128. Beyond The Door (2)
I won’t get attached.
That’s what I’ve been telling myself over and over again.
It’s an important attitude for a regressor.
This world is a game.
Everyone except me is an NPC or an extra.
When I regress, they all disappear.
All the events become things that never happened.
The experiences of laughing and chatting are forgotten.
They all become different people and appear before my eyes again.
That’s why I thought there was nothing more foolish than getting attached to them.
The more attached I get, the harder it is to deceive them.
The harder it is to face them.
And the more afraid I become of regressing······.
But it’s not like I can do whatever I want just because I decide to.
As long as I’m human and not a machine, I can’t help but get attached even if I don’t want to.
I can’t help but develop a liking for good people.
Even if I build up a lot of negative feelings, it eventually turns into love and hate.
Even if I try to forget, I keep thinking about it.
It’s something that can’t be helped.
But I never crossed the last line.
No. I couldn’t cross it.
It’s blocked by the system.
If I cross the line and develop a relationship with the main heroines beyond a certain point, the 攻略率 immediately reaches 100 percent and the ending comes.
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That’s why I’m used to keeping that line and it’s become a habit.
No matter what happens, I always have a psychological resistance to crossing that line.
I often get misunderstood for being cold.
But today.
“You seem very blunt. But you’re not really like that. You’re just pretending to be blunt. You’re intentionally not getting attached to people. Why is that?”
“······.”
“Is it because you’ll have to part ways with them someday?”
“I won’t deny it.”
“Every meeting is followed by a parting. In the end, it’s just a matter of whether it’s short or long. They’re all the same. So, Eugene······. Don’t suppress your feelings too much. If you do, you’ll most likely get sick in the heart. Admit that meetings are precious because there are partings, and be honest······.”
I can feel it.
I can feel that I’m being persuaded by Cornelia.
She didn’t say a word about regression or the system.
But it feels like she’s seen through all of it and is refuting it point by point.
It’s like Cornelia is calling me a coward and a craven.
But it all seems true, so I don’t know what to say.
I am a coward.
A coward who is afraid of parting and doesn’t try to meet.
But after listening to Cornelia, I soon realize.
I haven’t been careful up until now.
I’ve been preparing for the next round and not doing my best in this round.
I haven’t been sincere.
So it’s no wonder that I’ve failed in every round.
If I’m afraid of getting attached, how can I get the heroines to get attached to me?
There’s no way I’ll get the best results from a coward who’s just waiting for the next round.
‘From the beginning······ I should have been honest······.’
I shouldn’t have hidden my feelings.
If I had just approached them with an honest heart from the beginning, I might have cleared the game already.
I’ve been prolonging my suffering because I was afraid of parting.
‘Meetings are precious because there are partings······.’
There is no meeting without parting.
All relationships have an end.
And even after parting, the memories of the relationship don’t disappear.
Their value still remains in my heart.
I have to admit that.
I’ve been using the fact that I’m a regressor to forcibly postpone parting.
I’ve been trying to have meetings without parting.Perhaps the reason my regression was blocked was because I looked so pathetic.
I must have seemed like I would run away forever, which must have been frustrating.
So I think she was trying to force me to face it head-on.
“This is the last time. I won’t hide my feelings anymore.”
Cornelia’s little advice gave me a big realization.
I will no longer suppress my heart.
And then, only now.
I realized it for sure.
Cornelia’s affection for me.
And I don’t hate Cornelia either.
No. I definitely like her.
I admit the heart I have been denying.
Anyway, Cornelia is not the main heroine, so the ending will not come even if we cross the line.
So there was no need to hesitate any longer.
“Haum…”
It was a light kiss.
I trembled as if it was the first time, after so long.
The pleasure I hadn’t tasted in 12 years shook my mind.
Cornelia must have felt the same, as she was still out of her mind.
There was a hint of fear in her eyes as she looked up at me.
But the arms around my neck only pulled me closer.
The force with which we held each other was intense.
But the movement of our lips was not.
We continued our awkward kiss like a virgin and a virgin.
In reality, neither of us was a virgin or a virgin…
“Whew…”
An irresistible urge took over my body.
I unconsciously pushed Cornelia against the door.
The moment our lips met again with a thud.
“Cornelia?”
A familiar voice came from beyond the door.
My eyes widened.
I felt a chill all over my body and tried to raise my head.
But Cornelia wouldn’t let go of the back of my neck.
Maybe this is the right answer.
I might have made a sound without realizing it if I had taken my lips off.
“Cornelia. Are you in there?”
“……”
Thump, thump, thump.
The door vibrated as it was knocked.
Regardless, we kept our lips together and shared our breath, calming our heartbeats.
And then, when I finally calmed down.
I unhooked Cornelia’s arms from the back of my neck.
I carefully parted my lips, making sure not to make a sound.
I didn’t think we had mixed saliva.
But saliva stretched like a thread between our lips and snapped.
“Phew. Yes. I’m in here.”
“Can I open the door?”
“Oh! No! I’m changing my clothes right now!”
“Are you changing your clothes right in front of the door…?”
“I forgot to lock the door, so I came to lock it now.”
“Aha…”
The conversation continued with a door between them.
In the meantime, Cornelia hurriedly took off her skirt and put on the pants that were on the sofa, pointing her finger at the window.
I nodded and walked slowly toward the window without making a sound.
‘I’ve got all the information I need. I’ve also confirmed that Cornelia is safe.’
The white smoke that Jill saw.
To be honest, I didn’t trust that story very much in the first playthrough.
Because there was no such setting in the story…
Even so, the only reason I followed Jill’s words absolutely in the first playthrough was because I was raising Jill at that time.
But judging by the fact that Cornelia told me the same story, it’s less likely to be a lie.
Maybe Jill is actually seeing the white smoke.
Another threat lurks in Cologne.
I listened to Cornelia’s story and came to that tentative conclusion.
‘This is…’
The moment I was about to jump out the window.
Inside the exhibition hall.I can see the magic stone I gave to Cornelia.
It’s not the top-grade magic stone I received in Elvengard.
It’s the cheap, mid-grade magic stone I first gave to Cornelia.
I gave it to her with a letter to commemorate our first dungeon raid with Cornelia’s support.
It’s on display as if it were a magnificent magic stone.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and go!”
Cornelia, who had changed into her pants, silently screamed at me with her lips.
I grinned and flew out the window.
“I’m all dressed. So what’s up?”
“Um. I have something to discuss with you. But were there any other people inside?”
“No? Why do you think so?”
“It’s just… I felt like it…”
I stepped down the wall, touching the carvings on the wall to avoid landing.
Then, with a thud, Cornelia closed the window and even drew the curtains.
I leisurely climbed over the mansion’s wall and escaped.
Then, Mijeong, who had been waiting on the side of the road, kicking a stone, saw me and ran towards me.
“Let’s go. I’m done.”
“…Eugene. Something’s changed.”
“What?”
“…I don’t know what it is, but it’s different.”
“Not in a bad way?”
“…No. In a good way.”
I think Mijeong smiled faintly just now.
Is it my imagination?
‘Come to think of it, this guy is the one who started to make me feel attached.’
If I think about why I was easily persuaded by Cornelia’s words, Mijeong’s share is quite large.
I broke my determination to use her as an object and not to get attached to her, and in the end, I ended up getting attached to Mijeong.
Mijeong has also become someone precious to me.
But that doesn’t mean I’ve become weak.
When you protect something precious, you can exert the greatest strength.
If I lose Mijeong, my heart will probably ache.
But I will overcome it.
I will become much stronger than I was in the past, when I treated Mijeong like a tool.
That much is certain.
“I’ve decided to be honest with my feelings from now on.”
“…Oh. What kind of feelings?”
“I’ve decided to admit it. I guess I love several women at the same time.”
“…Trash.”
Mijeong’s sharp criticism shakes my heart for a moment.
But this is an inevitable truth.
What can I do if my heart is like this?
It’s not like I have a choice disorder.
The three main heroines I’ve been攻略ing for the 12th time.
And I love Cornelia.
Even though I know that the end will come someday and I will have to part with everyone.
I can confidently confess that.
“Now, let’s investigate the sewers. If there’s anything suspicious in Cologne, it’s likely to be in the sewers.”
“…Trash.”
“Belphegor isn’t here, but another of the Four Heavenly Kings might show up. So be careful.”
“…Trash.”
It seems that Mijeong has a new catchphrase.
.
.
.
-Ugh. Heh. Heh heh heh. Hic. Hit…-
Drip. Drip.
The sound of water droplets falling and the clear sound of water echoed through the sewers.
In that dark place, a sinister laughter began to be heard.
Long ago, it was a huge rainwater tunnel built under the cathedral to prevent flooding in Cologne.
However, it was closed down because it became dilapidated and the risk of collapse increased.
On the wall of the tunnel, where there was no way in or out.
-hehehehehic!-
A human, no, a spirit emerged.
The spirit, which had come through the wall, was now staggering towards the inside of the tunnel.
Inside, there were many people standing in a row.
People with no life in their faces, stiff as mannequins.The spirit carefully examined each soul, passing them by as if it were handpicking them.
Then, it stopped in front of a woman, smiling brightly.
-Ooh-hoo-hoo, I’ve chosen you today!-
Swish.
The spirit entered the woman’s mouth.
Her pale face regained its color, and her eyes sparkled with life.
Before long, the woman made the same vacant expression that the spirit had,
and she began to walk unsteadily in the same way.
-You’re finally here!-
At that moment, a long object floated in on the small stream.
The woman ran to it, retrieved it, and tore off the tape wrapped around it.
Soon, a human corpse emerged from inside.
The woman caressed the corpse as if it were her beloved, and poured magic into it.
So that the corpse would no longer decay.
So that it would always appear to be alive, even though it was dead.
And so that it could become her puppet.
-This is the 665th ingredient! Sob, sob! It’s almost done now!-
The woman placed the newly created puppet next to the other corpses.
And she walked unsteadily toward the center of the line.
In the middle of it lay the corpse of a giant spider.
Its body bore a deep wound where it had been stabbed in the abdomen.
-Kali. Just wait a little longer? Hiccup. I’ll revive you soon. No one will come here anyway, so there’s no need to worry about being disturbed. Hoo-hoo. Hee-hee······-
The woman stroked the woman’s upper body that protruded from the spider’s body.
And she let out a sickening laugh.