Monster.
A mutation born from the mixing of negative mana and living beings.
In the beginning, the race known as monsters did not exist.
However, when the Great Racial War occurred in the past, an enormous amount of mana collided. The once-pure mana became unstable as it mixed with countless thoughts born from the war.
This unstable mana changed many ecosystems, and among them, creatures transformed by the wicked energy came to be known as monsters.
Most of the monsters, influenced negatively, developed violent natures and began to attack all races indiscriminately.
Thus, the monster became a target that needed to be eradicated by all factions, except the demon race.
“Almost half of the novel was about Robin defeating the monsters.”
It is still quiet now, but since the Imperial Calendar 500, the moment the protagonist began to appear in the novel, calamity-level monsters have started to surface gradually.
Werewolves that eat people, the sky predator wyvern, gigantic minotaurs, and the abyssal kraken, among others.
Various monsters have threatened the Empire.
But I’m not worried at all because I know Robin and his companions will take care of them.
I just need to quietly watch from behind to see if the protagonist is doing well.
“Unnie. I found it.”
Lily, pointing in a direction with her hand. Looking that way, I spotted monsters with green skin.
Though they are monsters, they possess enough intelligence to use weapons. They were goblins.
Right now, Lily and I have entered the forest to exterminate the goblins as per Gorjan’s request.
When I said I wanted to teach Lily about combat experience, she immediately agreed without hesitation.
At first, Dania opposed, but through our persistent efforts, we managed to persuade her.
Now, we have encountered goblins while wandering in the forest.
“Can you do it, Lily?”
There were four of them, all holding blunt weapons.
If I stepped in, I could capture them in an instant, but this training is meant for Lily to gain practical experience.
Lily must do this herself.
“I’ll give it a try.”
Lily said as she pulled out the dagger she had bought at the weapon shop before starting out.
Holding the dagger tightly, she began to move stealthily through the bushes, and I crouched behind her, cautiously following her.
This is all just training. I had to ensure that Lily wouldn’t get hurt.
I kept my stance ready to jump out at any moment, and soon, we hid next to the goblins.
As Lily closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, a gray light enveloped the dagger.
Opening her eyes again, Lily lifted her feet off the ground and dashed forward—
“Kieeeek!”
She stabbed one goblin in the back of the head. The goblin let out a pitiful scream as it died.
Before the other goblins could realize what was happening, Lily swiftly moved to stab another one in the neck.
“Grrr…”
“Kieek!”
“Kyaak!”
As the remaining goblins started to grasp the situation, Lily turned to flee.
But the goblins were quicker than expected. One of them grabbed Lily’s wrist.
“Ugh…!”
As the last one swung its blunt weapon at the startled Lily—
BOOM—
It couldn’t finish its swing as my punch exploded the goblin.
The lower half of the goblin’s body crumpled helplessly onto the ground.
“Kiiik?”
One goblin, still unable to comprehend what happened, began to tremble when our eyes met.
“Kieeeeeek!!”
It threw its weapon to the ground and took off running in a panic.
“Are you okay, Lily?”
I turned my gaze from the fleeing goblin to Lily.
“Yes… thank you, unnie.”
Perhaps because she couldn’t handle it all on her own, Lily looked disappointed.
“You don’t have to be disappointed. You did well.”
I meant it.
Lily surely hadn’t gone through such experiences before.
Despite that, she managed to stealthily approach and stab the goblin’s vital point without hesitation.
I was rather surprised by the situation.
‘Is this… the talent of an assassin?’
Or perhaps…
“Hey Lily, have you ever killed anyone?”
“Wha?! Yes?!”
Lily gasped, taken aback to a degree that her tongue twisted.
“No, I just thought you killed it without hesitation… It’s not something people usually do.”
“Hehe… No?! It’s my first time.”
It seems it was simply a talent after all.
Then again, a cute and kind girl like her wouldn’t have killed anyone.
As if feeling somewhat uncomfortable, I patted Lily’s head.
“Really? You’re amazing, our Lily must be a genius.”
“Hehe…”
“By the way, Lily, you got caught by a goblin earlier, right?”
I quickly began the feedback.
“Yes…”
Lily gulped as if tense at my words.
I smiled to ease her tension and said.
“I’m not scolding you. I just want to help. Why do you think you got caught?”
“I… I was slow to react?”
“Mhm. That could be a part of it, but the fundamental issue is a lack of speed.”
Essential requirements for an assassin are stealth and speed.
While she had stealth, her still young body lacked speed.
“Should I do some running exercises…?”
“Pfft.”
I couldn’t hold back as I ruffled her hair at her cute suggestion.
Running is good, but she would have plenty of that once she gets into the academy.
“That method is an option, but a better way is to use mana.”
“Mana?”
“Yeah. But instead of enhancing your weapon, use it on your feet.”
Enchanting. A magic that imbues mana into objects to enhance them.
When applied to weapons like swords or spears, they transform into tools capable of piercing steel, and when bestowed upon body parts, they grant considerably increased strength.
“Want to try enchanting your dagger with mana?”
At my words, Lily closed her eyes and wrapped her dagger in gray mana.
“Can you move that mana to your feet now?”
“Um…”
At first, she looked flustered, but soon began to focus quietly again.
Slowly, the gray mana began to shift toward her arms.
“Ah…!”
But by the time it approached her body, the mana scattered like broken glass.
“It’s hard, right? It’ll probably take a bit to get used to.”
Moving mana freely requires intense focus.
Ordinary people would need months of training to master it.
‘But our Lily accomplished it in just a week!’
In the novel, she pondered how she could compensate for her speed, ultimately conceptualizing a method to cast enchantment on her legs for explosive speed.
Through a week of practice, she learned to imbue mana into her legs to move rapidly.
Hehe, our Lily is truly a genius.
The initial failure was natural.
To encourage her spirit, I intended to give her some praise.
“If it’s Lily, you could probably do it in a week—”
“I’ll give it another go, unnie.”
“Wha.. huh?”
Once again, Lily closed her eyes and bestowed mana upon her dagger.
Gradually, the mana began to shift, reaching up to her chest.
“Oh, Lily. You’re catching on quickly!”
“I’ll do it one more time.”
This time, the mana flowed down to her waist.
“One more time.”
Knees to shins.
And finally.
VROOOOM—
“I did it!”
Lily succeeded in infusing mana into her feet.
She stared at me with great joy.
“I did it, unnie!”
“…Oh?”
Wait, what?
How did she do it…?
Though I couldn’t believe it, gray mana distinctly shone beneath Lily’s feet, affirming reality.
What’s going on? Did I misread the novel?
The novel clearly stated that it took a week!
Yet now, it took Lily less than an hour to successfully move the mana!
An unbelievable difference.
‘Is this possible…?’
While I was bewildered by the impossible situation, Lily grabbed my arm and called out.
“Unnie!”
“Huh…?”
When I came to my senses, I saw Lily’s eyes, filled with a deep yearning.
“I told you I did it.”
“So… you really did it! Amazing, Lily!!”
“Just by words?”
“Uh… yeah?”
Did she want some kind of reward?
Lily looked at me as if anticipating something.
“Uh… should I give you a kiss?”
“A kiss is nice, but… please grant me a wish.”
Like before, she requested a wish.
“A wish? Hmm, should I? Do you have something you want?”
But Lily shook her head as if saying she didn’t.
“I’ll collect them until I become an adult.”
A somewhat chilling feeling emerged from Lily’s words.
‘Is it a wish that can only be granted when she becomes an adult?’
As I pondered what Lily’s wish might be, it conjured images of students who desperately wished to become adults before the possession.
Students waiting to stamp their ID at midnight to sneak into bars or clubs.
‘Could it be that Lily…?’
There aren’t any clubs here, but similar entertainment establishments do exist.
Surely, Lily wouldn’t be growing interested in such places?
No way.
I absolutely don’t plan to let Lily go to those kinds of places.
I could drink with her as much as she wanted, but I won’t stand by and watch her succumb to the path of indulgence.
“Lily… don’t go to too strange places, okay?”
“Huh?”
Lily looked at me, puzzled.
“What are you thinking? I don’t mean that. I just have a few things I want to ask you.”
Ah, if it’s something like that, then never mind.
Realizing that Lily wasn’t interested in such culture gave me a deep sigh of relief.
“If it’s like that, I’ll gladly help!”
With a smile, I said to Lily, who also returned a cute smile in response.
But little did I know at that moment,
If I had known what Lily intended to ask for with all those wishes she collected,
I wouldn’t have been smiling so cheerfully.
And so, upon returning from the goblin extermination,
Dania welcomed us with a smile.
“I’ve been waiting! Come in and have some food.”
Seeing Dania warmly greet me made something swell in my heart.
Before the possession, I wasn’t unhappy, but I lived a lonely life.
My mother passed away early, and my father raised me as if he had abandoned me.
Though I managed to get into college and find a decent job, my life remained solitary.
But now, things are different.
Though not by blood, there are those like Lily and Dania who treat me as family.
There was a warm home that embraced me, and I had the power to protect that place.
‘From now on, it’s really a happy life.’
Until the protagonist sees the ending of the novel, I just have to live here.
Lily will leave for the academy, but Dania will remain here.
While waiting for Lily to return someday, I just need to live well in this place.
Steeling my resolve, I stepped into the welcoming home.
*
Time passed quickly.
“It’s already been half a year.”
I muttered while sitting atop a monster’s corpse.
It had been half a year since I vowed to have a happy life.
The West had become a fairly agreeable city.
Though Drax was still a city of criminals, most of them had relocated to other areas, avoiding the West.
“What? You’re heading to the West? Are you insane?”
“Why? I heard the atmosphere there is nice.”
“Don’t you know there’s a monster who tears criminals apart there? North is a safer bet. I’m definitely not going there.”
This sort of rumor spread throughout Drax.
Well, it’s somewhat true. I’ve knocked out all the ones committing crimes here.
Thus, the West was gradually transforming into a lawless city devoid of crime.
During the time, I’d spent time with Lily, hunting down monsters threatening Drax.
Before I knew it, the townsfolk worshipped me like a guardian deity.
A lot has changed, but the most significant change has been—
“I’m home, unnie.”
Lily came back, carrying a monster far larger than her own body without a care.
Over the past six months, Lily has grown immensely.
Whenever I would share information from the novel with her, she would absorb it all like a sponge.
Each time that happened, we accumulated a wish.
‘If I gather just a bit more, will it be a hundred…?’
Having given up counting at some point, I told her to speak up if she wanted anything later, as it seemed I wouldn’t be able to fulfill them all.
She stubbornly refused.
“Not yet.”
I wasn’t sure what “not yet” implied, but since it didn’t concern me much, I brushed it off.
‘I’m sure she’ll handle it.’
As I gazed at Lily intensely, she looked back at me with a curious head tilt.
Lily was steadily getting stronger.
By hunting monsters almost every day, she must have amassed a wealth of experience.
In two years, if she keeps this up, she will probably be regarded as quite a capable individual at the academy.
And with that, Robin’s matters would likely become much easier.
“What are you thinking about, unnie?”
Lily approached and gazed at me.
“Just that time seems to be flying by.”
“Hehe. It’s because you’re with me.”
So cute.
I couldn’t help but ruffle her hair as she smiled widely.
Then, as we finished with the monster hunt and prepared to head home—
“Hera-nim!!”
I noticed a soldier rushing towards us in a panic from afar.
It was Charlson, one of the guards maintaining order in the West.
“What’s wrong? You’re in such a hurry.”
Charlson was drenched in sweat.
It appeared he had been looking for me for quite a long time.
As Lily and I stared at Charlson, puzzled,
“Hah… Hah… In the city… that person…!!”
“That person?”
He seemed still out of breath, struggling to articulate.
“The… hero is looking for you.”
“Who the heck is that?”
Out of impatience, I slipped into informal speech.
After taking a deep breath, he finally spoke.
“The hero of the Empire. Lady Athena is searching for you.”
……What?
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.