This place was no longer a world inside a game. Now it had truly become the ‘reality’ where Rudis would live. Finally, she had completely become part of this place.

Everything felt like her own story, yet at the same time felt foreign. Had this really been a ‘game’?

Or was it a life she had lived directly? But none of that mattered now. Whether something was real or fake didn’t matter. Rudis would live here.

But… then what happened to her guidebook?!

At the thought that suddenly crossed her mind, Rudis reflexively got up from her seat. She rushed down to the underground storage. The place where she had always kept the guidebook to look at while organizing the storage. Breathing heavily, she checked the location where the guidebook had been.

It’s here!

Finding the guidebook, Rudis let out a sigh of relief. Even though the system window had disappeared, the guidebook remained.

It seemed to be because it existed separately like a book. Some might say it was strange to be happy about such a thing at this point, but the guidebook was something that gave Rudis great strength.

Rudis stroked the cover of the guidebook with her fingertips. Something she couldn’t give up. Perhaps to the point of obsession. How else could she explain that even last winter’s last night, when she looked at the stars and made a wish, she had wished to complete the guidebook?

Until now, the guidebook had been an essential element for perfect gameplay for Rudis. Even though she had lived here for eight whole years, the incomplete guidebook continued to bother her. Even knowing that this obsession was strange, she dismissed it as natural for a player.

But now she realized. The guidebook wasn’t simply a challenge within the game. It was evidence that recorded the time she had lived, her footsteps, and her life here.

Rudis tried calling up the system window once more. But there was no change. Now she could be certain.

She would live here forever now.

Having reached this conclusion, there was no longer any reason to hesitate. Rudis went up to the first floor and called everyone together. The gazes of the four men focused on Rudis.

She knew she had made them anxious all this time. From the beginning, when she brought up stories of another world, everyone’s faces looked troubled. But Rudis couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t give them certainty. Because she didn’t know either.

In fact, the most anxious person had been Rudis herself. She had the fear of not knowing when she might have to leave again. So she couldn’t speak carelessly.

But now,

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Rudis said firmly.

“Let’s be together. From now on, always.”

Instantly, everyone’s faces changed. The tension melted away and their eyes showed relief. However, among them, Iska’s eyebrows twitched slightly before he slowly smiled.

“Then, were you thinking of going somewhere all this time?”

“…Huh?”

For some reason, hearing such words from Iska’s face felt ominously strange. Iska’s tail twitched slightly.

“Abandoning me when we promised to be together for life?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant…”

While Rudis was flustered, the reactions of the other three followed.

Xenon chuckled and looked at Rudis. He seemed relaxed like always, but somehow a sharp look flashed across his face.

“Hmm, so we were worrying like fools for nothing? If you had no intention of leaving, you should have told us sooner, Rudis.”

Noah let out a short sigh. His gaze seemed cold but had somehow become gentle. His quiet voice continued.

“I’m glad you’re finally telling us clearly. Otherwise, I would have done anything.”

Kaires said nothing. He just quietly looked at Rudis. But he slowly took her hand. The sensation transmitted through his firm fingertips carried more meaning than words.

Rudis looked at the four people in turn, then smiled. Happily.

“Since today is a good day, shall we all gather together?”

Until Noah opened his mouth.

* * *

Outside the window, a deep and quiet winter night spread out. Faint stars twinkled in the sky and moonlight gently illuminated the snow. It seemed to quietly shine on every moment of this world. Rudis placed her hand on the window and looked at the white world beyond the glass.

“Today is the last day of winter.”

Rudis, who had been looking out the window, quietly spoke. The house was quiet, but the distant noise of the festival faintly seeped in.

She hadn’t gone to the festival this year. Going around with four men felt burdensome. More than anything, this year had been unusually eventful. She needed time to quietly sort things out. Looking back, this year had been particularly full of events.

Rudis looked at the four men. Xenon, whom she had thought was an ordinary tavern owner, Iska, whom she had thought impossible to interact with, Noah, whom she had thought only emptied her pockets, and even Kaires, whom she had almost hated to death. People she had once considered simple characters in a game.

Everything she had believed in had shattered completely. This place, which she had thought was a simple farming game, had ultimately become the reality where Rudis lived.

Pop. Pop.

Still, nothing has changed. Outside where the festival was in full swing, the sound of fireworks exploding could be heard. Around this time last year, Rudis had made a wish next to Sandra and Ralph.

Actually, she hadn’t wanted to go at first. But then a quest appeared. That had never happened before. Perhaps that moment had been the beginning of all this.

Pop.

Another firework exploded outside the window. It was the last firework of the year.

“Make a wish.”

At Rudis’s words, everyone looked back in surprise. When they wondered why she was acting like that,

“Right. Originally, on winter’s last night, you make wishes like this.”

Xenon looked dazed for a moment, then quickly fixed his expression and continued speaking. However, Rudis, who didn’t miss that brief moment, looked around. The other three were also making strange expressions. A subtle silence. Only then did Rudis realize.

Wishes are made to Pathos.

No one here had good memories of that god. Pathos had left scars on them. And on Rudis herself too.

“Never mind. Don’t make wishes. Not that kind.”

Rudis hurriedly waved her hands. Then they began to speak one by one.

“My wish came true. A very long time ago.”

“I’m fine.”

“I don’t wish for anything anymore.”

Answers saying there was no need to make wishes. But that wasn’t simple resignation. Rather, it sounded like calm certainty. Their wishes had already been fulfilled, or they no longer wished for anything.

Rudis suddenly thought of Xenon.

“Xenon, you had a wish. At first, you tried to take the Token of Pathos from me. What kind of wish was it that made you do that?”

It was a playfully thrown question. Xenon chuckled and answered nonchalantly.

“I wanted to die.”

“What?”

“No matter what I did, I couldn’t die. So I looked for the Token of Pathos. They said that was the answer.”

The atmosphere subtly changed in an instant. The conversation had started as light banter, but the mood gradually sank at Xenon’s words. Rudis momentarily couldn’t continue speaking at the unexpected answer.

“But now I don’t want to die.”

Xenon looked at her with a face devoid of playfulness.

“There’s no reason for that anymore.”

Rudis started to speak for a moment, then stopped. One side of her chest felt coolly sore. An indescribable emotion washed over her.

“…What about Iska?”

Rudis asked quietly. Iska tilted his head slightly and raised the corners of his mouth. His blue eyes curved lightly and sparkled.

“For me, it’s family.”

Iska looked around calmly and deliberately added in a voice mixed with sighs.

“Ha. Though this seems like too much.”

Noah also answered.

“I’m happy to serve you again.”

A slightly eerie fanatic aspect flashed by. Rudis’s startled gaze turned toward Kaires.

“I got you back. I don’t want anything more.”

After everyone’s answers ended, their gazes naturally turned toward Rudis.

‘Is it my turn to answer?’

“I…”

The guidebook… that was everything.

‘How can I talk about the guidebook in this serious atmosphere?!’

When Rudis realized that the guidebook remained even though the system had disappeared not long ago, she had been more relieved than anyone. If the guidebook remained, it meant there were countless things to discover, and that was enough for her.

But it was too inappropriate and trivial a wish to mention here and now. While she was hesitating whether to say it or not,

“Are you… planning to use the token?”

Kaires’s voice resonated low. When the silence lengthened, he seemed to have immediately thought of the worst case. His slightly trembling gaze looked at Rudis like it was piercing through her. The other three were also watching Rudis with subtle tension.

“No. That’s not it!”

Rudis hurriedly shook her head in her confusion.

“My wish is… really nothing special.”

Rudis said with an awkward smile. However, the anxiety still didn’t fade from the four men’s faces.

“The Token of Pathos… I have plans for it. So you don’t need to worry.”