Winstred Sylvia.
She had many nicknames.
The Swan of Winstred, the Empire’s Top Bride-to-Be, the Ice Princess, and so on.
Her stunning beauty and genius talents naturally brought her fame across the Empire.
But as time passed and a long, grueling war began, her titles changed drastically.
The Iron-Blooded Knight.
And the Sword Saint.
Her fearlessness in battle was just the beginning.
Her martial prowess, which grew day by day, defied all imagination.
Achieving countless feats on the battlefield, she eventually succeeded her father, the Duke of Winstred , to claim his title.
Soon after, she embarked on a journey with a man hailed as a hero to end the war.
The Demon God, an overwhelmingly powerful and ominous otherworldly being that pushed the Empire to the brink of destruction, was to be defeated by a mere six-person task force.
“I can do it. With the divine blood flowing through me.”
“You brat, couldn’t you have awakened a bit sooner?”
“…Ugh, when will you ever grow up?”
Ian, the hero who awakened his divine blood.
Venice, the saint blessed by the great god Elea.
Rozennia, the last royal of the Lumiere Empire and a grand magician.
Isabel, the successor who inherited the will of the war god.
Sylvia, the Sword Saint who reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, achieving the ninth tier.
And…
“I still don’t get why you’re here.”
“Shut up, Isabelle. Unless you want a repeat of last time.”
Theonar, a man who rose to the top using an unknown power.
‘We were optimistic back then.’
Every one of them gathered here was considered humanity’s last line of defense.
They believed in the success of this journey.
No, to be more precise, they believed that, even if it took time, they could end the war.
Indeed, they believed that.
But…
“Why…?”
The world on the verge of destruction was far more chaotic than they had anticipated.
“You dare steal food?”
“So, you burned their entire house down? Are you insane?”
Flames erupted everywhere, and screams and wails filled the air day and night.
Under the torn skies, people fought to survive.
It didn’t matter who started it. Greed, rage, or mere survival instincts—nothing governed reason anymore.
With the nation’s collapse, lords fled, and armies scattered.
The powerless became nothing more than prey, hung alive on stakes as their numbers grew.
Their charred remains rose into the sky as black smoke, carried by sharp winds.
“Please, spare me! This is all the food I have left!”
Pillagers rampaged across the Empire, and those victimized sought revenge, turning to pillaging themselves.
A chain of heinous acts spiraled into a food chain of despair.
“…This is hell.”
“Ignore it, Theonar.”
“Do I look like I can?”
“……”
“Alright, alright. Stop glaring at me. I won’t do anything.”
Saving people had no meaning.
As long as the root cause remained, even the kindhearted could become ruthless murderers driven by survival instincts.
In this chaos, all we could do was…
“God, please grant humanity one last chance…”
Offer hollow prayers to a god who wouldn’t listen, swearing over rotting corpses to kill the Demon God.
.
.
.
.
.
Five years into our journey, we fell into a trap within the Demon God’s domain and were scattered.
Thanks to Rozennia’s quick thinking, we avoided life-threatening injuries, but the efforts we made to reach the Demon God’s territory were rendered meaningless.
“Are you okay? Hey.”
“…Yes, for now.”
Was it fortunate that I wasn’t alone?
Though I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking, having a companion in an unfamiliar place was always a great comfort.
However, there was a serious problem, separate from him.
“…Of all times, why now?”
My legs had been temporarily paralyzed by a demon.
‘If I can just reach Venice…
The saintess’s healing would restore me completely, but getting there was the issue.
In a situation where enemies could attack at any moment, not being able to move on my own…
I was nothing more than a burdensome dead weight.
“We’ve come farther than I thought.”
“…You can leave me behind—”
“No, that’s not happening.”
He didn’t show a hint of dislike, firmly rejecting the idea.
“Alright, up you go.”
Without another word, he lifted me onto his back and started moving.
It was probably from that moment…
That I began to have meaningful conversations with him.
It was strange to hear someone walking around with a name like ‘Amcheon (暗天).’ It didn’t fit the setting—why would a wuxia-style name appear here?
“…So odd.”
“Pfft, I don’t know what you mean, but it’s funny.”
When our journey together reached a year, we no longer had any secrets from each other.
Maybe it was because we were in a state where dying wouldn’t be surprising anymore?
Nonsensical jokes, whether sincere or not, became frequent.
He claimed he was from another world and knew the future.
He also said he had struggled not to blurt this out until now.
That this place was a novel, that the protagonist was Ian, and that others were in the heroine positions—
None of it made sense, but to me, someone bored out of my mind, it was simply entertaining.
Later, he even described the place he came from.
A world of civilization without magic, where metal machines flew through the sky and skyscrapers stood tall like imperial palaces.
Of course, I didn’t believe him completely.
I dismissed it as comforting lies to pull me out of despair.
But one thing was certain.
As he spoke, his previously dull and lifeless eyes sparkled brilliantly.
Whether it was true or not, his bright, radiant smile made me want to cheer for him.
His unyielding spirit, pressing forward despite the despair of our situation.
Watching him chatter endlessly, I realized,
“Ah, he’s a strong person.”
Unlike me, who became consumed with negativity over temporary paralysis.
From then on, rain or shine, we pressed forward together.
He grumbled, but still took care of me with kindness.
“…Theo.”
“Don’t talk to me, Mr. Lee. I’m dying here.”
Of course, retracing a journey that started with six people as just the two of us wasn’t easy.
There were times we had to run for three days and nights while being chased by countless demons.
We even faced high-ranking demons and barely survived.
Each time, he fought while carrying me, leaving his body in shambles.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was anything but okay.
Then, one day, amidst the repetitive struggles, something finally changed.
“I-It’s moving… my legs…”
The paralysis caused by the demonic energy naturally faded over time.
‘Thank goodness. Now I can protect him.’
I was overjoyed.
The thought of being able to help him filled me with hope.
Rushing to share the news with him, I said,
“Hey! My legs—”
“Huh? Why your legs?”
At the same time, his condition began to deteriorate rapidly.
It wasn’t just his body that was breaking down.
“…How do you know that?”
The stories he had told me.
“I’m sorry, was that the case?”
The days we spent together.
All of it was erased from memory as if it had never happened.
“Haha… Maybe it’s because of magic. My memories seem scrambled. It’ll be fine after a while, right?”
He tried to joke and change the subject, but I felt a strange sense of unease.
As time went on, the intervals in which he lost his memories grew shorter and shorter.
And eventually—
“What’s going on? Where is this place?”
“What’s… what?” Theo.
“And the others? Are they safe?” Sylvia!
He couldn’t even remember why we had been separated in the first place.
“Theo! Get a hold of yourself! Don’t you remember anything?”
After calming him down out of sheer frustration,
I explained everything that had happened up until now.
“…Oh, I see… So that’s how it is…”
He muttered to himself, staring blankly into the void as if he had realized something.
“No… This can’t be… Please…”
What could have broken his mind like this?
How could someone who once shone so brilliantly end up in such ruin?
Is there truly no way to bring him back?
“Think, think…”
As I rummaged through the scattered fragments of memory, desperately searching for a solution,
“…Ah.”
A story he had once told me suddenly surfaced —
“You know, I have to stay by your side.”
“Why?”
“This world is harsh on side characters. For someone like me, a supporting character, I need to stay close to the main characters like you to maintain my existence.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Heh, no surprise. I’m not entirely sure myself yet.”
“What happens if you don’t stick close?”
“I’ll cease to exist. To put it simply, my memories will disappear.”
“Right… That’s what he said.”
Back then, I had laughed it off.
I never once thought it could be true.
But seeing him now, so broken, I began to wonder if it might actually be real.
“Wait a second…”
If what he said is true, there’s one thing I don’t understand.
He called me a main character.
Since we’d been together all day, he should have met the conditions he mentioned.
“…Then why is he losing his memories?”