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Chapter 254

There are periods of intense busyness, and then there are times that are almost absurdly idle. For Yeon-woo, these days were exactly that.

Most of the schedule was crammed into the winter break, with only meetings with Delain or Aaron Chester lined up. I remembered that during this time before the regression, not much had happened either.

You might have already caught on, but aside from Baek In-hwa’s death, most of what had come from the future had been reasonably clamped down on.

The only significant event before graduation would be the Heo-yeon incident hitting right at the end of the second year.

“I can’t even bring that one forward to stop it.”

Who could predict the sudden emergence of a gate above the city, let alone find a way to stop it? Especially if what came out was a monster like that.

Thinking about it, Yeon-woo was just trying to find something to do. In reality, these peaceful days might have continued as they were supposed to…

If so, I probably wouldn’t be gazing toward the very edge of Expert strength as I was now. Every matter has its pros and cons, after all.

It had already been several weeks since the midterms. It was a small relief that we hadn’t had the disaster of having the final exam immediately after the midterm yesterday.

During those weeks, Yeon-woo had worked hard on training, but ironically couldn’t quite break through the wall of post-Expert levels.

Instead, the seasons flowed on, and amid the autumn fragrances spreading all around, Yeon-woo smiled bitterly. Three-quarters of the year had already past.

Autumn leaves danced in the air, and the sky looked high. It was the perfect setting for finding plump horses, yet finding any within the Academy was quite a challenge.

The Freedom Academy was supposed to be swarming with horses. They even said there were horseback riding classes. It was certainly the home base of cowboys.

The sap from the Tree of Life was slowly taking shape under Riley’s guidance.

Riley had too many responsibilities to make rapid progress. For now, he was also considering enticing the excellent alchemist Sullivan over to assist.

Aaron Chester had risen to a dividing position in the Noblesse Guild that Edward had left behind. The frontline members banded together against those upper management folks, becoming something akin to a union chairman.

Perhaps the reputation he’d built so far paid off; it seemed the guild members trusted and followed him. With that level, he could serve as a check to prevent the higher-ups from doing absurd things.

If it came to it, finding a way to swallow everything whole was another option.

And then there was Delain…

“I wonder if he’s making good progress with the smuggling.”

Due to the nature of his kind, he had no choice but to become a criminal. Should he be called an alien worker…?

Well, I casually asked if he’d be able to cross over since it would be uncomfortable for him to stay near the Transylvanian fortress, and he said it was possible.

Closer proximity was just more comfortable, after all, so I called him over. I would have to think about incorporating them into the Human Alliance during our conversation.

“I’m tired…”

“What’s making you so tired, big brother?”

“Weren’t you just calling me ‘uncle’ for a while?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

Seeing the girl puffing her cheeks, Yeon-woo smiled wryly. It was his unsavory god, Dawn. A splendid name, indeed.

“By the way, what brings you here? Where’s Tae-oh?”

“He’s playing well with sister Shar. I came to meet you because… I have something to talk about.”

“Could you not sound so anxious about it?”

Dawn gave Yeon-woo a serious look as he licked his lips. Okay, it seemed it was indeed serious. To ease the atmosphere, Yeon-woo headed to the counter of the café he was sitting in.

After ordering a chocolate frappe and a small slice of cake, he noticed Dawn’s expression brighten a little. Before he died, she was such a serious goddess; the ways of this world were truly mysterious.

“So, what’s this about?”

“It’s about sister Nea…”

Upon hearing that, Yeon-woo exclaimed, “Oh no,” aloud. It was a matter he’d been silenced about by Nea previously. She had asked him not to ask about it until some unspecified time.

“Is there a problem?”

“Um… no, not really.”

I wasn’t the one asking, so it should be fine, right? Thinking that, Yeon-woo shook his head. He had to endure Dawn’s strange gaze as if she were scrutinizing a peculiar person.

“I’m getting worse and worse. So far, there haven’t been major issues, but last time I had to forcefully speak with a dragon in the East Sea, it accelerated things.”

“Uh? Ah…”

At those words, Yeon-woo had a good guess. No, anyone who knew her situation could surmise it.

She was a clone searching for Shar. Finding Shar from Dragon Heart wasn’t all that difficult, to be honest. It took a lot of luck for Shar to find Yeon-woo, but if necessary, it could also be possible to create a spell and search extensively.

The minimum requirement to use such spellwork would likely be a mid-level demon spec. The purity of mana she had was dropping, and her ability to absorb the mana from Dragon Heart must have also plummeted drastically.

And all of that pointed to a very simple conclusion. As Nea had once said herself.

“She can’t live long. Even shorter than expected.”

“….”

Didn’t she say a maximum of 3 years? After the last incident, her remaining lifespan had shrunk even more. Yeon-woo sighed deeply while starting to rub his throbbing temples.

“Things are going to get tough.”

“…Is that all? Really?”

“Dawn, I know what you’re thinking. I want to rush right over and ask how much time is left, but I can’t. Nea asked me not to.”

“That’s not possible…”

Seeing Dawn sulk and drop her head, Yeon-woo couldn’t help but smile faintly. It seemed he had grown quite attached to her. It was a look that could only be described as very human.

But what could be done? Yeon-woo was just as confused, and he needed time to sort out his thoughts.

*

Life as a human is not eternal. People die one day, and that applies to everyone equally. Even if one is the son of the Pirate King.

If you happen to find someone around you saying, “Not so! Human life is eternal!” there’s a high probability they belong to the Demon King Cult, so it’s advised to swiftly report them to the nearby Hunter Guild, police, or simply call and report them. Spy reports go to 111.

“Sigh…”

Without realizing, a sigh escaped his lips. It was a well-known fact, but having the threat of lifespan come to even those around him was a first.

Before regression, he had few close friends, and even those few would die while fighting; almost no one died due to old age.

Two years? Maybe just two years…

She would want him not to worry about it too much. After all, she was a clone. She was likely aware this would end up being the case.

Yet how could one feel okay about that?

“Geez!!”

Monsters rushed toward Yeon-woo through the narrow corridor, falling prey to carelessly swung swords. He had come out to exterminate a nearby simple gate, hoping to sweat out his thoughts.

Even if she was a clone, she was Nea. She was not someone that could die so simply. Not to Yeon-woo, nor to Shar, or Tae-oh, or Dawn.

Despite that, there was nothing he could do. No matter how he thought about it, all he could do was love her like usual. Nea would say that would be enough, but…

“Looks like you have a lot on your mind.”

“…Ah, you’ve arrived.”

In the blood-soaked scene, an unexpectedly unfamiliar voice came through. Hearing the low, calm tone, Yeon-woo immediately looked up.

There stood a pale-skinned man, subtly hidden within the shadows of the gate.

Delain, the vampire who had greatly contributed to humanity, was quite famous among the martial artists before regression, even earning the nickname of Blood Hero.

Smiling lightly, Delain landed gracefully on the ground. It seemed they had chosen to meet outside the city due to various complications that would arise if they met inside.

Yeon-woo inspected Delain’s appearance. He was an attractive man with an air of nobility.

With calm and serious features, he would seem best suited to wear a cloak typical of vampires, yet he was dressed in light robes that emphasized convenience and mobility.

“Nice to meet you, Choi Yeon-woo. Although we’ve shared much in discussion, this is my first time seeing your face.”

“Yup, Delain. Nice to meet you. You said you wanted assistance for the survival of your kind… right?”

His head was muddled with Nea’s matters, but he still needed to handle whatever essential issues arose. Delain was someone of quite significant importance.

Particularly if one understood the extent of his influence before regression.

Being the only remaining road-level vampire in this world, his cooperation with humanity held utmost importance, especially since he had proven himself in the battle against the Violence Cult during ‘The Great Volcano’.

In that conflict, the “Cult of Violence,” filled with warriors obsessed with fighting, showed no fear of the blood flowing from their bodies.

Fighting against monsters who cared not whether their limbs were severed was sufficient to lower humanity’s morale.

However, when Delain arrived with reinforcements, the tide of battle shifted, leading humanity to achieve a grand victory.

The followers of the God of Violence, who had once shown no fear of injury, began to fear upon his arrival.

“Yes, that’s right. But the scenery here isn’t quite pleasant for a discussion. Shall we talk as we walk to the boss room?”

With a smile, Delain lightly waved his fingers, and the blood scattered around from the slain monsters began to coalesce at a single point.

He even cleaned the blood that had splattered on Yeon-woo’s clothes without leaving a trace, flicking a droplet of thick blood gathered at his fingertips into the cave tunnel beyond.

From that point on, the two merely needed to converse while walking, as the monsters advancing toward them were intercepted by spikes that erupted from the blood droplet that had gotten ahead.

“Impressive.”

“Of course, it doesn’t work against true strongmen. I suppose it could be called a limit of my kind?”

“You’ve overcome that, haven’t you? By deposing the current Road.”

“…Oh, you knew this?”

Delain’s eyes slanted like crescent moons. They held neither hostility nor friendliness.

With such eyes, it showed he was a partner worth cooperating with.

“Let’s converse. Until we find favorable terms for each other.”

At Yeon-woo’s words, Delain nodded. For a moment, the man wore a smile that suggested he was truly pleased.

(TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT PART)

 

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