TSMFTDG 85🖤

Episode 85

For several days, I kept dreaming about the time when I lived as Seo Huiwon. And in every one of those dreams, my one and only friend appeared.

At first, I thought it was strange. Why did you always show up in my dreams?

But the more I thought about it, the more natural it seemed. Maybe I just hadn’t realized it before—but whenever I came to my senses, you were always there by my side.

“You just asked why I’m here, didn’t you?”

“…I’m not sure what you mean.”

She avoided my gaze in confusion and tried to pull her captured hand free. I tightened my grip instead, not letting her escape.

“Please… let go first—”

“Then answer my question. Why are you here?”

If only this were a hallucination—how much easier that would be.

Jet-black hair cut sharply at shoulder length, and light brown eyes that brightened slightly in the sunlight.

The world was vast and full of people, but could two people really look *this* identical?

“Um… I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

“What?”

“I just found you collapsed and tried to help. I don’t know who you think I am, but we’ve never met before.”

Though flustered, she spoke clearly. There was even a hint of wariness in her eyes, as if she truly were seeing me for the first time.

“…We’ve never met?”

“Yes. And since I need to check your injuries, could you please let go of my hand?”

Seeing how uncomfortable she looked, I finally released my grip. Then I stood up, refusing her touch.

I was more shaken than I wanted to admit by the fact that she wasn’t *her*.

“…What’s your name?”

“Melin.”

How could this be? She looked exactly the same—so much so that it felt like reincarnation. From head to toe, everything matched.

“You should go inside first. Your wound looks like it’s reopened. If you don’t treat it quickly, it’ll get worse.”

“I’m fine. Don’t come any closer.”

When Melin stepped toward me, I took a step back, deliberately putting distance between us.

“Fine. I’ll believe you when you say you’re not the person I know. Even if your face looks identical—like you’re twins.”

“……”

“Then tell me this. How did you even get in here? You know this isn’t a place just anyone can enter.”

Kidis had said that only those who met the conditions could enter this place. The elder’s words wouldn’t have been a lie.

So how had Melin gotten in? She looked like an ordinary human by any measure.

At my question, she hesitated for quite a while. Her eyes wavered before she finally let out a short breath and spoke.

“I was assigned the role of assisting those who participate in the trial. That’s why I’m allowed to be here.”

“I’ve never heard anything like that.”

“That’s only natural. My existence isn’t supposed to be known to the trial participant.”

I couldn’t tell whether she was lying or telling the truth. The circumstances were suspicious, yet her explanation fit together too neatly to dismiss outright.

“So that’s why you kept hiding every time I woke up?”

“…You noticed?”

“It’d be stranger if I hadn’t. Every time I woke up, there were signs of treatment, but no one in sight.”

Melin gave an awkward smile and fiddled with her hair, as if she herself found the situation absurd.

“Then is there anything else you can do to help me pass the trial?”

“All I can do is treat you when your life is in danger. I can’t help directly with the trial itself.”

So she really couldn’t help in any meaningful way. Looking at her, she didn’t seem like someone suited for combat anyway.

“Do you trust me now, at least?”

“…No.”

My blunt answer made her frown slightly.

“I understand what you’re saying. But that doesn’t mean I trust you. I’m not good at trusting people to begin with.”

If she really wasn’t the one I knew, then there was no reason for us to be involved at all.

“Your treatment’s enough for now. You should go.”

“But your wound hasn’t fully healed yet—”

“I’ll take care of it myself—”

I trailed off and turned my gaze away. I could feel something unpleasant watching me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just go. Don’t concern yourself with my business.”

“But—”

“Didn’t you hear me? Go.”

When I sharply furrowed my brow, Melin seemed to sense something was off and reluctantly nodded.

“…Please be careful.”

She looked at me with worry before leaving. Once she was completely out of sight, I crooked my lips into a faint smile.

“I figured you’d make a move soon enough. Didn’t expect you to show up this quickly.”

There was only one presence watching me—and it was easy to tell it belonged to a monster.

Whenever something felt this ominous, it usually was.

“I did take too long, after all.”

I had been planning to move anyway, so it was almost convenient that it came to me first. Without hesitation, I stepped toward where the gaze was coming from.

❖ ❖ ❖

The moment Salovan revealed himself, the sky filled with monsters, and the village descended into chaos.

“Run this way!”

The knights who still had their wits about them quickly began evacuating the villagers. Lian looked up at the darkened sky and spoke.

“You were waiting for me?”

“Yeah. You were stuck close to Rehel the whole time, so I couldn’t get near you. I had to wait for the right moment.”

“So this was all your doing again.”

At Lian’s words, Salovan curled his lips into a smooth smile, then gazed with satisfaction at the people fleeing in panic.

“If not me, then who else?”

He was enjoying this—human screams mixed with despair, the air gradually growing murky. All of it exhilarated him.

All the other heroes were in the capital, and Rehel—who constantly interfered with him—was trapped in the Remote Mountains.

It had been a long time since he’d felt this pleased, knowing there was no one left to get in his way.

“Come now, my children. It’s been a while—enjoy yourselves.”

At Salovan’s command, the bat-shaped monsters circling menacingly in the sky swooped down toward the humans.

Lian drew his sword and slashed through the air. A red aura shot forward, slicing cleanly through their wings.

“Kiiiii—!”

The monsters, their wings severed, screamed as they fell to the ground. They writhed, trying to recover, but bled out and died.

Anyone struck by Lian’s skill was unable to regenerate for a certain period of time. For most monsters, a single hit was effectively a death sentence.

“If you had something to say, shouldn’t you have come alone? There’s no need to bring along your underlings.”

“I thought showing a bit of sincerity might make you more willing to talk.”

Lian frowned, openly displeased, but Salovan didn’t care.

“Clear those things out first. Then I might consider it.”

“You’re not really in a position to be so relaxed, are you?”

At that moment, the villagers who had been evacuating under the knights’ guidance collapsed helplessly to the ground. The knights, poisoned as well, lost consciousness one after another.

“That’s…?”

Bluish bruises bloomed across their skin, spreading as if they would cover their entire bodies. Lian let out a hollow breath at the sight.

It was obvious this was Salovan’s doing. A vile, monstrous energy seeped from their bodies.

“What do you want?”

“Looks like you’re finally in the mood to talk.”

“……”

“If I went this far just to separate you from Rehel, isn’t it obvious?”

After things had gone wrong once in the imperial capital, Salovan had come to realize something.

The remaining Demon Kings were no longer enough to deal with Rehel.

Only Pain and he himself were left. And even together, they couldn’t stop her. So another method was needed.

After much thought, he arrived at an answer: the hero at her side—Lian.

“I want you to join hands with me. Our interests align rather well, don’t you think?”

Salovan was certain. Rehel’s greatest weakness was the human hero she kept close.

“That’s the best you can come up with? What nonsense.”

Lian let out a dry laugh and tightened his grip on his sword, clearly seeing no reason to listen further.

“Why call it nonsense? You know as well as I do that leaving Rehel as she is will only lead to disaster.”

Rehel had grown stronger, yes—but she had also become more dangerous. Her in-between body, neither fully human nor monster, was ill-suited to contain the immense power she had absorbed.

Someday, she would lose control and have that power wrested from her. Lian understood that well. But that didn’t mean he would ever join hands with Salovan.

“I don’t see what you’re getting at.”

“I mean exactly what I say. I care about Rehel too, in my own way. Our goals differ, but I still consider her a comrade.”

“Then you’d better start being honest. If you really saw her as a comrade, you wouldn’t be sneaking around behind her back like this.”

Lian struck straight at the heart of the matter. Salovan hadn’t expected to convince him anyway, so he brushed it off.

“Still, you can’t deny that she’s dangerous. If you want her to live a long life, teaming up with me wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”

Salovan glanced at the humans collapsed along the road before continuing.

“And for the sake of those people who seem to need your help so badly, it’s an offer worth considering.”

The meaning was simple.

Betray Rehel—or abandon the humans.

Forcing Lian into a position where he had to choose one or the other.

That was Salovan’s plan.