Chapter 479: Like a Tiger (3)

The Butterfly Effect.

The delicate flutter of a butterfly’s wings... a simple act that could set off a chain of events powerful enough to create a storm. A poetic metaphor, often used to illustrate how seemingly insignificant actions can lead to monumental consequences.

For a time traveler, however, this idea holds far greater weight.

A choice as small as a grain of sand, made in the distant past, could reshape the entire fabric of the future.

Until now, Flame had been completely unaware—

Unaware that she had been ensnared by Silver Autumn Moon, caught in a relentless cycle of the same event, replaying it fifty times.

However, the faint déjà vu she experienced hinted at something—

A shift.

Countless trials and errors.

Endless repetitions.

And at the end of it all...

A coincidence.

Coincidences, by their nature, seem improbable, fleeting as stars in the daylight. Yet improbability does not mean impossibility.

If the same event were to repeat enough times, even the most improbable coincidence could eventually occur.

And this moment - right now - was that moment of coincidence.

Florin was captured by Dusk Soil Moon.

Eisel raced toward her with reckless determination.

Flame chased after them both.

... But that wasn’t all.

Hong Bi-Yeon’s death.

Jeliel’s disappearance.

The exchange program delayed by a single day.

French fries on the lunch menu.

A forgotten handkerchief this morning.

Left foot stepping forward instead of the right.

Even the type of socks worn today.

Every small detail - woven together into an intricate chain of events - had culminated in this one timeline, where Dusk Soil Moon’s awakening could be stopped.

At a glance, these incidents might seem like insignificant occurrences.

But in this moment, it was clear—

This scenario was a one-in-a-million event—

A singular point that could only occur through countless repetitions across infinite timelines.

’... I didn’t end up here by coincidence.’

Flame knew this for certain.

So, she pushed herself to run faster.

To save Florin and the World Tree.

To reach the future.

To return to Baek Yu-Seol.

"Wait!!"

Flame’s steps came to an abrupt halt.

When she turned around, she saw Silver Autumn Moon, his figure shimmering like a mirage, staring at her with desperation.

"Wait, Flame..."

"...Silver Autumn Moon."

For a moment, he said nothing. His lips pressed into a firm line as his gaze locked onto hers, the weight of unspoken words hanging between them.

Time seemed to freeze. The air around them grew heavy, and the world fell into a suffocating silence.

But then—

Flame stepped out of that stillness and gave him a gentle smile.

"I’m sorry."

"Wait—Flame...!"

She took a step back.

Silver Autumn Moon cried out urgently.

"I need you! I can’t be without you!"

He was, in some ways, a truly pitiful soul.

A Twelve Divine Moon who had lived for thousands of years, yet had fallen for a human who wouldn’t even live a hundred.

Even though Flame was the object of his twisted love, she couldn’t bring herself to hate him.

Yes, he was the one who had trapped her here, keeping her from returning home.

Yes, he deserved to be cursed for what he had done.

But for some reason, Flame couldn’t bring herself to do it.

The pain he endured - the inability to even approach the one he loved - was a suffering she couldn’t bring herself to crush.

’...How tragic.’

That was all she could feel.

With a heavy heart, Flame turned back, preparing to run toward Eisel once again.

But then—

"... Please."

His voice trembled, raw and desperate in a way she had never heard before.

"Our world... needs you. We absolutely need you!"

This time, his tone felt different.

’Need?’

Flame blinked, confused by Silver Autumn Moon’s strange words.

Sensing her hesitation, he quickly repeated himself.

"If you’re not here, our world will be destroyed! Are you trying to kill all of us?!"

"What? What are you talking about...?"

It didn’t make sense.

"Even if I go back... The Flame who originally lived in this world will still be here. She’ll figure something out—"

"Nonsense!"

Silver Autumn Moon interrupted, his voice trembling as if the weight of the truth was too much to bear. Tears shimmered in his eyes, threatening to spill.

"There is no ’other Flame’ in this world!"

"That can’t be... You told me yourself, there’s another version of me in this world..."

A lie.

Flame wanted to believe it was all a lie.

But the desperation on Silver Autumn Moon’s face, mixed with tears, showed no signs of deception.

"... That was a lie."

"And how can I trust what you’re saying now isn’t a lie too?"

Silver Autumn Moon shook his head.

"You’ve seen it too, haven’t you? There’s no such person as Baek Yu-Seol in this world."

"Th-That’s..."

It was strange, no doubt.

Why didn’t Baek Yu-Seol exist in this world?

At first, she had thought it odd.

She had noticed discrepancies... the school’s student count was one higher in this world, suggesting Baek Yu-Seol’s presence wasn’t native to the novel’s setting but tied to this timeline.

However, when she learned that Baek Yu-Seol had come from Earth, just like her, the anomaly seemed explainable.

"But unlike Baek Yu-Seol, I’ve clearly existed in this world from the beginning. I enrolled at Stella long before I arrived here, and plenty of people recognize me—"

"How can you be so sure?"

Silver Autumn Moon gave a bitter laugh.

"You, Flame... no, all of you who step into this world are special. The moment you arrive, this world rewrites its memories. It bends its reality to make it seem as if you’ve always been here. And then..."

A lifeless leaf fell to the ground and shattered.

"When you disappear, we all forget you ever existed. ...And as you already know, a world without ’Flame’ is destined to collapse."

It was the undeniable story of the original novel, Do Not Love the Unfortunate Princess.

In that story, Flame didn’t exist, and the world was destroyed.

"That’s right, Flame. It has to be you."

"What are you talking about...?"

"You don’t actually believe there’s only one or two worlds like ours, do you?" His gaze bore into hers, piercing her soul. "No, you already know the truth. I can see it in your eyes. You’ve glimpsed the windows of time... You’ve seen countless pasts, haven’t you?"

He wasn’t wrong.

Flame had briefly witnessed Baek Yu-Seol’s regressions during the Constellation Project.

By observing those events, she had come to understand—

This world wasn’t unique.

It was just one of many.

Rumble...!!!

The tremors of Dusk Soil Moon grew more intense.

With Eisel’s arrival, a new possibility had opened.

All Flame had to do was run forward—

And she could return to the future.

Yet, her feet wouldn’t move.

’...This is it.’

The truth she had sought, even after being sent back in time.

’Why do I exist in this world?’

’And... What am I supposed to do?’

Her lips trembled as she forced herself to speak.

"If I stay here... Does that mean the world won’t be destroyed?"

Silver Autumn Moon instinctively started to nod, but then he hesitated.

When he averted his gaze, Flame’s expression crumbled.

"So... it’s not guaranteed the world won’t be destroyed?"

"Right...?"

Silver Autumn Moon squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to answer.

But when Flame pressed him again, he could no longer hold back—

And in the end, he nodded.

"That’s right... You can’t guarantee saving our world. You’ll face countless failures and repetitions. You’ll fail again and again. And maybe... The probability of you saving this world will approach zero. You might have to keep running endlessly, clinging to the slimmest chance of success."

Just like Baek Yu-Seol.

"That’s..."

She couldn’t believe it.

Of course, she had no memories of regressing.

Flame had simply fallen into the world of a novel she enjoyed reading.

"That can’t be true. I don’t have any memories of that."

"Exactly."

Silver Autumn Moon gave a bitter smile.

"Someone like you - a radiant, extraordinary being - couldn’t possibly have had your memories completely erased by someone like Fawn Prevernal Moon. Unlike Eisel or Hong Bi-Yeon, the only memories erased from you were those right before your time travel. And even those were fragile shattered by the slightest shock."

Her memories weren’t erased.

Then...

"That’s all I can tell you, Flame."

Silver Autumn Moon reached out his hand.

"Your world has Baek Yu-Seol. That boy will definitely save your world. So... why don’t you stay here? It’ll be hard, and it’ll take everything you have, but if you stay... we can have hope again."

It sounded convincing, even tempting.

And he wasn’t wrong.

That world—

’Baek Yu-Seol will save it.’

But this world?

It was just one world among countless others.

Yet it was a world she had seen, felt, and experienced with her own eyes.

She couldn’t just walk away.

"But I..."

She had to go back.

Boom—!!!

Suddenly, the situation shifted.

Dusk Soil Moon began to thrash violently as if Eisel had done something.

Meanwhile, Florin was freed from her restraints and was no longer having her life force drained.

The situation was changing fast.

She had to make a choice.

Noticing Flame’s hesitation, Silver Autumn Moon took a step closer with an almost pleasing expression.

"Come with me, Flame. I—no, we—can protect you."

"I..."

At that moment—

She suddenly felt something tugging at her elbow.

Startled, she quickly turned around, but there was no one there.

Instead, what filled her field of vision left her feeling utterly dumbfounded.

Somehow, Eisel had already climbed to the very top of Dusk Soil Moon and—

Like a mountaineer planting a flag after conquering a peak—

She had planted her staff into the massive creature’s head and was now freezing its entire body solid.

"Ahahahaha! I’m going back hoooome!!"

Eisel laughed and beaming brightly as she raised her staff in triumph.

But—

That wasn’t the 17-year-old, first-year Eisel.

No.

The playful smirk and the overwhelming cold mana, far beyond what a Class 3 student could wield—

This was undoubtedly the future Eisel.

Even the line she just shouted—

Hadn’t Flame personally taught her that?

’...Of course.’

There was no time to question how this impossible event had happened.

Instead—

"...I’m sorry, but I have to go back."

Flame gave Silver Autumn Moon a bittersweet smile before turning away and racing toward Eisel.

’I’m selfish.’

But she didn’t think that was wrong.

In fact, it was only natural.

Wasn’t it?

Silver Autumn Moon had preyed on her moment of weakness, trying to force her to sacrifice herself.

He, too, was selfish.

And if both sides were being selfish—

Then the one with the right to choose should take what they wanted.

Flame ran.

She ran with everything she had.

She couldn’t remember how far or how long she ran.

All she knew was that she poured every ounce of strength she had into reaching Eisel, and when she did, she pulled her into a tight embrace.

The world was suddenly engulfed in light.

Dusk Soil Moon, the World Tree, Florin, Silver Autumn Moon, the sky, and the earth—

Everything began to fade away into the distance.

"I curse you, Flame!!!"

But one voice remained.

Silver Autumn Moon refused to disappear quietly.

He shouted at Flame, his voice echoing through the void.

"Because of you! Our world will be destroyed! You killed it! Every living being in this world—you killed them all!!"

Flame squeezed her eyes shut.

His words were like knives, stabbing deep into her chest.

"You... abandoned me—abandoned our world—and you think you can just return peacefully?! Don’t even dream of it! Flame, I curse you! You will never return to your world!!"

"Ugh...!"

Thud!

Silver Autumn Moon let out one final anguished cry before disappearing.

His curse struck Flame head-on, and she collapsed to her knees within the blinding white void.

"Hic... ugh...!"

Something felt wrong.

Her stomach churned, and her head pounded in unbearable pain.

Her legs began to weaken, and just as she was about to fall completely,

Two arms suddenly caught her, holding her up.

Startled, Flame quickly looked up—

And saw familiar faces smiling down at her.

’What took you so long? Seriously.’

Eisel’s voice.

’...You’re disgustingly late.’

Hong Bi-Yeon’s voice.

Even amidst the blinding light that surrounded them,

Flame could see Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon’s smiles.

But—

Flame couldn’t bring herself to say anything to them.

’I’m sorry... I’m so sorry... because of me... So much had happened. So much.’

Trapped in the past, her memories lost, and manipulated by this world’s Silver Autumn Moon... It forced to repeat the same time loop dozens of times.

And as if that weren’t enough—

’Now the door to the future is completely sealed. Ha...’

’Hah, this world’s Silver Autumn Moon is so petty. Totally different from the one in our world.’

Now, she couldn’t even return home.

Silver Autumn Moon must have pulled something at the last moment.

But knowing that didn’t change the fact that there was no way out.

’Well... it’s fine. At least this is better than being trapped inside another Eisel’s memories, manipulated against my will.’

’...I even burned to death several times. I lost consciousness right before dying, so I can’t remember it... But I’d still choose this over repeating that nightmare.’

Even as Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon tried to stay positive, it didn’t change the reality of their situation.

’No... This is my fault.’

In the end, the one who caused all of this was herself.

’Because of me, all of you...’

"Flame."

She looked up.

’Thank you.’

’...What?’

’Thanks to you, I realized just how lucky I’ve been. And how much all the people who reached out to me truly meant in my life.’

’... That’s...’

’Don’t say something so pointless.’

’Heh, Hong Bi-Yeon... you feel the same, don’t you?’

Hong Bi-Yeon didn’t respond.

But her silence was as good as a yes.

Feeling somewhat comforted, Flame let out a faint frown.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Eisel spoke up.

’Instead of worrying, let’s try the spell."’

’... A spell?’

’Yeah.’

’But... That won’t work anymore.’

The path was completely blocked. At this point, reciting the spell felt meaningless.

Yet, Eisel quickly pulled her up, as if to say, ’Let’s just try it.’

’... Fine. Let’s give it a shot. You two... You remember the spell, right?’

’Of course.’

’Idiot commoner. Everyone remembers it except you.’

Flame couldn’t help but smile.

The truth was, she remembered it now too.

It was such a simple, heartfelt spell that she couldn’t even understand why she had forgotten it in the first place.

And so—

The three girls locked eyes, and in unison, began to recite the spell.

’...Let’s go back—to where the people we love, and the people who love us, are waiting.’

... Silence.

As expected, nothing happened.

The girls exchanged bitter smiles, looking at one another.

Before Flame could say anything, Eisel spoke first.

’Well... it’s better than not trying at all. At least we’ve ruled out one option, so now we can focus on thinking of something else.’

Then Hong Bi-Yeon chimed in.

’Stop making that miserable face. It’s not your fault, okay? I followed you here because I wanted to. So why do you look like someone’s dying? Are all commoners this dramatic? I’ll never understand them.’

’... Haha...’

Flame laughed weakly.

She wasn’t even sure what they were doing anymore.

Crying and getting comforted by her friends—

It was so unlike Flame.

’Yeah. Thanks. Even if we can’t go back... we’ll never give up.’

That’s what she wanted to say.

But—

’...Huh?"’

Both Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon suddenly froze, their eyes wide and mouths agape, staring at something behind her.

They looked shocked.

Flame quickly spun around—

And there, stepping through the cracks in the glowing light, was Baek Yu-Seol.

"It’s been a while, troublemakers."

’B-Baek Yu-Seol...?!’

’How... Are you here...?’

’... And why are you so late?’

Her legs almost gave out.

But she somehow managed to hold herself together with sheer determination.

She didn’t want to look weak in front of him, not anymore.

Baek Yu-Seol stepped fully through the radiant portal, pushing it open wide.

Then, pointing back toward the world behind him, he grinned.

"Loving someone, huh? I’m curious—care to tell me about it on the way back?"