Bailonz Street 13

It looked as though he had been in some sort of fight. There were scratch marks on his cheeks, and his clothes were torn by something sharp. While I was startled by his appearance, Liam likewise wore an expression of shock.

I knew I wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight either. My shoulder was in tatters, with small cuts scattered here and there. My blouse and skirt were a mess with blood, and my right arm hung uselessly at my side—I probably looked even worse than Liam did.

Just then, several Greenwich people descended one by one behind Liam, each wearing black cloaks. While Liam maintained direct eye contact with the King, the Greenwich folk didn’t seem to have mustered that level of courage yet. Perhaps they were afraid?

The King gritted his teeth at the sight of them.

“The Greenwich vermin, not worth even grinding into powder. Have you come seeking your death?”

Liam struck an impudent pose, resting on one leg with a cocky smile. “You’re looking rather worse for wear, aren’t you? Even for a manifestation, I never imagined you’d end up in such a state.”

Ignoring the King’s words and making his own provocations, he appeared to have lost all sense of fear in my eyes. Is he living with his liver outside his body?Nôv(el)B\\jnn

As my fever-hot head gradually cooled in the cold air, my thoughts began to settle. Everything would truly be fine now that Liam was here.

“Indeed. The more spectators, the better. You shall all bear witness to the world’s final moments.”

“Jane, how are your injuries?”

Another dismissal. I was genuinely worried about whether this was acceptable—perhaps he had actually suffered a head injury?

“My shoulder’s numb, but I’m managing.”

“‘Managing’ isn’t good enough. Even a single scratch on you tears my heart apart.”

“Should we really be talking like this in front of a pseudo-god?”

“…I think your choice of title is more blasphemous.”

Only then did I steal a glance at the Black King’s reaction. The Greenwich people were looking at us as if we were mad.

I supposed it was fine since I rarely watched my words even with Clara and others. The King, too, seemed unbothered by my behavior—perhaps he viewed me as nothing more than a wriggling worm.

The streams of light across the Thames were gradually diminishing now. The rate at which the rifts were opening had noticeably slowed. We had accomplished no small feat, especially considering the Greenwich people would still be destroying the altar even now.

“You’ve been the most irritating one, both then and now.”

The King finally spoke up, having been excluded from our provocative exchange. The atmosphere was different from before—he seemed to be growing impatient as his plans began to unravel. I noticed the Greenwich people flinch under his gaze.

His yellow eyes gleamed strangely. Despite the cracks covering his cheeks, they wouldn’t affect his true form. There was an overwhelming pressure, like gazing into the vast ocean. The atmosphere grew violent and rough.

The building beneath our feet shuddered with a heavy thump. More precisely, it felt as though it were sinking, as if some giant hand were pressing down upon it. A crushing pressure threatened to burst our bodies apart.

The Greenwich people began to sink to their knees one by one, releasing agonized groans. It was a force impossible to withstand with mere human consciousness. I gritted my teeth and used my sword to brace against the ground, producing a harsh scraping sound against the stone.

“Bow your heads and kneel.”

He really does love making people kneel. As I struggled to maintain my stance, the pressing force grew even stronger.

‘What about Liam?’

When that thought crossed my mind, I turned my head, and something seemed odd. Liam Moore was frowning, with one knee slightly bent but otherwise standing firm. The strange part was that his grimace didn’t seem to stem from pain like mine or the Greenwich people’s—he appeared rather serene, merely irritated.

‘What’s going on?’

Something was off. Even as blood vessels burst and showed through his hands, and his eyes grew bloodshot, he appeared unfazed. It was as if he couldn’t feel any of this pain.

Could Liam Moore have done something to his body again?

Liam took a step forward. Then another. And another. Somehow, a black revolver had appeared in his grip.

This couldn’t be allowed to continue. My vision alternated between blurring with red and sharpening again. My lungs felt crushed, and my ribs ached as if broken, making it difficult to breathe. I released labored breaths intermittently.

The Black King looked as though he wouldn’t mind flattening everyone here completely. Whatever had happened to him, and despite our partial prevention of his plans… this seemed no more difficult to him than eating a slice of cake for dessert.

At that moment, for whatever reason, I reached into my chest. I felt the notebook that had always steadfastly remained in its place, returning even when lost.

I had barely used it since Clara temporarily took it from me. It had felt as though I might return to that cave at any moment, making all my successful escapes seem meaningless.

I opened the notebook. I saw records written in my handwriting. For a moment, my body grew very cold, and I felt an uncomfortable constricting sensation in my stomach. Yet at the same time, I couldn’t help but laugh. I started laughing like a madwoman.

When I suddenly began laughing, everyone’s attention turned to me, as if asking how I could laugh in this situation. But it was truly funny—what could I do about that?

“Ah…”

Yes. Now, truly.

It was an ordinary notebook. The slots, save function, and everything else had disappeared, leaving only brief summaries of previous incidents written down, with just a few doodles drawn in fountain pen here and there—no saving or loading functionality remained.

Yet rather than feeling afraid, I felt genuinely happy.

I had truly become a person of this world now. All of this was no longer a game but reality for me.

I had been feeling slight hints of reality before, but while wandering through time searching for Liam Moore, I had thought about it. That Liam Moore was my reality. That I wanted to return with him.

That moment must have been when I truly accepted all of this. That must be why even my last refuge, the notebook, had returned to being ordinary.

But it wasn’t bad. All of this made me cheerful. It meant I could truly die now. It meant I could share everything—life, death, joy, and sorrow—with Liam Moore. Because I would treasure my ‘real’ body and not use it recklessly.

I could determine my end here in London.

“Ah ha… hahaha…”

“What do you find so amusing?”

The King asked.

I quietly dropped this notebook that would never return to me onto the floor.

“Everything.”

“Everything?”

“Isn’t it funny? I’m about to cry from how funny it all is.”

Liam rolled his eyes anxiously. Seeing that expression filled me with an inexplicable sense of fulfillment. Hey, I love you. You know how I feel. I wanted to say such foolish things.

I opened my mouth.

“You know what? I quite like this world.”

It’s true. It’s a world without refrigerators, tablets, or computers. There are no light bulbs, only gas lamps and candles. There’s no central heating, and your bottom feels like it might shatter when riding trains or carriages. It’s a world with more inconveniences than conveniences. The London sky, perpetually blackened by factory smoke, and the Thames, polluted with wastewater, would be a lie to call beautiful.

And yet.

And yet, I liked this world.

“Honestly, the constant crimes get a bit tiresome, but that just means more work for us, so I don’t mind. A world crawling with monsters might be inconvenient, but we can just run when we meet them. The food isn’t great, and it’s a bleak world without romance. I know all that.”

I didn’t want to give up. I didn’t want to choose between the two worlds either. Both the world I used to live in and the world I live in now needed to continue existing in their own places. No one had the right to arbitrarily merge or destroy either side. Not even a god.

I barely managed to raise my blood-soaked hand. The force pressing down on me weakened ever so slightly. What could it be? It felt as though someone had placed a protective barrier around my body. It wasn’t Liam’s doing—he didn’t appear to have the capacity for that right now.

“But it would be too much of a shame for it to disappear.”

“It’s not disappearing.”

“Yes, it is. You’re trying to ruin all the worlds I love.”

Well, I suppose I’m the fundamental problem here.

I know. Yes, I understand. I knew that if I died here, I wouldn’t be able to come back anymore.

“But if my existence threatens the world I love.”

Liam tried to open his mouth.

No, I wouldn’t give him the chance to speak. If I heard his voice, I truly wouldn’t be able to remain composed. I too had attachments. I too… had the desire to live longer.

“I can gladly give it up.”

Nothing was difficult anymore.

The sword I was holding flew through the air. The King might have thought it was coming for him, but he was wrong. My intention was to pass this sword to someone who could use it better than I could.

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