I Became a Raid Boss

When I heard Edel’s plan in the Holy Kingdom.

“…If it comes to that.”

I asked Edel.

“So, if you can rewrite the system as you said, can you… bring Dad back?”

“-Are you asking if I can resurrect him? It’s not impossible.”

“…!”

“But, are you okay with that?”

Your dad has probably already reincarnated and is living a new life.

“…So?”

“Even if you can use strength to find his memories and body, would he really like being brought back like that? I don’t think the man ‘Garid’ would be the type to appreciate that.”

Thud.

It’s not a big deal, or perhaps he’d be happy if it was Dad.

I wanted to say something like that, but the words just wouldn’t come out.

I believe if souls are the same, they are the same person, but would Dad, who has been reborn and is living a new life, think the same way?

Maybe he’d think that reclaiming his life came at the cost of someone else’s.

And someone who vowed to sacrifice their life for strangers wouldn’t welcome that.

‘Would he blame me?’

Why did you bring me back?

Would he resent me for wanting to live off someone else’s life?

‘Or would he be grateful?’

Would he say he missed me and embrace me?

‘Or maybe both.’

He might be inwardly resentful but desperate not to show it for my sake.

Dad is kind like that.

No matter how much I think about it, I couldn’t predict how Dad would treat me when we met again.

If we had talked more, would I understand better?

I’m starting to get what it means to not understand a parent’s heart.

“There’s still time, so think about it slowly. But don’t take too long.”

Edel gave me a reprieve as I couldn’t come up with an answer.

She asked me to give her my answer when everything was over.

As if failure was out of the question, she spoke of success with her mouth.

Leaving the Holy Kingdom with a postponed response, I headed towards Raxia, meeting various people.

Some I recognized, some I didn’t, and some remembered me unilaterally.

And the conversations I had with them brought me a mix of confusion.

The one who left me the most confused was the demon I met in Raxia, dragging a dying body.

“Well, I think I’d feel miserable. Like I said earlier, I don’t want to live off the sacrifices of others.”

“What if it’s the life of a heinous criminal?”

“Even if that’s the case.”

Words I would never agree with.

But if Garid had heard those words instead of me…

He would have surely agreed with him.

And he would have jovially patted his back and invited him for drinks.

“Make your choice.”

After all the events, when I arrived back in front of Edel, the crossroads that had been postponed unfolded before me once more.

Edel told me there was no more time to delay.

“…I.”

I hadn’t intended to postpone it anyway.

“I will leave.”

To a new world.

No, to the world I once lived in.

My desire to see Dad again hadn’t disappeared.

But more than that…

“I don’t want to be hated.”

The fear was overwhelming.

“Hmph. Our Kana is such a coward?”

“…At least call me a good daughter?”

And then I thought that bringing Dad back would be an insult to his whole life.

“…I can’t keep living cherishing someone who’s left.”

Dad is probably living a new life now.

So what I need to do is help ensure that new life is peaceful.

Just like how Dad saved me when I was once on the brink of death.

Now it’s my turn to repay that debt.

“And…”

As I whispered while looking into the mirror Edel created, watching the girl fighting while bleeding.

“I also want to try living.”

A normal life.

*

“I just wanted to do so.”

That was a simple statement that melted away all those thoughts.

“Just…?”

Surprised by my answer, Da-eun repeated it aloud.

After doing the same thing a couple of times, she seemed to organize her thoughts and nodded.

“So, now you can be with Kana, right?”

“…Is that something to reconcile with?”

“Feelings can’t always be explained so precisely. There are people who feel a fateful pull upon first sight and get married, so can’t ‘just’ express it that way?”

“You like talking about feelings, huh?”

“…Ugh!”

Remembering how she passionately spoke to me and Edel before, her face turned beet red.

Then suddenly, Da-eun made a troubled expression.

As a self-proclaimed authority on emotions, she showed various changes in her expressions.

I couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking.

Before I could voice my curiosity, Da-eun, who had been hesitating, opened her mouth.

“Sorry. Until now, I thought the world Kana is in was a game. Oh, a game means—”

“I don’t need the explanation; I already know.”

“Eh, wait. You know…? How…?”

“…Um. Edel told me.”

I lightly ignored Edel’s face, which seemed to say, ‘Me?’

But even after she opened her mouth, my questions weren’t resolved.

…It’s a game, anyway.

The gods from both worlds collaborated to create it in game form, so isn’t it natural to think that way?

When I shared my thoughts, Da-eun hesitated again and spoke.

“But you were angry in the Holy Kingdom…”

“Oh, that.”

It’s a saying that the ground hardens after the rain; while it did bring us closer, I was a bit harsh at the time.

“…I’m sorry about that.”

In hindsight, I had no reason to be mad at Da-eun.

I should have confronted the instigator who turned it into a game.

“I was also beyond my control.”

“Helpless people tend to say that. Anyway, don’t mind it too much.”

I wasn’t well-versed in giving comfort, so I tried to subtly brush past her words.

But then, a question I had forgotten came back to me.

A question I wanted to ask when I was in Silia but didn’t get the chance.

Maybe now I could get the answer.

“Why were you so nice to me?”

If Da-eun thought of Silia as a game, she had no reason to treat me affectionately, yet she was very friendly.

She even shared some details about this world.

“…Like I said before, I wanted Kana to be happy.”

“What I mean is, why did you extend your kindness to a mere NPC?”

“She’s not just a mere NPC.”

Da-eun said firmly.

“I’m not sure how to express it, but… it just felt that way.”

“Did you mimic me?”

“Ah, no way!”

“Your overreacting makes it even more suspicious.”

“It’s really not!”

As I narrowed my eyes, Da-eun jumped back, startled.

It wasn’t until I said I was joking that her flailing hands finally calmed down.

“I think it might have been that fateful pull I talked about earlier.”

“….”

“Hey? Your face turned red! Are you blushing?”

“…No.”

Who would be shy over something like that?

I said this, but Da-eun relentlessly met my gaze while moving around.

“…Cut it out.”

Slap!

“Cough!”

Da-eun eventually calmed down only after receiving her dose of calming medicine.

A calming medicine called a ‘knuckle sandwich.’

I watched her holding her head, feeling somewhat annoyed.

“By the way, aren’t you forgetting something?”

“…Huh?”

“Aren’t there things to do after introducing ourselves?”

“…Oh!”

Introducing ourselves is about sharing each of our names, not one-sidedly introducing ourselves.

Finally realizing what I was saying, Da-eun let out a short exclamation.

Clearing her throat, she fussily tidied her appearance and smiled brightly while extending her hand.

“I’m Shin Da-eun! Looking forward to getting along!”

Firm shake.

Feeling the warmth of our hands pressed together, I smiled back at her.

“Sure! I’m looking forward to it too.”

Why does my heart race so much over a simple handshake?

“Is this love…?”

“…Don’t say weird things into someone’s ear.”

Whether she’s a goddess or the daughter of a noble family fluttering about with gossip, I just couldn’t believe Edel could act so nonsensically.

Love, my foot.

Edel, who looked like her cheeks were squished, muttered.

“You wanted to live an ordinary life, right? You could try love too, then. What’s so strange about that?”

“What’s strange is that you’d talk about love in a situation that doesn’t look like it’s suitable anywhere.”

“Love can blossom at any moment.”

“….”

Has mana invaded her brain too?

Realizing talking to her felt foolish, I decided to ignore Edel.

“But…”

Da-eun, who was scanning the surroundings, opened her mouth.

“Are you going to stay here?”

“I have only been here for a few days, but yes.”

“How many days has it been? Then why…”

“Are you asking if I called you just now?”

“…How did you know?”

“Because it’s obvious what you would say.”

Answering her question was easy.

“I need time to recover my body.”

After crossing dimensions, I needed time to recover from the aftereffects and adapt to my new body, so I had been bedridden for a few days.

I still wasn’t fully recovered, and if I got out of bed now, I wouldn’t even be able to take a couple of steps without falling.

“So you weren’t wearing that hospital gown for nothing.”

“I’m not the kind to wear this for kicks, you know?”

“Surprisingly, quite a few people do…”

After finishing her sentence, Da-eun hesitantly took my cue.

“So, are you going to keep staying here?”

“Yeah, probably.”

I have no money or place to stay, so for now, I have to live with Edel.

Well, I guess I could somehow extract money from Edel.

For my body’s sake, I had to stay here.

“Then…!”

After hearing my answer, Da-eun squeezed her eyes shut and shouted.

“Let’s live together at my house!”

“…Huh?”

I stared at Da-eun blankly as she made that somewhat out-of-the-blue proposition.

According to Edel, I looked like a face that seemed ‘dumb.’

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