chapter 320
320 – The end, a new beginning
“Dad!”
A young girl runs towards her man with a wide smile.
The girl said as she held out the book she was holding dearly in her arms.
“Can’t you read this children’s book?”
“This is the same book I read to you yesterday. “Do you still want to read it?”
“Yes! “I like this children’s book the best!”
Because it was a birthday present that my dad made for me.
Even as time passed, the girl still kept this storybook as her most precious treasure.
She smiled as if she couldn’t help it, and her man took her daughter’s hand and went into her room together and started reading her a storybook.
Suddenly the girl remembered the first time she heard this fairy tale from her father.
A day when a typhoon blew in the middle of the night and thunder and lightning roared fiercely.
The frightened child ran into the master bedroom and was trembling in his father’s arms.
In order to soothe her daughter, she told her old story, which only her husband knew, adapted into a fairy tale.
A long time ago, a fateful meeting in the forest where everything began.
The story was so warm and gentle that the girl suddenly became engrossed in the story her father was telling, not even paying attention to the sound of the thunder.
And she thought.
No matter how scary a storm comes, if you remember this story, you will never be scared.
I thought I would be able to look back on the happy memories of the present without any worries.
“···Think.”
The girl muttered in a voice so faint that even she could not be heard.
She hid herself in a narrow closet, crouched in the dark, shivering and trying to recall the beautiful memories of that day.
But the more she does it, the more the miserable and cruel situation of reality fills her mind, as if in contrast.
A stranger suddenly broke in in the middle of the night.
The other person barged into the house and ran around the house shouting her father’s name over and over again.
And then the sudden silence continues to this day.
How many minutes have passed?
Maybe a few hours have passed?
Has the monster disappeared?
Where is dad?
She didn’t want to go out of the closet.
No, my body became stiff and I couldn’t get out.
It’s not because I’m afraid of the monster.
When I opened the door and looked around the house, it was scary to realize that my father was not safe.
So she couldn’t go out of the closet.
If I keep hiding in the closet like this, my dad will definitely come into the room and find me.
Opening the closet and finding her daughter looking very frightened, she smiled softly and hugged her tightly, hoping that she would tell her that everything was okay now.
As I read the storybook again, I was confident that it would drive away the typhoon that scared me.
But the girl already understood reality.
It has been a long time since I realized that it was impossible for my wish to come true.
Well, this is just a dream that recreates the past.
It’s a nightmare I’ve always had.
Yes. She says she is not a child.
Next month, she is a 17-year-old girl who will enter the academy.
This is all a dream. A nightmare that merely recreates memories from 10 years ago that can never be escaped.
Sharon already knew what the ending of this story was.
The girl in the closet stays curled up there forever, but eventually realizes reality and comes out on her own.
And after searching through her entire house, she realizes that her anxiety has become a reality and that her father has disappeared with the assailant without leaving a trace, and she collapses from exhaustion.
Reality does not have a happy ending like a fairy tale.
It was only at this time that Sharon fully understood that a fairy tale is just a fairy tale.
“···Don’t think about it.”
Sharon muttered, crouching down, covering her ears and closing her eyes tightly.
At some point, the girl’s self-talk turned into the opposite.
Beautiful fairy tales that took away the fear of thunder and lightning, but now they only made us aware of the painful reality.
The more I recall the happy memories of that day, the more painful it feels.
From the moment she realized it was a dream, she just desperately prayed to somehow wake up from this nightmare.
I don’t want to get hurt anymore.
I don’t want to suffer.
I don’t want to be sad.
I don’t want to wait in this darkness for her dad to come back because I know he won’t come anyway.
It was then.
Kkeak-.
With an unbelievable sound that had never been heard in the dreams I had had dozens or hundreds of times.
The gap in the door of her closet widened, and a bright light enveloped Sharon in a cozy way.
The little girl stared blankly ahead of her, even forgetting that she had shed tears.
There, my father, whom I had missed and missed so much, was stretching out his arms with a gentle smile, just as I had always longed for.
“You were here. You were scared, right? It’s okay now. “Because everything is okay.”
At that warm comfort, Sharon shed the tears she had been holding back.
And she called her father several times, and he fell into her wide arms and rubbed his head.
In the girl’s room across from her closet, sunlight was streaming in through her window as if nothing had happened.
The typhoon and wind and rain that had raged the night before had long since subsided.
Bright sunlight illuminated the reunion of the two father and daughter.
“···Dad.”
At that moment, Sharon woke up from her sleep and looked up blankly at her ceiling. She reached up without realizing it and her arms looked desperate, as if she was trying to grab something.
Sunlight with the same warmth that she saw in her dream tickled the corners of her eyes.
Chasing her dazed mind, Sharon wiped the area around her eyes that were moist with her moisture.
And she smiled slightly.
“Thank you…”
She was thankful that they could meet again, even though it was only a dream.
Sharon could tell.
The reunion just now must have made her childhood self happy 10 years ago.
Like the ending of a fairy tale, she will have a happy ending and live happily ever after with her father.
Now was the time to become happy with who I am now.
And that happiness is probably not far away.
“Sharon! Are you still sleeping? “If this continues, I’ll be late!”
A boy’s voice is heard outside her window, pounding on her front door and urging her on.
As soon as Sharon heard that welcoming voice, she smiled involuntarily and stretched out on her bed before waking up.
Not a single shadow remained on her face anymore.
***
“I think everyone is happy with this.”
Eldina said to me with a smile.
“You did a wonderful job saving not only the human children, but also my sister and White. “This is the standard for a harem protagonist that you can’t fall in love with and can’t get rid of.”
“I always said, I prefer pure love over harem.”
When I grumbled softly, she smiled sinisterly and asked.
“Hoo? So you’re going to end it with pure love? So who do you choose? Are you prepared to stick a dagger in the chest of everyone except the one chosen?”
“···Well, that doesn’t mean I don’t particularly like harems.”
The exclusive desire to make everyone my own… To be honest, it’s not like it doesn’t exist at all.
I am also a man, so I have no reason to dislike attractive women.
However, it was more that I did not want to hurt someone’s feelings by rejecting them.
So, I have no desire to increase the number of harems by attracting more women.
“Is that really the case? There are still many sub-heroines who love you? “The Little Mermaid, the Witches, the Goddess of Fate!”
“Please stop. “Anything more than this is really too much for me.”
“hehehe. Don’t worry. To God, polygamy is not a flaw at all. Of course, if you accept everyone as human beings, you will be criticized ethically.”
Are you saying I have to become a god for my harem?
It may be an absurd reason, but it may be worth considering seriously.
Of course, if a single human were to monopolize such a large number of women, it is hard to imagine how much resentment he would incur from men.
“Of course! Of course, the first wife will be me, right?”
Eldina smiles boldly with her captivating eyes.
That appearance was more like a succubus bewitching a man than a divine goddess, so I hesitated without even realizing it.
Moreover, since her outfit was unusual and unconventional, which is not something you normally see on her, all the eyes could not help but be drawn to her.
“Huh? Are you going to pierce my clothes with your eyes? “There’s no need to do that. You can just take it off yourself.”
“Ha, hahahaha… “I thought it was because the clothes fit me well.”
“Really? If so, that’s a relief. hehehehe.”
A pure white blouse, tie, and short skirt.
The familiar outfit Eldina was wearing was none other than the academy uniform.
“In the end, it turned out to be just like the utopia you mentioned.”
“Yes.”
Eldina and Eterna came to attend the academy with me in human flesh.
Certainly this world may have become similar to a utopia.
But the differences are also clear.
It was a modern setting without magic, but this is 19th century London, where magic is real.
In addition, many minor factors were different, including the fact that Hayang did not enter school with her because she looked young.
In other words, this is not another world, but the world I was in from the beginning.
A destination that I walked directly with everyone and finally reached.
Of course, I have no intention of being satisfied here.
In the first place, there may be no such thing as a destination in life.
Just keep moving forward.
Always do your best and make choices you won’t regret.
That’s why I still move forward.
“So are you ready? Mr. Phantom Thief Raven.”
When asked by my assistant, Eldina, I grinned and put my hat on.
A black top hat, a suit, and a cane with a crow engraved on it.
Yes. I am Raven the phantom thief.
Any precious gold or silver treasure is just entertainment to me.
I steal whatever I want. Even if it is fate.
“What kind of story will I write today? “I’m looking forward to it.”
The story is only just beginning.
-End-