I Became a Raid Boss

Chapter 140

When I heard about Edel’s plan in the Holy Kingdom.

“…If my power ascends.”

I asked Edel.

“So, if I could rewrite the system as you said, could I… bring back my father…?”

“Could you revive him? Well, it’s not impossible.”

“…!”

“But, are you sure about that?”

“Your father is likely reincarnated and living a new life by now.”

“…So what?”

“Even if we could retrieve his memories and physical form with some effort, would he be happy to be revived that way? The man named Garid doesn’t seem like the type who would be.”

I paused.

I wanted to say, “It doesn’t matter,” or “My father would be glad,” but I couldn’t bring myself to say it so easily.

I believe that as long as a soul is the same, the person remains the same. But would my father, who’s now living a new life, think that way?

Maybe he’d think he’d only regained life by sacrificing someone else’s.

And knowing him, he would never be pleased with a life reclaimed at the expense of a stranger.

Would he resent me?

Would he ask why I revived him? Would he resent me for not wanting to live off another’s life?

Or would he be grateful?

Would he embrace me, saying he missed me?

Or perhaps, both.

He might resent me deep inside, but suppress it for my sake, because my father is kind.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t foresee how my father would react when we met again.

Would I have understood him if we had shared more conversations?

Now, I feel I’m starting to understand what it means when people say children can’t know their parents’ hearts.

“You still have time, so think about it carefully. But don’t take too long.”

Edel granted me a reprieve, knowing I couldn’t readily give an answer.

When everything was over, she asked me to give her my answer.

She spoke of success as though failure wasn’t even a possibility.

With my answer postponed, I left the Holy Kingdom and traveled to Laxia, meeting many people along the way.

Some were familiar, some were strangers, and some remembered me one-sidedly.

The conversations I shared with them left me with small and large doubts alike.

But the one who confused me the most was a member of the Demonic Race I met in Laxia, who was struggling along with a body on the verge of death.

“Well… I think I’d feel miserable. As I said, I don’t want to live at the cost of others.”

“Even if it was the life of a heinous criminal?”

“Yes, even so.”

That was something I could never agree with.

But if Garid had heard his words instead of me, he would have agreed.

He would have laughed heartily, slapped him on the back, and maybe even invited him out for a drink.

“Choose.”

After experiencing all of that, when I once again stood before Edel, the path I had postponed lay open before me.

Edel told me that I could no longer delay my choice among the many paths before me.

“…I will.”

I had no intention of delaying any longer anyway.

“I will leave.”

To a new world.

No, to the world I once lived in.

The desire to see my father again hasn’t disappeared.

But more than wanting to see him…

“I… don’t want to be hated.”

Fear overshadowed my longing.

“Hmph. So, our little Kana is a coward?”

“…Can’t you just call me a dutiful daughter instead?”

And I began to feel that bringing my father back would only dishonor the life he had led.

“You can’t spend forever longing for someone who’s gone.”

After all, he must be living a new life now.

What I must do is ensure that his new life unfolds peacefully, just as he once saved me when I was on the brink of death.

Now, it’s my turn to repay that debt.

“And also…”

I murmured softly as I looked at the girl fighting and bleeding in the mirror Edel had made.

“I want to live… too.”

To experience what a normal life is like.

***

“It’s just… what I wanted.”

That single sentence encapsulated all my thoughts.

“Just…?”

Da-eun repeated my words, sounding a bit confused.

After repeating the same gesture a few times, she seemed to process it and nodded.

“So, does this mean I get to be with Kana now?”

“…Is that really enough to satisfy you?”

“Emotions aren’t always so easily explainable, are they? There are people who feel a fateful connection the first time they meet and end up marrying. Isn’t ‘just because’ enough reason too?”

“You sure like to talk about emotions, Da-eun.”

“…Ugh!”

Da-eun’s face flushed red, probably recalling the passionate speech she had given earlier to Edel and me.

Then, suddenly, she looked troubled, her expression filled with complex emotions.

She truly displayed an array of expressions fitting of someone knowledgeable in emotional theory.

What could she be thinking about?

Before I could ask, Da-eun, hesitating, opened her mouth.

“I’m sorry. Until now, I always thought the world Kana was in was… just a game. I mean, by

“You don’t need to explain. I already know.”

“Huh? You… know? How?”

“…Uh, Edel told me.”

I ignored the surprised look on Edel’s face that seemed to say, “I did?”

But just because the words had been spoken didn’t mean the questions had been answered.

…It is a game, though.

The gods of both worlds collaborated specifically to create it in the form of a game, so isn’t it natural to think that way?

When I shared my thoughts, Da-eun hesitated again.

“But… back in the Holy Kingdom, you got angry….”

“Oh, that.”

They say the ground hardens after the rain, and that incident helped bring us closer.

Though at the time, I was a bit harsh.

“…Sorry about that.”

Looking back, there was no reason to be mad at Da-eun.

If anything, I should have taken it up with the one who created this world as a game.

“I was… a bit powerless.”

“People who are incompetent always say that. Anyway, um—don’t worry about it.”

Comforting words aren’t my forte, so I tried to brush off Da-eun’s words when a forgotten curiosity resurfaced.

It was a question I had wanted to ask back in Silia but didn’t get the chance to.

Maybe now, I could finally get an answer.

“Why were you so kind to me?”

According to Da-eun’s own words, if she had thought of Silia as just a game, there wouldn’t have been any need for her to treat me kindly. Yet, she had treated me warmly, even sharing details of her life in this world.

“…As I said before, I just wanted you to be happy, Kana.”

“What I mean is, why would you care so much about a mere NPC?”

“A mere NPC? You’re not.”

Da-eun’s tone was resolute.

“I can’t quite put it into words… but it just felt that way.”

“Were you just copying me?”

“No! I wasn’t!”

“You’re reacting so strongly that it makes me even more suspicious.”

“I’m telling you, it’s not that!”

When I narrowed my eyes, Da-eun flinched and jumped up in surprise.

Only after I told her it was a joke did her anxiously waving hands settle down.

“Looking back, I think what I felt was that ‘fateful connection’ I mentioned earlier.”

“….”

“Oh? Your face is turning red! Are you embarrassed?”

“…No.”

As if anyone would be embarrassed by something like that.

Despite my denial, Da-eun persistently looked around, trying to catch my gaze.

“…Enough already.”

Thwap!

“Ow!”

Da-eun finally calmed down after receiving what could only be described as a calming dose—a light knock on the head.

I watched her clutch her head in pain, displeased.

“More importantly, aren’t you forgetting something?”

“…Huh?”

“When you introduce yourself, there’s something you’re supposed to do, right?”

“…Ah!”

Introducing oneself isn’t just one-sided; it’s about both parties getting to know each other.

Realizing what I meant, Da-eun let out a small exclamation. She cleared her throat, adjusted her posture and clothes awkwardly, and extended her hand with a bright smile.

“I’m Shin Da-eun! Looking forward to being with you!”

Clasping her hand, I felt the warmth of her touch, and I smiled back.

“Yeah. Looking forward to it.”

It was just a handshake, but why was my heart racing?

“Is this… love?”

“…Don’t say weird things right in my ear.”

I shoved Edel, who acted more like a gossiping noblewoman than a deity, to the side.

Love? What love.

Edel, with her smushed cheeks, mumbled.

“You said you wanted to experience a normal life. Well, that includes love, so why’s it so weird?”

“If that isn’t a strange time to be talking about love, then what is?”

“Love can bloom at any moment.”

“….”

Had Magi seeped into her brain?

Deciding it was pointless to argue, I opted to ignore Edel.

“But….”

Looking around, Da-eun spoke up.

“Are you staying here, Kana?”

“It’s only been a few days, but for now, yeah.”

“A few days? Then why….”

“Are you only now calling me?”

“…How did you know?”

“It’s obvious what you’d say, Da-eun.”

Answering her was easy.

“I needed time to get my strength back too.”

After crossing dimensions, I needed time to recover from the aftereffects and adapt to my body, so I’d been lying in bed for days.

Even now, if I tried to step out of bed, I probably wouldn’t make it more than a few steps before collapsing.

“So you’re not wearing that hospital gown for no reason.”

“Does anyone wear this kind of thing for no reason?”

“Surprisingly, some people do….”

Finishing her sentence, Da-eun looked at me sheepishly.

“Then… does that mean you’ll keep staying here, Kana?”

“Yeah. Most likely.”

Since I had neither money nor a place to stay, I’d have to stay with Edel for now.

Not that it wouldn’t be possible to scrounge up some money by shaking down Edel, but with my condition, staying here was the only option.

“Then…!”

Hearing my answer, Da-eun squeezed her eyes shut and shouted.

“Come live with me at my place!”

“…Huh?”

Stunned by her sudden offer, I stared blankly at Da-eun.

Later, Edel would describe my expression at that moment as “having a clueless look on my face.”

—

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