Volume 3 Chapter 149: The Truth Of The Silver War Goddess

For several seconds after Rio revealed the truth, Sayanaki simply stared at her.

The restaurant around them continued as though nothing extraordinary had happened. Plates clinked against tables, chopsticks tapped against bowls, and waiters moved between the narrow aisles carrying steaming dishes and drinks. Somewhere near the entrance, a group of customers burst into laughter over something one of their friends had said.

Yet at their table, everything felt strangely still.

Sayanaki's eyes remained fixed on Rio.

Slowly, she turned toward Ryota.

Then she looked back at Rio.

Her expression was difficult to read. Disbelief was certainly there, along with shock and confusion, but beneath all of those emotions was something much stronger.

Curiosity.

A lot of it.

"So..."

Sayanaki finally broke the silence.

"You two are from the future."

Rio nodded.

"Fifteen years into the future."

Sayanaki's eyebrows rose.

"Fifteen?"

"Yes."

Rio rested her hands against the edge of the table. She had expected Sayanaki to have trouble accepting the truth. Anyone would. Telling someone that you had lived fifteen years of a life that had not happened yet was the kind of revelation that sounded ridiculous even when it was true.

But there was no point hiding behind vague explanations anymore.

"Evermount became far bigger than it is now," Rio said. "What you're playing today is only the beginning. The game eventually became a massive international phenomenon. Players from all over the world joined, professional competitions became enormous, and the strongest guilds eventually became organizations with influence that extended far beyond the game itself."

Sayanaki listened without interrupting.

Rio continued.

"And I stayed with it for fifteen years."

Her voice remained calm, but there was a faint distance in it, as though she were describing the life of someone else rather than her own.

"By the time I reached the height of my career, I had reached Level 243."

Sayanaki's eyes widened.

"Two hundred and forty-three?"

Rio nodded.

"The highest level any female player had ever reached."

For a moment, Sayanaki could only stare.

Even now, she understood how absurd that number sounded.

But Rio had not simply been a high-level player.

She had been a legend.

"The Silver War Goddess."

The title seemed to hang in the air between them.

Rio's expression barely changed.

"That's what people called me."

Sayanaki slowly leaned back in her chair.

She stared at Rio as though she were seeing her for the first time.

"The Silver War Goddess..." she repeated quietly.

Rio gave a small shrug.

"I was also one of the pillars of Royal Knights."

That statement made Sayanaki's expression change again.

She knew Royal Knights.

Even now, before Evermount had reached the height it would eventually achieve, Royal Knights was already one of the major Apex guilds. Their banners were recognizable, their players were respected, and their name carried weight throughout the upper levels of the game.

Sayanaki had seen them.

She had heard their name.

She knew the reputation they were building.

And now the girl sitting across from her had once been one of the most important members in that guild's entire history.

"Wait."

Sayanaki leaned forward.

"You were in Royal Knights?"

Rio nodded.

"For most of my career."

"And you were actually one of their main pillars?"

"Yes."

Sayanaki stared at her for another few seconds before slowly turning toward Ryota.

Her expression changed.

"...What about him?"

Ryota immediately looked away.

Rio's mouth twitched.

Sayanaki narrowed her eyes.

"Don't tell me."

Ryota remained silent.

Rio answered for him.

"He didn't play Evermount back then."

Sayanaki blinked.

She slowly turned back toward Ryota.

"You didn't?"

Ryota shook his head.

"No."

"You spent fifteen years in the future and never played the biggest game in the world?"

Ryota's expression immediately became irritated.

"I had other things going on."

Sayanaki stared at him.

"Such as?"

Ryota hesitated.

"...Life."

For several seconds, Sayanaki simply stared at him.

Then the corners of her mouth curled upward.

"Wow."

She leaned back, folding her arms.

"So Rio was out there becoming the Silver War Goddess while you were doing absolutely nothing."

Ryota glared at her.

"I wasn't doing nothing."

"What were you doing?"

Ryota opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Sayanaki smiled triumphantly.

"That's what I thought."

Rio covered her mouth as a quiet laugh escaped her.

Ryota immediately looked toward her.

"You're supposed to be on my side."

Rio lowered her hand and smiled.

"I am."

"You don't look like it."

"I'm just enjoying this."

Sayanaki laughed.

For a moment, the heaviness surrounding their conversation disappeared. Ryota looked mildly offended, Sayanaki looked entirely too pleased with herself, and Rio seemed content to watch the two of them argue.

But the lighthearted atmosphere didn't last.

Sayanaki's smile gradually faded.

She looked directly at Rio.

"But..."

Rio noticed the change immediately.

Sayanaki's voice became quieter.

"If you were such an important member of Royal Knights..."

She paused.

"Why aren't you with them now?"

Rio's smile disappeared.

Her gaze lowered toward the table.

For several seconds, she didn't answer.

Then she released a long, tired sigh.

"Because they betrayed me."

Sayanaki's expression hardened.

Rio continued.

"After fifteen years, after everything I'd done for them, after everything we'd built together and after we had reached the top..."

She paused.

"They removed me from the guild."

Sayanaki frowned.

"Why?"

Rio looked toward the restaurant window.

"Reina."

Sayanaki recognized the name. Reina was one of the people associated with Royal Knights, and her relationship with Arclight was hardly a secret among those who followed the guild.

"One of Arclight's officers," Sayanaki said.

Rio nodded.

"She became his fiancée in the future. She was jealous of my fame."

Sayanaki's face slowly twisted in disbelief.

"You're kidding."

"I wish I was."

Rio's voice remained surprisingly calm.

"She couldn't stand the attention I received. She hated that people recognized my name before they recognized hers or Arclight's. She hated that my accomplishments overshadowed Arclight's in the eyes of many players."

Her fingers tightened slightly against the edge of the table.

"And eventually..."

She looked down.

"They chose her."

Sayanaki stared at Rio.

"They actually threw you away because someone was jealous of your reputation?"

Rio nodded.

"After everything you did for them?"

"Yes."

Sayanaki's expression became visibly disgusted.

"That's..."

She stopped herself and shook her head.

"That's disgusting."

Rio didn't answer.

There was no anger on her face anymore.

Only exhaustion.

"I lost everything that night."

Her voice was quieter now.

"My position. My equipment access. My storage privileges. My guild. My friends."

She paused.

"Everything I'd spent fifteen years building disappeared in a single night."

A bitter smile touched her lips.

"So I went to a bar."

Ryota glanced toward her.

Sayanaki raised an eyebrow.

"You got drunk?"

"Very."

Sayanaki almost smiled.

Rio ignored her.

"I was angry. I was humiliated. I didn't know what I was supposed to do next."

She paused.

"And that's where I met him."

Rio pointed toward Ryota.

Sayanaki looked at him.

Ryota immediately looked away.

Rio continued.

"I accidentally left my wallet behind."

"Ryota found it."

"And instead of simply leaving it somewhere safe..."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"...he chased me."

Ryota raised one finger.

"I was trying to return it."

"Across the entire city."

"You kept running away."

"Because you were following me!"

"Because I had your wallet!" Ryota protested.

Sayanaki stared at the two of them.

Then slowly smiled.

"So this is how you met?"

Rio sighed.

"Unfortunately."

Ryota frowned.

"It wasn't that bad."

"You chased me around the entire night."

"You were drunk!"

"That doesn't make it better!"

Sayanaki laughed.

Then she suddenly stopped.

Her eyes widened slightly.

"Wait."

She looked between them.

"So how did you two end up here?"

Rio went silent.

Slowly, she turned toward Ryota.

The look in her eyes carried a tiny trace of the irritation she had felt that night.

Ryota noticed immediately.

"...Why are you looking at me like that?"

Rio ignored him and looked back at Sayanaki.

"This idiot chased me all the way to a bridge."

Ryota immediately raised a hand.

"Technically—"

"Don't interrupt."

Ryota lowered his hand.

Sayanaki was already smiling.

Rio continued.

"And then, on the same night we met..."

She paused.

"...he proposed to me."

Sayanaki froze.

Then she slowly turned toward Ryota.

"You did what?"

Ryota looked away.

"I was desperate."

"You proposed to someone you met that same day?"

Ryota's face reddened.

"It made sense at the time."

Sayanaki stared at him.

"How?"

"It doesn't matter."

Rio sighed.

"He's an idiot."

Sayanaki burst into laughter.

"I knew it!"

Ryota glared at her.

"Stop laughing."

"You proposed to a stranger!"

"I didn't know we'd become friends!"

"You didn't even know her!"

"I knew enough!"

Rio shook her head.

"That is not helping your case."

Ryota crossed his arms.

"Anyway, the important part is that we were on the bridge."

Rio nodded.

"And then the earthquake happened."

Sayanaki's smile slowly disappeared.

"The earthquake?"

Rio nodded.

"The bridge collapsed."

The memories came rushing back.

Cold water.

Broken concrete.

The sensation of falling.

The darkness beneath the bridge.

Those final moments when neither of them had any idea what was waiting for them after death.

"We fell into the river."

Sayanaki listened silently.

"And then..."

Rio's eyes became distant.

"A system notification appeared."

She remembered those words perfectly.

Even after fifteen years, she could still see them.

Would you like to start over?

"I said yes."

Sayanaki's eyes widened.

Rio continued.

"When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my younger body."

She looked down at her hands.

"Fifteen years in the past."

Then she looked toward Sayanaki.

"One week before Evermount launched."

Her gaze shifted toward Ryota.

"And somehow..."

A faint smile appeared.

"...this idiot came with me."

Ryota nodded.

"Unfortunately for her." Sayanaki stated while Ryota rolled his eyes.

Sayanaki stared at him before shaking her head.

"You really are a creep."

Ryota's eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me?"

"Who proposes to someone on the same day they meet?"

Ryota looked increasingly annoyed.

Sayanaki continued mercilessly.

"I'm honestly surprised she ended up dating an idiot like you after all that."

Ryota opened his mouth, clearly preparing to argue, but Rio spoke first.

"Things changed."

Sayanaki looked at her.

Rio glanced toward Ryota.

"He may have been an idiot when I first met him."

Ryota looked offended.

"But he's proven himself."

Ryota's expression immediately changed.

A confident grin spread across his face.

He looked directly at Sayanaki.

"See?"

Rio sighed.

She could practically hear the smug thought behind his expression.

You hear that?

Sayanaki noticed it too.

She rolled her eyes.

"Don't look so proud."

Ryota's grin widened.

"I'm proud."

"You're impossible."

"So are you."

Rio placed a hand against her forehead.

"These two really like provoking each other."

Sayanaki laughed.

Ryota simply leaned back with an annoyingly satisfied expression.

For several moments, the three of them remained there, allowing the conversation to settle.

Then Rio's expression became serious again.

"That's the entire story."

Sayanaki looked toward her.

Rio held her gaze.

"I trust that you won't say anything."

Sayanaki's expression softened.

"You don't have to worry."

She leaned back in her chair.

"I can keep a secret."

Her eyes moved between Rio and Ryota.

"And honestly..."

A small smile appeared.

"Knowing this tells me how much you two trust me."

She paused.

"And I appreciate that."

Sayanaki looked toward the restaurant window for a moment before turning back to them.

"I like both of you."

Ryota blinked.

Sayanaki continued.

"And I like everyone in Crowned Era."

Her voice became more confident.

"So if you two are carrying something this important..."

She smiled.

"Then I'll carry it with you."

Rio's expression softened.

Sayanaki slowly leaned forward and placed one hand against the table.

"When the time comes..."

Her grin returned.

"We'll rise to the top."

Rio raised an eyebrow.

Sayanaki's eyes sharpened.

"Higher than Royal Knights ever could."

She pointed toward Rio.

"You just say the word."

Her smile widened.

"And my blade will strike."

Rio stared at her for a moment.

Then she smiled.

"That means a lot."

Her voice became quieter.

"I'm not the type of person who trusts people easily."

Sayanaki's smile faded slightly.

"With what happened in your past life..."

She shook her head.

"Who would?"

Rio remained silent.

Sayanaki continued.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you still trust people at all."

The words struck deeper than Sayanaki probably intended.

Because they were true.

Rio had spent fifteen years building something.

Then she had watched it disappear because of the people closest to her.

And despite that, she had chosen to build again.

She had chosen to surround herself with people.

She had chosen to trust again.

Perhaps that was the greatest difference between the Rio who had lived her original life and the Rio who stood here now.

The old Rio had trusted a guild.

The new Rio was learning to trust people.

One person at a time.

Rio reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her phone.

She checked the time.

The screen briefly illuminated her face.

Sayanaki noticed the movement.

"What?"

Rio placed the phone on the table.

"With everything settled..."

She looked at both of them.

"It's time for the meeting."

Ryota raised an eyebrow.

"The meeting?"

Sayanaki leaned forward.

"What meeting?"

Rio smiled.

"The important one."

She glanced at her phone again.

"The update is almost here."

Ryota immediately became interested.

Sayanaki's expression sharpened.

Rio continued.

"We already know the update will change Evermount."

Her voice became more serious.

"But knowing what happens..."

She paused.

"...isn't enough."

Ryota leaned closer.

Sayanaki did the same.

Rio unlocked her phone.

A list of notes appeared on the screen.

Dozens of them.

Locations.

Players.

Guilds.

Future events.

Hidden quests.

World changes.

Things that had once taken Rio fifteen years to discover were now organized in front of her.

Sayanaki's eyes widened.

"You've been planning this?"

Rio smiled faintly.

"Since the maintenance started."

She looked between Ryota and Sayanaki.

"Everything we've done so far was only the beginning."

The noise of the restaurant seemed to fade into the background.

Rio scrolled through the notes, her eyes moving across information that represented years of memories, discoveries, failures, victories, and mistakes.

For fifteen years, all of that knowledge had existed inside her alone.

Now, for the first time, she was putting it into the hands of someone else.

Rio stopped scrolling.

Her finger hovered over the first note.

"Now..."

She tapped the screen.

"...we start changing the future."

Ryota grinned.

Sayanaki's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

For the first time, the three of them sat together not merely as players.

Not merely as friends.

They were people who possessed knowledge of a future that had not yet happened.

A future Rio had already lived.

A future Ryota had already experienced.

A future Sayanaki had never seen.

And now, for the first time, she had been invited to stand at the edge of it.

Rio looked down at the notes on her phone.

The plan she had carried alone for fifteen years was no longer hers alone.

She had Ryota.

She had Sayanaki.

She had Crowned Era.

And, perhaps most importantly, she had finally begun to understand that changing the future did not have to be something she carried by herself.

The future was no longer a road she had to walk alone.

This time, there were people beside her.

And together, they were finally ready to change what came next.