Do Your Own Revolution-Chapter 200

< Final Chapter – Part 14 >

Boom–!

In the center of Westraine, at the former Secretary General’s residence.

Part of the luxurious exterior wall exploded as Special Magical Power Unit members in black uniforms stormed into the building.

A special detachment of about five members.

While the enemy’s main force was engaging their main unit, this detachment was tasked with securing an important person detained inside the building.

“Lady Marlene! Are you here?!”

“I’m here!”

A voice responded immediately.

“Impossible, you’re really alive…!”

“I’ll call for an escape aircraft right away. Your injuries…”

The moment they rushed over to check Mari’s condition.

The members examining the room where she was detained couldn’t help but widen their eyes.

“What is all this…?”

A luxurious room filled with the Secretary General’s hobbies.

That wasn’t the issue.

What mattered were the blueprints and structural diagrams covering the luxurious walls.

The incredibly complex underground structure of Westraine city was drawn in detail.

“I mapped the terrain through magical power detection and drew it myself. More importantly, what about Eugene? I have information that needs to be…! Aagh?!”

Just as Mari was about to continue, the entire building they were in started shaking.

“An earthquake?! No, bombardment?!”

“Neither! Look, in the sky…!”

At the soldier’s shout, everyone’s gaze turned to where he was pointing.

Rumble-!

A black flower, slowly raising its massive form, spreading its petals toward the sky.

The officer gritted his teeth as he looked below the flower.

“Those meticulous bastards…!”

A monster that appeared to be shaped like a woman in a dress.

It was a breeding specimen carrying countless monster eggs, restoring the flower with its six arms.

With hands neatly clasped and body bowed, it looked as if it was seeing off the flower soaring into the sky.

And on those petals, monsters with entirely new forms were awakening one by one.

– Ahhhhh–!

A bizarrely mismatched creature with a beautiful woman’s upper body combined with monster wings and lower body.

Instead of the usual monster roars, harmonious sounds flowed from well-ordered vocal cords.

Voices resonating like song.

Seeing them slowly awakening with their tentacles, the officer’s face turned pale as he nearly dropped his weapon.

But at that moment.

“Don’t give up! It’s not over yet!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

At the shout from behind, he hurriedly regained his grip on his rifle.

The monsters were checking their wings here and there, having just hatched.

Seeing this, Mari gritted her teeth and spoke to the officer.

“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. That giant flower has roots in this building’s basement.”

“W-what?!”

“The core is underground! If we can somehow gather mages and destroy it…!”

Even if the cracks remain unknown, we can neutralize the flower itself, I see.

A voice came through the officer’s imprint.

The voice of Guille, Eugene’s successor as Special Magical Power Unit commander.

After assessing the situation, he spoke into his glowing imprint.

“Thank you for the crucial information. I’ll send rescue personnel there now, so the enemy core’s location and route…”

– There’s no time to explain verbally. I’ll guide you directly after we join up.

“Pardon?”

What is this now.

The First Lady, who should be evacuated, wants to participate in combat?

“Have you lost your mind?! Someone who should be evacuating immediately wants to enter the heart of monster territory?! That’s completely absurd…!”

– If we don’t bring down that flower now, evacuation is pointless – we’ll die either way!

Guille was struck speechless at Mari’s cry.

Because he had no counter-argument.

– I’m a high-ranking mage with a five stroke imprint. I have field medic qualifications and basic military training. Rather than waste aircraft and personnel trying to evacuate me, it would be more effective to deploy me with you!

She wasn’t wrong.

When every mage was precious, the more cards they could play, the better.

The problem was that this card was the First Lady.

“…Like husband, like wife.”

There was no time for deep contemplation.

Having made his decision, Guille sent a transmission in a troubled voice.

“…I don’t even know how to explain deploying the Supreme Commander’s wife to the battlefield in the post-operation report.”

– If we make it back alive, I’ll handle any defense or whatever you need.

“If we survive, that is. Ortega! Matt!”

The magical power communication Guille had opened was also shared with the two unit commanders.

The two men, who were facing off against the monster with Eugene’s imprint, nodded at Guille.

“Go ahead.”

“A fake Eugene cobbled together from monster pieces. The two of us are enough.”

Saying things they don’t really mean.

Such stubborn guys.

“…Don’t die.”

“Same to you.”

With those brief words, he turned and ran.

The enemy’s main force’s strongest unit was fleeing.

The monster narrowed its eyes and immediately extended golden chains to block them, but.

Clang–!

The chains that stretched out were blocked and disappeared by Ortega’s magic.

“……”

And simultaneously, Matt’s rifle targeted its head.

The two men blocking the monster’s path drew up their magical power with grim smiles.

“Where do you think you’re crawling off to.”

“You’re not taking one step from here. Monster.”

***

It felt like waking from a long dream.

Like entering a game world and spending decades there.

But even such strange déjà vu quickly dissolved into the routine of daily life.

Taking over client-related work from Manager Yu, getting nitpicked by Director Kim over pointless things.

Even joining colleagues at a drinking party on an early Friday night to complain about superiors.

It was just an ordinary life with nothing special about it.

“Hey, hey. Yu-jin. Look over there.”

In the noisy bar.

As I was absently sipping beer, a colleague sitting next to me tapped my shoulder and pointed somewhere.

“That bastard Team Leader Kwak is at it again.”

“That’s why I said we shouldn’t invite him.”

“He followed us here on his own. And now look what he’s doing…”

With a slight sigh, I looked where my friend was pointing.

Yu Arin, a junior colleague who recently joined us from university.

Her face was flushed red and her eyes were hazily unfocused – she must have drunk quite a bit.

And the one pushing drinks on her was our team’s representative scumbag, Kwak In-kwon.

Him constantly pressing drinks and clinging to her was clearly not a pleasant sight.

I knew it wasn’t my business to interfere, but for some reason…

“Senior Kwak.”

When I came to my senses, I was gripping Kwak In-kwon’s shoulder with a hardened voice.

“H-huh?”

“How will she make it to work tomorrow if she drinks more? Please let her be, senior.”

“Heh, you… Seong Yu-jin, you bastard.”

Perhaps thinking I’d interrupted just when things were going well.

The senior looked up at me with a slightly lowered voice and started sneering.

“Why so serious with that glare? Hm? I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? Right? Hm?”

The same nonsense he always spouts when things go wrong.

Why does this guy who’s been called to the disciplinary committee before always go crazy when drinking.

“It’s a good time! I think you’re misunderstanding something but I’m just trying to get closer…! Eek?!”

But his sneering didn’t last long.

Receiving my fierce glare, he fled without even trying to make excuses.

Oh wow, look at him stumbling as he runs.

If he overreacts this much just from being looked at, it makes me feel bad instead.

“Whew, damn. Look at those scary eyes.”

“Was Yu-jin always like that? He’s usually so quiet…”

See? Even the people around are starting to avoid me.

“Sigh.”

I shouldn’t have gotten involved.

But thinking about it again, it is strange.

Was I originally someone who could intimidate others like this?

No, I wasn’t.

Usually, I was rather…

Thump.

“Oh…? It’s Senior Yu-jin… hehe!”

Just as those thoughts were continuing.

A thoroughly drunk Arin stumbled and clung to me.

“What ‘hehe’. Stop talking nonsense and get up. You need to go home.”

“No~ I’m not drunk yet~”

Hmm. Complete intoxication.

I mercilessly pulled Arin up while gathering her things.

“I’m leaving first. I’ll take her home while I’m at it.”

“Oh, o-okay…”

“See you tomorrow.”

I left the bar with a brief farewell.

Stopped by the convenience store next door for hangover medicine.

When she whined about it being bitter, I gave her an ice cream bar, and she started running ahead while grinning.

“It’s like taking care of a child.”

As I thought that while walking across the pedestrian bridge, a strange thought occurred to me.

Slightly wavy black hair.

An innocent expression with elegant features.

A junior like that… had I known someone like that?

“Senior Yu-jin.”

During those thoughts.

Arin, walking across the bridge, looked at me with a grin.

“You know, this is my first time living in a place like this, and it’s really fun.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes! There are so many people, and it’s peaceful… I’m amazed a place like this existed until now.”

Come to think of it, I felt the same way.

Worrying about trivial human relationships, getting drunk with a few drinks and side dishes, wandering the city in a hazy mood.

It was a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

A strange feeling, as if experiencing it for the first time in decades.

“What about you, senior?”

Saying that, Arin moved slightly closer.

With a bright smile, she looked at me and asked.

“Are you happy now?”

After staring blankly at her for a moment.

“…Yeah. I think I am happy.”

I answered her question in a low voice, the hazy intoxication clearing away.

“It’s been so long since I lived without any worries that I can’t even remember. It’s peaceful… and tranquil.”

“Really? Then…”

“However.”

Interrupting her words, I slowly reached out.

“I have to go back.”

I pointed a gun at Arin’s chin as she approached me.

A gun emanating an eerie light, as if it had been there all along. Heresy.

Seeing Arin’s expressionless face staring at the barrel, I could steel my resolve.

In this place where everything was ambiguous.

The only certain thing in this real world I’d returned to after decades was.

That the human Seong Yu-jin was dead.

“Why?”

Looking at my face.

Irene asked.

In a tone suggesting she couldn’t understand.

But the answer was simple.

“Because a hell of my own making… is far more interesting than peace created by someone else.”

Since falling into this damned game world, that’s how I’ve always lived.

Click-!

The empty cylinder turned, and the heavy hammer struck the vacant chamber.

A gun without bullets.

But the moment I pulled that trigger, the reality spread around us began to melt away.

The street noise mixed with horns and people’s voices.

The dazzling night view.

The peaceful scene I had always wanted to return to.

Longed for.

Began crumbling to pieces.

And what appeared in its place was a landscape filled with gun smoke and screams.

Not the reality of the dead ‘Seong Yu-jin’, but the reality facing ‘Eugene Lorentz’.