9th Grade Civil Servant In Another World Chapter 220 - My World (2)

July’s scorching sun.

After persuading, pleading with, and even threatening my frantically busy friends, we came to play at a southern resort.

Days of lounging around in a luxurious mansion we’d rented. When we got tired of swimming in the warm and quiet sea, we enjoyed heated sand baths, and at night we’d lay mats on the beach and drink alcohol and beverages.

Everyone must have noticed. That I had some kind of major announcement to make. But they just enjoyed themselves while pretending not to know and waited for me.

Several days passed like this.

July 24th, 1900.

The day I fell into this damned world. And today is July 24th, 1905. Exactly five years.

Even though it doesn’t mean anything, I waited until today as a way of steeling my resolve.

After playing enthusiastically from morning as usual, everyone was exhausted and scattered in the afternoon. I took Erika’s hand under the pretense of a walk.

“Look over there, Oscar’s sleeping position is totally hilarious.”

“That stopped being funny ages ago, why bring it up now.”

I pointed at Oscar napping in the hammock and giggled, making Erika respond as if she found me pathetic. Even so, she let out a small chuckle.

Beside Oscar sprawled out, Daniel waved at us while drinking something and reading a book. I waved back energetically.

Richard was resting in the shade of a tree, and Georg had gone to explore seaside caves with Nina.

“Woof! Woof woof!”

“Huh, Colin?”

Colin was supposed to be with Georg, wasn’t he? Something about needing a sensitive sense of smell for exploration. I don’t know if Georg let him go back or if Colin came on his own, but either way Colin came running and bumped into me with excited leaps. Well, lately Colin has become even more of a clingy companion than before.

“Yeah, yeah. Good boy. Want to take a walk together too?”

“Woof!”

Colin barked happily and bounced around again.

We walked leisurely, wearing wide-brimmed hats and feeling the cool sea breeze.

“I got a letter this morning.”

Erika suddenly spoke up.

“Emma visited my mother.”

“Really? Emma’s quick to act as always.”

I already knew that Erika had confided to some extent about her unfortunate family circumstances to Emma.

Emma had recently disbanded the fake ‘White Raven Order’ and was busy working as a tavern employee at Redan Tavern while raising her daughter Angela. When we invited her to join this vacation, she declined. She said she needed to handle things that had been put off while the tavern was closed.

So that was delivering Erika’s letter to Mrs. Brightner.

“Mother kept all the money I’d sent her until now. And she said she’s fine, not to worry and to live my own life…”

I gently hugged Erika. She murmured with an expression that seemed caught between laughing and crying.

“You know, someday I want to talk and laugh with Mother. It’ll take time though.”

“It’ll definitely happen that way, don’t worry.”

We walked along the beach for quite a while. When the hot sun gradually moved westward, I slowly stopped.

“You know, Erika. I have a secret. A secret no one knows.”

Looking at the red sea where the sunset was gradually setting, I finally took out the pact’s token from my pocket.

The moment I gripped it protectively, thorns sprouted and pierced my finger. And I was standing in a pure white space.

***

“You came! You came!”

Leopold III.

The king draped in ornate clothing, his eyes somehow gone mad. He cried out joyfully and glided across the entirely white space to embrace me.

“Lucas Redan! My proud descendant! I knew you would succeed!”

“Where is this?”

I pushed away the thought-form that was all he was and asked. He slid away as if ignoring the laws of physics, then approached again.

“Wasn’t this originally Kruger’s mental world? The hall of memories or something.”

“It was. But when Sir Friedrich died, this place changed too. I designed it that way! To observe developments in the outside world. I may not know about other things, but I can at least tell whether that traitor lives or dies!”

“Ah, I see.”

“Yes! Why did you come only now! Sir Friedrich’s palace collapsed over half a year ago. Well, I suppose you were busy with various things too. It wouldn’t have been easy to eliminate that cunning snake. Anyway, well done!”

“…”

“You did it directly, didn’t you? With your own two hands, your own two eyes, your own mouth! Only then will my heart be at peace.”

“Well, that’s true, but.”

“As expected of a descendant of our Berg dynasty! You have the qualifications!”

Leopold III laughed loudly and roughly patted my shoulder. Even though this was just a momentary fantasy, it hurt like hell.

How sophisticated magic did he implement? And how much did he squeeze the mages?

“Now then, you must be ready! Please rebuild the Berg dynasty, descendant! The name will change to the Redan dynasty, but as long as children who share the same blood as me ascend to the throne, I don’t mind.”

“Actually, that’s why I came.”

I said listlessly.

“I’m not going to become king or anything. I already refused.”

“What, what are you saying…?”

“The presidential election will be held soon. It’s already noisy with candidate registration. People much more experienced and ambitious than me will come forward.”

“You! Are you going to abandon the duty imposed on the sacred bloodline of Berg!”

The king’s face changed through a colorful spectrum as he exploded in anger.

“Stop shouting. I’m not deaf. Besides, duties imposed by bloodline? What kind of nonsense is that? It’s the height of irrationality.”

“But you were born with the fate of a king! If you refuse, you’ll bring calamity upon yourself!”

“I don’t believe in fate. Well, I almost believed it once, but after killing Kruger I realized. All of this is just the result of coincidence and choice. If I was born with the fate of a king, I would have been born as Lucas Redan in this world from the beginning.”

When I shrugged and replied, the king’s face turned deathly pale this time.

“Wh-what do you mean by that?”

“I’m a victim, you frustrating man!!! Because you committed some magic that had never been attempted in history, I was dragged from my perfectly fine life into this wicked world!! Why did you activate a spell you didn’t even understand properly and make such a mess of things!!”

“Saying you’re from another world, what kind of nonsense is that!!!”

When I roared with all my resentment, Leopold III started ranting instead.

Ah, seriously, this is infuriating.

“Listen carefully. I originally lived in a different space, different time, maybe even a different dimension—a completely different world from here. I was enjoying a reasonably ordinary life there.

But probably because of the magic you committed, I was dragged to this world and possessed the body of a young man named Lucas Redan.

For you, it was a good thing. Lucas Redan would have lived his whole life just praising the Supreme Leader and then died if left alone. Since I entered his body and eventually killed the Supreme Leader, it was beneficial for you, wasn’t it.

But I only took over this shell—I’m a person with no connection whatsoever to the Berg dynasty, or even to this world in the first place. What do I care about bloodline duties or whatever?”

“Ah, ahh…”

The king, now truly drained of all color and turned white, was staggering as if about to collapse.

“And I guarantee that even if you hadn’t summoned me, Kruger would have fallen on his own. Even without my instigation, that bastard would have started a war and perished. Maybe he would have fallen even faster than now.

But that doesn’t mean the Berg dynasty would have been restored. Even if it had been restored, it wouldn’t have lasted long, and if it did last, it definitely wouldn’t be to your taste. Nine times out of ten it would become the form where the king loses all power to the people and becomes a mere decoration.

In other words, either way, wake up from your dream.”

I finished speaking while panting. The king had collapsed in despair beyond anger. Ridiculous.

“…How dare a mere you judge the future of the dynasty? You who come from another world.”

The king’s voice had no strength at all. By the way, the proud descendant became “a mere you” in just a few minutes.

“Because I’ve seen it. I learned clearly in my world how kings and dictators fell. People think the same way whether there or here. It’ll definitely flow similarly.”

“…”

The king who had gotten up looked at me with sad eyes.

“To crush even my last hope, you are cruel indeed.”

“You’re not one to talk after making a complete stranger suffer.”

I caught my breath and took a deep breath before opening my mouth again.

“Anyway, I didn’t come here to have this kind of argument. I have something to ask. If I die without inheriting the pact to anyone, this token will lose its power. Is that certain?”

“It will. Though it has no meaning now.”

“And the pact was severed when Kruger died, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Well then, thank you for your hard work.”

“Wait, you, what are you trying to do now—”

I exited the mental world.

***

No time had passed at all.

“Lucas? Are you okay? There’s blood…!”

Seeing the startled Erika made me laugh.

“You’re laughing?”

“No, no. Colin, it’s okay. I’m not badly hurt, so don’t cry like that. Anyway Erika, I have something to say.”

I comforted the whimpering Colin and spoke seriously. Erika, who had been looking at me with displeasure, nodded.

“Go ahead. What’s this secret?”

I could see her cheeks slightly flushed as if expecting something. That’s cute and makes me smile. But I forced myself to look serious and parted my lips.

“I’m not from this world.”

“…”

“I came from another world. A very different world that you don’t know.”

Erika’s expression seemed to say ‘So what?’

I told her everything.

What kind of person I was on Earth, what I liked and disliked, what good deeds I did and what wrongs I committed.

And how I fell into this world, what I felt at first, how I wandered, and what goal I eventually set.

What the blood pact was, why Kruger was connected to me through that damned curse, and how I killed Kruger.

The story was very long, and the sun set and stars rose during it. It got a bit chilly so we lit a small bonfire.

Erika never interrupted me once. And when I finally closed my mouth, she stared at me intently.

“Lucas, what do you think I’m going to say?”

“…I don’t know.”

I’m trembling. Why am I trembling like this?

“I knew everything… just kidding.”

Seeing my face turn pale, Erika made a mischievous expression.

“It’s not surprising. I thought you had some secret, whatever it was. Otherwise, how could a person change so drastically in such a short time? Suddenly joining the White Raven Order and trying to kill Kruger too. Daniel and I have been continuously puzzled by your transformation. But if you came from another world through magic, then yes, it makes sense.”

“Re-really? This incredible story makes sense to you?”

“Lucas.”

She called me seriously.

“Others call me an idealist, but you know me. I only know reality. I joined the revolution because my reality was painful and I wanted to change it. And based on the reality I’ve experienced, I believe you.”

“Erika…”

Relief spread through my chest. And infinite gratitude too.

I didn’t tell the king earlier, but I actually think it was a good miracle. That I left my bland world and fell into this place where I have friends.

I gripped the pact’s token tightly.

No more thorns protruded. Even though it was solid crystal, somehow it began to crack little by little like glass.

“Shall we walk a bit?”

I took Erika’s hand and helped her up.

Moving away from the bonfire, I looked at the night sea sparkling with countless stars. The cool sound of waves. Strength entered Erika’s hand.

“Lucas, actually I have something to say too.”

Erika suddenly faced me and her eyes sparkled.

“I was hesitating whether to say it or not, but I will.”

She took a slight deep breath as if nervous. I felt my heart pounding as if it would burst and just stared at her star-like eyes.

“…Lucas, I’m glad you came to be with us. Whether you’re from this world or not doesn’t matter. I love you, Lucas.”

I couldn’t say anything due to the surging emotions. Erika joined hands with me. On my left hand was the ring she had given me as a gift.

“You were our salvation.”

“…!!!”

Her lips touched mine.

For a moment I thought lightning struck my whole body. I slowly, stiffly moved my arms and hugged Erika.

‘It doesn’t matter anymore.’

Really doesn’t matter. Wherever this is, whatever pain I went through.

The lips that had touched briefly pulled away, and I wiped away her tears and whispered.

“No, you, and this world were my salvation. I love y—”

Crack!

Suddenly I heard something like glass breaking. And with a thick scent of blood, I was being sucked into somewhere unknown.

***

“Wh-what is this? Space?”

I was floating in a dark and cold space.

The token in my hand—no, the fragments of what had been the token—shook violently as if going mad.

The shattered token floated into the air and emitted tremendous light, swirling greatly to form a sphere.

I squeezed my eyes shut thinking I’d go blind, and when the light subsided I opened them carefully. And beneath my feet was a small, unfamiliar planet.

“Earth…? No, somewhere different.”

The moment I muttered that, the planet’s colors all rose up at once and crashed over me like waves.

“Ahhhhh!”

It was a bombardment of colors. And a bombardment of memories too.

The memories of the past five years that my friends and I had experienced, Johann’s memories, that bastard Kruger’s memories, Emma’s memories, Queen Marianne’s memories, Edvart’s memories, and the memories of everyone I knew swirled together and enveloped me.

“Save me!!”

Flailing in the countless colored memories, I instinctively felt it. That my soul was being ejected from this world. That it was time to return to my original body.

“Ahhhhhhh!! Just when everything was finally over! Just when I had nothing but wealth and glory ahead of me! After going through all that suffering, you’re telling me to go back now?! Just because I rejected one throne, you’re telling me to go back?! This is fraud!!”

I screamed, but no one listened. I drowned in the colors.

And I opened my eyes on the East Coast beach.