Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 216

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 216

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The World Tree stood withered, its bare branches drooping as if dying under the scorching sun.

Under the World Tree that couldn’t provide even a handful of shade, Ophelia shielded her forehead with her hand and asked back.

“So you want to know why the World Tree withered?”

“Yes. Fortunately, the roots haven’t dried up completely, but all the leaves suddenly fell off, and His Highness the Crown Prince is extremely worried. Can’t you do something with your ability?”

“I’ll take a look, but… don’t get your hopes up too much.”

Though she answered with an uncertain voice, Ophelia’s expression was somber as she turned her back to Belinda, pretending to examine the World Tree.

She placed her hand on the World Tree’s trunk and organized the situation.

‘How much does Belinda suspect?’

She first sensed something was wrong when she realized the Inner Palace was eerily quiet, aside from the servant who had guided her here.

No matter how much the Inner Palace was where royalty resided, not even a passing servant was visible.

The sense of unease became certainty when Belinda appeared wearing glasses.

Ophelia knew well what function was hidden in those seemingly ordinary glasses.

A magical tool that could detect lies.

Though it wasn’t as powerful as the Authority of Truth in distinguishing black from white, she could easily be caught lying if she wasn’t careful.

‘Even after telling so many lies, I still react as if I have a conscience left.’

Blaming herself for not becoming numb to everything, Ophelia steadied her breathing.

The lie-detecting glasses were troublesome, but there were ways around them.

Soon, Ophelia’s face showed difficulty and regret as she turned back to Belinda.

“I’m not sure if this is the right expression, but the World Tree seems very dejected.”

“Dejected? Why on earth?”

“Well, maybe someone said harsh words to it? When caring for something, surprisingly, each word matters.”

Ophelia wasn’t a perfect liar who could deceive even biological rhythms, but if there was one being she could flawlessly deceive, it was herself.

The key was to tell the truth, but answer ambiguously.

‘So I’m not lying.’

Such self-rationalization gave her stability, and the lie detector’s waves proved her state of mind.

“So if you take good care of it as usual, it will slowly recover.”

Belinda, who had been frowning slightly at Ophelia’s explanation, nodded as if convinced.

Various conversations followed after that.

Though it was ordinary small talk as usual, Ophelia answered each word carefully, keeping her guard up so the lie detector wouldn’t react.

Then, when they sat facing each other at a tea table prepared in one corner of the garden to avoid the sun.

While petting the Cerberus dogs waiting for their master in the shade, Belinda asked as if in passing.

“By the way, Ophelia, do you know anything about prophecies?”

It was a very direct question. However, Ophelia calmly asked back without being flustered.

“Prophecies? Which prophecy are you talking about? The Temple owns more than one or two prophecies.”

“About what will happen to this world in five years.”

If she said she didn’t know here, the lie detector would react. So Ophelia lightly nodded and affirmed.

“I can think of a few things, but even if it’s you, I can’t tell you. I have a duty as a Saintess to follow the Temple’s rules.”

Ophelia’s answer was firm enough to leave no room for further probing.

Belinda’s hand, which had been stroking Ker’s forehead, slowly slowed down, and soon she sighed deeply, took off her glasses, and pressed her forehead.

“Sorry for being so sensitive. I’ve had too many things to worry about lately, so I guess I became sharp without realizing it.”

Ah, finally Belinda had dropped her suspicions.

Barely holding back a sigh of relief, Ophelia asked with a worried expression.

“You look very tired. I don’t know what’s going on, but if there’s anything I can help with, please tell me.”

Those were the same words Belinda had said to Ophelia under the World Tree’s shade one autumn day.

That day, Ophelia hadn’t been honest with Belinda, but there wasn’t a single lie in these words.

Did that sincerity get through? Belinda removed her hand from her forehead and hesitantly spoke.

“I can’t tell you right now, but… I need someone trustworthy to solve a certain matter. So when the time comes, will you help me?”

“Of course.”

At Ophelia’s immediate answer, Belinda smiled faintly. Then she extended her hand with only her pinky and thumb extended and whispered.

“No take-backs.”

At that playful gesture, Ophelia couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Why?”

When Belinda asked back puzzled, Ophelia brushed her now long silver hair behind her ear and shook her head.

“Just. It’s been so long since… something like this…”

Suddenly, Ophelia’s words trailed off as their pinkies intertwined and their gazes locked.

Ophelia looked at Belinda’s face with a quiet gaze as if time had stopped, watching that face contort sadly as if facing a devastating truth.

Only then did Ophelia realize her mistake.

“Of course. There’s no such thing as pinky promises in the world of 【Hirome】.”

The lie-detecting glasses had been a trap from the beginning.

Belinda had used the lie-detecting glasses to provoke Ophelia’s wariness, then targeted the moment when she let her guard down.

Their intertwined fingers loosely separated.

“Ophelia, you weren’t someone who belonged to this world either.”

‘I need to make some excuse…’

Ophelia fumblingly opened her mouth.

She should say she didn’t know what Belinda was talking about, she should deny it.

“Since when…”

Contrary to her heart, the voice that flowed from her lips was tinged with resignation.

“Since when did you know?”

As if she had known such a day would come someday.

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Since when did I know?

“I wasn’t certain until just now.”

My voice answering that way was calm enough to surprise even myself.

If Ophelia was an Ascetic, then for me as her friend, the important question wasn’t ‘how’ but ‘why’.

Why did Ophelia become an Ascetic?

What made her that way?

What is Ophelia’s purpose?

The answer came from Chaser’s words.

“That’s time regression magic.”

The last puzzle piece I had been searching for.

“That crazy perverted bastard sacrificed half the Kingdom’s people to fix this world in one time period. If certain conditions aren’t met and the world perishes according to prophecy, time would regress to Bongmaryeok year 702.”

When I fitted that puzzle piece into place…

“Dark magic always leaves traces. If the First King’s time regression magic succeeded, traces would remain somewhere, and I think the Protagonist would be able to recognize those traces. Since the Protagonist has traces of the First King’s dark magic. Can you think of anything?”

Like fog lifting, I finally saw the completed picture.

Bongmaryeok year 702.

That was the year Leo turned ten, when the introduction of 【Hirome】 began.

Evidence of regression.

Like Madame Oleng’s clothing, the fact that replicas of future items that hadn’t been made yet existed in ‘The First King’s Report’.

The number of times the world’s clock hands have turned backwards.

[Starting the 38th update.]

Thirty-eight times.

Even the scream-like words that Ophelia had let out when she last had nightmares caused by the Siren in the Underground Waterway Dungeon.

“No… I don’t want this anymore… Anyone is fine. Someone, someone please kill me, please…”

Recalling that wretched voice, I slowly faced Ophelia.

In the original world, 【Hirome】’s endings had been updated up to the 37th.

I had never assigned any meaning to that number.

However, now those thirty-seven endings indicated the number of times the world had been destroyed, and simultaneously meant the number of times Ophelia had regressed.

“Ophelia, what were you trying to do by becoming a Seeker?”

Ophelia, who had been staring at me with her usual expression, opened her mouth. However, it wasn’t an answer to my question.

“Belinda, have you ever felt that way?”

Ophelia carefully grasped my hand that was placed on the table.

“The feeling of being left alone in this world. No one can understand me, and they shouldn’t either.”

Was it because of the desperation contained in her words? Or was it because her hand holding mine was trembling faintly?

I couldn’t bring myself to shake off that hand.

“No matter how hard I try, everything returns to square one and I feel like I’ll go mad from helplessness, but I can’t even die properly. You’re the only person who understands me that I’ve met in this hell. We get along quite well, don’t we.”

Of course we would. We shared the values of the same world.

The modern person’s values and thoughts that only Ophelia and I possessed.

We had a different foundation from the people of this world, which allowed us to build friendship more easily and quickly than anyone else.

I bit my lips and lowered my head.

The isolation Ophelia must have felt was pitifully easy to imagine. Ironically, I had felt such loneliness in that other world.

“For instance, even if I committed something terribly evil, you could understand me. Even if you couldn’t forgive me, in this world, only you would be able to understand me.”

I couldn’t bear it any longer and shook off her hand. Then I spoke harshly.

“No, I can’t understand. To understand you… too many people have died.”

The number of people who had died as sacrifices for dark magic came to mind.

For whatever reason, the fact that Ophelia bore responsibility for those people’s deaths remained unchanged.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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