PMEVBO 55

“Our Lulu is bursting with energy the moment he wakes up.”

It was that voice, the one that always disarmed me, no matter when or where.

The instant I heard that voice, time seemed to freeze. It should have taken only a few seconds to turn my head toward the source of the voice, but those few seconds felt like an eternity. And finally, what came into my view was a face so familiar and so longed for.

My only family, left behind in my original world…

“…Brother?”

My mind went completely blank.

Why is Hyung here…?

…I thought I’d never see him again until I returned to my original world.

My brother, who had been walking towards me, paused, then smiled gently.

“Brother? You should call me Your Holiness.”

……Your Holiness?

In this world, only one person was called by that title.

The man said to live a thousand years, the Pope.

I even wondered if my brother was just momentarily disoriented from the dimensional shift and talking nonsense. But the closer he walked towards me, the more an unfamiliar sense of unease surfaced.

Unlike me, he had quite a pleasant appearance. When expressionless, his features looked particularly cold, but he was such a generous smiler that it hardly mattered. When he smiled, his eyes softened, giving him a gentle, kind look. That’s probably why he became friends with strangers so easily.

But the man standing before me now was different. He was only smiling with his mouth; his eyes weren’t smiling. His pupils, too, lacked any light, like ancient relics unearthed from the earth.

Only then did I realize those lifeless pupils were red. My brother had black pupils.

…It’s not him. It’s someone else.

His voice, face, height, build, and gait. Everything was identical to my brother. But the man before me was not my brother.

He, who had approached the bed where I sat, stood with his back to the window. His shadow fell over me.

“Well, still…”

He bent his waist toward me and began to speak.

“Hey.”

“……”

“You.”

“…….”

“My brother is cuter than this.”

He looked down at me and laughed. His red pupils appeared black in the backlight. Just like my brother’s.

“What kind of whim is this? Hmm? Lulu.”

His tone was gentle enough to bring tears. But there was no warmth in it.

I couldn’t bring myself to answer. He didn’t seem to expect an answer either, appearing unconcerned.

Straightening his bent upper body, his gaze now turned to Tykvana. More precisely, to her hand holding my shoulder.

Only then did I realize Tykvana was holding my shoulder. She seemed to have realized it just as late as I had, because she hastily withdrew her hand.

The Pope, who had been quietly observing Tykvana, spoke softly.

“Tykvana, would you kindly step outside for a moment?”

Though phrased as a request, it sounded very much like an order. Tykvana took a short breath, bowed her head, and replied.

“……Yes.”

After Tykvana left, only the Pope, who resembled my brother, and I remained in the room.

The Pope slumped into his chair like a marionette whose strings had been cut. Leaning back against the chair, his arms limp over the armrests, the smile had vanished from his face.

The man stared at me, his expression blank. Once the mask-like smile was gone, it became even more vividly apparent how cold those eyes staring at me were.

A suffocating silence enveloped the room.

He spoke first.

“So, what happened at Hayut Castle two months ago?”

His tone was devoid of emotion. Even his manner of speaking was different from before Tykvana left.

But there was something else that bothered me. I asked in a cracked voice.

“Two months ago…?”

“Yes, two months ago. You were in a state of divine power shock for two months.”

…I was in a state of divine power shock?

That can’t be… Ah, right. I caused a divine power rampage…

▝▚’ Kill Iser Hayut!▞▘

Success!

…I couldn’t bear the fact that I killed that child with my own hands.

In that instant, the temperature, humidity, and even the smells from that day, that place, washed over me like a wave.

The disgust and revulsion at having killed countless people churned together inside me.

“Ugh.”

I finally vomited. Only stomach acid rose from my empty stomach after two months. My esophagus burned, and my vision spun.

When the nausea subsided slightly, I realized the acid I’d vomited had splattered onto his shoes. His gaze followed mine to his soiled shoes.

Yet he didn’t even frown. After staring impassively at his shoes for a moment, he met my gaze again.

“Finished vomiting? Then answer me. What happened that day?”

I kept my eyes downcast and remained silent. My neck was already damp with cold sweat.

“Can’t you speak?”

“……”

“Or… don’t you want to speak?”

I was just scared. If it’s true that when a person dies, their entire world ends with them, then that day, in that place, I had destroyed countless worlds. And yet, I was even afraid to admit that with my own mouth.

…Cowardly bastard.

I closed my eyes. I could feel my lips trembling.

“…I did.”

“I can’t hear you. Speak clearly.”

“I… I killed them…”

“Who?”

My cold, numb hands shook. I clenched my fists tightly and answered.

“…All of them.”

He was silent for a moment. But when his question finally came back, it held no trace of disturbance.

“How?”

“……”

“Did your divine power go out of control?”

My voice wouldn’t come out, as if a hot stone had lodged itself in my throat. I could only nod silently.

The Pope, who had been silently staring at my face with his chin resting on his hand, spoke.

“You keep crying. What’s so sad and painful?”

I knew better than anyone that I had no right to cry. Yet the tears wouldn’t stop. Disgusted with myself, I buried my face in my hands.

“Sad because you killed someone?”

I gave no answer. It was a question not worth answering. My feelings weren’t what mattered now.

His monotonous voice continued.

“They would have died someday, even without you. So what difference does it make that you happened to be the reason?”

“……What?”

I slowly lifted my head and looked at him. His face was too calm, considering the words he’d spoken. I couldn’t hold back any longer and lunged at him.

“…You think words are enough?”

What the hell does he think human life is? The thought that I’d ever mistaken this bastard for my brother was sickening.

Even with me grabbing his collar, he didn’t react much. He just stared up at me silently.

“Or did you kill someone you cared about? Is that why you’re sad?”

In that moment, I couldn’t breathe, as if my throat were being strangled. My hand clutching his collar trembled. He watched my state impassively.

“So. You’ve acquired something like that now.”

“…….”

“What’s already dead can’t be helped. No amount of sorrow will bring it back.”

“……I know.”

That’s why it’s sad.

More than the fact that I took countless lives with my own hands, it was killing that child… That I’d never see that child again… That was what made me sad.

“You’ll die someday too. Dying is the same for you as it is for anyone else. So why do you grieve as if you’ll never die?”

“……”

“Is there really any need for that?”

He spoke without blinking. The man wearing my brother’s face didn’t seem like a living person. He was like a stuffed animal, his soul long dead, leaving only an empty shell behind. Only then did I realize the being before me wasn’t human like me.

“So stop crying and tell me. What can I do for you?”

He reached out and wiped the tears running down my face. That gentle gesture made me stiffen. Regardless of my reaction, he continued dryly.

“Shall I lock you in Hell for the sin of hiding your divine power and taking countless lives?”

“……”

“Or shall I commend you for your belated manifestation and seat you as bishop?”

“…….”

“Hm? Lulu, what can I do for you?”

A monster who’d lived a thousand years, yet even his touch resembled my brother’s. The horror of that truth made me release the collar I’d been gripping.

……How am I supposed to endure this?