Ch. 207

At my words, Terdius looked at me with eyes as if asking what kind of nonsensical talk that was.

"Merfolk...?"

It was with the gnomes too, and now too—Terdius seemed to be like this because he hadn't met non-human races very much.

'The hidden route's Terdius started from Diego Church... so it can't be helped.'

It would have been different if it were a normal world.

"Yes. Merfolk."

I answered Terdius with a faint smile. Then Terdius, who had been running hard with me, asked back.

"Were merfolk actually existing lifeforms?"

It was an understandable reaction. Though this world was one with many different races, among them there existed things like fantasy creatures too.

Spirits and merfolk were representative examples. Races like Centaurs and Elves still lived on the continent, so there were those who had witnessed their existence.

But in the case of merfolk, since they lived in the deep sea, not that many sightings were passed down. Among people living in this world, most considered merfolk to be a fantasy race that only appeared in fairy tales.

"Yes. They actually exist. It just feels legendary because there aren't many who have witnessed merfolk... but they're real."

"...Hard to believe."

"Well, I understand that you can't believe it. But... it's the truth."

I answered deliberately brazenly and smiled toward Terdius. It was an action to lighten the somewhat stiff atmosphere, but Terdius was still serious, so I suddenly just became someone showing off.

"...Right. As expected, you're really amazing."

Terdius even acknowledged my amazingness. Ah, because of this I feel like I've really become a strange person.

"Like with the gnomes too, and now even merfolk. How do you know such information and knowledge?"

"Mmm, let's just say it's because I read a lot of books."

When I said that since there was no suitable excuse to give, Terdius looked at me for a moment. I was a bit flustered by his even more serious eyes.

"Leviathan, you... what exactly is your identity?"

It was a question I had heard before. A question I had heard from not only Terdius but others too. The answer I could give to that question was...

"Who knows. What exactly is my identity?"

Because I had now reached a point where even I was confused about my identity, I answered like that. It pricked my conscience to simply conclude 'Kyros Church Leader' now.

Moreover, I wasn't just the Church Leader but had memories of the modern era while also having Revelof Holden's memories.

'...Now even I'm confused about myself.'

But there was one part I could assert. That what I was doing was precisely work to save this world.

"Still, don't worry."

I spoke with a strained smile toward Terdius whose brows narrowed slightly.

"At least I'm not an existence that will harm you."

At my words, Terdius's expression relaxed a bit.

"Right. That would be natural."

After Terdius's answer, we focused only on moving without words for a while. It had been several hours since leaving the territory and running straight east. Before long, the sun was passing overhead as if announcing noon.

'Going by the shortest route at this speed... we'll arrive around dawn tomorrow.'

That I could move at faster speed than expected was because Terdius's speed was also quite considerable, no less than mine. Thanks to him following so well, I could also run straight without adjusting my tempo.

'Though it's not as fast as Troy's movement speed.'

Because I ran using holy power, the speed was quite good. Running and running while blank, before long I reached a mountain range that was a shortcut.

Though it was difficult befitting a shortcut, because I operated holy power throughout my body, I could climb the mountain path quickly without much difficulty too.

It was around when we were descending the mountain path that Terdius's voice was heard.

"Leviathan. I... sometimes have strange dreams."

I was a bit surprised by his sudden words. To think Terdius dreams. No, well. Since he's also human, I do think he can naturally dream.

But how should I say it, Terdius talking about dreams like this doesn't seem to suit him...

'Though this is also just prejudice.'

I looked at Terdius who suddenly blurted out words for a moment. He had serious eyes no different from usual.

It was definitely a sincere story. So I should listen sincerely too.

"Dreams? What sort of dreams?"

"Those dreams..."

Terdius tightly closed both eyes for a moment as if recalling the dreams, then opened them.

"Unlike my current appearance, they're dreams of a world where I wasn't of Diego Church."

I couldn't understand Terdius's words at once. So I stupidly asked back.

"What do you mean?"

"Literally. It was a dream of such a world where I wasn't affiliated with Diego Church. So to speak precisely, it's a dream of a world where I didn't succumb to Diego's whispers and was Kyros Church's Holy Knight from the start."

At those words, I couldn't keep my mouth shut. When I looked at Terdius with a surprised expression, he added.

"In that dream, I had never belonged to Diego Church and traveled the world spreading the faith as Kyros Church from the beginning. In that process, I clashed with Rizes Church too, and inevitably had to collide with Diego Church."

Terdius calmly told the dream he had, but my heart was beating madly.

What Terdius was talking about now wasn't simply a dream story.

'That's... the original's story.'

The basic background story of HSAW that I had played dozens, hundreds of times. It was telling the story of the original itself that should have flowed that way, not this hidden route I had entered now.

'But how exactly does Terdius know that fact?'

But by my entering this hidden route, the development was flowing completely different from the original. Terdius had been affiliated as Diego Church's apostle from the start, so naturally he shouldn't have known anything like the dream content he had.

'But why did Terdius come to have such a dream?'

No matter how much I thought about it, the only one who could make such a thing possible that came to mind was the system Administrator.

Because it wouldn't be something Kyros or Diego could do. Because the only one who knew about Terdius's dream—that is, the original's development—would be the system Administrator.

'But... why exactly would the Administrator?'

I couldn't understand it at all. When I couldn't organize my thoughts no matter how much I continued thinking, Terdius spoke consecutively.

"In doing so, I sometimes came to wish that that dream were my reality."

I unconsciously nodded at Terdius's following words. He could feel that way.

Because the original's story was somehow more friendly to Terdius. He wouldn't have had to stain his own hands with blood from Diego's brainwashing.

"But that was only for a moment."

Terdius looked at me with serious eyes. What is this, why did he stop wanting the original's story more?

"I... think now is better than that dream."

"Why?"

Terdius looked intently at me and slowly opened his mouth.

"In that world... no, never mind. Let's talk about this later, later."

What exactly is he trying to do? Doesn't he know that what makes people angriest is cutting off what you're saying?

For a moment, strangely irritated emotions boiled up at Terdius, but anyway, what was important right now wasn't the reason he thought now was better.

The problem was that he came to know some of the original's story.

'Wait, if he's talking about it to this extent, did he really dream even the original's detailed parts?'

How exactly did Terdius come to have such dreams, and what was the system Administrator's intention in making him have such dreams?

While thinking that, Terdius looked at me with eyes that became even more serious.

"Brother?"

When I called him wondering why he was looking at me with such worried eyes, Terdius opened his mouth.

"And, for some reason, when I'm with you, memories that I'd only see in dreams occasionally come to mind."

Wait. That meant he recalled memories of the original even in situations that weren't dreams.

'What is this? Are multiverses colliding or something?'

Though it was something that didn't make sense, it was also a reasonable suspicion in its way.

"...I don't know the reason. It's just such memories that feel like I existed in the place you're in."

"I see. That's a mysterious phenomenon."

I responded acting as nonchalant as possible.

"Right. But whenever such memories come to mind, it's strange. Because you weren't visible."

"Well... that could be. Though I don't know what memories you recalled, Brother."

I made an effort to add some input.

"Because human memory isn't perfect, and unknown things constantly happen in this world that we don't know about."

"...Right. That's true."

"So don't worry too much about it for now."

"Though not being concerned is an unavoidable problem... I'll try to suppress it as much as possible. Because it's not that important a matter either."

Fortunately, Terdius didn't seem to consider the original settings coming as dreams very important.

"Yes. Because what's important right now is something else."

I roundaboutly told Terdius to worry about the upcoming war instead. Because the memories of the original that Terdius saw weren't important matters right now.

'Because this world is already greatly twisted under the name hidden route.'

Like that, I continued moving while having various conversations with Terdius. And when night deepened, I found places suitable for camping and took brief sleep too.

And at dawn, when the east was breaking.

Swoooosh—

We finally arrived at a cliff at the continent's edge where the eastern sea was visible.

The height of the cliff located at the mountain range's end was considerable, but because the depth below was also quite deep, there seemed to be no big problem even if we dove.

'I brought potions in preparation for such times too.'

I opened inventory while looking at the horizon unfolding beyond the cliff. And I took out various items needed for this journey and handed them to Terdius.

"This and this are things you used last time."

"I see."

I delivered various potions including potions that let you breathe underwater and even converse.

"You need to take these two potions once every hour. I'll let you know when it's time."

"Understood."

After finishing explaining to Terdius like that, we consumed the potions.

Fortunately, there was waterproof potion among them, so the disaster of having to take off the clothes we were wearing didn't happen.

"Let's go."

After finishing preparations, I told Terdius. After confirming he nodded.

Tap—

I immediately jumped down below the cliff.

Splash!

Right after entering the sea, I immediately swam downward. Because I had also taken potions that protected the body even in deep sea, water pressure was no problem either.

How far did I go like that?

When I reached the deep sea where the surroundings were completely pitch black, a message appeared.

[You have discovered the hidden dungeon 'Merfolk Kingdom'!]

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