The girl pondered for a moment, then she said calmly.
“Just like a stream of water flows to one place, everyone reaches their own destiny, and so will you, Eonni. You will reach your destination, sooner or later.”
“…….”
“I’m sorry, this is all I can say. ██ ███ is … they’re watching me. However, that’s my answer. To reach a future we haven’t reached yet.”
At that time, the cafe door opened again and the conversation naturally ended.
“Huuuh, huuh! Rona, I’m so sorry. The rainbow slime hoppangs are sold out… … .”
After a quick run to the convenience store, Choi Cedric returned, but he didn’t have a rainbow slime hoppang in his hand.
“Heuh, I was going to grab the last one left, but another customer recognised me and asked for an autograph…….”
“It’s okay. Actually, I knew you wouldn’t be able to get it.”
“What….!” Choi Cedric looked devastated at his younger sister’s distrust, “Do-don’t worry. This brother of yours will make sure you can eat it, even if it means I have to raid the factory!”
” That’s too much … more than that, what’s that?” Choi Rona pointed to the large plastic bag in Cedric’s hand.
“Huh? This? I bought them because I didn’t want to come back empty-handed.”
The plastic bag contained tteokbokki and sundae. The amount was quite large, so Rona decided to share it with everyone here.
It was time for the cafe to close anyway. We all eat tteokbokki together at a cafe table. It’s delicious since it’s been a while since I ate it.
“….Ugh.” Ash took a bite and grimaced because the tteokbokki was spicier than he expected. He tried to pretend it wasn’t, but it showed on his face. Perhaps because he’s a foreigner, he’s not good at eating spicy food.
No, wait. Can I call a Demon King a foreigner? Hmm, let’s say it’s roughly similar. I filled the distressed Ash’s cup with soda.
Choi Cedric placed tteokbokki and sundae with the intestines removed on a plate in front of Choi Rona, “Now, eat this. Rona, you can’t eat intestines.”
“Haaa, Oppa. I’m working on a very mysterious-but-significant girl concept right now, remember? Where on earth can you find a mysterious girl who’s eating tteokbokki?”
“Uh, really? I don’t know what that is, but … can’t you eat tteokbokki? You like it.”
“Well … it’s delicious.”
“Right?!”
We finished our food and drank another cup of coffee together. It was now night, and the time had come for the siblings to go home.
With a bittersweet look on his face, Choi Cedric spoke, “We’ll see you again when we get back.”
“Okay, come visit again next time. You too, Rona. Thank you for today.”
Finally, Rona said, “Eonni, Aeon is still alive.”
“….he’s alive?”
I unconsciously touched my wrist where the black slimy creature had grabbed me. Goosebumps broke out all over my body as I recalled the cold, eerie sensation.
But the black mass, the thing we called Aeon, crumbled at the end, falling into the dying dungeon. I clearly saw the end of it. saw the last of it.
How could it still be alive?
“That thing is neither human nor monster, but rather the embodiment of a Great One, a being closer to God. It has lost a great deal of its power, but … it has not yet been destroyed.”
There was a hint of pity in Rona’s eyes as she spoke about Aeon.
“So please be careful.”
With that, the girl bowed her head and turned around.
***
After the Choi siblings left, I stepped into the space. It was for a change of scenery.
As always, I was greeted by a clear blue sky and the giant world tree, Yggdrasil. I hadn’t picked any coffee berries the last few days, so there were plenty of reddish-orange berries waiting to be picked.
My first stop was the Golden Triangular Rhinoceros’ barn. The Golden Triangular Rhinoceros loved her barn so much that she never left it. Additionally, she also grazed her own food and drank water on her own.
As a result, I rarely saw her unless I went out of my way to visit her. At most, I’d see her when I went to collect the milk.
“Corong, what are you doing? Aren’t you bored?”
Corong is short for Cornelia Longinus, the name of our golden triangular rhino. Cornelia is too long, and it’s a foreign name, so it’s hard to get used to.
Luckily, Corong loves the nickname, and used to answer “Mmmmoo!” when called outside the barn.
“…….”
There’s no answer. What’s going on?
“Corong, aren’t you home? Where are you?”
That’s strange. I thought I heard something from inside the barn … but there’s still no sign of Corong. Is she sleeping? Could she be sleeping? I softened my footsteps and crept inside so as not to wake her.
“Corong….?”
Ah, there she was.
Tuk. And when I lightly patted Corong on the back….
“Kkyu, kkyuuuu!”
Poof. Lime popped out from inside.
“Lime? Why are you here?”
“Kkyu … kyuuu, kyuuuuuu!”
I didn’t need a slime language translator to understand. Lime was very embarrassed. They bounced away from Corong with all their might.
“Mmmmehh!”
While Corong rolled her big eyes and stared at him.
This situation couldn’t be …. I’d like to believe it won’t happen, but……
What the hell. Is this how it feels to be a supporting character 1 in a romance movie who unknowingly interrupts a date?
“Are you guys …… seriously in that kind of relationship?”
For some reason, Lime’s been so quiet lately. Were they seeing Corong behind my back?
Unbelievable. I ended up knowing information I would have been happy not to know.
“Mmooo!”
Corong pushed me with her head as if to tell me to get out of there quickly. I came to visit her, but all I got was the TMI1, and was thrown out of the barn.
It’s so ridiculous. She just wants to be with Lime alone. Okay, okay, I’m leaving. You can continue whatever you’re doing before.
After getting kicked out of my own barn so helplessly, my next stop was my grandmother’s cabin.
“…….”
Ah. This was the limit. I hurried my steps. My steps got faster and faster, until I was practically sprinting as I pulled the doorknob.
Bang! The door slammed shut and I collapsed to the floor. At the same time, the words I’d been holding in burst out.
“Heuk…..“
I tried to hold it together.
I was trying not to cry because there were Ash and other animals in the store, so I went to see Corong for a distraction, but it also didn’t work.
“Huuuuk…..” I made an ugly noise and cried, tears streaming down my chin.
When I happened to catch a glimpse of Choi Cedric apologising to the Healer, the first emotion I felt was envy. I knew it was irrational, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Ah. Choi Cedric has accepted himself.
But I have yet to be willing to face the truth.
Ever since I heard the Saintess’s words in the dungeon, I’ve tried not to think about it.
However, the knowledge is like a thorn under my fingernails. Even when I’m preoccupied with other things, trying not to think about it, it’s there; tingling, making itself known. The tingling has grown and grown until it’s impossible to ignore.
“Heuk, huhuhuheuk.….”
There was no one else in the cabin. I sobbed as loudly as I could.
My grandmother didn’t regret her decision to save me?
I believe Rona’s words. No, I want to believe it.
But in the midst of my gratitude and deep longing, I felt an overwhelming sense of fear.
……I don’t know what I should do.
I’d rather have her tell me that she’s saved me for a certain this or that future, then I’ll do whatever it is I’m supposed to do gladly, whether it’s rolling around in a dungeon or charging at monsters with my F-Class body.
But what if I don’t do it right? At best, my grandmother saved my life, but what if I live in vain and can’t repay her properly?
What on earth is a future that hasn’t been reached?
The anxiety spilled over into tears and turned me into a mess. My emotions and thoughts were tangled like a thread, and I couldn’t find an answer.
After weeping for a while, I looked up and saw Cthugha in front of me. Did I subconsciously summon him while crying? A being made of eternally burning flames stood still and looked at me.
“You know, I, heuk….”
In tear-stained, stuttered words, I told Cthugha what I had learned.
That I was originally destined to die when the first rift occurred.
That my grandmother had saved my life and lost half of the life she had left.
Perhaps I was hoping to be judged or lectured by Cthugha. Perhaps it would make me feel better if I heard him blaming me for taking the life of someone so dear to him.
“….I see. I understand.”
But Cthungha only stroked my hair as he said this, and there was no surprise in his eyes, though they were young with deep sorrow.
From the hand that calmly comforted me, I realized another consideration.
Ah. You knew.
I didn’t know since when, but it was clear that Cthugha already knew what I had told him.
“Why …. why didn’t you tell me…….”
“I hoped you wouldn’t find out.”
How would that feel? I dare not imagine what Cthugha must have felt.
However, I felt that my heart was overwhelmed by the amount of affection and consideration that surrounded me.
***
I’m screwed.
I looked in the mirror and thought again. What should I do? I’m really screwed.
I mean, it happened. After crying a lot, I felt exhausted and got hit with the reality. I had already stopped crying, and the thought of how to fix this situation was slowly creeping into my head.
“Yes … it’s okay. I’m really okay. Please say hello to Pepe for me.”
After I stopped crying, Cthugha checked to make sure I was okay a few times before leaving. It was really embarrassing.
Anyway, after crying for a while, my head felt much calmer. The conclusion I came to in that stillness was ridiculously simple.
Now, I don’t know the future. Speaking of fate, I also don’t really believe in the occult.
I had enough of breaking down. The grief was still prevalent, but I couldn’t just sit here and grieve.
In the end, I simply have to do what I can, as much as I can. Yeah, running a cafe. I’m an F-Class Cafe Owner after all.
I wish I could meet my grandmother, but …. there are plenty of people in the world who are separated by death and don’t get to meet the people they want to meet. At least what befell me is not my own particular misfortune.
Well, that’s it. I will save the regrets and apologies for when I meet my grandmother in the future.
Now, the only problem was that my eyes were puffy and swollen from crying so hard. In the mirror, I saw a face that looked like soaked flour dough.
I don’t want Ash and the animals to know that I’ve been crying. If they see my face, they’ll definitely ask me what’s wrong, and I’ll have to go back to the conversation I had with the Saintess, which is difficult to explain. I also didn’t want to cause any unnecessary worry when I had already cried myself to a complete state of peace.
So my actions were stealthy and cautious, like something out of an espionage movie.
Tiring!
“Eu … euah! Hik!”
I almost screamed in surprise at the sound of the sudden system notification. I quickly shut my mouth and checked the new notification.
[Sub Quest: Sneak Into Your Room
Oh no, this is a big deal.
At heart, you’re the protagonist of a spy movie. Let’s go back to your room quietly.
Return to your room without being spotted: (Incomplete)
Reward: Stealthy Spy (Achievement)]
Wait, what is this quest, are you teasing me? You’re making fun of me, right?
More than that, you system bastard, you’ve been watching someone else cry? The fury in my eyes intensified.
