WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 794: Episode 37: Graduation Ceremony (10)
──────
Screeech.
Something tore at my sleeve.
It was Odin's Night Raven.
After letting out an ominous cry, the raven asked mockingly.
「Have you given up?」
I grinned.
"No."
「There is no star left anywhere that can help you.」
I knew that.
What Constellation could help us when we had become enemies of the entire universe?
"That's right. If we're talking about a 'star.'"
An ancient fable began flowing from my entire body.
The fables that had gradually recovered during the three days Junghyeok bought us began their final story.
[The fable Demon King of Salvation has begun its story!]
Like stars flickering in their final moments, all the fables of the Demon King of Salvation were awakening.
「"You're the one who said we couldn't do it alone! You're the one who gathered us! You're the one who told us all of this!"」
I silently listened to the fable's voice.
「The Allies heard that message. Watching Dokja's hair flutter. Watching his long eyelashes and eyes, his white, shining cheeks, and his lips twisted sadly. Realizing anew that Dokja existed in this world with such an expression.」
What expression was I wearing now?
Like Dokja that day, would someone remember what I looked like now?
「I want to see the conclusion with you too.」
The startled Night Raven screeched, released my sleeve, and took flight.
It had realized what I was about to call.
"Come forth! ■■■■■■■■!"
The sound of space and time tearing apart echoed across the universe.
A tremendous suction force emerged from the rifts covering the sky.
Constellations, Outer Gods, hounds. Every being in the area vanished into the rifts.
A cleaner that devoured the twisted Plausibility of this Star Stream.
「There is sufficient Plausibility.」
My opponent was the most dreadful Calamity in the Star Stream.
「If this is truly the fable you bastards want, then I'll show you all you can bear.」
Barely holding back the trembling in my body, I looked up at it.
Indescribable Distance.
The Nameless Mist.
Judging by its size, it seemed to be a fragment rather than its main body. Still, a fragment was enough for now.
[Run away! Everyone...!]
The stars scattered in every direction at the appearance of the Calamity that devoured Plausibility.
Indescribable Distance's mist rapidly swelled in size, swallowing the surrounding universe whole.
As I watched the mist creep toward me to gnaw through my body, I recalled the main story of 『Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint』.
When the Demon King of Salvation had been about to be devoured by Indescribable Distance in the main story, there had been an Outer God who saved him.
「Secretive Plotter.」
It would be a lie to say I hadn't hoped, even a little.
Maybe he would come again. Maybe he would save me here, just as he had in the main story.
But I knew it was a futile hope. So I called for modifiers with better odds.
"Great Sage Equaling Heaven! Please help! I even offered you Nagak meat!"
Anyone would do.
"Abyssal Black Flame Dragon! Have you forgotten that I have a low-grade Dragon Heart? Won't you help a fellow dragonkin?"
If only a single star would answer.
Please, in this damned pandemonium.
I wanted to live.
I shouted and shouted until my throat tore.
Just as the encroaching mist was about to gnaw through my entire body, someone hoisted me onto their back.
A hard back.
Hanging limply from it, I said,
"Why didn't you leave?"
The owner of that back replied,
"Because I still have something to collect from you."
Junghyeok of the 41st round hadn't returned to Earth.
He had refused Uriel's offer and remained here.
I could hear the pounding of his heart as he pushed himself beyond his limits with [Recovery].
With every bit of life he had left, he began running while limping.
"Is there no way left?"
It seemed this guy truly believed I would have some kind of solution until the very end.
I gave the foolish regressor a bitter smile.
"There isn't."
"I see."
"But it isn't over yet. Who knows? We might end up in the underworld."
"I have never gone there after dying."
I wished there was a little more time left to write the story.
"Since you're no longer a regressor, maybe you'll go this time. Let's start over there. We'll start a revolution in the underworld and steal the Colossus Pluto. What do you think?"
"There's no way that could be..."
Junghyeok glared at me as if I were ridiculous. Then he looked ahead and muttered,
"It would be nice if there were."
No matter how far he ran, it was impossible for Junghyeok to escape Indescribable Distance in his current state.
Even so, Junghyeok didn't give up.
As always, he ran without giving up until the very end.
I felt apologetic toward him.
Did I have a sentence left that could save him?
I didn't know.
Still, I had to try everything I could.
[Exclusive Skill □□ has activated!]
The scenery of the world slowed, and my final argument began.
Yet I had no idea what sentence could save Junghyeok.
No matter what I imagined, I couldn't picture a future where we escaped.
Perhaps this was the end of the 41st round.
Perhaps it was our Fate to disappear without ever being properly read, without even remaining as a proper fable.
[Warning! Due to the collapse of your Incarnation body, you cannot use this skill properly!]
[Your available margin is almost gone.]
To make matters worse, I had been given fewer than twenty characters.
Only twenty characters.
How could I convince the world with twenty characters?
How could I make a story nobody read become one that was read?
The moment I thought that, a light came on in my mind.
A story nobody read.
And I completed one sentence.
「This is a story about despair that went unread.」
That was the entirety of the sentence I could write.
Maybe it was a sentence that couldn't change anything.
A sentence that called an unread story unread.
Even so, I thought it was enough.
If it was a reader I knew, if it was you, who loved this story more than anyone else, then I was certain you would read this sentence.
[You have successfully recreated the scene.]
[You have exited Snowfield.]
Indescribable Distance's mist chased after us.
Junghyeok began running with the last of his strength.
[A new fable is beginning to sprout!]
With every desperate step he took, the sentences I couldn't write continued.
「Even if it isn't read, I won't give up.」
Remembering the footsteps of one person left behind in the Snowfield, I read his life.
「Simply refusing to give up is enough to make a story into a fable.」
Hoping this story would reach beyond the universe.
But the rushing mist was faster than I had expected.
At last, it caught us.
"Kim Dokja..."
At that moment, my stomach lurched.
Something was coming.
"Yu Junghyeok!"
We instinctively curled up.
A vast storm of light rushed toward us, centered around our bodies.
Everything spun. Junghyeok stumbled and let go of me.
Floating in the Scenario's zero gravity, we turned around.
The mist that had been closing in on us until then scattered amid the dazzling flash.
A spectacular view of a dying universe unfolded through the magnificently dispersing mist.
Nothing remained where the light had swept through.
No stars, no Outer Gods, nothing at all.
Then a sentence floated above the universe, spread out like a fresh margin.
「It seemed like a kind of period.」
Looking closer, it wasn't a period.
Amid the landscape of destruction, a man was watching us.
* * *
A faint rumble of thunder came from the clear sky.
There was a subtle sign of Plausibility Backlash approaching.
Crackle.
Tiny sparks leaped up and briefly colored the sky before quickly vanishing.
Yu Junghyeok, sitting on the bed, looked up at the sky and muttered,
"Plausibility Backlash."
It was impossible.
Plausibility Backlash could never reach this place, unlike the other worlds.
"Captain. What nonsense are you talking about? Are you still half-asleep?"
Lee Jihye grabbed Junghyeok's arm and pulled him out of bed.
"Did you forget what day it is? The kid is waiting!"
Without a word, Junghyeok got up and took a coat from the wardrobe.
Come to think of it, today was an important day.
As Junghyeok casually put on the coat, Jihye snapped at him.
"Captain! Have you lost your mind? You're wearing that black coat again today?"
"I have a white one too."
"White or black, it doesn't matter! Captain, you can't dress like a Constellation today. You're not Secretive Plotter anymore!"
"I..."
"Please, dress normally! Wear something that stands out as little as possible! All the parents are coming. Do you want to embarrass the kid?"
"..."
"Seriously. Uriel-unnie told us over and over before she went to work... Wait, why do you only have identical coats in your wardrobe?"
Muttering complaints, Jihye naturally began searching Lee Hyeongseong's wardrobe as well.
"Why does this guy only have military uniforms?"
"Lee Hyeongseong is a soldier."
"No, but do soldiers only wear uniforms?"
Jihye finally found an outfit that wasn't a uniform in Hyeongseong's wardrobe.
It was a suit.
"Here, wear this at least!"
Without protest, Junghyeok accepted the suit Jihye handed him and put it on.
Jihye nodded in satisfaction as she looked at the now-neat Junghyeok.
"It suits you."
"It's unsuitable for battle."
"Why would you be fighting? Let's go already. We don't have much time."
Today was parent observation class.
Afraid of being late, the two quickly checked their surroundings, then ran through the air with [phoenix walk].
"The weather is gloomy."
"It's completely clear. What are you talking about?"
It took less than five minutes to get to the school.
After lightly straightening their clothes to avoid drawing attention, the two awkwardly entered the school grounds.
Judging by the bustle inside the classroom, class had already begun.
A student teacher waiting outside noticed them.
"Are you here for parent observation class?"
Junghyeok nodded, and the student teacher gave a small laugh before asking again.
"Could I ask the student's name...?"
"Kim Dokja."
"Ah, you're Dokja's parents!"
Thinking this would lead to the worst possible misunderstanding, Jihye quickly stepped in.
"He's the uncle. I'm the older sister."
"Ah, I see. Would you come this way?"
Following the student teacher into the classroom, they saw a group of parents gathered at the back.
A few parents whispered after noticing Junghyeok and Jihye, or glanced at Junghyeok's face as they spoke.
Most of them, however, were lined up looking bored and repeatedly yawning.
The two found a spot near the lockers and watched the students.
Under the art teacher's guidance, the students were each drawing on sheets of paper.
Little heads bunched together.
Junghyeok quickly found the most familiar head among them.
"Sometimes, I find it amazing."
Jihye, looking at the same head, said,
"That such a small head can think about so much."
Time passed quickly.
One by one, the students handed in their pictures.
Whenever a drawing was submitted, the teacher called over the parents with exaggerated gestures and talked to them.
"Wow, what did you draw here?"
Even as students who had finished left the classroom while chatting quietly with their parents, the little head Junghyeok watched remained buried in the desk.
Just as he began worrying that the head might get sucked into the desk, the teacher moved first.
"Dokja. Time's up."
"Just a little longer."
Now, Junghyeok and Jihye were the only ones left at the back of the classroom.
The teacher spotted them and asked brightly,
"Dokja's father, would you come over and have a look?"
Junghyeok approached.
But Dokja was so focused that he didn't even notice Junghyeok coming closer.
The teacher asked,
"What are you drawing?"
"The universe."
"The universe?"
Just as Dokja said, the background of the drawing was a pitch-black universe.
A universe scattered with faint starlight.
Three people stood in that universe.
The teacher looked back and forth between the picture and Junghyeok a few times before asking,
"Is this perhaps your father?"
"Mm."
Junghyeok examined Dokja's drawing.
There was clearly a man there with the same face as him.
A man drenched in blood from head to toe, glaring at the world with hateful eyes.
Junghyeok immediately knew who he was.
He couldn't not know.
Because that Yu Junghyeok was,
‘The 41st round.’
The Yu Junghyeok who resembled him most.
Beside him stood a man in a pure white coat.
His hair was somewhat lighter than Junghyeok remembered, but Junghyeok still immediately recognized him.
"Who is this?"
Dokja answered with a shy expression.
"It's me from another world."
"Oh my, what a profound picture."
As if they had been fighting someone until just before, the two men in the drawing looked quite exhausted.
Junghyeok stared at them for a long time, as though reflecting on a distant past.
Meanwhile, the teacher's gaze moved to the final person in the picture.
"Then... who is this naked person beside them?"
A naked man holding a sword stood there.
Junghyeok looked at the man too.
But the moment he did, he felt as though the man in the drawing was looking back at him.
"Captain."
Only then did Jihye seem to realize something was wrong. Her expression changed as she looked at Junghyeok.
Without answering, Junghyeok continued staring down at the man in the drawing before suddenly looking up into the air.
Crackle.
The Plausibility Backlash in the sky that he had witnessed earlier sounded again.
Watching the sparks, Secretive Plotter unconsciously spoke.
"Still."
For a moment, it seemed a beloved starlight blinked beyond the distant universe.
Staring at that starlight, Secretive Plotter said,
"It seems there's still a story I haven't read."
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
