I Became a Raid Boss

Chapter 224




“Let’s rewind time a bit—”

It was the day before a little girl announced herself to the world.

Da-eun pondered when asked by Kana about what she wanted to do.

Kana silently watched her with calm eyes, not rushing her.

“…I.”

After a long silence, Da-eun’s voice broke the stillness, quiet but firm.

“-I just want Kana to decide.”

“…?”

That sounded a lot like responding “anything” to the question “What do you want to eat?”

Kana’s lovely brow furrowed slightly.

Passing the choice to someone else is all well and good.

After all, it was her who sought Da-eun’s opinion.

But if that was the thought that emerged after heavy deliberation, then that changes things.

It wouldn’t be strange for her to express disappointment, even if in a rough manner.

Yet, Kana’s frown had nothing to do with that.

‘Da-eun wouldn’t say something like that without thinking.’

It was a pure expression of her confusion.

“Da-eun.”

“Yeah.”

“Is that okay with you?”

“Um….”

That’s quite a stretch to consider it an appropriate question.

However, Da-eun understood Kana’s point perfectly.

“You’re worried that when you do what you want, it might end up harming me, right?”

“It’s not worry. It’s just, I can’t act unilaterally while living off someone else.”

“Haha, I see~”

Her gaze felt like she was looking at a stubborn little kid.

Da-eun’s expression as she looked warmly down at Kana didn’t say she believed her words at all.

Noticing this, Kana only gave a brief miffed look and didn’t say anything further—

Da-eun poked Kana’s slightly puffed cheeks with her finger and replied.

“In Silia, you protected me, so here I said I’d protect you.”

Of course, someone might say otherwise.

It’s utterly ridiculous to drag events from a game, especially ones involving an NPC and not another player, into reality.

But Da-eun knew that Silia Online was no mere game.

‘And even if it were a game, so what.’

As a player, Da-eun could respawn after death, but Kana, a resident of the Silia world, couldn’t.

Still, hadn’t Kana willingly helped her, even going so far as to become bloodied and collapse?

“Kana might’ve thought I was joking, but I was serious.”

How could anyone hate a child who disregarded their own safety to come running for their sake?

Unless their blood flowed cold instead of warm, that wouldn’t be possible.

Da-eun was a person with warm blood coursing through her.

“If I tell the truth, well, it could get pretty noisy.”

It’s likely they wouldn’t have peaceful days like this anymore.

“But, that’s a trivial problem compared to what’s to come. Anyway, if dimensional beings invade, we’ll end up fighting for our lives.”

Of course, she added that maybe nothing would happen—but didn’t that *something* just materialize?

So, she’d take on any burden she could carry.

To prevent her soft shoulders from collapsing under the weight of the heavy load.

“I’m Kana’s protector.”

“….”

Kana looked at Da-eun’s confident remark with a complicated expression.

She didn’t want to burden her, yet here they were.

Just like that time when Da-eun made a mistake while streaming.

In this situation, even denying it through Da-eun’s mouth wouldn’t completely remove suspicion.

Confirming it outright would lead to annoyances either way.

So, she tried to think of a way so Da-eun wouldn’t feel burdened, yet Da-eun spoke up to move forward, and naturally, her feelings became complicated.

But for some reason…

In stark contrast to her mixed emotions, a tiny smile flickered at the corner of Kana’s mouth.

“I’ve never had a silly protector like Da-eun.”

“…You’re saying that in this kind of mood?”

Weird, it seemed like a warm atmosphere just moments ago…

Da-eun scratched her head and plopped down in defeat.

“By the way, you asking me that makes me think you’re considering saying the truth?”

“I thought about it, but I’m not sure.”

“Doesn’t sound bad to me…”

Da-eun tilted her head.

“Are you really okay with that?”

Meaning Da-eun mattered more than Edel’s intent.

Hearing that made her happy, but it was a decision that could greatly affect future events, so she couldn’t decide easily.

Kana’s response was refreshing.

“If you’re that worried, just ask directly.”

“… Uh, what?”

Then she picked up her phone and called Edel.

It was as casual as if she was calling a neighborhood friend, and Da-eun was left dumbfounded as the call connected.

-…What’s with you calling?

“It can happen.”

-You don’t even properly answer incoming calls.

Hearing Edel’s voice through the phone speaker made Da-eun gulp.

Though things had improved, Edel still intimidated her.

Every time she saw Kana fooling around, her heart would relax, only to tense up again when reminded that Edel was the god who created a world.

So, when the call started, it was only natural Da-eun’s mouth stayed shut.

-What’s up? Forgot to say something or what?

“Not that, just something I want to ask.”

-…You’re not pranking me, are you?

“Why would I call Edel to do something like that?”

-Well, I thought that would make more sense than saying you had a reason to call. But anyway, what do you want to ask?”

“About what happened today, is it okay if I reveal the truth?”

-….

“And, while we’re at it, my identity too.”

-…Wait.

Edel, after a moment of silence as if gathering her thoughts, replied.

-Why on earth are you thinking that suddenly?

Having decided to just go with the flow mere hours ago, it was understandable that Edel would be bewildered when Da-eun called out of the blue about revealing things.

Nevertheless, Kana answered without showing her confusion.

People are suspecting that the one who dealt with the monster in Seoul is the same individual as the NPC “Kanaaria” from Silia, and on top of that, because of past events, Da-eun is also suspicious.

-I was wondering why you called, but naturally it relates to that child, huh.

“What do you mean?”

-If it were just you alone involved, it wouldn’t be a problem.

Kana let out a short breath.

“Cut the nonsense. Just tell me if it’s possible or not.”

-Do as you please.

“Is that really okay?”

-If I said it’s a problem, would you just let it go?

“….”

-See?

As Kana fell silent, Edel chuckled.

-I figured it would be easier to let it go, revealing it doesn’t change much. So, go ahead.

“Got it.”

Edel’s response was refreshing.

Almost embarrassing compared to what Da-eun had been fretting over.

-Oh, wait a second.

Just as Kana was about to end the call, Edel suddenly stopped her.

-How about doing it this way?

“What’s your good idea?”

-Reveal the truth, but sprinkle in a little lie.

When trying to persuade someone, it’s more effective to have a mix of both complete truth and complete lies, rather than just one or the other.

-Besides, this way might be better for that child too, right?

“Elaborate.”

Kana’s attitude shifted to be more proactive.

‘Isn’t it about time to admit this?’

Noticing Kana’s 180-degree shift, Edel thought this but kept it to herself.

* * *

“…Kana?”

“…Ah.”

As I recalled the conversation with Edel, Da-eun’s voice jolted me back to reality.

She looked down at me with concern, and I shook my head to signal that everything was fine.

What was I saying again…?

Oh right, I had even mentioned dying and coming back to life.

Checking the time, I realized I hadn’t been daydreaming for too long, but the chat room was pretty lively.

-Why then?

-??

-You’re not sick or something, right?

-Would you all just casually talk about dying if you had died and come back to life?

-Oh

-ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-That’s true…

Oddly, the atmosphere in the chat had turned more favorable.

It seemed they mistook my silence for recalling the moment I died due to fluctuating timing.

Since it worked in my favor, I didn’t bother correcting their misunderstanding.

“So after that, I met God… Edel…”

I wondered if saying that would cause a huge stir in the religious community.

Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind.

“And I heard from Edel… that Silia is a world that has already perished and that Earth faces the same threat that destroyed Silia.”

This was a scenario crafted by Edel.

While it’s true that Earth is in danger and that I pleaded for help, it wasn’t entirely false.

There were simply a lot of details concealed.

“The reason I came back to life was because of that.”

A valiant hero resurrected from death by a god’s request to protect Earth.

Of course, Edel never explicitly said ‘hero,’ but narratively, it fits the bill perfectly.

…Honestly, it’s embarrassing. Humiliating. Awkward.

What am I, some kid obsessed with fairy tales? Hero this, hero that.

I detest such righteous roles.

Nevertheless, there’s validity in Edel’s assertion that it might gain me favor, so despite the embarrassment, I accepted it.

If it lightens Da-eun’s burden, I could tolerate a little embarrassment.

…Still.

‘…Hero, huh.’

I tried not to let it show, but a sigh slipped out despite my efforts.

 

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