episode_0084

“Umm…“

The sweetest sleep I’ve had in a long time.

I was tossing and turning to be immersed in that lingering feeling a little more.

I rolled my eyes as I looked back on the dreams of the past last night.

‘How long did you sleep…’

Stroke…stroke…

Feeling a warm hand stroking my head,

I hugged the pillow next to me and buried my face for a moment.

Sigh…

‘Why is it so…soft…and smells good…’

I suddenly opened my eyes and looked ahead.

There, Xiao, wearing only a white dress shirt, was looking at me.

She stroked my head affectionately and smiled brightly at me.

“Good morning. Seojin-gun.“

“Sha…oh…?“

I immediately stood up and carefully stepped back.

Although it was vague, the memories I had lost little by little were coming back.

After being defeated by Nan Xiao in last night’s battle.

Ever since he was brought to her house, he had been sleeping in the same bed with her.

And then, around late dawn, we fell asleep, completely exhausted, hugging each other.

“You were…really…lovely last night.“

“…Ugh…I guess I did it in the end…“

“Hehe, yes. When I woke up in the morning, you kept calling my name and talking in your sleep. If it’s okay, may I ask what you dreamed?“

Xiao came next to me and rested his head on my shoulder.

I couldn’t bear to say what I saw in my dream, so I hesitated and blurted out my words.

“I don’t really remember. By the way…what are you going to do from now on? If the church finds out that you hid me… they won’t leave you alone.“

“Ah, if it’s that story… I’ve already made up my mind on what to do.“

She slowly got out of bed and headed outside.

Not long after, Xiao sat down next to me, handing me a mug of warm coffee.

“The words you said to me until the end…and the throbbing feeling I felt when I saw you…I feel like I finally know how I feel.“

“…That means…“

“Yes, I like Seojin. Since you shook my heart so much, you must take responsibility.“

“…If you like a monster like me, you will only become unhappy.“

“No, that’s not true. You are not a monster. Seo Jin-gun does not smell like a villain… he is very kind and has a warm scent. Besides, what I like about you is a little different from others.“

She took a sip of coffee,

Soon he looked me in the eye and continued speaking.

“Of course you are truly beautiful. I don’t think there is a woman who wouldn’t be dazzled by her extremely fragrant yet beautiful appearance, like a flower that misunderstands the season in which it will bloom.“

“The lonely and forlorn appearance you sometimes make, and the passion with which you struggle against the religious order… are very beautiful. The reason I like you is not just because you’re handsome.“

“The warmth I feel in Seojin’s heart…and when I’m with you like this, I feel more at ease than ever before. I…I was attracted to your heart. To your soul, which is warmer and kinder than anyone else.“

“…“

I took a sip of coffee without saying anything.

She came closer and closer to me, and then she began to gently squeeze my hand.

“I cannot forget the way you tried to save me, an official of the cult you hate so much. And in the nightmares I sometimes see… when I kill you, I always wake up crying. “

“But now my mind has changed. The lovely sight of you this morning, when you were sleeping oblivious to the world… what do I really want? I think I finally figured it out.“

“Xiao…!“

She smiled brightly and held both of my hands warmly,

He spoke to me with a gentle smile.

“Just as you had hoped, I am planning to quit my position as an executive at the church for the time being. And if you really want me to leave the church forever… there is one condition.“

“…If the conditions are…?“

“As an official of the church, if you betray the church like this, the day the high priest returns… I will swing my sword at you. Even if it is not my will, the oath I made as an officer will control my body and soul. And to break that oath…”

“I, the sword that protects the church, must be defeated by you. If I, who has never been defeated before, is defeated by you… my oath, which has become useless to the church, will be immediately destroyed. So, if the day comes when you break me… I can happily be on your side. I will willingly surrender to you, and you can do whatever you want with me after that.“

‘In the end, we have to fight and win…’

She smiled brightly and hugged me.

I stroked Xiao’s head, taking in the gentle warmth with my whole body.

Fortunately, things seemed to be going in a good direction.

Most of the relics were damaged to the point of being unusable.

If things continue like this, there will be no need to take Xiao’s life, and she will be able to get out of the church on her own.

“I will wait for you at the upcoming National Martial Arts Tournament. Of course, if you want to try before then, you can always tell me.“

‘Is this a martial arts competition…’

A competition held jointly with all academies across the country.

It is a duel in which excellent elites who are from the student council or have received a letter of recommendation from the chairman participate.

At the same time, it is a festival visited by most hunter associations to scout for talent.

In most cases, top talent always achieved victory in this competition.

Starting with Beatrice, Jia Han, and even Xiao.

Although the level of equipment was different, students receiving sponsorship from the association had an advantage.

Xiao won the competition again with her pure skills.

Because he was literally called an overwhelming genius who could even compete with monsters.

‘Do you think you can win…’

I stroked her and thought for a moment.

Although it feels slight, Xiao’s awakening level is 4.

Even if you use attribution right now to bring your level to the same level,

At this rate, it didn’t seem much different from the fight the day before.

“Seojin, I really like you. So even if you don’t win…you will never face me as an enemy. Even if the oath tries to control me… I will try my best to resist somehow.“

Xiao smiled and rubbed his face against my chest.

I looked at her who approached me lovingly,

He said, stroking my head affectionately.

“No, this time…I will win. So wait. I will definitely overcome you…after I break that oath, I will rescue you.“

“Yes…! If it’s Seojin-gun… it might be possible.“

side-

She kissed my cheek, smiled brightly, and stood up.

“If that day comes… I will be able to become your ally. Come on, hurry up. If this continues, I’ll be late for school.“

“Haam…Okay, please take care of me in the future. Xiao.“

I buttoned her dress shirt and straightened her hair.

I asked her vaguely, just in case.

“But, isn’t that my shirt?“

“Ah…um…this is it.“

She spoke in a crawling voice, her cheeks turning bright red.

“I’ll wash it later and return it to you…so don’t worry too much about it.“

“That would be dirty. There was a lot of blood…“

“No, it’s not dirty at all. Rather, your scent is so strong…just by wearing it, I feel like I’m being hugged by you.“

“…If that’s the case…you don’t have to return it.”

“Really? Hehe…then I won’t decline.”

After having a quick breakfast with Xiao,

I walked straight towards Central Academy.

We split up near the entrance of the academy without being noticed by the other kids.

They pretended as if nothing had happened and went back to their daily lives.

Just waiting for the day of the upcoming national competition.

That day, I will be able to defeat her and save Xiao from his oath.

—-

Trudging…

“Is it like this…“

I was wandering around in front of an apartment complex, going back to my memories.

Those were the days when I was preparing for the upcoming decisive battle with Xiao, and that day’s duel.

But no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t come up with a way to beat her.

The gamblers that were thrown that day, including Surtur and Lapis, and an amulet full of various curses.

Lastly, thanks to Alice’s sacrifice of her life, she had the power of a monster that she barely defeated.

I wanted to equip a ring that would immediately make me level 4, but

If that happened, it was obvious that a fatal debuff would occur during the battle between Taebeom and the High Priest.

But as I was suffering, I couldn’t come up with a sharp number.

In the end, I couldn’t find the answer, so I went to see Lapis as a last resort.

‘I hope you’re doing well…Lapis.’

Ding dong—!

At this time, she had not yet entered the academy.

He must have just awakened and be living a peaceful daily life at a very young age, in the third year of middle school.

Because she was the one who always came up with a clear solution when things seemed to have no solution.

I wanted to meet with her earlier than planned, explain the situation, and get help.

Of course, it was natural for me to be kicked out and treated like a crazy person.

If I were to be honest, it was something that might lead to unexpected results like in the case of Surt and Beatrice.

“Who are you~“

A young girl’s voice was heard from beyond the door,

Then the front door opened and young Lapis was seen.

“Commander…Commander…?!“

“Hello, Lapis…it’s been a while…“

For a moment, I looked at her, wondering if I had heard something wrong.

Lapis was looking at me with her pupils shaking.

“Now…wait a minute, what did you just say…“

Sigh…!

“Lapis…! Wait…don’t close it…!“

“Ugh…! How can a man be so…strong…!“

She and I were struggling while holding the doorknob,

I easily opened the door and entered her entrance.

bang…!

“La…peace…? Do you remember me…?“

“J…Commander. I…that…that…“

Lapis crossed her fingers and looked at the floor.

Finally, she mustered up the courage to look at me and say.

“That day…I think I too…went back to the past.“

“…“

“…“

We didn’t say anything like that.

I stood in front of the front door for a while.

——-

In her room, there were numerous photos and newspaper articles on the walls.

Most of my photos and articles related to me were on display,

My route and even the location of my house were recorded on the map, checked with a red marker pen.

“Ahaha…that…a little creepy. I’m sorry.“

“No, I was a little surprised…but I didn’t do this to do something bad, right?“

I sat down on her pink bed and looked at her.

Lapis definitely looked younger than that day,

I had the feeling of an innocent girl who had not even set foot in the academy yet.

The magic power, which felt as if the awakening had just been completed, was at a weak level.

Instead of the appearance of a seasoned battle mage who roamed the battlefield with me many times,

It felt like there was just a little kid standing in front of me who didn’t know anything about the world.

“So…Commander, are you doing well?“

“Yes. how are you. Even if I don’t have to put it into words… I think Lapis knows it well too.“

“Still…I wanted to hear it in person. Commander, how are you? Because you’ve worked so hard…“

Lapis’ eyes were bright as if she was crying a little,

Soon he sat down politely on the chair and looked into my eyes.

“Your complexion has improved greatly. Even though it feels a little awkward because he’s wearing civilian clothes instead of a commander’s uniform… the quality of the equipment he’s wearing and the magical power he feels… he seems like a completely different person.“

“Really? Ah… I lived quite hard. Starting with the New Year’s party, this and that… Look, now I can do things like this too.“

I showed off some lightning from my fingertips as if doing a trick.

She looked at the figure with curiosity, then smiled and adjusted her posture.

“Well, let’s show this to you, the wizard. Is it wrinkled in front of a pupa?“

“Ah…no…! The commander has awakened…and has reached level 3…what can I say…I don’t know why, but I’m very proud.“

“Hehe…Thank you. Um, so. Do you think you’ve regressed like me? How much do you remember?“

“The last thing I remember is…after giving that potion to the commander, another potion was falling from the sky.“

“When I looked closely, the potion was similar, but it was a purely refined elixir without the curse.“

“So…Mr. Surt and Mr. Lauren…we started to doubt which of us would return.“

“But there was not enough time…just before the meteorite hit…“

Lapis lowered her head and had tears in her eyes.

“The two of you… handed me the potion, and I started drinking it right away.“

“…I see. But don’t worry too much, Surtur and Lauren. Even Yuri and Catherine… I protected them all.“

“Thank you so much, Commander…you really…worked hard.“

Lapis immediately wiped her tears and looked at me.

Because she suffered greatly at a young age,

And maybe it was because he was the only one who remembered what had happened so far.

I picked her up and immediately hugged her slowly,

Lapis began to cry and gasp while being held in my arms.

“Ugh…I missed you…Mr. Surtur…and Lauren…and everyone…and the commander…I really missed you…alone like this. ..remain…”

There was no way I could cry like this.

Neither this child nor I should have broken down in front of the people who believed in us and followed us.

“It’s okay…everything is okay…don’t worry. I protected everything…so you don’t have to worry…“

“I was so…scared…I definitely knew it in my head…but I still felt like I was in that hell…I…“

I patted her head and let her calm down for a moment.

Lapis hugged me desperately, not wanting to let go of me.

She and I met so late,

For a moment, they hugged each other without saying a word, comforting each other.