WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 344: Episode 64: The Road That Isn’t a Road (4)

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Crackle...!

Sparks flew through my mother's damaged soul, and little by little, life returned to her soul form.

The Wanderers moved busily, piecing together my mother's Fable Fragments with the discerning eyes of experts, as though they wouldn't allow even the slightest error.

"This was back then. Everyone remembers, right?"

A single portrait drawn by many people.

The sight resembled a feast of artisans gathered to sculpt one perfect work of art.

It was surprising that so many people remembered my mother.

Some gazes kill.

After the Scenarios began, Incarnations had died beneath the gazes of countless Constellations. They were exposed, subjected to voyeuristic gazes, and had desires forced upon them.

But there are also gazes that save someone.

"Ah, I miss those days."

"What would we have done without Sukyeong-ssi? Right?"

The Wanderers murmured wistfully.

Perhaps, over the course of our lives, we become masters of memory to one or two people.

[The Constellation Scribe of heaven is sincerely impressed by the sight of fables piling up layer by layer.]

[The Constellation Demonic Judge of Fire is greatly delighted!]

[The Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband pulls out his hair with an unreadable expression.]

[The Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon grumbles as he looks at his Incarnation.]

The channel inspection must have ended, because the Constellations had gathered in Biyoo's channel to watch.

My mother was being completed beneath everyone's gaze.

Lee Sukyeong, who had been my mother.

Lee Sukyeong, who had been the King of Wanderers.

Lee Sukyeong, who had been a revolutionary in the detention center.

Lee Sukyeong, who had been an essay writer.

All those Lee Sukyeongs came together to form the whole that was Lee Sukyeong.

As I stood there awkwardly, Han Suyeong jabbed me in the side.

"You're in the way, so get out."

Suyeong had spent the last three years with Mother, so she probably had a share in Mother's fable too.

I nodded uncertainly and left the hospital room.

The restoration was nearly complete anyway, and it didn't seem like there was anything more I could do. I was a little uneasy, but she was a Writer too, so... she wouldn't mess my mother up.

From behind me, I heard Suyeong mutter softly.

"Was this what she said back then? I don't know. It probably is."

Please let everything be okay.

When I stepped outside the room, my companions were waiting for me.

"Mister!"

"Dokja-hyung!"

I hugged the two children rushing at me and looked around at the others.

Huiwon, Jihye, even Hyeongseong, who was strapped to a gurney... Everyone was waiting for my answer. They all seemed to understand the situation without needing an explanation.

Shin Yuseong, clinging to me, asked, "What about Grandma? Is Grandma Sukyeong okay?"

"I think she'll be okay. They're almost finished."

A flicker of relief crossed their faces at my answer. It looked as though a heavy burden had been lifted from them.

"Hey, why's Dokja-hyung's mom your grandma?"

"She's Mister's mom, so she's my grandma."

"Dokja-hyung isn't your dad."

I quickly patted their backs.

"Come on, don't fight. You can both call her Grandma."

"Really? Is that okay?"

"Of course."

Watching Gilyeong and Yuseong blush, I tried to say something more, then closed my mouth again.

What kind of time had the last three years been for these children?

As they fought through dozens of Scenarios without me, what had they seen, what had they heard, and what stories had they lived?

"Hyung?"

I had been stroking Gilyeong's hair for so long that he looked up at me helplessly. Yuseong, who had been quietly glaring at him, grabbed my hand and placed it on top of her own head.

I held the two children close and said, "I'm sorry."

"Huh? For what?"

"Just... everything."

No matter what I said now, I couldn't ask them to forgive me. Still, I wanted to say something.

Maybe Mother's fable had affected me. Maybe I no longer wanted to create tragedies caused by failing to speak in time.

Even so, the words wouldn't leave my lips easily.

That they had suffered. That I was sorry.

I wanted to tell them.

"It's okay."

Yuseong spoke first.

"We're okay, Mister."

Yuseong looked up at me. I should've been the one comforting her. I should've been the one asking whether she was okay.

"Mister... you're okay too, right?"

I couldn't bring myself to answer, so I avoided her gaze.

When I looked up, everyone was watching me. Jihye looked as though she was about to cry, while Huiwon looked worried.

I forced a smile.

"Why are you all looking at me like that? I'm okay. Mother has recovered too."

"Are you really okay?"

"I'm really okay. And..."

I looked carefully at each of them. The scars left across their bodies told me of the time they had endured. The moment the Great Fable "Gigantomachia" ended, they had rushed here first without even having the chance to properly savor their victory.

“‘Gigantomachia’... Everyone, you all worked hard.”

Maybe something about my expression was funny, because Huiwon let out a short laugh.

"Does that take care of all our bonuses? Dokja-ssi, seriously... We only work here because we're nice..."

Jihye nodded eagerly beside her. Huiwon continued.

"And why did you run away by yourself again? Do you really want to die? Or do you want to get locked up again?"

"Well, Mass Production Maker-nim..."

"Save the excuses."

I lowered my head.

"I'm sorry."

For now, that was the best I could do. I could explain later.

As I bent at the waist, a pair of worn battle boots caught my eye. Following them upward, I saw a man in a black coat dusted with pale dirt.

It struck me anew that the Yu Junghyeok I knew belonged here.

"Yu Junghyeok, you worked hard too..."

"This isn't the time to drag on with pathetic talk. It isn't over yet."

Junghyeok swept his fearsome gaze over us, then walked toward the hallway on the other side of the ward. Wherever he was, Junghyeok was still Junghyeok.

"You all look like you have time to spare. Did you come here on a picnic?"

Suyeong appeared in the doorway. She must've used a great deal of Mana, because fatigue showed on her face.

"What about Mother?"

"It'll take some time for her Incarnation body to wake up, but her illness has been completely cured. We'll have to leave the rest to time."

"You worked hard."

"What about Yu Sangah?"

"The doctors are monitoring her condition. We'll begin treatment as soon as Aileen comes out. There's some Star Relic Nectar left, right?"

Aileen had said only one person could be saved this time.

"Let's move immediately."

Aileen came out behind us with the medical team and headed straight for Sangah's room.

There, we encountered an unfamiliar sight.

"Seolhwa-ssi?"

I had wondered where Lee Seolhwa was. She was in a white coat, tending to Sangah.

Was it just my imagination? The rate at which Sangah's Fable Fragments were breaking apart seemed to have slowed, if only slightly.

"What's going on?"

"I tried using the medicine Junghyeok-ssi gave me."

"Junghyeok gave you medicine?"

Without answering, Seolhwa looked down at a small bottle on the table. It hadn't been there before.

The moment I touched the glass bottle, its item information appeared before me.

"Gongcheongseokyu?"

I was startled. If this Gongcheongseokyu was the one I knew, it was a rare item that could rival even Star Relic Nectar.

One of the greatest elixirs of the martial world, said to have come from the mysterious Zero Martial World.

Too many thoughts came to me at once, and I didn't know what to say first.

"Where did he get something like this?"

"He said the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint-nim gave it to him."

It seemed the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint hadn't returned to Earth yet. Perhaps she was delayed because she had reunited with her kin after so long.

More importantly, if the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint had Gongcheongseokyu... could she have gone to that Island?

Aileen, examining Yu Sangah's condition, said, "We bought a little time."

"How much?"

"About thirty minutes."

"If we get more Star Relic Nectar even now..."

"She's already past the point where Star Relic Nectar can restore her. She's crossed the critical point. Honestly, it's amazing her theme hasn't been damaged yet. Her mental energy is truly..."

The companions spoke over Aileen's unfinished sentence.

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"You're saying Sangah-unni is going to die?"

Only then did they understand how serious the situation was as they listened to the doctors' explanation.

Huiwon went pale, and the children's complexions turned deathly pale. Jihye looked terrified.

"Mister, you're lying, right? Right?"

"..."

"Sangah-unni is going to die? Really? Then what have we been doing all this for...?"

Jihye staggered toward me like a ghost and shook me.

"Mister, you died and came back so many times! Can't she get an Attribute like that now...?"

There was no way to obtain such an Attribute now.

Huiwon held Jihye back from behind and asked me, "Is the method you used back then impossible?"

The method I used back then.

No one explained, but everyone looked toward Biyoo in the air.

"It's difficult."

"You became the successor of the underworld this time. Can't you ask them for help?"

"I already did."

Even then, Indirect Messages sounded several times from the air.

They were messages from a few Constellations who wanted to take advantage of this situation.

[The Constellation First Emperor Who Dreamed of Immortality makes you an offer.]

[The Constellation First Emperor Who Dreamed of Immortality says that if you make a contract with him, he will provide the Elixir of Immortality immediately.]

The First Emperor Who Dreamed of Immortality. Was that China's king?

The Elixir of Immortality was certainly an item that could rival Star Relic Nectar or Star Relic Fruit.

Even if I used it, Sangah couldn't recover now.

「Don't do anything pointless.」

At that moment, everyone looked in one direction.

「If you accept their help, they'll definitely demand an absurd price from all of you.」

Sangah was speaking. Her Incarnation body had its eyes closed, but everyone could hear her story.

Her soul, already more than halfway scattered with only its theme remaining, looked at each of the companions.

「Everyone.」

Sangah spoke to them.

「I'm okay. So...」

I didn't know how many times I had heard someone say they were okay today.

Everyone here knew what those words meant and what it had taken for them to reach us.

「Gilyeong, noona is okay. Don't cry. Yuseong too.」

Sangah continued speaking to the companions.

Holding my throbbing heart, I leaned against the wall.

Huiwon collapsed into a chair.

「Huiwon-ssi. I really like you, Huiwon-ssi. You know that, right?」

「And Jihye...」

Tears fell in heavy drops. Jihye clutched the bedsheet and cried sorrowfully. Her reddened eyes looked desperately toward me.

Beside me, someone ground their teeth.

"Kim Dokja. Make a contract with an Outer God."

Suyeong gripped my arm.

"Then there might be a way. No, I'll make the contract. I'll..."

「Han Suyeong-ssi.」

Suyeong's lips trembled.

「You decided not to do that anymore.」

Suyeong let go of my arm and lowered her head. As though she didn't want to hear any more, she kicked the door open and stormed out.

Sangah continued. She looked like someone trying to pour out every word she had left.

「I have things I want to say to Hyeongseong-ssi and Junghyeok-ssi too... but I don't have much strength left now.」

「There are still things I want to say... left...」

Then Sangah looked at me.

I pushed myself away from the wall. The wounds on my Incarnation body throbbed. The world swayed.

But I had to stand now.

"Everyone."

The moment I said it, a sharp pain ran through my head.

[The Fourth Wall warns you.]

「No.」

I ignored it and continued.

"Everyone, please leave for a moment."

Huiwon was the first to regain her senses. After exchanging a look with me, she helped Jihye to her feet. At her urging, people left the room one by one.

After Yuseong and Gilyeong left last, only Sangah and I remained.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth.

"Yu Sangah-ssi. Do you remember what you said on the subway that day?"

Sangah didn't answer.

"You said you liked reading books."

I continued speaking to the unresponsive Sangah.

"Haruki Murakami, Raymond Carver, Han Kang..."

I named the writers Sangah had said she liked. I could feel her expression slowly changing. Maybe she was searching through fading, distant memories.

"If you could live again, would you be willing to read books other than those writers' works too?"

For an instant, light returned to Sangah's soul.

「What kind of books?」

"Books like The Lord of the Rings."

Sangah's soul form chuckled. Smiling faintly as though summoning an old memory, her soul spoke.

「I'd like that. If I can read them, somehow...」

I remembered those precious words without missing a single syllable.

「If I can live again and read all those stories.」

I nodded.

I didn't know whether this method would work. It had never even been attempted in the original story.

But that was why it was something only I could do.

Crackle!

A wall appeared in the air amid tremendous sparks. As though I were looking beyond a dead end, I stared at [The Fourth Wall].

Anyone who encountered a wall like this at the end of their road would despair.

"The Fourth Wall."

A thick wall that seemed impossible to break with anything. There was no structure more artificial than a wall. An obstacle made by someone for a clear purpose. I didn't know what purpose this wall had been made for.

One thing was certain. The first wall had been made to protect someone.

The moment I opened my mouth, [The Fourth Wall] opened its mouth as well.

"Swallow it. Don't leave out a single sentence."

Footnotes:

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