729 – 8.5 Manatee (1)
I opened my eyes to the sound of birds chirping.
Suddenly, the sunlight came through my eyelids. Winter isn’t over yet and my retinas feel a little cold. Unable to withstand the sun’s harshness, I had no choice but to raise my upper body.
The languid blood flowing through my veins was refreshing.
I had a vague memory of the last time I had fallen into such a deep sleep. It was because I had been crossing the firing line without hesitation. Especially since the past month has pushed me to my psychological limit.
To come to my senses, I washed my face and packed my clothes. I thought about eating breakfast, but it was too bothersome so I quit right away.
The body reached ‘Master’ anyway.
It is safe to say that menstrual activities are now a choice rather than a necessity. Should we say that it is simply an act of preference to gain personal satisfaction?
When cold water touched my skin, my brain became a little clearer. Pour warm tea and go to the window where light streams in.
The frost on the window gave us an idea of the temperature outside. It was a place where a blizzard had raged not long ago, so there was no way the weather would have cleared up dramatically just because a few days had passed.
Just pull back the curtains and open the window.
“Sir Irene!”
The scene where a girl with dark blue hair was being held in the arms of a female knight caught my eye. The blue-haired knight, who had a troubled expression at first, soon became warm again.
Countless crowds of people running around and embracing each other came into view. The snow had not melted, but their faces were as red as spring flowers.
They were victims of Celine’s flame.
They were able to survive, but with Celine’s departure, she regained her sanity. It won’t take much time until the cursed body is completely healed.
I was sipping tea and looking at the scene for a long time.
There were many problems that had not yet been resolved. I will have to fight in the future, and there will be many times when I become frustrated or want to kneel in the process. Still, this thought suddenly occurred to me.
I will never forget their smiling faces for a long time.
His face was filled with tears, filled with emotion, and although it was a mess, it was truly beautiful. Is it because of the smile on his face?
With such sentiments, the moment I turned my back.
“Surprise!”
I was so startled that I jumped out of my seat.
Because, there was an uninvited guest sitting in the seat that should have been mine.
Black hair, golden eyes.
Except for his extremely tired face, he was a man so similar to me that I couldn’t find any differences. It was even more confusing because I was sitting at the central table where I usually drink.
The gaze as dry as the wilderness was nothing short of his symbol. Therefore, there was no way I didn’t know that man’s identity.
On the contrary, it made me even more confused.
“Why should I be surprised?”
“Yu, are you a ghost?”
“If I were to be honest, I was something close to a ghost from the beginning.”
I was so surprised that I couldn’t help but say an honorific that I had never used before. Actually, the man just passed it off as if it was no big deal.
Nevertheless, my embarrassment did not go away easily.
The reason was simple.
Because I had already defeated that man.
It was a clear victory. So much so that she can still clearly feel the blade digging into the back of her man’s neck.
But her man’s attitude was still blunt. As if she was asking such an obvious fact.
“No matter how deep the wound, it has little meaning in the unconscious. “You probably know that best, right?”
“That’s right… but… ….”
It was just as he said.
Didn’t I also come into danger of dying hundreds of times while fighting with men? Nevertheless, the reason why the battle was able to continue was entirely due to the characteristics of the unconscious space.
A place where you will not die even if you end up dying.
If you think about it, there was no way the benefit would go solely to me. Of course, the man would also have been able to enjoy the same benefits as me.
However, there was another reason why I was so embarrassed.
“Well, what is it…” The atmosphere at that time was a bit… Like the final battle…….”
“It’s not wrong.”
It was one word that dismissed my doubts.
As always, he spoke in a tone as sharp as sand.
“I exhausted too much strength because I overexerted myself. In other words, the person I am now can be said to be something close to a trace… “This might be our last conversation.”
Indeed, it was so.
Looking back, there were quite a few times when I was indebted to a man. No matter how much he came from the future, if he had intervened in the past this much, it would have been time for him to leave.
Then, there was only one question left. No, maybe two.
First things first.
“Why did you appear?”
If he had mustered up his last strength and appeared in front of me, he would have had something to say.
At least it won’t be a meaningless farewell. Because the man wasn’t that kind of person.
And the second.
“Also, what is that wound?”
The man had no reaction to the former question, but to the latter question he let out a faint sigh.
It was worth it.
The handprints left on my cheeks and the bruises that showed through the leg of my pants that were torn during the battle were injuries that had nothing to do with me.
In the first place, the effective blow I inflicted on the man was the final ‘diffraction’. I don’t think I’ve ever been hit enough to cause a bruise.
Why did the man suddenly get hurt like that?
He was even a ‘master’. Even though he was recognized by everyone as the strongest man of all time, there were almost no people who could leave a mark on his body.
The only exception is, yes.
The man didn’t resist on purpose.
Contrary to the deepening questions, there was no answer. For a long time, the man’s lips, which had been moaning softly, finally softened.
“…… You do not have to know.”
It wasn’t a very valuable statement, though.
Hmm, I let out an odd sound and looked at her man. There wasn’t any basis for certainty, but it seemed like some kind of context was being drawn.
That was the reason why I threw bait as a test.
“No way, it’s a woman’s problem?”
The man’s body reacts by flinching.
At best, it was only a very slight tremor. However, I was the same person as the man, and I even became a ‘master’ not long ago. This meant that it was impossible to avoid my sensitive eyes in the first place.
Hmm, a half-hearted laugh comes out.
Even the man who seemed like a block of ice seemed to have a weakness.
Soon, my voice filled with confidence continued.
“You got scratched?”
The man quietly avoided my gaze, and as he did so, my reasoning only became stronger.
He soon attempted denial that did not work.
“…… No.”
“While scratched.”
“No.”
“Scratch?”
Boom!
The power of one syllable was truly powerful. When the man’s hand, which was just an illusion, hit the table, I could hear an auditory hallucination that felt like a noise.
An ugly excuse flowed from the man’s mouth as his fists were shaking for a while.
“It’s just that it’s been a while since we shared a happy ending… A minor misunderstanding due to an unorganized relationship…… !”
“Tsk tsk.”
I couldn’t help but click my tongue at that pitiful sight.
“You should have been careful a long time ago. “In the first place, the problem of politics is the most difficult to solve.”
However, despite his sincere advice, the man’s expression was subtle.
No, should I say that he goes beyond that level and even looks at me as if I am astonished?
When I responded with an expression on my face that said I didn’t know what to say, a hollow laugh burst out of the man’s mouth.
“It’s a pity that I won’t be able to see your end.”
It was a word whose meaning I could not understand.
My last days? Since there were no plans for defeat, at least not for a while, it was clear that this would be a distant future.
Unless you fall into the hands of ‘Delphirem’.
Yes, ‘Delphirem’.
A monster that even ‘Master’, who can be said to be humanity’s strongest force, cannot overcome. As I was thinking about my nemesis, the man spoke as if he was reading my mind.
“Delphirem cannot be defeated by normal methods.”
This was probably the answer to the first question.
Why did you muster up all your remaining strength and appear in front of me?
That’s probably because there is information that only a man can provide.
“I guess I haven’t fully manifested myself yet. But, one day it will appear in front of you. By becoming something that can never be killed.”
“Then what?”
“Find the Heavenly Sword. And unlock the secret of the dragon blood script.”
His instructions were simple and clear.
Before I could ask how, the man added.
“Both can be achieved by going to Heavenly Sword Mountain.”
It is called ‘Cheongeomsan Mountain.’
It was a place so famous that there was no one on the continent who didn’t know about it. The story goes that the root of the tall rocky mountain is Delphirem, the original divine sword, and that swordsmen from all over the continent gathered to follow that legend.
I could understand the call to find the ‘Heavenly Sword’. Because there was a clear tradition.
But why the ‘dragon blood character’? Isn’t it a symbol of the imperial family and the unique power to refer to the emperor’s representative?
If you are chasing a secret, it would be better to contact the imperial family.
Nevertheless, as always, the man never added a friendly explanation. In the past, I would have thought it was rude, but now I understand.
The amount of information her man could convey was limited.
The remaining questions were mine.
“Ian Perkus.”
It was an unfamiliar name.
Because the man always called me ‘Aesongi’. It was only once that I was called by my proper name like this.
Last time, when my sword went into the back of his neck.
“I am no longer by your side. Advice, help… “I won’t be able to give you anything.”
“It’s okay.”
I gave a refreshingly simple answer and smiled slightly.
“I’m stronger than you, right?”
“Hmph.”
Surprisingly, the man was not angry. Instead, she just looked at me with a snort.
“In terms of force, you still have a long way to go. A master without even a ‘vision’ is incomplete. ‘Will I be able to take the fifth step of the Seven Jewels and Seven Festivals? But….”
His words trailing off, hesitating for a moment.
But is it because a breakup is approaching?
Her man’s hesitation did not last long.
“You didn’t give up.”
It was then. At that point, the body of the man who was staring at me began to slowly turn into light.
“I’m waiting for you in the distant future…” “The path you will walk, and the end you will reach in the end.”
The faint warmth emanating from that voice must have been my illusion.
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“See you in hell.”
It was a joke told with a faint smile. It was such a manly farewell that I, too, stopped laughing.
But the man’s will was not the end.
“And finally… ….”
The voice I spoke out hesitantly, my puzzled eyes turned to her man.
Nevertheless, the man only kissed her lips for a while, and she was unable to finish her sentence. At some point, when her man will fade into her light and be seen no more.
My old teacher said:
“Thank you.”
That’s the end.
Before I could add what she said, the man completely disappeared. Only the sun shining on her chair overlooks the empty seat.
Well, I want to give you the answer back.
I couldn’t think of a suitable sentence. So I looked out the window in silence. There, the mixed sounds of crying and laughing were echoing.
In the end, I burst out laughing and said, “Pick.”
“Me too.”
It was a farewell.