Chapter 241

R​ea​d on ​Ka​tReadin​gCaf​e​

It was a night with a beautiful moon.

We spread out a borrowed mat on the rooftop and admired the night sky together.

The dreamlike full moon shone brightly, illuminating the darkness.

It would have been nice if the stars were twinkling too.

It was a pity that the city’s light pollution made it impossible to see the stars.

The dark clouds were an obstacle for moon viewing, but they weren’t a problem for Yoo-seong. He clenched his fist and swung it with all his might.

After a gust of wind swept through, I looked up at the sky, and the dark clouds had completely disappeared.

I opened my mouth in admiration. As expected of the God of War. If he wanted to, he could even control the weather.

The rooftop garden of the hospital was originally a space open to all patients. But today, we decided to monopolize it. We lay side by side, admiring the full moon and chatting quietly. Most of the time, Yoo-seong brought up topics, and I chimed in.

A life spanning over a hundred years.

How many stories must there be in that time?

Even though we only picked a few, time flew by quickly.

What I realized while talking was that Yoo-seong still wasn’t emotionally prepared. It was to be expected. It was too sudden. How could he easily accept the loss of Lucille? Unconsciously, he kept seeing Lucille in me.

It couldn’t be helped.

Lucille and I were the same person.

At least physically.

It would have been stranger if he didn’t think of Lucille when he saw me.

This was a problem that time would solve. Yoo-seong was doing his best, so someday he would accept reality and let go of Lucille.

While I hoped that moment would come soon, paradoxically, I also wished it would come as late as possible.

I wanted the boy Lucille loved to continue remembering her and aching for her.

Was I wishing for that because I had become too immersed in Lucille?

“It’s dawn.”

The moon doesn’t shine on its own. It reflects the sun’s light. As the original source of light returned, the full moon quietly disappeared.

Watching the sunset, Yoo-seong smiled bitterly. The world, painted black, was tinged with red. Soon, the red would turn to blue.

“Are you going back?”

I looked at Yoo-seong and spoke. I wasn’t just talking about returning to the Celestial Corps. The Yoo-seong before me now was the Hero. A boy dreaming of those days.

But the God of War is an adult who doesn’t dream. The commander of the Celestial Corps wasn’t the Hero but the God of War, Mars.

“I have to. The world needs the God of War, Mars, not the Hero, Yoo-seong.”

Yoo-seong understood the meaning of my question and answered nonchalantly. The short break was over. Yoo-seong had to return to the frontlines. He had to put on the mask of the God of War and lead everyone as the commander of the Celestial Corps. I grinned and clenched my fist.

“Hang in there, big brother.”

“…Ha, yeah. Thanks.”

After teasing him all night, his reaction was lukewarm now.

Big brother. Oppa~. Orabeoni. Onii-chan. I called him every variation of “big brother,” so maybe he’d built up a tolerance. Or maybe he’d just given up. I’ll keep teasing him like this. Ehehe.

“It was nice meeting you. See you again, Lucia.”

“Yeah, take care. If you’re having a hard time, come find me anytime. I can at least keep you company.”

Yoo-seong waved in response. He lightly jumped over the iron fence. Even though there was nothing in the air, it was as if there were invisible stepping stones, and Yoo-seong leaped once more into the sky.

The wind blew. In that moment, Yoo-seong became a gust of wind. His figure disappeared from sight in an instant, leaving no afterimage. I stared at the spot where Yoo-seong had been just moments ago. It still felt like his warmth lingered there.

“Alright, should I head back too?”

I’ll handle the discharge procedures in the afternoon. For now, I’ll go back to my room and take a nap.

Even though I’ve been asleep for a month, and staying up one night is nothing for a supernatural, I still felt drained from trying to comfort Yoo-seong’s wounded heart. I’m a bit sleepy.

I yawned and left the rooftop.

I missed the cozy bed and blankets in my hospital room.

◈

In the end, I didn’t get any sleep at all.

After talking with Yoo-seong until early morning and returning to my room, a familiar person was waiting for me.

Her snow-white hair was tied back, and she leaned against the wall with a cigarette in her mouth.

Of course, this was indoors. She hadn’t lit it. She was just chewing on it like gum.

When she saw me, her eyes widened in surprise, and then she gave a faint smile. She pushed off the wall and walked toward me.

“Lucia.”

“Teacher Angelica. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Hmm. What do you think?”

“Ehehe.”

I scratched my cheek and smiled awkwardly. Given her personality, she must have been busy nonstop since the moment I was kidnapped.

She probably ran around everywhere looking for me. Angelica, now standing in front of me, looked me up and down. She seemed to be checking if I was hurt anywhere. Then she reached out and ruffled my hair.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Thanks to you. I’m sorry, you must have been really worried.”

“If you knew that, why didn’t you contact me sooner? I heard you woke up yesterday.”

I had no response to Angelica’s pointed remark. There were a lot of issues yesterday. I had to clear up the misunderstandings between Eugene and Alice, and above all, Yoo-seong’s problem took priority.

But no matter the reason, not contacting the people who were worried about me was a huge mistake. I responded with an awkward laugh.

Fortunately, Angelica didn’t seem to mind too much. She explained the academy schedule to me.

Since I’d been absent for over a month, I’d need to attend supplementary classes and take an additional exam in place of the midterms.

She added that, given my special circumstances, some leniency would be applied.

Angelica was a busy person, so she couldn’t stay in the hospital room for long. I heard she’d temporarily returned to the Celestial Corps.

She said she’d be back at the academy soon… Well. The 3rd Division Captain is someone who’s always greedy for talent. Would she really let Angelica go so easily? Especially since she’s reached the level of a Captain? Well, Angelica will handle it somehow.

Just as I was about to close my eyes after she left, a flood of visitors arrived.

It seemed Angelica had spread the news to others.

“Lucia! You’re really awake!”

Her hair, usually braided into two pigtails, was now loose.

Her reddish-brown hair fluttered wildly.

A girl with glasses pushed down her nose rushed into the hospital room.

“Ah, Class President.”

“I’m so glad… I’m really glad…”

Arin grabbed my hands, her eyes welling up with tears.

Huh, are you crying? Are you that happy? D-Don’t cry. You’re making me feel guilty. My conscience is screaming at me for not contacting you sooner. Ugh, Lucia’s soft conscience is bruised and battered.

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty. I heard you’re awake?”

“Beauty? Was Lu a princess? Cia, what does a poison apple taste like? Who kissed you? Huh?”

After Arin came Leo and Anastasia. It’s been a while, everyone. Even though I’d met them countless times through Lucille’s memories, it felt like ages since I’d seen them in person.

The Golden Generation is a group to watch closely. They’re talents who could potentially surpass Captain-level abilities as they grow.

True to their name, the “Golden” Generation, they had grown significantly since I last saw them.

Though they probably couldn’t compare to Eugene, that’s just because Eugene is a freak.

How could anyone keep up with Eugene, who’s favored by the Four Seasons? Even purely in terms of talent, he’s a member of the Golden Generation, but on top of that, he’s been granted the authority of a Chosen One.

In terms of potential, he even surpasses Yoo-seong, another Chosen One. As expected of the protagonist.

Should I suggest to Yoo-seong that he take these three as disciples too? The God of War’s training is a brutal, Spartan-style regimen, but its effectiveness is undeniable.

Even just a month of intensive training would lead to remarkable growth. Of course, that’s only if they can endure the horrifying difficulty of the training.

Honestly, I also want to become Yoo-seong’s disciple.

I heard Eugene got beaten to a pulp.

He was apparently reduced to something like gum stuck to asphalt.

Even with his newly acquired super regeneration, Yoo-seong apparently went at him like he was trying to kill him.

Just hearing about it makes my mouth water… but, ehehe, it’s probably impossible.

Yeah, I know. There’s no way he’d train me the same way he did Eugene. Even if I begged him to, he’d definitely refuse.

Yoo-seong’s training method involves beating Eugene into a bloody pulp, letting him regenerate, and then beating him again.

At first glance, it seems barbaric… no, actually, it is barbaric. But surprisingly, it’s an effective method. Every time he punches, Yoo-seong infuses his supernatural energy into Eugene’s body.

It’s like engraving it into him.

Pounding it into his flesh.

Using supernatural energy to stimulate the other’s supernatural energy.

This training method consumes an enormous amount of mental energy, so most people can’t endure it and collapse. And for good reason—supernatural energy is the power of the mind. Stimulating supernatural energy means stimulating the mind.

It’s an act of deliberately pushing the body to its limits while simultaneously affecting the mind.

Only someone like Yoo-seong could attempt such a bizarre training method.

Body and mind. Stimulating both to accelerate growth. This was the driving force behind the rapid rise of the 7th Division Captain, Kaen, and the Knight of Light, Johan.

If you can endure and hold on, the growth is guaranteed. But it’s a hellish level of difficulty—so much so that even Johan ran away before completing the training.

But it wouldn’t be hard for me. Lucia is invincible! What doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger! Come on, hit me as much as you want! Huh? It’s excruciatingly painful? Even better~!

‘…Well, it’s probably impossible.’

Yoo-seong shows a soft side to Alice, who resembles Iris.

It’s obvious he’d be even softer on me, who inherited Lucille’s body.

Even if I became Yoo-seong’s disciple, I’d never get the same training as Eugene.

What a shame… but for Yoo-seong’s mental health, I’ll give up cleanly.

He’s already in a chaotic state after losing Lucille.

I can’t pour oil on a burning house, can I?

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
By the way, Yoo-seong’s training was not described with metaphors, he really is a bloodthirsty spartan.

Sometimes I wonder if he is just trying to train or kill his disciples.

But since their rapid growth is assured, isn’t that okay?

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
If you beat something enough times, it’s not gonna get beat up no more, probably.

Don’t try it at home.

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