Escape - Chapter 18.2
Chapter 18.2
“So I want to offer compensation beyond money. Is that alright?”
“Well, what do you mean?”
“I’ll also participate in the raid.”
This time, a cough erupted from Bruja. Adeline widened her eyes, looking at the other guild members before returning her gaze to Eric.
“Because that’s what you wanted at first. Is that alright?”
Eric thought. Perhaps he would come to like ‘Escape’ more than before. It wasn’t analysis, but a kind of intuition.
***
“Alright, let’s get this straight.”
Luce, with a serious expression, leaned back in his chair, munching on a sandwich. He’d waited at the agreed-upon location until the quest ended, only to return looking battered. So many snakes had poured out that even the supposedly safe location from the book had a few Serpientes lurking.
He slightly regretted not lending her his army bag. Alone, Luce had protected himself with only a dagger. His rank as lieutenant wasn’t unearned.
Even though he’d drawn a line, saying it was his responsibility now that they were out, he still felt guilty, handing her the bag as soon as they met. The recipient, however, was far more enthusiastic about the thick sandwich.
“Mumble mumble.”
“Spit it out. Before I take your food.”
Luce glared at Adeline, incredulous at her rudeness. It had been days since he’d had a proper meal. He couldn’t let this be taken from him. He quickly swallowed his food before a reprimand could come.
“So, to summarize, more people believe this is inside a game?”
“Not only has it increased, but now the minority, us, are the crazy ones. But I think there’s a way to come here from another world. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense.”
“Why not?”
“Huh?”
“There’s also the possibility that this really is inside a game.”
Luce roughly ruffled his messy hair, speaking casually. Adeline almost agreed, given his nonchalant tone. She frowned.
“That’s impossible.”
“Huh, am I really talking to that Adeline? What’s the saying you always mutter?”
“…There are no impossible things.”
“You also said you saw Woo Yune disappear before your eyes. That you saw a strange information window. The weapons that appear when you want them? The potions that restore your health? How do you explain all these main quests?”
She had no rebuttal.
Pretending to be logical, analytical, was useless. She was missing the most important thing.
“You know it deep down. The single argument that explains all these unbelievable things we’ve experienced.”
Yes. Accepting that argument would solve all the previously unsolvable questions. The problem was that it was difficult.
Burying her face in her hands, Adeline murmured in a subdued tone.
“So, you’re saying this really is inside a game?”
“Yes.”
“Then the world we lived in? I’ve never used these bizarre skills before. I’ve never even heard of quests or anything like that.”
“That’s why it makes even more sense.”
“What?”
“Think about what that researcher said to you.”
“The authorities don’t want ordinary citizens, no, ‘you,’ to read this book.”
“The exchange. That’s the problem. Didn’t you read the book? ‘In the thirteenth, we’re safest. Poisonous snakes roam outside.’”
“Because if we go outside, we’ll realize we’re in a game. That’s why they blocked it. Doesn’t that make more sense?”
Thump, thump. Her heart pounded, her vision obscured by her hands. Another voice was heard, a very familiar one, the voice of a lifelong friend.
“You’ll regret this.”
Lilith. Was this what she meant? That we live inside a game? That ‘strange country’ she spoke of?
If someone created this life, it was too cruel. No one should do that to a person. It’s more brutal than imaginable.
“How can you be so nonchalant?”
Adeline finally asked weakly, lowering her hands. Luce had already finished his sandwich, peeling an orange for dessert.
“Hey, I’m more disturbed than I look, okay?”
“…You don’t seem it.”
Luce scratched the bridge of his nose with an awkward smile at the honest assessment. Then, as if deep in thought, he spoke.
“Hey, are you irreligious?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah.”
“That’s why, isn’t it? I, on the other hand, have believed my whole life that someone created me. So, whether this is a game or reality, what does it matter?”
“….”
“If someone created it, whether it’s a human or a god, what’s the difference?”
“…No, it’s different. It’s not that easily defined. The moment you accept that fact, your emotions cease to be yours. Your will ceases to be your will.”
The feelings she have for Damian? Love? Happiness?
What if someone designed her as the heroine? What if someone set Damian as the male lead? What if they were destined to love each other? What if the choices they believed they made were merely a predetermined racetrack?
Is walking a set path life itself?
