〈Chapter 100〉 Freira (1)
*
“So what’s the matter?”
It had been a while since I last visited Freira’s office after our last transaction.
Whether to call that an actual transaction, I’m not quite sure.
“I wanted to talk about the assignment you submitted last time.”
The assignment.
It was a rare case for a student to submit an assignment to a professor, but I had certainly handed one to her.
“Are you referring to finding out the objective?”
“Yeah, that.”
“Did you make any progress?”
She nodded.
Her response piqued my interest quite a bit.
I might finally learn about her objective that had never been revealed until now.
However, she crushed my expectations mercilessly.
“I still want to die.”
Her expression while saying that looked extremely serious.
It almost made me think that her only goal really was just to die.
As she mentioned before, ‘Demon Kings’ are beings that have lived for a very long time, even though there are differences among individuals.
Because of this, it’s often difficult to comprehend their thoughts through a human’s value system.
Maybe that’s why it was hard for me to understand her way of thinking.
“Seriously… is dying really all you want?”
“Yeah, if I think about it, I’ve wanted that from the start.”
The cheerful atmosphere we had during the afterparty had inexplicably turned icy.
She stood up and opened the drawer in her office.
And from inside, she pulled out a sword.
“Are you not gonna kill me after all?”
She held the sword out to me.
But I didn’t take the sword.
“Why me?”
“Well, I mean, it seemed like the right choice. If I’m going to die anyway, it’d be better to be killed by a future great hero.”
“If that’s the case, you could ask your former disciple instead of me…”
She shook her head.
“No, that guy would be wrong. You probably already know this, given your level of intel.”
She was right; I already knew.
The top two in the Hero Ranking are not playable characters.
However, they possess a strength level beyond what even playable characters can reach, and thanks to their presence, the Demon Kings can invade humanity without worrying.
But at the same time…
“Those guys could catch all the Demon Kings, yet they’re just sitting idle.”
They had suddenly ceased all activities and vanished.
Since then, the balance between the Demon Kings and humanity has remained intact…
But the movements of the Demon Kings to break that balance had already begun.
“But you’re different. You’ve already caught three Demon Kings and plan on clashing with them directly in the future.”
Her reasoning based on my actions was surprisingly accurate.
I was indeed trying to prevent that, and even thought about breaking the balance from my side.
If killing her would give me SP, it would surely be a substantial benefit.
“So please, kill me.”
She grabbed my hand and forced the sword into my grip.
“There’s no reason for hesitation anymore. The team mock battle is over, so my role has ended, and if I suddenly disappear, those who know my personality won’t suspect much.”
Everything she said was correct.
There was no reason for me not to kill her here.
If I swung the sword here, that would be the end.
“Then one last time, I’ll ask.”
I lifted the sword.
“Is your true objective really to die?”
She nodded.
“Yeah.”
Then there’s nothing I can do about it.
I swung the raised sword.
And then I confirmed it.
‘As expected.’
It was just as I thought.
“I’m not gonna kill you, so relax your face a bit.”
“Eh?”
I withdrew the sword that had been dangerously close to her neck.
“Who says someone aiming to die would have such a serious face?”
It was true that there was no problem with killing her.
But I didn’t really want to do it.
“But who doesn’t serious up when they’re about to die?”
“Libero was smiling right until the end. You even said you were inspired by his final moments.”
“That’s…”
So I pretended to behead her, testing if she could truly die with a smile.
However, that attempt was a failure.
“You’ve had too much to drink. To submit something like this as an assignment is ridiculous.”
I was also feeling tipsy.
But in this moment, I was more composed than ever.
“I won’t kill you until I know you can die with a smile.”
“What do you mean by that? You’re a hero, so you should have to kill a Demon King like me.”
“No, my goal isn’t just to kill a Demon King. That’s merely a step; my real objective is to prevent the destruction of the world.”
And…
I handed the sword back to her.
To which I said, “And what kind of Demon King touches relics casually?”
At the same time, there aren’t any Demon Kings who can access Saint City Hailen.
Is there an exception right before us?
No, there are no exceptions.
“Besides, you’re not a Demon King.”
I knew for sure.
Even if I killed her, I wouldn’t get the achievement for eliminating a Demon King, nor would I lose SP — I learned that through Sung Yoo-rang’s knowledge.
Upon hearing that, her expression turned flustered as she began to scrutinize me carefully.
And then she shook her head in disbelief as if saying, “How on earth did you figure that out?”
If I had to say how, it would be thanks to the memory of the Divine Seat.
But I didn’t want to bring that fact to light.
So I decided to play it cool for now.
“I was planning to keep you in the dark, but I feel like I need to reveal this now.”
In fact, the reason I first visited Freira was to take her hostage for this information.
If this were to come out, she would likely be abandoned by the Church too, as all the Demon Kings would turn against her, deeming her useless.
However, that became unnecessary due to her sudden outburst of wanting to be killed.
“But what does it matter if I’m not a Demon King?”
“Huh?”
“Ultimately, I’ve lived long enough like those Demon Kings, and I still want to die just the same.”
She was being stubborn.
I shook my head and spoke to her again.
“I don’t really care whether or not you’re a Demon King. It just seems that you still have some lingering attachments despite what you say.”
“Lingering attachments… that might be true. But I can’t figure out what it is. Maybe it’s because I’m not a Demon King. I’ve just managed to survive for a long time; I’ve never had a goal in my life.”
She had no goals in life.
Hearing that made me realize that the assignment I had given her in the first place was all wrong.
“Then I’ll change the assignment.”
Asking someone without any goals to find one was fundamentally flawed.
What she needed first was to create a goal.
“Like Libero, there may be unavoidable goals that arise due to circumstances. However, in most cases, goals are set by oneself.”
The only single instruction that this game has given me was to ‘become a hero.’
It was myself who rolled around trying to become stronger and set the goal of preventing the world’s destruction.
If my only aim were to become a hero, I wouldn’t be who I am now.
“I’ll set a new assignment for you. This time, instead of finding a goal, create one yourself.”
“Create one? But I can’t think of anything at all…”
“It doesn’t have to be a grand goal. Even people who don’t seek out something significant continue living life, valuing their remaining time. Just try recalling something you enjoy or something that made you feel fulfilled, no matter how small.”
It wouldn’t be an easy task.
Considering how long she had lived, she had likely tried most things worth trying while drifting aimlessly without a goal.
And perhaps that’s why she had ultimately arrived at the conclusion of death.
‘But if she succeeds in creating even one goal…’
I could save a single ‘person’s’ life.
At the very least, I could prevent her from dying meaninglessly.
“Something you enjoy… something that was fulfilling even just a bit?”
After muttering that for a while, she nodded as if she had understood.
“Got it. Then this assignment is my last one.”
That’s it.
Now it would depend on her.
That was the moment I let my guard down just a little.
“Yawn…”
The tipsiness began to creep back in, and I felt fatigued, possibly from being heckled by Elsie and Yusera earlier.
It seemed like I should head back soon.
“Then I guess I’ll be going now…”
My wrist was grabbed.
It seemed almost impossible to escape from her surprisingly strong grip.
So there was no choice but to resolve this with words.
“Hey, didn’t we finish our discussion?”
“I have one answer related to the assignment I want to test out, and I’d really like to try it.”
Did she already come up with an answer?
She was far more proactive than I thought.
Of course, it would be great if her assignment was resolved through this, but the word ‘test’ made me feel a bit uneasy.
“A test?”
“I thought of something while considering what I enjoyed.”
She opened the drawer while keeping me parked in that spot and pulled out several bottles of alcohol instead of a sword this time.
I questioned whether a professor should have a bunch of alcohol shoved in an office drawer, but given that I had already seen the sword come out from the top drawer, I couldn’t scold her too much.
“I actually really enjoy drinking.”
Well, she did look quite happy during the barbecue party earlier.
But I was unsure if I had an obligation to join her in this.
“Can’t you just drink alone?”
“Drinking alone doesn’t taste as good.”
Well, I have memories of Sung Yoo-rang whose everyday life was all about drinking alone, so I couldn’t quite empathize.
But that’s something that must vary by person.
“Just stay here with me while I drink in front of you. As the person giving the assignment, that should be fine.”
No, I’m not quite sure if drinking fits as a life goal.
But I didn’t want to deter her, given that she was finally showing some zeal.
One day won’t hurt.
So I reluctantly walked over and sat on the sofa opposite her in the office.
She poured alcohol into a cup that she had brought.
The problem was there were two cups.
“I thought you said I didn’t have to drink?”
“Isn’t it fine for a first toast? Let’s toast.”
Well, one cup should be fine.
In the quiet office, unlike the barbecue, the sound of glasses clinking echoed.
And then, I lost consciousness.
*
“What the hell…”
Professor Sigritt of Swordsmanship Class 1 had been replaying the mock battle that occurred in the daytime repeatedly in his mind.
The candidate students of Team 1-A were surrounding him from all sides, and among them were an Archer and a Magician.
In a typical case, one could say the outcome had already been determined.
But this time, it was different.
As soon as the three Knights rushed in after the Spearman was shot and killed, the Archer swiftly subdued two of the three.
It was such a fleeting moment that without replaying it multiple times, it would’ve been hard to even understand what happened.
‘First, eliminate one Knight with an arrow.’
Considering this kid’s specialty was close-range shooting, it seemed plausible.
But that only applied if the opponent was a regular Knight.
He had instructed the candidates under his guidance to mix paint while facing Sung Yoo-rang.
When Sung Yoo-rang’s arrow pierced the Knight’s forehead.
He started to suspect that one of his students did not follow the instructions.
But after several replays, he was certain that they did indeed mix paint.
‘Then this kid accurately discerned the paint.’
He had anticipated that the attack would come in the form of a thrust rather than a slash.
That alone was hard enough to believe, but what happened next was even more absurd.
Sung Yoo-rang had deflected the arrow with his sword.
Of course, such an action wasn’t impossible.
Given that the properties of the hero’s arrow made from iron could allow for such use, it had been sufficiently studied.
However, what mattered was the power of the attack that was deflected.
‘He wasn’t entirely unscathed, but he minimized damage to a miraculous degree.’
After deflecting it, he didn’t create distance but charged right in, preparing to sink an arrowhead into his opponent’s neck.
It looked like he was even considering the enemy rushing in behind him.
Another noteworthy aspect was his excessive calmness.
‘That’s not a typical candidate’s movement.’
Before this mock battle, he had assumed that since Sung Yoo-rang was just a candidate, he would lack combat experience.
But witnessing how fiercely he fought, he had to amend that judgment.
‘In terms of practical experience, he might even be above some of the current heroes.’
To amass that level of experience, he must have been actively involved before enrolling in this Hero Academy.
Yet he had never heard of such an Archer.
And it was somewhat natural.
‘It’s clear that this kid wasn’t always an Archer.’
He had been someone more focused on engaging in close combat.
And there were also signs that could indicate the type of weapon he used.
‘He aimed to eliminate the Spearman first.’
This suggests he found Spear combat harder to deal with compared to Swordsmanship.
Hence, one could infer that the weapon he had used was a sword.
And when you put all of this together…
‘There’s only one person that comes to mind who had recently shown such active accomplishments.’
But it was difficult to comprehend.
After all, there would be no reason for someone with such achievements to re-enroll in the Hero Academy, let alone change their primary weapon.
‘If there was a reason, then it’d be a secondary identity.’
If that were the case, it would make sense.
Even if he suspected he was aware, it would be wise not to reveal it.
The opponent was a budding hope for humanity.
Moreover, he himself had felt that capability firsthand while facing him.
However, his concern lay elsewhere.
‘Did Freira take him in knowing that?’
There was no doubt in that.
With Freira’s abilities, she would have likely noticed his identity from the moment she laid eyes on him.
The fact that she took him in meant…
‘I thought things had quieted down for a bit.’
He clenched his fist till it hurt.
There was now a reason to meet Sung Yoo-rang as soon as possible.
‘I can’t let this go my way.’
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