Episode 11: The King of Bullshit

Kwaaaaaang!

At the edge of the Fairy Forest, the sound of a crashing airship echoes.

No matter how slowly it fell, something that heavy crashing is still a big deal.

Trees collapse and the surroundings are devastated.

If I had been on board, I wouldn’t even have been able to recover the bones.

Aransel-ssi and I escaped safely in the escape pod.

The escape pod was designed to land automatically without any piloting.

Of course, it did have piloting functions.

If either Aransel-ssi or I had any experience piloting an airship, we would have flown it out of there.

But neither of us had any such skills.

So, we were satisfied with landing on the ground.

,…We’re alive.”

Aransel-ssi muttered blankly.

As she said, we somehow survived.

Although we have to navigate the Fairy Forest without the help of the airship, we’re still alive.

The wind blowing through the forest feels cool against our faces.

It feels good, different from the harsh wind we faced in the sky.

Yeah, people need to have their feet on the ground.

“Let’s hurry up and finish our errand.”

I miss life at the mansion.

Is it because of my nonchalant reaction?

Aransel-ssi looked at me with an incredulous expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Am I handsome?”

Aransel-ssi’s face twisted.

She could have just said it; I’m hurt.

“I’m just amazed that you can be so calm even after going through something like that. It’s like Harua-ssi won’t die.”

She’s sharp.

I guess after being resurrected so many times, it’s become an unconscious habit.

“Who in the world doesn’t die?”

I’m right here.

“I’m just pretending not to be.”

That doesn’t mean I’m going to blurt out about resurrection magic.

“Right.”

A bitter smile touched Aransel-ssi’s lips.

“Sisiruka must have felt the same way.”

Sisiruka.

That name was mentioned.

“Sisiruka’s last moments. Harua-ssi, I heard you watched it.”

Aransel-ssi finally opened up about Sisiruka.

Maybe she didn’t want to accept Sisiruka’s death either.

Because she and Sisiruka were friends.

“How was she?”

Aransel-ssi asked cautiously.

I could feel a slight tremor beyond her eyes.

She was worried that Sisiruka might have despaired and been discouraged by life.

“She was regretful.”

So, I told her honestly.

“She regretted not trying harder.”

Aransel-ssi was silent.

Her eyes were filled with many sorrows.

“……I see.”

There was a flower on Sisiruka’s grave that I hadn’t seen before.

It was a pure white flower that resembled Sisiruka, often displayed in her room.

I don’t know the name of the flower.

I couldn’t possibly remember all the flowers from this other world.

However, I could tell that it was a flower that Aransel-ssi often gave as a gift.

I moved forward without a word.

Then Aransel-ssi followed me without saying anything.

The death of one person makes you think of many things, even trivial ones.

Yet, we live on amidst multiple deaths.

After all, death is inseparable from life.

We were just indirectly feeling the death that would come someday.

* * *

Aransel-ssi and I diligently moved through the Fairy Forest.

The Fairy Forest was quite rugged, as seen from the outside.

Unlike the forests in Korea, it didn’t get much sunlight, so the grass was lush, the trees were huge, and it was very green.

It was similar to the scenery I saw in the forests of Southeast Asia.

Fortunately, the forest was dense, so it wasn’t too hot, and Aransel-ssi looked much better.

“This is where it crashed.”

Before long, we arrived at the airship crash site.

Fortunately, the fire from the airship didn’t spread to the forest.

This is thanks to the trees having a lot of moisture, so they don’t catch fire easily.

“We just need to go a little further.”

We were almost at the Breathwood where the fairies actually live.

That’s when I took a step.

Until Aransel-ssi pushed me.

Kaaaaaang!

The metallic sound echoed violently in my ears.

Before I knew it, I was tumbling down the slope.

“Eugh!”

I couldn’t even scream properly, and after rolling down the slope, I barely managed to get up.

My ribs were trembling, making me realize how weak the human body really is.

“Keheck, cough.”

A handful of dirt came out of my mouth.

I learned something.

In the future, don’t scream when you fall.

You just end up eating dirt.

I didn’t say anything to Aransel-ssi about pushing me.

I also lived as a pioneer for several months.

Just now, that metallic sound.

Aransel-ssi pushed me to protect me from someone.

It just happened to be downhill, so I ended up like this, but something happened.

And I immediately realized what this situation was.

“Shit.”

The airship was shot down by something.

That means someone intentionally targeted the airship.

At that point, I should have considered the possibility that someone who targeted the airship was stationed there.

The dopamine from surviving the airship crash prevented my brain from working properly.

I’m disgusted by my flawed judgment.

This is like walking into the afterlife with my own feet.

But there was no time to blame myself.

The attacker had already appeared, and the situation had exploded.

All that’s left is to figure out how to get through this situation.

Kaaaang!

The sound of metal echoed once again from above.

As I grabbed onto tree roots and tough grass to somehow climb up the slope, the sound of metal echoed again.

Between the trees, I saw Aransel-ssi and a man with knuckles on his hands.

And I froze.

What the hell is that?

The man had no head.

To be exact, a huge red flower was in place of where his head should have been.

Could that also be a different race?

Even if he’s from a different race, can he move without a head?

At least that man seemed to be able to.

This fantastic other world.

It’s fucking awful.

Kaaang!

In the meantime, Aransel-ssi and the mysterious man clashed once again.

Aransel-ssi wields a long sword with a long reach.

On the other hand, the man only has knuckles on his hands.

Yet, he fearlessly penetrated Aransel-ssi’s reach and threw a punch.

Running at someone with a sword is either crazy.

Or it means you’re confident in your skills.

In reality, Aransel-ssi seemed to lack composure.

Especially in the limited space of the forest.

There were many obstacles for Aransel-ssi to fully display her swordsmanship.

On the other hand, the man only needed to swing his arm.

The closer he got to Aransel-ssi, the more advantageous it was for the man.

“Harua-ssi, run away!”

Aransel-ssi shouted loudly.

She didn’t pinpoint my location, but it seems she just shouted it out.

She realized that she was being pushed back.

I knew it back at the airship, but she’s consistent in trying to save others.

What to do.

But I had no intention of running away.

I’m just racking my brain to figure out how to get out of this situation.

My combat abilities are terrible.

All I have is a little bit of Holy Magic.

Even that is still in the unsprouted seed stage.

A Holy Magic user who hasn’t even learned the basics.

That’s my current position.

Can someone like that jump into such a chaotic battle and do something?

I’d be lucky if I didn’t get hit by a stray fist or sword and die.

But I don’t die.

Even if I get hit by a stray fist or sword, I’ll just come back to life after some time.

Resurrection magic.

The hidden card I hold.

I quietly flashed my eyes.

I could see only one way to get through this.

* * *

Sword Lord, Soun.

One of the 11 Lords, and considered the best with the sword.

Aransel-ssi went through all sorts of hardships and efforts to become his direct disciple.

She works hard but lacks talent.

Soun taught her many times, but she couldn’t digest the teachings.

That fact was a complex and regret for Aransel-ssi.

Yet, she didn’t give up on the sword.

Rather, she stubbornly devoted herself to the sword even more.

For one reason only.

To avenge the Transcender who murdered her parents a long time ago.

The murderer disappeared.

Aransel-ssi gathered information to track him down, but she hasn’t found him yet.

So, all she can do now is wield the sword.

Aransel-ssi has lived her past life with the driving force of revenge.

Sometimes she didn’t know what meaning there was in her parents’ death, but this was all she had left.

A life struggling with a lack of talent and living only for revenge.

When she heard that her friend Sisiruka had died.

For some reason, she thought she had been freed from a terrible life.

She knew how disrespectful that thought was.

Yet, she was disgusted with herself for thoughtlessly thinking that.

Was it because she had disrespectful thoughts about Sisiruka?

Today.

The day she experienced the airship crash.

She had a feeling that the revenge that had bound her for life might finally end.

And somehow, she survived.

But the real crisis was when she felt relieved.

A man with a flower instead of a head.

As soon as he jumped out of the forest, Aransel-ssi recognized who he was.

A Great Sinner.

A term referring to the worst criminals recorded in Astrape.

The Sloth of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Cosmic Jack.

He appeared there.

Chills-

What she felt along with the goosebumps that rose all over her body was a clear murderous intent.

He didn’t hide his murderous intent at all and targeted Harua-ssi first.

Harua-ssi is a Transcender.

A Transcender is someone who may have some kind of supernatural power.

So, it was a predictable judgment that he would target Harua-ssi first.

She has lived disliking Transcenders since her parents were murdered.

Harua-ssi was just as unpleasant.

Even when he helped her when she was suffering from heatstroke.

Even when he fearlessly stepped up to save people on the airship.

She only felt a lukewarm feeling.

Opening her heart to him was a separate matter.

This was solely because Harua-ssi was a Transcender.

Thanks to that, she realized.

I am forever bound to the revenge of that day.

She realized how miserable a life ruined by revenge was.

Perhaps that’s why Aransel-ssi desperately pushed Harua-ssi away, as if denying her own life.

As a result, she allowed the first attack and her left wrist was hit directly by the knuckles.

The left hand holding the sword throbbed.

Unfortunately, Aransel-ssi was a left-handed swordsman.

It was natural that her combat power would be halved.

Moreover, the opponent is a Great Sinner.

She doesn’t know why the Great Sinner is here.

But it’s certain that he’s an enemy.

Cosmic Jack is not an absurd monster like Sword Lord Soun.

Soun was a strongman even among the Lords.

But it was undeniable that the opponent was skilled.

Above all, there was a reason why Cosmic Jack was called the Great Sinner of Sloth.

He didn’t reveal his true skills.

His battle with Aransel-ssi was nothing more than a game.

Yet, she couldn’t break through Cosmic Jack’s attacks.

Every time his knuckles reached out, Aransel-ssi could barely block them.

He could have cut off her breath a long time ago, but he continued his persistent attacks as if waiting for his prey to give up on its own.

Then, Cosmic Jack’s attack suddenly stopped.

“Hey.”

Aransel-ssi barely caught her breath in that gap.

“You don’t really have the will to live, do you?”

And Aransel-ssi’s shoulders froze.

The emotions unconsciously contained in the sword.

The futility of a life lived for revenge and the life she was tired of herself.

Cosmic Jack read that part.

And that was also proof that Cosmic Jack had killed many people.

He knows the sword of someone who is desperately trying to live better than anyone else.

Aransel-ssi’s sword didn’t feel that desperate.

“I wondered if Ririan would show up if I shot down the airship, but I came right away when I found out there were survivors.”

He turned the knuckles around as if he was disappointed.

“This is the laziest woman in the world.”

Kaaaang!

The fist that rushed up in an instant deflected the sword, and Aransel-ssi’s body opened wide.

Along with the pain in her hand, her shoulder caused a stiff pain.

Aransel-ssi’s eyes widened.

She couldn’t see it.

She couldn’t see his fist at all.

Moreover, the power contained in the fist was on a different level than before.

She knew he was hiding his skills, but she didn’t know the gap would be this big.

Cosmic Jack lost interest in Aransel-ssi.

So, he didn’t feel the need to deal with her anymore.

He ends it when he loses interest because he’s lazy.

It was an action worthy of Cosmic Jack.

Inside Aransel-ssi’s arms.

Cosmic Jack came in deep.

The knuckles surge toward the abdomen.

It’s a fist that even deflects swords.

If she gets hit in the abdomen, her ribs will be crushed, her internal organs will be shaken, and she will die.

Aransel-ssi instinctively pulled her body back with all her might, but it was too late.

It wasn’t a distance where she could avoid Cosmic Jack’s fist.

So, she’s going to die like this.

Futility and various emotions were embedded.

And in those emotions.

Very weak.

A really weak will surged up.

It was the will to live that was naturally given to living things.

Aransel-ssi clenched her hands as if they would break and tried to swing her sword down.

Her arm muscles were torn and her bones screamed, but it was a last-ditch effort to choose mutual destruction.

But she realized that she had awakened that will too late.

His fist was much faster than Aransel-ssi’s sword.

So, she’s going to die like this.

Even though it’s this kind of life, she doesn’t want to die.

When Aransel-ssi saw her death right in front of her.

Pat!

Behind Cosmic Jack.

Harua-ssi jumped out of the bushes.

His hand is stretched out towards Cosmic Jack with all his might.

Aransel-ssi’s eyes widened and bewilderment covered her face.

Harua-ssi is a No-Name, but he is a Holy Magic user.

Unless he’s a Holy Magic user on the level of Raphael.

You can’t expect great combat abilities from a typical Holy Magic user.

That’s why she shouted at Harua-ssi to survive and run away somehow.

But why is Harua-ssi running at Cosmic Jack now?

It was something she would never do in her right mind.

And at that moment.

Whoosh!

Cosmic Jack pulled back the fist he had extended and skillfully twisted his body to avoid Harua-ssi.

Harua-ssi landed on the floor in an awkward posture.

In the meantime, Cosmic Jack was far away from him.

Aransel-ssi had a blank expression because she didn’t understand the situation.

But Harua-ssi aimed his hand forward and took a deep breath.

Cosmic Jack was quietly looking at Harua-ssi.

Aransel-ssi finally noticed Cosmic Jack and Harua-ssi’s intentions.

And she slowly got goosebumps and was shocked.

Harua-ssi is a No-Name.

Cosmic Jack would have known when Aransel-ssi called Harua-ssi’s name.

The reason why Cosmic Jack targeted the Transcender Harua-ssi first from the beginning was because of his supernatural power.

In that situation, now that it has been revealed that he is a No-Name with powerful supernatural powers.

It was clear that Harua-ssi’s rush was based on a powerful supernatural power.

But the reality is that he is a Holy Magic user.

Surely the type of supernatural power is also related to Holy Magic.

But Cosmic Jack doesn’t know that Harua-ssi is a Holy Magic user.

And that’s why.

He doesn’t know what his supernatural power is either.

When Aransel-ssi made eye contact with him, Harua-ssi smiled through the sweat on his face.

The king of bullshit is here now.