What appeared were ‘hands.’
I looked at the shining, white fabric that appeared through the pouring light in the door’s gap. They slowly approached us.
“You’ve finally made it here.”
I could sense Isha being startled behind me. The ‘hands’ stood in their place momentarily, as if looking at us, then pulled back the fabric covering ‘its’ body.
“Let’s have a brief conversation.”
Behind the fabric was an entirely ordinary person. How should I describe it? Someone who wouldn’t seem out of place anywhere, someone you might have encountered at least once. Neither a man nor a woman of average height with short hair. The person seemed a bit tired.
“Please, sit, Elroy, the creation of Isha.”
I approached ‘it’ with Isha. In no time, the space where Isha and I confronted the evil gods had transformed into a pristine room. In the center was a white round table with three chairs around it. The ‘ordinary person’ approached the table and took a seat.
“Have you developed a taste for tea, Isha?”
Isha blinked and then turned her head towards me. She was hinting that she would drink the same tea I did. So, I took the initiative and spoke.
“I’ll have black tea, please.”
“Well, then, I’ll have black tea as well.”
The ‘ordinary person’ looked at both of us alternately and then smiled. Suddenly, a teapot emitting steam and three teacups appeared on the table. ‘It’ lifted the teapot and filled the cups.
“It might not have a special taste, but please enjoy. It feels awkward to have a quiet conversation without tea, right?”
As ‘it’ said, the taste of the tea wasn’t anything extraordinary. I thought the gift from a being with mysterious powers would have a unique flavor, but it was just the taste in any ordinary teahouse. Isha hesitated momentarily but then raised the cup, sipping the tea.
“Favorite tea leaves, favorite topics for conversation, favorite snacks. Those things are necessary for everyone, even the Heroes who saved the world.”
“Who are you exactly?”
In response to my question, the ‘ordinary person’ smirked.
“Who do you think I am?”
“God.”
‘It’ neither affirmed nor denied. I tensed, waiting for ‘Its’ answer. Perhaps I might need to prepare for another battle.
“If I were a god, why didn’t I step forward to suppress the rampaging darkness?”
“You don’t have the obligation to do that.”
It was obvious. Gods don’t have obligations or responsibilities to take care of their creations. Perhaps even the demons could be considered creations of god. That was one reason why I was currently on high alert.
“You think it’s not my responsibility? Well, it’s not entirely wrong, but you’re saying that I have no love for the things I’ve created.”
The ‘ordinary person’ chuckled and refilled our empty cups.
“Well, do you?”
“I do. It’s also about not interfering with love. If I manipulate everything as I wish, the world would be nothing more than my model garden, not a true world.”
Is ‘It’ admitting that ‘It’ is a god, or is it just a transcendentalist’s sophistry?
“So, I eradicated my will. If I look at my creations, I want to intervene, and the moment I start interfering, the meaning of observing the world disappears. Your existence itself becomes meaningless.”
“Even if that means facing our destruction?”
“It’s up to you. Isha was the best I could do for this world. At least, there needed to be a means to resist the monsters by combining your strengths.”
Isha was the best ‘It’ could do for this world. Did that mean ‘It’ created her so irresponsibly and just let her be until the universe dies and is reborn? And the word ‘means.’ Did that mean she was just a tool to ‘It?’ I couldn’t understand ‘It’s’words with my common sense. I twisted my face in disbelief.
“You can be angry, resentful, curse all you want. I knew what Isha was capable of, even now.”
“Even if Isha and I were to get angry and curse, you wouldn’t listen, right?”
I spat out fiercely, and the ‘ordinary person’ sipped from ‘It’s’ teacup. As if my curses or hatred were contained in the tea, he drank it in one gulp and then set it down.
“If I may offer one more excuse, I didn’t want to turn this world into my puppet just for my satisfaction. Even if this world began to fill with evil and chaos, I chose to trust in its people.”
The ‘ordinary person’ turned to Isha.
“In the end, they will live on. Because there will be those who believe this is right, no matter how this world may be. Even if I created Isha thinking of her as a tool, she isn’t just a tool, is she?”
“…”
“So, Isha can live. Even though I may have abandoned her, she has found the strength to support herself. Taking care of her is no longer my role. She’s not my puppet. Now, the one who should walk alongside Isha is you, Elroy .”
The ‘ordinary person’ then turned to me.
“And… you are not a creation of my design. Like everyone else in this world. However, simultaneously, you are a being embodying some of Isha’s wishes. That’s why you could surpass the evil gods and come this far.”
‘It’ stopped speaking and sighed as if continuing the conversation was physically draining. Somehow, ‘It’ seemed frail and exhausted, like an old person. I felt a strange inclination to stop prodding further.
“The one once called a god no longer exists in this world. He has no power or will left. Right now, he has become a being inferior to the remnants of dead stars floating out there.”
“Then, what are you?”
Putting down the teacup, ‘It’ looked at me. It was as if ‘it’ was asking what ‘it’ appeared to be.
“I once thought of myself as a god. I existed beyond time and space. I am a being without birth, and my end is nonexistent. Even when you all die and return to the beginning, I watched from beyond.”
The ‘ordinary person’ drew a circle in the air. The circle had no beginning or end.
“But…”
He looked at me. In that meaningful expression, I furrowed my brow.
“It was ridiculous. I realized I have a role too. I was not a god but merely a pen wielded by someone writing a story.”
“A story?”
“Just like the world you came from, known as ‘I Will Never Go Back,’ took the form of a story, this world is also made up of countless stories.”
The ‘ordinary person’ displayed the faces of people I knew.
“Daphne, Marianne, Georg, Agnes, Quenor, Karin, Arjen, Iris, Andrei… And the stories of many countless people.”
Then, the faces of others emerged in the air. People from the capital, warriors from the North, refugees from Bactins, and believers in the Holy Land. Furthermore, I saw the countless faces of people with unknown names.
“The existence that converges these stories into one is known as the ‘Malevolence.’ They end a world, repeating the act of starting anew. Perhaps, they might be another will of that being who uses me as a tool.”
The ‘ordinary person’ looked up at the sky. ‘It’ was as if someone was watching ‘It.’ He then turned his gaze back to us.
“If the role of the ‘Malevolence’ was convergence, then your role, the ‘Heroes,’ is divergence. You are beings that stop stories nearing an end called conclusion and lead them into a world of infinite possibilities.”
The ‘ordinary person’ then pointed at ‘itself.’
“And I am the one who creates a passage for those stories to continue into countless others.”
As ‘it’ spoke, the ‘ordinary person’ waved ‘it’s’ hand, and suddenly, a white door appeared in the corner of the white room. Both Isha and I turned our heads simultaneously to look at it.
“If you open that door and go out, your ‘story’ will extend into an area I cannot observe. Outside that door, you could live happily, be embraced as gods by people, or wander freely, forgotten by everyone in the world.”
The ‘ordinary person’ spoke with a smile.
“And finally, I can leave my role as the observer and find rest. To me, who has nothing left, you granting me respite is a generous offer.”
We found ourselves standing in front of the door. The ‘ordinary person’ placed ‘its’ hands on our shoulders.
“Live on. Step out of one story and live in your own world. That’s my request.”
‘It’ reached out and grasped the doorknob. At that moment, Isha silently stood and turned her head towards the ‘ordinary person’ holding the doorknob.
“…What should I call you? Father? Mother?”
The ‘ordinary person’ widened his eyes and burst into a gentle laughter.
“Isha, I appreciate you thinking of me that way, but I’m not worthy of being called by such titles. Well, if you must call me something… ‘Narrator’ would suffice.”
The ‘Narrator’ spoke with closed eyes.
“I exist between you all. Between quotation marks and punctuation. I am the space between dialogues, the text, and the eyes that see the world.”
The ‘Narrator’ gently stroked Isha’s head with a compassionate hand. Tears welled up in Isha’s eyes. I watched Isha silently.
“Thank you for bringing me into this world.”
“I’m truly grateful you’re happy.”
The ‘Narrator’ smiled with a parental warmth.
“Now, go on, Isha. Live a truly meaningful life. A life without the obligation of stories, just a simple and beautiful life.”
Then, the ‘Narrator’ looked at me.
“Well, are you ready to raise the curtain on the countless stories, Hero?”
I nodded. The ‘Narrator’ turned the doorknob and opened the door.
“Walk out. Now, the stories beyond this point are yours.”
I tightly held Isha’s hand. I could feel warmth in her hand. Without saying who should go first, we extended our feet outside the door.
And then, the warm sunlight poured down on us.
Author’s Note (Author’s Review):
The main part of ‘The Hero Who Banished the Protagonist’ concludes here! It took quite a long time to reach this conclusion… Please blame my dull brain for that.
I wanted to obtain a satisfying ending for the Narrator, but it feels like I’m concluding it by leaving only ideas behind. I’ve spent a long time contemplating, and I apologize for presenting myself with poorly organized words. First, I’ll refine and organize my thoughts and writing, and then I’ll write an epilogue. After all, there are still stories involving the heroines and Elroy, right?
Thank you so much for reading and patiently waiting for this slow-paced story!!!! This marks the last chapter of the main story.
Translator’s Corner
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As you saw, this is the end of the main story and the end of my first translation. From what the author said, he’ll be posting an epilogue for each of the characters. I’ll try translating them as soon as they get published. I’m feeling a little sad that I’ve finally reached the end, but all stories do someday.
Next, I got inspired by Lord of the Mysteries, so I decided to try using ‘It’ for the narrator. If you think it’s awkward to read, put it in the comments, as I’m biased to keep it.
