104 – Hero (1)
“……”
“……”
“……”
The intestines become extremely quiet.
The time of silence passes quietly, with only quiet silence maintained.
In such silence.
It was Irelua who broke the frozen atmosphere.
“…What do you mean? Apostle.”
“Do I have to say it again? If so, I will. I said I was against it.”
“…Does this mean you won’t come here and see?”
“Yes.”
Strong yet firm will.
Irelua’s eyes narrowed as she stared at him.
The eyes that read intent discovered the truth.
In the end, it changes into the eyes of a fool.
“After coming this far…Are you afraid? Are you still hesitating?”
Until the end… Are you trying to embrace these children?
The goddess’s sharp words break Choi Si-woo’s heart.
And this also touched on his disgust.
More strength went into his grasping hand.
The bulging veins extend beyond the back of his hand.
It spreads down his forearms, shoulders, and up to the nape of his neck.
“…Ugh.”
“You said you came all the way here, right? Did you ask me if I was afraid?”
Congealed emotions burst out from his eyes.
“Yes, I’m scared. I’m scared. How could I not be like that? The goddess also said that she saw her own end. I think that means she knows what the world I’ve lived in is like, its content, its ending. I do. Is that correct?”
“…That’s right. Although I didn’t experience it directly like you did…I saw and felt everything.”
Choi Si-woo shakes his head at Irelua’s painful words.
Her ugly eyes lit up as if she couldn’t do that.
“I…I have already lost precious people, colleagues, and family right in front of my eyes. I cried and screamed helplessly and swung my sword until my limbs broke, but in the end, the only thing that was saved was my life.”
“…Apostle…”
“The memories of the future I saw were hell itself!!”
The cathedral is shaken by a roar filled with magical power.
Irelua realized that new blood was flowing through her ears.
Mature Hyeongyeong (玄境).
Here is a completely different realization.
Choi Si-woo, who had entered the highest stage of ‘Sim Juk-sal’, was strong enough to easily burst the earthen pot of a half-dedicated goddess.
In other words, we are here now.
No, it was said that even the knights who were on standby in case of an unexpected incident could not subdue him.
“I…I don’t want to lose anymore. I don’t want to lose it right before my eyes! That’s why I became stronger. For that, even now, day and night, I go into mental images and die to No-Face countless times and practice for hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of hours. No see.”
“……”
“It’s enough if I get stronger. It’s enough if I try harder. Isn’t this a common occurrence? A protagonist who returns and fights alone. If the situation I’m in right now were a novel… It would definitely be that kind of story. “
Irelua looked at Choi Si-woo in silence.
An angry, demon-like face.
It certainly looks scary.
Paradoxically… Only the tears flowing from his eyes and the sadness made her heart ache.
“So, me alone is enough. Seonghwa? No, annihilation is enough. So…Please stop showing these two a living hell.”
I am seeing his anger for the first time.
And sadness.
Irelua, who was looking at her sadly, slowly… But she shook her head firmly.
“…Not permitted.”
“Why! If your goal is to increase your power, I also have a way to train you. I have memories of the future, and I know all the elixirs, weapons, and even the locations of the miracles that no one has found yet. Just by handing them out-“
“-Do your foolishness in moderation, Apostle!!”
With a roar, a vast amount of holy power explodes from Irelua’s entire body.
At that moment, Choi Si-woo flinched.
“I thought you were a grown up! I guess I was wrong. You are still a child. You are afraid of being hurt. You are afraid of suffering, so you are just a child who shouts that he will do everything on his own.”
“……”
“Do you think that the memories you have experienced are entirely yours? Don’t be mistaken! Everything you survived has meaning. Did you say you would never lose it again? If so, even more so…!”
After catching her breath, Irelua sighed softly.
She stroked his face with a sad expression.
“…Trust those around you. So, poor Ahahahaha, don’t cry.”
“……”
“I know your intentions well. You probably think that these two won’t be able to hold on. You’re probably worried that they’ll fall apart and never be able to stand up again.”
Her heart is throbbing.
One word that pierced deep in his heart made him lower his head.
“But aren’t you the same person you were the first time? Don’t you believe it anymore? Do you still think those two people are untrustworthy beings?”
Slowly… He shakes his head.
The girls in the second episode… Because I know very well that they are completely different from the first time.
Erina and Yurika come next to Choi Si-woo, who can’t say anything.
The two people simply spoke with their eyes.
Please trust them.
Please rely on them.
“……”
I couldn’t say anything under those undeserved yet affectionate gazes.
“Nothing can grow without pain. No matter how much you train them… It won’t grow the hearts of those two people.”
“……”
“You cannot move forward without facing your own mistakes. That is human. Although these two may not have done it themselves, they are ultimately the same person. So…”
Irelua stopped speaking and slowly hugged Choi Si-woo.
She rubs his back as if patting her poor child.
“Enough. Share the burden on your back with others.”
A quiet silence continues.
A few minutes later.
Choi Si-woo sighs deeply and lowers his head.
“…I’m so sorry…For being rude.”
“No. I am glad to be able to see the Apostle’s sincerity.”
Irelua, with a smile on her lips, soon looked at her Petra with a serious expression.
“There’s been a long delay. Let’s get started right away.”
After the words were finished, a pattern symbolizing Irelua was drawn on the three people’s floor.
Beyond a distant miracle that can only be called the power of God.
The bodies of the three people are shaking greatly.
The goddess’s words resonate like a lullaby.
“From now on, the three of you will be going on a long journey at the same time. Everyone, brace yourselves.”
Then… Please be safe.
* * *
“…This place?”
Beyond consciousness.
The sound of a bell bursting resonates.
Erina opened her eyes and belatedly came to her senses after seeing a sudden change in her appearance.
Bogrrr-.
Bubbles rise from her mouth as if she were in the deep sea.
Strangely enough, she didn’t feel out of breath or anything.
‘… Is this a sea of memories…? ?’
She had heard it a long time ago.
A gap between worlds that are completely different from this world and the underworld.
There is a place that does not belong anywhere else.
By the way.
‘… Si, what about Siwoo? ‘What about Yurika?’
Not visible.
I see.
From here on alone… Is that what you mean?
Soon, a shimmering cluster of golden lights was seen beyond the deep sea.
Erina slowly sank into her consciousness as she instinctively realized that this was the path she had to take.
*
“…Then Siwoo is in the Val slums now.”
“Yes, warrior. Um, and…I don’t know in private settings, but be careful about calling people by their first names in public…”
“…Ah…I’m sorry. I’ll fix it.”
‘… ‘Where?’
A luxurious office like you’ve never seen before.
Erina perceived herself floating in a spirit form.
She was curious about the conversation she had just heard, so she passed through a bookshelf piled with documents and books.
“……!!”
I was immediately startled.
There she was, a woman just like her, groaning and writing a report.
There was no doubt about it.
‘… The future’s… me.’
Ah, no, I’m in another world… Should I say that?
Anyway, I don’t know… She was definitely herself.
‘… It seems like you’re having a hard time.’
She must have stayed up all night for several nights, and her face was haggard with dark circles.
Nevertheless, Erina’s radiant beauty that could not be hidden made Erina’s heart complex and delicate.
It’s like… When you tell her she’s pretty, she gets that vague feeling that makes her feel like she’s falling asleep.
‘… Oh, anyway, have you become an adult?’
She thought that perhaps she had just graduated from Prunel and entered society.
She wandered around her, feeling like she was observing her strange wonder.
‘…… !’
Then, surprisingly, I heard a voice in my heart.
With a sense of assimilation, Erina began to be drawn into her future self.
*
“…Whew.”
Erina, who turned 20 this year, sighed deeply.
Really.
There was too much to do.
It has no choice but to be like that.
The continent is literally in a state of emergency right now.
‘… ‘Devil’s advent.’
The truth that the Demon God and the Six Demons, which seemed like a story from a distant fairy tale, have been resurrected.
At the same time, the curse of the demon god spread throughout the world, signaling a full-scale threat.
Many people trembled with fear, and on the contrary, the demons began to cheer at the appearance of their god.
‘… ‘The more times this happens, the more you have to come to your senses.’
The saying that a demon has descended means that you, the hero, must defeat it.
To that end, as soon as Erina graduated, she went beyond being put into the field and took on important responsibilities.
So to be honest……
I felt sick to my stomach from the burden.
‘… I don’t know anything… ‘
I only know how to fight.
What is strategy?
How to deal with people.
Negotiation and negotiation.
Various know-how to receive support.
There was so much to learn.
In particular, to put it nicely, it is honest.
To put it in a bad way, she is dull.
It was literally an embarrassment to deal with adults who were several times older than me.
However, putting all of this aside, there was another thing that was the most problematic.
‘… How to be hopeful.’
It stabilizes fearful citizens and further becomes a light of salvation… Leadership that a warrior must have.
It was an extremely difficult problem for Erina, who was still young and immature.
Lean back slowly.
Still, she felt very fortunate.
‘…… ‘Thanks to the president, I have some time to catch my breath.’
President Cheon Wi-kwang.
Right after the Demon God Advent.
He reacted quickly and took on the task of rallying the heroes, which he, as a warrior, should have done.
Also, I pledged to do my best to help until the right time comes.
Thanks to you, I was able to let go of the really important things.
Objectively, the current Erina is neither physically nor mentally prepared.
A young chick who is only 20 years old.
Moreover, no one knew that a demon would appear so early, so even though she possessed outstanding talent, she was still immature in many ways.
To summarize……
She was not prepared in the least to deal with her demon god.
‘… ‘I have to try.’
Therefore, she was trying her best every day to grow faster.
But…
“…Ugh. It’s so hard…”
That’s right. It’s too hard.
She let out a ‘whoo’ and slammed her forehead down on her desk.
Really.
I felt like my soul was being ripped out of my mouth.
‘… How many hours have I been sleeping these days? ‘
2 Hours? 3 Hours?
Anyway, he was rarely sane.
Still… Okay.
From Noble mtl dot com
“……”
I quietly took out a photo from the drawer.
Love, adoration, affection, pure love, sincerity, warmth, affection, philanthropy, affection have become more dignified than before… It contained the image of the younger brother doing this.
“…Heh…hehehehe.”
A mischievous laugh escapes me.
Drool starts flowing out without her realizing it.
Erina rubbed her face against her photo and let out an excited breath.
‘… From what I heard, she’s been killing villains in the back world lately… ‘
She heard that she even gathered her colleagues here and formed a group.
What was its name? For sure…
“…Jjangjjang…Was it Seyong?”
Anyway… I should have known that the naming sense was poor.
Actually, I feel like… She wanted to run right to his side.
But that wasn’t possible.
‘… For sure… It will be a nuisance.’
There were many people who hated her beloved younger brother, Choi Si-woo.
She says she doesn’t suit him.
There were many people who argued that one should not be with a weak, lower-class person.
Everything… I wanted to beat them all up right away.
‘… Without their support, no.’
The so-called high-ranking people who are all in one place.
Even though the heroes were united through Cheon Wei-gwang, ultimately finding food and sleeping and other supplies was another story.
Since she was not particularly good at persuasion, most of the negotiations these days were being done by her saint, Yurika.
So…
‘… ‘You have to endure it.’
You have to endure it.
If she really loved Siwoo, she had to endure it herself.
Because that is the path for him.
‘… Sister… I’ll do my best.’
So, please watch over me? Siwoo.
Smiling, Erina leaned back with the intention of taking a nap for a while.
Fortunately, the war situation was going well.
Putting up news of victory here and there.
The infamous demons were also being subdued one after another.
Hope that we could literally win was glimmering before our eyes.
Defeat the demon.
In the near future.
Definitely like the past…
‘Lying down on the hill… With Siwoo… You will be able to see the starry night sky.’
It was a time when I dreamed of such a sweet and happy future.
Rumble-!
The door opens roughly with the sound of running footsteps.
“Excuse me! Yo, hero!”
“…Is something going on?”
A shocking word echoes from the mouth of the secretary who was out of breath.
Soon Erina opened her eyes wide in disbelief.
“Cheon Yu-gwang…”
She passed away… do.
