WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: ChaoticRain

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◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 161: Episode 31: Graveyard of the Scenarios (3)

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The Incarnations gathered on the rampart tensed up.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Some people listened to what he was saying, but most did not.

"He's obviously a scammer."

"...Say something that makes sense. What? We don't need to carry out the Scenario?"

"It's probably a scheme to hog all the rewards for himself."

Whatever anyone said, they were still Incarnations who had survived up to the ninth scenario.

Even setting aside Inho Cheon of Geumho Station and Pildu Gong of Chungmuro, there had been plenty of scammers in Seoul. The Incarnations here were either one of those swindlers themselves, or people who had beaten swindlers and made it all the way here.

There was no way they'd fall so easily for such honeyed words. As if he had read their thoughts, the man atop the rampart opened his mouth.

"I understand that you won't believe me. Nine Scenarios may not be a long time, but they cannot be called short, either. I can well imagine what you have gone through and what kind of lives you've led to reach this place."

The first step to becoming a scammer was pretending to understand the other person. But these were people who were already sick to death of that kind of pretense.

"You think we'd fall for that again?"

"What exactly do you want? What are you trying to say?"

The people who could no longer hold back shouted first. Then the man smiled faintly. It was such a beautiful smile that it was hard to believe he could possibly be a scammer.

"I mean exactly what I said. You no longer need to fight. I'm sure the Dokkaebis have already explained it to you. The Scenario in Dark Castle has neither a time limit nor a failure condition. Anyone clever enough has probably already realized what that means."

Kim Youngpal of the Pinkies, who was standing nearby, let out a low groan.

"You can go on living in this Scenario area. You can eat as you used to, sleep in late, and spend your days doing whatever you want. Your right to life will be respected, and you can forget the compulsion to clear Scenarios... You can live out the rest of your days here, carrying on the life you had before the 'destruction' began."

"Right to life? Don't give me that bullshit!"

"How are we supposed to live in a place crawling with demons?"

"We have somewhere to go back to!"

The people shouted as if they were screaming. Then the man asked,

"Go back? Where exactly do you intend to go back to?"

"Obviously, to where we used to live..."

"Surely you don't mean that ruined 'planet'?"

"R-ruined? It hasn't been ruined yet!"

"You already know, don't you? From the moment the 'Scenario' began, your planet was walking toward nothing but 'destruction.' Even if you return there, all you'll find is ruin. Even if you cross one Scenario, then another... in the end, all that awaits you is destruction."

"Who are you to say that? What would you know-"

"I know. The planet I lived on was also destroyed by the 'Scenario' long ago."

The murmuring crowd fell silent at once. A being who had lost his homeland to the "Scenario." A man who had remained in Dark Castle longer than anyone here was now speaking to them.

"That is why I can say this with confidence. There is no safer world anywhere in the Star Stream than the place where you stand now."

For the first time, the people's momentum weakened. Their eyes were still full of distrust, but at least an atmosphere had formed where they were willing to listen. Someone shouted in a loud voice.

"Who exactly are you?"

"My name is Reinheit von Djerba. I came to this land 800 years before you... and I am the master of this fortress, Paradise."

Then the gates of the fortress swung wide open. The expressions of the people who saw the view inside slowly changed. Reinheit finished with a bright smile.

"Welcome once again, everyone. Welcome to Paradise."

* * *

Paradise.

There were countless mentions of Paradise in TWSA as well.

The graveyard of the Scenarios. A nest for Incarnations. A flower blooming on the plains of despair... Many beings had described this place with all sorts of expressions.

In reality, most of those descriptions were true.

"A place like this really existed..."

Everyone with me except for myself stood transfixed by the sight of Paradise spread out before us. Jihye, Gilyeong, Yuseong, even Hyeongseong. Hyeongseong in particular rubbed his eyes over and over, as if he simply couldn't believe what he was seeing.

With the central boulevard in the middle, housing districts and market streets stretched out on both sides. The voices of the bustling people were full of a vitality I'd never heard before.

"Demon weevil legs for sale! Try a bite before you go! They're great for relieving fatigue!"

"Farm-grown sansho berries for sale! Excellent as Constitution restoratives!"

The market merchants were friendly, and the customers haggling over prices paid with satisfied expressions. People of many different species and nationalities had gathered here, yet no one showed any sign of discriminating against or threatening anyone else.

Confronted with this suddenly unfamiliar atmosphere, the Incarnations entering the fortress all looked bewildered.

"What the hell is this...?"

Just moments ago, words like "Paradise" and "peace" had been nothing but bullshit. But now that same bullshit was right in front of them, given a solid, tangible form.

"...Paradise?"

Some people were so shocked that they sank to the ground. Some dropped their weapons and panted. Kind hands immediately reached out to them.

"Are you all right? If you're injured, please come this way! Paradise's clinic treats all injured people free of charge!"

"We teach weapon arts and cultivation methods! If you want to know the difference between Aether and Mana, or if you want to use sword aura like everyone else, everyone is welcome!"

The people of Paradise never hesitated to share. They taught what they knew, and they considered helping someone else a virtue. There was even exchange that crossed the boundaries of species. A horned demon grinned and waved at us.

"A-ah, a demonic species!"

A few startled Incarnations grabbed their weapons, and the guards waiting in the fortress quickly approached.

"Put those away."

"What are you talking about? That demon bastard-"

"Expressions of hate like that are forbidden here. That person is a proper resident of Paradise too."

"A, a resident?"

As the flustered Incarnations hesitated, the demon who had been waving walked up to them.

"I am indeed a demon. But I won't harm you. The prejudice that demons naturally eat humans makes me sad."

The emotional tone left the Incarnations staring blankly. Their eyes said they had no idea how any of this was supposed to make sense. Similar scenes kept appearing one after another. Demonic species, humans, and other species joining forces to build houses, linking arms as they headed for taverns, or sitting side by side on outdoor terraces as they ate...

There were even some who sent welcoming gestures in our direction.

[The character Lee Hyeongseong is shaken by the surrounding scenery.]

[The character Lee Jihye is shaken by the atmosphere around her.]

My companions' state of mind was being relayed to me in real time. This was the first peace they had encountered since the Scenario began. It wasn't strange that their hearts were wavering. Just because ordinary people had picked up swords didn't mean their nature had changed.

Everything had only been the result of forces beyond their control. And now, for the first time, my companions were being tempted by the chance to escape that helplessness.

I spotted Huiwon in the distance, so we headed that way. She was talking with someone. It was a woman I'd seen before.

"Thank you so much for back then. I didn't even get to thank you properly..."

"It's okay! I'm just glad you're doing well."

The young woman who had been speaking with Huiwon glanced at me, then opened her eyes wide. Her expression changed in quick succession. Surprise, fear, and then...

"Could that man be...?"

"Ah, Dokja."

"So it really is you! I still haven't forgotten the kindness you showed us when you saved us."

At first I wasn't completely sure, but the moment I saw the child holding the woman's hand, I remembered.

"Ah, were you at Geumho Station by any chance...?"

"You remember us? Dayeong, you should say hello too."

"Hello..."

They were the mother and daughter who had fought alongside the Ironhead Gang at Geumho Station.

I'd been worried because they hadn't joined up with us, but it seemed they had somehow managed to survive until now. The mother and daughter gave us armfuls of baskets, saying they were fruit they had gathered from the farms here. I kept refusing and saying it was fine, but it was no use.

"If we hadn't received your help back then, we never would have made it this far. Thanks to you, we were able to start over. Thank you so much."

The mother and daughter, having found a new place to settle down, looked as if they had found their lives again. Watching their backs as they walked away, memories of Geumho Station rose in my mind again.

The regret that I should have saved more people, and the cowardly self-rationalization that it had been the best I could do at the time. The child who was moving farther away suddenly turned and looked back at me. A gentle guilt washed over me as I saw the smile spreading across the child's face.

It was a reward far too generous for the hypocrisy I had shown.

Did Huiwon feel the same thing I did? Huiwon, who had been watching the mother and daughter walk away with me, spoke.

"Congratulations on coming back to life. It took a little longer this time."

"Isn't that a pretty dry reaction? Jihye and Gilyeong were crying and making a huge fuss."

"Should I do that too?"

"I don't want that at all."

I turned with a little laugh, only to see worry shadowing Huiwon's face. Just as I hesitated over what to say, she spoke first.

"...Dokja, could we talk alone for a minute?"

* * *

Huiwon had arrived here four days ago.

Using the power of [hellfire inferno], she cleared the first floor in the shortest amount of time and came up to the second floor faster than anyone else. And then she reached this place, Paradise. A place where one could cast off the shackles of the Scenario. Naturally, Huiwon hadn't believed it.

On the first day, she distrusted everything. On the second day, she suspected everything. She began to waver on the third day, and unfortunately, I came on the fourth.

"I suddenly started wondering what it even meant to keep carrying out the Scenarios."

Huiwon hadn't been brainwashed or anything like that. To begin with, Paradise itself was a sweet, addictive drug. I asked with a bitter smile,

"Aren't you wavering a little too fast?"

"...Maybe I've been like that all along."

Huiwon smiled bitterly too.

"Let me go! I can pay in coins! I'll pay for what I stole, so let go of me!"

As we walked through the streets, we occasionally saw criminals being dragged away by the fortress guards. Some of them were people who had entered the fortress with me. It looked like they hadn't been able to break the habit of putting their hands on other people's belongings.

Watching a man being dragged away, Huiwon said,

"This place has better security than Seoul."

"It looks that way."

"Different species don't discriminate against one another, and when things get hard, they help each other. Everyone has a home to live in and a place to work."

Her tone was almost like she was making excuses.

"You don't have to worry about being betrayed by your Companions, and you don't have to worry about monsters appearing at night."

I looked silently at Huiwon.

Huiwon, Judge of Evil. The sword I had raised with my own hands after entering this world. Out of everyone with us, Huiwon had probably killed the most people. She was the person who had to massacre everything in order to protect my refusal to kill.

"You don't have to live as if you're being chased by the Scenarios. You don't have to have nightmares because you killed someone. And now..."

Huiwon couldn't continue for a moment and looked at me. Then, as if avoiding my gaze, she finished speaking.

"You don't have to lose anyone."

The hardest sword is the easiest sword to break. Because it is the hardest, it gets swung the most. It takes the most wounds and suffers the most losses. That is why it breaks faster than any other sword.

"If you like it here, you can stay here."

Huiwon's gaze wavered at my words. Looking into her eyes, I went on.

"I think this is a safe place too."

That wasn't a lie.

"There is no safer place in Dark Castle than this one. No, perhaps... it wouldn't be easy to find a place this safe in all the Scenarios."

I hated admitting it, but it was true. Paradise really was that kind of land.

"Could it be that you..."

I knew what she was about to say, so I answered quickly.

"Yes, I won't stay here."

"Why?"

"Because this isn't the 'end.'"

"...You said you knew the future, Dokja."

Once, Huiwon and I had talked in the Theater Dungeon.

At the time, Huiwon had asked me what would happen to her in the future, and I told her she did not exist in that future, because she was someone who had never been mentioned in the "original work."

A character whose future I didn't know.

"I have to keep going with the Scenarios."

Huiwon answered with a light sigh. We looked at the people of Paradise. Laughing, chatting, rejoicing in the lives they had found again.

"Where is the 'end' you think of, Dokja?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Then... is that 'end' a better place than this one?"

Because it was Huiwon asking, I couldn't answer easily.

"If we don't keep going with the Scenarios, does everyone become unhappy?"

Could I really say that the ending I wanted for this story was a place more beautiful than this Paradise for everyone? If we truly reached that ending, could every character be happy?

We looked up at the sky without a word.

It felt as though there had definitely been something precious there, yet I'd forgotten what it was. As if she had just awakened from a brief dream, Huiwon spoke.

"The lord here is looking for you, Dokja."

I nodded.

Footnotes:

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