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Chapter 164

“…You really won’t get treated?”

“Yeah. And now that I have no reason to stay here, I’m leaving. Thanks for lending me the place.”

Christopher yawned lazily, covering his mouth with the one arm he had left, then suddenly turned and left the sacred grounds.

The High Priest of Melancholy watched him, a smile on his face, as he transformed from a lazy figure into someone completely different, his eyes widening sharply as if to say, “When did that happen?”

“Not only did you fail to kill him, but you’ve also lost a talented individual. How unfortunate. That man could have easily aimed for the position of Great Warrior.”

“Hmmm, that stings a bit.”

In the empty sanctuary, a thick, gruff male voice echoed.

Soon, a massive man appeared beside the priest, sporting a wild mane of beard like a lion’s mane, raising questions about how such a beastly figure had remained hidden.

“Oh, Rodos. Of course, I meant the next Great Warrior after you. You’ll retire one day.”

“Stop joking. That guy is definitely a tough nut to crack. Honestly, even a sword master would wonder how he managed to survive.”

“That’s because he has many swords. As for his swordsmanship, even the Demon King’s Church has no disagreements on that. To think he went into hiding, only to end up in a place like the Academy… ‘the darkest spot is right under the lamp,’ indeed.”

How many prominent figures of the Demon King’s Church did the legendary swordsman slay? When I heard he had disappeared from his nest, I rejoiced with both hands raised, but now I couldn’t help but feel troubled since I had no idea where he had gone.

“Well, it’s fortunate we at least know where he is now. I’ll need to warn the officers not to approach him for the sake of unity.”

“What about the underlings?”

“We need scouts who can tell us where the legendary swordsman has gone, don’t we?”

“You little brat.”

“Well, those are not words coming from the Great Warrior, are they?”

The priest’s laughter danced around the sanctuary.

“Where do I go now?”

Outside the Sacred Grounds, Christopher muttered to himself in a daze.

He indeed felt that his mind had cleared up since before. Although the migraine still lingered, the chronic lethargy seemed to have vanished.

But that didn’t mean he planned to rid himself of the karma he had built up until now.

He believed that sin was sin, and what he had done couldn’t be softened by claims of mental instability.

If he merely spouted nonsense about repenting, what would become of the grudges held by those he had slain?

Instead, he resolved to become a villain. To embrace madness and remain an unforgivable enemy of humanity.

“Maybe I should dip myself into oblivion.”

The Cult of Oblivion, a faction that worships Toyo’s Demon King.

He had no intention of resurrecting Emily, who had long lost her spirit. Even if she were brought back, he wouldn’t be able to see her as the real Emily.

Well, it hardly mattered. The honor of the deceased is earned through the respect of the living.

The Cult of Oblivion, a necromancer group, appeared to be utterly devoid of respect, yet that wasn’t entirely true. At the very least, they respected the thoughts of those who were their foes.

It was a funny thought, really. Even while feeling gratitude towards that black-haired girl, Christopher had decided to become their enemy.

“Come and kill me. For you, I would willingly offer my life.”

But until then, he would live on as a wall standing in your way.

*

“Hmm.”

You might say that she was just being spoiled, but Noel was incredibly bored.

Yeon-woo was busy and rarely came to play, and while the children visited often, they would leave in the afternoon, having to join Yeon-woo.

Of course, they had their circumstances.

They couldn’t always look after her, and as a result, it was only natural that her alone time increased.

It wouldn’t do to suppress their rightful lives just because she was bored; that goes without saying.

She more than anyone knew well what kind of outcomes could arise from that.

“Yeah, Noel. I shouldn’t think like this. Oh goddess, I repent like this. Please forgive my sins….”

Noel clasped her hands together, pressing them to her forehead.

Just as she was about to quietly dedicate herself to prayer, Momo, who had been left in her care after Shar and Tae-oh visited that morning, climbed up onto her lap with a whimper.

Did her praying expression look painful?

“…Hehe, Momo. Are you here to comfort me? Or are you trying to listen to my prayers on behalf of the goddess? Could it be that Momo is the goddess’s apostle?”

Noel exclaimed in surprise.

When she thought about it, this cuteness couldn’t possibly be anything other than a goddess’s blessing.

Yeon-woo had said he found a puppy someone abandoned, but could it really be this friendly to humans?

“…I can’t believe I’m having such ridiculous thoughts. I shouldn’t have the luxury for that.”

Just a few months ago, her life had been one of wandering the continent.

Concealing her status as a hero, she fought in battlefields as a mercenary and accepted quests as an adventurer to vanquish monsters.

She had been invited by a lord and once given a few wilted potatoes by the village chief of a run-down town who asked for her help.

Noel had attended to all of it.

And as a result, instead of gaining a reputation befitting a hero, she had lost the experience of living a normal life.

Of course, not everyone experienced that.

However, there were times when some regarded her as a truly remarkable servant sent by the goddess, and even the pious began to wane in their faith.

Yet, she could understand that sentiment. Didn’t the existence of monsters threaten their lives?

When they were absent, many would speak ill of their lord, but here was someone who could directly address that issue.

Seeing Noel’s understanding demeanor, Yuri sighed as if exasperated, but there was nothing she could do.

Noel thought that her ability to help wasn’t due to any talent, but rather due to her very nature that made her a hero.

“…Hmm, this is troubling.”

At this rate, even if her legs healed, it felt as if the day she could travel lightly would remain distant. Hence, she wasn’t keen on making close friends.

Noel thought this and tightly embraced the puppy that was looking up at her with clear eyes.

*

“So, what is the situation really?”

Baek In-hwa and Kim Yoo-min were not on bad terms. In fact, if anything, it could be said they got along quite well.

Kim Yoo-min’s inherent exuberance complemented Baek In-hwa’s cool yet kind disposition perfectly.

But how about now? An indescribable chilly atmosphere swirled between the two. Had they had a fight?

“Well, there’s no helping it; maybe I should go intervene between the two?”

Noticing Yeon-woo braggingly approaching the cheering squad, both ladies’ gazes snapped toward him.

In an instant, each of their gazes took up a distinctive hue.

Baek In-hwa was looking at Yeon-woo with suspicion.

What did I do to earn such doubt?

As Yeon-woo pondered this, Kim Yoo-min rushed over anxiously.

“Y-Yeon-woo! You came at the right time!! Explain this to In-hwa!!”

“…Uh, what’s going on all of a sudden?”

The look in Kim Yoo-min’s eyes seemed to say, “Why did you come now?”

What exactly did I do wrong to get this reaction?

As Yeon-woo was lost in confusion, Kim Yoo-min hesitated before her face turned bright red and she shouted.

“It’s about our rumor, our rumor!!”

“Ah, I see. Huh? But hasn’t that already been resolved? Didn’t that guy post an apology?”

“He did, but In-hwa keeps…!!”

“What are you talking about?”

Quickly approaching, Baek In-hwa covered Kim Yoo-min’s mouth.

She was so desperate that she even blocked her nose, causing Kim Yoo-min to struggle to break free, but Baek In-hwa pursued her relentlessly.

“Didn’t she just say that she was going to talk about it?”

[ I saw it! Just now! ]

What exactly did Baek In-hwa think would burst out of Kim Yoo-min’s mouth to go to such lengths?

Normally, Kim Yoo-min could have easily been pried away, but unlike Yeon-woo, Kim Yoo-min right now wasn’t in peak condition.

“Oh no, her face is turning pale.”

At the point where the signals of suffocation began to show, Kim Yoo-min shot Yeon-woo a look that seemed to say, “Why aren’t you helping?”

Oh, I was just about to help…

“Okay, okay, let’s all calm down, Baek In-hwa. Why don’t we hear each other out first?”

“…Hmph, fine. I’ll listen.”

“Hah, huff…. a-and what about my apology? In-hwa, I almost died, you know? Even so, I wouldn’t mind receiving a proper apology for being chased down while using magic…?”

Kim Yoo-min, eyes wide in disbelief, held onto Baek In-hwa’s shoulder and shook her as if to snap her back to reality.

“…I-I’m sorry. I was embarrassed.”

“Okay, I see… that makes sense…”

“What are you both doing? Do you not see me here?”

Yeon-woo, who had been watching the two women’s conversation, incredulously threw in a retort and then took a deep breath in preparation to explain.

A moment later.

“Ugh…”

“That’s it. You get it now, right?”

With a clear and detailed narrative from Yeon-woo, Baek In-hwa embarrassedly covered her face with her hands and collapsed.

Today, she was showing quite a bit of emotion.

As she watched in curiosity, Kim Yoo-min let out a sigh of relief.

“Really, In-hwa. What were you thinking? That I had something… something going on with Yeon-woo….”

“…Why are you stuttering? Speak clearly, Kim Yoo-min.”

“Hey, wait, hold on a second. Sorry to interrupt, but I already have a wife? Why are you two acting like I’m in some love affair?”

“R-Right, right. Yeah, Yeon-woo has a wife…. But wait, is she real? Wasn’t she just a figment of imagination? Maybe we could meet her?”

“No. I can’t meet her right now.”

At Yeon-woo’s firm response, the two girls began to whisper together.

What on earth is going on here? In any case, it seemed there was no longer any reason for Yeon-woo to stay.

“Alright, once you’re done talking, I’ll be heading out.”

With just those words, Yeon-woo took his leave. The two left behind remained.

“Isn’t she just a figment of imagination…?”

“Seems so. They say they have a kid, but it’s all contractual. It’s hard to consider it as a real marriage.”

“Then why are we having such a serious conversation about this…?”

“Felt like we should…?”

They were having such a silly yet oddly intriguing discussion.

*

“You know, when this tournament is over, I should go gather some things.”

“Pardon?”

Yeon-woo was confronted by Yuri in the Dean’s office, and she casually dropped that line.

(To be continued in the next part)

 

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