To Be or Not To Be.
To live or to perish.
This question has haunted humanity since time immemorial.
From Shakespeare to beggars on street corners, all ponder it—a lingering relic of existence, forever brushed against and revisited.
Now, it echoed in my mind.
As the ancients said: All men must die. Some deaths are light as a feather; others, weighty as a mountain.
Age claims lives. Accidents claim lives. Illness claims lives. Even despair can claim lives.
Humans seem so fragile. Death clings like a shadow, never truly leaving. The only difference lies in whether that death holds meaning.
Like now.
Lying on the altar inside the Sanctuary of the Village of Egramote, I winced under the priest’s healing. My brow furrowed, breath ragged, restless.
"Hold on, Rog!"
Below the altar, the young female knight wailed hysterically, hands clasped in prayer—overacting like a bad stage play.
"What’ll I do if you’re gone? You can’t die! You can’t just abandon me—"
Hey! When did I say I was dying?!
"You promised I was the cutest girl! You swore we’d be together forever—you’d even be my slave!"
I swear I never said that!
"Rog, don’t give up! Fight for even a sliver of hope! My partner… *sob*… if you—"
*Argh!*
"SHUT UP! WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP?!"
I couldn’t take it anymore. Bolting upright on the altar, I roared at Anjelit below.
Truth was, my philosophical spiral wasn’t from the near-fatal wounds I’d suffered.
It was Anjelit’s endless, tear-soaked monologue—delivered like I was already in my coffin.
Did she really need to sob this hard? Spin such tragic tales? Overact this badly?!
And whose fault was it that I was like this? Whose?!
"I’m under treatment! I’m a patient—a real patient! Do you understand? I need quiet! A peaceful environment! Just turn around and wait outside the Sanctuary until I’m healed!"
I spat the words in a rush, leaving Anjelit stunned into silence.
"Please, missy! Your constant *bbyy-bbyy* beside me is driving me crazy! So crazy I’m pondering life’s meaning! Leaving right now would help me most—got it?"
"...You dare—! ...Fine. I’ll wait outside." Anjelit pouted, ready to snap back, but my pitiful, pleading gaze made her cheeks flush. She relented.
This was the first time I’d yelled at her since we met. The first time she hadn’t tackled me to the ground.
Deep down, she knew my injuries were her fault. That’s why she’d carried my half-conscious body through the night, pounding on the Sanctuary doors, begging the priest to save me.
"I’m going… *hmph*."
With a委屈 stomp, she shot me one last glare and stormed out.
"Shall we continue, sir?" The priest—a kind, venerable old牧师—smiled gently. He was the village’s sole mage, an lv.18 Light-elemental specialist who’d advanced into the Cleric class. Most Clerics devoted their lives to temples; he was no exception.
I lay back down. Soft, milky light pulsed over my chest as he channeled healing energy, mending wounds and soothing my body.
"Um… Father…" I hesitated, cheeks warm. "After this… will my body be… *fully* restored?"
"*Fully*?" His eyes twinkled knowingly. "Yes. *Fully*. Including the part you’re worried about."
"Really?!"
Relief washed over me like a tidal wave. Pure bliss.
Sometimes, true happiness is this simple.
Wrapped in the warm glow, I felt like I’d ascended to heaven itself.
If one word described my mood now? *Bliss*.
Bliss so deep I could barely breathe. Bliss like standing before the Divine.
"*So eager to see me, scum?*"
A familiar, silvery voice cut through the haze. Memories surged—long silver hair, a goddess’s face.
Elise?
"*Let’s settle old scores. I’ve been* dying *to reunite~"* She grinned wickedly, striding toward me with giant scissors. *Snip-snip.*
"*Gah!*"
I jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat.
"You’re awake. A nightmare, I see. But nightmares prove you’re alive, don’t they?" The old priest stood beside me, still gentle.
Dawn’s light filtered through the Sanctuary’s stained-glass windows, making me squint.
So…
…morning had come.
"Your treatment’s complete. You may leave. The young knight already paid your fees…" He smiled warmly. "You have a wonderful girlfriend."
"N-no! She’s not my girlfriend! Just a teammate—nothing more!"
"I see." He nodded, still smiling. "Then… I must’ve misjudged. Treasure what you have while you can."
*What did that mean?*
Confused, I scratched my head. He offered no explanation, merely gesturing toward the exit before disappearing through a back door.
I glanced around the Sanctuary. More a crumbling house wearing a temple’s skin than a true holy site.
Ancient. Dilapidated. No statues of deities. No proper prayer hall. Just this stone altar—the slab for healing the near-dead.
*Is this really a Sanctuary?*
Doubt flickered, but the priest’s grace and the villagers’ reverence silenced my disrespect.
Stepping outside, the sunlight stung my eyes.
"You’re finally out!" Anjelit sat on a rock, chin propped on her hands, a loaf of bread and milk in her lap. "Hungry? Eat up."
She held them out. I froze, the priest’s words echoing: *Treasure what you have.*
What did he mean?
"What’s wrong?" Anjelit blinked, puzzled.
"N-nothing… You leveled up?!" I stared at her status panel. Yesterday, after defeating the bandit chief, she’d been lv.14. Now—lv.15?!
"Yeah! Your healing took forever. I got bored, ran some guild quests…" She beamed, her smile bright with hope. "Turns out I was *this close* to leveling after the bandit fight."
Her dream was to advance into a Temple Knight. The first step? Reaching lv.16. She was getting closer.
"Anjelit, I need to tell you—"
"Anjel." She cut me off.
"Huh?"
"Call me Anjel. We’ve known each other this long…" She turned her head, pink-tinged cheeks visible. "I call you Rog. If you still say ‘Anjelit’… it feels unfair!"
She feigned anger, but after months together, I knew this knight well: a tsundere who’d never admit fault, never bow—even when she knew she was wrong.
"Okay… An… jel…" The nickname felt strange on my tongue. After a mental rehearsal, I continued. "Anjel. I need to tell you something."
"I have something to tell you too." Anjelit met my eyes, blush still on her cheeks—but deep in her gaze, a determined glint shone bright.
