Ch.53Let’s go with the easy difficulty.

# 1.

A Brief Reunion.

After that fleeting moment when even uttering two short words had been precarious.

“…Cough! Cough, cough!”

With violent coughing, the monk who had been standing upright suddenly collapsed.

“M-Master!”

Selena, who had been embracing him, barely managed to hold him up, but due to her heightened emotions, she ended up collapsing with him.

Thud!

An unexpected fall.

Selena, pinned beneath the monk, reached back to touch her defenseless head, but his hand was already there, supporting it.

“Ugh…! Cough, kuhugh…!!”

Even while writhing in pain, he had reached out to protect her.

Instinctive kindness.

A heart that protects without hesitation, even someone much stronger than himself.

-Mom! Why did you marry Dad? He’s so much weaker than you!

-…Because he’s strong.

-Huh? Strong?

-His heart, his heart was stronger than mine.

The faded memory became vivid again thanks to the man before her.

-Then Selena too! Selena will marry someone with a strong heart too!

She was flustered by the memory that followed, but right now, the Master’s well-being took priority.

Selena hurriedly reached into her garment and pulled out a vial of elixir.

“Master, take this!!”

“Mmph!”

The monk had no chance to refuse as the elixir was shoved into his mouth, and he gulped it down.

However, not only was there nothing wrong with him to begin with, but drinking it so hastily only made him choke, worsening his coughing.

Moreover, Selena had poured it in so urgently that it hit his gums, causing them to bleed.

Simply put, severe coughing now accompanied by blood.

“Cough, koohooough!!”

“Master!!!”

In the end, the monk’s performance of life force depletion, which was supposed to last about 5 minutes, stretched to around 10 minutes.

After finally calming down, they exchanged various additional conversations.

Apologies for doubting him,

Whether his body was alright,

If he was really, really alright,

And just before leaving with a promise to bring back a miraculous medicine,

“…How many years have you used?”

A question about his lifespan.

After pondering briefly, the monk shook his head and gave her a kind smile.

“Please don’t worry too much.”

“But…!!”

“I’m truly fine. I’m just a bit tired, so I’d appreciate if you could leave for today.”

…Squeeze.

Selena, head bowed with guilt, hesitated for a long time before murmuring in a small voice.

“I will definitely return more than what I’ve received.”

After bowing deeply, she reluctantly turned her eyes away, dripping with lingering attachment.

Because of this, the monk was conflicted.

‘Just from spending a few hours together, now I don’t want her to die.’

In the original work, Selena dies to save Asha from danger.

‘…Maybe I should lower the difficulty a bit.’

With the members together, they could silently kill a few high priests without anyone noticing.

‘Right. Anyway, keeping them alive longer would just mean more people dying because of their human sacrifices. This is better in many ways.’

Having decided to intervene, the monk whispered softly to her.

“I hesitate to say this, but please don’t hate the Black Wolves too much. In some ways, they might be victims too.”

“…Pardon?”

“I heard that one of their members has a connection to the Hero’s mother. Like you, they were like family… I was told she cherished her like her own daughter.”

As expected, Selena was taken aback.

Not only had he defended the Black Wolves, the empire’s most wanted criminals, but he had also revealed the relationship between Mother and Luna, which was understandable.

‘The Black Wolves are working for the sake of the world, and if misunderstandings keep piling up like this, it might become difficult later.’

Well, that was why he continued to feel wronged.

Expecting a rebuke for his words that defended the Black Wolves and could be seen as anti-imperial, the monk was surprised when Selena hesitated briefly before whispering:

“Master, thank you for the advice, but you shouldn’t say such things to just anyone.”

Rather than being offended by his impropriety, she was concerned for him.

‘I must have built up some goodwill, like with Asha.’

With that assessment, the monk gently took her hand and smiled.

“Because you’re not just anyone, Hero.”

“Ah, that…”

Was it his imagination?

The ashen eyes, like Mother’s or perhaps even deeper, seemed to gain vitality.

Selena, who had been staring intently into the monk’s eyes, hurriedly collected herself and became flustered.

“I-I’ll be going now. I’ll visit again soon with the miraculous medicine.”

“Don’t worry about the medicine, feel free to drop by and rest whenever you like.”

“…Thank you. Sincerely.”

“May the Goddess’s blessing be with you.”

The monk continued waving with a smile until she completely disappeared.

“Now then. Let’s use the reward.”

The monk raised his hand and turned around with a mischievous smile, contrasting his earlier demeanor.

“Iaso’s ring, exactly…”

Time to lower the difficulty.

# 2.

At the edge of the territory.

Despite the early dawn, tension hung in the air at the secret underground location of a dilapidated hunter’s cabin in the middle of the blue-green forest.

The reason being,

“Get ready. Hanryang is about to wake up.”

The third member of the Black Wolves, the empire’s most wanted criminals, Tal – Hanryang.

Usually, he shows absolute loyalty to the leader, following his words like divine commands, but that’s only when he’s awake.

“Ah, my lady…!!”

On days like today, once every few months, when he suffers from deep nightmares stemming from his past,

“Get ready, Luna. Here it comes.”

“Yes, sister.”

At least two members had to stabilize Hanryang immediately after he woke up.

“Lady Ilhong!!!”

Crack!!

With Hanryang’s desperate cry, the barrier inside the cabin vibrated as if about to tear.

“Hey, Hanryang!! That’s my bed!! Don’t throw it!! Eek, I said don’t throw it!!”

Luna, whose bed had been grabbed, hurriedly approached in a fluster, but

Crash!!

By the time she reached Hanryang, the bed had already flown toward Lactea and shattered into pieces.

The teddy bear blanket and bed split in half and slid down with a light gesture from Lactea.

“Darn it!!”

Luna, biting her small lips, turned around and wrapped her arms around Hanryang’s neck.

His thick, tree-like neck was barely encircled even with Luna using her entire body.

Gurgle…!

“Kuh…!! My, ladyyy…!!!”

“Why are your sleeping habits like this, seriously!! Hnngh!!”

Luna, who had managed to compress his neck without the help of the <Mask>, shouted toward Lactea.

“Sister!! Now!!”

The next moment.

…Tap.

Cutting through the noisy battlefield sounds, a quiet footstep echoed.

Just one step.

With that alone, Lactea reached Hanryang and moved her red lips to ask in a whisper:

“Do you regret it?”

“To death!! Until my heart tears apart!!”

“What do you regret so much?”

“The duty of the guardian that I couldn’t fulfill!!”

“…But child.”

Lactea’s fierce expression hardened.

Behind it emerged the faint smile of the First Imperial Princess, from those days when she was compassionate.

Her cold demeanor completely gone, now gentle, she made her point to Hanryang.

“Haven’t you already lost her?”

“…Ah.”

“By the violent Emperor, by your greedy kinsmen, by your own weakness. Haven’t you already lost her?”

“Aaaah…!!”

From Hanryang’s eyes, overshadowed and flashing with a bluish light, tears flowed helplessly.

“I was, weak…!”

“Yes, you were weak.”

“I failed…!!”

“Yes, you failed.”

“I…!!!”

Following his desperate and heartrending cry that would make even listeners tear up,

“Killed her…”

An incredibly small voice.

“Aah…”

The tears that had been pouring down gradually stopped, and light returned to Hanryang’s eyes.

“I’m sorry…”

Finally, Hanryang’s consciousness returned.

As always.

“Hanryaaang…”

Luna, who had become emotionally invested, embraced him and cried together.

“Don’t blame yourself too much…”

Lactea, who was about to add something, bit her lip and swallowed her words, turning away indifferently.

“Ten minutes. Pull yourself together and come out.”

The uncontrolled overflow of the tragedy from four years ago that happens once every few months.

-Lord Hallorand! What on earth are you saying? Reina tried to kill me!?

-…I’m sorry.

-Why, why would Reina…!!

Because of this, all members who stop him are reminded of their own tragedies at dawn.

And as always.

…Creak.

The one who saves them from their heart-gnawing despair is only one person.

“Has everyone been behaving well?”

The leader of the Black Wolves, the Black Wolf.

“Leader!!”

“…You’ve come.”

Luna and Hanryang, wiping away their tears, walked toward him as if drawn.

-…You’re asking me, a princess, to serve under a criminal? Are you in your right mind?

-Weren’t you planning to die anyway? Think of it as having died once already and living a new life. It might be easier that way.

-What kind of nonsense…!!

-In exchange, I’ll give you a hug. A warm one.

-What a lunatic…!!

Recalling how he had saved her on the battlefield once, Lactea,

“…Leader.”

Hug.

Embraced the Black Wolf just like that day.

You who are always calm,

You whom we always want to lean on,

You who always save us.

Therefore,

“As of this hour, the Black Wolves will attack Aria Main School and assassinate five individuals.”

“Yes, Leader.”

No matter what happens, we will always follow you, Leader.