I Can See the Comments on the Doomed Novel - Chapter 166



Olympus

“Damn it! If we stay like this, the castle…!”

“It doesn’t seem like the castle is the problem!”

Eunbyeol pointed outside the window with her finger.

There, the ground was cracking and collapsing as if an earthquake had struck.

“We’ve already defeated Surtr! So why is this happening?”

Eve, barely bouncing off the debris of the fallen buildings with a barrier, answered.

“It’s because all the original inhabitants of this world have vanished! Even if it’s a myth, in the end, it’s just a story. A world without characters cannot exist.”

Hela, Hild, Surtr, and more.

All the gods that had existed here were gone.

Along with them, the warriors who had fought alongside us had also fulfilled their roles and perished.

The giant of fire, created by the power of Surut, has vanished.

In other words, there are no longer any inhabitants left in this world.

The only ones remaining are us outsiders.

Is it true that a stage and a world, once their roles are fulfilled, simply disappear?

“Everyone, come this way!”

Hyena shouted, reaching out her hand.

What lay before us was a massive black ship.

Naglfar, the power that Hella had passed on to Hyena.

If that ship can fly through the sky, then the crumbling ground is no problem.

We jumped straight onto it.

“So, this is what happens when the world ends…”

The world was literally collapsing.

Is this what it looks like when a colossal star turns to cosmic dust?

“What do we do now?”

Naturally, we can’t last long in a world like this.

Right now, the ground is crumbling, but in time, the very dimension itself might cease to exist.

The time given to us was never that long to begin with.

“Hyena, how long do you think you can hold on?”

“I-I’ll do my best, but… it seems like it’s going to be a bit tough?”

Hyena was sitting on the ground, drenched in cold sweat.

Just moments ago, she had gathered all her magical power in the fight.

Summoning and operating Naglfar alone requires a significant amount of magic.

She was probably pushing herself quite hard even now.

‘Damn it, what should I do in a situation like this…’

But worrying wouldn’t yield any answers.

There’s no enemy to fight, and with the world itself crumbling, what can mere characters do?

I thought I had to somehow channel my magic to Hyena to buy us some time.

“Th-That’s… a dimensional rift?”

Suddenly, Eve murmured as she looked up at the sky.

When I glanced up, I saw a white hole forming there.

—

Soon, what emerged from within was a golden carriage.

Three horses pulled it, a sight unimaginable to ordinary humans.

Riding atop was a man with long white hair cascading to his waist, his face concealed by a white mask.

“This is quite the commotion. Are you Lee Ji-hoon?”

“Excuse me? Yes, that’s me.”

At my response, the white-haired man nodded.

He brought the carriage close to our ship.

“Get in. I’ll take you to a safe place.”

“…….Who are you?”

It was indeed a dangerous situation, but that didn’t mean I could just follow him without question.

When I asked, the man replied.

“My name is Hephaestus. I am the god of blacksmiths, one of the twelve Olympians. I’ve come to fetch you on the orders of Hestia.”

The place we arrived at was a peaceful, Greco-style city.

Buildings stood tall and proper, and many people wandered between them.

Even the faces that briefly appeared exuded a sense of ease.

It was the first time I had seen such a sight since the beginning of the destruction.

It was a stark contrast to the desolation of Norse mythology, where not a single soul could be found.

Well, that place was already on the brink of annihilation, so it was only natural.

“It’s a rather livable world. Of course, there are those who might disagree.”

Hephaestus, who had been driving the carriage, said.

We huddled together behind his carriage, looking down.

“By the way, this is unexpected. I thought it would take longer to persuade you.”

“Well, there was no other way.”

If left as is, the world would perish, and we wouldn’t escape death within it.

Of course, the fact that Hestia’s name had been mentioned played a significant role.

‘I owe her a debt.’

Regardless of her favorable view of me.

I owed her quite a few coins.

After all, what creditor would let a debtor die in this world?

“Rather, I’m even grateful for saving my life.”

“Haha! You should thank Hestia for that. If it weren’t for her request, I wouldn’t have risked my neck to go there.”

Yuri tilted her head at my conversation with Hephaestus.

“Did you have ties with another goddess as well?”

“Well, it turned out that way. Last time, I went to the auction house with Hera. I was in her care for a bit there.”

“You seem to always form connections with women wherever you go.”

There was a hint of sharpness in her words.

To change the subject, I asked Hephaestus.

“So, is Hestia waiting for us where we’re going?”

“She’s been waiting for you with bated breath. She couldn’t intervene in matters of another world, but she was quite worried.”

The place where the carriage arrived was a grand temple.

As Hephaestus stepped down, beautiful women immediately welcomed him.

“We are honored to meet the great god of blacksmiths, Hephaestus.”

“Thank you. I contacted you in advance, but is Hestia here?”

“Yes, she is already waiting for you in the guest room.”

“This is why I respect Hestia. If it were another goddess, we would have been the ones waiting.”

Hephaestus greeted the women lightly and led the way.

We followed behind him in silence.

In truth, we were all too absorbed in admiring the temple.

“It’s not just big; it’s incredibly beautiful.”

“It’s not just any deity; if a goddess of Olympus resides here, this level of grandeur is only to be expected.”

The temple had an overwhelming scale that one could only see in ruins on Earth.

The statues and artworks adorning it were equally impressive.

If only we had the time, it would be nice to spend a day exploring it slowly.

As we walked in awe, we soon arrived at a golden door.

“Excuse me, Hestia.”

Hephaestus lightly knocked and inquired.

However, he hesitated for a moment and turned to us.

“Wait a moment, if you don’t mind.”

“Yes?”

Hephaestus slipped inside without waiting for a response and closed the door.

But voices came through from beyond.

“What are you doing right now?”

“As you can see, I’m preparing a surprise for the kids who’ve had a tough time…”

“Ugh! You don’t need that kind of thing, you clueless one! And what’s with that outfit!”

“When I saw Lee Ji-hoon last time, I was in a rather dull costume. So, as a goddess, I wanted to add a bit of surprise—”

“What does a goddess need with surprise? What’s with that hat? Take it off right now! And get rid of all those strange decorations!”

“Ah! I went through so much trouble to get this!”

It seemed quite a commotion was unfolding.

Soon after, Hephaestus emerged, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“Hmm! Hmm! It took a bit of time for the goddess to prepare. It’s messy, but please come in.”

“Oh, yes. Thank you.”

We opened the golden door and stepped inside.

Hestia, puffing her cheeks with a slightly sulky expression, looked at us and broke into her signature bright smile.

“Thank you all for coming this far. And for enduring in the war.”

She was wearing the same dress I had seen last time.

I guess I should pretend not to notice the clutter shoved in the corner?

“No, we should be the ones thanking you. If it weren’t for you, Hestia, we would have vanished from this world.”

“Hoho! I couldn’t bear to lose heroes like you so easily. Did Hephaestus nag you on the way here?”

Hestia slowly rose from her seat.

Even that simple movement revealed her dignity as a goddess.

“Wow, this time I get to see not just Ji-hoon but the others too. You all have worked hard. Now, let me pat your heads.”

“Eh? Y-yes? Ah, th-thank you…”

Hestia beamed as she patted everyone’s heads.

Yuri, unaccustomed to this kind of praise, squirmed like a broken cat.

“I’m really glad to see you all safe. Oh, what’s wrong with me? We should take a break, right? I’ve prepared meals and baths, so let’s warm up a bit.”

“Excuse me, but Hestia…”

I lowered my head as I spoke.

“We’ve learned that in this world, there’s no such thing as kindness without reason.”

“Oh dear, that makes me a little sad. I just want to be close to you all.”

Hestia wore a sulky expression.

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Perhaps that face isn’t a lie after all.

But just because the truth is visible before us, it doesn’t mean that’s all there is.

“Of course, I know that you like us, Hestia. But that can’t be all, right?”

“Hmm, Jihoon… acting like Apollo. You’ve lost some of your cuteness since last time. You were adorable when you came trotting over asking to borrow money.”

“I have many family members to take care of. I think you might have something to ask or assign us, Hestia.”

At my words, Hestia’s eyes sparkled slightly.

“Go on.”

“And I believe it’s related to the festival you mentioned at the last auction. Isn’t it?”

“Hmm~ I’ve given away too many hints. Honestly, I was planning to surprise you later with it.”

Hestia nodded with a disappointed look.

“You’re right, Jihoon. Here in Olympus, a much larger-scale event quest is set to take place than ever before.”

“Then—”

“And I would like you all to represent me, Hestia, at that event.”