Chapter 10 _ The Weight of Choosing, or the End of the First Chapter
Morning light filtered quietly through the window.
For the first time since coming to this world,
I woke up without fear.
Not because I had grown strong.
Not because I had secured a future.
But because I had finally stopped running.
I left the inn early and headed toward the outskirts of the city.
The road was familiar now.
The dust, the uneven stones, the distant cries of merchants opening their shops.
All of it felt… real.
Not like a game.
Not like a stage prepared for my convenience.
This was a world that would not bend for me.
And that realization brought me an unexpected sense of calm.
When I reached Frey’s domain, the stone doors opened without a sound.
She was already there, seated atop a mountain of books as always.
“…You came,” she said.
“Yeah. I wanted to talk.”
I took a deep breath.
“In my previous life, I was… a failure,” I said.
“I was bullied. I ran away. I shut myself inside my room.”
“I escaped into games.
And there… I used cheats.”
Frey’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she said nothing.
“I told myself it was fine.
That it was just a game.
But the truth is… I liked looking down on others.”
I clenched my fists.
“When I died, I thought this world would be my reward.
A place where I could start over without effort.”
“But that was wrong.”
I looked straight at her.
“This world doesn’t owe me anything.
And neither do you.”
For a moment, silence hung between us.
Then Frey smiled faintly.
“…Good.”
She descended from the books and stood before me.
“You have finally understood,” she said.
“Power does not make one worthy of life.
Choice does.”
I swallowed.
“So… what do I do now?”
“That is for you to decide,” Frey replied calmly.
“I will not guide you.
I will not save you.”
She placed a hand over her chest.
“But if you choose to walk forward—
I will watch.”
I laughed weakly.
“That’s… oddly reassuring.”
“…One more thing,” she added.
“Stop calling me ‘Lady.’”
“Huh?”
“We are not ruler and subject.
Nor god and worshipper.”
She met my eyes directly.
“If you wish to speak with me…
do so as a friend.”
“…Then,” I said, a little embarrassed,
“Frey.”
“…Yes. Mario.”
When I left the domain, the city spread out below me.
No blessing had been given.
No power had awakened.
But my feet felt lighter than ever.
For the first time in both this world
and the one I had left behind—
I was walking forward
by my own will.
And so ended my first chapter
in this other world.
