Episode 205 Traces (1)
The succession ceremony was over. After that, we completed the boring and dull schedule of press conferences, meetings, and receptions. Of course, the support of the media and the prosecutors was a great help.
‘If it weren’t for them, I would have made several verbal mistakes today.’
Even though the two of them were as haggard as I was from not being able to sleep at night, they took care of me as much as they could. I thanked them in my heart and moved my legs without thinking. The destination of this dark night was my dormitory.
In fact, a celebration banquet was scheduled for later, but it was simply postponed. The ‘celebration’ was just a pretext, and it would just be a place to be surrounded by nobles and greet them anyway.
So, due to my refusal, the night’s schedule was immediately canceled. With just one word, the nobles just licked their lips and disappeared. Is this the power of the background?
Certainly, if exposed for a long period of time, the brain structure would change. It is not for nothing that honest people become high-ranking people and then act like fools.
“I have to keep being careful so that doesn’t happen… … .”
When I returned to my room, I threw off my clothes and threw myself onto the bed. I pressed down on the fatigue that had settled under my eyes like soup.
‘… This place is the most comfortable.’
The South Korean president has proposed a seven-star hotel near the academy as a temporary residence. He also said that construction of his own ‘official residence’ will begin tomorrow.
I flatly refused, and returned straight to my cozy nest. The luxurious hotel and official residence life would quickly contaminate me.
Above all, this three-pyeong room was extremely comfortable for me. Even though the heating and cooling were poor and the facilities were shabby…
Still, since it is the place where the new Chilseong Hero resides, they will probably do some renovation work. I plan to actively argue about that.
I’m not asking just for myself to like it. All the students living in this dormitory are benefiting.
I buried my face in the pillow while thinking about that. The feel of the cheap, fluffy fabric helped me feel a little less dizzy.
I turned my head halfway in that position. My left eye was buried in the pillow, and my right eye was blankly staring into space.
I’m tired, and very tired. I’ve cut down all kinds of devils, but there seems to be no enemy stronger than the sleeping demon.
It’s been several days since I’ve been able to sleep properly. Today is almost the third day.
“But that doesn’t mean I can sleep right away… … .”
There was still work to be done. First, I was going to lay out a plan for the future. I was going to just roughly draw up a general outline, not a detailed plan.
First of all, I announced in front of everyone that I would continue attending Joaquin Academy. Everyone who heard that was shocked and surprised.
That’s right. Living in the academy with the flashy nickname of ‘Cheongeom’ and being a hero of the Seven Stars? It was natural for them to have blank expressions. Even if I were a third party, I would have had the same reaction.
But I chose to stay at Joaquin Academy because of my intuition.
Even I thought it was a pretty absurd reason. The basis for determining the future is nothing more than intuition? If I told someone else, they’d just laugh at me.
But I have come this far by relying on this intuition. Moreover, my intuition was slightly different. Because mine is deeply connected to the ‘status window’.
‘And that gut feeling is telling me to stay at the Academy.’
It may be a shallow basis, but I have made up my mind to carry out my guidelines so far.
Besides, once I leave the academy, I will definitely get involved in various events. I honestly wanted to avoid such annoying events as much as possible.
I experienced it today and realized that I am not the type of person who is suited to that kind of thing.
However, there were some events that I absolutely had to attend. The World General Assembly was in a month, and the following month I had to go on a pilgrimage to various countries around the world. Including the Hero Association headquarters.
“If it’s the Hero Association headquarters… will the Association President be there too?”
If you were to ask who the most secretive person in the world is, it would be the president of the association.
A character who was not mentioned even once in the game. Aside from the fact that he was male, nothing was known about his age, name, whereabouts, or military strength.
Rumor has it that he’s a monster of a different class… …. Of all the people I’ve met so far, aren’t there few who are normal? At least Geomje acts with common sense.
Mediana Changseong, Jeolgung, Altair. No, except Jeolgung. Anyway, regardless of whether they are good people, they all have a screw loose in them. But if you encounter a monster that is even worse than that.
‘… How should I really behave?’
I was getting anxious. I only know one way to deal with Torai. Sashimi. Other than that, I really don’t know.
I shook my head slightly. I guess I was just too tired to think straight.
Let’s think about it then. I’m already tired and my head is pounding.
I decided to put this little doubt on hold for the time being.
I picked up my phone from the nightstand to skim through the articles as part of my final work. As the days went by, there must have been a lot of articles published about me.
Just now, I saw that all the reporters had eyes shining like animals. The one who got beat up by them was me, Kang Geum-ma.
Even if you sleep, inspection is essential. Now, you can do something about articles that cross the line on your own.
Knock knock.
I touched the LCD. A ray of light dimly illuminated the dark room. I read the article with my eyes narrowed.
『[Exclusive] Sashimi Sword’s new nickname is ‘Heavenly Sword’.』
『[Photo] Cheongeom Ganggeomma… A prospect of making a mark in history.』
『[Commentary] The new Chilseong is too young. It’s time to prove his qualities.』
『[Interview] Immediately after the US President’s visit to Korea, “Is this the land of the Heavenly Sword? I really wanted to come and see. He is the hope of humanity.”』
“… … .”
I turned off my smartphone and closed my eyes. Everything was dark. Only then did the sleepiness that had been building up pour out like a burst dam. Sleep was sweet.
* * *
[NEW! A surprise quest occurs.]
[The causality will be readjusted due to the previous 1-time use of ‘Ring of the Eye’.]
[… … .]
[… … .]
[Tip: In this surprise quest, you can deduce a clue from one of the three remaining fragments.]
* * *
… I slowly opened my eyes. My vision was blurry, as if there was a film on my eyes.
I slowly blinked my eyelids. I repeated this several times. At the same time, I revived my dulled senses. Then, one by one, my five senses opened and I absorbed the surroundings into my whole body.
A chilly wind brushed my cheek. The smell of the air was foreign. It was spicy and musty. A sensation completely different from the information my body remembered about my dining room.
I could tell that this was not my room even though my vision hadn’t fully returned, because the sight I was seeing was unfamiliar.
“… … !?”
The first thing I saw was the horizon. I strained my eyes and opened them. Immediately, an empty wilderness unfolded before me, as if the sky and the earth were completely disconnected.
The bleached lawn swayed like marble, and the tangled remains of flesh and bones dyed it red.
I rolled my eyes and looked around a little more. The bluish sunset covered the scene like crimson silk. I felt a sense of wonder and ecstasy at the same time.
‘Where is this…?’
My eyes were filled with confusion once again. My voice was just a wandering thought, unable to be uttered. Moreover, no matter how much I twisted my body, it didn’t move. Beyond a feeling of helplessness, emptiness enveloped my entire body.
‘Damn, what the hell is this?’
Stripped of my will, I was thrown into a barren wasteland. Colorless debris rose like a mound around me. No matter how hard I tried to figure out what was going on, I couldn’t figure it out. The murky scenery continued to disturb my turbid mind.
But one thing is for sure… I am currently in a state of excitement. I even felt a sense of pastoral sentiment in this massacre scene.
That was when.
Sabak.
The faint sound of footsteps, barely audible. My nerves were tense and my ears reacted sensitively.
This time, my body moved against my will. Still, I regained my composure and decided to let myself go with the flow. So my gaze shifted toward the source.
Damn it.
The source of the sound was revealed. It was a human male. He was wearing silver armor that flowed with light, and a matching golden cloak. In his right hand he held a sword that radiated white light.
‘… … !’
Soon I burst out in shock without thinking. Have I ever been so surprised? Absolutely not. Never before, never again. Because… … .
Black hair and black makeup.
… I would have been very surprised by that black feature alone. But that didn’t matter anymore. From the moment the author’s facial features became clearly visible.
Damn it.
A man walks toward me with murderous eyes. A ray of light scatters across the hellish landscape. He comes close and opens his mouth heavily.
“In the end, one way or another, it all comes to this conclusion… … .”
The man looked around the area as if in meditation. There were dirty chunks of flesh strewn about. The stench of blood and flesh filled his nostrils.
The man’s eyes, looking at the hell map, sank deeply. At first glance, it looked like he was groaning softly.
Things were quiet for a moment. The man soon broke the silence and called my name.
“…Lycan, you and I truly have a strange fate.”
The man’s face twisted as if in pain. Yes, that’s the face. A face I know all too well. Even though he’s gotten younger, the traces of it are clearly visible in his eyes.
My heart was tight. A surging longing shook my soul. But the voice that came out of my mouth was extremely muddy.
“I have waited for you long, mortal. Now is the time to bring an end to this bitter war.”
To the man, no, to you, I say, with an unwanted smile on the corner of my lips.
“It’s just a shame. I’ve crossed swords with you countless times. That’s why I felt closer to you than my brother. Don’t you feel the same way?”
The grip of the man holding the sword tightened. His sword radiated bright energy in all directions.
Then the man answered, in the same low voice that had scolded me.
“It’s a mirror that projects both myself and the other person at the same time. So I can’t help but know. Lycan, your goal isn’t to kill humans. What you’re trying to eliminate is the beings beyond. Aren’t they the ‘heavenly beings’ that bestow protection on humans?”
I chuckled. I opened my hand wide and then closed it again.
Crackling… …!
A wall of force burst out from the space he was holding, and soon took the shape of a sword.
Crunch-
I swung my sword wrapped in lightning absentmindedly. The mountain range that had risen to the west disappeared. It was literally in the blink of an eye. The sun set behind the eroded mountain range.
I say this with a calm expression.
“To know that much, it’s truly a shame to be mortal. However, it is beautiful and wonderful. That’s why I think I can shake off those arrogant guys who think the conflict between the demons and humans is just a game.”
“… … .”
“So, get rid of me and climb the first step. Wait for a long time in the future. Then, the one who will punish the heavenly beings will come.”
“Is this really the only way?”
“Don’t look at the present, but look forward to the future. If you do, the one who will punish the heavenly beings will come from the distant past.”
“Then… Lycan, I will subdue you here and now.”
I smiled at that declaration.
“As a demon, I will destroy mortals. And at this moment, I acknowledge you, a mere human, as my only rival and friend.”
Finally, she says the man’s name.
“Come, Balor Joaquin, the mighty one.”
The man’s eyes gleamed black. The sunset of Gehenna broke beneath the horizon. The twilight of the magic realm was a deep blue.
The man took a step forward. He wanted to strike down the evil that was inhabiting his disciple.
He is coming.
My teacher, the hero of the poem.
