CHAPTER 18 — THIS CANNOT BE REAL
The white light from the magical lamps still illuminated the old room coldly and eternally, as if this place existed outside the flow of time itself. Small dust motes still danced in the air, twirling slowly in the constant glow. The tension that had eased after Amura's confession now crept back up, because Kyoichiiro—who had mostly been listening until now—finally opened his mouth to speak.
Kyoichiiro: (His voice calm, but with a tremor of decision beneath) "There's something I want to talk about too."
He didn't slouch or move excessively. His back straightened slightly, and his hands, previously relaxed, now rested more firmly on his lap. His light blue eyes stared at Amura with an intensity different from before—not suspicious, not judgmental, but something rarer from him: vulnerability.
Inside his head, thoughts swirled like a widening whirlpool.
He just said 'Demon King.' What kind of creature is that? The king of all demons? Kyoichiiro's throat felt dry. He swallowed quietly, trying to keep his external expression calm even though his chest felt tight. I've heard about it from my otaku friend back in high school. We used to read manga together, discussing fantasy stories full of demon lords and heroes. But that was just fiction. Just pictures on paper. If an entity like that truly exists... if a creature that Amura could defeat exists in this world...
He held his breath.
...I could die again. Easily. Just like my previous life.
But he didn't back down. He had come too far to retreat.
Kyoichiiro: (Continuing, his voice more steady) "Amura. You said you're a reincarnated person, didn't you?"
Amura nodded slowly, his eyes not blinking.
Kyoichiiro: "Your theory about me... is correct. I'll be honest now." He paused briefly, gathering his words. "And I will trust you completely. At least for this matter. So we don't need to suspect each other anymore, right? If there's nothing left hidden between us."
Amura fell silent. His hands, previously clasped in his lap, gradually relaxed.
Kyoichiiro: (Flat tone, but with a small sense of relief beneath—like releasing a burden he had carried alone for a long time) "Yes, it's true. I was a high school student who died and was reincarnated into this world. You could say I came to this world as a newcomer. Or... using a more popular term in pop culture—I've entered an isekai."
Silence followed that statement like a wave sweeping through the room.
Aetheria: (Her eyes widening, her body lifting slightly from the bench, both hands clenching in front of her chest while trembling) "Eeeee... Kyoichiiro-san, is that true?!"
Her voice was high-pitched, almost like the squeak of a startled mouse. Her face showed a mixture of immense curiosity and innocent disbelief.
Kyoichiiro: (Looking at Aetheria, nodding once) "Yes. It's true."
He didn't explain further. There was no need. The fact itself was heavy enough.
Amura, who had been silent, now looked different. His eyes—usually hard to read, often hidden behind smiles or laughter—were now honest. Open. And within them, there was something Kyoichiiro had never seen before: genuine surprise.
Amura: (Whispering, as if processing information) "So... that's how it is."
He didn't cry, but his eyes glistened. Not from sadness—but from relief. Like someone who had walked alone through a desert for years and finally spotted another figure in the distance.
Then, suddenly, Amura laughed.
Not a cynical or bitter laugh. A free laugh, like water finally finding a crack after being held back by a dam for too long. He wiped the corner of his eye with the back of his hand.
Amura: (Still smiling widely) "Kyoichiiro... you're really amazing, you know. So the concept of reincarnation has gone that far? To the point where people from other worlds enter this one?"
He shook his head, half in disbelief.
Amura: "I was truly surprised to hear that. Because people like that are very rare. You could even say... rare. Very rare."
Kyoichiiro didn't respond to the compliment. He just waited, because he knew Amura wasn't finished.
Amura: (His face shifting slightly—becoming more excited, like a child about to show off a new toy) "Oh right, Kyoichiiro-san. I want to show you something. Are you willing?"
Kyoichiiro: (Raising one eyebrow, his expression somewhere between curious and wary) "Do as you like."
With that permission, Amura raised both his hands. Palms open, fingers slightly apart. Then he began to chant something—not a spell with audible words, but subtle, precise hand movements, like a conductor leading an invisible orchestra.
But before anything could happen, Amura stopped. His hands lowered again.
Amura: (His tone suddenly becoming serious, almost academic) "Before that... do you know about the multiverse, Kyoichiiro-san?"
The word hung in the air. Kyoichiiro felt something different—not just from the question, but from the way Amura said it. Like a professor testing his best student.
Kyoichiiro: (Repeating, his eyes narrowing) "Multiverse... you say?"
He let the word spin in his head. His mind immediately leaped to concepts he had read about in his previous life—physics theories about parallel universes, branches of reality, countless dimensions. But those were just theories. Just late-night reading when he couldn't sleep.
Multiverse... he thought, his hair standing on end. I've only researched as far as galaxies, as far as the solar system, as far as what telescopes can observe. But if there really are universes outside our universe, even higher structures than that...
He almost shivered.
...it truly gives me chills.
Kyoichiiro: (Honest, without pretense) "I don't know anything about what you're talking about."
Amura: (Smiling warmly, but his eyes gleamed—not with excitement, but with the joy of someone about to share a great secret) "How fortunate. I want to show it to you."
Amura raised his hands again. This time, his movements were more certain. His fingers danced in the air, leaving faint trails of shimmering light that sparkled like stardust—but not ordinary dust. Those particles were colorful, some blue-gold, some reddish-purple, some gleaming white like liquid diamond. They swirled, gathered, and began to form something in the empty space between the three of them.
Aetheria gasped.
The light grew brighter. Not blinding like the sun, but more like... like looking into a swirling star cluster. Kyoichiiro raised his hand to shield his eyes, and so did Aetheria. But between his fingers, he could still see.
And what he saw made his breath catch.
Above Amura's raised palm floated a multiverse—or at least, a visual representation of what he claimed was a multiverse. Kyoichiiro saw clusters of galaxies spinning slowly, spirals of light containing billions of stars. He saw colorful nebulae forming intricate patterns like cosmic flowers. He saw small black holes spinning, pulling specks of light into bottomless vortexes.
But it didn't stop there.
Beyond the first cluster, there was another cluster. And beyond that, another. And another. And another. Like mirrors facing each other into infinity, layer upon layer of reality stretched before him—some familiar, some utterly alien, some barely visible like shadows behind fog. There were universes that looked like floating bubbles of light, some like giant spiderwebs, some like endless stacks of paper.
Kyoichiiro didn't believe it. Not entirely. His usually sharp, analytical eyes were now wide open. His mouth hung slightly open, but no sound came out. He wanted to say something—maybe "fake" or "illusion" or "you must be joking"—but the words stuck in his throat.
His body felt weak. He didn't realize he had sat back down on his bench, his legs losing the strength to keep him standing. Aetheria, who had been trembling, immediately shuffled closer.
Aetheria: (Her voice panicked, her hand grabbing Kyoichiiro's arm) "Kyoichiiro-san?! Are you alright?!"
Kyoichiiro didn't answer. Inside his head, a whirlpool of thoughts even more chaotic than the multiverse before him was raging.
This is a lie, right? Can a human do this? he thought, his chest feeling like it was being crushed by a giant boulder. Is he... a god? Hahaha... a very dry joke. Even stale. Can a human create a cosmic structure like this? Even just a visual representation should be impossible. This is beyond reason. Beyond any logic I possess.
He tried to find an explanation—the last defense of someone used to relying on his intellect.
Maybe this is a dream. Yes, definitely a dream. Soon I'll wake up on my own. My head will feel heavy for a moment, then I'll be in that wooden bedroom, and all of this will be an illusion because I'm too tired.
But his cold hands, Aetheria's clear voice, and the cosmic dust still swirling before his eyes—all of it felt too real.
Wait... human? he thought again, his gaze shifting to Amura. I said 'human.' But a creature that has lived for six hundred years... can it still be called human? A normal human only has a maximum lifespan of a hundred and thirty years, even then only if very lucky. This is a fantasy world. Maybe there are things beyond human logic. Beyond my logic.
He swallowed again. His throat felt like it had been sanded.
But... he created this effortlessly. Without strain. Like turning over his palm. Like—
Amura: (Waving his hand once, quickly)
What had been in his palm vanished. Instantly. Without sound, without an explosion, without dramatic effect. One second the multiverse was there, spinning in all its grandeur. The next second, only empty air remained.
Aetheria gasped. Her grip on Kyoichiiro's arm tightened.
Amura: (Smiling, but a different smile—not warm, not strange, but the smile of someone who knew exactly what he had just done) "You probably think that was fake, don't you, Kyoichiiro-san?"
Kyoichiiro didn't answer. He still couldn't.
Amura: (Continuing, his voice calm) "But in reality, it was truly real. I created it from the smallest atomic structures and reassembled them into the form you saw. All the elements I destroyed... I can recreate."
Kyoichiiro swallowed once more. His hands—usually steady, never trembling even when facing a three-headed monster—now trembled slightly. He clenched them. Hard. His fingernails dug into his palms, a small pain that helped him focus.
He stood up.
His steps were fast, firm, but there was a tremor in each step that was unusual for him. He walked toward the table between them and slammed his palm onto the wooden surface.
BAM!
The sound echoed through the silent room. Dust scattered. Aetheria squeaked softly. Amura was startled—not from fear, but from the unusual intensity coming from Kyoichiiro.
Kyoichiiro: (His voice low, hissing, but not shouting—more like a suppressed growl) "Explain quickly. Now. What is really happening? Where did you get this knowledge? What else are you hiding?"
Amura, usually quick and talkative, for the first time looked like a child caught stealing cookies.
Amura: (Raising both hands forward, palms facing Kyoichiiro—a natural defensive gesture) "E-e-eh... w-what do you mean, Kyoichiiro-san?!"
Kyoichiiro: (Not moving. Not blinking. His light blue eyes now looked like ice in the middle of a storm) "You heard what I said."
Amura: (Blinking three times in a row, nervously) "Y-you're scaring me, Kyoichiiro-san. Please stop... stop that intimidation of yours."
The silence that followed was almost unbearable. Kyoichiiro kept staring. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
Then, suddenly, he let out a long sigh and sat back down. His shoulders dropped. His previously clenched hands now opened, relaxed on his lap.
Kyoichiiro: (His voice calmer, almost embarrassed) "Sorry. I... got a little carried away."
Amura sighed in relief. His chest rose and fell as if he had just run a marathon.
Amura: (Smiling wryly) "Alright... I'll tell you."
He paused for a moment. Three seconds. Perhaps gathering scattered memories.
Amura: (His voice becoming heavier, serious) "I don't know for sure, Kyoichiiro-san. But if I remember it again... at that time..."
His eyes drifted. Not looking at Kyoichiiro or Aetheria, but somewhere deep inside himself, dark and hard to reach.
Amura: "I couldn't control myself. My emotions had peaked. I didn't care about anyone anymore. I just wanted... my enemies to be destroyed. Total destruction."
His hands clenched in his lap.
Amura: "But I don't know more than that. My memories... are hazy. Like they're fading over time. The longer it goes, the blurrier they become. I don't know for sure if I've truly forgotten, or..." He bit his lower lip. "Or if something deliberately erased them."
He looked at his own hands—the hands that had just held a multiverse.
Amura: "I only vaguely remember... when I went on a rampage. Destroying everything in front of me. The multiverse. Reality. Everything." His voice grew softer. "And when I swung my sword once... instantly, everything before me vanished. Without a trace."
His expression was somewhere between gloomy and annoyed—like someone who had a great puzzle in their head but had lost the crucial pieces.
Aetheria grasped the hem of Kyoichiiro's robe. Kyoichiiro glanced at her, blinking once—a small signal saying you heard that too, right? Aetheria nodded slowly, her face pale.
Kyoichiiro looked back at Amura.
Kyoichiiro: (Sighing, his hand rising to rub his face) "Just thinking about it gives me a headache."
He let those words hang for a moment. Inside his head, the whirlpool of thoughts began to spin again.
This is completely insane. It no longer makes sense. If the multiverse—if the multiverse—can be destroyed that easily... then Amura isn't just an ordinary adventurer. Not just a noble from the Caelvire family. He is... an entity. An extraordinary entity. No wonder even the Demon King was rendered helpless by him.
He almost laughed bitterly.
Just like a manga story. This world is truly dangerous. Very dangerous. But...
Kyoichiiro's mind drifted to something else.
...I've always wondered. Even since I first became aware in this world. Why have I never seen the moon? Every night, all I see are stars—glowing, so many of them, as if I'm in a galaxy far from its center. But never a moon. Never a natural satellite. Does this world have no moon? Or... am I in a different universe? In a completely different reality?
He didn't know. And for the first time, Kyoichiiro felt that his knowledge—which he had always relied on as his main weapon—was utterly insufficient.
But he didn't let himself drown.
He chose to smile. Not a cynical or bitter smile. A small smile—thin, almost invisible—but genuine.
Kyoichiiro: (His voice lighter, trying to lighten the mood) "Why are you so sad like that, Amura?"
He extended his right hand. Palm open. Fingers relaxed. An offering—not of help, but... of presence.
Amura, who had been looking down, looked up. His previously dim eyes now met Kyoichiiro's light blue ones, which—strangely—looked warmer than usual.
Amura: (Confused) "Kyoichiiro-san...?"
Slowly, like someone hesitating to believe something too beautiful to be true, Amura extended his hand. His fingers touched Kyoichiiro's palm. They shook hands—not a tight grip of rivalry, but a simple clasp that said I'm here.
Kyoichiiro: (Smiling faintly, his voice soft) "Are you alright?"
Amura: (Wiping the corner of his eye with his left hand, smiling) "Ah... thank you. You've energized me again, Kyoichiiro-san."
Kyoichiiro: (Laughing softly—truly laughing, even if only briefly) "I'll take that as a compliment."
He then turned to Aetheria, who was still sitting on her bench with a worried face.
Kyoichiiro: "Aetheria. Come here."
Aetheria stood, walking closer with small, hesitant steps. Kyoichiiro looked at her with a softer gaze—something he still rarely showed.
Kyoichiiro: (Clenching his right fist, extending it forward) "Come on."
Aetheria stared at that fist. Her cheeks, which had just begun to return to normal, flushed again. With a shy movement, her small hand—trembling slightly—also clenched, then touched Kyoichiiro's fist.
Kyoichiiro: (Turning to Amura, his voice firm yet friendly) "Amura. What are you waiting for?"
Amura looked at the two of them. Kyoichiiro with his rare faint smile. Aetheria with her flushed face but gleaming eyes.
No secrets between them. No suspicion. At least, for now.
Amura: (Smiling, his eyes glistening again but for a different reason) "What is this... you're making me feel happy."
He stood, clenched his right fist, and touched it to the two fists already meeting in the middle.
Three hands. Three fists. In that old, hidden classroom behind the library, beneath the cold, eternal light of the magical lamps.
Amura: (His voice warm, almost a whisper) "Is this... the beginning of our friendship?"
Kyoichiiro: (Raising one eyebrow, but his smile didn't fade) "Seems interesting."
Aetheria: (Smiling sweetly, her eyes gleaming with relief) "Thank goodness... you two are back to normal. I was worried you might start fighting in here." Her expression shifted into a small pout. "Always fighting."
Kyoichiiro & Amura: (In unison, laughing—freely, without burden)
Amura: (After his laughter subsided) "No way. Trivial things like that won't provoke us."
Aetheria still pouted, her cheeks puffing out slightly—not truly angry, just pretending to be displeased.
Then, suddenly, Aetheria tilted her head. Her eyes blinked, as if just remembering something.
Aetheria: "Ah, right. Kyoichiiro-san... before we came to this place, I overheard some strangers talking."
Kyoichiiro immediately changed. His smile vanished, replaced by his usual vigilance. Amura also became serious.
Aetheria: "They said... 'The slaves there are quite promising, but unfortunately their price doesn't match what we'll get.' I heard it from a distance."
Kyoichiiro: (His eyes narrowing) "Where was that?"
Aetheria: "Before we rented the room earlier. I was thinking of buying some bread to eat. On the way back... I heard it."
Kyoichiiro nodded, his mind spinning quickly. His arms crossed over his chest, his fingers tapping his left arm softly—a rhythm indicating he was calculating possibilities.
Kyoichiiro: (Muttering, more to himself) "So not far from here. There's a possibility many people have gone missing because of that issue."
He turned to Amura.
Kyoichiiro: "What about you, Amura?"
Amura: (Shrugging, smiling—not his strange smile, but the smile of someone who had already made a decision) "I'll just follow you."
Kyoichiiro: (Nodding firmly—no doubt in his eyes) "Alright. Agreed, then. We'll find those slaves and free them."
His light blue eyes ignited with a resolve that was cold yet burning—like fire in the North Pole. Aetheria grasped the hem of her own robe, trying to be brave. Amura just smiled, ready to follow wherever this adventure would take them.
In that silent room, three fists that had met had transformed into a bond. And now that bond would be tested—not by monsters in a dungeon, but by the darkness creeping among humans themselves.
Would they succeed?
Or would this noble intention lead them into greater danger than they ever imagined?
Fate had not yet answered. But the first step had been taken. And in this isekai world full of irrational things, sometimes goodwill was the only compass one could rely on.