“…”
Was it because my tone had changed?
Or was it because Uriel didn’t understand what I said?
I didn’t know which it was, but Evan looked quite surprised by my sudden words.
Well… I could understand why.
I had been maintaining the concept of a Saint up until now, and suddenly throwing it away to speak in a normal tone would confuse anyone.
At first, I hadn’t intended to speak like this, but I thought it might be better to talk seriously at a time like this.
Above all…
‘After all, it will feel like a dream…’
It wasn’t certain.
I only assumed it would be like that because there was a script that said it would feel like dreams after finishing the trial in the game.
To be honest, I was surprised.
I didn’t fully know everything about this trial dungeon.
I could only predict based on my experience playing the game, but I didn’t have concrete information.
Even then, in the game, it was simply about finding differences in pictures or solving puzzles, so I had no idea what this trial would require from us.
However, if it became reality, the situation would change a bit.
Specifically, at the very end of the game, there is a scene where the player is directly asked.
“Will you sacrifice yourself to save this world?”
And only by writing down a positive response could one receive a notification that they had cleared the trial of wisdom and escape this world.
If one failed to answer correctly, they would face a bad ending by being trapped in this world forever, which made it notoriously brutal as it allowed for not even a single typo.
You could rewrite before pressing Next, but the moment you pass on without realizing you’ve made a typo, it’s over.
No matter how you wrote it, unless it was written correctly without typos, it was as good as failing the trial.
Naturally, that would lead to a direct bad ending.
No matter how diligent you were in the game, the moment you made even a single typo in the trial of wisdom, the game would end.
As if to prove that you would indeed be trapped in this world forever, even save files would be deleted, making it impossible to reload them and continue playing.
So it was no wonder it had such a notorious reputation.
But now it had become reality.
I knew that games and reality were completely different, but to some extent, they had to be similar.
Considering all the information I had gathered about this dungeon up until now, it ultimately came down to one thing.
Would you give up everything you enjoy in this world and return to your original world to defeat the Demon King, or can you not bear to give up what you have in this world?
It was indeed simple, but it was a terrifying trial that would ensure you couldn’t escape from this world for your entire life if you didn’t resolve to defeat the Demon King properly.
And…
‘It’s probably because of me.’
Evan was unwavering.
Not just because of the game’s setup, but the Evan I had seen all along was simply too steadfast.
Yeah… even without me, he would someday grow and defeat the Demon King.
And Stella, Uriel, and other companions he would eventually be with would surely be charmed by him.
He wasn’t called a hero for nothing.
Being steadfast doesn’t always mean being good, but even if he had to bear the responsibilities of a hero at that age, he would still resolutely try to defeat the Demon King.
However…
‘It’s strange for me to be in a romantic relationship with Evan…’
I had never once wished to be in a romantic relationship with Evan.
I was certain of that.
Of course, it was true that Evan felt a bit closer to me than Stella or Uriel, and when I saw him being friendly with the two of them, I felt a bit strange, but it wasn’t because I liked him.
It was very… different.
Perhaps…
For now, this world was what Uriel, Stella, Evan, and I had all wished for in our hearts.
In such a world, the fact that I was in a romantic relationship with Evan could only be explained as someone wishing for that relationship, but naturally, Stella and Uriel wouldn’t wish for that, nor did I…
‘No way…’
It can’t be, right?
That Evan likes me.
To be honest, I found it hard to believe.
After all, there were so many girls around who looked prettier, more feminine, and much more voluptuous than me, so him liking me over them seemed strange to me.
Yet, now that the situation had developed this way, I found it harder to shield myself from the idea.
Since I couldn’t possibly hold such feelings, it had become a reality that Evan liked me.
“…”
Seeing Evan’s expression, I seemed to understand a bit now…
Before, I thought it was impossible and had ignored it, but now, looking at his blushing face, I was even more suspicious.
‘I want to believe it’s not true…’
If it were true that he liked me, accepting it was not as easy as it sounded.
He was a character I liked, and of course, if that character liked me, I would be happy, but if it were as a man liking a woman, it would change things considerably.
…
I was originally a man.
Naturally, accepting that would not be easy.
To be honest, even now, I was constantly questioning if this was right.
But…
‘That’s not important right now.’
What was more important than that remained.
I had come to apologize for having deceived him all this time.
“First… I want to say I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? For what?”
“… Actually, I’ve known from the beginning what this trial requires.”
It wasn’t that I knew everything completely.
To escape the trial, you had to complete a specific event and directly express your will through chat, so the trial dungeon would recognize it and send us back to the original world.
I had seen Evan guessing roughly how to return, and I had thought, “What if?” as well.
So, in that sense, one could argue it was basically the same as not knowing.
But I decided to push it as I had known from the start.
Well, no one would notice if I told a lie here…
“…”
Evan stared at me with a blank expression.
Yeah, it must be shocking.
Even I found it shocking.
It surely felt like a happy world, a joyful world, but for Evan, who thought he had to return quickly, there must have been a sense of urgency in searching for answers.
I hadn’t been searching for anything.
Because I had no need to.
Knowing most things about the dungeon, there was no reason to look for information that I didn’t possess.
“… So you’ve been lying.”
At Evan’s words, I silently turned my head and nodded slightly.
I had lied.
It had been a long time.
Seeing the world with my own eyes, hearing the sounds of the world with my own ears.
After almost three years of being in this world, I had only been trying to defeat the Demon King and return to my original world.
I was not someone who enjoyed being tormented or suffering… well, it was true that I found it enjoyable back then, but ultimately, my original goal was to defeat the Demon King and return to my original world.
Perhaps that was why.
This world had the appearance of the world I originally lived in.
It was as if the disabled person who had been me could now see and hear.
“I wanted to stay a little longer…”
I didn’t want to leave as soon as I arrived.
Once I returned, I would have to go back into the darkness where I couldn’t see or hear, so who would want that? In this world, where I could play without any worries…
Wouldn’t it be okay to take a little break?
“I wanted to rest…”
After all, time wouldn’t pass while I was here… however long I stayed, I could return to that time.
Most of the time spent here would feel like a dream, so no matter how long I stayed, it wouldn’t change my sense of time when returning.
It was a wonderfully convenient setup, but that’s what made it a game, right?
It was just… that was all.
