“I…”
After moving her lips several times, she ultimately couldn’t give any answer.
Seeing her like this, Yuphe burst into a broken laugh.
“Yuphe…?”
“Sorry. I was too demanding, wasn’t I?”
“…”
“I’ll wait for a very long time. I’m good at that, you know, waiting for you. So for now, go to the man you love.”
“…”
“Go on.”
Because if he held her any longer, he felt he might make her cry.
So Yuphe let go of her hesitating figure. Toward where the man she loved was waiting.
His farewell words—thanking her for her help today and telling her to stay healthy until they met again—were as concise as always.
Yes, you too. Yuphe smiled gently and waved his hand.
But the moment she turned away, that fresh smile blurred.
After Jella left, Yuphe, who remained behind, plopped down on the ground.
He was fine. He was truly fine.
He already knew that Jella had a special affection for that man.
And now both she and the man she cared for were free from the dragon’s shackles.
She would no longer have to feel pain, sorrow, or suffering.
So Yupheon Arne, who loved her, was truly fine.
But…
“She won’t promise me even until the end.”
Yuphe let out a small laugh.
Jella was that kind of woman.
A woman who wouldn’t utter promises she couldn’t keep.
And a woman who never went back on her decisions once made.
Yuphe had loved such a Jella very much.
My world, my universe, my god—the only one since my memories began.
Although you gave me no answer, I’ll still wait.
Someday, in the very distant future, when you’re reborn.
I hope that then, you’ll love me…
“I’m really pathetic, aren’t I, Jella?”
Yuphe looked in the direction where Jella had disappeared and self-deprecated.
“But I can’t help it. This is what I do best.”
His small muttering voice was quite lonely.
“Loving you who doesn’t love me, waiting for your heart to reach me someday.”
Because his love, which had blossomed from the moment his memories began, was always a love that waited quietly, holding its breath for the right time.
And a love that waited and waited with the determination never to miss the chance if that time ever came.
“Actually, Jella. Really, truly… your answer might not have been important from the beginning.”
He just needed a small hope to endure the eternal time he had to live through alone.
The hope that someday, after repeating endless years, he would meet her again.
The hope that he would hear her clear and lovely voice calling “Yuphe” again.
And someday, very someday.
If he met her again in the long cycle of rebirth. The hope that then, her heart would reach him.
If they missed each other in the next life, then in the life after that. And if they missed each other even then, in the life after that, and after that.
Among the countless meetings of future lives, the desperate hope that her heart would reach him at least once…
Those hopes, gathering together, would keep him alive.
“So please forgive me if I’m a bit pathetic.”
Yuphe deliberately burst into giggles.
In the middle of laughing for a while, suddenly something hot trickled down his pale lips.
As he unconsciously wiped it away with the back of his hand, Yuphe let out a hollow laugh at the red blood.
It hadn’t been long since he recovered, and he had overexerted himself earlier, releasing Arne’s spell.
“This, Father’s going to have something to say about it.”
He wiped his stained hand on his clothes and stood up.
If only he could wipe away the stains on his heart like this, too.
In truth, he had known for a long time.
That if the day ever came when she realized her feelings for that man, that would be when he would have to let go of his long wait and hope, and lose her forever.
Because the straight and strong woman he loved would never make the man she loved feel insecure.
But how lucky he was.
Having prevented her death and gained unintended immortality, he no longer had to lose her forever.
And so, Yupheon Arne’s love, built on waiting and hope, would now illuminate the darkness without her for eternity, never fading.
Yuphe turned his steps with a gentle smile, just like the little Yuphe who had dreamed of a future with her in those childhood days.
***
‘Love is such a thankful and sorry feeling.’
Jella moved her steps with this melancholy sentiment.
She felt apologetic toward both Niel and Yuphe.
Love that couldn’t be returned was this regretful.
But continuing to feel sorry for them would only build up another apology toward Cail.
With each step she took returning to Cail, she shook off her apologies toward them.
In the distance, she could see Cail standing tall, waiting for her.
He must have spotted her too, as his stoic face softened into a gentle smile.
Her steps toward him gradually lightened, and she ran into his arms and hugged him tightly.
“Cail!”
“Did you finish your conversation well?”
“Yes.”
Jella answered with a deliberately bright smile.
Cail quietly examined Jella’s face in his arms.
He didn’t like the upset expression she was trying to hide beneath her bright smile.
The kind-hearted woman must have found it painful to say harsh words to those men.
While feeling jealous anew at this fact, he was more concerned about her pained heart even in this moment.
Cail gently cupped her cheeks.
“Cail…?”
Then he captured the lips of the woman who was tilting her head in confusion.
In that moment, her eyes widened into perfect circles.
But soon, Jella closed her eyes and clung to his neck.
Cail’s kiss, which continued breathing naturally, was both tender and persistent, as if determined to erase all the sad emotions that other men had engraved on her heart.
It was a gentle kiss that felt like comfort.
Even after their lips parted, Jella remained with her flushed cheek against his palm.
She loved this large hand that firmly supported her.
The calluses felt here and there were traces from when he had wielded his sword to protect her.
These calluses weren’t the only traces of pain he had acquired while protecting her.
Jella turned her head to look at his chest.
She quietly placed her hand there, feeling the pulsing heartbeat beneath.
Now that Helasio, who had been parasitizing his heart, was gone, his body was cleaner than ever before.
But that didn’t mean the pain that had passed through him never existed.
“You suffered a lot because of me, didn’t you?”
“Do you know that even that pain was joy to me?”
Cail answered, gently grasping her palm.
“You told me to become a knight who protects you.”
“Become a knight who protects me.”
That one sentence from her, which was perhaps the starting point of Cail’s sublime and blind love.
That one sentence had remained in his heart for so long, keeping him alive.
“From that moment on, protecting you has been the only purpose of my life.”
“…”
“And since I was finally able to protect you, I am happy with that.”
“Why are you…”
At that calm confession, Jella murmured with a choked voice.
“Why are you so constant? Like a fool.”
The man who had been her only support when she had to be the villain of this world and was therefore always lonely.
Thus, the man who remained as her only lingering attachment.
And now, the man who would remain as her complete love.
“Jella. I will always be in the same place.”
That man whispers, kissing her hand.
“In that place where you reach out and touch first. I will protect you there. Just as you once told me.”
That from now on and forever, he would support her with the same heart in the same place.
Cail Aleret’s love was that kind of love.
A truly constant love that made her laugh and cry.
“…Me too.”
Jella felt a lump in her throat as she spoke to him.
“Now I’ll protect you too. You said it yourself. That I’m your master. Since it’s originally the master’s job to protect, from now on, I’ll…”
“You’ve already protected me.”
“I have?”
Jella blinked her eyes with a puzzled expression.
Perhaps he meant when she had eased his demonic energy when he was suffering from the symptoms of an impending rampage.
But that seemed too trivial to call protection…
“Yes, you have.”
At this point, Cail smiled gently and lightly kissed her forehead.
“It was you who brought me out when I was foolishly running away and hiding, and you who gave a future to me when I had given up on life and wanted to pay for my sins with death.”
“Ah…”
“If it weren’t for you, I would have given up on myself.”
Cail looked at her with straight eyes and curved them.
“Thank you, Jella. For not giving up on me. For letting me walk into the future with you.”
“…”
“For allowing me to love you by your side like this. For allowing me to love you for a long time.”
Those words made her realize once more.
That nothing threatened her peace anymore.
That she could now walk side by side with him in this peaceful world she had achieved through her death, without any worries.
Jella and Cail, who had been silently facing each other, simultaneously raised their heads to look up at Helasio flying high in the vast sky.
Helasio was so excited that he was completely absorbed in enjoying the joy of regaining his body.
After watching him for a moment, Cail asked Jella with a small smile.
“Shall we go to your pharmacy now? Before that annoying dragon decides to follow us.”
“Yes!”
Jella answered with a bright smile.
Just as the two were about to sneak away without Helasio noticing.
“Hey! How could you leave without me!”
Helasio, who belatedly realized that the two were leaving him behind, shouted angrily and chased after them.
Clear laughter followed.
After I Died, The Male Leads Became Strange Main Story End
T/n: I’m trying to like the ending… really. And I genuinely like Cail and am happy for his happy ending, but I can’t make peace with this conclusion. The final chapters hurt so much. (☍﹏⁰)｡
I find it frustrating when novels set up multiple male leads only for most to face heartbreak in the end. If a story begins with a reverse harem dynamic, I’d prefer it maintain that throughout rather than forcing a single pairing. What makes it particularly disappointing here is the extraordinary devotion these men showed—traveling across dimensions and confronting a god for her sake. These aren’t ordinary relationships but profound connections built through exceptional sacrifice, which makes the conventional “choose one” ending feel inadequate for the story that was built.
Even at the end, the other two decided to sacrifice their feelings so that the female lead wouldn’t feel bad… What nonsense. At least Niel will eventually die, but Yuphe will carry these feelings with him forever. She could have simply become Emperor again and given love to all three. For a happy ending enthusiast like me, this is definitely not a happy ending. (˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )
The only joyful thing was that Helasio got his body back, thus preventing the world from ending.
There are still 12 side stories, and I hope we either get “what if” scenarios with Niel and Yuphe respectively, or generally a parallel story where everyone gets a piece of the cake named Jella.
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Mahwiii
I agree with you this was so heartbreaking
I really wished for an open ending with this one
but if there is alot of side stories then maybe there is a story with Niel and kim ga eul
and yuphe with the reborn jella in the future as well
happy ending with all three of them.. tho the kim ga eul one would probably not be a good ending since she died.. young appearntly if she came to them looking the same age..
omg im crying just thinking of Niel and Yuphe
I really enjoyed this story
and tbh I think she got attached to cail because he didnt “betray” her but.. the others did what they did for her too.. that was the only thing they could do.. in their perspective
while cail couldnt do anything else but stay by her side since his role was ultimately to be the one to kill her
sighs
im really glad that the dragon is happy atleast
thank you so much for the translation
and tbh when i saw the story completed I just went ahead and bought all the chapters because I just couldnt wait for it
your translation was perfect ! and made this story more enjoyable too!