I ignored most of what Ruvlian said and moved forward, so we arrived at the village fairly quickly.
“Let’s stay here for the night.”
My companions agreed to my suggestion. After killing the Demon King, we’d been running without rest, so they seemed to have accumulated fatigue as well.
The village was the closest to where we’d defeated the Demon King, so it was quiet and shabby. But it was rather comfortable since there were few people who would recognize us.
“Since it’s a happy day, how about we all have a drink? Rian, that’s okay, right?”
I looked at the sky where red and blue were mixed in a murky blend and nodded. There was excitement in Deadrian’s footsteps as he approached our companions.
Does he like drinking that much? As if to resolve that question, preparations were quickly made. As if they planned to drink themselves to death, they seemed to have bought all the alcohol in the village—the wooden table was full of liquor barrels.
“Come to think of it, has it been two years since Rian drank alcohol?”
“That’s right! Back then I was surprised when you said you wouldn’t drink because you were nineteen!”
Nineteen is already an adult here, but my world is different. Even without me bothering to answer, they continued the conversation on their own. In the midst of that, I quietly chewed on drinking snacks and gulped down alcohol. At first, I wondered what the appeal was, but as I drank, I seemed to understand why everyone liked it so much.
“Rian. I think I’m drunk.”
In the middle of the lively chatter, Ruvlian stealthily leaned against me. Knowing Ruvlian’s drinking capacity, I was dumbfounded. Despite being a heavy drinker, he was pretending to be drunk after only a few drinks.
“You’re not drunk.”
“Mmm. But I am?”
“I said you’re not drunk.”
When I said this, it seemed like Ruvlian was the sober one and I was the drunk one. I tried to reason with Ruvlian several times, telling him to move aside, but he wouldn’t listen at all. In the end, the winner of our verbal sparring was Ruvlian.
It seemed like no one could beat Ruvlian when he added shamelessness to his act of being drunk. At least I couldn’t.
Ruvlian seemed pleased that his scheme had succeeded, his cheeks flushed red. My chest felt heavy because of his face.
“Rian, Rian.”
After calling my name twice, Ruvlian’s eyes captured me. In his softly curved eye corners, there was an affection that was hard to refuse, shimmering beautifully.
For a moment, that affection seemed to choke my throat, and I hesitated before belatedly parting my lips.
“…What.”
“Call my name too.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yees. You have to.”
Ruvlian whined and gently rubbed his face against my chest before pushing his pale face forward. As if he knew I’d call his name if he did this.
I’d developed a bad habit. I shouldn’t have accepted this kind of skinship from the start. I should have drawn a clear line. Belated regret washed over me, but even if I could return to the beginning, I would grant Ruvlian’s request. Just like always.
Thinking like this, it seemed like it was my habit that had gone wrong.
“Ruvlian.”
“Yees.”
“Go to sleep already.”
“Mmm. But I think I could sleep if Rian slept with me.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
I reached behind my back, placed my hand on Ruvlian’s shoulder, and pulled him toward me. Then I moved my hand and slowly patted him. It meant to stop talking and sleep.
Ruvlian, who had been blankly watching this series of actions, froze in place. Since I, who usually didn’t initiate contact first, was holding him in my arms close enough to feel his breath, he seemed flustered.
“Ri, Rian?”
He even stuttered. That guy who was nothing but a cunning fox.
Leaving Ruvlian like that, I tilted my drink. Unfortunately, he quickly hid his rare appearance and regained his pace.
“If Rian gave me a goodnight kiss, I think I could really fall asleep…”
Ruvlian’s eyes sparkled like a beast before its prey. The arm wrapped around my waist—when had he done that—was tensed with strength. I was about to tell that Ruvlian to get off now.
[Sihyeon!]
God’s voice rang out like it was striking my head.
‘What.’
[I’m really, really sorry. There isn’t much time. The power Sihyeon possesses is stronger than expected…]
I could understand without hearing the rest. That’s why I asked without listening to more of God’s voice.
‘How many hours. Or how many minutes.’
[About 30 minutes? I really have no face to show you. I’m sorry…]
Compared to two days, it was a damn short time.
I captured in my eyes my companions happily drinking and Ruvlian still pushing his soft face forward. Once I returned to the original world, these were faces I’d never see again.
“I’m going to turn in first.”
After hesitating a bit, I lightly pushed away Ruvlian, who was begging for a goodnight kiss, and stood up. Since we were having a drinking party in the room, it was loud enough for everyone to hear.
My companions blinked at me. They seemed curious, so I spoke first.
“What?”
“Rian. Are you drunk already?”
“Yeah. I’m drunk.”
It was a meaningless question.
“I’m going.”
For the time I’d spent pondering what my last farewell should be, it was a bland statement. Without realizing it, I glanced at Ruvlian once, then went out to the corridor and headed to the next room.
True to an inn in a village with almost no people, the interior was also shabby. I sat on the creaky bed and rummaged through my bag. Soon, a fountain pen and notebook touched my hand.
I took out both items and kept my gaze on the fountain pen for a moment before tearing out a page from the notebook. But when I actually held the pen, I couldn’t grasp what to say.
Goodbye. Take care. While thinking of such conventional greetings and unable to get my bearings, I was just staring awkwardly at the innocent paper when God’s voice rang in my head.
[I’m sorry it keeps getting shorter… But it seems you’ll be transported soon. Sihyeon, as I said before, your power is too strong.]
I moved my hand. Then, when I tried to write more, I lost consciousness as if a thread had snapped.
It was finally my return.
_oOo_
Not even a few minutes after Sihyeon left, his companions—Ruvlian, Alli, Deadrian, and Montrio—felt a chilling sensation as if all the moisture was draining from their bodies. It was natural since the main pillar that had greatly influenced the world had disappeared. After shaking their bodies once, they noticed that the movement they’d been feeling from the next room was no longer detectable.
“The presence has disappeared.”
The companions except for Sihyeon left the room. Their destination was the room where Sihyeon was staying.
“‘I’m going back’…”
Ruvlian, who found and read the scribbled writing beyond the easily opened door, let out a helpless breath. Instead of Deadrian and Alli, who were reading Ruvlian’s mood, Montrio stepped forward.
“It’s not like you didn’t know Rian would go back, yet you’re making a fuss about it now.”
Sihyeon didn’t know, but in fact, there had been words in the divine oracle hinting that he came from another world. Perhaps because of those who focused on the Hero, that fact wasn’t revealed and the people who knew were a very small number.
And those included in that very small number were the Hero’s companions.
“I know. I know but… he left without saying a word, so I feel hurt. And I don’t like the fact that he’s gone.”
His sharp gaze was fierce. Ruvlian fiddled with the note and raised the corners of his lips. It was a smile that looked extremely nasty.
“But it doesn’t matter.”
“What?”
“Because I can just follow Rian.”
Unlike Alli, who couldn’t understand at all, Deadrian and Montrio couldn’t hide their shock.
Ruvlian, who had no interest in those three, stared intently at the writing that had smudged from being touched so much. As if he liked Sihyeon’s last trace touched by his hand.
“You, you don’t mean you’re going to cross worlds or something, right?”
“If you’re not truly insane, I’m telling you as a friend. Whatever you’re trying to do, stop it right now.”
Their faces looked like they’d stop Ruvlian right away if he answered yes. Alli also flinched and jumped at Deadrian’s words.
Amidst the shock and attempts to stop him, Ruvlian, who had been leisurely smiling, tilted his head to the side. The moonlight coming through the window poured over his head, creating an air of mystique.
“Why should I?”
“What?”
“Ruvlian, worlds are under God’s jurisdiction. If you cross dimensions, your body might just melt away! There’s no way you don’t know that!”
“Th, that’s right! Rian wouldn’t want you to come see him like that…”
Ruvlian’s gaze touched Alli. In the atmosphere that had changed just from Sihyeon’s absence, Alli gulped.
“Rian wouldn’t want it… That’s right. If Rian knew what kind of danger crossing dimensions entails.”
There was no way Sihyeon would know. Everyone present knew that fact.
“And do you think I didn’t calculate even that much?”
With a nonchalant remark, his gaze moved to Deadrian. Meeting Ruvlian’s eyes, he couldn’t move a muscle as if frozen.
It wasn’t a lie. Since the day Ruvlian learned that Sihyeon came from another world, he had been researching Dimension Travel. For the sole reason of not being separated from Sihyeon.
“Don’t tell me back when your arm was severed…”
Deadrian muttered with a face that had turned pale as if remembering something. At the word ‘severed,’ Montrio and Alli’s gazes touched Ruvlian’s arm, which was attached perfectly fine, then fell away.
The very Ruvlian receiving that gaze leisurely pulled his body away from where it had been leaning against the window frame.
“Think about it yourselves. I can’t stand the sight of Rian being with some other bastard without me, so I should get going.”
Then, as if he’d said all he needed to say, he disappeared. Whether he’d done Dimension Travel or teleportation was unknown, but those present could only freeze in silence.
‘Hah… There’s no way that crazy mad dog would obediently let go of the guy who personally handed him the leash.’
Montrio, the first to come to his senses, roughly rubbed his face. Both the victory march and his friend’s well-being. There were mountains of things to worry about.
Among them, the biggest worry was…
‘Rian has to deal with that lunatic again.’
Having seen that fanatical appearance that would chase him to the ends of hell, he couldn’t help but worry, but Montrio decided to do what he could.
“Alli, Deadrian. Get a hold of yourselves. After sleeping one night, we’re moving right away.”
It wasn’t like they’d only seen Ruvlian lose his mind once or twice.
