Ending Maker Episode 433
Chapter 16 – Beasts, Thieves, and Inspectors #2
“Sorry, I have some work to do.”
The man standing in the Pope’s office, one of the few safe parts of the palace, was the Pope of the Cordelia Church, the head of the Cordelia Merchant Association, and the strongest swordsman in the Pleiades, the Swordmaster of the Unarmed Order – Juder Bayer, who spoke with a refreshing smile.
As expected of a man known for his good looks, his smile was bright and enchanting at the same time, but the three people facing him, especially the two women, had rotten expressions on their faces.
“Black Cloak, I’ve always felt this way, but don’t you have any conscience? How many hours have you made people wait?”
“My sister is right. You always make me laugh so hard.”
Scarlett crossed her arms and scoffed, while Kaisa grumbled and pointed to the ground with her thumb.
But Yuder just smiled and said, as if he didn’t care.
“Well, I guess it’s because they’re all so-called bean-pods, so the honey trap doesn’t work very well.”
“Are you saying that with your own mouth again?”
“I’m so unlucky, really.”
Scarlett and Kaisa criticized him again, but since it was familiar and it was more of a half-joke to begin with, Uther laughed again and spoke to Lucas.
“Prince Lucas, are you planning to return to the County of Hresvelg?”
“Yes, it’s about time.”
Even though they were close friends, Yuder and Lucas still spoke to each other formally.
“But what about the black cloak and the pink bomb?”
“Right, what about our Cordelia?”
I should say that it looks very familiar that Scarlett is the lead singer and Kaisa is the follower.
Yuder smiled softly at the sight of the two, who looked completely different but were now like real sisters, and answered softly this time as well.
“I’m going to wash up and get ready. I thought you were making me wait too long, so I came out first. Aren’t you still eating? How about having dinner together?”
At Uther’s question, Kaisha and Lucas turned to Scarlett, who made a slightly thoughtful expression before nodding.
And Uder looked at the three people in front of him and thought.
‘As expected, Scarlett is the leader.’
It may be because he is older, but it is probably because of his personality and temperament.
Scarlett was a very smart person who was good at taking care of others.
“Then let’s go to the restaurant. Cordelia will come there too.”
“What, you were already working on the premise that we would eat dinner and go?”
“You’re actually going to eat it, right?”
When Uther shrugged and said that, Scarlett looked like she was dying of disgust, but only for a moment.
Scarlett, who shook her head, gently hugged Lucas’ arm, and Kaisha quickly hugged Lucas’ other arm.
Lucas let out an awkward laugh with an embarrassed face.
“Well, it looks nice. Let’s go then.”
Uther took the lead, and the night deepened that day.
* * *
The next morning.
Lucas, Scarlett, and Kaisa packed their bags and headed out to the inn. In front of them, there were two large carriages parked.
One carriage was headed to the northern Hresvelg County, and the other was headed to the southern Margrave of Orphan.
“Haa… … I don’t like going alone.”
“There’s nothing I can do. Get everything sorted out properly before the wedding.”
As Caesar slumped his shoulders and whined, Scarlett patted his shoulder and said,
Unlike Scarlett, who was basically a freelancer, Kaisa was leading a privateer fleet in the south.
This time, I was getting married and was planning to leave the South and come to the North, so there were quite a few things to sort out, starting with the transfer of the captaincy.
Despite Scarlett’s comfort, Caesar still had a tearful face and said, clinging to Lucas.
“Lucas, kiss me before you leave.”
Lucas smiled slightly at Kaisa’s aegyo and lightly kissed Kaisa’s forehead, but Kaisa wasn’t satisfied with just this.
In an instant, she seemed to be hugging Lucas’ neck, then she stood on tiptoe and started to steal Lucas’ lips – no, more than that.
“Well, I’m the last one, so let’s go.”
It was definitely Kaisa who had tried to monopolize Lucas last night, saying that they would have to stay away for a while, but this time it was really the last time.
Scarlett decided to endure it for now, since they probably wouldn’t see each other for at least two months.
A few minutes passed as the kiss was passionate, as expected of Caesar.
Just when Scarlett’s patience was starting to reach its limit, Kaisa let out an exclamation of “Kyaa” as if he had just had a glass of beer after finishing the kiss.
“Hmm, after all, our Lucas is the elixir of life.”
“You know what a real old man looks like?”
“Hahaha.”
Kaiser, who laughed heartily like an old man at Scarlett’s accusation, waved at the two of them and jumped up onto the roof of the carriage.
“Then I’ll see you both in the North.”
“Take care, Caesar.”
“Yeah, Lucas!”
The carriage began to rattle and roll south as Caesar waved his hand again.
“When will he ever really grow up?”
What is it about riding on the roof instead of riding the carriage properly?
I guess I need to teach him etiquette again.
While Scarlett was thinking of her more as a mother than a sister, Lucas opened the door of the carriage heading north.
“Scarlett.”
“Yeah, thanks Lucas.”
Scarlett gently took Lucas’ hand, which he had extended for her escort, and climbed onto the carriage with great elegance.
And then again, how much time had passed?
Scarlett, who was reading a book recommended by Caesar while wearing round glasses, slightly raised her head and looked at Lucas sitting across from her.
Although the Biltwein Heroes Chronicles was on his lap, Lucas’ gaze was turned out the window.
What are you thinking?
Scarlett knew.
But instead of bringing up that topic, he took off his glasses and closed the book with a clank, drawing Lucas’ attention.
“Lucas, wasn’t the baby cute?”
It was a bit of an odd question, but Lucas nodded immediately since it was a topic that had come up several times over the past few days.
“Yes, very much.”
Regina Bayer.
The youngest daughter of the Count Bayer family.
Yuder’s younger brother, who was born before the full ten months but was born more mature than most babies.
Scarlett continued, fiddling with the air as if recalling Regina’s little finger.
“Aren’t you curious about what you’ll be like when you grow up? Will you resemble Black Cloak?”
First of all, because he was my younger brother.
Now that the subject was brought up, Scarlett closed her eyes for a moment and imagined the female Yuder.
Anyway, since Yudera has such amazing looks, I felt like the female version would suit him well too.
No, rather, should I say that this feels better?
‘But it might be a bit much to say that it really resembles a black cloak.’
It’s okay if the appearance is similar, but the personality is a bit different.
Scarlett chuckled and continued talking about Regina and Uther, and Lucas responded with a small laugh.
And then a few more minutes passed.
“Lucas, are you thinking of the first sword?”
Scarlett looked straight at Lucas and said.
The first sword.
Rune Proud.
The sword demon who returned during the foreign war.
Scarlett knew.
For the past few days – ever since he returned from the system – Lucas’ mind has always been filled with thoughts of the First Sword.
Lucas did not deny it.
He nodded obediently, acknowledging Scarlett’s thoughts.
There were a total of three times that the first sword and the second sword were crossed.
Once at the Feast of Swords, once at the fight at the Red Gate, and once at the fight in this island.
In the fight at Red Gate, Lucas clearly did well, but that was it.
If we simply look at the results, it was Lucas’ defeat that no one could deny.
And in this fight in the system, Lucas couldn’t win either.
When the final sword fight was over.
Lucas could feel it.
That the first sword has reached the horizon.
That he had awakened to the power of the sword and was reborn as a being beyond the swordsman.
If only Uther and Cordelia had taken down the foreign messenger just a little bit later.
So if only Jeilgeom could have fought a little longer.
“Okay, I’ve decided.”
Scarlett’s voice brought Lucas back to consciousness from the depths of sleep.
She moved to sit right next to Lucas, then raised her head and looked straight into Lucas’ eyes as she spoke.
“After greeting your father and mother, come with me to the empire.”
“The Empire… is it?”
“Yeah, Empire. Come by my house too. Otherwise, you’ll just stay cooped up and practice.”
Lucas unconsciously pursed his lips at Scarlett’s words.
Because she was right.
Scarlett said, caressing Lucas’ cheek.
“But I don’t think so. Lucas doesn’t need that kind of training right now. He’s still young, but… … I can understand that much.”
If you’re stuck now.
If you can’t put the sword of the first sword down in your head.
Rather, I would have fallen into a state of despair.
Lucas’s footsteps, which were slowly but steadily advancing toward the horizon, could have stopped.
So Scarlett smiled brightly again and continued.
“I heard recently that the Wind Sword has reached a new level. It was completely buried because of the news of the third birth and the news of the angel’s descent, so not many people know about it.”
Lucas’ eyes widened at Count Bayer’s story.
For him, who had already reached the realm of swordsmanship, to reach a new realm meant that he had reached the horizon or was on the verge of reaching it.
“The wind is always… … free.”
Scarlett hummed as if singing.
The decisive dialogue that is also called his dark history, as he was said to have had the Wind Sword in his mouth every day during his youth.
But apart from that, Scarlett, who had been mumbling the line that Lucas liked so much, said while lightly twisting her hair.
“He said those words again. Actually, I don’t know for sure… … It seems that the Wind Sword Saint has gained some kind of enlightenment by saying those words again, which he had buried as a shameful part of his youth.”
It was just a little bit, but I had an inkling.
The path of free wind.
The path of Count Bayer leading to the horizon.
So what is Lucas’ path?
What does Lucas need now?
Lucas blinked.
And then I realized.
The fact that my eyes were stolen by the splendid path that Jeilgeom showed me.
That you stopped to look at someone else’s path rather than facing your own.
It was just as Scarlett said.
What Lucas needed right now was not to hide in a dark hole.
Lucas’ own way.
A path that can be quickly reached thanks to memories of a past life, and therefore can be lost if you let your guard down even for a moment.
“Scarlett.”
“Yeah, I know. Aren’t you so, so thankful right now? You’re so, so lovely?”
When Scarlett tilted her head as if teasing him and spoke pitifully, Lucas laughed heartily, which was unusual for him, and hugged Scarlett tightly and kissed her.
As always since that day half a year ago, I couldn’t stand it any longer.
* * *
Time passed.
One year since the Foreign War.
Several months have passed since Kai’Sa Orphan and Scarlet Viper became Kai’Sa Hresvelg and Scarlet Hresvelg respectively.
Uther, who was designing a new statue for Cordelia, suddenly sat up and opened his eyes wide.
And it was the same with Cordelia.
She was choosing a hair band and comb to give to Dahlia, when she quickly sent the merchant out and ran towards the office where Yuder was.
“Uder.”
When Cordelia called out to him, out of breath from running in a hurry, Uder nodded and held out the object in his hand.
It was a black bar with a broken middle.
But it wasn’t just any ordinary stick.
-If something big happens to Jin-ho and Yu-hee, break it. Then we’ll know right away.
An item that forms a pair with the magical artifact left to Natasha just in case.
Something went wrong with Kang Jin-ho and Hong Yu-hee.
Moreover, it was a black bar.
Among the many sticks entrusted to Natasha, the black stick signifies the most serious emergency.
What on earth happened?
If it’s a situation that Natasha, and no one else, would determine to be an emergency-
“Let’s hurry.”
“Yes, Cordelia.”
Uder did not delay any longer.
He immediately carried Cordelia on his back and threw himself out the window.
