Otherworld TRPG Game Master - Chapter 271



Chapter 271 – Last Farewell – Part Two

The morning sunlight streamed in, gently settling on her eyelids as it slipped through the window. With the sky knocking to announce the start of a new day, the girl let out a soft “Ugh…” and turned in her bed.

Just a little longer. On a normal day, she would have repeated that to herself and pulled the blanket over her head, but today was different. A cool thought brushed through her sleepy mind.

You don’t have time; is it really okay to stay like this?

“………”

Rustle.

Kim Lulu, driven by a sense of urgency, got up.

Time flows mercilessly. Now, with so little life left, it felt as if it was rushing by at least ten times faster. The sand of time slipped through her fingers. She couldn’t grasp it.

Get up already. Get up and do something. You have to do something, right?

But I’m still not fully awake…

The drowsiness lingering on her eyelids and the anxiety battling fiercely within her, the sound of the door opening revealed Oh Dae-soo. She asked, as nonchalantly as ever.

“Are you awake?”

“………Halfway…?”

“You could sleep a bit more. You tossed and turned a lot last night.”

“………”

Hearing Oh Dae-soo’s words, Kim Lulu blankly recalled the events of the previous night.

Ah, right. That happened. We slept together.

They had fallen asleep in the same bed last night. At first, she had tried to sleep like a male version of Rodeleus, but that was impossible, so she gave up.

Sleeping next to Oh Dae-soo, who looked like a familiar girl, felt just right. A suitable flutter of excitement, a proper sense of happiness, and the soft, comforting embrace of a pillow.

“Hehe…”

“What are you making noises about this early? If Kim Lulu is awake, get up. We need to have breakfast.”

“Ugh.”

The journey had not begun.

Kim Lulu had given up. After all, her life was already forfeit; she didn’t want to burden him any further. If she left her spot now, countless red flags would be raised concerning the Redburn family.

Instead, being together was enough. She compromised like that.

Kim Lulu intertwined her fingers with Oh Dae-soo’s, hanging onto one arm as they moved. When they finally waddled to the living room table, today’s chef, Mungae, was already showcasing her skills.

A Korean-style ten-course meal arranged with ingredients from another world. While the ingredients might be similar, they wouldn’t be exactly the same, yet somehow, she had managed to recreate that distinctly Korean taste and aroma.

Mungae feigned exhaustion and complained.

“Now I’m cooking with a beast’s body, can you believe it?”

“You did surprisingly well with those short front paws. Kim Lulu, you should have seen it.”

“Don’t talk about watching someone cook like it’s a circus, okay?”

“Circus… mong…”

The amnesiac girl, Hayang, who had floated down the river, seemed curious about the ‘circus’ and tugged at Mungae. Mungae perched himself on top of Hayang’s head and began transmitting knowledge.

Through a fantastical magic that directly conveyed information into the mind of the recipient, Mungae took every opportunity to teach Hayang.

With a spoon in her mouth and a dazed expression, Hayang was met with Oh Dae-soo’s firm gesture of his spoon as he said resolutely,

“Studying is good, but do it while eating.”

“Mooong.”

“The answer is not ‘mong,’ it’s ‘yes.’”

“Yeeeng.”

Seeing this, Kim Lulu chuckled softly.

It felt like this was what it would be like to have a child. Oh Dae-soo was the father, and Mungae was the uncle. Hayang was a bit too big for a baby, but… it was somewhat similar, wasn’t it?

It must have been happy and fun. Kim Lulu would play with the child, Dae-soo would teach sternly, and Uncle Mungae would provide the essential education.

“Umm…”

That’s true.

If there had been just a little more time, could I have had a child too?

Before becoming a magical girl, I thought babies were created by alchemists. A loving couple would hold hands and visit a skilled alchemist, who would skillfully combine things and poof, a baby would appear.

But after the shocking revelation of ‘I don’t know how to make a baby’ during the magical girl session, the crazy magician added a simple s*x education segment to the school scene.

So now I know. A child is like martial arts. If you fill your dantian with magical power and do this and that, it naturally comes to be.

Kim Lulu absentmindedly placed her hand on her lower abdomen and stroked it.

After the shocking, time-limited confession, Oh Dae-soo, who was sensitive to her every move, didn’t miss that small action. She asked worriedly,

“Does your stomach hurt?”

“No… I just want to have a baby.”

“……..”

Normally, there would have been a ruckus of questions like, what does that even mean, why would you say that? But instead, a profound bitterness hung in the air.

She vaguely understood, as it was her own body. There was about half a year left.

And to conceive a new life would take at least ten months. So it was an impossible wish. If only her lifespan had been a little longer. Or if she had made a decision sooner…

Regret clung to her like a shadow. There was nothing she could leave behind for him.

Sensing the suddenly chilled atmosphere, Mungae timely intervened to break the tension.

“What are you doing gloomily at the dinner table? Stop fussing over the side dishes and eat up!”

“Oh, thank you, Mungae. I’ll eat well!”

“⋯⋯I will eat well.”

“I will eat well, moong.”

The meal began, and for a while, only the sound of clattering dishes filled the air.

The dish that Moongae had prepared was delicious. The thought that she would never be able to eat something so tasty again made Kim Luru’s nose tingle. Being terminally ill made everything feel unbearably sorrowful.

If Oh Dae-soo hadn’t held her hand tightly under the table, she might have cried.

—

Someday, if she had to leave suddenly, crossing a river from which she could never return. Until then, she needed to sort out all her connections to have no lingering regrets… or at least, to lessen them.

Sitting at the neatly cleared table after the meal, Kim Luru gazed at the mysterious amnesiac girl, Hwayangi.

Even if Kim Luru were to die, Oh Dae-soo would live well. Moongae would likely stay by his side. But Hwayangi’s situation was a bit different. She was currently relying on the financial support and power of the Grand Knight Commander, Kim Luru.

The strength and wealth of the Grand Knight Commander were sufficient to take care of one person.

Rodellus was living a double life under the guise of Oh Dae-soo, making it difficult and dangerous to take care of Hwayangi.

What if she carelessly spent money to secure a place to stay and ended up being tracked by Duke Redburn’s financial investigations?

If Moongae were to hustle around and help her, it might be somewhat safe, but the truth was that without Kim Luru, stability would decrease.

So.

“Who could Hwayangi be? I need to find out her identity and return her to her original family…”

“I suspect she must have considerable wealth or perhaps be of noble birth. Because… her muscle mass was extremely low. If she were a commoner, she would have weakened long ago.”

“Oh, she had such a beautiful body without a single scar when she was washed. No calluses at all!”

Moongae chimed in from the side.

“It was quite an abnormal case of amnesia. Normally, I could have helped her recover, but it seems like the data itself has completely vanished…”

“What does that mean?”

“It means there’s a physical loss in her brain, suggesting that the memories themselves have disappeared, rather than her being unable to recall them.”

“⋯⋯But on the surface, there were no visible injuries. This is difficult.”

The more they speculated, the deeper they fell into confusion.

In fact, Hwayangi’s ability to manipulate organic matter meant that, after sustaining near-fatal injuries, she unconsciously manipulated her body to protect her life.

She had used her entire skeletal and muscular system, even parts of her brain, to move and transform them to heal her fatal wounds, resulting in the side effect of amnesia and a change in her appearance…

How could they reach this complex truth without a single clue? It was almost an impossible task.

If they couldn’t return her to her original family, they would have to entrust her to someone else.

“⋯⋯Should I ask the old man to take care of her?”

“The old man, you mean the Empire’s sword master?”

“Yeah. I wonder if he would be too busy wandering around all day, but he’s the only person I can ask… Oh, I also need to say goodbye to him.”

Kim Lulu’s expression darkened once more, a shadow of melancholy. Grandpa would be sad.

With every step, there was sadness, and even the falling leaves brought sorrow. It felt as if she had become a virus, spreading her grief in all directions, and it only made her feel more dampened.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Rodelus thought that this couldn’t go on.

He couldn’t let the end be painted in such a gloomy shade of blue.

Even if the end was approaching, there had to be a way to feel joy instead of sorrow. Above all, he couldn’t just stand by and watch the person he loved continue to be sad.

Kim Lulu hid her short lifespan to lessen her sorrow.

Oh Dae-soo pretended to be calm, as usual, to reduce his own sadness.

But that seemed to be the wrong answer.

You can’t reduce or erase sorrow. How could parting with a lover not be painful? It was as natural as feeling pain when flesh is cut away.

It was the opposite. Instead of reducing sorrow, it needed to be covered with happiness.

“⋯⋯Kim Lulu!”

“Uh, huh? Huh? Huh?”

Oh Dae-soo sprang up and strode over. He grabbed Lulu’s shoulders and suddenly pressed his lips against her cheek.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯!!”

With the barrage of kisses that followed, Kim Lulu short-circuited, and Mun-gae, who had been watching from the side, jumped in surprise. Who would have thought Rodelus could muster such momentum!

“Dae-soo, you’ve devoured Lulu.”

“Oh my, Hayan, it’s still too early for you to see this!”

Mun-gae covered Hayan’s eyes and maneuvered her away so they wouldn’t be a distraction. He thought they might be able to pull off something at home if they played their cards right.

Oh Dae-soo shouted as he gazed at the ripe Kim Lulu.

“Don’t just stand there like a fool!”

“⋯⋯Ugh, huh?! Huh?!”

“We don’t have time. We need to exchange rings again, have a wedding, go on a trip, and do everything we want to do. Got it?”

Her mind went blank, and she instinctively tried to nod.

But she was held back by a chilling sense of anxiety and guilt. Lulu stammered in denial.

“B-but, I… I’m terminally ill. Even if we get married, we can’t… be together…”

“⋯⋯You don’t want to accept my ring?”

Uh.

If she said no, Oh Dae-soo would cry. Kim Lulu panicked and spoke honestly.

“No, it’s good… it’s good! But that…

“Then take it. I want to give it to you, and I want to be with you for even one more second. It has nothing to do with how much time is left!”

Thud.

A shock hit Kim Lulu, as if she had been struck on the head.

…Really?

Is it really okay to accept it?

“Get dressed and come out… No, I don’t need anything. Not pretty clothes, not the beautiful time of sunset, none of it!”

“Ugh, uuh?!”

Oh Dae-soo quickly scooped Kim Lulu up in his arms. And while she was still in a daze, he kicked the door open and started running. Their destination was the hill from yesterday.

Thump. Thump.

Her heart raced wildly.

—

They arrived at the same place as yesterday. But the two of them looked drastically different.

Instead of a sharply tailored suit, a hastily thrown-on tunic. Leather boots with laces barely tied, a result of rushing out of the house.

Instead of pretty makeup and a beautiful dress, half-removed slippers and casual clothes. Hair tousled and messy from not being tidied up.

They looked far too comfortable for what was supposed to be a proposal.

Oh Dae-soo scratched his bright red hair and pulled out the diamond ring from yesterday’s pocket. He extended it with a clenched fist.

“Hey, Kim Lulu, you fool!”

“……..”

“Reach out your hand. I taught you how to stretch out your hand until you had calluses on your ears.”

“That’s not how you accept a ring, that’s how you do a power grab…?”

Sigh.

At Oh Dae-soo’s intimidating tone, Kim Lulu awkwardly extended her clenched fist.

Rodeleus took her hand, gently massaged her fingers open, and slid the ring onto her ring finger. In an instant, the ring was on her.

The jewel promising eternity sparkled on her finger.

“Wow…”

It doesn’t feel real.

Tears streamed down her face. Without even realizing it, they fell like a dam bursting. Yet somehow, she found herself smiling. It wasn’t that she wasn’t sad… but she was happy.

Oh Dae-soo, seeing Lulu’s expression, chuckled and said,

“Stay with me for life. Don’t say anything strange, just be by my side.”

“…Okay.”

“Sleep together, wake up together. We’ll try everything we’ve ever wanted to do.”

“…Yeah, uh-huh!”

Right.

If I could spend the rest of my life with you. If that could happen.

Even if the sun and moon draw their lines, and the grim reaper with a great scythe strides forth, if I could just spend each day with you… that would be enough. More than enough. What on earth was I so afraid of?

It must be disappointing. At the end of this story… it will surely be disappointing.

The joy of giving birth and raising a child, the joy of growing old together until we have white hair, I won’t be able to enjoy any of it. That fact will be painfully disappointing.

“I, I mean. It’s a big deal.”

“Yeah.”

“I mean, so!”

So let’s promise for the next time right here. With hands clasped, gazing straight ahead. Taking a deep breath.

Lulu poured her hopes, love, and expectations into her words, conveying her feelings to Roderus with all her heart.

“I want to be Roderus’s lover in the next life too──!!”

⋯⋯⋯⋯.

And the mad wizard, peeking out from behind a tree, awkwardly raised his hand and said,

“Um, I’ve brought the elixir of life extension. The alchemist guild master asked me to deliver it, and, uh, AS… quality assurance.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯?”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯??”

“If you’re busy, should I come back later? No, um, please don’t look at me like that. I’ve been timing this since morning. I just got an urgent message. I really have to go.”

The mad wizard felt the piercing gaze of “What the hell are you doing?” directed at him.

But he tried. He understood romance. He knew that the best moment to appear was right after the touching confession scene, to say that there was a way to extend life…!

But even now, at this moment, messages were coming in.

– Senior, the magic tower is in chaos, please hurry

– I’ve been trying to contact you since yesterday, when are you coming, senior?

– Last time you neglected the child, and now you’re trying to abandon the magic tower too. I heard you’ve fallen to the dark tower, I felt so betrayed, but if you come now, I’ll forgive everything, so hurry!

– Luche is currently in shorts, save him!

⋯⋯I don’t know what’s going on, but something has happened. I’ve been putting off going. It would be a shame and a pity to ruin the mood after all this buildup!

“This, um, if I just leave a note and the potion, you won’t believe it, right? If that leads to a tangled fate and really gets Kim Lulu killed, you know? Then, oh man, I could really die from frustration.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“So, um, I revealed myself a bit. You two enjoy your beautiful love. If you’re suspicious, definitely ask Mungae. Or go check with the alchemist guild to see if the seal is forged. I’m off!”

Spot.

The mad wizard vanished suddenly, leaving behind a single vial, a quality assurance certificate, and a letter from the alchemist guild master.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

An awkwardness settled in, as if the world itself were about to collapse.

From noble mtl dot com

Why couldn’t he have come a little earlier or a little later? If he had shown up after a solemn oath or a kiss, it wouldn’t have felt so strange.

And why did he even appear? What connection did he have with the alchemist guild master?

Kim Lulu, still with tear-streaked cheeks, spoke hesitantly.

“⋯⋯Should we, um, go back… Daesu?”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

With a grinding of teeth, Oh Daesu seethed with deep frustration. If this was some ridiculous prank, I swear, I would hunt him down to the ends of the earth and—

—

The next day.

Kim Lulu, looking just as flustered, reported on her condition after taking the potion.

“Uh, I’m better. I’m not throwing up blood, and I don’t feel dizzy…?”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

It was so awkward that even with the crisis resolved, the embarrassment overshadowed any joy. Kim Lulu couldn’t shake off the lines she had shouted yesterday, fidgeting restlessly.

In truth, Oh Daesu felt the same.

Rodellus was genuinely confused about whether he should feel grateful to that insane wizard or smash his head in.