Without realizing it, I[1] looked outside, and the glow of the sunset was stretching across the sky. It was the same as always. People unconsciously clasped their hands together, and the once noisy atmosphere gradually settled down. Everyone quietly gazed up at the sky. Miss Jung Ha-Yan was no different.

If there was any difference, it was that she was grinning to herself as she watched the sunset. I was certain she hadn’t always been like this. There were times when she would cry endlessly, and other times when she would quietly shut herself in her room.

Whenever her condition was unstable, she would usually act like that, so those behaviors hadn’t felt particularly strange, but the way she had been acting recently was concerning.

She had suddenly become excessively bright. The change was so extreme, like flipping a light switch. It took me a while to get used to it.

“He... hehe... hehe...”

She was staring at the sunset, smiling absentmindedly. It was the kind of expression someone would make when looking at a person they loved, and for some reason, it left me feeling unsettled. On top of that...

“Look, Sora,” Jung Ha-Yan pointed.

“Yes?”

“A-as expected... it looks like no one remembers, right?” she asked.

“Huh...? Ah... yes. I think so... I-I’m sorry. I don’t really understand what you mean...” I told her.

“So, you still don’t remember either, Sora? But don’t worry too much. You’ll remember soon enough. It probably won’t happen, but even if you don’t remember, I’ll make sure you can remember. Just you, Sora,” she reassured me.

“Ah... okay.”

“E-everyone forgot about Oppa. Even thinking about it again, isn’t it so romantic?” she asked.

“Huh? What part of that is romantic?” I asked.

“Everyone forgot about him, but I’m the only one who still remembers him,” she answered.

‘So who exactly is this oppa supposed to be?’ 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t understand it. What I understood even less was my own reaction. I didn’t know how to explain it, but there was definitely something off. It felt like something I clearly knew had become something I accepted not knowing.

I could feel a blank space somewhere in my memory. No, at some point, even Miss Jung Ha-Yan’s behavior like this had stopped feeling strange to me.

If I let my thoughts slip away for just a moment, everything would start to feel strange again, but at least right now, in this moment, I found myself agreeing with her behavior. What was even stranger was that I wasn’t the only one feeling this sense of dissonance.

The guild members who had been acting completely normal would occasionally tilt their heads and peek into the guild master’s and vice guild master’s offices. I could say for certain that it wasn’t because of the piles of work reports stacked up in front of them.

They could feel that something was off, yet no one was talking about it. At some point, it had become natural not to speak about it. They were deliberately ignoring those spaces.

“Still... you know something’s strange too, right, Sora?” Jung Ha-Yan asked.

“No. I... I... I don’t know. I don’t really understand what you’re saying, Miss Jung Ha-Yan...” I answered.

“If your head hurts, don’t push yourself. It’s okay even if you don’t. You’ll probably remember soon anyway. I’ll ask oppa for you,” she said.

These strange phenomena weren’t limited to just the guild, either. It was happening across the entire continent. Weren’t there already statistics showing a growing number of people suddenly suffering from depression?

No one knew the exact reason, but it was likely that more and more people were experiencing the same thing as me. In fact...

“You. Become my companion!”

‘See... there really have been more strange people lately.’

Turning my head toward the voice, I caught sight of a face I had never seen before.

‘Is this some kind of depression, too? Maybe it really is true that people across the continent are collectively losing their minds.’

I had been trying to ignore it until now, but seeing it with my own eyes only made things more complicated. Perhaps we really did need to come up with some kind of countermeasure. I looked at the man in front of me with a hint of pity.

For some reason, he just looked... pitiful. He was dressed like a hero straight out of an old storybook, and in his seemingly clear eyes, there was a kind of madness that was hard to put into words.

“You’re Jung Ha-Yan, the one they call the Archmage, right? A hero is meant to have a mage worthy of him. I’ll get straight to the point. Will you become my Merlin?” the man asked.

‘What am I supposed to do... He’s actually insane.’

It even looked like he already knew that the person in front of him was the Archmage Jung Ha-Yan. The self-proclaimed hero thumped his chest and said, Ah, it looks like I introduced myself too late. My name is Sung Ji-Hoon. I’m a hero chosen by the continent.

"I haven’t been out of the tutorial for long. Of course, I probably seem strange to you. There’s already a Gray Hero in this world... Some people might question what it even means to call someone a hero, but that’s exactly why a hero is needed now.

"The continent looks peaceful on the surface, but sooner or later, a great threat will come...” Sung Ji-Hoon explained.

“...”

“We’re preparing for that moment. Of course, we’re still just getting started. I only have one party member right now. It’s my noona Oksana, and we don’t have any real achievements to speak of yet.... But one day, we’ll become the most renowned party on this continent. And that starts with recruiting our Merlin. That’s right. The Archmage Jung Ha-Yan!” he shouted excitedly.

“...”

Anyone could see he was completely out of his mind. The woman beside him, who looked just as anxious as she tried to hold him back, was practically trembling. She was probably the one called Oksana.

Thinking about everything she had gone through, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for her. Naturally, I decided to step in to mediate.

Miss Jung Ha-Yan had been calmer lately, but I still wanted to prevent any chance of her snapping. A murder breaking out in the middle of the street was definitely something I wanted to avoid.

“I’ll take care of it, Miss Jung Ha-Yan,” I offered.

“Okay.”

I took a few gold coins from my pocket and handed them to the woman called Oksana.

“It’s pretty difficult, right?” I asked.

“Ah... pardon?” Oksana asked.

“Please don’t take it as pity, just accept it. And we’re a bit busy right now... so if it’s not too much trouble, could you take him away with you? She’s not usually like this... we’re just really pressed for time,” I told her.

“Ah, yes. Of course. Let’s go. What are you doing? Sung Ji-Hoon, come on! I told you this is rude!” Oksana scolded him.

“Noona! Great things always come with risks! I told you! I’m going to recruit the Archmage today, no matter what! We need her to fulfill the mission given to us! A hero always has a great mage by their side! Just wait a moment! Excuse me! Miss Mage! We don’t need gold... We need you...”

“...”

“Huh?”

“...”

“O-odd eyes...”

‘W-what the hell? What’s wrong with him?’

“Odd eyes...”

‘So what... Why is he reacting like that?’

I could see his face turning red. I knew this was wrong and that it was a terrible thing to even think about, but for some reason, I had the sudden urge to punch him in the face.

“E-excuse me... I-I’m sorry if this is rude, but... may I ask for your name? Lady...” Sung Ji-Hoon trailed off.

‘Please... just stop...’

“I-if it’s alright... could I treat you to a meal?” he offered.

I nearly let out a scream. The boldness he had shown earlier was nowhere to be found. I didn’t want to admit it, and I didn’t even want to understand it, but the man in front of me was clearly showing interest in me.

It wasn’t the first time I received attention from men, and there had definitely been ones I disliked before, but this was the first time that my entire body, instincts, and every single cell in me had reacted with such intense rejection. There was no real reason to run, and yet I wanted to turn around and get as far away from him as possible.

“Y-you’re insane...” I mumbled.

“I-I know this sounds rude... but I really want to talk with you... If not a meal, then maybe at least a cup of tea...” he requested.

“Sung Ji-Hoon, you can’t be serious! Stop it right now!” Oksana shouted.

“N-noona! I’m serious!” he shouted.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?! Do you even know who you’re talking to?! Seriously! That’s Han Sora! Han Sora of the Blue Guild! The one they call the idol of black mages! Do you have any idea what you’re doing, you idiot?!” she questioned.

“The odd-eyed... black mage?” he mumbled. For some reason, his interest in me seemed to grow even stronger.

“I’m so sorry! I’m really sorry! I apologize! Our party leader is a bit lacking! I’m sorry! He’s not usually like this...” Oksana apologized.

“No, it’s fine. H-haha...” I said.

“Wait! Noona! Just let me talk to her for a moment!” he yelled.

“Come on, Ji-Hoon. Let’s just go to the Republic. Okay? The Republic. You said you wanted to find the First Seat who disappeared there, right? You said you wanted to recruit them. I know that place well, so let’s use it as our base for now, okay?” Oksana suggested.

‘Yeah... they’re definitely insane.’

At this point, even Oksana was starting to appear suspicious. I watched her grab the self-proclaimed hero by the collar and drag him away.

“H-Han Sora!” Sung Ji-Hoon called out.

‘Don’t call my name! Please!’

“N-next time, please!” he added.

‘There is no next time!’

It felt like a storm had just passed. Whether that was fortunate or not, Miss Jung Ha-Yan didn’t seem to have taken much interest in the sudden intruders. She was still quietly gazing up at the sky.

As if she intended to keep watching until the sunset disappeared, she didn’t take her eyes off it for even a moment and was smiling faintly to herself. I considered speaking to her several times, but in the end, I didn’t do so.

Part of it was to calm my racing heart after the sudden incident, but it was also because I found myself staring up at the sunset sky as well. Without realizing it, I looked up again, and once more, the glow of the sunset stretched across the sky.

It felt as if it was illuminating everything.

The buildings, the statues, Miss Jung Ha-Yan’s face, the people laughing and chatting, and even those quietly clasping their hands in prayer... the sunset illuminated them all.

Even the self-proclaimed hero and the woman called Oksana were touched by the same light. None of it felt strange. For a moment, I thought that perhaps Miss Jung Ha-Yan was right. It wasn’t blind faith in her, just a feeling.

Thinking that someday, I would remember it, I took another sip of my tea.

***

As I[2] lifted my teacup, I suddenly realized that I could remember everything. Without realizing it, I looked outside, and the glow of the sunset was stretching across the sky. No, that expression didn’t quite fit to begin with.

I didn’t know how things were progressing in the second life, but this place had been dyed in the light of the sunset the entire time. There were no living beings here. At some point, everything had come to a stop, and the sunset had swallowed it all.

The ones who had come here together had, at some point, all returned to where they were supposed to be. Ridiculously enough, everyone except me.

At first, everything had been hazy, but now, little by little, my memories were coming back. Yeah, those damned memories. After setting the teacup back down on the table, I couldn’t help but mutter to myself. “Why the hell am I the only one left here?”

I didn’t need an answer. I already knew the answer, after all.

“Lee Ki-Young, you bastard.”

He probably wanted to see me get annoyed.

1. Han Sora’s POV ☜

2. Commander Jin’s POV ☜