episode_0030

Side Story – [Gyumsung, Hans Messiah]

The realm of the Sword Master.

Hans Messiah was on the verge of reaching that realm.

“I need enlightenment.”

With those words, Hans Messiah left the Viscount’s estate.

Leaving everything to his still young son.

And so, Hans Messiah set out on a journey.

He dueled with the Holy Knights of Heavis Kingdom.

Clashed with the warriors of Huernit Kingdom.

Visited the Multi-Racial Alliance, competing with various races and warriors.

Even encountering renowned mercenaries in the Bladik Mercenary Kingdom.

And the result-.

“Finally… I have ascended.”

Sword Master.

He was distinctly different from the Hans of his younger days.

The blue aura that once surrounded him was now tinged with gold.

A more powerful Hans.

With this alone, he could now face multiple Holy Knights.

Having reached the realm of the Sword Master, Hans Messiah did not return to the Viscount’s estate.

“I have only just reached the starting line.”

There were many others who had reached the same realm on the continent.

Hans Messiah wanted to surpass them and become an exceptional being.

So he revealed himself as the Sword Master and sparred with hidden Sword Masters.

And so, years passed.

Finally, Hans Messiah was satisfied with his own realm.

He decided to return.

“It’s time to go back now.”

Hans Messiah returned to his homeland, the Kingdom of Detiosk.

The kingdom began to bestow upon him the title of Gyumsung, the Sword Master.

Hans Messiah did not feel overwhelmed by this, as he had always thought that he too would become a Sword Master like his ancestors.

A predetermined future.

That’s what Hans Messiah was thinking.

Having received the title of Gyumsung, he returned to his family.

The Messiah Viscount family.

There, Hans Messiah encountered a new bond.

A very small and adorable child.

Hans Messiah met his granddaughter, Asia.

“…This child is my granddaughter?”

Unlike his son Andrew Messiah’s childhood, she was an extremely cute child.

Her small face with eyes, nose, and mouth all close together was simply fascinating to Hans Messiah.

He didn’t feel this way when his son was born.

“It feels like a new joy has entered my life.”

Hans Messiah, now at the pinnacle.

He was currently feeling a sense of emptiness.

The loss of not being able to find a stronger opponent than himself.

And the emptiness that followed.

In truth, Hans Messiah was aiming for a higher realm than his current one.

But he couldn’t see beyond that realm.

If there was someone stronger than him on this continent, he could catch a glimpse of his realm.

There was no one stronger than him on this continent.

Hans Messiah was carrying these complex emotions.

The presence of his granddaughter comforted his heart.

“Oh, our Asia. Is your grandfather so happy?”

Viscount Andrew Messiah, seeing his father playing with his granddaughter, felt a chill.

‘To think my father could be like that.’

Viscount Andrew Messiah, recalling his childhood, sighed involuntarily.

The father he remembered was not like that.

He was a harsh person even to his young self.

Andrew Messiah felt a strange sense of resentment.

So he sarcastically commented on Hans Messiah’s current actions.

“It seems you are very pleased to have a granddaughter. It’s different from back then.”

“Haha, did you also have a daughter?”

“…Never mind.”

Viscount Andrew Messiah realized.

If he was born a son, he shouldn’t expect such love from his father.

And so, Hans Messiah poured his love onto his granddaughter.

***

Hans Messiah gazed up at the sky with a vacant expression.

“Fifteen years…”

His body was covered in wounds.

At first glance, it seemed like a miracle that he was still alive.

“I must fulfill the promise.”

Hans Messiah had to keep the promise.

To do so, he had to leave the Messiah Viscount.

“Asia must be worried.”

A child of only six years old.

Having received an abundance of love, she grew up into a beautiful child.

In return, Asia followed Hans Messiah faithfully.

That’s why she was worried.

“I hope she won’t be sad if I suddenly disappear….”

There was no way for her not to leave.

For the sake of her goal, she endured for fifteen years.

Hans Messiah could withstand that time.

And so, without saying a word, Hans Messiah left the viscount.

In the middle of the mountain.

Hans Messiah visited the villa there.

“Hmm… I doubt she’ll be able to find me here.”

Hans Messiah was confident that no one would be able to find her here, even if they tried to find her.

She unpacked her belongings and began her life in the mountains.

“There are more troublesome things than I thought.”

Living alone, on the 10th day.

Hans Messiah was feeling troubled.

If she didn’t clean for a day, bugs would appear.

The food she cooked was tasteless.

“…Should I hire a servant?”

But Hans Messiah remembered her situation.

It would be troublesome if someone who knew her appeared.

But-.

That thought didn’t last long.

“I can’t live like this for another 15 years.”

Living like this was almost impossible.

In the end, Hans Messiah decided to hire someone.

So she visited Muleed, located in the eastern part of the Deteosk Kingdom.

To find someone worth hiring.

And the first person to welcome Hans Messiah was…

“Hey, got any money?”

“Old man, you can’t survive alone in a place like this.”

They were thugs in the alley.

Hans sneered at the feeble life they exuded.

“Wouldn’t it be better to value your life? Young ones.”

To avoid leaving any marks, Hans held back.

But-.

“Hahaha, is this old man crazy? Value our lives? Why? Is the old man planning to kill us?”

She wanted to cut them down with a single stroke.

But Hans Messiah held back.

Because if things got complicated, she could reveal her identity.

It would be troublesome if she were to be chased for no reason.

But holding back only meant enduring.

Hans Messiah’s fist couldn’t hold back.

“Ah, please, spare us!”

“We were wrong. Please… we’ll value our lives!!!”

So Hans Messiah helped the thugs.

She brushed off the dust on her body as she did so.

“Please help!”

The cries of a young child coming from the alley.

Hans Messiah turned her head to look at the source of the cries.

Even at a glance, it was a girl wandering the streets.

“…Did you say that to me?”

“Grandpa, you’re strong. Please help us!”

Hans Messiah was a little flustered.

The girl’s plea for help.

If it had been her usual self, she would have ignored the plea and left.

But-.

‘It reminds me of Asia.’

Was it because she looked like a granddaughter or a peer?

She decided to listen to the story.

“Okay, what do you need help with?”

“…I hope you can save the boy with black hair.”

“Boy with black hair? Is he your family?”

The girl shook her head.

She said he wasn’t her family.

“What’s his name?”

Once again, the girl shook her head.

She didn’t know his name either.

Hans Messiah couldn’t understand.

“If he’s not family and you don’t even know his name, why do you want me to save him?”

“…Because he showed me kindness.”

The girl said she received kindness from the boy with black hair.

Just one meal.

But the girl didn’t forget that kindness.

“Hmm… but why do you want me to save him? What happened to him?”

“He angered some notorious thugs in Muleed. And I heard it clearly.”

“What are you saying?”

“They said that even if they kill him, they want him to bring back the item.”

Hans Messiah pondered for a moment.

Reaching out in such a situation was not her nature.

But why?

“Alright, I’ll help.”

He reached out his hand without hesitation.

Hans Messiah couldn’t understand why he made that choice.

Was it because of the girl?

It wasn’t just that.

He had a rough idea.

‘Is it fate?’

He felt a strong pull towards something.

As if it was ordained by the gods.

And so, Hans Messiah climbed the mountain to find the black-haired boy.

And there, Hans Messiah witnessed an interesting sight.

“Dragons leave scales when they die, humans leave their names.”

“Why are you suddenly talking nonsense?”

“I will at least leave my name before I die. Arthas. That’s my name. Of course, without a surname.”

It was an amusing remark.

Humans leaving their names after death.

But what caught Hans Messiah’s interest was something else.

A boy facing death fearlessly.

It was not ordinary.

As if he had already experienced death, an attitude that did not fear death.

That’s what piqued Hans Messiah’s interest.

Somehow, Hans Messiah wanted to keep an eye on the black-haired boy.

What would become of such a child as he grows up?

And the timing was perfect.

Hans Messiah needed a servant as well.

‘Let him serve me once, and it wouldn’t hurt to see how he grows.’

Hans Messiah wanted to keep an eye on the boy by his side.

And so, Hans Messiah rescued the boy and made him his servant.

***

The boy had grown into a young man before he left for his granddaughter.

“Hmm… If Asia truly comes to like that guy….”

The words of the boy, Arthas, lingered in his mind.

What if his granddaughter comes to like him?

Certainly, there was nothing wrong with that.

Ten years.

During that time, Hans Messiah had grown fond of Arthas.

Perhaps even more than his own son, Andrew Messiah.

Of course, maybe not as much as his granddaughter.

“…Well, I have to admit it. But…! If you are going to marry my granddaughter, you must never take a concubine.”

Hans Messiah believed that he could never tolerate taking a concubine.