Chapter 76 : I Was Reincarnated in a Novel I Wrote

Yuri and I knelt before the Emperor of the Armonia Empire, awarded medals side by side.

It was a token of gratitude for protecting Semal from Gula, who had dwelled within Violet’s body, and for finding and eliminating all the remaining ancient species.

The Emperor, with whom I had shared drinks several times, personally offered me a handshake.

“Saya Barnaba, I offer my infinite gratitude for your achievements.”

“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”

After shaking my hand, he leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“…Saya. You know I was actually cheering for you when you were about to be executed, right? At that time, it was about saving face… the atmosphere…”

As the Emperor sweated profusely, a sharp retort came from Princess Isabel behind him.

“That’s unseemly, Father.”

“…”

The Emperor coughed repeatedly and hastily concluded the ceremony.

Princess Isabel’s contribution in secretly investigating the empire’s hidden affairs had been significant in revealing the full details of the incident to him.

Approaching my side, she spoke softly to me.

“Could you spare me a moment, Saya?”

“Yes, of course.”

Having been asked by the princess for a moment of her time, I gestured to Yuri, who had come down from the platform with me, and followed the princess to the backyard.

“A lot has changed since you appeared here. Me, His Majesty, and even the citizens.”

“…Is that so?”

From my perspective, the only change from the past was that the arrangement of commercial buildings had drastically shifted due to the extensive damage during the fight with Gula.

“Since you proposed accepting beastmen as official citizens, people’s perception of them has changed a lot. Did you know? The black hair color, once shunned for reminding people of Sarkas, is now seen as a symbol of luck, and some even want to imitate it.”

“Me… a symbol of luck…?”

Compared to the time when I was barred from entering pubs because I supposedly brought misfortune, things had indeed changed a lot.

“…Actually, there are still quite a few people who only acknowledge Yuri-nim’s merits.”

“Bring them here, those bastards. Let me see their faces.”

“Please bear with it for my sake, Saya.”

She smiled brightly and took my hand.

“…”

I noticed something different about her.

“You don’t have an escort anymore, Isabel?”

“…There was no one as perfect as Chris.”

I never imagined that name would come from her mouth.

“…Isabel, Chris was…”

“I know. What kind of ambitions he harbored.”

“You knew…?”

Chris Barnaba, before being her escort, was a resistance member who aimed to assassinate the Emperor.

“It doesn’t matter now what purpose Chris approached me with. He was just a warm and funny person.”

“…I agree.”

Just by smiling in front of others, he was someone who warmed one’s heart. That man, Chris Barnaba.

“If you want, would you like to be my escort, Saya-nim?”

I waved my hands, refusing her playful request.

“Impossible. I’m already working under a very inflexible woman.”

“Oh my, Yuri-nim would be upset if she heard that.”

Behind me, as I walked with Isabel, a chilling voice rang out.

“Who did you say was inflexible?”

[I sense killing intent, Saya…!]

A terrifying aura, strong enough even for Invidia to feel, reached me.

Yuri, changing her scary expression to a friendly one upon seeing Princess Isabel, greeted her politely.

“Our attendant is very busy, Your Highness. May I take her now?”

Isabel, looking back and forth between our expressions, chuckled and nodded.

“Of course. Take her as you please, Spirit Master Commander Freesia.”

After hastily bidding farewell to Isabel, I was dragged out of the castle by Yuri.

Her face heavily shadowed, she spoke to me.

“Do you know how much work has piled up this week…? Even pulling an all-nighter wouldn’t be enough, yet you seem to have time for a secret meeting with the princess…?”

“…Are you jealous, Yuri?”

“…Say that again.”

My slight joke made her expression incredibly scary, so I kept my mouth shut all the way back to the office.

…

Four hours straight, staring only at piles of documents.

Seriously, why does an attendant have to do this kind of stuff…?

I felt renewed respect for Instructor Iris, who was said to have also served as the former Spirit Master Commander’s secretary.

I briefly considered escaping, but seeing the pile of documents on Yuri’s desk—twice the size of mine—I gave up the thought.

Just then, a clattering sound came from outside the door, and someone flung the office door open forcefully.

“Freedom—!”

A blonde woman, throwing off heavy armor stained with blood spatters, flew onto the only sofa.

Yuri, watching her silently, spoke through clenched teeth.

“How many times do I have to tell you the office is not a staff lounge, Instructor Grace?”

However, for Luna Grace, who had already made herself quite at home in the office, her threats were useless.

“This place is the coolest…! You don’t understand the heat of someone who swings a wooden sword all day!”

After Cled stepped down from his instructor position, Luna, a knight, had exceptionally taken over the combat instructor role upon his recommendation.

Yuri, looking at her lying on the sofa with a satisfied face, falling asleep, let out a small sigh.

“…Haa.”

…She says she won’t allow it, but in the end, she lets everything slide. Yuri.

Regardless, Luna’s skill in teaching Spirit Masters was unprecedentedly outstanding, so there wasn’t a single complaint about her holding the combat instructor position.

Except for the fact that she beat the students so sincerely that sometimes people had to be carried away.

Just as the paperwork was finally showing some progress, Yuri came up behind me and spoke.

“You can stop there and get up, Saya.”

“…?”

As I looked at Yuri with truly surprised eyes, she sat down in my place and said,

“You visit the orphanage every Wednesday, right? I’ll take over, so go ahead.”

“…I love you, Freesia.”

“If you say that shit one more time, I’ll cut out your tongue.”

I was just expressing my gratitude to her, but I received a death threat.

About to leave whistling, I stopped and asked Yuri,

“Right. What about the match?”

“Of course, we have to do it this week too. It’s still 21 wins and 22 losses.”

Our matches had become like a tradition, and we calculated the wins and losses of our wooden sword duels every weekend.

“…Can’t we just say I lost now?”

“Absolutely not.”

It seemed I was scheduled to get thoroughly beaten by her wooden sword again this week.

The Black Dog Orphanage, located in the downtown area of Semal.

The place where a dirty restaurant used to be had been demolished, completely restructured, and rebuilt as an orphanage supported by the academy.

As I opened the door and entered, beastmen children and human children clung to me.

“Wow…! The monkey beastman sister is here…!”

“Monkey sister…!”

“I told you I’m not a monkey…!”

Forget the beastmen children—even the human children had gotten used to calling me by that strange nickname.

Along with the sweet smell of cookies, someone wearing kitchen gloves came out limping.

“Welcome, Saya.”

“How have you been, Gillian?”

He, who had journeyed with me from Luden in the past, had accepted my invitation and brought the beastmen children to Semal to live.

He scanned my appearance, blinked his eyes, and said,

“Oh, you cut your hair again?”

“Ah… It was hot. Since it’s summer…?”

I had kept my hair long for several years, but recently it felt hot, so I cut it again.

“Really? It suited you.”

While Gillian muttered, I stuffed all the cookies he brought into my mouth.

“Huh? Hey…! Are you eating the kids’ share too…!”

“What’s wrong? Technically, it’s all my money, right?”

“Why is it your money…!?”

“You’re making such a fuss over a few cookie crumbs, you cheapskate…!”

“Cheapskate…!?”

He was, along with Luna, practically my only childhood friend.

When I’m around them, I somehow become childish.

After playing with the children for a while, I helped Gillian clean the orphanage and got up.

Gillian saw me off and said,

“Well, see you next week, Saya.”

“What are you talking about? Did you forget the gathering tonight?”

“Gathering…?”

“The drinking appointment, idiot!”

Gillian, whose brain seemed overloaded for a moment, exclaimed as if he remembered.

“Right, that’s right…!”

“Come to the usual place. Okay, I’m leaving.”

Returning to the academy, Luna and Yuri, already changed into casual clothes, greeted me.

Yuri, looking extremely tired, yawned and said,

“Let’s get going. We have to drink hard today…”

“Drink moderately. Don’t grab a passerby and cry like last time.”

“When did I…!”

Yuri, about to snap back, suddenly remembered the forgotten memory, blushed bright red, and shut her mouth.

Walking out of the academy grounds, Luna asked me,

“Where are you going, Saya? Isn’t it that way?”

“What do you mean? We have to pick up one more person.”

Luna thought for a moment about what I meant, then smiled as if she understood.

Standing at the door of the Armonia Cathedral, firmly closed for the night, I knocked frantically.

“I’m here to see Sister Carne Eckermann~”

When there was no response, I knocked again.

“Excuse me, is Sister—”

Before I could finish my words, the door slammed open with a bang, and someone burst out.

“You brats…! Are you trying to kill me with embarrassment…!?”

Carne, dressed in a nun’s habit, opened the door with a flushed face.

“We came to pick you up for the drinking appointment, Sister Carne.”

“Who’s your sister…!? And I’m officially a nun now…? How many times do I have to tell you alcohol is forbidden…!”

“Really? Then we’ll just go by ourselves.”

“…Huh?”

Leaving Carne behind, we turned around and walked out of the cathedral.

…

As I deliberately walked slowly, after a moment, I heard the sound of pattering footsteps.

Seeing Carne, who had changed into casual clothes and followed us, I said,

“…Oh, I thought Sister wasn’t coming.”

Her face heavily shadowed, she looked at me and replied,

“…I curse you deep in my heart, Saya.”

Entering a shabby pub located on the edge of Semal’s alley, we joined Gillian, who was already waiting there.

Luna, seeing him, smiled and greeted him.

“Long time no see, Gillean!”

Towards her, who confidently got the name wrong, I whispered softly,

“…It’s Gillian, Luna.”

“…Ah, Gillian!”

Gillian, who had been listening quietly, gave a bitter smile.

“You haven’t changed, Luna.”

Carne, watching the exchange, added a word.

“Kids born in the same place don’t even know each other’s names…?”

Only Luna among us is like that.

As we took our seats, a bartender in shabby clothes glared at us and approached.

He tore at his hair and said,

“There are plenty of other places, why do you keep coming here…?”

Towards him, looking extremely tired, I replied,

“Cled isn’t anywhere else.”

“Do you think I bought this place with my retirement money just to do free service for you…? If you don’t have money, get out…!”

Even though Cled yelled at us to leave, no one paid any attention and just focused on chatting.

“…”

By the time everyone was completely drunk and senseless, I wanted to get some fresh air, so I went outside.

“…Hey, Invidia.”

I sat on the bench in front of the shop, looked at the moon, and muttered.

[What is it, Saya?]

Because the world had become so peaceful, Invidia rarely showed himself anymore, except to be my conversation partner.

“…It’s really all over. Honestly, I can’t believe it.”

[Over? Your lifespan is still 25 years and 37 days…]

Before he could finish his words, I cut him off.

“Ah… damn, I can’t say anything…”

[Of course, it’s a joke. Your actual lifespan is shorter than that.]

“…You’ve become quite human now, Invidia.”

Invidia had now learned to even make jokes like a human.

…Come to think of it, what happened to the quest?

I hadn’t checked it once since leaving the academy in the past.

Partly because I simply didn’t feel the need, but it’s more accurate to say it had naturally faded from my memory.

Along with things like the Chaos Points, which had become completely meaningless now, I remembered there was a simple main quest to change the ending.

Half scared, half curious, I brought it up before my eyes.

Quest window…!

Then, the quest window, exactly matching what I had seen back then, unfolded before my eyes.

The only difference was that it was flickering faintly, almost hard to see.

The content itself doesn’t seem much different…

As I read through it, my gaze fixed on the quest progress.

< 99% >

The progress of the quest to change the ending showed 99%, with only 1% remaining.

…1% is left. But why…?

The ending in the original novel was the collapse of the world due to the ancient species.

Noticing that the existence of the ancient species was related to the apocalypse, I, after annihilating Gula who was inside Violet’s body, traveled around the Armonia region with my teammates and erased all the remaining ancient species.

And yet, 1% remained.

[Saya, perhaps that’s…]

“…?”

Invidia, who had been watching silently, sent a thought.

“What’s wrong, Invidia?”

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then murmured in a quiet tone.

[It’s probably because of my existence.]

Not understanding his meaning for a moment, I asked again.

“…What do you mean, because of your existence?”

After thinking for a moment, I opened my mouth with a serious expression.

“…Don’t tell me, you…”

[Yes. Because I am alive and well, that 1% remains.]

Because Invidia survived in this form, 1% of the possibility of the apocalypse still existed.

“…”

Staring blankly at the number for a long time, I asked Invidia,

“What do you want to do, Invidia?”

[…I have killed countless innocent humans, Saya. Even if it was before I knew you, now that I can feel human emotions, I know that those actions were not righteous.]

He emerged from my body in the form of a small soul and met my gaze with his small, single eye.

[Through repeated analysis, I also found a way to restore Daengdaengi’s mind to its original state. That is…]

Before he could finish his words, I interrupted.

“That method is for you to disappear, Invidia?”

[…]

From his silent demeanor, I knew that was the correct answer.

[Originally, I am an existence that should have been culled from this world thousands of years ago, Saya.]

The very name “ancient species” meant an existence whose survival in the modern era was a contradiction.

Instead of evolving by leaving offspring, they chose a way to prolong their existence, and they were able to remain until now through deformed methods.

[I’ve enjoyed all the pleasures that can be enjoyed as a living creature.]

Invidia, whose color was gradually becoming transparent, looked at me and sent a thought stronger than ever.

[Let me go now, Saya.]

“…”

Through Invidia’s increasingly transparent form, I could tell without him saying that he was preparing for farewell.

Come to think of it, there was no fate as strange as this.

The creature that signifies the end of the world itself helps the one who wants to prevent the end more than anyone, protecting the world.

If this world were a novel, and someone read it, they would surely dismiss it as trash and close the book.

“…Looks like this ending is ruined too.”

[…Thank you, Saya.]

His form began to scatter and disappear like dust.

Like snow falling in summer, Invidia’s body created an alien and beautiful landscape.

“…Invidia.”

Calling his name, I said this.

“Cut the crap!”

[……!?]

I grabbed Invidia, who was about to scatter like dust, with my fist and forcefully pulled him back.

“Who decided you could disappear? Atonement? Do you think the people who died will come back just because you disappear?”

[…]

Towards him, who now seemed more human than me, I yelled loudly enough to burst his ears.

“There’s no 100% guaranteed life, idiot…!”

Thinking I might have shouted too loudly, I briefly looked around, then spoke to Invidia.

“What fun would a perfect life be? Life is interesting because there’s a 1% variable.”

[………]

Invidia, unable to speak for a while, quietly entered my body again.

[…I see. I will take it to heart, Saya.]

…Seriously, unnecessarily sentimental.

But perhaps that’s why I can’t help but feel more attached to this creature.

From inside the pub door where I stood, Yuri’s excited voice was heard.

“Saya…! Did you run away leaving us behind…? Where did you go…!?”

Judging by her voice, Yuri’s drunken rambling had surely begun.

…Tonight will be tiring too.

With a refreshed mind, I went back into the pub.

Thinking that this wasn’t such a bad ending.

-I Reincarnated Into the Novel I Wrote – (End)