Chapter 21: The Ones He Left Behind

“…I should have.”

“Mr. Rigor.”

“I should have gone back to take responsibility sooner. This was my…”

“It was my fault.”

That was all Rigor could manage to mutter. In truth, he could not completely deny it. They had never intended to fight the Emperor in the first place.

Their anxiety over Rigor’s failure to return, combined with the confusion of having been abandoned by their general, had finally erupted when the Emperor’s words acted as the catalyst.

However, the Prisoner clicked his tongue when he heard Rigor say that.

<Oh, for heaven’s sake. There you go again with that strange nonsense. Things would have gone wrong either way, wouldn’t they? They’re a group that suddenly snapped at a single question about why you hadn’t come back and then dragged a perfectly reasonable little girl away to dismantle her. Do you really think everything would have gone smoothly just because you showed up?>

“At the very least, I should have cleaned up the mess. The Emperor, at least, had done nothing wrong to them.”

<Even if she hadn’t done anything wrong, she chose to go and apologize anyway, didn’t she? That was her decision. Now, get up. We need to wipe those bastards out first if we want there to be anything after this.>

The Prisoner frowned and tried to pull Rigor to his feet, but Taehyun shook his head and crouched down in front of him.

No. Rigor had something else he needed to do right now. Of course, Taehyun could not simply let him sit there and continue putting himself down, either.

“…That doesn’t mean we have to wipe them out.”

“Taehyun?”

“Pull yourself together, Mr. Rigor. At least you realize that you did something wrong, right?”

“Yes. I thought that after being unable to meet them for such a long time, they would naturally be angry with me and wouldn’t even want to see me. I was afraid to go back and meet them, and then…”

“Then don’t tell me that! Tell them!”

Taehyun shouted as he grabbed Rigor by the shoulders and pulled him upright. Rigor flinched and tried to retreat, but Taehyun stubbornly brought his face close to Rigor’s and raised his voice.

“Come with me! Go in front of them and apologize right now!”

“…!”

“I saw that it’s possible to talk to the people in the memories, too, didn’t I? Go and apologize. If you’re scared, I’ll go with you! We’ll go together, and you’ll tell them everything you just told me!”

“What if they don’t accept it? What if they think I’m only apologizing now because I’ve been cornered and believe it’s advantageous for me?”

“Then there’s nothing we can do about that! How many things have we faced that we couldn’t do anything about? Are you really going to get scared over something this small?”

If they became even angrier after hearing Rigor’s apology, then that was simply something they would have to deal with.

Perhaps, just as the Prisoner had said, there was something fundamentally wrong with all of them, and they might have been prepared to blame Rigor no matter what he said or did.

But if he did not apologize for what he had done, nothing could begin.

Even if something bad happened afterward, it would still be far better than continuing to put it off.

There was no more time to waste.

Taehyun dragged the unsteady Rigor toward the others. The moment they saw Rigor, they withdrew their attention from the Emperor and surrounded him.

Rigor hesitated beneath those cold gazes. Eventually, he took a deep breath and—

“I’m sorry.”

The instant Rigor uttered those words, the knights who had been staring at one another suddenly began melting, their bodies flowing like liquid.

Even the Emperor, who had been watching from afar, and the entire hall lost their shapes completely, twisting and tangling together in a chaotic mass.

Then everything went dark.

The memory ended there.

There was no further battle.

****

Back in the theater, a “response video” was playing on the wall as usual. Rigor said nothing, merely keeping his head bowed.

On the screen, a memory from immediately before the man appeared was playing—the memory of Taehyun and Rigor having a conversation.

Compared to the two memories Rigor had sent earlier, it might have seemed considerably more trivial. Yet Taehyun thought there was no memory more important for understanding Rigor than this one.

[Of course, I know you’ll get angry at me if I say this, Taehyun… But even though I believe in your strength, what I’ve done is still terrible. In many ways, I’m scared.]

The man listened carefully to Rigor’s words in the video.

He neither attacked nor turned away. He simply stared straight at Rigor.

It seemed that he really had steeled himself.

That was a relief.

Taehyun had wanted him to understand Rigor’s fear. Rigor was certainly selfish at times, and unnecessarily harsh toward others, but at the same time, he was also someone who was afraid.

‘You knew Rigor well, too.’

Rigor had made mistakes because his memories of them had become blurred after those countless cycles. But the man knew what Rigor had originally been like.

‘You were angry with him, perhaps, but you cared about him, too. So please. Understand him.’

After Taehyun waited for quite some time while holding Rigor’s hand, the video ended without incident, and the man appeared beyond the screen.

“You saw the memory I just sent, didn’t you? Honestly, it wasn’t very long.”

[…]

“It probably looks like I’m taking Mr. Rigor’s side too much, but given my position, I can’t really help it…. Still, I wanted you to understand. This person has always lived with that constant anxiety. He was afraid that he would disappoint the people he cared about and eventually be rejected by them…”

The man looked back and forth between Taehyun and Rigor with a confused expression.

Rigor seemed to want to say something, but repeatedly stopped himself.

It seemed that he was still choosing his words.

For now, Taehyun would have to keep talking.

“Oh, and I’m sorry, too.”

[You have nothing to do with the problems between us. Why are you apologizing?]

“I think I have something to apologize for. In a way, Mr. Rigor couldn’t return to his original world for quite some time because of me.”

[…Because of you?]

“After clearing the Origin Dungeon, I had a lot of things to take care of. I had to deal with all the curses that had suddenly been freed, manage the Replica that remained in our world, and even deal with problems involving my family…. I couldn’t have done all that alone. I needed Mr. Rigor.”

[…]

“If I hadn’t been there, I think Mr. Rigor would have returned to his original world right away. He isn’t the kind of person who would run away from his responsibilities in that regard. You know that, too.”

“Why are you making assumptions like that, Taehyun?”

Rigor muttered the words under his breath, looking flustered, but Taehyun genuinely believed what he was saying.

Really.

Rigor had remained in this world not only because he was afraid, but also because he had wanted to help Taehyun.

So Taehyun had to apologize.

“And, well… Please don’t think that Mr. Rigor wanted freedom or intended to abandon his original world. He never wanted to abandon you. I mean, who would endure countless cycles of failure for the sake of someone they wanted to abandon in the first place?”

[…!]

“He cared about all of you. Please, at least understand that.”

The man looked somewhat awkward as he sighed.

Apparently sensing that some of his anger had finally subsided, Rigor hesitantly spoke to him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t go to you sooner. Perhaps I should have said that to you first.”

[It’s fine. We all knew that you were never good at being honest. Still… seeing you apologize to me so quickly, it seems you did gain something worthwhile during that incredibly long cycle.]

“I’ll let it go, but you’ll have to listen to quite a lot of nagging from my other friends.”

The man added that with a faint smile and a shrug.

Just as he said, it would probably take some time to convince all the other knights in Rigor’s world.

Still, at least this had cleared up a great deal of the misunderstanding.

That alone was a relief.

“Then, can we agree to leave this dungeon now?”

[Very well. By the way, this dungeon is quite an interesting place. It’s hard to believe that it’s a replica of the invader who invaded our world.]

“Technically, it’s an improved version.”

[And it seems you’re the one who improved it. At least, judging by everything I’ve heard so far.]

Taehyun simply shrugged without saying anything more.

Just then, Replica inserted itself into their conversation as though it had not heard anything they had just said.

[[System (Temporary)] An agreement between both sides has been confirmed. We may now reach the finish line and enter the Elite Battle. Would you like to proceed?]

What a long fight this had been.

Taehyun watched the screen with relief and confirmed that the man on the other side nodded as well.

Rigor, the Angel, and the Knight did the same.

“Alright, then let’s move on to the next room… But why are you making that face?”

The Prisoner was still wearing a suspicious expression, so Taehyun cautiously asked him about it.

Taehyun wondered if he still did not trust the man, but instead of looking at the man, the Prisoner stared suspiciously at the system message and muttered,

<So, Replica. May I ask you one question?>

“Yes?”

<I thought all the squabbling between us was over. But what exactly is this Elite Battle supposed to be? In any dungeon, the ordinary battles are nothing more than children’s play. The real thing starts with the Elite Battle.>

What a strange thing to be suspicious about.

It was called an Elite Battle, but surely it was simply an event battle designed to make the two sides reconcile.

[[System (Temporary)] …]

Wait.

It was an event battle, wasn’t it…?

“Replica?”

[[System (Temporary)] …]

“If you’re not going to answer, then don’t. What exactly is that ellipsis supposed to mean?”

[[System (Temporary)] I am imitating the behavioral patterns of the Q-Type variable machine. I am considering my response. This is a form of communication indicating that you should wait a moment.]

“Oh, Q-Type is remarkably good at those sorts of gestures. So it’s basically a loading indicator…. But why do you need to think about your answer?”

[[System (Temporary)] …I am observing the situation.]

What was it even talking about?

Why would it need to observe the situation during an Elite Battle?

At that moment, Rigor let out a sigh with an expression that suggested he had realized something.

“I see. So that was the kind of design you had in mind… How is the situation on the other side? I assume you can at least tell us that much.”

[[System (Temporary)] A variable has emerged. I did not expect the Watchmaker to recruit the Gas Mask and the Hat.]

“Oh, I heard those two have been bored lately. But those timid fellows actually got involved in this? And they’re cooperating with the Watchmaker?”

[[System (Temporary)] They normally prefer a leisurely life, but occasionally enjoy deviating from their usual routines. Furthermore, their presence is creating a significant variable in the current situation. Thanks to them, the Watchmaker succeeded in securing the Emperor after thirty-two time reversals. This is somewhat different from my prediction, but it may not be such a bad thing.]

“Is it really different from your prediction, Replica? What exactly caused the Watchmaker to learn about the Emperor’s current condition?”

[[System (Temporary)] He obtained the information from me. Since the Watchmaker was attempting to travel to another world, I provided him with the relevant information and waited for the result.]

By this point, Taehyun thought he understood the situation.

That Replica.

It acted stupid and harmless, but fundamentally, it was just as intelligent as the System and had apparently planned the entire situation from the beginning.

So, the Elite Battle they were supposed to face was, in a word.

[[System (Temporary)] The Watchmaker, the Gas Mask, and the Hat are requesting that the door be opened. Since things have turned out this way, let us bring everyone here.]

[What the hell is going on? I don’t understand any of this, so explain it properly!]

[[System (Temporary)] Please proceed to the Elite Dungeon Room. I hope that everyone can reconcile there.]

“Everyone?”

[[System (Temporary)] Everyone.]

It was becoming increasingly obvious that the scope of that “everyone” was going to be far larger than Taehyun had originally expected.

The moment the door leading to the next room opened, they rushed through without hesitation.

The man on the other side would probably do the same.

The final room they arrived at, the “Elite Battle Room,” had a design that was unnecessarily familiar.

It looked almost exactly like the imperial palace hall they had seen twice before.

The only difference was that all the unnecessary decorations and furniture had been removed, presumably to make room for the battle.

And Taehyun thought he understood why Replica had deliberately designed the final room this way.

<Damn it, why did you take so long to open the door?! …Wait. Where the hell are we? Where did you bring us?!>

A massive hole suddenly opened in the impossibly high ceiling.

A young man wearing a black robe came tumbling down through it.

The Watchmaker had returned to his original appearance for the first time in a long while. He wore a gas mask over his face and a wide-brimmed hat on his head, while a limp little girl was tucked under his arm.

The Emperor, naturally.

The countless knights they had seen in the memory came pouring down after him.

They, too, looked bewildered by the strange yet familiar space beyond the door.

But more than anything else…

“…ΔΔμΔδδ?!”

Every single one of them widened their eyes in shock when they saw Rigor.

Rigor looked up at them with a face that showed he had steeled himself for what was to come.

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