Chapter 1: The Hidden Boss (Left Side) Awakens in the Kingdom of Twilight
When I woke up, the room was dim. When did I fall asleep? I wondered as I rubbed my left eye and sat up, only to find that I was outside. What a wild way to wake up. I scanned my surroundings, assuming I’d just sleepwalked into the garden, but I was completely stunned.
“Huh? No, really. Where am I?” I had woken up in a truly unfamiliar place. I had no idea where I was, let alone which part of the world this could be.
I looked down at myself and saw I was in my usual dress. Did I change out of my pajamas and... Wait. Did I even change into my pajamas last night? My memories are foggy.
Before me was an expansive red wasteland. There were no buildings or plants in sight, only reddish-brown boulders and sand-covered land.
One might refer to this as That Time I Woke Up in a Red Desertlike Place.
Joking aside, the shade I used to describe this place—the color of the rocks and sand—was probably not the area’s original color. It seemed that the sun was red, and the red light from the sun was spilling over the horizon and shining onto the wasteland. But was the sun setting or rising? Taking into account the time I spent sleeping, it’s probably the glow of sunrise.
Since I was involved in this mysterious phenomenon of waking up in an unknown location, I probably couldn’t trust my own sense of time. As I looked out at the red world and sorted through my thoughts, I realized something—I clearly had jumbled memories.
I could recall what had happened up to yesterday afternoon, but I had no clear memory of what had taken place last night. I had vague memories of eating something, of having makeup put on me, and of being manhandled as I was put to sleep, but it all felt like a dream.
I guess I’ll figure out what time it is eventually. If the sun goes up, it’s early morning, and if it goes down, it’s evening. There’s a fifty-fifty chance, I thought, voicing my guess like I was placing a bet.
“This one is...a sunrise!”
“Is that how you see it?” a voice asked out of nowhere from my right side.
Shocked, I turned to my right and saw a blond young man standing right beside me. How did I not notice him until now? I made sure to raise my guard as I faced him.
I looked the mysterious young man up and down and saw that he was a king. His outfit looked like army clothes, but there were formal elements of aristocratic clothing included in various parts of his clothes. The western sword on his hips was overly decorated and looked to be for ceremonial use.
The biggest clue to his status was the golden crown on his head. His golden blond hair, which looked as soft as silk, also seemed to announce his regality.
“Where did you come from?” I asked.
“I’ve always been here. I just thought it would be best to watch over you until you calmed down. Everyone who comes here is confused at first.”
“Is that so? I didn’t notice you.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have stood so far back. It probably didn’t help that I was on your right side either.”
I was sure I had scanned my surroundings and turned 360 degrees as soon as I’d woken up. Do I have a blind spot...?
Though this young man was definitely no ordinary man, I was happy that I wasn’t the only one here. I need to ask him where I am and find a way home. Did I teleport here, or was I kidnapped? Figuring out why I was moved can wait for later.
As such thoughts ran through my mind, the man gazed into the distance, where the light was still spilling over the horizon. He stood with a tall, confident posture, but his expression was somber. I couldn’t help but silently stare at his face.
After some time, the man dressed like a king noticed my gaze and spoke. “It’s rare for someone to stay composed upon arriving here... Welcome to the Kingdom of Twilight.”
“The Kingdom of Twilight?”
“Yes. This is a kingdom where the sun is constantly about to rise and where people’s regrets gather. I’m the king of this land.”
The Kingdom of Twilight...? I’ve never heard of it. Also, the sun never fully rises? What does that mean? I was definitely confused, but it probably wasn’t showing on my face at all. The man wasted no time and continued his explanation.
“Everyone refers to me as ‘King,’ but some call me ‘Hero’... You can call me whichever you’d like.”
“I see... Well, I know a king, so I’ll call you Hero.”
“Sure. And what’s your name?” He asked this naturally, but I had to think about it.
Was it okay for me to reveal my true identity of Yumiella Dolkness to him? I wasn’t sure why, but I was brought to some place I’d never heard of while I was asleep, and I wasn’t in the Kingdom of Valschein anymore. Stating my name in the neighboring kingdom of Lemlaesta would cause chaos, so it was best to use a fake name when I was somewhere that I’d achieved notoriety.
I’d introduced myself as Eleanora to Gilbert, Patrick’s older brother, but Eleanora was too close to me, and it was hard to respond when someone called me by that name. I don’t really want to use my name from my past life... Maybe I can use the player name I used in games? But being called “RedBeanMochi” out loud makes it feel like an offline gathering for online friends, and it’s embarrassing. Why don’t I use this opportunity to come up with a really cool name?
Though I gave my response a lot of thought, I thought it would be suspicious if I took too long to answer, so I quickly introduced myself.
“My name is Joker.”
Shoot. Joker? Really? That should be your last choice. That’s so embarrassing. It’s so cringe. I feel like my face is on fire.
The self-proclaimed hero took my cringey name seriously. “It’s nice to meet you, Joker.”
“It’s Yumiella. Yumiella. That’s my real name, so please call me Yumiella.”
“Huh? Is Joker a family name? Yumiella Joker?”
“It’s Yumiella Dolkness. Please forget about Joker.”
I shouldn’t have introduced myself as Joker. The only ones allowed to use the name Joker are clowns, phantom thieves, metal bands, and... I guess that’s a lot. Still, I have to be careful. Who knows what’ll trigger a relapse and turn me into an edgelord again.
My current location was the still-unfamiliar kingdom known as Twilight. Had the name of Yumiella reached these lands...?
Surprisingly, my first name wasn’t what caught the hero’s attention.
“I’ve heard the name ‘Dolkness’ before. Where do I know it from...? I think it was the name of a yeoman to a count.”
“I think that might be a different family with the same name. My family holds the rank of count in the Kingdom of Valschein.”
“Oh! You’re a noble lady from Valschein!” The man seemed happy to hear the name of my kingdom. First Dolkness and now Valschein—this guy reacts to the weirdest things.
Though his reactions were strange, I was glad that he seemed to know of my home kingdom. I’d been worried that I’d traveled so far that no one would know where Valschein was, but those fears were wiped away in an instant.
The hero was as excited as someone going, “We’re from the same place!” Maybe he’s involved with the kingdom. I can probably get home right away.
“So you know of the Kingdom of Valschein?”
“Of course. My knowledge is quite old, though, so I don’t know how it’s currently doing.”
“What’s the distance between Twilight and Valschein? I’d like to know the way back.”
“The way back? To Valschein?”
“Well, yes... Oh, you might not believe me, but I woke up and was suddenly here. I should’ve been in Valschein.”
I was aware that my story sounded unrealistic, but I just wanted to know the way back, so it wasn’t really an issue if he didn’t believe me. But, or I should say as expected, he responded in a way I didn’t anticipate.
“I understand. That’s the sort of place this kingdom is.”
“What sort of place?”
“It’ll take a while to discuss the Kingdom of Twilight. Let me first take you to somewhere you can rest. The settlement is a short walk from here.”
This desert looks like an empty wasteland. Is there really a settlement here? I took another look at the red desert, and the hero pointed at a rocky mountain behind us. It was the opposite direction of the sun.
“People are gathered behind there, in the shade of the mountain. Don’t worry—there are a lot of strange characters there, so I’m sure they’ll accept you.”
“Oh, black hair must be rare here too.”
Having black hair was especially rare in the Kingdom of Valschein and its surrounding area, but it was also somewhat rare in the entire world. My appearance was bizarre no matter where I was.
Having figured out what he meant, I realized that the hero was staring at me. His gaze was focused on my head. He observed my hair as he slowly moved around me. He was on my right side, but he passed by in front of me and looked at my left. His eyes were now locked on the back of my head.
After some time, he finally spoke. “It’s true,” he mumbled as if his thoughts were spilling out. “Your hair really is completely black.”
“You weren’t referring to my hair when you said they’d accept me?”
“There are stranger things than your— Never mind. Don’t worry about it. The Kingdom of Twilight accepts all.”
Is there anything else strange about me besides my hair and eye color? Wondering if there was something on my face, I touched my left cheek, but nothing felt off. I looked down and everything looked the same. My left hand and left leg had nothing wrong with them.
I’d rather you just finish your thought since you already started it... Before I could complain, he urged me to walk towards the settlement.
“It’s this way. Let’s hurry. They say it isn’t good to be out in the sun for too long.”
“It hasn’t even risen though.”
“That’s just the kind of place this is.”
It felt like we weren’t quite on the same page, but I followed him regardless, and we headed for the other side of the rocky mountain.
We kept walking along the hard terrain of the red wasteland. I’d only noticed this now, but I was wearing shoes. I even changed out of my pajamas, so maybe someone dressed me... Or I did it myself and just don’t remember. The mystery of waking up in an unfamiliar location was still a mystery.
The scenery didn’t change as we walked, so I stared at my shoes that I had no recollection of putting on. I suddenly looked up and my eyes met those of the hero, who’d been walking ahead of me. He looked at me with concern.
“You walk in an interesting way.”
“Oh, yes. I’ll make sure to look up as I walk.”
“That’s not what I...” The hero suddenly trailed off and turned back around.
He implied that I was strange earlier too. Is there something weird about me? Should I just tell him to clearly say whatever is on his mind?
Before I could say anything, the hero spoke, still facing forward. “I had an old friend that was similar to you.”
“Excuse me...?”
“He had jet-black hair. I couldn’t tell at first because of the lighting and the way he was facing, but it was a pure, deep black, and it surprised me. He had an air similar to you as well. Ah, he was a really good guy.”
From the way he spoke, this friend had probably passed. Though the hero spoke cheerfully, I couldn’t tell what kind of face he was currently making. The way he reminisces on his black-haired friend kind of reminds me of...
“He was a really fun guy. I thought we’d never see each other again, but we actually reunited recently.”
What the heck? He’s not dead? You were totally giving off the vibe of someone grieving their passed friend. We hadn’t spoken for very long, but I could tell that this man was a bit of an airhead. The fact that he claims he’s a hero is also proof. Maybe he’s also just a self-proclaimed king.
“Oh, so he’s alive?”
“Who is?”
“Your friend that I remind you of.”
“We were recently reunited. The answer should be obvious.”
The hero was definitely an airhead, and it still felt like we weren’t on the same page. Maybe I was teleported somewhere super far—somewhere where people’s ideas of how to conduct small talk are different.
We made our way around the rocky mountain to the settlement in the mountain’s shadow. Since the sun hadn’t risen, the shade was on the western side of the mountain.
The ground hidden by the mountain was black, and people were gathered there, as if to avoid the red, dimly lit wasteland.
“This is the settlement...?”
There were definitely people, but the sight before me was completely different from what I would imagine when hearing the word “settlement.”
First, there were no structures. There were just people sprinkled across the area, sitting on the ground. There were a few man-made vaselike objects, but there weren’t many. It looked like a group of students were just gathered in the school courtyard, and I was speechless.
It appeared that I’d come to a ridiculous kingdom. The king turned around to face me and smiled as he held out his right hand to shake mine.
“Welcome to the Kingdom of Twilight. This is the area where the most people are gathered, so we call it a settlement. These people don’t like the sunlight, so they usually spend their time here.”
I had come up with a convenient explanation: these people all had homes elsewhere, and they gathered here in the morning to do radio calisthenics together, and they just called that gathering spot a settlement. But the hero’s words made such an explanation impossible.
My brain wasn’t processing the situation fast enough, and I’d forgotten that he wanted to shake hands. I just stared at his hand as he held it out.
The hero suddenly gasped and pulled his hand away. “Oh, my apologies... Once again, welcome.” This time, he extended his left hand. It’s not that I don’t want to shake your right hand specifically, you know?
I didn’t have it in me to point that out amid my confusion, so I just shook his hand, the current situation still feeling unreal.
“Thank you,” I responded.
I looked up at the hero’s face, which was only half lit. His gentle and regal expression befitting of the crown he wore was still there, but I felt something unstable behind it all.
Okay, then. Though they call it a settlement, all I can do here is sit on the ground and rest. I need to hurry up and ask about the way to Valschein so I can escape this strange kingdom.
I let go of his hand and was just about to ask about the geography here when someone called out to us. It was one of the residents gathered in the shade.
“That spot is dangerous! Come over here, quickly!”
I looked over, wondering what could be the problem, and saw a middle-aged man with cat ears screaming. Huh? A middle-aged man with cat ears? A middle-aged catboy? What’s going on?
“You too, King! You’re in danger!”
No matter how many times I looked, I saw a middle-aged man with cat ears. There was a human, a middle-aged man with cat ears sprouting from the top of his head. Including his pair of human ears, he had a total of four.
He keeps yelling about how it’s dangerous over here, but I think his presence is the most dangerous thing right now.
“Why are you just standing there?! Hurry up and come over here!”
Yup, he’s definitely a middle-aged catboy.
It probably wasn’t fair to dismiss his cat ears just because he was a middle-aged man. Everyone had their own sense of fashion. As long as it wasn’t harming others, people should be free to dress however they pleased.
Still, I feel like a middle-aged catboy makes everything unpleasant for everyone else. Oh, I guess that’s the same logic people use when they unreasonably ask someone to change from a skirt into pants. I guess even if it’s a little hard to accept, the middle-aged catboy should be allowed to exist.
I was determined to accept the middle-aged catboy in the name of diversity, and I decided to first try complimenting him.
“Those ears are lovely.”
“Hurry up and— Hee hee, do you really think so, meow?”
Okay, even if I can accept the cat ears, the “meow” is criminal. He should definitely be arrested. Are the law enforcement agencies of Twilight functioning?
The cat-eared man did a “cute” gesture, curling his hand like a cat’s paw, out of embarrassment and effectively committed another crime before returning to the stern look he originally had.
“Forget my ears. Get over here!”
“Okay...”
He’d been urging us over to the shaded area. If he’s concerned because the UV rays in this area are strong enough to insta-kill you, then I’d be worried too. The man didn’t seem that concerned though, so it didn’t really feel like I was in danger. Still, if I didn’t get in the shade, I wouldn’t be able to have a proper conversation with the cat-eared man. I don’t actually want to have a proper conversation with him, though... I guess I have no choice. I stepped into the shade known as the settlement.
“Is this all right?” I asked.
“Oh, thank goodness. Does anything feel...?” The man inspected me from top to bottom and fell silent in the middle of his sentence. What is it? Did I get really badly sunburned or something? I looked at my left hand and saw nothing wrong.
“Is there something on my face?” I asked.
“Oh, no. I’m sorry for staring...meow.”
“You don’t have to force yourself to act like a cat.”
“I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. How long have you been here fur, meow?” The cat-eared man, who showed a glimpse of his regular self, ignored my comment.
It seemed like there was no point in trying to get through to him. There’s a weirdo here—please do something about it. That’s the king’s job, isn’t it? I turned to look at the hero, who had just stepped into the shaded area. He spoke, but he didn’t touch on the older man’s manner of speech.
“She’s just arrived in Twilight. I happened to be there when she arrived.”
“You were out walking in the sunlight again?” the cat-eared man asked with concern. “If anything were to happen to you, we would all be terribly saddened. Please look out for yourself more. I beg of you to stay in the shade of the mountain.”
Mr. Cat Ears can totally speak normally...
I was well aware that there was no use in trying to get him to stop, so I decided to continue without pointing out his speech pattern.
“You were telling us to come into the shade earlier. Is it bad to be in the sun?”
“It’s the word of the great god. If we don’t stay in the shade, something terrible will happen to all of us, meow.”
Oh, so it’s just your religion. That’s pretty different from banning any contact with sunlight. Still, I wasn’t quite satisfied with why they were gathered in the shade provided by the rocky mountain. It’s only shaded for now, right?
“What would you do if the sun rose to right above this spot? You don’t seem to have any structures with roofs.”
“It’s always evening here, meow.”
“No, you’re wrong,” the hero chimed in. “It’s morning. The sun is about to rise.”
“There you go again, King... The sun will eventually set, meow. You need to give up already, meow.”
It’s always evening? But the hero says it’s early morning? Oh, I get it now! This kingdom must be experiencing midnight suns. That happens on Earth too—regions close to the north pole spend summers where the sun never fully sets. The sun just revolves around the horizon. That means if you spend twenty-four hours walking around the mountain, you’ll always be in the sunlight. This must be religious activity limited to the summer—it all makes sense now. Their king must be a nonbeliever.
The midnight sun would also explain why they were arguing whether it was morning or evening. I was starting to understand the mysterious settlement a little more, and I was starting to feel comfortable.
Sorry for being so harsh towards you, Mr. Cat Ears. After giving your cat ears and speech quirk another thought... No, never mind. I still don’t like it. Though those cat ears really do look real. The fine, silky hairs look exactly like a cat’s—it’s like they could move at any mome—
“They moved!” I yelped.
“Meow?!”
I’d suddenly raised my voice, which made the cat-eared man’s cat ears flatten on his head, like a cat that was scared. They’re real ears! Have beastkin existed in this world this whole time?! Stop adding things that suddenly change the world-building this late in the game.
“Are those ears real?” I asked.
“They’re attached to my head, meow. I’m sure it’s an un-fur-miliar sight to someone new, meow.”
“Can I touch them...?”
“B-Be gentle, meow.”
What is this feeling? Both “Yay! I’m so happy!” and “I’m gonna punch you!” are feelings that exist within me without any contradiction. What should I do? I guess he said it’s okay, so I guess I’ll touch them.
I reached my left hand out to the man’s cat ears. I poked them with my pointer finger, and they were cool to the touch. This. This is what a cat’s ear should be like! They’re real. The way he twitched when I touched his ear made me fully cringe because of the middle-aged part of his catboy-ness, but his cat ears still felt relaxing to touch.
“They’re actually real.”
“I was overworked for a long time, meow. That’s why when I came to this kingdom, I wanted to live a laid-back life, just like a cat, meow.”
“I see... How did these ears sprout on your head?”
“I was overworked for a long time, meow. That’s why when I came to this king—”
“I got it already, thanks.”
If he became a cat because he wanted to, I should’ve turned into a Tyrannosaurus by now.
We would’ve had a proper conversation if he didn’t have that speech quirk, and he was starting to not make sense, so I looked away from the cat ears and looked down. My left heel was right on the border of the sunlight and shade, which hadn’t moved since I’d entered the settlement.
“Huh?” That’s strange. I’ve looked at a sundial in the past, but they actually move pretty quickly.
Though the man and I had talked for a short period, it normally only took a few minutes for shadows to move a noticeable amount. Though it’s not that the shadows aren’t moving. It’s actually the sun’s position that...
“No way.” I quickly rushed out of the shade and ran somewhere the sun was visible. The cat-eared man was telling me to come back, but I ignored him and went to check the sun.
To my disbelief, the sun wasn’t visible. It hadn’t risen or set. The same amount of light was peeking over the horizon as when I’d first woken up.
If it’s a midnight sun, then it should move parallel to the horizon... And shadows should still move because of that.
Paying no mind to the middle-aged catboy shouting at him from the shade, the hero slowly walked up to me.
“What concerns you?” he asked in a gentle voice as he stood beside me.
“The sun. The sun hasn’t moved at all.”
“That’s right. This is the Kingdom of Twilight. The sun is always about to rise. It’s not day nor is it night. It’s a half-baked kingdom.”
If this kingdom is on a planet, that would be impossible unless... With the unbelievable facts laid out before me, I pinched my left cheek.
“It doesn’t hurt. Is this...a dreamland?”
“No, I think it doesn’t hurt because your sense of pain has dulled.”
Womp, womp. It seems that this isn’t a dreamland. He’s right, though—I might have to try to tear off my cheek before I feel any pain.
◆◆◆
The cat-eared man called us back into the shade, and I returned to the settlement. Still unsure of where we were headed, I followed the hero as we walked around. Though the hero had immediately rejected it, my dream theory was starting to feel possible.
Mr. Cat Ears, who I’d thought was quite an intense character for the first NPC I’d run into, was actually relatively normal. As I walked around the settlement, I saw that there were strange beings on a whole different level than a middle-aged man with cat ears. There was someone who didn’t just have dog ears but was a complete furry. There was someone who looked like a Buddhist Asura, someone else over five meters tall, and another person with eyes so big that they took up over half of their face. The settlement was full of people who couldn’t exist in the real world. This is definitely a dreamland.
If this wasn’t a dream, then maybe it was an otherworld. There were apparently countless worlds, so it would be possible for a world like this to exist.
But the hero knew of the Kingdom of Valschein, and it’s normal to first assume you’re in the same world... Hm. I still don’t get it.
The hero seemed to be guiding me somewhere, and spoke to me without looking back. “What do you think of Twilight?”
“There are lots of strange people here.”
“There sure are. No matter what someone ends up looking like, the Kingdom of Twilight accepts all. That includes you.”
No one probably cared about my black hair when they were holding a nonhuman’s expo convention here.
Just as the hero said, there was a laid-back, peaceful atmosphere in the settlement. There were very few man-made objects, but there were several raggedy chair-like objects. Even without the chairs, plenty of people found boulders to sit on as they chatted among each other.
Also, just like in the real world, there were stray cats here.
“Kitty!” I exclaimed at the cat. I surprisingly got a response...from the middle-aged catboy.
“Did you call for me, meow?”
I wanted to tell him to shut up in a deep voice and punch the cat-eared man into oblivion, but actual kitties didn’t like deep sounds or violence. I have to hold back. I’m going to endure the presence of the imposter for the sake of the beautiful, adorable, real kitty.
Atop the red sand stood a calico with the perfect distribution of white, brown, and black fur. The kitty’s tail stood up pin straight, and it walked up to me like a model walking a catwalk. Oh, you’re so adorable! Once the kitty got close enough to me and noticed my presence, it would surely run from me. Ever since I’d reincarnated as Yumiella Dolkness, every type of animal including insects were overly terrified of me.
I just want to pet them a little. Why do they all run away? It’s not like there’s any downside to me petting them. It’s fine, though. I can’t force them. I’m happy just watching them from afar.
The great kitty walked elegantly as if it owned the Kingdom of Twilight, and the calico finally noticed me. The kitty took a quick glance at me as if it weren’t interested, then looked away immediately. But then it walked up to my left foot and flopped onto the ground.
“Huh...?”
“I think he wants you to pet him, meow.” That was something I would’ve usually understood, but I only realized it after hearing the cat-eared man say it.
This calico wants to be pet, and by me of all people. The kitty showed no signs of being afraid, and it purred as it relaxed on the ground. Can I pet you, kitty? I won’t hurt you. I’ll be gentle. If we get along, maybe I can take you home with me? Just kidding...unless?
The calico still hadn’t run from me, and he was now grooming himself. I was probably more nervous than the cat. I mean, I haven’t petted a cat since becoming Yumiella. I’m great at imagining creepy scenarios, but my real-life experience hasn’t caught up.
Okay...I’m going to pet it. I’m finally gonna pet you, kitty. I couldn’t prevent a laugh of bliss from escaping my lips.
“Hee hee, hee hee hee.”
“Your laugh is creepy, meow.”
“I’m gonna touch you with my hands now, kitty.”
“There’s something indecent about the way you’re talking too, meow.”
Determined to pet the cat, I extended my left hand, but the calico evaded my touch and got up to walk away.
“Huh?!”
“Cats are fickle. He waited a bit, but it didn’t seem like you were going to pet him, so he got fur-ustrated, meow.”
What...? No way. You’re saying that I missed an opportunity to pet a cat not because of my level or my dark magical energy but because I took too long to make a decision?
“I think I’m going to regret that for the rest of my life.”
“You shouldn’t say things like that so casually,” the hero said, slightly irritated. I was aware that I was exaggerating, but I didn’t think it called for him to react that way.
The air between us had gotten a little tense, but the cat-eared man spoke with no sense of nervousness. “That calico is my only other cat fur-riend here. He’s kind of like my older brother, meow.” I wasn’t sure if he intentionally tried to repair the bad mood, but for the first time I was grateful the middle-aged catboy was here.
“Is that so?” the hero responded. “I think that you’re the older brother, and the calico is the younger brother.”
“You always say that, King. But I have a better sense of these things when it comes to cats, meow.”
Well, I think you’re not brothers at all, just strangers.
I was surprised that the calico was male. For genetic reasons, most calicos were females, and males were so rare that they were sold for high prices.
The calico in question seemed like he was just bored with me after all, and after leaving my side, he was walking around as his tail slowly wiggled from side to side. He’s adorable even from the back.
We tried to watch the cat as it walked off without chasing it, but the middle-aged catboy suddenly ran off as if he’d remembered something.
“Oh no, meow! He might try to use the painter girl’s cat-vas as a scratching board, meow!”
“See?” the hero said, turning to me. “He’s more of the older brother, isn’t he?”
No, they’re complete strangers. I won’t stand for the adorable cat and the weird man being blood relatives. I kept my thoughts to myself and joined the hero to chase after one cat and one human.
“We made it, meow.” The cat-eared man immediately caught the calico, who was obediently being held in the man’s arms. This cat’s okay with being held too?
Led by the cat, we had come all the way to the opposite edge of the settlement. The whole area was filled with unusual things, but there was one thing here that stood out more than everything else.
There was a woman who was painting something. She was frantically dragging her brush along a canvas. That was probably the “cat-vas” that the calico was going to use as a scratching board.
The most notable thing was how her painting looked. It was...incredibly artistic—artistic in the way that Picasso’s works were, where I couldn’t really tell what she was painting.
I couldn’t help but stand still and watch. I didn’t really understand abstract art, but I somehow instinctually felt real art wasn’t like that. Depending on how you looked at the painting, it could look like a person, or a starry sky, or an assortment of skewered and grilled meats—it was a strange piece of art.
I observed her painting that kept drawing me in, and the painter spoke without putting her brush down. “There’s nothing fun about looking at such horrible art.”
“No, you’re wrong. It’s so artistic.”
“I’ve heard that countless times!” she screamed, shaking her head so that her long hair thrashed around. “I want to paint something realistic—something true to life!”
Realistic? Like, photorealism? Photos were the complete opposite of the abstract art she was painting. Though it was true that realistic portraits were popular because photographs didn’t exist in Valschein.
No matter how I look at it, it’s an incomprehensible—no, artistic, not incomprehensible—painting. Though, if she’s trying to paint realistically and this is the result, she might not actually have any talent... As I struggled to come up with a response, the woman turned back to look at me.
“You all go on about how my pieces are artistic, but that’s just because you can’t understand them, isn’t it?! What’s truly incredible is art that looks like a copy of reality!”
“No, your art is true to life—it depicts reality as it is,” I said.
I wasn’t lying just to console her—I said it because her painting was really like a photograph. The painter’s face had crazy proportions. Her features were laid out as if they were all flat—it was a Picasso-like face. Not that she looked like Picasso himself, but her face was similar to those that he painted.
The Kingdom of Twilight is filled with unusual people, but I never expected to meet someone with a Picasso face.
The truly Picassoesque woman said in a nervous voice, “Really? Does this painting actually look like reality?”
“It’s true. I can’t tell the difference.”
Though photorealistic art existed, if you observed them closely, you could tell that they were paintings or drawings. However, I couldn’t tell the portrait in front of me apart from reality. More accurately, I couldn’t tell the difference between the art that looked like scribbles, and a reality that was indiscernible as reality.
The woman, who looked like she’d been lifted from a canvas, was probably looking at me as she spoke. “You really mean it? This art is realistic?”
“A reality similar to art... Sorry, I misspoke. It’s art similar to reality.”
“I see. It’s taken so long. Finally—I’ve finally...” Her bizarre face turned back to look at her bizarre painting. She extended her hand and gently touched the piece of art. Her dainty fingers that were dirty with paint began to change.
The red paint on her palms and the blue paint stuck between her nails slowly began to take over the human parts of her body. I stood there stunned, and before I knew it, her hand looked similar to a familiar painting.
“U-Um, your hand...”
The woman seemed to pay no mind to the change to her body and only now looked at her own hand. She compared her hand to the painting, which was now depicted in a similar style.
“Finally. I’ve finally painted my ideal piece. I tossed away the style I hated so much for so long, and I finally painted something that looks like I cut out a piece of reality.”
It’s your hand that’s changed, not your art style. That thought was difficult to voice, and there was a strange air to the woman now. I felt like something bad was going to happen, and the cat-eared man and calico in his arms both had flattened ears. The king was the only one to go closer to the painter.
“I’ve finally painted a piece I’m satisfied with, King.”
“I’m happy to hear it. I’ve been a fan of your work. I’m very happy for you. What kind of piece are you going to try painting next?”
“I’m satisfied now. This is the last one.”
“Why? Your life as a painter is just beginning. You can paint as much as you want in this kingdom.”
“Thank you, King. But I’m all right. I drew so many pieces in Twilight. I had fun.”
I couldn’t read the expression on her face, but I could tell she was happy. But I could read the look on the king’s face—he seemed incredibly sad.
It was then that the canvas began to crumble. The paint peeled off and disappeared, and red sand began to pour onto the ground from the canvas. The legs of the easel also crumbled before the canvas fell over, and both became one with the red, sandy earth.
The piece I’d been so focused on had disappeared, and I stood there, shocked and in a daze as I stared at the artist. The same thing that happened to the canvas was happening to the painter. Her body was turning into sand as it crumbled. The woman herself seemed to be at peace and accepted the phenomenon as if it were a natural occurrence.
“Don’t look so sad, King. Since there’s no pain, this is much better than death.”
“Why do you have to go?” the hero asked. “Soon it’ll be morning in the Kingdom of Twilight. We’re just getting started.”
“I’m sorry. For me, it seems that night has fallen. This is an evening dusk, not a morning dawn.” Those were her final words before she completely crumbled away. She turned into silent red sand and became one with the earth.
I expected there to be a mound of sand, roughly the size of a person, but not even that was left behind. There were no remnants of the woman, and she’d completely disappeared.
The king fell to his knees at the spot where she once stood and took a moment to silently pray. I also followed his lead and bowed my head. Though I looked like I was praying, instead of sadness for her disappearance, my mind was racing with the reason it had happened.
Were there others about to disappear? Was I going to turn into sand too? My eyes darted around nervously.
The cat-eared man then quietly said, “The residents of this kingdom all had regrets at the end of their lives. When those regrets are gone, they disappear, just like she did...”
I guess he drops the quirk when he’s serious.
“...meow.”
You don’t have to force yourself, man. Regardless, thanks to him, I was now sure of it.
“This kingdom is the afterlife... I-I died...”
For some time, I’d had a feeling that this might be the afterlife. I’d woken up in a completely different place, and waking up in the afterlife made more sense than teleporting to a distant land. There was also a low chance that I was reincarnated once more.
I didn’t know the afterlife existed. This is my second time dying, but it’s the first I’ve heard of it. My first death was a traffic accident, and my second was... Why did I die? Sure, a regular old college student will die if she’s hit by a car, but how do you kill Yumiella Dolkness?
I was fine when I reentered the atmosphere from space with nothing but the clothes on my back, and I would probably be fine even if I drowned in a smelting furnace. With that said, it would take something quite mighty for me to be dead. What is it...? I couldn’t come up with anything, nor could I confirm if I was right with my memories fuzzy.
“I don’t remember how I died...”
“That’s just how it is, meow. Be-fur I knew it, I woke up here, meow.”
“Do all dead people come here?”
Mr. Cat Ears’s face clouded over upon hearing my question. He probably knew what I wanted to find out.
“It’s hard for me to say this, but you shouldn’t try to reunite with anyone important to you.” The man forgot to use his speech quirk again, but I wasn’t satisfied with his response.
I mean, after several decades, Patrick and Eleanora will reach the end of their lifespans, and they’ll have to come here.
“But this is the afterlife, right? As long as I wait, I’ll be reunited with Patrick, right?!”
The cat-eared man just silently shook his head.
Why not?
The one to answer my question was the king of Twilight, who’d finished his silent prayer. “The Kingdom of Twilight is indeed beyond death, but it isn’t the afterlife. Let me explain this world to you.”
The calico meowed, but I couldn’t react to the sound of a cat I loved so much. I simply listened intently to what the hero had to say.
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