Selina nodded.
In the realm of death, she felt no fear as long as she was by Kalcion's side. Then, the two of them ran towards the air at the same time.
They were ready to face death if it meant being together.
Selina's heart mirrored Kalcion's sentiments.
The one who loved her with an intensity that surpassed the boundaries of both worlds… as long as she was with him, any place would be perfect.
‘Anywhere…?’
She blinked her eyes.
When she caught sight of the entrance beyond the cliff, Kalcion halted his sprint and prepared himself to leap.
“Wait!”
But at Selina's urgent cry, Kalcion abruptly stopped and swiftly twisted his body, rolling on the ground with her safely cradled in his arms.
“What's going on?!”
After regaining his footing, he surveyed their surroundings, only to find that nothing had changed since they began their run.
“What's going on? Did you leave anything behind?”
Lying on the ground, as she gazed up at him, her face contorted in anguish. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision as if she were caught in a torrential downpour.
Kalcion's determination to run was genuine.
His words of being together were not mere promises but a genuine intention to run beside her. He was truly willing to die with her. In those fleeting moments, the thoughts that flooded her heart were undeniably real.
“I just remembered…”
“What.”
“The Duke, a man named Kalcion, is so important to me that I am not afraid to die.”
“….”
Hearing her sudden confession, Kalcion lost his words. Selina wept more and more as she confessed to the hot gaze he poured toward her.
“I am the same as the Duke. Wherever it was, being with the Duke is important.”
“…Selina.”
The warmth in his voice as he called her name enveloped her, reaching its peak, almost on the verge of eruption.
Rising to her feet, Selina wiped away her tears. As the tears continued to stream down her cheeks, she could now clearly see Kalcion's face. His eyes were also brimming with tears, despite the clear blue sky above.
Selina laughed, reaching out to grasp Kalcion's hand tightly.
“I don’t think the important thing right now is where I live… Right now, being with the Duke is more important.”
Kalcion strengthened his grip. She could see his neck moving.
Selina conveyed her determination to Kalcion, who was speechless.
“Duke, for now, let's live happily.”
“…Will it be okay?”
“If I ever feel like going back, you'll bring me back, right.”
She asked with a stern voice.
“Of course.”
In his husky voice, Kalcion made a resolute promise.
Blushing with embarrassment at their tearful voices, their eyes locked, and their lips met in a tender kiss.
Only when Selina's cries subsided did they rise from the ground. Her heart, which had raced fiercely near the cliff's edge, now trembled at the mere sight of it. For the time being, she knew she had to avoid high places.
“Let's continue our research on Songtullek's records. Besides those records, there are many records left in our language, so if you repeat your research, you might be able to find a more reliable method. You might be able to travel back and forth between the two worlds like Songtullek.”
“Alight. If I find good information, I will pay for your meal*.”
Selina's words made Kalcion pause.
“Pay for my meal. Who asks you to do that?”
He was being too serious.
The embarrassed Selina scratched her cheek.
“No one is asking for it, but… now there’s nothing I can do to help. I just have to continue to live off you.”
“No. On the contrary, from now on, I will go over and compensate for the damages as you weren’t able to be active.”
“Compensation…?”
“Yes. While living in this world, you will continue to lose money as an actress in the other world. I should compensate you for that.”
When she heard it, it was plausible.
It was not like she clung to Kalcion and said, ‘Let me live here.’
While she had contemplated and prepared for death, she chose to remain by his side because of love. She felt a pang of guilt for abandoning her professional accomplishments in the other world, but if he was going to compensate her for it, taking a little more time to rest didn't seem like a bad idea.
…Bowing to directors, bowing to advertisers, staying up all night, neglecting proper meals—now, simply by breathing, she could earn money through her hard work.
There was no one who disliked receiving money for free.
But if one became too fond of free things, they might end up bald, and then everyone in this world would be wearing wigs.
“Hmm, hmm.”
Selina cleared her throat and said a little.
“Then what about the compensation…”
“You should accurately calculate the opportunity cost you missed.”
The rewards Kalcion had given so far have always been generous. She would be looking forward to it again.
“Okay then. Shall we go back?”
“…To go that way again—”
“No, the way back will be a little different. Well, this is the part that needs your cooperation.”
“What is it?”
“It can be a bit hard, but it is also to maximize the ‘reward’ going to you.”
Why was he dragging things?
Selina would be willing to listen to Kalcion's request for her cooperation. He knew that, too… still, it would not be easy to waste time like this.
“We’re going to do it anyway, so let’s do it quickly.”
She coolly allowed it.
The hesitation was over now. From now on, she decided to live a cool life… until Kalcion brought a beast.
“…What is this?”
The restrained beast, tamed by the force exerted by Kalcion, snarled and emitted sparks from its eyes. However, having already been thoroughly defeated in the mental and physical confrontation with him, the beast fell silent with a single gesture from him.
Yet, transforming the beast into a docile puppy would not happen instantaneously. Selina took a few more cautious steps back and shook her head.
“Please don’t say you came up with the idea of riding this.”
“That's right.”
“It's a crazy idea.”
“As with most opinions, most also agreed that this is a strategy that could not be ignored in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.”
“Agree? Who agrees?”
There was no need to hide each other's cards anymore. Only then did Kalcion reveal the full details of the strategy he had been studying for days and nights.
“I've mapped out a strategy for every variable I can think of.”
The variables were different.
Like an example of a major variable: war…
The Crown Prince mobilizes all military power / mobilizes only the elite / attracts nobles.
The Crown Prince pushes in with an all-out war/ presses for a just cause / goes into a resource war.
All countermeasures for each variable are made.
Selina's circumstances were carefully assessed, and a contingency plan was put in place. This strategy, known as the ‘capturing a beast and crossing over the mountain range,’ was devised in case she made the choice to return with Kalcion.
She raised her hand.
“Did you mean to persuade me by telling me the plan in advance?”
“Because I thought it was important to at least see with your own eyes the way you could return.”
Indeed, by witnessing it firsthand, the lingering unease would dissipate. She had created a pathway to turn back. Having the reassurance that she could go back if she wished, even if it meant preparing for the possibility of death, brought her a much greater sense of peace.
“Did you have a strategy if I said I would stay without ever coming back?”
“There was. I would be buying a nobleman and have them find out you were a distant relative of the family.”
“Either way, fixing my identity is the beginning.”
Kalcion nodded his head earnestly.
“Because fixing your social status, which you have maintained until now, is the beginning of the reward.”
So, if she gave up on coming back, the strategy would come into effect.
‘The theory of an ancient race beyond the north wall that appeared riding a beast.’
The operation entailed Selina losing her memory as a result of an accident.
However, once she entered the Beast Mountains and regained her memories, she would be positioned as the last descendant of an ancient race that had long vanished.
While the ancient race had indeed become extinct in the past, she managed to survive due to her unique circumstances and so forth. The underlying logic was sound, but there was a discrepancy with reality due to the inclusion of certain fantasy elements.
“Can anyone even believe that?”
“Since there is a precedent from Songtullek, there is nothing not to believe.”
“Um, yes.”
Surprisingly, people are more accepting of extraordinary phenomena than one might assume. Myths were often fashioned in a similar manner.
Selina embraced the fabricated rumors surrounding her, portraying herself as someone who was ‘non-human’ and claimed to cleanse her face solely with morning dew.
In a world where both beasts and Archwizards existed, wouldn't it be only a slight exaggeration to believe in the existence of an ancient race? Her sudden emergence and slightly unconventional appearance within this world laid the groundwork for her role.
“Great. I’ll look forward to your cooperation this time as well.”
She was also enticed by the status-boosting strategy presented by Kalcion. It served as a chance for her to seek retribution against those who had disregarded and mistreated the woman he had once rescued as a commoner.
This time, her role involved portraying herself as the enigmatic representative of the ancient race. When driven by thoughts of vengeance, there was nothing she couldn’t do.
…However, riding on the back of a beast was something she couldn't do.
*)this is something that is common in KR conversation, like “If I graduate, I’ll treat you to a meal,” or so on.
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