if I just let it slide without saying anything.
She would undoubtedly commit murder again.
Erina didn’t agree with me.
She didn’t truly accept my words.
“…I understand.”
Erina nodded with an expression of resignation.
But she didn’t truly accept my words.
She was just reluctantly obeying me to avoid getting scolded.
“For now, let’s lay low. The guards are probably searching for the culprit.”
In the actual game, there had never been a case where murder was committed without reason.
So, I couldn’t predict what would happen next.
Especially in times like these, we had to act as if nothing was happening.
In fact, being stuck in the inn or avoiding the guards might raise suspicions.
“Erina. We need to lay low for a while. Don’t pick fights with anyone else.”
“I understand…”
With a defeated tone, the conversation came to an end.
“Hah…”
Before I knew it, time was advancing towards dawn.
If I didn’t go to bed now, it might disrupt tomorrow’s schedule.
“…Let’s just rest for now.”
I wanted to give Erina a lecture like I usually did.
But I needed to calm down now.
I was too agitated, just like her.
Talking to her in this state would only escalate into an argument.
“I, I’ll do it.”
“I, I’ll do it.”
Erina approached to tidy up my bed as usual.
But instinctively, I pushed her away.
“I’ll do it.”
“…Okay.”
At my words, Erina immediately distanced herself.
She seemed to sense that I was angry.
Even as I tidied up the bed and lay down, my mind was in turmoil.
Knowing Erina’s true identity, I couldn’t continue to be with her.
Even now, I had to push her away.
But there was still hesitation in my heart.
‘What should I do…?’
I had to stop Erina somehow.
I needed to figure out why she was deceiving me.
I had to find out why she wanted to kill the Demon King with me.
What is Erina thinking right now?
And what does she expect from me?
How should I handle the situation from now on?
I had no answers.
It was overwhelming to sort through my emotions at this moment.
Amidst the turmoil in my mind, someone’s gaze met mine.
“…”
The nameless dragon was quietly watching me.
Without a hint of wavering, our eyes met.
***
“So,”
It felt like I was dreaming, but Heaven was right in front of me.
A warm light permeated the misty space.
Instead of a solemn or majestic atmosphere, there was a somber aura.
The surroundings were still chaotic.
A ruined temple and countless bodies.
The Goddess was still waiting for me, hanging on her throne.
“To return to my original world, I need to head to the Demon Realm…?”
“Yes.”
The green gem existing in Heaven.
The “System” created this world.
And to protect the system, the Goddess was born.
Conversely, monsters were born to destroy the system.
Entities that aimed to annihilate the world and return everything to the primordial darkness.
“The Demon King.”
“Yes.”
The Goddess’s explanation somewhat eased my doubts.
I couldn’t believe such important backstory was hidden.
I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. I couldn’t believe such an important setting was hidden.
It was information that couldn’t be obtained while playing the game.
“I also want to send you back to the original world. To do that, you must reach the front of the System yourself.”
In other words, facing it directly, not just encountering it in dreams, was necessary to return to the original world.
“The Gate of Heaven is located on the Andrey Snow Mountain.”
The name sounded somewhat unfamiliar.
But upon hearing the Goddess’s explanation, I couldn’t help but sigh.
“It’s located right next to the Demon King’s castle.”
The highest peak in the Demon Realm. There, at its summit, was the Gate of Heaven.
The Demon King built his castle in the closest position to the gate, preventing anyone from reaching it.
The story behind the birth of the Demon King’s castle and the Demon Realm.
In other words, to reach Heaven, I had to defeat the Demon King.
“So, that’s why you wrote in the quest window to kill the Demon King.”
“Yes. I manipulated the system to allow you to see the status window and quest window.”
However, she said that other systems, such as the skill and item windows, could not be touched.
“Does Erina know that I can use the status window?”
“Yes. I requested it from her.”
Worried that I would fall alone with nothing, the Goddess arranged for me to be able to see the status window and quest window.
That was a relief. If I didn’t even have the status window, surviving in this world would have been extremely difficult.
“Erina must know that I can see the status window too.”
“Yes. She’s pretending not to know anything.”
Thinking about it, it was both amusing and chilling.
If I hadn’t met the Goddess through my dreams, I would never have known.
If I had been alone with Erina, I would have lived my whole life in ignorance.
“Erina killed someone.”
At my words, the Goddess’s gaze sharpened.
She expressed her disgust by biting her lip.
“And yet she’s still considered human. You should think of her as a monster, not a person.”
“I told her not to kill people. She said she understood, but honestly, I don’t know if she’ll keep her promise.”
The Goddess also shook her head slightly.
It was obvious that as long as Erina didn’t get caught, there wouldn’t be any problem.
Despite my sincere advice, it seemed like she hadn’t changed her mind.
“What if her affection for me is also a lie?”
That was the most worrying point.
If Erina were to attack me with her sword right now, there would be no way to stop her.
Fortunately, the Goddess gave a positive answer.
“Don’t worry too much. Erina values you more than anyone else.”
“But… could that also be an act?”
At my words, the Goddess smiled faintly.
With a gentle smile that seemed to say not to worry too much, she spoke to me.
“At least she has no intention of harming you recklessly.”
In her confident words, I could somewhat alleviate my worries.
At least it meant that Erina’s affection for me was genuine.
“Let’s try to organize the situation for now.”
I told the Goddess everything that had happened so far.
The request to defeat Arachne with Erina.
Meeting the nameless dragon in the cave.
Fighting Alfred and killing him, and then safely escaping.
“I see.”
The Goddess, who had been quietly listening, nodded.
She didn’t seem too surprised.
In fact, she seemed to know vaguely about it.
“I was worried that it would go in a bad direction, but fortunately, it turned out well.”
“What…? What do you mean?”
“Don’t worry too much. I was able to help you indirectly.”
Had I received help from her?
No matter how I thought about it, nothing came to mind.
“Didn’t you already meet her?”
When I heard the Goddess’s words, someone instinctively came to mind.
“The nameless dragon.”
Now I could understand what the Goddess had said.
Thinking about it, there were too many strange things.
A character who appeared as a boss in the first playthrough suddenly appeared again.
And not even as an enemy.
She helped me defeat Alfred, a high-ranking demon.
Moreover, after saving her, she became my companion.
It was too artificial to call it a coincidence.
“Was it you?”
“A special connection. I thought it would definitely be helpful.”
A special item. That’s where the strange things started.
A strange piece of paper came out of the pouch where there should have been only a small amount of gold coins.
And as soon as I met the nameless dragon, a window where the skill was activated appeared.
“I couldn’t have imagined that you did it.”
Since I couldn’t manipulate the item window, I used a method of my own.
I thought that I would definitely find the special item.
As a result, the nameless dragon became my companion.
And Alfred died.
The character who was supposed to become one of the Four Heavenly Kings left too soon.
Most of all, I almost lost my life while fighting Alfred.
If the nameless dragon hadn’t helped, I would have been the one to fall.
“But there was a price.”
“A price?”
“Check under the gem.”
As usual, the gem emitted a mysterious light.
At first glance, there didn’t seem to be any problems.
Following the Goddess’s words, I carefully examined the bottom.
Inside the glowing gem, there was a crack.
It was still small, but its meaning was clear.
“I’m sure it won’t break.”
“If it is abused too much, there’s a possibility.”
“What would happen if the gem broke?”
“…The definite fact is that you would lose the way to return to your original world.”
I snapped back to attention.
Not being able to return to my original world forever.
That was a situation that absolutely couldn’t happen.
I wanted to get out of this hellish world as soon as possible.
“Promise me you won’t use it again.”
“Yes. If the System collapses, I won’t be safe either.”
Alfred died and the nameless dragon became an ally, so it seemed like a good outcome.
But it deviated from the story I knew.
It was hard to predict what would happen if I abused the power of the System.
Above all, if the system collapsed, I would lose the way back to my original world.
That had to be prevented at all costs.
And there was the most puzzling aspect remaining.
“Why didn’t Erina kill you?”
Let’s assume everything the Goddess said was true.
In that case, it would be most beneficial to kill the Goddess who was the biggest thorn in Erina’s side.
But Erina didn’t kill her. Why leave a potential threat?
“…I’m not sure either.”
If the Goddess died, would something bad happen from Erina’s perspective?
Or was the Goddess’s existence necessary?
If I eventually killed the Demon King and ascended to Heaven, eventually, this place would be discovered.
Yet Erina wanted me to become her companion and promised to defeat the Demon King.
“Erina closed the Gate of Heaven before returning to the surface.”
Erina destroyed Heaven twice.
And she closed the door again so that no one could ascend to heaven.
And she closed the gate so nobody could ascend to Heaven.
I was the only one who knew that the Goddess was imprisoned in this state.
“I’ll definitely save you.”
“…Thank you.”
Even just looking at the forlorn figure filled my heart with pain.
But the Goddess smiled brightly at me.
There were still so many things I wanted to say.
If there was time, I wanted to talk slowly.
But my vision was gradually becoming blurry.
The time to part was approaching.
For the last time, the Goddess bid me farewell with a smile.
“Don’t worry about me. As long as you’re alive, I…”
‘There’s hope for me to live.’
The fading apparition was undoubtedly saying that.
***
“Seo-Hyun.”
Someone called my name, waking me up from sleep.
Simultaneously, I opened my eyes and looked beside me.
There, sitting on the bed, awakened from sleep, was the nameless dragon.
I whispered in a quiet voice so as not to wake Erina up.
“Couldn’t sleep?”
“No. I just woke up.”
The nameless dragon had a dark expression, running a hand through her hair.
Breathing steadily, she wiped the sweat from my forehead.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Just had a nightmare for a moment…”
It seemed she had a rather painful dream.
If she was sweating coldly, it must have been quite agonizing.
“Should I get you some water?”
I could probably find some downstairs.
But she shook her head in response to my offer.
Instead, she rose from the bed and motioned to me.
It was her way of asking me to get up.
“Would you mind stepping outside for a moment?”
