BXBX NOVEL Chapter 65 – Rudine Eckhart (4)
Chapter 65 – Rudine Eckhart (4)
[Error Occurred]
When she barely regained consciousness, she saw an inexplicable message.
“…What?”
Rudine murmured softly as she looked around.
An expansive space filled densely with countless stars.
Sitting in the dizzying darkness, Rudine swallowed deeply.
She urgently checked her own body.
Without a doubt, it was the same as she remembered from her last memory.
There was no need to ponder where things had gone wrong or how.
The reason was clear.
‘…I succeeded.’
The system that appeared in front of her eyes at the last moment, all the words written within it, and the light tunnel that finally swallowed her and Lee Seung-jun.
All those moments were still vivid.
Therefore, she could be sure.
The Holy Relic had indeed worked.
[Initiating scenario #81]
“…!”
A faint light flickered in the darkness.
At that moment, intangible memories began to float into the air.
Fragments of memories, like threads, began to materialize clearly in the air as if forming a single video.
The memory started in the back garden of a mansion, lush and green.
Bright sunlight and a cool spring breeze.
In this picturesque scene, a man cautiously sipped his tea, watching a woman carefully.
The faces were all too familiar.
Kyle Winfred.
And Isabel Yustia.
Even in that brief moment, Rudine instinctively knew.
That was not Kyle.
It was someone desperately mimicking Kyle.
And that someone was…
“…Lee Seung-jun.”
She had expected it.
No, she couldn’t not know.
The walking style, small habits, manner of speech…
Kyle’s completely changed appearance from a certain moment matched perfectly with the Lee Seung-jun she saw beyond the black mist.
Lee Seung-jun had possessed Kyle’s body.
The Lee Seung-jun she saw beyond the black mist… it must have been from before he transmigrated to this world.
At that moment, a numbing realization spread from her hands to the top of her head.
“…It’s because of me.”
Because I activated the Holy Relic, because I begged to save him.
That triggered Lee Seung-jun’s possession of Kyle.
The moment she realized that.
— Stop deluding yourself! Just talking with you is torture!
Isabel stood up and began to pour out harsh words.
Kyle sat in his seat, silently enduring the torrent of abuse.
He looked as calm as someone facing an inexplicable phenomenon.
An indescribable anger heated Rudine’s core.
She wanted to rush out and throw the hot tea in Isabel’s face.
This is absurd.
What on earth is lacking in you to sit and listen to such nonsense?
She wanted Kyle to get up and leave immediately.
But… but…
She couldn’t bring herself to.
— 「 Main Quest 」 —
◆ Absolute Evil
: Because there is darkness, there is also light. Your death is inevitable for the salvation of the world. Embrace a villain’s death.
◆ Reward
: Return to the original world
A translucent system window appeared above Kyle’s head.
The content written within was utterly beyond comprehension.
“What is… What is that?”
She couldn’t believe it and rubbed her eyes with her hands several times, but the content didn’t change.
If you want to return to your original world… die a villain’s death…
The system was forcing it.
Kyle’s death, and by extension, Lee Seung-jun’s death.
“…Why?”
Her head was spinning.
Why are they forcing this?
Are they trying to forcibly conscript insufficient causality?
To squeeze out a character for the sake of the narrative, to fill the causality?
This is strange.
Something about this is… something is…
— A horrible human being.
— You, and the fact that I am married to someone like you, it’s all just horrible.
But there was no time to think.
The memory in the air rapidly sped by.
Every scene was violent.
Sharp words, abuse, curses…
The horrific voices echoed like bombs exploding right next to her ears.
“This is too much.”
This is too much.
Why…
Because the ending of this world is predetermined…, is that why?
Because Kyle is a villain.
Villains have to be sacrificed for the narrative.
Really?
For such a trivial reason?
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
She ran madly towards the memory floating in the air.
She wanted to cross over there and fix everything.
But…
[This scenario has already been completed]
[Intervention in scenario #81 is not possible]
She was powerless.
She couldn’t do anything, truly anything.
Because the scenario was already completed.
Because it was an already passed past.
The only thing allowed to her was one.
To sit and watch the memory.
“…Ah.”
This was all because of me.
At that moment, strength left my legs.
I crumpled to the ground, collapsing with a thud.
The memories continued to play, regardless of my state.
— Just… just hang in there a little longer.
Kyle, struggling to encourage himself.
— I have to get home.
— So… just a bit more…
Kyle, forcing a smile while imagining his return home.
— It’s almost over.
Kyle, swallowing a sigh as he watched the progress bar inch upwards.
Seeing all those scenes made it hard to breathe.
Each word pierced my ears as if whispered directly into my brain.
Time passed like that.
Before I knew it, the final memory was playing in the void.
Kyle drank from the poisoned teacup.
He looked so relieved.
As if he had been waiting for this moment.
Drip—
That was how the memory ended.
When I realized it, my hands were trembling uncontrollably.
The immense shock gripped me, making my whole body shake.
I squeezed my eyes shut tightly.
It was because of me.
Because I activated the Holy Relic.
The disordered judgment was shifting all the responsibility onto her.
It’s all because of you. You are the problem. If only you hadn’t existed, this wouldn’t have happened.
She felt wronged to death.
I just wanted to escape from the frozen world.
I just didn’t want to be denied.
Just… I just wanted to save him…
I didn’t want to lose the only person who made me real…
That… That’s all it was…
“Ha—”
A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
An uncontrollable laugh slipped out.
The last vestige of her rationality had completely worn down.
She was going mad.
She could feel it herself, how every situation was driving her to the edge of the cliff.
For the first time, she had something she wanted.
That was all…
“It’s enough.”
She opened her eyes.
At that moment, a system window reappeared before her.
[Scenario #81 playback has ended]
[Insufficient causality forcibly conscripted]
[Initiating scenario #82]
Then, once again, a brilliant flash erupted.
[Best of luck]
In the whitened vision.
She lost consciousness once again.
****
She lifted her heavy eyelids.
A ceiling gilded in gold.
And attendants busily moving about the room.
She felt around as if in a trance.
The soft pajamas on her skin felt so smooth it seemed like they might slide off.
Soft and fragrant, with a texture that gently embraced her body.
All of this was so familiar.
And at the same time, unfamiliar.
Like someone receiving an unexpected gift.
“I’m back.”
To the place where I should be.
And to the world where everything is fake.
“…”
She hurriedly looked for a pen and paper.
Since the Holy Relic had worked, she needed to compile all the information she had seen and experienced to plan her survival.
She didn’t want to be eternally frozen in a frozen world again.
She spotted a quaint, antique desk in a corner of the spacious room.
She walked briskly to it, sat down, and grabbed the paper and pen.
Scratch, scratch—
The pen nib moved swiftly across the paper.
“There was no memory of a traffic accident.”
The exact reason was unknown.
Maybe the Holy Relic had distorted the facts entirely.
Or maybe her soul had crossed over to this world after death.
“Isabel Yustia and Luna Winfred.”
Should I kill them right away?
The thought crossed her mind, but she quickly shook her head.
“No, that’s too dangerous.”
They are key figures in this world.
Killing them recklessly would bring an uncontrollable storm of causality.
“Kyle…”
Kyle is dead.
Then… did Lee Seung-jun return to his original world?
What about me then…
In a world without Kyle… what am I supposed to…
At that moment.
Creak—
An attendant entered the room and reported in a monotone voice.
“Your Highness, the engagement between Kyle Winfred and Isabel Yustia has been called off.”
A laugh slipped out.
Ah, I see.
You came back too, didn’t you?
‘Then Kyle’s quest must have…’
Countless assumptions flashed through her mind.
At the same time, a slow realization crept up from her feet.
‘Could it be due to insufficient causality?’
She wasn’t sure.
But for some reason, he had failed the quest.
Her trust in the system was shattered.
Knowing his personality from everything she had seen, at least in this iteration, he would try a method other than the system.
That would probably be…
‘The Holy Relic…’
To tear through the dimensions.
To return to his world.
Rudine carefully touched the rosary hanging around her neck.
And swallowed deeply.
‘……’
Lee Seung-jun wants the rosary.
And to obtain the rosary, my death is required.
To return to his world, he must activate the Holy Relic himself.
Only after my death can he gain possession of the Holy Relic.
If I die.
Will it really be the end?
After all, I’m just a fake, right?
Is death a rest that’s even allowed for someone like me, who is just a fake?
A character in a game.
A chess piece that lives or dies at the flick of a finger.
Am I going to be left alone in this fake world again?
How long? Why?
Fake, fake, everything’s fake.
But this was her reality.
“Kyle…”
I don’t want to be denied.
And I don’t want to lose Lee Seung-jun.
Because Kyle is here.
Because Lee Seung-jun is here.
So.
I don’t want to die.
An indescribable possessiveness engulfed her rationality.
The only remaining instinct moved her lips on its own.
“You.”
A cold voice followed.
“About the coming-of-age ceremony.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Who was supposed to escort me?”
“Derrick Harkan from the Marquis Harkan family was supposed to escort you.”
Rudine smiled brightly.
And gave her order.
“Cancel it immediately.”