Chapter 234

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First, let me make one thing clear.

Lucille’s lingering thoughts are no more.

The endless years had steadily worn away the Saintess’s sense of self, leaving nothing more to erode.

Lucille’s personality had died. What remained were mere fragments, remnants of her existence. The Lucille I had met was precisely that—a trace of what once was.

A trace that should have been erased long ago.

A final fragment of Lucille that the Four Seasons had deliberately preserved.

Having fulfilled her purpose, Lucille’s lingering thoughts vanished with a tearful smile.

So, the impulsive action I took was independent of Lucille’s will.

It was more like a conditioned reflex.

The emotions etched into this body had momentarily surfaced.

Like a spark, the impulse that had jolted my heart caused me to move without thinking.

Who would have thought that even without any lingering thoughts, it could come to this?

If Lucille had truly wanted to, she could have consumed me entirely.

Had she done so, she might have been able to live a new life without disappearing.

…No, now wasn’t the time to dwell on such things.

I could reflect on it calmly later when I had the time.

For now, I needed to deal with the current situation.

Carefully, I tried to remove my arms from around Yoo-seong’s neck. Or rather, I intended to. But before I could, Yoo-seong’s arms wrapped around me.

“I missed you too.”

Ugh. What is this? The kids are watching! What if they misunderstand?

A scandal between the commander of the Celestial Corps and an academy student? Do you want to be front-page news or something?!

I placed my hands on Yoo-seong’s shoulders to push him away, but when it came to actually doing it, I hesitated.

I was planning to soon reveal that I wasn’t Lucille. This would be the last moment Yoo-seong would think of me as Lucille.

It was the final meeting between him and Lucille. After today, the person Yoo-seong would face would be “Lucia”, not “Lucille”.

After bidding farewell to his comrades one by one, he would now have to say goodbye to the Saintess he had miraculously reunited with.

This is the reward for protecting humanity for 150 years? Truly, gods are not to be trusted.

I sighed inwardly and decided to stay like this for just a little longer. It was a small kindness I could offer Yoo-seong. For this moment in his arms, I would be “Lucille”, not “Lucia”.

I quietly stayed in Yoo-seong’s embrace.

My hands rested on his shoulders, and my head leaned against his chest.

Though unfamiliar, it felt strangely comforting, and I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Ah, the back of my head was tingling.

The gazes of the two were like needles pricking me.

I wonder what excuse I can make later.

To anyone watching, Yoo-seong and I didn’t look like we had a normal relationship.

After a brief hug, I took two steps back. I glanced sideways at Eugene and Alice.

Sure enough, they looked utterly dumbfounded. Eugene, in particular, had a hilariously stunned expression with his eyes wide open. I hope they’re not getting the wrong idea.

Originally, I had planned to ask Eugene and Alice to give us some space.

I wanted to have a calm conversation with Yoo-seong alone… but if I said that now, the misunderstanding might spiral out of control.

There’s no helping it. Let’s change the order. I need to clear up the misunderstanding before it gets worse. I looked at Yoo-seong and let out a small cough.

“I’m sorry. That was a bit rude of me.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Um, could you give us a moment? I’d like to talk to my friends for a bit.”

Yoo-seong chuckled softly at my cautious words, clearly aware of the two’s reactions.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying your school life.”

“Hehe…”

Hey, Lucille’s hero.

What are you thinking right now?

You think I’m trying to manage my image in front of my classmates, don’t you? That’s not it! Well, actually, now that I think about it, it kind of is!

“Alright, see you later.”

Yoo-seong smiled brightly and stepped aside.

The light sound of his footsteps gradually faded.

I watched Yoo-seong’s retreating figure.

Only when he turned the corner and disappeared from sight did I finally look away.

An awkward silence fell.

Eugene and Alice didn’t dare to speak.

Or perhaps they couldn’t.

They were staring at me with incredibly complicated expressions.

My mouth felt inexplicably dry.

“So, um…”

I pointed to the hospital room door with my finger.

Through the half-open door, the clean interior of the room was visible.

“Standing in the hallway will just make our legs tired. Let’s go inside and talk.”

“Uh, okay.”

“Sure…”

Wow, what lukewarm responses.

I wonder what kind of misunderstanding they’re having.

And how am I supposed to clear it up? This is overwhelming.

◈

The awkward atmosphere didn’t dissipate easily.

It should have been a joyful moment, celebrating my return to consciousness, but now there was only an uncomfortable silence.

Thanks to having read Luciael’s memories, Yoo-seong felt familiar to me, but to the outside world, he was a living legend.

The title “God of War” wasn’t just a metaphor. He was a god descended to earth. The God of War. The pillar supporting humanity. It’s no exaggeration to say that the current peace exists because of Yoo-seong.

Beyond the borders lies the realm of monsters.

The endless hordes of monsters that constantly invade.

The 1st Division of the Celestial Corps and the Sacred Knights alone couldn’t handle them all.

No matter how exceptional individuals are, they’re still outnumbered.

But numerical superiority meant nothing to Yoo-seong.

If the enemy didn’t meet the minimum threshold to even constitute a fight, they were no more than a minor obstacle.

The reason the monster hordes didn’t dare cross into human territory was because Yoo-seong stood in their way.

As time passed and generations changed, and as Yoo-seong became less active in official capacities, many people forgot the greatness of the God of War.

But no one forgot that the commander of the Celestial Corps was the greatest pillar supporting modern society.

So, I could understand Eugene and Alice’s bewilderment.

Their friend being on such familiar terms with a living legend.

This wasn’t just like knowing a famous celebrity or something.

“Hey, you know…”

To break the uncomfortable atmosphere, I spoke up with an innocent expression, pretending not to understand anything.

“What happened while I was asleep? If it’s okay, can you tell me? I’d also like to hear the details if possible. I don’t really know much, you see. I know I got caught up in some big incident, but I don’t know the specifics.”

I had a rough idea of what had happened because I had read the memories from when Belial had taken over my body.

But it was just that—rough. I didn’t know the details.

If Belial didn’t know or didn’t care about something, I couldn’t find out even by reading his memories.

“…Then I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Eugene’s stiff expression softened as he smiled wryly. Though he wasn’t particularly eloquent, Eugene managed to explain everything quite clearly.

From the day I was kidnapped to the day they found me again.

Alice quietly moved closer to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. Her small hands were trembling, as if the memories of that time were coming back to her as Eugene spoke.

You don’t have to hold me so tightly; I’m not going anywhere, you know. Hehe, how cute. I smiled brightly and hugged Alice back. Her small, soft body and warm presence filled my arms.

As the story went on, the awkward atmosphere slowly dissipated.

Before long, the room was filled with the same comfortable vibe as usual.

I listened carefully to Eugene’s explanation. Hearing it directly from him felt completely different from seeing it through Belial’s perspective.

To Belial, Eugene at that time had been a human hero reminiscent of the former 7th Division captain.

But Eugene had simply been desperate. To save me, he had burned through everything like a flame.

Thanks to that, he had managed to achieve an incomplete awakening and succeeded in saving me.

Yeah, you really did well.

Lucia points +50.

If you collect 100 points, I’ll grant you a wish, so keep it up.

You’ve already earned quite a few points, so 100 isn’t far off, right?

“Wow, that’s amazing. So both of you became Yoo-seong’s disciples?”

“…The commander himself offered, so there was no reason to refuse.”

“I, I also wanted to get stronger…”

I had expected as much from Yoo-seong. In many of the regressions, Yoo-seong often took the Golden Generation as his disciples.

Especially Eugene—it was almost a given. If Yoo-seong recognized Eugene’s existence, he would definitely want to keep him close. As a former hero, he wanted to personally train the next generation of heroes.

Eugene’s potential surpassed Yoo-seong’s. A supernatural ability that borrows other supernatural abilities.

Depending on what ability he borrows, his combat power can rise to unimaginable levels.

For example, what would happen if Eugene borrowed Yoo-seong’s supernatural ability?

“Under heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one.”

A supernatural ability designed to counter the Devil Gods.

But that was just the core of it—it wasn’t everything.

If he could interfere with the Devil God’s powers, he could interfere with other abilities too. Even supernatural abilities weren’t an exception.

Yoo-seong had an advantage over all supernaturals. The explosive boost in physical abilities was just a bonus.

The moment Eugene gained Yoo-seong’s ability, there would be no one under the heavens more revered than Eugene.

Yoo-seong had also seen Eugene’s potential at a glance and planned to forge him into a sword that surpassed even himself.

All for one singular purpose.

What the heroes of the past had failed to achieve—the slaying of a god.

The subjugation of the Devil God King, Bael.

“…Lucia, I have something I want to ask too.”

After the explanation, a brief silence fell.

Eugene, who had summarized the events of the past month, seemed to have a lump in his throat as his words trailed off.

I handed Eugene a water bottle, but he only took it and didn’t drink.

“What’s your relationship with the commander? You two seemed really close.”

Ah, he finally asked.

Well, what can I say?

I knew this was coming.

If I hadn’t asked first.

He would’ve definitely brought this up.

…Alright, then.

How should I explain this?

Ugh, seriously.

Why did I have to give in to that stupid impulse?

Well, it’s not like I’m one to talk, always losing to my instincts!

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
It’s hard…

As expected when I force myself to continue writing a story, the writing doesn’t go well.

In fact, I was so busy with work in March that I thought I’d die.

Still, I was able to persevere because it was the part I wanted to write the most ever since serializing this novel.

After finishing Lucille’s story and since April is also a busy month, I’m starting to feel tired.

Aren’t weekends supposed to be day offs? Why are they making me work on weekends?

I want to quit… I want to be a rich unemployed person… I want to laze around all day…

I’m sorry, but it seems like the next chapter will be a little late.

Still, I uploaded every day for 5 days in a row, so please be lenient!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
The author is human too, a busy one at that.

Even though it’s been months since the author’s last upload, let’s wish him well!