The Academy’s Doomed Young Lord Dies Ten Thousand Times

Chapter 157 : Chapter 157

Chapter 157 - Absurdity (1)

When my consciousness slowly returned and I opened my eyes again, the scenery that came into view was neither heaven nor hell.

There was only a metaphysical space, endlessly vast and spread out in pure white.

“Here is⋯⋯.”

For a moment, I forgot to think at the unusual scenery spread before my eyes, but that was only for a moment.

Soon after, questions endlessly flooded my mind.

What on earth was this situation, I wondered.

‘Is this also a space created by The One? But if so, I don't even know what I'm supposed to do.’

In , the color pure white did not just have the meaning of a simple color.

Pure white was a color that symbolized God, and the characters associated with that color had, more or less, a connection to the god of the world.

Like Regina with her snow-white hair, or Yuna who could temporarily spread pure white wings, and The One.

Thinking from that perspective⋯⋯ this space itself was probably created by The One.

‘The problem is that I don't know his intention.’

And for a moment, I realized that I was struggling again to grasp the situation.

At the same time, I felt that it was all meaningless now.

“The One?”

I just stood there blankly and called out The One’s name.

But there was no answer. My voice just disappeared into the air without even an echo.

“What in the world⋯⋯.”

This situation meant one of two things. One, The One deliberately dropped me in a space like this. Or⋯⋯ this situation has little to do with The One.

Considering the circumstances, the former was a bit more credible, but the The One I knew from was not a character who communicated in such a significant way.

My suspicion leaned toward the latter.

In confusion, I turned and looked around widely. What could there be to see, I thought, but⋯⋯.

“⋯⋯Huh?”

Unexpectedly, there was something.

What came into my sight was a single pedestal. A vertically long, table-shaped pedestal.

Even that was made of a pure white silhouette.

But what stood out even more than the pedestal was a single white book placed on top of it.

I knew instinctively.

“You want me to look at that book.”

That was the intention of this space. For some reason, I was able to grasp it at once and slowly walked towards the pedestal.

Even I couldn't understand why there was no hesitation in that series of actions.

Perhaps it would have been fine to just stand still and wait for The One.

It was also funny to judge so quickly as if I already knew about this space.

But whatever those thoughts were, I walked towards the pedestal without hesitation.

And as I examined the book on the pedestal with a sense of wonder, what was written on the cover was⋯⋯.

“1.”

The number 1, written in a neat script. That was all.

But, with just that, I could immediately tell what this book was about.

“⋯⋯The One, you mean.”

That's what ‘one’ meant in this world.

I looked around again. Still, there was only the metaphysically vast white space, and no more clues existed.

Then what choice did I have?

I took a deep breath and opened the book⋯⋯ and then the world once again shone with radiance.

***

It was the will of the world.

The will of the world was not a metaphorical expression. It was just one of the terms used to describe a component of this world.

Like earth, water, fire, and magic, the will of the world supported the continent as a constituent unit of this world.

The will of the world observed the world from a bird's-eye view. And from that observation, it derived ‘what must happen’ and ensured the world could continue to exist.

Sometimes it gave trials to the living beings of this land, and sometimes it bestowed blessings, things like that.

Some might call such a ‘will of the world’ a god, but it was not a god in the general sense.

Despite its name, the will of the world had no will of its own. It merely served the world as a system.

Rather than a god, it was a component that governed the fate of the world. The expression used earlier was the most appropriate.

Thus, the world was sustained by the will.

If only that were all.

The ‘will of the world’ came to possess a will of its own. Was that a few thousand, or perhaps tens of thousands of years ago?

It didn't matter. The important thing was only that the will created emotion.

And that emotion was, for the most part, sadness.

‘Sad.’

The world the will saw was pain, and the world was overflowing with pain and sadness.

Why must someone live their whole life starving just because they were born poor?

Why must someone, unable to even realize their dream, be conscripted as a soldier in a war and die without even leaving a name?

Why is someone born as an evil person, and another born as a good person?

Why was superiority and inferiority bestowed upon people's strength and talent?

Why does even one who lived happily lose everything due to a very simple accident and misfortune?

Why does someone live a happy life under a brilliant light, while another screams a final cry under the darkness?

Why is the total amount of happiness fixed, and why is that amount less than the total amount people desire?

Why can't everyone be happy?

Shouldn't the world have been made in a form where everyone is happy?

This was just a small sample of the world's contradictions and disparities.

The sadness and pain of people that The One felt as the will of the world could not even be put into words.

Therefore, the will asked God. On behalf of all the sadness and pain that people had experienced, were experiencing, and would experience.

“Why?”

The reason for asking was simple. Because it didn't have the answer to people's questions itself.

That's why, even with the grand name of ‘will of the world,’ it perhaps couldn't truly be called a god.

⋯⋯.

However, there was no answer. There was only a white space, and only a magnificent silence.

There was nothing the will could do, and so it silently swallowed the pain and sadness of the people.

And it shed tears at the fact that people had to endure the pain called life.

And also at the fact that the pain would repeat infinitely with no end in sight.

Therefore, it went out of its way to open its mouth and speak.

“⋯⋯How pitiful.”

The world was pain. And the source of that pain was usually simple.

Just that the world was made that way, and that people were just born that way.

Yes, that was surely an absurdity.

Therefore, the will thought.

‘I must end it.’

The world was certainly full of absurdity. And, it had both the power and the will to end that absurdity.

Therefore, the will decided to carry out that intention, and added a single clause to its judgment.

“⋯⋯This is the will of the world.”

Thinking about it, that was right.

Why did emotions and thoughts arise in me, the will of the world? Why is the ability to intervene in the world still intact?

There was only one answer to that question.

The world was ordering it. To end this world full of absurdity, and to create a more beautiful world.

Therefore, the will would only act.

As the will of the world, for the will of the world.

From that moment on, the will was reborn as ‘the One.’

***

That was the content of the book. And from that content, I was able to gain a single conviction.

‘That was definitely The One’s story.’

In the original , The One’s intentions are not revealed. Only the aspects of an enigmatic mastermind and a god-like being are emphasized; the actual final boss was rather Claudio.

There was some talk about it being a build-up for a sequel, but whatever.

I didn't read that story letter by letter.

It just passed by like an illusion, like a scene.

Yes, it was definitely an illusion. A phantom-like thing that could be true or false.

The important thing was why such an illusion appeared to me. And what I felt from that illusion. Even if I set aside the former as unprovable⋯⋯.

Clench.

Clenching my fist, I will be honest.

For some reason, I was a little angry.

Truly, why was that?

When I came to my senses, the white book, the pedestal, and that metaphysical space no longer existed.

I was back. To the scene of that life-and-death struggle—to be precise, to the world that had turned gray by The One.

“⋯⋯?”

The One was extending his hand to me. He had a slightly puzzled expression, probably because I was just standing there blankly.

Only then could I understand.

The act of me taking The One’s hand never actually happened.

And, this was the moment of choice.

I knew that fact, but without making an immediate choice, I opened my mouth.

“May I ask one thing?”

At my question, The One gave a small nod. As if to say, by all means.

“Well then.”

I could even feel benevolence and love in those eyes.

Although I no longer felt a sense of relief from that gaze.

It was a question not even worth repeating.

“Are our lives⋯⋯ pitiful.”

I already knew the answer.

“Are they just pitiful?”

Nevertheless, I asked.

And the answer that came back was⋯⋯.

“⋯⋯Yes.”

The One’s eyes, as he answered curtly, were filled with sorrow.

A gaze as if looking down at a dog dying from an accident, as if there was nothing to be done about its pitiable state.

‘He's not wrong.’

It certainly wasn't wrong.

The world was absurdity itself. I was thrown into this world without knowing anything, absurdly, and had no choice but to absurdly endure ten thousand pains.

There were a lot of damn bastards in this world. Those who looked down on, tried to trample, and despised others just because they were born as nobles.

There were even frequent situations where those who weren't even evil had to point their swords at each other.

I remembered Vargas from the Railroad Mysterium. He was an enemy, but not an evil man.

Judgment also came to mind. He was framed and driven out, and ended up meeting his end by degenerating into a monster against his will.

This was the tip of the iceberg. I knew that even the main characters of , who had certainly lived brilliant lives, had shadows that were just as dark as their light was bright.

I knew. Even before falling into this world, from the world I originally lived in, I knew. That this world is full of absurdity.

Even if you live righteously, even if you live diligently, it doesn't always lead to good results.

The fact that evil people often get better results is so common that it can't even be called surprising.

Yes, we were living in absurdity.

We who live in such a world.

“⋯⋯In that case.”

Are we⋯⋯ just pitiful?

If not that⋯⋯.

Shk.

I lifted my right arm, which had been hanging limply, up. In it was the sharply honed 『Spellbinder』.

“As I thought, I am your enemy.”

Even now, I didn't exactly understand my own actions.

Why am I resisting?

If I fall into rest, that absurdity will be someone else's story.

And with that death, a better world might unfold.

‘But, why.’

I don't know. The only thing I could know for sure right now was one thing.

That I was enraged by that look of pity.