Chapter 218: Berg (5)

 

I glanced awkwardly at my wives.

 

Arwin and Ner were on the boat with me.

 

Sien stood outside, silently watching me.

 

Surrounding us were flowers and various offerings, likely for a funeral.

 

No one else was in sight.

 

Only the three of them were here, saying their final goodbyes to me.

 

Nearby, Arwin’s bow rested close to hand. I realized it must have been the tool to set this ship ablaze.

 

It was clear—I had faced death.

 

And yet, somehow, I had returned.

 

“...”

 

I didn’t know what to say to my frozen wives.

 

This was a first for me too, and I felt awkward.

 

After hesitating for a moment, I apologized again.

 

“...I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.”

 

“...Bell...?”

 

Sien called me by the old nickname as she placed a trembling hand on my cheek.

 

Her eyes brimmed with unstoppable tears.

 

“...This isn’t a dream, right?”

 

She asked, her voice shaking.

 

I looked down at myself.

 

It didn’t feel like a dream.

 

“I don’t think so—”

 

Thud!

 

At that moment, someone struck my chest.

 

It was Arwin.

 

Usually composed or cold, she now shed tears with an outpouring of emotion.

 

Her face reflected a mix of sorrow, relief, and anger all at once.

 

Thud! Thud! Thud!

 

Even as tears streamed down her face, she didn’t stop hitting me.

 

She sobbed, her voice trembling with rage.

 

“You promised!”

 

Thud!

 

“You swore you’d come back!!”

 

Thud!

 

“You said you wouldn’t leave us like that!!!”

 

Thud!!

 

“...”

 

I had no words to offer.

 

I couldn’t even stop her.

 

Like a sinner, I simply stood there, taking her blows.

 

“Do you... sniff... have any idea what I went through to let you go?! How much regret and pain have you left me with?!”

 

“...”

 

I recalled how Arwin had been the one to give me her final support when I chose to embark on this journey.

 

When Sien and Ner had fallen apart, it was Arwin who stood by me, urging me to do what I believed was right.

 

But now I could feel how much she must have suffered—how deeply she must have regretted that choice after I died.

 

Her tears and emotions, long suppressed, were finally pouring out.

 

“...Hah!”

 

Then Ner’s tears started to flow, catching on like an infection.

 

Touching me, sniffing me—perhaps realizing that I had truly returned—she began hitting me too, like Arwin.

 

Using her palms like whips, she struck me.

 

“You’re so...! hic... so hateful!!”

 

Her strikes didn’t carry much force.

 

They felt more like the exhausted blows of someone completely drained.

 

“How could you leave like that...?! Sob... How could you promise love and then just die?!”

 

Though neither Arwin nor Ner was particularly strong, the force of their emotions and their combined blows began to weigh on my already aching body.

 

“P-please calm down...”

 

Thud! Thud! Thud!

 

Slap! Slap!

 

I crossed my arms to shield myself.

 

But the two were so caught up in their tears that they didn’t notice—or care—and kept striking me.

 

“Ner...! Arwin...! Just—!”

 

“I was scared to death, Berg!!! Ahh! You’re all I have!! You know that!!”

 

“How could I live a thousand years without you?! Why would you make me suffer like that again?!”

 

Perhaps because they were from different species, their standards of restraint seemed different too.

 

They showed no mercy.

 

I turned to Sien, hoping for help.

 

“Sien, can you calm them—”

 

“—Keep getting hit.”

 

She cut me off instantly.

 

Now I noticed that her face too was filled with fury.

 

Once relief had swept through her, her hidden anger had surfaced, blooming like a fire.

 

Eventually, Arwin lost her strength and slumped against me, her body shaking.

 

Ner, too, wrapped her arms tightly around my neck, burying herself in my chest.

 

Arwin covered her face as she cried her heart out, her tears soaking my chest as if to wash away her lingering fears.

 

Ner clung to me tightly, tears flowing endlessly as she held on without letting go.

 

“...”

 

I looked down at them, lifting my hands to gently stroke their hair.

 

Though my body was scratched, bruised, and aching all over, I was deeply grateful to have reached this moment.

 

.

.

.

.

 

How long had I been lying there?

 

The sun began to set, casting a warm glow over everything.

 

I cautiously raised my upper body.

 

Ner, still clinging to my neck, refused to let go, quietly sobbing.

 

Arwin was wiping away her tears, trying to steady her emotions.

 

Sien kept staring at me, as though verifying that my return wasn’t a lie.

 

Once the situation settled, I was the first to speak.

 

“...What happened?”

 

I still didn’t understand how I was alive.

 

I had undeniably faced death—even met Adam Hyung.

 

The next thing I knew, Arwin was on top of me when I opened my eyes.

 

I turned to her, hoping she had answers.

 

“Arwin?”

 

“...”

 

She didn’t respond, focusing instead on calming her breathing and wiping her tears.

 

“...She used all her lifespan,” Ner whispered, her voice barely audible.

 

I blinked, doubting my ears.

 

“...What?”

 

“To bring you back... Arwin gave up a thousand years of her life.”

 

“...”

 

A thousand years.

 

An incomprehensibly long time.

 

Even if I were reborn ten times, I couldn’t hope to live that long.

 

I turned to Sien, seeking confirmation.

 

She nodded, her expression heavy with agreement.

 

I looked back at Arwin.

 

She wouldn’t even meet my gaze, quietly avoiding any show of her sacrifice.

 

“...Arwin, is it true?”

 

“...”

 

I didn’t know what to say.

 

I had never imagined anyone would give up a millennium of their life for me.

 

I hadn’t even known such a thing was possible.

 

A tangled mix of guilt and something heavier churned inside me.

 

I knew I didn’t deserve this. And yet, knowing how much Arwin had sacrificed, I couldn’t stop myself from asking.

 

“Arwin, you—”

 

“—I realized something, Berg.”

 

She cut me off abruptly, finally meeting my eyes.

 

Her gaze was unwavering.

 

“...A world without you in it is a world I can’t endure for even a single day.”

 

“...”

 

“So don’t say anything. That thousand years doesn’t even matter to me now. All that matters is...”

 

“...”

 

Her voice softened, her truth spilling out as she looked directly into my eyes.

 

“...I’m so grateful you came back alive.”

 

I froze in silence.

 

For a long moment, we held each other’s gaze.

 

Her unwavering look spoke volumes, her sincerity washing over me.

 

“...Didn’t you also give your life countless times to protect me?” she asked quietly.

 

“...Ha.”

 

A bitter chuckle escaped my lips.

 

Her feelings for me ran deeper than I had ever realized.

 

Even after our divorce and all those years apart, she remained the same.

 

Now, looking back, I realized I had no grounds left to push her or Ner away anymore.

 

Though Ner had once tried to harm those I held dear, she had ultimately saved them—protecting my people from the plague, including Sien and our child.

 

Without her, both Sien and our child might have perished long ago.

 

Arwin, too, had once tried to kill me with an elf-exclusive poison. Yet now, she had sacrificed a thousand years of her life to bring me back.

 

Both of them had atoned for their past mistakes in ways that far outweighed their wrongs. How could I possibly reject them?

 

“...”

 

I had no words left for Arwin.

 

If she had made this decision, then it wasn’t my place to dwell on her sacrifice with guilt.

 

Instead, I owed her a duty—to make her happy.

 

I stood, brushing off the flowers scattered across my body, and stepped off the boat.

 

Then, I walked over to Arwin and embraced her tightly.

 

“...Thank you.”

 

I spoke to her.

 

“...Thank you so much.”

 

“...”

 

Arwin didn’t push me away and instead held me close.

 

Her trembling hands gripped me tightly.

 

“...Yes,” she whispered in response.

 

Sien, watching everything from a short distance, finally approached with a serene smile on her face.

 

“...Berg,” she said softly.

 

She glanced briefly at the sunset before speaking again.

 

“It’s time to go back.”

 

She gestured toward the horizon.

 

“It’s getting late. Everyone will be thrilled to hear you’re alive.”

 

Arwin nodded in agreement.

 

“Yes. Let’s go back, Berg.”

 

From the boat, Ner added her voice.

 

“...Come on, Berg. Let’s go home and rest.”

 

“...”

 

Their words froze me in place.

 

Go back?

 

Were they talking about returning to Stockpin?

 

Adam Hyung’s final words echoed in my mind.

 

‘Please, live happily. Don’t think about duty or responsibility. Seeing you in pain... that’s harder for me to bear than anything else.’

 

His words had rung so vividly in my ears, a plea from someone who gave me this second chance.

 

“Go live a happy, long life. And when it’s over, tell me what it was like.”

 

At the brink of death, I had wondered why I hadn’t lived happily. I had also wished for the happiness of the wives I would leave behind.

 

If I returned to Stockpin now, would I be able to live happily?

 

Could Ner and Arwin, who could no longer stay by my side due to the abolition of polygamy, find happiness?

 

Ner had offered her life to save mine, and Arwin had sacrificed a thousand years of hers.

 

Could I inflict such pain on them?

 

I could, perhaps, petition the king to reinstate polygamy as a reward for my accomplishments, but I wasn’t sure how successful I would be.

 

“...Berg?”

 

Arwin, still in my arms, looked up at me, puzzled by my hesitation.

 

“...”

 

I continued to wrestle with my thoughts.

 

There was no guarantee that Stockpin wouldn’t face hardships again in the future.

 

There was no assurance I wouldn’t spend my days buried in endless documents and responsibilities.

 

I didn’t want to live that life anymore.

 

My dream had always been…

 

...to live peacefully in a quiet place with the people I loved, free from tension or worry.

 

Even Gale, having sensed this part of me, had once told me to run away and live my life.

 

At the time, I’d laughed off his suggestion. Now, for some reason, it felt realistic.

 

Logically, abandoning my house and fleeing was unthinkable.

 

The idea of a “runaway noble” seemed absurd.

 

But officially, I was already dead.

 

I had never been freer than I was at this moment.

 

The plague had been resolved.

 

The agricultural crisis was under control.

 

Krund was dealt with, and the reputation of the human race was likely to improve.

 

Even Adam Hyung had told me to stop chasing unattainable dreams.

 

I had fulfilled all the tasks given to me.

 

There was nothing left to do.

 

I allowed myself to imagine a life in a peaceful place.

 

“...”

 

A quiet laugh escaped me.

 

It didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

 

“Berg, let’s go ba—”

 

“—No.”

 

I interrupted Sien, cutting her off mid-sentence.

 

Then, I turned around.

 

Taking a deep breath, I made my decision.

 

It felt like a weight lifted from my chest.

 

Looking at Sien, Ner, and Arwin in turn, I finally spoke.

 

“...I’m going to follow my dream.”

 

With everything behind me now, I made the choice I had never dared before:

 

For the first time in my life, I chose to run away.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

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