Chapter 80 (1)
I opened my eyes with difficulty and an unfamiliar place came into view.
‘Where is this…….’
I raised my body and looked around.
A gray space.
The endlessly spread out gray space gave off a strange feeling.
The thing existing within that space was.
‘A mirror?’
The mirror that appeared before my eyes was reflecting me.My appearance with crimson hair and sinister narrow eyes.
But.
That mirror was strange somehow.
Even though I raised one hand towards the mirror, the me in the mirror was still unresponsive.
As if it was a picture, not a mirror.
I flinched at that strange phenomenon for a moment.
I felt the need to organize the situation and stroked my chin.
It’s my habit that comes out whenever I’m deeply thinking about something.
I was definitely up until just now…….
‘Fighting Terias and eventually losing and losing consciousness.’
I poured out all my strength to face Terias, but in the end, I couldn’t win and fainted and collapsed.
‘I thought I would die like that.’
Terias’s hammer was coming down right before my vision was blocked, so it would have been the natural order of things.
The power contained in that hammer was not ordinary.
Then.
Is this the afterlife?
‘But that doesn’t seem to be the case…….’
Woong-.
Darkness rippled as I manifested mana.
If this place really was the afterlife.
It would be natural to not be able to use mana, or so I thought.
Of course, I’ve never been to the afterlife before.
Then.
Where in the world is this?
“…….”
I stared blankly at the me in the mirror.
As expected, no matter what action I took, it just watched me without following along.
For some reason, that appearance was creepy.
Should I say it felt like looking at an unpleasant valley?
I was like that for a long time.
- Ah
‘Huh?’
It spoke.
The me in the mirror opened its mouth.
I wondered if I had been mistaken for a moment.
The me in the mirror began to speak again.
- It’s the second time I’ve met you in person. It’s nice to meet you, Creator. Have you been well?
The first words that the me in the mirror uttered.
I frowned at this.
That wasn’t me.
To be exact, it was the original owner of this body.
Adel, that guy was speaking through the mirror.
Did he show himself because it was time for me to die?
As the Creator, I wrote myself to die in the original story.
Perhaps you\'ve been watching me overcome countless life-or-death situations, just so you could mock me with a chuckle.
As that thought naturally came to mind, a sharp remark escaped my lips.
I had even forgotten the honorifics I usually used.
The sudden surge of irritation in my head had overridden my habits, reverting me to my original speech pattern.
"I\'m not happy to see you at all. You must have watched everything I\'ve done anyway. Why bother asking if I\'m okay or not?"
― Haha, I suppose that\'s not wrong. I understand why you would say that, Creator.
Adel burst into laughter at my sharp tone.
I didn\'t like the way Adel looked, but I decided to ask my questions first.
Whew.
I took a moment to calm my breathing, feeling like my emotions were getting the better of me, before I finally spoke.
"There are three things I want to ask."
First question.
"Where is this?"
It was the question I was most curious about.
It wasn\'t the afterlife, and it was a space where Adel from the original story, who had lent me his body, existed.
At least, it didn\'t exist in the setting of my novel.
It was like a completely unknown space, so I couldn\'t help but ask.
― Hmm.
Adel in the mirror seemed to be contemplating something for a moment before he spoke.
― I suppose I can tell you that much without a price.
"So you were planning on taking payment until the very end? You\'re nothing but a greedy bastard."
I gritted my teeth and cursed.
I had already figured out that the being communicating with me through the information screen was Adel.
The bastard who had always demanded a high price from me, even after death, was he still trying to take something from me?
As I spoke in a deliberately angry tone, Adel quickly continued his explanation.
― Please calm down. There is information I can tell you and information I can\'t. Not only for you, Creator, but I also have to pay a price to provide information. Well, let me answer your first question...
The boy, who had been choosing his words carefully, began to speak.
― This is a space made of chaos, a space where anything can exist and nothing can exist.
Adel\'s vague explanation made me frown as I tried to make sense of it.
I pondered for a while, but couldn\'t grasp what he meant.
I glared at Adel with dissatisfaction, but he merely smiled slyly, his eyes narrowed.
Press..
I pressed my fingers against my forehead, trying to suppress my rising frustration.
‘One thing is for sure…….’
This space is separated from the outside world.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for Adel, who had only communicated through papers before, to reveal himself, even if only as a reflection.
I asked my second question.
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