Free Web NovelGunther blinked several times, forcing away the dryness in his eyes. For a moment, it felt as if he had been transported somewhere entirely different.
“This is...”
The space that had been dark and ominous just a second ago had transformed. Where the bluish-black fog had dispersed, there now stretched an ordinary underwater cave. Damp rocks, still air, the faint smell of algae.
The Vanguard of the Dark Night was nowhere to be seen. It was unlikely he had completely disappeared. After saying he had prepared a final gift, he had most likely withdrawn to make his preparations.
Thinking that, Gunther slowly looked around. The cave, filled with expensive light stones, resembled a greatly magnified night sky, full of stars.
And there, beneath that bluish glow... his companions—whom he thought had vanished—stood silently, staring at him.
“......”
“......”
...As expected. Gunther let out a short breath.
“The Vanguard of the Dark Night... you insane bastard.”
[How surprising! Your companions were ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) not selected for a separate trial—they witnessed your entire conversation with the Vanguard of the Dark Night!]
The talk about Return After Death, the Tablet of Oblivion, and the alteration of reality. The system message about a sudden drop in affinity, even if it had only been an illusion.
There was no other way it could have been. That was how regressors were always treated.
“That’s why I couldn’t tell them.”
He had lived through spans of time no one else knew. He could remember mistakes and weaknesses others had never exposed. A monster who could treat other people’s lives as expendable, as drafts. Someone who could erase years of life by his own will. If he became an enemy, he would be far more terrifying than the Evil Gods or the Luthien Theocracy. After all, he could simply turn back time if things didn’t go the way he wanted.
“Of course, I never thought that selfishly, but...”
Even he couldn’t say with certainty that across dozens of regressions he had always stayed righteous. A simple example: he had repeatedly used knowledge from past lives to win over his companions. ...And under the pretext that everything could be reset, he had undoubtedly pushed them into sacrifices.
So even Gunther, with his iron will, could not bring himself to meet their eyes this time. Even a glance was enough to see how violently their pupils trembled. It wouldn’t go as far as betrayal. But it was clear things would never be the same. freewebnovel.cσ๓
A long silence settled.
Parco was the first to speak.
“So that’s what it was...”
Gunther kept his head lowered. He was ready to accept anything. Across dozens of lives, he had placed unbearable burdens on Parco as well.
“If you think about it,” Parco said with a bitter laugh, “we were way too lucky. Honestly, it was suspicious how easy everything felt.”
“......?”
“The crises we faced were always insane, massive, absurd. And yet we survived every time. That kind of luck doesn’t exist.”
Parco stepped forward. Under the light of the stones, his face twisted as if he were about to cry.
“How many times...”
His voice was quiet, but the tremor in it was unmistakable.
“How many times did you die alone and come back alone, Gunther? How many defeats did you carry on your shoulders before you could stand in front of us with that confident face, huh? Can... can a human even endure that?”
While Gunther found no words, Levain Bernecker continued calmly:
“Yes, looking back, it all felt strange. In the Labyrinth where we first met, with the Elder, at Kate’s estate, with Albino, in Valloren...”
Hearing that, the others slowly nodded.
“What is it like... to start everything over alone, as if nothing ever happened? I can’t even imagine it, Gunther.”
“Levain.”
“To possess that kind of power and live without even a trace of selfishness... for the sake of everyone, for salvation. When no one even knows.”
Not anger—but compassion. Gunther had never expected that reaction. In the past, this was the one thing he would have rejected most. For “Lee Jonghyeon,” the poor orphan, it would have been a blow to his pride. But this time was different. There was no shallow comfort, no cheap pity in their eyes.
It was understanding. Because they had walked the same path, looked toward the same goal, they simply grasped the weight he had carried.
At the moment Gunther froze, unable to say a single word—
Sniff—
Blanc Ibel silently stepped forward and embraced him. Her small, light-colored head pressed against his chest. Where she leaned, it grew warm and damp.
“Please... at least tell me this honestly, Gunther.”
“...What?”
“How many times did we die?”
Her voice did not waver.
“...Blanc.”
“How many times did we collapse right in front of your eyes?”
Gunther knew the number, but he didn’t say it aloud. The trembling of his hands was enough.
“I... no, we... in just one life, we came to love you this much...”
Blanc buried her face deeper into his clothes.
“If one life was enough for us to reach this... then how did you, losing us again and again, still manage to love us every time?” freёwebnoѵel.com
She sobbed and clutched his cloak.
“How did you endure that?! Alone! Idiot! You should have told us sooner! Acting all clever—what kind of idiot are you?!”
...To hear Blanc call him an idiot. As the cracks spread through Gunther’s pride, silence fell over the cave again. But this time, it wasn’t the silence of distance—it was the silence of closeness.
“...Teacher.”
Gunther turned. There stood Rietta and Yuria, holding hands tightly.
“You’re Teacher Raymond... aren’t you?”
At those words, Gunther’s breath caught for a moment. Images surfaced—of the two girls years ago, smaller, weaker. The grim scenery of Audrey House. Remesia committing evil under the Apostle of Repose’s control. Yuria’s face fading at the Altar of Healing.
Yuria murmured quietly:
“I thought something felt strange... It felt exactly the same.”
Rietta slowly nodded. They looked at each other and spoke at the same time:
“If it weren’t for you, Teacher...”
There was no doubt in their voices. As if they had carried those words in their hearts for a long time and had finally found the courage to say them.
Raymond and Gunther—there was no point in separating them.
He was the benefactor who had awakened them from oblivion. The one who first taught them that life offered choices. The only adult who told them they were allowed to think, to refuse, to decide for themselves.
He pulled them out of a life where they were nothing but livestock for slaughter. He allowed them to become people who choose, not nameless materials.
In the end, they had spent years enjoying something they had never even dreamed of. Standing shoulder to shoulder with good people, laughing, arguing, reconciling. In a world they once believed to be hell, they experienced moments like paradise.
And at the beginning of it all stood Gunther.
“So... this time, we...” Yuria added quietly. “We’ll pull you out of hell, Teacher.”
They would defeat the Luthien Theocracy and put an end to the regressions. In their eyes was the determination to make sure Gunther would never again carry the burden of time alone.
Gunther nodded, overwhelmed by emotions he couldn’t put into words.
“......”
Aside from the sleeping Mikhela and Zahara... the only one who remained silent was Tarsha Everlight. A rare confusion showed on her face. Her usually bold gaze faltered for a moment.
In the end, she simply said:
“Yeah... so it wasn’t a dream after all.”
And added nothing more. Only this:
“We’ll talk about it later, Gunther.”
Tarsha’s choice was wise. The moment she finished speaking, a powerful vibration shook the underwater cave. The walls trembled, the light stones flickered. The calm atmosphere vanished instantly.
Everyone took combat positions.
“What was that?”
“Did they notice us?”
“What about the Grand Admiral? They said they’d hand him over after the trial!”
“We grab everything and leave—something’s wrong here.”
At that moment, a quiet voice reached Gunther’s ears:
[So, do you like my first gift?]
“First gift?”
A brief pause.
[Understanding.]
Gunther silently waited.
[Now your companions understand you, just as you wished.]
[And now that you have the status of a regressor, in crisis situations you can expect faster support.]
[Isn’t that a gift?]
The tone was arrogant, but Gunther couldn’t deny it.
[Now, the second gift.]
“...The Grand Admiral, I assume.”
[Hm. Who knows. You’ll find out if you go deeper.]
Only then did Gunther realize the voice of the Vanguard of the Dark Night had grown much weaker.
[Be careful. I no longer have the strength to hide you.]
“...You’re disappearing? Because you rejected the story that allowed you to ascend?”
No answer came. Only the light stones deeper in the cave flickered, as if beckoning them inward.
“Gunther.”
He lifted his head. All eyes were on him.
The situation was obvious.
The Vanguard of the Dark Night had just displayed divine power to create this “trial.” And now that power was rapidly fading. For the Luthien Theocracy, that was a clear anomaly. Naturally, they were already mobilizing forces.
“...If we’re unlucky, this turns into thousands versus a handful.”
The problem was their position. The entire group had gone deep into the underwater cave. If the entrance was sealed, they would be trapped. Worse—if the enemy collapsed the ceiling, this place would instantly become their grave.
Any rational person would grab the Grand Admiral and retreat.
However—
“Well then, let’s go deeper.”
Gunther walked forward—not carelessly, but not in a hurry either. Confusion showed on his companions’ faces. His gaze grew colder, sharper with each step.
“...The objective is almost achieved. Stay calm.”
The return of the Grand Admiral was practically secured. All that remained was to save the victims trapped on this island.
And for that... a very dangerous gamble was necessary.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, at the center of the island.
“Archbishop Ardel, are you really going to take that risk?”
“We have no other choice. They said it themselves—he’s a god of betrayal. I didn’t think he’d stab us in the back like this.”
At Ardel’s fingertips, a monstrous power gathered. Originally, it had been divine energy meant to drive the Sea Dragon mad. But now the plan had changed. Part of that energy would be used to stop Gunther’s group.
A demonic smile spread across Ardel’s lips.
“I promised I’d show them hell. I intend to keep my word.”
Behind him stood the Black Wind, the traitors of the Blue Blade, priests and paladins of the Cult of Trust. Countless figures. A sinister aura spread like a wave, seeping into each of them. The heat of fanaticism flared anew.
Thousands of hands rose toward the sky.
Clang—
[A fragment of Beltracha, the God of Trust, is being summoned.]
The islands forming the Sunken Crown trembled all at once.
