Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World Chapter 98

The organization known as Frick revolves around Han Jeyu. As is typical for the leader of a group containing major antagonists, he possessed subordinates who believed in him more than in any religion, and he had the ability and charisma to hold sway over his underlings. 

 

The only reason the illegal Awakened group could grow to a scale where they could clash head-on with the Association in the final stages was Han Jeyu. 

 

“Did you do this?”

 

With a sullen face, Hwashin pointed to the skull sitting beside him. Shrugging his shoulders, Han Jeyu replied. 

 

“Hmm, well.” 

 

“If you hadn’t, you would have said so. It seems it really was your doing, Han Jeyu-ssi.” 

 

With a smirk, Hwashin covered the skull with the cloak again.

 

In the dungeons within Red Gates, there is a clear protagonist. Achieving a goal for that protagonist and presenting a continuing story is how one clears the gate.

 

In the original story, the tale ends with ‘Cha Jaeha killing all the zombie hordes.’ After all, what this mage originally wanted was also to liberate the undead he had imprisoned. But meeting the one who ‘used to be’ the protagonist here for the first time, it all became clear. 

 

The protagonist of this story changed. Because someone intervened. Since it was a dimension containing a distorted wish, fulfilling a portion of that wish resolved the issue.

 

The fact that the zombies attacked Cha Jaeha in the original work, and the fact that the magic of this skull mage is incomplete right now, must all be because of Han Jeyu.

 

“I’m saying this out of concern, but it’s not my fault that skeleton died.”

 

He waved his hand with a playful tone.

 

Yeah, I know.

 

Hmm. Yoo Hwashin pondered.

 

‘Can’t I just kill Han Jeyu right here?’

 

If Han Jeyu is the mastermind behind the destruction, it’s better to kill him here. Then what about those of you reading the story? ….Well, they can figure it out. It’s not like he need to care about that. 

 

Opportunities only come a few times in life. There is also no guarantee that a missed opportunity will come around again. Anyone would seize an opportunity while accepting certain side effects or sacrifices. 

 

How strong is Han Jeyu? In the current situation, he might be an S-Rank, around Cha Jaeha’s level. If I cast my ability with this weakened body, there’s no telling what will happen.

 

—Hey, Yoo Hwashin. It’ll probably be useless even if you use your ability on him. 

 

‘Why?’

 

Riel’s bored voice rang in his ears.

 

—You can’t even see the thread. And your body isn’t in a normal state right now either. 

 

‘That’s true.’

 

But Riel. Let me tell you once more, the exact same opportunity doesn’t come twice. 

 

“Han Jeyu.”

 

Hwashin’s soft voice called Han Jeyu. Han Jeyu simply smiled as if telling him to continue. His green eyes were a color that gave a sense of stability, like a true cult leader.

 

And Yoo Hwashin decided not to miss this opportunity that had presented itself.

 

“「Die.」”

 

The Word Command to die is not cast easily.

 

The strongest among Word Commands. Magic that binds ‘death’ to the body was akin to a taboo. It was because it forcefully dragged ‘death,’ located at the end of destiny, into the present.

 

Word Commands like explode or melt yielded the same result, but that was when the opponent’s level was different from his own. If they were similar to himself, they wouldn’t die from that.

 

Therefore, casting a Word Command to die point-blank on someone meant that he, too, was prepared for death.

 

“That’s a relief. If I had come with my real body, I would have almost died.”

 

Despite the Word Command ‘Die’, Han Jeyu was alive.

 

“….I see.”

 

Yoo Hwashin let out a snort, as if he couldn’t help it.

 

“Did you come with a fake because you were scared of me? If it were me, I wouldn’t have used the 「Space-Time Transference」 ability for something like this.” 

 

“I’d appreciate it if you thought of it as an ability meant to be used at times like this. If I hadn’t used it, I would have died from your single word just now, Yoo Hwashin-ssi. Hmm, it really is a convenient ability. You can achieve anything with just a word, and you can even manipulate heroes, right? Isn’t it exhausting to use that kind of ability for the country?” 

 

Han Jeyu’s shoe took a step forward. Even in the sweltering black desert, he never took off his suit and coat. Maintaining his neat appearance, he continued in an elegant tone. 

 

“There is only one reason why I came here and am dragging out the time like this.”

 

His finger pointed at Hwashin.

 

….Me? I’m the reason?

 

Then Han Jeyu nodded his head.

 

“I’ve watched you all along. I’ve also watched the SH1 unit you belong to. But there’s a part of you that is somewhat different from them.”

 

Han Jeyu thought he and Yoo Hwashin were alike.

 

“You aren’t being a hero to save people, are you?” 

 

“Why do you think that?” 

 

“Because it wasn’t people at the end of that. Even when you were saving them.”

 

In the 「Battery War」, Han Jeyu watched. Yoo Hwashin, who cast magic over the entire city even at the risk of his own death. But at the same time, he felt it. The reason he used his ability was not to save the citizens.

 

“The reason was probably that you didn’t want to be hated by the SH1 unit.” 

 

“…..” 

 

“A precise sense of purpose moved you, nothing more, nothing less. I liked that. Because I’m the same.” 

 

“You’re saying Freak isn’t for illegal Awakened?” 

 

“It means it’s not for peace. Shall I tell you a little about my past? When I was young, I grew up in Russia. However, I didn’t have parents. I was adopted, but I guess I was abandoned. I wandered the entire city as a street vagrant. Then I entered a certain facility. They said they would give me money if I participated in an experiment.”

 

It was the first time he had heard the story of Han Jeyu’s past. But it was a story he had somewhat anticipated.

 

“It was an experiment that took place in the early days after the gates opened…. so it’s been quite a while. I witnessed countless deaths.”

 

Humans driven to the edge of death before the Gates. The monsters that emerged from the Gates were diverse. People would frequently freeze in their tracks at the strange, unfamiliar entities they were seeing for the first time in their lives. 

 

Fortunately, Han Jeyu could move. He ran. Far away, as far away as possible. Until this experiment was over.

 

The experiment was simple. When a gate opened, driving people to the brink of death. If they awakened and became a hero, the experiment was a success. If they failed, death. It was simply that kind of experiment.

 

“They say monsters are cruel… but do you know what? Sometimes reality is crueler. The person in front of me was a child who had just turned 14. That child said they participated in the experiment because they had no parents and no money.”

 

At this, Hwashin had no choice but to recall the words Fomin Ignaty had spoken.

 

—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.

 

Han Jeyu smiled softly.

 

“That child died. Died right in front of me. I don’t really remember how they died. Seeing blood splatter everywhere, they were probably trampled to death or crushed to death, one of the two.”

 

Han Jeyu’s figures multiplied in an instant. His bodies, which had come here through a fake body utilizing space-time transference, surrounded Hwashin.

 

“Is the death of a child a good death?” 

 

“Was that sacrifice really necessary?” 

 

“Can the deaths of a few be ignored?” 

 

“People will feel sorry about this death, but will they genuinely try to stop the experiments?” 

 

As each Han Jeyu started talking, his voice was heard from all directions.

 

The Han Jeyu standing in the center stepped right up in front of Yoo Hwashin.

 

“But well. I, too.”

 

The faint bodies overlapped into one. Han Jeyu grinned.

 

“Am not doing this for the child.” 

 

“…..” 

 

“I don’t want to be a hero just because I have this ability. I don’t want to use my ability to save people. Because it would be of no use anyway. And it wasn’t.”

 

He remained silent for a long time before continuing.

 

“My power is not perfect, and I am not perfectly righteous enough to save everyone. But I am not cruel enough to kill everyone, either. What I actually want to achieve with this organization as such a person is… perfect destruction. As I told you, the destruction of this place is a predetermined future.”

 

A utopia-like future will not come. No matter how hard you try. He smirked and added that it was a secret.

 

“You don’t truly want to be a hero either, do you?” 

 

“Yeah, I don’t.”

 

Hwashin answered Han Jeyu’s question immediately.

 

There were parts of what he said that were wrong, but there were also parts that were right.

 

Yoo Hwashin had never truly pitied the lives of the people who died here. The only things he cared about were Cha Jaeha and the SH1 unit.

 

They were righteous, and he was not. They were suited to be heroes, and he was not.

 

It was a fact he already knew.

 

So I’ll say it again.

 

But so what.

 

“So what.”

 

Can’t there be a hero who isn’t righteous? Even if it’s not a dream to be a hero, can’t there be at least one magician who aspires to be a hero?

 

Besides, if what that magician wants is to stop the destruction of this world, isn’t he actually someone who fits the profession of ‘hero’ more than anyone else?

 

At Hwashin’s sharp answer, Han Jeyu’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

“You must feel a sense of alienation being in the SH1 unit.” 

 

“It doesn’t matter. I’m there because I like it.” 

 

“Because you like it. Do you dislike me?” 

 

“Mhm.” 

 

“Your words are getting shorter.” 

 

“Because I don’t see the need to respect you.”

 

Hwashin smirked. Playfulness overflowed on his sneering face.

 

<Your Hero Is Here>. This book brought joy to the boring daily life of a mage. It brought anger, and sometimes sadness. The emotions they gave him were, quite literally, ‘everything.’

 

Yoo Hwashin gained everything from this book.

 

Destruction must be stopped. The protagonist must be saved.

 

All these sentences were heavy. Sometimes, he even felt pressured by what he had to do. He didn’t even want to imagine what would happen if he couldn’t stop it. Yet, Hwashin was able to smile.

 

“Yoo Hwashin!”

 

Along with a voice heard from afar, Han Jeyu’s body burst into flames.

 

“Hwashin-ssi!” 

 

Izawa Chisaki had followed the trail of the butterfly and brought Cha Jaeha here. Taking advantage of the moment when Han Jeyu, who had distorted the magician’s curse, focused his attention on Hwashin, it seemed he had laid all the zombies to rest.

 

‘As expected… the protagonist should do at least this much.’

 

Looking at the burning eyes of Han Jeyu, Hwashin smirked.

 

“Our heroes are no joke, right?”

 

Hwashin’s hero was here.

 

The world Hwashin wanted to live in was not ‘a world where I can be myself.’

 

The world he wanted was. One he couldn’t achieve in his past life.

 

‘A world where everything I love remains.’

 

That was all.