Fool's Library

So, once everything has settled down, all these obstacles are gone, and all external interference has been cast aside, then tell me the answer to that question, Hiltina, your own heartfelt answer—

Hiltina, will you marry me and become my wife?

After this incident, I may remain in a deep, long sleep, but during this period of slumber, I will wait and hold onto hope...

[Waiting for your answer.]

………………………………………………………………………

PS: The remaining two chapters will be updated tomorrow, and I will finish writing this volume of "The Garden of Stars".

Finally, it's time to wrap up this volume.

Chapter 242 An Imperfect Story, The Most Perfect Ending

A distant wind swept by, scattering Hiltina's meticulously braided princess braid.

"Is my answer... pure and unadulterated?"

Hiltina held the letter in her hand, feeling her chestnut hair cascading down like water, billowing in the air.

Deep within her heart—the memories of her experiences with the owner of this letter surfaced one by one, like fragments of light and shadow.

……

In Deep Blue Harbor, the first encounter with that black-haired, black-eyed boy.

At that time, I had just entered the echoes of history and just randomly chose a bar to gather information... Then, I was hit on by Rust, who was playing a host simulator in the bar.

Because the other party's flirting techniques were too formulaic, Hiltina mistakenly believed that this NPC in the dungeon was actually a philanderer who was all show and no substance and used his good looks to seduce women everywhere.

Of course, from today's perspective, the idea that Last was "all show and no substance" is false.

But the assessment of him as a "womanizer" is not entirely wrong.

……

Later, in the port area, chased by the tides of the Iron Cross with nowhere to go, he had no choice but to jump off the watchtower.

In the icy seawater, after removing her makeup, she received a 9.5 rating from Last.

At that moment, the bomb was detonated, and flames and winds tens of meters high swept across the entire port area, like the sun rising alternately at dusk. On the shimmering sea, in the sunrise-like firelight, the burning city was reflected in the two men's eyes, like a hazy yellow sea of ​​stars.

That day, not only Rust, but also Hiltina remembered this boy whose eyes reflected the stars and the sea.

……

The second echo of history, that frozen water town that seemed shrouded in an endless fog.

As a companion, Rust witnessed the origin of Hiltina's childhood dream, the ideal she held that was called "the Ranger".

And, her final farewell to her former best friend Fran.

……

Between exploring the night world, the two spent time together visiting the Starry Night University anniversary celebration and attending the afternoon tea party.

Although they were just trivial, insignificant daily occurrences—

But now, after experiencing so much, looking back, that peaceful time remains as fresh as ever...

That was perhaps the most beautiful and memorable time Hiltina had experienced since her mother's death.

……

And, a few months ago, the two met by chance at Star University.

Having just had a fight with her stepmother who had come to visit, she felt a slight unease, both physically and mentally. Uncharacteristically lost, she asked Last the question that had troubled her for so long:

"How much is a person willing to pay for justice?"

At that moment, the setting sun was at its brightest, and the black-haired boy stood in the center of the courtyard of Star University, in the pale golden afterglow of the sunset, leisurely chewing on a blade of grass. His expression was obscured by the twilight, hazy and difficult to see clearly, only the outline of his profile was distinct and deep in the faint light.

But his answer was so resolute, without hesitation—

"Everything I have."

……

They are all fragmented pieces, simple emotions.

But at this moment, these memories surged like a tide, repeatedly washing over Hiltina's mind.

Until her chaotic and complicated thoughts, caused by various changes, were completely washed away by the tide, leaving not a trace of impurity—

All that remained was the purest, most fundamental wish, which was unaffected by any external force and originated from the depths of Hiltina's heart.

“Fool, you even said in the letter that you would wait expectantly for my reply…”

Those unspoken words mingled with the storm...

Is it a sob or a lament?

What would my answer be?

"Didn't you know that from the very beginning?"

The fragile letter paper folded and rustled in the storm.

For the first time, Hiltina's hand, which had become incredibly steady from countless sword swings, trembled as she held the letter.

She slowly closed her eyes, feeling that inexplicable yet incredibly warm emotion swirling and surging within her heart.

Hiltina knew that Rast's battle, besides being a rebellion against his father and a hunt for rival gravekeepers... was also showing her something—

Caught between ideals and reality, and between mission and family ties.

The third possibility that exists.

……

I've forgotten exactly how old I was, but I remember it must have been an autumn day when the courtyard was filled with golden maple leaves, just like the name of the place, Autumn Leaf Lane.

"Little Tina—"

What kind of person do you want to be when you grow up?

"Of course, I want to become a forest ranger like my mother!"

In her memory, the female knight's face had become blurred, but Hiltina still remembered her mother's expression that day—

After hearing his answer, he was initially taken aback, then smiled and patted his head.

"You have an amazing dream."

"Although this is destined to be a rugged and arduous road... there will surely be beautiful scenery along the turbulent journey."

"Little Tina, I hope you can also meet that person on your journey to your dreams—someone who can accompany you to see the scenery."

This is the origin of the dream of a little girl named Hiltina, who became a "Forest Ranger".

Later, when faced with a difficult choice—the scene of her mother stepping into the fire—was deeply etched into Hiltina's mind, becoming an obsession she could never forget.

Today it is today.

As Hiltina grows stronger day by day, she matures further.

Now, she is finally forced to face the exact same situation her mother faced ten years ago: the dilemma between "her own ideals" and "the only important thing".

If you want to protect the people you care about, then you must let go of your obsession, draw the holy sword to inherit the throne, and give up your childish dream of being a "forest ranger".

However, if one wants to continue pursuing their ideals, it means watching helplessly as Rast becomes a victim of the secret war, dying at the hands of the tomb guardian quasi-angels.

This was a scheme orchestrated by her father, Aaron, to force Hiltina to compromise and inherit the throne.

It is like the trolley problem, an unsolvable proposition in which no matter what choice you make, you are destined to give up many things.

Hiltina thought she had no choice but to face this dilemma.

In the end, she could only abandon her own ideals in order to protect that black-haired, black-eyed boy, who was also the most important and only one in her heart.

But at this moment, Last showed her another possibility beyond the two options of the trolley problem.

"The price I can pay for justice is everything I have."

This answer was not empty talk or a lie; Last truly risked his life to put the truth of this statement into practice.

Faced with a quasi-angelic guardian of the grave, far stronger than himself, Rast neither chose to escape under the cover of fate nor to accept Aaron's kindness... He thus naturally married Hiltina, became a prince, and then accepted the empire's protection with a clear conscience.

He made a move that no one had anticipated at the beginning, single-handedly killing a tomb guardian who was about to ascend to angelhood.

Even if Raste paid the price for his actions—giving up everything he owned, burning his body and soul together, and perhaps never waking up again.

This is what Rust wanted to show her, and it is also the answer that the boy gave to Hiltina's question, "How much can a person pay for justice?" through his own actions.

So, after witnessing such glory firsthand... what about yourself?

Hiltina gently held the pristine white letter.

On the letter, written in black and white, a faint warmth still seems to linger—the warmth left behind by that boy, the temperature between hearts.

Hiltina silently examined her own heart.

He clearly called himself a forest ranger, a knight pursuing his ideals—

But was I too weak in the past?

Under his father's guidance, he lost himself in the so-called philosophies of being a king, such as "to become a qualified monarch, one must learn to choose between values," "saving one group means abandoning another," and "there has never been a way to make everyone happy and redeem themselves."

So much so that he subconsciously believed that "marrying Rast, drawing the Holy Sword, and becoming the heir to the throne" and sticking to his ideal of being a "Forest Ranger" were two irreconcilable options that could never be achieved at the same time.

But is this really the case?

Under his father's pressure, he was trapped in the so-called trolley problem, a binary choice...

But those who are trapped in the trolley problem, in the end, are simply lacking the courage to confront the train head-on, to overturn the oncoming train along with the tracks, and to save the lives on both tracks at the same time.

Admittedly, stopping a train by overturning the tracks is far more difficult than flipping a switch to change the tracks. In fact, from a probabilistic point of view, in most cases, doing so would mean certain death, tantamount to being smashed to pieces.

However, if we only talk about probability, about those options that are most likely to happen, then it is tantamount to denying the possibility of miracles from the very beginning.

Thinking about a way out before even trying... How can such a cowardly mentality turn that imperfect story into the way you want it to be?

Just now, in the distant sky, when Rust fired that shot at the tomb guardian quasi-angel, did he have a 100% chance of winning?

Who can guarantee that he will win, and who can say for sure how much Rust will have to pay for it?

The slightest mistake could lead to an end worse than death.

But Raste did it anyway, not because he was unaware of fear or the consequences of failure... but because, to him, it was simply the obvious thing to do.

He walked his own path, rushing towards the happy ending he envisioned, a happy ending where he wanted to save both the "most important thing" and the "ideal".

Regardless of the outcome, the desire for a perfect ending is beautiful and absolutely not wrong.

If that's the case, then that's enough.

Just as my mother once told me, on the road to pursuing your ideals, the destination is certainly important—but what's even more important is the scenery along the way, and the people who accompany you to see the scenery.

"So, Father—"

"Your philosophy of 'being a king,' the theory that to save one group you must sacrifice another... it's correct, but it's merely correct in name only."

"I don't need that kind of thing."

A slight smile curved Hiltina's lips as she turned to look at the palace complex in the heart of the capital.

Although they were far apart, she knew that her father, Aaron, was also watching over the situation, keeping track of his two daughters and their prospective son-in-law.

"For me, 'right' means never regretting what I've done."

"So, in order to avoid regretting it someday—"

"I want it all."

Her voice paused slightly.

"I will be the heir to the throne."

“I will also become Raste’s wife, and I will spend my whole life protecting him, watching over him, and accompanying Raste to realize his ideals… If anyone dares to harm him, they must first step over my dead body.”

"At the same time, I will not give up my ideals. I will continue to follow in my mother's footsteps and become a true forest ranger."

"I will not give up any of these things, whether it be my ideals, my royal mission and duties, or the one and only person who is important to me."

"It may sound greedy, but this is the path I have chosen."