episode_0090

Suddenly, a pillar of light appeared.

The Dragon’s eyes, startled by the bright light of the pillar, slowly opened.

As the stiffness began to fade and anger surged due to the surprise, the Dragon made a growling sound.

At the Dragon’s growl, everyone snapped back to attention.

Though unaware of what was happening, it was clear that the Dragon was about to go on a rampage.

“Master, please dodge!”

*Growl!*

A tense moment as if a brief pause had been lifted.

Iris reached out to me again, shouting, and everyone rushed to confront the Dragon.

In that situation, I felt a strange sensation, something inexplicable.

As if the Dragon in front of me posed no threat.

Just by swinging the hand at my waist, it felt like I could eliminate the Dragon.

I decided to trust my instincts.

And then…

*Swoosh.*

Something changed.

“……!”

A sensation as if I were grasping something from my hand that held nothing.

It took the form of a sword.

Similar to the light that descended from the sky… a warm, dazzling light sword that did not blind me.

When the Dragon rushed towards me with its mouth wide open to swallow me whole,

I reflexively swung the sword.

*Swoosh.*

*Aaaargh!*

It was a moment when the whole world was bathed in brilliant light.

“This can’t be real….”

Standing next to me, Gavolf looked at the creature’s body split into two parts in disbelief.

Everyone tried to hit and touch the creature’s body.

“How on earth….”

I was still dazed.

Because I was the one responsible for the incident.

“Master, are you okay?”

“…Yes.”

“To think you were chosen as a hero at that timing… It was a moment where a terrible situation almost unfolded. It’s amazing.”

“….”

Iris’s words made me ponder.

Was I really chosen as a hero?

If so, why?

It wasn’t about denying being a hero, but questioning why I was chosen as a hero at this particular time.

The resurrection of the Demon King is a few years away.

Heroes are beings chosen at the same time the Demon King reveals himself and resurrects.

It is customary for a pillar of light to emerge from the sky and select them when the world is in chaos and facing a crisis.

But why….

To recall the moment when I cut the Dragon in half, I reached out my hand again.

And then… from the empty space, brilliant light gathered once more, coalescing into a single form in my hand.

It was the light sword I saw before.

“So this is the proof of a hero, the Holy Sword. I’ve only heard rumors, but seeing it in person, the amount of magic being emitted is tremendous.”

“It doesn’t seem to be draining much magic…”

“Oh, it’s probably converting life force into magic.”

“….!”

I immediately let go of the sword. As soon as I did, the light sword dispersed into the air before touching the ground.

“No need to be too surprised. It would only burn a few days of your lifespan anyway.”

“…I think there’s plenty to be surprised about.”

While conversing with Iris,

“Please come over here for a moment!”

A special forces member who was handling the body hurriedly ran towards us, seeming to have noticed something strange.

I followed Iris to inspect the Dragon’s body.

“This is….”

There was a crest pattern engraved on the Dragon’s forehead.

It was strange. Dragons, known for their pride, do not easily form master-servant relationships with humans.

Another thing.

The pattern was unfamiliar, not something seen in the game. This is….

“It doesn’t seem like ordinary magic.”

“That seems to be the case.”

There were hints.

“Could this be the work of the Dark Mage Sect?”

They spare no means or methods for the resurrection of the Demon King.

Therefore, they dabbled in the forbidden magic of necromancy, which goes against the principle of using life force as a source of power.

That’s why they interfered with the dark magic, which deviates from the essence of life force.

“However, without evidence or certainty, one cannot casually disclose a hypothesis they are contemplating.”

As Iris was pondering up to that point, she addressed the entire special task force.

“Let’s transport the bodies tied up. Since we don’t have carriages, we have no choice but to drag them along until we encounter additional reinforcements.”

“Understood.”

“Now that we’ve dealt with Goryong, other wyvern groups should quiet down. Our mission ends here. Let’s head back.”

***

They traveled on horseback until they encountered the additional troops from the Empire and the Republic.

With the carriage lost due to Goryong… the feeling of riding a horse for the first time was quite painful.

One had to tightly squeeze the power of their thighs to stay on the horse, not knowing if this would last only 30 minutes to an hour, but having to exert leg strength throughout the journey was challenging.

After encountering the additional troops, they continued their journey by carriage.

Upon boarding the carriage with Hedy, due to the intense fatigue from the body going through a period of rapid growth, I immediately fell asleep.

It felt like I had slept for a day or two.

“…Master, please wake up. We will soon arrive at the Ariel Academy.”

“Ugh…”

Have we already entered the Liana Empire?

Looking beside me, Hedy was already awake, gazing out the window.

It was a long and arduous journey with many ups and downs.

When a familiar entrance came into view, the carriage stopped in its tracks.

As Hedy and I got off the carriage… something seemed tumultuous near the entrance.

“What’s going on?”

It seemed like a crowd was gathering.

Not a large crowd… roughly around 5 to 6 people.

Approaching the entrance, familiar figures came into view.

“Lucy, Aria? And… Cain?”

Why are they standing there at the entrance like that?

I approached them and asked, “What are you all doing here?”

“Oh, Cyan. Have you just arrived?”

“Cyan!”

Aria and Lucy greeted me with expressions that seemed to hold much to say.

Beside them, Verde, who had been hiding next to Cain, could be seen… Was it because of him?

“Cyan, we were waiting for you, but isn’t that guy provoking you again!”

It seemed like the right answer.

“That, that’s not provocation, Aria dear!”

“Don’t lie! Didn’t he provoke you by bringing up Cyan’s past and insinuating that he might still be a villain!”

“But that’s not provocation!”

Are these guys trying to annoy me again?

Feeling a headache coming on, I placed my hand on my forehead, and Hedy put her hand on my shoulder to comfort me.

“Cyan… It’s always been like this. Endure it.”

“…”

Not wanting to be bothered, I tried to pass by them, but suddenly Cain blocked my way.

“Just wait a moment.”

“…What is it?”

“You need to explain things to the kids before you go.”

“…”

Is he still fixated on the past events?

Eyes full of discontent, one eyebrow raised in annoyance.

I thought we had resolved the issue through conversation. But it seemed like there was still lingering resentment towards me.

“What explanation do you want?”

“…This.”

“…?”

He handed me something.

It was a document made of paper.

Cain proceeded to hand documents to Lucy and Aria as well, saying, “Kids, his words weren’t meant to provoke. Take a look at this for a moment.”

“Cain, what’s this about…”

“What is this?”

“…”

I, too, read the document.

It was a document issued by the knighthood and the authorities.

It detailed various minor incidents committed by someone at specific dates and times.

And on that list…

Cyan Brace.

My name was also written there.

It listed trivial reasons that the former reckless adventurer Cyan had been involved in.

Such as getting into a fight at the adventurers’ guild.

Or harassing a woman from another clan.

Leaving a restaurant without paying for the meal, and so on.

Very trivial matters indeed.

Lucy and Aria, after reading the documents handed to them by Cain and Verde, looked perplexed.

Although they knew about my troubled past, facing it in reality seemed different.

Seeing their confused expressions, Cain and Verde spoke triumphantly.

“Did everyone see that? Where could his true nature possibly hide? You’ve all been deceived. He may be a villain, but he’s been pretending to be virtuous, deceiving everyone by acting like a good person from now on!”

“Aria Yeong-ae, do you understand me now? Please believe me! I am solely devoted to you!”

“……”

No one could offer any rebuttal to their words.

In that situation, I let out a sigh.

How much do I need to prove for them to believe that I am not a villain?

How much do I need to argue for them to acknowledge the innocence in my heart?

‘…Huh?’

At that moment, one method flashed through my mind.

I approached the speechless women.

But then Verdi and Cain blocked my path, shouting,

“You can’t take a single step until you explain yourself!”

“How do you plan to prove you’ve turned good after committing such atrocities?”

“……”

Without a word, I reached out into the empty air.

And then, a brilliant light flashed from it.

“Ugh, what trickery is this…!”

“Are you planning to blind us with magic and escape? Cyan Gongja! …Huh?”

Cain’s pupils dilated.

His gaze was fixated solely on my hand.

As if he were facing a deity he had long worshipped for the first time.

With his mouth agape, he simply stared at my hand in silence.

…Indeed.

The sacred power that only bestows itself upon the purest and most sincere individuals.

The Holy Sword of Light.

Everyone present here was witnessing real-time proof of my innocence.

It was a moment where everyone’s expressions, except for Hedi’s, became identical.