Chapter 120: Unfortunately, I Couldn’t Become Your Male Lead (Two-in-One)
On the outskirts of Royal City, at the peak of the mountains.
The sea breeze carried the dusk, rustling Rast’s cloak.
The boy and girl sat on the cliff, below them was the ocean dyed red by the glow of the setting sun.
Rast spoke while Helen quietly listened beside him.
“As far as I know, most people join the Guardians not for those seemingly noble reasons.”
“They seek refuge, a better life, or the status of being extraordinary… Most Guardians initially hold these selfish thoughts.”
“Only in the midst of battle, sacrifice, and d*ath do they gradually change their minds and eventually transform into qualified Guardians.”
“This is the growth journey of most Guardians.”
Rast’s words echoed in the sea breeze: “But I’m different from them.”
“At first, it was because I witnessed the smile of the woman who saved me from the ruins…”
“That smile was so happy that it unintentionally sparked my longing and admiration.”
“However, what truly made me become a Guardian was the experiences that followed.”
He glanced at Helen beside him, her serious face bathed in the orange glow of the sunset.
“Just like you, who never left the palace in the center of Royal City since your birth, spending hundreds of years within its unchanging confines.”
“In reality, I had a similar experience to yours… I was trapped in a port city for three hundred years, struggling in vain to escape from that endless repetition of the same day.”
“So, in that stagnant, eternally motionless time—my world lost its sense of reality. I began to misunderstand the meaning of life, treating everyone in that city as NPCs rather than living beings… and started to vent my desires and seek thrills recklessly.”
“Gradually, my memories became fragmented, and my self-awareness began to crumble… Even if I occasionally recalled past memories, I found it hard to distinguish whether those were real experiences or mere illusions of my own making.”
“I couldn’t tell… whether I was born in the border town of Canaan, having an ordinary childhood until I somehow ended up in Deep Blue Harbor; or if I was from the very beginning a part of Deep Blue Harbor, and those memories of Canaan were nothing more than my imagined experiences; or perhaps Deep Blue Harbor was just a highly realistic virtual game, and I was merely a corrupted program that somehow gained self-awareness.”
“In such a state, my longing for Guardians began to distort.”
“Like a drowning person clinging to a lifeline, I took that longing as proof… As long as I remembered that smile and could still feel the desire and heartbeat for ‘becoming a Guardian’, then my self named ‘Rast’ still existed. It was evidence that I hadn’t given up on myself.”
Rast looked at the setting sun over the sea: “That is my entire story with the Guardians.”
This was the first time he had so openly revealed his inner thoughts during his time in Deep Blue Harbor, not even when he spoke with Hiltina had he been so candid.
Because no one could understand what it felt like to have life frozen in the same day for hundreds of years.
No matter how much they imagined, how hard they tried to empathize, it remained mere conjecture… Without having the same experiences, they could never truly resonate with Rast.
But Helen was different.
The monotony of time, the stagnant hundreds of years of life… This Queen of the Underworld had also experienced it herself.
So Helen understood how desperate and frantic Rast would be, watching memories slip away while his self-awareness gradually faded… how insane he would be to grasp that lifeline.
Just like herself, who in her past life cherished the old fairy tale books left by her mother as treasures.
These were the only lights in the lives of prisoners trapped in a cage for hundreds of years; the meaning of their existence and proof that they were still alive.
Memories washed away by time, self gradually worn away… Hundreds of years passed, and besides that inescapable obsession, the prisoners of time had been emptied of everything, both their shells and souls.
“How fortunate.”
Delicate white fingers danced in the air, and ice blue words were written out.
Rast looked at the elegant characters: “What do you mean by ‘how fortunate’?”
“Because, no matter how dark your past has been… you, Rast, still escaped from that place called Deep Blue Harbor, didn’t you?”
The girl tilted her head, her smooth ice blue hair cascading with her movement.
“Whether you realized your childhood dream of becoming a Guardian, or formed your own team to come to my city…”
“These are beautiful things you could never experience while trapped in that cage, and for that, you should feel fortunate.”
“And the same goes for me.”
The ice blue letters paused momentarily.
“Being able to see you during the maid selection half a month ago.”
“To encounter you, Rast…”
“This is the luckiest thing in my life.”
In the glow of the sunset, Helen’s deep purple eyes no longer concealed a layer of gray, lifeless mist…
Instead, they became lively, as if flames were burning within.
This was the outpouring of her heart.
Because she met the boy before her, the canary trapped in a cage finally opened its window and caught a glimpse of the light.
Because she encountered Rast, the caged bird first gathered courage to jump out of the cage and peeked at a corner of the world beyond.
Also because of her encounter with Rast.
Helen’s life… transformed from a originally monotonous black-and-white sketch into vibrant colors.
To Helen, from the moment she and Rast embarked on their journey—
It felt as if the light of the entire world converged around her, like a journey bathed in sunlight.
…
The sun continued to sink.
Originally, half a corona could be seen above the horizon, but soon only less than a quarter remained.
In no more than five minutes, the sun would completely disappear, and a long night would shroud the world.
The night grew denser.
Not far away, the sea of trees, swayed by the wind, was gradually transforming from crimson to a dark red-black.
In the remaining time, neither Helen nor Rast spoke on the cliff; they silently gazed at the scenery before them.
After a long while, as if determined, Helen stood up from the cliff.
The ice blue light surged from her fingers… and quickly coalesced into an old book.
Helen carefully picked up the aged book as if it were a treasure.
Then, she placed the book in Rast’s palm.
“This is a return gift.”
Ice blue words sparkled in the air.
When he grasped the book, Rast understood its origin.
On the cover was an illustration of a knight boy with a silver sword and a witch surrounded by black mist; due to its age, the fairy tale book bore mottled damage.
“Chronicles of Silver Wings.”
It wasn’t the new version that Rast had previously given to Helen, transcribed and edited by himself.
This was the original version, a relic left to her by Helen’s mother, the previous Queen of the Underworld.
This was Helen’s favorite fairy tale book and proof that she had not given up on herself throughout the hundreds of years of her past life.
And now, she gifted it to Rast.
In an instant, Rast understood Helen’s intentions.
The original “Chronicles of Silver Wings” represented the first half of her life.
And now, what Helen wanted to entrust was her latter half.
Not far away, watching Rast receive the fairy tale book, Helen stepped back a couple of paces.
Until she stood at the very edge of the cliff.
The lotus-like hem of her dress fluttered in the mountain wind.
With her woolen ankle boots, she stood closely against the cliff, her thighs white and slender, marked by straight lines.
She turned her head back, leaning against the steep cliff, her ice blue hair blowing in the wind, arms outstretched, her eyes firmly fixing on the boy before her.
Her crimson lips quivered, and Rast heard a voice ringing in his ears.
Not the written words in the air, but Helen’s own spoken words.
Her voice was melodious, mixing with the evening breeze, reminiscent of the ringing of wind chimes at midnight:
“Rast, am I truly evil?”
This was a line from “Chronicles of Silver Wings.”
In the final scene of the fairy tale, the Poison Witch, who would bring plague to the world, stood at the edge of the cliff and spoke this line to the male lead.
At this moment, the scene from the fairy tale materialized into reality.
The glow from the sunset gradually faded in Helen’s eyes, the sky stained with molten copper, burning into the color of flames.
In the ever-thickening night, it seemed as if stars reflected in Helen’s eyes.
This Queen of the Underworld had long understood the truth.
She knew her realm was merely a paradise for the dead; her blessings and powers brought only disaster to the living.
She also knew that her initial relationship with Rast was not that of friends. Rast’s arrival, whether in disguise or participating in the maid selections to infiltrate the palace, bore some special purpose.
She was even more aware that this dreamlike half-month she experienced was a carefully crafted coincidence by the Guardians, a meticulously staged illusion.
Yet even so, Helen still strived for happiness.
Just like the story in “Chronicles of Silver Wings,” where the boy who dreamed of becoming a knight and the witch bringing disaster appeared to be in opposition, in the end, perhaps they could still understand each other, perhaps they could still embrace—
Perhaps there could still be a happy ending.
“Fairytales are false, but love is real.”
This was a belief that Helen held steadfastly… She believed that even if their encounter stemmed from a hypocritical lie, true feelings could still blossom.
She stood on tiptoe, waiting with hope and longing.
Waiting for Rast to become the male lead in her story.
To become her one true justice partner, willing to give up his ideals and sacrifice the whole world for her—
Just for her alone.
…
Rast was also gazing at the girl standing on the cliff.
He knew that Helen was waiting for his answer.
At this moment, what he should do was stretch out his arms and embrace the girl before him.
Just like the final scene of “Chronicles of Silver Wings”—
Ignoring worldly barriers, disregarding moral and ethical constraints… the knight boy abandoned the ideals he had held onto for so long to embrace the one who belonged to him.
But what happens afterward?
What will happen after the ending?
The male lead abandoned his ideals to accept the witch, recklessly sacrificing himself for love, which is indeed commendable.
However, does that mean the plague lurking around the witch, which would bring disaster and d*ath to the world, would simply cease to exist?
If one day, the Poison Witch lost control again and personally killed innocents, how would the male lead cope?
“Chronicles of Silver Wings” may conclude at that moment, but the reality of the story does not stop there.
The conflicts between the dead and the living, the nature of the God of d*ath’s remains, the plans that he and Cecil have long made, the legendary Gravekeeper already descending…
If these latent issues, with the potential to cause irreparable harm, are not resolved, and one lets emotions dictate their actions… it is not romance, but simply irresponsible escapism from reality.
Moreover, that Vice Captain, who carried out his duties until the last moment of his life, paving the way for the hero in the identity of “soldier”—
If he were to do that, wouldn’t the sacrifice of the Shadow Servant simply become a joke?
So…
From beginning to end, there has only been one thing he needed to do.
Not to be guided by emotions, disregarding everything for a fleeting heartbeat.
But to… create a brighter, clearer future with his own hands.
With this in mind, Rast stepped towards the edge of the cliff.
Not far away, the ice blue-haired queen gently closed her eyes.
…
In the present world, at the Tower of Secrets.
In the light curtain, the boy stretched out his arms, gently embracing the girl in his arms.
At that moment, the sun completely sank below the horizon, and the long night descended.
Just like the final illustration of “Chronicles of Silver Wings”—
The male and female leads embraced on the high cliff, their silhouettes cast against the dark sky, resembling stone-carved sculptures.
“d*mn it!”
“Now, Young Tina is really going to wear a green hat.”
Mr. Silver covered his eyes with his fluffy white tail, seemingly unable to bear watching his good student being betrayed, but through the gaps in his fur, his beastly eyes widened like a little student pretending during eye exercises.
“Ah, although it’s a bit unfair to Young Tina, I still enjoyed this love variety show. It has a good ending.”
“It’s definitely worth the whole day and night I spent watching the live stream.”
Mr. Silver sighed.
Although Young Tina was betrayed, Young Xiya was also his good student, after all, the rewards remained within their group’s circle.
But then Mr. Silver noticed something unusual; he stealthily glanced at the side and found the victim’s family member still remarkably calm.
“Little Ferret, don’t you think you opened the champagne a bit too early?”
Ophelia’s calm voice came from nearby.
“Opened the champagne too early? But they are already embracing, just like the story in that fairy tale book.”
Mr. Silver rebutted: “The fairy tale beginning has also welcomed a fairy tale ending, it feels destined, I can’t help but want to shout ‘the ending is here, let’s celebrate’.”
“The reason fairy tales are fairy tales is that they can happily end at the moment the princess and prince hold their wedding… without considering the mundane details, trivialities, and the bland and tedious, even conflict-ridden, regretful, and fatal second half of life.”
Ophelia’s words were chillingly harsh, yet seemed to carry some long-repressed emotion: “And reality doesn’t have the filter of fairy tales.”
“To say ‘I would forsake the whole world for you’ out of a sudden rush of masculine hormones is a reflection of irresponsibility.”
“But…”
Mr. Silver instinctively wanted to retort.
However, all of a sudden.
“Unfortunately, Your Majesty—”
A flash of alluring scarlet suddenly crossed the yellowed heavens of the light curtain.
“It seems I couldn’t become the male lead in your story.”
(End of Chapter)
