Belial adjusted his glasses with his long finger. Though only slightly, it looked like the corners of his mouth curled upward.
“...”
“...”
‘That’s a strange expression.’
'This bastard... could it be that he actually remembers something?'
I had already accepted that I was in the same boat as Belial, but since he was a demon by nature, it wasn’t easy to trust him completely. It was even more difficult to trust him if one considered the fact that he was the Demon of Lies and Instigation.
Of course, the possibility that he was hiding the truth wasn't really going to be a problem, but it was something that I had to confront at least once.
‘There are definitely things I don’t understand...’
Those bound to this dimension, like Benigoa, Laurent, Varian, and Elune, seemed affected by the regression, but Belial wasn’t tied down to a single dimension, so I couldn't really say for sure that he was influenced by the regression.
I also saw with my own eyes that he had made a pact with Ki-Young in the first life.
‘Belial probably stirred up trouble in other dimensions, too.’
I didn’t want to look at him with suspicion, but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t feeling uneasy about him.
It seemed like Belial noticed my peculiar gaze because he shrugged and said, “Are you doubting me? That breaks my heart."
“Well, you did make a strange face, Mr. Bel,” I said.
“I just found it amusing that we seemed to have a connection, even in a timeline that no longer exists. That’s all. Nothing more. Though... I imagine you have a few questions. It’s only fair that I answer them,” Belial said.
“Then I’ll ask without holding back. Mr. Bel, do you remember the first life?” I asked.
“No, I don’t,” Belial answered.
“Why not? You’re not even bound to this continent... Isn’t your situation different from Lauren or Benigoa?” I asked.
“That’s probably because I made a contract with someone who existed in that timeline that no longer exists. If I said that I have a library that I can't access... will that make sense to you?” Belial asked.
“Not really,” I said.
“It’s easier to think of it as being in a situation similar to Benigoa and the other gods of this dimension. Yes, it’s true that I made a contract with someone in a timeline that no longer exists, and just as you’ve noticed, I'm not bound to any dimensions. Even if regression occurs, what’s reversed is only the history of this dimension...
"Hence, it's not strange for you to assume that I, someone who can interfere with other dimensions, was not affected by that regression,” Belial explained.
“That actually makes sense,” I said.
“But it seems that you're underestimating what a contract means to demons, especially to a demon lord like me. Have you not yet realized how rare it is for demons to enter contracts? And a contract's effects can’t be easily defined by whether one is bound to a continent or not,” Belial continued.
“So what you’re saying is...” I trailed off.
“If time is reversed in this dimension... then I, who made a contract with an entity in that timeline, would be affected by the reversal as well. If memories were a library filled with countless records, regression would be akin to creating a bookshelf that can no longer be accessed.
"You can even say I’m even more sensitive to it than Benigoa or the other gods,” Belial said.
“What?! What kind of nonsense is that... Lee Ki-Young! Just listen to this guy. He’s hilarious. Why’s he dragging us into this?” Benigoa joined the conversation.
“Would you at least let me finish my point, Benigoa? Anyway, my point is that Benigoa only grasps the intent and doesn’t possess the actual shelf. Do you get it? I believe you’ve experienced something similar yourself,” Belial said.
“That must be frustrating for you,” I said.
“That’s the price of a contract,” Belial said.
“But... I don’t think I mentioned that I made a contract with you in the first life, Mr. Bel...” I pointed out.
“That’s obvious. Why else would I have come to this dimension? If you want to set a trap, you should be smarter about it. I understand your suspicion... but I thought we understood each other pretty well...” Belial said.
“...”
“...”
‘Did I mess up? He actually seems upset...’
I figured it was better to back down quickly before stirring up a hornet’s nest. Naturally, I grinned and looked at him. His face didn't change much, and I couldn’t really tell what he was thinking, so teasing him a bit seemed to be the right move here.
“Hey, I was joking. It was just a joke. Don’t be upset. I just wanted to double-check because I don’t know you that well yet. There’s no hidden meaning at all. We have a special relationship... so don’t be upset...
"I’m sorry, Mr. Bel. Don’t be mad, okay?” I said.
“...”
“I’ve been a little on edge lately. I’ve been really stressed... You’re not actually upset, are you? You're not upset, right?” I asked.
“Well...”
“Who made our Mr. Bel upset... Was it Benigoa?” I said teasingly.
“Huh?! N-No! I-It wasn’t me! I didn’t do it!” Benigoa shouted.
“...”
“...”
“If you could do me a few favors... I think it would ease some of my irritation,” Belial said.
“Of course! Naturally, I’ll do that for you. You’re the one asking for the favor after all. Right? Isn’t that right, Benigoa?” I asked.
“Huh?Oh... right. We’re not strangers. We’re in the same boat! Who says we’re strangers? Ah, Belial, don’t get upset over something like this. Lee Ki-Young just doesn’t know, so of course, it's only natural for him to feel curious. It’s not suspicion; it's just verification. Verification! It’s important, so he had to check!” Benigoa said.
“...”
“Y-You know I don’t like this kind of atmosphere, Belial. Ease up a bit, okay? I’ll even give up a cupcake. Anyway... let’s finish what we were talking about! What do you mean you’ve been to the first life?” Benigoa asked.
I glanced at Belial’s face, and he looked just as curious as I was about the first life. At that moment, I had no choice but to silently thank Benigoa for steering the conversation back. Nodding, I told them what happened.
I started with the Six Stars, the tentacled monsters, Jung Jin-Ho’s death in the first life, and the fact that my future self was going to visit the first life.
Of course, the overarching theme connecting all these events was the strangely fitting puzzle pieces. Everything had happened as it was written, and it all felt like some surreal phenomenon created just for me.
The story was long, but they listened without interrupting me.
Benigoa occasionally nodded seriously, and Belial adjusted his glasses and looked at me. I couldn’t tell exactly what they were thinking, but since the two of them exchanged looks, they probably had some kind of idea.
Belial quietly poured some wine into a glass.
“Oh, thank you,” I said.
‘Looks like it’s non-alcoholic. Glad to see he’s calming down.’
“So...”
“That’s about it. Somehow, I managed to bring that pig along. Seriously, does it even make sense that someone from the first life could come here?” I asked.
“That just means he’s already become one of your followers... so it’s not that strange. That mortal... or rather, he can’t even be called a mortal anymore. If your follower played a significant role in that timeline, the system might’ve intervened... but from what I can see, that doesn’t seem to be the case...” Belial explained.
‘Damn it. I really don’t like that pig...’
“There’s no need to think it’s strange at all,” Belial reassured me.
Benigoa placed a cupcake in front of me, so I took a bite of it and said, “That’s roughly where the story ends... Do you have any guesses?"
“Hmm...”
“I don’t really know what to say. Honestly, we don’t know everything either, Lee Ki-Young,” Benigoa said.
“Hmm...”
“You might find this a bit strange, but it’s true. We don’t know how this dimension came to be, or why laws of multidimensionality and regression even exist. We also don't know who designed and created everything,” Benigoa explained.
“...”
“In every dimension, there are countless events beyond our understanding, and we’re just a bit lacking in our ability to grasp them all. Remember what I said before, Lee Ki-Young? We’re far from perfect, too,” Benigoa reminded me.
“...”
“I’ve heard that so many times before,” I commented.
“Right. As for that monster, it’s definitely not a being from our dimension. My guess is it might’ve come through some kind of dimensional rift...” Benigoa said.
“I’ll look into that matter myself,” Belial offered.
“Yeah, I think it’s best if you handle it. But as for the uneasy feeling you had... I have a rough idea of what it might be,” Benigoa said.
“What is it?” I asked.
Benigoa nibbled on her cupcake and said, “Just as you suspect, it’s hard to say that you’re the start of all this. Strictly speaking, you’re just a victim, thrown here from Earth."
“...”
“If I’m right, it means the system has fully accepted you as the administrator of this dimension,” Benigoa said.
‘It’s not completely unexpected...’
“This kind of thing happens sometimes in other dimensions, too. It happens when the dimension’s administrator suddenly changes. Remember Rohen? When you absorbed Rohen, many things happened there.
"There were magic storms, anomalies, and the Revelators leading the surviving humans toward paradise. It was a beautiful story,” Benigoa continued.
“That’s different from this. There, Ji-Hye noona and I intentionally—”
“Whether it was intentional or not, you redefined everything. You wiped away everything and guided the Revelators to create a new legend for the sake of legitimizing Rohen. Whether it’s the first or second life, the reset button was pressed. But what about this continent? Has anyone ever written that kind of narrative?” Benigoa questioned.
“...”
“There's a story about the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival, but there’s no real beginning or end,” Benigoa added.
“...”
“...”
“Could it be that... the Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary was designed with that in mind?” Belial asked.
“Huh? Huh? Ah... ah! O-Of course!” Benigoa answered.
Judging by her expression, that wasn't the case at all.
“I-I thought the issue would be resolved... if you got involved in Altanus’s story... but the system... must’ve deemed it to be something even more important,” Benigoa said.
Surprisingly, I felt that Benigoa had to have realized the issue. She was sharp in unexpected ways. Whether she was aware of it or not, considering the timing of when the Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary was brought up, it made sense to think that she was driven by some sort of pull rather than by reason alone.
I glanced at Belial, and he nodded slightly.
“Of course, we had to resolve Altanus’s story. I-I thought that alone would be enough... but apparently, it wasn’t. The system must’ve also thought that First Life Lee Ki-Young was pretty important,” Benigoa added.
“To be exact, the second life couldn’t possibly exist without the first. Actually, it’s more like...” Belial paused.
Belial and Benigoa exchanged looks.
“It’s because of that guy,” Belial added.
“Yeah, it’s because of the Sunset Swordsman,” Benigoa said.
“...”
“...”
“Why bring up Hyun-Sung all of a sudden? He hasn’t even come up here,” I asked.
“That's true, but the Sunset Swordsman has already attained divinity. Do you really think that the system is stupid? Just because he’s stuck in the world down there doesn't mean we can just ignore him,” Benigoa answered.
“...”
“Strictly speaking, you're the overseer of this continent and this dimension, but the Sunset Swordsman has the same role as you. The system must have decided to bind you two together. Honestly, I won't be surprised if that's the case,” Benigoa said.
“...”
“Think about what happened when the Outer Gods visited the continent and the continent became a dungeon. Those stories have already become legends, with bards singing songs about them. Do you really think the system can just ignore that?”
“...”
"Whenever you leveled up, the Sunset Swordsman was always right by your side! The holy power he consumed... they were all passed onto you... Without the Sunset Swordsman, the Mole Saint’s story could have been the end of things.
"The story began in the first life, so maybe the system is hoping that this life will influence that story,” Benigoa explained.
“So you're saying that...” I trailed off.
“Hmm?’
“You're saying that Hyun-Sung might have to go to the first life, too?” I asked.
“I-I’m not sure...” Benigoa answered, avoiding my gaze.