Chapter 07
1. When the Family Collapses, Society Collapses, and the Empire Collapses (5)
Since the villa was meant for hiding, it was fortunate that it had emergency rations and travel supplies.
While gathering food, they also changed into more comfortable clothes.
Geum Gayeon put on a loose shirt and leather pants like an adventurer might wear. She stared at a dagger with sparkling eyes, so Selena handed her a dagger set that could be secured to a belt.
Selena doubted Gayeon, a spirit user, would actually get into close combat, but if she wanted to, why not?
Wearing pants, Gayeon muttered with a strange sense of nostalgia.
“This is the first time I’ve worn pants since we secretly raided an illegal slave market.”
“…You raided what?”
“Huh? Oh, an illegal slave market. That’s pretty common, isn’t it?”
Only in novels.
Selena briefly considered explaining the actual reality of this world to Gayeon, whose worldview was a messy blend of a noblewoman’s experiences, an empress’s suffering, and 21st-century Korean romance-fantasy common sense—but decided against it.
They were leaving this world anyway. What did it matter if her understanding was a little off?
“Unni, aren’t you changing too?”
“I’m fine. These clothes have magic I cast myself. They’re really comfortable and sturdy.”
The outfit Selena was wearing was enchanted with a triple-layered shield spell she had personally inscribed.
It was closer to a magical tool than clothing. The shield activated automatically the moment the fabric suffered damage beyond a certain point.
It was one of the lifelines she’d prepared to survive countless assassination attempts disguised as accidents right before becoming an Archmage. Along with many other small devices built in, there was no reason to change.
She did, however, remove the flashy ceremonial robe meant for palace appearances and chose a simple brown coat instead.
“I already have a survival backpack prepared. We just need to take it. Now let’s rest. Oh—just in case, I think we should sleep in the same room. Is that okay?”
“Of course!”
With jerky, bread, dried fruit, and wine laid out, and their clothes lightened, their posture naturally relaxed.
Since they weren’t sleepy yet, they sat on the carpet floor, each hugging a cushion, and opened a second round of conversation.
“By the way, is this villa safe?”
“Yeah. I bought this under a false name in case my magic stone mine got discovered, so it’ll take the Empire at least two days to find it.”
Reassured, Gayeon chewed on the rabbit jerky Selena had brought.
“Let’s rest today to recover mana, then leave tomorrow.”
“Okay. But where exactly are we right now?”
“Mihal. It was upgraded from a village to a city about seven years ago. You probably don’t know it.”
“Hehe, I do. I was top of the geography department at the academy. I was a bookworm, but I memorized all place names.”
She probably felt awkward about the place she met the Emperor, but it seemed she’d enjoyed academy life itself.
With a noticeably lighter expression, Gayeon chatted away like a skylark.
After three months of being unable to properly talk to anyone—and now finally talking to another Korean—Gayeon held nothing back.
Selena listened happily.
She had nothing else to do before sleeping anyway, and Gayeon was a good storyteller. Curious about her life, Selena occasionally asked questions as they talked.
“I’m sick of this world now, but I’ll miss my spirits. They were the only ones on my side in the palace. I couldn’t see them after that damned bracelet, though.”
“Hm. Spirits are theoretically multidimensional beings. You might be able to summon them on Earth too.”
“But there’s no mana on Earth, right? Or is there?”
“There is. Just like here—and other dimensions too. Mana exists.”
“Oh… that’s a relief. Wait—how do you know that?”
That led to stories even Selena herself had almost forgotten.
Ah. I didn’t mean to bring this up. But it’s Gayeon… it should be fine, right?
Scratching her cheek awkwardly, Selena answered.
“Well… since I didn’t know my home world’s coordinate… I got frustrated. And I thought maybe if I opened enough dimensions, one of them might be my original world… so I opened a few other dimensions. That’s how I found out.”
At the honest confession, Gayeon fell silent for a moment, then stared straight at her.
“…Unni. You know the founding history of the Elsaik Empire, right?”
“What? Of course I do. A corrupted archmage opened a demon gate to destroy the world and summoned demons and monsters, and the first Elsaik emperor killed that archmage and sealed the gate.”
“Ah. So you do know. I thought you might not.”
“Haha. How could I not? Every imperial archmage is required to read The Founding of Elsaik.”
At Selena’s relaxed tone, Gayeon suddenly sprang to her feet.
The cushion rolled across the carpet. So did what little rationality Gayeon had left after three years of stress.
The former—aspiring—pink-haired Empress roared.
“Then how could someone who knows that casually go around opening other dimensions?!”
“H-huh?”
“I hate this world too, and I’ve grown sick of it, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to say, ‘Who cares if it gets destroyed!’”
It was a completely valid point.
The once-confident Archmage Selena shrank instantly. Of all people, Gayeon had called her out on one of the few things she felt guilty about.
“Ah… um… I didn’t mean total destruction… I was just frustrated at the time…”
“If destroying worlds was okay when you’re frustrated, I would’ve destroyed this one a hundred million times while stuck in the palace!”
“I’m sorry! I know I was wrong! But I closed everything properly! I sealed them tight—like, near-total seals! So it’s fine, right?”
“All of them? You said “dimensions”—plural. How many times did you open them?”
Selena hesitated.
Should I lie?
But after a moment’s struggle, she answered honestly.
“…Seven times.”
“Unni!”
The once-affectionate Gayeon snapped in anger.
Having genuinely tried to live properly in this world, Gayeon seemed deeply upset by Selena’s irresponsibility.
And rightly so. Hundreds of millions of people could have suffered.
In Earth terms, what Selena had done was equivalent to pressing a nuclear launch button seven times.
Sure, she’d stopped the countdown every time—but that didn’t excuse how insane it was.
If what Selena had done were ever revealed, she’d immediately become the continent’s greatest criminal.
Guilty as charged, Selena fidgeted with her fingers.
Ugh… that’s why I never even told my master… but meeting a Korean possessor made me drop my guard…
Regretting it, Selena rambled defensively.
“It was really fine! I blocked demon-lord-looking things at the cost of some lifespan, got impaled by a cursed demon sword and coughed blood, but I closed everything properly! That’s good enough, right?”
“Are you insane?! A demon lord?! You used your lifespan?! That’s dark magic! And you got skewered by a demon sword?! What kind of things have you been doing?!”
It really had been dangerous back then.
If she hadn’t always carried high-grade potions during the era when assassins still showed up regularly, she would’ve died.
“Unni!”
“I—I just… wanted to go home…”
Trying to say more, Selena groaned and finally surrendered to Gayeon’s scolding, deciding to shut up and take it.
She’d lived too long as an arrogant archmage. Instead of reasonable excuses, only shameless ones came out. Better to stay quiet.
Where did the warm, emotional first night between a reincarnator and a possessor even go?
Selena lowered her head in lament.
Serves me right.
***
Gayeon’s lecture continued for over an hour.
The problem was, Selena couldn’t stop her.
Count Kim, the shut-in Archmage who hadn’t listened to anyone in over ten years—
But her opponent was wrong.
How could she win against Geum Gayeon, who combined hometown solidarity and possessor solidarity?
Selena had no choice but to listen obediently to an hour of righteous scolding.
With her lecture resistance at rock bottom, the overload left Selena’s mind burning white.
“Gayeon… please stop. Unni’s mental strength has already reached its limit…”
At her pitiful whining, Gayeon looked like she still had a lot to say, then sighed.
“Fine. You cleaned up after yourself, and no one else got hurt. But you absolutely cannot act recklessly again. This world isn’t yours alone. Understood? And you could’ve died too.”
“Losing some lifespan? It was just a few decades. Archmages live two hundred years anyway—”
“…Unni?”
“—but life is precious!”
Only then did Gayeon nod in satisfaction.
After making her promise not to get stabbed and never touch cursed swords again and that the only blade allowed to pierce her would be a paper sword, Selena was finally freed.
Mentally shredded after receiving so much good advice, Selena went to sleep.
Thankfully, she slept very deeply.
Even if the first night’s ending was a bit awkward, perhaps it was because the existence of a Korean possessor she’d miraculously met had caused hope—long withered in one corner of her heart—to bloom again.
