Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World Chapter 92

“Yeah, a real man should accept even a bitter result. That’s also part of my pride. This match—.” 

 

“The loser sure talks a lot.” 

 

“….Nathan. I didn’t lose to you, so refrain from chiming in.” 

 

Heroes began to swarm onto the arena. The eyes of some, who had watched all thirty minutes of the match, were filled with a mix of emotions. 

 

Surprise at the fact that Fomin Ignaty had been defeated. Curiosity and fear regarding the hero named Yoo Hwashin. A competitive spirit to spar with either of them at least once.

 

“Wow, Yoo Hwashin! I was surprised!”

 

Among them, Wang Hao, whose emotions were particularly intense, bustled around the place making a fuss.

 

“As expected of someone who resurrected and returned from a gate. You had a special ability. The ability listed for Hwashin in the Hero Database was ‘Magic Manipulation’. Of course, S-ranks can hide their auxiliary skills besides their main ability, but what on earth was that ability just now?”

 

Wang Hao saw it. He saw the strength drain from Fomin Ignaty’s body in an instant. It wasn’t that he was hit by an attack; he was unable to stand up. Literally.

 

“Can you use Magic Manipulation freely even on an S-rank hero? Are there no restrictions on using the ability?” 

 

“You have too many questions.”

 

It was Cha Jaeha who blocked Wang Hao’s bombardment of questions. With a displeased face, Cha Jaeha glared at Wang Hao.

 

“I merely have awe for the strong.” 

 

“You should start by thinking of becoming the strong one yourself.” 

 

“Seeing as I have no curiosity about you, I suppose you’re past your prime, Cha Jaeha.” 

 

Aren’t these two going to fight at this rate? Fighting with me in the middle… makes this entertaining.

 

“Now, now, that’s enough.” 

 

Fomin Ignaty, squeezing between the two, looked at Yoo Hwashin. His look meant that if you have eyes, you should handle Cha Jaeha.

 

Having fought him once, Hwashin felt he knew a little bit about this man named Ignaty.

 

To Fomin Ignaty, strength was absolute. That’s why he could cleanly admit his own defeat.

 

In the original work, Fomin Ignaty appears as an ally to Cha Jaeha. Of course, that also happens somewhat later in the story.

 

The Hero Summit arc of Your Hero Is Here was an episode that served as the gateway to destruction. The story unfolds in the order of the Red Gates’ appearance, the summit, the acceleration of Gate appearances, and finally, a literal hellscape. Fomin Ignaty and Cha Jaeha forming a good relationship didn’t happen during the summit, but much later. 

 

‘It’s better to build friendship now rather than following that development. I’m going to interrogate him here about facts not revealed in the original work anyway.’

 

“Fomin Ignaty, this isn’t your place to step in.”

 

Returning to reality. First, it was priority to calm Cha Jaeha down. Hwashin slipped under Fomin Ignaty’s arm. 

 

“Jaeha, are you mad that I didn’t finish it in 5 minutes? You shouldn’t take it out like this.” 

 

“I’m just mad at the guy picking a useless fight.” 

 

“If you fight Wang Hao, you’ll become exactly the same kind of guy as me.”

 

Cha Jaeha hates useless fights. Eventually, he let out a sigh and turned around. Wang Hao was still smiling beamingly.

 

“Just go back to your room.”

 

Yoo Hwashin followed Cha Jaeha, who left the arena without lingering attachments. As he left, Hwashin tossed a remark to Fomin Ignaty.

 

It was a request to drop by his room briefly the night before the summit.

 

*** 

 

“Hahaha! Let’s put the win or loss of the previous match aside for a moment, Yoo Hashin!” 

 

“It’s Hwashin.”

 

He had heard that Russians drink alcohol like water, but…

 

To think it would be to this extent. Fomin Ignaty came over carrying two bottles of vodka he had secretly hidden in his room. It was fine for him since he wouldn’t get drunk anyway, but the problem was Cha Jaeha. Cha Jaeha’s alcohol tolerance wasn’t mentioned in the book.

 

But well, he figured he’d handle it fine since he’s the protagonist this time too, and that was the problem.

 

“That guy is a lightweight.” 

 

“Yeahhh, I just found out too.”

 

Cha Jaeha was already gone. He lay unconscious in the corner of the room, curled up like a shrimp, with an empty vodka bottle rolling beside him. Ignaty, seemingly losing interest in him, moved a glass of vodka in front of Hwa-shin. 

 

“We’ve had enough to drink… so it would be nice if you told me the reason you called me to your room. I doubt your wish was to just call me to your room.”

 

Hwashin waved his hand and smiled brightly. As if that would be the case.

 

“My wish is for you to answer everything you know to all the questions I ask from now on.” 

 

“..Oho.”

 

Ignaty’s eyes narrowed. The calm golden waves gazed at Hwashin.

 

“Since I lost the match, I will grant your wish. But if you ask about something outside of what I know, I won’t be able to answer.” 

 

“Without lying?” 

 

“I hate lying. And even if I did lie, is there any way for you to verify it?”

 

Heroes are, so to speak, one of the figures representing a nation. He didn’t think they would absolutely answer truthfully to questions that could harm their own country. Knowing that, he brought this along.

 

Hwashin pulled out a small hand mirror from his pocket.

 

“What is this?” 

 

“It’s an item I brought out from a gate.” 

 

“From a gate?”

 

Ignaty’s eyebrows shot up. It was extremely rare for a completed item to come out of a gate. Most of the time, they were made directly using by-products.

 

He rubbed his chin. The man, stretching his neck out like a giraffe, examined the hand mirror from various angles without touching it.

 

“Ho. This is rare.”

 

“The name is Truth or Truth. It tells you if the person reflected in the mirror is telling the truth.” 

 

“Then shouldn’t the name be Truth or Lie?” 

 

“Hahaha, that’s true. But just as the world isn’t black and white, things are often ambiguous. Shall we start right away?”

 

Hwashin smiled radiantly.

 

“Since you said you’d only tell the truth anyway.” 

 

“That’s right.” 

 

Ignaty shrugged his shoulders.

 

There was only one thing Hwashin was curious about from Ignaty. The human experimentation currently being investigated by Korea’s SH3 unit. In the original work, it is never properly revealed exactly what that human experimentation is. This is because they face interference from the Association halfway through.

 

If so, one naturally has no choice but to arrive at a certain suspicion. Hwashin asked the question with that ‘suspicion’ in mind.

 

“Ignaty, an Awakened creation experiment is currently underway in this country, isn’t it?” 

 

“Oh, you know about that too? Well, Russia doesn’t exactly hide those things.”

 

Ignaty rubbed his chin. There was no emotion whatsoever on his face.

 

“Does that bother you?” 

 

“A little.” 

 

“But we aren’t the only ones conducting it. I’m aware that all countries are conducting this experiment. If that’s your question, you almost didn’t need this mirror.” 

 

“Is that so? Then what do you think about that experiment?” 

 

“Are you asking for my thoughts?”

 

Imitating Hwashin’s cross-legged posture, Fomin Ignaty rested his hands on his knees and replied.

 

“Hwashin, let me say it again, we aren’t the only ones conducting such experiments. In every country, experiments to create Awakened are underway. It’s just a difference of whether it’s a secret or not. Since gates opened worldwide, practically speaking, we’ve already lost our everyday lives.”

 

He recalled his own past.

 

Fomin Ignaty lost his parents to monsters that emerged from a gate, and gained wealth through the abilities he obtained through a gate.

 

“Right now, we are merely imitating our everyday lives and desperately trying to maintain them. For that, we need the Awakened. However, it’s impossible to stop everything with only naturally occurring Awakened. If you ask ordinary people to choose between life and death, it would obviously be life. If the death of a few is necessary for the survival of the many…. unfortunately, in the end, we have no choice but to choose the survival of the many. That is a nation, and that is the foundation of the world.”

 

The mirror of Truth or Truth showed no reaction. He was speaking his mind sincerely.

 

“It can’t be helped that we grieve the death of the few. Because it can’t be helped, those who remain must fight even more desperately. To maintain this everyday life, I believe that experiment is necessary.”

 

It was an answer that could only be given by him, who was said to have lost everything and gained everything.

 

Fomin Ignaty clenched his fists. Thick veins bulged on the back of his hands. He was truly ready to risk his life.

 

“Hwashin, is that the end of your questions?” 

 

“I have another question.”

 

Hwashin checked the hand mirror again. The hand mirror showed no reaction.

 

“Is there anyone who escaped during the experiments you’re conducting over there?” 

 

“……Hoo.”

 

Ignaty rubbed his chin as if thinking about something. His closely cropped silver hair tilted to the side. His slightly closed golden eyes regained their vitality. He opened his mouth with an expressionless face.

 

“There might be someone who escaped. Though I wouldn’t know who that is. ….Ugh.”

 

Simultaneously with his answer, five-colored light radiated from Ignaty’s face reflected in the hand mirror.

 

“What is this.” 

 

“It’s the effect of Truth or Truth. This mirror can be used on one person, exactly once.” 

 

“I told the truth.” 

 

“Do you know why Truth or Truth isn’t Truth or Lie?”

 

Hwashin abruptly flipped the mirror 180 degrees. The mirror no longer reflected Fomin Ignaty. And yet, Fomin Ignaty’s face was still being reflected in it. Inside the mirror, there was another Fomin Ignaty.

 

“This mirror is an item that filters out subtle truths. Ignaty, it activates when you try to hide a lie with a subtle truth. Your inner thoughts at that moment are captured in this mirror.”

 

And it will answer for you.

 

The Ignaty inside the mirror waved his hand.

 

— Ah, hello.

 

Surprise and bewilderment spread across Fomin Ignaty’s face. The Ignaty inside the mirror started speaking on his own.

 

— There definitely is someone who escaped from Russia’s Awakened experiments. It’s not a ‘might be.’ However, the only people who know about this are the upper management of the Russian Hero Association, and A to S-rank heroes. 

 

The Fomin Ignaty inside the mirror shrugged.

 

— But there is truth in my words too. I really don’t know who that guy is. I’d like to tell you since it’s an interesting piece of gossip, but unfortunately, I can’t. Be satisfied with this much, friend. I’d love to tell a drinking buddy I haven’t seen in a while more, but I can’t go any further. Because my neck is on the line. Ah, I’ll tell you this before I disappear. I’ve taken a liking to you, Yoo Hwashin.

 

The Ignaty inside the mirror said that and vanished.

 

The image reflected in ‘Truth or Truth’ is literally an entity that exists to tell the real truth hidden within an ambiguous truth. Once it tells that truth, the mirror returns to its original form.

 

“The me inside the mirror is quite a chatterbox.”

 

Fomin Ignaty laughed hollowly and downed a glass of vodka. Swirling his whiskey glass, Hwashin asked a question.

 

“The person who escaped……”

 

At his question, Ignaty answered as much as he knew, then left the room carrying the two empty liquor bottles. By the time he left, it was already late into the night.

 

The next day, the morning of the Hero Summit finally dawned.