SRS 174

It was something he had confided in Mikael once before. The second time was even easier. Talking about Cheplen still felt like having a heavy lead weight on his chest, but it wasn’t so overwhelming that he had to stop or pause mid talk. On the contrary, he was surprised that he could speak more comfortably than he had expected.

Was it because he had come to realize that Cheplen’s fall wasn’t simply caused by a demon, but because he was entangled with Evil Gods Contractors?

Yohan let out a brief, wry laugh as he realized the change in his feelings.

It seemed he hadn’t given up on hoping that Cheplen didn’t fall of his own accord, but because he was weakened by someone else…

I suppose I want to believe that.

And that could have been the truth. That was why he gained strength and the courage to speak.

If he had fallen into this place without knowing the truth, then he had to face it now.

Yohan clenched his fist. The story had reached its conclusion.

“…When I first landed here, I felt guilty. I thought that I had led Cheplen down that path of corruption. But today, after hearing the story about Evil Gods Contractors from the headmaster, my perspective has changed a little. If my death is connected to Evil Gods Contractors, that implies Cheplen is entangled with them as well. I think I need to meet Cheplen and hear the full story.”

The long conversation came to a close.

“Hmm… I understand your point. I get it, but…”

“If you verify it and find out that Cheplen truly betrayed you, the shock will be immense.”

Kylus spoke the words Suhyeok had been hesitating to say. He could see that they were worried. Their concerns prompted Yohan to smile.

“I know that as well. But if it is the truth, I intend to just accept it.”

“Yohan.”

“For now, I am simply preparing visit our site myself for that. Both the vessel of my mind and the vessel of my body.”

He lowered his gaze, then smiled again. The heavy atmosphere made the air in the room stifling. Unable to bear it any longer, Suhyeok jumped to his feet and walked to the window to air out the room.

Bang.

He opened both windows, then leaned his body against the sill with his elbows resting on it as he looked out over the school at night. Not long after taking in Fantasiademia under the night sky, Suhyeok let out a small sigh.

“If that is your wish, I suppose I should respect it. I’ll support you. Your early graduation, your resurrection. And the process of you discovering the truth. Now that I’ve heard the story, I think I understand why you were so obsessed with your grades. You must have been anxious.”

Was I anxious?

Suhyeok’s interpretation adjusted the depth of his thoughts. He hadn’t realized it, but perhaps a corner of his unconscious had been whipping himself. Since he was not certain, Yohan decided not to affirm or deny it, and instead offered a different answer.

“Thank you.”

It was the best answer, and the greatest gratitude he could offer. Suhyeok briefly lowered his gaze upon hearing [unauthorized copy]Yohan’s voice coming from behind him.

“…I, well. It’s nothing special. If Evil Gods Contractors are involved in my death… then perhaps one of the people who betrayed me was actually one.”

“…….”

In Fantasiademia, there is an unwritten rule that is secretive yet open. If you are going to ask someone for a secret, you must be prepared to reveal your own secret as well.

And.

If you have heard a secret from someone, you must reveal your own as well.

That was why the students of Fantasiademia rarely exchanged intimate stories. Since they came from different dimensions, had little common ground, and would not see each other once they graduated, they maintained casual and calculated relationships.

In that sense, Yohan concluded that Room 304, where he and Mikael belonged, was indeed a bit peculiar.

No, he had to correct himself.

Strictly speaking, Kylus and Suhyeok were no different from the other students of Fantasiademia. They neither spoke nor listened to each other’s secrets.

Only Mikael and he shared the commonality of coming from the same dimension and revealed each other’s weaknesses.

Yohan could not deny that the atmosphere of Room 304 had gradually changed as a result of the strange atmosphere between him and Mikael. The present time had arrived as an extension of that.

Just as he had done with Mikael, he revealed his secret to the two students.

And now was the time for them, who listened without refusal, to reveal their own secrets as well.

Yohan’s story had ended. It was now Suhyeok’s turn to tell his.

“You remember the story about how gates exist in the world I lived in and how monsters from another dimensions crossed over through them, right?”

“Yes.”

“…I was a hunter who hunted those kinds of monsters. I was quite strong, so I was always accompanied on high-risk gate raids. There was always a team that went with me, but one day, a ridiculously dangerous gate appeared in the world I lived in.”

Yohan silently watched him. Since he could only see his back, he couldn’t tell what expression Suhyeok was wearing.

“Naturally, I wanted to clear that gate, and as a result, my team followed me into it. It was arduous, but manageable. We climbed up step by step, even if slowly, and succeeded in meeting the final boss. We just needed to kill it to succeed in the raid… The problem was that it was too strong. Looking back now, I think it made sense. After all, its title was the Evil God of the Other World.”

“…….”

“We realized we couldn’t handle it, so we tried to escape the gate. But it wouldn’t let us go, and one of us had to sacrifice themselves. We were fighting on a cliff… and then someone pushed me from behind, sending me plummeting down the cliff. Straight into the mouth of the evil god. Under a barrage of attacks, I had to fight without a moment of respite, and behind me, I heard the screams, apologies, tears, and… the sounds of my comrades fleeing. Well…”

Suhyeok trailed off, then he slowly turned around. He wore his usual smile and shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s the end of it. And then, when I came to my senses, I found myself here. I’m going back to my dimension. I don’t know what happened to that evil god yet, so I’ll go back and take it out if I can. I’ll figure out who pushed me… and once I hand them over to the government, my dream is to retire and get some good rest.”

Although the pace of Suhyeok’s speech may have fluctuated, the tone of his voice remained lighthearted [stolen content]throughout. Yet, it wasn’t something bright. Yohan glanced at Kylus. The latter, who looked like a scion of a noble family and was usually quiet, barely spoke today. However, judging by the fact that he didn’t appear surprised, the two must have already shared their stories to some extent.

Yohan turned his gaze back toward Suhyeok and cautiously asked,

“…Don’t you hate the people who betrayed you?”

“Of course they are despicable and detestable. But, it was a mission I had proposed, and it was a team I was the leader of. If one of us had to make a sacrifice, it would have been me. Although it is absurd that I was pushed out when I could have made that sacrifice voluntarily… even if we had resolved it peacefully, the outcome wouldn’t have changed. So I just hate them as much as necessary.”

As Suhyeok spoke with a smirk, his expression looked more mature than usual. Yohan realized something because the atmosphere was different from his usual mischievous, annoying, and sometimes even cunning self.

The person before him was not the Im Suhyeok he had always known, the student of Fantasiademia and his friend, but the Im Suhyeok who had served as a team leader in the world where he had lived.

“If the Evil Gods Contractors are involved in our deaths, well… it means either there was an Evil Gods Contractor among the traitors, or the one who summoned that gate was an Evil Gods Contractor. To find that out exactly, I need to visit my own dimension to investigate. It means that even after hearing stories about Evil Gods Contractors, my determination to graduate remains the same.”

As he finished speaking, Yohan averted his gaze and simply smiled.

The one before him did not despair over his own situation. He did not feel pity, and he appeared to have already ​Read on​accepted it all. Since it would have been foolish to pity such a person, Yohan simply returned Suhyeok’s words.

“Right, I’ll support you.”

“Yes. Help me graduate. That’s what friends are for.”

The nonchalance with which Suhyeok naturally accepted the help made Yohan laugh. He realized that Suhyeok’s consideration was keeping the atmosphere from becoming too heavy. A slight practical benefit had been added to that consideration, but even so, the essence of it remained the same.

The atmosphere in the room became much lighter. Yohan looked at Kylus with a much brighter expression after finally hear the story of Suhyeok that he had been curious about all along. Now that the two of them were finished, only Kylus remained.

As he met the gazes of his two friends, Kylus slowly closed and opened his eyes, which made his long eyelashes stand out. Then, out of habit, he pushed up the sword sheath with his thumb, clicking it repeatedly, before finally talking about his story for the first time.

“I was a prince of a failing empire.”