Chapter 1459. Continental War (39) [Illustration]

“...”

“...”

Naturally, I was worried that Sung Ji-Hoon would collapse and even have a seizure, but unexpectedly, he was holding on pretty well. He had accepted the situation more maturely than I had expected.

Perhaps he believed

that

bastard was the reason Jin Yoo looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown. His earlier bout of wailing and sobbing could also be his way of accepting this tragic ending on his own.

Even before I could tell him the truth, it seemed like he had already steeled his heart. He heard the confirmation only moments ago, but since he had realized the truth, and I showed nothing but sadness, he definitely managed to deduce the ending to this story.

Of course, he was still crying. Unable to endure the sorrow, he looked far more pitiful than before. His hands were trembling, and he couldn't speak, probably because his throat was feeling tight. I clearly remembered prying him off earlier, yet this idiot tried to embrace me once again.

Before I could react, he wrapped his arms around me as his shoulders shook again.

“Heuk... heuuung... heuuuuuuk!” Sung Ji-Hoon cried.

‘Say something at least.’

“

Heuuuuuung!

” he continued.

“

Heuuuk.

”

Of course, I had to cry with him. From my past experiences, I already knew that I had to cry hard enough that I would be the first to run out of breath before this guy did, which would increase the chances of him coming back to his senses.

“I-I will always be with you... so you don’t have to be sad, Mr. Ji-Hoon,” I reassured him.

“Heuuuuuuk... O-okay...” he mumbled.

“I’ll keep staying with you,” I added.

“Heuuk... okay...” he muttered.

“...”

“Heuuuuuuk...” he sobbed.

‘Times like this are the most boring.’

For the Holy Sword Hero, it was time to gather up his emotions, organize his own thoughts, and calm himself down, but this stretch of time spent shedding tears and crying without saying anything felt utterly pointless to me.

‘Saying the same thing over and over, damn it. Saying the same thing again and again; comforting him again and again.’

'If you’re going to keep crying while sorting out your emotions, why not make it quick? Why the hell are you clinging to me and crying for so long?'

“

Heuuuung.... heuuuuuuuuk...

” he cried.

My thoughts start drifting elsewhere.

‘Seeing how he’s accepting it in a subtly mature way, t-this might actually be the right thing to do.’

The more I thought about it, the more it appeared that way.

In the first life, the end of the Holy Sword Hero was clearly because...

‘....of First Ki-Young. The Holy Sword lost its light, and this idiot went completely insane...’

I couldn’t really understand how losing the Holy Sword’s light drove him mad, but looking at him now, it was easy to understand.

Since he believed that Jin Yoo was Yuriel, going insane was the natural progression. I originally thought that some specific incident had shaken his mental state, but now, I knew that wasn’t the case at all. I didn’t know whether he had taken his own life or had died somewhere else, but his reaction told me that the former was possible.

From his perspective, it was as if Yuriel had suddenly refused to acknowledge him. How could someone

this

softhearted possibly accept that?

How could a foolish Holy Sword Hero endure it when the being that had always been protecting him and watching over him became disappointed in him and no longer lent him its power?

He had to have cried and wailed, destroying himself in the process.

From his point of view, he had lost the only sanctuary where he could rest his heart.

‘He’s... kind of pitiful.’

Imagining him clutching his sword alone, crying and wailing, apologizing to Yuriel, or putting on some pathetic spectacle to stir up an unwarranted sense of sympathy.

Of course, that was a story that had little to do with me. It was true that he was pitiful, but feeling sorry for him wasn’t enough reason to change the course of history.

Rather, I wanted to get out of this swamp of sorrow as quickly as possible and move on to a more constructive conversation.

‘If we just keep sitting here crying and wailing like this, we're just going to waste a lot of time.’

Was this not an opportunity to drive the flag inside him even deeper? From today onward, Sung Ji-Hoon, who could easily be swayed by pointless emotions, had to be ruthlessly deleted.

I needed to plant a flag that wouldn’t be shaken by any passing wind and wouldn’t be swayed by anything.

Naturally, damn it, the name of that flag was "Real Yuriel."

In truth, it felt like the flag had already been planted, but I still needed to solidify this relationship a little more. I needed to instill a clearer sense of purpose in him.

Just then, I saw a large full moon.

“Look at that, Mr. Ji-Hoon.”

The clingy idiot turned toward where I was pointing. Tears that ought to have dried up by now spilled from his eyes as he gazed at the large full moon, but perhaps simply looking at it was enough to calm his mind and body, as I saw his breathing settle down.

“Yeah...” he muttered.

“Do you remember what I said the first time we looked at the full moon together?” I asked.

“...”

“I told you once that I lost my way back then. I don’t remember it clearly, but I was left alone in a place so dark I couldn’t see anything at all... It was a story about how I shouted for someone to save me for hours in a place where there was no one...

"Do you remember it?” I asked.

“Yeah...” he answered.

As far as I could remember, I told him that a faint light appeared back then. When I looked up at the sky, there was a large moon like today, and it felt as though it was guiding me on where I had to go.

The truth was that I hadn’t actually been lost, and the twist was that the clouds had simply been covering the moonlight, making me think that I was lost. It was a short story meant as a buildup to convey a lesson to others on this continent about losing one’s way, but stories like these were really a matter of perspective.

To begin with, it made no sense for Yuriel to lose its way, as it had always been a sword.

Saying that it was buried in a warehouse somewhere was better, but...

‘When and where you use a story like this really matters.’

Even to myself, it felt a bit forced, but stories meant to steal the hearts of people like this always had to contain a little bit of fabrication.

“Actually...” I trailed off.

“...”

“...”

“Yeah?”

“You were that moonlight, Mr. Ji-Hoon,” I told him.

“

Huh?

”

“When I was trapped in that darkness, it was you who pulled me out,” I clarified.

‘What a beautiful story.’

“You said you might not be a hero...” I paused again.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

“

Ah.

”

“You said that you might not be a real hero. You said that you aren’t good at fighting, and you said that you aren't good at studying. You also said that you're afraid of going outside. You said you're an odd person who imagines punishing bad people with strange superpowers in hand. That’s what you told me,” I added.

“...”

“You said you probably never had the qualifications to be a hero,” I said.

“...”

“But from the very beginning, you were my hero. From the day you pulled me out of that darkness, showed me the world, and stayed with me, you have always been my hero,” I said.

“...”

“I never once thought that you weren’t a hero,” I told him.

‘Now you get it, right?’

“Of course... very occasionally, just very rarely, you did look a bit pathetic... but you were always my hero. I still believe in you. No, I’ll keep believing in you from now on. Because just like you shone your light on me, I believe you will shine it on others, too.

"Just like how you saved me, I believe you will save other people as well,” I explained.

‘He definitely seems like the type to like the word salvation.’

“I believe that if it is you, you’ll save this continent as well, just as you had saved me,” I added.

“...”

“...”

He hesitated briefly. For all I knew, it seemed he had accepted my story. In truth, since he had already built similar memories once as the Saint and the Hero, there was no real need for a different kind of memory.

What mattered was a single story that could bind together his confused mind and tangled thoughts. Sure enough, he nodded. As he looked at me with a serious gaze I had never seen before, I saw a certain resolve settling on his face.

“I...” Sung Ji-Hoon paused before continuing, “I-I’ll become the hero you want me to be. No matter what happens, I’ll become someone who can shine on the people like the full moon."

‘Yes, that is it. That’s exactly the kind of mindset you should keep running with.’

“I’ll become a great hero that you can acknowledge. I’ll become the kind of hero you see in novels,” he added.

‘No, don’t become the kind of hero you see in novels, please.’

“Then... then maybe someday you’ll come back. If I become a hero worthy of it, you might appear again someday,” he said.

“That’s...” I paused.

I tried to hint at a gentle denial, but then I thought that having this kind of hope was probably not a bad thing after all.

“Right,” I said.

“O-or if I end up saving the world, maybe the guys up there will grant me a wish or something. Then I’ll ask them to turn you back into a human,” he suggested.

“That would be incredibly hard, saving the world,” I commented.

“But you’ll be with me, so I can definitely do it,” he said.

“...”

“...”

“No matter what hardships I have to face, I can definitely do it because you’ll be with me,” he said.

“...”

“I’m scared and afraid, but I can definitely do it. Because you... you’ll be with me,” he said.

“...”

“I won’t cry anymore. I-I’m the hero you chose. There are more important things to do. From now on, I’ll never cry again,” he pledged.

‘Every single line is embarrassing.’

However, he looked sincere. He had been sobbing in a pitiful mess just moments ago, but now, it looked like he was making a heartfelt vow to himself. The promises he made before, the ones we shared as the Saint and the Hero, had helped bind him in place, but promises exchanged between the Holy Sword and the Hero were even more effective.

“I’ll stop Ryu Han and stop the war, just like you wanted,” he declared.

‘I never told you to stop Ryu Han, though.’

Spouting such cheesy lines was a little embarrassing, but at least it didn’t feel like something straight out of a melodramatic light novel. It felt like he was making a promise to himself.

“I’ll protect this place until I die, so no more meaningless blood will be shed,” he said.

‘That’s enough, damn it.’

“I promise you.”

Even though it was a promise destined to break, I could clearly feel that he had conviction. Even if the promise ended up shattering, his conviction would never waver.