Sad thoughts. I need sad thoughts.
I dredged up the memory of a tearjerker drama I'd seen twenty years ago and forced myself into character. Fortunately, my current situation was genuinely depressing, so it wasn't hard to get into the mood.
"I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd worry," I began, my voice trembling. "But I think keeping it a secret will only deepen this misunderstanding. The truth is… the day after your proposal, I was in a terrible accident."
"…A fascinating story." Ludwig did not look convinced. Still, the hand on my neck loosened slightly, so it wasn't a total failure. "Go on."
I pressed on, not daring to meet his eyes. "You remember how the world I came from has no magic, but its medical technology is highly advanced? I was supposed to die from that accident. I spent the last several years in a coma, kept alive only by machines. I only woke up this year."
"…"
"It's true," I insisted. "I came here the moment I finished my physical rehabilitation. Because you—no, because all of you… I missed you so much."
I finished my speech and squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for his reaction. I could feel his intense gaze on me. Please, just believe me. Please.
After a long moment, Ludwig asked, "And on what basis am I supposed to believe this story?"
There it is. I was internally screaming with relief, but I maintained my sorrowful expression. "…Touch the back of my head."
"…"
Ludwig hesitated, then slowly reached out and ran his fingers through my hair.
"Do you feel that? The raised line? It's a surgical scar. The accident was so severe they had to open up my skull."
"…"
I was now skillfully weaving lies with the truth. The surgery part was true. I'd started getting migraines around the time I began playing the game, but then I went to the army and missed the window to get it checked out. Whenever I went to the infirmary with a headache, they just gave me painkillers and some red antiseptic, like they did for everything. After I was discharged, I finally had my first brain MRI.
The results were a disaster. The doctor said the gaming chip I'd had implanted in my head for convenience had melted from overuse, and that my brain was full of pus because it had gone untreated for so long. It was the predictable fate of someone who ignored the game company's recommendation to play for less than eight hours a day. The doctor had joked, "It's not easy to get your brain into this state just by playing games all day, but you managed it. If this were twenty years ago, you'd be dead."
I wanted to snap at his bedside manner, but since I was the idiot who'd done this to himself, I just shut up and went into the operating room. They performed major surgery, cleaning out the inflammation and replacing the old melted chip with a new, state-of-the-art one that would never melt.
At the time, I thought it was just a string of bad luck. But now, I realized it must have been a gift from the gods. Whichever god you are, thank you. Just tell me which direction to face, and I'll bow to you every day.
Ludwig, still suspicious, frowned as he traced the scar. His skepticism was making me nervous. "It's real," I pushed. "If you can't feel it properly, you can press harder."
"Hmm." Ludwig remained noncommittal. I placed a hand over my heart and put on my most earnest expression.
"I swear it on Iothea, the goddess of our vows."
"Are you serious?"
"Of course!"
"You, who used to treat the gods like a joke, now expect me to believe your oath?"
"…"
Damn it, past me, why were you such an ass…? I closed my eyes and sighed internally. "If you don't believe me, then there's nothing I can do. Do what you want."
"…"
"But if you kill me now," I added, brushing his rough cheek, "you will never again see the man who ran back to you from across worlds. Think carefully." I leaned in and whispered in his ear, "I will never leave you again. I crossed worlds for you."
It's not working… Am I really going to die?
I tried to log out a few more times, but every attempt failed. What does dying feel like with a 70% synchro rate? It would be unbearably painful. Genuine tears of self-pity welled up in my eyes and began to stream down my cheeks. In my blurry, tear-filled vision, I saw Ludwig's resolve waver. Seizing the opportunity, I channeled all my real fear into my performance.
"Sniff… I just… I missed you so much…"
"…Just me?"
"Ah, well, of course I missed the other guys too… No, no! I only missed you… because you're the one I truly love…" I hurriedly corrected myself. Ludwig still looked skeptical, but also a little confused.
"You love me?"
"Why else would I have crossed through hell and back to come to you…?"
Ludwig ran his tongue over his lips, lost in thought. It's working! It's almost over! I was laughing on the inside, thinking I might actually get out of this and log out today. But just then, a loud commotion erupted from outside.
What is that? The noise was so loud it was coming through the thick palace gates.
"General! You can't do this!"
"Let go of me!" a rough, ill-tempered voice bellowed. The voice sounded strangely familiar. I strained to hear more, but—CRASH!—the bedroom door was smashed off its hinges. Startled, I instinctively hugged Ludwig tighter.
"Wh-what was that?"
Standing in the ruined doorway was a man with hair as red as molten lava, eyebrows arched like lightning bolts, and a body honed to the absolute peak of muscular perfection. It was Matthias, my greatest rival and my best friend.
"M-Matthias?" I blurted out his name on pure reflex. The servant had said 'General Cromhart'… was that him? He was a commoner when I left; when did he get a noble title?
Matthias stared at me, his eyes wide as if he'd just woken from a long dream. Then, his face lit up with the brightness of the summer sun. "Lee Hyun?"
"Matthias! I missed you!" You're here to save me!
As I eagerly reached a hand toward him, knights swarmed into the room and surrounded him.
"What is the meaning of this disgraceful behavior in His Majesty's presence!"
"Smashing the bedroom door is an insult to the imperial family! Even a General can be tried for this!"
"Oh no!" I looked at Matthias with pity. But he was bigger than all of them and began to shrug off the knights with overwhelming force.
"Agh! Get off me, you annoying gnats!"
They were like a swarm of bees trying to stop a single, furious hornet. My heart pounding with excitement, I began to cheer for the hornet.
"Let go of him, you bastards!"
"Please, General, think of us! Our necks are on the line!"
"Why should I care about the necks of men I can snap with one hand?!"
"General, who here do you think could possibly beat you? That's what's so amazing about you!"
"I need to get to that bastard!" Matthias roared, his voice shaking the room. Even though his mouth is as foul as ever, his heart is pure silk. That's my Matthias. Moved, I looked at him with teary eyes. You can do it, Matthias! Go for it!
"Matthias, fighting!" I yelled.
After tossing another knight aside, Matthias glared at me, his face red with embarrassment. "Who are you cheering for?! Just you wait until I get over there, you son of a bitch!"
"…"
I immediately started cheering for the bees. "Knights! Get him! Drag him away! If he takes one more step, it's treason!"
"You're as fickle as ever!" Matthias snorted, amused by my instant betrayal. In the blink of an eye, two knights clinging to his tunic went flying like scraps of paper.
"Whoa! I think he just took another step! That's definitely treason!"
Despite my passionate support for the knights, their numbers were dwindling rapidly. No one seemed to be dead, but they were all being knocked unconscious. As fewer knights were left to hold him back, Matthias began to slowly advance toward me, dragging the remaining men with him.
"General, please!"
"Pathetic," he grunted. Ignoring their pitiful cries, Matthias trudged forward, step by step, looking like a moving mountain. I saw a faint aura of light flickering around him… His level couldn't be normal.
I focused my gaze on him, my heart pounding with a new kind of dread. After a moment, a translucent status window appeared.
[Name: Matthias Cromhart (Lv. 289)]Age: 24 Occupation: General of the Griche Empire Favorability: ??? Health: 86% Mana: 90% . . . Status: Preparing Skill "Slap Across the Face" (Lv. 56). Mind Peek: ???
"…"
That "???" next to his Mind Peek felt ominously predictable. Wait, his level is even higher than Ludwig's?!
I suddenly remembered a sparring match five years ago. Matthias, who was only level 80-something back then, had slapped me. I remember the vibration rattling my entire skull, followed by a pain like a hot spike being driven into my cheek. The bruise lasted for three days. Of course, I got him back and we ended in a draw, but still.
If it hurt that much at level 80… a slap from a level 289 Matthias… I didn't even want to imagine it.
I might actually die for real this time.