< Ending Maker SS #32 Lucas Hresvelg (2) >
Ending Maker SS #32 Lucas Hresvelg (2)
Lucas danced his second dance with Kaisha.
It was a natural flow, as if it had been decided from the beginning.
When Lucas danced his second dance with Kaisha, Scarlett danced with Count Hresvelg, and when the third dance song began, Lucas found himself facing Scarlett.
“But I’m the older sister.”
There’s only a one year age difference, but whatever.
Scarlett shrugged and took Lucas’ hand.
“I shouldn’t have refused then.”
Lucas paused for a moment, not immediately understanding what was being said, but only for a moment.
It was talking about the National Foundation Day Ball.
“I didn’t know that the reckless young master would grow up to be such a great man.”
Scarlett, who spoke as if to be heard but as if talking to herself, began to take light steps, and Lucas, with a slight blush on his cheeks, began his third dance.
&
The party continued late into the night.
And as is often the case with these kinds of parties, from the middle onwards it became more of a gathering of nobles who had gathered under the pretext of celebrating a birthday than a celebration of a birthday.
That’s why Lucas didn’t feel too guilty about sneaking out of the banquet hall.
“Is that right here?”
“Why, isn’t it good? I don’t think anyone will come here.”
Scarlett smiled and looked around.
Lucas, Kaisha, and Scarlett.
The place where the three people were sitting was an indoor training hall used only by the direct descendants of Count Hresvelg.
“Hmm. So this is what the northern smokescreen looks like.”
Although Kaisa had already been invited by many northern families, including the Counts of Bayer and Hresvelg, this was her first time entering an indoor training hall.
“Is it a lot different from the South?”
“Oh, first of all. In the South, there are almost no cases where the smokescreen is located indoors.”
After answering Scarlett’s question, Kaisa began to put down the things she had brought in one by one in an appropriate place.
“Lucas, spread it out there.”
“Oh, that would be nice.”
“yes.”
Lucas, following the orders of the two women, spread out the mat he had brought on the moonlit dance floor, and Kaisa and Scarlett laid out the drinks and food they had brought in a basket on top of it.
“And this can’t be left out.”
Everything else was brought from the banquet hall, but this wasn’t it.
Scarlett smiled and took out a small, round chocolate cake, and Kaiser put a candle from somewhere on top of the cake.
Having spent so much time together over the past three years, the two of them have become very compatible with each other.
“happy birthday.”
“Congratulations, Lucas.”
“thank you.”
As the candles on the small cake were blown out, Kaisa and Scarlett clapped their hands to celebrate the birthday once again.
It felt like child’s play – no, it was child’s play, but still a bright smile appeared on Lucas’ face.
‘sorry.’
Everyone who attended the party today.
But I feel more inclined towards this simple celebration now.
Still, thank you all so much for coming.
After a brief apology and thanks, Lucas looked back at Scarlett and Kaisa, and the two were filling each other’s glasses as if they had made a promise.
Of course, I didn’t forget to fill Lucas’ glass too.
“Drink, drink. We’re going all the way today.”
“The first thing we talk about when we meet is.”
Kaisa blushed and protested as Scarlett snickered.
“You guys are the ones who are weird because you can beat me with alcohol?”
After all, Caesar had the blood of a divine being flowing through his veins.
She also had excellent detoxification skills and never lost a drinking game when she was back home.
“Even if Lucas has reached the horizon, there’s something strange about Scarlett.”
“That’s weird. It’s just that the alcohol is strong. And what does reaching the horizon have to do with the alcohol being strong?”
Kaisa, speechless at Scarlett’s reasonable point, pouted his lips and, as always, raised his glass first.
“Anyway, cheers.”
“Cheers.”
Lucas and Scarlett quickly raised their glasses so as not to embarrass themselves.
“Wow, good. This is delicious.”
“Okay, okay, then let’s quickly get the gift out before we get drunk.”
Scarlett patted Kaisa’s back like soothing a child and took out two items she had prepared in advance from the basket.
One was Scarlett’s own, the other was Caesar’s.
“Now, a birthday present.”
“me too.”
The colors of the packaging were different, red and blue, but the size and even the weight were the same.
“thank you.”
When Lucas first expressed his gratitude, Kaisha smiled like a mischievous child and said.
“Open it quickly.”
“Is that okay?”
“of course.”
It was Caesar who started the rush, but it was Scarlett who finished it.
With the two women’s permission, Lucas opened the package with a childlike, expectant look on his face, and showed Scarlett and Kaisa what they had been waiting for.
A bright smile.
“New book from the Built Vine Heroes series!”
That’s right.
A new volume of the Built Vine Heroes series, released after three years.
I was originally planning to go to the bookstore today to buy it, but I had to postpone it until tomorrow because I got caught by my father!
Kaisa and Scarlett’s gifts were both new copies of the Bildwein Chronicles.
In the end, both of them gave the same gift, but both the one who gave the gift and the one who received it had smiles on their faces.
“Mine is for appreciation.”
“Mine is for reading.”
Because the two of them knew full well that Lucas bought five copies of the same book.
“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
As Lucas hugged the book tightly in his arms, smiles spread across Kaisha and Scarlett’s faces again.
“Okay, now that we’ve exchanged gifts, let’s drink again. Today is the day I’ll put you both to bed.”
“That would be very true.”
Scarlett giggled and poured drinks into Kaisa and Lucas’ glasses, and the three of them began drinking together.
And how many hours passed?
dawn.
A time when there is neither moon nor sun.
So when the world is dyed in only one color.
Caesar fell into a deep sleep, his head on Scarlett’s thigh, holding an empty bottle of liquor in his arms.
Scarlett patted Kaiser’s head like that.
“Lucas.”
“Yes, Scarlett.”
“You like that story so much?”
“Yes, I like it very much.”
Although not quite as sprawled out as Caesar, both Lucas and Scarlett had a hint of intoxication on their faces.
And that’s why Lucas’ face had a more honest smile than usual.
I even said things I wouldn’t normally say.
“I like it a lot, but… this volume is especially special.”
“Because it’s your first new book in three years?”
“That too, but······.”
Lucas, whose speech was slurred, slowly stroked the cover of the book instead of giving the answer right away.
And Scarlett, who had been quietly watching the scene, was able to realize something at some point.
What Lucas meant by special.
“Scarlett is smart, after all.”
Although it wasn’t possible to communicate with just eye contact like with Uder and Cordelia, it was possible to tell whether or not they had come up with the right answer.
Lucas opened the book and stroked the words on the first page.
“Yes, it is a truly new book that has never been published in a previous life.”
3 years ago.
Countless previous lives were helpless before the disaster that began with the kidnapping of the children of the 12 northern families.
“The author must have been swept up in chaos as well. No, even if he was safe, it wasn’t a peaceful world to the extent that he could write a book about such a hero and distribute it again.”
But not anymore.
The Kingdom of Seilun was not destroyed, and the empire still existed.
The fate of the Pleiades was again extended into the future.
That’s why this new book came out.
One piece of evidence that Uther and Cordelia saved the world.
Lucas looked up and saw Scarlett.
Maybe it was because of the alcohol, but I started saying things I normally wouldn’t say.
“I wanted to be… Built Vine….”
Childhood dream.
No, actually, it’s a dream I’m still having.
A strong, cool, and invincible hero.
A being that is like hope that can be trusted and relied on anytime, anywhere.
A ray of light that guides people even in the darkness.
Lucas knew people like that.
Uther and Cordelia.
True heroes who saved the Wild Lands and the Kingdom of Cailun, as well as all of Pleiades.
It wasn’t Lucas himself.
Lucas himself was different from the two men.
I was upset when Landius took Uther as his disciple.
When I sparred with Yuder, who had grown incredibly stronger while traveling through the wild lands.
When he lost by an overwhelming margin, he pretended to accept the defeat calmly in front of Yuder. He also expressed his determination to work even harder in front of his father.
But that wasn’t all.
That night, I cried and cried while covering myself with the blanket.
Because I was shocked and bewildered by the absurd gap, and suddenly felt so pathetic about myself, I didn’t know what to do, was hurt, and cried like a child.
Inferiority complex.
Something that can never be helped.
Attended the sword banquet in the royal capital.
As expected, Uther and Cordelia appeared.
And Uder became the main character of the sword banquet.
Lucas himself was unable to take the First Sword’s strike and was knocked down, but Yuder blocked it. For a moment, it made the First Sword show its true colors.
He congratulated Yuder.
But inside, I burst into tears.
Lucas himself was not the main character.
He wasn’t a hero either.
The entourage.
A supporting character who exists to make the main character shine.
Didn’t make tea.
I tried to accept it.
I thought about this while watching Uther and Cordelia thwart the conspiracy at the National Foundation Day.
From the beginning, they were people who went on different paths.
There is no need to feel inferior every time.
That wasn’t an admission.
It was an excuse for a terrible defeat.
I was amazed to see Yuder perform like something out of a heroic tale at the martial arts tournament. I applauded and praised him.
Because that was a supporting role.
Everything became meaningless.
What if I just hate Uther and Cordelia?
Wouldn’t that make you feel a little better?
But in the end, it didn’t work out.
Because Uther and Cordelia were really good people.
Uder kept calling himself his rival.
It wasn’t a joke. He trusted the prosecutor Lucas more than Lucas himself.
He called out to me, saying that he would enter the dungeon book on the night of the sword banquet.
It wasn’t just then.
If there was something they could do together, if there was an opportunity for Lucas to grow himself, the two of them reached out to him without expecting anything in return.
How can one hate such people?
“So… so I just swung my sword.”
Silently moving forward.
Towards that invisible horizon.
Scarlett, who had been quietly listening to Lucas’ confession, smiled brightly.
“What, then the dream has already come true.”
“yes?”
“It became a built-in vine.”
Lucas tilted his head at Scarlett’s words.
Scarlett moved next to Lucas, took out the section that was in the basket, and turned the page.
“I read it too. The Heroes of Builtwein.”
Because it’s a work you really like.
I was curious about what kind of work it was.
Since it’s a work you like, I wanted to like it too.
Scarlett, who had left out the rest of the story, continued her story in a whisper.
“A person who never gives up and always moves forward. A person who does not hate people. A truly good and clear being, like the sun.”
Lucas’ expression darkened with each word Scarlett spoke.
No matter how much I thought about it, I felt like it was far from me.
So Scarlett laughed.
“Do you remember the fight at the Red Gate?”
“I remember.”
The battle where Yuder defeated the First Sword.
But Scarlett’s memories were different.
“The day you saved Elune.”
It wasn’t just her.
Everyone who was at the Red Gate that day, including Scarlett herself and even Kaisa.
“But that’s Yuder-.”
“Yes, Yuder defeated the First Sword. But if you hadn’t been there, if you hadn’t been able to stop the First Sword… we would have all been dead by the time Yuder arrived.”
Scarlett laughed again.
He flipped through the pages and pointed to an illustration.
It was a scene where Builtwein was fighting a giant dragon with a single sword.
“It was a fight he couldn’t win. The objective powers couldn’t even be compared. But Builtvine stepped forward. Because he had to protect the people. Just like you who stood up to the First Sword.”
Lucas’ face turned red.
Scarlett smiled again and continued.
“Not just that day.”
The day of the National Foundation Day celebration.
Lucas saved the people attending the ball.
I faced the monsters without any proper weapons.
He did not hesitate to travel to wild lands.
He willingly ran to the place where the demons of hell were swarming to protect the people there.
If Lucas hadn’t existed.
If Lucas hadn’t been there.
“But there is something else that I think is truly amazing.”
Lucas didn’t hate Uther.
I didn’t feel inferiority complex or get ugly jealous.
Instead of being broken and causing trouble for those around him, he polished himself.
He accepted Uther and Cordelia’s good intentions without misinterpreting them. He returned their pure good intentions.
“And then we moved forward.”
Even in the darkness where there is no light, silently and clearly, he follows his own path.
“I always thought about it in my past life.”
What is this guy?
Why aren’t you frustrated?
Why don’t you give up?
Why doesn’t it fall?
Lucas never became corrupted unless the devil was forcibly thrust into his soul.
No, even if you make them into mines like that, they always regain their human heart in the end.
‘That might be why I was attracted to it.’
To that clear soul.
A single ray of white light shining in the darkness.
Lucas’ face was flushed red. Tears were already welling up in his eyes.
“And by the way, this is the most important reason······.”
Scarlett, whose words had been trailing off, blushed and snickered. She whispered softly in Lucas’ ear.
“There’s no way the person I like wouldn’t be the main character, right?”
The main character of the Scarlet Viper story was Scarlett.
And the handsome and cool male protagonist that Scarlett loved was always Lucas.
‘I guess I’m drunk.’
Feeling embarrassed by her own words, Scarlett coughed and hugged Lucas’ neck. After hesitating for a moment, she shyly placed her lips on Lucas’ cheek.
“Happy birthday again.”
My built vine.
My hero.
And that was when it happened.
The sun rose as if by magic in the distance.
The glory of the morning streamed in through the window, illuminating Lucas’ body.
“wow.”
Scarlett, who was slightly impressed, laughed as if she was a giant, and Lucas burst into a bright laugh.
&
The next morning.
While Caesar was still in a deep sleep, Scarlett was in a late nap.
Lucas opened the new edition of Builtwein’s Heroes.
I thought as I stroked the illustration of Builtwein that filled one side.
Built Vine.
An invincible hero.
A person who leads the light of hope without giving up anytime, anywhere.
Scarlett called Lucas himself Wildwein, but he wasn’t.
Lucas himself could not become a hero like Biltwein.
But even if that were the case.
A smile spread across Lucas’ face.
Lucas thought as he turned the page and faced Builtwein, who had returned after three years.
‘I want to be a built-in.’
Even if it’s difficult right now, someday, just like when we reached that horizon.
Lucas turned the page.
As always, I moved forward silently.
fin
“Have you seen the new book sales figures? Kiya! This is a total hit! Awesome!”
The man showed no significant reaction to the publisher’s compliments.
No, in fact, even if there had been a reaction, there was no way for the publishing company staff to find out.
Because the man was wearing a black mask that covered his entire face.
A writer who always shows up wearing a mask at every meeting, even though it’s not a masquerade ball.
I thought he was crazy, but there were actually a lot of crazy writers in this world.
So instead of worrying about such trivial things, the publishing staff spoke about what was really important.
“Author, by the way······ When will the next volume be released······.”
It was the first new book in three whole years.
It would be too much to shout out three years later here. If the next volume is released quickly, wouldn’t the popularity of the Biltwein Heroes rise again?
As the publisher’s staff sent him an earnest look, the man in the black mask answered in a low voice.
“It will be soon.”
“Ohhh······.”
soon of late.
Surely it won’t be three years soon?
Sooner or later, maybe a few months?
No, even just one year would be enough.
“Then let’s stop here for today.”
As the man in the black mask stood up, the publishing company employee quickly followed suit and bowed.
“Take a look.”
The man in the black mask raised his hand instead of answering, then took off his mask as soon as he left the store.
No one witnessed the man take off his mask, as he had used a simple perception-impairing spell.
And then we walked for another ten minutes or so.
“Yes, Kamael.”
Kamael smiled slightly between the large man sitting at the meeting place, the beautiful woman standing next to him, and the people looking at the two of them with curiosity.
“Built Vine.”
“Huh? What kind of vine?”
Eek. I muttered something without realizing it, but did you hear me?
But instead of being flustered, Kamael spoke with a calm face.
“It was called Landius.”
“Anyway, sit down quickly. The cake here is really delicious.”
At Lena’s urging, Kamael pretended to be defeated and hurried his steps, and Landius – not only Kamael, but all five Paragon heroes’ Biltwein burst into good-natured laughter again.
fin
< Ending Maker SS #32 Lucas Hresvelg (2) > End
