Chapter 88

R‍ea​​d‍ o‍n‍ K​a‌t‍R‌e‍​a​d‌i​n​g‍C​a‌fe‍

“Okay, okay. Don’t worry, Mom.”

Maybe it was because it was the weekend, but the roads were completely jammed.

She had been stuck in the same spot for over ten minutes, yet oddly, she didn’t mind. She even found herself hoping the congestion would last a little longer.

“I won’t storm out rudely like last time, I promise. Yes, I know. Okay, okay. Seriously, Mom, aren’t you worrying too much? Because I caused you so much stress? Hah! Where else would you find a daughter as obedient as me?”

The cool breeze from the window ruffled Si-ul’s straight, light-green hair. Beneath her fringe, her downcast eyes occasionally peeked through. Her hairstyle made it a wonder how she could see the road, yet as an assistant teacher of Class A, Si-ul expertly handled the wheel.

She glanced at the rearview mirror.

Her lightly make-up face reflected back at her.

Si-ul stifled a sigh that threatened to escape.

“Yes, I’ll be there on time. I’m almost there.”

That was a lie.

She still had a long way to go and was sure she’d be late for her ‘appointment’.

“I have to focus on driving, so I’ll hang up now. Yes, yes, you’ve told me that at least ten times already. Okay, Mom. Bye.”

After hanging up, Si-ul finally let out the sigh she had been holding.

She had thought things had quieted down recently, but the moment she was discharged from the hospital, they sprang a marriage meeting on her.

Why was her mother so desperate to marry off her only daughter?

Si-ul knew the reason but feigned ignorance, mulling over the question.

‘Things had calmed down after I became an academy instructor…’

Si-ul was now 26 years old—well into her late twenties.

As a hero, there was always the risk of dying on duty. Perhaps that was why her parents frequently urged her to marry early.

Si-ul understood their feelings. Her parents had fiercely opposed her becoming a hero. But as a supernatural, she was obligated to serve the nation and its citizens, so they reluctantly accepted it. 

The first time she saw her parents genuinely overjoyed was when she told them she’d step back from the field to become an academy instructor.

She understood how precious she was to them.

Her parents had lost their first child through a miscarriage and their second in an accident when they were young. Naturally, they wanted to cherish their youngest and only surviving child.

Si-ul also knew how much her parents wanted grandchildren. They probably envisioned her getting married, having children, and living a happy life.

If Si-ul were to die, leaving behind a child might ease her parents’ grief just a little—a very small amount.

‘But no. Absolutely not. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t do it. It’s just… impossible.’

It wasn’t that she disliked men.

But the thought of entering a lifelong partnership as a married couple?

She hated it. Truly, deeply hated it.

“Hah…”

It wasn’t because she was a lesbian, either.

She had never felt any romantic or sexual attraction toward women.

If anything, she figured she might be asexual.

‘If only I was a lesbian, at least I could come out. But no, I’m neither this nor that….’

She wasn’t particularly drawn to men or women.

If she was just being picky, she could live with that. But the truth was, she wanted to marry someone she loved—if she ever found such a person.

The closest she had come to that feeling was with one person.

‘Senior Angelica. She’s been busy lately.’

Si-ul had once been part of the same third division as Angelica.

When Angelica became an academy instructor, Si-ul had followed suit.

Why had she done that? To reassure her parents? That was part of it.

But the deeper reason was undoubtedly Angelica.

‘Was losing to that fox-masked girl such a shock to her?’

These days, Angelica never seemed to rest. Whenever she had free time, she disappeared.

If Si-ul wanted to find her, she knew exactly where to go: the instructors’ private training room. Angelica was always there.

“She’s already terrifyingly strong, but she’s trying to become even stronger… Is she aiming to be a captain?”

If Angelica ever returned to active duty, Si-ul would follow her without hesitation.

Her parents would be disappointed, but it couldn’t be helped.

An academy without Angelica held no interest for her.

Angelica wasn’t someone destined to remain just a teacher. She could rise to become a captain, and hadn’t the current third division captain already half-chosen her as a successor?

“How should I mess up this blind date so spectacularly that they won’t even consider another one?”

Leaving immediately like last time was out of the question—her mother had been furious.

Thinking back, she wasn’t seriously hurt this time. Getting hurt was a bad thing. 

The last time she had gotten hurt, her parents were shocked to see her face wrapped in bandages.

Even so, she still has to prepare for the blind date right away.

She became depressed. 

Her parents were traumatized when her face was completely torn 5 years ago. It’s fortunate that medical technology has advanced, but she still had to wear a mask.

It’s not that she doesn’t know her parent’s longing, but…

No, it’s not like that…

Sob.

‘I’m a bad unfilial daughter…’ 

She doesn’t want to get married.

Even if Angelica were to ask for her hand in marriage, she would hesitate and think about it, only to eventually refuse.

“The gap isn’t getting smaller.”

Si-ul glanced at the road again, which was still at a standstill. Apparently, there was a cherry blossom festival nearby, drawing large crowds and causing this gridlock.

Last year, she went with Angelica. Dragging along a reluctant Angelica had been quite the feat.

This year, it was probably out of the question. Angelica was too busy, and the blossoms had likely already fallen.

“Mm?”

Si-ul furrowed her brow and leaned her head out the window. It was a dangerous move, one that could easily lead to an accident, but since the road was congested, she believed she wouldn’t be hurt even if a motorcycle was speeding and hit her head.

“Is that a scream?”

With her enhanced hearing, she caught a faint sound. Due to the noise of the road, it was hard to be sure, but there was a chaotic, yelling noise coming from somewhere.

She glanced at the passenger seat. There, her usual sword was leaning slightly.

“Eh, no way. This is the well-maintained 4th district, after all.”

There is a concept called Spiritual Vein (영맥, spiritual flow), a place where spiritual energy flows along the earth.

Supernaturals can detect these spiritual veins.

Lands with spiritual energy prevent rifts in time and space from occurring. However, in reality, no land is absolutely free from the risk of such rifts opening. Spiritual vein-flowing regions, though, are far less prone to these rifts than others.

In the country, the strongest Spiritual Vein flows through the first district, followed by the second, and then the third district.

While the fourth district doesn’t have a Spiritual Vein running through all its areas, its presence still affects the surrounding lands.

In a region like this, rifts should rarely appear.

“…”

But life is unpredictable.

Si-ul looked up at the clear blue sky, where undeniable traces of destruction were visible.

“…Well, looks like I’ve got a good excuse to ruin the blind date now.”

She didn’t feel happy about it at all.

◈

The sound of the air splitting was followed by destruction.

The high-quality uniform, custom-made by the academy, was torn to shreds.

It was designed to withstand the force of a supernatural, so its durability was impeccable—but it still tore like paper.

Each blow felt impossibly heavy.

Even though the sword was relatively short and light, the black knight’s strikes were as heavy as a mountain.

“Ugh!”

Eugene stumbled back several times.

With each swing of the long sword, a small wound would appear on Eugene’s body.

Even when he tried to strike with flames, he was pushed back. When their blades clashed, Eugene’s only option was to be overpowered by the strength of the sword.

As a result, his options quickly dwindled. His opponent’s blade left numerous trails, but Eugene only focused on defending himself.

Clang!!

The screeching sound of the long sword and the dagger colliding echoed loudly.

It wasn’t easy to shake off, and deflecting it was out of the question.

It was incredibly frustrating.

The monsters he fought during his field training were nothing compared to this black knight.

This was a named monster.

Among high rank monsters, it boasted the highest strength.

Eugene could barely keep the fight going. Actually, even calling it a fight felt insulting. Nobody would consider this a battle; it was just one-sided beating.

“Ugh!!”

But Eugene endured. He held on.

An ordinary student, holding his ground against a named monster.

It hadn’t been long since his field training ended, but he had grown significantly since then.

The difference between the time when he had just unlocked his seed of awakening and now was night and day, with time and adaptation.

He had been diligent, avoiding laziness.

As a result, his strength had reached a new level.

“…”

“Ugh?!”

But that was all.

He couldn’t stand up to the named monster.

The tremendous shockwave from the black knight’s longsword tore up the ground beneath them.

It was a near miss. Only by sheer luck was Eugene able to avoid it.

His instincts warned him, and his extreme focus extended his reaction time.

Bending down, Eugene barely avoided the shockwave. He then threw the dagger upwards in a red flash, attempting to strike at the gaps in the knight’s armor. But of course, it didn’t land.

As if anticipating every move, the black knight kneeled down and punched Eugene in the stomach.

“Cough?!”

Eugene was sent flying into the air.

Without hesitation, the black knight swung his long sword horizontally, aiming for Eugene’s neck. But even as his mind swam with pain, Eugene managed to raise his dagger in defense.

Bam!

Eugene was sent flying. The blow missed his torso but struck his arm and shoulder with incredible force. His body was hurled through the air, smashing through a cherry tree and bouncing on the ground several times before finally coming to a stop.

‘No, I can’t win like this.’

Physically and skill-wise, he was overwhelmed.

If there was even one thing he could gain an advantage in, it would open up a way to win—but there was nothing.

‘Damn it, if only I had my original sword…’

He cursed the him from this morning.

He had foolishly ignored Angelica’s warning.

As a hero, he should have been prepared for any situation…

“…”

The black knight waited for Eugene to get up.

There was no special reason for it. It was a rule that the victor should not strike down a fallen opponent immediately.

It was a decree from a great one.

A perfect victory must be offered.

“Haa, haa…”

The black knight’s unspoken consideration allowed Eugene to catch his breath.

He couldn’t continue like this.

He would lose if things kept going this way.

The situation had to change.

There was one chance left.

‘The problem is the dagger. Its reach is too short compared to his long sword.’

If only he could solve the weapon issue…

An image suddenly appeared in his mind.

Thunder. A perfect sword. A sword made from lightning.

If I can do it… no, I will do it.

If lightning can do it, so can fire.

Eugene focused on his dagger and summoned flames.

The black knight, walking toward him, paused at the sight.

It seemed like he was waiting for Eugene to try something.

“If you have something to try, then go ahead.” He seemed to say as he silently watched.

“Hrrr!!”

Eugene had already tried something similar before.

Meteor showers, formed by gathering fire in the air.

If he could apply the same technique, creating a fire sword should be possible.

But had he focused too much on the sword?

He realized, just a beat too late, that the black knight was already coming for him.

“…!”

It wasn’t the black knight. From his left, a lizard-headed beastman, lizardman, attacked.

The ambush, hidden among the burning trees, was so subtle that Eugene couldn’t react in time.

Avoiding or defending against it was impossible. He had to brace for the incoming injury.

“Kyaaa!!”

“…?!”

But no injury came.

The black knight’s cleaving strike split the lizardman’s head vertically.

It didn’t stop there; the red glow of the helmet ominously shimmered.

Every time the longsword swung, the hidden lizardmen were torn apart, spurting blood.

“What…?!”

Eugene was taken aback by the sudden sight of the black knight attacking the monsters.

“Jihahaebang lama” (Move aside, weaklings.)

The black knight murmured calmly.

This was a command from the great one.

How dare such lowly creatures interfere?

At the knight’s warning, even the air trembled in fear.

The air flow shook with a faint quiver.

The remaining presence of the monsters hurriedly retreated.

Thanks to that, Eugene was able to escape the immediate danger, staring blankly at the black knight.

“What the hell is going on? Aren’t they on your side?”

“…”

Sometimes, monsters spoke, but their meaning was nearly impossible for humans to comprehend.

It was either their own language, or just meaningless howls, which humans couldn’t distinguish.

However, that wasn’t what was important right now, so Eugene swung his dagger fiercely.

The dagger, which had been small, transformed into a longsword.

The blade, formed by fire, blazed brightly.

“…”

The black knight took his stance wordlessly.

Eugene raised the longsword above his right shoulder with both hands, stepping forward with his left foot, spreading his legs wide.

The weapon’s reach problem was solved.

Now, the remaining issue was dozens of others.

There was no choice but to face them head-on and overcome them.

“…Here I go.”

Eugene gathered strength in his legs.

Just as he was about to spring forward with a powerful push off the ground…

Crack.

The sound of a twig snapping reached his ears.

Right behind him. Could it be another monster?

Eugene, still wary of the black knight, threw his body to the right.

He glanced sideways at the source of the movement.

A few specks of ash clung to her slightly dirtied blonde hair and pale skin.

Her pink eyes, as beautiful as cherry blossoms, shone brightly.

She hurriedly ran toward him, shaking off the still-wet blood on her hands.

“Lucia?!”

Eugene called her name out of surprise without thinking.

“Eugene!”

Lucia smiled brightly and replied.

With a spear stained in blood, she proudly declared.

“I came to help!”

 

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Lucia is here!

Should I change her name to Meat Shield?

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Well now the issue of durability has been solved, heh.