Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World Chapter 86

「Treasure Castle」

 

In the dragons’ space, among the ‘dimension-containing’ books Hwashin had found, 「Treasure Castle」 was one he had already flipped through.

 

“Why this book?”

 

Riel, taking the book, flipped through it quickly. The title was Treasure Castle, but that was merely the title of the final story; the rest had completely different content. Short story collections weren’t common in the bad ending section. It wasn’t easy for every single story to have a bad ending.

 

Hwashin answered simply.

 

“This is a dungeon that should have appeared in the original <Your Hero Is Here> by now.”

 

“…..Huh? Oh, really?”

 

“You didn’t read the original work properly, did you?”

 

“I read it at first and then handed it over to you, and after that, I only read the parts you appeared in. You’re probably the only one here who read the very first original work. But why is this a dungeon that should have appeared?”

 

“The 「Battery War」 where I died is a dungeon that only appears after this one. It probably means that because I entered and ruined the plot, that story came out first. Strictly speaking, it means this story isn’t a world that’s supposed to end right now either.”

 

“So what about it?”

 

“In other words! Even if this dungeon appears in <Your Hero Is Here>, the plausibility won’t be broken that much.”

 

When Hwashin reached out his hand, Riel tossed the book back to him.

 

「Treasure Castle」

 

Chapter 1. Dragon’s Heart

Chapter 2. The Hero’s Tale

Chapter 3. The Lost Treasure Map

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Chapter 6. Treasure Castle

 

Treasure Castle was a short story collection, but it had a clearly connected structure. This was because the beautiful things collected by the giant of the Treasure Castle all appeared as treasures in Chapters 1 to 5. Rosanne’s younger sister appears around Chapter 4 as a great beauty.

 

“Mage.” 

 

A dragon boasting a voluptuous chest crouched down.

 

“I understand all that, but what does this book have to do with your resurrection?”

 

Her white, slender finger pointed at the title of the Treasure Castle book.

 

“What did the Origin promise you?”

 

It was a valid question. That was what the dragons were curious about. The Origin always keeps its promises. While lacking a distinction between good and evil, the Origin was strict when it came to promises.

 

The fact that the Origin had decided to give him something meant at the same time,

 

“And what price did it ask of you?”

 

“…What the Origin promised was merely to tell me the method. Though it agreed to lend me a little bit of the power needed for that method.”

 

Hwashin stood up. When he placed the chosen book on the table, the pages began to flutter and flip as if they had been waiting. Since no one was touching it, the only being capable of such a feat was the ‘Origin.’ 

 

“Since it was a dungeon that was supposed to appear originally, I’m going to connect this dimension to <Your Hero Is Here> once again. The Origin promised to send me to that dimension. But I’m already a dead being over there, right?”

 

“That’s true.”

 

“Now, let’s take a quick look at the story in Chapter 4 of Treasure Castle.” 

 

Hwashin’s finger pointed to the title of Chapter 4. The dragons’ faces clustered together to look at that chapter.

 

<Chapter 4. Resurrection of the Dead>

 

“I’m going to use the treasure that appears here to resurrect.”

 

Hwashin didn’t know every single detail of the short story collection either. However, the preceding contents had been mentioned once in the 「Treasure Castle」 dungeon episode. It was the part where the giant boasted about the treasures he had collected to Rosanne’s kidnapped younger sister.

 

「This is one of the people I brought. A soul who resurrected by stealing the temple’s treasure. The beauty of a soul returned from death is unfathomable. As soon as this soul resurrected, I knocked him out and brought him to my warehouse. He might become a good friend to you when he wakes up.」

 

“So what you’re saying is…” 

 

Riel pointed a trembling finger at Elric. The horrified expression realizing what he was trying to do was a bonus.

 

***

 

“So you’re saying… Hwashin-ssi was marked as the most beautiful soul by the giant and… was dragged here?” 

 

Kang San pressed his temples, trying hard to accept this situation.

 

What Hwashin was saying went like this:

 

He had become a dead soul and wandered the dimensions. Then, feeling like he was being sucked somewhere, he woke up to find a giant in front of him, and as soon as he resurrected, he was struck in the back of the head and knocked out.

 

The place he woke up after that was this warehouse. And the giant referred to him as a ‘resurrected soul.’

 

“Are you asking us to believe that right now? You?”

 

Cha Jaeha frowned deeply.

 

He should say something believable. He had never heard of a dead person’s soul from outside the dungeon being dragged in. Then, the younger sister hiding behind Rosanne spoke up.

 

“He… he’s telling the truth.” 

 

She forced herself to look away from the dead giant and moved her lips.

 

“Wh-when I first came here, he introduced that person to me. He said he brought a resurrected dead bas… no, a soul of the dead, so I should get along with him.”

 

She clearly remembered what the giant had boasted about.

 

“But then… wh-when the giant said my sister had arrived and that he was going to kill me and my sister now… th-that gentleman defeated the giant for us.” 

 

“….That man did?”

 

“Mhm, Sister.”

 

Rosanne narrowed her eyes.

 

Next to the pile of jewels in the warehouse, the dead body of the giant still lay there. The giant’s body, which looked about eight times the size of Hwashin, was brutally severed. The torso and head were separated, and the wrists that coveted beautiful things were chopped off, becoming one with the pile of jewels.

 

Blood flowed profusely, pooling like a puddle around it, but perhaps because it was sticky, it didn’t spread throughout the entire warehouse.

 

「Rosanne looked at the silver-haired man with eyes of suspicion.

 

He’s a guy I haven’t even seen in the ‘Royal Knights.’ Is he good with a sword?」

 

“How did he kill him? With a sword?”

 

At her sister’s question, she shook her head.

 

“Th-that is, that person just…”

 

….How should she explain this? 

 

Rosanne’s sister agonized over how to explain what happened then.

 

‘Ah, this must be the giant’s warehouse. Right. Are you Rosanne’s sister?’

 

Not long after Hwashin arrived, the giant returned to the basement warehouse. As Hwashin expected, the giant threatened her that he would kill her sister. At his words that he would kill her sister if she didn’t marry him, she began to ponder with a serious face.

 

‘Hey, giant.’

 

After that, it was a mess. Hwashin’s fist slammed into the giant’s face.

 

The massive body tilted backwards and fell.

 

He muttered a few times, and then the giant’s eyeballs popped out, and blood flowed from his ears.

 

Gwaaaaaaa— 

 

Hwashin, perched atop the torso of the agonized giant, asked her for any sword. Receiving one from the pile, he whispered something to the blade and proceeded to slit the giant’s throat. 

 

The giant died that vainly.

 

“….Just….”

 

“I killed him with a sword, right?”

 

When Hwashin smirked, she hid behind Rosanne again and nodded.

 

“Hwashin-ssi killed th-that monster with a sword?” 

 

This time, Kang San asked again in surprise. He had never heard that Hwashin used a sword. Then is Hwashin’s stamina level much higher than imagined? Taking down a giant of this size in just a few exchanges made that highly probable.

 

In reality, that wasn’t the case.

 

Hwashin had merely forcibly increased his body’s stamina using Word Command, just like before.

 

The price. Because of the price the Origin had proposed, Hwa-shin now had to endure several times the pain whenever he used Word Command. 

 

‘It’s more comfortable to mess with myself than to interfere with someone else’s fate.’

 

So he raised his stamina and killed the giant. It was supposed to be a surprise welcome party for his reunion with Cha Jaeha.

 

“If you’re going to do something useless, just do what you normally do well.”

 

Cha Jaeha spat out a single remark with a sharp tone. The cold voice was enough to frighten Kang San. However, the person who heard these words had a face that didn’t care in the slightest.

 

“Jaeha, are you feeling shy? You have to be honest with your feelings so you don’t get stressed, you know? You’re the one who’s happy I’m back. I’m telling you as your hyung~.”

 

“Who are you calling hyung?”

 

“I’m your senior in life.”

 

“More like a bastard who deserves the first punch.”

 

…..Uh….

 

…..Are they close?

 

Kang San was confused.

 

Rosanne, who had been comforting her sister, picked up the giant’s severed head. Grabbing the giant’s hair familiarly, she approached Hwashin. She bowed with restraint and spoke.

 

“It’s late, but thank you for saving my sister. On my name as the Knight Commander and the Goddess of the Sky, I will not forget the debt I owe you.”

 

Ah, right. There was also a mention that Rosanne was a Knight Commander. The way she gripped her sword in an emergency did look natural.

 

“It was nothing, really.”

 

This dungeon wasn’t that difficult a dungeon to begin with. It’s just that there was one item absolutely necessary for future developments. He needed an excuse to resurrect, but there was another reason he chose the 「Treasure Castle」 episode.

 

“Ah, then can I ask you one favor?”

 

When Hwashin smirked, Rosanne tilted her head.

 

“What kind of favor is it?”

 

“All the things here, since the giant is dead, they’ll all be transferred to state ownership, right?”

 

“Yes, it will probably turn out that way. There are things that weren’t originally ours, and there are items that will be difficult to return to their owners.”

 

At her answer, Hwashin pointed to the bookshelf he had rummaged through earlier.

 

There was something he definitely had to do upon resurrecting.

 

It was an item absolutely necessary to resolve a lingering issue from the 「Battery War」. It was also an item very usefully used by the hero of Chapter 1.

 

Hwashin said.

 

“I’m going to steal just one thing, that one over there?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“There’s something I need.”

 

“Well, this isn’t something I have the authority to decide on my own.”

 

“Ah, I said it was a favor, but I’m actually just going to steal it.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“I’m just letting you know in advance.”

 

Rosanne was flustered, but Hwashin confidently grabbed the item he wanted from the bookshelf. Her sister tugged at Rosanne’s sleeve, persuading her to let just one thing slide.

 

Kang San, watching this entire process, could only chuckle hollowly. He knew Hero Yoo Hwashin was unique, but to be doing this in a dungeon. Hahaha. This is funny. Hahaha. If he was going to do that, why did he even ask? Was he just asking out of courtesy?

 

Is he keeping his manners in the midst of all this?

 

Rosanne agonized for a long time before finally nodding. Her sister persuading her from behind played a big part.

 

“…I will turn a blind eye. You saved my sister’s life, after all.”

 

She eventually burst into a chuckle. She found it funny—herself for having such a worry over the giant’s corpse, that innocent man, and her sister who looked like she’d fallen for such a man at first sight.

 

「 Rosanne hugged her younger sister tightly. As long as her only family was safe, that was enough, she thought. 」

 

「 Rosanne decided to remember the name of the man she heard forever. If he wished, she even intended to ask the Emperor to recommend him for knighthood. Rosanne’s younger sister peeked at the man from within her sister’s embrace. 」

 

“Shall we head back now?”

 

To our house?

 

When Rosanne and her sister turned their heads after saying that, the men who had been making a fuss until just a moment ago had vanished without a trace.

 

The only things left in the warehouse were the giant’s corpse and the ‘beautiful things’ he had collected his entire life.

 

***

 

“Wow, this is too narrow!”

 

Three grown men crammed into a single restroom stall. Kang San felt a bit burdened being sandwiched between Cha Jaeha and Yoo Hwashin.

 

Even if the gate opened here, did they… really have to return here of all places?

 

“Shall we get out of here first?”

 

Pushing past shoulders as broad as the Pacific Ocean, Kang San pushed open the restroom door.

 

“By the way, isn’t it a bit noisy? It’s a restroom.”

 

It was definitely noisy outside. He knew this side wasn’t used much even by the Association.

 

In front of the opened door, reporters were completely packing the space. The flashing camera lights were almost blinding Kang San.

 

“Wh-what is this!”

 

It seemed information that a Red Gate had opened had spread to the Association’s side.

 

At the very front of the reporters was Ha Cheongwon. By the time he grasped the situation and arrived at the scene, there had already been no way to enter the dungeon.

 

In the end, Ha Cheongwon helplessly guarded the front of the gate once again.

 

And when he saw Cha Jaeha emerge from the gate, followed by the familiar figure of a man…

 

Ha Cheongwon stood with his mouth agape, unable to say a word, and the whispering reporters also shut their mouths.

 

The cameras they were holding dropped downwards.

 

“Whoa! What a grand welcome ceremony.” 

 

The tragic S-Rank who had died, Yoo Hwashin. He had returned alive.