The Virgin Hero Who Fought in the Dungeon for 20 Years Returned to the Surface Only to Find the Population of the World Has Dropped Drastically, with a Male-to-Female Ratio of 1:1000 - 58

Chapter 58: An Unforgettable Saturday

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“Huh…?”

Loria glanced at the clock. It was already close to 3 PM. That meant she had been going on about something utterly trivial for almost two hours straight. 

Ahhh, what have I done…?!

Loria had read online that men supposedly hated listening to women drone on endlessly about stories with no funny punchline or resolution. Worrying that she might have annoyed him, she cautiously peeked at Ryuuto’s expression. However, he was slouched deeply into the sofa, his expression remained the same. 

“Umm… I’m sorry, Ryuuto-sama. You must be bored, right? Listening to my rambling like that?”

“No, not at all. I actually enjoy listening to people talk.”

“Really? But…”

“Besides… If a beautiful woman like you is telling me a story… I could listen to you all day long without getting tired.”

Ah, I love him so much~♡ I’m absolutely going to marry this man~♡

Within that instant, Loria’s IQ dropped to that of a chimpanzee incapable of using a stool to grab a banana. She instinctively leaned forward, desperate to close the distance between them. The coffee table between them became an irritating obstacle for her chimpanzee brain. 

“Ah, I’m sorry, Ryuuto-sama. Your tea is already empty. I will go get you a refill!”

“Oh, thanks. By the way, could I charge my phone here? Let’s see, I think I put the charger in my backpack… Oh!”

Rummaging through his small Karimar backpack, Ryuuto suddenly let out a surprised sound. A DVD slipped out of the bag and rolled onto the carpet.

“Oh! Ryuuto-sama, do you like movies too?”

“Yeah. Nee-chan packed up some of my old stuff and sent it to me. I thought I’d give this one a try, so I brought it along.”

“If you’d like, would you care to watch it here?”

The DVD in Ryuuto’s hand turned out to be a low-budget release of an old Western film. Loria wasn’t particularly fond of classic movies, but a glance at the back cover revealed a runtime of 102 minutes. Watching this would give her at least an extra hour and forty minutes by Ryuuto’s side. What a wonderful situation. Surely, they were meant to spend time together.

“Uh, the title is… Casablanca?”

“It’s a masterpiece.”

Ryuuto’s face lit up with a subtle pride. His youthful, sparkling eyes mesmerized Loria.

I see~ So Ryuuto-sama likes classics stuff~♡

And so, an impromptu movie-watching session began in the living room. The film was none other than Casablanca, the ultimate classic romance that won the 16th Academy Award. The story follows Rick, played by Humphrey Bogart, and Ilsa, played by Ingrid Bergman, as they navigate a tragic love story set in Casablanca, French Morocco, during World War II. Rick, a bar owner, reunited with Ilsa, a former lover of his, who now had a husband in tow. Her new husband was Laszlo, a leader in the anti-Nazi resistance. The plot revolved around their struggles to obtain a permit to leave Casablanca and escape the Nazi pursuit, with Rick torn between his lingering feelings and doing the right thing. 

The monochrome visuals delivered a poignant depiction of love, death, and romance. Frankly, Loria had underestimated classic films, assuming their black-and-white presentation would feel boring to the efficiency-driven younger generation like her. However, with the room dimly lit and just the two of them sitting close together, Loria didn’t need anything else to feel fulfilled. Her heart overflowed with contentment, as though her life up to this point was reserved solely for this moment. 

The curtains were drawn. Without them, sunlight would have streamed in, making the screen difficult to see. The faint sounds of passing cars and children playing nearby filtered through from outside, but as the story drew her in, those noises faded away to the back of her mind. On the screen, everything was, of course, in black and white—a foreign concept for a generation raised on color like her. That said, the initial strangeness of it faded after a while. The restrained pacing, the tightly woven tension, and the unfolding drama in Casablanca captivated Loria. The runtime of 102 minutes ensured there wasn’t a shred of excess. Iconic lines delivered by Bogart and Bergman slowly but surely pulled Loria into the narrative. Though in black and white, the presence of the two actors was overwhelmingly powerful—an aura unmatched by modern-day performers.

The story, at its most reductive, could be described as an extramarital affair between Rick and Ilsa. However, it delicately portrayed the unattainable longing and turmoil between the two. The famous song “As Time Goes By” played in the background. Though simple, its melody stirred a bittersweet emotion. Loria, who wasn’t particularly well-versed in music, felt a sense of calm wash over her as she listened to the song in the dim room. Next to her, Ryuuto sat with his fingers clasped on his lap, staring intently at the screen. He looked her age—or perhaps younger—but there was a melancholic aura to his profile that suggested a maturity far beyond hers.

“We’re getting to the climax soon.”

The story reached its dramatic peak. In the end, Rick chose to help Ilsa and her husband Laszlo escape the Nazis, despite the risks involved. At the airport, Rick handed over the travel papers to Ilsa, even though he could have run away with her himself. Lazlo had even gave Rick his blessing to run with Ilsa. 

“I love you. That’s why I want you to go. You’re part of him.” 

Bogart’s character said, his line hitting Loria right in the heart. Rick, despite his connections in the city, was just a bar owner. He knew that deceiving the Nazis would undoubtedly lead to dire consequences. In the iconic final scene, Rick walked into the mist with Captain Renault, a puppet of the Vichy government. He disappeared into the fog.

“Ryuuto-sama, this movie is absolutely amazing—”

But Loria stopped mid-sentence. She had noticed a single tear tracing down Ryuuto’s cheek, illuminated faintly by the glow of the screen.

“Sorry. Can we stay like this for just a little while longer?”

The sharp and observant Loria immediately connected the dots. She knew all too well the widely known story of Rinka, the woman Ryuuto had once longed to reunite with. From the perspective of Rick, the protagonist, Casablanca was a tale of tragic love. Maybe Ryuuto saw a reflection of himself in the story’s protagonist. Their experiences were overlapping in some way. 

It hurts…

And at this very moment, Loria felt as though she truly understood that Ryuuto wasn’t a mythical figure or a legendary idol. For the first time, she finally saw Ryuuto as a real, flesh-and-blood human being. Furthermore, the suffering Ryuuto had gone through wasn’t something he could share with anyone. Even though Loria was an explorer who had experienced countless gruesome missions, but 20 years in the dungeon was simply too long a time. And yet, for the sake of the people dear to him, Ryuuto had fought. He paved his way with courage and conviction. 

What could I possibly do for him?

Loria gently took Ryuuto’s hand in hers, layering her smaller hand over his. His hand was thick, large, and rugged, etched with scars that ran in every direction—a testament to the countless battles he had survived. Yet, at the same time, it bore countless marks of sorrow. A powerful emotion that Loria had never experienced before their reunion stirred within her chest. That fire reached down to her very core, spreading and igniting her entirely.

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T/N: This chapter is so beautiful (╥﹏╥)