SS #37 Kang Yujin (4)

Their eyes met for only a moment.

That was because a startled Yujin had quickly turned his head away.

Yuria. A real Yuria.

Not the NPC Yuria from the full-dive virtual reality, made of zeros and ones, but a real Yuria of flesh and blood.

She’s pretty.

So pretty.

Truly, incredibly pretty.

So pretty it made him doubt if she was even human.

Prettier than an angel.

Just as Natasha tilted her head in confusion, Yujin, whose face was reddening in real-time, took deep breaths to calm himself.

It was his first meeting with Yuria, and he didn’t want to make a fool of himself.

—If Yuria doesn’t like you, this is all off!

Yuder’s voice, threatening him with a fearsome expression, seemed to echo right behind him. Yujin swallowed dryly and focused his mind.

Alexei, help me!

Give me strength.

An iron will to regain my composure!

Alexei was, as always, highly effective.

To be more precise, it was because he had used “Alexei, help me!” as a ‘switch’ to regain his composure since childhood, but what mattered was that he had, in fact, calmed down.

Having barely collected himself, Yujin raised his head to look for Yuria again, but she was nowhere to be seen, having moved somewhere else.

Huh? Where did she go?

His eyes darted around in surprise, but he soon found himself gasping again.

This time, it wasn’t because of Yuria.

It was because of Yuder and Cordelia.

The true protagonists of Heroic Saga 2 Remake.

The two people who, it was no exaggeration to say, had been with Yujin his entire life.

No, it wasn’t just that.

It was for the same reason as the more than a thousand people gathered in the hall.

The Guardians of Pleiades.

A dance performed by literal gods.

It was beautiful and sacred.

Thus, one could only watch, captivated.

Staring blankly at Yuder and Cordelia, in a slightly different way than when he had faced Yuria, Yujin blinked at a certain moment and let out a small breath, as if exhaling his very soul.

The dance was over.

He had no idea how much time had passed, but time had clearly flowed, and Yuder and Cordelia, having finished their dance, were sharing a light kiss.

Thunderous applause followed.

Yujin, who had been clapping enthusiastically along with everyone else, suddenly flinched and froze.

Yuria, who had disappeared, had reappeared.

Yuria, being hugged by Yuder and Cordelia.

Yuria, acting cute in front of the two of them.

She turned to look this way, and Yujin reflexively hid himself.

He thought he heard Yuria make a little ‘Hoh-’ sound as she saw him, but it must have been his imagination.

A few more seconds passed.

Yujin, whose natural senses had been honed through training, could tell.

Footsteps were approaching.

Yuria was approaching.

“Yuria, there’s someone I want to introduce you to,” Cordelia said affectionately.

Yujin held his breath completely, and at the voice that followed, he clenched his fists tightly.

“Yujin.”

It was his mom, Hong Yu-hee, calling him.

Only then did Yujin realize he had been hiding behind Natasha’s back.

“Our Yujin isn’t a coward, is he?”

At Natasha’s small, gentle voice and smiling eyes, Yujin nodded.

Drawing courage from the encouragement of Natasha, who held a power for him comparable to Alexei’s, he took a step forward.

A short distance.

A few meters at most.

No, it wasn’t even that far now.

Yuria had come to stand right in front of him.

“Hi, my name is Yuria.”

“U-uh, I’m Yujin. Kang Yujin.”

He had stuttered a little, but he’d managed to introduce himself safely.

And then, Yujin felt his life was in danger.

Because Yuria was beaming a radiant smile.

A bright, genuine smile he had never seen in the game.

A purity hidden beneath her aloofness.

“Captain! M-my heart isn’t beating!”

Inside Yujin’s head, the Guild House was in a state of utter chaos.

At Adjutant Kang Yujin’s cry, Guild Master Kang Yujin declared firmly.

“It’s an illusion! The heart is still beating!”

“B-but Captain! It feels like it’s about to stop!”

“No! How can I die of a heart attack when Yuria is my fiancée?! I-I haven’t even held her hand yet!”

At the cry of the pre-pubescent Kang Yujin, the other Kang Yujins in the Guild House began to waver.

“Dammit! Everyone, get a grip! We all shout together! Adjutant! Lead the chant!”

At Captain Kang Yujin’s command, Adjutant Kang Yujin shouted reflexively.

“A-Alexei!”

“Help me!”

“Alexei!”

“Help me!!!!!!”

It was the moment all the Kang Yujins in the Guild House shouted with all their might.

Kang Yujin’s heart pounded violently, sending blood rushing to his face, ears, and neck.

“Captain! What are we supposed to do in a situation like this?!”

The immediate fire was out, but the situation was still ongoing.

At Adjutant Kang Yujin’s question, Captain Kang Yujin pondered before giving an answer.

“I think smiling is the way to go.”

So Yujin smiled.

A smile like the sun, inherited from Hong Yu-hee.

And at that smile, Yuria’s cheeks flushed, albeit very slightly.

It was only natural for her, the moon, to be drawn to the sun.

Just as Yuder had been to Cordelia, and Kang Jin-ho to Hong Yu-hee.

But Yuria was Yuria.

Quickly rearming herself with aloofness, she approached Yujin and held out her hand. Yujin reflexively took it.

And Yuria giggled again.

Because Yujin, who had taken her hand, flinched as if surprised by his own action.

Cute.

Thinking this to herself, she slightly lowered her aloofness, raised her affection instead, and said, “Let’s dance, too. You know how to dance, right?”

“Uh-huh, I do. I learned before coming.”

“Really? Then I’ll look forward to it.”

Smiling like a fox, Yuria led Yujin, and he followed her with a face that was a mixture of shyness, embarrassment, joy, and awkwardness.

Calm down, calm down, Kang Yujin. Don’t forget the victory conditions.

Yujin thought this out of habit, but it was no use.

Yuria’s hand was too soft.

“Get a grip! It’s the gloves! Yuria is wearing gloves! So this softness is the softness of silk!”

Captain Kang Yujin roared, but the Kang Yujins in the Guild House were already losing their minds one by one.

Captain Kang Yujin sighed at the sight of his subordinates starting to collapse, but he too found it difficult to hold on any longer.

Because Yuria had placed Yujin’s hand on her waist.

Slender yet firm.

Soft and supple.

Captain Kang Yujin, who almost lost his mind in an instant, slapped his own thigh to barely hang on.

He clenched his fists, endlessly crying out for Alexei.

He couldn’t just be dazed here.

If he lost his mind and went limp just from holding her hand, how pathetic would Yuria think he was?

Then it would all be over.

So he had to endure this trial.

Fortunately, the dance itself was somehow continuing.

Apart from Yujin’s mind being half-absent, his body was showing the results of repeated training.

And humans were creatures of adaptation.

Getting used to Yuria was still impossible, but he had somehow reached a level where he could at least maintain his sanity.

Did I put out the urgent fire?

The dance ended.

Yujin, with an iron will, removed his hands from Yuria’s waist and hand. Yuria looked at him and gave a foxy smile.

Why?

Why was she smiling like that?

She was really, really pretty, but…

What was the reason for that beautiful smile?

Yujin’s question was cut short.

Yuria launched an unexpected surprise attack.

She linked arms with him.

That’s right.

Yuria gently hugged Yujin’s arm, and he almost lost his mind again at the unexpected skinship and the warmth and softness transmitted through his arm—a feeling that seemed to combine all the good things in the world.

Fortunately, there was a helping hand this time, too.

No, it didn’t seem to be for the purpose of salvation, but in any case, there was a stimulus that brought him to his senses.

Killing intent.

Yuder’s killing intent, stabbing at him from behind.

Of course, it couldn’t have been real killing intent.

If it had been, Yujin wouldn’t have come to his senses; on the contrary, he would have lost his mind, collapsed to the floor, and trembled all over.

In any case, as Yujin barely collected himself, Yuria whispered in a small voice into his ear.

“The adults keep staring, so it’s a bit… should we move somewhere else?”

“Huh?”

Move somewhere else?

When Yujin blinked and asked back, Yuria nodded.

“Yes, I’d like to. What do you think?”

“Let’s go.”

If Yuria wanted to, he had to.

No, it wasn’t just that.

Yujin himself wanted to.

He wanted to spend time alone with Yuria.

At Yujin’s answer, Yuria gave a pleased yet aloof smile, then gently pulled on his arm and said, “Follow my lead, and when I give the signal, you fall into my arms. Got it?”

“Huh? F-fall into your arms?”

“Yes, fall. While wrapping your arms around my neck.”

What on earth did that mean?

But there was no time to ask.

Because the final boss—no, Yuder—was approaching from behind Yujin and Yuria, who were moving quickly toward the window, or more precisely, the balcony.

“Yuria.”

The moment Yuder’s voice rang out, Yuria started running, and Yujin, caught up in the moment, started running too.

The target was the balcony.

At the sight of the two of them sprinting, Yuder seemed to narrow his eyes, then kicked off the ground, closing the distance in an instant.

No, he tried to close it, but he couldn’t.

Cordelia?!

Just let them be, okay? Just for a bit!

Having missed Yujin and Yuria by a hair’s breadth due to Cordelia’s telekinesis, Yuder narrowed his eyes and looked toward the balcony, then his eyes widened.

And it was the same for the other adults, including Cordelia.

Yujin was being held by Yuria.

To be precise, Yuria, holding Yujin in a princess carry, had kicked off the balcony and was throwing herself toward the night sky.

“Yuria!”

“It’s fine! Because Yujin is probably a gentleman!”

“Wh-what did you say?!”

At Yuria’s shout—no, at its content—even the great Yuder couldn’t help but falter for a moment, and Yuria did not miss that opening.

“Teleport!”

A long-distance space leap using a magic tool.

Yuria, holding Yujin, vanished in a flash of light, and Yuder blinked with a dazed expression.

“A-a gentleman? It’s fine because he’s a gentleman? B-but she said probably?”

Just as Yuder muttered like a broken doll, Maia and Dahlia, who had approached him, tried to say something but couldn’t.

The true final boss had revealed himself.

“Find them. At all costs. Whatever it takes.”

The Red Storm of the North.

Arthur Chase.

The Great Chase Count.

The Count, whose granddaughter had just been kidnapped before his very eyes—or more accurately, whose granddaughter had just kidnapped someone else’s child—commanded with a fearsome expression, and Yuder nodded his head urgently.

And at the same time, in another place.

Yuria, having completed the space leap, landed on the ground with Yujin still in her arms.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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