The Original Work Got Ruined After I Quit Being the Sub Male 74

“And I made a wish to live an eternal life.”

“……”

“Thanks to that, I became immortal, but instead I lost precious people and was trapped in the terrible hell of solitude.”

Beyond Terion’s voice calmly laying out his circumstances, a fragment of a past conversation overlapped once more.

〈What kind of wish did that god grant and what despair did he give?〉

〈Instead of granting the wish to live an immortal life of eternal youth, the despair of being forgotten from the memories of everyone who knew that avatar.〉

The story I heard then… it was exactly the same. The man before my eyes was undoubtedly the protagonist of the anecdote I had learned about through my conversation with Cedric.

To think I would actually meet him.

“Terion. Do you happen to know Cedy… Cedric Soliwen?”

He was still in the middle of speaking, but I couldn’t contain my curiosity and interrupted with a question.

For a moment, Terion raised one eyebrow upon hearing the name ‘Cedric’ and showed a strange reaction. He stroked his chin and briefly pondered, then soon nodded.

“Not precisely, but it is a name I know.”

“I heard your story from Cedy.”

“Hmm, then that must be right. Until this moment, he was the only one who knew my story.”

“……”

When and where did they meet, and how did they come to know each other? As I was glancing around with eyes full of such curiosity, Terion, who had been openly staring at me, suddenly twitched the corners of his mouth.

“Are you close with that man?”

A hint of a smile appeared on his expressionless face. I nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Just friends? Or are you lovers?”

“…We’re lovers.”

I answered after rolling my eyes around awkwardly for no reason. Heat rose to my face without me knowing.

Terion’s face became a bit softer. It was like looking at a cute younger sibling, so I relaxed and was about to smile back when—

“I see. So you were the reason that fellow regressed.”

Suddenly I felt like I had been doused with cold water.

“…What?”

“I heard he was looking for Chronos because there was someone he wanted to meet again. Before the regression, that is.”

“Regression… you say?”

When I pointed out the part that bothered me greatly, Terion paused. He seemed somewhat flustered, as if this was an unexpected reaction.

“Ah. Haven’t you heard about the regression yet?”

“……”

“Since you said you already heard my story from Cedric, I thought you knew about that too. He and I met before the regression, you see…”

Terion’s voice seemed to grow more distant. My head became mushy like kneaded dough, and my heart began to pound with an unstable rhythm.

‘Regression… he turned back time…’

Cedric did?

‘There was no such story in the original.’

…No, wait.

Those memories I had been calling the ‘original’—were they really novel content?

‘What if they weren’t?’

They were vivid memories as if I had actually experienced them. Memories that knew nothing about the two people’s inner thoughts… memories focused extremely on just ‘my perspective.’

〈You like Ret, don’t you.〉

His tone had seemed so certain.

〈Is this perhaps a temple related to Chronos?〉

Though he had seemed to have no interest in temples until then, he suddenly showed interest in Chronos.

Conversations that had passed by insignificantly, a series of events I hadn’t paid much attention to, flashed by quickly like a revolving lantern.

If everything in my memories wasn’t ‘a hypothetical timeline that didn’t happen’ but ‘things that actually happened’—

Then did Cedric like… Riette?

〈Eddie. Give up on Ret.〉

I recalled Cedric speaking as if condemning me, asking how long I would covet Riette who belonged to him.

〈Since before we met through Ret’s introduction.〉

〈I’ve liked you continuously since before then. Eddie.〉

I also recalled the current Cedric who whispers love continuously in a gentle voice like a warm spring breeze.

I felt deep confusion between the Cedric who liked Riette and the current Cedric who says he likes me.

Until now, I had thought it was a parallel world or that the Cedric in those facts wasn’t real, so I had accepted it, but if those two were the same person, the story changes.

That would mean he… had liked Riette so much until the regression that he desperately tried to push me down, and now he’s whispering love to me.

Where exactly does the truth begin and end?

‘How should I accept this story…’

Could he have been… deceiving me all along?

Was he… lying to me? If he was lying, why? Even if that were true, doesn’t he have no reason to do so?

I think it doesn’t make sense.

Since it’s true that I liked Riette at that time, I could think positively that he did it to separate Riette from me and make me give up.

‘But I also saw them kissing.’

He said he liked me since before knowing me through Riette’s introduction. But then why…

My head was chaotic due to the shock of this sudden fact. I couldn’t maintain my rationality at all.

“What’s wrong?”

Suddenly Terion awakened me from my reverie. I pulled myself together and shook my head.

“Ah… it’s nothing. Please continue the story from before.”

“Hmm? Right. The conversation got sidetracked for a moment.”

“……”

“Anyway, I… want to escape from this eternal solitude. I want to know a way to escape from the shackles of immortality. That’s why I came looking for you. Of course, if you’re able to communicate with Prometil.”

“…Yeah. It’s possible.”

“I see.”

“I’ll ask, so please wait a moment.”

Just as I answered Terion like that, Prometil’s voice came as if he had been waiting.

[I know a way to escape.]

He seemed to have been listening to our conversation the whole time.

“…He says he knows a way.”

[However, I can’t help directly.]

“But he says he can’t help directly…”

I could see the shallow expectations and hope that had spread across Terion’s face quickly sink. Even though it wasn’t my fault, I suddenly felt sorry.

“Then, could you at least tell me that method?”

I nodded.

Soon Prometil continued speaking.

[Tell him to find ‘Thanatos’s divine artifacts.’ He is the god who governs death. Thanatos’s divine artifacts are split into three pieces and scattered throughout various parts of this country.]

When I relayed those words exactly, Terion showed difficulty.

“The god of death? Does he really exist? I’ve only heard of him as a hypothesis and never heard of his temple being discovered.”

[How dare you talk back to a god.]

…Oops. I think I’ve talked back to him often too.

[You’re a child I cherish, so it’s okay.]

I hesitated because I couldn’t relay Prometil’s words exactly as they were.

Then Terion furrowed his brow, whether because he didn’t trust me or was frustrated. He might think I’m lying. Being in the position of relaying messages wasn’t easy.

[This won’t do.]

Suddenly Prometil clicked his tongue. Then, like when we first met, light burst from the bracelet and Prometil appeared before my eyes in a form similar to a human.

“……!”

He must have found it frustrating to speak through me, so he came out directly.

[How dare! Talking back to a god.]

He must have really wanted to say that.

[I was trying to help thinking of this child’s dignity, but if you come out like that, I won’t teach you.]

When Prometil came out with such a stubborn attitude, Terion, who had been flustered for a moment, soon turned to me and apologized.

“I’m sorry. I got impatient without realizing… I had no intention of reproaching or condemning you.”

I quickly waved my hands to mean it was okay. Prometil, who was sitting in mid-air with one leg crossed over his thigh, smiled with only his facial features visible.

[Everyone fears death. But for mortal beings like you, it’s something inseparable.]

“……”

[That’s why there are no temples. It has simply always existed beside you. So find the divine artifacts. They will make you a mortal being again.]

I kept my mouth shut and just listened to their conversation. Terion seemed lost in thought, looking down, then soon moved his lips.

“Do I just need to find all the split divine artifacts?”

[That’s right, that’s right.]

“Are there any clues about where each of the split divine artifacts is located?”

[I already said I can’t give direct help. You’re not my avatar.]

…That was the reason it wasn’t possible?

“I need to find three of them, but couldn’t you tell me about at least one? If you tell me, I’ll be able to trust your words more. But if you have no intention at all, I’ll have no choice but to think you’re a god at the same level as Jephs.”

[What? Being treated the same as that guy is unpleasant!]

He clicked his tongue and continued.

[Go to the Canyon of the Sun Clan and look for clues. There are no more hints than this.]

Prometil waved his hands dismissively as if telling him to take this and leave. It was quite insulting, but Terion seemed to have obtained as much information as he wanted and readily bowed his head in greeting.

“Thank you for your help.”

[Hmph.]

“I’ll go let them know the conversation is over.”

“Ah, okay.”

Then Terion left the reception room first.

I stood up briefly to see him off, then sat back down.

When silence came once more, the confusion I had postponed swelled up again inside me.

“…You know, God.”

[Yeah?]

“Really, is it true that Cedy regressed?”

Prometil, who had been looking toward the door following Terion, turned his head toward me. The shadows of his thick brow bone and curved eyelids were clearly looking at me.

He seemed to hesitate to answer for a moment…

[That’s right.]

He plainly revealed the truth.