“Excuse me.”
I called out to them, but they didn’t even move, as if they couldn’t hear my voice.
After the surroundings were lit up by the torches, I saw red Tentathionem flowers filling one of the walls. Was there anything like that? It was dark until a moment ago, so I couldn’t even check the walls.
“Are you okay?”
At the silver-haired woman’s question, Yuanna with blushing cheeks nodded her head even though she seemed to have difficulty doing so. Looks like she got poisoned by the Tentathionem.
I think the silver-haired woman has immunity to the poison seeing her fine.
“Sorry, that flower was created by Jenas, so I can’t get rid of it. But what about the key?”
At the silver-haired woman’s words, I looked at the red flowers again. Perhaps the reason Jenas planted the Tentathionem here was to keep those two doors from being easily accessible.
Yuanna took the key out of her pocket. It was a key of the same shape that was shown to us in the cabin on the South Island.
“Are you really going to save everyone?” asked Yuanna.
Yuanna’s words made me wonder. Save who? Everyone? None of us have died yet.
The silver-haired woman asked back with a puzzled look on her face.
“Everyone? Weren’t you on bad terms with Young Lady Floné? That young lady treated you as a maid and even tried to kill you. I’ve seen it all.”
That silver-haired woman is probably Anata. The line ‘I’ve seen it all’ probably means she saw it through the eyes of a monster, just like Jenas did.
In addition, treating Yuanna like a maid and attempting to kill her are the contents of the novel 《Something More Important Than Survival》.
Yuanna smiled bitterly and lowered her head for a moment as if reminiscing about the past.
“Sure Margaret hated me, but I really liked her.”
“Why do you like someone who hates you? Are you a pervert?”
“I know, right. I think it’s love-hate.”
However, there was no trembling in her eyes when she said that, as if there were no lies in her words.
“I thought all nobles were hypocrites, but Margaret was honest about what she wanted. The inside and outside were the same. I liked that.”
And then she smiled gently. Her appearance was very alluring with her blushing cheeks, probably due to the effects of the Tentathionem poison.
Surprisingly, Yuanna’s evaluation of Margaret is overly generous. Probably having the same thought as me, Anata also had a surprised expression.
“You’re more generous than you look,” she said.
“Am I?”
“It’s weird that you don’t hate the person who tried to kill you for that reason.”
“Well, I just think Margaret is a little better than some of those who hide knives in their back.”
“If I go back to the past, I won’t let Margaret and the others die in vain like that,” she continued with a gloomy face.
Anata, who had been quietly listening to her words, nodded as if she respected what she wanted.
“Okay. Let me do that. That’s why I help you.”
“……”
“In that sense, let’s talk about Margaret’s soul which has disappeared beyond the dimension. Only Jenas can open the dimensional door. It can’t just be opened… After all the experiments are over, it’s possible to gather the mana of the dead. It’s not a door that opens with one or two people’s mana though.”
Was the purpose of the experiment to gather mana and open a dimensional door? I couldn’t hide my astonishment at Anata’s shocking words.
Wait, but what about the story of Margaret disappearing beyond the dimension?
“I don’t know how only Young Lady Floné’s soul was ejected to another dimension when the experiment wasn’t finished. There may be something wrong with this island. Thousands of years of experimentation have made this island more flawed.”
Anata pointed to the door marked ‘Return’. She then pointed to the door on the left with a magic circle on it.
“That doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to open the dimensional door. If you open the Return Gate[1] with that key, the dimensional door will also open. I’ll bring Margaret then. Jenas doesn’t know about our plan yet, so we need to move fast.”
Return Gate? So Yuanna opened the regression gate?
My legs lost strength and I fell down.
“But this Young Lady Floné might not be the one you used to know. There’s a very good chance it’s another person with the same soul. And you won’t be able to remember your current life.”
Another person with the same soul? It was clear that she was referring to me as Lee Jin-ju.
‘Then who am I?’
Am I Margaret or Lee Jin-ju?
Then I……
I am……
It felt like time stopped because of the constant surprises that hit me. I gripped the book I was holding in my trembling hand.
I wonder if the reason I can use mana unlike others is because I’m Margaret but not Margaret at the same time.
Then came Yuanna’s voice.
“That’s fine. Now everyone is dead and I’m the only survivor. But if I go back to the past, I can see everyone alive. That’s what matters.”
But as soon as she finished speaking, Yuanna gently bit her lower lip as if to hide the soaring sorrow and despair.
She continued, “You said that if I open the Return Gate, only I will return to the past. So, is the Anata I will meet also the Anata of the past?”
“No. I’ll be who I am now. The cabin created by Jenas is like the main body of this island, unaffected by the passage of time. However, if you open the Return Gate, Jenas will know. Then I might be sealed.”
“The reason why there is a Return Gate is……”
“It was created as a last resort to restart the experiment from the beginning when all test subjects suitable for the experiment died, repeated indefinitely until the desired result was achieved…… I’m sorry.”
Anata apologized with a distressed expression. Guilt streaked across her face.
“I will save you. With Margaret as well.”
At Yuanna’s words, Anata burst into laughter.
“I am a person with a lot of sins accumulated with Jenas, I can’t get any salvation.”
Anata stared at the magic circle drawn on the floor. As she tapped the magic circle with her hand, it glowed.
Anata continued, “Neither can you. Do you know how to open the Return Gate? It’s not just about using the key. It violates the law of causality, so your soul is needed as collateral.”
You use your soul as collateral? Surprised, I looked at Anata and Yuanna alternately.
Yuanna’s eyes shook violently. She opened her lips for a moment to say something but closed them again. So she was silent for a long time.
Waiting for her answer, Anata said firmly, “Do you know what it means to use your soul as collateral? You have to sacrifice your life to open the Return Gate. Even if you go back to the past and everyone finds a way to get off this island, you can’t. You will die alone on this island because your soul is pledged here.”
“……”
“Are you still going to turn back time for everyone?”
Hearing her words, Yuanna’s nose turned red.
She frowned as if in agony, and then she raised her head. She had her tears running down her cheeks.
It will never be an easy decision.
Before long, she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and stared at 《Something More Important Than Survival》 that fell on the floor.
“Anata, you said that. What’s more important than survival is that I don’t forget who I am. So I tried to keep a record of what I’ve been through so far. In the end, I couldn’t finish it because of Tentathionem’s poison. But thanks to you, I now realize it. I really haven’t been of any help to anyone in the past. If I’m given one more chance, then I must save everyone.”
Yuanna looked straight at Anata with a determined face.
“Even if I don’t go back to the past, I have to die here alone after all. I’d rather save everyone and die. I have a duty to take responsibility for everyone.”
Duty to take responsibility for everyone.
It was a duty too heavy for Yuanna to shoulder alone.
Anata nodded with a confused face.
“Bring back Young Lady Floné once the dimensional door opens. May she be everyone’s hope, and may everyone make a different choice from the past……”
As Anata muttered, she picked up the novel《Something More Important Than Survival》 which had fallen on the floor.
“I’ll finish this record. I’m planning on using this as a medium to bring Young Lady Floné. It would be better if I added elements that would interest her in moderation so that she would read it to the end.”
Unfortunately, at the end of Anata’s words, my vision started to blur. All the torches also dimmed, and the light flowing from the magic circle also slowly disappeared. The hallucination seems to have ended.
I was standing alone in the dark underground.
I suspect that 《Something More Important Than Survival》 might be Yuanna’s record. At first it was, but in the end it became a novel that was embellished by Anata to attract my attention.
Everything I’ve seen until now isn’t something from a novel, but a record that Anata left in the magic circle before the regression.
Now everything feels right.
Yeah. Somehow, I thought that Yuanna’s personality in the novel and in real life was different.
The fact that monsters appeared differently than in the novel and the key lying beside Yuanna must have been the effect of regression.
My mind went blank.
In this dark underground, I couldn’t take any action other than standing still.
Anata’s existence and the information she said were not the main problem.
Am I Margaret or Lee Jin-ju, or am I nobody?
And Yuanna who voluntarily mortgaged her soul to this island……
Yuanna, whom I had seen so far, did not seem to remember what happened before the regression. However, there may have been remnants of the past reflected in the unconscious. It must have been the influence of what sounded like nothing to me, such as she always wanted to take the lead.
The shocking truth made my head complicated.
Actually, I don’t really understand. What does her sacrifice mean? Can I dare to say I understand her?
Why is she a saint with great divine power appearing for the first time in a hundred years? Why did God give her such divine power?
I think now I know.
“Excuse me.”
I called out to them, but they didn’t even move, as if they couldn’t hear my voice.
After the surroundings were lit up by the torches, I saw red Tentathionem flowers filling one of the walls. Was there anything like that? It was dark until a moment ago, so I couldn’t even check the walls.
“Are you okay?”
At the silver-haired woman’s question, Yuanna with blushing cheeks nodded her head even though she seemed to have difficulty doing so. Looks like she got poisoned by the Tentathionem.
I think the silver-haired woman has immunity to the poison seeing her fine.
“Sorry, that flower was created by Jenas, so I can’t get rid of it. But what about the key?”
At the silver-haired woman’s words, I looked at the red flowers again. Perhaps the reason Jenas planted the Tentathionem here was to keep those two doors from being easily accessible.
Yuanna took the key out of her pocket. It was a key of the same shape that was shown to us in the cabin on the South Island.
“Are you really going to save everyone?” asked Yuanna.
Yuanna’s words made me wonder. Save who? Everyone? None of us have died yet.
The silver-haired woman asked back with a puzzled look on her face.
“Everyone? Weren’t you on bad terms with Young Lady Floné? That young lady treated you as a maid and even tried to kill you. I’ve seen it all.”
That silver-haired woman is probably Anata. The line ‘I’ve seen it all’ probably means she saw it through the eyes of a monster, just like Jenas did.
In addition, treating Yuanna like a maid and attempting to kill her are the contents of the novel 《Something More Important Than Survival》.
Yuanna smiled bitterly and lowered her head for a moment as if reminiscing about the past.
“Sure Margaret hated me, but I really liked her.”
“Why do you like someone who hates you? Are you a pervert?”
“I know, right. I think it’s love-hate.”
However, there was no trembling in her eyes when she said that, as if there were no lies in her words.
“I thought all nobles were hypocrites, but Margaret was honest about what she wanted. The inside and outside were the same. I liked that.”
And then she smiled gently. Her appearance was very alluring with her blushing cheeks, probably due to the effects of the Tentathionem poison.
Surprisingly, Yuanna’s evaluation of Margaret is overly generous. Probably having the same thought as me, Anata also had a surprised expression.
“You’re more generous than you look,” she said.
“Am I?”
“It’s weird that you don’t hate the person who tried to kill you for that reason.”
“Well, I just think Margaret is a little better than some of those who hide knives in their back.”
“If I go back to the past, I won’t let Margaret and the others die in vain like that,” she continued with a gloomy face.
Anata, who had been quietly listening to her words, nodded as if she respected what she wanted.
“Okay. Let me do that. That’s why I help you.”
“……”
“In that sense, let’s talk about Margaret’s soul which has disappeared beyond the dimension. Only Jenas can open the dimensional door. It can’t just be opened… After all the experiments are over, it’s possible to gather the mana of the dead. It’s not a door that opens with one or two people’s mana though.”
Was the purpose of the experiment to gather mana and open a dimensional door? I couldn’t hide my astonishment at Anata’s shocking words.
Wait, but what about the story of Margaret disappearing beyond the dimension?
“I don’t know how only Young Lady Floné’s soul was ejected to another dimension when the experiment wasn’t finished. There may be something wrong with this island. Thousands of years of experimentation have made this island more flawed.”
Anata pointed to the door marked ‘Return’. She then pointed to the door on the left with a magic circle on it.
“That doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to open the dimensional door. If you open the Return Gate[1] with that key, the dimensional door will also open. I’ll bring Margaret then. Jenas doesn’t know about our plan yet, so we need to move fast.”
Return Gate? So Yuanna opened the regression gate?
My legs lost strength and I fell down.
“But this Young Lady Floné might not be the one you used to know. There’s a very good chance it’s another person with the same soul. And you won’t be able to remember your current life.”
Another person with the same soul? It was clear that she was referring to me as Lee Jin-ju.
‘Then who am I?’
Am I Margaret or Lee Jin-ju?
Then I……
I am……
It felt like time stopped because of the constant surprises that hit me. I gripped the book I was holding in my trembling hand.
I wonder if the reason I can use mana unlike others is because I’m Margaret but not Margaret at the same time.
Then came Yuanna’s voice.
“That’s fine. Now everyone is dead and I’m the only survivor. But if I go back to the past, I can see everyone alive. That’s what matters.”
But as soon as she finished speaking, Yuanna gently bit her lower lip as if to hide the soaring sorrow and despair.
She continued, “You said that if I open the Return Gate, only I will return to the past. So, is the Anata I will meet also the Anata of the past?”
“No. I’ll be who I am now. The cabin created by Jenas is like the main body of this island, unaffected by the passage of time. However, if you open the Return Gate, Jenas will know. Then I might be sealed.”
“The reason why there is a Return Gate is……”
“It was created as a last resort to restart the experiment from the beginning when all test subjects suitable for the experiment died, repeated indefinitely until the desired result was achieved…… I’m sorry.”
Anata apologized with a distressed expression. Guilt streaked across her face.
“I will save you. With Margaret as well.”
At Yuanna’s words, Anata burst into laughter.
“I am a person with a lot of sins accumulated with Jenas, I can’t get any salvation.”
Anata stared at the magic circle drawn on the floor. As she tapped the magic circle with her hand, it glowed.
Anata continued, “Neither can you. Do you know how to open the Return Gate? It’s not just about using the key. It violates the law of causality, so your soul is needed as collateral.”
You use your soul as collateral? Surprised, I looked at Anata and Yuanna alternately.
Yuanna’s eyes shook violently. She opened her lips for a moment to say something but closed them again. So she was silent for a long time.
Waiting for her answer, Anata said firmly, “Do you know what it means to use your soul as collateral? You have to sacrifice your life to open the Return Gate. Even if you go back to the past and everyone finds a way to get off this island, you can’t. You will die alone on this island because your soul is pledged here.”
“……”
“Are you still going to turn back time for everyone?”
Hearing her words, Yuanna’s nose turned red.
She frowned as if in agony, and then she raised her head. She had her tears running down her cheeks.
It will never be an easy decision.
Before long, she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and stared at 《Something More Important Than Survival》 that fell on the floor.
“Anata, you said that. What’s more important than survival is that I don’t forget who I am. So I tried to keep a record of what I’ve been through so far. In the end, I couldn’t finish it because of Tentathionem’s poison. But thanks to you, I now realize it. I really haven’t been of any help to anyone in the past. If I’m given one more chance, then I must save everyone.”
Yuanna looked straight at Anata with a determined face.
“Even if I don’t go back to the past, I have to die here alone after all. I’d rather save everyone and die. I have a duty to take responsibility for everyone.”
Duty to take responsibility for everyone.
It was a duty too heavy for Yuanna to shoulder alone.
Anata nodded with a confused face.
“Bring back Young Lady Floné once the dimensional door opens. May she be everyone’s hope, and may everyone make a different choice from the past……”
As Anata muttered, she picked up the novel《Something More Important Than Survival》 which had fallen on the floor.
“I’ll finish this record. I’m planning on using this as a medium to bring Young Lady Floné. It would be better if I added elements that would interest her in moderation so that she would read it to the end.”
Unfortunately, at the end of Anata’s words, my vision started to blur. All the torches also dimmed, and the light flowing from the magic circle also slowly disappeared. The hallucination seems to have ended.
I was standing alone in the dark underground.
I suspect that 《Something More Important Than Survival》 might be Yuanna’s record. At first it was, but in the end it became a novel that was embellished by Anata to attract my attention.
Everything I’ve seen until now isn’t something from a novel, but a record that Anata left in the magic circle before the regression.
Now everything feels right.
Yeah. Somehow, I thought that Yuanna’s personality in the novel and in real life was different.
The fact that monsters appeared differently than in the novel and the key lying beside Yuanna must have been the effect of regression.
My mind went blank.
In this dark underground, I couldn’t take any action other than standing still.
Anata’s existence and the information she said were not the main problem.
Am I Margaret or Lee Jin-ju, or am I nobody?
And Yuanna who voluntarily mortgaged her soul to this island……
Yuanna, whom I had seen so far, did not seem to remember what happened before the regression. However, there may have been remnants of the past reflected in the unconscious. It must have been the influence of what sounded like nothing to me, such as she always wanted to take the lead.
The shocking truth made my head complicated.
Actually, I don’t really understand. What does her sacrifice mean? Can I dare to say I understand her?
Why is she a saint with great divine power appearing for the first time in a hundred years? Why did God give her such divine power?
I think now I know.
