I didn’t want to trust people.
I couldn’t trust them.
Depending on the position.
It was disgusting how humans changed based on their seats.
I hated humans who would throw away anything for themselves.
I hated the goddess who let the world fall apart like this.
Just before I turned my back on the world,
I met Rubia.
Rubia shone beautifully even in this dog-eat-dog world.
She kept moving forward even in difficult situations.
She encouraged me, who had given up on humanity and the world.
She embraced me, who was pathetic.
She became my only friend when no one else was left.
When everyone in the world called me ‘Shaman’, Rubia was the only one who called me ‘Rubia’.
A desire to trust people again sparked like a small flame.
If it’s a world where Rubia lives,
If it’s a world that this child loves,
I wanted to save it.
Even if I hated millions of humans.
If there’s a world where Rubia remembers me
And thinks of me,
Wouldn’t it have meaning to save it?
I looked at the adventurers gathered around the gate.
I looked at those I couldn’t believe, but wanted to trust.
And slowly,
To avoid any strange sounds, I cleared my throat and spoke.
“Adventurers! No matter what happens, we must maintain our formation. If we waver even a little, this entire village will be in danger. So please, I’m begging you. Don’t give up until the end. Protect the village.”
Voices of curses saying there’s nowhere to run, voices brimming with confidence that they’ll hold their ground, and voices trembling with fear were heard.
And a voice aiming for social status joined in.
Forcing a smile, I continued.
“I will take responsibility for your lives. So… you all must… prevent the past nightmare from happening again…”
I tried to speak strongly, but my voice ended up trembling.
Sighing deeply, I steadied my breath and opened my mouth again.
“I’m begging you.”
Finishing my words, I stepped forward.
Through the adventurers,
Passing by the gold-ranked adventurer at the front,
I pressed onward.
“I’ll take the lead.”
And, spitting out the words I hated the most, I unleashed my divine power at the thousands of beasts approaching me.
“Everything is for Erden.”
As soon as my words ended, the southern wall crumbled and the battle in the west began.
*
“Kid!”
As Heinzel’s voice rang out, I threw my body to the side.
At the same time, Heinzel’s unique ability was unleashed at my previous spot.
The halberd, swung through the air, tore apart dozens of goblins in one swoop.
“Are you crazy?! You’re trying to kill me!”
Ignoring my exclamation, the halberd swung again.
“Haha! If you can’t dodge this, you might as well not call yourself an adventurer!”
Oh, that foolish Heinzel.
Bald, shiny-headed Heinzel!
“Ugh… using your unique ability is cheating. Don’t count that…”
I brushed the dust off my head as I stood up.
“If you can’t handle it, why don’t you use yours too?”
“This… This…! Bald…!!”
I wanted to unleash some nasty words… but I held it in.
Calling him bald isn’t harsh, so that’s okay.
“I wonder what you’re doing to a kid half your age… Don’t go around saying we’re the same age, Heinzel. By the way, I think I’m in the lead.”
“Um, you’re the same age as me…? Nonsense…”
Despite the relaxed tone, Lucia, who was a mess, swung her sword furiously.
On the surface, her strikes looked light, but they cut down at least a dozen goblins.
In comparison, I…
“Ugh-!”
I had to put all my strength to kill three or four.
Why am I like this…?
Is it because my weapon is cheap…?
No… They say a master doesn’t blame their tools, so it’s not the equipment.
It’s… it’s because I lack a unique ability.
Just wait until time passes.
I’ll prove myself.
“If we go all out, I’ll win against Heinzel and Lucia because they’ll turn into bent old men.”
Ignoring the old men’s banter, I focused on the battle.
I slashed, tore, and broke without pause.
I continued fighting until I had formed a wall of goblin corpses around me.
As night fell, I swapped weapons for another great sword,
never ceasing my movements.
I ignored minor wounds, targeting only vital spots.
I moved not by Heinzel’s pace,
but by drawing out Lucia’s swordsmanship.
Without greed, one at a time.
When only one of the five great swords remained,
a massive surge of energy shot upwards from the west.
“Huh?”
It was Rubia’s divine power.
“That’s… the Shaman’s divine power… But what’s going on?”
Lucia stopped her actions, scratching her chin.
Likewise, Heinzel laid down his halberd and gazed up at the sky.
An unsettling feeling washed over me.
I swung my great sword widely, creating distance from the goblins and breaking free.
“Protect!”
“…Thanks.”
As Heinzel began his protection, I expanded my senses.
The first image that formed in my mind was…
Adventurers.
Dozens of adventurers.
Adventurers who should not be there.
I expanded my senses.
Adventurers.
Adventurers.
Adventurers.
Adventurers who fled.
Adventurers who fled, leaving Rubia behind.
Constantly.
The images formed in my mind.
I expanded my senses.
Monsters began to appear.
Numerous orcs.
Orcs numbering well into the hundreds started materializing.
People getting crushed, torn apart, eaten, or killed by orcs filled my mind.
I expanded my senses.
To the very end of the west.
To the place where adventurers were supposed to be.
Only then could I find Rubia.
Rubia, alone guarding the gate, appeared.
Her body was riddled with dozens of arrows.
A spear pierced her abdomen.
A blade lodged in her leg.
Teeth and claws punctured her body.
A twisted arm,
a broken leg,
A gaping wound bleeding from her side,
Rubia, who was staggering,
Yet still standing alone, blocking thousands of orcs,
That’s what I saw.
My head, which had been burning with rage, began to cool rapidly.
The shaking of my hand subsided.
The boiling emotions calmed down.
“The west has been breached. So… I’ll go.”
“… I see. Hurry up and handle it, then follow behind.”
“I’ll try to save as many villagers as I can, so don’t overdo it, kid. You should die only after buying a meal.”
Heinzel’s trivial joke somewhat calmed me.
“I’m going. See you later.”
I controlled my rough breathing.
I spat out broken teeth from my mouth.
Moistening my withered throat with blood, I sprinted toward Rubia.
I trusted Lucia and Heinzel, ignoring the monsters heading my way.
In the once peaceful Loholan, despair echoed.
The sticky sound of meat being ripped apart.
Screams that couldn’t become language.
A child’s cries.
The anger against the monsters.
The brutality of death.
All of it thudded against my eardrums.
But.
I must ignore it.
Covering my ears,
closing my heart,
I ran, thinking only of Rubia.
I trusted Heinzel and Lucia.
I smashed through the orc’s skull that blocked my path.
I tore through the goblin’s belly.
Pressing forward.
Just when the divine power visible to the west began to fade,
I arrived at the place where Rubia was.
I swung my great sword,
toward the monsters encircling Rubia.
Relentlessly.
Hoping for a path to clear,
hoping that Rubia would not falter.
I endlessly swung my great sword.
I lost track of how long I swung.
I lost track of how many I killed.
Screaming curses, I shouted Rubia’s name while moving forward.
Countless attacks from monsters rushed toward me.
Killing, killing, killing, and killing again.
Before I could think, my body moved.
No more pain was felt.
Ignoring defense, I thought only of attack.
I had to reach Rubia.
She must not break.
I cannot break here.
I picked up a fallen spear and stabbed.
I swung a club.
I hurled an axe.
I thrust a dagger.
Bursting hearts, biting out eyes, tearing flesh apart.
Then, when no more monsters were within reach,
Behind me lay hundreds of corpses stacked up.
And in front of me,
Rubia, who was staggering and bleeding.
“Rubia.”
“No, is that… Noah?”
Rubia’s shaking hand reached toward me.
I took a step forward and held Rubia’s hand.
“You’re… you’re so hurt… Aren’t you in pain? What… what is all this? Cuts on your cute face… Haah… I’m so upset…”
I trusted the adventurers.
I thought they wouldn’t let me down.
I thought they would hold on for sure.
Because the Shaman is here.
Because the villagers are behind us.
Because on the other side, only three people are struggling.
I thought that as humans, they would hold out.
“Are you okay? Can you see this? It’s slowly… healing. I’m not, not going to die. Until I die with Jong-eon… I’m not going to die, so Noah, don’t get hurt.”
The weak, trembling hand patted my head.
In the rasping voice, she worried about me.
Even as her body wobbled, she breathed divine power into me.
Every action of Rubia
scratched at my nerves.
“How… how are the villagers?”
I couldn’t answer.
“I see… then the adventurers…”
I stayed quiet.
“Haah… It’s my fault for trusting. My fault for being weak. Then… let’s hurry to save the villagers… They did nothing wrong.”
“Didn’t you hate humans?”
At my words, Rubia flinched.
“How did Noah know…?”
“But why are you worried about the villagers?”
My chest felt tight.
Frustration welled up.
“Why… why didn’t you run away?”
Before I knew it, a cold voice escaped me.
But Rubia answered with a warm tone.
“Behind me. Because Noah was there. If I run away… Noah would have a hard time, you know?”
“… What did I say.”
Rubia’s weak, trembling hand stopped.
The faltering voice regained strength.
The staggering body straightened up.
“Noah… you must not do that. You can’t fall apart like me.”
And then,
her warm hand.
her gentle voice.
The bittersweet yet sweet scent.
Everything of Rubia
wrapped around me.
“The world, the goddess made it like this. It’s not humans who did this. So… Noah, don’t let it happen. Please keep that light until the end.”
And with a tearful voice,
a voice that seemed ready to break at any moment,
she begged me.
“Please, let me save the world. Please be my guiding star. I’m begging you.”
I must not break.
I can’t collapse here.
I need to find Rubia’s hope.
Planting a belief in humanity.
A will to save the world.
With Rubia here.
And there’s an ‘Elixir’ in Lucia’s bag.
No matter what kind of accident happens, I won’t die, right?
So… let’s give it a try.
“Rubia.”
I pushed Rubia back and held her hand.
“Let’s go.”
“Go and see with your own eyes.”
I forcibly pulled her closer.
“See what I can do.”
And I locked eyes with her.
“Watch closely.”
