Chapter 235

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What exactly is Yoo-seong to me?

How should I define the relationship between me and Yoo-seong?

To Lucille, Yoo-seong was the other half of her life.

In her life, Yoo-seong was someone she couldn’t leave out.

It was because of him that Lucille, who had been a puppet of the Church, was able to become a true Saintess.

It was because of him that she set out on a journey with the noble ideal of saving the world.

It was because of him that she sacrificed herself to create the system for supernaturals.

All of it was possible because Yoo-seong had reached out to her.

The moment she took his hand, Lucille’s world changed.

Even though her sense of self had eroded and her lingering thoughts had vanished, Yoo-seong was someone so special to Lucille that it was etched into her very body.

Then what about me?

What about me, who is “Lucia” and not “Lucille”?

What is Yoo-seong to Lucia?

Although I’ve inherited everything from Lucille, I am not Lucille.

It was a joke, but there was a reason I called Lucille “mom”.

It was my way of distinguishing between “Lucille” and “Lucia”.

I am Lucia.

To the outside world, Lucia and Yoo-seong have no connection whatsoever.

The identity of “Lucia” that was created has no ties to Yoo-seong.

I do feel a sense of familiarity with Yoo-seong because of Lucille’s influence. But that’s as far as it goes.

It’s far from love. Lucille’s love is hers alone. I wouldn’t take it even if it were offered. No, I couldn’t. For Lucille’s sake, I don’t want to taint her feelings.

So, to put it simply.

To me, Yoo-seong is someone I care about.

Nothing more, nothing less.

That’s what Yoo-seong is to me.

But that’s from my perspective. From Yoo-seong’s perspective, it’s probably very different.

After all, the body I’m using is “Lucille”. And to Yoo-seong, Lucille was a precious comrade. In some regressions, she even became more than a friend.

…It’s an incredibly complex and delicate relationship.

I can’t neatly define it.

If I had a heart-to-heart conversation with Yoo-seong and redefined our relationship, maybe I could. But as things stand now, I don’t know how to explain it.

That said, I couldn’t honestly answer Eugene’s question of “What’s your relationship?” with “I don’t know.”

I just hugged him and whispered that I missed him.

To anyone watching, it’s clearly not a normal relationship.

From a certain perspective, it wouldn’t be strange to mistake us for lovers.

I can’t shake the feeling that I messed up from the very beginning.

What kind of mistake did I make by giving in to my instincts? No, but I couldn’t help it. My heart was screaming. My legs moved on their own, and my voice trembled uncontrollably. My “body” cried out. That person was right in front of me. I wanted to see him. I wanted to be by his side. It was a momentary impulse, but I couldn’t resist it.

Regretting what’s already done won’t change anything. Time doesn’t rewind. After organizing my thoughts, I came up with the most plausible answer.

“Yoo-seong is my guardian.”

It’s not a lie, okay? On paper, Lucia and Yoo-seong have no connection. They’re complete strangers. But Yoo-seong is the one who created the identity of “Lucia”.

He’s also Lucia’s most reliable backer. If something were to happen to Lucia, Yoo-seong would be the first to step in. At this point, it’s not wrong to call him a guardian, right?

“I guess you could say he’s a kind of guardian?”

“A guardian…?”

“Yeah, it’s a bit embarrassing, but I owe him a lot.”

It was Yoo-seong who caught Belial when he tried to escape with Murmur.

If it weren’t for Yoo-seong, I might still not have my body back.

“He’s like family to me.”

If he was like family to my mom (not really), then wouldn’t he also be like family to me, my mom’s self-proclaimed daughter? Is that a bit of a stretch?

Anyway, let’s just go with it. This way, I can explain what just happened. My life was in danger, and then I reunited with someone who’s like family. Isn’t it natural to have an intense reaction? Isn’t that a normal response?

“…I see.”

Eugene seemed to accept my explanation, as he didn’t say anything more.

He fell into thought for a moment, then silently nodded.

Hehe, I think it was a pretty good excuse.

A brilliant improvisation.

An excellent display of social skills.

Well done, Lucia.

Thanks for the compliment, me.

I hugged Alice tightly and rubbed my cheek against her head. Alice peeked up at me. She had been lost in thought like Eugene, but when our eyes met, she smiled brightly.

I smiled back.

Feeling Alice’s warmth fill my arms, I was reminded once again that I had truly returned. I had thought I might never see her again.

Despite everything that happened, I’m glad it all worked out in the end.

There’s a lot of homework ahead of me… but hehe, for now, I’ll just bask in Alice’s warmth. I can think about the rest later.

◈

Laughter flowed through the hospital room, which had always been filled with silence.

The cold stillness was replaced by a warm atmosphere.

Eugene narrowed his blue eyes slightly and furrowed his brow.

His golden hair rippled softly.

Lucia, who was hugging Alice, was smiling brightly.

Her vibrant energy alone was enough to warm the heart.

It was a smile that suited her. A beautiful smile.

The charm that was uniquely hers, which couldn’t be seen while she was asleep, was now fully on display.

It was the smile he had missed. The sight he had longed to see. It was the scene he had desperately wished to witness again and again.

Finally, his wish had come true, but Eugene’s heart felt heavy. The scene from earlier wouldn’t leave his mind.

“I missed you. I wanted to see you. Really, so much that it hurts… my hero…”

She had said those words while in the commander’s arms.

It was the first time he had heard Lucia’s voice tremble like that.

It was also the first time he had seen her unable to control her emotions.

‘What exactly is their relationship…?’

Lucia said he was her guardian… but there were too many suspicious circumstances to take her words at face value.

Of course, he didn’t think she was lying.

Eugene trusted Lucia.

He believed in the character he had seen from her over time.

She wouldn’t lie about something like this.

He had already suspected that the God of War had some kind of relationship with Lucia. The God of War himself had indirectly acknowledged it, hadn’t he? That they had a connection from the past.

If the God of War was Lucia’s legal guardian, then his reaction made sense. It also explained why he had been so furious when he saw Lucia’s body being taken over that day.

‘But to say it’s just a guardian…’

Eugene looked down at his palm, which was drenched in cold sweat. His emotions were in turmoil, causing his supernatural ability to fluctuate.

He clenched his fist tightly, trying to suppress the heat. If the room got hot now, his emotions would be exposed.

Fortunately, having reached a certain level of mastery, he was able to control his ability relatively easily.

However, he couldn’t completely hide the heat that had leaked out for a moment. Lucia didn’t seem to notice, but Alice’s gaze turned to Eugene. Her eyes were just as somber as his. It seemed she was struggling with similar thoughts.

‘She called him by his name.’

The God of War’s public name was Mars. Eugene had also been taught to call the commander Mars, and until recently, he had believed it. If the God of War hadn’t revealed it himself, he would never have known it was an alias.

Yoo-seong.

The God of War’s real name.

Lucia knew the God of War’s real name as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and beyond just knowing it, she called him by his name.

No matter how young the God of War looked, he was someone who had lived for over 150 years. He was a figure from a distant past.

Not only that, but he was also a historical figure worthy of being recorded in textbooks. The way she treated him was far too casual. It must mean they were close, close enough to call him by his name without hesitation.

“I missed you too.”

…What did that even mean?

As Lucia threw herself into his arms, the God of War had said those words.

If the God of War was Lucia’s legal guardian, then it wasn’t a particularly strange statement.

If you wanted to interpret it that way, you could make it fit.

‘But it’s suspicious…’

The unease tickling his chest made it hard for Eugene to look at Lucia’s face. It was such a strange feeling. He had longed to see her smiling face again, but now that it was right in front of him, he couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze. His mind was a mess.

All sorts of thoughts were swirling around. Fragments of ideas rose and fell chaotically, making Eugene’s inner turmoil even more uncomfortable.

‘That expression, that voice, that face, those eyes…’

Eugene could see it.

The look on Yoo-seong’s face when he hugged Lucia.

The expression of genuine relief.

‘It felt more than just a guardian…’

He recalled Lucia leaning her head against Yoo-seong’s chest as she was held in his arms.

A thought flashed through his mind, but Eugene couldn’t bring himself to articulate it.

He didn’t want to. It was too absurd, too far-fetched to be real.

Eugene turned his head away, trying to ignore the thought, but once it had surfaced, it wasn’t so easily dismissed. In fact, the more he tried not to think about it, the clearer it became.

‘They looked like… lovers…’

That’s impossible.

The age gap between the God of War and her is enormous.

You can’t be fooled by his youthful appearance.

There’s an insurmountable wall of time between the commander of the Celestial Corps, who has lived through generations, and a student at the academy.

But no matter how much he tried to reassure himself, the pounding in his chest only grew louder. He suppressed the heat threatening to leak out again.

With great effort, Eugene raised his head and looked at Lucia. Her radiant smile, like a sunflower in full bloom, filled his vision. It was a beautiful smile, but Eugene felt like his insides were burning black.

‘If it’s true… if the commander and Lucia really are in that kind of relationship…’

What am I supposed to do?

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
I liked her first… -Eugene

Eugene is also having a really hard time because the person he ended up liking is Lucia.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
A sword fight on the heights!