148 – Haeju (4)
Before entering Arthael, Kim Hyun-woo was a confirmed solo player.
It wasn’t so much that there was a problem that made him a confirmed solo player, but rather that the field he worked in was a profession where women were highly valued…
…Anyway, to sum it up, Kim Hyun-woo had a very low immunity to the opposite s*x, and ever since taking the potion, he had been tormented day by day.
Maybe it would have been much better if he hadn’t taken the potion, right?
And in such a situation, if there was one more thing Kim Hyun-woo realized after taking the potion, it was his perception of the previous heroes.
‘…Certainly, there’s a noticeable difference before and after taking the potion.’
When Kim Hyun-woo first entered Arthael and met Merilda, the hero he had raised, he didn’t feel any particular emotions.
If he did feel anything, it was just gratitude for Merilda defeating the monster and a bit of wonder, but other than that, he didn’t feel any special emotions, and it was the same afterwards.
In other words, he wasn’t particularly interested in what the previous heroes he had raised were doing.
But what about now?
‘…I’d like to meet them once.’
Kim Hyun-woo was feeling curious about the previous heroes of Larutania.
Unlike before, when he didn’t feel any emotions even when a hero appeared in front of him, now he was intrigued by the heroes he had raised.
Plus, there was even more curiosity.
“…What did Merilda and Lin do to build up such a notorious reputation?”
Before, Hyunwoo hadn’t been particularly curious or interested in things he didn’t want to know. However, he began to take an interest in things he had previously disregarded, realizing that the limits in his mind were not just about affection.
Thinking it was merely limits on affection changed when he recalled Lartania’s former hero, the emotions he felt were different.
“Why would a hero impose such constraints on me…”
That’s why Kim Hyunwoo pondered why someone had imposed such constraints on him. No, he went further, pondering who the hero was that called him to this world.
Although the potion had lifted the limits, the doubts about the fifth hero remained, just as they had before.
However, it wasn’t completely erased, and the memories themselves created a strange contradiction, so Kim Hyunwoo tried to think as much as possible about the fifth hero but still couldn’t recall.
As if being denied the ability to remember.
“Hmm…”
Therefore, as Kim Hyunwoo continued to ponder for a while…
—-
★★★★★☆ Hero ‘Hero King’ has entered the territory.
—-
“???”
Suddenly faced with the notification window, he couldn’t help but look puzzled.
####
After drinking the potion of release, Kim Hyunwoo spent about three days with Merilda, Lin, and Adriana, who visited him whenever they could, observing his reactions coldly.
And on the third day, they came to a cold conclusion.
That Kim Hyunwoo’s response was not just towards Elena but towards all women.
And as soon as that conclusion was reached, Merilda, Lin, and Adriana began to exchange glances.
But amusingly, they weren’t trying to see who would be the first to approach Kim Hyunwoo.
Instead, Merilda, Lin, and Adriana were subtly pushing each other to go first.
Rather than thinking about who could approach Kim Hyunwoo successfully without interruption…
“Well, that’s fortunate. It seems the master was truly under a spell, so how about you go and see?”
“No, I have something to prepare. Why don’t you go first?”
“I have things to prepare too. Hey, Shadow Dragon. Can you go? You’re always singing about wanting to meet the master, right? Just give it a try now.”
“I can’t leave this lair yet.”
“Why not summon with the teleportation scroll from last time?”
“I can’t make those anymore. Do you know how difficult it is to make the scrolls you all destroyed?”
＜p class=”a”＞From Noble mtl dot com– They were actually pushing each other to go to Kim Hyunwoo first.
Of course, their affection for Kim Hyunwoo hadn’t faded, and if anything, it had grown stronger over the past ten years. Yet, the reason they subtly delayed their turn to go was due to their fear.
Through three days of observation, they had clearly recognized that Kim Hyunwoo had been under a spell.
However, Lin had already been through a major incident a few weeks ago.
Merilda knew that if the protagonist made a mistake, she could be the one affected.
Furthermore, the Crimson Salamander had also learned about what had happened to Lin a few weeks ago through their recent petty fights with Merilda and Lin.
“…”
“…”
“…”
The three heroes faced each other, exchanging glances.
That was the moment.
“…Huh?”
While they were sizing each other up, Merilda suddenly turned her head towards the Larthania territory.
And then.
“…Why now, of all times?”
Shortly after that, they all realized with surprised expressions that the Hero King had entered the Larthania territory.
“…”
Soon, the three of them, with serious expressions, couldn’t help but harbor doubts as they gazed towards the territory.
It was inevitable, considering that the Hero King they saw from a distance seemed to differ in many aspects from the one they knew.
“…Magic?”
“Whether it’s emanating from within her or seeping out, I’m not sure, but it’s certain…”
“It doesn’t seem like she’s become a demon…”
And even though it was subtly concealed among them, the unmistakable presence of magic in their senses made them slightly tense with a sense of doubt.
The magic emanating from the Hero King was certainly vague, but the fact that there was magic within her might be related to the demons who had targeted her life.
However.
The three heroes, who were looking at the Hero King, instinctively relaxed after exchanging glances.
The reason was that all three had seen the expression on the Hero King’s face.
An expression filled with more urgency and hope than anyone else’s.
Therefore, rather than feeling tension from the Hero King, they decided to watch Kim Hyunwoo’s reaction through her.
Upon reflection, at this moment, the Hero King was an excellent candidate to observe Kim Hyunwoo’s reaction without risk.
Although they were hesitating to approach Kim Hyunwoo out of fear of rejection, the three gathered here knew that if they made the first move, it would cause unease.
But what about the Hero King heading to the Lordship?
If the Hero King were in a normal state, they might have felt tense as well.
Or even beyond tension, they might have interfered.
They had no idea where the Hero King had been or what she had been doing, and if she had just hidden somewhere and reappeared, they thought Kim Hyunwoo could be in danger.
But now the Hero King?
Magic was flowing out from within her.
Of course, whether that ‘magic’ was a remnant from the demon realm or if she had become a demon, they did not know.
But the point was that the Hero King possessed magic, and that magic had undoubtedly had a negative impact on the current Larthania.
In other words, there was a definite disqualification reason to accept her into Larthania.
In that brief moment, the three heroes, after considering everything, naturally fell silent, thinking they could observe Kim Hyunwoo’s reaction without any other threats(?), and focused on the Hero King.
Soon, they could see it.
The Hero King arriving in front of the Lordship, and Kim Hyunwoo standing there, looking at her.
“…”
The moment the heroes confirmed that, they held their breath.
With that, they strained their ears to listen to the conversation happening in front of the Lordship.
And then.
“Shall…?”
Kim Hyunwoo’s voice called out the name of the Hero King.
“Lord, are you really back?”
She looked at him with an expression of disbelief, then for a moment, her face went blank.
“You’ve really returned… truly.”
It seemed like a relief as she uttered that word.
Thud.
He collapsed.
“?”
Seeing the hero king suddenly fall, the three heroes couldn’t help but look bewildered, only to realize that the hero king’s condition wasn’t as good as they thought.
And as she fell, Kim Hyunwoo immediately rushed over to check on the hero king’s condition, then picked her up and carried her into the Lord’s Castle without exchanging a word.
Seeing the hero king being carried inside on Kim Hyunwoo’s back without even getting a chance to properly talk, they all harbored doubts, seemingly questioning Merilda’s murmurs.
“Wait, was it intentional?”
As they soon realized a certain fact, their mouths gaped in astonishment.