Episode 117

He was a figure who played a significant role in the founding of the empire and was granted a noble title due to his contributions.

With immense magical power, strength, a late aging process, wealth, and honor, he felt a sense of emptiness when peace finally returned to the empire.

“Now that everything I wanted to achieve has been achieved, life feels empty. To alleviate that emptiness, I embarked on a domestic journey. That’s when I encountered an old man named Dr. Red in a small village.”

Dr. Red recognized Passabea and handed him a book. He said that if it were him, he could create the magical formations in the book.

Having nothing better to do, Passabea drew the magical formations out of boredom. It turned out to be a formation that could create a gate to another dimension.

“The first time I drew the formation, only a small gate appeared. I didn’t know it was a powerful formation, but it actually allowed me to travel to another dimension.”

Passabea infused magic into the formation again, and this time, a gate of a size that a young child could pass through was created.

On the third attempt, Passabea poured his full power into the formation, and even after he passed through, a gate remained.

“I crossed through that gate. The world beyond the gate was a different dimension. It was a world that the people of the Stacia Empire couldn’t even imagine.”

Passabea drew the formations and traveled through multiple dimensions, experiencing various worlds and meeting different people.

“The problem was that I didn’t know how to return to my original world. The world beyond the gate was always unpredictable.”

Then, he coincidentally discovered that the destination changed depending on the direction of the magical formation. He realized that he could travel to a total of eight different dimensions.

Having gained the ability to set the destination at will, he has returned to Flotina.

“So you’ve returned just now…”

Flora seemed to understand, but May was doubtful.

“Does that mean the person who sent the anonymous letter isn’t my grandfather?”

“If it’s an anonymous letter… Are you asking if I sent it to Iris and Cassius? It was indeed me.”

“Really? How did you end up sending the letter?”

Passabea was about to answer this but then seemed to hesitate, as if he had remembered someone in particular. He turned to May.

“To tell you the reason behind sending the letter, you would need to tell me who you are in your own words. Are you okay with that?”

“Ah…”

May immediately understood that this meant she had to reveal that she was the one who had been reincarnated.

May pondered for a moment. Should she reveal it or not? If she did, her father and Flora would probably find it hard to believe. But if Passabea confirmed it, they would have no choice but to believe eventually. After that…

‘Since it’s Persis and Floa, they will treat me as they always have.’

May had faith in Persis and Floa.

She had felt uneasy every time Floa seemed suspicious. Now, looking back, it seemed like it was because her desire not to keep secrets from her family conflicted with her actions.

It seemed right to reveal it to her family. May finally nodded.

“Yes. But I will explain it myself.”

“That’s a good idea. It seems like you’ve been keeping something hidden… Since you’ll have to explain about the letter, you have no choice but to mention it. I understand.”

“It’s okay. It might actually help relieve a burden on my mind, so it’s a good thing, right?”

After smiling, May took a breath and revealed her identity to Persis and Floa.

“Actually, I wasn’t originally from this world.”

As May had expected, Persis and Floa had expressions of disbelief.

“You weren’t from this world…?”

“Yes. To be precise, my soul from another world was embedded in May’s body.”

“What…?”

“May’s words are all true. Originally, this body wasn’t hers.”

Passabea also confirmed it, leaving Persis and Floa perplexed.

May explained that she had been reincarnated into the novel she had been reading, and she also described the contents of the novel.

“…So that’s why you were so desperate to avoid going to the orphanage. If you went there, you would be sold as a slave and eventually die at the hands of some nobleman.”

Everyone had expressions of disbelief, especially Persis and Floa, who were so shocked they couldn’t close their mouths.

“Could it be…? Are you saying this world is fictional…?”

Responding calmly to Flora’s question, Passabea shook his head.

“The world where May originally lived and the world we’re in both exist. There’s no fiction here.”

“But you mentioned a world in the novel.”

“The novel was a bait by the Creator. If life were a movie, the novel was the script.”

Still not comprehending, Passabea explained. At first, Persis and Floa seemed shocked by the idea that it was a story from a novel. However, they gradually nodded as they realized that it wasn’t fiction, but rather constructed to appear that way.

“But how do you know May’s true identity, Passabea?”

“I met her while traveling.”

It was in another dimension. Passabea, who was journeying through different dimensions and worlds, had encountered May as she is now. At that time, she was likely only as tall as his waist. She was very young. The child who played alone had caught his attention, and he had approached her a few times to have conversations.

May recalled the blurry memories of that distant time.

“I remember feeling hurt because you left without a word.”

“The day I left to travel elsewhere, you weren’t in the usual spot where you always were.”

After that, Passabea traveled through the gate and had a journey of ups and downs, and coincidentally came back to that world. Remembering the child he had encountered once, he found the familiar place where she used to be. 

There, he met someone who knew her.

“Excuse me, do you happen to know about Flotina?”

It was May. After going to the orphanage and being adopted by a con artist, she was sold as a slave and later met her end by the hands of Clara Pensó.

Living a new life in a different world, she had a bright expression.

Passabea had numerous conversations with her. He told her about her reincarnation as a pediatrician after her tragic death and also revealed the secret of the Creator.

The Creator compassionately controls the stories of people who have died, allowing writers to turn those stories into novels. Once the novel is published and readers emerge, they ask the deceased soul if anyone would be willing to take on their role so that they wouldn’t have to die pitifully.

She claimed to know this firsthand from her own experiences and asserted that the Creator was a psychopath.

The Creator has created worlds and people perfectly and wonderfully, and they all need to end ordinarily for everyone to accept it, even if not happily.

When she died, the Creator apparently said, “It seems your role didn’t quite fit,” and stated that “there are no pitiable roles in this world.”

So, when there is a pitiable person who has died, if the Creator’s decision is not accepted, they seek someone to take over that role alongside the deceased soul.

“Are you saying… that I was reincarnated into May’s body because of the will of the deceased May’s soul?”

“That’s right. You were the first one to understand her feelings, it seems.”

And Passabea mentioned that he came to know that the person the previous May’s soul had chosen was the child he had encountered in this world before.

“But I thought that without someone’s help, I might face a tragic ending.”

That’s why he returned to Stacia and asked Iris and Cassius to protect you.

After hearing those words, May felt a bit disappointed.

“Why didn’t you directly help me? It could have been something you handled without asking Iris and Cassius.”

“I wanted to continue traveling. I thought that if I went missing and then returned, I would surely attract attention from the public, and I found that bothersome. I did plan to return to Flotina someday, but I couldn’t predict when that would be back then.”

Hearing his words, May  seemed to understand and not understand at the same time.

“So, you sent the letter and then went on another journey.”

“That’s right. Then I realized that my magical power to create gates was running low, so I had no choice but to come back. As I grew older, I became weaker. Perhaps if I create another gate, I won’t be able to create gates after that.”

Is traveling really that enjoyable? He seemed like someone who couldn’t resist the temptation. Well, even if I were in his shoes, with decades of life ahead and the opportunity to visit other worlds, I probably wouldn’t be able to resist that temptation.

May didn’t feel like she completely couldn’t understand Passabea.

With Passabea’s words coming to an end, Floe sighed in relief.

“So, from now on, May won’t be in danger, right? There won’t be any more disappearances from Passabea.”

That’s right.”

While Persis seemed to have understood everything Passabea said, his shock didn’t seem to subside as he averted his gaze and remained silent.

May might have said it was all from a novel, but if that was the case, then the things he had done in her past life were just the same. May’s previous self had sent to the orphanage had died and crossed over to another world.

The realization of why May had been so averse to going to the orphanage and the fact that he had been such a cruel person weighed heavily on his heart.

Then, as Passabea’s following question came, his gaze quickly turned towards May.

“Speaking of which, May, do you have any intention of returning to where you used to live?”

“Intention to return…?”

“Your hometown is there, right? For your sake, I can personally create one last remaining gate to take you back.”

Upon hearing this, the pupils of Persis and Floe shook as if there was an earthquake.

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