Morning broke over Tiana's palace, and in one of its rooms, Laos was sleeping. It was a luxurious and spacious room. He kept tossing and turning on the bed until he eventually fell to the floor. At that moment, his eyes slowly began to open, realizing that morning had arrived. He got up and opened the curtains, letting the bright sunlight pour in. He stretched and yawned.
"Aaaahhh... another morning in this fucking palace."
This place brings me so much nostalgia. How long has it been since I left this palace? Two months? Three? I don't know, but it feels like it's been a whole year. I left the room, and instantly, another wave of nostalgia hit me. The servants were moving around just like I remembered when I used to go downstairs to the first floor... Wow.
"Good morning, Sir Laos. Breakfast is being prepared. Please head to the grand hall," one of the servants said—a short girl with dog ears?
Speaking of the palace, ever since I came back, I haven't seen Camelia or Evol. Are they still working on the second floor? I headed to the hall, and sure enough, everyone was gathered at the table filled with food. I sat down with them and started choosing what to eat. Oh, they have some delicious dishes here!
"So, it seems our victory made the council happy. Also, you're the first team to succeed in your mission," Vinnel said.
"Great. Have we received any updates about our ranks?" I asked as I started eating a steak.
"No, but the three of you are definitely going to be in the top ranks."
"But I didn't do anything..." a quiet female voice whispered near me.
It was Stephanie. God, her shyness never changes. I used to be just like her, but it looks like I've changed and now find it easier to talk, don't I? But she's still the same—barely talks, and when she does, it's always shy and quiet. It's strange. It almost feels like she's being bullied, but I'm sure no one is.
"Of course you didn't do anything. Did you see the overwhelming victory we achieved?" Tom suddenly said.
"So if you wanted to do something, you should've wished for us to lose," I muttered with a slight smile.
Suddenly, Stephanie let out a soft laugh. Wow, she's actually really beautiful. I never had any feelings for her, aside from those occasional sexual fantasies. But I don't know... I feel like Stephanie might be my type. She seems mature and kind, understanding and not overly worried. I'm not sure why, but that's the feeling I get. Also, she's honestly one of the prettiest girls I know.
"Also, Laos... it was a big mistake to chase after the soldiers once they started retreating. Didn't you consider the possibility of a trap?" Vinnel asked.
"Oh, I was way too angry. I wasn't thinking about anything except killing that commander."
"Well, it seems this victory has made you a little overconfident—and that's a mistake many warriors make. Arrogance leads to underestimating the enemy, and underestimating Deryal will never work in our favor."
"Do they have strong people?" Tom asked.
"We don't know, but it's one of the strongest kingdoms on the continent and Yarum's number one enemy. So it's only natural that defeating one camp commander doesn't mean you can underestimate them."
After that, a long silence spread. We continued eating, and no one spoke—especially not Sabrina, the only person I wanted to hear from. I'm still suspicious of her. I need to learn more. Should I go talk to her? It might be better to play the traitor's role. Maybe I can trick her into trusting me.
"Well then, we need to go over the reports," Sabrina said as she stood up.
"Wanna come along?" Vinnel asked us.
After we finished breakfast, Vinnel and Sabrina left to discuss the reports—or whatever. The only ones left were us three teenagers. We had refused to go with them. Tom was still eating—God, he's like a beast. Stephanie had finished a while ago and was just sitting there. What a weird scene.
"So how was life in that palace?" Tom asked while chewing.
"Good, but I suffered a lot of injustice. That's why I ran away."
"Speaking of your escape, I heard the palace had one of the strongest people in the kingdom. How did you manage to get out?"
"It wasn't easy at all... One of my friends even died during it."
"Sounds like you've had your share of suffering."
"Yeah," I whispered.
"But you've moved on from the past, right?" Stephanie suddenly asked.
"I think so. Has the same happened to you guys? I heard you've gone through some trauma. Did you get over it?"
"Trauma? I didn't go through anything. Only Stephanie did."
"Oh... I think I've gotten over it," Stephanie murmured.
"Good. Getting used to things is the key to moving on. What you guys did is get used to battle and war, so you managed to move past the trauma. But maybe you'll face even more trauma if you go through new experiences you're not used to."
"Did that happen in your fight with the dragon?" Tom asked.
"My fight with the dragon?... I don't remember feeling any trauma. Maybe because I was unconscious for three days... But no, I don't think that battle caused me any trauma."
"I think you're wrong about how to overcome trauma. What happened to me wasn't that I got used to war or anything. I overcame it because people thanked me. Before our last battle, I had a trauma that made me terrified whenever I saw a wound. But after the battle, all the soldiers started thanking me. At that moment, I felt something strange—something that completely replaced the feeling of trauma. It gave me a desire to help more people... That's how I overcame it," Stephanie explained.
Wow... that's amazing. So she can speak well after all. I thought she'd lost her ability to communicate. Was she just shy? And now that I think about it, what she said actually makes a lot of sense. It's probably exactly what happened to me, too. When I woke up at the Lunariss Temple, I found myself surrounded by a crowd cheering and thanking me. Everyone was there to express their gratitude. Just like Stephanie said, I felt a strange, deeply human emotion that washed away all the pain I'd gone through. Maybe that happiness is what helped me overcome the trauma.
"Oh... I think you're right. Even I, after killing the dragon, was thanked by so many people. Maybe that's what helped me move on too."
"Man, you've really changed," Tom added suddenly.
"Really?"
"Of course. Back in the other world, you were just some weirdo who kept calling everyone an NPC—even people who didn't talk to you. But now? You're completely different. You've become strong. You've got a special status. And... you're a married man too."
"What do you think, Stephanie?"
"Ah... umm, yeah. Yeah, you've changed."
Well, this isn't bad. Change is something I've always aspired to. And it's clear that I've changed. It seems that people are the ones who can truly notice your transformation, not you. So hearing this from more than one person must mean I've really changed. Yes… like I said before, this world has truly changed me.
◆ ◆ ◆
On the first floor, the atmosphere was calm. The servants were cleaning the place. Vinnel and Sabrina were talking in the meeting room. Stephanie was lying in her room. Tom was training with the knights outside. And Laos was wandering around the floor. It seemed like a boring evening for him—far from his wife and any kind of excitement, just surrounded by a place he used to hate.
God, I'm so bored. Alright, I should head up to the second floor. I want to see Camelia and the others. What should I do when I see Camelia? Hit her? I'll probably pity her, but that bitch deserves punishment for what she did. While I was heading toward the stairs, a familiar servant approached me. She had gray hair and long ears—rabbit ears.
"Hello, Laos. It's been a while," she said.
"Oh… yeah."
"Well, I should tell you, most of the second-floor servants fled after you escaped. So don't expect any kind of grand welcome or anything like that," she added with a strange look in her eyes.
"Of course I won't expect a grand welcome. We're in the middle of a war," I replied as I climbed the stairs.
Fuck! That was definitely an attempt at a scolding. But what do you want me to say? "Sorry for escaping"? Hell nah. Those words aren't leaving my mouth, ever. I kept climbing, and with every step, a memory returned. When I reached the top, I spotted a very familiar face. He was short, chubby-faced, with little pink ears sticking out of his hair. Like a small gnome.
"Damiel!"
"Laos!"
"Yo! You're still working here? Why didn't you run?!" I asked excitedly.
"Put me down," he said. That's when I realized I had lifted him high into the air like a little kid during the hug.
"Oh, my bad," I said as I set him down.
"Yo, what's with the outfit? Are you a warrior now?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm one of the warriors in this war. After I escaped, I trained and got stronger, and the kingdom decided to enlist me as a soldier."
"Yooo!! Goddess! That's amazing, Laos!"
"But why didn't you run?"
"Man, what would I even do if I ran? I don't have any skills to work with. At least here I have food and a room."
"Oh, I see. Alright, where are Evol and Camelia?"
"Evol ran away. As for Camelia…" he paused, and his expression grew sad.
"What?"
"After you guys escaped, Camelia was accused of helping you. So… she was imprisoned in the basement."
"The basement? Where?!"
"It's on the first floor."
"Alright, thanks. Let's talk later, Damiel."
The basement? I never even heard of it in this palace. Evol ran away and Camelia was imprisoned? That's really strange—I didn't expect that. And Evol running away? That's odd too. I ran to the first floor and went to that rabbit-eared servant with the glasses. What was her name again? I gave up—I just couldn't remember it.
"Hey! I want to see Camelia. I haven't seen her since I left this palace."
"Camelia? She's imprisoned in the basement as punishment."
"I know, and I want to talk to her," I replied.
After that, the rabbit-eared servant walked off to another place. I followed her. She was holding a key—it looked like the basement key. She passed through a hallway I'd never taken before, until she reached the door to a small room. When she opened it, a staircase leading down was revealed. The place was dark. God, did they really lock her in a place like this? That's brutal.
"Alright, she's down there," she said as she walked away.
I went down. I couldn't see anything on the stairs, but once I reached the bottom, I saw some faint light coming from a small window. The basement was a square-shaped room, like a food storage space. But aside from how the room looked, directly in front of me was a girl with long blue hair and yellow eyes. Her hands and feet were tied.
"Camelia…"
After I called out, she raised her head. Good, she wasn't asleep. She scanned me, and then gave me a somewhat sinister glare. What? I'm the one who's supposed to give you that look, betrayer. It seemed like she didn't want to talk. All she did was stare at me. And I can't lie—this was kind of terrifying. Especially with the dim lighting, and the drops of water dripping from the ceiling onto her face and hair, making her all wet.
"Leave me alone," she said suddenly.
"…What? Why?!"
"..."
"What's wrong, Camelia?! Are you trying to play the victim after betraying us?"
"Why are you here?" she asked coldly.
"To see you. It's been a while since I last saw you."
"You've seen me now. Leave."
"I'm not leaving until I know why you betrayed us. Do you know how much we trusted you? And in the end, you turned us in? You thought your father wouldn't tell us, didn't you? You're just a foolish traitor."
"A foolish traitor? I may be foolish, but I'm not a traitor."
"What do you mean?"
"My so-called betrayal was just a lie my father made up..."
"I don't believe that."
"No one's asking you to. Just leave me alone. You ruined my life. Evol and I will never forgive you. You, Maris, and Petal—your decision to escape ruined everything for me. Get out of my sight!!" she shouted, raising her voice.
"You can say it's just me and Maris. Petal's no longer around."
"...What?"
"Ask your father."
"Curse you! Curse you! Curse you! Curse you!" she screamed like a madwoman, trying to lunge at me, but the chains held her back. She looked like a rabid dog.
"You came from your world and destroyed all our lives, you filthy bastard... I'll never forgive you... I'll never forgive you."
"Stop right there! Don't make me feel like I'm the villain here! I wanted to escape because I was suffering! And you all knew it—even you! You saw me suffer, and you supported my decision to leave. And just when I was about to make a clean escape, your fucking father shows up and tells me his daughter sold us out. Who's the real villain here?!!!" I shouted. I think I was starting to lose my temper.
"I told you—it was a lie. He sensed your aura while I was distracting him with a conversation. As punishment, he told you I was the one who turned you in. But I didn't. You can ask him yourself."
"..."
"Camelia, I just want to know—how can you see me as the one to blame?"
"Because I never imagined your escape would destroy my life like this. But it did. Maybe even more than I expected when my father caught you. I suffered. I lost my father... my friends. And then I was locked in here, alone... So yeah, I'd say everyone is to blame. The whole world is guilty!!!"
Camelia... that's just too sad. And honestly, I believe her. Maybe she really didn't betray us... But this life, this basement, her rage—it all makes sense. I used to be like that, too. Blaming everyone when I was in pain. I know that feeling very well. She's suffering deeply in here. No one's with her. Maybe... maybe I should...
I walked up to her and summoned the Astral Sword. Then I slashed through the chains binding her hands and feet. She gave me a strange look, then stood up without saying anything. I think she was feeling shy? Suddenly, she jumped at me and started hitting me. Ouch, that hurts. I fell to the ground as she kept punching me, and after a while, I stopped feeling just the punches—I started feeling drops hitting my face, salty ones I could taste.
"You bastard... why?! Why?!" she muttered after finally stopping.
"I think everything will be okay," I said.
"I hope so..."
After that, she got up, and we walked up the stairs together. She had finally calmed down, and it seemed like being freed really made her happy. What a strange moment. I never expected something like this when I came to see her. She looked so pitiful... so much that I felt really sorry for her. Sorry enough that all the anger I had toward her started to feel like the past. God, I feel so sorry for her... so sorry that I actually want to apologize.
"I'm sorry," she whispered suddenly.
"No, no—it's fine. I understand how you feel."