The Protagonists of the Novel Escaped

Drrrrrr
Edanant’s presence is felt.

Zap!
Regnas instinctively sensed it and signaled to King Tarant.

Oops!
A peaceful face-to-face might be tough.

So, to prevent any potential casualties, he evacuated the citizens from the town beforehand.

Finally! Here we go!
What kind of reaction will Edanant have when facing the truth?

Furious!
He’ll definitely unleash his anger more fiercely than anyone else.

Even with a brusque personality like Maximilian’s, he has a considerate side toward his comrades.

Curse this fate!
A man with reddish-brown hair grimaced, gripping the hilt of his sword. It was a habitual move of his when hardening his resolve.

Boom!
“The warmonger has arrived. Everyone, stand back!”

“W-What? You’ve already… arrived?”

“As I said before, you must never draw your sword. Under no circumstances.”

“…Of course.”

Leaving behind urgent advice to Tarant and the knights, Regnas moved.

Whoosh!
He exited the royal castle.

Soon, he arrived at the castle walls lined with tall spires.

The soldiers defending the walls had retreated upon royal command. Regnas awaited Edanant while facing the fierce winds on the walls.

“…Regnas.”

Tick-tock.
How long has it been?

A man donning a rusted iron mask suddenly appeared.

War cry!
The warmonger.

At last, he reunited with his long-lost comrade.

Regnas took in the whiff of gunpowder wafting through the air and raised his gaze, meeting the sharp glare visible through the iron mask.

“It’s been a while.”

“This isn’t exactly the situation to swap pleasantries, is it? You’ve caused chaos in the Pug Kingdom.”

“My apologies. It must have been quite shocking.”

Bang!
“Is this something to laugh about?”

BANG!
Amidst the deafening gunfire, a bullet was fired.

The moment he finished speaking, Edanant drew his pistol and pulled the trigger at Regnas.

In response, Regnas reached out, catching the bullet mid-air.

“…You’re still as reckless as ever.”

“What do you expect? Old habits die hard.”

Thud thud!
Regnas and Edanant were just 10 yards apart.

As soon as he took the pistol from his holster, he extended his mana-wrapped hand.

Upon sensing danger, Regnas’s reaction speed exceeded even that of a superhuman.

His skills had not rusted at all.

Three years had passed since the war ended, yet he was still in his prime.

Battle cries!
The Seven Heroes of the Warring States.

Sword Saint Regnas.

Tasked alongside Maximilian to lead the charge in the Saintess Party, Regnas had been a hero who never revealed his back to danger.

Whirlwind!
One must not overlook his usual gentle demeanor.

Before a giant storm strikes, the calm before it is always the quietest.

Edanant knew Regnas’s strength better than anyone. That’s why he acted before the Empire and Holy Kingdom declared the Sword Saint a public enemy.

Gasp!
“You’re telling me you have a vampire along with you… You still have unique preferences.”

“I didn’t bring her along because I enjoyed it.”

Spotting the black-haired vampire, Regnas chuckled. She was guarding Edanant’s back like a knight.

A member of the bloodline of fresh blood.

Not just that, but she was also a disciple of the Disaster God.

How could Edanant, who had always held contempt for cultists, accept her?

Regnas showed curiosity while feeling strong interest.

Clatter!
“I’ll have a private chat, so wait over there.”

“Understood, Seer.”

As Edanant gestured, Ariel nodded and dispersed into mist.

Wooosh!
“There was no next… What does that even mean? No, before that… where did you all go?”

The Hero, Saintess, Mercenary King, Sage, Sword Saint.

The heroes who had once defeated the Undying Demon King vanished overnight.

At first, it was assumed to be mere romantic affairs. It seemed like the exceptionally skilled male protagonists had eloped with the pitiful female protagonist seeking to spend the rest of their lives together.

But—.

As time passed, questions started to arise.

It could be something far more serious than that.

“Where is Beatrice?”

Listen closely!
No one was eavesdropping.

There was nobody to interrupt.

Edanant observed Regnas with sharp eyes and unleashed the lingering question long held back.

Ding!

A solution appears before me.

I’ve faced the long-desired truth.

Suppressing the trembling, Regnas awaited Edanant’s answer.

“Edan, I’m sorry, but before answering… can I ask you just one thing?”

“…….”

Error!
Regnas’s action of posing a new question while waiting for an answer made Edanant frown. But since there was no need for hasty pressure, he momentarily suppressed his anxiousness.

There was no rush.

Today, the truths of the Saintess Party would be unveiled.

Regnas wasn’t the kind to spout falsehoods. So even while feeling the crushing anxiety, he permitted Regnas to question.

“Are we truly mere characters in a story?”

“What?”

Confusion!
What did he just say?

What did he just say…?

The Sword Saint’s question, filled with a profound lament, left his mind blank.

An utterly unanticipated question caused him to shiver all over. The desperate determination to uncover the truth momentarily lost its compass, plunging him into deep panic.

Gulp!
How did he come to know?

When did he start to realize?

That they were artificially created beings. That the vast world they desperately defended was just a fabricated space.

Despite having heard it clearly, it was hard to believe.

It cannot be.

It must not be.

Feeling the changes of his wildly beating heart, he swallowed hard.

“I began to feel questions since meeting Edan. It was supposed to be the beginning of our journey… yet Edan acted as if he were a prophet, skillfully dealing with every event we encountered.”

“…….”

“Back then, I just thought he had great intuition. But seeing the truth now, I understand. Edan had already known the ending before our journey even began.”

“…How did you know?”

Clang!
There’s no thought of evasion.

Regnas’s voice was as resolute as ever.

He doesn’t know the detailed process.

But it was clear that the Saintess Party reached ‘knowledge that should never be known.’

“So the Saintess Party ran away without a word? You all discovered that the world we desperately protected was actually an artificial illusion?”

Every action taken until now was merely a journey on a monorail created by the author. After overcoming numerous challenges, the Saintess Party likely experienced remorse and void more terrifying than death.

Could that be the reason they disappeared?

While picturing Beatrice, who must have spewed disillusionment and despair, he asked Regnas.

“There were times when we expressed confusion, and at times we spilled our emptiness… but surely our journey over the years has been nothing but beautiful memories. Even if it were a tale created by someone, I believe our efforts to save the world were by no means in vain.”

Ding!
We protected the world.

We saved countless people.

Thus, without a doubt, there is no regret.

Even after facing truths that should not have been known, the chivalry of the Sword Saint still shone resolutely.

He remained unchanged.

Many events had unfolded, yet he was still the Sword Saint.

“Then why did you all disappear?”

Bam!
The predictions were off.

The Saintess Party had not vanished for private reasons.

There was a reason they had to leave.

A new backstory existed that required them to vanish without a word.

As the mysteries slowly unraveled, his heartbeat began to quicken. He anxiously awaited Regnas’s answer.

“Next never came…. Do you remember what I left behind?”

“Uh.”

After slaughtering the king and nobles, he left a message for Prince Erik.

Nodding at Regnas’s words, a deep question like a swamp flickered through his mind.

‘Despite having disappeared completely alongside Beatrice… why did you suddenly appear in the mundane world and massacre the king and nobles of the Pug Kingdom? Regnas would never wield killing intent for revenge from the past.’

The reason the Saintess Party had suddenly disappeared must be related to the bloody massacre occurring in the Pug Kingdom. And Regnas’s message would likely be the clue to unravel that connection.

The time spent waiting for an answer felt like eternity.

Especially because it was a moment he had desperately longed for.

“It’s as I said. There was no next… for us, there’s no next.”

“What do you mean?”

“The world is slowly dying. Ever since we defeated the Undying Demon King, the evil that has been preventing the end of the world has vanished.”

“…….”

The end of the ultimate black mask that had continuously brought trials meant the conclusion of the tale.

Last chapter!
Regnas referred to it as ‘the end of the world.’

To the characters within the story, a conclusion might as well be the same as death of the world. An ended tale will forever remain stagnant.

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