SSS-Class Revival Hunter-Chapter 206: The Easter Egg (2)

Raviel nodded after listening to my desperate explanation.

“I see. There was a minor misunderstanding.”

We were in a fast food restaurant. I wanted to go into a cafe if possible, but the time setting of The Story of the City of Ascension: Side Story was in the past, way before cafes became popularized. Unfortunately, there were not many places where we could go to have a conversation.

“Yeah, I should have guessed. There is no way you would leave me and turn your attention to someone else. The universe giving up on the laws of physics would be more plausible than this. I shouldn’t have let such emotions sway me.”

“I'm glad you believe me,” I mumbled.

Honestly, I thought my world would fall apart if she didn’t.

“Hmm. From what I saw, the Black Dragon Master seemed like a capable person. If she were born in the empire, she would have prospered in the society of nobles. It’s a wise decision to share a true friendship with someone like that. You’re blessed to have such people around you.”

Raviel glanced through the front window of the restaurant. “Still, I didn’t expect you to come back with a hobgoblin son.” freewēbnoveℓ.com

Outside the restaurant, Uburka was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Although a giant hobgoblin was standing in the middle of a modern city, passers-by didn’t seem to think anything unusual was going on. Some people were surprised by how huge Uburka was, but no one recognized him as a hobgoblin.

“Do you think a perception-altering spell has been cast on us?”

The ice cubes in Raviel’s cup of cola clinked as she shook it. “Maybe. The dress I’m wearing doesn’t match this city’s setting, so it’s normal to catch people’s eye. But no one is paying attention to my clothes, although many are stealing glances at my face.”

Raviel’s dress matched the empire's fashion. However, when the restaurant server had seen her earlier, he had not reacted at all to her clothes, even though her out-of-this-world beauty caused the server to tremble as if there was an earthquake under his feet.

“The conclusion is pretty clear. In their eyes, we all appear to be wearing ordinary clothes of this world.”

I shook my head. “A worldwide perception alteration spell... That sounds like a lot of work.”

“It means that the one who looks out for you is very powerful. You have a gift for being adored by those in power, Gong-Ja.”

“Haha.”

I could see that all the customers in the restaurant were stealing glances at Raviel. It seemed like our clothes were under the effect of the spell, but our appearance was not. If this generation had smartphones, people probably would have taken pictures of us in secret.

Raviel met my eyes. “Bring the boy you consider your son here.”

“Would that be okay with you?”

“Yes. He may not be your biological son, but the bond in your heart is undeniable. Who knows? I might like him and recognize him as a member of the Ivansia family.”

It was rare for Raviel to accept my kindness toward others. I brought Uburka in before my duke changed her mind. He sat down on two chairs, his left butt cheek on one and his right cheek on another. With his arms still crossed, he looked down at Raviel, who was much shorter than him.

Silence followed. What? I was between them, so why did I feel the most nervous?

Uburka broke the silence first. “The silver hair that taunts the moon, the red eyes that mock zinnia. I just realized it, but you remind me of someone in the myths. Uger, are you Raviel Ivansia?”

“Wow. I didn’t expect this, but you can recite quite a poem.”

“I just remembered what I heard from Daddy.”

“Does Gong-Ja talk about me in your world too?” Raviel asked.

“Daddy told me five stories. The fourth one is about you. Raviel Ivansia. The Silver Lily. The moon whose heart was stolen by a mirror. All Terras know about you.”

The corners of Raviel’s mouth curled up slightly. Seeming to be feeling a little better, she grabbed the thin straw and slowly stirred the cola cup. “I heard you’re a Constellation.”

“Ugor.”

“I too was once a Constellation. Even though it wasn’t what I wanted, I wasn’t displeased with the fact that the world revolved around me. You’re on an entirely different level from ordinary people. Are you really sure about serving Gong-Ja as your father?”

“What a foolish question. Daddy has been trying to fulfill his duties as a parent since Terras were immature animals. Ranks don’t matter in relationships. People should shove their rank aside and be themselves if they want to have real connections with others.”

“Do you not care about your rank as a Constellation?”

“Uger. Ranks need qualifications, which Daddy has. Actually, I don’t know who else but Daddy would be qualified to have the Terras’ respect.”

Raviel nodded. Since I was her lover, I knew that was a sign she was in a good mood. Come to think of it, why was Uburka acting so mature around Raviel? He was acting like a kid when he was with me. Was he discriminating against his daddy? I was sad, so sad. This was why raising a kid was a pain in the ass.

“How did you meet Gong-Ja?”

“Ugor, during the war with the Slime Empire...”

Soon the two began talking amicably without me. I felt very sad to be neglected by my own wife and son. Was this sadness what fathers who worked abroad alone bore every day?

My eyes wandered until I ended up looking out the window.

Huh?

A passerby suddenly caught my eye. When I saw her, I felt an inexplicable sense of deja vu. Her clothes were what caught my attention. She was wearing the Shinseo Middle School uniform. Among the guys who bullied Kim Yul was a middle school student. I thought that was probably why she caught my eye, even if only for a moment.

I don’t remember this kid from any of the videos.

What was this deja vu then? As I enhanced my vision with my aura and looked around, I noticed more oddities of hers. First was the hair.

Blond.

It wasn’t dyed, but her natural hair color. Every time she took a step, her long blonde hair swayed in the breeze. I thought she was a foreigner, but she was wearing the school uniform, so I doubted that was the case.

Her school uniform is stained... and she’s holding a briefcase?

Instead of the bag that students normally used, she was holding an old and worn out briefcase which only office workers would carry. The leather on the edges had all been peeled off already. It was safe to say that it was time for the briefcase to end up in a trash can.

The last thing I noticed was her unwavering gait. It made up half of the inexplicable deja vu.

Her pace is very consistent.

It would have been difficult if she hadn’t physically trained herself to a significant degree. But it looked like she didn’t even do ordinary exercise, let alone practice her aura. Actually, she seemed a lot more feeble than her peers.

She slowly passed by the fast food restaurant’s window. When she looked up, our eyes met. It felt as if time slowed down. She was completely expressionless, as if she had been born that way. The indifference suited her perfectly, and her impassive face was perfect from an aesthetic sense.

Her eyes were so clear that they seemed transparent. This world was in the middle of summer, but the irritation caused by the heat wasn’t reflected in her eyes. The transparency in her eyes didn’t allow for any impurities.

Hooooooonk.

The traffic light at the three-way intersection’s crosswalk blinked from red to yellow. She didn’t seem bothered by any of that.

If one was able to walk in this world, that meant they were a part of it, but the rules of this world didn’t apply to her. Humans were able to defy the world just by walking. With one step, they would commit one defiance. With two steps, they would commit two. Three steps, four steps... This could go on and on, for as long as people lived.

Yet she was walking in a way of her own. Her pace was just as consistent as before. This absolute being was walking along the edges of the world in her own way.

“Gong-Ja?”

At some point, it seemed that I stood up, though I had no memory of this. Raviel and Uburka had stopped talking to look at me.

“What’s wrong?” Raviel asked.

“I’m sorry, but please wait here for a moment. I’m going to head out for a moment. I’ll leave a trace of my aura behind, so feel free to follow me. Uburka will be able to track it down easily.”

Even as I apologized, I kept glancing at the girl who was now walking away.

“Daddy?”

“Son, please take care of Raviel.”

Having said that, I ran out of the fast food restaurant.

Where did she go?

She was crossing the crosswalk. Even though the traffic light had only recently changed to green, it was already blinking, pressing people to get to the other side.

Hoooooonk—!

Few people were outside on a midsummer day. Only she was crossing the road. Despite the traffic light still being green, the drivers ignored it. Cars brushed past her.

When? When have I seen her before? Was it when I was in Shinseo High School?

I chased her as she walked down an alley.

No, there’s no way I could have forgotten a student with a gait like that. If I had seen her at least once, it would have left a strong impression on my memories.

Trees cast their dark shadows on the street.

It’s definitely my first time seeing her, so why...?

The bright summer sunlight was scorching the street. The lines between the shade and the sunlight were clear. When she was under the protection of the shade, it seemed she was disappearing like a mirage, as if she was avoiding the summer heat.

The cicadas cried.

Who are you?

She stopped in the middle of the shade and slowly turned back, leaving me no choice but to stop in my tracks as well. I felt an invisible force slowing down the brief moment when she turned around. It made me hold my breath, but my brain was in overdrive.

Fragments of memories came across my mind while time slowed down. Right before entering the thirty-fifth floor...

The Paladin asked, “I want to know how the Tower is built.”

“You just have to live the life of the most unfortunate person in a world,” the Princess replied. “There is a master who builds a Tower. The master lives on behalf of the most unfortunate person in a world. The world where the Tower was built is a place where the master already lived and left. The world without one is a world the master hasn’t visited yet.”

When the girl turned around, a scent tickled my nose, a scent I recognized. It was the smell of old feed piled up in one corner of the storage. It reminded me of Kim Yul.

“I’m going to go to school a little early today. I have to feed the rabbits at the farm.

“Anyway, that’s why there is no farming club anymore. The middle school class presidents take turns taking care of the farm... Middle school students don’t really take this seriously, you know? The security guard, some kid from middle school, and I feed them for the most part.”

A Tower had been built in my world. If what the princess had said was true, it meant that the Tower master had lived in my world at some point on behalf of the most unfortunate person. If so, there was surely someone out here who had been even more unfortunate than Kim Yul.

For some reason, the words that the class president had thrown at me during the trauma crossed my mind.

“The second-generation outcast of Shinseo Middle and High Schools. That is what you named him, Kim Gong-Ja.”

The girl looked at me. I was standing under the summer sunlight, while she was under the shadows. There was some distance between us, one that only the cicadas’ cries filled.

“Who are you?”

Her voice was emotionless, but only then I could understand the reason behind the deja vu. Only I had heard the voice in the Tower.

“If possible, please tell me why you are following me.”

It was the Tower master. The Master of All Life was looking at me.