The Main Characters That Only I Know

Chapter 370:

Yu-hyun let out a small sigh after chasing away another guest.

He had been bothered by all kinds of annoying people for the past week, so many that he lost count.

At least Percival and Gareth, who had left quietly just now, were decent.

A few days ago, someone had come and acted arrogantly, saying that Yu-hyun should be grateful that he was talking to him.

He ended up losing his neck.

There were also those who tried to take Kang Hye-rim hostage when Yu-hyun refused to listen to them.

He killed them himself in the most painful way.

Yu-hyun was especially irritated by those who tried to harm Kang Hye-rim.

He felt too guilty for her being unable to open her eyes, and on top of that, there were people who targeted her life.

Kang Hye-rim was still sleeping like a dead person.

He wished she would wake up normally, but the fact that she couldn’t was eating away at his mind.

[Yu-hyun. Are you okay?]

‘I’m fine.’

He wasn’t fine.

Even Baekryeon could see that Yu-hyun’s condition was not good.

His emotions had dulled and his personality had sharpened.

He had changed little by little since he bent Kang Hye-rim with his own hands.

He was glad that he was Yu-hyun, who could endure it like that.

If he were an ordinary person, he would have gone crazy long ago.

Even Baekryeon, who had witnessed all these events in front of him, felt like his heart was breaking.

How much more would it be for Yu-hyun, who was the main character?

Rustle.

There was another sound from the bushes, and Gareth, who he thought had left, appeared again.

Yu-hyun didn’t even look at him and asked.

“Didn’t I tell you to get lost?”

“Ahaha. That’s why Percival went back to the Round Table.”

“What about you?”

“I have nothing to do there anyway. I thought I’d wander around a bit and return later.”

“So you want to stick around here? How obvious. Did you think I wouldn’t know your intention?”

“No, no! Really. I’m not asking you to join the Great Army or anything like that, so don’t be so defensive. It’s just lonely to walk alone, so I thought it would be nice to chat with you on the way or something.”

“Chat?”

“I really like talking to people, you know. The other seniors tell me I talk too much and I should reduce my chatter… But how can I change my nature that has been with me since before?”

There was no hidden agenda in Gareth’s words.

He was just purely curious about Yu-hyun and came looking for him.

Yu-hyun felt that too, so he couldn’t be rude to Gareth.

Besides, he reminded him of Ringug, whom he had seen in Glucalis.

“Don’t be a nuisance.”

“Oh, thank you!”

Gareth smiled brightly and sat down on the opposite side of Yu-hyun.

He stared at Yu-hyun with a cheerful face.

He felt uncomfortable even if he tried to ignore his gaze.

“What’s so fun?”

“Huh? Oh, no. It’s just… amazing.”

“What is?”

“Well, other people don’t know, but I’m really happy to see Kang Yu-hyun Teller again.”

“You know me.”

“Of course I do, you were famous. The Teller who gave up his protection and fought himself. The genius who cleared the Mental Realm with the Collectors that others thought impossible! I’ve been watching you since the Constantinople Siege. I’m a big fan.”

“A fan… huh.”

He never expected to meet a Divine Spirit who knew him and said such things in this place.

Gareth’s attitude showed that he was not just making empty words, but sincerely admired him.

“But honestly, I was surprised. You disappeared five years ago, and then suddenly appeared like this. And you even got the nickname of the Book Pile Lord. What happened during that time?”

“…I just had some personal matters that I can’t talk about.”

“I see.”

Gareth didn’t ask any further.

He felt that it would be rude to Yu-hyun to do so, but also his instinct warned him to shut his mouth.

Yu-hyun’s appearance was quite different from what he knew five years ago.

His looks hadn’t changed, but his atmosphere had.

The polite and smiling Kang Yu-hyun Teller was gone, and in his place was the Book Pile Lord Kang Yu-hyun filled with anger and pain.

‘What on earth happened?’

Gareth glanced at Kang Hye-rim, who was sleeping quietly as if dead, and vaguely realized what had happened.

He didn’t know what had happened to Kang Yu-hyun, the teller, but judging by his reaction and the fact that there had been no rumors about him for the past five years, he must have gone missing for some reason.

And in the meantime, the people of White Flower Management had scattered and fought, and Kang Hye-rim, the collector, had fallen and become the Black Thunder Lord.

When he heard the rumor that the Black Thunder Lord had died along with the emergence of a new strongman called the Book Pile Lord, and learned that the Book Pile Lord was Kang Yu-hyun, Gareth sorted out the whole situation in his head.

He didn’t know if it was because of a difference of opinion or something else, but in the end, Yu-hyun, who had returned after five years, fought with the changed Kang Hye-rim and knocked her down.

‘It’s a bit surprising that she’s not dead, even though it was announced that the Black Thunder Lord had died. She’s not unconscious… She must have had something happen to her since she’s sleeping like that without waking up.’

The rumor that they had fought must have been true. They must have swung their swords with all their sincerity.

He could tell by Yu-hyun’s attitude.

Gareth suddenly remembered the war that had happened long ago.

King Arthur, who stood tall in front of everyone and held a brilliant golden sword. He was the king he served, and also a powerful Divine Spirit and hero who was said to have few rivals in Mabinogion.

King Arthur swung his sword at his son, whom he thought was precious for the sake of justice. He cut off what he thought he couldn’t cut off with his own hands. Even if it meant great pain.

The expression that King Arthur wore then was exactly the same as Yu-hyun’s face now.

‘I know there must be some reason, but it’s still a pity.’

Gareth was one of the subscribers who enjoyed watching Yu-hyun’s paintings. Unlike other tellers’ paintings, Yu-hyun’s paintings had something that heated his heart.

Romance, romance, adventure and so on.

Unlike other tellers who always pursued safety and repeated similar stories, Yu-hyun’s stories were always full of joy.

It was a great shock to Gareth, who had been fascinated by chivalry since he was young and pursued it.

Especially, the story that Yu-hyun showed in Don Quixote de la Mancha was still vividly remembered as something that made his heart beat and moved him.

That was why he answered that he would stick with Yu-hyun even though Percival told him to go back with him because it was dangerous.

He believed that somewhere in this man who had become dull and gloomy, there was still the brilliant light and chivalry that he had seen then. That’s why Gareth chose to accompany Yu-hyun at the risk of danger.

“Are you not tired?”

“I don’t need to sleep anyway.”

“Because of Kang Hye-rim collector?”

“…”

Yu-hyun nodded his head.

His face was full of regret that seemed to burst into tears at any moment.

“It’s because… I made her like this.”

“…You feel guilty.”

“How can I not?”

Yu-hyun stroked Kang Hye-rim’s cheek with a sad face as she lay still asleep.

Gareth wondered what to say and opened his mouth carefully.

“I understand. Our king felt the same way.”

“…You mean King Arthur Pendragon of the Round Table?”

“Yes. He also regretted a lot. Don’t you know?”

“It’s because of Lancelot and Mordred.”

“You know. Yes, that’s right.”

Gareth nodded his head with a bitter smile.

The Knights of the Round Table, one of the organizations that were rated as the strongest in Mabinogion. But the Knights of the Round Table were not perfect compared to the old days.

The empty seat was still unfilled.

“Even if we ascended to the stars, what happened then doesn’t disappear. It’s not easy to change. The stories we have keep eating us up and refuse to change.”

Lancelot, who was once a knight of the lake, earned the stigma of a traitor knight.

He regretted his past actions.

But history doesn’t change even if you regret it.

He was still a traitor knight and couldn’t return to the Round Table.

The history and stories that were engraved then became a kind of shackles that tormented him endlessly.

“The king forgave them already. But they can’t come back. The king is also sad about that part. That’s what Divine Spirits’ regrets are.”

It wasn’t that their pain disappeared because they ascended to the stars, or to the upper world.

A being called a Divine Spirit was, to put it nicely, a being that had reached the limit of what it could achieve, or to put it differently, a being that couldn’t change any more… a being that was stuck in place.

“But Yu-hyun’s case is a bit better, right? At least the situation isn’t so twisted that it can’t be reversed, so I think it can change depending on what you do in the future.”

“…Is that so?”

“Ha ha, I’m sorry. We just met today, but I’m being too nosy, aren’t I?”

Gareth felt awkward and scratched his head, about to apologize, when he saw Kang Hye-rim and his eyes widened.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh, no. It’s just… I think Collector Kang Hye-rim just moved a bit.”

“…!”

Yu-hyun’s gaze turned back to Kang Hye-rim.

Gareth was right.

Her eyelids, which had been closed, were trembling slightly.

She had been sleeping quietly for the past week, and this was the first time she showed any sign of life.

Yu-hyun didn’t know what to do and panicked. Soon, Kang Hye-rim opened her eyes.

“Miss Hyerim? Miss Hyerim! Are you conscious?!”

Yu-hyun dismissed Descartes and lifted Kang Hye-rim’s body.

Kang Hye-rim, who had opened her eyes, seemed to not understand what was going on, and looked around with a dazed expression.

Her eyes moved from the bonfire to Gareth, and then to Yu-hyun who was next to her.

“Miss Hyerim.”

“…!”

And then, her face turned pale as she saw Yu-hyun’s face, and she suddenly started to convulse.

“Ahh, ahhhh!!”

“Miss Hyerim? Calm down!”

Yu-hyun approached her, but Kang Hye-rim flailed her arms more violently, trying to get away from him. Gareth and Baekryeon, who were watching the scene, were shocked.

[What, what’s going on?! Why is she acting like that?!]

‘Her memory is incomplete.’

Yu-hyun quickly realized what state she was in.

She had lost some of her memory due to the aftereffects of resurrection.

She was terrified and convulsing at the sight of Yu-hyun because she vaguely remembered that he was the one who stabbed her with a sword before she died.

[Then, what do we do?!]

‘We have to calm her down first.’

As Kang Hye-rim’s struggle didn’t seem to end, Yu-hyun hugged her as if embracing her. Kang Hye-rim tried to break free from him by swinging her arms. Her hands hit various parts of Yu-hyun’s body.

Even though her memory was not intact, her physical strength was the same as when she was a sovereign. Kang Hye-rim’s nails scratched Yu-hyun’s cheek and left a wound that bled.

“It’s okay, Miss Hyerim. It’s okay.”

Even though Kang Hye-rim rejected him and hit him, Yu-hyun didn’t let go of her.

He gently stroked her back and whispered softly in her ear.

“I won’t hurt you. I won’t leave you anymore.”

“…”

Kang Hye-rim’s breathing gradually stabilized. Her movements subsided and she closed her eyes again, resting her head on Yu-hyun’s chest and falling asleep.

Yu-hyun carefully laid Kang Hye-rim down.

“Are you okay?”

Gareth came over belatedly and checked Yu-hyun’s wound.

“Ow, are you hurt?”

“It’s nothing. It heals quickly.”

The wound on his cheek had already healed.

For Yu-hyun, who possessed Darwin’s body, this was nothing but a scratch. However, the blood he shed still left a mark.

It did not turn into text and disappear.

Gares noticed that and widened his eyes.

“Your blood, it’s not turning into text…?”

Yu-hyun was a transcendent, a ruler who surpassed that.

A ruler-level being was fully adapted to the mixed world, so when they got injured or wounded, their blood and some parts of their body turned into text and scattered.

But Yu-hyun’s blood looked exactly like that of the material world.

This was something that could not happen to Yu-hyun, who was called the lord of books.

That was a phenomenon that only humans could see.

“What is this, exactly…?”

Gares wondered and then came up with a hypothesis.

Yu-hyun becoming a ruler-level being meant that he had at least reached the ‘horizon of stories’.

The horizon of stories was a place where one could verify their qualifications.

Depending on how they answered the questions there, they could reestablish their own stories and transform into new beings.

Just like humans ascending to the position of Divine Spirits.

“Mr. Yu-hyun, please answer me honestly. Did you, by any chance, become a human after reaching the horizon of stories?”

And that meant, in other words, that a being that was neither a Divine Spirit nor a human could also become a human.

Gares thought it was funny that he came up with this hypothesis.

He believed that there was no one who would give up the chance to ascend to the position of Divine Spirits and choose to become human instead.

But.

“Yes.”

As soon as he heard Yu-hyun’s answer, Gares’ eyes could not help but widen.

“I’m not a teller anymore.”

Kang Yu-hyun teller.

No, human Kang Yu-hyun.

He chose to become human himself at the horizon of stories.