The Main Characters That Only I Know

Chapter 417:

When Kang Hye-rim looked at her with an emotionless gaze.

For a moment, Kwon Jia felt as if the room had become darker, wondering if it was just her imagination.

The touch of the air against her skin felt chilling.

‘For me, someone who controls 666 beasts, to feel such a cold darkness.’

However, there was no need to be intimidated.

"Why? Did I hit the nail on the head too well? That look in your eyes is fierce. You seem ready to swing your sword at any moment."

"……"

"Or maybe, you want to settle that unfinished match of ours… here and now?"

At the mention of that previous match, Kang Hye-rim’s body gave a slight shudder.

It happened when Kwon Jia went to see her alone, harboring a faint hope that maybe a conversation could resolve things.

‘What a foolish act that was.’

Hadn’t she learned from countless regressions that a changed person never changes back?

Trusting in ease, and deceived by a faint hope, she’d lost over a hundred lives.

Though she regretted it deeply, she had vowed, again and again, never to make the same mistake.

But, the nature of this cursed personality—what was it, exactly?

Before meeting Yu-hyun, her edge had been honed to the limit, so she hadn’t let herself falter.

But this time, she couldn’t hold back.

‘I really am going soft.’

In the end, to Kwon Jia, Kang Hye-rim was still a precious comrade, and she believed it was necessary to restore her to her former self.

So, she went to see her, but a fight was unavoidable.

Back then, Kwon Jia thought she had to kill Kang Hye-rim.

The twisted Black Thunder Lord was no longer the Sword Queen, Kang Hye-rim, she once knew.

She tried to kill her, but… she couldn’t.

The bond of camaraderie she thought she’d forgotten clung to her, holding her back, and Kwon Jia ended up suffering a serious injury and was forced to retreat.

What she couldn’t accomplish back then, Yu-hyun eventually took care of.

“Unfortunately for you, I’m quite different from how I was back then.”

A purple wolf’s form rose behind Kwon Jia.

And that wasn’t all.

Around her, black mud rippled, transforming repeatedly into the shapes of countless beasts, only to collapse.

After her defeat back then, Kwon Jia realized she needed even more power and had taken on not only Fenrir’s strength but also the power of the beast of the Apocalypse.

With just these two powers, she was confident she wouldn’t lose, no matter if her opponent was a first-generation Divine Spirit.

Of course, there was a high chance she’d become a public enemy of the hybrid realm if they discovered her using this power, and one day, this power might consume her.

But for now, nothing could suit her more than this.

Above all.

She had vowed never to place that burden on that man’s shoulders again.

Even if her opponent was an old comrade, she was prepared to dirty her own hands.

"So, what will you do?"

For a while, the two continued to stare at each other.

Kwon Jia clenched her fist tightly, careful not to let it show.

It wasn’t as if she wanted to fight either.

She knew that if they fought here, one of them would inevitably die.

And if one of them died, it would ultimately lead to ruin.

Knowing this, Kwon Jia felt tense.

Whoosh.

"……"

Kang Hye-rim turned her head away from Kwon Jia.

That act, as if a child was sulking and refusing to respond, made Kwon Jia suddenly feel her tension dissipate.

I see. So, that’s your answer.

Kwon Jia felt a sense of relief as she stood up.

“At the very least, I know you won’t go back to the way you used to be. But… one day, you’ll have to make a choice. The sins of the past never disappear.”

With those words, Kwon Jia left.

Once again alone, Kang Hye-rim sat blankly, wrapped in her blanket.

* * *

After finishing his conversation with Oello, Yu-hyun reunited with those waiting for him outside the forest.

Three familiar faces. The oddity of them being his former colleagues made Yu-hyun unable to hold back a smile.

“It’s been a while, everyone.”

“You…!”

The one who reacted the most passionately upon seeing Yu-hyun was Alisha.

Within the Celestial Corporation, she had worn a suit, but now she was dressed in a uniform, which suited her quite well.

“What in the world were you doing, cutting off all contact…!”

“Alisha, please. Stop it. Yu-hyun might feel uncomfortable.”

“Yu-hyun?”

Celine stepped in to restrain Alisha.

But Yu-hyun was rather taken aback by the title Celine used to address him.

Celine answered with an expressionless face.

“What? Do you miss being called ‘senior’?”

“Well, not really. Since the company’s gone, it’d be a bit strange to call me that now. I’m just not used to it yet.”

“You’ll get used to it quickly.”

At Celine’s firm, almost matter-of-fact tone, Yu-hyun could only let out a faint, helpless laugh.

His gaze turned to Celestina, who stood with her arms crossed, waiting for him to address her.

“Long time no see, too, Deputy Director Celestina?”

“Not a deputy director or anything anymore. The company’s gone under. I’m now simply Celestina, the troubleshooter.”

“I see. You’ve found a new job quickly.”

“Isn’t it because I’m competent? And it’s not just me. All the Celestial Corporation’s contingency management division has joined under Oello. Well, not everyone, I suppose.”

“Someone didn’t join?”

“Romulaxis.”

At the mention of that name, Yu-hyun recalled the strange Teller who wore a helm.

“Oh, that guy…”

“He refused to become a troubleshooter or anything else and left on his own. No word of where he went or what he’s doing. Cold-hearted guy.”

“That Romulaxis?”

Yu-hyun found Romulaxis’ actions surprising.

He was the type to make a big fuss about staying in touch and reuniting next time, so for him to vanish without a word felt odd.

“Well, he was a bit of an eccentric in many ways. Not just his actions but even his background was shrouded in mystery.”

“His background? Was there something unusual about it?”

“Oh. I suppose you wouldn’t know. Actually, no one did. Romulaxis’ background was kept a secret. Only the chairman, myself, and a few select directors knew.”

“Only a few knew?”

“That’s right. He wasn’t actually a Teller.”

“What?”

Alisha and Celine, who were somewhat familiar with Romulaxis, reacted as though it was the first time they’d heard of this.

“Why didn’t you ever mention this?”

“Oh, hush. You never asked in the first place. And besides, I don’t even know exactly where he’s from. I only heard he wasn’t a Teller.”

“He was a similar outside recruit like me, then?”

Celine, being of pure Gigiek blood, wasn’t a Teller. This meant Romulaxis also joined the Celestial Corporation as a different race to become a Teller.

“Hmm. You could see it that way… but he was different. No matter how incredible a species is, they’d usually say where they’re from. But Romulaxis… even the chairman wanted to keep it secret.”

“The chairman?”

“Yes. Although, dealing with his personality alone kept us too busy to notice much else. But thinking back now, it’s strange. Who exactly was he?”

“Regardless, it’s good to see that we’re all together again.”

Yu-hyun smiled, attempting to lighten the mood.

But the truth was, Yu-hyun himself was the one most deeply pondering Romulaxis’ whereabouts.

Back then, he’d just thought of him as another Teller.

But his sudden disappearance… something about it felt off.

His instincts were telling him as much.

“By the way, Alisha. How far did you get promoted before the company went under?”

“Huh, huh? Wh-why do you suddenly ask?”

“What’s this? You’re stuttering. Don’t tell me you didn’t make it to deputy director?”

“I-I mean, that’s not it!”

As Alisha hesitated, avoiding his gaze, Celine stepped in to answer on her behalf.

“Alisha only reached manager level.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Hey!”

“Of course, I also reached manager level.”

With a blank expression yet with a slight hint of pride, Celine’s face prompted an impressed reaction from Yu-hyun.

“I see. So, you were on the same level as Alisha.”

“It’s nothing compared to Yu-hyun, who was promoted straight to director and even offered an executive position right after reaching deputy director.”

“Well, he’s just a monster! And why did you even have to mention that?”

“I thought Yu-hyun would be curious.”

“I’m your senior!”

Watching Celine and Alisha bicker made them look like siblings.

One had the wings of a Gigiek, the other was a red-skinned Demonite with horns.

But at least, judging by their conversation, it seemed they got along well.

Alisha hurriedly added in her defense.

“I-I could’ve been promoted immediately too! But right when I was

about to become deputy director… the company closed…”

“Ah. Got it. I understand.”

“You don’t look like you understand at all!”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

“Well… never mind!”

Hearing Alisha’s forced reply, Yu-hyun chuckled.

“It’s good to see everyone doing well. It’s really nice meeting you all again.”

“Are you… leaving now, Yu-hyun?”

“Yeah. I still have a lot of people to meet.”

Though he wished to stay and chat longer, he didn’t have the luxury to do so.

Celine and Alisha, too, understood this as they were troubleshooters themselves.

“…Take care.”

“Yeah. Be careful. You got away unscathed this time, but there’s no guarantee next time will be the same.”

“Thanks for the concern, but I’m not as weak as you might think.”

“True, he’s right.”

Celestina, too, sided with Yu-hyun.

Celine and Alisha didn’t know yet, but Celestina, one of the few who held a senior position in the Celestial Corporation, understood his strength.

Yu-hyun was strong now. Stronger than her. Perhaps even comparable to a first-generation Divine Spirit.

‘And yet, he became human.’

The Teller Yu-hyun was gone.

He was human now.

And there was only one way a Teller could become human.

The Horizon of Stories. That ultimate realm a Teller who had risen to the rank of a Divine Spirit could reach.

Yu-hyun had made a different choice at that peak.

“Hang in there.”

“Of course, Celestina. Next time we meet… let’s have a good meal together.”

After bidding farewell to his old companions, Yu-hyun turned to leave.

Alisha and Celine seemed slightly regretful, but they had to move on when Oello joined them.

As Oello and his colleagues departed in a golden carriage, someone approached Yu-hyun, as if waiting for this moment.

“Merlin.”

Archmage Merlin of the Great Army of Mabinogion.

He stroked his beard while watching the golden carriage fade into the distance.

“I wonder if I interfered with your reunion.”

“No, there’s no need for concern.”

“Is that so?”

“But Merlin, are you okay? Using teleportation magic so excessively must have drained your mana.”

“Well, a little rest, and I’ll be fine. I’m the strongest mage of Camelot, after all, so there’s no need to worry.”

“That’s a relief.”

“I came here to personally thank you. Thank you for helping Camelot and Arthur.”

At Merlin’s unexpected gratitude, Yu-hyun smiled gently and shook his head.

“I didn’t do much.”

“Just by receiving that sword, you’ve done so much.”

Yu-hyun thought of Excalibur, which Arthur had entrusted to him.

At the end, Arthur had gifted him the strongest sword to aid his journey.

Excalibur, a legendary weapon famous even in the hybrid realm.

The sword that raised Arthur Pendragon’s name to the rank of the strongest knight was Excalibur.

However, Yu-hyun didn’t see it merely as a gift.

Considering what lay ahead, it felt more like a significant down payment, one he couldn’t return.

“I had similar thoughts, so I didn’t bother refusing.”

“What did you do with Excalibur?”

“Oh, that?”

Yu-hyun transformed Baekryun in his hand directly into Excalibur.

“Here it is.”

“That sword…”

“It inherited Excalibur’s story. Oh, was that not okay?”

Baekryun absorbed Excalibur’s entire story with [Story Absorption].

Given Excalibur’s symbolic significance, it wasn’t surprising if eyes would pop at this.

But Merlin shook his head.

“Once that sword was in your hands, it became yours. I have no right to question how you use it. More than that, it’s an intriguing sword. Though on par with Excalibur in myth, its potential is even greater. Could a human have created such a thing?”

Perhaps the Salio Empire faced annihilation at the hands of the Shrine because they created such a fearsome weapon.

Yu-hyun agreed with that.

Though both were mythic items, the Salio longsword absorbed Excalibur’s story and integrated it.

This gave Baekryun a wealth of stories far surpassing that of any ordinary weapon.

While the true soul within Baekryun no longer existed, the sword’s performance remained unchanged.

“What will you do now, Merlin?”

“Well… for now, I’ll find a temporary residence for Camelot’s people. There are many places to stay within the Great Army, so that shouldn’t be an issue.”

“What’s important…”

“Yes. It’s what happens afterward.”

Camelot was gone.

And the ones who destroyed it were the Shrine, whom even the Great Army couldn’t touch.

The citizens were despairing and fearful, but that wasn’t all.

They had all seen Arthur’s final words and sacrifice.

No one in Camelot missed it.

And beyond sorrow, some had a spark of fire ignited in their hearts.

Merlin was no exception.

“You’re going to fight.”

“It’s what the king wanted. Don’t worry. This isn’t something anyone’s forcing us to do. Everyone made this choice of their own will.”

Seeing Merlin’s unwavering gaze, Yu-hyun couldn’t help but feel the depth of their resolve.

“I look forward to standing on the same battlefield someday.”

“Yes.”

Undoubtedly, that day would come soon.

Merlin left, and the next person to approach Yu-hyun was an unexpected figure.

“Are you the human Kang Yu-hyun, entrusted with my father’s sword?”

“You are…”

Yu-hyun trailed off as he looked at the man.

A man who resembled King Arthur yet had ash-gray hair like the witch Morgan.

Mordred.

The son of King Arthur and his sin.

The knight of betrayal had come to find Yu-hyun.

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