32 – Catalyst of the Hero – 3
“Ah… Aaaah…!!”
Thump. Sowol, sitting on the ground, covered his face.
Why isn’t Master here?
Why are Master’s traces only here? Why?
“Ah, miss!!”
Confusion.
Unable to gather his thoughts properly. Anxiety was engulfing his entire body.
Master is not here.
Master is gone.
Perhaps.
Master may have died.
“Aaaaaah!!”
Is it remembering the last moments with Master?
What did I say when I last met Master?
“Ah… Aaaaaaah!! No!! No!!”
I said I hated him.
I said I hated Master, whom I loved more than anyone else.
Even though I had a chance to turn it back, I missed it because of my stubborn obsession.
No. No. No.
That’s not what I wanted!
“Ah…”
I couldn’t regain my composure. Eventually, Sowol fainted, and Laila, who embraced the unconscious Sowol, bit her lips tightly.
.
.
.
“…..”
When I came to my senses, I was looking at the familiar ceiling.
It’s a room. Hoping in vain, Sowol slowly looked around. It seemed like Master, who always smiled happily, would be next to her.
But he wasn’t there.
The reality that thoroughly ignored her expectations allowed someone other than Lee Hyun to be by her side.
“Ah. You’re awake?”
“Serin… Senior Priestess.”
“High Priestess. I got promoted after the last incident. Well, that’s beside the point.”
The beautiful woman, as seen before, lightly covered the report in her hand and handed it to Sowol.
Looking at it with a puzzled face, Sowol took the report in her hand.
“What is… this?”
“I investigated what happened at Wolhasan.”
“How long was I unconscious?”
“Three days.”
For some reason, his body felt hollow.
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Sowol lowered his head weakly.
What was more shocking than being unconscious for three days was that Lee Hyun wasn’t by his side.
“But why…”
“Read it once.”
Sowol unfolded the report with little strength.
There was nothing special in the contents of the report.
Those who held positions in Mt. Wola were the elite among the elites of the Asura sect.
And Lee Hyun had single-handedly defeated those elites.
“Lee Hyun’s traces were cut off at the cliff. Below is a fast-flowing river, so if he fell there, we can’t find any traces.”
“…”
“For now, we’re searching downstream from the church… but there hasn’t been any special report yet. In the end, we couldn’t even find his corpse…”
“I can’t believe it. Our master…”
Lee Hyun, who possessed strange artifacts and extraordinary abilities.
Sowol harbored hope that he might not have disappeared into the sky like a lie.
Facing her, Serin wrapped her face once and spoke bitterly.
“I also know how strong Lee Hyun is. But the forces of the Asura sect there were truly the elite among the elites.”
Serin knew how powerful Lee Hyun was, having experienced it herself.
Outstanding swordsmanship, formidable magic, and various skills learned besides possessing mysterious artifacts.
However, even if it was Lee Hyun, the enemy was too numerous and powerful.
Even for him, it would be difficult to withstand.
“Sigh.”
Sowol gritted her teeth.
Various emotions were swirling within her.
Regret from deep within her chest felt like it was tearing her apart.
It seemed like her obsession with him, whom she could no longer meet, would burn her insides.
The wretchedness created by the last words she left for him was tearing her apart.
Sowol, staring at her with a mixture of all those negative emotions, clutched the blanket slightly.
“…Now, even this is a luxury.”
There is no reason to despair.
There is no reason to regret.
There is no reason to be worn out.
Overcoming all the malicious emotions gnawing at her insides, the emotion she fostered was only one.
‘Those bastards…!!’
The reason So Wol quickly mastered the Moonlight Sword was not only to please Yi Hyeon but also for another reason.
Because there were enemies attacking the Eastern Top, she had desperately clung to the Moonlight Sword because of them, and as a result, the time she spent with Yi Hyeon had inevitably decreased.
And Yi Hyeon made her die.
‘No!! Master would not leave so pathetically. Yes, he’s just missing. We promised to meet again at the academy, didn’t we? Master will not break his promise!!’
So Wol dispelled the rising anxiety.
Thinking that he must not have died and might have somehow escaped from there, strength increased in the hand holding the blanket.
Observing her like that, Serin slowly rose from her seat and extended her hand.
“It seems our goals have finally aligned.”
As the high priestess of the church, Serin wished to handle social circles like the Asura Sect.
And for So Wol, the Asura Sect was nothing short of an archenemy, someone she couldn’t coexist under the same sky with.
Those who had the same enemy gathered. If that was the case, there was only one thing to do.
“…Are we going to fight together?”
“Yes. I just met with Master So Sang Dan and he said the entire Eastern Top is determined to fight against the Asura Sect.”
“…Then what should we do?”
“First, the Eastern Top should become a top that cooperates with the church. The church has influence over the entire continent. Joining forces with us means they have to grow accordingly.”
The Eastern Top had to become even bigger and stronger.
To the extent of fitting in with the massive group that was the church.
It wouldn’t be an easy task.
But So Jung-yangdo, and the others of the Eastern Top, were prepared for that.
“But that alone is not enough.”
“…”
“Strength. The Asura Sect can be considered the most powerful sect among all social circles. To stand against them, we need strength.”
So Wol looked at her own hand. She had it.
Strength.
The power she inherited from Yi Hyeon.
“Can I be of any help?”
“Of course. If you’re a disciple of Yi Hyun. You, who have learned a lot from Yi Hyun, are more than enough.”
So Wol faced Serin. Serin extended her hand towards her.
“First, become a holy knight. Cultivate the power to fight against the sect and socialize. And ultimately, aim for the position of a saint.”
“Can I become a saint? I only know how to fight…”
You have faith, attending church.
But a saint?
Isn’t that a position for more noble ladies?
“Well, it’s not unprecedented. There was a saint in the revolution, who was originally a farmer’s daughter…”
“Is that so?”
“And this time, there’s no candidate for a saint… Maybe you could be one. Even if you don’t become a saint, you might at least rise to the position of a chief priest.”
And if you reach that position, you can move the holy knights autonomously and freely engage in battles with the sect.
So Wol looked at Serin silently and saw the extended hand.
“…Alright.”
So Wol firmly grasped Serin’s hand.
“The Asura cult. They can never be forgiven.”
So Wol, who decided to go to church, went straight to So Jung-yang and conveyed his decision.
Upon hearing those words, So Jung-yang hesitated, but faced with the sincere So Wol, she couldn’t outright oppose him.
“The path you’ve chosen is by no means an easy one. Are you still determined to go through with it?”
“Yes.”
So Wol was more serious than ever. He had decided to risk everything and fight against the sect.
The Eastern Summit had already been attacked several times by the sect.
And to counter that, they decided to ally with the church.
In such a situation, if the successor of the Summit aimed for a high position in the church, it would be a joy for the Summit, but knowing how difficult it would be, he couldn’t be entirely happy.
“Because of this master?”
“…I can’t say it’s not.”
The sect was vast and moving secretly.
To catch them, the power of the church was needed.
Even if he had inherited the Moonlight Sword from Yi Hyun, he couldn’t fight the Asura cult alone.
So, he wanted to make use of the church.
“My master was hostile towards Asura sect. Then, is it not natural for his only disciple, who my master loves and takes pride in, to be in conflict with Asura sect?”
“Sigh… I wish you could live more comfortably.”
“This is the life I desire.”
“……”
“Not regretting losing my master, not deteriorating without my master, but moving forward. Fighting for my master.”
Sowol’s eyes were serious.
Realizing that she couldn’t deter her any longer by saying more, precious Yang let out a heavy sigh.
“So, what should I do then?”
“For now, I think I should move together with Seryn, the High Priestess of Serin.”
I already heard the detailed story from Seryn.
As a battle nun, I have to fight against the enemies of the church.
Once I achieve a certain level of accomplishment, I can obtain the qualification of a Paladin.
After that, only the fight against the followers of Asura would be sufficient.
“Seryn mentioned it. Soon, they plan to establish the Paladin Corps. Being a part of that is my first goal.”
To be in the forefront, fighting intensely.
By doing that, I will handle each of the Asura followers one by one.
Sowol tightly gripped the Wol-ah sword given to her by Ehyeon.
“I don’t think it’s impossible. Because I have the Moonlight Sword… the sword that my master passed down to me.”
“I see… but Sowol. Do you know? The path you want to take is the path of a hero.”
“……”
“Although the intentions may be different, what you want to do is to follow the righteousness and bring down evil. You must know that it signifies being a hero. Are you okay with that? How difficult that path is…”
“I understand.”
Sowol smiled faintly, nodded her head, and closed her eyes.
“But I’m okay.”
“……”
“If fighting against the followers of Asura is walking the path of a hero, then my master could have been called a hero too. So, it’s only right for me to walk the same path.”
I heard it from Seryn.
In the past, Ehyeon fought against the followers of Asura by joining forces with the church.
Why did he fight against them?
Did he have some personal grudge against the followers who provided for his livelihood?
“Serin heard that there was no reason at all.” “No matter what benefits were offered, and no matter what easy path was suggested, I heard that Hyun fought diligently against the socialites.” “Then Hyun can also be considered a hero.” Sowol opened her closed eyes. There was no longer any confusion in her eyes. “I am the only disciple of the hero.”