< Chapter 105: An Unexpected Encounter (3) >
The unrecorded 10-year Great War, commonly known as the “Decade of Void.”
Neither the cause of the war nor its course were mentioned in the original work.
In response to this, someone might have asked,
‘Wait, didn’t numerous species return during the ‘Ancient Species Return Chapter,’ and yet the Decade of Void isn’t discussed in the original story? Does that make sense?’
Yes, it made sense. The reason was simple. The returning species did not reveal any information about the war.
To be more precise, there had been no exchange of information between the protagonist’s side and the ancient species.
The ‘Faction’ led by the Demon had no interaction to speak of, not just with the “Saviors” led by the Dragon Lord.
In that case, someone might also ask,
‘The Axis of Evil, sure, but having no interactions with the Saviors, who are supposed to be the guardians? Doesn’t that sound absurd?’
I had to admit, I somewhat agreed with that statement.
Considering the powerful force on the side of the Demon, it would have been normal for the protagonists, led by the main character, to join forces with the Saviors, led by the Dragon Lord.
However, the Dragon Lord didn’t trust humanity. He said there was no time to build trust with an unidentified third party.
Since there were no interactions, the story did not progress from the perspective of the savior. While there were events from the Demon Lord’s perspective, nobody spoke of the Great War in the past.
As a result, we had the Decade of Void. Including the protagonist Kang Seo-yul, no one on the human side knew anything about that war.
Many questions remained unanswered, and there was no way to solve them. There wasn’t even room to act, as it was challenging enough to face the Axis of Evil led by the Demon Lord.
And ultimately, this plot point remained unresolved until the original novel ‘S-Class Status Window’ concluded.
The reason for the war, why only humans survived, and why all records disappeared—none of these questions could be answered.
“You don’t know about humans?”
“Yes, I’ve heard the name of the human race for the first time.”
So, it was only natural that the princess’s statement was shocking.
“Are you saying that humans didn’t exist ten thousand years ago?”
“Who knows? I don’t know everything. Humans might have existed among the rare species.”
The princess answered gravely.
“No, that can’t be right. Currently, there are over 6 billion humans. It’s impossible for them to be a rare species.”
‘It doesn’t make sense.’
“6 billion? Did you say 6 billion?” The princess’s eyes widened as she muttered.
I pondered as I looked at the surprised face of the princess. She didn’t know about humans; what could that mean?
Suddenly, something flashed in my mind.
“Were humans born after the Great War?”
My pupils dilated.
“What did you say?”
My mind was spinning rapidly.
The biggest mystery about the Decade of Void: How did humans survive?
The Dragon Lord and the Demon Lord were either sealed or vanquished, and the gods died. Species far superior to humans, like spirits, fairies, and giants, either got sealed or perished during the Great War. Yet only humans survived. Why? I, who had been a reader at the time, could not find any answer.
What if humans weren’t survivors but a race born after the Great War had ended?
Then it made sense. A new intelligent life form born after the extinction of all other intelligent life forms. If humans were that new life form, all mysteries would naturally be solved.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“What are you saying?”
I recalled the original story. Savior, led by the Dragon Lord, was extremely cautious around humanity.
I initially thought this was due to the dragons’ cautious nature towards an unidentified third force.
But what if it was caution towards a third race that did not exist ten thousand years ago?
In that case, I could understand what the Dragon Lord said during their first encounter.
‘You’re humanity’s representative? Unbelievable. How do I know you’re not one of the Demon Lord’s minions?’
With this new interpretation, everything seemed to fall into place.
“Yes, if this hypothesis is correct, then it makes sense why there’s no record of the war.”
“What are you…”
Pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit together in my head.
“Yes, ancient relics…!”
At that moment, a new piece of evidence flashed in my mind.
“Among many ancient relics in the world, not a single one can be used by humans.”
“Disrespectful! If you continue to ignore me, I have my thoughts!”
If humans were one of the races that existed ten thousand years ago, it would be strange for there to be not a single ancient relic for them.
Everything was falling into place.
However, a new question arose.
After the horrific Great War, where no species survived, how were humans born anew on the devastated land? According to historical records, human civilization began to take shape about 9,000 years ago. How could a new intelligent life form naturally emerge from zero within a thousand years after the catastrophic war?
Being born was a miracle in itself, and the probability that these random products of chance would evolve at an unbelievable speed to become social organisms in a thousand years?
I had shaken my head.
The probability was nonexistent.
“Mountain over mountain, mystery over mystery,” I had said.
In the end, the end of one mystery had been a new mystery.
That was when someone suddenly clung to me.
“—You! Are you deliberately ignoring me? Even if my heart is as broad as the sea, there’s a limit!”
It had been the princess.
She was awkwardly clinging to me and looking up at me. Something like tears were pooling at the corners of her eyes.
“Ignorance is bad! You know that, right?”
“Yes.”
I had sensed that the princess was trying to say something in between.
“No, it’s not that I ignored you. I was just lost in thought.”
In response to my words, the princess looked up at me with eyes still full of moisture.
“Is that true?”
“Of course. Why would I ignore you?”
“I heard that in the Elf and Dwarf nations, they look down on beastmen.”
“Ah, was that a custom?”
“We’re not like that. We would probably love them.”
Like Japan, a nation across the sea that considers beastmen their ancestors.
They would go crazy.
The unique silver hair and wolf ears of the beastmen. They would skyrocket to stardom in an instant.
“Is that true?”
“Yes, everyone will be unable to resist your cuteness. I guarantee it.”
The princess’s expression had brightened considerably at my confident answer. Then she coughed lightly and returned to a stern expression.
“I see. Hmm. In the beastmen nation, I’ve never lost the number one spot in terms of beauty. It’s to be expected.”
She folded her arms and proudly lifted her head, grinning. She had gotten quite excited.
“So, can you explain the current situation? What are humans and what did you mean by 6 billion earlier?”
Her eyes that stared at me were shining with curiosity.
“Before that, I have a question. Do you know the reason for the great war?”
“You. You don’t know?”
The princess frowned.
“I do know, but just confirming.”
I had acted strong, although I didn’t know.
“Fine, I’ll explain. The cause was an attack by the demons. They suddenly broke the rules with Heaven and invaded the Dwarf nation, triggering the war.”
The princess’s story had been quite long.
The sudden attack by the demons.
The ‘faction’ formed around the demons.
The suddenly strengthened demons.
The slightly late-formed ‘Saviors.’
“After seven years of evenly matched warfare, our beastman nation was attacked. We fell for the schemes of the demons. And then…”
The princess’s expression had turned gloomy.
“That’s all I know. After that, I was sealed.”
A silence had ensued.
The princess was gloomy from talking about the fall of the beastman nation.
I had been lost in thought, trying to organize my feelings, which led to the silence.
My impression after hearing the princess’s story had been simple.
This had been roughly what I had expected.
It had been a cliché.
An attack by the strengthened evil.
The good and neutral dragons oppose that evil.
The inevitable winners and losers emerge from the evenly matched battle.
It was a cliché that anyone could imagine.
The princess had mumbled something like “Ginis… umama… abamama…”
Of course, while this was the reality, it would be sad for someone.
I had placed my hand on the princess’s head, who had her shoulders drooped.
“Are you alright?”
“Of course. I am the rightful successor to the beastman nation. It’s nothing.”
She didn’t look alright.
To anyone, it looked like she was pretending to be strong.
I smiled wryly.
“Thank you, anyway.”
I had been sincere.
Thanks to her, many of my questions had been answered.
Still, it was a bit disappointing.
I had been most curious about how the war had ended.
But the princess had been sealed seven years into it, so there was no way to know.
“Now it’s your turn to explain. Tell me everything about this era.”
“Everything?”
The princess had nodded firmly.
“Okay, I’ll explain one by one.”
And so, I had continuously spoken about this era, ten thousand years in the future.
* * *
The next morning.
I woke up from bed with heavy eyes.
“…It’s been a while since I felt this tired.”
I wasn’t sure how long it had been since I felt this fatigue, after acquiring the Beastmen’s trait, ‘Boiling Pure Blood.’
“Why is the princess so curious…”
I hadn’t slept well the night before.
Princess Rena Beast Reperiel was the epitome of curiosity; she kept throwing new questions at every comment.
I had answered all her questions, unable to betray those sparkling eyes, but to be honest, it was exhausting.
…Well, thanks to that, it seemed her guard against me had completely dropped. Which was fortunate.
I looked at the princess, who was lightly sleeping on my bed. Next to her, White Tiger and Goldie were also tangled up, sleeping.
I couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
I discreetly grabbed my smartphone and took a picture. Had I posted it on social media, it would have instantly gone viral as the ultimate adorable meme.
I placed my phone back on the table with a satisfied smile and headed to the bathroom.
Speaking of the princess, she was more innocent than I could have ever imagined.
Seeing Rena Beast Reperiel, who had been called a synonym for horror in the original work, sparkling with curiosity, was a mismatch.
“…What exactly happened?”
I wondered what could have possibly happened to this adorable princess.
Were there any villains in the Demon Army who had the ability to manipulate minds? I couldn’t remember any.
“Hmm.”
I didn’t know. Nor did I want to know.
What mattered wasn’t what had happened to the original Rena, but that the current ‘synonym for horror’ had become an ally.
I headed towards the bathroom.
“Phew.”
Having finished washing up, I left the bathroom. I quickly dried my hair and changed into my uniform.
Just as I was about to step out of the front door–
—Where are you going?
The sleep-addled princess was groggily getting out of bed.
—School. I told you earlier, remember?
—School… Hmm. Educational institution?
—Right. I’ll be back soon, so keep sleeping.
Hearing my words, the princess yawned big and ambled toward me.
—Your hair is still wet. And your clothes are wrinkled…
Her eyes were half-closed. Her tone was a mix of sternness and her own age.
Then the drowsy Rena touched my body.
The next moment, a magical light shone on my body.
The moisture in my hair evaporated instantly.
Black impurities emerged from my uniform and floated into the air, gathering into one place.
The wrinkles in my clothes started to smooth out instantly.
—Hmm. Done.
With a final cheerful smile, she turned 180 degrees and wobbled back to bed.
“…Huh?”
I was flabbergasted.
Not just because it was my first time seeing such peculiar magic, but that wasn’t the main reason.
“Ah, I forgot…”
Rena Beast Reperiel, the synonym for horror who appeared in the original work, specialized in magic.
And it wasn’t modern magic but dragon-style magic systems that had been passed down for thousands of years.
“This princess… was an ancient magic user.”
Before I knew it, the princess, who had returned to bed and was hugging Goldie, seemed to shine like a gem.
I had found a way to use magic!
< Chapter 105: An Unexpected Encounter (3) > End.
