Chapter 307. Merak (2)

No one had expected Alice Ho Lactea’s visit, but Eval thought he could use this opportunity. Although he had joined Seven Stars with great reluctance, he wanted to do a proper job now that he was part of the group. His goal was to make Seven Stars the most influential faction among the human factions on Liber. It wasn’t an unreachable dream, but had a good possibility of becoming true.

Of course, he didn’t think it would be an easy task since there would be many worthy competitors. Among them, he thought the Ho Lactea would become the greatest obstacle in their pursuit to reach the goal. But contrary to these expectations, the Ho Lactea admitted defeat before they even clashed. Although he had originally planned to form positive relationships with the other Celestial Lights and isolate the Ho Lactea, this changed things. In military terms, it was as if a superior had joined hands with their superior.

And with this reunion, they could crush groups like the Afrilith and Eustitia if they wanted to. Now that his strategic plan had been overturned like this, Eval needed to rethink things.

“No, I don’t need to formulate a new strategic plan.” Eval smirked. Other groups had probably already received news about Alice Ho Lactea’s visit. They were probably anxiously wondering what Chi-Woo’s group would do from now on. And it was up to them whether they would stand resolute by themselves or come seeking an alliance with them like Ho Lactea.

***

As Eval expected, there was a great buzz inside the Afrilith headquarters because of the news that Ho Lactea visited the Seven Stars. The Seven Stars were recognized to have led the successful conquest of the Hala Forest, so it was even more startling. Apoline, who had already proclaimed herself as Choi Chi-Woo’s future wife, was enraged to hear the news. She had been wondering whether she should visit Chi-Woo, or if Chi-Woo would visit her first, and was stunned to hear that the fox from the Ho Lacteas had taken the first step. Her subordinates were busy appeasing her.

But unlike Afrilith, the Eustitia side was unexpectedly quiet. Rather than a commotion, there seemed to be hushed murmurings as a foreboding atmosphere surrounded the space. Still, the meeting between Ho Lactea and Seven Stars was also a hot topic there. There were rumors that Alice went to Seven Stars’ headquarters in person and came out of the building while jumping up and down in glee. Everything must have gone according to her wishes. Thus, one would think members of Eustitia, especially Emmanuel, would respond passionately to this news too, but for some reason, he remained silent. He showed no response and had been holing up in his room ever since he came back from the Hala Forest expedition.

“Tch. What in the world is he doing? He left the job to us, but never shows up anywhere. It’s not like he’s wandering around busily either…”

“These days, I am starting to regret joining this group. I only joined out of trust in Eustitia's name…”

Thus, the members of Esutitia were raising their complaints more and more, yet there were still some who trusted Emmanuel.

“Don’t be like that. This is Eustitia we’re talking about. I’m sure he is thinking of something.”

Contrary to their expectations, though, Emmanuel truly hadn’t been doing anything. He simply stared into space while lying on the bed. Of course, he knew that this wasn’t the right thing to do. Yet…

[How pathetic.]

Emmanuel could hear his father’s voice ring in his ears.

[Don’t go around saying that you are a Eustitia.]

[How in the world did such a defective child come from our family?]

Even his siblings’ voices trailed behind his father’s. Emmanuel made a bland smile. He recalled a memory he didn’t really want to remember, but he didn’t feel much because he had heard them so many times since his youth. Emmanuel simply stared at the ceiling and turned to his side on his bed. Just staring into space seemed to trigger the memories, and Emmanuel closed his eyes.

[You pitiful boy.]

Yet this time, the old dingo’s voice also rang in his ears.

[You came to this place not knowing it was your deathbed… No, were you pushed into it? Tch!]

These were the words he had heard as soon as he entered the room where the old dingo was. He didn’t know who this dingo was, but he was surprised that she knew the truth. It all started with a meeting with his family. They said that the Eustitias also needed to send at least one member for the selection process of recruits to be deployed to Liber. Since all the other families, including the Ho Lacteas, were sending one of their own, they couldn’t stand and do nothing when they were one of the top Celestial Lights. As expected, no one volunteered. Even though the situation had improved a bit, Liber was still a world even the legend failed to fix.

What would happen if they were chosen in the selection process and really had to go to Liber as a recruit? There would be no turning back then. There were many other places to go to, and no one wanted to go to a place with the worst survival rate to simply die. It was a very human reason for a family made up of pure human blood. The opinions of the elders were similar. Every one of their family members was precious reinforcement that they didn’t want to waste. Thus, they wanted to do the least while not losing face, and thus, they naturally thought of the one black sheep ‘they wouldn’t care in the slightest even if he died or disappeared the next day.’

Though there wasn’t much to Emmanuel, he had a thorough lineage and was perfect to use as a throwaway card. And though no one outrightly pressured him, Emmanuel clearly felt that everyone in his family wished for him to enter the selection process for Liber. Thus, he said he would go. That was the first time Emmanuel was treated as a true member of the Eustitia family. Elders had visited him personally, saying that he really was a son of the Eustitia family, and that they would give him ample support. Even his father—the head of the family, who usually never gave him any attention, spoke to him then.

[…Since you were born, you are finally doing something useful.]

Perhaps it was fine for the head of the family to say this, but these were words that a parent should never say to their child. Nevertheless, that was how Emmanuel joined the selection process and became a recruit. Though he hadn’t expected much, Emmanuel was surprised by the news. A part of him was worried, but when he first arrived at Liber, Emmanuel was full of dreams. It was the first time he received such good treatment from his family, and furthermore, the Celestial Realm’s orb judged that he was suitable to enter Liber.

Emmanuel imagined what would happen if he went to Liber like this and helped save it. What would happen if he returned to his family after that? The thought of it made him smile, and his body trembled. He didn’t care if it was childish of him to dream such fantasies. As someone who had been disregarded for so long, he wanted attention more than anyone else, and thus, his entrance into Liber was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him. An opportunity to prove himself and show his family that he wasn’t a useless defect, but someone useful.

And things hadn’t been so bad in the beginning. He was able to get ahead of everyone else thanks to the merits he got from his family, and when he revealed that he was a Eustitia, people naturally followed him. It was the first time Emmanuel had felt this level of respect. And as Emmanuel continued forth like that, he began to have hope that his dreams might really come true—at least that was before he participated in the expedition at the Hala Forest.

At the Hala Forest, Emmanuel had felt his weakness to the core. But perhaps he could’ve overcome that since there were others who hadn’t been able to do anything like him. And the one who had done all the work wasn’t from any other family, but the youngest of the Chois and the brother of the legend. Though they were both humans, he was able to accept that Chi-Woo was stronger than him since he came from a background that was on a whole different level than him.

[You should’ve feigned ignorance and hung on. What did you come here for?]

[I can see it. There’s the smell of death all around you.]

[I understand why you came…but you also know why things are difficult for you.]

[It’s so cruel. I don’t really know where the place you came from is, but I can’t believe they pushed a young one like you over. It astonishes me the more I think about it. The other hero at least came for a sibling, but this guy…]

Emmanuel felt irked hearing the old dingo’s words. He wanted to yell at the dingo asking what she knew, flip his chair over, and walk out of the room. But he knew better than anyone else that the old dingo was speaking the truth. Thus, he asked what he could possibly do to not die and achieve what he dreamed of. The old dingo didn’t speak for a long time.

[Ha…]

After a long sigh, she clicked her tongue.

[I feel like you’re bearing a burden you don’t really need to bear, but… Since nothing in the world is definite, I will tell you. Perhaps it would help lessen that load on your shoulders.]

The old dingo murmured to herself and cleared her throat. Then she said:

[Stick to the one who can save you. An opportunity won’t come rolling your way if you stand still. Even if the person doesn’t want to and looks discomforted, hang onto them with all your might. That’s the only way a guy like you can live.]

Emmanuel didn’t know what the old dingo meant exactly. Thus, he asked for clarification, and the old dingo snorted.

[Is there even a need to ask when you have witnessed his power in person?]

It was then a person came to Emmanuel’s mind. It was the man he had been thinking about on his way here.

[The one waiting outside should’ve died a couple times since coming to this world as well, but it was thanks to sticking close to that one man that he lived.]

[If you don’t believe me, why don’t you go talk to him? Have a good conversation between the two of you.]

If what Emmanuel thought was right, he knew who this old dingo was talking about. Thus, after going outside, Emmanuel organized his thoughts and sought out Ru Amuh.

[I’m Eustitia’s Emmanuel.]

[…I’m Ru Amuh.]

Ru Amuh was the one who clung to Chi-Woo first.

[I know your name. I have heard about it from time to time.]

Yes, how could he forget? It was the hero he had heard his parents and siblings compare him to many times before.

[I heard that a hero named Ru Amuh solved a star-cluster crisis and received privileges…]

[It’s really incredible considering that he is a hero with an ordinary background. How pitiful. If that guy were my son rather than Emmanuel…]

Emmanuel planned to hide the fact that he already knew of him, but it couldn’t be helped given the situation, and the old dingo did tell him to share a private conversation with the person he assumed to be Ru Amuh.

[I would like to discuss something with you in private. Could you follow me?]

That was why he had asked Ru Amuh to move elsewhere for a private duel. Though Ru Amuh had looked taken aback by this request, he accepted it easily.

“…” In the end, Emmanuel lost. Even though he had been called a ‘defective product’ since his youth, he was raised as one of the members of the Celestial Light. He had made a name for himself, while Ru Amuh was still a hero with an ordinary background; and yet Emmanuel had lost grip of his sword without being able to put up a proper fight. He still couldn’t forget the way Ru Amuh looked down at him after sheathing his sword.

“…Kuh!” Recalling that incident made his insides boil again. He knew that Ru Amuh hadn’t done anything wrong, but every time he recalled the incident, he couldn’t help but shake all over. In the end, Emmanuel couldn’t endure all the thoughts in his head and got up.

“Ah!” He met eyes with the person who was trying to put a blanket over him. It was one of the members of his group who became his follower after seeing his family name. He must have come to his room without Emmanuel noticing.

“I’m sorry. I was just worried because you never came out of your room… I didn’t know you were sleeping…”

“…”

“…And…” The group member hesitated, but tried to carry on given all the group members’ complaints had reached the highest point now.

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“I don’t know if you know this, but…not long ago, a group called Seven Stars…” The group member quickly spoke while glancing at Emmanuel, but stopped when Emmanuel suddenly flinched.

“Captain?”

Then Emmanuel got up and jumped off his bed. He opened the door roughly and went outside with a determined look on his face.

***

Chi-Woo looked intently at Emmanuel. Besides the fact that Emmanuel had visited him all of a sudden, his condition didn’t appear good at all. Chi-Woo remembered Emmanuel as a man who could rival Ru Amuh in handsomeness and had a noble air about him. Yet the man before him looked like a complete slob with greasy hair and sunken eyes rimmed with shadows. The reason for that was probably what happened at the Hala Forest.

‘No...of course you could be sad about that…but he’s a hero. How could that put him in such a state…?’ Chi-Woo thought, not knowing what had happened between Emmanuel and the old dingo and Ru Amuh. Nevertheless, Chi-Woo waited for Emmanuel to reveal his reason for the visit. Emmanuel spoke after a long silence.

“Teacher…how is your relationship with your family members?” Emmanuel said, using the title that brought uncomfortable pressure to Chi-Woo a bit. Chi-Woo was a bit stunned at the unexpected question. Why was Emmanuel suddenly asking about his family relationships?

“Mine is not very good.” It appeared Emmanuel didn’t really ask the question to get an answer. He raised his hand, and sparks sputtered from his fingertips as bluish electric currents formed.

“This is the Heavenly Drum. It’s a power that allowed the Eustitias to join the ranks of the other Celestial Lights as mere humans. I suppose you already know this…”

Chi-Woo recalled Emmanuel using this power at the Hala Forest before. There had been lightning sparks charging at the queen, but in the end, the queen came out the more amazing by withstanding such attacks.

“As long as someone has the Eustitia blood running through their veins, they can instinctively use this power from birth. Of course, there are individual differences on how well one can utilize this power, but…” Emmanuel trailed off and clenched his fist. Then he said, “I’m embarrassed to say that I can’t wield this power very well. That was the reason why I was treated like a stain on the family.”

Chi-Woo frowned. He was sorry to hear this, and Emmanuel made a bitter smile seeing Chi-Woo’s response.

“I don’t…really resent them. My parents, the other adults, and even I didn’t give up on myself in the beginning.” He wasn’t ostracized from the very beginning. As someone who had been born from a direct lineage, he received all sorts of attention and expectations at his birth.

“Honestly, I can’t use even half the Heavenly Drum power that has been passed down through the Eustitia bloodline.” He didn’t know the reason why. He was able to use 100 percent of the power when he first awakened the Heavenly Drum, but for some reason, the strength that he could harness dropped as he got older. And it wasn’t like his family didn’t do anything as his power lessened. They brought in great masters, collected all sorts of medicine said to help bring out the Heavenly Drum, and even used the family’s secret resources to revive his power. Yet the strength of his Heavenly Drum continued to drop from 100% to 70-80%, and eventually, to below 50%.

“It’s under 40% now. Who knows how much lower it would get from now on,” Emmanuel said.

“…”

“In the end, we concluded that the problem was me. After trying all sorts of things, I alone was deemed responsible.” After trying possibly everything, it didn’t seem like his condition would get fixed with medicine or discipline alone. He was the problem, it appeared. And when this conclusion was reached, Emmanuel was officially marked as a defective product. Emmanuel looked a bit relieved to spill all this since it was his first time revealing his story to somebody else. He licked his lips for a while and spoke cautiously again, “To tell you the truth, I knew of your existence before, sir. Way before I even came to Liber.”

“You knew about me?”

“Yes. Choi Chi-Hyun’s brother. I thought the brother of the legend would’ve had quite a hard time,” Emmanuel replied.

Yet that wasn’t really the case. The Chi-Hyun he remembered was the older brother lying in front of the TV in a running shirt and scratching his thighs.

“I thought perhaps you didn’t reveal yourself because you were afraid of being compared to your brother…and there was a time when I sympathized with you.”

Chi-Woo thought it was interesting how Emmanuel had interpreted his situation. Though that wasn’t what really happened, who knew how other people would interpret a famous person’s behavior in their heads? Chi-Woo recalled Eval making the point repeatedly.

“Of course, after I came back from the Hala Forest expedition, I realized that all of that had been simply my delusions.” The battle between the queen and Chi-Woo’s divine state had been jaw-dropping. As soon as Chi-Woo revealed his true powers, he crushed an enemy who everyone had been struggling with. It had been an overwhelming victory, and this experience made him realize why people considered the Choi family above the Ho Lacteas, who always proclaimed to be the best. It made him surprised, envious, and a little bit jealous. In some ways, they were in the same positions, but Chi-Woo managed to achieve things comparable to his brother rather than tainting his family’s name. What Chi-Woo displayed was what Emmanuel dreamed to be.

“You were probably really surprised when I spoke to you last time. I think I was too desperate at the time when I think about it.” That was why he clung to Chi-Woo and begged on his knees for Chi-Woo to teach him how he can be just as strong.

“But I was really being genuine, and my heart hasn’t changed since then,” Emmanuel said. His eyes were shining with determination. “…Please.” He got up and placed both his hands on the table. “Help me.” Thump. Then he bowed until his head touched the table. Chi-Woo saw clear desperation in Emmanuel’s behavior and looked at him with his arms crossed. He thought about it deeply and realized that something about him had changed.

Before, he would’ve empathized with Emmanuel after hearing his story and treated him genuinely. Perhaps he would’ve said a few words of encouragement. But that wasn’t the case now. The first thing he thought was, ‘…So what?’ He wondered why Emmanuel was even telling him all this. And seeing this man, who had exhausted all his options and was coming to him for help, Chi-Woo wondered how he could use Emmanuel to the advantage of Seven Stars. Perhaps spending so much time with Eval Sevaru had influenced his way of thinking.

‘Is this how one becomes a hero…?’ Chi-Woo thought. Eventually, he shook his head and got rid of unnecessary thoughts. Truthfully, he knew why Emmanuel came to see him from the beginning. He could make Emmanuel’s wish a reality, but nothing was free in this world. Chi-Woo thought he should first check Emmanuel out before making his judgments and opened his Spirit Eye. He also didn’t forget to use The Power to Rule the World either.

“?” Chi-Woo blinked fast. No matter how much he clenched his chain, there was no response.

‘What?’ No message popped into the air. ‘What’s wrong?’ This had never happened before, so Chi-Woo was stunned by what was happening and put more force into his grip. Then he felt like he was forcefully piercing through something that was blocked. Psssh!

Fierce sparks flew out and disappeared. The color was different from the Heavenly Drum that Emmanuel demonstrated before.

“Huh?” Emmanuel raised his head in surprise at the sudden disturbance. Chi-Woo had instinctively raised his arms and looked away from the sparks before turning back to face Emmanuel. A description box that hadn’t been there just a moment before appeared in the air.

‘…What?’ Chi-Woo glanced at the screen, and his eyes narrowed.