엔딩메이커

“Ah.”

She slowly opened her eyes and let out a blank voice.

Because she was actually in a stupor.

“…lia…?”

She heard a voice in her ear, but she couldn’t understand it properly because her
head was in a daze.

As her blurred vision gradually turned clear, Cordelia blinked a few more times.

“…ss?”

The voice became more audible. At the same time, Cordelia felt thirsty. Her mouth
was dry, and it was difficult to swallow her saliva.

“Haa.”

She let out her breath after she groaned.

Her vision still felt cloudy, but she could somehow see ahead of her.

An unfamiliar ceiling.

But it wasn’t completely unfamiliar. She felt like she had seen something similar to it.

The ceiling had a flashy and luxurious feeling.

Where did I see it?

Duke Spencer’s mansion?

My room in the royal palace?

“Miss! Can you hear me?!”

The voice.

Cordelia shifted her blue eyes and saw.

The teary-eyed Dahlia was beside her.

“Dahlia…?”

As soon as she spoke while struggling a bit with her pronunciation, a response came
back.

“Yes, Miss. It’s me. It’s Dahlia. Are you awake? Are you okay?”

Cordelia nodded a few times at the other’s fervent response. Frankly, she was still in
a daze and didn’t know what was happening, but she didn’t want to worry Dahlia.

“Wate…”

“Water? Please wait, Miss. I’ll give it to you right away.”

Dahlia immediately answered at the words she mumbled, and after raising Cordelia’s
upper body halfway up, she grabbed a cup with her empty hand.

“Here it is, Miss. Slowly. Slowly.”

Cordelia still had a blank face because she didn’t have much strength in her body, so
Dahlia brought the cup to Cordelia’s lips and tilted it slowly, and Cordelia closed her
eyes and drank the water like a baby.

Slowly but steadily.

“Fuuaa.”

After drinking all the water, Cordelia opened her eyes again. Although she was still
lacking in energy, she felt a bit refreshed when she moistened her dry throat.
“Ah… uh…”

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes…”

“I’ll lay you down again. Slowly.”

Dahlia gently whispered and laid Cordelia down very carefully, and Cordelia opened
her lips after closing her eyes tightly.

“Ah.”

Aaaaah.

Huuu.

She felt like the water she had just drank was circulating in her body.

Her blurred vision finally became clear.

“Dah… lia?”

“Yes, Miss. It’s Dahlia.”

Dahlia grabbed Cordelia’s hand and smiled with a tearful face.

Since she was a knight, Dahlia’s hands were rough but warm.

Cordelia somehow felt better and grinned, and she soon realized.

Dahlia’s hand.

What about Jude’s hand then?

“Jude?!”

Cordelia became conscious and shouted, sitting up and reflexively raising her right
hand.
Her hand had always held Jude’s hand, but it was alone now.

“Jude.”

She remembered it.

She recalled it.

The last situation before she lost consciousness.

After all sorts of hardships, they defeated the Lord Protector and then she talked
with Jude with their eyes.

They threw up blood and fell into a deep sleep while holding each other’s hands.

And now.

She didn’t see Jude. That fact made Cordelia very worried.

“What about Jude? Where is Jude? Is Jude okay?”

As she poured out words and tried to get out of the bed, Dahlia hurriedly stretched
her hands and pressed on Cordelia’s shoulders.

She said as she softly smiled to reassure her.

“Lord Jude is okay too. He’s resting in another room now.”

“Another room?”

“Yes, another room. Please don’t worry since Maja is taking care of him.”

“Maja.”

Jude’s exclusive maid.

A person who was not just a servant for Jude, but was like a real sister to him.

“Haa.”
Cordelia let out her breath, and Dahlia asked as she carefully laid her down again.

“Have you calmed down?”

“Eh? Yes. Uh-huh.”

From her answer, it seemed like she had not yet completely calmed down, but Dahlia
was satisfied for now. She held Cordelia’s hand and continued.

“He’s really okay. So please don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

Because Dahlia never lied.

Moreover, Jude had absorbed the Sphere of Life and boasted about it whenever he
had a chance. He was a guy with a regenerative ability that was better than
Cordelia’s, so he should be fine and not in poor health.

“Haa.”

That’s a relief.

I’m really, really glad.

Cordelia sighed in relief again before she turned her eyes and looked at Dahlia.

“Is Dahlia okay?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Dahlia was also in the grand banquet hall.

“I’m okay. Count Chase protected everyone.”

“Father?”

“Yes, not only did he support with his magic the palace that was destroyed, but he
also defeated the zombies and traitors. Without the count, many people would have
died or be injured by the collapsing palace.”

At Dahlia’s explanation, Cordelia slightly smiled.

Because she was proud of her father.

“But you’re not hurt anywhere, right?”

“Yes, I’m not. So please don’t worry about me.”

“Okay, I won’t be worried.”

When Cordelia faintly smiled, Dahlia also brightly smiled.

“By the way, Dahlia.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Two full days.”

“Eh?”

Cordelia was surprised and unconsciously asked again.

Two days?

Not half a day or a day, but two days?

“Yes, I’ve been worried about you not waking up for two days. Everyone around me
said that it was fine because you were so tired that you fell into a deep sleep, but…
But it’s not normal to sleep for two days straight.”

“Indeed.”

Cordelia nodded her head and looked back at herself.

She was wearing a white and loose dress that seemed comfortable and resembled a
patient’s clothing.

“Let me check for a moment.”

Cordelia briefly said and closed her eyes, checking out her body’s condition.

By lightly circulating her mana, she was able to know her condition.

‘My mana has been exhausted.’

Perhaps when she released that last divine lightning, all the mana in her body was
released too.

Add to that was her physical fatigue, so it was understandable for her to sleep for
two days.

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine now.”

It wouldn’t originally take two days of sleep to recover her depleted mana, but it
seemed to have somehow recovered due to the increase in her angel rank.

“Dahlia, what about the others?”

She was not only worried about Jude.

There were a lot of people she was worried about too.

To the extent that she didn’t know who she should ask about first.

At Cordelia’s somewhat awkward question, Dahlia replied with a smile.

“I’ll tell you about the royal family first.”

“Okay.”

They were the most important people in this fight.

“His Majesty The King and the three queens are all safe. Crown Princess Daphne,
Prince Dion, and Princess Darianne are also safe.”

Cordelia breathed in relief at Dahlia’s statement.

In fact, she wanted to slightly question if Crown Princess Daphne was really fine
since her right hand was cut off, but it wasn’t life-threatening anyway, so it was good
news to her.

‘She’s royalty, so she can have it reattached with healing magic.’

Her severed hand was surely at the scene.

“What about father? I mean, my father.”

Instead of immediately answering Cordelia’s question, Dahlia laughed ‘Ufufu’ before

she furtively smiled and teased her.

“Miss, your father? Or his father?”

“F-father is father, whyyy?”

Dahlia giggled as Cordelia responded with a slight blush on her face.

T/N: The father part here is a wordplay in the formal and informal ways of calling your
dad in Korean. ‘Abeoji’ is the informal/casual way of calling your own dad. ‘Abeonim’ is
the formal way of calling your own dad, but it is also used to refer to a friend or
someone else’s dad.

So when Cordelia asked, ‘what about father?’, she used the formal ‘abeonim’ but
corrected it later to the informal ‘abeoji’, which is ‘my father’ because she was only
referring to her own father. But Dahlia teasingly asked Cordelia if she was referring to
Jude’s dad (because ‘abeonim’ could be used to refer to someone else’s dad or your
father-in-law) or her own father (Count Chase). Dahlia used both ‘abeonim’ in her
question of ‘your father or his father’.

Dahlia was subtly teasing Cordelia if she was only interested in Jude’s father because
of Jude, even though Dahlia knew that Cordelia was only referring to her own father.
Cordelia replied that she was only interested in her own father, but that blush on her
face hinted that she understood what Dahlia was teasing her about.
“Miss.”

“Why?”

“Can I pinch your cheek? You’re so cute that I want to pinch it.”

“No.”

“Why? Because it belongs to Lord Jude?”

“Yes- NO! Why are you mentioning Jude!”

“You asked about his father, right? And you unconsciously answered ‘yes,’ right?”

“No, I did not, okay? My cheeks are mine, okay? It doesn’t belong to Jude, okay?”

“Then, can I pinch it?”

“No! Why aren’t you listening to me!”

As Cordelia became annoyed, Dahlia chuckled again.

“Miss is so cute.”

“Dahlia is not cute at all.”

“Really? Is that really true?”

“Ueueue… Why are you doing this to me? Why?”

Cordelia asked if she was crying, Dahlia replied with a smile.

“Because I like miss so much. Plus, you’re so cute. It’s not my fault but my lady’s fault
for being cute, okay? Who said that you can be so cute?”

“Dahlia has become weird.”

What’s wrong with you today?

When Cordelia was at a loss on what to do, Dahlia giggled for the last time before she
corrected her expression.

“Anyway, this is enough… let’s go back to the main point. Does miss like me too?”

“I hate Dahlia.”

“I like my lady.”

She had been really worried for the past two days.

So she was really happy to see Cordelia open her eyes.

Dahlia continued as she stroked Cordelia’s hands.

“Both Count Bayer and Count Chase are safe. They both did very well in this
incident.”

Count Bayer defeated First Sword, one of the traitors, and Count Chase saved
everyone in the grand banquet hall.

A catastrophe would have occurred if neither of the two were there.

“Haa… That’s a relief.”

Because her father-in-law was safe.

She was honestly worried since First Sword was his opponent.

“Because Count Bayer is strong. It seems like he wasn’t overwhelmed at all by First
Sword… that traitor, I’ll rip him into shreds.”

Dahlia’s voice was mixed with various emotions.

When she talked about Count Bayer, she was proud of him as if he had already
become a family member of theirs, and when she talked about First Sword, she
revealed her blatant hatred for him.

‘I guess they all know now.’

Two days had already passed.

Everyone must have already exchanged information to figure out the full situation.

‘But it’s kind of… shocking.’

She had never thought that First Sword was a traitor.

‘I never even imagined it.’

He had always been kind to Jude and Cordelia.

Above all, there was no story of a traitor in the game.

‘But that did not mean there was no traitor.’

First Sword only existed in the background setting, so there were still a lot of things
they didn’t know about.

‘Hmm… If I think about it, he might have faked his death and was not actually killed
by one of the 7 major calamities.’

And after that, he might have changed his name to his demonic human name like the
other Ten Great Swordmasters who were traitors too.

“Haaaa.”

Either way, it was something unpleasant.

Furthermore, when she heard the story from Dahlia, it seemed like First Sword had
escaped.

“What about unnie? What about brother-in-law Gael?”

Instead of answering Cordelia question right away, Dahlia shrank her lips and spoke
in a cautious tone.

“First of all… Adelia-nim is safe. She was really exhausted, but she wasn’t that hurt.”

Cordelia was relieved to hear that Adelia was safe, but she did not breathe in relief
for now.
Because she felt like there was something wrong with Gael with the way Dahlia
talked.

“As for Lord Gael… his life is not in danger.”

“Life…?”

“Yes, he was a bit… he was hurt a lot. He had a lot of injuries all over his body, and he
lost his left arm.”

Cordelia blinked her eyes.

Because she could not understand.

“Le-left arm?”

“Yes, it’s impossible to regenerate it… so I think he’ll have to wear a prosthetic arm.”

His situation was different from Princess Daphne who was able to secure her
severed hand and immediately reattach it.

To begin with, the severed arm was discovered too late, and the damaged part itself
was so large that reattaching it was impossible.

“W-wait a second. Wait. Unnie and brother-in-law were outside the royal palace.
How would they get hurt in the first place…”

That was it.

Because she realized it while she was talking.

“The capital. The royal capital was also attacked.”

At Cordelia’s words, Dahlia nodded with a troubled expression and spoke again.

She told Cordelia about the royal capital that had suffered more damage than the
royal palace.

“No way.”
She thought that they had stopped the terror plans of the Black Moon, but she didn’t
expect that there would be a bigger incident.

‘Were we… wrong?’

Should we have just let the Black Moon commit terror?

If that happened, the Devil’s Hand wouldn’t have directly attacked the royal capital,
right?

She was confused.

She couldn’t come up with an answer at that moment.

“There was a lot of damage, but we were able to overcome it. In particular… Velkian,
one of the five heroes of the Paragon Kingdom, played a huge role in that.”

Cordelia’s eyes widened at Dahlia’s words.

Because an unexpected name came up.

“Ve-Velkian? Necromancer Velkian?”

“Yes, Velkian-nim.”

“Woah.”

Just as the Devil’s Hand attacking directly was unexpected, Velkian’s assistance was
unexpected too.

She didn’t expect that the letter they left in the Temple of Life would help them in
this way.

‘W-wait a minute. Is he trying to find Pink Bomb then?’

There was only one reason for Velkian to come to the royal capital in the first place.

‘Ugh… my head hurts. Still, it was worth it for us to run wild this time.’

They did a lot of things to prevent the genocide of the royal family.
Among those were some that were rather harmful, such as the betrayal of First
Sword and the direct attack of the Devil’s Hand, but there were some helpful ones
too, such as Velkian and the Rogue Master.

‘In the end… we just have to do our best.’

They didn’t know if the results of their efforts would be good.

They were just trying to do everything to get the best results.

‘Haa… we have a lot of work to do.’

The fight was over, but there were so many things to do, such as the cleanup and so
on.

‘We have to meet Velkian and check on Scarlet too… ’

Come to think of it, is Lucas okay? It seems that it wasn’t that bad in the grand banquet
hall, so he’s probably fine, right?

“Miss.”

“Yes?”

Cordelia was in the midst of her thoughts, so she raised her head and responded
when Dahlia called her and smiled.

“Would you like to see Lord Jude?”

“Jude?”

“Yes, he’s still asleep, but I think you’ll be very relieved if you see that he’s all right.”

At Dahlia’s words, Cordelia nodded without realizing it.

“Yes, I want to see him.”

Her answer also came out unconsciously.

And in response, Dahlia grinned and stood up. There was quite a lot she wanted to
say to tease Cordelia, but she put Cordelia’s wish first for now.

“Let us go, Miss. It’s not that far because it’s right next door.”

She helped Cordelia stand up before taking out a large shawl and placing it on
Cordelia’s shoulders.

“Well, will this be all right?”

“Yes, frankly, it’s not a situation where you need to get dressed properly.”

Cordelia slightly pulled the shawl around her shoulders, and left the room while
being supported by Dahlia.

Judging from the decor and structure of the hallway, it seemed like they were in the
main palace and not a different palace.

“This way please.”

Count Bayer’s knight who was guarding the door opened it right away, and Cordelia
entered the room, pressing on her slightly pounding heart.

“My lady.”

“Maja.”

It was Maja whose face had become thin from her excessive worry for the past two
days.

But she smiled as if she was very relieved to see that Cordelia was fine, and she
immediately pointed towards Jude.

“The young master is all right. He has yet to wake up, but… they said that his life was
not in danger.”

There was an awkwardness in the way she talked, which was unlike the usual Maja
who spoke perfectly, but Cordelia didn’t mind it. Without realizing it, she took a step
closer to Jude.

‘You idiot.’
When she saw his face, a curse came to her mind first.

She couldn’t help it.

She was angry.

At the same time, she was very relieved.

“Haa…”

Cordelia let out a long breath and plopped down on the side of the bed to look down
at Jude.

His pale face didn’t look good, but when she saw that his breathing was even, she
thought that his life was not in danger.

“The count said that he used too much energy, so he is like that now. The count said
that he would get up soon since there are no problems with his life.”

Cordelia nodded at Maja’s explanation.

She was at the scene herself, so she knew better than anyone on what happened to
Jude and why he wasn’t waking up.

‘Sixth door… ’

He didn’t lie down like this simply because of overdoing it.

It was the consequence of forcibly opening the door, so he was unable to wake up.

‘Stupid idiot.’

You always boasted about your physical strength.

You always bragged about your Cheonmujiche.

Cordelia felt her vision blur again. Without realizing it, tears flowed down along her
cheeks.

‘It’s because of me.’

Cordelia herself was the one who came up with the idea of opening the sixth door.

Cordelia herself was the one who pushed Jude into doing it.

“I-it’s all right, Miss. He will wake up soon.”

“Yes, my lady. Count Bayer said the same.”

As Cordelia shed tears, Dahlia and Maja were flustered and quickly spoke.

Instead of answering, Cordelia bit her lips and sniffled, but she soon nodded her
head.

Because it naturally occurred to her what Jude would say if he was awake now and
what she would also say to him.

“My lady, aren’t you hungry?”

“Yes, Miss. You woke up after two days.”

Maja and Dahlia spoke again when the still sniffling Cordelia looked a bit calm now.

And Cordelia realized it.

The fact that she was really hungry.

Perhaps because she had realized it, she felt so hungry now that her stomach was
growling.

“Please come this way. Since you woke up after two days, I will prepare something
soft to eat.”

Maja smiled and spoke, leading Cordelia to a table before leaving the room, and she
soon returned with a few dishes on the tray.

Soup, bread, and water mixed with fruit juice.

It was a very simple meal compared to the ones she normally ate, but she was
drooling because she had an empty stomach.
“Please eat.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

Cordelia immediately said and lifted her spoon before she looked back at Jude.

Because she was worried about Jude who had not yet eaten.

‘Wake up quickly, okay?’

Let’s go eat something delicious together.

After muttering a slightly childish wish, Cordelia focused on eating again.

And a few minutes.

Around the time when Cordelia emptied the soup and swallowed the juice with a
gulp.

“Cordelia, so you were here.”

A handsome man appeared after the door opened.

He had a face that resembled Count Chase and Adelia.

And Cordelia realized.

That she had completely forgotten about the man in front of her.

“Ah.”

“Ah?”

Edward Chase.

The eldest son of Count Chase and the older brother of Cordelia herself.

He was also at the grand banquet hall and attended the ball, but she somehow forgot
about him.
“Why does it look like you’re feeling very sorry about something?”

“N-no, I’m not. Oppa is also fine. Yes, yes. I’m glad. Oppa is also safe.”

As Cordelia quickly laughed ‘ehehe’ and said, Edward narrowed his eyes in suspicion
but fortunately, it was only for a moment.

He sat in front of Cordelia who unconsciously began to sweat coldly, and he glanced
at Jude once before looking at Cordelia again and saying.

“First of all, let me say this an older brother who share Count Chase’s blood like you.
I’m really glad that you woke up fine. I was very worried.”

“Yes, thank you, oppa.”

I’m really, really sorry for forgetting about you.

Edward narrowed his eyes again when Cordelia awkwardly smiled, but this time, it
wasn’t that long.

“Next… as a noble of the Salen Kingdom, I would like to express my gratitude. You
and Jude saved this country. You really contributed well in this fight.”

Having said that, Edward bowed his head.

“O-oppa?”

“I’m very proud that you’re my younger sister.”

At Edward’s words, Cordelia blushed in shyness and joy instead of embarrassment.

Because she felt a great sense of satisfaction deep in her heart.

We did well this time, just like we did in the wild lands.

We did a good job for everyone again this time.

“Ehehe.”

As Cordelia shyly laughed, Edward smiled as he found it to be very cute, and he

spoke again.

“Then let me get straight to the point. Cordelia, I have good news and good news.
Which one would you like to hear first?”

“Huh?”

Good news and good news. You want me to choose from one of those two?

Cordelia blinked her eyes and asked, and Edward said again.

“There are good news and good news. I’ll leave it to you on which one you would like
to hear first.”

What kind of nonsense is this?

Come to think of it, Edward was originally a person like this.

“Uh… Then I want to hear the good news first.”

“Good, that’s an excellent choice.”

“Oookay.”

I don’t know in what exactly I chose, but anyway, good news is good news.

When Cordelia faintly smiled, Edward got to the point instead of dragging it on.

“Gael’s condition is rapidly improving. Perhaps he will open his eyes tonight or
tomorrow morning at the latest.”

“Really?!”

“Yes, really. So don’t worry about it too much. I’ll make him a very cool prosthetic, of
course.”

If Adelia was a combat-type wizard, Edward was a research-type wizard who

specialized in crafting magic tools.

It was reliable if the prosthetic arm was made by Edward and not anybody else.
“Haa… that’s a relief.”

“Yes, it’s a relief.”

Edward happily smiled and waited for a while. So that Cordelia could pay her full
attention to the second good news.

“Are you ready to listen now?”

“Eh? Yes. I want to hear it.”

The second good news.

As Cordelia brightly smiled and looked excited, Edward suddenly stood up and
courteously greeted her.

“Edward Chase from the Chase family greets Viscountess Chase.”

“Huh?”

Cordelia blinked her eyes with a blank face, and she soon stood up from her seat.

“Viscountess Chase?”

“Yes, Viscountess Chase. Because you made a huge contribution. Wouldn’t it be

natural for you to raise in rank?”

He was right.

They made a really, really big contribution, so they deserved to have their titles
raised.

“Wow, viscountess.”

Viscountess Chase.

Not Baroness Chase but viscountess.

“Hehehe.”
Cordelia chuckled with a happy face, and Edward giggled before he slightly raised
Cordelia’s hand and touched his lips on the back of her hand.

“Countess Chase, Crown Princess Daphne has already given her word that she will be
holding the merit ceremony herself.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes, indeed.”

When Edward spoke in a theatrical manner, Cordelia responded as if they were in a

play.

And a few seconds.

Cordelia’s eyes widened and she asked.

“W-wait a second. Countess Chase?”

“Yes, countess. After being promoted from baroness to viscountess, you’ll be

promoted to countess again.”

Because they had all saved the lives of the king, queens, and their children.

It was not an exaggeration to say that they were literally heroes who saved the
country, so it was natural for them to be promoted to the count rank.

“Wow, countess. What about Jude?”

“Yes, he is Count Bayer.”

Countess Chase and Count Bayer.

A couple who were both counts.

“My goodness.”

Cordelia sat down again and giggled with a face as if she didn’t know if this was a
dream or reality, and Edward lightly pinched Cordelia’s cheek then. He was a bit
surprised at its softness that Scarlet also liked, and he said.
“By the way, Countess Chase.”

“Yes, Lord Edward Chase.”

“I have better news.”

“Huh?”

You have news better than this?

Cordelia widened her eyes in surprise, and Edward smiled like a mischievous kid
and drew his face closer.

He whispered in a small voice to Cordelia’s ear just like how Jude did.

The third good news.

Surprise and joy spread on Cordelia’s face at the same time.

“How is it? Is it fine with you?”

At Princess Daphne’s room.

When Prince Dion asked her with a voice mixed with tension, Princess Daphne
lightly moved her right hand.

After she slowly turned her wrist and folded her fingers one by one, she clenched
and opened her fist several times before she held her pen.

The pen felt cold and smooth.

“It feels a bit different but… I think it’s fine.”

Prince Dion breathed in relief at the words of Princess Daphne. No, he didn’t just
stop at that as he sank to his knees. Because his legs gave out.

“Haa… that’s a relief.”

“Were you that worried?”

“Should I not worry?”

Princess Daphne giggled at Prince Dion’s question and put down her pen. She
originally wanted to try turning the pen, but she didn’t even try it because she was
almost certain what Dion would look like if she failed.

‘No, perhaps I’ll be able to do it in the future… ’

Her right hand didn’t have much strength. It seemed like she would have no
problems with it in her daily life, but it was questionable if she would be able to hold
the sword like before.
“Sister?”

“Uh, yes. I’m okay.”

Prince Dion’s face became serious again, and his expression stiffened without him
realizing it.

Therefore, Princess Daphne awkwardly smiled and changed the topic.

“How is Darianne?”

“Darianne?”

“Yes, was she scared?”

“Yes, she was very scared. But she wasn’t injured, so there should be no problem.”

“Mentally?”

“Well… she actually didn’t see the corpses.”

Princess Daphne bit her lips at Prince Dion’s words.

Because she recalled the time when she saw the bodies of the other royal family
members.

She had seen the bloody corpses of her father’s siblings and concubines, and also her
half-siblings.

When she closed her eyes, she could still vividly remember that horrible sight. So
instead of closing her eyes, Princess Daphne took a slow and deep breath.

Princess Daphne’s dignified appearance and charisma led her to be regarded as the
Lion Princess or the Iron Princess because she was the symbol of a bold and strong
woman, but in reality, she wasn’t an iron lady who did not shed blood or tears.

She had an outgoing and bold personality.

But at the same time, she was also rich in emotions since she was very affectionate
and would cry often.
‘Rather… the iron one is Dion.’

As his sister, she found Dion a bit problematic.

Because except for Daphne herself, he was surprisingly cold-hearted to others.

He was that indifferent that even when he talked about Princess Darianne, he didn’t
seem to care much about her, so what more of the others.

“How is father… I mean, His Majesty?”

“It’s not good. Mother said that… he needed a lot of time.”

At Prince Dion’s words, Princess Daphne unknowingly closed her eyes.

Their father, Henry II, was already shaken by the betrayal and death of the Lord
Protector whom he believed and depended on more than anyone else, so he was
completely crushed when he saw the wretched state of the royal family’s corpses.

“Father is…”

“Yes, he is pure. That’s why mother loves father.”

He was not competent, but neither was he completely incompetent.

He was aware of his role as a king, and he always made an effort to fulfill his duties
as a king.

Therefore, when Henry II saw the corpses of the royal family members, he had no
choice but to admit it.

No matter what reason the Lord Protector had, even if it was a really unavoidable
reason, the Lord Protector was a traitor.

He was an enemy of the Salen royal family, someone they could never forgive.

Henry II erased the Lord Protector from his heart. It left his heart empty, but he still
did it.

“Has he recovered?”
“Perhaps. But you know our father’s personality. Once he recovers to a certain
extent, he’ll have to worry about two options, right?”

She understood what Dion was talking about.

As Dion had said, she knew Henry II well.

‘Will he abdicate or not?’

Someone had to take responsibility for this.

It was not an issue that would end just because the concerned person died.

So he had to take full responsibility and abdicate from the throne.

Since the crown princess had become an adult, he could hand the throne over to her
and hope that she would be a better monarch.

It was an option that Prince Dion wanted, and was also the best option for Henry II.

But Henry II was not an irresponsible man.

The Lord Protector was dead, but they still had a lot of problems.

The activities of Count Chase and the Royal Guard Knights minimized the damage,
but that did not mean that no one was killed or injured.

The deaths of the royal family members.

The deaths of the nobles.

Add to that was the disaster in the royal capital.

The biggest problem was the fact that the Lord Protector was the leader of the
royalists.

Naturally, all the people under the command of the Lord Protector who were
involved in this ‘rebellion’ were also royalists, so their elimination meant a
weakening of the entire royalist faction.
The royal family of the Salen Kingdom had always been strong. And those in the
aristocrats faction were obviously not hostile against the royalty just because they
were on that side.

Even Duke Balloa who belonged to the hawks was more like a dove wearing the
mask of a hawk when one compared it to other countries.

But even if that was the situation, it will still end up complicated if the royalists
suddenly lose their power.

The balance of power would be destroyed, and the royal family would greatly suffer.

It was a difficult political situation.

The Salen Kingdom would be greatly shaken, and the empire would take advantage
of that and reveal their power again, and the other countries were also likely to show
a different attitude.

Would the king then leave his daughter, who had just become an adult, to this hard
and difficult position?

Considering Henry II’s personality, it was absolutely impossible.

‘Of course, mother will help me a lot either way.’

If her father abdicates, she will help Princess Daphne, and if he doesn’t abdicate, she
will become more involved in politics now.

“My head hurts.”

Prince Dion smiled bitterly at Princess Daphne’s honest words.

“In any case, I’ll help you with the best of my ability.”

“Yes, I feel a bit energized now.”

Dion was different from the Lord Protector.

Because he was an ally who would never betray her, someone whom she could really
trust anytime and anywhere.
“Anyway… let’s talk something a bit more positive. After all, we avoided the worst,
right? The Lord Protector was killed, and his plot to destroy the barrier was stopped.
Even the demon followers who attacked the royal capital were also unable to do
anything about it in the end.”

“You’re right.”

The worst situation had indeed been avoided.

And Princess Daphne knew.

That it was because of ‘them’ that they were able to somehow avoid the worst
situation.

“It was true.”

The two people of destiny.

The heroes who saved Princess Daphne and Prince Dion, and also the fate of the
Salen Kingdom in its moment of crisis.

“If it weren’t for those two…”

“All of us would definitely have been killed by the Lord Protector. The barrier would
have been destroyed… and the demon followers would have done some terrible
things.”

There were so many troops who had attacked the royal capital.

If the barrier had been destroyed, they would have probably added more troops.

“Would they have opened a Hell Gate?”

“Probably.”

Like what they did in the Paragon Kingdom.

Just imagining it was terrible.

A Hell Gate opening in the royal capital of the Salen Kingdom.

“We owe them so much. It’s something we are really grateful for. So we have to make
them even more on our side.”

Princess Daphne had a bitter smile at Prince Dion’s words.

Because she felt bitter at the reality that they were treating their benefactors like
this.

“First of all, both of us have decided to give them the count title, right?”

“Yes, because even if their contribution is big, they are not even adults yet, and the
two have just become barons. It will be difficult to give them a title that is more than
that.”

It was only after the Lord Protector had saved the country for the second time did he
get a promotion in his noble title.

The two had originally come from the prestigious 12 northern families, so it was
obvious that the existing nobles would protest greatly if they were bestowed a
marquis or duke title.

“Instead, we can give them something else.”

“That’s what I’m going to do. We can’t get them on our side if we save on our
spending.”

“No, I don’t mean it like that… Ha, fine. Just give them a lot. That’s fine with me.”

Prince Dion smiled a bit at Princess Daphne’s words and took out a piece of paper
that had been in his arms.

“What’s that?”

“The bribes I prepared for the two people of destiny. I want you to review it too.”

Prince Dion handed the paper to Princess Daphne, and she laughed at the first line.

“It really is a bribe.”

“Because we have to give our best if we’re giving something, right?”

Princess Daphne laughed again at Prince Dion’s words.

Because she felt that Dion was sincerely grateful to the two people of destiny, even
though he seemed to be making excuses.

‘Although rather than his own life… it seems he’s more grateful that they saved my
life.’

I feel like the person who’ll be his wife in the future will resent me.

Princess Daphne smiled and read the list of bribes prepared by Prince Dion.

***

“A fief? For me and Jude?”

“Yes, a fief.”

Cordelia was literally stunned at Edward’s words.

She had awakened the memories of her previous life, but she had also lived as
Cordelia Chase for 17 years.

Thus, as a noble of the Salen Kingdom, Cordelia knew how much a fief would mean
to a noble.

“Wooow…”

A fief.

Becoming a countess is like a dream, and now, we’re even getting a fief.

What kind of place is it?

It will not be very big though, right?

A few small villages.

Maybe even a small city?

Maybe even a mountain?

Whatever it is, it will definitely be good.

I will still like it.

‘If it’s a village, we’ll just be building houses and adding structures of this and that… ’

If it’s a city, we have to develop commerce, and if it’s a mountain, we’ll have to dig
mines in order to gain a source of income.

‘Hehehe, it’s like a game.’

Like the classic games of Sim City, or the Tycoon series.

‘I worked hard in Animal Crossing.’

Her imagination grew more and more distant from the actual management of a fief,
but Cordelia did not mind it.

Because Jude would be the one to worry about the real thing anyway.

‘The right person for the right job, the right person for the right job.’

Cordelia laughed ‘hehehe’ again and drew a cute and colorful village in her head,
while Edward, Maja, and Dahlia all had the same expression when they saw Cordelia.

‘How cute.’

I want to pinch her cheeks, stroke her head, and kiss her.

Dahlia flinched when she thought that while Edward was snickering before he loudly
coughed to break Cordelia’s delusion.

“Anyway, it’s almost a determined fact that a fief will be added to your count title. It’s
still a bit of a question on what kind of territory you will get though.”

“Eh? It hasn’t been decided yet?”

“Yes, the situation is a bit complicated.”

There were many reasons why a fief was very important to a noble, and scarcity was
one of them.

Land was obviously a limited resource.

The Salen Kingdom was 300 years old, and most of the land there already had
owners.

Naturally, there were still quite some land that belonged to the royal family, but it
was not possible to give the management to some of them since it was the source of
the royalty’s power.

“Well, with this incident, the lands of the Lord Protector and those close to him will
be confiscated… But as you know, the lands of those who caused the rebellion are
basically managed by the royal family too, right?”

Moreover, if they confiscate all the territories of the Lord Protector and his
subordinates, the scale would be truly enormous.

Even if the contribution of the two were big, it was too much to give it all to two new
counts.

“Uh… So what you’re saying is…”

“They will have to decide on giving land from those under the royal family’s direct
management or from the confiscated lands, so it means that we still don’t know
where it will be. Well, in any case, it will most likely be in the central region.”

Whether it was the territory of the Lord Protector or the territories under the royal
family, they were all in the center.

“But it may be a fief that is a little far from the royal capital, given that you’ll be given
a mansion in the capital. After all, the royal family seems to want you two to live in
the royal capital.”

Edward liked to give long explanations, so he continued to say what he wanted to

say, but Cordelia didn’t hear much of it.

Because she had already heard the most important content.

“Mansion?”

“Yes, a mansion. It looks like they’ll give you two a house to live in the royal capital.
This means that we can narrow down the candidates to some extent, but either way,
it will be huge and grand. Adelia’s house will look like a warehouse.”

Edward began to explain again while Cordelia let her imagination flow again like she
always did.

Mansion.

House.

Jude and Cordelia’s own home.

The house of us two.

I can somehow feel my face turning red.

My heart is pounding more than when I heard that we’ll be receiving a fief.

‘It reminds me of the guild house.’

Even in Legend of Heroes 2, I worked hard to decorate it.

We should decorate it beautifully this time too, right?

Like bringing in some furniture.

Then, should I go look for some furniture with Jude?

After all, it’s a house that the two of us will live in together.

Live in together…

‘We’ll live together?!’

With Jude?

Jude and I will live in the same house?

No, the two of us are somehow living together already, but still.

But if we live in the same house.

Yes, yes, it’s still just an engagement between us.

We haven’t even had a proper engagement ceremony…

Cordelia’s face became redder and redder, and her imagination grew worse and
worse as if it wanted to keep its pace with her red face.

And Edward couldn’t stand it anymore and pinched Cordelia’s cheek.

“My goodness, my youngest sibling. I can see what you’re imagining.”

“W-what are you talking about? Don’t tell me you saw me imagining that I went with
Jude to see furniture?”

“Yes, I did. I saw you imagine going to see furniture with him. Isn’t that completely a
newlywed’s house?”

“N-newlywed’s house…”

Cordelia’s eyes widened.

Her face was already red and burning, and Edward pulled her cheeks straight, but
she didn’t say anything.

“Hmm… you’re cute, but I hate that Jude now.”

I have to give such a cute younger sister to him.

Dahlia nodded her head as if agreeing, and Maja narrowed her eyes with a bit of an
angry face.

And a few seconds later.

Edward chuckled as he watched Cordelia, but he suddenly stood up from his seat.

“Young master?”
Edward responded to Dahlia’s question with a hand gesture and then went through
his chest pocket and pulled out a magic device that looked like a round pocket watch,
and soon, he brightly smiled.

“My sister, can you move now? We’re just going to the room across this.”

As Edward pulled her hand and asked, Cordelia came to her senses and questioned
him as she stood up.

“We’re moving? To where?”

“Gael’s room. It looks like Gael woke up.”

Edward’s words brightened up Maja’s face.

Cordelia also quickly nodded and replied.

“Let’s go then.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Edward hurriedly opened the door.

***

“Adelia! Gael is awake…”

“Unnie! Brother-in-law Gael is…”

That was it.

Edward opened the door and was about to rejoice in the recovery of one of his few
friends, and Cordelia was about to say congratulations to her sister, but her face that
had barely calmed down turned red again.

The scene in front of them.

Gael had woken up.

That was right, but the scene in front of them was very different from the sight they
had imagined.

It was completely different from the scene they had imagined of Gael smiling even
though he had a completely sick face while lying in the bed, and of Adelia shedding
tears of emotion as she held Gael’s hand.

Dahlia instantly moved her hand to cover Cordelia’s eyes, and Edward began to act
before Cordelia even reacted. He grabbed Cordelia by her waist, carrying her as they
left the room like that.

“Ahem, ahem, ahem.”

The flustered Edward just coughed while Cordelia was panting.

And Edward spoke again.

“First of all… I don’t think we need to worry about his health.”

“Yeah.”

Cordelia agreed with him. Because rather than looking sick, he seemed to be full of
energy.

“Well… let’s go back first. Dahlia, don’t let anyone go in for a while. Do you
understand?”

“Yes, young master.”

Dahlia nodded with a red face, and quickly called a person to guard the door.

“Cordelia, this older brother of yours will be going to see our father now. Do you
want to take a rest now? It’s late, so I’ll share you the details tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Cordelia stiffly nodded her head like a wooden doll, and she unknowingly returned
to Jude’s room while trying to calm herself down.

She also had an option to just go back to her room and rest, but her feet headed to
Jude’s room without her realizing it.
“Lady Cordelia?”

Maja, who was in the room, was surprised at Cordelia’s quick return and asked, so
Dahlia spoke on behalf of Cordelia.

“Young master Gael has woken up. He seems to be very… very healthy. Yeah.”

“What? What are you…”

As Maja tilted her head, Dahlia repeatedly stamped her feet before she approached
Maja and began to whisper in her ear.

And Maja’s reaction that followed.

Even though she was called the ‘Ice Princess,’ her cheeks began to heat up.

The three women were silent for a while, and as the air turned awkward, Cordelia
opened her mouth first.

“T-that’s right. Maja, why don’t you take a break too? I’ll keep an eye on Jude.”

Because given Maja’s personality, she definitely stayed besides Jude for the past two
days.

‘I don’t think she has slept at all.’

Even if she did, her fair face was now at the point of looking pale, and Cordelia also
felt uncomfortable to see the blacks under Maja’s eyes.

“But…”

“Wouldn’t Jude be very worried if he sees you with such a face when he wakes up?”

“She’s right, Maja. You know Lord Jude’s personality.”

When Dahlia added on to Cordelia’s words, Maja finally nodded her head.

“Then go and rest. Get some sleep. I’ll be next to Jude. I’m not sleepy at all because
I’ve slept for the past two days.”
Maja ended up smiling at Cordelia’s words mixed with a little playfulness.

“I understand. Please take care of him, my lady.”

“Yes, yes.”

Maja left the room while still hesitating, and Dahlia went out with her as if to see her
off. But instead of re-entering the room, Dahlia took a seat next to the Bayer family
knight who was standing in front of the door.

Her action was unexpected, but it was because she wanted to make time for the two
inside.

“Uh, Dame Dahlia. What happened?”

The Bayer family knight who was guarding the door, Jun, asked Dahlia, and she just
awkwardly smiled at him since they had only met a few times enough for a short
chat.

And inside the room.

Cordelia was left alone. She sat down besides Jude’s bed and stared at him.

‘You’re handsome if you keep your mouth shut.’

In fact, he was also handsome when he opened his mouth, but he always said some
cheeky things when he did that.

‘And yet… ’

Cordelia drew her face a bit closer to Jude.

Like before, he was asleep with a sickly-looking face, but after she saw Gael, she was
strangely relieved.

Because even in that bad condition, Gaël still woke up.

So Jude will wake up in the same way too.

He’ll wake up in the same way…

‘N-no. Because Jude is different from brother-in-law Gael. Yes, yes, they’re different.’

When the door was opened, she saw Gael and Adelia exchanging intense kisses.

Unlike the one that she last saw at the engagement ceremony, the kisses were so
intense that it unconsciously reminded her of the word ‘beast.’

‘S-still, the brothers resembles each other.’

Maybe when Jude wakes up…

Cordelia looked at Jude’s lips without realizing it, and she quickly shook her head.

Because their situation was different.

Their relationship was also different, and there were many things that were different
too.

“Ha, seriously.”

Even though she was all alone, Cordelia looked around her before she gently held
Jude’s hand. She put her left hand on top of his right hand, and slowly interlaced her
fingers with his hand.

He had a big hand and long fingers.

His skin was soft like a baby due to his metamorphosis.

“Haa.”

Many thoughts that lingered in her head naturally flew away.

As she silently looked at Jude, only one thought came to her mind.

‘I wish that you’ll quickly wake up.’

If you wake up soon.

Then, you’ll be boasting again with that handsome yet sly face.
‘The smell of Jude.’

Anyway, Cordelia was still tired.

Contrary to what she said to Maja, Cordelia began to doze off, closing her eyes with
her head lying down by the bedside. She fell into a deep sleep as her hand twitched
while clasping his hand.

And just like that, one minute, two minutes passed… and when the time kept passing
and the night got deeper.

Cordelia slowly opened her eyes as she heard a voice in her ears.

She listened to the voice, blinking her eyes as she was still half-asleep.

A gentle tone.

A pleasant voice.

The voice she welcomed the most in the world.

“Cordelia.”

She didn’t hear it wrong.

It wasn’t a dream.

“Jude.”

She raised her head as she called him.

And Cordelia could see it.

The sly smile on his face that she expected.

“My princess.”

The black-hearted man who always boasted about his good looks and would always
say embarrassing words casually, that man who was cheeky yet reliable too.
Cordelia widely smiled and hugged the man, and he hugged her back. She began to
cry, and he patted her back.

Three days from the decisive battle in the royal capital.

Jude woke up.

In fact, she didn’t know why she was crying.

Jude didn’t wake up for two days, or three days if you counted the fact that it was
dawn now, but Cordelia herself was unconscious for nearly two days.

Both of them had been unconscious in that time, so it wasn’t the reason for her tears.

Unlike Maja’s sincere wish for Jude to wake up over the past two days, Cordelia
herself had been worrying for a few hours at most, though it was less than an hour if
you exclude the time she fell asleep.

‘I’ve heard that you’re going to wake up soon.’

She had confirmed the condition he was in and was just waiting for it to end, so her
situation was different from Maja.

So what was the reason?

She had only seen Jude’s face and cried non-stop when she hugged him.

She cried without even realizing it.

‘Is it because I’m sorry?’

Because I’m the one who made him open the sixth door?

So I feel responsible?

‘But.’

If he hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t have won.

Perhaps the Lord Protector would have really killed all of us.
‘No, that’s not the reason in the first place.’

It wasn’t a matter that needed logic or complex reasoning.

She was just sad because Jude was unconscious, and she was happy that he woke up.

It was a simple reason.

Something that didn’t need to be that complex.

“Huu-hu, huhu.”

After crying for a long time, Cordelia gradually stifled her tears and opened her
closed eyes. She naturally stared at Jude’s face.

She saw his green eyes looking her way and the sly smile drawn on his lips.

His left arm firmly held her waist, and his right hand was patting her back.

His chest had become broad and something that she could lean on at any time,
making her feel safe like those firm castle walls.

“My princess, are you done crying?”

Jude slyly asked, and Cordelia could tell at that moment.

His insides were black, but he was quite pure now.

He was covering it with his sly smile, but he was actually at a loss on what to do.

His green eyes seemed to be holding back all kinds of emotions, such as his joy and
slight embarrassment.

Why?

Is it because his face is close to mine?

So I can see things I usually can’t see?

Cordelia’s lips squirmed once before she sniffed with her nose because of her tears,
and she unconsciously thought.

‘The smell of Jude.’

Cordelia’s five senses were all excellent, and among those senses, her sense of smell
was particularly good.

So Cordelia knew well that the smell of Jude was a mixture of various things.

The slightly sweet smell of his skin.

Add to that was the scented soap chosen by Maja.

There was also the scent of the shampoo and conditioner developed by Jude.

And the common perfume that most nobles sprayed on themselves more or less.

It was basically a rose fragrance.

The added scent had a refreshing feeling, giving one a neat impression.

But today was a little different.

The slight smell of sweat.

It was a slightly heavier scent.

As a result, the smell of Jude was more pronounced than usual.

Cordelia shifted her blue eyes and looked up at Jude who faced her with his green
eyes.

Jude’s green eyes seemed to be a little darker than usual, perhaps because of the dim
candlelight, so it felt more mysterious.

Cordelia raised her head a bit more. Without realizing it, she touched her lips on
Jude’s cheek.

Chuu.
It was a small sound, but it was so quiet that it sounded loud.

Embarrassment and surprise lightly spread in Jude’s eyes again, and in response to
that, Cordelia was strangely pleased rather than feeling shy.

And Jude read the feelings of Cordelia with his eyes. That was why he strengthened
the hold of his left arm that held Cordelia’s waist, moving his head as he touched his
lips on her forehead.

Very softly.

To the extent that there was no sound.

This time, embarrassment spread on Cordelia’s big and blue eyes, and Jude had an
awkward smile instead of his usual shamelessness.

And that smile triggered a switch in Cordelia.

Cordelia drew more closer to Jude’s body. So that her neck could reach him more.

She shifted the weight of her upper body as if she was pressing down on Jude, and
her lips pressed on his cheek again.

And it seemed like this time, she looked up at Jude with a bit of slyness.

‘Your cheeks are red.’

Jude sent her an answer with his eyes, and this time, he touched his lips on Cordelia’s
cheek and not her forehead.

Unlike his previous one, it was a kiss that made a loud sound.

‘Aren’t your cheeks red too?’

Cordelia suddenly had a strange desire to win, and she raised her head again and
kissed Jude’s ear instead of his cheek this time.

Even Cordelia herself didn’t know why she put her lips on his ear.

Because it just caught her eye.

Because she thought that it would be nice to touch her lips on his ear.

But it was right after her lips touched.

His reaction was different from before.

She was able to feel it clearly because she was in close contact with his body.

Jude had flinched.

His left arm that was holding Cordelia’s waist, that left arm that held her tightly that
she couldn’t move, had slightly trembled.

Why?

Cordelia turned her eyes to see Jude.

She saw that his cheeks were redder than usual, and his familiar sly smile that she
found unpleasant had slightly collapsed.

And his eyes.

His green eyes were filled with shyness and confusion on what to do.

At that moment, she thought it was fun. So Cordelia once again gave Jude a peck on
the ear, and he flinched and reacted again.

A smile naturally spread over her face.

‘This is fun.’

It’s like I’m attacking something.

It’s like I’m trying to find the boss mob’s weak point and stabbing it.

As Cordelia’s gamer brain began to work, she snickered, and that snicker stimulated
Jude this time.

His desire to win.

His feeling of not wanting to lose.

Jude firmly held Cordelia’s waist again. He straightened his neck and kissed the back
of Cordelia’s white and long neck.

“Kyaa?”

Cordelia unconsciously let out a sound, and a triumphant smile appeared on Jude’s
face.

A smile that was very obnoxious.

‘Then.’

Cordelia’s blue eyes moved again, and she bit his earlobe very lightly instead of
kissing his ear.

“Eh?”

It was Jude who let out a sound this time.

She seemed to have struck a critical hit.

“Hehehe.”

Cordelia put her lips in Jude’s ear again, and as if she was striking an additional hit,
she gently blew her breath on it.

And she felt him tremble.

His body trembled and his face burned red like never before.

‘I won, okay?’

Cordelia snickered and said with a glance, and Jude was pissed off for a moment, so
he put his lips on her neck again. He held the flinching Cordelia firmly with his left
arm to prevent her from moving, and lowered his face as he dragged it along her long
and thin neck, and then pressing his lips to the raised part of her clavicle.

“Eep.”
Cordelia trembled this time. Her blue eyes were then filled with a passion.

‘Alright, let’s do this.’

So it’s my turn now, huh?

Cordelia turned her blue eyes. Instead of attacking his ear again, she carefully
examined Jude’s face to find a new weakness.

His red cheeks and lips that let out a hotter breath than usual.

At that moment, Cordelia unknowingly swallowed hard. She stared at Jude’s lips, and
roughly breathed a bit.

And Jude also stared at Cordelia.

Likewise, he swallowed hard and couldn’t move.

Jude and Cordelia breathed out.

Their breaths touched each other’s lips.

And it was at that moment.

“Miss!”

“Young master?!”

The door burst open as Dahlia and Maja appeared. Even Jun, the knight who was
guarding the door, was there.

“Kyaa?!”

Cordelia was embarrassed and flustered, and so did Jude.

As if the magic of 12 o’clock had been broken, the two struggled as they quickly
pushed each other away, and Cordelia even fell off the bed because of that.

“Miss!”
“Uh, yes. Uh. I-I’m okay!”

Cordelia jumped to her feet, and Jude saw such Cordelia.

How should one describe the current scene?

Cordelia’s face was covered with an indescribable shame, and Jude was the same – so
to put it into words, the emotions they felt were inexpressible.

However, it was not a situation where they should let their hearts beat wild.

Dahlia and Maja entered the room, and Maja’s tears instantly pulled Jude back into
reality.

“Young master!”

Maja cried and clung to Jude’s chest.

Even though she was already an adult, she burst into tears like a child.

“Maja.”

I worried you a lot.

I’m sorry.

I’m really sorry.

Jude tightly hugged Maja and said that he was fine, but her crying did not easily stop.

Jude had become explosively strong in the past half year, but Maja had rarely seen
that strong appearance of Jude.

What remained in her memory was not the big and strong Jude, but the weak Jude
who had a hard time going outside.

Maja Tantalotte.

A servant of the Bayer family and Jude’s exclusive maid.

But for Jude, she was not just a servant but a person no different to a real sister to
him.

When Maja’s crying didn’t seem to stop, Cordelia hesitated at first before she sent a
glance to Jude.

‘I’ll… see you tomorrow, okay?’

‘Yes, see you tomorrow.’

‘Yeah, good night.’

‘Yes, dream of me.’

‘You too.’

After they finished their eye conversation, Cordelia and Dahlia left the room while
Jude patted the back of the still crying Maja.

And around thirty minutes later.

Cordelia defended against Dahlia’s persistent questioning attacks with the excuse
that she had to sleep because she was too tired, and she washed herself before lying
down on the bed.

And after that, she began to kick the blanket.

‘Uwaaaaaah! I must be crazy!’

30 minutes ago.

What in the world did I do?

What did I do?

Why did I do that?

‘That… I… aaaaaaah.’

Kiss, kiss.
Kiss, kiss, kiss.

Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss.

Dahlia and Jun who were outside the door would have heard us kissing.

‘Euaaa… aaaaah… aaaaaah!’

Cordelia writhed on the bed.

She rolled to the left, rolled to the right, came back to the center, and then kicked the
blanket.

‘Dizzy, I feel dizzy.’

I feel like I’ll die from shame.

No, maybe I’m already dead and just haven’t realized it.

Maybe my soul is squirming alone after dying from shame.

Cordelia covered her face with both hands, and was suddenly startled, pulling them
back. Because she felt that her cheeks were too hot.

‘Ah, seriously. Ah, seriously!’

How will I look at his face?

What should I say when I see Jude’s face tomorrow?

‘Eueu… eueueueueueu… ’

Cordelia shed some tears before she took a deep breath.

Inhale… exhale… Inhale… exhale…

After repeating it several times, Cordelia managed to calm down her breathing, and
lied down to relax her body and pacify her mind.

‘It’s all right.’

Yes, it’s all right.

It’s not just me.

Since Jude did it too.

Because we played with each other’s weakness.

Yes, yes, that’s right.

We just played and poked each other’s weakness.

We played a game, right?

So it’s all right.

And isn’t he my fiancé?

That’s right, so this much is fine.

Yes, yes, it’s not a problem.

It’s not a problem.

So let’s sleep.

Everything will be all right when I wake up.

Cordelia closed her eyes.

And 1, 2, 3.

“Euaaaah!”

What do you mean by it’s all right!

After rolling on the bed again, Cordelia curled up her body like a ball and then
trembled.

‘I must be crazy, yeah, crazy.’

This is all because of Jude.

After all, it’s because of Jude.

It’s definitely because of Jude!

“Haa.”

I hate it.

I really, really hate it.

And if Maja and Dahlia had not come in.

If they hadn’t come in then…

Cordelia shut her eyes tightly as she clenched her fist tight too, and she panted
afterwards.

Her breathing that she had barely calmed down was rough again, perhaps because
she was rolling too much on the bed or because of some other reason.

‘Argh.’

Why am I the only one like this?

That Jude must be sleeping soundly like a child now, huh?

He must be snoring and sleeping without a care in the world, huh?

‘That’s right, so I should sleep.’

Let’s go to sleep.

I’ll leave all this worries for tomorrow and just go to sleep!

Cordelia corrected her posture again and closed her eyes.

And like always, she spoke with an exclamation.

“I can’t sleep.”

I had slept earlier.

I’m done with sleeping.

And right across her room.

In Jude’s bedroom behind the wall in her room.

As Cordelia predicted, Jude did not make a commotion on the bed.

He was lying straight and not moving.

But it wasn’t what she expected of him to be sleeping soundly and snoring.

As he lied on the bed, he covered his face with his hands and recited the Heart Sutra.

He immersed himself in Buddhist scriptures and tried to erase Cordelia’s face that
kept coming back in his thoughts.

“Damn.”

I can’t sleep.

I really can’t sleep.

How can I sleep? How?

How!

“Huaaa.”

Jude groaned as his hands grabbed his head, and he eventually opened his eyes and
stared at the ceiling. He turned to the side and gazed in the direction of Cordelia’s
room.

“Come on, Jude, come on. Just sleep.”

Jude lied on his back again and forcibly closed his eyes, but he couldn’t fall asleep.
The blushing and gentle smile of Cordelia keep coming back in his mind.

“Haa, darn it.”

Jude eventually gave up sleeping.

He sat on the bed and crossed his legs, taking a deep breath before he began to recite
the Heart Sutra again.

***

The next morning.

Cordelia had stayed up all night with her eyes open, and she was now sitting on the
sofa with a tired face as she waited for Jude.

Because the two were supposed to meet their fathers together, which were Count
Chase and Count Bayer.

‘Eueueue.’

What should I say when we meet?

Should I just not say anything?

As if nothing happened?

Cordelia’s fingers and even the toes in her shoes were wriggling, and Dahlia giggled
upon seeing Cordelia before she said in a small voice.

“He has arrived.”

Jude.

Cordelia unconsciously became nervous, straightening her posture before she turned
her eyes and burst into a small laugh.

Because she saw the dark circles under Jude’s eyes.

‘Hey, you too?’

‘Hey, me too.’

The two had stayed up all night.

As Cordelia giggled and smiled, Jude smiled in the same way and then hesitated for a
moment before he stretched out his hand like he always did. In order to escort her.

But Cordelia did not hold his hand right away. She shifted her gaze and looked up at
Jude, smiling at him with a coy expression.

Because Jude was behaving like usual, pretending to be fine while stretching out his
hand to her, but she could tell.

‘Aren’t you a bit cute?’

He looks shy.

Has my black-hearted Mr. Black Cloak always been this cute?

Cordelia giggled again before she finally put her hand on top of his, and she got up
and began walking with Jude.

Just how far was the room where Count Bayer and Count Chase were waiting?

They didn’t know exactly, but it wouldn’t take that much time.

It would be a few minutes at most.

Maybe not even that.

Was it because of that then?

Jude moved his hand a bit. From under Cordelia’s hand, he changed the direction of
his wrist.

His movement was quite straightforward.

Cordelia turned her head to look at him, but Jude looked straight ahead instead of
looking at her.
His cheeks were blushing in a way that didn’t suit him as he slipped his own fingers
in between Cordelia’s fingers.

He tried to clasp her hand.

Cordelia opened her fingers slightly to accept Jude’s fingers. She gazed at their
tightly interlocked fingers before she turned to the side of Jude’s face.

‘Jude, Jude.’

Jude did not answer. He seemed to have failed to see her eyes because he was only
looking at the front.

But Cordelia did not care and kept looking with her eyes.

‘This is no longer an escort, right?’

We’re just holding hands.

Am I right?

Jude did not respond again, and Cordelia’s lips squirmed. She had done it coyly, but
in the eyes of others, she was smiling as she loosened her face and lowered her hand.
She lightly shook Jude’s hand as she continued walking.

Maja and Dahlia behind them failed to suppress their laughs, but Jude and Cordelia
did not care. Or rather, they didn’t hear the laughter at all. Both of them were busy
walking as they looked ahead with blushing cheeks.

And a few minutes passed.

The two felt that the time that had passed was too short, and they tried to separate
from each other, but their hands seemed to be reluctant to do so.

After forcibly removing their hands that had tried to lock fingers with each other
several times, they took a deep breath.

‘Let’s go.’

‘Okay.’
They would meet Count Bayer and Count Chase, hear the details and then tell their
story.

They prioritized the things that they needed to take care of now before they
proceeded.

Count Bayer’s knight who was guarding the door opened it, and Jude and Cordelia
entered the room.
“Father.”

“The two of you are finally here. Have a seat over there.”

Rather than a regular living room, the room they were in seemed to be a place for
casual and informal conversation.

Three sofas were arranged in a C-shape around a low table, and Count Bayer, who
was sitting by himself at the seat of honor, offered them a seat.

‘Is it across my father?’

Count Chase was sitting in the middle of a long sofa and pointed with his eyes at the
opposite seat. Jude and Cordelia then quietly sat on the sofa opposite him.

Cordelia was on the left while Jude was on the right.

It was a very large sofa, so there were a lot of places for them to seat themselves, but
the two naturally sat close together.

As if this was completely normal.

“It’s nice to look at.”

“Eh? Uh… yes. Thank you.”

At the words of Count Bayer, Cordelia tilted her head because she didn’t understand
what he was talking about, but she immediately replied with a wide smile.

She was a bit curious on what was nice to look at, but since Cordelia and Jude had
woken up after a few days, he might have been talking about how the two were
awake now were nice to look at.
‘Anyway, since it’s my father-in-law’s words, I have to answer even if I don’t
understand what he’s talking about.’

In any case, he had said something nice to them, so it was natural for her to express
her thanks.

‘Is that right, Jude?’

‘Uh, probably.’

Even Jude couldn’t immediately figure out what Count Bayer meant by it being nice
to look at.

Because for Jude, it was completely natural and reasonable for him to be seated next
to Cordelia.

Anyway, Count Bayer’s smile even deepened when Cordelia replied beautifully, while
Count Chase snorted like usual.

“Moving on…”

Count Bayer’s words trailed at the end, and he paused for a moment, taking a deep
breath before he looked at Jude and Cordelia with warm eyes and saying.

“I’m very glad that the two of you woke up. Both of you had been unconscious for the
past few days, so everyone was greatly worried.”

“We apologize for having troubled you.”

“No, no. I apologize. It’s not your fault. You have nothing to apologize for.”

When Cordelia lowered her head, Count Bayer promptly dissuaded her from doing
so before he glanced at Count Chase, asking him to say something.

And at that glance, Count Chase responded in his usual manner.

“Hmph, you’re still a weak guy.”

As he looked at Jude, he clicked his tongue and took out a small box from his pocket.
And Jude was grateful to him like usual.
“Eat this too. They say it works well for feeble guys like you.”

“Yes, father-in-law. Thank you very much.”

“Thank you, Dad.”

After Jude and Cordelia expressed their thanks, Count Chase turned to the side and
spoke quietly.

“Don’t tell Adelia. She’s going to needlessly compare it to what I gave Gael.”

Because Adelia was always dissatisfied even if they were both given something.

But there was one thing that Count Chase overlooked.

“Dad, what did you give to brother-in-law Gael? Is it different from Jude? There’s no
way that it’s better, right? So what is it?”

The existence of Cordelia who began to react in the same way that Adelia did.

“No, I mean…”

“What?”

Count Chase eventually gave up on making excuses and frowned, and Count Bayer
burst into a small laugh.

“Gael and Jude are really blessed with their fiancees.”

Cordelia who was questioning Count Chase then instantly blushed and lowered her
head at Count Bayer’s words.

Because the words ‘blessed with their fiancees’ strangely resonated in her mind.

And it was the same with Jude.

Jude spontaneously looked somewhere else before he coughed with a slightly

reddish face.

“Ahem, ahem.”
Ahem, ahem, ahem.

“Look at this little kid coughing.”

Count Bayer chuckled and looked back at Count Chase before he immediately
brought up their main topic.

“Jude, and Cordelia. I’m sure you had already heard of it but… the royal palace was
not only one that was attacked this time. The entire royal capital was swept into a
huge mess.”

Count Bayer’s expression and tone became a bit stiff.

Having already heard some of the situation from Maja and Dahlia, Jude and
Cordelia’s faces stiffened, and Count Chase looked straight at them and said.

“Certainly… you two warned me and Count Bayer before this happened. It wasn’t
specific, but thanks to that, we were able to resolve this situation.”

Something may happen right after the ball.

We’ll notify you if we’re in danger, so please accept this magic device with tracking
magic on it.

This was what Jude and Cordelia told Count Bayer and Count Chase just before the
ball.

Several incidents had already happened in the north and the wild lands, so Count
Bayer and Count Chase did not lightly take Jude and Cordelia’s words.

They did not drop their guard down even when they attended the ball, so they were
able to react immediately.

What would have happened if the two hadn’t warned them?

“We wouldn’t have been able to stop First Sword.”

Count Bayer nodded at Count Chase’s words.

If they had not been warned, Count Bayer would not have thought of helping Jude
and Cordelia.

“And if you two had lost your lives to First Sword… the Lord Protector… no, that
traitor, Duke Antarius, would have succeeded with his plan.”

He had planned to destroy the barrier by massacring the royal family.

But he did not succeed.

Because Jude and Cordelia stopped him.

“You two definitely did well. But I want to ask. How the hell, I mean… how much did
you know?”

Count Bayer’s voice was soft, and his tone showed that he was not blaming them.

But Jude did not immediately answer.

As calmly as possible, he spoke smoothly.

“The betrayal of the Lord Protector… of Duke Antarius was something that we didn’t
expect.”

His words were reasonable.

The betrayal of the Lord Protector was something unimaginable for most people.

“As I said before, we’ve already proven that the Fairy Queen’s warnings are true. Her
words may be uncomfortable to hear, but it can’t be taken lightly because we’ve
experienced its veracity in the north.”

As Jude had said, it was a repeat of the story they had already told before.

Because there was no one other than the Fairy Queen whom they could cite as a
source of information.

‘And because it’s impossible to use the Guardians of the Holy Cross as an excuse this
time.’

It was a big incident where the royal capital was directly attacked.
After the immediate chaos had been settled to a certain extent, the royal family
would definitely mobilize all the kingdom’s power to start a war against the demon
followers.

If that happened, it would be impossible for the kingdom to not join hands with the
Guardians of the Holy Cross, so if they had carelessly used the Guardians of the Holy
Cross as an excuse, the two would be in trouble if their stories didn’t match.

‘So we pushed for that excuse.’

To begin with, Jude and Cordelia were the only ones able to call out the Fairy Queen
in the royal capital.

Sylvia, the second prettiest woman in the north right after Cordelia, could do it too,
but the possibility of her attempting to summon the fairies was close to zero, so as
long as Jude and Cordelia did not make a mistake, they wouldn’t be caught.

‘We also did some preparations.’

In preparation for the one in a million possibility, they gave the Fairy Queen a box of
chocolates and asked her to match their story.

But she was still a fairy in the end, so it was doubtful if she would really match their
words if she got asked.

In any case, Jude used that excuse, and Count Bayer quietly looked at Jude and
nodded.

“I see. I understand. We are all greatly indebted to the Fairy Queen.”

Thanks to her, they were able to protect the royal family and the royal capital.

They were able to save the country from the traitor, Duke Antarius.

But Count Bayer thought of Jude and Cordelia before that.

He didn’t openly say it, but he was more thankful that he was able to save the two.

But it was at that moment.

“There is one more thing that I want to ask.”

It was Count Chase.

He looked at Jude and Cordelia, asking in a low voice.

“That bas-… how did you two win?”

He did not say the name of that person.

But Jude and Cordelia knew who Count Chase was talking about.

The Lord Protector and traitor, Duke Antarius, was one of the Ten Great
Swordmasters.

Even though he was old and had weakened, he was still one of the best swordsmen
in the kingdom.

Jude and Cordelia had defeated such a Lord Protector.

It wasn’t something they could simply believe because the fight had been two against
one.

“I’m not doubting you. But I honestly couldn’t understand it well from what I heard
from the crown princess.”

Count Bayer also spoke, and the two nodded at the same time.

He would obviously feel like that because it was a fight that was hard to explain in
words on how they won.

Cordelia’s idea to use the power of the divine sword, and Jude’s ability to finish the
enemy with the power that she had passed on to him.

It was a miracle that could only happen because the two were together.

Jude took a deep breath instead of answering right away again. He quietly held
Cordelia’s hand and looked at her.

‘Cordelia.’
‘Yes, Jude.’

‘About this… let’s be honest.’

On how they won.

On why a miracle happened.

At Jude’s gaze, Cordelia nodded and squeezed Jude’s hand.

‘Let’s do that.’

They couldn’t hide it forever.

‘And… it’s not that big of a secret.’

Count Bayer and Count Chase already knew of the fact that Jude was a disciple of
Landius and that he had been taught the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors by Landius.

But they had hid the fact that Cordelia had become an angel through Ancestral
Regression.

‘I’ll tell them then.’

‘Okay.’

It was about Cordelia herself, but Jude was the one in charge of explaining.

After Cordelia relaxed herself and squeezed Jude’s hand, Jude began explaining to
Count Bayer and Count Chase.

And around ten minutes later.

Once they were done listening to all his words, Count Bayer and Count Chase looked
at each other with smiles full of surprise.

“Hoh… Ancestral Regression.”

Especially Count Chase who was really surprised.

Unlike Count Bayer who had only heard of the concept of Ancestral Regression today
because he was a swordsman in the first place, Count Chase already knew to a
certain extent about Ancestral Regression.

“I knew that the blood of an angel flowed in my family, but… I can’t believe that it’s
Ancestral Regression.”

Count Bayer asked in curiosity towards Count Chase who appeared to have lost his
composure, which was unlike him.

“Arthur, is it possible for you to become an angel with Ancestral Regression?”

If Cordelia had the blood of an angel, it would also flow on her father, Count Chase.

But Count Chase immediately shook his head as if he did not even need to think
about it.

“Just because our ancestor is an angel does not mean that it’s possible to regress to
our ancestor. You have to be born with a strong enough angelic trait in order for
Ancestral Regression to be possible. It’s usually impossible unless it’s atavism.”

“Atavism?”

“It refers to a phenomenon in which the trait of an ancestor suddenly appear

strongly in a later generation.”

Having said that, Count Chase looked back at Cordelia and nodded.

“Cordelia, your transcendent beauty may perhaps be the result of atavism.”

“Eh? Uh… yeah.”

At being called a transcendent beauty, Cordelia turned red and bowed her head,
while Jude received Count Chase’s words with a very serious face.

“Cordelia is an angel not only in her face but also in her heart.”

“Hmm, indeed. She was born with it.”

“Yes, she was born with it. Holy Angel Lena-nim also praised her a lot.”
“Uh-huh.”

As Count Chase nodded with a happy face, warm smiles also appeared on Jude and
Count Bayer’s faces.

And the last person.

There was one person who was struggling in her embarrassment rather than taking
part in the current atmosphere.

‘What the heck are you talking about!’

What? My heart is like an angel’s too?

Would you like to die and be an angel now?

Cordelia felt like she wanted to strangle Jude right now, but it was impossible since
they were in front of Count Bayer and Count Chase.

So she just bit her lips and fought back her embarrassment.

But it was then.

“So, if you’re usually a human, do you become an angel by transforming into one or
something?”

“Yes, she can. Lena-nim said that in order to maintain Angel Mode at all times, her
angel rank must be at a certain rank or higher.”

“I see.”

Count Chase nodded as if he was convinced, and he stared at Cordelia while Count
Bayer also stared at her and then coughed.

Neither of them said anything, but it was obvious what they were hoping for.

‘Ah, seriously. Why am I the one who’s always being embarrassed? Why?’

Cordelia was a little annoyed, but she couldn’t do much about it, so she decided to
just accept her fate.
After she got up from her seat, she revealed her angel wings of light.

“Oooh…”

Count Chase exclaimed in admiration as he saw the wings made of a bright white
light. Count Bayer’s eyes also widened and admired the appearance of Cordelia who
was emitting a divine aura.

And there was one person who was elated at the response of the two.

“She’s a real angel.”

For reference, she’s my fiancée.

I’m the only one in the world who has a real angel as a fiancée.

Count Bayer had a bitter smile at Jude’s proud words that were conveyed without
him even speaking, while Count Chase just hmphed. And lastly, Cordelia covered her
face with both hands.

And a few minutes or so later.

When the fuss had subsided, Count Bayer asked again.

“Jude, how is your body now? Are there any side effects from opening the sixth
door?”

Count Bayer did not know much about the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.

Jude smiled bitterly at the question full of worry and replied.

“To be honest… my condition now is quite bad. But I’ll be okay after a few days of
rest.”

Cordelia was the one who was the most surprised by his answer.

[What? Are you still in pain?!]

[Yeah, it hurts. At least until the day after tomorrow, you can think that the weak
Jude of the past is back.]
[R-really? Then will you collapse from just walking?]

[No, it wasn’t… that bad before.]

[Jude?]

[Don’t worry. It’s not that bad. There’s no problem in my daily activities.]

[Really?]

[Really. You checked it yesterday, right?]

[Huh?]

[I mean, what… we did. That incident.]

That was it. Cordelia lowered her head instead of asking him anymore. Her ears that
can be seen in between her hair had now turned red.

In any case, Jude’s story was over, so Count Bayer sighed and said as he straightened
his posture.

“All right. Then I won’t prolong this conversation for long. I’ll just tell you what we
were going to say before you go back.”

Jude and Cordelia weren’t called this morning just to resolve their questions about
the incident.

It was because they had to tell the two something too.

“A merit ceremony will be held in five days.”

“Merit ceremony?”

“Yes, His Majesty will personally reward those who have greatly contributed to
resolve this incident.”

There were two reasons for that.

Obviously, the first one was to reward them, and the other one was to show that the
royal family was well.

“Among those who will be rewarded this time, the two of you will specially be given
the title of count, a fief… and a new surname personally bestowed by the royal family
for your great contribution.”

“Surname? A new one?”

Count Bayer replied with a smile to Cordelia’s question.

“Because there cannot be two Count Bayer and Count Chase.”

Generally, it was possible to distinguish the two without bestowing a different

surname to the other by referring to one as the Greater Count Bayer and the other as
the Lesser Count Bayer, but this time, it was decided that they would be given a new
surname.

‘I expected it, but… it seems like the royal family wants us too.’

There were two reasons why he thought that.

One was the fact that a new hero was needed to replace the Lord Protector who had
fallen from a hero who saved the country and had become a traitor.

‘Because they need a hero to spruce up the current situation.’

The betrayal of the Lord Protector was not just a shocking incident.

It was the worst scandal that could hound the royal family for a long time.

‘Because the Lord Protector was a hero who saved the country.’

Why did someone who saved the country twice then betray the royal family?

Could it be that the royal family pushed him into a situation where he was forced to
betray them?

Numerous speculations would be made, and rumors using these speculations would
constantly haunt the royal family.

Such a problem could not be solved in the short term.

So for now, they created a new topic to divert the public’s attention.

They would use the new heroes to draw the public’s attention.

‘The other one is… Is it because… we’re competent?’

It was something embarrassing to think about, but it was true that Jude and Cordelia
were competent.

If one limited it to their peers, the two would belong to the most skilled people in the
entire continent.

‘It’s natural for the royal family to want us.’

So they didn’t hold back with the rewards.

They especially showed that with the giving of a surname.

‘Well, I’m grateful for what they’re doing anyway.’

Moreover, there would also be room for a deal if they were desired this much.

They would have more chances to rip off the other if they were this much wanted.
[You have a wicked expression.]

At Cordelia’s remark, Jude coughed several times, and Count Bayer said with a grin,
though it was unknown if he knew what Jude was thinking or not.

“You can go back and rest now.”

“Yes, father. We’ll be leaving now.”

As he stood up with Cordelia, the two gave a bow to Count Bayer and Count Chase
before they left the room.

***

[Are we finally free after five days?]

[No. We have a lot of things to organize.]

It was a big incident that simply did not end in attacking the royal family as it turned
the entire royal capital upside down too.

Naturally, a lot of people were involved.

In particular, Velkian was the most problematic.

[There are five things we have to consider now.]

[Huh? Five things?]

[Yes, five.]

Cordelia blinked her eyes at Jude’s words, but she did not think deeply of it. It was
just a matter of asking Jude about it.

[Tell me one by one.]

[Hey… did you completely give up thinking? Please don’t.]

[Stop with your nonsense and just explain it.]

[Hmm, all right.]

Before he explained it, Jude took a deep breath and paused for a bit. He then sent her
a message via magic.

[First is Velkian.]

[Yes, you said he was in the royal capital now, right? Should we meet him before the
ceremony?]

[That won’t be necessary. He must have come here to meet Pink Bomb in the first
place… There’s also the chaos that happened in the royal capital, so he will not be
leaving immediately.]

[Hmm, does that mean we still have some time?]

[Probably.]

Something had happened in the royal capital, so Velkian naturally remained vigilant
and closely watched any suspicious movements.

[What’s the second?]

[Scarlet.]

[Eh? Scarlet?]

[Yes, Scarlet. Did you forget what you promised Scarlet?]

Cordelia blinked her eyes at Jude’s words, and soon, she tapped her thigh and said.

“Ah, that’s right. The promise.”

They were supposed to compete for the Rogue Master position.

Cordelia laughed ‘hehehe’ as if she had only remembered now, and Jude narrowed
his brows and sent her a <Message> magic.

[Anyway, she’s looking forward to this, so we need to organize this too. Of course,
Scarlet will not agree to having the match in the royal capital when the situation is
like this.]

[Yes. Because our match will be a stealing contest.]

The entire royal capital had been affected by the incident, so where in the world
would they rob?

There might be a place where they could search and rob, but even stealing had to
observe the proper time and place rule.

Especially if it was a big shot like the Rogue Master.

[More than that, is Scarlet okay? She isn’t hurt, right?]

[She’ll be fine. She is the future Rogue Master. She’s also one of the future Four Great
Swordsmen.]

[Indeed, that’s true.]

Scarlet was one of the strongest among her age.

She would be safe without a single tip of her hair undamaged unless she threw her
body directly into the path of danger.

[They said that Lucas is okay, right?]

[Yes, Maja said that.]

[So did Dahlia. She told me that he even visited us when we were unconscious.]

[He really is nice. I hope it goes well with Scarlet.]

[Yeah. With Scarlet… eh? With Scarlet?]

[Ah… it’s a long story, so I’ll pass for now.]

[Eh? Wait, why are you saying that? Isn’t this something really important?]

[Uh, no. Anyway, I’ll tell you the third one.]

When Jude quickly changed the topic, Cordelia inflated her cheeks with a disgruntled
face, but from Jude’s point of view, it was a reward.

‘Hmm, as expected, she’s cute.’

Jude smiled happily and brought up the third topic.

[The third one is about the demon followers.]

[The Devil’s Hand?]

[Yes, they’ll be aiming at us openly now.]

From the northern region, the wild lands, and then to the royal capital.

The two had repeatedly destroyed the plans of the demon followers.

In particular, they played a huge role in defeating the Lord Protector this time, so it
was inevitable that they would receive a high level of attention.

[Umm… does that mean they’ll send high-ranking demonic humans?]

[Maybe. But they won’t be able to send them right away.]

[Why?]

[The Salen royal family will try to catch the demon followers like rats.]

After all, the Salen Kingdom hated the demon followers.

Moreover, the demon followers attacked the royal capital.

They corrupted the Lord Protector, making him betray the royal family and taking
the lives of several royal family members.

[Once the disturbance in the royal capital is resolved to some extent, it’s highly likely
that they’ll move immediately.]

There were also several reasons for this.

One was that they needed someone to draw the public’s attention just like their need
for a new hero.

‘To be exact, they needed a target of hatred.’

And the other reason was Henry II’s anger.

[The reason that the Lord Protector became a traitor was because of the demon
followers. It was completely their fault that the Lord Protector was corrupted.]

At Jude’s words, Cordelia nodded with a worried face.

She felt sad when she thought of Henry II whose heart must have been torn into
pieces because of the betrayal.

[He seemed to be a really pure man.]

Cordelia herself didn’t care much about him because she found him unpleasant when
they argued back then.

However, she was deeply saddened when she saw how much he liked the Lord
Protector.

[As I thought, you’re an angel.]

[What?]

[I mean, my princess is kind.]

The smirking Jude continued his explanation before Cordelia could say anything.

[Anyway, the Salen royal family will be eager to beat the demon followers, so the
demon followers will not bother us for a while.]

[Then, should we become stronger in the meantime?]

To the point where they could fight against mid-ranking demonic humans.

Jude smiled at Cordelia’s words and nodded his head.

[That’s right. I’ve also thought of that, and I’m not talking about the sixth door or the
Angel Mode.]

Cordelia stared at Jude’s eyes and eventually understood it.

[Key Sword.]

[Correct.]

It was the key to obtaining the Ultimate Seven series.

[We’ll have to work hard in leveling up since it’s an exceptional item.]

[That’s right, that’s right. Are you skilled in playing games, though?]

[Yes, I’m skilled in playing games.]

Jude slyly responded to Cordelia’s words before he continued to speak.

T/N: The word used for ‘exceptional item’ here is 템빨 (tem-ppal), which is an item
that makes you really good in playing or doing something, and not because you have
the skills for it. In game terms, it means that you’re only good at playing because of
your items and not because of your actual skills.

So Jude is trying to say that even if they had an exceptional item, they have to work
hard in becoming stronger and not just rely on the item. He does not want them to be
strong just because of their items. Cordelia agrees with him, but playfully asks him if he
actually had the skills in the first place. And Jude slyly replies that he has the skills to do
so.

[And the last one is… you know about it, right? The event in the south.]

[Yes, one of the three big events that led to the fall of the Salen Kingdom.]

The great invasion of the barbarians destroyed the northern region.

The annihilation of the royal family brought the central region into ruins.

And the third one was ‘Black Dragon Malekith’s Attack’ which dealt a devastating
blow to the 7 southern families that were the pillars of the southern region.
[If we can stop Malekith, the Salen Kingdom will be safe for a while.]

In the game, the Salen Kingdom helplessly collapsed because it couldn’t prevent any
of those three events, but it was different now.

Since the north and the center were still going strong, if the event in the south is
prevented, the Salen Kingdom would become a huge barrier that could protect
humanity in the upcoming 7 major calamities.

[Eueue… So how should we decide the order of doing those 5 things?]

[Uh, we’ll have to think about it when I give you the details.]

Having spoken so far, Jude stopped walking.

And so did Cordelia.

Because they had arrived.

They were right in front of Jude and Cordelia’s rooms, which were next to each other.

[Uh… Cordelia?]

[Yes, Jude.]

Jude and Cordelia looked at each other before they turned their heads back again.

The two hesitated before they finally spoke.

[Uh… would you like to talk in my room?]

[Eh? Uh… o-okay?]

We have a lot to discuss.

We have a lot to think about especially the things we talked about on our way here.

That’s right, that’s right. So it’s only natural for us to go in his room and talk.

Cordelia spoke to herself and lightly bit her lips. They were only going to do
something that they had naturally and usually did, but for some strange reason, her
heart was pounding.

[S-shall we go then?]

[Y-yes, let’s go.]

Jude answered awkwardly unlike his usual self, and he opened the door and saw that
no one was in the room.

Because just like always, Dahlia and Maja had gone away in order to give the two
some ‘alone time’ together.

That was why the room was empty.

There was no one in the room.

“Ahem, ahem.”

“Ehem, ehem, ehem.”

Jude and Cordelia cleared their throats for no reason and then entered the room
awkwardly as they avoided each other’s gaze.

They then sat on the sofa.

However.

It was normal for the two to sit opposite each other when they were discussing
something, and that had always been the case until now. But it was different this
time.

Because both of them sat on the same sofa as if they had agreed beforehand.

So why?

What was the reason?

Was it perhaps because they were holding hands?

“Ahem, ahem.”

“Ehem, ehem, ehem.”

Jude and Cordelia looked at each other while coughing for no reason again, and at
that moment, they both turned their heads away.

Because they remembered what happened last night.

‘Ki-ki-kiss… ’

Cordelia unconsciously squirmed her lips while Jude swallowed hard.

1 minute passed.

2 minutes passed.

“Uh… Jude?”

“Yes, Cordelia.”

“W-we should talk, right?”

“Y-yes, we have to. Discuss. We have to discuss.”

They had come here to do that.

They came here to discuss and not for something else.

“T-then… will you let go of… my hand?”

“Hand?”

“Yes, hand. Uh… it’s not necessary to hold it… right?”

Cordelia wriggled her fingers, and Jude wriggled his fingers too because their fingers
were still interlocked with each other.

And as they wriggled their fingers like that, they both felt strange.
Their hearts were beating faster, and their breaths were getting rougher.

And a few seconds later.

Cordelia squirmed her lips before she glanced at Jude, and at that moment, Jude also
turned to Cordelia.

Their blue and green eyes met with each other.

Little by little, the distance they had between each other narrowed.

And a voice suddenly came from behind them.

“What are you two doing?”

A sullen voice.

And at the same time, a familiar voice.

At the deja vu they somehow felt, Jude and Cordelia hurriedly looked behind them
and simultaneously jumped from their seats. Cordelia then burst into a bright smile.

“Scarlet!”

You’re safe!

Cordelia jumped over the sofa and hugged Scarlet who was dressed in a maid outfit.
Scarlet hugged her back and then glanced at Jude.

As she faced him who now had a sour expression, she gave a strange smile that was
half sorry and half pleased at his misfortune.
“Were you hurt?”

“I’m okay, see? Should you be saying that when you were in a coma though?”

When Scarlet asked back as soon as she sat besides Cordelia on the sofa, Cordelia
shook her head and answered.

“No, it isn’t to the point of a coma since I only slept for two days.”

“Hey, sleeping for two days is definitely not normal, okay?”

Scarlet sharply spoke and squinted her eyes, looking at Cordelia all over.

She seemed to be looking for any injuries.

And at Scarlet’s appearance, Cordelia began to laugh.

“Why?”

“No, it’s just… you seemed to be seriously worried of me.”

Cordelia giggled again and lightly slapped Scarlet’s shoulder as she smiled with her
eyes, and Scarlet frowned.

“No, I’m not. I wasn’t that worried of you, okay? I really didn’t care about you, okay?”

“Wow, your classic reaction is so good, so good. You’re so cute.”

“What ‘so cute’?”

Whether Scarlet hated it or not, Cordelia hugged her arm and laughed, and Scarlet
eventually frowned and looked back at Jude.
“Hey, Black Cloak. Why is Pink Bomb acting like this? Did she injure her head or
something?”

[She’s not hurt. She’s just pretty, cute, and adorable like usual.]

Scarlet shuddered when he replied via <Message> magic instead of his voice, and she
eventually gave up.

Because the more she spoke, the more she would only be embarrassed.

“Anyway, I’m fine.”

“Yes, yes. If Scarlet is okay, then I’m okay too.”

As Cordelia rubbed her cheeks against Scarlet’s shoulder, Scarlet flinched for a
moment but soon smiled.

Because she found the expression of Jude looking at them to be very funny.

‘Should I tease him a bit?’

But before Scarlet could even try something, Jude moved first. He took a seat across
Scarlet and immediately brought up a topic she couldn’t ignore.

“The match.”

“Eh?”

“The match for the Rogue Master position. Isn’t it time to discuss it?”

As Jude grinned and spoke, Scarlet slightly frowned.

She welcomed the fact that they were finally talking about the match for the Rogue
Master position, but she didn’t like it a bit on how Jude led the flow of their
discussion into that.

But she couldn’t help it.

She was the one who had lost in their fight, so she eventually gave up.
“Okay, let’s talk about it.”

“I’ll cut to the chase and get straight to the point… don’t you agree that it’s
impossible to do it now?”

“I agree. Because the royal capital is in an absolute mess.”

Jude smiled again when her response was what he expected.

‘As expected of Scarlet.’

In the game, Scarlet was the ideal companion who was friendly and rational, even
before she was deceived by the magic sword.

He thought that if the royal capital had suffered serious damage, she would postpone
the match, and now, she responded as he had expected.

‘Because it concerns the Rogue Master’s pride.’

More than a hundred years had passed since the first Rogue Master had appeared on
earth.

Numerous thieves had appeared between the past and present, and some had even
done bigger thefts than the Rogue Master.

But none of them were as legendary as the Rogue Master.

What was the reason for that?

Why was the Rogue Master the only one who became a legend?

‘Because it had romance.’

The Rogue Master would send a notice herself in order to increase the difficulty of
her theft.

The Rogue Master only targeted the wicked rich.

The Rogue Master only stole and did not kill people.
The money earned from the rich was used to help those who were in need.

The so-called Robin Hood figure.

A righteous thief.

That was all a fantasy though.

After all, a thief was still a thief in the end, and most of what the Rogue Master stole
from the rich went into the pockets of the Rogue Master and not the poor.

But the most important thing was the image.

‘A romantic thief.’

It was impossible for such a Rogue Master to use the royal capital, where a lot of
people had been killed or injured, as the stage for their theft.

“But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to hold the match, right? So let’s change the
place.”

“You mean we’ll be having the match in a place other than the royal capital?”

“Yes, let’s have it in the south and not the center.”

At Jude’s words, Cordelia’s eyes widened, and she looked at him in admiration.

Because she realized what Jude was planning.

‘Are you trying to take Scarlet with us to the south?’

‘Because the more powerful allies we have, the better.’

Black Dragon Malekith was a powerful enemy in a different sense than the Lord
Protector. In order to deal with a literally gigantic monster, they need to have at least
one more useable trump card.

“Where in the south? The 7 southern families?”

“Wouldn’t they be worth stealing from?”

Scarlet narrowed her eyes as Jude smirked and answered.

Because she became wary when she saw Jude’s sly smile.

‘He’s up to something, right?’

Although the royal capital suffered serious damage, the entire central region was not
harmed.

But he was saying that they should leave the center and hold the match in the south.

His words felt suspicious even if he didn’t have a sly smile.

‘Rather, should we hold the match in the empire?’

Scarlet’s own home ground.

But Scarlet soon stopped her thoughts.

Because she was the one who had lost in their fight in the first meeting.

‘This was a match originally proposed by Pink Bomb out of her consideration of me
in the first place.’

So she wasn’t in a position to say this and that.

‘Of course, if it’s Cordelia, she wouldn’t think much about it, and… ’

Maybe she’ll even accept having the match in the empire.

But that Black Cloak – that Jude who is a sly person incarnate, will not agree to it.

Perhaps whatever I say, he’ll insist to have the match be held in the south.

‘There’s no point fighting about it.’

It’s not like we won’t be seeing each other anymore after this match.

“Okay, let’s have the match in the south then. When will it be?”
“Please give us a bit of time.”

“How long?”

“At least two months, I think? The two of us will not be able to go to the south until
the mess in the royal capital has been organized.”

“Hmmm.”

Scarlet looked troubled as she crossed her arms, but she soon nodded again.

As Jude had said, it would take quite some time before they could leave the royal
capital.

‘Though two months is a bit long.’

But it wasn’t like she couldn’t wait at all.

Moreover, Scarlet herself needed some time to investigate the southern region.

“Okay, let’s do that. It doesn’t matter if we discuss the details of the match later.”

“As expected of Scarlet. You’re nice and generous.”

“I’m not exactly nice though?”

“If you insist.”

“Ufufu.”

The one who laughed last was Cordelia.

She seemed to be really excited that she kept on laughing.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you? You’re creeping me out.”

“Nothing. It’s just that I like Scarlet?”

When Cordelia giggled again, Scarlet couldn’t help but smile in the end.
Because Cordelia was just too cute for her to reject.

“Okay, let’s have the match in the south two months after, but…”

“But?”

“Pink Bomb, let’s go out and talk for a minute.”

“Eh?”

“I was just thinking of talking to you while getting some fresh air. I’d also like to hear
about what happened that night in the royal palace. Is that fine with you?”

“Well… I don’t mind.”

Having said that, Cordelia turned to Jude, and instead of seeing Cordelia, Jude saw
Scarlet grinning at him.

‘I can see your thoughts very clearly.’

Scarlet’s intention.

In fact, it wasn’t that serious.

It was just a really simple idea of hers to take Cordelia outside and not let Cordelia
spend some time with Jude.

‘You’re annoyed, right? Right?’

Jude answered Scarlet’s gaze with a bitter smile before he turned to Cordelia.

‘Jude?’

‘It’s fine if you go along with Scarlet. You’re going to chat with a friend in the first
place, so it’s not something for me to decide, right?’

‘Well… that’s true. Okay, I’ll be back later.’

Cordelia widely smiled, and just like the saying ‘strike while the iron is hot,’ she
immediately stood up and pulled Scarlet’s hand, while Scarlet sneered at Jude before
she went out with Cordelia.

And a few seconds later.

After the door was closed, Jude stretched his arms and let out a long breath.

‘Anyway, it seems like Scarlet is completely on our side.’

Whatever the outcome of the match would be, it seemed like she would still be
working with them in the future.

‘Though it’s a bit annoying when she always interrupts us… ’

Well, I don’t exactly hate it though.

It’s at a level where I could just laugh it off.

Plus, Scarlet intruding on us is quite helpful at the moment.

‘Because it’s hard to concentrate when Cordelia is around.’

At least, for now.

‘Let’s sort it out while Cordelia is gone.’

He couldn’t do that last night because his mental state then didn’t let him think
properly.

Jude closed his eyes and slowly breathed.

He slowly immersed himself in the deepest parts of his consciousness in order to

examine the state of his body and soul.

And he soon realized it.

‘As I thought, it was too much.’

He had failed to open the sixth door properly.

He had created a sixth door, but only the form was created.
If he had to describe it, it was like a plate that had been widened, but the plate’s
contents barely filled it.

‘I need time.’

Time to properly maintain the sixth door.

Time to let my own skills grow and match the plate that had suddenly become bigger.

‘But I shouldn’t hurry that much.’

As he had already told Cordelia, the demon followers wouldn’t dare to attack them
for the time being.

They also didn’t need to immediately become very strong because Black Dragon
Malekith’s attack on the south would only happen a few months from now if it went
by the game’s timeline.

‘So let’s take our time.’

I’ll recover my health and build up my strength.

I can’t rely too much on Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors, so I have to develop my other skills
too.

‘Ultimate Seven.’

Seven ultimate swords that were created by the ancient dwarves, and could only be
obtained through the Key Sword.

It was not surprising that Jude knew all seven of it since he had used them at least
once in Legend of Heroes 2.

And that was why he was convinced.

‘I need the Ultimate One.’

It was the most different from among the seven ultimate swords.

But that was also the reason why that sword suited the current Jude the best.
Fortunately, what Jude himself wanted – ‘Ultimate One,’ and what Cordelia wanted –
‘Ultimate Four, Explosive Blade – Magic Blaster,’ were located in the Salen Kingdom.

‘And if we can secure Ultimate Three, Dragon Sword Ascalon, before our fight against
Malekith, it will be like the icing on the cake.’

Jude drew up a plan on his head for a while, and then smiled and stretched his arms.

Because when he was thinking of how to get the items, he suddenly remembered
Legend of Heroes 2.

‘It’s not a game now but reality.’

After he lightly smiled, Jude closed his eyes again and delved into his consciousness.

He began to operate the Black Sun, which was born from the union of the Ninth
Heaven’s Nine Doors and the Supreme Sun Divine Art.

***

At a small garden near a different palace.

Scarlet sat in a sunny spot and enjoyed the wind, and then asked with her eyes wide
open.

“The Lord Protector? Did you just say that you defeated him?”

“Yes. But it’s still a secret so don’t say it out loud.”

Cordelia looked around and spoke quietly, but Scarlet shouted, grabbing Cordelia’s
shoulders rather than being quiet.

“How?!”

Scarlet was already aware of the fact that the Lord Protector was a traitor.

As Cordelia had said, everyone kept it a secret, but it had already been three days
after the battle on the royal capital, so everyone who could know already knew that
the Lord Protector was a traitor.
But she thought that it was impossible for Jude and Cordelia to have defeated the
Lord Protector.

“Well… it’s because we did our very best? The crown princess and the prince also
helped.”

When Cordelia hesitated, Scarlet shook her shoulder again, as if she wanted to ask
on what the hell did Cordelia mean.

Because the Lord Protector wasn’t someone that could just be defeated by a few
children.

“Anyway, we defeated him. I can’t say how we defeated him because it’s related to a
secret of the kingdom.”

The existence of the divine sword, Claíomh Solais, that maintained the barrier and
was located in the basement of the royal palace, was in fact, a national secret.

Count Bayer and Count Chase already knew of the existence of the divine sword so
they could openly talk about it, but it was impossible to let Scarlet know about it
since she was a citizen of the empire.

“How mean.”

“I’m sorry…”

Scarlet soon sighed when Cordelia’s face became sad as if she was truly sorry.

“Well… it can’t be helped. Anyway, you didn’t win with just your skills, right?”

“Yeah. Something more was added… and more than anything, we were just lucky.”

“Just lucky…”

Scarlet frowned and then shook her head.

Even if the Lord Protector was old and had become weak, he was still one of the Ten
Great Swordmasters.

He wasn’t someone that could be defeated just by being lucky.

But Jude and Cordelia defeated such a Lord Protector.

‘It’s something unexpected but… these two are also monsters.’

They’re only 17 years old now.

But what the hell is up with their strength?

‘God’s mistake… ’

A term that refers to Maximilian de Avis.

But, perhaps, Jude and Cordelia are also god’s mistakes?

“Scarlet?”

“Eh? Yeah, well… I get it. Anyway, it’s fine since you came out safe.”

Scarlet evasively spoke before she stood up from her seat.

Because of that, Cordelia stood up too and asked.

“Are you going now?”

“Yes, I have to get going now.”

She had accomplished most of her purpose in infiltrating the palace.

She would have perfectly accomplished it if she would be able to see Lucas’ condition
on her way back.

“Then, see you at the merit ceremony.”

“Eh? You’re attending the merit ceremony?”

“It’s for a special purpose. I have to give you a clap, after all.”

Scarlet shrugged and spoke coyly, grinning wide as she said goodbye to Cordelia and
headed back.
“See you next time.”

“Yes, see you next time.”

After Cordelia waved her hand, Scarlet haughtily turned around and began to walk a
few steps, but she soon blended into the surrounding landscape and became
invisible.

“Wow.”

As expected of the Rogue Master.

Cordelia admired her for a bit and clapped her hands, and then she brushed off the
dirt from her skirt and looked back at the palace.

She had to go back by herself.

But before she took a step, Cordelia once again viewed the garden and gazed at the
main palace that she could see from here.

It wasn’t perfect.

There were signs of destruction and ruin here and there.

She hadn’t seen it with her eyes, but she knew that a lot of people were also killed or
injured.

But, even if that happened…

‘We weren’t wrong.’

What Jude and Cordelia did.

They had done their best to protect the royal family and the royal capital.

“Let’s go.”

Cordelia spoke to herself and headed back to the palace.

She walked and began to imagine the face of Jude that had naturally come into her
mind.

And five days later in the afternoon.

The merit ceremony finally began.

The damage suffered by the royal capital was truly enormous.

The Royal Guards in charge of the security of the royal capital incurred more than
500 deaths alone, and the number of civilian deaths was estimated to be at least
2000 to 3000.

It was not an exaggeration to say that there were more than 10,000 casualties, as the
number of injured or disabled people also numbered in the thousands.

There were two main reasons why such a massive damage occurred in a short period
of time.

One was that a lot of demon followers entered the royal capital too easily because of
the Lord Protector and his subordinates, and the other was that most of the royal
capital’s residents were gathered outdoors because of the founding anniversary
celebration.

‘It would have been different if it was the usual royal capital.’

Most of the demon followers would not have been able to cross the wall in the first
place.

There would have been fewer people who became zombies than there were now.

‘In the end, it’s the Lord Protector’s fault.’

It was the result of the betrayal of their national hero who received the king’s
absolute trust.

‘But they managed to stop it well. As expected of the royal capital.’

First Sword was sitting on top of a horse and smiled as he read a newspaper
detailing the incident on the royal capital.
He smiled because they really stopped it well.

‘If the Lord Protector had succeeded, the royal capital would have been destroyed.’

Saluzia and Koros were planning to summon a Hell Gate in the royal capital.

If it had gone according to plan, the content in the newspaper would have been very
different.

‘I wanted to see it at least once.’

What a wide open Hell Gate looks like and what its consequences will be.

I’m also curious on what kind of hell will spread in the world because of that.

After First Sword folded the newspaper, he bit on the apple he was holding.

In fact, even if the Lord Protector had succeeded, there was also a possibility that
things would not have worked out as well as they planned.

Because there was a true reason why the damage to the royal capital was ‘only this
much.’

‘The five heroes of the Paragon Kingdom.’

Among those heroes was Velkian, a necromancer who specialized in large-scale

summoning.

Without him, the damage to the royal capital would have been several times more
than it was now, regardless of the presence or absence of the barrier.

‘They say that he was a monster.’

His death magic was so powerful and transcendental that it covered the sky of the
royal capital and let him control over a thousand forces of undead.

He was a being so powerful that a high-ranking demonic human would call him a
‘monster.’

‘There are two people who are as strong as Velkian.’

Iron Man Landius and Ghostblade Kamael.

How strong are they?

Are they stronger than the empire’s Sword God?

I want to fight them.

I want to face their sword.

I want to defeat them with my own sword.

After First Sword took another bite of the apple, he turned his horse towards the
direction of the royal capital.

“Congratulations from afar.”

At the center of the royal capital.

At the large plaza that was also connected to a part of the royal palace.

First Sword remembered the merit ceremony being held there, and he smiled as he
lightly clapped his hands.

He lavishly praised Jude and Cordelia, who were said to be the main characters of
this merit ceremony.

The two were now the kingdom’s heroes.

These two would now shine brighter than before.

How fun would it be to trample those two?

How much fun would it be to taint Cordelia, who was as clean and beautiful as the
white snow, and Jude who shined like a jewel?

“See you next time.”

Until then, both of you stay healthy.

Say hello to the Sword Saint of Wind for me.

First Sword turned around while enjoying a more relaxed feeling than before,
perhaps because he removed his mask called the Sword Saint of Light.

He went forward with his back on the royal capital.

***

Numerous people gathered in the large plaza located in the center of the royal
capital.

Thousands, or perhaps even tens of thousands were gathered.

They all looked at one place. King Henry II stood on a high and large balcony
connected to the large plaza.

Henry II stood in front of the people with a very tired and weary look.

Even from a distance, one could tell that his face had become thinner.

But he didn’t pass his work to other people. He stood in front of the people and told
them what he had to say.

The betrayal of the Lord Protector and First Sword.

Their plan to overthrow the royal capital.

The deaths of the royal family members and the attacks of the demon followers
along with the damage they caused.

“But we didn’t fall. We shall overcome this crisis too.”

Henry II’s voice spread throughout the plaza through a voice amplification magic.

He talked about the heroes in order to encourage the people who lived in sorrow and
fear.

“There are those who have made great contributions.”

Seryu, the Seven-Killings Sword who blocked the high-ranking demonic human at
the south gate.

Gael and Adelia who fought hard until the end at the west gate.

Count Chase who saved the lives of countless people by preventing the collapse of
the royal palace, and Count Bayer who single-handedly stopped First Sword.

And it wasn’t just them.

The Royal Guards and Royal Guard Knights who fought meritoriously in the royal
capital, and even the civilian heroes who did not have any special position but fought
to protect the people around them.

Henry II promised to reward them properly as he called their names one by one,
starting from the small ones, and he also promised considerable support to the
inhabitants of the heavily damaged royal capital.

[Wow… they’re really being generous.]

Cordelia blinked her eyes and sent a <Message> magic as she waited behind the
balcony.

She would say that because if one roughly calculated the amount of support and
rewards to be given, it was enormous.

The Salen royal family had great financial resources as it ruled one of the continent’s
two biggest powers, but if the royal family gave such an amount of money, wouldn’t
their position be shaken?

At Cordelia’s question, Jude replied with a smile.

[Because they’re planning to confiscate the Lord Protector’s properties. Including

the nobles under his command.]

[Still, they’re being generous.]

[That’s true. After all, they’re giving away the money they earned from their royal
properties.]
Certainly, if one looked at that aspect, Henry II was a good person.

He was inwardly driven to do so.

[Wasn’t he seriously heartbroken?]

[He’ll overcome it. He has a lot of good people around him.]

Jude looked at the backs of Princess Daphne and First Queen Justina who were next
to Henry II. He turned his gaze to Cordelia afterwards.

He stared at her wearing a snow-white dress and impulsively touched his lips to her
head.

“Eh?”

As the startled Cordelia flinched and turned around, Jude smiled and this time, he
pressed his lips to her white and smooth forehead.

It was really light and fast, as if it was just passing by.

[Mr. Black Cloak? What are you doing?]

But instead of answering, Jude once again touched his lips on her forehead, and the
flinching Cordelia quickly looked around.

Quite a few people were present, including those who were waiting to receive their
award.

Did they see it?

What if they saw it?

And why is he suddenly like this-

It was at that moment.

Cordelia met eyes with Seryu, the Seven-Killings Sword, who was standing far away
by the wall and had turned her head away as she blushed.
Their eyes meeting wasn’t just a coincidence because Seryu had been looking at
them for some time.

‘Did she see it? Did she really see it? Is that why she’s smiling a bit?’

But it was at that time.

A kiss again.

On her head again this time. Or on her hair to be exact.

Cordelia quickly turned her head to look at Jude, and as she faced him, Jude kissed
her on the forehead again.

‘Hey! What are we going to do if others see us!’

Wait, isn’t Seryu already watching us?

In fact, it wasn’t just Seryu. Cordelia didn’t notice because she was too preoccupied
with the current situation, but there were a few more people who were looking at
them.

Nevertheless, Jude did not seem to care as he kissed Cordelia’s forehead again.

Kiss, kiss.

Kiss, kiss, kiss.

Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss.

T/N: The kiss here is supposed to be ‘chu’, which is the sound of a kiss. But if I write ‘chu,
chu’, it sounds like a train’s choo-choo, so I just wrote kiss instead of chu. Though Jude,
you sly bastard, you kissed her nine times, hahaha

‘Hey! Jude! You’re ruining my makeup, okay?!’

Wait, that’s not the problem!

Cordelia got angry and looked up at Jude, but she couldn’t fight back.
Since they had a height difference of around 20 cm, she couldn’t even touch her lips
on his cheek or chin.

And if she did more than that…

She would have to hug his neck and lean her body towards him as if she was hanging
on his neck, but such a big move was sure to catch the attention of everyone around
them.

‘Argh.’

She was seriously getting annoyed.

It was such a one-sided deal.

She couldn’t do a free deal on his face.

T/N: ‘Deal’ and ‘free deal’ are Korean gaming terms. Deal stands for ‘dealing damage’
while ‘free deal’ means being able to deal damage without anything obstructing you.

And in the meantime, she got kissed again.

Eventually, Cordelia couldn’t stand it and glared at Jude.

[Hey, just you wait and see when we get back, okay? Just you wait and see!]

[Oh, yes. I’ll be looking forward to it.]

However, he welcomed it.

When Jude said that with a sly smile, Cordelia felt that she had lost and frowned
again, but now wasn’t the time to argue with him. Because she heard a voice calling
them.

[Let’s go, Princess.]

[Ah, seriously.]

You’re so cheeky.
Resisting the urge to punch his chest, Cordelia held Jude’s hand and looked straight
ahead as they slowly began to walk.

They headed out to the open balcony.

And saw countless people who were standing beyond that balcony.

Her heart was pounding.

As they passed through the door and entered the balcony, it felt like they had entered
a completely different world.

“Jude Bayer and Cordelia Chase.”

Henry II’s call brought Cordelia back to reality. She followed the hand of the cheeky
but reliable Jude and stood in front of Henry II before they slowly bowed in courtesy.

“The two of you made a really big contribution. Without you, me and my family
would have lost our lives.”

Henry II spoke a little casually as if to calm the nervous Cordelia, and he soon turned
around and faced the citizens of the royal capital again. He explained Jude and
Cordelia’s meritorious deeds to the numerous people looking up at them.

‘I can’t hear anything.’

She was so nervous that she couldn’t even understand what the king was talking
about.

Tens of thousands of eyes seemed to turn into tens of thousands of arrows that
penetrated her entire body.

Cordelia continued to swallow hard. She couldn’t help but breathe roughly as her
feet trembled and her smile became stiff.

And she heard Henry II’s voice again.

“I will bestow to you two the title of count, and from now on, the two of you will be
known as Jude A. Bayer and Cordelia A. Chase.”
A newly added middle name.

To be exact, it was a name bestowed by the royal family themselves.

Jude August Bayer and Cordelia August Chase.

They could have given them a new surname, but this was Princess Daphne’s
consideration for Cordelia who was attached to the ‘Chase’ surname.

“Count August Bayer and Countess August Chase. Go ahead and face the people of
the kingdom.”

Cordelia did not respond immediately despite Henry II’s order, but fortunately, Jude
was next to her.

As he gently led the absentminded Cordelia, she finally came to her senses.

And a few steps later.

Cordelia passed by Henry II and reached the spot just before the balcony railing
before she nervously looked down at the plaza.

And Jude whispered into Cordelia’s ear.

“These are the people we saved.”

If we didn’t stop the Lord Protector.

The barrier would have been destroyed and the Devil’s Hand would have committed
the same atrocities in the game.

“We were able to protect this many people. So you can be proud of it.”

Don’t blame yourself for not having saved more people.

At least for this moment, let’s rejoice together with the people we have protected.

Jude strengthened his grip on her hand, and Cordelia took a deep breath. She faced
everyone in the large plaza again.
People were rejoicing.

They were cheering and enthusiastically waving their hands.

The people cheered, either because of Henry II’s inspiring speech or because they
were grateful to Jude and Cordelia for saving them, as Jude had said.

The two didn’t know.

It was impossible to tell which of the two was it.

In fact, it wasn’t that important.

‘What should I do? I’m about to cry.’

At the time when I first heard that the royal capital was attacked.

I thought that it was my fault.

I was afraid that I had done something wrong.

If we hadn’t hindered the Black Moon’s plans… If we had just let them commit acts of
terror…

If that had happened, would the damage have been less?

Then, was it because of us that the damage worsened?

No, it’s not that.

It isn’t like that.

Our desperate efforts paid off and we stopped the Lord Protector.

Just like what we did in the wild lands, we were able to prevent the fated catastrophe
by changing history.

Nevertheless, it felt uncomfortable.

Because so many innocent people had died.

My chest had felt heavy for the past five days.

As if I was carrying a huge rock.

But I feel better now. The heaviness in my chest seem to have been lightened and
relieved.

Everyone’s rejoicing.

They’re cheering as they look at us.

There’s so many of them, and they number in the thousands, no, perhaps even in the
tens of thousands.

These are the people we protected.

Cordelia smiled with tears in her eyes, and Jude slightly tightened his grip on her
hand. He saw Emma Ficus and the people of the Blue Moon among those cheering in
the crowd, and he let Cordelia know about it.

‘Jude, Jude.’

‘Yes, Cordelia.’

‘Let’s work harder.’

Let’s make a perfect happy ending by stopping all the tragedies in the game’s storyline.

Let’s save more people.

At the pure eyes of Cordelia that was like that of a child, Jude smiled. He kissed the
forehead of Cordelia who was looking up at him, and this time, Cordelia didn’t let
herself be beaten. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Jude on the cheek.

“Oooooh!”

“Oooooooooh!”

People’s cheers exploded. And laughter spread throughout the plaza.

Among those in the crowd, Maximilian gazed at the balcony with a smile, while
Velkian grinned behind his mask.

And Jude and Cordelia looked back at the people.

As they widely smiled with red faces, they raised their clasped hands.

***

Time passed.

First Sword escaped the royal capital and reached the base of the Devil’s Hand
located near the kingdom’s border with the Argon Empire, and he faced the leader of
the Devil’s Hand again after almost a decade.

A mysterious woman with long blue hair.

No matter how many times he met her, she seemed to be in the beginning of her
twenties, and First Sword was slightly thrilled when he saw her face.

She still looked the same compared to the time when he faced her ten years ago.

‘Immortality and eternal youth.’

First Sword’s desire was similar but different to the Lord Protector’s desire.

The Lord Protector was afraid of death. He did not want to die, so he desired to be
united with a demon.

But First Sword was different.

Rather than dying, he could not stand the fact that he would get older.

Because he did not want to be weak.

Because he wanted to keep getting stronger.

Because he wanted to walk on the path of the sword forever and ever.

“Rhun Froud.”
The leader called First Sword’s name, and at her low voice, First Sword
unconsciously knelt on his knees.

He respectfully bowed to the being in front of him.

“Originally, your fate was different from what it is now.”

First Sword should have joined them a little later.

He should have stood before her with a broken body and soul, and not in his good
condition now.

But fate had changed.

As a result, the foresight of Overlord Asmodeus was also twisted.

“The devil Carthago was originally your destiny.”

A powerful demon who specialized in deadly poisons.

But not now. A new fate was given to Rhun Froud, known as First Sword and the
Sword Saint of Light.

“Fortissimo.”

A sword demon.

A mighty being who was one of the seven swords of Overlord Asmodeus.

No one knew on what the result of this twisted fate would be.

The leader did not decide on his demon.

She just followed the will of Overlord Asmodeus. She then helped First Sword stand
up and led him to the room where the ritual would be held.

A new high-ranking demonic human-

No, it would be the birth of a true ‘Sword Demon’ who wouldn’t stop at becoming
stronger.
The leader of the Devil’s Hand moved. She awakened the demon’s soul.
Cordelia woke up as the morning sunlight passed through the window, and she
raised her upper body with her eyes closed, smiling with a half-asleep face.

She seemed to have had a good dream last night.

And surprisingly, instead of going back to sleep, she did some stretching exercises.

She usually slept a lot in the morning, so until someone woke her up- no, she was
someone who didn’t wake up easily even if someone tried to wake her up, but today,
she woke up by herself and felt good about it.

“Hehe.”

As she smiled again, Cordelia came down from the bed with her eyes still closed, and
she walked as she sniffed with her nose. Just like a beast, it seemed like the warmth
and pleasant smell of the sun could replace her sense of sight.

“Umnn… it’s a beautiful morning.”

Cordelia mumbled with her eyes half-closed and stretched her arms as the chirping
of birds could be heard from outside.

A day after the merit ceremony.

In the morning.

Cordelia moved her arms up and down before she headed to the table with the
washbowl, and instead of calling for anyone, she filled the washbowl with water by
herself, and then dipped her hands in the cold water.

“Yes, yes, this is niiice.”

She was still in a good mood just like yesterday.

To be given a title, to be praised… of course, she felt good from that. But the uplifting
mood she felt from the fact that they protected people was greater than those.

I have to do better in the future.

I have to work harder.

I have to become stronger.

“Yes, yes, yes.”

Cordelia hummed and then moved her hands as she began to wash her face lightly.

The cold water woke her up every time it touched her face, and she recalled what
happened yesterday.

The good things that happened.

It wasn’t just one or two things.

It wasn’t only Cordelia and Jude who attended the merit ceremony.

‘My father-in-law is a Sword Saint.’

Sword Saint of Wind, Count Bayer.

Henry II stripped off all the titles of the traitor, Rhun Froud, and appointed Count
Bayer as a new Sword Saint of the kingdom.

In fact, the title of Sword Saint was not something that even the king of the Salen
Kingdom, one of the continent’s two big powers, could just freely give.

Because it was a title that could only be used after receiving the approval of many
people.

However, no one objected to Henry II’s appointment.

Because Count Bayer already proved his ability by stopping First Sword.

‘The Sword Saint of Wind.’

It sounds so nice.

After she rinsed her face, Cordelia wiped the water off with a towel and began to
brush her teeth.

“Brother-in-law.”

Gael Bayer.

He woke up after a fierce battle, and although he lost his left arm, his body and soul
became much stronger.

It was because of the measure Velkian took, but in addition to that, it was also
because of his huge spiritual growth when he escaped from the throes of death.

‘Brother-in-law was totally like a wolf.’

As she recalled the scene at the time when Gael woke up, Cordelia’s cheeks slightly
turned red. She then rinsed her mouth.

‘Anyway, he and my sister also received a lot of awards.’

His skills greatly improved, and once his prosthetic hand was completed, he would
become one of the new Ten Great Swordmasters.

‘There’ll be two great swordmasters in one family?’

No, maybe it will even be three.

Jude will also grow and become stronger in the future.

‘Ah, it’s a bit hard if he gets taller though.’

He’s so tall now that my neck hurts whenever I look at his face.

‘What’s our size difference?’

Around 20 cm?

No, maybe it’s a bit more than that.

Cordelia tilted her head as she spread out her palm to measure the distance, and she
quickly laughed.

Because she remembered last night’s Jude.

‘Wasn’t he a bit cute?’

When she enacted her ‘revenge’ after the ceremony, he was struggling as he turned
red.

Of course, if Dahlia and Maja who had secretly watched them had heard her
thoughts, they would look at her coldly and express concern about her memory’s
distortion of reality, but fortunately (or unfortunately), the two were not here right
now.

‘Ahem, ahem. Jude. My Jude.’

Cordelia’s lips squirmed once before she looked around for no reason. It was only
after she confirmed that no one else was present did she think with a playful
expression.

‘At this point, I can be sure now.’

He likes me.

That Outboxer, that Jude is very much in love with me.

‘Yes, yes, that’s right, that’s right. It’s obvious. Otherwise, he wouldn’t act like that.’

As she recalled what happened at the merit ceremony and of last night, Cordelia
covered her cheeks with her hands that had turned cold from the water.

Her cold palms and hot cheeks touched each other, giving off a pleasant feeling.

‘Then, what do I do now?’

Jude likes me.

I’m sure he likes me.

‘Hmm… well… if Jude begs me… ’

If he begs me to go out with him… should I agree?

After all, he’s my fiancé, right?

‘He’ll say it sooner or later.’

That he likes me.

That he seriously wants to date me.

Then, if I reject him a little, will he implore to me?

“Hehehe.”

Just imagining it gave her a good feeling.

To the point that her shoulders moved up and down without her even realizing.

‘I won, I won.’

I beat Jude.

I beat Jude, right?

I’m number one now, right?

“Yes, yes, yes.”

Jude will ask and beg me to go out with him, and I’ll agree to it since I’m a generous
person, and then…

It’ll start with kisses on the cheek and forehead, and then, it’ll be more than that, and
then… it’ll be a bit more adult-like… like what brother-in-law and unnie did…

Cordelia covered her face with both hands, so the heat in her face became even
hotter, but despite that, she had a deep smile.

“Ah.”
When will Dahlia come?

How long will it take before she and the maids come in to wake me up?

But instead of lying back on the bed, Cordelia sat in a chair and looked out the
window.

As she basked in the warm sunlight, different thoughts came to her mind.

‘Where will our fief be?’

During the merit ceremony, only the title was awarded, and there was no mention of
a fief.

It wasn’t because the Salen royal family suddenly changed their minds, but it was
because it took some time to select a territory, and one of the reasons for that was
Jude.

‘Because he conveyed to them what we wanted to some extent.’

The fief they wanted to receive.

As Jude had already predicted, the royal family was thinking of giving them a fief in
the central region.

And the royal family could do that by giving away some of the territory that were
under their direct jurisdiction.

Thus, Jude used his negotiation skills to convey what they wanted to Princess
Daphne, and to summarize, it was as follows.

It must be close to the south.

Plains are also fine, but it must be surrounded by mountains.

It must be a place with good traffic to the north.

And a few other details.

‘It seems like he gave a lot of conditions, but if you put it all together, the territory
where all his conditions fit is practically limited, right?’

Since the fief would be an important place for their future journey.

‘Ultimate Seven.’

Among those swords was Ultimate One which Jude wanted, and that sword was
hidden in a certain place.

‘Which means… ’

They wanted their fief to be the place where the ruins of the ancient dwarves were.

Most nobles would want a place with a large population and fertile land, but Jude
was different.

The important thing for Jude was not the taxes they would receive in 10 or 20 years,
but to solve their immediate problems and bring about a perfect happy ending.

‘But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter at all.’

After she stopped getting excited over it, she then thought that they should build a
commercial city by building factories and such, but in any case, that was something
for the far future.

‘Because we have to immediately head to the south once our business at the royal
capital is over.’

Black Dragon Malekith’s attack.

The three events in the game’s storyline that had destroyed the Salen Kingdom were
different in a certain way.

The barbarian’s invasion in the wild lands and northern region was a war that
involved a huge number of troops.

The Lord Protector and demon followers’ plan to annihilate the royal family and the
royal capital was a clash between a few but powerful beings.

And the event in the south, the battle against Malekith, could be summed up in two
words.

‘Boss Raid.’

It was also against a huge monster.

Black Dragon Malekith’s body length reached a whopping 150 meters.

In other words, it was not an opponent that a few people could just face and fight
easily.

‘We need an army.’

It was not at a level of a hundred or two hundred people, but should be a large
military force in the thousands.

In the wild lands, Jude and Cordelia fought in the front lines, leaving most of the
matters regarding the formation of an alliance to Red Gale, but they could not do that
this time.

Because for this time, Jude and Cordelia had to be at the center of the alliance.

‘In the game, the forces couldn’t properly unite.’

Although there were some families that were close to each other such as the Bayer
and Chase families, the relationship between several families in the 12 northern
families were not very good.

Because they were literally competitors that kept each other in check.

But the conflict between some families in the 12 northern families was just child’s
play when compared to the ‘strife’ among the 7 southern families.

Unlike the 12 northern families who would just meet and growl a bit at best, the 7
southern families actually drew their swords.

‘Because if you start playing as Kajsa, you’ll be fighting against the 7 southern
families first rather than the demon followers.’

Kajsa Ophand.
A playable character from Marquis Ophand’s family, one of the 7 southern families.

From the very start of the prologue, she would already be fighting with their rival
family, the Mist family, so Cordelia didn’t need to elaborate more at this point.

‘They can’t get along.’

If even humans who belonged to the same race would fight like that, what more for
the other races like dwarves and gnomes?

Moreover, Malekith was a black dragon whose insides were darker than Jude’s.

Because the south was divided and actively fighting against each other, the south
could not unite even in the face of a great enemy named Malekith.

‘In the end, what we need to do this time is to become a central point and unite the
forces of the south.’

But their personal efforts alone were not enough.

They had to act as heroes of the kingdom, and lords who received the royal family’s
trust.

‘Well, Jude will take care of the complicated stuff.’

The right person for the right job.

So Cordelia focused on something else.

‘The final battle against Malekith… ’

Although the Ten Great Swordmasters were considered as tactical weapons, they
were still swordsmen in the end.

They couldn’t exert that much power in a fight against a huge number of opponents
or a huge monster.

Therefore, Jude was also limited in what he could do in this fight.

But Cordelia was a wizard.

She was also a wizard who specialized in large-scale battles.

“I’ll have to do my best.”

I’ll develop my skills to the fullest before our fight against Malekith.

I’ll level up, reinforce my items, and learn new magic spells.

Cordelia clenched her fists as she made a resolve before she glanced at the door.

She was feeling hungry because she had gotten up early.

‘When will they come?’

She could have rang the bell to call them, but she thought that if she called them
earlier than usual, it would be a nuisance to the maids.

‘Hmm… let’s just meditate then.’

When the maids arrive, she would wash up, eat breakfast, and go see Jude.

There were a lot of places that they had to go together from this morning onwards.

‘Because we received a lot of invitations.’

A lot of people wanted to meet the new heroes of the kingdom, and even if meeting
all of those heroes was impossible, these people still wanted to meet some of the
heroes.

‘It’s not today, but I also have to go see the mansion and furniture.’

The mansion that the royal family had decided to give to them, and the furniture that
they would decorate it with.

Their stay in the royal capital wouldn’t be that long since they had to go to the south
afterwards, but still, she wanted to decorate the bedroom properly.

‘Hmmm… no, I have to meditate, meditate. I have to meditate.’

Cordelia shook her head and corrected her posture, but she still failed to meditate.
Because she remembered the most important schedule for tonight.

‘Necromancer Velkian.’

They would meet him who was one of the five heroes in the first episode of Legend of
Heroes.

Jude and Cordelia had already sent the Rogue Master’s notice to his accommodation.

I’ll visit you tonight with the Tiara of Life.

-Rogue Master – Pink Bomb

After all, Velkian came to the royal capital to look for Pink Bomb and not Cordelia
Chase.

‘Hmm… To begin with, he said that Pink Bomb was Velkian’s favorite character.’

I’ve never thought that the stern-looking grandfather-like person would read a novel
with a character named ‘Pink Bomb,’ but it’s probably true since Jude had said so. After
all, JudeWiki is amazing.

‘However, will Velkian think that I’m cosplaying?’

That’s somehow embarrassing…

‘Eueueue, I don’t know. It’ll work out somehow.’

The important thing was to meet Velkian.

Cordelia cleared away her thoughts and began her meditation this time.

***

The sun rose, and now, the sun set.

The moon rose above the curtain of the night.

Almost a day had passed, and it was deep at night, but Cordelia got up from her bed
and changed her clothes.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t developed any kind of transformation spell.

So she wore the long boots herself, tied her hair up, and put on the butterfly mask.

She then equipped the rabbit set consisting of a rabbit tail and rabbit ears.

‘Uh, this is a bit too much whenever I see it.’

Rabbit ears and tail together with a butterfly mask.

‘Anyway, his taste is bizarre.’

After she slightly criticized Jude, Cordelia sneaked out of her room.

And she reached a small pavilion located a bit far away from the palace.

[You’re here?]

As soon as she arrived, she heard the <Message> magic and turned her head. She
then saw Jude dressed in all-black.

Black Cloak’s outfit consisted of a black suit, a black hat, a black mask, and a black
cloak, so he was really dressed in all-black.

Cordelia stared at such a Jude, narrowing her eyes slightly before she sent a
<Message> magic.

[I’ve been thinking about this before.]

[Huh?]

[Wouldn’t it be better if I just make my outfit all-black too?]

She couldn’t help but say that since her hair was dyed pink and the white rabbit ears
and tail were too eye-catching.

[Well, what you’re saying is reasonable.]

[Eh? Really?]
[Yes, the white color is too eye-catching when seen in the middle of the night.]

Cordelia blinked her eyes in surprise at Jude’s words.

[Shall I remove it then? The rabbit set?]

Cordelia lightly shook the rabbit ears as she said that, and Jude readily nodded his
head.

[Yes, you can do so.]

Wow, what the hell is going on?

I thought Jude was obsessed with the rabbit set?

Cordelia quickly removed the rabbit set even though she was curious. But it was at
that moment.

[Now, here. The cat set.]

Jude smiled and showed her the black cat ears and tail, and Cordelia’s eyes turned
cold.

[Hey, Mr. Black Cloak?]

[Your identity is important.]

Jude shamelessly spoke and pushed the cat set towards her again, and Cordelia was
confused for a moment before her eyes widened in surprise.

[Wait, isn’t this what we wore in our last battle in the wild lands? Don’t tell me
you’ve been keeping it?]

[Yes, isn’t that natural?]

No, what do you mean by natural?

That isn’t natural, okay?

Cordelia was momentarily speechless before she quickly smiled and nodded her
head.

Well… I’ll wear it if you like it that much. It’s not something I could just wear anywhere,
after all.

[Okay, are you satisfied now?]

[Yes, very satisfied. I love it.]

After Cordelia wore the cat set and turned around, Jude brightly smiled and raised
his thumb, and in that short time, Cordelia seriously thought about her relationship
with Jude again.

[Anyway, shall we go now?]

Cordelia nodded her head at Jude’s words, and she jumped up and climbed on Jude’s
back.

She didn’t forget to shout her merging lines like always.

“Nighttime merge! JuDeli- wait, why is your expression like that?”

“Uh… nothing. It’s your taste, so I’ll respect it. Yes, I should respect it.”

“Hey, what are you talking abou-”

That was it.

Jude already knew what Cordelia was going to say, so he chose to kick the ground
instead of listening more to her words, while Cordelia hugged Jude’s neck in her
surprise at his sudden movement.

“To Velkian.”

To meet one of the five heroes of the Paragon Kingdom, and one of the main
characters of the first episode of Legend of Heroes.

Jude and Cordelia became like the wind.

They became one with the dark night as they passed over the walls of the royal
palace.
There was nothing unusual about Pink Bomb’s action of sending a notice to Velkian.

‘Because Velkian was the one who moved first.’

Two days after the founding anniversary celebration.

As the confusion in the royal capital subsided to some extent, Velkian went to the
Blue Moon and expressed his desire to meet Pink Bomb.

Going to a thieves guild in order to meet the Rogue Master – that was the result of a
fairly common sense idea.

In any case, the Blue Moon’s guild master, Suppe, was completely unharmed because
they chose to quickly retreat amidst the chaotic situation, so Velkian’s request was
delivered through the network of contacts that Jude had told him in advance.

‘What should we do?’

‘Tell him that we’ll contact him.’

Four days after the decisive battle in the royal capital.

Jude conveyed their intentions through Suppe, telling Velkian to get well first and
wait for the merit ceremony to be over. And the morning after the merit ceremony, a
notice from Pink Bomb was sent to Velkian.

“Jude, are we not there yet?”

“We’re almost there.”

Cordelia’s breath touched Jude’s ear, making him flinch. But he replied to her and ran
even faster.
The place where they decided to meet with Velkian was outside the royal capital, or
to be exact, it was near the hill where the last treasure of the Rogue Master was
hidden.

“He’s here.”

Cordelia said as her natural eyesight was better than Jude’s.

In addition, her night vision was extraordinarily sharp that she could even discern
the wild animals in the dark.

‘I’m not sure how she does it, but maybe she’s originally a beast? Like those animals
that can shape-shift into a human.’

Jude had some reasonable doubts for a moment, but he soon adjusted Cordelia’s
position on his back and slowed down a bit. Because he himself saw the figure of
Velkian standing alone on the hill.

‘Necromancer Velkian.’

One of the five main characters in the first episode of Legend of Heroes.

He was already in his 60s at the time of the first episode, and now, he was over 70
and was close to 80 at the time of the second episode, but he looked quite healthy on
the outside.

‘But you can’t see much of his body.’

His long black clothes covered his thin body, and he wore a beak mask, which was
said to be the symbol of plague doctors.

‘He’s even wearing a wide-brimmed hat.’

Therefore, all that was revealed of him was his gray hair with some white hair here
and there.

‘But he’s not a bad person.’

There were some undeniably ‘evil’ characters among the playable characters in the
second episode of Legend of Heroes, but there were none among the characters in the
first episode.

All five of them were true heroes with a noble spirit and a pure heart.

‘After all, he immediately helped at that time.’

As soon as Velkian found out the crisis in the royal capital, he jumped into the
battlefield without any hesitation.

And Jude could bet.

If any of the main characters from the first episode were present at that time, they
would have acted the same as Velkian.

“I think he saw us too.”

Jude nodded at Cordelia’s whisper and instead of stopping at the bottom of the hill,
he moved his feet a few more times and stopped at around 10 meters away from
Velkian.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Cordelia jumped off Jude’s back as soon as he stopped, and she walked forward while
clearing her throat.

Because the situation itself where she appeared while riding on Jude’s back was
embarrassing.

‘He should have stopped a little farther away.’

Cordelia regretted it late as they walked towards Velkian. She stopped at around 7
meters before Velkian and politely greeted him.

“Nice to meet you. I’m the Rogue Master, Pink Bomb… and this is my assistant…
Black Cloak.”

What is this? What’s with this overwhelming embarrassment?

Cordelia was already used to saying the words ‘Pink Bomb’ and ‘Black Cloak,’ so she
was usually fine with saying it, but when she spoke those words to Velkian, she
turned red.

‘B-but he likes Pink Bomb, right?’

So it should be fine, right?

I shouldn’t be embarrassed about it, right?

But she was wrong.

They couldn’t tell his expression because he was wearing a mask, but Velkian’s
awkward gestures showed that he was quite embarrassed, so he replied with a
cough.

“Ehem… yes. I’m… Velkian.”

The way he said it made it seem like he was feeling uncomfortable but still endured
it, as if it was the answer of a troubled adult.

Cordelia immediately felt betrayed at Velkian’s unexpected response, but she soon
understood it.

‘It must have been breathtaking.’

A secret fan.

A person who hid their interest.

It was fully understandable. Because Velkian was over 70 years old.

It would have been difficult for him if he was caught reading a novel with a character
named Pink Bomb.

But it was at that moment.

“Ah, I can’t stand this.”

Velkian suddenly muttered and looked straight at Cordelia, saying in a low tone.

“I know this is meddlesome, but… can I call you by another name? Of course, it’s your
preference, so I want to respect it, but still, the Rogue Master using the name Pink
Bomb is a bit…”

Because he felt strange when he said it.

Furthermore, there was also the Rogue Master’s prestige.

At Velkian’s sincere words, Cordelia unconsciously tilted her head.

She couldn’t help it.

“Wait… wait, wait, wait.”

Cordelia quickly said without realizing it, and then continued with wide open eyes.

“Didn’t you like Pink Bomb?”

“Who? Do you mean me?”

When Cordelia nodded, Velkian spoke in disgust as he stepped back.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve only met you for the first time today. In
the first place, I didn’t know the name of Pink Bomb until I found the letter that day.”

His voice was seriously sincere.

But there was a problem with his words.

Velkian was not talking about the main character of a novel, but the Pink Bomb in
front of him, which was Rogue Master Pink Bomb.

As if he was completely unaware of the existence of a novel with a character named

Pink Bomb.

What’s going on?

What exactly is going on?

“Jude?”
Cordelia stared at Jude coldly, and he had a melancholic smile before he spoke with a
sad expression.

“This day has finally come. But I don’t regret it.”

Because I enjoyed it every day.

The embarrassed Cordelia whenever she uses the name Pink Bomb was the best.

Jude looked away while feeling proud, and Cordelia grabbed him by the collar and
shook him.

“Hey! You think I’ll let you off if you speak sadly? Huh?!”

I knew it was weird!

What Pink Bomb? What Pink Bomb!

Velkian isn’t a pervert who’ll like someone with that name!

Do you know how embarrassing it had been for me every time?!

“Umm… should I let you two talk in private for a moment? It seems like there’s a
misunderstanding between you two.”

Cordelia came to her senses at Velkian’s words, and she let out a groan with a tearful
face before she spoke.

“Eueueue… No, it’s okay.”

Talking to Velkian now was a priority.

Cordelia glared at Jude again before she threw off her mask and greeted him again.

“I’m Cordelia August Chase.”

“I’m Jude August Bayer.”

The moment Cordelia and Jude revealed their real names, Velkian nodded and spoke
as if it was not a big deal for him.
“Yes, I already knew it because I saw you two at the merit ceremony.”

Velkian did not just look at people’s faces.

He could see the overall shape of the body and also the flow of one’s life force, so it
was impossible to deceive him by covering one’s face.

It was the true reason why Velkian couldn’t stand it and asked about Pink Bomb.

Because the new heroes of the kingdom who seemed to be sane during the merit
ceremony were now acting as a Rogue Master and her assistant while using
embarrassing names.

“Eueueue… this is all because of Jude.”

She wasn’t really trying to convince him, but what she said was true.

And at Cordelia’s words, Jude changed the topic like usual instead of denying it.

“May the muscles always be with you. I greet you again as the disciple of Iron Man
Landius.”

“Oh, the Cheonmujiche boy.”

Velkian was surprised by Landius’ unique greeting, and he quickly nodded.

It seemed like he also knew about the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.

“I think I’m starting to understand. The legitimate successor of Ninth Heaven’s Nine
Doors that Landius finally found used the Tiara of Life to call me out. Is that it?”

Velkian would not have come to the royal capital in the first place if there had been
no letter in the box where the Tiara of Life was kept.

And he would have not been involved in the fight on the royal capital either.

“Was that your goal?”

“Not completely. It was only half.”

“Half?”

“Yes, half. First of all, we left a letter in the box that contained the Tiara of Life, but
we did not leave that letter with Velkian-nim in mind. We didn’t know on who would
find that letter.”

It was true.

In the letter Jude left in the box, it only conveyed that Pink Bomb took the Tiara of
Life and did not contain any specific words that mentioned Velkian.

“That’s a little strange. What would you do if it wasn’t me who found the letter… or if
that person was an enemy?”

“Of course, that’s possible, but I thought that it wouldn’t happen.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because there was a prophecy.”

With a small smile, Jude continued to speak smoothly.

“It was foretold that we would get someone who would help us greatly through the
Tiara of Life. That’s why we left a letter.”

“Whose prophecy is it?”

“The witch of the western forest.”

Velkian was momentarily surprised at Jude’s words before he nodded.

“I heard from the ghosts that her soul had been freed… were you the ones who
released her?”

“Yes, we met her by chance half a year ago and freed her.”

“So by chance.”

Velkian smiled before he straightened his posture and said.

“Okay, if the witch of the western forest gave you a prophecy in return for freeing her,
I can believe that. Although she has fallen because of her contract with the demons,
she’s on the side of us humans.”

Obviously, the witch of the western forest had never made such a prediction, but
what mattered now was convincing Velkian.

‘And he seems to be quite convinced.’

Jude shouted ‘Bingo!’ in his mind and sent a glance to Cordelia. She then took out the
Tiara of Life and offered it to Velkian.

“Thanks to Velkian-nim, the lives of countless people in the royal capital were saved.
Please accept this Tiara of Life as our way of saying thank you.”

When Cordelia said that and carefully held out the Tiara of Life, Velkian frowned
behind his mask instead of accepting it right away.

“I… just did what was natural.”

How can I just watch when people are dying in front of me?

Cordelia warmly smiled at Velkian’s words and said.

“It’s not just that. You saved my brother-in-law, Gael, and because of that, you also
saved my sister.”

If Gaël had died back then.

What would have happened to unnie? What would have happened to unnie’s heart?

“That’s… that’s because of the strong spirit of that guy named Gael. After all, I left
him unattended afterwards.”

“But if it weren’t for the medicine that Velkian-nim gave him, he wouldn’t have
recovered at all.”

Her words weren’t just some idle talk since it was true.

And that was why Jude and Cordelia were sincerely grateful to Velkian.
“Oh… it can’t be helped then. But I won’t just take it. I’ll borrow it for a while… and
return it to you when my work is done.”

His answer was something that Jude had expected.

Due to Velkian’s personality, there was no way that he would freely receive a divine
relic called the Tiara of Life.

And one more reason.

‘Did he have a special goal?’

Considering the situation, Velkian did not accidentally obtain the Tiara of Life. He
found it after searching for it.

And that meant that Velkian was preparing for something that needed the Tiara of
Life.

‘There’s also the fact that he’ll borrow and return it when his work is done.’

What is it then?

What is Velkian trying to use the Tiara of Life for?

And does that have something to do with his death?

There were two reasons why Jude originally called Velkian in the royal capital.

One was the vague expectation that if the timing was right, Velkian would help them
in the decisive battle on the royal capital, and the other was to twist history and
prevent Velkian’s death.

In the game’s storyline, Velkian was not in the royal capital at this time.

They didn’t know where he was, but he was definitely not in the royal capital then.

But he was now in the royal capital.

It was a completely different situation from the original, so it was possible that his
death could be prevented.
‘Of course, I can’t be satisfied with just this.’

In the original, when, where, and how Velkian died was shrouded in mystery.

Therefore, Jude couldn’t come up with an absolute way to prevent Velkian’s death,
but he was still able to come up with some minimal safety measures.

‘If I consider Velkian’s personality… ’

If he put together all of Velkian’s actions in the first episode, Velkian wasn’t the kind
of person who would just receive the Tiara of Life and leave a promise to return it
later.

Prior to becoming a necromancer, Velkian was a wizard, and most wizards didn’t do
things without a definite plan.

“In exchange for that, take this.”

Having received the Tiara of Life, Velkian offered Cordelia a trinket with a clear gem
embedded on it.

“It’s a magic tool that can summon me.”

“Eh? Uh, wait. A magic tool that can summon Velkian-nim?”

“That’s right, you can summon me only once if you use that magic tool.”

Velkian replied to Cordelia and pointed to the trinket as he continued.

“From tomorrow onwards, I’ll begin working on some kind of work using the Tiara
of Life. And when I’m done, this gem will glow gold.”

“So from then on… we can summon you?”

“Yes, you understood it quickly like a wizard.”

Cordelia awkwardly smiled at Velkian’s compliment before she glanced at Jude.

‘It worked out as we had expected, right?’

‘Yes, if we have this, we can summon Velkian and save his life.’

The life of Velkian and not Jude or Cordelia.

Obviously, it was impossible to summon him when he was still doing some kind of
work with the Tiara of Life, so if something happened in that time, they wouldn’t be
able to do anything, but at least, they would still have a way to offset his death to
some extent.

“Will you be staying at the royal capital?”

“I think so for now. So perhaps you won’t need to use that magic tool too.”

“I see.”

Jude responded with a soft smile before he glanced at Cordelia, and she nodded
quietly.

It was still a question on what kind of work Velkian was trying to do, but if he was
staying in the royal capital and being supported by the royal family, he would be
much safer than wandering around somewhere they didn’t know, at least, until his
work was finished.

“Anyway, take care of that item. Once you call me, I’ll be like a minion and do my best
to help with anything.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

Jude smiled at Velkian’s slightly playful answer before he turned to Cordelia with a
satisfied face.

Since Jude originally didn’t have any intentions of making a deal with Velkian who
had saved Gael and the royal capital, it was a good deal.

‘It’s good, right?’

‘Yes, yes.’

Cordelia nodded and smiled in agreement.

‘Then… should we say goodbye to him now?’

Since Velkian had decided on staying in the royal capital, they would still have a few
more chances to meet him before they leave for the south.

Now that they had achieved their goal, they thought that it was time for them to
separate now.

‘Let’s go.’

Cordelia replied with her eyes before she looked back at Velkian and said.

“Then, Velkian-nim, we’ll be going back.”

When Cordelia politely bade farewell, Velkian touched his chin as if he was thinking
of something for a moment before he immediately smiled.

“There is one more thing I want to give you before we separate. Please do not
hesitate to accept it.”

“Eh?”

As Cordelia tilted her head and asked in return, Velkian chuckled and slightly moved
his hand.

Two large Phantom Steeds suddenly appeared and stood next to Velkian.

“These are Phantom Steeds that I made myself. They can fly in the sky, they are fast,
and they don’t get tired.”

“Wow.”

Cordelia’s eyes sparkled as she recalled an earlier conversation she had with Jude
about the endurance of horses, and Velkian happily said to them.

“I’ll give them to you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s nice to see you being carried around but… I think this would be more
efficient.”

The smiling Velkian handed Cordelia a ring that could summon the Phantom Steeds.

“Both of you can ride one each.”

It was the heartfelt consideration of Velkian, who was truly like an elderly person.

The Phantom Steeds Velkian had given them were much stronger than normal
Phantom Steeds, to the point that they were incomparable.

But Jude somehow felt sad.

If they used those Phantom Steeds, he would no longer have to carry Cordelia on his
back.

‘Uh… it can’t be helped.’

Rather, it was strange that he carried her on his back all the time.

Moreover, in terms of mobility and tactics, it was much better to ride on the Phantom
Steed than to carry her on his back, so it was a change that he accepted.

‘But I’m a little disappointed.’

Unlike Jude, Cordelia was really happy.

‘Well, she had been happy with the big horse we had a long time ago.’

If Cordelia is happy with it, then so be it.

Having cleared away his thoughts, Jude gladly accepted the ring, and Velkian climbed
on his own Phantom Steed as if to demonstrate, before he flew straight into the night
sky of the royal capital.

“Uh… is he going to leave just like that?”

Without looking back once?

At Cordelia’s words, Jude shrugged and replied.

“But in a sense, he’s a better man than Master Landius.”

“Well… that’s true.”

Cordelia nodded her head a few times and then turned to the Phantom Steeds
instead of gazing at the night sky where Velkian had disappeared.

The Phantom Steed had green eyes that glowed, and a black mane and hair.

“It looks like you.”

“Where?”

“The black hair and eye color?”

Jude narrowed his brows once at Cordelia’s answer, but he soon climbed onto his
own Phantom Steed and said.

“Let’s go then.”

“Okay, but Jude.”

“Yes?”

Cordelia squirmed her lips a few times at Jude’s question before she unsummoned
her Phantom Steed back into the ring. She then twisted her finger into a lock of her
hair and said.

“Because maintaining a Phantom Steed will require mana… it’s not necessary to use
both of them, right?”

What she had meant with those words.

Cordelia didn’t directly say it, but Jude understood and slyly smiled as he said.

“This servant will do his best to serve you. Which one do you prefer? The front or the
back?”

“The back?”
“That’s an excellent choice.”

Jude stretched out his hand like always to help Cordelia get on the Phantom Steed.
After that, he adjusted the reins and said.

“Let’s go then.”

Cordelia tightly hugged Jude’s waist instead of responding, and Jude eventually
broke into a small smile.

He drove the Phantom Steed to the royal capital.

The next morning.

Cordelia woke up and began to think about a problem that was trivial in some way,
but could never be taken lightly.

‘Eueueue… what should I do?’

She was worrying about a punishment.

The punishment she wanted to give Jude for lying and making her use the name
‘Pink Bomb.’

‘He didn’t do it with any bad intentions, and it was only a nasty joke, but… ’

It was still bad.

If he continued to do those things again, whether once or twice, and regardless if he

had any bad intentions or not, he would end up developing the so-called ‘bad habit.’

There’s a saying that ‘He that steals an egg will steal an ox.’

‘No, isn’t the meaning there a bit different?’

Anyway.

The important thing is that I should not let it slide.

‘That’s right, Romantic Cat-unnie said in the past. That fights are important in
relationships. That it’s over if you ignore it from the very beginning.’

Cordelia remembered the only member of the chat room whom she had played with
and knew both her real age and gender, and as she recalled that unnie’s friendly
advice, she began to think hard again.
What kind of punishment should I give?

Should I just hit him?

‘That’s a little too violent… ’

If Jude had heard of Cordelia’s thoughts now, he would have said, ‘Didn’t you do it in
the past?’ and mention one by one the times when Cordelia hit him. But what
mattered now was the present.

Because unlike in the past, she strangely felt reluctant to beat Jude.

‘Come to think of it, Jude was like that before, right?’

She remembered what happened at the time when they were wandering in the
underground of Endymion.

Cordelia giggled when she recalled the Jude who was struggling hard because he
couldn’t hit the monster that had transformed into Cordelia.

‘He had liked me since then, huh? Hehehe.’

So he endured it because he couldn’t do it, huh?

Should I say that it’s commendable?

‘Should I just forgive him then?’

Cordelia’s heart softened a bit, and she pouted her lips as she pondered about it. But
she soon shook her head.

‘I can’t do that. Yes, yes. That’s that and this is this.’

I must punish those who must be punished.

I must be angry at those who angered me.

“Miss?”

Eueue… what kind of punishment should I give then? If I tell him to kneel and raise his
hands, will he really do it?

I think it’s a problem if he really does it, but it’s also a problem if he doesn’t do it.

“Miss?”

Should I spank his butt?

Make him shamefully pull down his pants and then spank him?

‘Umm… I don’t think that’s right… ’

I feel like I’ll be the one more embarrassed when I spank him.

That’s obviously problematic.

So I need something different, something that would punish him that’s not strange…
something that will fix Jude’s habit…

“Miss!”

“Eh?!”

The startled Cordelia jumped up from her seat and let out a strange sound, and
Dahlia drew her face closer to Cordelia as she narrowed her eyes and said.

“What happened yesterday?”

“Huh? N-nothing. Nothing happened.”

“Something did. Something did happen, right? Did you two cross the line?”

“W-what line?”

“I mean, that line.”

At Dahlia’s words, Cordelia waved both of her hands in denial before she sat down on
the sofa.

“I-it’s not like that. I’m just worrying about something.”

“What is it? Can you please tell me?”

“Eh?”

“I’m older than you, so I have more experience in stuff like friendship and romance…
don’t you think so?”

“Your last words make you a bit unreliable though?”

“How do you see me as?”

“Well, Dahlia is a beautiful woman. You have a good personality too.”

When Cordelia spoke calmly and without hesitation, Dahlia’s cheeks blushed a bit
and she was at a loss on what to do.

“Ahem, ahem. Anyway, please tell me what it is.”

“Umm… so this is my friend’s story…”

“I see, it’s about a friend.”

“Yes, it’s about a friend.”

Dahlia was slightly worried at Cordelia’s words.

Isn’t it quite obvious?

‘Let’s listen to it first.’

In order to make my innocent lady open her mouth, let’s set the pace first.

Dahlia smiled and nodded as if asking Cordelia to continue.

“What happened to your friend?”

“Eh? Uh… She said that she had a problem. For reference, my friend’s name is Scarlet.
She’s not like a fictional character, okay?”

“I see. Scarlet. Okay.”

Dahlia wondered if it was a young lady friend of Cordelia that she didn’t know, but
she decided to listen first.

She stopped herself from saying her thoughts, and sent a glance to Cordelia to tell
her to continue. Cordelia then spoke after clearing her throat.

“You see…”

To summarize Cordelia’s story, it was as follows.

Scarlet’s lover lied to Scarlet. It wasn’t a bad lie, but a mischievous one because he
wanted to see Scarlet’s cute appearance, but she thought that a lie was a lie anyway,
so she wanted to scold him.

But she was troubled on what to do, and on what kind of punishment she should
give.

“Ahem. I see. I never thought that he was like that, so he lies too, huh?”

“Huh? This is about my friend though? Dahlia doesn’t know my friend and her lover,
right?”

“Umm, you’re right. Anyway, what’s important is that he lied. And as the miss said,
it’s only right to punish him. He might develop some real bad habits if you just
neglect it.”

“That’s right, that’s it! I- No, Scarlet said that she thought so too!”

At times like this, it’s less suspicious if you say that, as a friend, you thought the same
too.

Dahlia advised in her thoughts, but she soon touched her chin and spoke.

“Hmm… I’m sure this is natural, but is there something that your friend’s lover likes
to do?”

“What he likes to do?”

“Yes, if possible, the things that your friend likes to do together with him.”
“Uh…”

Cordelia began to seriously think as she touched her chin like Dahlia, and she soon
thought of one thing.

What Jude really liked to do.

What he had been trying to do these days.

In addition, as Dahlia had said, it was something that Jude couldn’t do alone, and was
something that he only did with Cordelia.

“T-there is!”

“Then, he can’t do that.”

“Eh?”

“You have to prevent him from doing what he likes. For a limited time.”

Having said that, Dahlia crossed her arms and smiled before she continued.

“There are two types of punishment. One is to make someone do things they do not
like, and the other is to prevent them from doing things they like. People’s opinions
may differ on which one is more effective… but if it’s a punishment for a lover, the
latter will be more effective. It will also help him make a reflection.”

“Ooooh…”

Her words were quite reasonable.

To make him do things that he dislikes and prevent him from doing things that he likes.

Then, it seems like the latter will work.

‘Because I felt like going crazy when I was banned from playing games.’

After recalling her past life, Cordelia widely smiled as she found a good solution, but
she soon frowned again.
Because she recalled one important problem.

What Jude had liked to do recently.

So in short, I have to prevent him from kissing me in my forehead and cheek…

‘I-It’s something that I do not like too.’

No, it’s not that I like it, but if I think about it, it’s something that he shouldn’t be doing
at all… umm…

Cordelia began to think again with a red face, and Dahlia narrowed her eyes.

“Miss?”

“Eueueue… okay. It can’t be helped. It’s more important to change his habit.”

Let’s just ban all skinship for a while. No holding hands. I won’t let him escort me too.

Cordelia made a decision and clenched her fists, so Dahlia spoke as she rubbed her
chin.

“So, have you made a decision? On what you’ll be banning Lord Jude from doing?”

“Yes, I’ve decided. I’ll push it forward.”

“Okay, you did well. Please give my greetings to Miss Scarlet too.”

“Eh? Uh… yes. That’s right. Uh, because I’m worried for Scarlet.”

Cordelia spoke hesitantly as her face turned red, and Dahlia eventually smiled at
Cordelia’s appearance, sighing as she thought.

‘It’s quite worrying.’

My lady is clearly smart and good when it comes to magic, but why is she this naïve?

Well… being so naïve is also part of my lady’s charm.

“Dahlia?”
“It’s nothing. Anyway, Lord Jude is about to arrive, so you need to prepare.”

“Eh?!”

Cordelia strongly exclaimed and stood up from her seat.

And around an hour later.

“I’m… completely banned?”

“Yes, you’re banned for the week. Do you know why?”

“Umm…”

At Cordelia’s words, Jude thought for a moment and soon nodded.

“I understand.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll do that.”

“Uh… okay.”

What’s with that indifferent reaction?

Shouldn’t you look a bit sad or something?

The confused Cordelia glanced at Dahlia who replied with her eyes.

‘He’s just pretending to be strong.’

It wasn’t as much as Jude, but Dahlia could talk to Cordelia with her eyes to some
extent.

Cordelia nodded right away and then raised her chin.

But it was at that moment.

“Ah, but what should I do?”

“About what?”

“Did you forget? Today is the farewell party for the northern nobles.”

“Eh? Ah, that’s right. It was today, huh?”

Seven days had already passed since the founding anniversary celebration.

The chaos that had occurred on the royal capital had delayed most of the scheduled
events, but for the nobles who had originally gathered to attend the founding
anniversary celebration, it was time for them to slowly return home.

Here in Pleiades, it was really hard to meet relatives in other regions unless they
were geographically close or they were really close friends, which was unlike Jude
and Cordelia’s past lives.

Therefore, the northern nobles decided to have their last gathering before returning
home, and that gathering was scheduled for today.

“If we go there… I’ll have to escort you…”

Jude looked at Cordelia and trailed off the end of his words, and Cordelia pouted her
lips before she snorted and said.

“Okay, I’ll allow you to escort me. But only up to escorting, okay?”

“I understand. Thank you very much for giving me your permission, Princess.”

Jude slyly smiled and lightly kissed the back of Cordelia’s hand, and Cordelia once
again made a promise to herself.

‘Only escort is allowed! Only escort!’

Anything beyond that is unconditionally OUT!

Cordelia pledged to herself several times as she clenched her fists, while Dahlia
sighed as she watched from the side.

Because at that moment, Jude’s lips were still on the back of Cordelia’s hand.
‘Well… she still has a long way to go.’

Dahlia sighed as her shoulders sank, while Maja happily smiled as she watched from
the other side.

***

The farewell party of the northern nobles was held in a mansion owned by Count
Crossbell in the royal capital, and it was for a simple reason.

‘Because Sylvia’s mansion is the largest.’

After all, the Crossbell family was the richest among the 12 northern families.

In any case, Jude and Cordelia entered the splendid mansion of the Crossbell family
and came across an unexpected sight.

“On that day, Lady Cordelia… I mean, Countess August Chase was really like an
angel.”

“Was she so beautiful?”

“Indeed! She wasn’t just beautiful, she even had that sacred aura on her!”

There was a girl making a fuss as she praised Cordelia.

But that girl looked really familiar to them.

‘Emma Ficus?’

When Cordelia looked at Jude in surprise, Jude was calmly smiling rather than being
surprised.

The reason was simple.

‘She seemed to have opened her eyes to the truth of this world now.’

Jude said that as if it was completely natural.

‘W-what are you saying?’

‘I mean, it’s true. You’re an angel. You’re also very beautiful, right?’

Cordelia turned red and was flustered at Jude’s straightforward answer.

His words were all true, and he was not ashamed in saying it. But for Cordelia, she
would have been embarrassed to say such words out of her mouth.

‘Anyway, let’s greet her.’

‘Eh? Can we just pretend that we don’t know her?’

Isn’t the situation a bit embarrassing now?

But despite Cordelia’s reluctance, Jude had already made their presence known.

Emma Ficus noticed Jude and turned to him, and she widely opened her eyes.

“L-Lady Cordelia?”

“L-Lady Emma.”

Cordelia responded with an awkward smile, and Emma Ficus was in a flutter as she
blushed, showing a slightly different reaction from what Cordelia had thought.

There was a reason why she blushed.

‘She’s really happy.’

Jude’s analysis was accurate like always.

Emma Ficus was not blushing now because of shame.

She was now like a fan who had met her idol singer whom she had envied so much,
so she was really happy and at a loss on what to do.

“I-I’m really grateful for back then. Thank you very much.”

“Eh? Uh, yes. I’m glad that you’re okay.”

“How can you say that… when I was so mean to you…”

Emma Ficus was deeply moved by Cordelia’s words as her eyes reddened with tears,
and all the young people around them looked at Emma Ficus and Cordelia with
curious eyes.

And so, Cordelia ended up being embarrassed.

‘What’s wrong with her!’

Can a person change like this just because I saved their life once?!

It was an oddly disrespectful remark, but fortunately, Jude was the only one who
could understand her thoughts.

“Lady Cordelia… no, Countess August Chase. The countess of that day was really…”

Emma Ficus held Cordelia’s hand and began to testify, and the level of attention
around them became even higher.

‘No, I’m not that nice of a person, okay? It’s true that I’m an angel, but I’m not that
kind of angel. So please… eueueue.’

But it was almost impossible for Cordelia, who was a real angel, to remove her hand
from Emma’s tight grip.

Therefore, she had to listen to the embarrassing praise as her hand was held, and she
was forced to smile at Emma Ficus while being embarrassed at the gazes directed
towards her.

‘Ah, seriously! Why are you looking at me with such sparkling eyes!’

Cordelia became uncomfortable with Emma Ficus in a different sense than before,
and she looked back at Jude as if she was asking for help, but seeing that he was
smiling at her with a sly expression, it seemed like he had no intention of saving her.

‘I hate you! I really hate you!’

But it was at that moment.

The hand of salvation was extended to Cordelia from an unexpected place.

“Countess August Chase.”

‘Sylvia-unnie!’

Once Sylvia, who was the host of this farewell party, appeared and spoke, Emma
Ficus had no choice but to stop.

“I apologize, Lady Ficus, but the countess has a previous engagement with me. We’re
going to talk a bit about the rights to the new shampoo and conditioner…”

“Yes, she’s correct. We have an agreement to talk. Lady Emma, I apologize, but can I
leave for a moment? It’s really important.”

Cordelia spoke desperately, and Emma Ficus was saddened by the situation and
retreated with a look of regret.

“Haa… Thank you very much.”

“Please don’t be so polite to me. You’re a countess now.”

“And you’re the next Countess Crossbell.”

Sylvia smiled at Cordelia’s charming words, and they stepped out of the banquet hall.

Because she said that they had something to discuss, they went out even for just a
short time.

With Cordelia having been stolen from him, Jude had a bitter smile before he turned
his gaze to the other side.

Since they were one of the main characters in the battle at the royal capital, the
interest Jude received was also enormous, and there were many people who came to
talk to him.

But Jude had a trick unlike Cordelia.

He pretended to deal with them moderately as he drove them away slowly, and
eventually, only Lucas remained by Jude’s side.

“Only the two of us are left now.”

“You’re right. Anyway… I’d like to express my gratitude to you first. Maja said that
you came to visit us twice.”

“It’s only natural. I’m just glad that you have recovered safely.”

As Lucas nicely smiled, Jude also smiled and thought for a moment.

He wasn’t as excited as Cordelia in shipping Lucas with Scarlet, but Lucas seemed to
be interested in Scarlet in the first place, so he wondered on how to get the two to
meet.

But it was at that moment.

“Then, Lord Jude, have you heard?”

Lucas still called him ‘Lord Jude’ instead of Count August Bayer, and Jude stopped his
thoughts and showed interest in his words.

“What are you talking about?”

“It seems like there will be a fighting competition. They said that it will be officially
announced this afternoon.”

Jude gently nodded at Lucas’ words.

He hadn’t told this to Cordelia yet, but he had heard of it from his father this
morning.

“Because the royal family have to show to the public that they are doing well.”

“Yes, especially when the Argon Empire is watching.”

There were many reason why they were holding an event in this situation, and one of
it was the ‘vacancy’ in the Ten Great Swordmasters.

The Lord Protector who repelled the empire twice, and First Sword, the Sword Saint
of Light, were no longer members of the Ten Great Swordmasters.

Two of the Ten Great Swordmasters disappeared, so they had to fill the vacancy as
soon as possible.
‘It’s possible to do so for First Sword’s position, but the Lord Protector’s position
isn’t something that can be easily replaced.’

After all, it was impossible to replace the Lord Protector who was a symbol of the
Salen Kingdom’s defensive capabilities, unlike First Sword who was just a strong
swordsman.

But that didn’t mean they could just leave it empty.

‘They need a new great swordmaster.’

It was not enough to put Count Bayer as the Sword Saint of Wind to fill the spot
vacated by the Sword Saint of Light.

Since two people were gone, they needed to at least have one new great
swordmaster.

‘For now, Gael is also a candidate.’

His father had told him that this morning.

In addition to Gael, there were also several young knights in the kingdom who were
called as the next Ten Great Swordmasters.

The royal family’s plan was to bring them together this time to demonstrate their
skills, and then give to at least one of them the title of great swordmaster.

‘It seems like even the talented people who did not participate in this anniversary
celebration were also called in.’

There was Richard Galleon, who gained the nickname ‘The Lion’s Sword’ by
distinguishing himself within the Knights of the Golden Lion, the most elite knights
of the Salen Kingdom.

There was Aios Lain who was known to be the fastest and strongest swordsman
among the Jackdaws protecting the north.

There was Kajsa’s older brother, Calix Ophand, who was known as the Sea Serpent
Slayer and called as a Disaster of the Southern Seas.
‘And my brother is included too.’

One out of these four. If possible, they would even appoint two to the Ten Great
Swordmaster position.

Obviously, if all four showed skills that were less than expected, there would
completely be no appointment, but anyway, the royalty’s intentions were quite clear
in this event.

“It will be held five days from now… and there are some thoughts that it is being held
quite urgently, but there’s no problem with the progress because the fighting
competition is an event that was originally supposed to be held. And frankly… I’m
really looking forward to it.”

As Lucas spoke with shining eyes, Jude smiled bitterly.

He would act like that because it was an event that had something to do with them.

‘Those below 20 years of age could participate too.’

The event was divided into the adult division, which was for those who were 20
years of age and older, and the youth division, which was for those younger than 20
years old.

“It’s been a while since we’ve fought shoulder to shoulder.”

“You’re right.”

The fighting competition regularly held by the king was not just a one-on-one battle.

It was a group battle that was more like a war than a sparring match, in which
participants were divided into the northern, central, and southern regions. The three
groups would battle it out in one place, and victory would be awarded to the last
group standing.

‘This is the last event in the royal capital before we go to find the Ultimate One.’

It wasn’t that bad.

It was also good to work with Lucas after a long time, and above all, since it was a
competition, a good prize would be awarded if they won.

‘It’s also good to test the results of my recovery.’

His sixth door was still incomplete, but he had succeeded in stabilizing the Black Sun
to some extent.

‘I’m curious on who will come from the south.’

For the central region, they would send participants from the Knights of the Golden
Lion and the Sword School, so he wondered on who would be sent from the south.

Jude silently recalled the talented people from the south, and soon realized why he
was so excited.

‘This is the first time I’ve experienced this event.’

In the game, the royal capital was destroyed, so the fighting competition did not take
place.

And the following year, the fighting competition was not held too. Because the Salen
Kingdom itself was on the brink of destruction.

As a result, Jude had only heard of the fighting competition unique to the Salen
Kingdom as a background setting, but had never really experienced it.

But when a fantasy event like a fighting competition was held, he couldn’t help
himself from smiling.

‘I’m a rotten water after all.’

Someone who gets excited for new content.

Jude had a small smile before he turned his gaze and looked at the place where the
other rotten water was, and this time, he laughed out loud.

Cordelia was suffering from Emma Ficus’ second onslaught, and was desperately
sending a rescue signal to him.

‘Jude! Jude! Help!’

How could he turn away when she was pleading to him for help?

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

After he asked Lucas to excuse him, Jude quickly headed towards Cordelia.

He that steals an egg will steal an ox – A proverb which means that a person who
steals small things is likely to steal big things too.
When the royal family announced the news of the fighting competition, it caused a
stir in the entire royal capital.

Not in a bad way but in a good way.

The nobles who had packed up their bags for their return changed their plans and
decided to stay in the capital for a few more days, and even the people who were
dejected by the tragedy of the royal capital regained quite a bit of their strength.

“Because this place lacks entertainment.”

At Jude’s words, Cordelia nodded a few times and looked back at the bed in front of
her.

Jude and Cordelia were now looking at furniture in a luxury furniture store on the
royal capital.

Because the mansion they would receive from the royal family had finally been
decided.

“Hmm…”

As Cordelia took a serious look at the king-size bed, Jude sent a <Message> magic.

[Just pick a good one. We won’t be able to use it for a while anyway.]

This world had ready-made goods, but most of the furniture of the nobility were
usually ordered and crafted by hand.

The bed was also a sample product, but only when it was actually ordered do the
store begin to make a completely new one, so it took as little as 15 days or even a
month before they receive what they had ordered.
‘Moreover… ’

Because this is a bed that we’ll have to share in one bedroom.

Isn’t the day we’ll use it really far?

But Cordelia just groaned as she thought and pondered about it.

‘The bed is too expensive!’

Each piece of furniture was ridiculously expensive, but the bed felt particularly
expensive.

She thought that she could buy a decent four-horse carriage with the money to buy
this one bed.

But it was natural for it to be expensive in a way because it was the bed in a bedroom
of a count’s mansion.

“It seems like you’ll get a fever at this rate.”

“Ugh.”

Cordelia groaned again before she plopped down on a nearby sofa, and Jude sat
down next to her.

“We’re going to rest for a moment. Can we have some tea?”

“Of course, Count. Please wait a moment.”

The clerk of the furniture store smiled and bowed before ordering another employee
to serve them tea and refreshments.

Jude and Cordelia were literally VIPs from the furniture store’s perspective because
they had to completely renovate the mansion, but despite being counts, the two
spoke respectfully and behaved politely, so the clerk was very pleased with their
polite attitude.

“Haa.”
In any case, as Cordelia stretched out on the couch as if she was going to melt
anytime soon, Jude smiled and took out a piece of paper.

[Take a look at this.]

[What’s that?]

Instead of answering, Jude pushed the paper a little towards Cordelia, and she
blinked her eyes and accepted the paper. Her eyes soon widened in surprise.

[Wait, what’s this?]

[Multiplier table?]

[I know what this is, okay? But I clearly said it, right? Gambler-]

[No, I’m not the one who brought it, okay? Scarlet was the one who brought it to me,
okay?]

Cordelia narrowed her eyes in suspicion at Jude’s words, but she soon nodded.
Because she found Scarlet’s signature on the corner of the paper.

[Anyway, look at it.]

As Jude tapped the paper, Cordelia looked at the multiplier table again.

It was a very simple multiplier table where you could see how much you would get if
you bet on a group in the competition, but a puzzled and angry expression spread on
Cordelia’s face as she stared at it.

[Wait. Why is this so high?]

The amount you could get if you bet on the north was 2.1 times the amount of the
money you bet.

It wasn’t such a huge number, but it was inevitable for Cordelia to feel bad.

Because the number was greater than the numbers for betting on the south or
center.
[What the, do they think that the south or center are more likely to win than the
north?]

[I guess so?]

[Why?]

Cordelia looked at Jude with an expression showing that she couldn’t understand
why.

[My Jude… No, no… Anyway, aren’t you from the north?]

Jude’s the one who won the Banquet of Swords and stopped the Lord Protector, but why
do they think that the south or center have a higher chance of winning?

Cordelia was extremely angry at the numbers written that assumed the north
couldn’t win, so she was fuming after reading the multiplier table.

[Woah, woah, calm down.]

[Aren’t you angry?]

[No, I’m not angry. The multiplier table makes sense after all.]

[What do you mean?]

[No one has seen me fight.]

Cordelia blinked her eyes at Jude’s words and soon understood it. Because it was
true.

[Because no one has seen me fight the Lord Protector. To be frank, if you think about
it objectively, would it make sense for two teenagers to beat the Lord Protector even
if he had declined from age? You’ll just think that they somehow got lucky in
stopping the Lord Protector with the power and help they received from others.]

If one took a step back, his words certainly made sense.

Moreover, Jude was a weak boy who suffered from an illness and couldn’t go out of
his house just half a year ago.
[Perhaps they think that you’re stronger than me. Well, that’s what I think so too.]

If it weren’t for Cordelia, he wouldn’t be able to force the sixth door open.

It was also Cordelia who dealt the last hit.

[W-why are you suddenly complimenting me?]

Cordelia hmphed and snorted, but when he looked at her face, he could tell that she
was actually happy.

But her happiness didn’t last long. Because she was still upset that Jude had been
ignored.

[But there was the Banquet of Swords.]

They definitely saw his fight against First Sword there, right?

[Even if they saw it… First Sword had become a traitor now. So my evaluation ended
up decreasing a lot.]

Obviously, First Sword’s betrayal didn’t mean that Jude’s skills had suddenly
decreased.

[I still don’t understand.]

[There’s one more reason here.]

[What is it?]

[Because this is a group battle.]

The fighting competition regularly held by the king was not a one-on-one
tournament.

It wasn’t a tournament that went up step-by-step from 32 to 16 to 8 people and so

on. It was close to a battle royal wherein all the participants were gathered in one
place and made to fight for one round only.

[The north, south, and center will each have 30 people, so 90 people will all be
fighting at the same time. It’s good to have skilled individuals, but at this
competition, the power of the group itself is more important.]

And in that sense, the evaluation of the north was worse than that of the south or the
center.

Except for Lucas and Jude, their group had no other exceptional talents, and the
overall age group of their group was also much younger than the other groups.

[To add to it, I’m also injured, right? I’ve been unconscious for days, so some of them
probably judged that I still haven’t fully recovered.]

Jude had been unconscious for three days. By general standards, it would take at
least a month for a person with such injuries to fully recover and be in their usual
fighting form again.

[Are you really okay though?]

Cordelia asked with a worried expression, and Jude immediately nodded.

[Because I have a regenerative ability.]

[Haa… Okay, I get it. Show them what you’ve got, okay?]

[Yes, so I went all-in on the north.]

[Good job… wait, what?]

[I said I went all-in on the north.]

When Jude spoke with a big smile, Cordelia forgot her ban on skinship and touched
Jude, or rather, she began hitting him.

[Gambler OUT! Let’s break off our engagement! Let’s break it off!]

[Ouch, it’s not gambling. It’s an investment, okay?]

[Grrr, you’re not hurt at all even if I hit you, huh?]

[Huhuhu, my princess. Please calm down. You don’t think I’ll lose, right?]
[Wow, look at this guy talk. How arrogant.]

But what he said was also true.

Jude was much stronger than what the public thought.

[Don’t worry, it’ll be a big hit. I’m the one who increased the multiplier in the first
place, okay?]

Cordelia blinked at Jude’s words. Because she felt like she had heard of something
strange.

[Wait, what? Who increased the multiplier?]

[Me.]

[How?]

[Through rumors?]

Jude calmly said, and Cordelia’s face went blank before she understood it. What the
words of Jude had meant.

[Hey, don’t tell me…]

[Yes, I created those rumors.]

I heard that Jude is weaker than we thought.

I heard that he isn’t skilled enough to beat the Lord Protector.

I heard that the wizard, Cordelia, did more than him.

I heard that he is still struggling with his injuries.

I heard that there are no exceptional talents in the north.

[I had a hard time making it look like inside information that was very reliable.]

Jude spoke as he puffed up with pride, and Cordelia had no choice but to think of the
same word as always.

[Wow, you scammer.]

[Do you hate it then?]

Jude shrugged as he slyly smiled, and Cordelia hmphed before smiling.

[But are you sure of it? It’s not even confirmed that you’ll win.]

[Hehehe, why are you saying that? Don’t you believe in me?]

[Didn’t you say that it’s a group battle?]

Cordelia slightly disagreed, and Jude said as he crossed his arms.

[Then, let’s make a bet.]

[What bet? A bet that you’ll win the competition? I hate that. I won’t win anyway, so
I’ll just end up losing all my money, okay?]

[No, not that. It’s a bet on how many kills I can get.]

He didn’t really mean that he would kill people.

In the first place, the use of sharpened weapons was prohibited.

One was considered as having killed the opponent if they had sent their opponent
out of the field, made their opponent declare surrender, or removed the band their
opponent wore during the competition.

At Jude’s provocation, Cordelia slightly raised her eyebrows before she asked as if to
sound it out first.

[Tell me how many first.]

[20 kills?]

The number of enemies was 60 in total if you combined the center and the south, so
20 kills was a sufficient number.
But Cordelia shook her head as if it was not possible.

[Don’t you have to do that much in order to win anyway?]

[30 kills then?]

[40 kills.]

40 kills out of 60 people.

Considering that the center and the south would also fight each other, it was almost
no different from asking Jude to kill them all.

‘You’ll say that you can’t do that, right?’

Cordelia thought she would be satisfied if she just hear one word of complaint from
Jude.

But Jude gave an unexpected answer.

[Okay.]

[Huh?]

[That’s good. If I get more than 40 kills, Cordelia, you’ll grant me one wish. If I can’t
do it, I’ll grant you your wish.]

[W-wait a minute. What wish are you talking about?]

[Hoh, are you scared? It’s just 40 kills, right?]

Jude provoked her with a sly smile, and Cordelia was unwittingly provoked, but she
did not immediately answer back. Because she had past experience.

There was no way Jude would have said that if he wasn’t confident.

‘I-isn’t it too much though?’

40 kills out of 60 people.

That may be possible if Jude fought alone against a south and center alliance rather
than a 1:1:1 group battle.

[You okay with 40 kills?]

[50 kills. Do 50 kills.]

If you say that you can’t do it, this time, I’ll be the one to tease and ask you if you’re
scared.

When Cordelia complacently smiled and said, Jude immediately nodded his head.

[All right, 50 kills. Instead, you’ll fulfill your promise, right? If I get 50 kills, you’ll
grant me any wish, right? Whatever I wish, okay?]

[W-wait a minute.]

[Why? Are you scared? Scared of 50 kills?]

[Argh, that’s not it, okay? I just have to mentally prepare myself, okay? I won’t back
down, okay? I’m going to make an unreasonable wish, okay?]

[Same with me then. I’ll also make a really unreasonable wish, okay?]

Cordelia unconsciously flinched when Jude said that with wide open eyes.

Because he was worried about it too.

‘W-what the hell?’

What’s a really unreasonable wish? What did he mean by that?

Cordelia’s imagination began to run wild in her head again, and she blushed at some
point.

[Y-you f*cking pervert.]

[W-wait a second. What? What did you say? Are you thinking of something weird?]

[N-no, I’m not? Anyway, fine. I’ll agree to 50 kills, okay?]

[Good, let’s make a contract.]

[Eh?]

[A contract.]

Jude said as he took out a contract that he had made earlier, and Cordelia signed with
her thumbprint.

[Good, I’ll be looking forward to it then.]

[Hmph, me too.]

Cordelia snorted first before she took a deep breath and tried to calm her
anxiousness.

She felt like she was somehow tricked, but she thought that it was still very favorable
for her.

‘That’s right, he has to do a whopping 50 kills.’

50 kills out of 60 people.

How will he do that if it’s a group battle? It’s also against two groups, so it’s a 1:1:1.

Even if he is strong, it’s still impossible.

As long as he doesn’t cheat.

‘Scammer.’

Jude is a scammer.

Cordelia suddenly became very anxious.

Some corrections for the previous episodes:

-The multiplier for the north was actually higher than the multiplier for the south
and center. Someone in the comments pointed it out in the previous episode, so I’ve
corrected it now.

-In Jude’s first fight against First Sword, he actually used an attack called ‘Sky
Shattering Black Dragon.’ I previously thought it was just some chuuni line, so I had
translated it as ‘Shatter the skies, O Black Dragon.’ But it was an attack name, so I’ll
be using Sky Shattering Black Dragon from now on.

The day of the competition finally arrived.

The massive colosseum stadium, which could accommodate tens of thousands of

people at the same time, was literally packed.

If the ball was the highlight of the founding anniversary celebration for the nobles,
the fighting competition was the highlight for the people of the royal capital.

“This fighting competition… everyone’s really excited.”

Dahlia said in a surprised voice as she sat in the VIP seats and looked around.

She had watched the competition four times in the past, but this was the first time
that the competition had this much enthusiasm.

If Jude was next to them, he would have told them that the people the royal family
had hired to liven up the atmosphere were active in various places, but
unfortunately, Jude was in the stadium and not in the VIP seats.

“Don’t be so worried, Miss. I’m sure Miss knows how strong Lord Jude is, right?”
“That’s right, my lady. Nothing bad will happen.”

When Cordelia sat with an anxious and worried face, Dahlia spoke to her with a
smile, and Maja who was nearby also smiled and added.

In the eyes of the two people, Cordelia worrying about her fiance’s safety was quite
charming and commendable.

But Cordelia’s innermost feelings were a bit different.

‘Eueue… why am I this anxious?’

It was true that she was worried about him getting hurt, but she also had an
ominous feeling.

50 kills.

Even if he’s that strong, 50 kills is impossible, right?

Lucas is there too, right? The other people from the north are not scarecrows, and in
addition, it’s a 1:1:1. Some people will also be ‘killed’ when the center and south fight
each other. And some people will choose to surrender in the fight.

‘Ah, I don’t know anymore.’

Anyway, please don’t get hurt.

Cordelia closed her eyes and tightly held her hands in prayer, and Maja who was next
to Cordelia also prayed with her hands together since she was worried about Jude
too.

And right after that.

At the time when Count Chase made a snorting sound.

“Let the fight begin!”

As soon as Princess Daphne, who was sitting on a high place, declared the start of the
competition, loud trumpet sounds filled the colosseum, and the shouts of the
spectators shook the place afterwards.
“Uoooooooh!”

Cordelia reflexively opened her eyes at the immensely loud cheers, and she looked
down at the circular stadium with a nervous look.

Flags representing the north, center, and south were erected at the three corners of
the round stadium which was wider than a soccer field, and 30 well-armed knights
were lined up under each flag.

The group who could take away their opponent’s flag and bring it to their camp
would win.

However, the north, center, and south were all pitted against each other, and there
were 30 people per group, so tactical movements were quite important in this battle.

What will happen?

What in the world will Jude do to get 50 kills?

A dozen seconds passed.

At the time when the spectators’ shouts died down.

The knights from the center and south began to move at the same time.

But their movements were a little strange.

Because both of their attack groups were openly marching towards the north.

As if they had made an alliance.

“Oooh! The center and south have joined hands!”

“Are they hitting the north first?”

Most of the people who filled the spectator seats were naturally from the royal
capital.

Since the center wasn’t in a disadvantageous situation, no one was booing.

Moreover, this kind of thing frequently happened in the fighting competition.

As it was a 1:1:1 battle in the first place, temporary alliances and betrayals
commonly occurred.

But why the north?

Why are they attacking the north?

Cordelia was convinced the moment she saw the north’s response to the center and
south attacking them from both sides.

‘Jude, you evil b*stard!’

You damn scammer!

At the moment when Cordelia’s praise (and not praise) burst out, loud cheers
erupted again among the audience.

***

Jude didn’t actually put much effort into his scam.

All he did was create a venue where the central and southern prospects who
attended the Banquet of Swords could exchange their thoughts several times.

So those who had participated in the Banquet of Swords all thought of the same
thing.

They must attack the north first.

Even if Jude could move fast or slow, he was still one person in the end. Grabbing the
flag of the north would mean the defeat of the entire northern group, regardless of
whether Jude survived or not.

Furthermore, Jude had suffered great injuries in his fight against the Lord Protector.

It was somehow disgraceful to attack a weakened person, but in the first place, this
was Jude’s fault for pushing ahead with his participation in the fighting tournament
even though he had not completely recovered yet.
Several central and southern knights stayed behind in order to protect their flags,
and the rest of them charged towards the northern group in both directions at the
same time, but the north was fully prepared and responded.

“Strengthen the defense! Block the center!”

Lucas was pretty much the leader of the northern group.

When he loudly shouted, all the northern knights turned to the central knights and
took a defensive formation.

Their combat tactic was hammer and anvil.

All the northern knights led by Lucas became the anvil and blocked the central
knights.

All the southern knights were left to the hammer.

To their one-of-a-kind and invincible hammer on this battlefield!

“Sky Shattering Black Dragon!”

Jude rushed to the southern knights alone and shouted it loudly as he released the
energy of the black dragon.

As huge air waves struck the front, the southern knights quickly spread to the left
and right to evade the attack, but not everyone was able to avoid it. Some of the
knights in the middle where blown away by the energy of the giant black dragon.

And lightning struck.

With the Hyper-Fast Thunderbolt, Jude headed to the southern knights who had split
into the left side, and he opened the fifth door instead of the incomplete sixth door as
he penetrated into their ranks.

But it wasn’t his usual fifth door.

To begin with, Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors was a kind of buff that nearly amplified its
user’s basic capabilities.
Therefore, Jude’s fifth door was much stronger than his previous fifth door despite
having opened the sixth gate already.

He added the Black Sun to his planned attack.

Jude’s internal energy was so immense and powerful that it was completely
incomparable to the other prospects in the stadium, so it was truly like the sun
appearing in the night sky.

First move.

Jude saw the southern knight in front of him as the knight raised his shield. Though
Jude was wearing leather armor and had a sword on his waist, he used the energy of
the Black Sun and transmitted it to his entire body, striking the center of the shield
as he recalled Landius’ movements.

Bang!

The southern knight was blown away over a dozen meters with his shield before he
rolled over the floor.

A fully armed knight usually weighed over a hundred kilograms. So the sight of such
a knight flying over a dozen meters and rolling on the floor because of a single blow
was so unrealistic.

But not for Jude. Because he had already seen Landius do it. Because he knew it was
possible to fight like this.

He immediately kicked the ground again. He moved his hands and feet without
hesitation towards the southern knights who had frozen for a moment because of
the unrealistic sight.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He threw and pushed them.

Every time he moved his hand, a southern knight flew into the air. They were
completely helpless against him because they couldn’t withstand the force pushing
them even if they blocked it with a shield.
“Strike back! Rather, attack!”

One of the southern knights yelled and bravely rushed towards Jude.

Jude saw the knight. And he realized it again.

The world he had lived in had changed now.

For Jude who had fought against the swords of the Lord Protector and First Sword,
the swords of the prospects were no longer a threat to him.

The knight’s sword drew a sharp trajectory. And Jude grabbed the trajectory of such
a sword. To be exact, he grabbed the wrist of the knight wielding the sword.

The knight was flustered as he never imagined that to happen, and Jude threw the
knight with only just his hand. Jude was as strong as several people to begin with, so
if he added the energy of the Black Sun, his strength would rise so greatly that even
the word ‘superpower’ didn’t fit it.

“Aaaaah!”

The southern knight struck the other knights and they fell to the floor. Having ‘killed’
more than ten people in an instant, the audience cheered even more, and Jude used
his Hyper-Fast Thunderbolt again.

“No! Defend the flag!”

The leader of the southern knights shouted loudly, but it was a misjudgment.

Because Jude flew towards the knights of the center and north instead of heading to
the flag of the south.

His reason was simple.

‘I have to kill more!’

He still had a long way to go before he got to 50 kills.

But his actions looked different to the surrounding knights.

Not only the southern knights, but even the central and northern knights
misunderstood Jude’s actions.

‘Is he trying to protect his allies?’

‘He’s protecting us!’

It didn’t matter to him if he was misunderstood. What mattered to him was to

increase his kill count.

‘Lucas is stronger than I thought!’

Lucas had already defeated three knights from the center. So Jude immediately blew
away the three knights in front of him in succession and run towards Lucas. He
destroyed the enemy formation and took down the knights around Lucas first.

And he thought at the same time.

The southern knights.

They were rearranging their formation. Because they realized that fighting Jude was
impossible, so they were planning to take the flag of the north while he was fighting
the center.

As for the central knights.

They did not know that they were only sacrifices for Jude, so they did not step back.
They were already crossing swords with the north, so they tried to maintain their
current situation.

But it wasn’t good. If they continued their tussle, the central knights would be
defeated by the northern knights.

Therefore, Jude turned his eyes. He found a familiar man among the central knights,
and put his hand on his sword as he looked at that man.

“Avoid him! He’s drawing his sword!”

Lucian Dior.
The guy whom he fought against in the Banquet of Swords, and the one who played a
crucial role in moving the central knights.

And he made Jude’s wish come true again.

When he shouted loudly, all the central knights groaned and retreated.

Because Lucian had made a fuss before the game, saying that he didn’t know on what
would happen if Jude drew his sword.

That was why a gap was created.

Jude flew to those who were mixed with the northern knights. It was the time that
one long breath would take, but it was a long and valuable time for Jude to use
Hyper-Wind Thunderbolt and Thunder God Invokes Lightning.

“Aaaah!”

Four central knights flew in the air, and Jude shouted at Lucas.

“Protect the flag! The south is coming!”

His words were heard. Lucas commanded them, and the northern knights quickly
retreated to defend their flag as they lined up in formation, and because of that, a gap
was created again. Jude blew away two more knights from the center before he
headed towards the southern knights again. The situation of the southern and
northern knights facing each other had to be avoided.

Jude turned his eyes.

He counted the number of knights from the south, and saw them approaching in a
compact formation that would not be easily destroyed.

So he smiled and made his next move.

The sixth door.

It was incomplete but was stronger than the fifth door!

Bang!
The energy exploded. The black dragon’s energy turned into a black flame and rose
like an explosion, and Jude kicked the ground. After he flew high in the air, he dug
into the middle of the southern knights’ dense formation.

“It’s an attack!”

Someone shouted. They hastily stepped back and lifted their shields or swung their
swords.

But Jude ignored them. He immediately lowered his posture and placed his two
hands on the floor. The energy of the Black Sun was released to the maximum.

“Black Dragon Spiral!”

Six black dragons were released by Jude and turned the ground upside down at the
same time. The black energy smashed the ground, and soon soared up and blew
away all the southern knights.

“Uooooooh!”

The audience broke into loud cheers. It was natural because more than ten knights
were defeated at once.

Jude raised his head amidst the cheers. He saw the flag of the south, and when the
southern knights guarding the flag flinched, he rushed back towards the central
knights.

And at that moment, everyone inside the stadium realized.

That Jude had no intention of taking the flags.

Even if they brought him the flag, he would defeat the one who brought it instead of
receiving it.

‘W-what the hell!’

‘Does he have a grudge against us?!’

‘I-is it because of me?’

The last one was Lucian, and Jude threw that Lucian away. He used Lightning Punch
against the central knights who were coming in from all sides at the same time.

Baaaaang!

His attack was different than before. His Lightning Punch were now truly seven
strikes that were unfolded at the speed of lightning.

Four central knights were simultaneously defeated, and Jude let out his breath.

The only ones who stood now were the central and southern knights who were
guarding their flags.

‘Seven in the south and five in the center.’

That was enough. If he chose the south, he could pass 50 kills.

“Lucas! Center!”

Jude loudly yelled, and Lucas, who had been looking around as he held his sword,
came to his senses. He led a group of people and headed towards the central group’s
flag.

And Jude headed towards the southern group’s flag.

If he walked slowly, they would have surrendered, so he quickly narrowed the

distance with Hyper-Fast Thunderbolt.

“I sur-”

“No!”

I can’t allow it!

Jude struck the abdomen of the southern knight who was trying to surrender in
order for the knight to be unable to speak, and he blew away the southern knights
one after another. There were those who bravely charged, saying that it was all or
nothing, but the difference in power was too big.

Originally, knights were not defeated so easily by martial arts because they were
fully equipped with armor, but his unimaginable power and overwhelming
difference in skill broke their existing common sense.

And he struck again.

Jude blew away the last man and grabbed the southern group’s flag.

“Uooooooooh!”

The audience broke into cheers.

When Lucas raised the central group’s flag, louder shouts shook the entire
colosseum.

Because it was the north, or rather, Jude’s overwhelming victory.

“Jude Bayer!”

“Jude Bayer!”

“Count Bayer!”

To be exact, he was Jude August Bayer, but it was too long.

So the crowd cheered for Count Bayer, and the real Count Bayer somehow felt
awkward and cleared his throat for no reason as he smiled.

“Miss, did you see it? Miss!”

Dahlia was delighted, and so was Maja. In particular, those on the Bayer side who
had known Jude since his sick days had faces that looked like they were about to cry
soon.

“The Swordless Swordsman!”

“Guardian of the royal family!”

Several voices were heard from the spectators at that time.

The winner of the Banquet of Swords.

The northern hero who protected the royal family from the Lord Protector.

It was at that moment when the true strength of Jude, which had only been known
through rumors, was revealed to the entire world.

Smiles of satisfaction spread among the faces of the royal family, and the faces of the
empire’s delegates who were watching from the VIP seats had slightly turned tense.
It was a natural reaction as a monster beyond common sense had appeared in a
competition for prospects, which was only a taste before the main competition.

And one more person.

The main character of this event, Jude, stared at that person.

’51 kills.’

All except those who were defeated by Lucas and the northern knights.

Jude had a dark smile on his face, and Cordelia covered her face with both hands.
Scarlet burst into laughter without realizing it.

Someone said that people could only do nothing but laugh when faced with such a
ridiculous situation, and it seemed like those words were true.

‘What the hell.’

She knew that he was strong.

Scarlet herself wasn’t confident that she could beat Jude.

So she thought that he would show an overwhelming performance in this

competition. Even if a dozen underage knights, who still had some room to grow,
would fight Jude, they wouldn’t be able to defeat him.

However.

‘Ha, seriously?’

She won as she had expected, but the way he did it was beyond her imagination.

What the hell? Is he a human? Why do people fly when he throws them?

She could understand if he was a huge giant over 2 meters tall, but Jude wasn’t.

He was tall, but was just tall enough to look good, and he had a good build, but didn’t
look that threatening.

Therefore, it was more shocking.

It was really astounding.

‘Pink Bomb, you’re dating someone like that?’

Wouldn’t your whole body be crushed if he hugged you tightly?

Scarlet was mixed among the spectators, and she turned to Cordelia in the VIP seats.
She then had a bitter smile as she looked on with a warm gaze.

‘She really likes him.’

She likes him so much that she covers her face with both hands.

Scarlet giggled before she looked back at the stadium. Immense cheers continued to
be heard.

‘It’s history… no, it’s a scene from a legend.’

The birth of a hero who only appeared in myths and legends, a person who could
defeat more than 50 knights alone.

It was natural for people to be enthusiastic. Even Scarlet herself who knew the true
colors of Jude was feeling thrilled.

‘Well… Lucas also performed well.’

He also defeated many knights just like Jude.

Scarlet smiled a little differently than before, and she looked back at the stadium. She
gazed at Lucas and saw Jude approaching him.

And it was at that time.

Jude raised his hands high and responded to the cheers of the audience before he
made a hand gesture.

It was signal to be quiet for a moment, and the enthusiastic crowd gradually quieted
down.

Thus, it became silent.

Jude took a deep breath as he looked toward Cordelia and spoke calmly in a voice
loud enough to reach the entire colosseum.
“I will dedicate today’s victory to my beloved fiancee, Cordelia.”

“Uooooooh!”

In that instant, cheers erupted from the audience, and people’s attention shifted
from Jude to Cordelia. And Cordelia, who was hiding from the world as she covered
her face, became even more restless at everyone’s gazes.

“Miss, it’s okay.”

“Please wave your hand a bit.”

Maja and Dahlia spoke from the side, and Cordelia stood up with a tearful face and
waved her hand to the crowd.

‘Why am I the one who’s always being embarrassed?’

She was really, really embarrassed and was in tears, but everyone who saw her
completely thought differently.

To them, it seemed like she was moved to tears at Jude’s dedication of his victory to
her.

And amidst such countless misunderstandings, Cordelia made eye contact with Jude
and was really about to cry.

‘I can’t tell what he’s thinking!’

Their distance was too far.

All she knew was that he was smiling evilly, but she couldn’t figure out what he was
thinking inside.

‘What? What is it? What the hell are you going to make me do? Why are you smiling
so much?’

She obviously couldn’t read his eyes because he was too far away.

But unlike Cordelia, Jude knew very well what she was thinking.
‘She’s thinking about me making a wish later.’

Cordelia fidgeting is the cutest in the world though.

Does she know how cute she looks when her imagination is running wild?

With a dark smile on his face, Jude once again responded to the spectator’s cheers
before he returned to the waiting room together with the knights from the north.

And twenty minutes later.

Jude had changed into casual clothes much faster than the other knights because he
was wearing light armor in the first place. He then sat next to Cordelia and she
stared hard at him.

Because she was scared on what Jude might say, but her want of looking at his eyes
to know his thoughts was much stronger.

But people said that it was possible to attack anything if one knew the pattern to it.

So after Jude figured out Cordelia’s thoughts, he stared at her instead of avoiding her
gaze.

‘I just don’t have to think about it.’

Because their eye conversation wasn’t really telepathy.

There was nothing for her to read unless he thought about something.

And if he applied those words, it also became possible to attack her.

Just like this.

“Eueueu…”

Cordelia made eye contact with Jude and flinched. She then began to hit Jude after
seeing his thoughts.

Her slaps naturally didn’t hurt Jude.

What Jude had thought of was simple.

Cordelia is cute.

As he filled his head with that thought only, it was natural for Cordelia, who had met
his gaze, to be that embarrassed.

‘How sweet, how sweet.’

Those who looked at Jude and Cordelia’s quarrel with the eyes of a third party
simply smiled with happy faces because they did not know on what was actually
happening.

[Anyway, Cordelia.]

[Why! Why! Why!]

[What about my brother and Adelia?]

At Jude’s question, Cordelia took a deep breath and pointed to the stadium.

[Waiting room. It’s about to start soon.]

[Hmm, I’m looking forward to it.]

How strong have my brother become?

Surely, he must have become strong enough to be one of the Ten Great Swordmasters.

“It’s starting.”

As the trumpets loudly sounded, the knights from the north, center, and south finally
entered the stadium.

***

Thirty people for each group.

It was the same number of people as the previous game, but the feeling of pressure
was different when they stood on the field.
After all, they were real grown-up knights unlike the prospective knights earlier who
were still physically growing because they were minors.

There was also the difference in experience.

There was a gap that could not be filled between those who had experienced real
battles and those who had not.

The central and southern knights.

At the forefront of each group were Richard Galleon, the Lion’s Sword, and Calix
Ophand, the Sea Serpent Slayer, who were considered as candidates for the Ten Great
Swordmasters position.

The Lion’s Sword was covered in golden armor and was so huge that he seemed to
be over 2 meters tall at first glance. And Calix, the eldest son of the Ophand family
who inherited the blood of beasts, gave off a deadly energy that just standing there
silenced everyone around him.

Richard and Calix stared at each other.

Because both sides had a feeling that the other would determine the victory or
defeat of their group, especially now that Aios Lain, who was known to be the fastest
swordsman among the Jackdaws, was absent.

Obviously, there was one more candidate for the Ten Great Swordmasters position.

Gael Bayer.

Jude Bayer’s older brother who showed an amazing performance.

But he was seriously injured in the battle on the royal capital. Moreover, he only
managed to hold back a high-ranking demonic human, and did not make any
particular noticeable contribution.

‘And.’

Richard and Calix have both met Gael.

In Richard’s case, there was a time when they had crossed swords at the Banquet of
Swords.

That was why both knew.

‘He’s too restrained.’

One could say that he was ordinary.

Gael’s sword was a model student’s sword.

Faithful to the basics without anything unique to it.

It was not that he didn’t have the talent, but he just didn’t make a strong impression.
He was a bit strange, but he was just a knight who was plainly strong.

So Richard and Calix didn’t care much about Gael.

The two just stared at each other.

But at some point.

Richard’s experience, which had been refined by numerous practical battles, made
him turn his eyes away.

Calix’s instincts began to sense an immense danger.

Why?

The two people reflexively turned their heads and flinched unknowingly. They
looked at the northern knights with a perplexed look.

***

Adelia defined the Gael who rose from the battle on the royal capital into one word.

‘Beast.’

Beast, monster, wolf.

His personality didn’t change.

Gael was still a good, honest, and sincere man.

But something definitely changed.

To be exact, something woke up in him.

The Essence of the Silver Moon that was created by Druid Fran had explosively
strengthened Gael’s physical abilities. His internal energy had also more than
doubled.

But it wasn’t those things that really mattered.

‘The Sword of Wind.’

Count Bayer’s sword.

As Count Bayer had shown in his fight against First Sword, the essence of the Sword
of Wind was the gale.

A wild, unrestrained, and raging wind.

Gael took a deep breath. He slowly exhaled and looked straight ahead.

His blue hair shined in the daylight.

His left arm that was replaced with a prosthetic arm could freely move, but he could
not feel any sensations on it.

But he was smiling.

Because he knew now.

What his father had meant.

What the gale, the essence of the Sword of Wind, was.

Gael no longer restrained himself. He completely liberated the wildness that woke
up in the process of his resurrection.

And at that moment, everyone in the stadium looked at Gael. They couldn’t help it.
But it was only the beginning.

Gael took a step forward.

He looked straight ahead without hiding his fierce smile.

“Adelia.”

Gael whispered low and drew his sword. He showed the knights of the center and
south, as well as the spectators at the colosseum, the true Sword of Wind, his Sword
of Gale.

***

The fighting competition ended successfully.

The result was a one-sided victory for the north in both the minor and adult
divisions. But despite the defeat of the central group, the entire royal capital was
engulfed in a grand and festive atmosphere again.

“It’s a huge success.”

Prince Dion, the person who planned and pushed for the fighting competition,
smiled brightly for the first time in a long while, and upon seeing her younger
brother’s smile, Princess Daphne was also happy as she filled her glass with wine.

“The birth of a new great swordmaster.”

They couldn’t fill all the vacancies in the Ten Great Swordmasters, but it was enough
for them.

The residents of the royal capital were exhilarated by the birth of a new great
swordmaster, and they no longer worried about the vacancy left by First Sword.

Sword Wolf.

The wolf of the sword.

The sword of the dominating gale that defeated the beast of the south, Calix Ophand,
and the Lion’s Sword, Richard Galleon from the center.
“For the Bayer family.”

Prince Dion raised his glass together with Princess Daphne, and was sincerely
grateful.

After all, they were able to reverse the atmosphere of the royal capital because of the
Bayer family.

The Sword of Wind replaced the Sword of Light.

The Sword Wolf – Gael, who now held the Sword of Gale, became one of the Ten
Great Swordmasters.

And even Jude Bayer, the Swordless Swordsman, showed an overwhelming

performance.

“Their family are really great swordsmen.”

It was clear to them that Jude would also become one of the Ten Great Swordmasters
in the future.

In one family, three great swordmasters were born in the same time period.

It was a tremendous feat that couldn’t be found anywhere.

At Princess Daphne’s words of admiration, Prince Dion nodded and cheerfully

smiled, saying as he touched his chin.

“But my dear sister.”

“Yes, my dear little brother.”

“Is Jude a real swordsman?”

They had never seen him use a sword.

Even in the fighting competition, he only pretended to pull it out.

“I don’t know, but I think he’s a swordsman. After all, we’ve never seen the Iron Man
use a sword too, right?”
“A swordless swordsman.”

How could a swordsman be a swordsman if they didn’t use a sword?

But that didn’t matter to them.

What mattered was the fact that new heroes were born from this fighting
competition.

“Two people of destiny.”

Just as Princess Darianne and Prince Dion each had their own unique abilities,
Princess Daphne also inherited a special ability from the Founder King.

A heavenly voice.

Whispers from above that she could hear from time to time.

That being had said.

The two people of destiny would determine the fate of Princess Daphne and Prince
Dion, as well as the entire Salen Kingdom.

“Then, when are those two getting married?”

“They haven’t held an engagement ceremony yet, right?”

It was an arranged marriage from the time they were still in their mothers’ wombs,
and now, they were both 17 years old.

“Hmm, should we do it for them then?”

“What? The engagement ceremony?”

“Yes, with the blessing of the royal family.”

The two had already done a lot of favors to the royal family to the extent that they
could be called royalists, but the royal family needed to be more certain that the two
were on their side.
‘No, I just want to be nice to them more.’

Because they really owed the two a huge favor.

“Hmm… I think that’s a good idea? Shall we go ahead with it?”

“Let’s go ahead with it.”

The siblings laughed without worries after a long time and bumped their glasses
again as they continued to discuss their plan in more detail.

But unfortunately, the siblings’ wishes wouldn’t come true.

***

“Hey, are we really going like this?”

“Because our feet will keep getting tied down. I even participated in the competition,
but we really have to go now.”

The night after the competition.

Jude suggested to Cordelia that they take a honeymoon trip to the south, or to be
exact, to escape at night.

“If we continue to stay at the royal capital, we will not be able to leave for the south
even after a month.”

“Hmm… I agree.”

There were so many people who wanted to meet Jude and Cordelia. Furthermore, it
was not easy to refuse them since they were all high-ranking nobles.

‘It’s a pity that I couldn’t stop by the Medb’s auction house in the end… but it’s not a
big deal.’

The Medb’s auction house was hit hard in the chaos that occurred when the royal
capital was attacked.

Because of that, the auction house wouldn’t be holding an auction for a while, so they
couldn’t help it even if they thought that it was a pity.

“What about our fief then?”

“My father and brother will take care of it.”

The fief that they were supposed to receive had already been confirmed.

Although they had yet to receive the official documents, it was not a big problem
since they wouldn’t be able to do anything to it yet.

‘Because we’re not in a situation where we can just sit back and manage our fief.’

Black Dragon Malekith’s attack on the south was drawing near.

Due to the butterfly effect, the event could go a bit faster or slower than the original
storyline, but in any case, they couldn’t just wait for it to happen.

“Ultimate One.”

It would be perfect for Jude who was called the Swordless Swordsman.

It was a weapon that he must obtain before their final battle against Malekith.

“I see, then it’s fine. We can’t help it.”

Cordelia nodded her head, and Jude immediately placed the prepared letter on the
bed.

The letter wrote that the two were going on a romantic trip to the south, so they
shouldn’t look for the two.

“But Jude.”

“Yes, Cordelia.”

“That…”

“That?”
“Wi…”

“Wi?”

Jude grinned and tilted his head as if he didn’t know what she was talking about, and
Cordelia bit her lips and pulled on Jude’s arm as she said.

“The wish! What’s your wish!”

“Hmm… What kind of wish should I make? I’m worried because I have so many
wishes to make.”

“M-many?”

“Yes, there are so many, so I’m really worried on what to wish for. So it will take some
time. Hmm, perhaps at least a few days.”

Jude smiled and said before he packed their luggage. And Cordelia’s imagination
began to run wild in the meantime.

“Anyway, Madam, I think we should get going.”

When Jude said that, he showed her his back as if telling her to ride on his back, but
Cordelia suddenly clapped and said in a quiet voice.

“Yes, yes, if Jude’s wish is a piggyback ride… should I allow it then?”

Because her ban on skinship had yet to be lifted.

At Cordelia’s words, Jude grinned and said.

“What the… are you saying that’s my wish?”

“No, well… it is.”

When Cordelia smirked and said, Jude snorted before nodding his head.

“Okay, let’s do that.”

“Eh? Really?”
“Yes. If you want me to wish to carry you on my back instead of saying my real wish, I
can’t help it then, right?”

Cordelia flinched at Jude’s words.

Her conscience was stabbed because she felt that she was somehow cheating him,
but the ‘real wish’ that Jude had said was also bothering her.

What is it? What kind of wish is it?

Cordelia began to imagine again, and her face blushed as always before she finally
made up her mind.

“Okay. Just for this time, I’ll ride on your back.”

“Should that be my wish?”

“No. Just tell me your real one later.”

Cordelia averted her eyes for no reason, and Jude began to laugh in a sly way.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Well, I just thought that my princess is really an angel.”

That was it. Instead of teasing her more, Jude showed her his back, and Cordelia
pouted her lips before she carried the bag on her back and got on Jude’s back.

“Are you not saying those words today?”

Her usual lines of merging with Jude.

“Uh, not for now.”

Cordelia responded with a slightly sulky voice as she hugged Jude’s neck, and Jude
quietly smiled as he arranged Cordelia’s position.

To stop the attack of Black Dragon Malekith.

The two began their trip to the south.

It was the only until next morning did Jude and Cordelia’s nighttime escape was
discovered.

When the maid found the letter on the bed, she was surprised and urgently sought
for Count Chase, and the news of the two running away at night quickly spread
around.

“Count Bayer and Count Chase eloped!”

“What? Count Bayer and Count Chase?”

“N-no! Not the fathers! It’s the children!”

Since it was a topic about Jude and Cordelia, it only took about an hour before the
entire royal capital heard the news.

And the reactions of the people who heard the news were largely divided into two.

“Elopement? Aren’t the two already engaged?”

“Their families didn’t object to them, right?”

Those who had learned about the two only after the royal capital’s incident had
ended could not immediately understand the current situation.

Because they couldn’t understand why the two ran away at night when their families
were okay with it, and no one was stopping them from loving each other.

And the reactions of those who had already known about the two were almost the
same.

“Again?”
“Can you still call it an elopement at this rate?”

That was how they reacted.

Because the two hadn’t done it once or twice.

The two had already run away a total of five times.

Moreover, since it was a recognized relationship that their families actively pushed
together, running away just because they wanted to go on a trip together didn’t make
sense.

“But they’re still engaged, right?”

The two were not married yet.

Furthermore, they were only 17 years old now.

Even if they were engaged, it was inevitable that there would be a scandal if they
went on a trip alone.

Just as how bad rumors circulated in the north when the two first ran away.

But the status and public perception of the two had changed since then.

The reactions to the two going on a honeymoon trip were as follows.

“What? They haven’t had an accident yet?”

“I thought she had an accident back then?”

“No, didn’t they run away back then in order to have an accident?”

“Wouldn’t it be because of an accident that they ran away in the first place?”

T/N: ‘Have an accident’ is a subtle way of saying that a woman got pregnant even
though she is still unmarried.

It was the scandal that spread about the two known as the couple of the century who
were already recognized by their families, as well as the entire royal capital, or
rather, the entire Salen Kingdom.

In fact, the public’s perception of the two was that they were no different from a
married couple already, as their relationship had been synonymous to lovebirds who
would die if they were separated from the other.

If the two ever broke up, the entire Salen Kingdom would rise and express their
opposition to it.

“All according to plan.”

“Uuuh…?”

The half-asleep Cordelia let out a confused voice, and Jude grinned before saying.

“My princess, shouldn’t you get up now?”

“Mmnnn…”

Cordelia usually slept a lot in the morning, so she was still half-asleep. Jude then
lightly kissed Cordelia’s forehead and whispered to her again.

“You have to get up now.”

“Mmmnnn…”

Cordelia waved her hands when he put his lips on her forehead again.

“Kisses… no kisses…”

Because skinship was still banned.

But Jude tilted his head and slyly said.

“I didn’t do anything. Perhaps you’re still dreaming?”

“I-is that so…? Then it’s fine.”

Because kisses are nice.

Cordelia giggled and closed her eyes again, and Jude had a bitter smile before he
pinched her cheek.

He wanted to let her sleep more, but it was already time for her to get up.

“You really have to get up now, okay? We’re almost there.”

“Uuuuuh…”

Cordelia forcibly opened her eyes, touching her cheeks as she looked around.

Her eyes were still half-open, so her vision was blurry, but she could roughly see that
they were in a forest.

“Yaaaawn…”

Cordelia yawned and stretched her arms, raising her upper body as she closed her
eyes again. Jude then quickly brought out a basin he had prepared.

“Now, wash your face. Drink a glass of cold water too.”

“Uuuh…”

At this point, she couldn’t help but wake up.

Having drank cold water after washing her face, Cordelia blinked her eyes, and by
the time she was fully awake, her hair was already washed, or to be exact, he had
washed her hair.

“Stay still, just stay still.”

“Okay.”

Jude had also learned various basic magic spells aside from <Message> magic, so he
mixed <Wind> magic and <Heat> magic in order to dry Cordelia’s hair before he
began to comb it skillfully.

‘Isn’t this more comfortable than when I didn’t run away?’

Shouldn’t I be having a hard time since I ran away from home?

Jude finished his combing while Cordelia was thinking alone, and he looked at her
hair with a very proud expression before he immediately began to prepare their
meals.

Since they were outdoors, he was thinking of serving some pancakes, fried eggs,
sausages and a bit of vegetables in moderate amounts.

He fried it on a pan over the campfire.

And he even boiled water for tea.

As Cordelia sat and watched Jude’s actions, she sucked in her lips and said.

“Jude.”

“Yes, Cordelia.”

“I’ll definitely boil you some ramyeon later. I’m really good at boiling ramyeon.”

“Where will you get the ramyeon?”

“Wouldn’t you make it for me, Jude? Oh, and rice too. It’s nice to mix some rice in
ramyeon.”

When Cordelia giggled, Jude used that opportunity to pinch her cheeks.

“Don’t you have a conscience?”

“Well, my heart feels warm.”

“Shall we check it then?”

Whether your heart really has any hair or not.

T/N: A return of the ‘hair in your heart’ idiom, which means a brazen or shameless
person. Hair provides warmth to your head, so if your heart had hair too, your heart
would also feel warm.

After his lame joke, Jude focused on cooking again.

And after a few minutes or so.

Cordelia took a bite of the sausage and looked around.

“By the way, where are we?”

“A nameless forest between Morrison and Garinto. A little further south from here is
Mount Damos, which is a part of the fief we’ll be receiving.”

Cordelia’s eyes widened when she thought of the map of Legend of Heroes 2 in her
head.

“Already? It’s only been a day since we left, right?”

“It’s the power of the Phantom Steed.”

The Phantom Steed could run continuously without getting tired as long as one
supplied it with mana.

On top of that, its rider was Jude who was overflowing with stamina that he only
needed to sleep for 2 hours, so it wasn’t a problem for it to run for hours.

“Umm… I’ll clean your ears later.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“No, it’s just that… you’ve had a hard time.”

“Are you feeling guilty?”

Cordelia’s lips twitched at Jude’s question before she nodded a bit.

“And… I’ll definitely boil ramyeon for you, so you have to make ramyeon, okay?”

“It’s like you’re forcing me to do it, but I understand, Madam.”

In fact, ramyeon was just noodles made from pulling flour, and all he needed to do
was fry it in oil afterwards, so he could make it right away as long as he had the
ingredients.
“Anyway, about Mount Damos.”

“Ultimate One is found in its underground, right?”

“Yes, though to be exact, it’s located at the smithy of the Black Horn Guild, one of the
seven guilds of Sword Seeker.”

The Ultimate Seven series.

Seven decisive battle weapons created by Sword Seeker, one of the 7 city states of the
ancient dwarven kingdom.

It might have been awkward at first to attach the term ‘decisive battle weapon’ to a
sword, but for the Ultimate Seven series, it was a different story.

As its name implied, the seven were special swords developed for the ultimate sword
that they sought, which was what Sword Seeker stood for.

“To make it easy to understand, the seven are mythical items.”

“Mythical items that are above legendary items. In terms of rank, it’s SS-rank.”

Among the items that Jude and Cordelia had acquired so far, the highest-ranked item
they had was the Amplification Earrings, one of Arkeman’s treasures.

An S-rank item that amplified the power of spells several times in exchange for an
enormous amount of mana.

But Ultimate One was an SS-rank item that surpassed S-rank.

“It’s actually a graduation item for some rotten water.”

If a rotten water got one, they wouldn’t need to get any more swords.

“Ah… I’m getting excited.”

The Ultimate Seven series were items that everyone could get in single player mode,
but it was different in multiplayer mode.

They were really unique fantasy items wherein only one of them existed in the entire
server.

“You had one too, right?”

“In multiplayer, what I used was… the Solar Blade.”

It was the divine sword of Solari that was used by Landius in the first episode of
Legend of Heroes when he was still called the Red-Haired Warrior.

In the second episode of Legend of Heroes, it was also an item that sparked the
question of whether Landius was killed by Duke because it was in the possession of
Duke, a high-ranking demonic human of the Devil’s Hand.

Anyway, the rank of the Solar Blade was SSS-rank.

In terms of rank, it was one rank higher than the Ultimate Seven series.

“But for the current me, Ultimate One is the best.”

It wasn’t because Landius still had the Solar Blade.

It was because for the current Jude, the first sword of the Ultimate Seven series,
Ultimate One, was more useful to him than the Solar Blade.

“Hehehe, anyway, this is good. If we get Ultimate One, we’ll become stronger, right?”

“Well… I’ll become stronger.”

“And if we collect all the Ultimate Seven series later, we’ll become even stronger,
right?”

“Should we add the Great Protection of the Four Seasons and the Fairy King’s
Protection?”

“Landius might hand over the Solar Blade to you.”

“Will my princess collect the entire Arkeman series?”

“Let’s beat up Malekith and take its Dragon Heart.”

“And wake up Solari’s giant statue with that?”

“Magic robots are amazing~ I love giant robots.”

“I’ve thought about it before, but you really like enormous rides and stuff like that,
huh?”

“Hehe. Anyway, I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait to get it.”

Cordelia looked ecstatic as she talked about the items, just like how rotten waters
did.

“Ha, I suddenly can’t wait to fight Malekith.”

“Hey, Malekith is an Ancient Dragon, remember?”

It’s a monster that can really destroy a country by itself, okay? It even has
Dragonflights under its command, okay?

“I know. The Dragon Heart of an Ancient Dragon. Ah… what do I do? Jude, my heart is
pounding. I’m so excited.”

It was an item that could not be obtained because it was not implemented as an item
in the game.

But this was reality now, so it would be different.

“Yes, yes. It’s an enemy that we have to fight anyway, so perhaps it’s better to
continue thinking like that.”

It would be much better than falling into fear and despair.

“Ah, I suddenly regret it. It would have been nice if we had stopped by Medb’s
auction house.”

The items they had talked about now couldn’t be found there, but they could still
have gotten a few A-rank or S-rank items.

“We’ll have another chance.”

After all, they had to go back to the royal capital.

Moreover, there was a branch of the Medb’s auction house in the south. The southern
auction house was close to its main store because Medb was originally a noble from
the south.

‘Though it’s strange that we’re going to the branch store and not the main store.’

In any case, they would have a lot of opportunities to stop by at that place.

“Fwoo, I like it. I’m beginning to tremble in excitement. Anyway, what do you call it
when you secretly visit your territory? Traveling in disguise? Traveling incognito? I
want to do that.”

“Should we make a horse requisition tablet?”

“Yes… The secret royal inspector is here! And when you shout it, a bunch of your
minions will appear as if they were summoned.”

“Hey, young lady. You’re the one who’s a wizard and not me, remember?”

“Moving on.”

Cordelia giggled again and stood up from her seat after finishing her meal.

“Okay! Then let’s start again!”

And as she tried to turn around naturally, she was stopped.

“Hey, Cordelia, aren’t you washing the dishes?”

Cordelia didn’t know how to cook, so her task was to wash the dishes.

“It’s going to get dirty again anyway. Do we even need to clean it?”

“Hey, Cordelia, isn’t it time for you to begin waxing the hair in your heart?”

“I hate doing things like waxing.”

“Don’t change the topic, okay?”

“Tsk, fine.”

In fact, she could wash the dishes quickly if she used her magic.

After finishing their morning breakfast, Cordelia got on Jude’s back instead of riding
on the Phantom Steed.

Because it wasn’t good to use the Phantom Steed in the morning when the sun was
shining.

“Merge in the outdoors! JuDelia!”

Perhaps because her excitement was at its peak, Cordelia loudly shouted and hugged
Jude’s neck, and Jude had a small smile before he kicked the ground.

***

Mount Damos.

It was a small mountain situated between the center and the south, and was known
as a ‘mountain that must not be entered’ to the surrounding residents.

The reason was simple – because there were so many monsters.

“But… isn’t it a little strange?”

“It is.”

Outboxer009 and Yellow Storm were famous as rotten waters among the stagnant
waters of Legend of Heroes.

That was why they could immediately think of the locations and kinds of monsters
that would normally come out here without even needing to search JudeWiki.

But as of this moment, there was a beast that shouldn’t be here on Mount Damos, or
to be exact, the beastkin were hanging around this place.

“Vorg.”

“The boar beastkin.”

With an average height of more than 2 meters and their biggest one reaching 3
meters, they were a large, bulky, and strong non-human race, and their entire race
worked as mercenaries.

‘Though the Vorg mercenaries and Vorg bandits are almost synonymous.’

They had an impatient personality and had a strong tendency to be violent, so if they
didn’t like the contract a bit, they would also betray their contractors.

‘Why are they here anyway?’

The Vorgs were more found in the empire than in the Salen Kingdom, though one
could also find them in the southern wetlands in the kingdom that was quite far from
Mount Damos.

[Jude, look at their chests.]

Hiding in the bushes at the end of a slope, Cordelia peeked at the passing Vorg 10
meters below, and as she said, Jude’s eyes widened the moment he saw the copper
plate they were wearing around their chest.

[Black Hand Mercenaries!]

They were particularly notorious among the Vorg mercenaries, and were also related
to Black Dragon Malekith.

But it wasn’t because of their relationship with Malekith that Jude was surprised.

[Gamorr Khan is here?]

[I think so?]

Gamorr Khan.

He was the strongest and most powerful Vorg even among the ferocious Vorgs.

He was a mercenary, so his evaluation was low, but he was a warrior so powerful
that there were some who regarded him as the strongest in the same class as the Ten
Great Swordmasters.
And such a guy was leading his subordinates to Mount Damos.

This place, which would become Jude and Cordelia’s fief, was still under the direct
control of the Salen royal family.

[Is he after Ultimate One?]

It was a very sudden connection, but it was also a valid guess.

Because Gamorr Khan was the owner of Ultimate Five – the Shield Sword, Grand
Order, one of the Ultimate Seven series.

‘The Ultimate Seven series have a resonance effect.’

All the swords in the Ultimate Seven series had a resonance between each other.

Gamorr Khan was also known for coveting the other Ultimate Seven series.

‘But at this point?’

In the game, he was a guy who wandered around in search of the Ultimate Seven
series, but at this point in time, he never came to Mount Damos in search of Ultimate
One.

What happened?

Is this one of the changes caused by the butterfly effect that began in the north?

‘Anyway.’

In any case, it had already happened. So they just had to get Ultimate One before this
guy.

But it was at that moment.

“Hehehe.”

Cordelia snickered and glanced at Jude, and instead of making an expression on

asking why all of a sudden, Jude also snickered.
Because they both thought of the same thing.

““Ultimate Five.””

Grand Order.

Not only Ultimate One, but also the Shield Sword, Grand Order.

Since Gamorr Khan was a subordinate of Malekith, defeating him would also serve a
double purpose.

Jude had a dark smile like usual, and the already infected Cordelia also had a dark
smile.

Korean instant noodle with rice – Ramyeon is the word for Korean instant
noodles. But some Koreans also like cooking rice along with ramyeon.

Source: Aeri’s Kitchen

Dragonflight – subrace of dragons from the official lore of the World of Warcraft
game.

Horse requisition tablet – a round tablet carried by public officials in Korea’s

Joseon Dynasty in order to use a horse or horses owned by the state for their
missions. It is also used by secret royal inspectors in order to prove and reveal their
identities to public officials.

Secret royal inspector – an undercover official directly appointed by the king and
sent to the local provinces in order to monitor government officials and look after
the populace while traveling incognito. For their secret missions, they receive a letter
of appointment and a horse requisition tablet.

The line ‘the secret royal inspector is here!’ is a famous line on how secret royal
inspectors reveal themselves to government officials as they present their horse
requisition tablet as proof of their identity. After they reveal themselves, their
subordinates will appear to inspect the government officials’ records.
One’s eyes are covered with bean pods – This is the 4th time that this idiom has
been mentioned, but I’ll say it again to those who forgot, it means that you only see
good things in someone that you’ve fallen in love with. Jude was the first to use this
idiom, but this time, it’s Cordelia who used it herself.

Black Dragon Malekith had several subordinates besides the Dragonflights, who
were its children.

Gamorr Khan.

He was the boss of the Black Hand Mercenaries and one of the notorious Five Evils of
the South. He was big and close to 2 meters, but this was just an average height
among the Vorgs.

At this moment, there were a dozen of his men that were bigger than him.

Being big naturally wasn’t a good thing, but it was quite strange when one
considered the culture of the Vorgs, wherein the biggest one generally became the
leader.

He had stiff brown fur, a black mane, red eyes, and sharp fangs that protruded from
his mouth.

On his neck was a gold necklace with a purple gem in the middle. The man then
frowned and said.

“Pink… Bomb?”

“Yes, here.”

Jacques, an aide of the mercenary group, held out a piece of paper that was a little
smaller than Gamorr’s palm.

It was big enough for Jacques, a human being, but it was too small for Vorg
standards, so Gamorr Khan gestured with his eyes instead of accepting it.

He was telling the other to read it.

“This afternoon, I will take the Ultimate Five – the Shield Sword, Grand Order. Signed,
Rogue Master Pink Bomb.”

It was the Rogue Master’s notice.

Gamorr Khan lived in the south, but that didn’t mean he knew nothing about the
events in the royal capital.

Moreover, Jacques was originally a former bandit, so he had a lot of interest in the
Rogue Master.

“It’s true that a Rogue Master named Pink Bomb appeared in the royal capital.”

“Is this for real?”

“Yes, she’s a real Rogue Master. She has the Moon Crystal, and it seems like she also
have a few more treasures. At this point, we should consider this as genuine. It was
said that she had openly robbed a place where more than a hundred guards were set
up. So it’s true. She’s-”

Jacques was quite enthusiastic when he talked about the Rogue Master.

But Gamorr Khan still spoke with a frown.

“I mean, is her name really Pink Bomb?”

What kind of Rogue Master would name themselves as Pink Bomb?

Is this some penalty game?

At Gamorr Khan’s reasonable question, Jacques replied while being embarrassed

even though this wasn’t about him.
“Well… yes. It really is her name.”

“That woman must be thick-skinned.”

Just how shameless and brazen is that woman to use a name like that?

“Anyway, do you think this is real?”

“I think so.”

Jacques had never been to the royal capital, so he didn’t know what Pink Bomb’s
signature looked like, but still, he didn’t think that this notice was fake.

“Because there’s no one else she could send this to.”

He was right.

Few people were so bold as to joke around sending such fake letters to Gamorr Khan,
the boss of the notorious Black Hand Mercenaries, and most of it were just some
rough words that were nonsense.

On the other hand, if she was the real Pink Bomb, she had enough reason to send a
notice.

“Because the boss’ weapon is real.”

Ultimate Five.

Shield Sword – Grand Order.

The ancient dwarves’ treasure that raised Gamorr Khan’s name to a level similar to
that of the Ten Great Swordmasters.

“What should we do?”

“First of all, I think it would be better to prepare for it since it wouldn’t do us any
harm if we tried.”

They would gather his wandering subordinates around him in order to tighten their
defense.
If the purpose of Pink Bomb was the Grand Order, she had to show up in front of
Gamorr Khan whether if she liked it or not, so it was easier for them to do gather
their scattered troops rather than trying to search the surrounding area.

“Hmm, that’s not bad.”

Gamorr Khan quietly touched his chin and nodded before saying.

“Gather our men. We’ll go on full defensive.”

“Yes, boss.”

Gamorr Khan and Jacques didn’t know, but their countermeasure was almost the
same as the countermeasure that the Black Moon’s guild master, Karma Bonn, had
put in place to stop Pink Bomb.

And, very sadly, the results were the same too.

***

“Good, they fell for it.”

Jude looked around as he hid himself in a tree overlooking a large rock tomb, and he
spoke in a low voice.

Because the Vorgs of the Black Hand Mercenaries who were scattered around Mount
Damos and were searching had now gathered at the center of the main camp set up
by Gamorr Khan.

“Cordelia?”

“Uuuh… my ears feel itchy.”

Why does it feel like someone’s speaking ill of me?

Strictly speaking, this was actually Jude’s fault and not Cordelia’s, but Jude was
unaffected perhaps because his shamelessness was on a different level.

“Anyway, let’s go.”

“Okay!”

They used the notice to gather the people scattered around Mount Damos and stop
the search.

And while the other side waited for Pink Bomb, the two would get Ultimate One.

‘After all, he is Gamorr Khan.’

Technically, Gamorr Khan was one step below the Ten Great Swordmasters, but even
so, he was immensely powerful.

It was no exaggeration to say that he was like a moving steel castle if one considered
the strong physical abilities unique to the Vorgs, and the tremendous defensive
power of the Shield Sword, Grand Order.

Moreover, he had a lot of subordinates, so even if Jude and Cordelia teamed up, a
head-on match would not guarantee them victory.

‘At our current level.’

They needed to get Ultimate One and increase their power to become victorious.

‘Of course, that’s not all.’

Jude grinned with an evil smile, and Cordelia stared at him, feeling troubled as her
lips twitched.

‘Why does he look more handsome than usual when he has an evil expression?’

Is this what they meant by one’s eyes being covered with bean pods?

In any case, what mattered was the fact that the Vorgs of the Black Hand Mercenaries
had disappeared from their sight.

Jude spread his superhuman senses and confirmed that all the Vorgs were gone
before he silently jumped down and approached the rock tomb.

“Is this the place?”

“Yes, it is.”

Jude responded to Cordelia’s question before he put his hand on the large rock and
recited the spell. He then pressed on the corners of the rock in a certain order.

A yellow magic circle then appeared across the rock, and a huge door was formed on
the rock’s surface that had nothing earlier.

“Woah.”

When Cordelia applauded and admired the seal, Jude shrugged and immediately
entered through the door.

Unlike the Black Hand Mercenaries who searched Mount Damos without any
knowledge, Jude and Cordelia had JudeWiki.

“<Light>.”

The small light from Cordelia’s spell lit up the surrounding darkness, and words of
awe flowed out from the mouths of the two again.

“Endymion.”

Cordelia spoke without realizing it, and Jude nodded his head.

The unfortunate city that could no longer be visited again.

An underground city spread before them, though it was much smaller than
Endymion.

“It’s the Black Horn Guild’s residence.”

At Jude’s explanation, Cordelia nodded and pointed to a large building in the center
of the city.

“Is it over there?”

“Perhaps?”

What the two were talking about was not Ultimate One.
They knew that Ultimate One was definitely in this place though.

“Let’s hurry up.”

“Okay!”

The underground city with the dwarves’ delicate touch was very beautiful, but Jude
and Cordelia had already gone through Frost Anvil and Endymion.

The two ran straight to the central building without looking away, and they were
able to find their target without much difficulty.

Because the closer they got, the stronger the ‘signal’ they felt.

“As expected, it’s here.”

There were a lot of magic tools in the large room on the right side of the central
building’s entrance.

Most of it were broken and destroyed by the passage of time, but one of the tools was
still working.

“Monster Attractor.”

Commonly known as the Aggro Generator.

It was a machine that attracted monsters by emitting a special magic signal, and it
was a product developed by the dwarves of Frost Anvil, basing it from the
Sunflower’s effect of attracting monsters.

“They used this to defend the city, right?”

“Yes, if they covered Mount Damos with monsters, it creates a natural shield.”

Obviously, the signal had weakened after a thousand years, so it was not as strong as
before, but monsters were still scattered around Mount Damos.

Cordelia gazed at the 3-meter-tall cylindrical machine that was much bigger than a
human, and she suddenly smiled.
“So this is the first thing we do as lords? For our residents?”

“Of course. We are their lords.”

They would wipe out the monsters on Mount Damos.

How would they do it?

By using the Black Hand Mercenaries who were steadily preparing themselves to
defend themselves from ‘monsters.’

In order to do that, they obviously needed to manipulate the Aggro Generator.

But it was normally impossible.

Even if they were Jude and Cordelia, it was impossible for them to completely control
the magic tools the ancient dwarves made with the help of Endymion’s high elves.

“There is someone who can do it.”

Jude and Cordelia looked at each other and had evil smiles, and they cheerfully stood
in front of the device. Jude handed to Cordelia the item he took out of his bag.

“Here it is.”

“Shall we do it together then?”

“All right.”

The two shared evil smiles again and held the Moonlight together and brought it to
the terminal located in a corner of the machine.

Both the Moonlight and the machine were compatible to some extent because they
were made by the high elves of Magellan, the magic kingdom.

And there was someone who was sleeping inside Moonlight, and could possibly
manipulate the machine too.

“Melissa.”
An artificial spirit created by the high elves of Magellan, the magic kingdom, for
facility management.

She then responded to the call of the two.

***

“Fight back! Rip them to pieces!”

At Gamorr Khan’s cry, the Vorgs of the Black Hand Mercenaries roared and charged.

They had a dense formation, so it was better to keep their position, but once the
battle began, they couldn’t do as planned, though it was natural for it to happen since
they were Vorgs.

But Gamorr Khan didn’t pay it much attention.

Monsters suddenly came in groups and went wild, but the Vorg mercenaries
numbered thirty. Even if Gamorr Khan wasn’t present, they could easily trample the
dozens of monsters like the Kobolds and Fury Wolves.

“Hmph, they’re just weaklings.”

Gamorr Khan snorted and spat before he looked around again.

He wondered what kind of monsters there were in the not-so-big mountain and why
there were so many, but he was more worried about Pink Bomb.

Because of the monsters’ attack, his subordinates were scattered again.

Moreover, this was a perfect time for a surprise attack because they were in the
midst of confusion.

Therefore, Gamorr Khan kept his position and sharpened his senses instead of
participating in the battle.

And that was why he was the first to discover it.

‘Ground tremors?’
This wasn’t normal. Even if there were many monsters, they wouldn’t cause this kind
of tremor.

“Boss! It’s coming again!”

Jacques turned to the side and shouted loudly, and Gamorr Khan looked at the side
too. And as they expected, they saw dozens of monsters coming with bloodshot eyes.

But that wasn’t all.

What Gamorr Khan felt was more than that.

Boooom!

The shaking ground made Jacques fall on his butt, and Gamorr Khan was finally able
to tell why. He unconsciously shouted.

“Rock Troll!”

Giant monsters that had more than half of their skin made up of rocks.

As if responding to Gamorr Khan’s shout, the Rock Trolls that appeared on the ridge
roared at once.

The 6-7 meters high monsters leapt and rushed.

The ground shook.

It was no exaggeration to say that it was similar to an earthquake now.

“F*ck!”

Gamorr Khan cursed and picked up the Grand Order.

***

At the time when blood was being shed above ground.

Cordelia was flustered in front of Moonlight that was attached to the Aggro
Generator.
“So it’s not… I really didn’t forget you…”

[No, it’s all right. I’m just a mere AR.TI.FI.CIAL SPI.RIT. I have no such thing as human
rights, so it’s okay for me to be left unattended like trash.]

“No, it’s not that…”

Why are you saying such bitter words?

Why are you stressing the words ‘artificial spirit?’

[It’s all right because I’ve never expected you to talk to me. Because even if I want it, I
don’t have a heart that goes thump-thump. From now on, I’ll never expect to go on an
adventure with you.]

Cordelia groaned even more at Melissa’s words.

Because unlike the shameless Jude, Cordelia still had a conscience.

“Aaah. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. It’s my fault. I’m sorry, okay?”

She said with a tearful face, and Melissa spoke in a very small voice.

[Say that with… a little more spirit.]

“I was wrong! I was really wrong!”

[…Will you talk to me often in the future?]

“Yes! I will! Definitely!”

[Ahem, then…]

It was at that moment when Melissa who was a bit annoyed was about to forgive her.

“Cordelia! Hurry up! I’m opening it now!”

“Eh?! Yeeees!”

Cordelia heard the voice of Jude from beyond the door, and she lowered her head in
front of the Moonlight and quickly said.

“Melissa, I’ll be back soon, okay? It’ll be quick!”

[W-wait a minute!]

“I’m sorry!”

Cordelia loudly shouted and left the room as she ran hard towards the direction
where she heard Jude’s voice.

A huge anvil located in the middle of the central building.

Standing in front of the symbol instead of the real anvil, Jude infused his mana into
the Key Sword to bring out its true form.

“Wow.”

Cordelia stopped right next to Jude and gazed at the Key Sword with sparkling eyes.

Like its name ‘Key Sword,’ the sword turning into a real key was quite fascinating.

“Is it okay to open it now?”

“Yes, we have the Key Sword, so the guardians will stay still.”

Jude smiled and looked around the giant statues around them, and he held out the
Key Sword towards Cordelia.

“Shall we open it together?”

“Yes!”

The two held the Key Sword together and inserted the Key Sword into the keyhole in
the center of the huge anvil.

If Scarlet had been there, she would have commented that they were like cutting a
wedding cake, but unfortunately, there was the only the two of them in this place.

“Let’s turn it. Turn right? Or left?”

Cordelia stamped on her feet in her excitement, and eventually used her strength to
turn the Key Sword to the right, and at that moment, numerous lines appeared on
the huge anvil.

Lines of white light were drawn on the black iron anvil.

The shape of the anvil began to transform with a mechanical sound as it made
Cordelia’s heart pound.

“Ultimate One…”

Jude said in a whisper, and Cordelia swallowed hard.

With sparkling eyes, the two looked at the treasure hidden inside the anvil, and the
fantasy weapon slowly began to appear.
The craftsmen of Sword Seeker who created the Ultimate Seven series were the
owners of an eccentric nature typical of the excellent ancient dwarves, as their
craftsmanship far surpassed those of the current dwarves.

Their nature was reflected in their works of art, and because of that, the seven
swords they made for their plan to create the ultimate sword all had one or more
extreme aspects.

“Kuooo!”

The giant Rock Troll bellowed and threw a rock the size of a house.

It was a terrifying attack that seemed like it could destroy even walls, but
unfortunately, their opponent’s defense was stronger than that of walls.

Baaaaang-!

The rock struck the white barrier and crumbled just like what happened to things
when they hit something harder than them.

Gamorr Khan blocked the rock by setting up a huge white shield and did not miss
that opportunity then. He rushed straight ahead and jumped, swinging his giant kite
shield, the Grand Order, towards the chest of the Rock Troll.

Booom!

He smashed the Rock Troll’s chest with a tremendous roar.

It was the result of Gamorr Khan’s monstrous strength, which could not even be
compared to the average Vorg, and the force of the Shield Sword that was stronger
than a wall.

Thuuud!
Gamorr Khan landed next to the crumbling Rock Troll and moved his right arm as he
roughly breathed.

Once the light from the kite shield, which was huge enough to cover Gamorr Khan’s
body, shined, the white force field disappeared.

Shield Sword – Grand Order.

It usually looked like an ordinary greatsword, but this was only a measure for the
convenience of its user and not the true form of Grand Order.

A giant kite shield with the blade of a greatsword at its end.

Its appearance of a sword in the wrist, also called a wrist blade, combined with a kite
shield in the form of a reverse triangle was said to be the true form of Grand Order.

Total offense and defense.

Silver Fortress, one of the seven guilds of Sword Seeker, tried to realize the ultimate
sword through a combination of offense and defense.

But like typical ancient dwarves, they began to obsess over defense rather than
offense at some point, and the current Shield Sword was eventually born, which
seemed to focused more on total defense.

“Keuhaa…”

Gamorr Khan heavily breathed as he looked around him.

Beyond the remains of the ten Rock Trolls, he saw the dozens, or rather, hundreds of
monster corpses which were so many that they covered the entire ground.

“Damn it.”

Among those corpses were Vorgs from the Black Hand Mercenaries, who were
Gamorr Khan’s subordinates.

It seemed like the men he brought were virtually annihilated given that he could only
hear a few people fighting.
“Ha, f*ck.”

It was so ridiculous that he could only laugh.

He had hundreds of subordinates left in the south, which was the home of the Black
Hand Mercenaries, but even so, a loss was still a loss.

Moreover, if only Gamorr Khan himself survived, he would not be able to carry out
Dragon Lord Malekith’s order.

He would have to return to his main base or send out a message to call his
subordinates.

‘I can’t just go.’

Gamorr Khan looked down the mountain as he stroked his gold necklace with a
purple gem.

A small village was seen some distance away from the many monsters of Mount
Damos.

He could invade it, kill its residents, and then cover it up.

There were so many monsters on Mount Damos that he could use it to cover up and
fool anyone with his actions.

It was an extremely crude idea for the leader of a huge mercenary group, one of the
notorious evils of the south, but those were truly Gamorr Khan’s thoughts.

‘Is Jacques also dead?’

That’s a little disappointing.

He was very smart and knew a lot.

But it was something that he still did not know.

Gamorr Khan briefly looked around and opened his mouth to call Jacques’ name.

But as he was about to shout, Gamorr Khan unconsciously flinched.

To be exact, Gamorr Khan’s right arm that had the Shield Sword, Grand Order, began
to tremble.

Resonance phenomenon.

It only trembled once, but he had experienced this before.

That was why he was able to know, and why he was surprised.

Behind him.

Another Ultimate series was causing the resonance phenomenon.

Gamorr Khan quickly turned around. And he frowned without realizing it.

The black-haired young human who stood alone some distance away made him
frown in displeasure.

It was not because the youth’s appearance was so outstanding that even Vorgs would
agree.

It was not even because he thought that the cause of this incident might be the young
man in front of him.

It was a much simpler reason than that.

As he felt the resonance phenomenon of the Ultimate Series, a question came to his
mind.

“Bare hands?”

There was nothing in the hands of the young man who stretched out his arms.

***

Jude knew it even if Cordelia didn’t persistently tell him.

They were much better off doing a surprise attack.

While their opponent was engrossed in fighting monsters, hitting their backs was
the fastest and simplest way to attack them.

But he didn’t do that.

The possibility that the surprise attack would fail in the first place because of the
resonance phenomenon was just an incidental reason.

If it was because of that, he had no reason for delaying Cordelia from scolding him
now.

Ultimate One – Sword Origin.

The ultimate sword created by Black Horn, one of the seven guilds of Sword Seeker.

Jude slowly breathed. There was a still a little sense of strangeness and
incompatibility in the tips of his hands, but these sensations would soon disappear.

‘Become one with the sword.’

It was an idea of the ancient dwarves of Black Horn.

The concept they pursued to create the ultimate sword.

The beginning was quite normal like the other Ultimate Seven series.

Shouldn’t we talk to the ultimate swordsman in order to find out what the ultimate
sword is?

So Eitri, the head of the Black Horn Guild, visited Valencia, the Elf Sword and
strongest swordsman of that time, and asked her about the ultimate sword.

“What is the ultimate sword?”

“To become one with the sword. The sword and I become one.”

Eitri asked about the sword as a weapon, but Valencia explained the sword as a
swordsman, and this was where the misunderstanding began.

“The sword and I become one.”

I become the sword.

I am the sword, and the sword is me.

Eitri was an ancient dwarf, and his colleagues and subordinates were also ancient
dwarves.

Therefore, they interpreted Valencia’s words in a way that was typical of ancient
dwarves.

“Then let’s make the user into a sword!”

It didn’t mean that they would use a swordsman as a material for the sword.

It meant that they would make the swordsman into an existence like a sword.

The human blacksmiths – no, even the dwarves of today would shake their heads
and ask, ‘what kind of nonsense is that,’ but unfortunately, yet amazingly, the ancient
dwarves had the skills and abilities to realize that nonsensical thing.

‘Ultimate One – Sword Origin.’

Unlike the other Ultimate Seven series, the user became one with the sword, and
once equipped, the ultimate sword cannot be removed until the user died.

A smile spread on Jude’s face. His heart was pounding because of the resonance
phenomenon.

Gamorr Khan was not weak.

In terms of skill, he wasn’t as strong compared to the Ten Great Swordmasters, but
his physical abilities were at least more than them.

But Jude wasn’t afraid. It didn’t occur to him that he couldn’t win like how he felt
when he fought against the Lord Protector or First Sword.

“Let’s begin.”

He first began with Hyper-Fast Thunderbolt like always.

As he moved his feet as fast as lightning, Jude disappeared. His speed was hard to
follow with one’s eyes, but his opponent was Gamorr Khan.

“B*stard!”

Gamorr Khan’s physical abilities amplified by Grand Order responded to Jude’s

speed.

Furthermore, the resonance phenomenon between the Ultimate series helped him to
clearly identify Jude’s location.

Gamorr Khan did not set up his shield.

Instead of showing off the strongest defense in the Ultimate series by spreading the
force field, he tried to crush the body of the rushing Jude with the blade part of the
Shield Sword.

The wrist blade’s strength.

The immense power and speed that the swing of his arm had.

The direction of his attack was correct.

Its speed was also enough.

The power that it carried was also enough.

So Gamorr Khan also heard it.

Bang!

The sound of something blocking his Shield Sword.

The sound of blocking his Shield Sword head-on, and not letting it go, having it pass
by, or avoiding it.

Jude’s left arm blocked the blade of the Shield Sword.

The immense strength of Jude endured the power of Gamorr Khan.

And it didn’t end there. Jude stood firmly as if he had taken root on the earth, and he
moved his arm.

It seemed like he would push the blade part of the Shield Sword, but he pushed
down the Shield Sword itself. At the same time, he greatly swung his right arm.

Slaaaash!

Gamorr Khan’s chest was cut.

He instantly defended against it by concentrating his aura on his chest, but it couldn’t
perfectly defend it. His chest was slashed, and blood flowed down.

Become one with the sword.

Turn the user’s body into like that of a sword.

Make it as hard and sharp that it can stand against a sword.

Jude’s karate chop was like a blade.

His arms were able to face the sword even without using the black dragon’s energy.

It was a dreamlike scene for fist fighters who fought barehanded.

Instead of desperately evading or letting the enemy’s weapon pass, he struck the
enemy in the front.

And Jude had one more advantage.

Ultimate One was still only at its first form, and none of the seals common to the
Ultimate series had been released, but it could still be used.

A body like that of a sword.

Therefore, the strength of his body had become so strong that it was incomparable to
before.

So his body could endure it now.

He didn’t need to hesitate or worry about his body being destroyed.

“The sixth door.”

Something that was opened incompletely.

His body could not endure the full power of the Black Sun, so he couldn’t fully use it
then.

The Black Sun’s power began to rise in Jude’s chest.

The sixth door of Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors finally brought out its full power.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The energy of the black dragon ran wild in Jude’s body and soul. Black flames soared
from Jude’s entire body as if it exploded.

Gamorr Khan stepped back unconsciously. Apart from the resonance phenomenon,
he felt a cold sweat flowing down behind his back.

Instead of chasing Gamorr Khan, Jude further activated the power of the Black Sun.

The energy of the black dragon wrapped around Jude’s limbs, and the Black Sun
promptly gave Jude tremendous power.

“Supreme Sun Divine Art.”

Landius’ martial art.

He had learned the basics of it. But he couldn’t use it like Landius.

Even if it made him invincible, using the Supreme Sun Divine Art with his body
would end up destroying it because its offensive power was too strong.

But not anymore.

Jude could now fight like Landius.

He could fight in the same way that Iron Man Landius did.
He smiled. And took a step forward.

It was as light as the wind, but it didn’t look that way to Gamorr Khan. It looked like
how a giant was taking a step to crush him.

That was why Gamorr Khan reflexively planted his Shield Sword. He used the power
of Grand Order to form a white barrier.

And Jude could tell.

His Hyper-Fast Thunderbolt could not defeat Gamorr Khan’s force field. So he drew
his clenched fist and focused the power of the Black Sun onto one point.

What he thought of was Landius’ fist.

He threw out a punch that could break the sky.

‘May the muscles always be with you.’

The smile didn’t leave his mouth. His fist punched towards the white barrier.

Supreme Sun Divine Art – Secret Art: Sky Breaker.

Jude’s fist struck the white barrier.

The light of the Black Sun covered the world.

It was a reckless attack.

A senseless attempt that was actually close to just throwing his fist.

But its power was extraordinary.

A roar broke out.

But because it was a loud roar, they couldn’t properly perceive it.

A crack spread over the white force field barrier.

The spreading speed was so fast that it seemed like it had happened in an instant,
and the sight of the force field shattering as light burst was truly fantastic.

Black Sun.

A light that covered everything.

And when that light disappeared, and everything that had been covered by that
intense light was revealed again, and the immense devastation was also revealed.

A huge crater appeared as if a meteorite had fallen.

The ground was dug, cracks were spread on the ground, and there were no clouds
left in the sky because they were driven away by the shockwaves.

And Jude and Gamorr Khan rolled over the floor.

Jude’s attack through Sword Origin was too strong, and Gamorr Khan’s defense using
Grand Order was too solid.

The two were unable to withstand the tremendous force caused by the collision
between the fist and the shield, so they ended up being thrown into different
directions.

Gamorr Khan was pushed more than a dozen meters as he partially dug the ground,
while Jude was sprawled on the ground 20 meters away from the point of collision.

For a while, neither of them showed any reactions.

But at some point, both sides began to move.

“F*ck.”

Jude spoke like Cordelia.

He had a bitter smile and frowned from the pain.

His right arm hurt.

Because of his regenerative ability, he looked fine now, but it was a complete mess
then right after the clash.

He could move it now.

He felt the pain. The sensation on his fingertips were back too.

“Ha.”

He forced himself to smile and clenched his fist.

Jude grit his teeth and soon put some strength into his right arm. He lifted himself up
like a zombie and swallowed his breath. Raising his head, he captured the world with
his green eyes.

He saw it.

Gamorr Khan was forcibly raising his body as his right arm drooped.

Just as how his side was in a mess, the other side also looked to be in a mess.

But there was a difference.

Gamorr Khan was also known as a monster among the Vorgs, but when it came to
physical endurance, Jude was much more superior.

“Aaaaah!”

Gamorr Khan bellowed and lifted his right arm with his left hand. Judging from the
appearance, he must have dislocated his shoulder.

His eyes were bloodshot. His breathing was rough and the muscles all over his body
were swollen more than usual.

“You shitty b*stard.”

Gamorr Khan said.

Jude couldn’t hear it well, but he could roughly read the other’s lips.

Naturally, a wild boar’s head was quite different from humans, such as the shape of
their lips, but curses were usually thrown in situations like this, so he could interpret
the other’s words by supplementing it with his imagination.

Jude let out his breath. And he saw Gamorr Khan move his left hand again. The giant
kite shield split into two and was equipped in both his right and left arms.

‘The second form.’

The seven guilds of Sword Seeker that created the Ultimate Seven series all had the
same origin.

Perhaps that was the reason why the seven swords had some things in common.

‘Three seals.’

The Ultimate Seven series had a power that lived up to its name.

Therefore, not everyone could handle its power.

And the craftsmen of Sword Seeker did not want a weak and unqualified person to
use the Ultimate Seven series.
That was why it had seals.

So that only those who deserved the Ultimate Seven series, or at least those who
could handle its power, could bring out the true power of the ultimate sword.

Seal.

As it name implied, the swords’ power and functions were all sealed.

Almost all of the ultimate swords at this time were in the form of ordinary swords.

Just like how the Key Sword was in the form of an ordinary sword.

And its first form was revealed when the first seal was removed.

Its basic form.

The ultimate swords at this time mostly had low hurdles.

Obviously, there were ultimate swords that were seriously particular of its user like
Ultimate One and Ultimate Seven, but for the other five swords, someone at the level
of a prospect who attended the Banquet of Swords could use them.

The first form of Grand Order was a kind of wrist blade with the blade attached to
the pointed end of the kite shield.

The second form went a little further from there.

It took a form that made it easier to defend by dividing the kite shield vertically so
that it could be equipped on both arms.

‘Of course, it has strayed further and further from a sword.’

Anyway, Gamorr Khan was a powerful man comparable to the Ten Great
Swordmasters.

In fact, Jude’s evaluation wasn’t wrong since he had experienced fighting one of the
strongest among the Ten Great Swordmasters, First Sword, and one of the weakest,
the Lord Protector.
So Gamorr Khan who had revealed the second form of Grand Order seemed to be on
par with the Lord Protector.

Jude took a deep breath. He tried to calm down his heart that was pounding from
excitement, but he couldn’t erase the smile drawn on his mouth.

He proceeded.

Jude kicked the ground. This time, Gamorr Khan also charged at him head-on. It was
a very aggressive charge like that of a wild boar.

And they collided into each other again.

But it was different from before.

It was a mixture of offense and defense this time.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gamorr Khan attacked by swinging the Grand Order. Every time he attacked, the
power carried in each strike was so strong that it let out terrifying shockwaves.

The basic way to fight was to slash and hack using the blade attached at the end of
the shield.

But it wouldn’t be called an ultimate sword with just that.

Gamorr Khan created a force field, and used that force field to turn his attack from a
pointed one to a non-pointed one by using the surface of the force field.

He made the expression ‘an approaching wall’ into a reality.

Bang!

Grand Order and Sword Origin collided.

Jude was powered by the Black Sun and pushed back the blunt attack as he
narrowed his distance from Gamorr Khan.

He struck his fist towards his opponent’s chest.

Boom!

The force field broke.

The white and transparent force field that started from the Grand Order attached to
his arm and surrounded Gamorr Khan’s entire body was broken, and Gamorr Khan’s
body slightly rose into the air.

And Jude turned his body. Gamorr Khan’s body that had slightly risen into the air
was struck by Jude’s roundhouse kick, and it wasn’t just a simple attack but a
crushing blow.

Baaaaaang!

The force field he hastily created broke again. Gamorr Khan was injured on his chest,
but as soon as he fell on the ground, he stood up again and attacked Jude.

Babababababang!

And a storm of attacks followed.

At first glance, it seemed like they were wildly attacking and exchanging heavy
blows, but it was actually different.

Gamorr Khan had overwhelming physical abilities, but he lacked the skills to match
it.

Jude was no longer afraid of being cut by the blade, so he blocked all his opponent’s
attacks with his limbs one step ahead.

And Jude’s attacks would hit Gamorr Khan’s whole body.

But Gamorr Khan didn’t fall either. Because the force field surrounding Gamorr Khan
would instantly be restored every time it broke from Jude’s attacks.

So Gamorr Khan was prevented from attacking.

Jude’s attack destroyed the force field and did not let Gamorr Khan deal a decisive
blow at the same time.
In fact, this was one of the battle patterns Gamorr Khan used in order to win.

Because in the end, this was a battle of attrition, a fight that aimed to wear out the
other side first.

‘But why!’

However, it was different this time.

They had exchanged dozens of attacks, but Jude’s movements didn’t slow down at
all. His attack power also remained unchanged.

As if he had unlimited stamina.

‘I can move all day!’

Gamorr Khan couldn’t read Jude’s thoughts. Nor his attacks too.

Jude didn’t just deal heavy blows. He parried Gamorr Khan’s right hand attack with
his left hand, before he instantly moved like a snake, and Gamorr Khan suddenly saw
Jude’s back.

“Huh?”

The moment Gamorr Khan exclaimed, his body flew into the air. He couldn’t do
anything as he fell to the ground.

Baaang!

The force field on his back broke. At the same time, he momentarily lost sight of Jude.

Gamorr Khan hurriedly stood up.

And right after sending Gamorr Khan to the ground, Jude stepped back and adjusted
his breathing. He thought as he watched the other stand up.

A way to defeat Gamorr Khan.

He clenched his fist. On the other hand, Gamorr Khan turned around as soon as he
got up and drew his fist.
Jude also pulled his fist.

He once again concentrated the energy of the Black Sun onto his right hand.

At that moment, Gamorr Khan sped up. He quickly tried to stop Jude from making his
special attack.

His judgment was correct.

Jude failed to launch his special attack. So instead of doing that, he let out the
concentrated energy as he punched with his fist.

He threw his right fist against Gamorr Khan’s fist which was like a landslide falling
down on him.

Booooom!

Their fists clashed. The shockwave swept the surrounding area once again, and the
fists of Jude and Gamorr Khan were not in good condition.

Jude’s right arm was broken. His bones fragmented into hundreds of pieces.

Gamorr Khan’s force field broke. Starting from his right arm, the force field
surrounding his whole body was destroyed, and his right arm was bent at a bizarre
angle.

And Jude aimed at that moment.

He stretched out his right hand and used Black Wind’s Advent instead of using
Hyper-Fast Thunderbolt or Thunder God Invokes Lightning. He became a black wind
and drew closer to Gamorr Khan as if he was a ghost.

His right arm was regenerating, but it was impossible to use it right now.

It was also difficult to use the energy of the Black Sun again with just a single strike.
Both sides were running out of time.

Gamorr Khan knew it too.

That was why he was patient. He somehow tried to restore the force field in order to
withstand Jude’s imperfect and incoming attack, and thought of counterattacking
afterwards.

But Jude was thinking.

‘Cordelia.’

She’ll probably get angry.

She’ll swear and cry out to me for being stupid.

But it can’t be helped.

It’s something I wanted to do when I got Ultimate One.

It’s something I can do because I got Sword Origin now.

He clenched his left fist.

At the same time, he touched the device on his waist with his right hand that had
slightly recovered. The scrolls loaded inside the device were instantly destroyed as
the magic spell in them activated.

It wasn’t some grand magic.

It was a simple magic spell.

But it was somehow unusual.

Because it was not commonly used this way.

It was something that a human body couldn’t bear.

An extreme measure that he could use now that he became one with a sword.

‘<Strength> magic x10.’

The strength of a giant was applied to his left arm.

His left arm also began to tremble as if it would break at any moment.
Gamorr Khan instinctively understood the phenomenon before him. But Jude was
too close for him to do anything. He had ran out of time.

Before Gamorr Khan could let out his voice, Jude’s left fist that had become like a
giant’s fist as it was reinforced by 10 <Strength> magic spells then struck Gamorr
Khan’s chest!

Boooom!

Baaaaaang!

The force field he had built in a hurry was crushed. At the unimaginable power,
around half of Gamorr Khan’s upper body exploded.

And it didn’t stop there. Gamorr Khan’s huge body couldn’t stand the power and was
sent flying for some distance.

A shockwave swept around, and Gamorr Khan’s right arm, which had Grand Order,
soared into the air amidst the explosion of his upper body, and fell to the ground
with a thud.

“Haa.”

Jude drooped his bleeding left arm.

His arm hurt.

His arm crazily hurt.

His left arm felt like it would break soon, and all the body parts connected to his left
arm, including his back, seemed to be screaming in pain.

Thus, Jude collapsed onto the ground in the end.

But in the meantime, he ended up smiling. He burst into a laugh while looking like a
mess.

And Cordelia moved.

Gamorr Khan should have immediately died because half of his upper body was
gone, but Cordelia jumped and attentively aimed at that gap, completely crushing
Gamorr Khan’s body with a barrage of magic missiles.

She approached the fallen man’s body and retrieved Gamorr Khan’s necklace which
he had worn on his neck, removing the necklace with a purple gem that had an evil
spirit inhabiting it.

“Keuaa-”

Gamorr Khan’s body let out its last breath and became an empty shell. Cordelia was
surrounded by a ring of white light as she approached Jude who was still lying on the
ground. She squatted next to Jude and looked down at him.

“Are you satisfied?”

“Yes, I’m completely satis- AAAAAH!”

Jude screamed instead of continuing his answer because Cordelia had gently poked
his regenerating left arm, and she shook her head.

“What a fool.”

It would have been much easier if the two had fought together.

He didn’t have to fight like that and destroy his body.

But she knew at the same time.

He got a really nice item.

He also powered-up a lot with that, so he probably wanted to confront his opponent
head-on instead of using tricks.

“My goodness.”

They said that all men are like kids.

Cordelia smirked as she cast a recovery magic to aid Jude’s regenerative ability.

Therefore, Jude felt more comfortable and he looked up at Cordelia and said.
“What do you think? Wasn’t I a bit cool?”

“Hey, you’re lying on the floor while covered in blood now, okay? Your face is
completely distorted from pain too, okay?”

“But wasn’t I cool?”

Cordelia laughed at Jude’s question. She nodded her head as if she was being
generous, and then said as she pinched the immobile Jude’s cheek.

“Yes, yes, you were cool. You’ll be in the gates of the netherworld if you kept being
cool though.”

His cheeks were soft as if Sword Origin had been deactivated. Cordelia pulled Jude’s
cheek a few more times and then pinched her own cheek before she said with a big
smile.

“My cheeks are still better. It’s my win.”

“It must feel nice.”

“Yes, it feels nice. I really love it.”

Cordelia giggled before she sat down and raised Gamorr Khan’s golden necklace,
saying as she held the purple gem.

“Hey, I completely know that you’re fine, okay?”

Because the true body of Gamorr Khan was an evil spirit inside the golden necklace.

“So don’t pretend to be dead. Talk to me, okay?”

Cordelia squeezed the purple gem one more time and a faint light soon began to
appear from the necklace.

[How in the world…]

“Well, I just know everything.”

As Cordelia brightly smiled, Gamorr Khan spoke again.

[It’s no use if you’re thinking of breaking the necklace. I’ll just find a new place to live
and move into. I’ll find a new host and get back at you two. So go ahead and break it.
Go on and break it!]

“Oh, my. You scared me in order to get me to break your necklace, huh? Or are you
asking me to not break it?”

As Cordelia teasingly spoke, the purple gem glowed again. An evil black energy rose
on Cordelia’s fingers.

But she made her move.

Cordelia brightly smiled and turned into an angel, and Gamorr Khan screamed at the
moment when her angelic light came out.

[Aaaaah! A-angel?! Why are you an angel!]

“Because she’s nice and pretty like an angel.”

Jude answered, and Cordelia blushed as she said.

“A-anyway! I’m an angel, okay? So just sleep well, okay?”

When her angelic power was injected into the purple gem, Gamorr Khan’s screams
died down, and the purple gem also lost its light.

“Sealing success.”

If they kept him alive, he would be of some use.

After all, he was Malekith’s subordinate.

Cordelia kept the sealed necklace on her waist, and said as she pinched Jude’s cheek
again.

“Hey, it will take some time before you completely recover, right?”

“Uh, probably?”

“Then I’ll continue playing with this.”

Because it was rare for Jude to be not able to move at all.

“H-hey. You’re an angel, right? Cordelia-nim?”

“Stay still, Mister black-hearted Black Cloak.”

Cordelia snickered before she suddenly clapped her hands and revealed a wicked
smile.

She drew her face closer to the ear of Jude who was sweating in nervousness.

***

“Wow, the size really adjusted, huh?”

Cordelia equipped Ultimate Five, Grand Order, on her right arm, and she waved her
arms up and down several times in her curiosity.

In the game, it was an item for warriors only, so it was a weapon that the wizard
Cordelia could never equip.

“Hehehe, I’m so happy. We caught Gamorr Khan, got two Ultimate series, cleaned up
Mount Damos for our residents, and Jude became cute.”

“Wait, what?”

Cordelia hummed and ignored the red-faced Jude’s protest, twirling around before
she said.

“Anyway, shall we go back now?”

Not below Mount Damos but into Mount Damos itself.

“Yes, because we still need to farm some items.”

It was the home of the Black Horn Guild, so there must be other items to take besides
Ultimate One.

“Yes, yes, let’s go quickly.”

Cordelia returned Grand Order to its stealth form and ran as she flapped her wings
of light, while Jude ended up smiling.

He lightly touched his ear before he began to move.

KakaoTalk – a mobile messaging app for smartphones that is used by 93% of
smartphone owners in South Korea.

Jude and Cordelia arrived at Black Town, which was the Black Horn Guild’s
residential area situated in the underground of Mount Damos, and they began to
search each building starting from those at the far left.

“Oh… Cordelia, look at this pot. The grip on the handle is really good and the size is
just right. Wow, this frying pan is awesome too.”

There were several household items left in a room that looked like a kitchen, and
each item was a masterpiece.

What was more surprising was that all of the items were in good enough condition
that you could use it right away after wiping it a bit.

“Oh… These are so amazing. These items have been left here for more than 500
years, but they’re still in good condition. What are these made of? Don’t you think
our pancakes will become more delicious if we make it here?”

Jude chattered in his excitement and turned his head at some point.

And he saw Cordelia staring at him with cold eyes.

“Why? What is it?”

“Don’t worry, if you’re happy, that’s fine. I’ll just watch you with warm eyes.”

Cordelia then closed her eyes and opened them again as she began to look at Jude
with a really warm expression.
“Hey.”

“Yes.”

“Would you rather curse me than look like that?”

“Can I really do that?”

“N-no. Please continue to look at me warmly.”

Jude cleared his throat and only took the pot and frying pan he was holding before
he began looking elsewhere.

“By the way, Cordelia.”

“Yes, Jude.”

“How is Ultimate Five? Isn’t it heavy?”

“Well, it’s much lighter than I thought.”

Cordelia swung her right arm that had Ultimate Five – Grand Order on it, and asked
Jude as if she had just remembered.

“The location of the other Ultimate series are still somewhat unknown, right?”

“Yes, but we have the Key Sword, so we’ll be able to find the others somehow. Well…
since it’s here now, shall we give it a try?”

After pulling out the Key Sword from his waist, Jude infused it with mana to release
the seal, and then brought the Key Sword to the nearest Ultimate series, which was
his own body.

“Oh, there’s a reaction.”

When the gem on the handle of the Key Sword glowed, Cordelia quickly narrowed
her distance from Jude.

“Each light color in the gem represent an Ultimate series, right?”

“Yes, it uses the colors of the rainbow, but the colors do not mean much since it’s just
for identification.”

Jude held the Key Sword horizontally, and seven colors emitted light.

“These ones are Ultimate One and Ultimate Five, right?”

“Yes, red and blue.”

Ultimate One – Sword Origin, and Ultimate Five – The Sword Shield, Grand Order.

Cordelia observed the different colors as she touched the gem with her fingers, and
she said after looking at the different lights.

“If it’s yellow and green… does it mean that Ultimate Three and Ultimate Four are in
the south?”

Ultimate Three – Dragon Sword Ascalon, and Ultimate Four – The Explosive Blade,
Magic Blaster.

Unlike the two colors that glowed rather clearly, the rest of the colors that
symbolized Ultimate Two, Ultimate Six, and Ultimate Seven, glowed very faintly and
weakly.

“I know the three are somewhere in the north but… does this glow mean that it’s too
far away to know the exact location?”

“Yes, because in the game, they’re usually found in the empire. Didn’t the Sword God
use Ultimate Six?”

“That’s right, because it’s a family heirloom.”

The empire’s best swordsman.

The continent’s strongest swordsman who was called the Sword God.

‘Between Kamael and him, it’s unknown on who is stronger.’

If the Sword God was the strongest in the day, Kamael was the strongest in the dark.
“I think Kamael is the stronger one.”

Cordelia spoke, having read Jude’s thoughts from his eyes, and he glanced at her with
eyes full of excitement.

Because the opinion of Cordelia who had animal-like instincts was worth listening
to.

“Why do you think so?”

“Because Kamael is on our side.”

Because Landius was Jude’s master and Kamael was Landius’ best friend.

Moreover, Cordelia herself was from the Salen Kingdom, while the Sword God was
from the empire.

At the reason that was very much like Cordelia, Jude nodded quite awkwardly.

“O-okay.”

That’s just so like you, I guess.

“Oh, there’s another reason, right?”

“What reason?”

“Because Kamael will eventually become one of the Four Great Swordsmen, right?”

“Well, that’s because the Sword God died while trying to stop one of the 7 major
calamities.”

“But the only one who survived in the end is Kamael, right? It’s not ‘the strong are
the ones who survive,’ but rather, those who survive are the strong ones.”

When Cordelia crossed her arms and snorted like an idiot, Jude said as his eyes
narrowed.

“Hey, Lady Cordelia. Aren’t you just rambling nonsense?”

Cordelia immediately blushed at Jude’s point.

Unlike Jude who was the incarnation of shamelessness, she was a woman who still
possessed some shame.

‘But that’s why she’s nice.’

After smiling a bit, Jude changed the topic for Cordelia who was really embarrassed.

“Anyway, let’s focus on getting Ascalon and Magic Blaster.”

“Yes, fighting against Malekith is our first priority.”

In fact, they had no reason to collect the entire Ultimate series except for Dragon
Sword Ascalon, but for Jude and Cordelia whose gamer brains were already in full
blast, the term ‘collect them all’ was pretty much a given.

‘If it exists, then we should collect it.’

What more reasons do we need?

“Both of them are in the south, right?”

“Yes, the Dragon Sword is quite easy to find because it’s kept at a certain location.”

Jude recalled the high elves living in the Forest of Eternity before he glanced at the
green color in the gem that symbolized the Magic Blaster and touched his chin.

“Considering the distance between the colors… it seems like Magic Blaster is in the
territory of the 7 southern families.”

“Two birds with one stone.”

They could get both the Dragon Sword and the Explosive Blade in their time on the
south.

“Hmm… In the meantime, shall we talk about our future schedule?”

“Eh? Weren’t we going to meet the alliance candidates one by one?”

“I had thought of that, but the plan changed.”

Having said that, Jude glanced at Gamorr Khan’s golden necklace hanging from
Cordelia’s waist.

“Because we have evidence.”

“Huh? Uh… ah! That’s right.”

Cordelia clapped her hands and widely smiled as she shook her fists.

Evidence.

In the battle on the royal capital, Jude and Cordelia were unable to ask for Landius’
help.

Because Landius had urgent business in the south, and that there was no way to
persuade Landius.

‘Because we didn’t have any evidence.’

The Lord Protector is trying to massacre the royal family.

Even a passing dog in the Salen Kingdom would not believe that.

Therefore, Jude and Cordelia could not seek for outside help until something really
happened, even when they were put into a tight spot against the enemy called the
Lord Protector.

‘That would have been the case for Malekith too.’

Black Dragon Malekith who had been sealed long ago in the southern seas will once
again awaken and try to destroy the southern region.

It was an unbelievable story.

This alone could not stop Landius who wandered around the world in search of
Archbishop Manuela who had destroyed the Paragon Kingdom.

But they had evidence now.

Gamorr Khan’s testimony would prove the existence and conspiracy of Malekith.

“So let’s meet up with my master right away. I’m sure that Kamael and Lena will also
be with Master.”

“Wow, Lena! So we’re going to fight together with the main characters of the first
episode?”

“Maybe?”

If he had to be honest, the idea of fighting together was impossible before because
their difference in power was too wide, but it was possible for the two to fight
together with them now.

“Wow. Isn’t this completely like the Avengers?”

Cordelia lightly touched her chest that was pounding as she repeatedly stomped her
feet.

She seemed to be very excited.

“Because Malekith is that kind of enemy. Anyway, it’s the reason why we’re going to
the headquarters of the Guardians of the Holy Cross.”

“To call Kamael?”

“Yes, as I said earlier, it’s highly likely that Kamael will be with Master.”

Landius didn’t specifically tell Jude what they were doing in the south, but if Kamael
and Lena were with him too, Jude could only think that they were chasing after
Archbishop Manuela.

“Yes, that’s good. We’ll stop by the Guardians of the Holy Cross to find out where
Kamael is and have Lena and Landius join us afterwards. Yes, that’s good. I like it.”

“Of course, that alone is not enough, so when we arrive in the south, we’ll also need
to get the 7 southern families’ help.”

The fight against Malekith was different from the usual raid bosses.
An army was absolutely necessary to confront Malekith.

“What should we do?”

“I have an idea.”

He had called Scarlet to the south because he had thought about that idea before.

“So, what’s your idea?”

“Well, it’s a good one. Come here for a second.”

“You’re whispering again?”

Cordelia grumbled as if she didn’t like it, but she silently approached Jude and
pricked up her ears.

“So…”

Jude whispered quietly to Cordelia, and she snickered like she always did.

“Hehehe, I like it.”

We can get close to Kajsa with that too.

Jude was happy that Cordelia was delighted, and lightly gestured as he continued
speaking.

“Then Countess, shall we continue our exploration?”

“Yes, Count.”

Cordelia beautifully answered and took the lead as they resumed their exploration.

***

It was deep at night.

Jude and Cordelia searched the Black Horn Guild’s residential area until late at night,
and they were able to pack a number of fairly usable items, one of which was
Cordelia’s favorite – a long-range wireless transceiver.

“It’s like a smartphone.”

The palm-sized device had a large screen and several buttons, and it was a
collaboration between the high elves who survived the collapse of Endymion, and
the ancient dwarves who left Sword Seeker.

“Jude, Jude. Hurry up and send me a message.”

As Cordelia sat down by the bonfire and urged him, Jude stared at the transceiver
and was troubled.

It was possible to input text messages by touch as if it was really a smartphone, and
aside from ancient dwarf and high elf language letters, it was also possible to input
human language letters perhaps because there were already several human
countries during the time the Black Horn Guild was destroyed.

“Hurry up.”

Cordelia prodded him again, but Jude furrowed his brows as he remained troubled.

KakaoTalk to a woman?

He had naturally used KakaoTalk several times for work or chatting with his
colleagues, but when he thought that he was sending a message to Cordelia, he was
really troubled.

‘I mean, we’re facing each other right now.’

But what text should I send?

In the end, what Jude sent was a very simple sentence after much thought.

Jude: [Hi?]

Why do I feel the ground shaking?

Jude raised his head and looked at Cordelia who oohed and quickly replied.
Cordelia: [Yes, hello LOL]

Unlike the real KakaoTalk screen, thick white letters were displayed on the black
screen like those used by the military, but her use of ‘LOL’ alone made it feel cute.

In fact, he had seen Cordelia stomping her feet on the ground in her excitement when
he looked up.

‘What should I reply?’

When I said hi, she replied hello.

Then what in the world should we talk about now?

Jude was somehow flustered as he had to lead the conversation, and he sent a short
sentence again in the end.

Jude: [Are you sleeping?]

Cordelia: [No, I’m not sleeping LOL]

Cordelia: [What nonsense are you talking about rabbit emoticon]

(T/N: This is what the emoticon looks like in KakaoTalk.)

“Huh?”

Rabbit emoticon?

There were no emoticons here.

Rather, what Cordelia wrote was the sentence ‘ What nonsense are you talking about
rabbit emoticon’ and not a real emoticon.

“Cordelia?”

Jude asked as he blinked his eyes, and Cordelia replied with her eyes.
‘Just imagine! Imagine it!’

“Okay.”

If Cordelia wants it, then I have no choice but to match her.

Jude: [Lion saluting emoticon]

Cordelia: [LOL You’re getting better, Jude.]

Cordelia touched the screen again to send text messages, but more than half of her
conversation was filled with ‘haha’ and ‘LOL’ words.

Cordelia: [It’s been a while since I’ve been on KakaoTalk. Do you remember the
chatroom?]

Jude: [Of course.]

Cordelia: [Do you think everyone’s doing well?]

Jude: [They’ll be fine.]

Cordelia: [You’re right, LOL]

Cordelia: [Widely smiling rabbit emoticon]

That was it.

Cordelia lied down next to the bonfire and glanced at Jude before she pressed the
screen again to send a message.

Cordelia: [Good night, Jude.]

Jude: [Good night too.]

Cordelia: [Rabbit kissing the cheek emoticon]

“Can’t you just do it for me?”

“Eh, no way.”

After saying that it was impossible, Cordelia giggled and turned her back, but
because of the bonfire, Jude could see that her exposed ears were very red.

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

Jude lied down and closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

***

Jude raised his head.

He opened his eyes and found himself in a familiar yet unfamiliar space.

What he saw was a forest.

Large and straight trees stood on the left and right, and in front of him was the fresh
green grass that grew up in the sunlight that peeked from the tree leaves.

His unfamiliar feeling was natural.

This was the first time in his life that he had seen this place.

But he was familiar with it because he had already experienced being in a similar
space several times.

‘Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.’

A completely black and white space where he could meet the female sage.

So, is this place the same as that one?

Jude took a step forward.

He was barefoot and only wearing a white tunic.

The texture of the grass touching his bare skin was very soft.

And Jude was able to see.

A woman stood in the middle of the grass area as she basked in the sunlight.

She had long and light golden hair that reached the hips, and very long pointed ears.

A pair of mysterious-looking green eyes in her white face.

For Jude, she was second to Cordelia in terms of beauty.

She had an atmosphere similar to a fairy, but she felt much more like a human being.

The woman looked at Jude.

She seemed to be in her mid to late twenties.

Dressed in a green combat uniform that elven swordsmen liked to wear, she revealed
her white smile instead of introducing herself when Jude stood before her.

Jude called her name that naturally came to his mind.

“Valencia.”
The Elf Sword.

The strongest swordsman of that time whom the Black Horn Guild Master, Eitri,
visited to ask about the ultimate sword.

And Jude learned one more thing.

She was the first owner of Ultimate One – Sword Origin.

“Nice to meet you, my successor.”

She widely smiled and stretched out her hand to Jude.

Rainbow colors and their corresponding Ultimate Seven series:

Red = Ultimate One – Sword Origin

Orange = Ultimate Two

Yellow = Ultimate Three – Dragon Sword Ascalon

Green = Ultimate Four – The Explosive Sword, Magic Blaster

Blue = Ultimate Five – The Sword Shield, Grand Order

Indigo = Ultimate Six

Violet = Ultimate Seven

Although it was often described as ‘a thousand years ago,’ the collapse of the Iron
Kingdom built by the ancient dwarves, and the destruction of Magellan, the magic
kingdom built by the high elves, did not occur at the same time.

Since the Iron Kingdom was a union of seven city-states in the first place, not all
seven city-states were destroyed by the overlords of hell. Magellan was also the most
powerful country on the continent at that time, so even their remaining forces was a
power that couldn’t be ignored.

‘Anyway.’

The ancient dwarves and high elves suffered a fatal blow in the fight against the
overlords of hell, but their true end was hundreds of years after they defeated the
overlords when their countries naturally weakened and eventually disappeared.

‘Of course, a lot of historical events happened in those hundreds of years.’

Valencia, the Elf Sword, was an elven swordsman in the era after the battle against
the overlords ended.

Inheriting the blood of the high elf royal family of Magellan, the magic kingdom, she
actively walked around the world and helped those in need, and it was a time when
the scars left by the overlords were still fresh, so humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes,
and many others from various races received her help.

‘A strong, kind, and beautiful great swordmaster.’

She was like an idol of that time and everyone only said good things about her.

So it was not surprising that the artisans of Sword Seeker went to her to ask about
the ultimate sword.

Even if an orc artisan came to her instead of a dwarven artisan, the Elf Sword
Valencia would still meet them and seriously think about the ultimate sword
together.

‘It was natural for her.’

With the help of Valencia, the ancient dwarves created Ultimate One and dedicated
the ultimate sword to her, the strongest swordsman of that time since they could not
even use it.

And it was at that moment.

A scene from history played in Jude’s mind.

“We will give you the ultimate sword that we have made.”

“Is it really okay for me to accept it?”

Valencia asked as she hesitated at the proposal of Eitri, the Black Horn’s Guild
Master, and Eitri stroked his white beard with his rough and skilled fingers that was
typical of a dwarf artisan as he cheerfully answered.

“It’s something we can’t even use anyway.”

Because dwarves had short arms and legs.

But Valencia, who did not know the truth of Ultimate One – Sword Origin, took his
words differently.

“I know well that dwarves prefer axes over swords…”

“Hahaha, that’s not what I meant. What I mean is, aren’t you the strongest
swordsman in this day and age? Now that we’ve made the ultimate sword, isn’t it
natural to give it to the strongest swordsman?”

“Being called the strongest in this day and age… is embarrassing.”

When Valencia’s cheeks reddened as she was really embarrassed, Eitri also blushed
at her transcending beauty.

“A-anyway! Please accept it! It’s our masterpiece that we created based on your
advice!”

Eitri urged her again, and Valencia twitched her lips before she carefully touched the
sheath of Sword Origin.

She was a swordsman after all.

She couldn’t help but be lured by the words ‘ultimate sword.’

“It’s embarrassing…”

“Hahaha, please receive it comfortably. I’m telling you this now, but the Black Horn
Guild and I had made this with the thought of dedicating it to you in the first place. It
would be nice if it could be your own sword.”

“Oh my…”

Valencia’s face turned redder.

But she could not hide the smile in her face.

It was a sword that the best artisans of her time had made for her, so how could she
not be happy as a swordsman?

“Then… I’ll gratefully receive it.”

“Please do so. Heuk heuk.”

The moment Eitri let out a strange laugh as he stared at Valencia happily receiving
the sword, the scene playing in Jude’s head ended.

Jude came back to reality and unconsciously had a bitter smile.

“You… received it.”

They had talked back and forth, but Valencia received it in the end.

Valencia had a bright smile, but her eyes slightly twitched.

“I-I had to take it.”

It was the ultimate sword.

It was also a sword made with Valencia in mind.

How could she heartlessly reject it?

And at that moment, a new scene began to play in Jude’s mind.

It was the scene of a young girl swinging her sword with a big smile even though
sweat was pouring down all over her body.

“I love the sword.”

I love it so much.

The sword is the best.

It was the very vivid thoughts and intense emotions of a young girl.

And Jude immediately understood that the young girl in front of him was Valencia in
her childhood.

A girl who loved the sword.

She was a woman who loved swordsmanship.

And the scene in his head changed.

Valencia equipped Ultimate One – Sword Origin for the first time and blinked her
eyes with a blank face.

“B-become one with the sword?”

The sword and her would become one.

Her words were correct.

One could say that her dreams came true in a sense.

But Jude soon felt her despair.

Because she was a swordsman and a woman who loved swordsmanship.

“Eitri! W-what’s going on?!”

“Hehehe, didn’t it go as you said? Become one with the sword! The sword and your
body become one, turning you into like a sword!”

“Eh?!”

No, why did you interpret ‘become one with the sword’ that way?

But it had already happened.

Moreover, Valencia was kind and nice, and people always said good things about her
personality, so she didn’t say anything more to Eitri.

“D-do you… not like it?”

“Eh? Uh… uh… t-that’s not it. It’s great. I-I think my dream came true.”

She forced herself to smile and hold back her tears, and Eitri sighed in relief.

The scene ended again, and Jude was able to face Valencia who had a tearful face
now just like the scene he saw.

“That… wait. Don’t tell me, you have not lifted a sword after that?”

The Sword Origin was a sword that made its user to be like a sword, but it did not
mean that the user’s appearance would change into a sword.

The user still had had their hands and fingers, so they could still hold another sword
despite having Sword Origin.

‘That’s what I’m planning to do.’

He was thinking of using Ultimate Three – The Dragon Sword, Ascalon, in their fight
against Malekith once they found the sword.

But Valencia had a different idea from Jude.

When Jude asked her if she had another sword, she replied with a confused look.

“Eh? Another sword?”

“Yes, another sword.”

“H-how could I do that!”

“Eh?”

“Y-you know! If you’re already holding a sword and you pick up another sword… i-it’s
like having an affair! Ch-ch-cheating! It’s being impolite to the sword!”

What is she talking about?

Jude pondered for a moment and glanced at Valencia again.

She had a tearful face after she said those words.

‘She’s serious.’

She was really serious.

She really thought that holding two swords was like cheating.

‘A woman who loves the sword and swordsmanship.’

Jude tried to understand her for now.

And after some time, when she finally calmed down a little, he slowly opened his
mouth and said.

“Um… but you know about… dual wielding, right?”

There was a swordsmanship style that wielded two swords at the same time.

But Valencia was adamant.

“Can my successor love two people at the same time? Dual wielding is blasphemy!
You can’t be two-timing!”
“O-okay…”

If she insists, then so be it.

And a scene began to play in his mind again.

The bare-handed Valencia was dancing beautifully.

As expected of someone beautiful like Valencia.

Jude was unconsciously mesmerized by the dance of a beautiful woman who was
second to Cordelia, but he soon realized.

Valencia wasn’t really dancing now.

Her movements were based on martial arts.

“So I started to hone my new swordsmanship.”

The scene in his head disappeared and he saw Valencia in reality again.

She continued to speak with a very serious face.

“It’s my own swordsmanship style while using Sword Origin.”

A scene played in Jude’s mind again.

Valencia’s graceful but fiery movements were truly beautiful yet overwhelming at the
same time.

“Sword Origin and I are already one. That is why I could create a new
swordsmanship style.”

Jude seemed to understand to a certain extent.

Sword Origin wasn’t just a sword that strengthened his limbs.

In fact, the roundhouse kick that sent Gamorr Khan flying was more like a crushing
blow rather than a strike.
‘However… ’

In the end, isn’t this just Taijutsu?

Is there any swordsmanship in this world that uses punches?

And it was at that moment.

The Valencia in front of him suddenly inflated her cheeks and vehemently shouted.

“It’s swordsmanship! Swordsmanship! I’m telling you, it’s swordsmanship!

Uwaaah…”

Valencia finally burst into tears.

Apparently, she had heard words like ‘In the end, isn’t this just Taijutsu?’ a lot of
times during her lifetime.

“I-it’s swordsmanship! Swordsmanship. Yes, it’s swordsmanship. Just because you

don’t use a sword doesn’t mean it’s not swordsmanship.”

“T-that’s right. It is swordsmanship, right? It really is swordsmanship, right?”

“Of course, it is. You’re not wrong.”

“Huhuhu.”

Valencia shed tears of joy, and Jude thought to himself.

‘She’s lost her mind… ’

She was so kind and pretty, but also pitiful.

But in any case, her Taijutsu – no, her unique swordsmanship seemed to be very
useful.

‘It enhances the power of Sword Origin.’

When he thought about his fight against Gamorr Khan, it was seriously like an
amateur’s movements.
If he could fight like Valencia, it would be possible for him to maximize the power of
Sword Origin.

“That’s why I appeared.”

“I see. Please use this.”

“Oh? T-thank you. You are kind.”

Valencia smiled softly when she received the handkerchief that Jude had given, and
Jude thought.

‘What a waste.’

Even though she was very pretty, she could only be second best because of Cordelia.

If Scarlet had heard his thoughts, she would call him out on his nonsense, or rather,
she would wonder how Cordelia had brainwashed him. Jude then turned to Valencia
again.

“Anyway, you can continue.”

“Yes, huhu. C-can I blow my nose with this?”

“Uh… yes. You can have it.”

After all, this wasn’t reality but some mental space.

“Sniff! Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Ahem, ahem. Anyway, let me continue.”

Valencia cleaned her face before she looked back at Jude and said.

“I saw your fight. And I thought that you need guidance.”

“Will you teach me your Taijutsu… no, I mean, your unique swordsmanship?”
“Yes, but I have no intention of teaching you pure swordsmanship. My successor, you
already have strong martial art techniques.”

Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors combined with Supreme Sun Divine Art.

“So I’m going to create a new swordsmanship style by combining your martial art
skills and my swordsmanship.”

“Is that possible?”

“Yes, it’s possible.”

As expected of a great swordmaster.

Jude was in admiration as he unknowingly clapped his hands, and Valencia blushed
in embarrassment before she spoke.

“Anyway, I’m going to start studying it from today. So please teach me about your
martial art skills for a while.”

“Will we meet each other like this every day?”

“If it’s hard every day, let’s meet often then.”

And it was at that moment.

Jude suddenly raised his hand and asked.

“Um, Valencia-nim.”

“Yes, my successor.”

“You can call me Jude.”

“I want to call you my successor. I prefer that.”

“Uh… I understand.”

She was strangely stubborn at times, but that wasn’t what mattered now.
“Umm… what exactly is going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’ve been wondering why… you’re in front of me like this now.”

“That’s because I’m the sword spirit of Sword Origin.”

“Sword spirit? A spirit in the sword?”

“Yes, all the Ultimate Seven series have sword spirits.”

At Valencia’s calm explanation, Jude furrowed his brows and said.

“Wait, are you saying that all the users of this sword would become a sword spirit?”

“No, they won’t. I became a sword spirit because I wanted to. The other Ultimate
series usually had a sword spirit from the time they were created. But Sword Origin
was a sword whose goal was to unite with its user, so Eitri said that he didn’t
intentionally put in a sword spirit.”

“Uh… I see.”

He could roughly guess on why Valencia became a sword spirit.

She was a woman who loved the sword so much that she wanted to be the sword
itself.

In any case, it wasn’t what mattered now.

“Uh, Valencia-nim.”

“Yes, my successor? Or should I call you the 2nd generation?”

“You can call me whatever you want. Anyway, Grand Order will have a sword spirit
too, right?”

“Yes, it has.”

“Is it a man?”
“No, it’s a cute girl.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Eh?”

Valencia tilted her head as she did not understood what was going on, but Jude was
secretly delighted as he happily smiled.

“Then, is Cordelia meeting her sword spirit too now?”

“Probably not. Sword spirits are usually asleep unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Is Valencia-nim an exception?”

“Well… maybe? After all, now is the moment that you really need me.”

She had to teach Jude her Taijutsu, or rather, her unique swordsmanship.

“I understand. Please teach me, Valencia-nim.”

“That’s a good mindset. Then, my successor, please teach me your martial arts skills
first.”

“Okay, I’ll begin with the basics.”

After he got himself into position, Jude slowly began to demonstrate the techniques
of Supreme Sun Divine Art and Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.

***

Morning dawned.

Jude normally slept for at least 3 hours, but because of his training with Valencia, his
sleeping time was forcibly extended, so he got up later than Cordelia.

“You’re actually a late riser, huh?”

“Hey, it’s just the first time I woke up later than you, okay?”
“No, I was the one who woke up first after the battle in the royal capital.”

“It’s my loss.”

“Hehe, I won.”

Cordelia had a big smile as she was really happy, but she suddenly sucked in her lips
and gazed at Jude as she asked.

“Were you dreaming?”

“Eh? I did.”

Because his meeting with Valencia could be considered a dream.

But it was at that moment.

“Then. Did you dream about… me?”

Cordelia slightly turned her head and asked as her cheeks blushed.

She looked so cute that he wanted to bite her, but Jude unconsciously flinched when
he thought that.

“Eh? Uh… yes.”

Jude seemed to be embarrassed about it and replied without realizing it, while
Cordelia played with her fingers and said.

“I dreamed of you too.”

Cordelia spoke in a murmur and quickly sucked in her lips in her embarrassment.
Jude placed his hand over his chest because of Cordelia’s cuteness and the sense of
guilt that he felt.

And it was at that moment again.

“By the way, Jude.”

“Yes, Cordelia.”
“Do you think that I… forgot something?”

Cordelia asked as she felt that something was different, while Jude tilted his head.

“You forgot something?”

“Yes, I forgot something. I feel as if I forgot something, something really important

but trivial… AH!”

That was it. Cordelia jumped from her seat and repeatedly stomped her feet as she
was at a loss on what to do before she began to run like crazy.

Towards the eastern section of Black Town.

It was in the direction of the Aggro Generator.

***

[It’s alright. I was born to be forgotten anyway.]

“No, that’s not it!”

[It’s alright. I was born to be forgotten anyway.]

“No, that’s not it!”

Cordelia spoke in apology as she held Moonlight, but Melissa remain unmoved.

[Come to think of it, even in the facility of the Snow Queen, I was abandoned by my
old masters. I’m used to being abandoned.]

“Why are you saying something so sad… and I didn’t abandon you, okay? I just forgot
you for a while, okay? I did come back to you, right?”

[After one day.]

“I’m sorry…”

Cordelia’s words trailed off as she made a long face and sucked in her lips.

Because she was really sorry for what she did to Melissa.

She thought to herself that she had been too indifferent.

She had implanted Melissa in Moonlight and completely forgot about it afterwards.

Cordelia certainly had an excuse.

After Cordelia had inserted her in Moonlight, Melissa did not answer for a while,
even though Cordelia kept calling her. The performance of Moonlight did improve,
but Cordelia became anxious because Melissa was not answering.

‘And I eventually forgot about her… ’

Since there was no answer for more than a month, she got used to Melissa not
answering, and in the end, she completely stopped talking to Melissa.

When she began working as Pink Bomb in the royal capital, she never used
Moonlight due to various circumstances, so she completely forgot Melissa’s
existence.

‘And then I called her again because I needed her help.’

Even Cordelia felt that it was too much.

It was no different to completely treating Melissa as a tool.

If Jude had treated Cordelia this way… she felt terrible from just imagining it.

[Uh, ah… A-are you crying?]

“No… I’m really sorry…”

When Cordelia’s eyes reddened, Melissa was suddenly flustered and nervous, or to
be exact, she let out sounds that revealed her restlessness before she quickly said.

[That, uh, um! Okay, just don’t forget about me anymore, okay?]

The coldness in Melissa’s voice before was gone, and her voice had become very
gentle. Cordelia then opened her eyes and hurriedly nodded.

“Ye-yes! I will never forget you.”

[Okay. Let’s not talk about this anymore then.]

“T-thank you, Melissa. I’ll treat you well.”

[Yes, I’ll trust in you one more time.]

“Yes!”

Cordelia widely smiled and kissed the gem section of Moonlight. Melissa couldn’t
really feel it, but she began to cough for no reason.

And there was one person who was watching their entire exchange.
‘It’s quite heartwarming.’

Jude warmly smiled like a dad watching over the two as he nodded his head. When
Cordelia felt Jude’s gaze, she became shy and asked him.

“W-why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, I just thought that it was heartwarming.”

Fufufu.

Jude warmly smiled again, and Cordelia felt like she was getting goosebumps even
though she had bean pods in her eyes when she saw Jude.

“Stop laughing like that. You sound like a pervert.”

“Fufufu.”

But Jude laughed again, and Cordelia was filled with a desire to hit Jude.

“Anyway, let’s continue our business before leaving.”

“Huh? What else are we going to do?”

“Because we need to clean up Mount Damos.”

Jude gave an ambiguous answer before he stepped towards the Aggro Generator.

***

The night passed, but traces of the fight still remained.

The villagers were usually reluctant to approach Mount Damos, and they became
even more cautious when loud sounds resounded in the mountain because of the
nearby monsters that were annihilated from the incident before.

“What about the mountain animals?”

“They’re not coming because they’re scared of the monsters’ smells.”

Naturally, the animals would gather after smelling the rotting corpses some time
later, but it was not that time yet.

“Okay, then I’ll leave this here. Cordelia, please.”

“Yes.”

While Jude placed the remains of a fake aggro device made of spare parts in a
suitable location, Cordelia stared at the remains of Gamorr Khan’s body, or to be
exact, the Vorg’s body that Gamorr Khan had used as his host until now.

Unlike the other corpses, Gamorr Khan’s corpse had completely become powder
perhaps because he had left that body.

“Well… If we bury it, no one will be able to tell, right?”

[I think so too.]

As soon as Melissa agreed, Cordelia dug the ground with <Dig> magic and buried
most of the powder in the soil.

“Are you done?”

“Yes, pretty much.”

Cordelia approached Jude after she used <Earth Wall> magic to fill the hole.

“Is this really going to work?”

“As I said before, we don’t have to create a perfect story. This is a good enough and
believable story. Rather, it’s more realistic to have some loopholes.”

At the words of the skilled scammer, the prospective scammer nodded her head, and
Melissa was feeling complicated at the scammer couple’s behavior.

Jude’s scam – no, his plan was as simple as always.

On Mount Damos, the Black Hand Mercenaries led by Gamorr Khan were wiped out
after a fierce battle against the monsters.
It was true up to this point.

It was true that Gamorr Khan fought against the monsters on Mount Damos.

‘Mix the truth with some lies.’

That was one of the basics in making a compelling story.

And what Jude added to the story was as follows.

“A battle broke out because Gamorr Khan failed to control the monsters of Mount
Damos with a monster attracting device.”

The evidence was the half-broken Aggro Generator lying in the middle of the
battlefield.

“Jude and Cordelia were passing by and discovered Gamorr Khan’s atrocious plan.
Gamorr Khan had already lost his troops in their battle against the monsters, so he
fled.”

“Wait, we passed by here?”

We didn’t use a road but passed by Mount Damos itself?

“We can say that we stopped by the mountain to fight the monsters for the sake of
our residents.”

“I see.”

And this was also true.

After getting Ultimate One, they had tried to wipe out the monsters to some extent.

“Moving on, in order to pursue the fleeing Gamorr Khan, Jude and Cordelia set out on
their way again, leaving only a letter that gave a full account of the events.”

While explaining on what happened in Mount Damos, it was a story that would give
Jude and Cordelia a legitimate reason to hurriedly leave the place rather than
remaining and cleaning up the fief.
‘Because Gamorr Khan is just an average-sized Vorg if you exclude the necklace and
Grand Order.’

Moreover, his body was burned, so even if an acquaintance came, it would be

impossible to verify his identity.

“And that would be how we can naturally explain having Ultimate Five.”

“Won’t the Black Hand Mercenaries become hostile to us?”

“It’s an organization that would become hostile to us when we fight Malekith

anyway, and they’re also far in the south.”

“That’s true.”

Cordelia clapped her hands and then looked at Moonlight, clearing her throat as she
puffed up her chest and said.

“Did you see that? That’s my Jude.”

[Uh… yes.]

He’s an amazing scammer.

While Melissa held back from saying her thoughts, Cordelia read Jude’s letter to the
villagers.

“I like it. It feels like we’re telling our residents that we care about them.”

“They’ll really like it. We told them that they could take all the monsters’ parts.”

In addition, they could enter Mount Damos from now on, so from the perspective of
the villagers, it was like they hit the jackpot.

“Oh, you’re right. Anyway, what about my notice?”

It could become a problem if the notice was found.

When Cordelia looked around, Jude grinned and took out what he had hidden in his
pocket.
“I’ve already recovered it. Destruction of evidence is one of the basics.”

“Oooooh.”

A special powder was spread on the notice, so it was possible to track its location
with a single <Search> magic even in this messy place.

“See that, Melissa? That’s my Jude.”

[Uh… yes.]

Destruction of evidence is a crime.

As Melissa held back from saying her thoughts again, the black-hearted Jude and the
newly black-hearted Cordelia looked at each other and smiled before they began to
go down the mountain together.

***

When the mayor of the village near Mount Damos was reading the letter from Jude
and Cordelia with a surprised face, the two were running along the mountain path
while in a ‘merged’ state like always.

‘Well, I feel like I’ve gotten used to her strange words.’

Because at some point in time, ‘carrying her on his back’ became called as ‘merging.’

Anyway, Jude stopped for a while as he fixed Cordelia’s position before he spoke.

“Let’s decide our course again at this point.”

“Don’t we have to go southwest from here since there’s a branch of the Guardians of
the Holy Cross there?”

The branches of the Guardians of the Holy Cross were usually located deep in the
mountains, but the branch the two were heading to was different.

This 300-year-old branch of the Guardians of the Holy Cross was in the trading city
of St. Crute, located at the entrance to the southern region between the border of the
central and southern regions.
“It’s a case wherein a village was formed in the place of the original branch, and the
village grew, becoming a trading city.”

“I know that.”

“Yes, but I thought that I have to explain it anyway.”

Jude had a bitter smile before he continued.

“Anyway, if we want to go from here to St. Crute, we have to use the Senez Canal or
cross the Kanos Mountains that’s connected to Mount Damos.”

“Yes, that’s the usual route, right?”

“It’s the usual route.”

Jude smiled and Cordelia asked as she hugged Jude’s neck.

“What is it, what is it? Is there another secret route that only you know?”

“Well… something like that.”

It was actually the route that Valencia had taught him last night.

Jude fixed Cordelia’s position and turned to the south as he said.

“You do know that if you go straight down here, you’ll see the Forest of Eternity,
right?”

“Yes, but that’s the forest of the elves.”

Unlike the dwarves who lived and did business with humans, the elves in the Salen
Kingdom totally avoided contact with humans.

The Forest of Eternity now was even sealed with a powerful barrier magic developed
during the era of the magic kingdom, Magellan, so it was no different from the realm
of demons for humans because once they step inside, they could no longer come out.

“In the game, one could only enter after the fall of the Salen Kingdom, right?”
“Because the elves were also attacked by the demons.”

In the midst of the destruction of the southern region after the northern and central
regions of the Salen Kingdom, the elves who had been consistent with their seclusion
policy eventually had to face the demons alone and were defeated.

“The last king of the elves went mad and became an undead.”

“I remember him. His name was Kelthur. In the background setting, he inherited the
throne after four months… he must be a prince now, right?”

“Probably. He’s the first in the line of succession or something like that.”

In any case, that wasn’t what mattered now.

Now that the northern and central regions were in good shape, the Forest of Eternity
would not fall if the southern region’s collapse was completely prevented.

“Can’t we get help?”

“They won’t help because they still secluded themselves even when the country was
being destroyed. And also because of the nobles in the south.”

“I see. Anyway, why the Forest of Eternity? Is there a way for us to go through the
barrier?”

“Yes.”

It was actually a path around the outside of the Forest of Eternity, but even with that,
they would be able to reach St. Crute faster than any other route.

“Wow… How can you keep it to yourself? You didn’t post it in the ‘Legend of Heroes
Guide’ website?”

“It’s the reason why I’m first place, remember?”

His words were quite annoying, but for some strange reason, she didn’t hate it.

Cordelia hugged Jude’s neck and said.

“Anyway, let’s hurry up.”

“Yes, Madam.”

After he firmly secured Cordelia’s position, Jude began running towards the south.

***

The Forest of Eternity looked like a mysterious place.

Large trees that were around 10 meters tall were lined up like walls, and a thick fog
spread throughout the day, making the surroundings hard to distinguish.

“Hey, do you really know the way? Can we go out when we go in?”

When Cordelia asked with an anxious face, Jude nodded his head.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe? Wait, I thought that you’ve been through here?”

“No, I mean… wait for a while.”

The awkwardly smiling Jude broke two flowers blooming nearby and chanted the
spell Valencia had taught him.

“Good, here.”

Jude put the red flower in his waist, and put the remaining white flower in Cordelia’s
hair.

“What is this?”

“It’s a sign. With this, the forest will recognize us as elves… or to be exact, as
inhabitants of the forest.”

“Then, we won’t get lost here?”

“Yes.”
Probably.

Jude held back from saying his last thought and turned around as he began walking.
It was not that he didn’t trust Valencia, but the atmosphere of the forest was so
terrible that his heart was pounding.

Cordelia was also wary of their surroundings, and she hugged Jude’s neck tighter
than usual.

After 10 minutes.

In order to not provoke the elves, Jude walked along the border of the forest, but at
some point, the two simultaneously looked at one place.

Because Jude perceived it with his sharp senses while Cordelia with her animal-like
instincts.

“That way.”

“It’s coming.”

Cordelia jumped off Jude’s back and closed her eyes as she listened to the sounds.

She figured out the situation as if she was really like a wild animal.

“I can barely hear footsteps. It’s a very light step. But they’re being chased. The
pursuers are running wildly. Their number is at least seven, I think?”

When did she develop such a skill?

Jude turned to the direction Cordelia had pointed instead of asking her.

Cordelia said afterwards.

“They’ll get caught soon if we don’t help.”

They were in a situation where they didn’t know on who was being chased or who
was chasing.

But Jude and Cordelia began running in the direction of the sound they heard.
If the person being chased was on the good side, the two would help that person, but
if the person was on the bad side, the two would capture that person.

It was a very simple logic.

Naturally, they had a choice of pretending to not know and just pass by, but that was
impossible for the two.

Because it was the habit of rotten waters on not to miss an incident when it occurs!

“Is anyone there! Help!”

The voice of a woman sounded crystal clear and urgent.

Jude and Cordelia’s speed became a little faster.

Better a castle of bones than of stones – a Korean proverb which means that when
there are two things with equivalent value, you should choose the better one or the
one you prefer.

There was no exclamation mark or question mark floating somewhere in between

the trees, but Jude and Cordelia were able to quickly find the owner of the voice.

T/N: In games, an exclamation or question mark usually appear when a new quest
appears on the map or above an NPC (non-playable character).

The entire forest was dark because of the branches that covered the sky, but that
being stood out in such a forest.

“Elf?”

“I’ll go first!”

Jude shouted and used Hyper-Fast Thunderbolt.

Instead of chasing Jude who had disappeared from her sight, Cordelia continued to
run and look ahead.

Platinum blonde hair and white armor.

In contrast to the female elf who stood out because of her white color, she also saw
several humanoid monsters whose forms were indiscernible because they were
completely black.

What should she do at this moment?

Cordelia didn’t think about that. She just instinctively released her magic.
“<Light!>”

A basic <Light> magic spell.

However, the mana she consumed was not normal, so the intensity of the light was
quite strong. The light didn’t stop at driving out the darkness of the forest, as it even
swallowed up the surroundings with light like a flash bomb explosion.

“Aaah!”

At the blinding light, the woman tightly closed her eyes and screamed, and so did the
monsters.

And Jude appeared.

Jude’s back was facing the light, so he was able to clearly identify the location and
type of enemy in that white world.

‘Female elf.’

White armor.

Platinum blonde hair tied up in a bridal bun style.

Very white skin.

She somehow looked like Valencia whose beautiful face was second to Cordelia.

But it wasn’t her beautiful appearance that mattered. Jude saw a golden coat of arms
painted over the white armor.

It was the coat of arms of the Prime royal family.

‘High elf royalty!’

Kelthur who became a Skeleton King after the fall of the elves was also wearing an
armor with that coat of arms.

And the monsters.

Their entire bodies were covered in black smoke, and green flames burned in their
eye sockets.

It was probably a Shade monster.

Then there was nothing more to examine.

Jude grabbed the arm of the struggling and screaming elf princess whose eyes were
still closed, carried her in his arms and then threw her towards Cordelia.

“Kya!”

But there was no sound of someone falling to the ground. Cordelia had probably
caught the elf with her telekinetic power.

So instead of looking back, Jude moved his feet. He swung his arm towards the
nearest shade.

Slaaaash!

His hand filled with the black dragon’s energy was like a sword that cut the Shade’s
throat. The black smoke instantly scattered, and Jude swung his arm again and split
the Shade’s torso.

Bang!

The black smoke burst. But at that time, Jude had already flown somewhere else. The
Shade with green flames as eyes was cut in the waist by his sharp roundhouse kick,
and as for the three Shades behind it, Jude swung his sword-like hand as if he was
using swordsmanship.

Slaaaash!

His sharp and huge ‘sword’ cut down the Shades and trees at the same time. A huge
tree fell to the side with a rumbling sound, and because of that, branches broke and
other trees fell, creating a louder noise.

And Jude realized something.

His way of combat had changed.

He was now using his martial art skills as if they were swordsmanship techniques.

‘Valencia!’

She was the sword spirit of Ultimate One.

It was her influence.

Valencia’s experience and swordsmanship had naturally fused with him who had
become one with Sword Origin.

‘W-wait a minute. Valencia is one with the Sword Origin.’

And I have become one with that Sword Origin.

Jude had a very strange thought at that moment, but he soon came to his senses.
Now was not the time to think about such a thing.

There were still some Shades left.

“Jude!”

The moment he heard Cordelia’s voice, three spears of light pierced the chests of the
remaining Shades.

An angelic halo of light spread out and glowed above Cordelia’s head.

“Hey! You’re thinking of something weird!”

Jude flinched when Cordelia suddenly shouted, but instead of answering her, he
created a black and gold gale to completely scatter the surrounding black smoke.
Shades could revive themselves as long as there was smoke.

‘D-did she notice when she looked at my eyes?’

Or is this her beast-like intuition like always?

In any case, Jude shook his head to get rid of his thoughts and properly finish off the
Shades.
[It’s a High Elf royalty.]

“Eh?”

When he spoke with <Message> magic, Cordelia was surprised and looked back at
the elf princess lying on the ground, or to be exact, the elf princess whom Jude threw
and Cordelia caught with her telekinetic power before she roughly laid the elf on the
ground.

[It’s a face I don’t know.]

[All the elves in the Forest of Eternity appeared as undead anyway. It would seriously
be strange if you knew their faces.]

It was as Jude had said.

Therefore, instead of thinking more about it, Cordelia helped the elf princess in
sitting up, and Jude approached them after breathing a sigh of relief.

“Are you okay?”

“Human language?”

The elf princess answered Cordelia’s question with a question, and she looked at
Jude and Cordelia with a blank face before she exclaimed in surprise.

“Human!”

She shouted out loud and suddenly groped Cordelia’s face with both hands, or to be
precise, Cordelia’s ears, and once again exclaimed in surprise.

“Short! Short ears! Uh… but you’re pretty. The book says that humans are ugly. Why
are you pretty? Are you not human?”

“Uh… um… I’m human.”

Cordelia answered with awkward smile at the response of the elf princess since she
did not know if it was a compliment or an insult, and she glanced at Jude.

She wanted him to do something right away.

“Your Highness, we are humans from the Salen Kingdom.”

The elf princess turned her head to Jude when he spoke, and she was surprised
again.

“You’re handsome. You’re a human, so why are you handsome?”

“…Other handsome humans exist too.”

It felt strange for him to say something like that, but it was true.

“In addition, the girl in front of you is the most beautiful and loveliest girl among the
hu– <Dispel.>”

[Hey! You dispelled it again!]

The red-faced Cordelia hurriedly used <Silence> magic, but it was useless. Jude had
torn a scroll and instantly defended himself before he spoke with a warm smile.

“Please don’t think that it’s strange because she’s the most beautiful human ever.”

“Then… are you like that too?”

“Yes, that’s right! He’s the coolest, dashing, and most handsome human ever!”

Cordelia loudly shouted when she found the opportunity to do so. She was hoping
that he would be embarrassed, so she even smiled triumphantly, but she was
mistaken.

There was a huge gap between Jude and Cordelia’s shamelessness.

[Cordelia, I didn’t know that you usually thought of me that way.]

[Eh?]

[For Cordelia, I’m the coolest, dashing, and most handsome human in the world,
huh? Pfft.]

[N-no! I-it’s not like that, okay?]

[Fufufu, no need to be shy, okay?]

Ugh, what’s wrong with him?

Cordelia almost screamed that unconsciously, but she managed to suppress it and
sent a <Message> magic afterwards.

[W-what about you! For you, I’m the most beautiful and loveliest girl in the world…]

It was a land mine.

Even though she sent it with <Message> magic instead of her voice, she ended up
taking mental damage from it.

Moreover, her opponent was Jude.

[Of course. You are truly the most beautiful and loveliest girl in the world.]

He smirked as his eyes seemed to shine.

But why does he look so handsome when he does that?

[Uwaah… my eyes…]

She was completely defeated.

Cordelia was completely embarrassed as she faltered and sank to her knees, and the
elf princess looked at her with a face that did not understand on what was going on.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“No, she’s all right. Please don’t worry about her.”

Jude politely answered and narrowed the distance between him and the elf princess
before he courteously greeted her.

“I am Count August Bayer of the Salen Kingdom. This is my fiancee, Countess August
Chase.”

“Count. Noble. Are you human nobles?”

“That is correct.”

When Jude answered, Cordelia raised herself and stood next to Jude before she
courteously greeted.

“I greet the Royal Princess.”

Then she pinched Jude behind his back, but it was useless.

Jude was able to shrug off the wizard’s physical attack with a smile.

[So annoying!]

Cordelia was annoyed and wanted to stomp her feet repeatedly, but they were in
front of an elf princess now.

After she held herself back, she focused on the elf princess again.

“Ahem, we are the prettiest and handsomest humans.”

Ah, seriously.

Are you crazy, Jude?

In the end, Cordelia cursed him in her mind.

The elf princess seemed to have done away all her embarrassment so far, and she
said in a very proper and dignified voice peculiar to royalty.

“As you may have guessed, I am an elf princess. But how did humans recognize me?”

It had already been more than 300 years since the exchange between humans and
elves in the Forest of Eternity was cut off.

For elves who lived for more than 500 years, especially for high elves who lived for a
thousand years, it happened within the same generation, but for humans, it was a
long time ago that they had to trace the ancestors of their ancestors.

But why did humans immediately recognize an elf princess?

At her reasonable question, Jude gave a reasonable answer.

“I saw the coat of arms of the Prime royal family and understood it.”

The coat of arms of the Prime royal family was painted on the white breastplate.

“Do humans know the coat of arms of the elf royalty?”

“Because the Prime royal family is special.”

The Prime royal family were the only high elf royalty in Salen.

Just like the saying, ‘better a castle of bones than of stones’, Jude knew very well that
it was better to say something that was pleasant to the ears.

“Because the Prime royal family is the only noble high elf royal family that has
connections to the magic kingdom of Magellan. And there are still many people
outside the forest who remember the sword of the Elf Sword.”

[Is that true?]

When Cordelia asked with wide open eyes, Jude replied without looking at her.

[No, it’s not.]

Valencia’s heyday was as far as a thousand years ago. If one generation was every 30
years, then it was 33 generations ago. And even if he was wrong, it was impossible
for humans to remember her because they had lost a lot of records of ancient history.

But elves were different.

For high elves who lived for a thousand years, Valencia was someone who was their
grandmother or great-grandmother.

And Jude’s prediction was right again.

The elf princess could not hide the pride in her face.

“That’s true. You’ve answered my question, so it would be polite for me to reveal

myself.”
In fact, saving her life was greater than answering her question, but humans and
elves were the same in that they couldn’t just complain to royalty.

Jude and Cordelia quietly waited, and the elf princess said after she cleared her
throat.

“I am Leica Prime from the Prime royal family, descendant of the First King, Grave
Prime, and first in line to the throne.”

The elf princess, Leica, introduced herself, and Cordelia was surprised as she sent a
<Message> magic to Jude.

[First in line to the throne? What about Kelthur then?]

Wasn’t Kelthur the next king?

[Not long before Kelthur became king… I think something happened in that time.]

Moreover, the high elf royal family should have appeared as significant undead
monsters in the game, but it was the first time Jude and Cordelia had heard of her
name even though they had played in the Forest of Eternity hundreds of times.

‘It’s impossible that a new character who didn’t even appear in the game would
appear now.’

It was only a year or so between now and the time when the elves of the Forest of
Eternity would become undead.

In the course of that year, the elf princess in front of them must have died in some
way.

‘Was she supposed to have died… just now?’

Princess Leica was being chased by Shades.

She was definitely in a crisis, but she was still a high elf royalty, so she wouldn’t
easily die.

‘No, she’s already in trouble if she’s running away in the first place.’
Moreover, she was empty handed. She didn’t have anything like a weapon.

‘Have we unexpectedly changed history?’

[Something is coming.]

It was at that moment. At Cordelia’s words, Jude quickly turned to the direction she
was looking, and he withdrew his earlier thoughts.

‘It’s not here.’

It was not the place where Princess Leica would die.

Because there were other people who could save her besides Jude and Cordelia.

“Neeeigh!”

“Lloyd!”

A white unicorn appeared through the bushes.

With spotless white fur, light bluish mane, and clear blue eyes, they thought that it
was a divine creature.

“You came for me!”

“Neeigh!”

The unicorn, Lloyd, responded by rubbing its face on Princess Leica’s cheek, and
soon turned its gaze towards Jude and Cordelia before its eyes began to sparkle.

“Neeeigh!”

The unicorn approached Cordelia under the guise of a very good expression before it
pushed its face and pretended to be close, and soon began to lick Cordelia’s cheek.

“Kya, it tickles.”

Cordelia laughed and pushed Lloyd’s face away, but the unicorn kept pushing its face
and licking Cordelia’s cheek, as if it was playing a prank.
‘This b*stard.’

Jude didn’t even count 3 seconds this time. He quickly reached out and pulled
Cordelia, and sent Lloyd a murderous look like the one he once sent to First Sword.

“Neigh?”

It was a beast and not a divine creature.

Because of Jude’s overwhelming threatening look, the unicorn flinched and stepped
back, and Cordelia looked at Jude with a strange expression.

[What the… Are you jealous? Are you jealous of a horse?]

It was a situation opposite from usual as a smile gradually spread on Cordelia’s face
while Jude’s earlobe began to turn red.

Jude was always shameless, but he was also shy in some strange places.

[Hehehe, you’re jealous.]

While Cordelia was feeling happy, Jude coughed for no reason before he turned to
Princess Leica.

“It’s a unicorn.”

It was scared of Jude’s murderous look for a moment, so it had stepped backwards,
but a unicorn was not weak.

In particular, the unicorn in front of them seemed like a completely different

creature from the Bicorn they had encountered in the past.

“He’s a friend I grew up with since I was a kid.”

Princess Leica stroked Lloyd’s mane with a happy face as if she did not notice Jude’s
murderous look earlier. She then quickly climbed onto the unicorn’s back and said.

“But why are there humans inside the Forest of Eternity? I mean, how did you get
in?”
There was a barrier outside the Forest of Eternity that blocked the outside from
entering.

After a brief thought, Jude took out the flower he had on his waist and replied.

“I’m a human being who inherited the sword of Valencia Prime, the Elf Sword. In
addition to her swordsmanship, I’ve also learned some secrets.”

“The Elf Sword?”

“Yes, she also had several human disciples.”

It was actually not possible for them to know if she had any human disciples or not,
but Valencia was someone who sat down and chatted with a dwarf artisan, so she
would have gotten along well with humans too.

“Hmm… I see. Then what is your purpose for entering the Forest of Eternity?”

“We had no intention of going inside the forest. We tried to move along the outer
part of it but… we heard the voice of the princess and came running.”

At Jude’s explanation mixed with truth and lies, Princess Leica pondered for a while
before she slowly nodded her head.

“As I thought… is this completely because of Orion’s guidance?”

Princess Leica mentioned the name of the forest god, Orion, who was worshipped by
the elves of the Forest of Eternity. Afterwards, she talked to Jude and Cordelia again.

“Humans, I need your help. Can you lend your strength to me and my knights?”

Jude and Cordelia simultaneously thought the same thing at her solemn question.

It was at the very least, a Legendary Quest.

It was also the plea of help from a high elf princess who was destined to die within a
year.

‘Perhaps… ’
Would saving Princess Leica lead to saving the elves of the Forest of Eternity from their
destined ruin?

The direct cause of the fall of the Forest of Eternity’s elves was clearly the invasion of
foreign enemies after the collapse of the Salen Kingdom.

But it was at that moment.

“Your Highness, with all due respect, can you please tell us on what had happened?”

Cordelia politely asked, and Princess Leica furrowed her brows a little before
nodding her head.

“You’re not my servants, so I can’t ask for your help in ambiguous words. I’ll tell you
then. I am now on an expedition with my knights to defeat Jabberwock, a forest
monster and enemy of the Forest of Eternity. So please join our punitive force and
help us defeat Jabberwock.”

Judging by the content of her words, it was like a common quest.

But Jude and Cordelia reflexively looked back at each other.

Because a name that should not be heard here was mentioned.

‘Jabberwock? The Jabberwock that we know about?’

Jude nodded at Cordelia’s gaze.

Because Princess Leica’s death could be explained if it was Jabberwock.

‘Jabberwock, a monster that could turn into any monster.’

One of the 7 major calamities that caused the destruction of Pleaides.

Jude and Cordelia turned to Princess Leica.

The story development of Legend of Heroes 2 was largely divided into three.

In the first half, each character had their own circumstances.

Each of the eleven playable characters had a starting point, and the situation at their
starting point was also different, so just like the saying, ‘no two men are alike,’ they
all had different stories.

At this time, characters without overlapping routes were better, because if their
routes overlapped, one side would be destroyed, corrupted, or killed in the story.

‘Like Cordelia and Lucas.’

It was impossible for the two to be compatible in single-player mode.

If one proceeded with Cordelia, Lucas would become a demonic human, and if one
proceeded with Lucas, Cordelia would be completely corrupted and turn into a
demon.

‘Moving on, the events in the northern, central, and southern regions were set in the
early to middle parts of the game.’

Some characters began their stories quite early like Cordelia and Lucas, but most of
them began their stories before and after those three consecutive events took place
in the Salen Kingdom.

‘Because the beginning of Kajsa’s story was her escape from Malekith’s attack.’

In the game’s storyline, the southern region was completely destroyed by Malekith
and the Dragonflights.

Kajsa’s story was that she led her family as they somehow escape from the south
amidst the chaos.
‘The Seven Major Calamities began in the middle part of the game.’

The Salen Kingdom was already on the verge of destruction due to the successive
events, and when the seven catastrophic beings appeared, it completely destroyed
the kingdom and also led to the downfall of the empire.

In the game, all of the Seven Major Calamities were eventually defeated, but the
damage accumulated in the meantime was so great that the two great powers
collapsed in the end.

‘If it had ended here, I would have been more hopeful for the future, but… ’

Unfortunately, the story continued in the latter half of the game’s storyline.

‘The final battle with the demon followers.’

It was the part where the demon followers, who had already been weakened by the
Seven Major Calamities, began to actively gather.

The demon followers tried to begin the Great Summons while the heroes went into a
final battle in order to stop them.

But it was the demon followers who eventually won the battle.

As a result, the Great Summons occurred, and the inhabitants of heaven and hell
descended on earth. The overlords of hell and the archangels of heaven began
Armageddon, which was a great war between good and evil.

‘And the world was roughly destroyed.’

The worlds of heaven and hell were not harmed.

Only the earth which had become a battlefield was destroyed.

All the countries established by humans collapsed without a single country left, and
more than half of the remaining humans died in the aftermath of the war.

‘It’s terrible when you think about it.’

It was a reality now and not a story in a game.

Jude could find a way to save himself, but when he thought of Cordelia, Cordelia,
Cordelia, Gael, Adelia, and the others who would lose their lives from the war, that
alone made his hands and feet tremble.

T/N: The repeating ‘Cordelia’ in the sentence above is not a typo. That’s just how
important she is to Jude, hahaha.

‘Anyway, the middle part of the game is the fight against the Seven Major Calamities.’

One of them was Myriad Shapeshifter Jabberwock, who was just like its name.

‘Myriad Shapeshifter.’

A myriad of transformations.

A monster that could transform into anything.

Jabberwock was reborn as a real calamity when it combined with Jabberwock, a

high-ranking demonic human of the Devil’s Horn who had the same name, and
Jabberwock had the ability to transform into a creature that one feared the most.

‘Because of that, it became popular because its form in the boss fight was different
for each character.’

The difficulty also changed depending on the playable character.

In any case, this was an opportunity to defeat Myriad Shapeshifter Jabberwock.

‘It hasn’t merged with Jabberwock yet.’

It had not yet become one with demonic human Jabberwock who had the same
name.

Just like how they stopped the Snow Queen in the wild lands, it was now possible to
get rid of Jabberwock early.

‘We can attack it again and again.’

They could kill it before it becomes a calamity.

And perhaps this could save both the Forest of Eternity and the elves.

‘Then we could rely on them.’

Because there were no such things as humans or elves in the face of a calamity.

They would surely be a strong ally in the upcoming battle against the Seven Major
Calamities.

‘And now, we can get the help of the elves.’

It was a battle that they couldn’t refuse.

Naturally, if Jabberwock was stronger than expected, they could retreat and
strengthen their power before attacking for the second time, but that was also
something they would only know once they fought it.

“What’s wrong? Do you know anything about Jabberwock?”

Cordelia’s lip twitched at Princess Leica’s question, and Jude responded as naturally
as always.

“Yes, the two of us are actually members of the Guardians of the Holy Cross. We’ve
read about the forest monster, Jabberwock, at the headquarters of the Guardians.”

“Oh, the Guardians of the Holy Cross is still standing strong.”

When Princess Leica spoke with a very pleased face, Cordelia blinked her eyes and
asked.

“Do you know about the Guardians of the Holy Cross?”

“I know about them. Before the Forest of Eternity’s barrier was activated, my
ancestors helped establish the Guardians of the Holy Cross in the days when we still
interacted with humans.”

It was a story of the past that was 500 years old at the most.

So Jude nodded his head and said.

“Yes, we still remember the help of the elves. There’s actually an elf who is still
active.”

“Really? May I know their name?”

“Master Eltharion.”

“Oh… Eltharion. He is my great uncle.”

Princess Leica was delighted, while Cordelia tugged Jude’s sleeve.

[Jude, Jude. What’s a great uncle?]

[The brother of one’s grandfather.]

[Ah.]

He was more than 500 years old, and he was the brother of Leica’s grandfather.

It was a possible story since high elves lived for a thousand years.

“Then it’s better if you two belong to the Guardians of the Holy Cross. Of course, the
two of you will help us, right? Then I will not only forgive you for trespassing into the
Forest of Eternity, but also reward you for fighting together with us. Ah, naturally, I’ll
also reward you for saving me.”

As Princess Leica smiled and spoke in a dignified voice, Cordelia pulled Jude’s sleeve
again.

[I think our kingdom’s princess is better.]

Princess Daphne seemed to have more dignity.

Jude heard Cordelia’s comments and barely managed to suppress his laughter before
he replied with a polite expression.

“We’ll gladly accept it.”

They would first try to fight together with the elves, and if they really couldn’t do it,
then they could also run away.
‘It won’t take that long.’

Even though the Forest of Eternity was big, it was only at a level of a small country.

Moreover, the fact that they were still in the outskirts of the forest but met the
punitive force could only mean that Jabberwock lived in the outskirts too, so they
could face it in a day or two at most.

“I love your spirited answer.”

And around the time when a beautiful smile, second only to Cordelia’s, spread on
Princess Leica’s face.

“■■■■ ■■■■■■■ ■■■■■!”

“■■■■ ■■■!”

The voices of elves came from beyond the bushes.

“■■■■ ■■■■!”

They seemed to be the knights of the punitive force, given that Princess Leica was
relieved to hear their shouts as she also shouted loudly.

‘But what are they saying?’

The elf language was in his Memory Palace, but that didn’t mean he could
understand their language immediately.

‘It’s discomforting.’

He was a little nervous because he couldn’t understand what they were saying.

But it was at that moment.

“●●●● ●●●.”

The elves’ words began to change when Cordelia placed her hand on Jude’s shoulder
and whispered a spell.
“■■■■… ■■ safe, Your Highness.”

“But Your Highness, who are these people… eh? Humans?!”

“Don’t be afraid of them. They helped me. Moreover, they know about the Prime
royal family.”

Princess Leica spoke a bit overbearingly to the elven knights who appeared through
the bushes.

And Jude turned to Cordelia.

‘Wow, translation magic exists?’

‘Yes, it exists.’

Cordelia shrugged her shoulders as she puffed up with pride, and she continued with
her eyes.

‘It’s a spell the witch used to communicate with demons.’

‘Oh, I see.’

He then understood that it was a universal translation magic.

‘You’re quite talented, huh? As expected of a wizard.’

‘Hehehe, praise me more. No, compliment me.’

It was at the moment when the elated Cordelia raised her chin.

“Count August Bayer and Countess August Chase?”

At Princess Leica’s call, Cordelia quickly lowered her raised chin and became
embarrassed, while Jude calmly replied after suppressing his laughter that was
about to burst this time.

“Your Highness may call us Jude and Cordelia.”

“Yes, that would be better. Then, Jude and Cordelia, let us go to my place. Let’s talk
about the details there.”

“We shall obey your command.”

Jude had a small smile as he once again politely answered.

***

“Take a rest here.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The Forest of Eternity was not a place that was full of trees from the beginning to the
end.

On the contrary, it was not an exaggeration to say that the inside was actually an
open space except for the outer part.

‘Because there are meadows and lakes inside.’

The camp of the punitive force was also set up in the open space, but it was not that
big since elves only had a small population.

‘Are there only 20 people in the punitive force?’

One could say that it was too little for a punitive force led by a princess, but it was
acceptable if everyone was a knight.

[Why? Just because they have a small number doesn’t necessarily mean that they are
elite knights.]

[I mean, they’re elves. You understand what I mean?]

[Something like your next door neighbor is a Sword Master, your other next door
neighbor is an Archwizard, and the neighbor behind your house is a Bow Master?]

[Yes, something like that.]

Even an ordinary villager, who was not related to the royal family, was an elf who
could live for 500 years.
500 years.

For as long as 500 years.

The skill levels of elves were naturally incomparable to humans.

Even if they just swung an axe every day for a hundred years, they would inevitably
become masters after two hundred years, regardless of whether they had the talent
or not.

‘Those who say that elves are slow learners are just speaking nonsense.’

Sometimes, there were games and novels that introduced the setting ‘Elves are slow
learners because they have a long lifespan,’ but it was something ridiculous for Jude.

The elves were not a slow-witted race just because they could learn swordsmanship
in a hundred years that a human could learn in ten years.

Even if it took them several times as long when compared to a human, their level of
proficiency was still different from a human.

[Legolas was amazing too.] (Jude)

[The one from The Hobbit?] (Cordelia)

[No, the one in The Lord of the Rings.] (Jude)

[What? Did you watch The Lord of the Rings at the theater?] (Cordelia)

[Yes, when it was re-released. You haven’t watched it?] (Jude)

At the time of the movie’s first release in theaters, Jude was living in some remote
place, so he didn’t know about the existence of The Lord of the Rings. And even if he
was in South Korea then, he still wouldn’t be able to watch it because of the age limit.

[I didn’t watch it because it was too long.] (Cordelia)

[Then, why did you watch The Hobbit?] (Jude)

[Because the main character was very handsome. Ah. He starred as Watson too.]
(Cordelia)

[Do you like Sherlock?] (Jude)

[Yes, I like it.] (Cordelia)

Jude then recalled that Cordelia had once said that she watched Sherlock, so she
knew about the Memory Palace.

T/N: Let me explain to those who don’t know. The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) film series
was released first in theaters on 2001-2003. Despite LOTR being actually the sequel to
The Hobbit, The Hobbit was only released on 2012-2014. Which means that Jude was
still a minor in the years LOTR was first released.

And then, Martin Freeman, the actor of Bilbo Baggins who was the main character of
The Hobbit, also played the role of Dr. John Watson in the British TV series, Sherlock,
which aired on 2010-2017.

[You like British TV shows, huh?] (Jude)

[Yes. Anyway, they’re looking at us.] (Cordelia)

Jude came to his senses at Cordelia’s words, and he looked in front of him again.

Princess Leica stepped inside a large tent erected in the center of the camp together
with knights that seemed to be close to her, and a young female elf was looking at the
two with curious eyes.

“I am called Talanda. Ah, I have to speak in the human language. I am Talanda. Follow
me. I’ll show you where to rest. Besides Princess Leica, I’m the only one who knows
how to properly speak the human language. So if you have anything to say, find me.”

Although her pronunciation was a bit awkward, they had no problem understanding
it. Because they had translation magic in the first place.

Therefore, Jude responded appropriately and followed Talanda as they stepped

inside a small tent.

“You can rest here. I’ll be outside.”

Talanda went outside, so Jude and Cordelia looked around the inside of the tent.

All the furniture had a luxurious feel, which was to be expected of the elves.

‘They have a lot of time.’

So it was common to put a lot of effort in creating just one piece of furniture.

“Jude, shall we talk about Sherlock? What’s your favorite season? Mine is season 3.”

The slightly excited Cordelia was very cute, but Jude said as he held up a finger
between his lips.

“Shh, let’s listen to their talk outside.”

At Jude’s words, Cordelia blinked once before nodding. Because she could hear the
elves’ conversation with her ears that were much more sensitive than Jude.

“Humans? You said that they are humans?”

“Yes, it’s the first time you’ve seen one, right? I’ve never seen one either.”

“But aren’t humans ugly? They are good-looking.”

“He said that she was the most beautiful human.”

“I think I understand. My pig is really pretty. That’s why it’s cute.”

“What are you talking about? Anyway, I think that they will join the subjugation.”

“The humans? How old are they? 40 years old? 50? Aren’t they still babies?”

“Well… They said that humans get old quickly. Maybe they’re around 30 years old.”

“They’re like newborns then. So how will they be useful?”

“They’ll definitely be useful since they were brought here. And perhaps the legend is
true.”

“That only humans can defeat Jabberwock?”

“Yes, that one.”

The elf was right. The reason why the elves of the Forest of Eternity couldn’t defeat
Jabberwock for hundreds of years and only sealed him whenever it woke up was
because it was born with a curse that it could only be killed by a human.

Only a human could kill it.

In short, they could not kill it because they weren’t human.

“But is it all right if we’re this noisy?”

“It’s all right. My grandfather said that humans have poor hearing unlike us, so they
can’t hear us even if we’re just a bit far away from them.”

“What a pitiful race. They have a short lifespan, their hearing is poor, and they have
ugly faces.”

“Instead, they have a lot of children. They grow up quickly too.”

“It’s quantity over quality. Somehow, they resemble the orcs.”

“That’s right. So let’s be nice to them. They’re a pitiful race.”

“Okay.”

“What the f*ck are they saying?”

The last one was obviously Cordelia.

She spoke in a low voice so that only Jude could hear her, but when he looked at her
face, she seemed to be angry.

“What the f*ck is wrong with them? Just what the f*ck.”

As Cordelia let out F-words from her mouth, Jude realized one thing.

‘That’s right, Cordelia was a girl who liked to curse.’

A girl who liked to speak the F-word.

He had forgotten because he hardly heard her swearing these days, but it reminded
him of the past, and he found it nice to hear it after a long time.

‘Well, I’m not normal either.’

I also like to use the F-word.

But it was at that moment.

Cordelia noticed Jude’s gaze and flinched before she pressed and wiggled her pointer
fingers together and said.

“Uh… Jude.”

“Yes, Cordelia.”

“Do you hate… people who swear?”

Like those who constantly use the F-word.

At her timid question, Jude felt as if his heart was about to stop.

Because the Cordelia who was worried that he hated cursing was very cute.

‘Is it because of me that her swearing has been reduced these days?’

I thought that it was because her memory of the present life was stronger than the
previous life.

If it’s really because of me, isn’t she such a lovely creature?

“Jude?”

When Cordelia asked again as she wiggled her fingers, and Jude smiled before
answering her.

“No, it’s all right. F*ck is an exclamation, right?”

“Really?”
“Yes, really.”

Jude answered again and Cordelia said with a big smile as if she was on top of the
world.

“That’s right, that’s right. F*ck is an exclamation.”

“Yes, it’s an exclamation.”

“Yes, f*ck.”

“Yeah, f*ck.”

“Oh my, you f*cking b*stard.”

Jude and Cordelia got along well as they repeatedly exclaimed the F-word and
giggled, while Melissa inside Moonlight thought that the two weren’t normal.

And around 20 minutes later.

The door of the tent opened around the time Jude and Cordelia were having a heated
discussion about the ending of Sherlock’s season 4.

“Princess Leica is looking for you. Follow me.”

The two went outside following Talanda’s guidance, and they noticed a lot of people
staring at them.

It seemed the rumors about them had already spread to the entire camp.

‘There’s only 20 people after all.’

Jude and Cordelia reached Leica’s tent after receiving the attention of the knights,
and they underwent a light physical inspection before going inside.

“You’re here.”

Princess Leica was seated at the head of a long table in the middle of the tent, and
two elven knights stood on her left and right, but neither of them had a good look on
Jude and Cordelia.
‘I can’t tell their age.’

Because the elves basically age very slowly.

The male knight on the right looked like a human in his mid-30s, so he was highly
likely to be a veteran around 400 years old.

‘The left one is definitely young.’

A female knight who seemed to be in her early to mid-20s.

But in the case of elves, they all look to be in their early to mid-20s when they were
100-300 years old, so it was hard for Jude to guess her age.

‘So how old is Princess Leica?’

Given that she looked to be around in her late teens, she seemed to be less than a
hundred years old.

“We’ll be fighting together in the future, so you should introduce yourselves.”

At Princess Leica’s order, the male knight said with a rather uncomfortable face.

“I’m Midas Karlov, the princess’ advisor.”

Apparently, he did not like Jude and Cordelia appearing here.

‘It’s to be expected.’

Aside from the fact that they were from a different race, two people he had never
seen before had suddenly joined the punitive force.

However, the woman on the left said with a big smile as if she was enjoying the
situation.

“I’m Vanessa Pine, the princess’ attendant.”

“I am Count Jude August Bayer of the Salen Kingdom.”

“I am Countess Cordelia August Chase.”

Jude and Cordelia courteously greeted them, and the male knight, Midas, narrowed
his eyes even more, while the female knight, Vanessa, tried to pronounce their names
silently.

“Both of them have learned the human language as part of their education, though
they’re quite unskilled. But it’s still possible for them to understand it. So let’s
proceed with our conversation by speaking in the human language.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

There was no need for the two to tell the other side that they could understand elven
language.

‘If they think that we can’t understand their language, they’ll loosen their tongues.’

Although they held hands because of the necessity, the two still knew little about the
elves, so it was not wrong for the two to be careful of the other side for now.

“Since you already know about Jabberwock, I’ll get straight to the point. Let’s look at
the map first.”

The map unfolded on the table was so pointlessly detailed, though that was typical
for the elves.

The shapes and sizes of the trees were all different, so it felt like they were looking at
satellite pictures.

“Our current location is here. Jabberwock is located north of here.”

Princess Leica’s long and slender fingers crossed over the map.

But it was at that time.

Cordelia studied the map and suddenly widened her eyes in surprise before she
slightly raised her hand.

“Do you have any questions?”

“There’s… something I’m a bit curious about. Is this a lake?”

A small lake located not far from the ‘cursed land’ where Jabberwock was located.

Princess Leica nodded her head and said.

“Yes, that’s a lake. It’s known to be the home of Spring Fairies. But I’ve never seen
them before.”

It was too close to the cursed land, and the elves did not always interact with the
fairies.

But regardless of that fact, Jude and Cordelia’s eyes began to sparkle.

‘Spring Fairy?’

‘Spring Protection?’

The fairies of Pleiades were largely divided into eight types.

There were the seasonal fairies with the power of spring, summer, fall, and winter,
and the four elemental fairies with the power of earth, fire, wind, and water.

Among those fairies, Jude and Cordelia had interacted with the summer, fall, and
winter fairies, and the wild fairies who symbolized the earth.

But if the spring fairies who symbolized the spring was added, they would get the
Spring Protection.

‘The Great Protection of the Four Seasons.’

It was an S-rank Protection that could only be acquired by fully collecting the Spring,
Summer, Fall, and Winter Protections!

Smiles spread on the faces of Jude and Cordelia.

Princess Leica tilted her head in response to the sudden reaction of the two, but the
two did not stop smiling.

In fact, it wasn’t just the Great Protection of the Four Seasons.

‘Did you see it?’

‘Yes, I did.’

Before and after the forest’s destruction.

It was naturally different. Many things had changed. But the location and terrain did
not significantly change, such as the lakes and hills.

Therefore, Jude and Cordelia were able to easily compare the map in their minds
with the map in front of them, and they realized one more fact.

At the lake that was the residence of the spring fairies.

Another treasure that lied deep in it.

‘Hehe, hehehe.’

‘Hehehehehe.’

Jude and Cordelia looked at each other and exchanged dark smiles.
Around twenty minutes before Jude and Cordelia entered Princess Leica’s tent.

A storm-like nagging befell Leica Prime, the first in line to the throne.

“Where the hell have you been! You haven’t forgotten that you’re the current leader
of the punitive force, right? This isn’t a walk!”

Even among the elves in the Forest of Eternity, there were only three people who
could criticize the noble descendant of the high elf royal family – the crown princess,
to this point.

The first was King Grave Prime.

The second was Countess Pasier, the mother of the crown princess.

And the last one was Midas Karlov, who was here now.

Princess Leica flinched at his thunderbolt-like angry voice and hurriedly turned to
Vanessa, but Vanessa just stared at her as if she saw nothing and only focused on
casting the soundproofing magic.

‘Hey! Don’t do that! Please help me!’

‘Yes, Your Highness should be scolded a lot.’

Vanessa responded with a bright smile to Princess Leica’s plea for help, and she
completely closed her eyes. Princess Leica bit her lips at her childhood friend’s
betrayal and said when she looked back at Midas.

“I-I just went for a little air.”

“That would have been fine since you were riding on Lloyd, but why did you
suddenly get off?”
“I just wanted to walk a bit with my feet.”

“Then why didn’t you take Lloyd with you in your walk? Why did you go away from
Lloyd?”

“I just wanted to have some time alone.”

“Are you calling that an excuse? Aren’t you the one leading the punitive forces? Why
did you have to leave Lloyd standing and then go beyond the bushes?”

“I was just a little curious about something beyond the bushes.”

“Then why did you put Mistilteinn down in the bushes?”

“I just wanted to free my hands for a moment.”

“Your Royal Highness! Do you think this is funny! This isn’t the time for childish
jokes!”

“AAAAAGH! I left to pee! I was peeing! Can’t the crown princess even pee! Huh?! I left
to get some air and suddenly had the urge to pee!”

Princess Leica jumped from her seat and yelled at his face, and Midas was startled
for a moment before he blushed.

And it was the same for Princess Leica.

No, if Midas’ face turned pink, then Princess Leica’s face turned red.

“Ahem, ahem. Ahem, ahem, ahem. You could have just… hinted it a bit.”

“I did! I hinted it to you several times!”

Why else would I get off the horse and then deliberately go over the bush and drop my
weapon?!

“Was it a big one?”

“Hey!”
Vanessa quickly shut her mouth when Princess Leica angrily yelled at her, and Midas
struggled to regain his composure.

“Haa… Haa… Seriously.”

This is why we need to use soundproofing magic.

Princess Leica panted for a while before she sat down and continued.

“Anyway, I’m letting the humans participate in this subjugation.”

She had suffered embarrassment, but because of that situation, she made a
breakthrough.

Princess Leica was about to talk again, but Midas raised his voice.

“Then, Your Highness, what about those humans? Why are there humans in the
Forest of Eternity!”

“I’m also curious about that.”

When Vanessa cut in, Princess Leica’s eyes narrowed at her before she furrowed his
brows and began her explanation.

And after some time.

Midas said with a frown.

“So you’re saying that these humans are both counts of the Salen Kingdom, they’re
members of the Guardians of the Holy Cross, one’s a successor to the sword of
Valencia, the Elf Sword, and they know the secret on how to enter and exit the
forest?”

“You’re good at summarizing.”

“It’s all just words!”

He was right.

All of it was just Jude’s words, and there was no evidence that what Jude had said
were true.

“No, almost everything that he said are true.”

“Do they have any evidence?”

Princess Leica nodded at Vanessa’s question.

“I think it’s true that he inherited Valencia’s swordsmanship. Because I actually saw
them fighting.”

“You knew when you saw?”

“Yes, I knew. Because Valencia is a swordless swordswoman. There aren’t any people
who fight like that. Moreover, he was too strong for his age.”

A man who used martial art skills as if they were swordsmanship.

She only saw a few moves, but she was convinced.

“Ahem.”

Midas had spoken rudely because of his temper, but he knew better than anyone else
about Princess Leica’s abilities.

From the moment she was born until up to now, he was the one who taught her all
kinds of things.

“What about the others?”

“I think it’s true that they know the sign to go in and out of the Forest of Eternity.
And I believe that they really are nobles. They’re too pretty and handsome for
humans, right? They’re also familiar with etiquette.”

“Hmm.”

It wasn’t a good enough reason to prove their story, but it was believable.

The humans Midas had met in his life were filthy and ugly enough that they were no
different from orcs.
“What about the Guardians of the Holy Cross?”

“That… well, I think it’s true? There’s no reason for them to lie. I think they know
great uncle Eltharion.”

Princess Leica mumbled in a slightly less confident manner and glanced at Midas.

‘Oh, you’re not mad this time?’

I thought that you’d be angry and say that I don’t have enough evidence.

“Your Royal Highness.”

“Eh? Yes. What is it?”

“Did you try to use your identification?”

“Of course, I did. There was no hostility.”

It was the first time in her life that she had met strange humans, so she talked to
them about this and that, but it was also to buy time for her to identify them.

“Because it was blue.”

A color that signified goodwill and the lack of hostility.

Princess Leica was able to identify those who were hostile to her through color.

Red for animosity, yellow for hostility, green for indifference, blue for goodwill, and
pink for utmost goodwill.

It would naturally be inconvenient if the world always looked like that, so she usually
sealed that ability of hers, but it took some time to reactivate it.

“Haa… We still need to investigate. And… do they have the skills to join the punitive
force? They look very young.”

Princess Leica slightly frowned and replied when Midas pointed it out.

“They seemed to be skilled. Because they defeated seven Shades in an instant.”

“Wait, you were attacked by the Shades?!”

“Oh, that’s because the cursed land was near.”

“Your Royal Highness! Are you saying that your life was in danger then!”

“Yes, that’s right. So they’re the people who saved my life. I can’t treat my benefactors
badly, right?”

Princess Leica slyly replied and spoke again.

“Moving on, I’m certain of their skills. And if necessary, we can leave it to them to
finish it.”

“Do you think the legend is true?”

The legend that only humans could destroy Jabberwock.

“Maybe it’s true? We’ve never been able to completely kill it. Whenever we kill it, it
will resurrect after a while.”

In fact, this wasn’t the first time they killed Jabberwock.

It was like a regular event that was held every few decades at the shortest, and
hundreds of years at the longest.

“Anyway… I think they’re about 40 years old?”

“Humans get old quickly, Your Highness. If they’re 40 years old, they can’t look like
that.”

“Is that so? Then how old do you think they are?”

“Aren’t they around thirty?”

“Hmm, that seems to be true.”

For Princess Leica and Vanessa, they had only known humans from storybooks.

So it was almost impossible for them to correctly guess the age of the two.
“Anyway, you’re saying that we should let them join the punitive force.”

“Yes, we can investigate them after that, right?”

Their story was quite sketchy, but it was not like it didn’t make any sense.

They were already quite close to the cursed land, and Princess Leica identified the
two as having no hostility, so the elves could believe the two for now.

“Haa… Only for this time.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t act like a child who picked up a puppy on a rainy day. They’re
humans.”

“…So you’re aware of your own actions.”

Midas had a gloomy face as he muttered and sighed before speaking again.

“Moving on, let’s talk to them. I don’t like them but… they’re also the benefactors of
Your Royal Highness, so an appropriate reward should be given.”

“Oh, that’s fair enough. As expected of my teacher.”

“Haa…”

Why did I accept Countess Pasier’s request at that time?

Midas regretted that day several decades ago before he glanced at Vanessa.

“Vanessa, release the soundproofing magic.”

“Yes, Master.”

When Vanessa released the soundproofing magic, Princess Leica straightened her
posture, and Midas raised his voice so that it could be heard outside the tent.

“Summon the humans!”

***
Having actively defended them against Midas, Princess Leica looked at Jude and
Cordelia with a favorable gaze.

That was until now though.

‘What is this? Why are they smiling so much?’

What happened?

It looks quite pretty, but it somehow looks evil too?

The word ‘dark’ seems to be a perfect description of their smiles.

‘Is it because of the lake?’

A lake where spring fairies lived.

But it was only a story that was passed down from her ancestors.

‘After all, I took a bath there when I was young and nothing happened.’

I was just scolded for going out to play near the cursed land.

Princess Leica recalled her childhood before she looked in front of her again and
said.

“Jude and Cordelia. Let’s go back to our discussion. We’re going to fight Jabberwock
tomorrow morning. As both of you have seen, the Shades have already appeared. So
we don’t have any more time to lose.”

During the times when Jabberwock was about to revive, the shadow monsters called
Shades would appear near the cursed land.

Since the monsters already went around in groups, Jabberwock would be completely
revived by tomorrow at the latest, or perhaps by the day after tomorrow.

“When it has just revived, it would still be out of its mind, so we need to finish it by
then. I’d like to entrust to the two of you the task of killing it.”

Her explanation was a bit lacking, perhaps because Jude had already said that they
knew about Jabberwock, so the two nodded her heads.

“We understand.”

The battle is tomorrow.

It’s currently afternoon.

Then, shouldn’t we go to the lake after sunset?

It was the moment when Jude and Cordelia thought of the same thing and had dark
smiles again.

———————–!

A bizarre and indescribable scream shook the tent. Jude and Cordelia had only heard
of it for the first time in their lives, but their intuition felt it.

‘Jabberwock!’

They weren’t wrong.

Having participated in the subjugation of Jabberwock in the past, Midas hurriedly

turned to Princess Leica and said.

“It’s waking up. I think it’s going to wake up earlier than expected this time.”

“Let’s hurry! We have to attack it right now!”

Jabberwock was the weakest right after its resurrection.

They had to quickly get there as fast as they could.

“It has woken up a total of 13 times. If we leave right now, we can be on time!”

Midas hurriedly finished the explanation and ran out of the tent while Princess Leica
and Vanessa also did the same.

“Jude! Cordelia! Follow us!”

As Princess Leica carried a huge white bow and went out of the tent, knights who
were ready to leave greeted her sight.

“Vanessa! Give your horse to the two. You’ll go with me!”

“Yes! Your Highness!”

Vanessa handed over an Elven Steed that had longer and leaner legs than human
horses, and she climbed onto the unicorn with Princess Leica. And at that moment,
the second waking-up scream was heard.
One-turn kill – a gaming term common in turn-based games wherein a player kills
the enemy within just one turn.

—————–aaaaah!

The sound became a little clearer.

Princess Leica looked at the front and shouted.

“Let’s go!”

As her unicorn began running, the other Elven Steeds also began to run.

Their legs were lean, but it was surprisingly powerful as they were able to become as
fast as the wind in an instant.

————–aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

The sounds of the rough wind and Jabberwock’s screams could be heard together.

In the midst of the hectic run, Cordelia tightly hugged Jude’s waist while Jude drove
the Elven Steed to the side of Princess Leica.

“Your Highness!”

Princess Leica turned her head at Jude’s call, and Jude sent her a <Message> magic
instead of talking with his voice.

[I know the weakness of Jabberwock!]

“Weakness?!”
[That’s right! Jabberwock is not a monster without a fixed shape! There is a way to
fix it into a single shape!]

Myriad Shapeshifter Jabberwock.

For the elves of the Forest of Eternity, Jabberwock was a monster with an unfixed
shape as it could change its shape at any moment.

But the truth was different.

Because it wasn’t just a monster with an indefinite form that continuously

shapeshifted.

[It’s a monster that grows by feeding on fear! Therefore, if everyone thinks of the
same thing, if what the existence everyone imagines that they are afraid of is the
same, we can fix it to that shape!]

At his unexpected words, Princess Leica blinked her eyes.

Because it was information that was not found in the royal family’s subjugation
records of Jabberwock.

“Is if from the Guardians’ record?!”

“Yes!”

To be exact, it was a strategy guide posted in the ‘Legend of Heroes Wiki.’

Adelaide Hastings, one of the playable characters in the empire.

She was the most beautiful woman in the world as dubbed by the game’s production
staff, though Jude obviously refused to admit that now, but she was a character with
an imagination as unique as her beauty.

‘In the game, the best strategy to attack it was to use Adelaide.’

When other characters faced Jabberwock, it would change its race, sex, and
attributes at any moment, but not for Adelaide.

‘Because of her imagination.’

And as a result, Jabberwock turned into a very harmless and cute animal.

‘A continuous one-turn kill.’

Before Jabberwock changed its shape again, she would kill it by using her strongest
lethal move.

It was a method in the game that only Adelaide could use because of the forced story
progression, but it was a reality now.

He knew how to do it, so there was no reason not to use it.

“It’s all right! Trust me!”

It wouldn’t hurt to try it.

Princess Leica loudly shouted and conveyed Jude’s words to the other knights, and
whether it was because of the emergency or her outstanding leadership, all of the
knights received her order without any objection.

—–aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Its waking-up screams were heard again.

It was already the ninth waking-up scream.

“The Shades are coming!”

“We’re almost there!”

Dead trees that were drained of their life came into everyone’s sight. The Shades
protruded their heads from the blackened ground, and the cries of Jabberwock
continued to be heard from afar.

—aaaaaaaaaaaaah!

[It’s getting shorter!]

Cordelia sent a <Message> magic to Jude as she hugged his waist even tighter, and
the knights began to rush as their steeds trampled the Shades and continued to run.
–aaaaaaaaaak!

Die-die-die-I’m-scared-I-don’t-want-to-die-save-me-monster-I’ll-kill-you-
aaaaaaaaaaah!

The mixed voices of men, women, children, and the elderly were simultaneously
heard in random.

And in response, the Shades let out spooky and eerie cries. They then suddenly
heard the last waking-up scream.

I-hate-you-I-hate-you-I’ll-kill-you-don’t-look-back-I’ll-chase-you-you’ll-die-here-
yaaaaaaaaaaah!!!

Its screams made their hair stand on end.

The sky quickly turned dark, and the black Shades with burning green eyes
appeared.

And what they saw in front of them.

As the ground greatly shook, something purple and almost black inflated its body
and roared.

I’ll-strangle-you-I’ll-kill-you-I’ll-tear-you-up-and-take-out-your-gut-before-you-die-
I’ll-kill-you-yaaaaaaaah!

The Myriad Shapeshifter Jabberwock.

Everyone was overwhelmed by its presence in that moment.

And Princess Leica had a gut feeling that there was something wrong with it.

Even Midas who had participated in the subjugation of Jabberwock in the past
immediately noticed the difference.

It’s stronger.

It’s been reborn as a far more powerful creature than what was left on the records.
Why?

For what reason?

“Imagine!”

In that instant, Cordelia spread out her angelic light and shouted in the elven
language.

When she shouted with the power of an angel, even the elves who fell into a panic
came to their senses at once.

Imagine.

Imagine what?

“Imagine!”

Princess Leica ordered them too.

The knights desperately thought of the most harmless and weakest beings in the
world they could imagine.

Fluffy.

Round and small.

Cute, adorable, and lovely!

Jude-I-like-you-whimper-whimper-whimper-meow-meow-woof-woof-woof-hehehe-
hehehe-I-love-you-f*ck!

At that moment, Jabberwock shrank as it let out strange sounds. Cordelia’s eyes
widened when she saw it turn into something pink for an instant, and she slapped
Jude on the back before shouting again.

T/N: If you still haven’t figured it out, Jude was thinking of Cordelia. And Cordelia
realized it when it turned into something ‘pink’ (her hair color), so she slapped Jude on
the back, hahaha.
“Same thing! Think of the same thing!”

She then used <Message> magic to spread the image in her mind to the elven
knights.

“Imagine!”

What Cordelia imagined in her mind.

What Cordelia thought of as harmless, cute, and pretty.

At that moment, Jabberwock turned into something small, round, and green.

Princess Leica and the elves didn’t know what it was, but Jude knew.

‘Slime!’

To be exact, a baby slime that was common in online games!

A monster that Cordelia knew because she had a keychain of it in the past!

But it was right after that.

Die-die-I’ll-eat-you-I’ll-melt-your-stomach-I’ll-melt-you-and-kill-you-and-your-
house-will-be-my-stomach!

In an instant, the stomach of the swelling slime split, and a huge mouth appeared.

And Jude realized.

It was impossible in the first place.

Jabberwock was a monster that fed on fear.

It was impossible to completely escape from fear like how Adelaide did. Because
ordinary people could not imagine Jabberwock as a harmless existence.

Monster.

In the end, whatever they imagined would transform into a monster based on it.
“Black Dragon’s Ascent!”

Jude shouted out loud as he jumped from the Elven Steed. He opened the sixth door
and released the energy of the black dragon in succession towards Jabberwock who
was trying to attack their group. The elven knights had begun fighting the Shades,
and Jude yelled without looking back.

“Cordelia! Plan B!”

The second strategy they had prepared in case Adelaide’s strategy did not work.

Die-die-I’ll-kill-you-I’ll-kill-you-I’ll-live-I-want-to-eat-you-I’m-hungry-I’m-hungry-
I’m-hungry-aaaaaaah!

Jabberwock turned into a giant wolf. It rushed towards them and became a lion, but
Jude did not look back.

If he couldn’t think of a harmless being anyway, he tried to think of a humanoid

knight in order to make it easier to fight. Jude then used his Hyper-Fast Thunderbolt.

“Cordelia!”

The full-scale battle began. Midas joined in to help Jude, and the battle between the
Shades and the elven knights intensified. Vanessa also cast recovery magic to help
the knights.

And it was at that moment.

At the time when Princess Leica was about to fire an arrow with Mistilteinn, a fine
bow that was a treasure of the royal family.

“<Paralyze>, <Silence>, <Strength>, and <Haste!>”

The first two spells were for Princess Leica, and the other two were for herself.

Cordelia did a surprise attack from behind as she neutralized Princess Leica and
hugged the princess’ waist before she soared. She spread out her wings and flew up.

“Y-your Highness?!”
Vanessa belatedly cried out, but it was already too late.

Princess Leica was paralyzed as her body drooped and became unable to move.
Midas was shocked but couldn’t chase after Cordelia because Jabberwock had turned
into a giant hedgehog in front of him and fired hundreds of thorns in all directions.

“Human! What the hell is going on!”

Midas used his swordsmanship to block the thorns and then shouted behind Jude. At
Midas’ murderous aura, Jude’s hair stood on end but instead of looking back, he
defended himself and the elven knights by releasing the energy of the black dragon.

And then he shouted.

“They’ll be back!”

Plan B. They’ll be back when the preparations for our second strategy is finished.

Jude controlled his breathing.

As he had expected, Jabberwock had not turned into a calamity yet, but there were
some similarities from the time it was a calamity in the game to the present reality
now.

It had a tremendous vitality and regenerative power. Every time it shapeshifted, it

instantly healed its wounds so they couldn’t defeat it with just normal attacks.

“You have to continuously attack and wear it out!”

Midas shouted since it was how the elves dealt with Jabberwock in the past.
However, that did not work this time.

It was much stronger than what was written in the royal family’s records.

And Jude could roughly guess the reason.

He didn’t know on who was behind it, but he was convinced that Jabberwock was
heavily involved in the destruction of the Forest of Eternity.

‘Cordelia.’
I need to buy time.

Until Cordelia fulfills the conditions. Until she finishes the preparations for the second
strategy.

Jude thought of the Lord Protector. He made Jabberwock look humanoid for a while
and then pushed it back.

And at that moment.

At the time when Jude’s ‘sword’ split Jabberwock’s body.

Cordelia landed on the ground.

She threw Princess Leica into the lake known as the residence of the spring fairies.

***

Princess Leica was in a daze.

The moment she tried to shoot with Mistilteinn, she was suddenly paralyzed.

She couldn’t hear her voice even when she opened her mouth, and when she realized
that her waist was grabbed, she was already in the air.

‘Mom was right!’

She said that all humans are scammers!

But what’s going on? Didn’t my identification ability clearly identified that they were
good kids?

However, she didn’t have the time to answer her own questions.

Because she fell into the water at some point.

“Mmmph! Mmph! Mmph!”

The water was only waist deep, but Princess Leica struggled because her head was
facing the bottom of the lake.
And her whole body was paralyzed!

‘What is this! Are you an assassin? Are you from Kelthur’s side? Does my younger
brother want me dead?’

It was at that moment. She felt something pull the back of her neck and her head was
suddenly out of the water.

“Puhaa!”

Princess Leica who was having difficulty breathing then gasped, and Cordelia
removed the <Silence> magic from the princess’ mouth before she began to busily
move her hands.

“You! What are you doing! W-what are you doing?!”

There was a mixture of anger and embarrassment in Princess Leica’s words. Because
Cordelia suddenly began to take off Leica’s armor as well as her clothes.

“Take it off!”

“W-why all of a sudden!”

“Because the princess is the prettiest in the punitive force!”

“Eh?”

What are you talking about? Well, it is true though.

But it was at that moment.

After Cordelia almost stripped Princess Leica naked, Cordelia took off her own
clothes this time and soaked her body into the water in her underwear.

What’s going on?

Why are you suddenly doing this?

“D-don’t tell me.”

Are you trying to call out the spring fairies now?

That’s impossible.

There’s a story about how a beautiful girl or boy took a bath and the fairies came out
to play, but that’s just a story.

‘Because I’ve already done it!’

She still had vivid memories of being scolded by Midas because she caught a cold
after taking a bath at night with Vanessa as they tried to call out the fairies.

But Cordelia sat down and pulled the hand of Princess Leica who was about to
drown in the water before she began to sing.

“Twinkle, twinkle little star~ Shining beautifully~ ”

A human girl had suddenly taken off her clothes, soaked herself into the lake, and
began to sing.

It could only be described as the act of a woman who had gone crazy, but Princess
Leica held her breath at that time.

Because the girl in front of her was very beautiful.

“A-angel?”

Now that she took a closer look at Cordelia, she saw the latter’s angel wings. There
was also an angel’s halo above Cordelia’s head.

Cordelia continued to sing, and Princess Leica began pretending to bathe while still
in a daze.

And right after that.

By the time Cordelia sang the entire song of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

“Wow! She’s so pre-”

That was it.

Something happened before the usually chattering spring fairy who had appeared
could even speak.

Cordelia grabbed the spring fairy with her right hand like a hawk that caught its
prey, and at the time when Princess Leica was shocked and felt a sense of betrayal at
the spring fairy’s appearance, Cordelia opened her mouth.

“Let’s go! To your Queen!”

“T-to the Queen?”

“Let’s play at night together!”

“I-it’s daytime now though?!”

Her answer was logical and unlike that of a fairy, but Cordelia didn’t care.

She used her telekinetic power to capture all the other spring fairies before shouting
again.

“Let’s goooo!”

To meet your queen.

To get the Spring Protection!

To get the Great Protection of the Four Seasons.

And to get the other treasure that Jude needs to attack Jabberwock.

She had roughly coerced them, but she couldn’t help it. Even at this very moment,
Jude was fighting Jabberwock.

“L-let’s go!”

The spring fairies cried out in tears, and at that instant, Cordelia and Princess Leica
leapt across the space.
Bugbear – a legendary creature or type of hobgoblin comparable to the boogeyman
and folklore creatures that were historically used in some cultures to frighten
disobedient children.

The life of Penelope, the Spring Fairy Queen, was very peaceful.

Born as the only daughter of the former queen, she ascended to the throne smoothly,
and with the help of Fairy Knight Venelotte whom she admired, she managed the
small and big affairs of the fairy realm without any problems.

“Your Majesty! The honey from red tulips are the most delicious.”

“No, Your Majesty. The honey from yellow tulips are the most delicious.”

“That’s ridiculous. Aren’t you an idiot for knowing nothing about honey?”

“W-what?! I’m an idiot? How can you say such a harsh thing? And I know nothing
about honey? Honey from yellow tulips are the best!”

“No, it’s not. Honey from red tulips are the best!”

“No, no. Honey from yellow tulips are the best. You know nothing about honey.”

The Fairy Queen briefly recalled the ‘honey debate’ in the early days of her
enthronement.

Among the numerous events that happened since the establishment of a realm for
spring fairies in the Lake of Eternity, it was one of the most intense and difficult to
resolve cases that drew the attention of all the fairies in the realm.

But what had happened before her eyes now was incomparable to that.
To the point that she missed the honey debate.

“Your Majesty, please come out! Your Majesty, please come out!”

“I-I’ll be there! I’m Spring Fairy Queen Penelope!”

As soon as she received the report of the Fairy Knight, the Fairy Queen hurriedly
flew and shouted.

It was as the Fairy Knight reported.

‘So pretty!’

Her hair was so soft and shiny. Her skin was smooth, but her body was also pretty. In
addition, her face was the best.

She had jewel-like eyes, moist lips, and soft cheeks!

‘N-no. I shouldn’t be focusing on that.’

That wasn’t what mattered now.

The problem was that an incredibly pretty human girl whom the Fairy Queen herself
had seen for the first time in her life was now holding in her hand one of the citizens
of her realm.

“Your Majesty, help me!”

“Help!”

The fairy trapped in the pink-haired girl’s hand cried out, and the fairies around
them also raised their voices.

‘But why are they smiling?’

It feels like they’re enjoying the situation though?

Besides, they haven’t been caught. They’re not trapped either.

Except for the fairy held by the girl’s hands, the others were just flying by the side
and crying out.

And it was the truth.

In fact, the fairies were enjoying the situation.

It was an exciting situation that they had experienced for the first time in their lives.

“A-anyway!”

In any case, Penelope was the queen of the spring fairies. So she needed to settle the
current situation.

“Who in the world are you! Why are you doing this? And how do you treat your hair?
Were you born with such hair?”

The fairies who were watching were also interested in the hair of the girl – Cordelia,
and Princess Leica who was watching form the side had a strange expression
because she couldn’t understand the current situation.

‘W-what’s with this flow?’

Aren’t we holding a fairy hostage now?

But unlike Princess Leica, Cordelia had already mastered fairy psychology.

She clarified her purpose without being swayed by the words that the fairies blurted
out.

“Fairy Queen! And the fairies around me! Check this out!”

Cordelia loudly announced and pulled out a box she had prepared in advance from
the space expansion bag in her waist.

“Look!”

“What’s that?”

“What is it?”
“Is it something edible? I like honey.”

The fairies had already become spectators and spoke one after another, and Cordelia
opened the box while Princess Leica felt dizzy.

“This is chocolate!”

“Chocolate?”

“Is it edible?”

The Fairy Queen didn’t ask any questions, but it seemed like she was curious because
her eyes were sparkling.

Therefore, Cordelia didn’t hesitate to proceed with her act.

“Now, come and have a bite.”

“Yes!”

When Cordelia gave a piece of chocolate to the fairy she was holding in her hand, the
nearby fairies stomped their feet and became envious.

“You always eat the good things yourself!”

“So mean!”

And the fairy caught by Cordelia, who became the center of attention in her 17 years
of fairy life, took a bite of the chocolate piece.

And one second.

Two seconds.

When all the fairies swallowed hard as their palms sweated from the tension.

“Delicious!”

The fairy shouted with wide eyes, and the surrounding fairies grew even more
restless.
“I want one too! I want one!”

“I want to eat it too!”

It wasn’t just the spectators. Even the fairy who had a bit also fretted and said.

“P-please give me one more bite! One more! Okay? Please!”

She had a desperate look, but Cordelia firmly shook her head.

“No, I won’t. I’ll eat it all myself.”

“What?”

It was necessary to lower one’s mental age when dealing with fairies. Cordelia
opened the box wide, and the fairies felt dizzy from happiness at the box filled with
chocolate.

That was exactly what Cordelia wanted.

“Fairy Queen! If you don’t meet my requirements, I’ll eat all of these chocolates! All
by myself! I’m not giving you a single one!”

“W-what?!”

The Fairy Queen shouted in surprise, and Cordelia really took out a handful of
chocolate and poured it in in her mouth.

Munch, munch.

It was a bite that seemed to be enough for seven fairies to eat!

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!”

“How mean! That’s cruel! Demon!”

“How could you do that?!”

“Your Majesty! Please do something!”

Each of the fairies screamed and became restless, and in fact, the Fairy Queen was
the same as them.

“W-wait! What are your requirements! Tell me what you want!”

“This one is delicious! I’ll eat it all by myself!”

“PLEEEASE! Please tell me your requirements! Please!”

When all the fairies headed by the Fairy Queen began to plead to her, Cordelia smiled
triumphantly while Princess Leica felt dizzy as she watched them.

Because she couldn’t really believe the sight that was happening in front of her.

“Okay, so you’re going to do what I tell you, right?”

“Yes, I’ll do it!”

“Then give me the Spring Protection!”

“I-I’ll give it to you!”

The Fairy Queen quickly approached Cordelia and gave her the Spring Protection,
but that wasn’t enough.

Cordelia raised two of her fingers and shouted.

“For 2 people! Put one here!”

What Cordelia offered was the Fairy’s Bonds.

The Fairy Queen exclaimed in surprise when she realized that there were already
other fairies’ protections in it.

“D-don’t tell me that the other fairies too?”

“Yes, everyone enjoyed eating the delicious chocolate. Much earlier than you!”

“Eueue. I-I shall give it. So that we can have chocolate too!”
The Fairy Queen spoke politely before she knew it, and she quickly cast the Spring
Protection on the Fairy’s Bonds.

“Is this enough?”

“Oh, yes. Here you go.”

Cordelia gently handed over the box of chocolates, and the Fairy Queen and her
fairies rejoiced with sparkling eyes.

“Your Majesty, please eat it first.”

“Yes, because you are still the queen.”

“Huhu, thank you, everyone.”

Having felt the love of her citizens, the Fairy Queen took a bite of the chocolate and
experienced a heavenly taste that she felt for the first time in her life.

But it was not yet over.

Cordelia waited for the Fairy Queen and the other fairies to taste the chocolate
before taking out a second box.

“Look here! I have a box again!”

“Is it chocolate again?”

The fairies began to look at Cordelia with anticipation, and Cordelia purposely
opened the lid of the box slowly.

It was chocolate again this time.

But it was a completely different kind from the previous one.

“Everyone, look closely.”

Cordelia took out a piece of chocolate, and instead of taking a bite, she split it exactly
in half to reveal the cross section.
“What do you think is in this?”

The cross section of the chocolate.

There was some white liquid in between the soft brown chocolate.

Cordelia deliberately let it slowly flow down her mouth while everyone was
watching and then licked it with her tongue.

She then said with a deadly smile.

“It’s called cream. It’s soft, sweet, sticky, and smooth.”

It was actually close to a syrup and not just cream, but Cordelia didn’t know much
about that.

What mattered now wasn’t the exact name of that white filling.

“From now on, I will drop this to the ground.”

“W-what?!”

“I won’t eat it. I’ll just drop it all on the ground and trample it. I’ll make sure no one
can eat it!”

“NOOOOOOOOOO!”

“That’s cruel! Demon!”

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please do something! Please!”

The fairies began to cry, and the Fairy Queen who was already crying with them,
shouted at Cordelia.

“Why are you doing this! I already gave you the Spring Protection!”

The Fairy Queen screamed as if she was a parent whose child was taken away, but
Cordelia had a rather cold smile.

“The Spring Protection is not enough.”

“T-then? What can I give you? What is it? I’ll give you anything!”

“Really? Anything? Can you promise that?”

As Cordelia stepped forward, the Fairy Queen flinched for a moment, but she soon
nodded her head.

Because Cordelia tilted the box as if she was going to spill its contents.

“Anything!”

“Deal!”

Contract established.

An answer that would never have been possible if she had simply given them a box
of chocolates.

Jude would have been so proud if he had seen this scene.

Cordelia remembered Jude’s face for a moment before she saw the restless Fairy
Queen lightly trembling.

She approached the Fairy Queen with a dark smile.

***

I-want-to-kill-the-princess-I-want-to-go-outside-there’s-not-enough-blood-there’s-
not-enough-blood-I-want-to-eat-you!

The screams of Jabberwock weren’t just cries.

It was a kind of magic that affects the mind.

The elves who fought the Shades complained of pain every time Jabberwock cried.
Their hands and feet trembled, and they were unable to properly use their skills
every time.

“Don’t overdo it! Get back to your formations! Fight with your colleagues!”
Half of the elves in the punitive force were still young, so they were now
experiencing a real battle, but not for the other half.

The other half were master swordsmen who had trained for more than two hundred
years.

But none of them performed like usual. Rather than breaking into the enemy’s
formation and showing off their sword skills, they were in a hurry to protect their
lives.

“Master!”

“Maintain your positions! We’ll hold out until the princess returns!”

Midas said to Vanessa before he looked straight ahead again.

He thought as he stared at the back of the human fighting Jabberwock alone.

‘It’s impossible.’

The situation was very different from their last subjugation.

The number of Shades had multiplied by several times, and Jabberwock’s mental
attacks were incomparable to before.

Why did this happen?

No, can we even overcome this situation?

Now that I myself cannot fight properly because of that monster’s screams?

“Black Dragon Cross Strike!”

A huge black cross pushed away Jabberwock. The monster who had been
transformed into a giant bat then screamed in pain, but it changed its shape at that
moment again. After it healed all its injuries, it screamed again.

“Ugh.”

Midas groaned as he looked around. The knights were somehow enduring the pain
and blocking the Shades in front of them, but if it continued like this, the only thing
left for them was annihilation.

“Sky Shattering Black Dragon! Link!”

At that moment, the black energy burst again and struck the Shades that were
pressuring the elves.

And lightning struck one after another. Jude was instantly behind Jabberwock, and
he tore its body with his sharp ‘sword.’

I-hate-you-I-hate-you-it-hurts-I’ll-kill-Cordelia-I’ll-kill-her-and-tear-her-up-I’ll-kill-
you-aaaaah!

The split body of Jabberwock quickly became one again.

It became a giant ghoul this time and then swung its poisoned nails towards Jude.

Jude calmly faced such a ghoul.

After dodging its attack by just a finger’s breadth, he narrowed the distance with just
a few moves. He used the Power of the Sun in its abdomen and smashed the
monster’s guts.

Keuaaaaaaaaaah!

Jabberwock screamed in pain and stepped back. But it changed its shape into a
Bugbear and let out screams filled with hate instead of pain.

Midas let out his breath.

Then he looked at Jude again and felt both bewilderment and astonishment.

Aside from Jabberwock that has suddenly become stronger, what is that human?

He has continued to push that monster one-sidedly. And it’s even more surprising that
he isn’t yet tired.

His movements are incredibly fast even among us elves. Is it really possible to move like
that while not taking a single breath?
And one more thing.

That human in front of me, Jude, isn’t shaken by that monster’s mental attacks. No, it
doesn’t seem like he’s affected at all.

Is it not effective against humans? Is that why they say that only humans can defeat
Jabberwock?

He didn’t know.

But Midas was sure that the human in front of him now was their only hope.

“WOOOOOOOAH!”

Jude suddenly roared.

He pushed Jabberwock with more power and speed than before.

Why is he suddenly doing that?

And Midas realized why.

Vanessa shouted.

“Princess!”

The sky turned black after Jabberwock’s appearance, but beyond that, a creature
with white wings was approaching at a high speed.

An angel with pink hair.

And Princess Leica who was in her arms.

Die-die-die-die-die-just-die-aaaaaaaah!

Jabberwock turned into a Mountain Giant and struck Jude with its huge fist.

The attack tremendously shook the ground, but it was useless as it did not hit Jude.
Using the Hyper-Fast Thunderbolt, Jude went back to his original starting position at
once and sensed Cordelia. Instead of looking back, he stared straight ahead and
shouted.

“Cordelia!”

“Get out of the way!”

Cordelia yelled at Jabberwock she threw Princess Leica towards Vanessa. When the
elves and Princess Leica screamed, she revealed her angelic wings and rushed
towards Jabberwock like a falcon catching its prey.

F*ck-you-b*stard-die-you-piece-of-sh*t-Jude-is-mine-he’s-mine-I’ll-grab-him-and-
eat-him-aaaaaaah!

“F*ck you! F*cking b*stard!”

The sky shook as Jabberwock and Cordelia exchanged swear words. Dozens of
lightning bolts poured from the sky and aimed at Cordelia, but instead of panicking,
Cordelia unleashed the magic that she had prepared.

“Shield!”

Babababababababang!

The black lightning continued to strike Cordelia’s translucent shield. Jabberwock

turned into a Thunder Giant and put lightning into its fist as it tried to hit Cordelia.

“Out of the way!”

Jude yelled. With a sharp roundhouse kick, he cut the left leg of Jabberwock and
knocked it down before he flew towards Cordelia. He carried her by the waist at once
and arranged their positions.

“Jude! This!”

Cordelia put on Jude’s arm the Fairy’s Bonds that was in the form of a bracelet.

And at that moment, the power from the bracelet spread throughout Jude’s body.

‘The Great Protection of the Four Seasons!’

Spring, summer, fall, and winter.

The power of the four seasons protected Jude.

The power of spring healed Jude, the power of summer infused a new power, the
power of fall strengthened his energy, and the power of winter made Jude’s mind
clearer.

But the Great Protection of the Four Seasons weren’t only that much.

Die!-Die!-Die!-Die!-Just-die-aaaaaaaaaah!

Jabberwock became a black and gigantic slime again before opening its mouth wide.
Jude and Cordelia looked straight at the monster trying to swallow them. Cordelia
then cried out.

“Your Highness!”

What Cordelia told Leica on their way here.

Cordelia believed in Princess Leica. So she imagined as she leaned her body while on
Jude’s arms.

Jude did the same thing.

What she had told Princess Leica in advance!

“Imagine!”

Princess Leica barely landed on the ground with her wind magic and then unleashed
a new magic at the same time she ordered.

One image was shared to all the knights.

And a change occurred.

Jabberwock’s body suddenly twisted and transformed into a huge and mighty
existence.

Burn-burn-burn-burn-burn-burn-everything!
A huge being that breathed out flames.

Ifrit, a fire monster whose entire body was covered in flames!

The flames it emitted were so strong that it felt like one could choke and die from
just the heat.

Therefore, Midas could not understand it.

Why would you turn Jabberwock into such a powerful monster when it’s already hard
to defeat it!

“Your Highness!”

“Just believe in them!”

Princess Leica shouted again and tried to maintain the image in her mind.

And Jabberwock roared and pulled its fist. It poured out a rain of fire towards Jude
and Cordelia.

“Jude!”

“Here it goes!”

Cordelia stretched her hand forward.

Jude took her hand.

There was another way to defeat the endlessly regenerating Jabberwock.

Stab its weakness.

Send out an extremely powerful attack that would cut off its breath!

“Almas!”

The moment Cordelia shouted, a sword appeared in her hand.

A sword that was hidden in the Lake of Eternity.

An ultimate sword that was used the Winter King in the past!

An immense chill was released from the tip of the sword, Almas. It did not only
extinguish the flames of Jabberwock, but even froze it.

Aaaaaaaaaaah!

Jabberwock screamed. It tried to change its appearance.

But it was impossible.

Jude and Cordelia simultaneously activated the Great Protection of the Four Seasons.

The power of winter amplified the chills of Almas several times more.

Kiaaaaaaaaaaa———–!

Jabberwock’s screams lost its sound again. Because its entire body made of flames
had now frozen.

“I can see it!”

Jude saw it with the see-through ability he got when he opened the fifth door of the
Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.

So Jude could see it.

He saw through the core of Jabberwock and released his hold on Almas. He ran on
the ground as he left Cordelia to hold the sword.

“Finish it!”

Cordelia exclaimed. Jude twisted his body in the air and smiled. He used Valencia’s
sword that was actually martial art skills in order to fulfill Cordelia’s wish. He
pierced the core of Jabberwock like a bolt of lightning!

—————!

The ice shattered. The moment Jabberwock’s core broke, the frozen flames shattered
and fell on the ground.
Craaaash-!

Amidst the falling ice, Jude turned around and saw.

Cordelia was surrounded by a ring of white light and raised Almas high as she
jumped in place and cheered!

“We won!”

Jabberwock is permanently dead.

Jude smiled as well. He landed on the ground as a ring of light surrounded him.
Myriad Shapeshifter Jabberwock.

One of the future Seven Major Calamities.

But not anymore.

They defeated it before it became a calamity.

“Yahoo-yahoo!”

Cordelia jumped in place – no, she began to hop as she rejoiced, while Jude quickly
ran to Cordelia.

The Shades that filled the area began to disappear like smoke perhaps because of
Jabberwock’s defeat, so they no longer had anything to worry about.

“We won.”

“Yeah! We won!”

Cordelia exclaimed with a big smile and hugged Jude’s neck. Jude felt like he was
rewarded and hurriedly drew closer to her, kissing her head.

“Eh?”

“We won.”

And you’re the one who hugged me first to begin with.

At Jude’s gaze, Cordelia quietly looked at him before she smiled again.

“Okay! I’ll allow it. I’ll let you off just this once.”
‘I actually want to do a bit more now.’

Jude held back his innermost thoughts as he lightly pinched Cordelia’s cheek once
and immediately spoke.

“How did you do it?”

“What?”

“How did you persuade the Fairy Queen? You came earlier than I thought.”

The situation was so urgent that Jude was not able to come up with a plan on how to
persuade the Fairy Queen and the fairies.

In short, it was all because of Cordelia’s abilities that she was able to return so
quickly.

How in the world did you do it?

“Hehe, are you curious?”

“Yes, I’m curious.”

“Are you ready to be surprised?”

“I am very much ready to be surprised.”

“Hmph, it’s not fun if I just say it, so try to guess it. What do you think I did?”

How did she do it?

How does Cordelia usually behave?

“You threatened to explode everything?”

What immediately came to his mind was an explosion.

But Cordelia frowned and shook her head.

“Do I look that stupid? If I do that, I’ll end up as the spring fairies’ enemy.”
She was right.

Even if the fairies were childish, they were likely to respond very seriously if their
lives or residence were threatened.

If she had really threatened them with something like an explosion, even if she had
achieved their goal, it would have taken much longer than now, and as Cordelia had
said, she would have become an enemy of the spring fairies.

“Then how? Did you give them chocolate and then asked for it?”

“Hehe, that’s not true either.”

Because the fairies were like children.

It was possible to roughly get one wish if she gave them chocolate, but if there were
two wishes, the fairies would begin to bargain.

She had kept some chocolate just in case, but if she had just gone and offered it, it
would have taken a while to negotiate.

“Hmm…”

“Oh, is my scammer agonizing over it? You can’t figure out what I did? Is that it?”

When the highly excited Cordelia smiled and puffed up her chest, Jude finally raised
his hands and said.

“I surrender, I surrender. I don’t know. Please tell me how you did it.”

“Hmph, you should beg me a bit more, a bit more.”

Cordelia raised her chin and hmphed, so Jude pondered for a little more.

Because he saw that Cordelia was anxious to talk about it.

So he thought of teasing her a bit.

“Well, then I’ll keep thinking about it.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll think about it for a day and tell you my answer tomorrow. Don’t talk about it
then. Spoilers are not allowed, okay?”

“A-a day?”

“Yes, a day. No, how about a week at most? I’ll ask in a week, so don’t tell me until
then.”

In response to Jude’s counterattack, Cordelia wiggled her fingers and stomped her
feet repeatedly, and the always sly Jude made a face expressing that he was not really
interested.

“Eueueu… it can’t be helped. I don’t want you to suffer for a week, so I’ll tell you now.”

“No, it’s all right. I’ll think about it. It’s okay if you don’t tell me.”

“Nooo…”

But Jude was adamant.

So Cordelia became even more anxious and was forced to eventually groan.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“N-no, I’m not? I’ll let just it pass, okay.”

But she couldn’t. Judging by her facial expression, Jude could tell that she was
inwardly frustrated and distressed.

Therefore, Jude threw her a lifeline.

“I’ll think about it if you kiss me on the cheek.”

“What?”

“I’ll listen to you if you kiss me on the cheek.”

“Hey, do you think I’m stupid?”

“Then don’t tell me. Forget about the week, you don’t even need to tell me about it
for the rest of your life.”

Jude shrugged and Cordelia’s toes wriggled inside her shoes before she stepped on
Jude’s feet.

“I hate you! I hate you!”

“Really?”

“You’re so mean.”

Cordelia acted like the Fairy Queen before she pulled Jude by the collar and kissed
his cheek.

“Is that fine?”

“Yes, that’s fine. That’s fine.”

Cordelia unconsciously smiled when Jude smiled and said that.

“Hey, do you like it that much?”

“Yes, I like it.”

She couldn’t get angry because of that.

Moreover, Jude’s response was quick.

“Then, countess. Hurry up and tell me. I’m actually curious about it.”

“F*cking b*stard.”

“That’s an expression of affection, right?”

“You great f*cking b*stard.”

Cordelia cursed as much as she could and hmphed before she began talking.

“So what happened is…”

Cordelia first started the story with a sullen expression, but she soon began to
imitate the fairies with an excited face.

As if she was a child who got a certificate at school and returned home to talk about
what happened.

“And that’s what happened.”

Having finished her story, Cordelia glanced at Jude before she smiled.

Because Jude had a stunned expression.

“Wow, seriously? Did you really do that?”

“Yes, I did. That’s why I got the Great Protection of the Four Seasons and Almas.”

Cordelia boasted again and summoned Almas by swinging her hand.

Almas was an icy blue blade that could be stored or taken out of the user’s body
whenever it was needed.

“What the hell.”

It was like the student surpassed her teacher.

Frankly, Jude was surprised.

He never expected that Cordelia, who used to have a hard time in acting because she
spoke in monotone, would grow up to this extent.

Jude clapped his hands loudly out of his heartfelt admiration.

“I respect you. You were really amazing.”

“Hehe, compliment me a little more. No, praise me more.”

“You’re really great and amazing. It’s not an exaggeration to say that you have a PhD
in Fairy Psychology. I’m impressed.”

It was a truly clever scheme.

Not only did she completely take complete control of the self-centered and childish
fairies, but she also left without the fairies bearing any grudges of her, even though
she had ripped them off.

“As expected of Cordelia. You are indeed Cordelia, the pride of Legend of Heroes.”

“Hehehe.”

Cordelia was in a good mood because of the continued praise, but at the same time,
she was blushing from embarrassment.

And a few minutes after Jude and Cordelia fell into their own world.

Princess Leica watched them at first, but as their story continued to grow longer, she
was forced to interrupt them.

“Anyway, we won.”

At the words of Princess Leica who squeezed her face in between the two, Cordelia
stepped back in surprise while Jude quickly reached out and supported her waist.

“We’ve defeated Jabberwock. No one can deny that.”

Princess Leica suddenly smiled after saying that.

Even though the two people were flirting right in front of her, or that Cordelia had
threatened the fairies in the process, both were still amazing people anyway.

“Moreover, no one died. It’s a complete victory.”

Jude was a little amazed at Princess Leica’s words this time.

Because it meant that no one had died despite the fact that their strength was halved
by Jabberwock’s powerful mental attacks.

Now that he saw it, there was no one with serious injuries.

‘As expected of having a Sword Master as your neighbor.’

Skills didn’t just grow by investing time, so none of the people here seemed to have
reached the level of the Ten Great Swordmasters, but it did not change the fact that
everyone was at least a master.

To begin with, the Ten Great Swordmasters was a position that only selected those
who have reached the level of a superhuman.

“Congratulations.”

Princess Leica giggled at Jude’s words.

Because it was funny that the person who led their victory was the one
congratulating them.

“Yes, we have won, so let’s celebrate together. The two of you, don’t just celebrate on
your own.”

Cordelia blushed at Princess Leica’s words, while Jude tightly held Cordelia’s hand
and signaled with his eyes to Princess Leica.

“Let’s begin.”

“It’s embarrassing if we start like this.”

Princess Leica giggled before she raised Mistilteinn high and shouted.

“We’ve repulsed the monster, Myriad Shapeshifter Jabberwock! No, we completely

destroyed it! It’s our victory!”

“Uoooooooh!”

The elven knights cheered in response to Princess Leica’s cry.

Because Jabberwock had become a much more powerful being than what was
written on the royal family’s records, but their punitive force did not simply repulse
it as they even completely destroyed it like what Princess Leica had just said.

It was a really great achievement.

‘The humans did almost everything, but even so, the princess was the leader of the
punitive force.’
A deep smile appeared on Midas’ face.

After all, this incident would strengthen Princess Leica’s authority.

‘I like them.’

But at the same time, he was vigilant.

The humans were still young.

He didn’t know their exact ages, but they seemed to be of the same age as Princess
Leica based on elven ages, so he wondered how the two were so strong.

Just like Sir Cornwell who escorted Princess Darianne, Midas was grateful to Jude
and Cordelia, but also couldn’t let his guard down.

However, the elven knights were purely grateful to Jude and Cordelia.

In particular, it was no exaggeration to say that the way they looked at Jude had
completely changed.

Because Princess Leica had ran alone to Jude and stuck in between the two before
they began to talk about this and that.

Jude’s contribution was enormous, but for the elves, the human Jude was not a
competitor but a stranger whom they could comfortably praise.

Most of them had pure admiration and gratitude for him, without having any other
malicious thoughts.

After all, they remained alive because of the two’s help.

“Count August Bayer and Countess August Chase.”

“You can just call us Jude and Cordelia.”

When Cordelia spoke, Princess Leica nodded and said again.

“Then, Jude and Cordelia. We will now return to the palace in the center of the Forest
of Eternity. Would you like to come with us? I would like to convey your
contributions not only to the king, but also to all the elves in the Forest of Eternity.”

It was an invitation to the elven kingdom.

It was also done by the crown princess herself.

‘Should we go?’

‘We’ll go of course, right?’

Their trip to the south would be delayed a little, but the elven kingdom was a place
worth visiting.

In the game, the elven kingdom was only accessible after it collapsed, so there was
no opportunity for them to see what the elven kingdom normally looked like.

‘They won’t send us off empty-handed, right?’

‘We’re the heroes who defeated a legendary monster after all, right?’

‘We also saved her life.’

‘Come to think of it, we’ve done a lot, so we should be rewarded a lot too, right?’

‘So we have to accept it. We have to get as much as we can when we’re presented
with the opportunity to do so.’

‘Those are some wise words. I admit it.’

Jude and Cordelia snickered and exchanged dark smiles before they turned to
Princess Leica and said.

“It’s an honor to be invited.”

“We are most grateful.”

When the two politely thanked her, Princess Leica stared at Cordelia with a slightly
strange look.

Because even now, she remembered the incomprehensible way Cordelia had
threatened the fairies.

“Good, then we’ll conduct an investigation into this and make sure that Jabberwock
is completely destroyed in the cursed land, so we’ll camp nearby today and leave by
tomorrow afternoon.”

It was already late.

The sun would set in two more hours.

“We’ll take your word for it.”

“Yes, you did a great job today.”

Princess Leica complimented them like a princess before she looked around and
ordered once again.

“Retrieve the remains of Jabberwock and withdraw! Shades might still show up, so
don’t let your guard down!”

“Yes! Your Highness!”

The elven knights answered loudly and began to move, while Jude and Cordelia
looked at each other again and smiled.

Just by looking at each other’s faces made the two smile.

***

The investigation into the cursed land went without a hitch.

Because Myriad Shapeshifter Jabberwock had completely disappeared.

“The darkness of the cursed land itself is being lifted.”

Until now, the darkness of the cursed land was not lifted because Jabberwock
eventually revived after being subjugated, but now, it seemed that everyone’s morale
and not just the darkness in the ground were being lifted.

Perhaps after a few days, the place would be full of life just like the rest of the Forest
of Eternity.

“The Shades won’t appear anymore then.”

“Yes, our people will be able to reside here, as well as near the lake of the spring
fairies.”

In fact, there were some high-quality mineral veins in the cursed land.

If they could rebuild the mineral veins that had been left unattended because of
Jabberwock and the Shades, it would be a huge gain for the entire kingdom.

“Did you find out the reason why Jabberwock suddenly became stronger?”

“Well, unfortunately… we couldn’t find any clues to that.”

Princess Leica furrowed her brows in response to Midas’ answer, but she quickly
loosened her expression.

“Well, Jabberwock is gone anyway. Perhaps it’s not someone’s fault but just became
strong on its own. We shouldn’t worry much about it.”

“Yes, Your Highness. It would be better to take some time to investigate it rather than
be impatient.”

“You’re right.”

Princess Leica nodded and asked again after checking the time by looking at the
sun’s shadow.

“How are Jude and Cordelia?”

“They’re searching the cursed land.”

“Will they tell us if they find something?”

“Maybe.”

As a result of observing the two over the past night, Midas concluded that it was
okay to trust the two for now.
“Let’s get ready to go back. Vanessa, tell the knights to pack up.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

When Vanessa left the tent with Midas, Princess Leica sat down and drooped her
shoulders.

Because she could relax now that the tension was over and that she could really go
back this time.

‘Strangely, I’m looking forward to it.’

On what would happen after she takes the two to the kingdom.

Because after more than 500 years, they would be the first humans to visit the royal
palace in the Forest of Eternity.

Moreover, they were like heroes out of a fairytale.

‘It’ll be interesting.’

Will Kelthur like them too?

Princess Leica smiled when she recalled her younger brother’s face.

Without even knowing what would happen as a result of taking the two to the royal
palace.
When Princess Leica gave a withdrawal order, Jude and Cordelia came to a
conclusion.

“I think there’s some outside intervention.”

“But we don’t have any evidence, right?”

“Yes, but… I can guess who it is.”

Even though Jude and Cordelia were rotten waters, it was impossible for them to
know the parts that were not properly portrayed in the game’s storyline, just like the
Forest of Eternity where they were now, but it was possible to figure out the full
story by piecing together different parts.

“The soul is the staple food of Myriad Shapeshifter Jabberwock. To be exact, it grows
by eating souls.”

“Jabberwock was strengthened by eating the souls of the elves in the Forest of
Eternity, and it merged with the demonic human Jabberwock who was the
incarnation of Behemoth, becoming one of the Seven Major Calamities, right?”

“It’s possible.”

In Legend of Heroes 2, it was only possible to enter the Forest of Eternity after the
destruction of the Salen Kingdom, which was at least two years from now.

“At that time, the elf kingdom of the Forest of Eternity had already been destroyed.
Most of its people, including its king, had become undead.”

“Most of the undead had their souls eaten. I think I understand now. Even Death
Knight Kelthur couldn’t hold a proper conversation. The souls of everyone had been
eaten and only their bodies moved… and even if the soul was left, only a part of it
remained.”
There weren’t just one or two ways to create an undead in Pleiades.

There were many kinds of zombies in this world.

“Anyway, considering that Jabberwock was the cause of the incident, and that
Jabberwock became a calamity by eating souls… doesn’t that mean that someone fed
Jabberwock souls to strengthen it?”

If Jude and Cordelia were not here, Jabberwock, who had become much stronger
than before, would even become stronger by eating the souls of Princess Leica and
her companions.

“So you think someone outside intervened? Jabberwock wouldn’t be as strong as it

was now if it was only fed one or two souls.”

“That’s right. It wouldn’t be as strong as it was now from just eating a few souls by
chance. In the first place, the elves didn’t go anywhere near here where Jabberwock
was reviving. I can only think that someone with obvious intentions had injected a
huge amount of souls into Jabberwock.”

Having said that, Jude stood up and continued as he looked at Cordelia.

“Who do you think will benefit the most if the elves in the Forest of Eternity are
annihilated?”

“Either the demon followers or Malekith.”

Both were eager to destroy the Salen Kingdom.

In particular, Malekith wanted to occupy the entire Salen Kingdom and not just the
southern region.

Because he had a long-standing grudge against Dragon Slayer Carlos, who was the
founder of the 7 southern families, and Lion D. Salen, the founder king of the Salen
Kingdom.

“If we consider a person who could give such a huge amount of souls…”

“If we’re going to name someone from the south, it’s highly likely that it’s that person
on Malekith’s side.”
Malekith had a powerful necromancer who held a grudge against the elves.

“Sicilia.”

A dark elf who hated the elves of the Forest of Eternity, and was Black Dragon
Malekith’s lover.

The pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit, but Jude and Cordelia had bitter smiles in the
end.

“We still have no evidence.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to say that we got this information from the Guardians
of the Holy Cross.”

“But it’s better to tell them, right?”

“I think it would be better if we can drop them some hints.”

The dark elf Sicilia was different from Jude and Cordelia who were humans.

The fact that she could secretly enter the cursed land despite the Forest of Eternity
rejecting her existence could only suggest two possibilities.

‘One possibility is that Sicilia hid herself with some powerful magic.’

This was the most common and acceptable possibility.

Sicilia was originally a member of the Prime royal family.

‘The other is the possibility that an insider helped her.’

Someone had invited Sicilia into the Forest of Eternity. And helped her hide her
appearance.

‘But that’s unlikely.’

Because the elves in the Forest of Eternity had lived a life disconnected from the
outside world and were unlikely to communicate with Sicilia out of the blue. Another
reason was that it was not beneficial for them to strengthen Jabberwock.
‘Of course, there may be a possibility if we begin to add political reasons.’

For example, the hypothesis that Jabberwock was used to eliminate Princess Leica and
the punitive force.

‘But we’ll only know this if we go the elven kingdom.’

Things like what the relationship between Kelthur, the elven king in the game, and
Princess Leica, the current first in line to the throne, and the political relationships
surrounding the royal family, and so on.

“Hmm.”

While Jude was calculating one thing or another in his head, Cordelia was standing
with her arms crossed as she stared at Jude in silence.

‘It would be nice if he acted like that all the time.’

The Jude when he’s thinking about something.

I’m not sure how to express it, but is this what they call the charm of an adult?

A serious but cool person, and someone you can rely and trust.

But the chances of seeing this face of Jude are rare.

He’s always smirking and has this sly look on his face.

‘Well… it’s not that I don’t like that either.’

It’s strangely cute too.

Especially when I kiss him on the cheek, you could say that he likes it because the
corners of his mouth would twitch. And when he looks really happy, I want to do it
more.

‘But I have to refrain from doing that.’

Yes, yes, I have to refrain from doing that.

If I keep doing that, it’ll become a habit.

‘Hold on… ’

If I think about it, is there any reason why it shouldn’t be a habit?

We’re engaged anyway.

Yes, yes, we’re engaged.

‘Hmm.’

It was when Cordelia began to think over again the validity of the skinship ban.

“Lord Jude! Lady Cordelia!”

At the call of an elven knight, Jude and Cordelia both stopped thinking and raised
their heads.

“We’ll be going back now!”

“Okay! We’ll be going!”

Jude shouted back and stretched out his hand to Cordelia, who very naturally held
his hand.

***

“I don’t like this position.”

On the road leading to the palace of the Prime royal family located in the center of
the Forest of Eternity.

The two were riding on an Elven Steed.

Cordelia murmured in a small voice, and Jude replied with a sly look that Cordelia
had thought of as cute earlier.

“I like it though? I can support my chin like this.”

Jude usually rode in the front and Cordelia in the back, but this time, it was the
opposite as Cordelia was in the front and Jude was in the back.

Cordelia shook her head as Jude put his chin on top of her head.

“Woah, woah, you’re going to fall.”

Jude tightly hugged Cordelia’s waist, and having fallen into Jude’s arms, Cordelia’s
lips twitched before she slightly changed her position.

“Just lean on your back.”

“How much should I lean?”

Cordelia leaned back her body as much as she could, and only then did she feel the
firm chest of Jude.

Jude didn’t just stop there, as he even slightly leaned back so that Cordelia could lean
more comfortably.

“Eh?”

Having leaned back naturally, Cordelia was surprised and blinked her eyes.

“How is this possible?”

Wouldn’t you fall from this?

“My thighs and waist are pretty good.”

The elves didn’t use saddles when they rode on the Elven Steeds.

Therefore, Jude tightly fixed himself to the horse’s waist with his thighs while
maintaining a half-lying posture with only the strength of his waist.

“You’re like a beast.”

“Wait, why are suddenly calling me a beast?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, you’re a beast.”

Cordelia giggled and leaned a little more against Jude’s chest, and Jude whispered in
a small voice in Cordelia’s ear.

“But Cordelia, do you remember?”

“Remember?”

“I haven’t made a wish yet, right?”

A wish she would grant if he got 50 kills in the fighting competition.

Cordelia unconsciously flinched and stiffened at that moment, and Jude whispered
again.

“What should I wish for? What do you think is a good wish?”

Jude smiled softly, putting his chin over Cordelia’s head, and the red-faced Cordelia
began to wiggle her fingers instead of shaking her head like before.

Princess Leica watched these two with cold eyes, and called Vanessa who was beside
her in a small voice.

“Vanessa.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Why do I feel angry when I watch those two?”

“So do I. It’s normal.”

“Is that so?”

It seemed like the other elves were also shooting cold looks at the two.

“Anyway, let’s ignore them and hurry up.”

“Okay.”

They wouldn’t be able to do that once they arrive at their destination.

“Lloyd, please go a little faster.”

“Neeeigh.”

Perhaps Lloyd had the same cold eyes as them as the unicorn began to completely
gallop.

Half a day passed like that.

The group then arrived at Elendia, the capital of the elven kingdom located in the
center of the Forest of Eternity.

***

A white city.

These were the words that Jude and Cordelia came up with the moment they
stepped inside Elendia.

Unlike the Elendia in the game, the present Elendia remained intact and was a very
beautiful city.

“Pretty.”

Jude nodded at Cordelia’s simple but accurate impression.

The white city and green nature were in natural harmony with each other.

Even the sunshine and the wind blowing in between felt like a part of the city.

White houses were one with the big trees.

And there was a white palace in the center of Elendia.

The palace’s appearance that was designed to make the flow of air easier had an
overall circular feeling, and its magnificence was befitting that of elven architecture.

However, it also did not directly use multiple colors like the palaces of humans.

The sunlight reflected from the glass windows installed everywhere colored the
palace walls that were like a white canvas, giving it a distinct beauty at different
times of the day.

And in the front.

A welcoming party led by flag bearers raising colorful flags was waiting for them.

“Sister!”

A young boy dressed in colorful clothes came running from the welcoming party.

He was a young boy who seemed to be around in his early to mid-teens, and just like
Princess Leica, he had platinum blonde hair.

“Sister!”

“My Kelthur!”

When the boy shouted again, Princess Leica immediately jumped down from Lloyd
and lowered her posture to hug the boy.

“Sister, I’m glad that you’re all right!”

“Without congratulating me on our victory first?”

“I prefer you being safe.”

At the words of the boy – Kelthur, her younger brother and the second in line to the
throne, Princess Leica smiled happily.

“This is why I like you, my younger brother.”

“I like sister too.”

Kelthur tightly hugged Princess Leica, and she kissed his forehead and cheeks
several times.

And Jude who was watching them was a bit confused.

‘They have a really good relationship?’

Wait, why does Kelthur look so young?

Did he become a king in his youth in the game?

‘Did his height suddenly shoot up in a year or two?’

Generally speaking, that was impossible, but there were cases of that happening like
Jude himself.

In the last 8-9 months, he had grown nearly 30 centimeters and had become 160-
180 centimeters tall, so it did not seem impossible for a boy to suddenly become a
young man.

‘No, that’s impossible.’

Is there some other reason though? Or maybe there’s another person here who has the
same name as Kelthur.

Anyway, it was at the time when Jude was in the middle of thinking.

Princess Leica briefly introduced Jude and Cordelia to the elves who came out to
welcome the punitive force, and then climbed onto Lloyd while carrying Kelthur.

“Let’s go to the royal palace first. We’ll talk more about it at the celebration.”

Jude and Cordelia were their first human guests in 500 years, but the elves only
glanced at them and did not speak to them directly.

It was the orders of their crown princess after all.

[Jude, Jude.]

[What is it, Cordelia?]

[Kelthur is looking at us. Ah, he smiled.]

[Don’t smile at him.]

[Huh?]
Jude glared at the brightly smiling Kelthur who was looking at them, and he hugged
Cordelia’s waist tighter, while Cordelia blinked her eyes and giggled.

And at sunset.

Upon their arrival at the palace, Jude and Cordelia were guided to the bathhouse and
given new clothes to wear after washing themselves.

It was clothes that elves wore in banquets.

“Oh, isn’t this nice? It’s a bit like Loki.”

It was a mostly green tailcoat with some black and yellow here and there.

But it had a rather different look than when a slender elf wore it.

Because Jude was tall enough to stand out even among the tall elves, and he had a
statue-like body too.

“My princess is as beautiful as ever.”

Cordelia was wearing a white dress. Her cleavage and back were a bit exposed to the
point that it worried Jude, but Cordelia really liked it as she twirled back and forth
while holding the hems of her skirt.

“It’s so light. It feels like the Fairy Dress.”

“Hmm… How about adding a scarf?”

“Huh?”

Instead of explaining why, Jude put a white scarf around Cordelia’s neck to cover her
chest.

“Hmm, that’s good. This is much better.”

As Jude clapped his hands and smiled in satisfaction, Cordelia blinked her eyes
before grinning.

“You’re jealous.”
“Yes, I’m very jealous.”

“You’re not even hiding it now?”

Cordelia said that as if she was dumbfounded, but the corners of her mouth were
raised upwards.

Jude snorted like Cordelia before extending his arm to her.

“Anyway, let’s go.”

“Yes, Mister ‘black-hearted, jealous, and scammer’ Black Cloak.”

Cordelia giggled and slightly hugged Jude’s arm.

And a few minutes later.

Jude and Cordelia were guided to the banquet hall by an elf who looked at them with
cold eyes, and the two exclaimed once again.

“Wow. It’s pretty.”

“Beautiful.”

The white banquet hall had a size and beauty that was not inferior to the grand
banquet hall of the Salen Kingdom’s royal palace.

In particular, the light passing through the glass ceiling made the entire banquet hall
look very impressive.

“The two of you are here.”

“Your Highness.”

Princess Leica was wearing a white dress and gold accessories, and she looked up
and down at Jude and Cordelia before smiling.

“You’re both good-looking. You must indeed be the most beautiful among the
humans.”
“T-that was just Jude joking around.”

Cordelia spoke in a small voice, but her words did not work.

Princess Leica cheerfully smiled and led Jude and Cordelia to the seats next to her.

‘Now that I see it, it’s a banquet… but it looks like it’s just audience seats facing a
stage.’

Chairs were placed around the banquet hall with the center left empty.

Fortunately, Princess Leica explained to them as soon as they sat down.

“Whenever we celebrate, us elves do a group dance to remember our communication

with the spirits.”

“Uh… are you going to be watching and not dancing?”

“Yes, not everyone can dance it.”

Having immediately answered Cordelia’s question, Princess Leica explained it a bit

more.

“The dance… or the sword dance to be exact, is taught and handed down to each
dancer individually. It’s a very beautiful sword dance, so I’m sure it will amuse you.”

“Wow…”

Cordelia looked around as her eyes sparkled in anticipation.

On the opposite side of Princess Leica sat Kelthur and a woman in a very fancy dress,
who seemed to be Kelthur’s mother.

‘The king’s not here? Princess Leica’s mother too.’

Vanessa and Midas were behind Princess Leica.

Cordelia looked around again before she fixed her gaze to the front at some point.

Because the sound of the drums signaled the start of the sword dance.
“Begin.”

As if the small voice of Princess Leica was a signal, six dancers appeared in the
center of the white hall and began to dance.

Elves in colorful clothes danced with big movements, but despite their different
movements, their individual dances felt like they were harmoniously connected with
each other.

“Wow.”

It was colorful, beautiful, and magnificent.

When Cordelia showed her admiration, Princess Leica was pleased, but only for a
moment.

Because unlike Cordelia, Jude was frowning.

‘What is it? Is there anything that he doesn’t like?’

No, it’s just unbelievable that he frowns like that even if he doesn’t like it. It’s not like he
doesn’t know basic manners.

Princess Leica unconsciously became a little angry, and just like her energetic and
impulsive personality, she immediately took action.

“Jude, is there something strange?”

At Princess Leica’s question, Cordelia also looked at Jude in surprise.

‘Jude?’

Even Cordelia found Jude’s expression to be a little strange.

Why?

If it was Cordelia’s first time seeing the sword dance, then it should be Jude’s first
time too.

It was also a magnificent, nice, and beautiful dance.

When Cordelia and Princess Leica looked at him in askance, Jude narrowed his
brows again before saying with a determined expression.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes, Jude.”

“This may be presumptuous of me, but… there’s something wrong with that sword
dance.”

“What do you mean by it’s wrong?”

What are you talking about all of a sudden?

You’re a stranger. You’re also a human.

Are you saying that you know about the sword dance of the elves-

That was it.

Princess Leica recalled one fact and stifled her anger before she looked at Jude with
serious eyes.

The Jude in front of her was a man who inherited the sword of Valencia, the Elf
Sword.

“Do you know anything?”

It sounded much calmer than before, but her voice still had a stabbing feel.

Because of that, Cordelia touched her chest with her hand as her heart pounded
loudly, and she looked back at Jude with a nervous expression.

‘I-is there a problem? Is there something you know?’

Jude had yet to tell Cordelia about Valencia in detail.

But when the elves had stepped forward.

At the moment Jude had seen the sword dance of the elves, he instinctively felt that
something was wrong, and he was able to know that through Valencia’s experiences
and memories that had naturally become one with him.

He could tell on what was wrong with the sword dance in front of him.

He could exactly tell on what was lacking.

“It’s lacking one person.”

At that instant, surprise spread across Princess Leica’s face. So Jude spoke again with
confidence.

“That sword dance… it’s a sword dance for seven people to dance, not six.”
Cordelia just blinked her eyes at Jude’s comment, but Princess Leica was different.

Because she was genuinely surprised.

‘How did you know?!’

Even if you inherited Valencia’s sword, how did you know that the number of people in
the sword dance in front of you, the Banquet of Spirits, was lacking?

Like what she had explained earlier, the swordsmen who participated in the Banquet
of Spirits were taught and handed down the sword dance for each part individually.

The reason why six people had to perform a sword dance that was originally danced
by seven people was because the part of the sword dance for the seventh swordsman
was not properly handed down.

‘Ah, did Valencia also leave a record about the Banquet of Spirits?’

He had only seen the Banquet of Spirits today.

The movements of the seven swordsmen were said to be very harmonious.

And it was only passed down to seven people.

‘Wait. I didn’t tell him that this is the Banquet of Spirits though.’

Did he just figure it out from watching?

‘And he looks like he is sure of it.’

Princess Leica wasn’t particularly authoritative, but she was conscious of the fact
that she was royalty and that she was also the crown princess.
She knew that it was not right to say such things in front of someone like her.

‘Do humans have a different culture?’

I don’t think it’s that different.

Especially when it comes to basic etiquette.

Princess Leica eventually ended her contemplation and decided to take her own
approach.

“You are right. How did you find out?”

When she asked it openly, Midas and Vanessa heard her words because they were
near her, so they also looked at Jude in curiosity.

The same was true of Cordelia.

Therefore, Jude alternated between Princess Leica and Cordelia before speaking.

“The fact that seven people are needed for the Banquet of Spirits is something that I
learned from the records of Master Valencia. And… the sword dance in front of us is
definitely beautiful, but there’s this sense of incongruity. A sense of incongruity that
one person is lacking.

Moreover, I remembered you saying that it’s a dance to commemorate the elves’
communication with the spirits, so I thought that this was the Banquet of Spirits, and
from that point of view, I was convinced that it was lacking one person.”

Princess Leica was in admiration of Jude’s reasonable explanation, while Cordelia

looked at him reflexively.

‘Is that true?’

‘I’ll tell you more about it later.’

Because he only wanted to tell Cordelia the truth.

What he just said to Princess Leica was not exactly false as it was almost true, but the
story regarding Valencia was a little different from the truth.
‘All right. You’ll surely tell me, right?’

‘Yes, I’ll definitely tell you.’

Cordelia smiled in satisfaction at Jude’s answer, and Jude looked back at Princess
Leica with a strangely relieved face.

And it was at that moment.

“Then Jude, do you know the sword dance of the seventh swordsman?”

Midas, who was sitting behind Princess Leica, asked in an urgent tone.

“Midas?”

Princess Leica turned to her advisor in surprise.

Because in front of her, he always showered her with nagging, but in front of others,
he was always serious.

Moreover, his voice, tone, and facial expression differed.

Because she also glimpsed some eagerness.

“Tell me, Jude. Do you know anything?”

When Midas asked again without even thinking of answering Princess Leica, Vanessa
quickly cast a soundproofing magic.

Because many of those who were watching the sword dance had looked their way
when Midas raised his voice.

In particular, it attracted the attention of Kelthur’s biological mother, Canaria Solfege,

who turned towards them.

‘Jude, what’s wrong? Do you know anything of importance?’

Cordelia asked again with a glance when the atmosphere turned unusual, but for
Jude, he didn’t have to guess why that happened.
He could somehow figure out on what had happened to the seventh swordsman’s
sword dance based on Midas’ eagerness to know.

‘It was lost.’

The seventh swordsman’s sword dance was not handed down.

But a human who might know about that sword dance had appeared.

So Midas had asked in excitement.

‘He’s desperate.’

There’s something here.

Perhaps there’s something secret regarding the Banquet of Spirits.

“Jude, do you know anything?”

As disappointment spread on Midas’ face, even Princess Leica turned to Jude and
asked with a strange expression, and Jude replied after some consideration.

“Please give me a moment to think.”

“Are you saying that you’re thinking of whether to answer or not?”

“No, I just need time to think about the seventh sword dance.”

Jude gave a rather vague answer and closed his eyes, so Princess Leica, Midas, and
Vanessa naturally turned to Cordelia.

They seemed to be asking on what Jude was doing now.

“D-do you know about… the Memory Palace?”

As Cordelia began to explain about the Memory Palace while stuttering, Princess
Leica stared at Jude as if she was looking at a very strange creature.

‘I know. I’m also amazed every time I see him do it.’

Cordelia spoke to herself before looking at Midas and Vanessa. The former found
Jude to be interesting while the latter looked more desperate than before, but still
hopeful.

And then.

The sword dance was still continuing, but most of the elves were looking at Princess
Leica who was surrounded by a soundproof magic barrier.

On the other hand, Jude recited the mnemonic chant of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine
Doors instead of using his Memory Palace.

He dived down the surface of his consciousness, just like what he did when he
opened the sixth door.

“Valencia!”

If you can hear me, please answer!

Show yourself like how you did back then!

Jude recalled the Sword Origin and called out Valencia’s name again.

And an answer came back.

The black surroundings changed in an instant, and a beautiful woman with long and
platinum blonde hair appeared in front of him.

“My successor.”

The Elf Sword, Valencia.

Now that he saw her, she really looked like Princess Leica, or rather, it was Princess
Leica who looked like her. In any case, Valencia had a lot of similarities with Princess
Leica.

‘I think that Valencia is a bit prettier than her.’

Of course, Cordelia is prettier than them.

“My successor?”

“Valencia-nim. Can you see on what is happening outside?”

“Not really. Because I’m sleeping most of the time. Will you share me your memories
then?”

At Valencia’s question, Jude quickly recalled his memories of the sword dance.

Then Valencia said with a very joyful face.

“It’s the Spirit’s sword dance! The tradition is still being continued, but it’s a pity that
its form is incomplete.”

“You’re right, Valencia-nim. The elves seem to regret it too. Do you happen to know
the sword dance of the seventh swordsman?”

“Yes, I know how to dance it.”

“Wow, really?”

“Yes.”

“Was Valencia-nim the seventh swordsman?”

Jude wondered if Valencia, who could no longer held a sword because of Sword
Origin, was the reason why the sword dance of the seventh swordsman had stopped
being handed down.

It was quite a reasonable theory, but he was wrong.

Because Valencia shook her head as soon as she heard him.

“No, I wasn’t a swordsman of the Banquet of Spirits.”

“Then how did you…”

Wasn’t the sword dance something that was handed down from one swordsman to
another?
When Jude asked again, Valencia replied with an expression as if it was something
natural.

“Because it’s swordsmanship.”

“Eh?”

“Swordsmanship.”

What do you mean?

Jude tilted his head for a moment but soon understood it.

Because it was swordsmanship.

She carefully watched it because it was swordsmanship, and even memorized how to
dance it.

She figured out the sword skills necessary for the sword dance.

‘She really is a sword fanatic.’

It’s unfortunate that she can’t use dual wielding because she thinks it’s two-timing.

“Then, do you know how to dance entire sword dance of the seventh swordsman?”

“Yes, because it’s swordsmanship.”

“I-I see.”

This is why fanatics are scary.

If Cordelia had heard her thoughts, she definitely would have said that his Memory
Palace was scarier.

“Anyway… it seems that it’s very important for the elves to resurrect the seventh
swordsman’s sword dance. Do you know the reason why?”

“Yes, I can roughly guess why.”

“What’s the reason…”

“If you dance it, you’ll know why.”

Valencia giggled as she lightly blushed before speaking again.

“Do you want to learn it?”

“Yes, is it possible?”

“I’ll share my memories with you. Oh, of course, knowing it with your head is
different from actually dancing it. You’ll need to practice it first, okay?”

At Valencia’s question, Jude thought about what to answer, but he just grinned
afterwards.

Because his Cheonmujiche allowed him to be good at everything he did with his
body.

It wasn’t even a problem to move his body accordingly as long as he had the
memories on how to do it.

“Then close your eyes and concentrate. I’ll show it to you.”

“Yes, Valencia-nim.”

Jude closed his eyes.

The world turned black again, and in the meantime, only Valencia shined.

“This is how you do it.”

She seemed to be excited of the fact that she was dancing the sword dance.

Valencia was grinning with a glow on her face as she began performing the sword
dance.

The seventh sword dance was beautiful and dazzling.

***
Jude opened his eyes.

And he thought.

‘It’s really beautiful.’

Valencia’s sword dance.

Frankly, he was ecstatic. Just by watching it made it difficult to breathe because his
heart was pounding fast.

‘However, Cordelia is still the most beautiful.’

Cordelia was literally a goddess when she stood under the moonlight with her wet
hair in order to summon the fairies.

‘Jude?’

Jude faced Cordelia who was puzzled as she tilted her head, and he smiled before he
immediately looked back at Princess Leica and Midas.

“I can dance it.”

“Oooh, is that true? You can dance the seventh swordsman’s sword dance?”

“Yes.”

Jude answered confidently, and Midas turned to Princess Leica with a very excited
look.

“Your Highness.”

“Don’t tell me… you want them to dance again but with Jude this time?”

“That’s right.”

She could see that a flame was burning on Midas’ eyes.

Therefore, Princess Leica nodded instead of thinking about it more deeply.

“All right. It’s been a long time since Midas has asked me to do something like this.”

Because for Princess Leica, Midas was a father-like teacher and an adviser whom she
had relied on for many years.

So she now wanted to listen to whatever he wanted.

“Jude, can I ask you to dance it?”

“With pleasure.”

Princess Leica was satisfied with Jude’s answer again before she sent a glance to
Vanessa, telling her to remove the soundproof magic barrier.

“The dance will be over in a little while. I shall tell them about it then.”

And a minute or so passed.

When the sword dance finally ended, the elves gave them a round of applause.

Princess Leica also stood up and clapped before stepping forward and saying.

“It’s an amazing dance. I can’t help but admire it every time.”

The swordsmen also smiled in delight at Princess Leica’s praise, and the elves loudly
applauded again.

Especially Kelthur who enthusiastically responded, but his face seemed to be

applauding Princess Leica rather than the swordsmen.

‘He must have really liked it.’

Princess Leica also affectionately looked at Kelthur before she immediately revealed
her business.

“I’m sure you’ve heard some of it already. The story of how human heroes helped me
defeat Jabberwock.”

Everyone’s eyes naturally focused on Jude and Cordelia, and Princess Leica talked
briefly about their performances.
About Cordelia’s boldness in persuading the Fairy Queen and Jude’s bravery in
defeating Jabberwock.

‘T-this is embarrassing.’

Fortunately, the negotiation process with the fairies turned into a made-up story
because Princess Leica properly packaged it beautifully instead of telling them what
actually happened. However, it was still embarrassing, so Cordelia’s face turned red.

And this appearance of Cordelia drew a pretty good response from the elves.

Because the embarrassed Cordelia, as Jude had always claimed, was very cute and
adorable.

‘Of course, it’s not only that.’

It could also be seen as her being humble.

In any case, Princess Leica talked about the subjugation of Jabberwock, and praised
the two before she continued.

“Count Jude August Bayer inherited the sword of Valencia, the Elf Sword. And
surprisingly, he said that he knew of the Banquet of Spirits, the seventh sword dance
that we had lost.”

At her words, all the elves looked at Jude in astonishment.

In particular, the swordsmen who did the sword dance seemed to be surprised.

“So I’d like to make a suggestion. Why don’t we perform the perfect Banquet of
Spirits with the sword dance of the seventh swordsman added here?”

What she meant was clear.

Princess Leica turned to the swordsmen, and the swordsmen looked at each other
before nodding their heads almost at the same time. The first swordsman, who was
the representative, said as he bowed to Princess Leica.

“Rather, this is something we would like to ask for. We will follow the crown princess’
will.”
“Thank you for your willingness to allow it, even though other races are not involved
in the Banquet of Spirits.”

Princess Leica softly responded and glanced at Kelthur and his biological mother,
Canaria Solfege, before looking back at Jude.

“Jude, do a sword dance with me in the future.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Jude simply answered and stepped forward after taking the sword Midas gave him.

‘Umm, will it be all right?’

Valencia said that holding a sword is like having an affair. She won’t yell at me and say
that it’s bad, right?

No, she wouldn’t have taught me the seventh sword dance if that’s what she felt in the
first place.

‘And… ’

For Jude, Cordelia was always the first place.

If Cordelia had heard him, she would get angry and ask what he was talking about,
but she wouldn’t be able to control the corners of her mouth from rising.

Jude joined and naturally blended in with the swordsmen group.

Seven people would dance a sword dance that the six had done earlier.

Their group formation grew, and their movements also subtly changed.

But Jude was not worried.

To begin with, the Banquet of Spirits was a dance performed by seven people, so if
they played their roles properly, they would be able to perform a sword dance more
naturally than when six people danced.

“Then, let’s begin.”

When the first swordsman spoke, Princess Leica sat down, and the band began to
play again.

‘At first, slowly.’

Seven swordsmen, including Jude, slowly raised their swords. They began to dance
to the music.

“Oooh.”

“It’s true. It’s the real Banquet of Spirits.”

Voices of admiration spread among the elves.

There was perfect harmony when six people performed, but when seven people did,
it changed.

The sword dance happening in front of them was truly in perfect harmony.

But it was too early to admire it.

The true value of the Banquet of Spirits was not just a perfect sword dance.

“Eh?”

Cordelia with her good senses was the first to notice it.

No visual changes had occurred yet, but she could tell because she was sensitive to
the flow of mana.

The Banquet of Spirits was not just an ordinary dance.

It was a kind of ritual to activate a great magic.

And the change continued.

Therefore, the elves including Princess Leica also realized it.

“Oooooh!”
“It’s a spirit!”

“The spirits!”

They did not just admire it. The elves raised their voices in their immense surprise,
and some of them even stood up from their seats.

Seven spirits had shared a vow to the descendants of Magellan, the magic kingdom.

Darkness spread.

It covered the glass ceiling and became a night sky.

Light rose.

The moon and stars shone through the night sky, and each of the dancing
swordsmen were engulfed in a soft light as if a spotlight shone on them.

The Light Spirit and Darkness Spirit.

Other spirits also appeared one after another.

Green leaves bloomed among the trees that formed a part of the building, and a
pleasant moisture spread across the banquet hall.

The Earth Spirit and Water Spirit.

And it continued.

Beautiful flames danced under the darkness.

A breeze from somewhere tickled everyone’s ears.

The Fire Spirit and Wind Spirit.

Six spirits appeared.

And the six of them were those who had interacted with the elves of the Forest of
Eternity from the past up until the present.
So the elves swallowed hard in nervousness.

They felt their hearts pound loudly as they waited for the seventh spirit to appear.

And at that moment.

Just when the sword of the dancing Jude pointed to the sky.

Boooom!

The darkness broke at the roar. The glass ceiling shattered, and a harsh wind swept
around.

Thus, the sky was revealed.

A bright light shone down the darkness that filled the banquet hall.

And everyone could feel it.

A mighty power was descending from the skies that was incomparable to the six
spirits that had appeared earlier.

Light and Darkness, Wind and Fire, Earth and Water.

The six spirits danced and bowed down.

Excluding Jude, the six swordsmen unconsciously stepped back and bowed, and Jude
who stood in the center of the stage, performed the final moves of the seventh
swordsman.

Worship.

Homage.

An attitude that a person welcoming a king would show.

The music stopped.

The entire elven palace radiated light and gave off the magic power it had
accumulated.
It was the price that was paid to call the king from the open skies.

Then the wind blew again.

A giant being finally appeared from that open sky.

“Aaah, aaaah!”

Most of the elves including Midas, bowed in admiration.

Princess Leica was also very surprised, and hesitated for a while before she bowed to
greet the king.

The Banquet of Spirits.

A ritual to summon the seven spirits who made a vow with the elves of the Forest of
Eternity led by the Prime royal family.

But the situation had changed a bit this time.

Because the seventh spirit, the King, who had not been called for many years due to
the seventh sword dance being lost, had finally revealed himself.

[Do your remember the vow?]

A voice came from the sky.

It was so magnificent and divine that it seemed to shake the entire world.

Princess Leica struggled to catch her breath. As the crown princess of the elves, she
raised her head and faced the Spirit King.

Wrapped in a rough wind, he looked to be very strong and was in the shape of a huge
man.

But he was beautiful at the same time.

Cordelia automatically thought of Zeus in Greek and Roman mythology.

“We remember. O King of the Seven Spirits. Thou who art one with the storm.”
There were several spirits in the world.

In the days of the magic kingdom, Magellan, dozens of different spirits shared vows
with the elves.

And one of them.

Among the seven spirits who continued their vows with the elves even after the
destruction of Magellan, he was the one who lead the most powerful spirits.

The Spirit King of Storms and Lightning.

He looked at Princess Leica. He looked down at all the elves before opening his
mouth again.

[I will continue the pledge. So I’m going to sign a contract with one of you again.]

All the elves became tense at the Spirit King’s declaration.

Midas and Vanessa looked at Princess Leica, while Kelthur’s mother, Viscountess
Solfege, hurriedly glanced at Kelthur.

It was not an ordinary spirit but a contract with the Spirit King.

Depending on who got the contract, the next elven monarch might change.

Princess Leica slowly breathed.

She courageously rose from her seat, and Kelthur rose from his seat too, being
unable to overcome his mother’s urging.

The first and second in line to the throne.

The elves swallowed hard in nervousness, and Midas glared at Solfege’s actions.

And a strong wind blew.

The Spirit King descended from the sky and stood at the banquet hall.

In the form of a giant, he passed by Jude. He went towards Princess Leica without
even giving Kelthur a glance.

‘Ooooh!’

Midas clenched his fist.

Solfege looked very displeased, but there was nothing she could do.

And Princess Leica tried to calm her pounding heart.

She was honored that she bowed down again to the Spirit King who was walking
towards her.

“O King of Storms and Lightning.”

She said in a trembling voice.

And the Spirit King passed by even such a crown princess.

In the first place, he had only been looking at one person the moment he descended.

[You are the child with the most beautiful soul among everyone here. Your soul is like
a storm. Only you will be able to handle me.]

A pink-haired human girl stood among the elves.

Cordelia stared at the Spirit King in a daze, and the Spirit King smiled. He raised
Cordelia’s chin with his big hand and asked her.

[Would you like to sign a contract with me? Beautiful girl?]

The Spirit King chose her.

Cordelia blinked her eyes and saw Jude. She unconsciously smiled when she saw
Jude’s face that was both happy and a little angry.

‘Hey, it’s the Spirit King. Spirit King. It’s not a human.’

Jude furrowed his brows at Cordelia’s glance, and nodded as if it couldn’t be helped,
and Cordelia tried to suppress her laughter.
Instead, she faced the Spirit King with a beautiful and bright smile.

“I will. O King of Storms and Lightning.”

She slightly felt sorry for Princess Leica, but there was nothing she could do.

The Spirit King had chosen her himself.

[From this moment on, the pledge has been fulfilled.]

The Spirit King answered with a smile and changed his appearance from a giant to a
beautiful boy before he lightly kissed Cordelia’s forehead.

[My contractor, my girl.]

The Spirit King whispered.

But his words were heard by everyone.

Cordelia glanced at Jude, and awkwardly smiled when she saw his expression that
she had expected.
Jude was usually a rational person.

He was a very rational, logical, and level-headed person who always calculated the
profits and risks.

But the Jude now was not that.

Extreme anger.

A state in which calculation was impossible due to the blood rushing to his head.

Jude’s emotions began to suppress his reason.

At the same time, a light like that of a wild beast began to shine in Jude’s eyes.

Unsurprisingly, Cordelia was the first to notice this change in Jude.

So Cordelia couldn’t help but panic.

‘Hey, hey, hey! He just kissed my forehead! Just the forehead!’

It didn’t work.

And some of the elves noticed the change in Jude.

In fact, the Spirit King was one of the first to notice the change in Jude.

“Ho.”

The Spirit King of Storms and Lightning who resembled Zeus then snorted at Jude’s
reaction instead of becoming angry.

He smiled as if he found it fun, so he tried to kiss Cordelia’s forehead again.

But it was at that moment.

“Hey, you should go back first.”

[What?]

“Go back now.”

The contract’s been established, right?

Then you should go now.

Appeasing my Jude is a more urgent matter, okay?

The Spirit King wasn’t as good as Jude, but the moment he met eyes with Cordelia, he
was able to understand what she wanted to say. He then blinked his eyes.

He couldn’t help it.

[Hey, I’m the Spirit King, okay?]

“Yes, so I’ll see you next time.”

We’ve signed a contract, so let’s call it a day.

I will contact you next time.

[No, I-]

That was it.

When his contractor, Cordelia, asked him to return, the reserve magic power in the
royal palace also run out, so the Spirit King of Storms and Lightning eventually had
no choice but to return to the spirit realm.

And right after that.

Jude quickly headed to the spot where the Spirit King had disappeared.

He walked in big strides as if he was almost running. Jude then stood before Cordelia
before she awkwardly smiled and said as she spread out her arms as naturally as
possible.

“Yahoo! I signed a contract with the Spirit King! The Spirit King. Yes, the Spirit King.
The King of Spirits. Yey, yey~ ”

She even moved her arms up and down in joy, but it was a failure.

Instead of rejoicing together, Jude ignored her words about the Spirit King and took
out a handkerchief from his pocket before he began to wipe Cordelia’s forehead.

“J-Jude?”

You’re ruining my makeup.

But Jude wiped Cordelia’s pretty forehead clean and then kissed it with his lips.

He kissed it once.

He kissed it again.

And quietly kissed it again.

Cordelia was stunned at his 3 consecutive kisses – no, at his territorial marking, and
quickly sent him a <Message> magic.

[Umm, Jude? Well, this is just like those things you do in making contracts, okay?
Like a pinky swear or a handshake… Yes, that’s right. Something like that.]

But Jude just touched Cordelia’s forehead with his lips again.

So Cordelia stomped her feet repeatedly and sent him a <Message> magic again.

[No! Ah, that’s right! It’s similar to a puppy licking their master’s cheek! Something
like that!]

The Spirit King would have been furious if he had heard the words Cordelia had
casually said, but her words still didn’t work on Jude.

Because Jude would have responded the same even if it was a puppy, but not to the
extent as it was now.

[Hey! Jude! HEY!]

When Jude kissed her on the forehead for the fifth time, Cordelia pushed Jude’s firm
chest with both of her hands as she sent a <Message> magic again.

[The skinship ban is still in effect, okay? If you keep doing this, I’ll be angry – no, I’ll
be really angry. So don’t make me mad, and just do it later, okay? When it’s only the
two of us, okay?]

Unlike Jude who only saw Cordelia because of the blood rushing to his head, Cordelia
could see the surroundings very well.

The elves were all staring at them.

‘Wait a minute, is he doing this on purpose?’

After all, this is Jude we’re talking about.

He’s the Jude who wouldn’t lose his temper just because of something trivial like this,
right?

But it wasn’t the time to think about this or that.

Moreover, the light of reason began to return in Jude’s eyes as if her words had
worked.

“When it’s only the two of us.”

“Eh? Uh, yes. When it’s only two of us…”

Cordelia’s face turned red and she bowed her head as she began to wiggle her
fingers. On the other hand, Jude finally became able to see his surroundings, so he
cleared his throat when he saw the elves looking at them in confusion, surprise, and
speechlessness.

“Ahem, ahem.”

How should we deal with this situation?

It was not a problem that Jude had kissed Cordelia on the forehead while in front of
others.

They were engaged, so it was not a problem.

The real problem was that Cordelia signed a contract with the Spirit King.

‘The Spirit King of Storms and Lightning.’

An existence that had never made a proper appearance in the game.

But Jude recalled another being – the Spirit King of Scorching Heat, who was on an
equal level with the Spirit King of Storms and Lightning.

If the playable character Red Wind chose the Spirit Warrior tech tree, she would
encounter the Spirit King of Scorching Heat at the end.

‘It’s hard to completely summon it.’

It was impossible to fully draw out the power of the Spirit King even with Red Wind’s
capabilities.

Because it was such a great and powerful being.

But the Spirit King chose Cordelia.

He ignored all the elves in this place.

‘That b*stard has a good eye though.’

Jude unconsciously thought that, but it was only for a short time. He immediately
cleared all his thoughts and analyzed the situation.

He tried to figure out on what had happened based on what the Spirit King said and
the current situation.

‘The Spirit King of Storms and Lightning had not signed a contract with the elves of
the Forest of Eternity for a long time.’

Princess Leica and Prince Kelthur had both wanted a contract with the Spirit King.
They had a very close relationship, but there was a political conflict because of their
different biological mothers.

The reason for the conflict was Solfege, the mother of Prince Kelthur.

‘It’s not the worst situation for both Princess Leica and Midas.’

The worst situation for both of them was the Spirit King choosing Kelthur.

‘So.’

We can go over this situation smoothly.

We can talk about it.

Although the elves didn’t make a contract with the Spirit King, they could still make
contracts with ordinary spirits.

‘Moreover.’

Cordelia was now the contractor of the Spirit King.

From the elves’ perspective, she was no longer a being they could rudely treat.

‘There’s also the sword dance of the seventh swordsman.’

Currently, the only person who could dance the seventh sword dance was Jude
himself, so he had a lot of things he could trade with the elves.

And it was then.

The elves came to their senses and began to stir.

Viscountess Solfege glared at Princess Leica’s side, and Kelthur stared at his sister
with a confused face.

And Princess Leica together with Midas approached Jude and Cordelia.

“Jude and Cordelia.”

Princess Leica also looked very surprised and confused.

Midas seemed to be a little upset.

He was normally rational, but it was difficult for him with the current situation.

Even if it was the Spirit King’s choice, he couldn’t help but feel like the Spirit King
was taken away by a stranger, even more so, by a human.

But Princess Leica was present here now, and despite her young age, she displayed
behavior befitting that of royalty.

[Play along with me first.]

Princess Leica sent a short <Message> magic, and approached the embarrassed
Cordelia who was wiggling her fingers. The crown princess then raised Cordelia’s
hand and shouted.

“A contract with the Spirit King has been established! With this, we’ll be able to
communicate again with the spirits of storms and lightning!”

“Yeeess, HURRAH!”

When Vanessa signaled to some knights, some of them responded awkwardly, but all
the elves soon applauded and cheered.

[Let’s talk about the details later.]

Princess Leica glanced at Jude and Cordelia before she stepped forward as if to hide
the two, and began to speak in order to draw the elves’ attention.

And at that time.

Vanessa whispered in a small voice after she quickly approached Jude and Cordelia.

“Follow me.”

Let’s get out of here first.

It was a proposal that they had no reason to refuse, so Jude and Cordelia nodded and
followed her out of the banquet hall.

“Let me show you to your rooms first. If you wait there, Princess Leica will visit you.”

Jude and Cordelia were invited to the royal palace as distinguished guests in the first
place. So it was natural that they had prepared rooms for the two.

“Umm… Will something big happen?”

Vanessa replied with a small smile at Cordelia’s somewhat timid question.

“Yes, because you’re both on the crown princess’ side.”

Because they were on Princess Leica’s side and not Kelthur’s.

It was something political, but Jude and Cordelia didn’t object to it so they hurriedly
followed Vanessa.

“Wow.”

She couldn’t see it properly because she was distracted back then, but she could now
see that the elven palace that was one with nature was very beautiful and
magnificent.

Cordelia sincerely admired it before she turned to Jude and breathed a sigh of relief
without realizing it.

Because Jude had completely gone back to his usual self.

‘Anyway.’

He was very jealous.

So a smile naturally spread on Cordelia’s face.

She also snickered.

“We’ve arrived.”

After entering the room with Vanessa, Cordelia was in awe again.
She could see the royal capital outside the big round window, and it was so white
and beautiful that it felt like she was seeing doll houses.

And the interior of the room was not ordinary too.

Because the furniture was made by processing trees rooted in the floor rather than
cutting down trees, so it gave the furniture a very mysterious feeling. The light
shining down the glass ceiling and illuminating the room also gave it an exquisite
feel.

“Please rest for now.”

Vanessa slightly winked at them before she closed the door and left. Cordelia then
sat down on the big bed in the middle of the room.

“Haaa.”

A sigh of relief came out naturally.

Because she felt that she had somehow escaped the situation now.

There was the Spirit King’s unexpected contract, Jude’s jealousy exploding, and even
the confused elves.

“Eueueue.”

Her body relaxed now that the tension was gone.

Cordelia lied down on her side and closed her eyes.

And within a moment.

“Hehehe.”

Spirit King.

I signed a contract with the Spirit King.

I made a vow with the Spirit King of Storms and Lightning.

Cordelia felt better as she giggled, and she lied on her back, kicking and trembling in
her excitement.

‘I didn’t even chose the Spirit Arts tech tree.’

But I now have the Spirit King.

If I was a warrior, it’s like suddenly picking up a divine sword in the starter village.

“Hehehe.”

Anyway, she felt good. She couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from raising
upwards.

“Cordelia.”

“Yes, Jude.”

Cordelia who was lying down then opened her eyes, and Jude sat down beside her
and said.

“Do you remember?”

“Remember?”

“There’s… only the two of us here.”

“Eh?”

Cordelia blinked her eyes, and her face soon turned red.

Because she recalled her words in the banquet hall.

‘Do it later when it’s only the two of us.’

Is that it?

Is that what I said?

“W-wait.”
Seriously, wait.

But it was useless. When she came to her senses, she was already cornered.

Cordelia was lying down, and Jude was sitting as he leaned down his body over
Cordelia.

“Cordelia.”

Jude softly whispered and lowered his head. He kissed the forehead of Cordelia who
froze and stopped breathing when she was ‘captured.’

Gulp.

The moment his lips touched her forehead, Cordelia swallowed her saliva.

She unconsciously exhaled her breath.

Jude then caressed Cordelia’s cheek.

He caressed Cordelia’s warm and soft cheek with his cold and big hand as he stared
at her. Cordelia let out a hot breath again, and slowly closed her eyes as her lips
twitched.

“Cordelia.”

Jude called her name again.

Cordelia waited as she let down her shoulders instead of calming her pounding
heart.

But it was at that moment.

“Uh… Should I come back later?”

They heard the voice of Princess Leica.

She had asked with a slightly sorry face as she appeared from a secret passage on the
wall and not from the door, and Jude lowered his head.
He couldn’t help it.

“Princess Leica, even you.”

Are you trying to replace Scarlet since she’s not here?

Jude murmured some words that only Cordelia could understand before he stood up.
Cordelia then sat up with an indescribable expression.

And as Princess Leica faced the eyes of the two who looked at her with a bit of
resentment, she awkwardly smiled and said.

“Umm… First of all, I’m sorry.”

Jude coldly looked at Princess Leica, and Cordelia groaned as she raised her hands
and covered her own face.
“Ahem, ahem. Then, shall we begin our conversation now?”

Three people sat around a round table in the room.

Princess Leica, Jude, and Cordelia.

Unlike Princess Leica who was still smiling despite the awkwardness, Jude did not
hide his dissatisfaction while Cordelia was feeling resentful and embarrassed.

Anyway, it was impossible to reverse the situation.

So Princess Leica continued to speak, ignoring the atmosphere around her.

“As you may have already guessed, a commotion has occurred. Because the Spirit
King has appeared.

Ynix, the Spirit King of Storms and Lightning.

It had already been 500 years since the seventh sword dance was lost, so it was the
first time for most of the elves to see the Spirit King in person.

‘But that doesn’t mean they couldn’t meet other Spirit Kings.’

The Spirit Kings were kings after all, so it wasn’t easy to meet them.

Aside from their status, summoning them was also difficult.

“It seems to me that the Spirit King has never appeared, even if the sword dance was
performed.”

Though he was still dissatisfied, Jude listened to Princess Leica and continued their
conversation.
Princess Leica was relieved by this and nodded her head.

“Yes, it’s usually an ordinary Storm Spirit or Lightning Spirit that have appeared in
the past.”

“Eh? So you haven’t seen a Spirit King, Your Highness?”

When Cordelia’s eyes widened in surprise, Princess Leica replied with a bitter smile.

“It has been a long time since the seventh sword dance was lost… I don’t know how
old you think I am, but I’m actually still quite young.”

Cordelia furrowed her brows at Princess Leica’s response.

Not because she didn’t like the answer, but because she was curious.

‘How old are you then?’

You seem to be really young based on the way you talk.

But since you’re an elf, are you around a hundred years old?

“Moving on… So aside from Cordelia’s contract with the Spirit King, it seems like my
knowledge of the sword dance is of high value to you.”

Jude said in a lowered voice, and Princess Leica frowned as if she had been stabbed
at her sore spot. She then nodded her head.

“You’re right. First of all, the fact that the Banquet of Spirits has been restored is
important. Being able to communicate with the spirits of storm and lightning that
had been cut off once is highly valuable in itself. And well… If I say this, Midas will
get angry, but since there’s only us here, I’ll say it… Anyway, even among the
previous royalty, you could barely count in your hand those who had signed a
contract with the Spirit King.”

The fact that they couldn’t sign a contract with the Spirit King wasn’t a big problem.

The problem was that Cordelia, a human, signed a contract with the Spirit King, but
there was also a solution to that.
“That’s why, I’ll be praising you a lot in the future.”

“Praise?”

“Yes, something like that. Something like exaggerating the facts, I think? I’ll make you
into an amazing person.”

Because it was much better than saying that the Spirit King was stolen by some
random ordinary people.

A person worthy enough to be chosen by the Spirit King.

Something that justified that person signing a contract with the Spirit King.

“The two of you will leave this forest anyway.”

If Cordelia had been an elf, the situation would have been a little different.

Because Cordelia might be excessively deified and gain followers. And that would
pose a threat to Princess Leica’s authority.

But Cordelia was a human who would have to leave the Forest of Eternity eventually.

[Jude, can we let her do that?]

[It’s fine. There are many cases in history where people get praised after their deaths
even though they were seen as a competitor when alive, right? For their enemies, it’ll
be fine if the dead person was given awards or honor since the person wouldn’t be
able to do anything with those awards since they’re already dead anyway.]

A classic example was King Seonjo who originally struggled to undermine Yi Sun-
sin’s military achievements to somehow keep Yi Sun-sin in check during the
Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592, but changed his attitude when Yi Sun-sin died.

[Hmm, I see.]

Cordelia didn’t know about any historical examples, but she nodded her head
because his words made sense to some extent.

And Princess Leica spoke again.

“To sum it up, I want you two to match my words. I’ll hand over the settings I’ve
made sometime tomorrow.”

“Setting?”

“Yes. Oh, I’ll listen to you too, of course. It would be much more plausible to mix in a
little bit of truth.”

Princess Leica broadly smiled as if she found it fun, but Cordelia thought as she
narrowed her brows.

‘She’s like Jude.’

No, Jude is better than her, I think?

But it was at that moment.

“We understand. If that’s the case, our side will actively cooperate with you.”

Cordelia flinched when Jude replied with a dark smile, but Princess Leica was
delighted and breathed in relief because it was the first time she had seen Jude smile
ever since she had entered this room.

“You have my gratitude.”

“It’s okay. Let’s continue our discussion then.”

Jude still had a stern attitude, but Princess Leica continued with a small smile as if
this was enough for her.

“Regarding the Spirit King… Cordelia, can you summon the Spirit King?”

“Eh? Uh… I haven’t tried to do it yet.”

“Have you ever signed a contract with a spirit before?”

“No.”

At Cordelia’s answer, Princess Leica had a bitter smile as if she had expected it, and
then she slightly moved her hand.
A wind seemed to blow from Princess Leica’s fingertips, and soon, a wind spirit in
the form of a cute little girl appeared.

“Wow.”

It was like a fairy.

The wind spirit seemed to have the same butterfly wings as that of fairies.

“It’s not difficult to summon the spirit itself once a contract is made. Unless you and
the spirit have a falling-out.”

Princess Leica moved her hand again to unsummon the wind spirit before she
turned to Cordelia.

“You have just signed a contract with the Spirit King, so I don’t think you and the
spirit are on bad terms already, but there is one more problem when it comes to
summoning the Spirit King.”

“Is it mana?”

Princess Leica nodded when Cordelia answered reflexively.

“Yes, mana. Because it requires a tremendous amount of mana to just summon it.”

At this point, Cordelia seemed to understand what Princess Leica was talking about.

To summarize, she was asking Cordelia if she had enough mana to summon the Spirit
King.

‘Now that I think of it, it was like that at that time, huh?’

When she thought about it, it was only after Red Wind reached the final tech tree in
the game was she able to summon the Spirit King of Scorching Heat.

In short, it was like the ultimate skill that max level players could get.

“Please wait. I will try to summon it.”

Cordelia quickly spoke and closed her eyes as she tried to summon the Spirit King of
Storms and Lightning.

When she called out the name of the spirit imprinted in her head at the time of the
vow, she could clearly feel the existence of Spirit King Ynix, but that was it.

And Cordelia understood the reason why.

‘It’s not enough.’

Her mana was seriously lacking.

Even if she hadn’t reached the level of Count Chase, an Archwizard, she was still
someone who surpassed the magic power of Adelia, one of the Royal Guard Magic
Corps’ commanders.

But even with Cordelia’s magic power, it was still impossible for her to completely
summon the Spirit King.

“As I thought, it’s impossible, huh.”

It was as Princess Leica had expected.

Even the high elves, whose magical power were superior to humans, had to raise
their mana capacity for hundreds of years or more before they could summon the
Spirit King.

So it was impossible for a human child, who would only live for a few decades, to
have enough mana to summon the Spirit King.

‘On the contrary, this is actually better.’

She had mentioned this and that from the beginning, but if Cordelia was really able
to summon the Spirit King, it would have been politically difficult.

‘Because she’s a human… It’s probably impossible for her to summon it during her
entire life.’

Princess Leica breathed in relief again, but she soon felt sorry for Cordelia.

Even though Cordelia had signed a contract with the Spirit King, she couldn’t
summon the Spirit King because of her lack of mana.

She wouldn’t be able to summon him even if she tried because of the limitations of
her race’s lifespan.

It was simply a pitiful fate.

But Jude and Cordelia were thinking differently.

[What? Your mana’s not enough?]

[Yes, it’s not enough.]

[Will it still be not enough if you transform into Angel mode? Or a witch?]

[Well, I think it’s still not enough.]

[Then… will raising your angel rank do it?]

Because Cordelia was an angel and not an ordinary human.

[That’s why I want to hurry up. Jude, if we defeat Malekith, the Dragon Heart is mine,
okay?]

[Hey, as I said before, Malekith is an ancient dragon, okay?]

[But we’ll defeat him anyway, right?]

[Well, that’s true.]

It was a powerful enemy that must be defeated in order to achieve the perfect happy
ending.

[And… uh, that is. I’ll tell you about it later.]

[Have you thought of a way?]

[Hehe, that’s still a secret.]

Cordelia giggled and turned to Princess Leica.

“Anyway, we understand, Your Highness. Thank you very much for telling us about
this and that.”

“Eh? Oh, yes…”

Far from being disappointed, Cordelia had a big smile, so Princess Leica was
surprised. She then looked at Cordelia with warm eyes.

‘She’s a kind girl.’

You’re not showing your disappointment in front of me and Jude even if it’s hard for
you.

I misunderstood you when I saw you, uh, threatening the fairies, but you’re actually a
nice child.

“Your Highness?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. Don’t be too disappointed. Since you’ve signed a contract with
the Spirit King… it will be easier for you to sign a contract with spirits of the same
kind.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

When Cordelia answered nicely, Princess Leica smiled happily again before looking
back at Jude and saying.

“And Jude, I want to ask you a favor.”

“Are you talking about the seventh sword dance?”

“Yes, it is as you said. I want you to pass on the seventh sword dance to us elves.”

One would normally say, ‘Yes, I understand,’ but not for Jude.

Instead of answering immediately, Jude was silent for a while, and Princess Leica
understood the meaning of his silence since she was a crown princess.

“Don’t worry about compensation. I’ll reward you generously.”

“I understand. We’ll discuss that later then.”

You keep saying that you’ll reward us, but you have yet to tell us what you’ll be giving.

In fact, it was rare for Jude to reveal his innermost thoughts like this, but perhaps
because of what happened earlier, his reaction was more harsh than usual.

But Princess Leica was very pleased with the fact that Jude had accepted it.

“Okay, then I’ll talk more about it tomorrow.”

There were a few more things to talk about besides the setting and the sword dance.

When Princess Leica got up from her seat, Jude and Cordelia also stood up, but she
waved her hand as if saying that it was not needed, and said.

“You can remain seated. And as for what you were doing before… uh, you can
continue doing that.”

Princess Leica blushed at the end before she turned around and hurriedly left the
room.

And the two were left.

Jude wanted to put into action what Princess Leica had said, but not for Cordelia.

Instead of having reddened cheeks because of embarrassment, she turned to Jude

with slightly narrowed eyes.

“Hey, Jude.”

“Yes, Cordelia.”

“How did you know all of these?”

About the Banquet of Spirits, the seven swordsmen, and the seventh sword dance.

Normally, Cordelia would have exclaimed, ‘JudeWiki is amazing!’, but it was different
this time.
The three things mentioned above were things that had never appeared in the game.

“How did you know?”

Cordelia asked again as she intensely stared at Jude with her blue eyes.

In terms of knowledge, Cordelia might be less than Jude, but in terms of instinct and
intuition, she was far better than Jude.

So instead of uselessly lying, Jude told her the truth.

“The sword spirit taught me.”

“Sword spirit? Of Sword Origin? Do the Ultimate series have sword spirits in them?”

“Uh, I just found out when we became one.”

His answer was somewhat strange, but it was true.

Cordelia urged him with her eyes to continue, and Jude said as he scratched his chin.

“The sword spirit of Sword Origin is Valencia, the Elf Sword. The first owner of
Sword Origin and a powerful swordsman in the past… Also a member of the Prime
royal family and a high elf.”

At Jude’s explanation, Cordelia blinked her eyes and asked.

“Then, is the sword spirit still there? Since it’s a sword spirit, it lives in the sword…
Wait a minute, is it living in your body then?”

Sword Origin was a sword that became one with the user as soon as it was equipped.

Jude hesitated to answer Cordelia’s question, but he eventually came up with an

answer.

“Well, you see, that is true… but the sword spirit is normally asleep. It’s not awake,
okay? It’s like it doesn’t wake up unless you call them.”

“Can you talk to it when you’re awake? Can they watch the conversation we’re having
now?”
“It’s not like that. Our conversations only happen in something like an imaginary
world, so it only happens in my mind.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

“Yes, it’s like that.”

“Is the sword spirit very pretty?”

“Eh?”

“Is it pretty?”

Cordelia was brightly smiling but Jude could tell.

Unlike her smiling lips, her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

Because she was like a beast staring at her prey.

Jude swallowed hard. He slowly opened his mouth and realized that his back had
somehow began to get wet from sweat.

“That…”

“Yes, that what?”

“She is pretty? But in my eyes, no, even if I look at it objectively, you’re the prettier
one.”

As Jude said while sweating, Cordelia narrowed her eyes and only heard the words
she wanted to hear.

“So she’s pretty. And she’s a woman.”

Oh sh*t.

Now that I think of it, Cordelia doesn’t know yet if Valencia is a woman or not.

But what I just said now made it clear that it’s a woman, no, I pretty much confirmed it.
“Hmph, I see. Jude’s sword spirit is a woman. In addition, she’s pretty. The two of you
secretly meet in your mind.”

“No, that’s not it. Countess August Chase?”

“You even became one with her, right? Wow, unbelievable. You truly merged with her.
Jude has merged with Valencia. You merged with a woman other than me.”

“E-excuse me?”

Isn’t your choice of words a bit strange?

“So Jude will merge with anyone. That’s the kind of man he is.”

It was a checkmate.

No matter what Jude would say here, he would only be seen as trash in the end.

But it was then.

Cordelia who had been coldly staring at him suddenly burst into laughter and began
to laugh out loud while holding her stomach.

“Look at you getting flustered. Was it a bull’s-eye? Is that it?”

Cordelia raising her voice at the end was very cute, but it was unpleasant at the same
time too.

“Hehehe, I won again today.”

“Wait, what exactly did you win?”

“I won, I won.”

Cordelia laughed at whatever Jude had said, and then asked as she leaned her back
against the chair.

“Anyway, I have a sword spirit too, right? Grand Order is also an Ultimate series.”

“Yes, I’ve asked about it before, and it seems like it’s a cute girl.”
“Ah, that’s too bad. It would have been nice if it was a charming guy.”

“Miss Cordelia?”

“Why? Mister Jude who merges with anyone?”

“Ugh.”

It was an unwinnable fight.

Aren’t you the one who always called piggyback rides as ‘merging’ though?

‘Anyway, this doesn’t make any sense.’

Even if Cordelia’s intuition is amazing, this is a bit too much.

Jude tried to regain his composure and said again.

“Anyway, I’ll teach you how to do it. But as Valencia said, the sword spirit will remain
sleeping unless something special happens, so it may not work.”

“Why was Valencia awake?”

“Because of swordsmanship.”

Jude briefly narrated his conversation with Valencia, and Cordelia nodded her head.

“Ah, so that’s why you were fighting a bit differently.”

Because Jude’s way of fighting now was more like swordsmanship rather than
martial art skills.

“Okay. Then I’ll try to meditate too.”

Cordelia answered cheerfully before she corrected her posture and closed her eyes
while holding the handle of Grand Order.

And a few seconds later.

‘It’s… already too late to finish what we were doing earlier.’

I have no choice but to postpone it for next time.

Jude smiled bitterly and sat across Cordelia before closing his eyes.

Likewise, he began to talk to the sword spirit.

***

“Did your conversation go well?”

Princess Leica nodded at Midas’ question.

“Yes, it somehow went well. He will teach us the seventh sword dance tomorrow.
And as expected, Cordelia is unable to summon the Spirit King.”

This was a satisfactory result for Princess Leica, but not for Midas.

“Is it impossible to transfer the Spirit King’s contract?”

“Midas, that’s impossible. The Spirit King chose Cordelia. It’s not something that we
can easily transfer like paper contracts, right?”

“Uuuh…”

In fact, Midas was aware of that.

But it was not easy for him to maintain his composure since this was about the Spirit
King and not anyone else.

“Anyway, isn’t this better than having Kelthur be chosen?”

“That’s true.”

Princess Leica and Kelthur had a very close relationship, but nevertheless, the two
were still the first and second in line to the throne.

Even if the two didn’t have any thoughts of competing against each other, things
might still happen depending on what the people around them thought.

‘I don’t think Solfege has given up yet.’

Princess Leica recalled Kelthur’s mother and sighed before she looked at Midas
again.

“Anyway, it already happened. So stop thinking about the Spirit King and move on.”

“…I understand.”

Midas seemed reluctant to answer, but he was someone who kept his words once he
said it.

Therefore, Princess Leica smiled and said.

“Moving on, shouldn’t we be grateful to the two? Thanks to them, we defeated

Jabberwock and got the Banquet of Spirits back.”

“I’m worried on how we’ll reward them.”

“You’re right. I think we should reward them generously.”

To sum it up, the two had made huge contributions one after another in just two
days.

They saved Princess Leica’s life, defeated Jabberwock, and restored the sword dance
that had been lost for a long time.

“Well, should giving them this country be enough? Should I bestow Jude the position
of ‘my lover’?”

When Princess Leica said that with a playful smile, Midas nodded his head seriously.

“It’s worth considering.”

It was rare for elves to have an offspring, so they didn’t have a marriage culture.

That was why Princess Leica’s mother and Kelthur’s mother were nobles with their
own titles and not queens.

“What do you think, Your Highness?”

It was the moment when Midas seriously asked.

“Your Highness!”

Vanessa appeared as soon as the door was opened, and she hurriedly spoke without
even giving a courteous greeting first.

“His Majesty The King has awakened.”

“My father?”

“Yes, he just woke up now!”

Vanessa said that with a wide smile, and Princess Leica was filled with joy. Midas was
also pleased as he clenched his fists.

Grave Prime, the leader of the High Elves who led the elves of the Forest of Eternity.

He had been asleep for a long time, but he finally woke up.

Why?

Maybe summoning the Spirit King had an effect on him?

“Let’s hurry.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

With the smiling Vanessa leading the way, Princess Leica and Midas hurried out of
the room and headed for the king’s residence.

And at the same time.

At a completely different place.

Two people were heading out of the royal capital with their horses besides each
other.

One was Count Bayer, one of the Ten Great Swordmasters and the new Sword Saint
of Wind, and the other was Count Chase, one of the Northern Sagang and the Tower
Master of the Red Dawn Tower.
“Because we can’t just sit back and wait.”

Their children had run away at night (because of love) in a situation where the royal
family’s attention was focused on them.

They didn’t understand why their children who were already engaged kept running
away at night, but it was impossible for the two counts to sit by idly as their children
acted as if they were on a honeymoon.

Because the two were no longer just children from the 12 northern families, but
heroes of the kingdom that the Salen royal family paid attention to.

“Is it south this time?”

It was north last time.

Count Bayer had a bitter smile and turned to Count Chase who snorted before fixing
the reins and saying.

“Anyway, let’s go.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

To catch their runaway children.

To go after Count August Bayer and Countess August Chase, their children.

The two counts turned their heads along the north wind and pulled their horses’
reins.

Their horses ran like the wind towards the south.

A thousand changes and a myriad of variations – a Chinese idiom that means
something that is ever-changing or have countless variations. But in this episode, it
can be read in both its literal and idiomatic meaning.

Jude actually needed some time to organize things.

Because he had gained a lot of things in a short period of time after they left the royal
capital, or to be exact, after the decisive battle in the royal capital.

‘From the sixth door to Ultimate One, and even a new swordsmanship style.’

In particular, he needed time to learn the new swordsmanship.

Even if Jude had Cheonmujiche, he still needed to train the so-called skill level of the
things he newly acquired.

‘Valencia.’

Jude called Valencia’s name as he closed his eyes and focused on his consciousness.

He had already done it once, so he was able to call Valencia much faster than before.

“You came, my successor.”

The Valencia who appeared in front of him looked quite excited than before.

Did something exciting – no, did something interesting happen?

‘She said that she’s usually asleep all the time.’

But there was a reason for her to stay awake this time.
“My successor, I’ve developed it to some extent. Eh? Yes, I developed it.”

Valencia said as her toes wiggled. It seemed like she was holding herself back from
jumping up.

‘If it was Cordelia, she would have already jumped up from her spot.’

No, she would have hopped.

‘Now that I see it, she’s barefoot.’

Jude looked at Valencia’s feet before raising his head. He smiled as he saw her
brightly shining green eyes that seemed to be even sparkling.

“Are you talking about combining the Supreme Sun Divine Art to your
swordsmanship?”

“You’re both right and wrong. The Supreme Sun Divine Art is a martial arts based on
swordsmanship in the first place.”

It was as she said.

Landius was a swordsman after all.

He was suspected of being a swordless swordsman just like Jude now, but at the time
of the first episode of Legend of Heroes, he used swordsmanship with the Supreme
Sun Divine Art.

“Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors can integrate with anything. However, you did not use a
sword at first, so your current Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors is more like fist fighting
than swordsmanship. Therefore, it became necessary to combine the Supreme Sun
Divine Art’s swordsmanship and Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors, and the other
swordsmanship styles that my successor had learned so far in order to create a new
swordsmanship style.”

Doing such work would make anyone feel dizzy, but for Valencia, it was exhilarating.

She continued with a wide smile.

“The Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors and Supreme Sun Divine Art are both amazing. And
the other swordsmanship styles that my successor has somehow learned are quite
extraordinary and interesting.”

He blinked his eyes as he didn’t know what she was talking about at that moment,
but he soon understood it.

Valencia was talking about the ‘Sword of Wind’ which was Count Bayer’s
swordsmanship, and Count Hræsvelgr’s Sage King’s Cross Sword.

Jude didn’t know much about the two, but he was familiar with parts of it.

“Anyway, I will teach you from now on. I’m sure you will also be happy.”

Jude smiled unconsciously when he saw Valencia’s flushed cheeks, and he nodded
his head.

Valencia’s joy somehow made him feel better too.

“But my successor. Before I begin, I want to ask you a question.”

“Yes, please ask away.”

As Jude answered calmly, Valencia put her hands on her waist and had a mischievous
expression as she asked.

“My successor, what do you think are the advantages and disadvantages when you
use swordsmanship with Sword Origin?”

The advantages and disadvantages that occur when fist fighting techniques are used
like swordsmanship.

Or rather, the pros and cons of being able to use sword techniques together with fist
fighting techniques.

‘I can tell the disadvantages right away.’

First of all, the reach is short.

Meaning the attack range is decreased because of the weapon’s length.

Then what are the advantages?

‘First is speed?’

Because bare hands were faster than weapons.

Weapons were heavy and it also took some time to manipulate them.

Of course, the latter was not a significant difference at the level of an ordinary
human, but this was Pleiades, a world where superhumans existed.

Even the slightest difference could determine one’s life and death.

‘But that’s just the advantage of fist fighting techniques. As for the advantages of
using swordsmanship along with fist fighting… ’

“Flexibility.”

That word immediately came out of his mouth the moment he thought of it.

And at his answer, Valencia smiled brightly.

“Yes, speed and flexibility.”

Sword Origin allowed its user to treat their limbs like swords.

In other words, it was possible to reduce one’s movement and respond faster than
when using a sword to block or deflect enemy attacks.

The same went for attacks.

‘All of that is about speed.’

What about flexibility then?

“Flexibility in attacking because you’re using all your limbs, right?”

Normally, it was necessary to avoid the enemy’s weapons when one used fist fighting
techniques, but that didn’t apply to Sword Origin.
For this reason, a person could carry out as many attacks as they could that they
would have normally not thought of when they used fist fighting techniques or
swordsmanship.

“That’s correct. But there is one more thing. Think about it a little more.”

At Valencia’s urging, Jude furrowed his brows and thought hard, and he soon found
an answer.

Because Valencia kept wiggling her fingers.

“The free use of your hands?”

“Correct!”

Valencia was unable to hold it in this time and finally jumped up from her spot. She
clapped her hands and continued.

“You’re not just fighting with a sword-like hand. Because you can do much more with
your hands.”

It wasn’t just about using one’s fist and palm.

One could really do anything with their hands.

With a real blade, it was impossible to use techniques that did not cut the enemy,
such as punching and grabbing techniques.

But it was possible to do so with Sword Origin.

“A thousand changes and a myriad of variations.”

Valencia gracefully spread out her hands and continued with a picturesque smile.

“Now then, shall we be enchanted together?”

Let’s learn swordsmanship together.

Valencia took a deep breath and assumed a basic posture, and Jude smiled at her
strange choice of words before nodding his head.
“I’ll be in your care.”

“All right, my successor.”

Valencia firmly answered and raised her hand.

They began training in earnest.

***

The next morning.

Vanessa reappeared in front of Jude and Cordelia who only meditated all night in the
room.

She came with an elf whom they had never seen before.

“This is Carnelia from the Bellias family. She is the swordsman who will learn the
seventh sword dance.”

“I am Carnelia Bellias. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

At Vanessa’s introduction, a tall and slim female elf greeted them with a big smile.

She had red hair that was quite rare for elves who were mostly blonde, and she gave
off a very energetic feeling.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Cordelia greeted her after Jude, and then turned to Vanessa and asked as if she had
suddenly remembered something.

“What about Princess Leica?”

“Her Royal Highness is a little busy right now.”

Vanessa replied with a grin.

Cordelia thought that it was natural for Princess Leica to be busy since she was the
crown princess, but she felt that Vanessa’s smile implied something more than that.

‘Did something happen?’

I don’t think something bad happened though.

Cordelia’s unique gut feeling was telling her something, but she didn’t pry any
further.

She didn’t know if it was a bad thing, but she thought that it was a nuisance to stick
her head into something trivial.

“I shall guide you to the training area. I believe that it would be difficult to use
swordsmanship here.”

Vanessa had spoken to them informally when they had first met, but after Jude and
Cordelia were officially invited to the royal palace, she had begun to speak to them
respectfully.

‘No, I think it was the time after I signed a contract with the Spirit King.’

Ever since they were guided to the room, Vanessa had begun to use respectful words
to them.

‘The Spirit King is amazing, huh.’

From Cordelia’s perspective, it was like the final boss became her summon, but not
for the elves.

The Spirit King was like a pillar of the world that kept the balance of the world just
by its very existence.

So it was natural for them to be polite to Cordelia who had been chosen by the Spirit
King, regardless of whether she could summon him or not.

“This way please.”

Vanessa guided them to an outdoor training area.

It was like a soccer field as there was grass on a wide open area.

“Are we doing it here?”

The sword dance used in the Banquet of Spirits was usually passed down to only one
person. Though Valencia didn’t seem to have strictly followed that rule since she had
learned it.

“Yes, the seventh sword dance was lost in the first place because of that rule, so
we’ve decided to pass it down to many people this time.”

After all, in a way, it was just a sword dance.

Jude was convinced and immediately began to teach Carnelia the seventh sword
dance, and Cordelia was dazed for a moment before she followed Vanessa and sat in
a sunny place to watch the two.

And time passed.

Other elves began to appear one by one in the training area, and everyone seemed to
be interested in Jude.

“The story of the punitive force must have spread.”

The story on how Jude fought and how they defeated Jabberwock.

At Vanessa’s explanation, Cordelia smiled and puffed up her chest.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Yes, he’s very amazing. Very enchanting. He’s… ahem, ahem, very charming.

Jude would have liked it if he had seen her raise her chin and tried to clear her throat
because it looked cute, but Vanessa only tilted her head.

“Lady Cordelia? Are you feeling sick?”

“No, it’s not that… hehehe.”

Instead of explaining it to her, Cordelia just laughed and asked again as she raised
her chin.

“Jude is on the strong side even among the elves, right?”

“Yes, and it’s quite unique that he can do swordsmanship with his bare hands. Isn’t
he special even among the humans?”

“Yes, Jude and his master are quite special.”

Landius didn’t have something like the Sword Origin, but it seemed like he could also
do what Sword Origin could do.

After all, he was Landius.

‘Maybe he’s no longer human at this point?’

It was hard to imagine someone else stronger than Landius.

“Oh, it looks like they’re going to have a spar.”

“Eh?”

Cordelia was surprised and looked back in front again, and she saw Jude and an
elven knight assuming a basic fighting posture.

Carnelia who had been learning the sword dance was now heading to Cordelia’s side.

“Carnelia. Did they request for a spar?”

“Yes, I’ve learned all the basic movements, so I’m taking a break for a while. Everyone
seems to be very interested in Master.”

When Carnelia responded with a wide smile in response to Vanessa’s question,

Cordelia puffed up her chest again and said.

“He is my Jude after all.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, um… anyway. Is everyone interested in Jude?”

It was just a repetition of Carnelia’s words, but Carnelia replied with a bright smile.

“Yes. I’ve only learned from him for two hours but… he’s really not an ordinary
person. He has a deep understanding of swordsmanship. In particular, he has a really
nice body.”

Cordelia was pleased as she listened and nodded her head, but she paused at the
other’s last words and blinked her eyes.

“A nice body?”

“Yes, isn’t it really nice? He has a firm chest, thick forearms, and in particular, his
thighs and waist… hehehe.”

Cordelia blinked her eyes again.

Did she just giggle at the end?

Did I hear her wrong?

Cordelia suddenly became alert without realizing it, and she closely looked at
Carnelia again. Now that Cordelia saw it, Carnelia was gazing at Jude with an
expression as if she would drool at any moment.

But it was then.

“Ah. I think I understand. Actually, my heart is pounding too. His body type is
uncommon among our male elves who are lean.”

“That’s right. Vanessa, you feel the same, right? Isn’t his body so good? This is the
first time I’ve realized that a body like that exists.”

Carnelia giggled in her delight while Vanessa blushed and nodded her head.

After all, it was hard to find a sculpture-like body like that of Jude’s among the
slender elves.

And Cordelia thought.

‘You b*tches?’
You’ve been looking at Jude like that for some time?

“Kyaa~ Look at those veins on his forearm.”

“It’s popping out.”

Carnelia and Vanessa spoke once again and at that moment, Cordelia became
dissatisfied with Jude’s outfit.

Because his body figure was clearly revealed with the tight-fitting clothes the elves
had given to him.

In addition, the clothes were sleeveless, so his shoulders were fully exposed.

‘Wait a minute. Even the people watching him are weird.’

There were many blushing elves among the onlookers who had gathered.

Quite a few elves were drooling like Carnelia.

‘W-wait a minute. No, seriously, wait!’

Excuse me, his fiancée is right here, okay?

I feel a bit uncomfortable if you stare and drool at my Jude like that, okay?

And it was at that moment.

When Jude successfully defeated the elven knight, thunderous applause and cheers
poured out among the female elves who were watching.

And a second match began.

The opponent this time was a female elf, and Cordelia’s discomfort grew even
stronger.

But something else happened then.

“Cordelia, how long will you be staying here?”

At Carnelia’s question, Cordelia had a hunch at that moment.

The elf in front of her who was overbrimming with affection for Jude was planning to
do something.

“E-excuse me. Jude is my fiance… okay?”

“Yes, I’ve heard of it. Humans have such a culture, huh?”

Cordelia flinched at Carnelia’s answer.

Such a culture? The fiancé part?

As Cordelia was confused, Vanessa who was watching from the side then said with a
smile.

“There is no marriage culture among us elves. For us, having children is rare, so if we
have something like marriage, our population will shrink.”

What the hell are you talking about? What the heck are you saying?

You don’t have marriages? You don’t get engaged?

Have you always been a race that did not care about fidelity?

Come to think of it, these elves have a prince and crown princess, but they have no
queens.

Even the mother of Princess Leica is a countess with a different surname.

‘Wait, don’t tell me… So all of these people here are…?’

Cordelia saw the elves, who were drooling while staring at Jude, in a new light.

‘Jude’s in danger!’

When she looked closely, even the female elf he was having a spar with was staring
at Jude strangely.

It was like the eyes of a hawk looking at its prey.

Moreover, the sex ratio was strange. Of the elves gathered here, majority were – no,
almost all of them were female.

“I read about it in a storybook… Humans are much rougher and more vigorous,
right?”

Cordelia frowned at Carnelia’s question.

Why are you asking me that?

Why?

And what are you planning to do if he is rough and vigorous?

‘F*ck, they really look like they want to pee.’

These damn ero elves.

‘Should I just destroy everything?’

At the time Cordelia began to think seriously, Jude’s full concentration was on the
match without even realizing on what was going on around him.

Or rather, he was enjoying the spar.

For Jude, the current sparring match was a great opportunity to embody what he
learned from Valencia last night.

‘This is fun.’

Becoming stronger is fun.

Learning new swordsmanship is fun.

Attacking with the body freely and getting closer to the roots of Supreme Sun Divine
Art and Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors are fun.

The engrossed Jude began to sweat, and the elves began to squeal at Jude’s wet(?)
body.
And as all of these were happening, the finishing touch was added.

“Jude is really strong.”

Princess Leica appeared with Midas.

But she also looked quite strange. Her cheeks were a bit flushed too.

‘What the… Why are you blushing while looking at Jude? Didn’t you see me and Jude
doing that yesterday!’

Even though it was only an attempt, but still.

Cordelia became extremely uncomfortable and struggled to contain her anger before
catching her breath.

And she made a resolution as she watched Jude fight against more opponents whom
she had already lost count of.

‘Tonight.’

I have to settle this tonight before it’s too late.

Let’s end this.

Cordelia clenched her fists as she watched Jude.

And that night.

After they had dinner and returned to their room, Cordelia stood in front of Jude and
suddenly tried to hand him a letter.

“Cordelia.”

“Let’s run away.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s run away tonight.”

“Lady Cordelia?”

Jude narrowed his eyes and asked, but Cordelia remained adamant. She once again
tried to give Jude the letter.

“Let’s put this on the bed and leave.”

It was a letter in a white envelope. It was even sealed beautifully with red wax from a
candle.

“Hey, that… is that what I think it is?”

“T-that’s right. It is what you think it is.”

A letter full of romantic words between Jude and Cordelia that they left behind
whenever they ran away.

In fact, it wasn’t something necessary since they would be running away from the
elves, but Cordelia still prepared it.

‘Because we really need to run this time!’

I need to shake off all these perverted elves!

But unlike Cordelia who was in a hurry, Jude was calm as he asked.

“But why do we have to leave now?”

“Uh, we have to leave. Two days have already passed. According to our schedule, we
should have already been out of the Forest of Eternity, right? What are we going to
do if Malekith is resurrected while we’re here? So let’s hurry. Okay? You’ve already
taught them the seventh sword dance too.”

“That’s right.”

But…

Why is my lady doing this all of a sudden?

Why does she look so anxious?

“So we’re leaving today?”

“Yes, today. Let’s just leave this letter on the bed and go. If we say that we’re going,
Princess Leica will try to stop us again.”

At Cordelia’s words full of strong conviction, Jude lightly touched his chin before he
accepted her letter and said.

“Cordelia.”

“Yes, Jude.”

“Do we have to go now? We haven’t received all the rewards yet.”

First of all, they would be receiving a reward for saving Princess Leica and defeating
Jabberwock. In addition, Jude was planning to rip them off.

‘The Spirit King is not a reward.’

Because he just suddenly appeared and chose Cordelia, and was not something the
elves had prepared for them.

But Cordelia said with a firm expression.

“Yes, we have to go no matter what.”

“Then, will you wear the rabbit headband?”

“Huh?”

“The rabbit headband. With the tail.”

Why in the world are you suddenly saying that!

But Cordelia was in a hurry. She quickly nodded and pulled out the rabbit set from
their luggage before putting it on herself.

“Okay, I wore it. So let’s go now.”

Jude blinked his eyes in confusion at Cordelia’s determination.

He just wanted to tease her a bit because she looked so anxious, but she really wore
the rabbit set.

Did something serious happen?

“Hey, you didn’t kill an elf, right? Or committed some kind of crime?”

“It’s not like that, okay?! It’s just because we really need to get to the south quickly,
okay?!”

After leaving the Forest of Eternity, they had to stop by the headquarters of the
Guardians of the Holy Cross.

After heading down south, they had to find Landius and Kamael too.

As Cordelia said all that and persuaded him, she pulled on Jude’s arm.

“So let’s get going. Let’s merge.”

“Okay. Then one last thing.”

“What else? You want me to wear bunny girl clothes?”

“Eh? For real?”

Jude’s eyes sparkled, and Cordelia replied with a cold look as she raised her clenched
fist.

“Okay. I wanted to ask you something else in the first place.”

“What is it? You want to go to the toilet? What the hell is it?”

“This.”

Cordelia’s letter from earlier.

“Can I read it?”

To read what she wrote.

To read the contents of the love letter Cordelia herself wrote.

“No way!”

No way! Absolutely not! Never!

Do you know how hot my face became when I wrote down all sorts of things!

With a red face, Cordelia snatched the letter from Jude’s hand and ran to the beside,
putting down the letter in a place where it could be easily seen.

“Let’s go now, okay? Jude, let’s go, okay?”

When Cordelia stomped her feet and said, Jude finally nodded.

“All right, let’s not delay it any longer.”

As Cordelia had said, the two still had a long way to go.

It might be rude to leave without saying a word to them, but it should be fine since
they had done a lot for the elves.

‘I’m a little curious about the circumstances of the elven royal family but… ’

Nothing should happen now since we defeated Jabberwock.

I’ve already informed Princess Leica of Malekith’s threat in case she didn’t know.

“Then Lady Cordelia, would you like to ride on my back?”

“Yes!”

Cordelia carried the backpack on her back and jumped on Jude’s back, and Jude
firmly fixed Cordelia’s position before he turned to the window.

“By the way.”

“Yes.”

“How many times has this been?”

Running away at night because of love.

“I’m not sure.”

If I roughly count it, it seems to be around five times.

But instead of counting it, Cordelia tightly hugged Jude’s neck, and Jude smiled
happily.

He looked at the letter on the bed with a bit of regret, but he soon cleared his mind.

He thought that it would be more fun to hear it from Cordelia in person.

“Then let’s go.”

“Yes, Milord.”

Cordelia buried her face in Jude’s neck, and Jude became the wind.

He became a black gale that crossed the Forest of Eternity.

Catlike face – a Korean term for a person with a haughty and elegant face that
resembles a cat. People with catlike faces are said to have slanted eyes and a slender
jawline.

Shuten-douji – a mythical oni/demon in Japan, and known as one of Japan’s three

most evil youkai/monsters.

Cordelia had a dream.

It was the memories of the time before she was reincarnated in Pleiades, of the time
when she was still living as Yellow Storm, or Hong Yoo Hee in real life.

“Ah.”

Like most dreams, it began out of nowhere, but Cordelia didn’t feel that anything was
strange.

Because it was a dream.

She was in Hong Yoo Hee’s room.

Cordelia stood in the middle of a room with a lot of pink colors, such as the
wallpaper and curtains, and then looked at the bookshelf.

In the top section, various books related to certifications, including CAD, were tightly
placed together. And in the bottom section, comic books and fairy tale books that she
liked since her childhood were sparsely placed together.

And in another place.

Cordelia quietly gazed at the shelf filled with figures and plastic models, and she laid
her eyes on the most eye-catching object there.

It was a Cordelia figure that was released when the popularity of Legend of Heroes 2
reached its peak.

‘It was hard to get.’

Not because the quantity sold was not enough, but because it was expensive.

Her pocket money was not enough, so she eventually had to sell some of her in-game
items in exchange for real cash.

‘It’s so pretty.’

She remembered being really happy for a while whenever she opened her eyes every
morning and saw the Cordelia figure on the bookshelf.

‘Cordelia.’

She stretched out her hand and took the Cordelia figure. Cordelia quietly looked up
and looked around.

‘No one’s here, right?’

Having checked that the door was tightly closed, Cordelia’s lips twitched a few times
before she turned the Cordelia figure upside down to look inside the skirt.

Whenever she saw figures dressed in a skirt, Cordelia strangely wanted to turn it
over.

‘It’s white.’

Cordelia grinned unconsciously and returned the Cordelia figure to its spot.

She recalled the results of an experiment wherein most people of all ages, whether
men or women, would check the inside of the skirt out of curiosity. Cordelia then
walked towards the desk.

‘My desk.’
Unlike her cute-looking room, the desk had a formal design as if it was used in an
office, but because of the props placed here and there, it did not hurt the atmosphere
of the room at all.

Cordelia tapped the heads of the little teddy bears lined up on the desk and sat down
afterwards.

She put her hands on the desk as her small body leaned on the stupidly expensive
but comfortable chair which her paternal uncle took from an office that his
workplace was contracted to demolish.

Cordelia touched the mechanical keyboard, or to be exact, the blue keyboard made
by Leopold that was next to the VR device and exclusive controller.

Legend of Heroes 2 was originally played with a keyboard and mouse, but after the
release of Legend of Heroes 3, the addition of a VR device and a control stick, which
was similar to those in aircraft simulators or those that one could see in almost any
robot cockpits in anime, elevated the gaming experience.

‘Its performance is as good as its complexity.’

One of the reasons why Yellow Storm was called a human disaster was because of
this control stick.

People who could handle it perfectly were rare even within the Legend of Heroes
community that were full of rotten waters, but once a person handled it perfectly, the
level of character control was raised to a completely different level.

‘Outboxer must be the only one aside from me, right?’

A person who could use it perfectly like herself.

Cordelia smiled and grabbed the gaming mouse instead of the VR device as she
opened Legend of Heroes 2.

As soon as she logged in, she saw a familiar name.

Cowabunga: Oh, you’re here?

One of the chat room regulars was Cowabunga.

She had never seen him in person, but because he was a guy who often played with
his mic on, she felt like she could hear his voice in her head just by looking at the
words in the screen.

Yellow Storm: Yes, I’m here.

After answering properly, she looked at the chat room list and saw that only
Cowabunga and Outboxer009 were online now.

Cowabunga: Hey, do you not use Dico?

Discord. Also known as ‘Dico.’ It was a program mainly used for voice chat.

Although she knew of its existence, Cordelia shook her head and tapped on the
keyboard.

Yellow Storm: No, I don’t.

Cowabunga: Why?

Yellow Storm: Because there’s no microphone at home. I’ll think about it if you buy
me a microphone.

Actually, it was just an excuse.

There was a real reason.

‘There’s too many people talking.’

It was a bit embarrassing for her to say it herself, but Hong Yoo Hee’s voice was on
the very good side.

She had been constantly asked since elementary school on whether she wanted to be
a voice actress in the future.

Moreover, she was a woman, which was quite rare for players.

As a result, there were many guys who catcalled her when she played games with
her voice on.
‘A lot of them even get into fights.’

Since Legend of Heroes itself was a male-oriented game, around 80% of the players
were men, and there were many of the so-called ‘gamers’ who pretty much lived in
Legend of Heroes.

So why did she say that?

Because a pretty girlfriend who was good at games was the ideal type for gamers.

Hong Yoo Hee was just the perfect fit to that.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Cordelia gently pressed her red cheeks with her hands in her embarrassment before
she concentrated on the monitor again.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never even heard the other regulars’ voices in the voice chat.’

She had already seen them for 5 years in the game, but she had never heard their
voices, let alone see their faces.

‘No way… is Romantic Cat-unnie not a woman?’

After all, Jude was a popular character that female players used.

‘Hmm… it’s perfectly reasonable to be suspicious.’

Cordelia closed her eyes for a moment and imagined the appearance of
Outboxer009.

When he made fun of Yellow Storm, he always acted like a mean elementary student,
but he was quite serious when he talked with others. No, one could say that he was
cold in a sense since he didn’t talk much.

‘I feel angry now that I think of it.’

Why are you always so mean to me?

Even when they first met, he mocked her for not being able to play games well.
Yellow Storm always lost her temper to him, but strangely enough, she always
imagined Outboxer009 as a pretty woman.

If Outboxer was really a woman, it reminded her of those stylish older women who
were tall, sexy, and had excellent capabilities.

Outboxer would look fierce in a well-fitted suit, but would also look like a cool older
woman.

‘What if she wore a racing suit and rode a big and black motorcycle?’

Will her eyes be a little fierce?

A catlike face?

Cordelia then recalled that Hong Yoo Hee herself also had a catlike face.

She had heard people say that she was pretty like a doll because she was small, but
at the same time, she was also said to be like a ferocious kitten.

‘Ah, Outboxer’s definitely not a woman.’

It’s impossible for Outboxer to be a cool older woman if he always says mean things to
me.

‘Then… ’

Cordelia suddenly remembered one of Outboxer009’s weaknesses, and she smiled as

she tapped the keyboard.

Yellow Storm: Outbo, Outbo. If you’re online, answer me.

Yellow Storm: I know you’re there.

Yellow Storm: Out

Yellow Storm: Bo

Yellow Storm: Xer

Yellow Storm: Baldie.

Yellow Storm: Impotent. Baldie. Hey, Baldie.

Outboxer009: You wanna die?

Yellow Storm: Oh, as I thought. You’re really bald, huh? After all, every time I say
baldie, you always retort back.

Outboxer009: No, that’s nonsense.

Outboxer009: What’s going on anyway?

At Outboxer009’s question, Cordelia briefly raised her hands off the keyboard and
thought about it.

There was another reason why she thought that he was a cool older woman.

Because every time the monthly rankings was released, Outboxer would super
evolve from a mean kid into a kind person who answered nicely.

Outboxer009: Norfolk?

Yellow Storm: Seksu

Outboxer009: Have you gone crazy?

Yellow Storm: Pawa Seksu

Outboxer009: F*** This game censors everything else, but why isn’t it censoring
that?

Yellow Storm: Seksu a seksu

Yellow Storm: Pawa Seksu!

As she typed that, she could ‘feel’ that Outboxer009 was hitting something on his
end.

Yellow Storm: Stoo-pihd kekeke

She usually said all sorts of things, but when she said something dirty, Outboxer009
would suddenly become embarrassed, and that was one of his weaknesses.

‘Sometimes he’s completely like a virtuous person.’

Maybe Outboxer is a lady of quiet and well-behaved character.

So she’s uncomfortable when she sees something dirty.

Outboxer009: Hey kid. You’re really just an elementary schooler, right? You’re not
even a middle schooler, right?

Yellow Storm: Seksu

Outboxer009: Hey.

Yellow Storm: Pawa Seksu

Outboxer009: F***

Cordelia tapped the keyboard and smiled as she imagined a furious Outboxer009 on
the other end.

T/N: Adding this note because some were confused by ‘Pawa Seksu’. It means ‘power
sex’, but Cordelia deliberately writes it as ‘pawa seksu’ to avoid the chat room’s
censor/filter. The word ‘power’ here is used as an intensifier, so ‘power sex’ actually
means ‘intense sex.’

***

“Pawa… sek… su.”

Cordelia muttered in a small voice before opening her eyes.

Sunlight.

The smell of grass.

The sound of trees swaying in the wind from afar.

Cordelia blinked her eyes and realized that she had woken up from her dream.

“Ah.”

This is Pleiades.

I’m Cordelia.

As she yawned and stretched out her arms, the dream that remained clear in her
mind scattered at once and became a mess.

“Unnn.”

After blinking her eyes again, Cordelia sat up and saw a familiar back.

“Are you awake?”

“Yes.”

It was the back of Jude who was preparing their breakfast.

Umm, it seems like I said something weird in my sleep, but surely, he didn’t hear it,
right?

Cordelia then shrugged her shoulder and focused again on Jude and their
surroundings.

There were cooking utensils on top of the bonfire, and there was a delicious smell.

Bacon, eggs, and… carrots?

“I hate carrots.”

She spoke out loud as if she wanted him to hear it, but Jude said something else
instead of talking about the side dish as if he didn’t hear her.

“I’ve filled it with water so you should wash your face first.”

“Yes, mommy.”
Cordelia opened the lid of the basin near her bed and dipped her hands into the clear
water.

The water was warm.

‘He’s kind.’

No, should I say that he’s thoughtful?

She was honestly grateful that he prepared some water for her to wash her face, but
he even warmed it up.

Jude was now able to freely use some basic magic spells, so preparing warm water
was naturally much easier for him than before, but a bothersome task was still
bothersome.

“Hehehe.”

Cordelia laughed without realizing it, and after washing her face, she sat next to Jude
and looked at the frying pan.

Bacon and eggs were being fried as she had expected.

“Can you take out some bread and cheese from the bag?”

“Okay.”

Cordelia took out some bread and cheese as Jude had ordered, placing them on a
wooden plate before she stared at Jude again.

She smiled strangely again.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. I just like this situation.”

Because there were no elves around, and only Jude was present.

Those cheeky ero elves.

Don’t you f*cking dare covet someone like that.

“Hehehe.”

Running away at night was the right decision, the right decision.

When Cordelia snickered again, Jude tilted his head as he didn’t understand what she
was laughing about, but he soon smiled.

Two days after leaving the Forest of Eternity.

A morning scenery where peace had been completely restored.

Propping up her chin with her hands, Cordelia watched Jude put the cooked food
into a bowl and suddenly remembered one fact.

‘Come to think of it, Valencia is an elf too, right?’

She’s also an elf from the high elf royal family in the Forest of Eternity.

‘Don’t tell me… ’

Cordelia’s eyes were deeply filled with suspicion at that moment, but she didn’t say it
out loud.

‘I’ll have to talk to my sword spirit quickly and figure out the situation.’

He said that he could meet with his sword spirit, but she couldn’t exactly understand
how that happened from just hearing it.

Cordelia herself needed to meet her sword spirit in order to check if it was really
possible for him to cheat(?).

“Have you talked to Grand Order?”

Cordelia nodded when Jude asked her as he placed a bowl on a wide rock that she
didn’t know where had picked up.

“Yes, I called her, but she didn’t answer.”

“Maybe it’s a problem with meditation? You always doze off, you know?”

“Hey, my main job is a wizard. I’m really good at meditation, okay?”

“Well, if you insist, then it must be true.”

“Hey, I’m telling the truth, okay?”

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

I take back what I said of him being thoughtful.

Cordelia was annoyed when Jude spoke meanly, so she opened her mouth to
badmouth Jude just like in the dream, but she quickly closed it again.

Because there was a difference in saying it through online chat and saying it with
your actual voice.

‘N-now that I think of it.’

He really didn’t hear me speak before, right?

The words that I muttered in my sleep.

“Cordelia?”

“Eh? N-nothing. Anyway, are we almost there?”

“Yes, we’ll arrive there before lunch today.”

The southern branch of the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

It was the largest of their branches in the Salen Kingdom, and Ghostblade Kamael
was known to be staying there.

“Can we get in touch with Kamael if we get there?”

“It’s possible. Unlike my master, Kamael is one of the Guardians of the Holy Cross’
leaders. He’s a man of integrity, so he’ll definitely leave behind a way to contact him.”
“I see.”

Nodding her head, Cordelia briefly closed her eyes and thought about the southern
branch.

The trading city of St. Crute.

Next to it was the monastery of the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

In fact, it was too large to be called a monastery.

Hundreds of people lived there.

‘Because it’s actually a sacred place.’

It was not publicly known, but the ‘St. Crute Monastery’ was one of the sacred places
of the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

It was also a unique and very important sacred place right after the headquarters of
the Guardians of the Holy Cross in the center of the continent, and one of the top
three most significant sacred places on the continent.

But even within the Guardians of the Holy Cross, only those who had some rank were
aware of those facts.

They would be like that because there was nothing special about the St. Crute
Monastery itself.

The monastery was not the birthplace of a famous saint, nor was it a place where an
important part of history occurred.

It was just a monastery of some size.

But Cordelia knew the truth.

‘It’s the land of a god. The residence of a god.’

A god lived in the St. Crute Monastery.

Not a self-proclaimed god, but a real god of this world.

‘No one met them in the game though.’

All the playable characters were able to know of their existence, but none of them
ever met the god in person. The first reason was that there were no characters who
were deeply involved with the Guardians of the Holy Cross, and the other reason was
that the god in question had already disappeared in the second half of the game
when the characters became deeply involved with the Guardians.

‘The young god Atalia.’

Jude had once explained it a long time ago, but the gods of this world were actually
classified into three main groups.

The first group were the high-ranking angels from heaven.

The second group were the divine beings from a completely different world.

And the third group were the true gods of this world, who came to be in this earth.

An example of the first group was the sun god Solari, and for the second group was
Shuten-douji, the god of misfortune and one of the 7 major calamities. As for the
third group, they were the wild gods like the Golden Dragon King.

‘It was not until we came into this world that we found out that wild gods actually
existed.’

T/N: Jude had earlier classified the wild gods as outside of the three main groups, but
that was because he didn’t know back then that wild gods were real.

In any case, the young god Atalia who lived in St. Crute Monastery belonged to the
third group.

As someone who came into existence in this earth, Atalia was a guardian deity who
truly wanted to protect this world.

But Atalia was still a young god, so their power was less than that of a Demon Prince,
let alone the sun god Solari.

‘But a god is still a god.’

If Atalia continued to grow up in the future, they could become a stronger entity than
Solari.

‘Maybe… we can meet Atalia this time?’

They were going to the St. Crute Monastery in order to contact Kamael, but Cordelia
was also looking forward to meeting Atalia.

“Anyway, shall we go?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Cordelia happily replied before carrying the backpack and climbing on Jude’s back,
and Jude said after fixing Cordelia’s position.

“By the way, Cordelia.”

“Yes, Jude.”

“Uh… We’re not in the chat room so you have to be careful, okay?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, uh… just remember that.”

What are you talking about?

Cordelia blinked her eyes and soon understood what he meant. Thus, her face turned
red.

“Ahem, ahem. Let’s go then.”

Towards St. Crute, a land where a god lives.

Jude kicked the ground, while Cordelia groaned in her embarrassment instead of
answering.
Jude rarely had dreams.

In particular, the frequency of his dreams that was already low decreased even
further when his sleeping time was extremely shortened after his metamorphosis.

But that didn’t mean that he never had dreams at all.

It was just extremely rare. However, Jude’s intuition was telling him something now.

That he was currently dreaming.

“As I thought.”

It wasn’t a lucid dream.

Even if he was Jude, it was impossible to be completely rational in a dream, and even
if it was possible, the laws of the world itself changed in dreams.

In the world of dreams, one would think, ‘Oh, this is how it should be. This is natural.’,
even if they saw pigs flying in the sky or cats dancing.

Jude looked around.

He was in the room of Outboxer009 – Kang Jin-ho.

His past life.

His life before he reincarnated and lived in Pleiades for 17 years.

His room was very spacious.

The room was big in the first place, but it felt even more spacious because there was
little furniture in the room.
One bed, one desk, one bookshelf, and one chest of drawers.

Jude looked at the top of the chest of drawers.

There were a lot of pictures displayed on top that Cordelia would be surprised if she
saw it.

Jude glanced at the picture on the far left.

Around 20 years ago.

There stood a rather good-looking child with fierce eyes among a group of rough-
looking foreigners.

In fact, Jude wasn’t fond of this picture.

Because the people around him weren’t decent colleagues.

They were just humans who only thought of themselves and were willing to abandon
Jude after using him.

There was no special reason on why they took a picture together. It was just one of
their whims.

Jude saw the picture right next to it.

The little boy with fierce eyes grew up.

In the picture, all of them were foreigners except for the boy, but unlike before, there
were several children in the same age group as him.

Jude continued to look at the photos.

The boy grew up and became a young man.

And in the last picture was a young man getting drunk and doing things drunk
people do.

“My day of retirement.”

Around 5 years ago before he reincarnated.

Jude did not like to tell his past to other people.

It wasn’t that he denied it or that there weren’t any good things that happened to
him at that time. Rather, he just didn’t want to talk about it.

Because even people in the same industry as him, often did not believe in his story.

“Because I was too young.”

To have gone through such things.

Jude laughed at the picture 5 years ago were he was dancing half-naked.

If Jude had been born in South Korea and not in a foreign country, he would have
lived a normal life then, and that photo of himself dancing half-naked would not be
from a retirement party but something different like a university end-of-semester
party or membership training… Or a company outing with his work colleagues if he
didn’t went to university.

‘Now that I think of it, I haven’t taken a single picture ever since I retired.’

Jude stroked his chin before turning his gaze towards the bookshelf.

Books related to Legend of Heroes were placed there.

It was rare for game strategy books to receive paperback editions these days, so
most of the books were old ones.

‘When Legend of Heroes 2 was first released, several strategy books were published
in paperback editions.’

Therefore, it was possible for him to find strategy books at used bookstores even
though he had started playing Legend of Heroes 2 late.

‘Of course, even at the time of the game’s first release, paperback editions were
becoming obsolete.’

So most of the books related to Legend of Heroes on his bookshelf were books
dealing with the early days of the first and second episodes of the game series.

Jude stretched out his hand towards the books.

He pulled out a book, turned it around, and then looked at his desk.

Just like his entire room, his desk was also simple-looking.

Three large monitors, one pull-out tissue, a blue keyboard and a gaming mouse.

And a VR device with its exclusive controller that he only used for battles.

Jude did not sit like Cordelia.

Instead of turning on the computer, he looked at the strategy book again.

And he thought.

Since this was a dream, he naturally thought of things that he didn’t try to remember
in reality.

“It’s strange.”

He wasn’t talking about reincarnating into the world of Legend of Heroes 2.

Because even if he denied the theory of reincarnation, there was one impossible fact
that existed in the game.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. It’s too detailed.”

Jude spoke out loud and turned over the strategy book again.

He had been studying Legend of Heroes to the point of obsession, just because of his
desire to crush Yellow Storm.

That was why he was able to affirm.

“It’s strange.”

Legend of Heroes was too detailed.

Ancient dwarf letters.

The language of the high elves.

Magic circles that were so complex that one would suspect that they were real magic
circles.

Of course, Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings, created several languages for
his novels, so there was no rule that the game developers of Legend of Heroes should
not do something similar, but even so, there was still a sense of incongruity.

“But there’s something even stranger.”

Jude spoke once again with his voice.

As if he was talking to himself.

“I lost my memory.”

He was reincarnated as Jude Bayer in Pleiades.

Then one day, at the age of 17, he remembered his memories of Kang Jin-ho, his
previous life.

But there was something strange about this.

He wasn’t talking about the fact that his past life memories returned after his
reincarnation.

“I can’t remember.”

After the monthly ranking announcement.

Right after he teased Cordelia, his memories stopped.

He no longer had any memories after that point.

The memories of Kang Jin-ho, which Jude remembered, were cut off at that point.

“Why?”
For what reason?

Everything in this world had its reason.

Therefore, there must be some reason on why his memories were cut off.

What is it?

Is it just a coincidence?

It’s impossible to completely remember your entire past life, so I can only think of parts
of it, and it just so happens to be cut off at that point… is that it?

“Because in the theory of reincarnation, I cannot completely deny that possibility.

But there are too many coincidences here for me to believe that.”

Cordelia also didn’t have any memories after that point.

So Jude came up with two hypotheses.

“One – it’s not necessary.”

They didn’t need their memories after that point.

All that they needed to remember was on how to prevent the upcoming destruction
of Pleiades. They didn’t need any other memories besides that.

“Two – something happened to us at that point.”

Kang Jin-ho and Hong Yoo Hee might have died almost at the same time in an
accident without even realizing that they had died.

Jude focused on the first hypothesis.

It was not necessary.

It was not needed.

Then, who was the one who judged the need?

In order for the first hypothesis to be proven, someone who judged that need was
necessary.

Someone who reincarnated Kang Jin-ho and Hong Yoo Hee in Pleaides.

“Let’s stop here for now.”

Instead of digging deeper, Jude turned his consciousness to another question.

Either of the two hypotheses were strange, but if he was to consider on which one
was stranger, Jude would choose the second one.

“It will eventually be resolved.”

Jude and Cordelia had memories of playing the entire Legend of Heroes series.

And this world basically followed the storyline of the Legend of Heroes series, which
they had already confirmed several times.

The attempt of the Devil’s Hand to kidnap the children from the 12 northern
families.

The Devil’s Eye who were corrupting the northern barbarians.

The Lord Protector who betrayed the royal family because of his destined fate.

And Black Dragon Malekith who would wake up in the near future and destroy the
southern region.

Just what in the world is happening?

Does that mean that the Legend of Heroes series were actually prophecies?

If it wasn’t… If the Legend of Heroes series was not about the future events of Pleiades…
If it was only a record of what had already happened…

“The past and the future are not connected.”

Because it was the result of reversing the flow of time.

It was impossible for time to flow in one direction only because he couldn’t ignore
the involvement of another world too.

“Is it a time slip?”

In the process of crossing worlds, did we come to the past of Pleiades and not its
present time?

“Assuming that the timeline of Kang Jin-ho and the timeline of Jude flowed parallel to
each other.”

If we didn’t cross horizontally… If we crossed diagonally… and if we also went

backwards in time…

Then perhaps it’s the reason on why we came to the past.

“My knowledge is still lacking.”

Cordelia might be disappointed to hear that, but JudeWiki didn’t really contain all
the knowledge in the world.

Jude didn’t have much knowledge of the physics related to time.

So he didn’t dig deeper this time either.

Kang Jin-ho had spent most of his life on the battlefield, so he tended to focus on the
situation in front of him.

And figuring out the big picture was not something he could do today, so he’d pass
on it for now.

Jude returned the strategy book to the bookshelf.

And this time, he turned to the door instead of sitting down.

Because he felt the presence of someone beyond the door.

‘Who is it?’

This was Kang Jin-ho’s home.

Jude habitually pulled out a pistol hidden in a drawer and opened the door carefully.

There was no one in the living room that only had a large TV and a sofa, but he heard
the sound of someone humming from the kitchen.

And Jude was stunned as he blinked his eyes.

“Cordelia?”

“Ramyeon~ Ramyeon~ Delicious ramyeon~ ”

Cordelia was cooking noodles as she wiggled her hips.

She even had an apron while she was cooking. Cordelia then turned to him and
smiled.

“I told you that I can cook ramyeon very well, right?”

Now that I think of it, this is a dream.

This is a dream, so it’s not strange if Cordelia appears and cooks noodles.

Therefore, Jude sat down at the table and watched Cordelia cooked ramyeon.

When he saw Cordelia’s back as she stood in front of the induction stove, his heart
pounded loudly without him realizing it.

“It’s done. But there’s something that you must do before eating ramyeon.”

Cordelia put down the chopsticks she had used while cooking the noodles, and
turned around as she headed to Jude.

She touched Jude’s cheek and brought her face closer.

Then she whispered with a completely bewitching smile.

“Because this is a dirty dream.”

“Eh?”
“A dirty dream. Dir. ty. Dream.”

Cordelia lightly bit Jude’s ear and then let her hot breaths touch his ear.

Jude’s body trembled for a moment because his weakness had been attacked, and
Cordelia kissed him on his cheek as if finding him cute, before she sat down on Jude’s
thigh and smiled.

“Jude, the ramyeon will get soggy, right? You’ll make me soggy too, right?”

(T/N: Uh… this is a pun. A naughty pun. The Korean word used here can mean soggy
when paired with noodles, but when used on a person, it can have a sexual meaning,
like thrusting sounds, erection, etc. Fortunately, the pun works in English too, because
‘wet’ is a synonym of ‘soggy,’ right?)

Cordelia giggled and hugged Jude’s neck as she drew her face closer.

And that was it.

It did not continue any longer.

Because dreams were meant to be always cut off at the best part.

“F*ck.”

“Jude?”

“No, it’s nothing. I just remembered something.”

Jude awkwardly smiled at Cordelia who tilted her head, and he turned to reality
again instead of trying to recall his dream.

Jude and Cordelia had arrived at St. Crute.

The trading city was bustling with people.

It was located between the southern and central regions, but because of the Forest of
Eternity that was almost the size of a country, southerners had to choose one of two
routes in order to get to the central region.
One was through Geppert, a trading city located in the west of the southern region,
and the other was through the trading city of St. Crute, which was right in front of
them now.

“Jude, Jude. What should we eat for lunch? Are we going to eat here?”

Cordelia was very excited to be in a busy city after a long time.

She was busy thinking about food that she wanted to eat.

“I want to eat something sweet. Something sweet. Something very sweet.”

Cordelia stomped her feet in her excitement as she imagined it, and she sniffed with
her nose as if she was tracking the scent of food.

“That way!”

It smells sweet over there!

As expected of a beast.

A girl from the wild.

Unfortunately, Jude had no choice but to grab the hand of Cordelia who was about to
run.

“Eh? You want to escort me?”

“No, that’s not it… I think that we should put it off for now.”

Cordelia blinked her eyes at Jude’s words, but it was only for a moment.

Because she noticed things that she couldn’t detect earlier due to being distracted by
the sweets.

“What? Did you contact them in advance?”

“Yes, somehow.”

To be exact, it was when Cordelia was wandering around dreamland earlier in the
day.

Jude sent a signal using the method he learned from the Guardians of the Holy Cross
members whom he met near Frost Anvil.

A simple signal telling the other that they would be meeting them.

And the result of that was right in front of them.

“The Guardians of the Holy Cross welcomes Count August Bayer and Countess
August Chase.”

Nine monks appeared and were dressed in black and white clothes that was
symbolic of the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

The excited Cordelia drooped her shoulders when they showed up and greeted the
two, and Jude tried to hold back his laughter before greeting back the Guardians of
the Holy Cross people.

“Jude August Bayer greets the Guardians of the Holy Cross.”

“Cordelia August Chase greets the Guardians of the Holy Cross.”

Cordelia tried to hide her disappointment and greeted them politely, and the man at
the front who had greeted them then said with a bright smile.

“I am Manuel from the Guardians of the Holy Cross. I am very glad to meet the two
heroes of us Guardians. Please allow me to guide you to our base.”

It seemed like the other members in the back, and not just Manuel, were looking at
the two in a very friendly manner.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Well, doing something like this is just natural, of course.”

Manuel brightly smiled again and began to guide the two without hiding his
excitement.
St. Crute Monastery boasted a long history and tradition, and was home to around
300 members of the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

“We don’t stay here all the time. We are dispatched all over the continent and just use
St. Crute Monastery as our base.”

Manual excitedly talked about this and that, so Jude and Cordelia were not bored
until they arrived at the monastery.

“Our branch leader is currently out of town, but he’ll be back tomorrow. So please
relax for today and enjoy the welcome party.”

“Welcome party?”

“Yes, a welcome party. The heroes of the Guardians have arrived, so it’s proper that
we hold a welcome party, right?”

Manuel looked around as if asking the others for their agreement, and the members
raised their voices in response.

“That’s right.”

“It is as he said.”

“It’s only proper to do so.”

Cordelia flinched when she glimpsed a bit of madness in their eyes, and she
unconsciously pulled Jude’s sleeve. Jude replied to Manuel as he slightly hid Cordelia
with his body.

“I understand. We’ll look forward to it.”

“Hehe, please look forward to it.”

When Manuel laughed in excitement, the rest of the members began to laugh with
him, and Cordelia held on to Jude’s sleeve a little tighter.

And around half an hour later.

After leaving the busy trading city, Jude and Cordelia were surprised when they
arrived at St. Crute Monastery located in the suburbs.

There stood around 300 people lined up at the stone entrance of St. Crute Monastery,
and it seemed like all the Guardians residing in the monastery were present.
Moreover, there were even flag bearers holding large flags of the Guardians of the
Holy Cross in between, similar to those in formal ceremonies.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, we’re not kidding.”

At Cordelia’s question, Manuel laughed again, and her suspicion became a reality.

“In the name of the Guardians of the Holy Cross, we welcome the two heroes.”

When the woman at the forefront courteously greeted and bowed to them, all the
guardians dressed in black and white uniform also bowed to them, which was a truly
spectacular sight.

But Cordelia unconsciously pulled on Jude’s sleeve.

Because aside from being happy, she did not understood the current situation well.

[Jude, Jude. Why are they doing that?]

[Because we’ve done a lot?]

[Huh?]

[Think about it.]

Think about what we have been doing.

The things that we had done.

The public had only known that they had stopped the Lord Protector’s plan, but from
the perspective of the Guardians of the Holy Cross, Jude and Cordelia’s activities did
not just stop at that.

[How many demonic humans have we caught so far? We’ve also destroyed Hell
Gates.]

[Eh?… Ah!]

In the eyes of the Guardians of the Holy Cross, all demon followers needed to be
destroyed, regardless of whether they belonged to the Devil’s Hand or Devil’s Eye.

However, the number of demonic humans that Jude and Cordelia had killed so far
was not a small number.

The number of low-ranking demonic humans under Saluzia’s northern branch had
been seriously decreased because of Jude and Cordelia, and the Devil’s Eye also lost
dozens of low-ranking and mid-ranking demonic humans in the wild lands because
of the two.

Add to that were the Hell Gates.

Jude and Cordelia had destroyed a total of two Hell Gates so far, and they stopped the
Lord Protector, who most certainly would have awakened as a high-ranking demonic
human had he succeeded.

Moreover, the reputation of the Guardians of the Holy Cross was raised because they
heavily used the name of the organization in the process.

“The ideal Guardians.”

“The heroes of the Guardians.”

“The humble ones who gave glory to the Guardians.”

The last evaluation was something that only Guardians could give, because only the
Guardians knew of the fact that they did not do much for Jude and Cordelia.

And there were a few more things added to this.

“The esteemed Landius’ disciple.”

“Someone talented enough to lead the Guardians of the Holy Cross in the future.”

“Talented people who Master Kamael kept his eye on.”

Landius was not a member of the Guardians of the Holy Cross, but most of the
Guardians did not think so.

He was the comrade of Kamael, one of the six heads of the Guardians of the Holy
Cross.

A hero of the Guardians who continued to destroy demon followers even until now.

Since Landius was Jude’s master, the Guardians of the Holy Cross naturally held Jude
in high regard.

And there was one more really important reason.

“An angel.”

“A real angel.”

“The angel Cordelia!”

It was to be expected.

The Guardians of the Holy Cross was originally an organization formed by the
remaining members of the denominations that worshipped the angels who
descended from heaven.

For them, the angels were not mere messengers of gods, but targets of faith.

Therefore, there was a group of people worshipping Holy Angel Lena among the
Guardians of the Holy Cross, and now, they had one more being to worship.

Holy Angel Cordelia.

An angel with a beautiful face and heart.

One was a disciple of the Guardian’s strongest hero, and the other was an angel
befitting worship.

And the two had made huge achievements in succession.

So at this point, it wasn’t strange for them to hold a welcome ceremony for the two.

“We’ve prepared a banquet. This way, please.”

After Manuel spoke, a woman in her early thirties began to guide Jude and Cordelia.

She was Carmen, the second highest-ranking member in the St. Crute Monastery, a
master of God’s Fist, and someone who had mastered fist and foot martial arts for a
long time.

She was also a disciple of Fast Fist Tyburn, one of the six heads of the Guardians of
the Holy Cross, and had a daughter with her husband who was a fellow disciple as
her.

Her hobby was knitting, and her specialty other than martial arts was singing hymns.
Her recent concern was that she had been spending less time with her daughter due
to frequent business trips.

And the reason why Jude and Cordelia found out all these trivial facts was simple.

“That’s why…”

The drunk Carmen spoke again, and the likewise drunk Cordelia blushed and
laughed.

“Ehehe, is that so?”

The Guardians of the Holy Cross.

One of the common misconceptions about the Guardians of the Holy Cross was to
regard them as an organization of ‘monks’ because the reality was completely
different.

In reality, the Guardians weren’t ascetic monks who gave up everything for god, but
rather, they were a group of ‘warriors’ who were willing to fight against the demon
followers for the rest of their lives.

Of course, as the foundation of the Guardians itself were the various denominations
that existed in the past, their organization had an appearance of worshipping gods in
general.

All of these were true.

“Pour more!”

“Drink more!”

The Guardians drank the strong fruit liquor the monastery itself brewed as they
rolled on the cold stone floor, and Carmen who had been talking with Cordelia before
was now passionately kissing the floor.

And in the midst of this, Jude remained sober alone because of the regenerative
power of the Sphere of Life and the powerful detoxification of his metamorphosized
body, so he was not drunk at all. He described the sight before his eyes in a short
sentence.

“What a mess.”

A literal mess.

At least a hundred members of the Guardians and trainee monks had lost their
reason because of the liquor.

At this point, Jude thought that the welcome party was just an excuse.

‘Did they just want to drink?’

Because they needed a justification for drinking this much on a large scale.

At the moment when Jude’s eyes were filled with suspicion…

“Heue, heee. Huuuuu. There’s still some alcohol. Hihi.”

Jude turned to the voice he heard right next to him.

“Cordelia, are you okay?”

“Huh? Uh, yes. I’m fine. I’m completely okay.”

Cordelia grinned with a flushed face as she looked at Jude with tipsy eyes, and
snorted before saying.

“Jude, Jude. You want to drink more?”

“I’m fine. That’s quite strong.”

While Carmen who drank with her was trying to unite with the floor, Cordelia sat
still and talked to Jude.

“Hehehe, I can drink well. This is f*cking strong.”

“That’s right, that’s right. My Cordelia can drink well.”

“Yes, yes. I can drink well. Drink well. Hihi.”

Cordelia covered her cheeks with her hands and closed her eyes, but she soon
opened it and said.

“Uh, Jude. My Jude. Hehe, my Jude. My Juuuuuude?”

“Uh…”

She’s completely drunk.

But it’s fine since she’s cute.

Jude watched Cordelia for a while before he stood up.

“Jude?”

“Let’s stop. We should go now.”

“Go?”

“Let’s go to our room.”

“Ah, the room. Yes, the room. Yeah, the room. I know.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll carry you there.”

Jude carried Cordelia in his arms and headed to the room where they had stopped by
earlier when they unpacked their luggage.

“Hehehe, those perverted elves, hehe. I won.”

What in the world did you win?

And perverted elves?

“I won. I. I won, right?”

“Yes, you won. My Cordelia is the strongest. She’s invincible.”

“Yes, yes, I’m awesome!”

Fearing that the Cordelia who was speaking gibberish would fall, Jude secured her
tightly in his arms and walked a little faster.

Because he thought that he should lay her down quickly.

And in the room.

The room was far from splendid because this was a monastery, but it had a cozy
feeling due to the thick carpet and fireplace in a corner. Jude immediately laid
Cordelia on the bed after entering the room.

‘As for washing up… I think it’s better for her to do that tomorrow.’

I should just let her sleep for now.

“Good night, Cordelia.”

Cordelia suddenly closed her eyes and began babbling, and Jude covered her with a
blanket and tried to leave the room.

But it was at that moment.

Cordelia grabbed Jude’s sleeve.

She stopped Jude and strongly pulled his sleeve.

“Cordelia?”

Jude ended up sitting on the bed and turned to Cordelia who looked at him with
tipsy eyes as she sat up. She suddenly glared at Jude and said.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“You’re bad.”

“Huh?”

“You’re bad. You’re such a bad guy.”

What is she suddenly talking about?

Jude slightly furrowed his brows and asked.

“Because I’m always first place?”

“Argh, not that! Although that was bad too. That was really, really bad, but not that.”

Then what is it?

When Jude became troubled, Cordelia hit her chest in her frustration before pulling
Jude’s sleeve again.

“…sh.”

“Huh?”

“The wish! When are you going to make your wish? When!”

It had already been more than 10 days since Jude and Cordelia left the royal capital.
Though if they considered the fighting competition where the wish was awarded
first, it was almost a month ago.

But he had yet to make a wish.

He had not made a wish.

“When will you say it! When!”

I mean! Why aren’t you making a wish!

If you got a wish coupon, you have to use it! Come on!

Just ask for something!

Cordelia grabbed Jude’s collar and shook him. Her shoulders drooped and she lightly
hit Jude’s chest with her head and said.

“Come on… hurry up… quickly… whatever it is.”

You like me, right?

Right?

You like me.

Cordelia held back those words before she looked up again to see Jude.

As her slightly moist eyes filled with resentment stared at him, Jude’s lips twitched
once. He then put his on Cordelia’s shoulder and said.

“Uh… Cordelia.”

“Yes.”

“Anyway, you’re drunk, so I’ll be honest with you.”

“Okay.”

Cordelia unconsciously became nervous and swallowed hard, while Jude averted his
gaze as he continued.

“So uh… what I want to say is… it’s a bit too much to ask for something like that as a
wish… right?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, something like that…”

Jude’s face lightly turned red in his embarrassment, and Cordelia likewise turned red
too. Because she was currently drunk and also feeling embarrassed.

“So… I’ll make my wish sometime else. Is that fine with you?”

“Yeah… it’s fine.”

“Okay.”

Let’s go to sleep now.

Jude stroked Cordelia’s head once and tried to stand up naturally, but it was still
impossible.

Because Cordelia grabbed Jude’s hand this time.

“Cordelia?”

“No… that is…”

“Yes?”

“That is…”

Cordelia’s words trailed off at the end, and she looked at Jude again with her moist
eyes, making Jude smile a little. He caressed Cordelia’s cheek which was burning red
for many reasons.

Cordelia then leaned her face against Jude’s big hands, and soon said again in a small
voice.
“No lip kisses. The first kiss… Let’s do that when I’m sober.”

It would be her first time to do that whether in her past life or present life.

She didn’t want to do it when she was drunk.

But still, she didn’t want to let him go.

So Cordelia whispered in a very small voice.

“Only for today.”

Jude didn’t ask her further.

She fulfilled his wish, and he began on her forehead.

***

The next morning.

Cordelia opened her eyes on the bed, and struggled with the first hangover of her life
as she tried hard to suppress her desire to kick the blanket.

‘Aaaaaaaaaah!’

I must be crazy. I must be crazy.

Unfortunately, she remembered quite a bit.

What she had said and what had happened.

She even begged him to kiss her everywhere except for the lips.

“Aaaah, aaaah, aaaah…”

Cordelia struggled to stop herself from blushing, and she thought again after closing
her eyes.

‘Let’s pretend to be drunk.’

No, I was really drunk then.

So let’s pretend that I don’t remember.

Yes, that’s it.

Yes, yes, that’s it. That’s it.

‘All right.’

Remembering last night’s events, Cordelia covered her face with both hands.
Imagining it made her feel embarrassed, but she strangely kept smiling.

Forehead, cheeks, neck, collarbone, and so on.

Having recalled the places where Jude’s lips had touched, Cordelia took a deep
breath and calmed her heart that had begun to pound loudly.

“Huuu.”

I won’t drink anymore.

I’ll just pass on it.

Cordelia unconsciously muttered those words and took a deep breath again after she
put her hands away.

“All right, let’s get up now, wash my face, and pretend that I don’t remember
anything.”

Cordelia declared to herself and sat up, but stiffened afterwards.

“Uh… Hello.”

On a chair besides the wall.

Jude sat on top of it as he looked with an awkward face.

“Hwaaaa… I just woke up too. Yes, I just woke up. So I didn’t hear anything. Nothing.
Yes.”
After seriously trying to speak in monotone and stretching out his arms, Jude’s face
returned to its usual sly expression, and Cordelia covered her face again with both
hands.

She stayed like that for a long time.

It was a warm and sunny morning.

Cordelia curled up under the blanket and continued to groan.

And Jude watched her before he sat on the bed and said as he pat her back.

“I really didn’t hear anything. It’s the truth.”

Unlike before, his voice seemed to be quite sincere.

So Cordelia who was denying reality then stuck her head out of the blanket
unconsciously.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Jude covered his eyes with both hands as he widely smiled, and Cordelia understood
what that meant, so she jumped up from her seat and slapped Jude on the shoulder.

T/N: There’s a Korean proverb called ‘covering one’s eyes while making the sound of a
cat.’ It’s similar to the idiom ‘bury one’s head in the sand’, which means to avoid a
particular situation by pretending that it doesn’t exist. But in this Korean proverb, it is
used when a person tries to deceive or lie to someone. Jude did not make any cat sounds
though, but his wide smile made Cordelia understood that he was deceiving her.

“I hate you! I hate you!”

You always lie to me!

Jude accepted Cordelia’s fierce attacks with a snicker, and he suddenly turned his
body to the other side and said.
“This side too. Please do it steadily but not too strongly.”

“Yaaaa!”

Cordelia lost her temper and struck Jude even stronger, but it was useless.

Aside from having a wizard’s physique, her cute punches were weak against Jude’s
defensive strength that if felt like he was only being hit by cotton swabs.

Cordelia could obviously damage Jude through other means such as using the
detonating cord, but that was clearly going overboard.

Just like how Jude could not do any harm to the monster that pretended to be
Cordelia back then, Cordelia also felt quite reluctant to do any harm to Jude now.

‘No, even in the past, I wouldn’t go as far as using the detonating cord.’

Because using that is on a completely different scale when compared to just hitting him
a bit.

That’s why I’m not using my magic in the first place.

‘Anyway, I hate you!’

Cordelia was unsatisfied with punching him, so she began hitting his skin with her
palm as if it was a whip, but that too was useless.

Having acquired Sword Origin, Jude’s defensive strength had already gone beyond
that of a human.

After one to two minutes like that.

Jude snickered again before he turned to the exhausted Cordelia who was now
panting and asked her.

“By the way, Cordelia.”

“Why? Haa… You… haa… evil… haa… b*stard…”

How can she be so cute even when cursing?

The hopelessly in love Jude asked Cordelia as he pinched her cheek.

“Uh… How was last night?”

Last night.

Cordelia’s face turned red, and she snorted before replying.

“I don’t know and I won’t say it.”

But that in itself was more or less an answer already.

Because Cordelia covered her eyes with both hands, just like what Jude did earlier.

‘It was great.’

Relief and satisfaction.

Jude’s smile was mixed with those two things, and he closed his eyes for a moment,
recalling the events last night.

The appearance of Cordelia who begged him to do this and that.

And Cordelia saw Jude like that, and said as she stared at him coldly.

“You look like a pervert.”

“Excuse me?”

Aren’t you the one who stopped me last night?

“Hmph, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Anyway, I don’t know. After all, Jude is bad.

“Alright, if you insist, then so be it.”

“You… Hey, just stop, okay?”

But Jude smiled and stood up instead of answering her.

“Anyway, let’s wash up and get ready. Because Manuel will come whether it’s for
breakfast or for our meeting with the branch leader.”

At Jude’s words, Cordelia stood up too and said.

“Is Manuel okay? I think I saw him faint yesterday.”

“I think he’ll be fine since his behavior was strange from the beginning anyway. And
he’s from the Guardians of the Holy Cross. I’m sure they have a lot of hangover
remedies. Now that I think of it, are you okay?”

“No. My head hurts after I talk.”

Cordelia didn’t realize it because she kept blushing, but her complexion wasn’t good.

“Then let’s use magic.”

“Eh? What?”

It was just a hangover, so one recovery spell could easily solve it.

Cordelia had significantly grown as a wizard compared to eight or nine months ago
when she first recalled her past life memories.

“Done. My mind is clear now.”

“Wow, it’s like a scam when you think that it can be easily solved like that.”

“I agree.”

After answering him, Cordelia took a shower in the bathtub prepared on one side of
the room, and changed into clothes that the Guardians of the Holy Cross had
prepared for them.

It was the black and white uniform of the Guardians.

“It’s a nice uniform.”

Cordelia turned her body around as she looked at herself in front of a mirror with
magic lights, and then smiled in satisfaction.
Because Cordelia had a liking for uniforms in her past life, which included school
uniforms and military uniforms.

Uniforms had this unique feeling that made you feel neat and unified with others.

Moreover, the uniform of the Guardians of the Holy Cross was quite well-designed.

There was harmony in the black outer garments and white inner garments.

‘It’s like a remodeled nun’s habit.’

The skirt had a long slit to allow for the movement of legs, so it was quite far from a
ladylike dress, but the overall shape itself resembled a nun’s uniform.

‘Hmm, it looks good.’

Satisfied with her own appearance, Cordelia turned to Jude and felt even more
satisfied.

The uniform-wearing Jude.

Even if she remove the love filter in her eyes, Jude was really good-looking.

Come to think of it, Jude is one of the so-called Four Great Kings of Beauty in Legend of
Heroes 2.

“Hehehe.”

“Cordelia?”

“No, it’s nothing. Hehehe.”

Cordelia herself did not know, but her smile was no different from the ones Carnelia
and Vanessa showed in the Forest of Eternity.

So Jude flinched for a moment when she laughed, but afterwards, he was happy with
the fact that Cordelia was smiling, so he brought up the main topic instead of saying
anything unnecessary.

“Moving on, Cordelia. I have something to tell you before Manuel arrives.”
“What is it?”

Cordelia sat next to Jude on a sofa in one side of the room, and tilted her head as she
asked.

“Is it something important?”

“Yes, it’s important. It’s a must for us to do in St. Crute Monastery. Do you know what
it is?”

Cordelia blinked her eyes at Jude’s question, and then thought as she folded her
arms.

“Hmm… We’ll tell them about the threat of Malekith and then locate Kamael.”

That was their primary purpose, and it was the purpose they had talked about over
and over again while on the way here.

In short, it wasn’t what Jude wanted to tell her now.

It was something else.

Another purpose.

“Atalia?”

The young goddess Atalia.

According to the game’s background setting, she was a female goddess who was
asleep somewhere in the St. Crute Monastery.

Jude lightly shook his head at Cordelia’s words.

“It’s not Atalia. Of course, it would be nice to meet her, but even if we can’t meet her,
it won’t be a big problem.”

She was still a young goddess, so there was little that she could do.

Moreover, it could have a bad effect on her if they forcibly woke her up from her
sleep.
‘In the game, she died after stopping the calamities, but it will be different this time.’

Jude and Cordelia would not let her just die.

“Hmmm…”

Anyway, when he said that it wasn’t Atalia, Cordelia thought hard again, but she
groaned and couldn’t come up with a correct answer.

“Haaa… I surrender. I don’t know.”

“Don’t do that. Think about it a little more. Like, ‘Am I missing something?’ or ‘Am I
forgetting something?’”

At Jude’s words – to be exact, at the word ‘forgotten,’ Cordelia reflexively recalled a

name.

“Melissa?”

“Not Melissa. Now that I think of it, did you forget Melissa again? Do you talk to her
regularly?”

“Eh? Uh, Yes. O-of course.”

Seeing that she was avoiding his gaze, it seemed like she had forgotten about Melissa
for the past few days.

‘Well, Melissa’s matter is not what’s important now.’

If Melissa had heard of Jude’s indifferent thoughts, she would have cried tears of
blood. Jude then looked at Cordelia again and said.

“You don’t really know?”

“I… I don’t know. Please tell me.”

“Hey, this is why I’m always number one.”

As Jude clicked his tongue, Cordelia puffed up her cheeks in proportional to him
before saying.
“Ugh… wait then.”

I’ll think of it.

I’ll remember it.

Based on his personality, he’ll definitely tease me because I didn’t know about it.

It must be a fact that I’ve already experienced or known.

“Uuuuh, uuuuuuh…!”

Come on, my brain cells.

Remember what it is now!

Cordelia groaned as she struggled to think about it, and at some point, she raised her
head.

She jumped up from her seat and exclaimed.

“Ah!”

That!

That!

I remember it!

“Solari! The tomb of Solari’s champion, Gallus!”

Cordelia shouted it all at once before anxiously turning to Jude, and when Jude
smiled happily, she jumped again and cheered.

“YEAAAH!”

The tomb of Gallus, Solari’s champion.

To be exact, one of the five clues to find his tomb.

‘Has it been around half a year?’

The tomb of Saint Galleon that they encountered at the entrance to the wild lands.

In the tomb of one of Gallus’ disciples, Jude and Cordelia were able to find a piece of
slate.

‘If we collect all five, we’ll be able to find out the location of Gallus’ tomb.’

And in the tomb of Gallus, the most important treasure of the Solari denomination
was hidden.

“The slates. One was in the wild lands, and the other that was found in the game was
in the empire.”

“That’s right. And the slate we found in the tomb of Galleon had information on
where another slate was located.”

“Is that here?”

“Yes, St. Crute Monastery. Originally, this was not a huge monastery but the site of a
former temple of Solari.”

Cordelia happily listened to Jude’s explanation, but soon gasped.

Because she remembered one more fact.

“The slate.”

To be exact, the slate found in Galleon’s tomb.

They didn’t have it now.

It was one of the many items they lost while they were traveling in the wild lands.

“It’s all right. Because it’s here and here.”

Jude then patted his chest and head with his fingers as he said that.

“Head and chest?”

“Yes, I put it in my Memory Palace, and when I was making the shampoo and
conditioner, I put it down on paper.”

The stone slate itself was just an ordinary stone.

What was important was not the slate itself, but its content, which Jude had already
memorized in the evening they got the slate.

“JudeWiki is awesome.”

“Please praise me more.”

“JudeWiki is really amazing.”

Cordelia emphasized it once more as he wished, and began jumping again in her
happiness.

Because she was a woman who liked getting items in the first place. And that there
was something special with the five slates of Solari.

‘Because I couldn’t collect all of them in the game!’

An event that was not in the game.

Items that could not be obtained in the game.

Moreover, it was the most important treasure of the Solari denomination that was
hidden in Gallus’ tomb.

Just imagining what kind of item they would get made her feel excited.

“Then this place is where Berfa’s tomb is.”

Paladin Berfa, one of Gallus’ three disciples.

Cordelia cheerfully replied at Jude’s comment.

“Anyway, there’s a slate here too. That means we’re one step closer to Gallus’ tomb.”

And there must be good items hidden in Berfa’s tomb.

Wasn’t the Holy Lance we found in Galleon’s tomb useful?

‘Though we lost that too.’

They had used it once to destroy the rocky mountain of Violent Avalanche.

‘It was a good item though.’

Because we were able to win.

After briefly remembering the toddling Violent Avalanche, Cordelia turned to Jude.

“Do you know the exact location? St. Crute Monastery is very big.”

“Yes, I had a rough idea when we got here.”

“As expected of my Jude.”

Cordelia then happily asked as she hugged Jude’s arm.

“Where is it?”

“Uh, that is…”

“Yes, that is?”

As Cordelia hugged Jude’s arm tighter, Jude was instantly embarrassed when he felt a
softness that was beyond his imagination, and he tried to keep his cool because it
would provide Cordelia an opportunity to attack if he showed that he was bothered
by it.

‘Wait, if I think about it, isn’t it nice if I get attacked?’

Anyway.

Jude calmed himself by clearing his throat, and spoke afterwards.

“When Manuel arrives, let’s ask him if we can go there. Berfa’s tomb itself in in a
prayer hall located in a corner of the cemetery attached to the St. Crute Monastery.”
“I see, we’ll be visiting it before meeting the branch leader, right?”

“Yes, we’ll probably meet the branch leader after lunch at the earliest.”

And it went as Jude had expected.

Manuel appeared to invite them for breakfast, and struggled with his hangover as he
said with an apologetic face.

“I think the meeting with our branch leader will be this afternoon. I apologize that I
cannot tell you an exact time.”

“No, that should be enough.”

To begin with, they also needed some time.

Jude comforted Manuel with a smile, and then said with his usual sly face.

“By the way, Manuel.”

“Yes, Lord Jude.”

“I would like to take a tour of St. Crute Monastery after breakfast. Would that be
okay?”

“Of course. May I show you around?”

“We’d appreciate it. However, we would like to have a moment of prayer at a prayer
hall if possible.”

“Prayer?”

“Yes, in a quiet place if possible.”

After all, the Guardians of the Holy Cross was formed from the denominations that
worshipped gods.

So it the act of praying itself was not strange.

Therefore, Jude skillfully led the conversation.

For Manuel himself to recommend the prayer hall where Berfa’s tomb was hidden.

‘It’s amazing every time I see it.’

Where did he learn how to scam like that?

Did he learn that from that Alexei person he talked about in the past?

Cordelia admired Jude’s skill of coaxing Manuel. At the same time, she also felt some
fear, but that was only for a short while.

After all, Jude is a scammer on my side.

“Then, I’ll show you around after the meal.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

An hour later.

After they finished eating at the cafeteria, Jude and Cordelia arrived at the prayer hall
in the corner of the cemetery.

“Then, I hope you have a good time.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Manuel gave a slightly awkward greeting before he left the prayer hall, and after
waiting for him to completely leave, Jude and Cordelia hurried into the prayer hall.

“Wow, it looks like an old place.”

The stone prayer hall looked like a building from at least a hundred years ago.

“Because Berfa herself was a person hundreds of years ago.”

“You’re right.”

Since it was a prayer hall, Solari’s symbol was engraved on the front side.

A brightly shining sun.

Cordelia closed her eyes in silence and offered a short prayer while Jude looked
around.

It was a slightly wide yet slightly narrow place.

“Are you done praying?”

“Yes, sorry. I should have told you that I’m done.”

“It’s all right.”

Though Solari is no longer watching us right now.

Opinions were divided regarding Solari, but there were stories that she had died, or
that she had simply returned to heaven.

‘The belief that she died is more popular though.’

Even if she wasn’t dead, she was most likely almost dead and just waiting to be
resurrected.

‘Moving on.’

What mattered now was Berfa’s tomb.

Jude recalled the information engraved on the slate and found the hidden door of the
prayer hall.

“Bingo.”

A secret door leading to the basement.

When he opened the door that seemed to not have been opened for hundreds of
years since it was closed, a spacious and dark basement was revealed. It seemed to
be at least 10 meters deep.

“It’s somehow creepy.”

“It’s a tomb after all.”

Jude shrugged his shoulders in response, and cast some light magic under their feet
as they jumped into the basement.

A vertically long room.

It was around 7 meters wide and 20 meters high.

At the end of the room was a large sarcophagus just like the tomb of Galleon.

And there was one more thing in common here.

[Who dares disturb the warrior’s rest!]

A light appeared next to the sarcophagus as a voice rang in the enclosed space, and
two of the lowest-ranking angels, Tomb Guardians, appeared in front of them.

[Who dares disturb the warrior’s rest!]

It was quite intimidating to see the Tomb Guardians, who looked like black panthers
with glowing eyes and spread-out wings.

But Jude just snickered.

Because he was now strong enough to not be intimidated by the Tomb Guardians.

‘And.’

In fact, there was one more important reason.

Jude grinned as he crossed his arms and shouted with his chin up.

“Go! Cordeliamon! I choose you this time!”

“You wanna die?”

Cordelia cursed him but she stepped forward like he wanted. As she faced the Tomb
Guardians, she transformed into an angel.

The beams of light spread out and drove away the darkness, and an angel’s halo
clearly shined above her head.
Furthermore, she was no longer a ninth-ranked angel.

Because she had absorbed some of the divine power in the divine sword Claíomh
Solais, Cordelia had been promoted at once to the seventh rank.

She was a seventh rank and not a ninth rank.

As to what that meant…

“Hey, get down.”

When Cordelia haughtily ordered, the Tomb Guardians reflexively bowed down on
the floor.

They couldn’t help it.

Cordelia was a seventh rank, and the Tomb Guardians were ninth rank.

“Hurray for hierarchical societies.”

Jude clapped his hands and widely smiled, and Cordelia snorted before saying.

“I prefer democracy.”

As expected of Cordelia.

You like to say nonsensical stuff.

But it’s fine since you’re cute.

Jude thought about nonsensical stuff like Cordelia before he approached her hand
and extended his hand.

“Then, Miss Angel, shall we go?”

“Yes, Milord.”

The two held hands like a fantasy couple and proceeded towards Berfa’s
sarcophagus with graceful steps.
Upon arriving in front of the large sarcophagus bearing Solari’s inscription, Jude and
Cordelia turned to the side instead of immediately opening the lid.

Because the ninth-rank angels – the Tomb Guardians, lying flat on the floor due to
Cordelia’s command had complex expressions on their faces.

‘Well, from their perspective, they had to unfairly succumb to authority. Or rather,
they’re troubled by the conflict of orders.’

In fact, the Tomb Guardians were not so intelligent.

Because their job was to stay in one place like a tomb, seal, and so on, just like what
they were doing now.

‘They would have gone crazy if they had high intelligence.’

Because they were completely trapped for life.

In any case, they were more compliant with that order than other angels since they
were Tomb Guardians, but because of Cordelia’s order to ‘get down,’ they were
suffering from an internal conflict.

An order to stop anyone who would approach the sarcophagus, and an order to obey
someone superior than them.

But it was at that moment.

Cordelia looked back at the Tomb Guardians who were grumbling like a dog wanting
to poop, and she smiled before sending Jude a gaze.

‘I’ll try to solve this.’

‘Wait, isn’t it a bit too much to blow up those who listened to you… ’
‘Hey, I’m not blowing them up, okay? Of course, most problems can be solved by
explosions.’

‘Excuse me?’

Jude flinched but Cordelia ignored his gaze and cleared her throat before speaking to
the Tomb Guardians.

“Tomb Guardians, I am not here to covet the sarcophagus. Rather, I came here to set
you free from your long-standing mission.”

What is she talking about?

Jude crossed his arms and listened in silence, while the Tomb Guardians looked at
Cordelia with suspicious eyes.

Cordelia continued with her words.

“You’ve already done well for the past hundreds of years. That’s already enough. But
as long as this sarcophagus remains, you will not be freed from your mission.
Because your mission is to protect this sarcophagus.”

As the Tomb Guardians nodded, Jude looked at Cordelia in disbelief, while Cordelia
puffed up her chest and said.

“So, Tomb Guardians, I, your superior, will open the sarcophagus and retrieve its
contents, thereby freeing you from your mission. If the sarcophagus you’re assigned
to protect is gone, your mission is also over. That’s why I’m here. To set you free.”

[Oooooh.]

The Tomb Guardians were in awe and looked at Jude and Cordelia with much more
relaxed faces.

Their gazes seemed to tell the two to take it quickly.

‘Hehehe, what do you think? Huh?’

Cordelia asked as she put on airs, and Jude had a faint smile.
‘You really let them accomplish their mission to the very end. How righteous of you.’

‘Huh?’

If the sarcophagus was gone, they no longer had to protect it from any dangers
because there was nothing to protect.

The bridge, Endymion, the Snow Queen, and so on.

Jude recalled all of the nonsensical assertions of Cordelia in the wild lands and
stared at her warmly, but Cordelia was somehow offended by his gaze and pouted
her lips.

‘So, how was it?’

‘Good, really good. You did a really good job. You’ve rapidly improved.’

“Is that so? Is that so?’

Cordelia was pleased at his words praising her ‘blackened’ status, and giggled before
she looked at the sarcophagus again.

“Anyway, let’s open it now.”

“Okay.”

Jude pushed the lid off the sarcophagus by applying his strength at once.

A white light then shot up from the sarcophagus and was sucked into Cordelia’s
chest.

“Cordelia?”

“Eh? Oh. It’s divine power. Solari’s divine power.”

It was like how she absorbed the divine power that remained in the Temple of Life.

At the time when they opened Galleon’s tomb, she was still a human so she was not
able to absorb the divine power, but she could absorb it now that she was an angel.
“Haa…”

Cordelia closed her eyes and fully absorbed the divine power, and slightly leaned
against the sarcophagus before sending a <Message> magic.

[I think I’m an angel from Solari’s group. Because it’s easier to absorb Solari’s divine
power… even back then with Claíomh Solais.]

Cordelia had become an angel through Ancestral Regression, and it was the blood of
her ancestors that determined her group.

The ancestor of the Chase family seemed to be an angel of Solari.

[That’s great then. Has your angelic power become stronger?]

[Yes, I’ve become stronger, but not enough to raise my rank.]

Cordelia flapped her wings of light and soon clenched her fist.

[All right, let’s take it out now.]

[Okay.]

The things inside the sarcophagus were not much different from those that came out
of Galleon’s tomb.

One triangular slate, one Holy Lance of Solari, and a piece of female armor believed
to have been worn by Berfa, a woman.

Jude held the slate while Cordelia picked up Solari’s Holy Lance and said with a soft
look in her eyes.

[Do you remember Solari’s Holy Lance?]

[Huh? Yes, I remember that.]

Because they used it to destroy the rocky mountain of Violent Avalanche.

Even now when he closed his eyes, Jude could remember the small back of the crying
Violent Avalanche who had collapsed on his knees.
But Cordelia stroked the Holy Lance and said with a little – no, with complete
indifference.

[As time passes by, everything will be just a memory.]

No.

I don’t think you should say that.

I don’t think Violent Avalanche would like to hear your words.

No matter how much in love Jude was with Cordelia, he couldn’t agree with what she
just said.

However, he didn’t interrupt or stop her.

‘I wonder how he is doing now?’

He imagined the toddling Violent Avalanche.

A few months had already passed since they said their goodbyes in the wild lands.

‘Well, I’m sure he’s doing fine.’

Because the Golden Dragon King was now awake.

Perhaps by now, the construction work to restore the wild lands was in full swing.

It would be the construction of a large city where several tribes would live together.

‘When Malekith’s event is over, it would be nice if we could stop by there before
going to the empire.’

Jude made up his mind and then took out the last content of the sarcophagus, the
armor. On the other hand, Cordelia was still hugging the Holy Lance and still
immersed in her own memories.

‘Is this chain mail?’

It was a chain mail made of very thin chains, but the material was uncommon.
First of all, it was light, and the metal itself had traces of mana.

‘Mithril?’

The metal of fantasies that only dwarves could mine.

It was weak against blows because it was thin in the first place, but it could prevent
most slashing attacks.

It also had a strong magic resistance.

[You can wear this.]

[What about you, Jude?]

[It’s for swordsmen, but it’s fine since I already have Sword Origin.]

Cordelia gently nodded because he was right, so she put the Holy Lance and the
chain mail into the space expansion bag.

‘And the slate.’

After confirming the location of the next slate, Jude made sure to remember it in his
Memory Palace before handing it over to Cordelia.

[Okay, so we’re almost done?]

[Yes, they’re the only ones we need to take care of.]

Cordelia nodded her head before speaking to the Tomb Guardians who was looking
at them with anticipation.

“You’ve fulfilled your mission. But now that there’s no way to go back to heaven, I
can’t just leave you alone. So I’ll give you a new mission.”

At Cordelia’s words, the Tomb Guardians continued to look with anticipation instead
of annoyance.

Because they were born to fulfill commands in the first place.

“Come up with me. I’ll introduce you to humans who had inherited Solari’s will, so
you shall protect them and this land.”

[We shall humbly do so.]

[We shall humbly do so.]

As the Tomb Guardians bowed their heads and responded, Cordelia proudly looked
back at Jude and said with her eyes.

‘What do you think?’

Isn’t this quite efficient?

I got the slate and also gave a new mission to the Tomb Guardians.

Cordelia became even more excited when Jude nodded in acknowledgment, and she
led the Tomb Guardians out while humming.

***

Manuel was surprised and blinked his eyes when he faced Jude and Cordelia.

He already knew that Cordelia was an angel, but he only then realized that there was
a huge difference between knowing and actually seeing it.

“Aaah, an angel…”

When Manuel knelt down and prayed without realizing it, Cordelia spoke with a
saintly face.

“Manuel, I absolve you of your sins.”

“Aaaah. Thank you very much. Thank you.”

Manuel bowed down once again, and Jude sent a <Message> magic to Cordelia.

[What sins are you talking about?]

[No, it’s just… I kind of got in the mood.]

Cordelia giggled and talked about the situation after Manuel stood up again.

“You found angels that were sealed?”

“Yes, these are Tomb Guardians, angels that belong to the ninth rank. In the future,
they will defend St. Crute Monastery.”

“Ooooh…”

She deliberately omitted the story of Berfa’s tomb.

Because they might question where the contents of the tomb went.

‘Anyway, I did well, right?’

‘Uh… yes.’

Though only Jude would have agreed to that.

When did she become so ‘black’?

Could it be that I did something irreversible?

But it was at that moment.

“The branch leader is waiting. I will guide you to her.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

Jude responded to Manuel’s words, and Cordelia suddenly pulled on Jude’s sleeve as
she sent a <Message> magic.

[Jude, Jude.]

[Why?]

[We’ll be going to talk to the branch leader from now on, right?]

[Yes.]
[Because I have an idea.]

[An idea?]

[An idea on how to effectively persuade the branch leader.]

What do you mean?

But Cordelia has recently showed rapid growth. Perhaps she has learned a trick or two.

[What is it?]

[That is…]

Cordelia told him something specific, and Jude’s eyes widened in surprise. He
couldn’t help it.

Because Cordelia came up with the exact same thing that Jude himself was trying to
do.

[He who touches pitch shall be defiled therewith… Have I made your hidden
potential blossom?]

[Huh?]

Cordelia tilted her head with an angelic and innocent face, and Jude nodded with a
huge sense of guilt. He agreed to Cordelia’s plan.

***

There were seven leaders in the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

The commander-in-chief who led the entire Guardians and six active generals under
that person.

The six generals including Ghostblade Kamael were basically combat personnel, so it
was rare for them to settle in one place.

Because it was the duty of the six generals to fight against the demon followers all
throughout the continent.
Naturally, there were some cases where a general remained at the headquarters of
the Guardians in order to protect the commander-in-chief and the headquarters,
such as the high elf Eltharion Prime, the eldest of the six generals. But in most cases,
it was the branch leaders who led and defended each branch all over the world.

Saint Heine.

A master of God’s Fist who led St. Crute Monastery.

She was 34 this year, and one of the youngest branch leaders, but like most young
people in the Guardians, she was very friendly towards Jude and Cordelia, the so-
called fantasy couple.

“Are you saying that… there is an evil spirit inside?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Jude answered with a serious face and glared at the golden necklace placed on the
branch leader’s desk.

A necklace where the soul of Gamorr Khan, the infamous mercenary leader, was
sealed.

Heine unconsciously swallowed hard as Cordelia spoke with a very serious look.

“It’s a really evil spirit. He has already told us the truth, but he might say something
else this time.”

Gamorr Khan was actually the subordinate of Black Dragon Malekith, and there was
not much time left before Malekith wakes up.

Cordelia briefly told them about it, and she released the seal on the necklace before
calling Gamorr Khan.

[Aaaaaaah-!]

The purple gem seemed to be screaming, but black smoke soon soared as it formed a
human shape.

It was the body of Gamorr Khan, the evil spirit.

“Gamorr Khan! Say what you said before in front of the branch leader again!”

Gamorr Khan replied with a frown at Jude’s order.

[Say it again? What are you talking about? This is the first time that you’ve released
me!]

“Stop joking from the start!”

[No, this is really the first time…]

“Ha! Didn’t you already reveal that you are Malekith’s subordinate last time!”

[Eh? T-that… How did you know?]

Gamorr Khan was genuinely surprised at Jude’s words.

Or rather, he was confused on why Malekith’s name was suddenly brought up.

As Gamorr Khan continued to be visibly confused, Cordelia clicked her tongue and
said.

“We know because you’ve told us. You told us everything last time. The fact that you
are under Black Dragon Malekith, and your colleagues are the dark elf necromancer
Sicilia, and the corrupt dwarf Madhur.”

At Cordelia’s words, Gamorr Khan was astonished and couldn’t even refute it.

Because it was all true.

“You also told us something like this. Black Dragon Malekith was defeated by the
founder king, Lion D. Salen, and was buried in the southern sea, though not much
time is left before he is resurrected. After he resurrects, he plans to destroy the
southern region. Your role is to be the vanguard of Malekith’s army. You even proudly
talked about it.”

[No, nooo.]

Gamorr Khan was going crazy over the situation.

He thought that they would do something like an interrogation once he had been
caught, but something totally unexpected was happening.

Not only Malekith, but even Sicilia and Madhur.

Why do they know that?

No, how do they know?

“Stop pretending and just say it. Be honest with the branch leader. You’ve already
told us everything once.”

Gamorr Khan protested at Cordelia’s urging and pounded his chest.

[I honestly never said anything!]

“Then how do we all know this? We know because you told us! You want to hit on
that haughty Sicilia, but you told us that you held it in because she’s Malekith’s
lover!”

[W-when did I ever say that!]

Gamorr Khan stuttered in his extreme embarrassment.

Because it was a feeling that he had kept to himself for a long time.

‘D-did I really say that?’

Did I really tell these two about that? Did they use some magic on me?

Those are information that they should not have known unless what they said is true.

As Gamorr Khan continued to be confused, Jude smiled and led the flow of the
conversation.

“Gamorr Khan, you’ve said that this is the first time that you’ve been released, but
this is the second time. I guess that you’ve lost your memory in the aftermath of the
divine magic we used last time.”

[I-is that so?]

When Gamorr Khan answered without realizing it, Cordelia quickly added on with a
dark smile.

“Of course. In fact, I can still use the same magic I used back then. It will bring you
more pain than death… it’s the kind of magic that will make you cry out to rather kill
you than to experience that pain. That’s why you told us back then. You said that
‘you’ll tell us everything, so please don’t use it next time.’ But if you insist that you
haven’t told us because you’ve lost your memory, I’ll tell you that to convince you.”

[T-that?]

“Yes, that. The fact that you were looking for the other Ultimate series was because of
Malekith. Ultimate Three, the legendary Dragon Sword Ascalon was your target,
right? You wanted to use it to stab Malekith in the back, right?”

At Cordelia’s last words, Gamorr Khan’s face turned completely white even though
he was an evil spirit.

Because her words were completely true again this time.

[I-I really said that?]

“Yes, you did. You feel a pain in your chest now, right? Even if your mind can’t
remember it, your body still remembers it. The divine magic that I used last time
began from the chest.”

[C-come to think of it…]

My chest has been aching since earlier.

No, it seriously hurts now.

[Ughhhh…]

It seems like these b*stards in front of me are telling the truth.

I lost my memory and confessed in between.

‘How painful was that magic?’

No one else but him could have told them about such things.

He tried hard to remember, but he couldn’t remember.

So the past pain that Jude and Cordelia talked about became an unprecedented fear,
and that fear became pain again as it pressed on Gamorr Khan’s chest.

[Ugh…]

Gamorr Khan made a painful expression, and Jude said to him with a very cold
expression.

“Gamorr Khan, tell Branch Leader Heine once more about everything that you know.
If you say something different from what you said last time, I’ll make you experience
that extreme pain again.”

Gamorr Khan was startled at Jude’s words, and he said after frowning as he found it
quite unfair.

[B-but I can’t fully remember what I said to you last time because my memories
disappeared…]

“That seems to be the case.”

“Then, why don’t you just tell us everything that you know? You told us everything
last time, but if there’s anything lacking this time… you’ll know what’s going to
happen to you, right?”

Cordelia followed up on Jude’s words, smiling as she gathered her divine power in
her right hand, so Gamorr Khan shuddered.

[Y-you demon-like b*stards…]

There are things you must not do even in interrogations, right?

But Jude and Cordelia lightly ignored Gamorr Khan’s protest, and gestured to him to
speak quickly, so Gamorr Khan began to confess everything that he knew in front of
Branch Leader Heine.

‘Oh, there was such information too.’

‘Because the game didn’t tell everything.’

Even the little information that they didn’t know.

Naturally, it was such a trivial information that it was useless, but at least, the huge
amount of information managed to convince the branch leader in front of them.

“Good, it’s very similar to what you said last time.”

[Phew…]

Gamorr Khan sighed in relief at Cordelia’s declaration, and he went back to the
golden necklace on his own even though he was not ordered to do so.

Because he wanted to avoid further questioning since he couldn’t even ran away.

“Hehe, problem solved.”

Cordelia murmured and sealed the golden necklace again before saying to Branch
Leader Heine.

“Branch Leader, as you have heard now, the threat of Malekith is real. So we have to
be prepared for that.”

Malekith was not a demon or demon follower, but he was clearly a great evil that
threatened humanity.

“We need a way to contact Kamael. Can you prepare that for us?”

Branch Leader Heine immediately nodded at Jude’s request.

“Of course. We will dispatch our personnel so that we can find Master Kamael in the
south. We’ll also relay this information to the Guardians’ headquarters.”

Her answer was satisfactory.

But Heine even added more to it.

“Is there anything else that we can help you with?”

Heine would not have believed it if someone else had captured a demon and shared
the same story.

But it was Jude and Cordelia who captured that evil spirt, so she believed in it.

The story of Gamorr Khan was also highly credible.

So as the branch leader of St. Crute Monastery, she extended her aid.

She said that she would do anything in order to help them.

Jude and Cordelia exchanged glances and had dark smiles.

Both of them thought the same thing without even needing to read the other’s
thoughts.

“Branch Leader Heine.”

“Yes, Lord Jude.”

“There must be an armory in St. Crute Monastery, right?”

Like a treasure trove.

At Jude’s question, Branch Leader Heine nodded her head, and Cordelia smiled in
delight.
Giving tree – it refers to a children’s picture book called ‘The Giving Tree,’ which is
about a tree who generously gives something to a boy throughout the boy’s entire
life.

St. Crute Monastery boasted a long history and tradition, so their armory was full of
high-quality divine items and artifacts.

“I suddenly remember the old days.”

“Me too.”

Cordelia nodded her head at the words of Jude, who was equipped with divine items
and artifacts from head to toe, as she was likewise the same too.

The old days.

They weren’t talking about their past life when they played Legend of Heroes 2. At
that time, it was impossible to fully equip one’s body with items just like now, due to
restrictions on item equipment slots.

A few months ago.

In the wild lands, they encountered the wild fairies and the Wild Fairy Queen, who
was a generous giving tree – no, a generous giving fairy.

“I wonder if they’re living well now.”

“They should be fine. There’s nothing dangerous in Endymion now, right?”

“Hey, didn’t you go overboard?”

Even if Jude had a love filter, her actions were too much back then.

Jude pulled Cordelia’s cheek at that opportunity, and Cordelia, who had done
something wrong, accepted the punishment while sobbing instead of rebelling.

“Huhuhu… I did a good job though.”

“Yes, yes, I know, I know.”

Because of what she did, they were able to destroy the Hell Gate and annihilate the
demons too.

If Cordelia had chosen a different means instead of the destruction of Endymion, the
demons would have caused more damage even if they had closed the Hell Gate.

‘Or perhaps they would have been dead or injured.’

Perhaps Lena or Kaplan would have been in danger.

‘That reminds me, is Kaplan is doing well?’

Kaplan had remained in the sacred place protected by the wild god, Blue Whiskers,
to continue doing his research.

Fortunately, he returned to the empire as soon as Lena woke up because Lena had
said that the wild lands would be dangerous for him, so he did not seem to be
harmed in the chain of explosions that occurred in the dragon veins, but they did not
know on what had happened to him afterwards.

‘Well, he must be doing fine.’

Because he’s a strong person despite having such bad luck.

“Stop it.”

Will we be able to meet him again if we go to the empire?

We’ll have to go to the empire once our work in the south is over.

“Ouch, it hurts. Stop it.”

We’ll have to meet the playable characters on the empire’s side too.

Especially Maximilian and Leon.

“I said STOP!”

“Oops.”

Jude let go of his hand, having forgotten that he was pinching her cheeks, and
Cordelia covered her red cheeks with both hands as she panted.

“Let me pull your cheek too, okay?!”

Sadly, Cordelia wasn’t given an opportunity to get her revenge. Because the door
opened, and members of the Guardians of the Holy Cross appeared before them.

“Lord Jude, Lady Cordelia. We apologize for being late.”

“No, we didn’t wait that long. Please don’t worry about it.”

Jude quickly replied to Carmen, and Cordelia lightly struck her chest in her
frustration, but she didn’t do anything else.

[You… I’ll make you pay later.]

Later. When there’s only the two of us.

But instead of answering her, Jude shrugged his shoulders and talked to Carmen
again.

“Is Mrs. Carmen and Mr. Manuel going with us?”

“Yes, we will be joining you on this journey.”

Carmen and Manuel smiled in their delight, and the seven members who followed
behind them also had happy expressions.

“It’s a great honor to accompany you two.”

“We are very honored. I didn’t expect the Guardians to support us this actively.”
“The situation calls for it, so this is natural.”

As Carmen clenched her fist and said, Manuel and the rest of the Guardians fervently
nodded in agreement.

A huge and powerful black dragon would soon resurrect in the south.

They had to stop him and protect the southern region, but Manuel and the Guardians
were actually in high spirits.

Because this was like a story that only appeared in myths or legends.

‘Are they like Lucas too?’

In any case, it isn’t something bad.

Since Branch Leader Heine and the people in front of me are taking the situation
seriously, so I can rest assured that it will all work out well.

‘They’re also fine with us taking the items.’

He was honestly feeling a bit sorry that they were taking that much, but Heine spoke
to them as if she was sorry that they could only take this much, so Jude was feeling
really strange then.

‘There were no amazing items there though.’

Still, they were able to acquire a huge amount of high-quality divine items.

Even if Jude and Cordelia couldn’t use it right now, the items they had would be
enough to equip Scarlet, who would be joining them in the south, or Kajsa, who
would accompany them in their fight in the future.

“The branch leader said that she would relay the situation to the headquarters of the
Guardians. And as soon as we arrive at the south, we’ll contact Master Kamael as
soon as possible.”

That was why Carmen and Manuel chose to accompany them.

As Jude had expected, the Guardians had a means to contact Kamael, but because of
their long distance from each other, it seemed like it was impossible to just use it
unless it was an order to return.

‘It’s not like we’ll be missing each other on the way since he’s already in the south, so
they’ve decided on not to call him back.’

Moreover, in order to command Kamael to return, they needed the permission of the
Guardian’s commander-in-chief unless it was an emergency situation, so the best
thing that Heine could do was to dispatch members of the Guardians to the south
directly, as they had a means to contact Kamael at close range.

“We’ll do our best to assist you in the fight against the evil dragon in the future.”

Manuel spoke with sparkling eyes, and Jude nodded at him and spoke without
delaying it any longer.

“Then let’s begin right away.”

They had already finished their preparations for the trip.

“Yes, I understand. Please come this way. We have prepared the horses.”

Unfortunately (?) for Cordelia, one horse was prepared for each person at St. Crute
Monastery, so she had to ride on the horse alone.

‘T-this is somehow awkward.’

Come to think of it, I’ve always been with Jude whenever we moved.

Whether I’m on his back, his arms, or riding in a horse or a carriage.

‘Then… ’

The Guardians will accompany us until we reach the territory of the 7 southern
families.

In short, we’ll all be traveling together.

‘W-will we have our alone time together?’

Dahlia and Maja always let us have our own time when we traveled together.

‘Yes, yes. It’s possible. It will be possible.’

Just like how we’re making progress in our plan to stop an evil dragon, our relationship
is also making progress.

‘P-progress… ’

Since we’ve already done it in the forehead, cheeks, chin, neck, collarbone, and so on,
we’ll eventually have to clear the final boss – the lips.

‘J-just like how unnie and brother-in-law did it… ’

Let’s stop there.

Just imagining it made her face heat up and her heart pound, but for some strange
reason, the corners of Cordelia’s mouth were raised.

Naturally, the voice of her heart was telling her, ‘Hey, hey, what about the skinship
ban? Didn’t you ban it?’, but there was no rule saying that she should listen to it in
the first place.

Cordelia wiggled her fingers and began imagining again, and thanks to Adelia’s
audiovisual education and Dahlia’s humanities education, she had managed to
accumulate a considerable amount of data, making it possible for her to imagine it in
great detail.

‘I-I can’t do that yet. No, not yet.’

It was the moment when Cordelia shook her head and giggled as she covered her
cheeks with both hands.

“Cordelia?”

“Kyaa?!”

Cordelia almost fell of her horse but immediately regained her balance like a beast.
She hesitated a bit before looking at the direction the voice came from, and she saw
Jude approaching her from her right side.
“What?”

“I mean, your face is red. Do you have a fever?”

Both were riding horses, so there was quite a distance with each other even if they
were close.

So Cordelia looked straight ahead instead of making eye contact.

“N-no. It’s just because the weather is hot. Yes, it’s hot.”

Cordelia pulled her collar and fanned with her hand, but Jude narrowed his eyes
instead of letting it slide.

“Hey, we got the Great Protection of the Four Seasons, right?”

Spring, summer, fall, and winter.

The Great Protection of the Four Seasons protected from the four seasons.

Because of that, Jude and Cordelia were not affected by the heat or cold, just like
those heat and cold immunity status commonly found in martial arts fiction.

And Jude added a final blow to her.

“And it’s winter now, right?”

They were in the south. If they were in the north, it would have been snowing now.

“Is that so? But why is it so hot? Even Cordelia doesn’t know why it’s hot.”

Cordelia quickly spoke and took a quick glance at him before moving ahead, and Jude
continued to narrow his eyes in suspicion, but it was only for a short time.

He straightened his back and turned his gaze away.

‘Black Dragon Malekith’s attack.’

The last of the three events that drove the Salen Kingdom to ruin.
‘It’s the highest level in terms of difficulty.’

Malekith was completely different to the demonic humans they fought in the wild
lands or the Lord Protector they fought in the royal capital, who were far stronger
than Jude and Cordelia back then.

An ancient black dragon.

A god-like being in comparison to humans.

And it wasn’t easy this time too.

However, four of the main characters in the first episode of Legend of Heroes were
going to be together in this battle.

‘I’m really excited.’

Landius and Kamael.

And also Lena and Velkian.

Jude briefly imagined Landius punching the black dragon’s huge chest, and admired
it in many ways.

‘It doesn’t feel out of place.’

Why does it feel so natural to imagine that person punching the black dragon’s chest
and blowing it away?

‘Anyway, let’s do well this time.’

They shouldn’t just rely on Landius and Kamael for everything.

They had to do their best to get the best results, just like how they did in the wild
lands and the royal capital.

“For a perfect happy ending.”

Jude said in a low voice as if he was making a pledge, and looked back at St. Crute
Monastery.
It was a bit unfortunate that they couldn’t meet the young goddess Atalia, but there
was always a next chance.

‘No, we’ll definitely have a next opportunity.’

We’ll completely stop Black Dragon Malekith and prevent the destruction of the Sälen
Kingdom.

Jude firmly resolved to himself and looked straight ahead.

He goaded his horse to catch up to Cordelia.

***

At the same time but in a different place.

Count Bayer was looking at Count Chase coldly.

He couldn’t help it.

“Is this really that effective?”

“It is. My friend ate this and his wife gave birth to so many children that he could
build a platoon with them.”

“Oh.”

The medicine merchant eagerly peddled his medicine while Count Chase seriously
listened to him.

Count Bayer knew that his friend was a bit of a pushover, but he didn’t realize just
how strangely obsessed Count Chase was with health food and stuff.

“Give me one. No, give me two.”

“Oh, thank you very much. You’ve made a good decision. Hehe.”

Fearful that his customer might change his mind, the medicine merchant quickly
packaged the items, and Count Chase paid for it with a happy face.
“Hoho.”

Is this what it means to be full just by looking at things?

Count Chase briefly recalled Gael and Jude as he packed the items into his space
expansion bag and smiled again.

Because he was imagining Adelia and Cordelia’s children kicking a ball in Count
Chase’s garden.

One, two, three, four… more or less eleven people per team…

The smile on Count Chase’s face grew deeper, while Count Bayer continued to watch
his friend and thought as he touched his chin.

‘My friend is seriously ill.’

Just like how Jude and Cordelia could exchange glances and understand what the
other was thinking, Count Chase and Count Bayer could see what the other was
thinking because of their long-standing friendship.

‘And I now understand why it so long for him in the north.’

He had wondered back then why it took his friend so long to catch up to their
runaway children, and now, he had figured out why.

Because they had stopped several times a day, and in the most serious case, more
than ten times in a day, just to buy items.

‘My friend isn’t really obsessed with them.’

It’s like he’s blindly in love with his future sons-in-law…

It was when Count Bayer was having such doubts in his mind.

“I know. Just as the medicine guy said, its effect isn’t that great.”

Count Chase turned around and abruptly said, and instead of being confused, Count
Bayer’s eyes widened before he asked.
“If you knew that, why did you buy it then?”

“Because the effect may be minimal, but the fact that there’s still an effect cannot be
denied. Even if 100 only becomes 101, it’s still considered as growth.”

Count Chase smiled and said, while Count Bayer had an indescribable expression.

Count Chase’s words sounded cool at first, but when Count Bayer thought about it,
his friend’s words were just the words of a complete pushover.

“Anyway, let’s hurry up.”

“Okay.”

Count Chase returned to his usual cool-headed expression and turned his attention
to the tracking magic in order to follow the trail of Jude and Cordelia.

They looked into the distance, towards the Forest of Eternity.

***

Time went by across the continent.

At the center of the wild lands.

On a hill overlooking the city protected by the Golden Dragon King, a man and
woman were having an intense fight.

The two were Red Wind, who had grown up in only a few months, and Sun Song,
whose face was much more dignified than before, perhaps because of the beard he
grew.

The two stuck with each other every day just like a certain couple, but they always
behaved fiercely.

“Stop this if you can!”

“I can do this much!”

They’re definitely sparring, but why is there a pink air around them?
No, apart from that, if you two are going to just fight like that, why in the world did you
call me anyway?

Violent Avalanche watched the two fight with a sullen expression, and stood up from
his seat as he looked south.

Because he remembered the two people who helped him first.

“Are you eating well?”

The voice of Violent Avalanche traveled with the wind.

The wind headed towards the south.

***

Lucas raised his head.

Having returned to the Hræsvelgr territory from the royal capital, he picked up a pen
and wrote a letter in his spare time, even as he continued his daily training.

Scarlet quickly disappeared when the turmoil in the royal capital ended.

But she didn’t just disappear. She disappeared after leaving a short letter with her
contact information.

‘Contact me if you’re not busy.’

Words that were short, but could be interpreted in many ways.

So Lucas wrote a letter to keep in touch with her instead of thinking about this and
that.

And there were two people who naturally came to his mind when he wrote the letter.

The couple who popularized ‘running away because of love while pretending it to be
a honeymoon.’

Lucas smiled without realizing it before he looked back at the stationery.

He wrote his letter with sincerity.

***

“Mates! Let’s go and cut their throats!”

“Ooouuuuuh!”

A strong girl with black hair and copper skin took the lead with her huge halberd
amidst the fierce collision between a merchant ship and a pirate ship.

Kajsa Ophand.

The second daughter of Count Ophand from the 7 southern families.

She boasted in having the strongest physical abilities among the playable characters,
but she had yet to know about Jude and Cordelia.

So instead of thinking about the two like the others, she focused her attention on the
enemies in front of her.

***

The wind blew towards the south.

It was the result of a change of direction from the north to the south, a huge flow that
would determine the fate of the Salen Kingdom.

Maximilian clearly felt the flow of that fate.

Because the ‘voice from a higher place’ which he had heard since his childhood had
informed him.

“Here it is. Found it.”

The reason Maximilian left the empire and entered the Salen Kingdom.

Maximilian smiled as he faced Ultimate Two – Divine Sword Balisarda, in the ruins of
an ancient dwarf city. He didn’t have the Key Sword, but the voice from a higher place
guided him on how to release the seal and obtain the divine sword.
“Is it south this time? Yes, I understand.”

Responding to the voice from a higher place, Maximilian turned south after
recovering the divine sword.

To where the wind of fate gathered.

To where the two people of destiny who would lead all those winds be.

Maximilian gently smiled. He walked forward in accordance to the voice from a

higher place.

He added his own wish to the flow of fate that had begun to gather in one place.
Wild horse – a figurative term for a person who behaves wildly or is tough and
energetic.

Cordelia was not the beast-like character in Legend of Heroes 2.

After all, the Cordelia in the game was an elegant and delicate girl who didn’t fit the
words ‘beast’ or ‘wild.’

It was Kajsa Ophand.

The true beast female character in Legend of Heroes 2.

The wild horse of the south.

The beheading witch.

The monster of Ophand.

All of these were vicious words attached to a teenage girl who was the precious child
of a prestigious family, but neither Kajsa herself nor those around her denied those
nicknames. Rather, she somehow accepted it and was even pleased with it.

“Because it’s completely true.”

The Ophand family was one of the 7 southern families and had the divine blood of an
ancient being flowing in their veins, just like the royal family and the 12 northern
families.

But the problem was that their ancestor was not an ordinary angel or a god. It was a
beast.
The Greedy Wolf, Fenrir.

He was originally a demon born in hell but was reborn as a divine creature after
being influenced by the nobility of the sun god Solari.

Fenrir shared a love that transcended race with Saint Sophia Ophand, a member of
the Solari denomination, and they had many children. The current Ophand family
were said to be the descendants of Fenrir.

Naturally, Fenrir wasn’t just a wolf since he was an ancient being and a divine
creature too.

The Lord of Lycanthropes.

The King of Werewolves.

In any case, the Ophand family inherited the blood of a divine creature, and some
were born with powers or abilities that were unimaginable for ordinary humans
because of the occasional atavism.

“In the game’s storyline, it was Kajsa.”

Kajsa’s ability was quite simple.

A strong body.

Physical abilities that were beyond the limitations of humans.

Among the eleven playable characters in Legend of Heroes 2, Kajsa was the physically
strongest and also the quickest.

“Because her body is so strong that she never gets sick. Poisons also do not work
against her.”

She truly had a body of steel.

Of course, it didn’t mean that her skin was made of steel or that she could block
spears and swords with her hands and feet just like Jude, but it was true that she had
a tremendous detoxification ability and a zombie-like durability.
“Kajsa’s only drawback is her physical strength.”

The reason why Kajsa was called the ‘3-minute instant food’ or ‘premature
ejaculation’ was simple.

Because her body couldn’t handle the explosive increase of her physical abilities as
she would quickly be exhausted afterwards.

“It’s like a sports car with a tremendous engine power but very poor cost-
effectiveness.”

Once she began to run wild, she became a beast herself, but it consumed so much
energy that Kajsa could only fight at full power for only 3 minutes or less.

When more than that had passed, Kajsa literally became unable to fight because of
her intense hunger.

“Of course, she can last if she do not use her all when she fights.”

Anyway, Kajsa was trained in martial arts and her base stamina was as good as her
great physical abilities.

“It’s just that her fuel economy is really bad.”

Such was the person named Kajsa.

The wild and beast-like character archetype in Legend of Heroes 2.

The hunting dog of the Ophand family who hunted pirates as her black hair fluttered
in the wind.

It was now time to meet her.

***

Two days after leaving St. Crute Monastery.

Cordelia had a sour expression.

‘So annoying.’
She wasn’t tired from riding a horse for a long time.

Because of her high level, Cordelia had more stamina than most people despite being
a wizard.

‘So annoying.’

Nor was it from having difficulties in camping out.

After she recalled her past life memories, camping out was similar to sleeping on her
bed.

Compared to sleeping in a snowfield as a blizzard raged on, or sleeping in a narrow

crack of a rock in the wild lands, their current camp was like a five-star hotel.

‘So annoying.’

But she was still annoyed.

She could bear Manuel endlessly chattering next to her. She quietly listened to him
because she also found his words to be quite interesting.

She didn’t mind Carmen bragging about her husband and daughter too.

It was rather satisfying because it allowed her to naturally boast about Jude too.

Was it the meal then?

Whether they needed 2 or 11 servings, it was fine since Jude was the one who made
it.

She was satisfied with the quality of the dishes too.

‘So annoying.’

Bed, meals, and traveling companions.

None of the three elements of a trip were the reason why she was dissatisfied.

Nevertheless, Cordelia grumbled as she pouted her lips.

Because we don’t have time.

Because Jude and I don’t have any alone time together!

‘Ugh.’

First of all, their group was in a hurry to get to the south.

In other words, they didn’t have much time to take a relaxing break in the middle of
the trip.

They naturally stopped several times in a day because they had to rest, but they were
always gathered in one place because they had to be close together when taking a
break from their march.

‘Eueueue.’

Second, Manuel and Carmen were tactless.

Unlike Dahlia and Maja, the two never considered in giving Jude and Cordelia some
alone time together.

Manuel always followed Cordelia, calling her angel this and angel that, while Carmen
was unlike those nosy aunties as she was not much interested in Cordelia and Jude’s
romantic relationship.

Rather, she just loved to brag about her daughter.

‘Ngh.’

It was also difficult to volunteer for the night watch.

The number of members dispatched by the Guardians of the Holy Cross for this
mission was nine, just like their usual missions.

Because they had nine people, Jude and Cordelia didn’t get their turn yet in the night
watch rotation.

In the first place, they didn’t even allow Jude and Cordelia to do the night watch.
‘Uuuueueueu.’

In fact, having some alone time together wasn’t necessary.

They didn’t have anything special to do together.

But how should I put this…

How should I say it…

‘Nnggggh.’

It was already embarrassing for her to imagine it, and it would be even more so if she
said it out loud.

Anyway, how should I say it?

Should I say that I want to do that?

You know, that one.

That act which gets your heart pounding, makes you feel good, and warms your heart
when you do it!

“Haa…”

It would’ve been nice if we could ride a horse together.

Why did the Guardians of the Holy Cross have to prepare one horse per person? Did
they have so many horses? Is one horse per person really necessary?

But it was at that moment.

[Cordelia.]

[Eh? Ah! Yes!]

Cordelia brightened up when she received Jude’s <Message> magic, but she cleared
her throat and quickly pretended to be calm.
She turned to Jude while pretending to be fine.

[Why? What happened?]

[Why are you strangely happy?]

[I’m not? I’m just the same as usual, okay? I’m not happy or anything, okay?]

At Cordelia’s insistence, Jude narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but he soon nodded.

[Let’s improve your acting skills later.]

[Excuse me?]

[Anyway, I think it’s time that we split.]

[S-split?]

[Yes, because our purpose is different anyway. Carmen and Manuel have to find
Kamael, while we have a different purpose, remember?]

Cordelia was momentarily startled at the word ‘split,’ but she soon sighed in relief
and nodded her head.

[That’s right, because our purpose is the crest of the 7 southern families.]

The 7 southern families.

Seven families that held the highest power in the southern region, just like the 12
northern families.

But there was a huge difference between the 7 southern families and the 12
northern families.

The 12 northern families competed with each other, but it did not escalate to a
bloody conflict. On the other hand, the 7 southern families considered it strange if
they met each other without any blood being shed.

They got into gang fights once a month, and had duels once a year.
Obviously, they didn’t really quarrel like that often, but it was not an exaggeration to
say that the 7 southern families were out for each other’s blood.

However, it was quite surprising that these seven families were once united under a
single banner.

Dragon Slayer Carlos.

The great hero of the south who stood side by side with Lion D. Salen, an
unparalleled hero and the founder king of the Salen Kingdom.

In the past, he had seven vassals that were united in the south, and these vassals
became the current 7 southern families.

Even though they were under the Salen Kingdom now, the southern people
considered Dragon Slayer Carlos to be their true king, and this was also the case for
the 7 southern families.

“The one who obtains my legacy will be your new master.”

Nearing his death, Dragon Slayer Carlos suddenly disappeared after leaving those
words, and from then on, the 7 southern families began a bloody struggle over the
position of Carlos’ successor.

[You do know that Carlos left a token to each of the 7 southern families, right?]

[Yes! And if we collect all the seven tokens, we’ll find the place where Carlos hid his
legacy, right?]

[Yes. But the 7 southern families were too busy fighting each other so they didn’t
share information… Thus, after nearly 300 years, Carlos’ successor had yet to
appear.]

She already knew about this even before he spoke to her now.

Because they had already discussed about this in the royal capital.

The reason why they sent Scarlet to the south.

[It’s time for Phantom Thief Pink Bomb to appear again, right?]
[That’s right.]

Together with Scarlet, they would rob the 7 southern families to gather the tokens.

And if they said that this was a competition to decide the Rogue Master position,
Scarlet would do her best too.

[She’s a really good friend.]

[She is.]

Jude and Cordelia looked at each other before laughing, and Jude continued.

[To fight Black Dragon Malekith, it’s a must to unite the southern powers. We’ll need
absolute authority in order to do that.]

[Will the 7 southern families obey us if we have Carlos’ tokens even though 300
years have already passed?]

[They will. Carlos is treated like a god in the south.]

Moreover, if there existed a specific threat called Malekith, they would have no
choice but to join hands with each other.

[Moving on, there’s a place we need to stop by before we begin our preliminary
work. Can you figure out where it is?]

[W-wait a minute. I’ll figure it out.]

Cordelia hurriedly raised her hand to stop Jude and then began to groan as she
thought hard. Soon, she clapped her hands and sent a <Message> magic.

[I got it! You’re talking about Kajsa, right?]

[Correct.]

After all, they needed to rely on at least one person in the south.

Furthermore, Kajsa was a playable character, so they definitely needed to get close to
her.
[First of all, we know very little about the south. Kajsa is only playable character in
the south, and her scenario began when she escaped the south because of Malekith’s
attack.]

In other words, in order to properly rob the 7 southern families, they needed to have
a local person – a collaborator, who knew a lot about the other 7 southern families.

[Yes, yes, that’s good. Okay. So you’re saying that we’ll have to split up with Carmen,
Manuel, and the members of the Guardians of the Holy Cross since we have to go
meet Kajsa, is that it?]

[Yes, that’s it. But why do you look so strangely happy?]

[No, I’m not. This is my normal look, okay? Rather, I’m sad that we’re splitting with
them, okay?]

When Cordelia snorted as she spoke, Jude narrowed his eyes again, but he didn’t ask
her further.

[Anyway, I’m thinking of splitting up when we reach the next crossroad. Kajsa should
be hunting pirates by now with Daram as her base.]

Daram was one of the southern region’s port cities.

Carmen and the Guardians were now heading to the largest trading port in the south,
Bardos, which was under the royal family’s jurisdiction, so they had to split up soon
as Jude had said.

[Haa. It can’t be helped. Let’s split here. Yes, really. It can’t be helped. It can’t be
helped.]

Cordelia surprisingly spoke in monotone over <Message> magic, and Jude tried to
hold back his laughter before saying.

“It’s all right. I’ll talk to them.”

“Okay!”

And around 10 minutes later.

Jude said to Cordelia as he narrowed his eyes.

“Hey, Countess.”

“Yes, Milord.”

“Where are our horses?”

“I returned it to Carmen?”

“Why?”

“Because I have a strong horse here, right?”

Cordelia tilted her head, pretending to not understand why he was asking, and Jude
finally laughed.

“If I run with you on my back, we’ll stand out a lot, okay?”

“I know, so do it well, okay? You’re good at that, right?”

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

You really want to be carried that much, huh?

Jude handed over their luggage to Cordelia and turned around. The excited Cordelia
quickly carried the luggage on her back and climbed onto Jude’s back.

“The smell of Jude.”

“Huh?”

“I-it’s nothing. Yes. Let’s hurry up.”

Cordelia evasively answered and buried her face on the back of Jude’s neck as she
quietly smiled.

“Anyway, let’s go. Hold on tight.”

“Okay.”
Cordelia obediently replied, sniffing with her nose once before hugging Jude’s body a
little tighter. Jude fixed Cordelia’s position and then kicked the ground.

And two hours later.

What waited for Jude and Cordelia when they arrived in the port city of Daram was
an unexpected event and not Kajsa.
Cordelia was in a good mood.

For the past 2 days, she fully enjoyed the body temperature of Jude’s wide back, and
liked the firm arms that supported her. But there was one more fact that pleased her.

‘The smell of Jude.’

Cordelia seemed to have acquired a heightened sense of smell like that of a girl from
the wild.

Even with her eyes closed, she was able to distinguish the number of people around
her by sniffing with her nose once.

Count Chase had a strong rose scent.

Her brother Edward slightly smelled of disinfectant that one would mostly smell in
swimming pools, and her sister Adelia didn’t have any strange scent, but when she
met Gael, she often smelled of peppermint.

‘As for Dahlia, she has a cool and refreshing smell?’

Now that I think of it, is Dahlia doing well?

She must have arrived home by now, right?

After recalling Dahlia’s face for a moment, Cordelia focused on the smell again.

The smell of Jude.

Jude’s body had a strangely sweet smell.

It obviously wasn’t a very strong scent, but the faint scent was like the smell when
one sucked on a candy.
In the royal capital, the shampoo, conditioner, and perfume he used gave him a
refreshing scent, but it was a little different today.

Since they wandered around outside, there was hardly any smell on him as if the
perfume had worn off.

The original smell of Jude.

The smell of his flesh.

Her nose twitched as she was immersed in his sweet smell, but after some time, she
began to smell something salty.

It seemed like they were nearing the sea.

‘Sweet and salty.’

Jude’s sweetness and the sea’s saltiness.

‘I’m feeling sleepy.’

I feel like I can fall asleep from the nice atmosphere.

Will I wake up in his arms if I fall asleep like this?

Cordelia briefly imagined it before she felt the urge to cover her face with both
hands.

‘I must be seriously ill, really… ’

How did this happen?

Cordelia criticized herself – no, she reflected on herself for a moment and soon
opened her eyes slowly.

Because Jude’s movements had changed.

“Have we arrived?”

“Yes, I think we should walk from here. If we keep going like this, we’ll stand out too
much.”

“Okay.”

Seeing the wide road past the bushes, Cordelia nodded her head and climbed down
from Jude’s back.

“Is Kajsa here?”

“Yes, because she uses Daram as her base when she’s hunting pirates.”

In fact, they weren’t that sure of it yet.

The events now might gradually differ from the game’s storyline because of the
butterfly effect from the various events that had occurred so far.

“But it’ll be fine since she’s Kajsa.”

“Well, you’re right.”

At this point, Kajsa was 19 years old.

She was two years older than Jude or Cordelia, and three years older than Lucas.

A difference of one or two years didn’t matter much when one exceeded 30 to 40
years of age, but it was different when one was a teenager in the midst of growing
up.

Kajsa belonged to the top ranks among the playable characters in terms of their
physical abilities at their starting point.

‘No, it’s more like she has no other competitors except for Maximilian and Leon.’

Because she had very strong natural physical abilities.

Moreover, Kajsa was a character who loved and enjoyed fighting.

She had been escorting merchant ships since her childhood, so she had a lot of
hands-on experience, making her a full-fledged warrior.
“Hehe.”

But it was at that moment.

Cordelia suddenly laughed when she was thinking about Kajsa.

She couldn’t hold back her laughter because she was in a really good mood.

“Cordelia?”

What’s suddenly wrong with you?

I don’t think there’s anything funny in our conversation now for you to be laughing.

When Jude looked at her in confusion, Cordelia spoke after she rolled her eyes to
avoid making eye contact.

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Yes, nothing.”

Truthfully, there was a reason.

Because Jude was stronger than Kajsa.

Jude’s physical abilities were superior to Kajsa, who was a superhuman from the
moment she inherited the blood of a divine creature.

My Jude is stronger than Kajsa.

He’s stronger, faster, and has better stamina.

‘I want to show him off.’

I want to tell everyone that my Jude is this amazing.

“Hehehe.”
Cordelia snickered again, and Jude furrowed his brows but soon smiled.

Good things are good, so if Cordelia is feeling good, it must be something good.

‘Perhaps it’s because we’ve come to the sea.’

Jude also had heightened senses, though it was not as much as Cordelia.

He felt restless when he smelled the salty smell of the sea and heard the sounds of
the waves breaking from afar.

‘Because I’ve strangely never been much to the sea.’

Jude had traveled everywhere from the desert to the jungle in his past life, but he had
rarely been to the sea.

‘Twice. No, is it thrice?’

Moreover, he didn’t remember it much because he only went there for work.

“Anyway, let’s go. Give me the backpack.”

“Yes, Milord.”

Jude took the backpack from Cordelia who obediently replied. He then signaled to
her with a glance, and Cordelia skillfully used a magic that hindered recognition.

Since the two always stood out, they needed that magic to not draw attention.

“Are we going to an inn first?”

“We usually do that, but we should go to the pier first.”

Because they came to the sea, they must check the sea first.

They had to find out if Kajsa’s ship was out at sea or if it was anchored to a dock.

Cordelia immediately nodded at Jude’s suggestion.

“Yes, I want to see the sea too. I like the sea.”

“Did you used to live by the sea?”

“When I was younger.”

It was a story from her previous life and not the present one. Cordelia then grabbed
Jude’s hand instead of talking more about it.

“Let’s hurry up.”

“Okay.”

They were just plainly holding hands instead of the usual escorting etiquette, so Jude
looked straight ahead instead of looking at Cordelia because he was lightly blushing
due to her holding his hand first.

The two headed towards the port city of Daram.

***

The 7 southern families were quite diverse, but they could be largely divided into
two categories.

Families with a fief on the mainland and families with islands as their fief.

Marquis Ophand belonged to the former, and they owned two port cities on the coast
and a large territory inland.

“Daram is one of Marquis Ophand’s port cities, and is usually used as a trading port
in the south.”

It was used as a route for selling the grains produced by the Ophand territory to the
various islands in the south, and was strictly for domestic use.

“That’s why there are a lot of big boats despite it being a domestic port. Because they
had to load and carry a lot at once. But the boats rarely go far since they’re not
intended for long-distance sailing.”

“I see.”

Cordelia listened to Jude as she looked around.

As the port of the wealthy Marquis Ophand, Daram was well-equipped with the
basics.

It had clean and wide roads with big and nice buildings built everywhere.

Guard posts were set up at regular intervals to maintain security.

‘It feels like I’m at a tourist attraction.’

Cordelia sniffed with her nose again and brightly smiled at some point.

Because she could see the sea far away.

“It’s the sea.”

“So are those sails… really for long-distance sailing?”

She saw the blue and open sea beyond the huge pier.

Cordelia let go of Jude’s hand and ran like a child, and Jude hurriedly caught up to
her.

“It’s the sea.”

Cordelia took a deep breath.

Besides the plain salty smell, her heart pounded at the familiar smell of the sea.

‘Beautiful.’

It was a beautiful pier that was like the tourist destinations found in Europe.

The islands were like dots in the distant horizon, and the sound of the seagulls were
heard in between the sound of the waves crashing against the breakwater.

It’s so beautiful and nice right now, so what more if it’s sunset?

Cordelia briefly closed her eyes and imagined the sunset, and she couldn’t hold back
her smile.
Because the appearance of the sunset dyeing the sky and the sea red was truly
beautiful.

‘And, with such a sunset as a background… ’

Cordelia was still embarrassed to imagine Jude and herself, so she used Adelia and
Gael in her imagination. She ended up covering her face with both hands.

‘Haa… haa… good. It’s perfect.’

It’s here.

I want it to be here.

This place is good enough.

‘I have to ask him to go watch the sunset together later. That’s right.’

Cordelia made a firm resolution before she opened her eyes and clenched her fist.

But it was at that moment.

“Something’s weird.”

“Eh?”

Weird?

No, what are you talking about?

We have to go see the sunset later, but why are you talking as if something is going to
happen, huh?

Cordelia looked around in a hurry.

The alleys.

There was nothing strange about it. There were no ruffians threatening someone,
saying that they would just play for a short time, nor was there a beautiful woman
standing among those ruffians with a crying expression.
The wharf.

It was normal.

No one was wounded, and there wasn’t anyone being chased with the sea as a
background.

The sea and the pier were left.

There were large ships lined up at the pier.

‘Good, there’s nothing strange. There’s no problem here.’

But it was too early to judge. Jude said as he pointed to one of the ships.

“Look at that.”

It was definitely a voice that signaled the start of an incident.

Therefore, Cordelia didn’t want to see it, but she forced herself to turn to the
direction where Jude was pointing.

A black ship was docked among the ships in the pier.

Now that she saw it, it was a ship that she knew well.

“The Black Shark?”

“Yes, Kajsa’s flagship.”

The ship that Kajsa boarded when she went out to hunt for pirates.

But it didn’t look normal.

The ship was so damaged that it could be seen from a distance.

It was almost half-destroyed. It seemed like it wouldn’t be strange if it sank now.

“Something’s not right.”

It was as Jude said.

That was why Cordelia did her best to suppress her desire to cry.

“Hurry up. We have to find Kajsa… or at least Kajsa’s crew.”

“Okay, I understand.”

She didn’t expect that she would hate the moment when an event appears.

‘No, stay alert, Cordelia. Perhaps something big happened to Kajsa.’

Cordelia shook off her selfish thoughts and asked as she looked back at Jude.

“Shall we split up and ask around?”

“Yes, contact me right away if you find anything. Okay?”

“Yes!”

Jude and Cordelia held the two ancient dwarf communicators they acquired in Black
Town, and split up in different directions.

And after 10 minutes or so.

Jude and Cordelia found out on what happened to Kajsa and her ship.

***

“Kajsa was detained.”

It wasn’t because a man from her family caught her running wild and detained her.

She was now in the hands of pirates.

The story was simple.

Yesternight.

Having grasped the base of the pirates, Kajsa went out to sea on the Black Shark like
always.

To raid the pirate island in the middle of the night.

There was nothing strange about it so far.

There was an event in the game where she similarly destroyed a pirate island.

But the problem was from then on.

“Kajsa lost.”

Kajsa was defeated.

The pirates won, Kajsa was captured by the pirates, and only Kajsa’s men came back
alive.

That had happened in the morning, and it was now afternoon.

Obviously, Daram was turned upside down.

Kajsa was the pride of the Marquis Ophand family, and at the same time, she was like
a guardian deity who protected Daram and the nearby waters.

Kajsa was caught, and her ship that was said to be invincible came back destroyed,
but it was strange that there was no commotion.

“No wonder there’s a lot of ships.”

There was a reason why there were so many ships anchored at the pier despite the
clear weather.

Because Kajsa was defeated.

Because there was a high possibility that the pirates would use this chance to attack.

“What happened? How did Kajsa lose?”

Jude frowned at Cordelia’s question.

Because it was actually a strange story.

Kajsa was strong.

She was definitely not invincible, but at this point in time, it was difficult to find
anyone around here who could defeat Kajsa.

‘There aren’t any strong people even among the pirates.’

He remembered the stats of the pirates he faced when he played as Kajsa in the
game.

There was at least no one in the nearby waters who had the ability to beat Kajsa.

It was obviously not a one-on-one confrontation but a battle involving dozens to

hundreds of people, so variables might have occurred, but it was still not that
convincing.

“Did the pirates of the deep sea appear?”

He was talking about pirates from distant foreign countries.

There were certainly pirates who were much stronger than the current Kajsa among
them.

But he couldn’t think of a reason why they would be near Daram.

“It may be related to Malekith.”

Because Gamorr Khan had disappeared.

Malekith’s side might have done something to fill the gap of Gamorr Khan’s absence,
so it was possible that this incident occurred because of that.

But it was only a guess.

So Jude stopped his inconclusive thoughts and focused on the victory conditions like
always.

“Anyway, it’s important that Kajsa’s alive.”

According to the rumors going around the port, Kajsa was not killed by the pirates
and was just captured.

“Then it means that they wouldn’t be killing Kajsa at least for today.”

If their intention was to kill her, they wouldn’t have caught her and would have just
killed her right then.

Moreover, Kajsa was the pride of Marquis Ophand.

Killing her would anger Marquis Ophand, so even the pirates would hesitate to kill
her.

“Something’s strange.”

Kajsa tried to kill the pirates, but the pirates were cautious on not to kill her.

“Anyway, it’s a good thing for us. In addition, pirates are bad guys, so we can defeat
them.”

“You’re right.”

“It’s better for our side if they demand for a ransom. But we can’t be relieved yet.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s Kajsa.”

“Oh.”

Kajsa had a truly fiery personality.

The two wondered if Kajsa would have been pissed off now. But if the pirates knew
Kajsa well, they would have given up on negotiating for a ransom in the first place.

They were people who were afraid of Marquis Ophand’s anger, but they also feared
Kajsa who would chase them to their deaths once she was released.

“Of course, it would be different if there was someone really strong enough to defeat
Kajsa.”
But that was only an assumption. So Jude removed all the uncertainties and focused
his mind on the things they needed to do right now.

“Our goal now is to save her. It may be too late if we wait for the people of Marquis
Ophand to come to Daram.”

“Yes. I understand what you mean.”

Cordelia nodded her head as she instinctively figured out on what they were going to
do next.

“Are we going to find Wolfe?”

One of Kajsa’s subordinates.

He was a knight who was also called a bear because of his large size, but he was also
known to be in love with Kajsa since their childhood.

While fleeing with Kajsa to escape Malekith’s attack, he sacrificed his life to save
Kajsa and died for her sake. He was the supporting role in the first half of Kajsa’s
scenario.

“It’s fine even if it’s not Wolfe. We first need to know about the location of the island
and who defeated Kajsa, or how Kajsa was captured.”

“Okay, leave it to me. I have an idea.”

Cordelia immediately spoke, and Jude furrowed his brows before saying.

“I’m saying this just in case, but you do know that it’s not okay to threaten people by
blowing up a mansion, right?”

“Hey, I also have common sense, okay? Of course, most problems can be solved by
explosions.”

Jude narrowed his brows again at her rather disturbing answer, but Cordelia
shrugged her shoulders and said as if telling him not to worry.

“Believe in me. Besides, I’ve been doing well lately, right? I managed to win in the
negotiations with the spring fairies, right?”
“Pink Bomb has been blackened, huh?”

“That’s right, and because of you, I’ve become completely black. So you have to take
responsibility, okay?”

“I understand.”

No further words were needed.

Jude stretched out his hand to her, and Cordelia took his hand before they headed to
the mansion of Marquis Ophand.

If this was a game, they would have asked the NPCs in the port to find the
whereabouts of the sailors or clear quests to find a way to meet Wolfe. But this was
reality and not a game.

And that was why Cordelia used a very realistic method.

“I’m Countess August Chase, a close friend of Lady Kajsa Ophand. Please open the
door this minute. Because I have to meet Sir Wolfe who couldn’t protect Kajsa!”

It was not the home of Marquis Ophand.

It was just a mansion of Kajsa who resided in Daram.

Therefore, there were no people in the mansion who were higher in position than
Kajsa. But even if Kajsa was nothing but a plain noble, it didn’t change the fact that
she was the pride of the Ophand family.

In other words, there was no one who had a status advantage over Cordelia, who was
a well-known countess from the royal capital.

“Ah, are you a friend of the young miss?”

When the butler was surprised at the words of Cordelia, a countess, he cautiously
asked her, and Cordelia nodded without batting an eye.

“That’s right. I’m her close friend.”

They weren’t friends yet, but they would soon be.

If they saved her, they would definitely become friends.

Cordelia held back those thoughts and urged the butler once again instead of
stuttering or speaking in monotone.

“Guide them to Sir Wolfe! Hurry!”

“T-this way please.”

Hurray for hierarchical societies.

Cordelia did a fist pump and looked at Jude as she winked instead of following the
butler who had gone ahead.

‘What do you think? I did well, right?’

I’m good at scamming now, right? (Cordelia)

Should I be happy or sad about this? (Jude)

‘Cordelia has been corrupted.’

The black-hearted Black Cloak nodded as if he didn’t know whether to smile or cry.
Physical magic – A term that refers to ‘magic’ that uses physical force. In reality, no
magic is actually used because it is just a plain physical attack. This term is mostly
used on mages or wizards in games or fiction who uses physical force to attack their
opponents despite being able to use magic. An example would be a mage hitting a
goblin with an ordinary club without ever using their magic. This mage would then
insist that they used magic even if they really didn’t use it.

Unfortunately, it was impossible to have a proper conversation with Wolfe.

Because he was in such a bad condition.

‘Well, if Wolfe was in a good condition, he wouldn’t have left Kajsa in the pirate
island.’

His injuries had been cured, but he was still unconscious ever since he collapsed
during the battle.

‘Wolfe is not going to die, right?’

‘He’s unconscious because of the fatigue he accumulated, so he’ll wake up by

tomorrow morning at the latest.’

But it would be too late by then.

Therefore, Jude and Cordelia began to question the other crew members of Kajsa.

The sailors were rough-looking because they were Kajsa’s subordinates and not just
anyone else, but they were no match against the great power of societal class and
money.

“That’s what happened, Countess.”

“I see. Thank you for the detailed information.”

Jude and Cordelia gave some silver coins to the hairy sailor who meekly bowed like a
lamb. The two then left Kajsa’s mansion after leaving their luggage to the anxious
butler.

“What do you think?”

“I think our enemies are strong.”

The story of the hairy sailor could be summarized as follows.

The Black Shark fired at the ships anchored on the pirate island to destroy them, and
the infiltration squad of Kajsa landed on the island amidst the disturbance.

It was Kajsa’s tactic to quickly overpower the enemy’s core in the gap created when
chaos occurred.

But there was a problem this time.

The core of the pirates was too strong.

‘Among the landing squad led by Kajsa, only three survived, which included Wolfe
and the hairy sailor.’

The sailors waiting on the Black Shark chose to retreat as soon as they saw the
unconscious Kajsa being captured by the pirates and dragged away.

They couldn’t do anything else, so they chose to deliver the news.

‘Of course, they had a reason on why they ran away.’

According to the hairy sailor’s testimony, it was an iron-masked swordsman who

defeated Kajsa.

The hairy sailor did not properly see Kajsa being defeated because he himself was
fighting pirates at that time, but it seemed like Kajsa wasn’t just defeated. She was
overpowered.

“Do you know who that person is?”

A male swordsman with an iron mask.

At Cordelia’s question, Jude shook his head.

“I’m not sure. Even though it was a surprise attack, he managed to overpower Kajsa. I
know of a few candidates but… they all use swords.”

The first ones he could think of were the pirates from the deep sea, but as Jude had
said, most of them used swords, so it was difficult to pinpoint on who it was.

It was easy for anyone to cover their face with a mask too.

“He could be from Malekith’s side.”

“Malekith’s children?”

“He could be one of them.”

Malekith was an ancient dragon.

He had a dragon army under his command that was made up of his children, so one
of them could be that masked man.

“The hairy sailor said that he didn’t properly see that masked man’s fight. So the
masked man might have overpowered Kajsa with magic or a supernatural ability.”

“Uuuugh.”

In the end, it was impossible to find out the enemy’s true identity.

“Moving on, if the person who defeated Kajsa is strong, I think it will be better for us
to sneak in.”

“We’ll sneak in, save Kajsa, and then run?”

“Yes. After all, we need to secure Kajsa to avoid a hostage situation.”

“I see. It would be difficult if Kajsa was threatened with a knife in her throat.”

Nodding her head, Cordelia raised her hand and asked again.
“Then Master. Are we going to get a boat from here on?”

“No, we’re not going by boat.”

“Eh? Then how will we get there? Can you run on the sea now?”

When Cordelia asked with wide open eyes, Jude suddenly had a troubled expression
and said.

“Cordelia, you’re really good at forgetting things.”

Just like how you forget about Melissa.

“Ugh.”

Cordelia couldn’t say anything as he was right about Melissa.

As she began to groan, Jude said with a small smile.

“I think you’ve forgotten because we haven’t ridden on it for a while, but we have
this.”

The ring on Jude’s finger.

Cordelia blinked her eyes for a few times before she finally remembered.

“Phantom Steed.”

A ghost horse that could fly in the sky.

“We’re going to run over the sea.”

They would take advantage of the night’s darkness and run across the sea.

Cordelia briefly closed her eyes at Jude’s explanation, and imagined it.

Two people sitting on a Phantom Steed that was running over the sea.

Jude said that they were going in the middle of the night, but somehow, in Cordelia’s
imagination, they were running towards the sunset.
No, it has to be. That way, it will be a picturesque scene.

The sky and the sea.

A world that had turned red starting from the horizon.

The Phantom Steed stopped as the two gazed at each other.

The sound of the crashing waves could be heard.

Besides the waves, they could hear each other’s hot breaths in that silent world.

They yearned for each other as they felt the beating of their hearts.

And at some point.

The sun set.

The long shadows then became one.

‘Kyaa, what should I do? What should I do?’

In her imagination, important things like Kajsa’s rescue operation and the pirate
island somehow disappeared, but she couldn’t help it.

If Dahlia was here, she would have nodded her head and agreed.

“Hey, Cordelia?”

“Eh? Uuuuh. Okay, so we’re going to run across the sea to rescue Kajsa, is that right?
Good, that’s good. Let’s do that. Yes, let’s do that.”

Her giggling was very cute, but Jude ended up confused.

Is there something in our conversation that can make anyone blush?

And why are you still avoiding my gaze?

‘Anyway.’
It’s fine since it’s cute.

Jude nodded his head and said again as he pointed to the sea.

“Let’s eat first and then leave at sunset.”

“Yes!”

Nightfall.

Sunset.

A smile spread across Cordelia’s face.

***

Cordelia clearly knew.

That imagination and reality were different.

The sunset was much shorter than she thought, and Jude was busy in finding the
right direction on the open sea through a nautical chart.

Cordelia herself was busy in hiding the Phantom Steed with various magic spells.

‘It’s scary here!’

Rather than being romantic, the sea in the middle of the night was scary.

The dark sea stretched out endlessly, and it seemed like a monster could appear
from the sea anytime.

Therefore, instead of looking around, Cordelia clung to Jude’s back and only chanted
the spells.

With her eyes tightly closed.

And time passed.

After running for at least an hour, Jude suddenly spoke.

“Cordelia, that’s the island.”

Cordelia slightly opened her eyes at Jude’s words, raising her head to look straight
ahead.

Seeing a dark island in the middle of the dark sea was really spooky.

‘It’s like a school.’

The school in the middle of the night.

A place that strangely became scary at night.

Cordelia said as she added a little more strength to her arms that embraced Jude’s
waist.

“Let’s hurry.”

If we enter the island, I’ll no longer see the island and be scared.

“Okay. Please use your magic then.”

“Yes.”

Cordelia added a <Silence> magic to the <Darkness> magic that she had already cast.
Because they needed to suppress all sounds including the Phantom Steed’s
breathing.

‘I already know that she’s skilled, but she’s really skilled.’

Each wizard had their own field of expertise.

Because there were some disciplines in magic that required a vast amount of
knowledge, and there were also some who were born with the aptitude for it.

This was common in reality too.

A person was good at math, but not in English. Or a person was good at basketball,
but not at soccer.
But Cordelia could do everything well.

In fact, one could say that she was an all-around wizard in the field of magic.

She originally specialized in elemental-based magic.

Dark magic such as curses or necromancy was added because of her witch
transformation, and when she turned into an angel, she also became proficient in
divine magic and life-based magic.

‘And she did all of that at the age of 17.’

She was still young.

But her mana already exceeded Adelia who was one of the commanders of the Royal
Guard Magic Corps, and the number of magic spells that she could use was more
than those high-ranked people in the magic tower.

‘She’s also going to use spirits in the future.’

She was also the Spirit King’s contractor.

‘Wow.’

If you think about it, she’s a real monster.

Isn’t she like a cheat character?

Is there a wizard who has reached Cordelia’s level at that age, even in the entire history
of Pleiades?

‘As expected of my Cordelia.’

My beast.

My scammer apprentice.

In that regard, Jude was definitely a monster among monsters too.

In less than a year, he grew from a weak and sickly boy into a strong man who could
stand against one of the Ten Great Swordmasters.

[Jude, are we there yet?]

[We’re almost there.]

Jude responded with <Message> magic, and landed on the island’s shore afterwards.
He then unsummoned his Phantom Steed.

[This is Pirate Island W. You know what kind of place this is, right?]

[Yes.]

It was an island that a player would attack once when they played as Kajsa.

Jude did not memorize the entire map of the island, but he roughly knew its
structure.

[It’s an abandoned island that was once used as a prison. Therefore, it’s not an
exaggeration to say that there are plenty of places here where you could lock people
up.]

But if their hostage was Kajsa, they just wouldn’t put her anywhere.

So Jude was able to estimate her approximate location.

‘The number of ships anchored here.’

Two pirate ships.

Judging by the size and shape of the ships, the number of pirates on this island
should be around seventy.

Jude then hid himself in the bushes to raise the accuracy of his estimate, and told
Cordelia.

“Stay behind me, okay?”

“Okay. But what are you going to do?”

At Cordelia’s question, Jude pointed to his eyes once before opening the fifth door of
the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors and activating his ability.

An ability to see through things.

Though it was more like an X-ray that saw through the skin and rocks instead of
seeing the skin underneath the clothes.

Jude saw everything that could be seen, and not just the area around him, so the
burden on his eyes was enormous, but Jude had already reached the level of a
superhuman in terms of durability.

Every time his eyes were damaged, Jude would repeatedly use his regenerative
ability to heal it, but he closed his eyes after observing for almost three minutes.

“Haa.”

“Are you all right? Do your eyes hurt?”

“Uh, it’s all right. And… I think I somehow know it now.”

From the place where Kajsa was being held to the deployment of pirates in the
building.

Jude was only able to see their skeletons and not the exact location of the people
when he used his ability, but as he said earlier, he had a rough map of the pirate
island in his mind.

He was able to figure out the situation based on the people who were at a certain
place, and places where there were no people.

‘It’s a bit unfortunate that I can’t pinpoint the location of the strong person who
overpowered Kajsa, but it can’t be helped.’

Because his ability alone was already a cheat-level reconnaissance ability.

“Kajsa is locked up in a special room.”

“The one in the deepest part of the basement?”

“Yes, that one.”

As he had thought, Kajsa was locked up in the deepest place in the island.

If she was imprisoned in a place like the top of a spire, they could just fly and rescue
her, but it was a different story if it was underground. It would be best for them to
infiltrate the place before rescuing her.

“It’s okay. I’ve also prepared a magic spell for today.”

Cordelia clenched her fist and then said as she glanced at him.

“Shall we go then?”

“Let’s go.”

Clouds covered the moon, and Jude and Cordelia came out of the bushes.

***

The most problematic thing in infiltration was the sound.

The sound of one’s movements.

The sound of the enemies shouting to inform their allies of an invasion and its
location.

Therefore, the difficulty of an infiltration would be greatly reduced if one could not
make any sound.

Just like now.

“<Silent Field>.”

A witch’s spell that Cordelia newly learned after she became a seventh-rank angel.

It was ironic that she could learn a witch’s magic because her angel rank increased,
but it was a spell that Cordelia had been wanting to learn ever since she got the spell
book.
‘Field-type magic.’

Magic spells that could change the environment within a certain range, with the
caster as its center.

But it had no effect when used alone. Its proper effect was only triggered when at
least one other magic was mixed.

Thus, it was an exhausting magic that required the caster to use double casting and
also consumed a lot of mana. Conversely, it was also a magic that could produce
infinite effects depending on which magic spell was combined with it.

Cordelia’s choice was to combine it with the <Silence> spell.

The entire corridor in Cordelia’s sight was forcibly engulfed in silence.

And that was why Jude appeared without even hiding.

“—–!”

“—–?!”

“———-!”

The pirates were surprised by Jude’s appearance, and shouted with their wide open
mouths, but it was useless.

No voice could escape from the area covered in silence.

Jude laughed in his delight.

Even his laughter was shrouded by the silence, so he laughed louder and kicked the
ground.

Hyper-Fast Thunderbolt.

An attack that incredibly boosted his speed, but also drew attention because it was
accompanied by thunder.

But it was different today.

There was no sound, so the pirates felt like they were facing a ghost.

‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’

Cordelia opened her mouth and made the sound effects herself, while Jude
relentlessly moved his hands and feet, throwing and slamming the pirates into the
walls, ceiling, and the floor.

There was no sound again this time.

Cordelia smiled at the sight as if she watching a muted video, and Jude continued to
run.

After quickly defeating as many as five panicking pirates, he threw a bottle that had
been rolling on the floor, instantly knocking down the last one who was fleeing.

‘Wow.’

Is this like an assassination if there’s no witness?

Is this a magic specialized for assassination?

Jude turned to Cordelia with a satisfied face, and she snorted before proudly
shrugging her shoulders.

The place was still affected by the spell, but she didn’t mind that when she spoke.

‘Aren’t I awesome?’

‘Yes, you’re awesome.’

Because the two could talk with their eyes.

Jude and Cordelia giggled among the pirates who couldn’t even groan when they
were knocked unconscious, and the two headed towards the special room.

“—-!”

“——–!”
“—?!”

The pirate who quickly rang the bell that made no sound was then slammed into the
wall, and the pirate who was blowing on a trumpet with all his might was thrown to
the ceiling.

And in the midst of all this, no alarm sounded, so pirates didn’t come swarming in.

‘As expected of a wizard.’

Those who could work miracles through the use of magic.

Every time Jude raised his thumb, Cordelia would proudly shrug, and the two were
able to reach the front of the special room after a while.

‘It’s a lock.’

A thick padlock that secured the huge and black steel door.

Cordelia tried to use an unlocking magic spell after canceling the <Silent Field>
magic, but Jude shook his head.

Because there was a magic that Jude could use too.

He grabbed the lock and pulled it.

He removed the metal ring from the body of the lock.

The sight of the padlock being disassembled at once with a loud sound was truly
magical.

“Wow, physical magic.”

“Very easy, right?”

Jude proudly shrugged his shoulders and Cordelia put her hands in a praying
position, saying.

“May the muscles always be with you.”

But not as bad as Landius. I prefer the you now.

At Cordelia’s eyes that were filled with her wish, Jude laughed again before he put his
hand on the steel door’s handle.

He turned to Cordelia and said.

“I’m opening it.”

“Okay.”

Cordelia grasped Moonlight and took a step back while Jude opened the steel door.
Cordelia frowned as soon as he opened the door. Because the damp and stale smell
from inside came out at once.

It was called a special room, but it was still a prison in the end.

It was also located underground and virtually enclosed without a window.

The door had been opened but they could not properly see the inside of the room
because of the darkness.

“Kajsa?”

Cordelia raised her voice without realizing it, but she did not hear any answer from
inside.

Jude opened the door a little wider and glanced at Cordelia who then cast a magic
light into the prison to drive out the darkness.

“Urk.”

When the light spread, Cordelia felt like vomiting again. Because her sensitive nose
figured out the things causing the smell before she even saw it.

It was the nauseating smell peculiar to vomit and the strong smell of blood that
irritated one’s nose. The mixture of these smells in the prison made it hard to
breathe because there was no proper ventilation.

“<Wind!>”

Cordelia hurriedly used <Wind> magic in order to ventilate the place, and widely
opened her eyes in surprise afterwards.

Because the scene inside the prison finally caught her eyes.
“Ka-Kajsa?”

A half-naked woman with black hair was sitting inside the stone prison.

Both of her arms were bound by heavy chains that were connected to the ceiling, and
both of her legs also had large shackles around her ankles to limit her movement.

Her long black hair flowed down like a waterfall, covering her head and upper body,
so they could not see her face. But they were sure that she was Kajsa.

“I-is she dead?”

Because she was not just motionless and lifeless.

It was because of the huge silver sword that penetrated Kajsa’s stomach and back
like a skewer.

“No, she’s alive. Because she’s Kajsa.”

An ordinary person would have immediately died from such an injury, but as Jude
had said, she was Kajsa.

Having inherited the blood of the divine creature, Fenrir, such an injury would not
kill her.

“It seems like it’s an object to prevent her regenerative ability in the first place.”

The sword piercing Kajsa’s stomach.

It was clearly not an ordinary sword, given that the light shined on its surface. The
blade seemed to have made from silver, or at least plated with silver.

“You’re right.”

Upon looking closely, they could see smoke rising from her abdomen where the
sword was piercing as if something were burning.

The silver sword seemed to be suppressing Kajsa’s regenerative ability.

‘That’s right. It’s because she’s Kajsa.’

Cordelia nodded with a convinced face.

In the game, Kajsa’s regenerative ability did not just heal wounds as it could also
regenerate severed limbs.

So it was impossible for her to die from such an injury as Jude had said.

‘It still hurts a lot though.’

Just because she had a regenerative ability did not mean that she did not sense pain.

“Anyway, let’s hurry.”

“Okay!”

But now was not the time to leisurely look at Kajsa’s wounds.

Jude and Cordelia hurriedly approached Kajsa, and Cordelia felt nauseous once
again.

“Urk.”

The smell was really bad.

It seemed like Kajsa was the source of all the smells in the prison.

She had only been detained for a day, but the smells of blood, urine, vomit and so on
filled the unventilated room.

Cordelia was tempted to do something with Kajsa’s leather pants which was covered
in urine and vomit, but they had to prioritize saving her for now.

“What should we do? Should we lay her down first?”

“Let’s pull out the sword first.”

Because of the sword piercing Kajsa like a skewer, it was impossible to lay her down
even if they broke the chains.

Cordelia nodded and stepped back, while Jude grabbed the handle of the silver
sword piercing Kajsa’s abdomen.

“Kajsa, I’m pulling it out.”

He could not get her consent in the first place because she was unconscious, but Jude
still informed her before pulling out the sword at once.

Ssshwak-!

The blood and flesh stuck to the blade because of Kajsa’s regenerative ability also
came out together with the sword.

At the same time, Kajsa’s body shook. Her back arched like a bow, and her drooping
head leaned back as she groaned in pain.

And right after that.

Kwashik-!

Kajsa moved her arms.

Using her immense strength, she instantly pulled out the chains that were connected
to the ceiling, and swung them without even properly opening her eyes.

“Kya?!”

Cordelia reflexively screamed when the chains suddenly attacked them, but she
calmly responded to that.

Or rather, it was her instincts that reflexively responded to it.

She instinctively knew the trajectory of the chain. So in an instant, her body reacted
and she moved her feet towards a safer area.

She completely dodged the chains that came falling down on her with just a single
step.

But Jude did not avoid it.

He could evade it, but the chains bound to Kajsa’s left arm would then reach Cordelia
who was next to him.

So Jude jumped from his spot and moved his hand, grabbing the chain and throwing
it to the side.

When the chain hit the floor, he heard a high-pitched sound before he looked back at
Kajsa.

Shiiiik-!

Smoke rapidly soared from the wound where the sword used to be. Not even a single
scar remained on the smooth brown skin, as if the sword penetrating her body
earlier was an illusion.

And Kajsa exhaled her breath.

She rose from her spot, and her blue eyes shined like that of a beast.

‘A kick?!’

Cordelia’s intuition told her that a kick was coming despite Kajsa’s ankles being
bound by the thick chains and fixed to the ground.

And as always, Cordelia’s intuition was correct.

Kajsa kicked with her right foot.

The thick chain tightened at once and tried to restrain her leg, but it was useless. The
bolt attached to the chain was pulled out, and Kajsa’s foot headed to Jude’s side.

Bang!

A loud noise sounded that one would not think that it came from a person kicking
another person.

But Jude was not pushed back to the wall. His side was struck, but his bones were
not broken.

Jude’s left arm blocked Kajsa’s kick. He instantly shifted his center of gravity and
prevented himself from being pushed back by the force at the same time.
Kajsa hurriedly pulled back her right foot, but Jude did not allow it. His hand moved
like a snake, grabbing Kajsa’s ankle and slamming it to the ground.

“Aaaack!”

Kajsa fell as she screamed from the pain that felt like her leg had been torn. Unlike
her right foot, her left foot was still bound by the chains, so she fell at a strange angle.

A thudding sound was heard.

Normally, an ordinary person would be unable to move for a while because of the
pain, but his opponent was Kajsa.

Jude did not stop as he slammed the fallen Kajsa’s back with his palm.

Boom!

The shock wave shook the ground, and the force of the recoil was so strong that
Kajsa’s body roughly bounced back.

But not yet.

He did not feel that it was over.

It seemed like his attack was carried out properly because his hands felt it, but given
the circumstances, he could not deal much damage to Kajsa.

In the first place, their goal was to save Kajsa and not to defeat her, but it was
necessary to subdue Kajsa for the time being.

Jude moved again and stretched out his hand to the exhausted Kajsa who was on the
floor. He moved his hand and did not give her a chance to raise her body. Turning her
body over, he struck her in the stomach once again as she laid on her back.

“Gaah!”

Her body did not rebound this time. Because Jude pressed on Kajsa’s abdomen with
his stretched out hand.

Bright red blood gushed out from Kajsa’s mouth like a fountain.
Cordelia suppressed her own scream by covering her mouth with her hand, and Jude
poured the energy of the Black Dragon into his palm which was in contact with
Kajsa’s abdomen to give her an extra hit.

“Gaaak-!”

Kajsa was covered in the blood she threw up, and her body drooped and stopped
moving after she let out a gasp.

“J-Jude, you killed Kajsa!”

Cordelia said with a pale face.

She had said that because of the horrendous sight of Kajsa’s face and hair as well as
her entire upper body that were covered in blood.

But Jude shook his head.

He had noticed it the moment he put his hand on Kajsa’s abdomen.

Kajsa’s steel-like abdominal muscles under her soft skin.

No, it was not just her abdominal muscles. He could feel her immense life force
underneath.

“Haa… haa…”

Jude let out his breath roughly before slowly taking deep breaths.

And he understood why the unknown iron-masked swordsman stuck a silver sword
on Kajsa’s abdomen.

‘Is she a real monster?’

Just by looking at her strength and regenerative ability, she seemed to have exceeded
Jude himself.

Something must have happened to Kajsa in the past year or so, and that had made
her stronger than the Kajsa in the game at this time.
‘How many times has she been on the verge of death?’

She was like those Saiyans in Dragon Ball that became stronger every time they had
a brush with death.

To be exact, it was because the blood of the divine creature that flowed in her body
would awaken every time she nearly died, boosting her already amazing physical
abilities.

“Is she alive?”

“Yes, she’s alive.”

She had only lost consciousness because of the accumulated fatigue.

Moreover, Kajsa’s regenerative ability did not stop working even in the midst of this.

Her rough breathing eventually stabilized after a while, and the twitching in her
hands and feet stopped.

“She was stabbed just a while ago, right?”

“Yes, and with a silver sword too.”

Even though she had been stabbed by a sword made of silver, which was said to be a
weakness of lycanthropes, for at least a day, her body had already recovered to this
extent.

“I guess that this is too much though. Her stamina has completely run out. Her
regenerative ability seems to have also slowed down.”

“Should I… treat her?”

Cordelia would have normally used recovery magic without asking. However, she
could not help but ask this time.

Jude thought for a moment before nodding his head.

“She wasn’t in her right mind earlier. You could say it was her defensive reflexes
acting up… Once she recovers, she’ll be able to talk normally.”
After all, they had just pulled out the sword.

But Cordelia said with in disagreement.

“Are you sure that she’ll be fine?”

“She’ll be fine. She will be able to communicate well with us later. We have a beast
here too, right?”

Cordelia tilted her head at Jude’s words, not understanding what he meant, but soon
understood it.

So she said with a grimace on her face.

“I’ll seriously bite you later.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“You’re really mean.”

Jude slyly smiled while Cordelia snarled at him before she use her recovery magic.

But right after that.

“Wow.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s just… She’s absorbing my recovery magic like a sponge that absorbs water.”

She had never experienced this before.

It was as if she was being deprived of her mana.

“Is she really human?”

When Jude unknowingly said that, Cordelia made water with the <Create Water>
spell and then wet the handkerchief to wipe Kajsa’s face.

“Big.”
“Huh?”

“I mean, she’s big.”

Unlike Cordelia who was a little over 160 cm and had a slender physique, Kajsa had a
large build.

According to the character profile in the game, she was around 170 cm tall, but she
seemed to be over 180 cm now.

Her shoulders were wide, her chest was big, and her hands and feet were also big.

‘She’s like an athlete.’

No, she’s more like she’s a fitness model.

Should I say that she’s a beauty with a wild look?

If Cordelia was a cat, Kajsa was really like a black panther.

In any case, they couldn’t just wait for her to naturally wake up.

“I don’t know what may happen, so just in case, stay behind me once you use your
magic.”

“Okay.”

Cordelia immediately replied and as soon as she cast an awakening magic, she ran
behind Jude.

‘She’s like a hamster.’

At the moment Jude unconsciously thought of that.

“Uuugh.”

The awakening magic seemed to work as Kajsa groaned and opened her eyes. And as
Jude had predicted, she woke up like a human being instead of running wild like an
animal.
“Have you regained your senses?”

Instead of replying to Jude’s question right away, Kajsa groaned again and frowned
before slowly sitting up.

“Ugh… my head hurts.”

‘Your stomach does not hurt?’

Jude wanted to ask that without realizing it, but he tried to endure it and observed
Kajsa’s reaction.

“Ugh… the smell.”

Kajsa sniffed once and frowned as she looked nauseous, but she couldn’t do much
about it. Because the source of the smell was Kajsa herself.

“Kajsa?”

“Haa… ugh… Who are you?”

“Jude August Bayer. This is my fiancee, Cordelia August Chase. We came here to save
you.”

“Uh… hello?”

When Cordelia greeted her as she stuck her head from behind Jude’s back, Kajsa’s
eyes widened in surprise and she said.

“Wow, aren’t you pretty?”

“Eh?”

“You’re pretty. I want to bite you.”

And she chuckled like an old man.

‘Jude, she’s weird.’

‘Kajsa has always been weird. Don’t you remember?’

‘Ah, now that I think of it, you’re right.’

That’s right, Kajsa has always been a natural weirdo.

Having been convinced, Cordelia hid behind Jude’s back again, and Jude continued
their conversation.

“Kajsa, again, I’m Jude and this is Cordelia.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of you two. That crazy… no, is it fantasy couple? They say that you
guys run away from home every day. And you two always hug and kiss each other,
regardless of whether people can see you or not.”

Jude suddenly felt dizzy at Kajsa’s words, but he calmly replied.

“…Those are false rumors.”

“T-that’s right. Those rumors are totally exaggerated.”

When Cordelia hurriedly added, Kajsa looked at her with an interested expression,
but now was not the time for them to be chatting like this.

“Anyway, if you know us, then our conversation will be quick. As I have said, we’re
here to save you. So let’s escape now.”

“Wait, how can you prove that you really are Jude and Cordelia?”

At Kajsa’s question, Cordelia tried to take out her countess emblem, but Jude said as
he pointed to Cordelia.

“Is there any other girl in this kingdom who has reddish-pink hair and is pretty, cute,
and lovely?”

“You’re right.”

Kajsa nodded with a convinced face, and Cordelia who was searching her pockets
then blushed.

‘What nonsense are you saying!’

Of course, it would be annoying if she didn’t agree.

As Cordelia frowned, Kajsa found it cute and chuckled before saying.

“Well, it doesn’t matter if you’re real or fake. It’s true that you released me, and
there’s no reason for you two to work hard in deceiving me, so I’ll believe it.”

Having said that, Kajsa lightly pulled off the shackles in her wrists and ankles.

As expected of the immense strength of Kajsa.

‘Who in the world overpowered Kajsa?’

After seeing Kajsa’s power and strength that was beyond common sense, he had no
choice but to ask that.

A man wearing an iron mask.

Who was that person who overpowered Kajsa?

But now wasn’t the time to think of such things.

The pirates had been silently defeated because of the <Silent Field> spell, but they
still weren’t safe.

If a pirate who came out to pee at night suddenly found his fallen companions, he
would surely sound an alarm.

“Let’s go out first.”

At Jude’s urging, Kajsa stood up but soon turned to the door and growled. What was
more surprising was that Cordelia had a similar reaction.

The animal-like intuition of two beastly girls.

Jude quickly used his presence detection, and understood what they sensed.

‘The man in the iron mask.’

He was approaching at a rapid pace. It seemed like there was some magic cast on the
sword that stabbed Kajsa’s stomach.

Jude instantly made calculations. He thought of hugging Cordelia and Kajsa in the
waist and running away with Hyper-Fast Thunderbolt, but soon concluded that it
was impossible. It would have been fine if it were just Cordelia, but if he had Kajsa,
he had no choice but to run and show his back to the man in the iron mask. But that
man in an iron mask was moving fast.

“Here he comes.”

Kajsa quickly picked up the chains that had fallen on the ground, while Jude saw
through the wall with his ability. As he asked Kajsa, he identified the location of the
man in the iron mask who was running towards their position.

“The man with an iron mask. Do you know who he is?”

At the same time, he began analyzing that man.

He compiled the data by combining the man’s height, physique, and the very fast
movement speed.

It was for figuring out the man’s identity in addition to any clue Kajsa might say.

But there was no need for that.

At the moment Kajsa grasped the chains and opened her mouth.

A man with an iron mask appeared beyond the wide open door.

He was 190 cm tall and had broad shoulders.

A long sword and daggers were on both sides of his waist.

His collar exposed his dark skin.

A very fast movement speed that the word ‘fleet-footed’ was not enough to describe
it.

In addition to his, he had the ability to overpower Kajsa.

That was enough. Although his face was covered by an iron mask, Jude and Cordelia
who were rotten waters of Legend of Heroes were able to instantly figure out the
man’s real identity.

And it was the reason why Cordelia was forced to swear.

“F*ck, is betrayal something normal for the Ten Great Swordmasters?”

From the Lord Protector, First Sword, and to the man in front of them.

A man who stood on the side of the pirates and captured Kajsa despite being a noble
of the kingdom.

His name was Sebastian Leguin.

A swift swordsman who held the fastest sword in the south.

Cordelia’s anger was reasonable.

She would be like that because out of the six Ten Great Swordmasters they had met
so far, three were traitors.

‘My brother-in-law just became one!’

Three out of six were traitors.

If this ratio continued, then there would be two more traitors out of the remaining
four.

It was obviously a very simple and ignorant calculation, but was actually sensible.

But Jude’s thoughts were a little different.

Because the current situation was different from First Sword’s situation.

‘We didn’t have much information about First Sword in the first place.’

The scenarios in Legend of Heroes 2 were in full swing after the Salen Kingdom was
nearly destroyed.

In the beginning of the scenarios in Legend of Heroes 2, the playable characters

experienced events that eventually led to the downfall of the Salen Kingdom.

Jude, Cordelia, and Red Wind were affected by the northern barbarian invasion.

Lucas would either be involved in the barbarian invasion or the annihilation of

royalty depending on the player’s choice.

Kajsa’s goal was to survive Malekith’s attack on the south.

In the beginning, it was impossible for playable characters from the empire to come
to the Salen Kingdom.

In any case, the period where one could experience the Salen Kingdom functioning
normally was only a few months at the most.

On top of that, the first episode of Legend of Heroes dealt with the past 10 years ago,
so it was impossible to know everything about the Salen Kingdom, regardless of
whether a player was a stagnant or rotten water of the Legend of Heroes series.

‘Because they did not make an appearance in the game in the first place.’

Therefore, about half of the Ten Great Swordmasters who appeared in Legend of
Heroes 2 were close to ‘background settings.’

‘I didn’t even know much about my own father.’

Count Bayer.

In the game, he was tragically killed by great demon Kriemler who was summoned
by Haraken during the northern barbarian invasion. But it was impossible to see
how he fought in the north and how he died, even if one played as the playable
character Jude, Count Bayer’s own son.

‘In my past life, I had no idea that the Sword of Wind was so strong.’

He was one of the Ten Great Swordmasters, but was killed in the northern barbarian
invasion.

There were some more information about him, but in summary, Count Bayer’s role in
Legend of Heroes 2 was just that.

‘In short, he was just a tool.’

-The great demon Kriemler was someone strong enough to defeat someone from the
Ten Great Swordmasters.

-The northern barbarian invasion led to the collapse of the north, causing the Salen
Kingdom to fall into a huge crisis.
He was a reference point for things like that.

‘I only found out in this life that my father was the Sword of Wind.’

First Sword was in the same situation.

And around half of the Ten Great Swordmasters were those who belonged to the
‘background settings.’

‘But Sebastian is different.’

He was not like the others.

Sebastian Leguin.

Even though he was wearing a mask, Jude and Cordelia were able to recognize him at
once because he was an ally of the same kind as Wolfe – a supporting character who
was a strong helper in the beginning, but lost his life in order to save Kajsa after a
certain point.

‘And now that Sebastian is a traitor?’

Jude’s common sense found it hard to understand.

He’s a man who sacrificed his life to save Kajsa, but he’s now siding with the pirates
and even captured her?

‘This is too much even if it’s the butterfly effect.’

Sebastian voluntarily betraying her is highly unlikely.

There must be a different reason.

Something other than a simple betrayal.

“Old man Sebastian! Please wake up! This is Kajsa!”

Kajsa cried out loud at that very moment.

And at her cry, something came into Jude’s mind. Cordelia’s intuition also realized it.
‘Brainwashing?!’

If Sebastian’s betrayal was not voluntary.

If he was brainwashed or charmed.

““Sicilia!””

Jude and Cordelia shouted at the same time.

She was Malekith’s lover, a dark elf necromancer who hated the elves of the Forest of
Eternity.

If it was her, it was possible to charm a person.

Naturally, it was difficult to bewitch a character on the level of a great swordmaster,

but this made much more sense than Sebastian’s voluntary betrayal.

‘But why all of a sudden?’

In the game, Sicilia did not charm Sebastian.

In order to bewitch a character on the level of a great swordmaster, she would have
had to do her best, so why did she do it this time?

Jude cut off his thoughts.

After all, that wasn’t what mattered at the moment.

And he was convinced of the butterfly effect if it was this kind of change.

“He’s Sebastian! One of the Ten Great Swordmasters! He’s not in his right mind right
now!”

Kajsa shouted loudly again, and Sebastian swung his sword at that moment. It was
his Sword of Swiftness that one did not even know when he drew it.

Shwak- booboobooboom-!

The walls around the iron door came collapsing with a loud sound.
Sebastian expanded the space by cutting the walls without smashing it. His white
breath came out of the mouth in the iron mask as his red eyes glistened.

“Damn, he’s batshit crazy. What should we do?”

Kajsa grabbed the chains and groaned.

She had become stronger than in the game, but was helplessly suppressed because
her opponent was Sebastian, so she couldn’t even land a hit.

‘Sebastian was stronger in the first place.’

After all, he was one of the Ten Great Swordmasters.

“Fuaah…”

Sebastian exhaled again before slowly raising his sword and saying in a quiet voice.

“Jude Bayer, Cordelia Chase. Priority elimination targets. Jude is worthless. Cordelia
has worth. Kill Jude. Cut off Cordelia’s limbs and capture her.”

“What the f*ck is this b*stard saying! You want to kill who?”

You dare want to kill Jude?

When Cordelia angrily shouted, Kajsa shouted back as she looked at Cordelia.

“He’s just batshit crazy! Don’t curse mister!”

“Hey! Isn’t ‘batshit crazy’ derogatory too?”

In the meantime, Jude thought.

The words of Sebastian.

What he said about killing Jude and capturing Cordelia.

‘Worth.’

What Jude could think of at this moment was the summoning ritual for demons.
Malekith had a connection with the demon followers, so perhaps Sicilia was aided by
the Devil’s Eye in the process of charming Sebastian.

‘And at that time, did they tell about our story?’

Wait, she couldn’t have charmed Sebastian just because of us, right?

The two of them had always destroyed the demon followers’ plots, and the demon
followers had never been able to stop them.

But the two of were now headed south.

If the Devil’s Eye had given Sicilia several warnings about the two.

And if Sicilia had gained new powers because of their agreement.

All of these were just assumptions, but these were all reasonable.

And Jude cut off his thoughts again.

Because they needed to subdue Sebastian first.

“Kajsa! Not at full strength?!”

Kajsa nodded after she instinctively understood Jude’s words like a wild beast
despite his incomplete sentence.

“Mister is much weaker than he used to be!”

Then it’s fine if that is so.

Jude no longer hesitated as he immediately opened the sixth door.

Boooooom-!

A shock wave swept throughout the building with a loud noise. Jude’s energy
suddenly soared like an explosion, and Kajsa widened her eyes in surprise while
Sebastian reflexively pulled back. Sebastian’s instincts responded to Jude’s immense
energy.
“Kill him!”

It was the moment Cordelia shouted in excitement.

“No! You can’t kill him! Not my elder!”

Although Kajsa never imagined that someone could kill Sebastian, a great
swordmaster, she still reflexively shouted.

Because the force of Jude’s energy was tremendous.

“I know! Cordelia!”

And Jude kicked the ground.

Using Hyper-Fast Thunderbolt, he immediately narrowed his distance from

Sebastian.

‘It’s coming!’

The Sword of Swiftness.

Even if Jude was strong, it was impossible to avoid Sebastian’s sword. That was why
he used his ability to see through things.

He fully read the movements of Sebastian’s muscles and bones, and the trajectory
that the sword would take was also seen.

“Avoid it!”

Kajsa shouted.

But instead of avoiding the sword attack, Jude threw his body towards the sword’s
trajectory.

Bang!

Sebastian’s sword bounced off.

Jude’s arm blocked Sebastian’s sword, and despite his charmed state, Sebastian
opened his eyes widely in his confusion.

Because he could not understand the current situation.

“The sword was blocked?!”

With bare hands?

And the sword bounced off?

It was so unrealistic that it was natural to be flustered. But Jude did not miss the gap.
He swiftly penetrated into Sebastian’s defenses and struck his sword-like hand
towards his opponent’s thigh.

Shwaaaaak-!

The shock wave from his sword-like hand split the atmosphere, but unfortunately, it
failed to achieve its purpose. As a great swordmaster, Sebastian moved his leg at that
moment and let Jude’s attack continue. His thigh was torn, but the wound itself was
shallow.

Then followed Sebastian’s attack. He struck Jude with the tip of his sword’s handle,
and Jude unhesitatingly moved and avoided the attacks. It was time for Cordelia’s
magic spell to be completed.

“<Ice Age!>”

He heard Cordelia’s words as he had expected.

At that moment, the building was filled with a cold wind – no, calling it cold was not
enough as the wind was as cold as the wind in the polar regions.

Even a blizzard began to blow.

Field-type magic.

She also combined <Ice> magic and <Gust> magic to it.

It seemed to be simple, but after combining three magic spells, its power was also
strengthened because of the Great Protection of the Four Seasons.
“Kyaa?!”

The wind was so cold that Kajsa unknowingly screamed and threw away the chains
in her hand.

The current cold was so unfamiliar and threatening to her who had spent her entire
life in the southern seas.

The temperature dropped in an instant.

A winter comparable to Frost Anvil spread inside the building.

Sebastian was also a southerner.

No, the cold was something that even those living in the north would find difficult to
endure.

But Jude and Cordelia were not affected at all.

The Great Protection of the Four Seasons.

Among those protections, the Winter Protection protected the two.

“One of the basics in attacking is to stab the enemy’s weakness.”

“If they don’t have any weaknesses, just make one then.”

Cordelia spoke after Jude.

To begin with, it was for moments like these that made her want to use field-type
magic.

I’ll live and you’ll die.

I’ll force you to fight on my home ground.

“Ah… ah… uh…”

The half-naked Kajsa was curled up in a corner like a person who was about to
freeze to death.
So instead of prolonging it anymore, Jude rushed straight towards Sebastian.

“Ugh!”

Sebastian let out a white breath and tried to respond, but his movement was much
slower than before.

His skills had already declined as a result of the bewitching, so when the extreme
cold came, his power even dropped further even if he was Sebastian.

‘The Ten Great Swordmasters are still humans! They’re humans!’

If the Ten Great Swordmasters were in a normal state, they would somehow be able
to move normally with the power of their aura or fly out of the range of the <Ice
Age> spell, but the Sebastian in front of them was in a charmed state, so he couldn’t
make such an active response.

In other words, Sebastian was no different from a sandbag in front of the current
Jude.

Boooom!

His punches exploded at lightning speed.

Sebastian couldn’t even defend against a single blow, and he staggered and stepped
back after being hit seven times. Jude seized Sebastian by the neck, and threw him to
the floor, unleashing his lightning fast punches and breaking the bones of Sebastian’s
arms and legs.

“Kaaaak-!”

Sebastian screamed from the intense pain, but Jude struck his stomach like he did
with Kajsa instead of stopping.

“Gaaak!”

Sebastian threw up a huge fountain of blood before passing out in exhaustion, and
Kajsa who was half dying from the cold then screamed.

“Mister!”
“Cordelia!”

“Okay!”

Cordelia immediately responded to Jude’s call and stopped the <Ice Age> spell.

Obviously, the environment itself had already changed, so it did not warm up
immediately, but it would eventually return to the usual temperature.

“Phew.”

Cordelia sighed in relief. Their opponent was one of the Ten Great Swordmasters,
Sebastian, who also known for his Sword of Swiftness, so Cordelia couldn’t help but
be tense from the fight, but they were able to overpower him more easily than she
had thought.

“It’s all right. He’s a great swordmaster. He’s not going to die from just that.”

He’s not dead, right?

Right after she spoke to Kajsa, Cordelia turned to Jude who nodded his head.

Sebastian’s breathing had become calmer even though he had vomited a lot of blood
earlier, as if proving that he was one of the Ten Great Swordmasters who were like
superhumans.

‘Because Sebastian is a lycanthrope.’

Unlike Kajsa who inherited the blood of an ancient divine creature and could use the
power of lycanthropes, Sebastian was a lycanthrope himself.

Though only a few people knew of it because he had kept it a secret.

“Haa… ugh… you crazy couple. You’re really just like the rumors.”

When Kajsa muttered a little after standing up as she groaned, Cordelia flinched
without realizing it.

Just like the rumors.

What rumor is she talking about?

Aren’t there only good rumors of us except for that rumor of us constantly running
away?

Anyway, it was fine since it worked out well. They saved Kajsa and even defeated the
man in an iron mask who could have become a tough opponent.

Jude took off the iron mask Sebastian was wearing and breathed in relief.

“The mask itself is ordinary. I don’t think the charm can be released at this moment,
so we should take him to a safe place and have him properly examined.”

Cordelia nodded at Jude’s words.

When it came to magic, it was not an exaggeration to say that she was an all-around
wizard, but there were still many fields of magic that she was not familiar with, such
as those that dealt with the human mind.

They had to bring him to a proper priest or psychic.

‘It’s a bit wasteful to summon Velkian for this.’

And they couldn’t even ‘summon Velkian himself’ as he had not yet signaled that
they could do so.

“Haa… haa… Okay. Let’s escape now. We caused a huge commotion, so the pirates
will definitely come.”

Kajsa said that as she headed to Sebastian in order to carry him, but at that moment,
Jude raised his hand to stop her from approaching.

Cordelia also grabbed Kajsa and said.

“Hey, Kajsa.”

“What is it?”

“Sebastian is the only one, right?”

“Huh?”

“The only one who can beat you among the pirates.”

“He is. Why are you asking that?”

“We defeated Sebastian.”

“Huh?”

“Sebastian is the only one stronger than you, but we defeated Sebastian.”

Kajsa blinked at Cordelia’s explanation, and soon understood the situation

completely.

“T-that’s right.”

Sebastian was already out.

In other words, there were no remaining enemies on this island who could threaten
their group.

“So why should we run away? Rather, the pirates are the ones who should be running
away, right? Don’t you agree?”

Cordelia had a dark smile, and Kajsa was stunned for a while as she blinked her eyes
before she also smiled brightly.

“Hey, let’s be friends. I like you.”

“Yes, let’s go rob the pirates of their treasure.”

“Yeah, let’s go cut their throats.”

The two beasts brightly smiled and went out of the corridor, passing by Jude and
Sebastian.

With joyful faces, they faced a group of pirates who had come running and yelling at
them.
And one more person.

Instead of joining the fight, Jude offered a moment of silence to the leader of the
group who had instinctively felt that something was strange, but found it too late to
turn back.
Red-Handed Gabb was a pirate.

He had more than 10 years of experience.

The fact that he had been in the pirate industry for 10 years, which was a place a
sloppy man wouldn’t be able to survive in, suggested that he had considerable skills,
luck, and even perceptiveness.

Of particular importance was his perceptiveness.

Most pirates were vicious criminals, and so was Gabb.

He committed rape, murder, and arson more than 10 times each, so if he got caught,
he would definitely be sentenced to the gallows.

Therefore, Gabb was good at knowing when to leave.

Knowing when to take the lead in a winnable fight or when to retreat in a losing
battle were the most important factors that helped him survive in this industry for
10 years.

‘I have to leave.’

Gabb had a hunch.

But he was unable to escape from the island.

So instead of running away, Gabb chose to hide.

It was normally a good choice.

Gabb’s quick judgment as a veteran was admirable.

But that only applied if the situation was ‘normal.’

“Sniff, sniff, that’s weird. There’s definitely a smell here.”

“There’s definitely one here. Someone’s here. My senses can feel it.”

Gabb hid in a storage cellar made by digging the floor, and tried not to make any
noise by closing his mouth with his hand.

Smell, senses. Is that something a real human should be saying?

“Ah, fu-. I can’t smell it because of the smell of urine and sweat.”

“That’s your smell.”

“I feel so icky. I want to take it off.”

“C-crazy b*tch. F*ck. Why are you suddenly taking it off?”

“Then what should I do? It smells. And you’re good at cursing, huh? How cute.”

What in the world is the connection between being good at cursing and being cute?

But Gabb just shut his mouth and prayed again and again.

He remembered how he found a woman hiding in a storage place not long ago, and
laughing at her for being stupid as he asked if she thought that she could hide in a
place like this before he dragged her out and raped her. But Gabb shook his head
now.

This place was different from where the woman hid.

It was a storage cellar made to hide alcohol, so it was hard to find.

“Ah, f*ck! Quickly put on something! Before Jude sees it!”

“Why? Why can’t Jude see it?”

“Y-you can’t! No!”

Their topic went from catching pirates to something else different.

Therefore, Gabb waited as he suppressed his breathing which was becoming rough.

Please leave.

Just leave already.

“Okay, okay. I’ll wear something, I’ll wear something.”

“But what are you going to wear?”

“I can take what the pirates are wearing and wear it. If they don’t have anything new,
I’ll just take it off from someone we knocked out and wear it.”

“Uh… you’ll wear what the pirates are wearing? Wouldn’t it be dirtier than your peed
on clothes?”

“Well… maybe. But this isn’t my pee. I’m not someone who would wet their pants.”

“What are you saying? Does that mean the pirates peed on you?”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what?”

“Anyway, it’s not my pee. I didn’t wet my pants.”

“Bullshit.”

Leave. Please leave.

Just leave.

“Anyway, just put on something.”

“Okay, okay. The pants of the guy whom I hit earlier seemed to be a bit clean. I’ll go
put it on.”

“All right, as long as you wear something.”

“Look at this gal talking.”

“Anyway, just hurry up.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Oh, you’re finally leaving?

Are you really leaving now?

Thank you, dear lord Rhesus, for protecting us pirates and robbers. Thank you very
much.

Gabb prayed first before completely focusing on his hearing. He then heard
footsteps.

Tak-tak-tak.

They’re going. They’re really leaving.

Gabb breathed in relief but remained alert. It was dangerous to continue staying in
this cellar. There was a secret passage in the room next door, so he had to quickly go.

Tak-tak-tak.

The footsteps went away.

Gabb patiently waited and counted to ten before slowly opening the door of the
cellar.

And two people greeted Gabb.

Having created the illusion of footsteps going away by controlling the pace of her
steps, Cordelia said with a dark smile.

“See? I told you that I sensed something, right?”

“I said that I smelled it too, okay?”

Kajsa snorted as her nose twitched once, and then clenched her fist.
She swung her fist towards Gabb who pounced on her in his desperation.

***

It didn’t take that much time for Cordelia and Kajsa to turn the entire pirate island
upside down.

In the first place, it wasn’t a big island, and half of the pirates had already been
defeated by Jude and Cordelia.

So after an hour or so.

Cordelia and Kajsa piled up on the beach the pirates who seemed to be unconscious
but still alive, and shouted together in front of Jude.

“I’m hungry!”

“That’s right! I’m hungry! Give me food!”

“Give me food! Give me food!”

The two standing side by side and shouting were like 7-year-olds who had just
returned after playing in the alley.

So Jude shared his honest thoughts.

“You’re completely like kids.”

Cordelia would have normally been embarrassed and blush at Jude’s words, but not
now.

Because Kajsa was right next to her.

“I’m a kid? Well, I’m not an adult yet. I only have one month left though. Still, I’m 19
years old, okay?”

“That’s right, that’s right. I only have more than two years left before I become an
adult!”

As Cordelia excitedly replied in agreement, Kajsa was surprised.

“Uh, wait. What the… You’re younger than me?”

“Eh? Uh… yes, unnie.”

When Cordelia respectfully spoke to her without realizing it, Kajsa grinned and
patted Cordelia’s back.

“Hey! There’s no older and younger sisters between friends! We’re friends!”

“Yes! Friend!”

“Oh my, how cute.”

Cordelia shouted excitedly again, and Kajsa giggled before ruffling Cordelia’s hair
and kissing her forehead and cheek.

“Hey, you’re like an old man.”

Cordelia didn’t like it and pushed away Kajsa who kept sticking to her. She then ran
away and hid behind Jude’s back.

But that wasn’t a very good choice either.

Because Jude grabbed Cordelia’s wrist and did the same thing as Kajsa.

“Ah, uh.”

However, Cordelia’s response was different.

Because unlike earlier which she hated, she was now smiling as her cheeks reddened
in joy and embarrassment.

“Wow, the rumors were true. The always kissing part.”

Kajsa giggled again, and Cordelia was embarrassed while Jude lightly pinched
Cordelia’s cheek.

And in the midst of all this, a man coughed.

“Ahem.”
A cough loud enough that anyone who had ears could hear.

But no one looked back, so the man cleared his throat again.

“Ahem, ahem.”

“Ehem, ehem, ehem.”

“Ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem!”

But Kajsa was still busy laughing, and Cordelia was still embarrassed while Jude
continued to look at Cordelia and admiring her cuteness.

“Kajsa, you f*cking b*tch! I’m asking you to introduce me too! Is this neglect play?!”

The man, Bentham, who was a dwarf, shouted loudly, and Kajsa finally stopped
laughing.

“Ah, I forgot.”

“What?”

“Anyway, I can introduce you now, right? I’ll introduce you. This is Bentham. As you
can see, he’s a dwarf. That’s enough, right?”

“You b*tch! Not like that!”

Bentham sighed once and took a step before introducing himself.

“I am Bentham. I’m an artisan from the Iron Pledge Guild.”

“It’s not much different from when I introduced you.”

“What do you mean it’s not different! There is a difference!”

Being an artisan from the Iron Pledge Guild and not just anyone else is important! I’m
not your ordinary dwarf!

“Ah, okay. Okay. I got it. Anyway, you do know that I’m your benefactor, right? I’m the
one who saved you, right?”
Bentham jumped back at Kajsa’s threatening look, and as cold sweat ran down his
back, he said after coughing again.

“Ahem, ahem. Thank you very much for saving me. I’ll definitely return the favor
when I return to the guild. When I return to the guild.”

So don’t harm me if you want to be rewarded, please?

At Bentham’s desperate voice, Kajsa giggled and nodded her head.

“Okay. Bentham, I’m sure you know best how much your life will cost since you’re a
skilled artisan of the Iron Pledge Guild and not just anyone else, right?”

Kajsa was usually like an animal, but she wasn’t stupid.

Rather, she had a clever side.

“Ugh… I-I understand. Please look forward to it.”

“Yes, I’ll look forward to it.”

Bentham groaned and replied, feeling like he got caught in his own trap. Kajsa then
turned to Jude and Cordelia, smiling brightly.

“Anyway, I’m hungry. Give me food.”

“…I think I need a little more explanation.”

What had happened was that Cordelia and Kajsa saved Bentham who had been
captured by the pirates.

“That’s how it happened.”

Cordelia told Jude about this and that, as if she was a kid who had been playing all
day and was now reporting what she did outside, and Jude nodded as he grilled
skewers over the bonfire.

‘It’s what I had expected.’

Cordelia and Kajsa rescued Bentham who was held in a prison.

Given that the pirates captured him, it seemed like he was quite an important figure
in the guild, which was something Bentham was proud of.

‘I definitely don’t know much about the south.’

After all, Kajsa often wandered in the sea, and there were a lot of forced events in the
southern region, so it was a place where one was practically limited in freely moving
and searching around.

‘The first half was all about escaping.’

Malekith’s attack seriously devastated the south, making it impossible to obtain

additional information.

‘Now then, what matters at this moment is Sebastian.’

There were a lot of things they needed to find out, such as if Sicilia was really
involved in this, what was she planning when she dragged Sebastian into this, why
she joined hands with the pirates, and so on.

‘But we accomplished our first goal.’

Jude raised his head and saw Cordelia and Kajsa squabbling as they ate the grilled
skewers.

They had met for the first time today, but seeing at how they were acting, it seemed
like they had been friends for more than 10 years.

‘We got Kajsa now.’

Not only did they save her life, but they even became close to her, so he was sure that
they would receive a lot of help from her for their future activities in the south.

‘I think Bentham is a pretty good extra income.’

Because they had to unite the entire south in order to fight Malekith.

Bentham would be helpful in getting the help of the dwarves and gnomes.

‘Everything’s going well.’

Jude smiled and cooked new skewers for Cordelia and Kajsa who were asking for
more.

And around 30 minutes later.

Cordelia asked as she pulled Jude’s sleeve.

“Jude, Jude.”

“Yes, Cordelia.”

“Are we really taking them?”

One of the pirate ships anchored on the island.

Kajsa tied up the pirates who she had knocked unconscious again, and piled them in
the cabin one by one.

“Because she needs to set an example.”

Pirates had become quite beautified in modern times through movies, cartoons, and
novels, but in reality, pirates were vicious criminals who were far from their
romanticized versions.

‘Because they’re all involved in murder, rape, and arson.’

Therefore, pirates were practically destined to be hanged the moment they were
captured.

“And… because Kajsa needs it too.”

“What? The pirates?”

“Yes, because Kajsa was captured by the pirates. If it was just a story of her being
rescued by us and returning, her reputation as a pirate hunter that she had built up
so far would be greatly reduced, right?”

“Ah… So that’s why it’s necessary. She has to let them know that she’s alive and well.”

“That’s right. I was caught, but I kicked their asses and escaped. This is what happens
to those who mess with me. Something like that?”

“Indeed, that’s a good example.”

Cordelia nodded her head in understanding, and then looked back at Kajsa.

Kajsa was tall, had a big chest, and huge hands and feet.

As a playable character and beautiful woman, she reminded Cordelia of a black

panther in many ways, but she certainly felt wilder and more feral when compared
to Scarlet or Princess Daphne.

‘Because she also served as a sailor in a private fleet.’

Kajsa had taken part in several naval battles against ships from the Argon Empire
and the Far East.

She wasn’t even 20 years old, but she was a veteran among veterans in terms of the
number of life-and-death situations she had experienced so far.

“What about Sebastian?”

“I applied a splint to the injured area and tied him up tightly. It would be hard for
him to run wild now.”

“It’s a big problem if Sicilia is the one who really did that. We don’t know if she has
the necessary resources to continue doing that or not, but anyway, it means that
even someone on the level of a Ten Great Swordmaster can be charmed.”

“Well… She won’t be able to do it easily. It was like that in the game.”

“Eh… I really hope so.”

It wasn’t only Jude who naturally realized it. Cordelia did too.

The fact that many things had already changed because of their actions.

‘Furthermore… ’

There were many things that Jude himself and Cordelia did not know.
‘Because in the end, it was a game.’

The Legend of Heroes series had a huge amount of information, but in the end, it was
still just a game.

It didn’t contain everything about Pleiades, their world now.

The flow of history began to change due to the inevitable absence of information and
the butterfly effect.

The frequency of encountering unexpected events would increase more and more in
the future, though there would be not so many extreme cases like the appearance of
traitors among the Ten Great Swordmasters.

“But we’ll do well. We’ve done a great job today, right?”

Jude smiled when Cordelia tightly held his hand and spoke as if encouraging him. He
nodded after kissing Cordelia’s forehead.

“That’s right. We’ll do well.”

“Yes!”

Cordelia happily laughed before she looked around and then stood on her tiptoes.
She then lightly kissed Jude’s cheek.

She had felt like doing it because they were facing each other.

Numerous stars filled the sky as the waves gently rolled.

Two people stood together on a pirate ship.

It was a romantic enough scene, but nothing happened afterwards. Because Kajsa
shouted in anger.

“Seriously, you two are doing it again! Hey! Help me! Don’t just rub salt into my
wounds!”

“Okay! We’ll go! We’re going!”

Cordelia immediately replied and shyly smiled before pulling Jude’s hand, and Jude
happily smiled as they walked together.

He and Cordelia headed to Kajsa.

***

It was deep at night.

Perhaps around midnight.

Normally, it was time for them to be sleeping, but they couldn’t today.

Because the pirate ship that Kajsa was steering was now sailing in the sea.

“The wind is nice!”

It was a big ship that could carry dozens of people, but if it was to make it simply
move forward through the wind and currents, it didn’t require that many people to
maneuver it.

So instead of staying overnight on the pirate island, Kajsa suggested that they should
leave immediately.

‘We’ll arrive in a few hours at most.’

Kajsa argued that there was no reason to stay overnight on the pirate island because
they could reach the port by dawn, and Jude and Cordelia also agreed.

‘In fact, it’s a little uncomfortable to stay there for one more night.’

The relationship between Sebastian and Sicilia had yet to be proven, but conversely,
there was no evidence that the two were not related.

If Sicilia was really involved in this matter, then staying on the island could be
dangerous.

‘Considering Sicilia’s personality, she would have laid some measures.’

She wouldn’t have just left alone someone from the Ten Great Swordmasters whom
she had captured.

Perhaps she had noticed by now that Sebastian had been subdued.

‘We need to go back to the mainland instead of staying on the island.’

The island had very limited space.

It was a perfect place to surround and attack, so it would be best for them to leave
when they had the chance to do so.

“The stars are beautiful.”

Jude turned his head to the side upon hearing the voice. Cordelia was leaning against
the railing and looking up at the night sky.

“I agree.”

They were in Pleiades that didn’t have much light pollution.

Anyone who looked up at the night sky would always be able to appreciate the sea of
countless stars.

“Would you like to lie down as you watch it?”

“Eh?”

“I mean, it’ll hurt your neck if you look up like that for a long time.”

At Jude’s words, Cordelia blinked her eyes before she lied down. Jude then lied down
next to her and stretched his arm to the side.

“Here, arm pillow.”

“Huh?”

“So that your head won’t hurt.”

Cordelia blinked again at Jude’s words, and she soon giggled and drew her body
close to Jude.
She obliged and rested her head on his arm pillow.

“It’s hard.”

“My arm?”

“Yes, and that’s why it’s perfect.”

Cordelia casually spoke, and leaned a little more towards Jude as she looked up at
the night sky.

It felt like the stars in the night sky would come raining down when one lied down.

“My goodness, the two are at it again.”

Kajsa’s murmurs could be heard in the distance, but Cordelia chose to ignore it and
slowly closed her eyes.

For a moment, with only her senses of smell and touch, she felt the night sea, or
rather, she felt Jude.

Strangely enough, she felt very cozy.

Despite the fact that they were lying down on a ship without any blanket covering
them from the night breeze.

‘The smell of Jude.’

Cordelia’s nose twitched once before she opened her eyes to look at Jude. She looked
at the face of Jude whose eyes were closed as he quietly breathed.

Jude’s fair face.

Kajsa who kept grumbling from afar.

The sea of stars that looked like it would come falling down.

Cordelia thought that it would be nice if time would stop at that moment, but she
widely opened her eyes at some point.
Because she heard an unusual sound coming from far away.

“Did you hear that too?”

Jude opened his eyes at Cordelia’s question, and nodded his head before the two
immediately stood up.

They turned their eyes to the sound that came from far away.

“Serpent?!”

A giant sea snake.

As Jude had said, it was indeed a Serpent with blue scales that was swimming along
the waves.

It moved quite fast, and if they left it as is, it would soon collide with the pirate ship.

“Kajsa!”

“Crazy!”

At first glance, the Serpent looked to be twenty meters long. Kajsa hastily turned the
steering wheel to change the ship’s course, and Jude concentrated the energy of the
black dragon in his right hand to attack the Serpent.

But it was at that moment.

Cordelia who had been focusing her consciousness on the Serpent instead of
chanting a spell then noticed one thing. She unknowingly opened her mouth and
said.

“It’s not charging at us.”

“Eh?”

“It’s running away.”

The Serpent wasn’t rushing towards them.

It was running away right now.

“It’s coming.”

Cordelia said again. Jude reflexively hugged Cordelia’s waist, and turned to the front
again before activating his ability to see through things. The moment he saw through
the dark sea, he couldn’t hide his surprise.

What Cordelia sensed.

What made the Serpent run away.

“Kiaaaak!”

The surface of the sea split along with the Serpent’s scream. At the same time, huge
tentacles soared up and bound the Serpent.

Tentacles.

No, legs.

“Kraken.”

The demon of the sea.

A giant monster.

The moment Kajsa said that, the surface of the sea was split again. Huge legs that
seemed to be dozens of meters long soared up and headed towards the pirate ship.
Jude and Cordelia had experienced all kinds of things in less than a year after they
remembered the memories of their previous lives.

They met face-to-face with a sealed Demon Prince, fought against several demonic
humans, and starting with the Bicorn, they confronted numerous monsters and low-
ranking demons.

When they closed their eyes, they could still vividly remember even until now the
figures of the demons that poured out of the Hell Gate.

But they were fine with it.

Until recently, they had not met any new monsters or demons that had made them
stiffen with fear.

But it was different this time.

They were petrified for a moment.

The sight of giant octopus legs, which were several meters in diameter, soaring up as
it broke the water surface and then fell down towards the pirate ship, was enough to
cause an instinctive fear.

“Kiaaa!”

The Serpent that had a giant octopus leg wrapped around it then screamed as it was
dragged below the water surface.

At the same time, the octopus legs struck the pirate ship!

“Avoid it!”

Bababababang-!
Kajsa’s cry was overshadowed by the series of roaring sounds. The sails and the deck
were destroyed. It wasn’t destroyed in one blow, but that was irrelevant. The
Kraken’s legs wrapped around the pirate ship just like how it did with the Serpent.

Kwashiiiik-!

The deck and the walls of the ship were crushed at the same time. Standing by the
helm, Kajsa raised her head and saw Jude and Cordelia.

“Kajsa!”

Cordelia was hanging by Jude’s side as he rode on a Phantom Steed.

To be exact, Jude was holding Cordelia by the waist.

“Get on!”

“What?!”

The moment she asked out loud, the air seemed to twist. Green smoke burst, and
another Phantom Steed appeared.

Neeeeigh-!

“S-save us!”

Bentham’s voice was heard at the same time the Phantom Steed neighed.

Kajsa reflexively looked back and swallowed her breath for a moment. Because she
saw Sebastian being carried by Bentham on his back as his limbs drooped.

“Kajsa!”

She didn’t have the time. Kajsa jumped high at once and hugged the Phantom Steed’s
neck, rotating her body as she climbed onto the back of the ghost horse.

“M-me too!”

“Catch!”
Kajsa immediately responded to Bentham’s scream.

She quickly untied the rope at her waist and threw it at Bentham and Sebastian.

Kwashiiing!

Actually, it was a huge and heavy chain.

Such an object carried Kajsa’s powerful strength, so it became an attack that could
break someone’s body if they were hit or caught it wrongly.

But beggars couldn’t be choosers.

Bentham evaded the swinging chain by almost lying on his stomach. He followed the
chain with his eyes before a miracle happened at that moment.

Claaaang-!

The chain that swung with a force that could crush a body then shook at some point
and moved like a living snake, wrapping around Bentham and Sebastian’s waist at
once. It was Cordelia’s telekinetic power.

“Pull it!”

Kajsa automatically reacted to Cordelia’s shout. Pulling the chain as strong as she
could, Bentham’s rock-like body was pulled up at once.

“Aaaaaah!”

Bentham screamed as the chains tightened around his waist, but what mattered the
most now was him staying alive.

He tried to open his eyes despite the pain that seemed to break his back, so he was
able to see the pirate ship being broken into three.

Cruuuuush-!

The pirate ship being squeezed by the Kraken’s legs was completely crushed.

Jude immediately seated Cordelia in front of him and drove the Phantom Steed into
the sky, while Kajsa also spurred the horse towards a higher place instead of putting
Bentham behind her.

But it was at that moment.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The surface of the water broke again, and several legs of the Kraken soared.

The white legs of the Kraken were like pillars supporting the sky amidst the dark sky
and sea.

Boooom!

As the Kraken’s legs struck the water surface, thunder boomed.

Bentham was frightened to death, tightly grasping the chain as he screamed, while
Kajsa let out a curse. Because the Kraken’s legs were falling down over their heads.

“Shit!”

“Neeeeeigh-!”

The Phantom Steed was surprised upon seeing the shadows covering its head and
hurriedly tried to fly, but the Kraken’s legs were unusually fast and huge. It was
accurately following Kajsa as if it had eyes at the ends of its legs.

“Jude!”

By the time Cordelia shouted, Jude was already moving his hands. He used his
sword-like hand to fire a black sword made from his energy.

Shaaak-!

The sword cut the Kraken’s leg. It wasn’t a completely straight cut, but it cut more
than half and succeeded in twisting the trajectory of the leg.

Splaaaah!

The half-cut leg fell into the water. Kajsa managed to evade the attack because of the
twisted trajectory, so she rolled up the chain and hugged the Phantom Steed’s neck
at the same time.

And Cordelia sensed it.

The flow in the air was changing. A tremendous roar was then heard under the sea.

Roooooooar-!

Real thunder struck along with the harsh winds. At the same instant, dark clouds
covered the sea of stars, and the sky and sea began to fluctuate.

It was a storm.

The demon of the sea had called forth a storm.

Kwashiiiik-!

The sky flashed white with lightning. As the rain poured down, the demon of the sea
finally appeared.

Booooom!

An immensely huge monster.

The Kraken’s head that was half revealed above the water was incomparable to a
pirate ship.

Jude and Cordelia’s breathing naturally became rough at the sight that was
something like an island rising from the sea.

Booooom!

The sky and the sea lit up as lightning struck again.

Three eyes glistened between the head of the giant octopus – the Kraken, that
seemed to be dozens of meters wide.

Its huge yellow eyes and black slit pupils were fear itself.
It seemed like it would crush the fragile human mind at once just by facing it.

The rain and wind grew stronger.

Unlike an ordinary octopus, dozens of tentacles wriggled over the mouth of the
Kraken, and the torn body of the Serpent and the fragments of the broken ship
swayed in between.

Kajsa’s mind went blank.

Bentham fainted after wetting his pants, and the two Phantom Steeds couldn’t
overcome their fears and began to run frantically.

Shaaaa-!

Dozens of Kraken’s legs shot up the water. In an instant, it felt like they were blocked
by huge white walls on all sides.

“Neeeeeigh!”

The Phantom Steeds neighed in fear and headed to the sky in order to somehow
escape.

“It’s coming.”

Jude reflexively said. And the sky seemed to fall down. The Kraken’s legs swiftly fell
over their heads, and the world appeared to be collapsing.

Kajsa closed her eyes in that overwhelming and despairing situation.

But Jude and Cordelia kept their eyes open. The two then simultaneously shouted.

““Shield!””

Cordelia turned to Kajsa. She widened the translucent shield and then reduced it not
only include Kajsa and the Phantom Steed, but also Bentham and Sebastian.

Jude invoked the ring’s magic.

Count Chase’s <Shield> magic in the ring covered and protected Jude and Cordelia.
Jude then hugged Cordelia.

Boooooooom!

The world shook.

Heaven and earth turned upside down.

They were unable to distinguish the directions, nor were they even able to see what
was in front of them.

Cordelia clenched her teeth and closed her eyes. She came to her senses at one point
and found herself under the sea.

She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t even open her eyes.

The sea was so cold that she had become numb and unable to feel anything.

“Hang in there!”

Cordelia opened her eyes.

A black sky. Erratic sea waves. The pouring rain.

Nothing changed. She still couldn’t breathe properly.

But Cordelia did not panic. Because Jude was here. Because she felt Jude’s arm
holding her waist tightly.

“Kaaak.”

Cordelia vomited water. She tried to figure out the situation as she deeply breathed.

Their heads were barely out of the water.

It seemed like they somehow survived because of the <Shield> magic, but that was it.

The Kraken was still alive, and she could feel its gaze.

“Haa… haa…”
She couldn’t see the Phantom Steed. Nor did she know on what happened to Kajsa,
Bentham, and Sebastian.

The storm did not stop. The waves continued to sweep the water surface, hitting
their heads and making it hard to breathe.

“Ha-… ugh.”

Her body temperature dropped. Her body felt cold. Her white skin was now like a
blank sheet of white paper.

Jude tightly hugged her and looked straight ahead.

He did not avoid the Kraken’s yellow eyes.

‘Why?’

The Kraken is the lord of the deep sea.

Why is this monster here?

Is it a coincidence? Or something inevitable?

Is it aiming for us in the first place and not chasing after the Serpent?

If so, why?

Why is the Kraken aiming for us?

I doubt that the demon followers incited it.

Is that even possible?

If it is, how do they know that we’re out in the sea?

Countless thoughts came to his mind at the same time.

Normally, Jude would have stopped his thoughts at once, but he couldn’t.

Their situation was so dire that he had to continue thinking of a way out.
What should we do?

How will we get out?

The Kraken can see us. It seems unwilling to give up.

Is it angry because I cut off its leg?

Or perhaps someone incited it?

Is it the destructive instinct of a demon?

The monster was really huge.

Jude couldn’t inflict much damage to such a huge opponent because his own skills
were based on interpersonal warfare.

Moreover, the fact that they were in the sea was a problem.

If they were on ground, he could somehow fight it, but they were in the sea where
mobility was extremely limited because he had no place to step on.

Jude continued to think.

What should we do?

How can we get out of here?

What must I do to protect Cordelia?

What the hell should I do to at least save Cordelia-

“Jude.”

Cordelia spoke.

She interrupted Jude’s thoughts. She turned her head and looked at Jude.

Just like always, she came up with an answer.

Instead of making some mental calculations, she instinctively arrived at an answer
the moment she was faced with a problem.

She looked at him without explaining, and said with a beautiful smile.

“Let’s merge.”

How many people can smile in a situation like ours now?

A smile spread across Jude’s stiff face. He kissed Cordelia’s forehead and then moved
her body. As she hugged his neck, he grasped Cordelia’s thighs as she clung on his
back.

‘We have one chance.’

There wasn’t a second time. So Jude concentrated. Amidst the downpour of rain, he
used the energy of the black dragon to soar into the sky.

Kwazzzzik-!

Lightning struck. The Kraken moved at the same time. Its legs rose again, and dozens
of tentacles stretched out towards Jude.

“Uoooo!”

Jude ran up the air. He let out the energy of the black dragon from his feet and cut
through the air just like Landius.

Booooom-!

They had to make a breakthrough at one point.

Cordelia was doing some preparations. Jude then flew straight to the Kraken and at
the moment when he was about to crash into its tentacles, he released the power of
the Black Sun at once.

Sky Shattering Black Dragon!

It pushed away the tentacles. Its purpose was to create a space by pushing away the
tentacles.
And so it happened. The tentacles that were blocking the space between Jude and
the Kraken were pushed away in an instant, creating an empty space.

Jude released his hands from Cordelia’s thighs. He rotated his body so that she would
fall on his head, and Cordelia used his head to launch herself. She rushed towards the
Kraken through the gap created by the Sky Shattering Black Dragon.

It was reckless.

Her rushing at the dozens of meters Kraken was like flying towards a tall building.

Moreover, the demon’s magic resistance was really powerful. In particular, it had
eyes that had a paralyzing ability that was powerful enough to destroy any magic
spell with just its look.

All three of the Kraken’s eyes stared at Cordelia.

It then attempted to tear apart Cordelia’s body with its magic power.

Cordelia unleashed her witch’s power. She resisted the paralyzing ability. She spread
out her angel wings and clenched her fist.

The solution Cordelia found.

Her secret plan to utilize the Spirit King who she couldn’t summon even if she
exhausted all her mana.

‘It’s not magic.’

Spirit Arts was not magic.

But it wasn’t a superpower like telekinesis.

It would have been more of a summoning skill if one had to argue.

So there was a way to do it.

She was able to gain momentum because of the storm.

Cordelia put her strength on her fist and cried out the name of the spirit.
“Ynix!”

The Spirit King of Storms and Lightning.

He responded.

He lent his power to his contractor.

So Cordelia smiled.

She shouted her thanks in her mind and struck out her fist.

“Spirit King Punch!”

It fully consumed her mana at once. And at that moment, lightning struck. The huge
and enormous fist of the Spirit King appeared as it broke the space. It made its way
through the storm and headed to the Kraken’s eyes. It smashed everything in its way!

Booooooooom!

Kiaaaaaaaaaaa!

The Kraken shrieked.

Its yellow eye in the center was injured. Green blood that was poisonous in itself
then gushed out like crazy. The Kraken was greatly pushed back by the devastating
blow of the Spirit King, and struggled as it flailed around the water with its dozens of
legs.

Because it was the first time for the demon.

It was the first time that it had suffered such an injury because it had always reigned
as a superior being.

The unimaginable pain soon gave rise to fear, and it did not stay any longer. The
wounded demon chose to flee instead of fighting back like it always did.

Boom-!

It was the last lightning bolt.

The storm weakened at once, and the rain clouds scattered.

And in the meantime, Cordelia fell to the water surface. She had lost her
consciousness right after the Spirit King’s blow because she had used up all her
magic at once.

“Cordelia!”

Jude desperately flew towards Cordelia.

If she couldn’t summon the Spirit King, she would then summon only its right arm –
at this truly Cordelia-like idea, she had managed to repel the Kraken. Jude then
snatched her from the air and carried her in his arms. He protected her from falling
on her back.

“Ugh.”

The unconscious Cordelia didn’t budge.

Jude hugged her small body and continued to move his feet. He looked around as he
stuck out his head over the calm water.

They defeated the Kraken, but the situation was still dire.

The coldness of winter could be prevented by the Great Protection of the Four
Seasons. But if she continued to stay in the cold sea despite the protection, she would
eventually lose her body temperature and die.

What Cordelia needed now was a place to rest her body.

It there was even a piece of board, it would have worked out somehow.

But unfortunately, even the fragments of the pirate ship were not visible. The
whereabouts of Kajsa, Bentham, and Sebastian were also unknown.

Jude took a deep breath.

He tried hard to maintain his composure.

Their worst crisis was over.

Cordelia found an answer.

So it was his turn this time.

He had to somehow figure out a way to get out of this situation.

Kraken.

It was a monster that did not originally live in the sea.

It didn’t just appear out of nowhere.

In the first place, it would have been a big problem for those who lived in the sea.

Kraken.

Those who originally lived in the sea.

Serpent.

The Kraken’s escape.

Sudden storm.

Jude raised his head. Because his numerous thoughts were then connected into one.

“Cordelia.”

Saying it like a spell, Jude kissed Cordelia’s forehead which had turned cold.

He hugged her again and sang in a trembling voice.

“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Shining beautifully.”

He wasn’t calling the fairies.

They did not live in the sea.

“In the eastern sky. In the western sky. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Shining
beautifully.”
His voice grew louder. He sang with all his might so that everyone in the surrounding
area could hear it.

The race that lives in the sea.

They respond to songs as much as the fairies.

They must have been watching the Kraken’s movements.

They should have also been surprised by the sudden storm.

So they should be nearby.

They definitely should.

“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star!”

“You look good.”

An answer came back.

Jude roughly breathed and turned to the direction where he heard the voice.

Siren.

The elves of the sea.

Women poked their heads out of the water and came singing towards Jude and
Cordelia.
Erofu – a combination of the words ‘erotic’ and ‘elf’ which usually means a beautiful
elf girl that has a lewd body or likes to do lewd things.

The figures of Sirens based on Greek and Roman mythology were largely divided
into two types.

Their first and original image was that they were half-human and half-bird. The
other image they had that was created by later generations was that they were half-
human and half-fish. In short, they were like mermaids.

In any case, both of these figures depicted them as beautiful women who were called
the songstresses of the sea, but in fact, there were differences between the two that
most people saw them as different races.

The Sirens in Legend of Heroes 2 adopted the latter image – the half-human and half-
fish.

These sea elves roamed the ocean.

Their whole race was made up of only women, so they were more like dryads than
elves. And in Pleaides, which was the setting of the Legend of Heroes series, the dryad
was also classified as a type of elf.

“Huu… huu…”

Jude tightly hugged Cordelia and swallowed hard.

Sirens.

He could see seven of them right now.

According to Jude’s knowledge and common sense, they were all beautiful women
who had the elves’ unique long ears that stood out from their colorful hair.

‘As expected, they’re still alive.’

There were two kinds of Sirens that one could meet in Legend of Heroes 2.

One were the sirens living in the sea on the side of the Argon Empire, and the other
were the sirens in the sea on the side of the Salen Kingdom, who were enslaved by
Malekith.

‘The latter were virtually monsters.’

The sirens, who had their minds eroded by Malekith and turned into monsters, were
cannibal monsters that ate humans who were enchanted from their songs, just like
the sirens in Greek and Roman mythology.

But they were not monsters yet.

Currently, Malekith had not yet resurrected and took control of the southern region,
so the sirens on the kingdom’s side were beautiful and rational sea elves, just like the
sirens on the empire’s side.

“In the eastern sky, in the western sky.”

“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”

“Shining beautifully.”

The sirens began to sing the song that Jude was singing.

As songstresses of the sea, they were able to sing it perfectly and in harmony despite
it being their first time in hearing that song.

‘Stay calm, Jude. Stay calm.’

When Jude thought of Cordelia who was growing cold in his arms, he wanted to
threaten the sirens so that they would move them to another place, but he had to
endure it.
He used his reason to suppress his emotions.

‘I need to ask them for help.’

He was not in a situation to threaten them.

He should not forget that Cordelia’s safety was his top priority.

“Beautiful and strong human.”

As the sirens sang, the siren in the lead spoke and approached Jude.

She was a beautiful woman with black hair and blue eyes.

“I saw you fight off the demon of the sea.”

Jude observed the woman. Unlike the other sirens, she seemed to be of a high status,
given the gold ornaments on her ears and neck.

‘I don’t remember her.’

The number of Named Sirens that one encountered in the game was seven.

None of them had black hair and blue eyes like the woman in front of him.

‘Is this similar to Princess Leica’s case?’

In fact, he wanted it to be similar.

In order to save Cordelia from this vast sea, the most obvious way was to be invited
to the underwater realm of the sirens.

The higher the status of the siren in front of him, the easier it would be for his goal to
be achieved.

“I am Jude August Bayer. We’ve been attacked by the Kraken just now. So I want to
ask for your assistance.”

Jude spoke quickly, but instead of replying immediately, the siren turned to Cordelia
who was in Jude’s arms.
A pale white face and purple lips.

She was obviously in a dangerous state, but the siren was not in a hurry.

She narrowed her eyes as if to observe Jude, who was struggling to suppress his
impatience and anger, and then spoke again.

“I am Chloe Gallas, the legitimate successor of Electra Gallas, head of the Gallas
family, and one of the 72 spears that protect the monarchy.”

She wasn’t royalty, but seemed to be an heiress of an influential noble family and a
knight of the monarchy.

“Dame Chloe, please. My fiancee, Cordelia, is in a very critical condition.”

Jude pleaded once more and looked into Chloe’s eyes.

He was appealing for her sympathy right now, but he was willing to threaten the
other sirens by overpowering them depending on her answer.

After all, helping Cordelia recover was his top priority.

Chloe did not immediately answer this time, regardless of whether she understood
Jude’s thoughts or not.

She remained silent for a while, and only opened her mouth just before Jude’s
patience reached its limit.

“Jude August Bayer, a strong and good-looking human. I will accept your request. I,
Chloe Gallas, invite you as one of the 72 spears.”

Her words made him breathe in relief.

But Chloe’s words were not yet over.

She continued to talk as she still kept an eye on Jude.

“By the way, strong and good-looking human. Those invited to the monarchy of us
sirens have to obey the rules. Do you know that?”
“I know.”

The sirens in the empire’s side whom one might encounter in Legend of Heroes 2 also
had similar rules.

When Jude promptly replied, Chloe faintly smiled and nodded her head.

“Then it’s all right. From this moment onwards, you are a guest of the Gallas family.
Please keep that in mind.”

“I understand.”

Jude was in a hurry.

Chloe smiled again and approached Jude, while the sirens who were singing Twinkle,
Twinkle Little Star among themselves then also flocked to Jude and Chloe. They
brightly smiled and began to sing a new song.

***

Cordelia was in a dark place.

She was cold, sleepy, and hungry.

She burst out crying amidst the sudden sadness she felt.

She stopped crying after doing it for a long time.

Because she was hungry from crying.

“Sob… sob…”

Cordelia tried to hold back her tears and looked around.

She unconsciously searched for Jude, but she couldn’t see him. There was only
darkness all around her.

“Jude. Where are you, Jude? Jude.”

Cordelia spoke like a child and got up from her seat.

She had suddenly become a real child.

She was over ten years old.

Cordelia wiped away her tears with the sleeves of her white dress and began
trudging.

“Jude. Unnie. Dad. Oppa.”

It was dark all around her, so she called them out in a low voice because she was
scared to call them out loudly.

As she kept walking while calling for them in a small voice, she saw a wall. The white
wall was full of pictures, so it seemed like she was in an art museum.

“Pretty.”

The young Cordelia had suddenly become smaller.

She was now around five years old and wearing red shoes. She then stood on the tips
of her toes in order to look up at the picture.

The picture in the black frame showed a girl with a familiar face.

Hong Yoo Hee.

Her past life self.

She was around 145-150 cm tall and looked pretty, but had a sharp impression at the
same time.

A girl with a catlike face who always liked to curse.

“She looks like a doll.”

Cordelia evaluated her past life self through the eyes of a child before she blinked her
eyes. Because the picture moved.

“The computer in my room.”

Hong Yoo Hee was sitting in front of her desk. Her left hand was supporting her chin
while her right hand was clicking the mouse.

‘Cordelia’ was on the screen monitor.

A lovely girl who was kind, pretty, and innocent, and seemed to be someone that
came out of a painting.

The Cordelia in Legend of Heroes 2 was indeed like that.

Even when her life was in danger, she was like a saint as she sacrificed herself in
order to save the children from the other 12 northern families.

Hong Yoo Hee liked Cordelia.

Cordelia then turned her gaze.

There were several pictures on the wall, and one of them caught Cordelia’s attention
again.

“Cordelia?”

It was Cordelia.

There was a standing Cordelia in the picture with a big black frame.

She had definitely seen it before, but it felt strange.

Black hair and red eyes.

Her face was similar to the Cordelia that Hong Yoo Hee was looking at the monitor,
but the atmosphere was completely different.

It wasn’t just because she was almost half-naked and had a bewitching smile.

In essence, she was a different person from the Cordelia she knew.

“The me who became a demonic human…”

Cordelia hated it so much that she only played it once. The Cordelia who became a
demonic human could only be seen when one played as Lucas.

She was laughing hollowly as she raised her bloodstained hands. No, she was crying
sadly.

Cordelia took a step back. She sank to her knees and tightly shut her eyes.

Why?

I’ve only played it once, but why is it so clear?

Why do I remember it as clearly as Hong Yoo Hee’s memory?

“Jude.”

She called out Jude’s name again.

She wanted to see Jude.

So Cordelia opened her eyes. The pictures in front of her suddenly changed.

Two large pictures hang side by side on a white wall.

Both depicted Jude.

But Cordelia knew. The two were different.

The Jude on the left was from Legend of Heroes 2.

He was attacking Cordelia as he had a very tired and painful expression like that of
Kamael.

He was having a desperate struggle against the Cordelia who became a demonic
human.

It was a painful sight to see.

Was there such a scene in the game?

There must have been one, right?

So that’s why I’m seeing a scene like that now, right?

Cordelia was about to cry so she forcibly turned her gaze. She looked at the picture
on the right and widely smiled without realizing it.

“Jude.”

The real Jude.

The picture on the left was also Jude, but for Cordelia, the Jude on the right was the
real one.

Unlike the one on the left, he was smiling.

He had a really sly smile in the picture, but for Cordelia who was already blinded by
love, it seemed to be a very handsome smile.

“Hehe.”

There were many different images of Jude in the pictures.

When she closed and opened her eyes, the wall was full of Jude’s pictures.

From the time they remembered the memories of their past lives to the memories of
their present lives.

Jude gradually changed in the pictures that continued like a panorama.

‘There were times like that.’

Cordelia laughed as she viewed the pictures.

And tears came out again.

She wanted to see the real Jude, and not the Jude in the pictures.

“Jude. Where are you…”

As she muttered, the wall in front of her disappeared.

Her memories of Hong Yoo Hee, Cordelia, and Jude disappeared again under the
surface of her consciousness.

Hong Yoo Hee.

The Cordelia who became a demonic human.

The Jude who was attacking Cordelia.

The present Cordelia.

The present Jude.

“Cordelia.”

Cordelia raised her head. She turned to the voice she very much welcomed, and
burst into tears as she ran towards that voice. She loudly called out the name of the
voice’s owner.

“Jude!”

She opened her eyes.

The half-asleep Cordelia was in a fluster for a while. Her lips were then suddenly
wiped with a sleeve without her knowledge. After the drool along her chin was
wiped away, her tears were then wiped off.

‘Was I dreaming?’

She couldn’t remember the contents of her dream when she woke up, just like most
dreams.

As if someone hid her memories the moment she opened her eyes.

Like the memories of demonic human Cordelia, and the Jude who lost everything.

“Huh?”

What was I thinking just now?

Cordelia unconsciously tilted her head, and then shook her head to get rid of her
distracting thoughts.

She couldn’t remember the events in her dream, but only one emotion came to her
mind clearly.

I want to see Jude.

I want to see Jude.

As her heart desperately whispered it, Cordelia realized.

The fact that his arms was holding her waist tightly. The fact that she was already in
Jude’s arms.

“Jude, Jude.”

Cordelia moved her body and called out Jude’s name. She wanted to see Jude’s face,
but she couldn’t because he was hugging her from behind.

“Jude?”

It was when she called him again. She suddenly felt Jude’s arms tightening his hug
around her waist.

“Cordelia?”

She didn’t have the time to respond to his words. Because Jude had embraced
Cordelia to the point that she felt like she was being crushed.

“Oww! It hurts! Hey!”

It felt both nice and painful, so she was flustered again. Jude then slightly loosened
his tight embrace on her.

Just a little bit.

“It’s a relief, it’s a relief. I was worried because you didn’t wake up.”

Jude kept saying that as he tightly hugged Cordelia in his arms. She was hugged from
behind until just now, but they were now suddenly facing each other.

‘It’s like I’m a doll.’

Cordelia unconsciously thought that and grinned before she raised her head while
still in Jude’s arms. She saw Jude’s face that she had wanted to see so much.

‘Yes, this is my Jude.’

The real Jude.

The Jude that Cordelia knew and not the Jude of Legend of Heroes 2 who became a
monster who only cared about revenge after losing everyone he cherished and
loved… such as his father, brother, and Maja whom he treated like a real sister.

“Cordelia.”

Jude tightly hugged Cordelia again before kissing her forehead and head.

“M-me too.”

I want to do it too.

Cordelia raised her head as she tried to kiss Jude’s cheek, but sadly, that didn’t
happen.

Because she suddenly remembered something.

“W-wait! Wait a second!”

Come to think of it, where in the world are we?

What happened to Kajsa and the others?

When Cordelia hurriedly asked, Jude tightly hugged her again and answered.

“They’re all right. This is the country of the sirens. A monarchy that has not yet been
destroyed by Malekith, nor made its appearance in Legend of Heroes 2.”

“Siren?”
“Yes, Siren. Kajsa, Bentham, and Sebastian were also saved by the sirens.”

Jude slowly recounted on what had happened during the time Cordelia was
unconscious.

His meeting with Chloe, a knight of the siren’s monarchy, and her invitation.

The facts that they were currently in a mansion of the Gallas family, that Cordelia had
woken up after a full day, and so on.

“I see… That’s a relief.”

They saved not only Kajsa and Bentham, but even Sebastian.

“How did you come up with that idea anyway?”

I can’t believe you sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in order to call the sirens.

Should I say as expected of Jude?

At Cordelia’s look full of admiration, Jude smiled and said.

“I was lucky. There was a high possibility that the sirens were present at that time,
but it was only a possibility. I’m glad that they responded to my song.”

“Yes, sirens are sensitive to songs… wait. W-wait.”

“Cordelia?”

“No, wait a minute.”

Siren?

The sea elves – you mean, the ELVES of the sea?!

‘This crazy-!’

It’s been only a few days since we’ve ran away from the erofu of the Forest of Eternity,
and now you’re saying that there are also erofu here!
In addition, it’s a more serious problem if they’re sirens.

‘It’s a women-only race!’

The elves in the Forest of Eternity had male elves, but they still drooled when they saw
Jude, so wouldn’t it be more extreme for the sirens who only had women in their race?

‘Ju-Jude is in danger.’

He’s seriously in danger. I have to leave a love letter quickly and escape from here. Yes,
we must do that.

Cordelia looked around in a hurry. It was to find something that she could use as a
stationery.

But there was no furniture in the white and circular room except for the bed.

Furthermore, Jude read Cordelia’s innermost thoughts and said something that she
did not expect.

“Cordelia.”

“Yes, why? We’re running away quickly?”

“No, that’s not it…”

“Not it?”

“Well, I think we should stay here for a while. The reason is… you know about that,
right?”

“Because of the sirens? Thousands of hungry erofu are aiming for you? Are they
holding on to you and not letting you go? Is that it?”

When Cordelia asked with a face full of panic, Jude shook his head.

He didn’t know about the thoughts of Cordelia back then in the Forest of Eternity.

“No, not that. It’s because the Kraken woke up.”

Although Jude and Cordelia defeated the Kraken, they had just literally drove it out. It
was still alive.

But it was at that moment.

Before Jude could even continue his explanation, Cordelia realized one strange thing.

“Woke up?”

It woke up and was not from the deep sea?

It was in a deep sleep?

The one in the seal?

At her RPG-like questions, Jude nodded his head.

He told her of another thing he learned from Chloe.

***

“What are you doing?”

“Marking my territory.”
“What are you doing?”

“Marking my territory.”

Kajsa nodded and clapped her hands in response to Cordelia’s answer. Because she
finally understood Cordelia’s strange behavior.

“I see.”

Cordelia was now clinging to Jude, and rubbing her cheeks on his back.

Or rather, she was rubbing her head all over Jude’s body to be exact.

His neck, his back, and his head too.

“But why are you suddenly doing that?”

“Basically, the five senses of elves are more sensitive than humans. So if they smell
me, their conscience will tell them to withdraw.”

Bentham was slightly impressed by her logical argument that she said with an
indifferent expression.

‘As expected of a wizard.’

Even if they were both beasts, she was a little different from Kajsa.

They had only spent a short time together, but he could already tell that Cordelia was
of the same kind as Kajsa.

But unlike Bentham’s impressed look, the real beast, Kajsa, gave a different opinion.

“I don’t think that’s going to work.”

“Eh? Why? Are you saying that sirens don’t have a conscience?”

“Uh, no. Not in that way. Rather, they’ll like it if it smells like you, I think? Because it
means that they took someone else’s. Since sirens only have women in their race,
they view men as a kind of resource. They need a lot of children to build up their
family’s power, but they need a man to do that. So they share the man within their
family, but never with other families. Rather, if they take a man from another family,
it will be for the joy and pleasure of conquering someone.”

At Kajsa’s explanation, Cordelia was frightened by the erofu that were beyond her
imagination, while Bentham was somehow impressed that Kajsa could give such a
long explanation.

“So the sirens go together as a family when hunting for men. Unless they want to go
on a really large scale man hunting.”

Cordelia was once again scared at Kajsa’s words.

She couldn’t help it since she heard a strange word.

“M-man hunting?”

“Yes, that’s what sirens call it when they seduce and capture male sailors with their
songs. And well, the dryads living in the empire also do something similar.”

Dryads were also a race made up of only women.

They were famous for luring men into the woods and sucking the men’s energy.

“T-those erofu. What kind of monsters are they really? Are they succubi?”

“Well… they’re similar, I think?”

As Kajsa shrugged her shoulders and spoke, Cordelia hugged Jude a little tighter as if
she felt a sense of crisis.

And at that frightened rabbit-like appearance, Kajsa shared more scary stories.

“Jude must be popular because he is handsome, young, and has a good body. Perhaps
families will wage wars against each other. They’ll try to capture him. Or perhaps,
he’ll be shared by the entire kingdom and not just the families?”

At this point, it was already close to a horror story, but for Cordelia, it was a really
intimidating story.

She put more strength in her arms holding Jude.

“I-I’m going to protect Jude.”

In fact, Cordelia had been in a state of panic since earlier.

The cause was the strong emotions that she felt in her dream that she couldn’t
properly remember.

Her fear of demonic human Cordelia.

Her sadness for the Jude who lost everything and became obsessed with revenge.

Her attachment to Jude who was the only person that remembered her past life as
Yellow Storm and shared secrets that she couldn’t even tell her current family.

As all of these emotions were mixed into one, her affection for Jude grew stronger, as
if she had become the child in her dream who was wandering around in search of
Jude.

And Jude responded to Cordelia’s actions like always.

In other words, he was smiling in delight.

“Ha, that’s an annoying expression.”

Kajsa frowned and criticized him, but Jude didn’t care.

He wasn’t even listening to her in the first place.

“B-by the way, Kajsa. Does that mean that Sebastian and Bentham are in danger too?”

Kajsa smiled at the question of Cordelia who seemed to have become like a child.

“It’s all right because I’m guarding Mister Sebastian well. As for Bentham… sirens
also have a taste. They do not like all men.”

“I see… That’s a relief, Mister Bentham.”

When Cordelia spoke with a convinced expression, Bentham said with a troubled
expression like a mature dwarf instead of raising his fist.

“No, it’s not? I’m also popular, okay? The sirens like me too, okay? Bald dwarves are
especially popular among sirens, okay?”

“I understand. There are times when one needs to rationalize to mentally cope with
reality.”

Kajsa smiled benevolently as if she understood everything, while Cordelia gazed at

Bentham with sadness and then said.

“Cheer up, Bentham. Cheer up.”

There was a strong feeling of compassion at the appearance of her cheering him up
as she lightly pumped her fist.

Therefore, Bentham became angry again and lightly pound on his chest in his
frustration, while Kajsa held her sides in her laughter.

“Moving on… the story is as follows.”

It was Jude’s job to organize the situation like always.

Kajsa and Bentham focused on Jude like Cordelia did because they had not yet heard
of the post-battle situation.

“First of all, the sirens rescued and brought us to their realm. As you can see now,
Kajsa and Bentham are fine and without any injuries, while Lord Sebastian has a few
additional injuries. He’s unconscious because of the aftermath of the brainwashing,
but he’ll wake up sooner or later. The sirens are singing healing songs for him.
Hopefully, they can successfully get rid of his bewitched state.”

Cordelia nodded, and Kajsa and Bentham turned to each other at the explanation
Jude gave.
They weren’t as good as Jude and Cordelia at having a conversation with their eyes,
but they were able to understand what the other was thinking perhaps because a
consensus was formed.

‘Isn’t he just talking to Cordelia?’

‘We’re just extras here.’

Or rather, they didn’t even seem to be extras from the way Jude talked.

In any case, Jude’s explanation continued.

“The Kraken we encountered this time isn’t the one from the deep sea. It’s the one
who was sealed in the sea here and had woken up.”

Krakens being called the demons of the sea was not a metaphor.

Krakens were actually a kind of demon.

When one of the overlords of hell, the violent Behemoth, descended on earth, the
Krakens came together with him and accomplished the feat of virtually destroying
Perigeo, one of the ancient elves’ kingdoms.

“The Krakens back then numbered seven. Four were killed by the elves of Perigeo,
but not the other three.”

The other three suffered serious blows from the elves of Perigeo, but they were not
killed.

“Two of the three ran into the deep sea, and the other seemed to have been sealed
deep in the sea by the sirens of that time.”

“They didn’t kill it?”

“I don’t think they could afford it.”

The enemies of Perigeo were not just the seven Krakens.

Because there were many demons and monsters that attacked Perigeo on the land
side.
“Therefore, Perigeo was eventually destroyed.”

Anyway, what mattered was the fact that a Kraken was sealed in the southern sea of
the Salen Kingdom.

“Are you saying that the seal was broken this time?”

Jude nodded at Kajsa’s question.

“Yes, the seal was released. Chloe said that Perigeo’s Crystal Ball that was keeping
the seal had disappeared.”

“Perigeo’s Crystal Ball?”

“It’s a legacy of the ancient elven kingdom. Think of it as a mana generator.”

“Hmm…”

Kajsa furrowed her brows in her uncertainty, while Bentham’s eyes were sparkling.

Because he found a mana generator left by an ancient elven kingdom to be

interesting.

And aside from these two, Cordelia’s lips twitched as she lightly pulled Jude’s sleeve.

[Jude, that Perigeo’s Crystal Ball is…]

[Yes, perhaps Sicilia took it.]

In the second half of Legend of Heroes 2, Kajsa attacked Malekith with several heroes
in order to recapture her hometown, and one of the magic tools that Sicilia brought
out at that time was Perigeo’s Crystal Ball.

[But I think the timing has come a bit earlier. The Kraken never appeared when we
went to the south in the game.]

[Is it because of us?]

[Maybe.]
They weren’t exactly sure if that was the case, but it was highly likely that Jude and
Cordelia were the biggest reason why Sicilia was more active than in the game.

“Moving on, the seal is broken, so the Kraken is moving again. I’m sure you know
from our firsthand experience, but the Kraken’s a terrifying opponent.”

A big opponent that was too big.

One leg alone was tens of meters long, and it had dozens of those legs.

Kajsa frowned as she scratched her head, and said after her shoulders drooped.

“Frankly, I don’t think it’s possible to defeat it while riding a boat in the sea.”

She was right. If it swung its legs a few times, the fleet and everything would be
destroyed.

Moreover, it could summon a storm.

Fighting on a boat was more like a suicide attempt.

“I didn’t expect the ancient elves to be that amazing.”

They killed four such monsters in the sea.

As Bentham stroked his beard and said, Kajsa nodded in agreement and looked at
Jude again.

“It seems like the sirens have no other better solutions, right?”

“Until now, that’s the situation. They’re worried that the Kraken would attack their
realm.”

The sirens could freely swim and breathe in the sea, but even for these women, the
monster Kraken was a very difficult opponent.

‘In the first place, the Kraken is also a sea creature.’

It was much stronger if it fought in the sea.

“This is troubling.”

Kajsa said as she crossed her arms and frowned again.

If such a monster wandered around the southern sea, the southern region of the
kingdom, which heavily relied on its various marine industries, would have no
choice but to suffer huge economic losses.

“But Jude. Didn’t you just say until now?”

Jude nodded at Bentham’s question.

Because as Bentham had heard, Jude had indeed said ‘until now.’

“D-did you come up with a solution?”

When Kajsa hurriedly asked, Jude nodded once and said as he turned to Cordelia
who was holding his sleeve.

“Because of Cordelia, things have changed.”

“Eh? Because of me?”

“Yes, it’s because of my angel.”

Kajsa and Bentham’s expressions turned cold when they heard the word ‘angel’ that
Jude naturally spoke. Cordelia who was standing in front of the two then blushed,
while Jude remained calm.

Being embarrassed was always Cordelia’s job.

‘No, wait. Why is it always me?’

Cordelia came to her senses and asked with her eyes, but by that time, Jude had
already turned his gaze to Kajsa and Bentham.

Jude briefly explained on what Cordelia did, and was deeply satisfied when the two
looked at Cordelia with a surprised face. As for Cordelia, instead of clearing her
throat and bragging about it like always, she was lightly scratching her cheek in her
embarrassment.
Because she only boasted like a child when in front of Jude.

Anyway, the important thing was the fact that the Kraken suffered a serious blow.

“Even if it haven’t suffered a serious blow, it’s been sealed for many years and has
weakened from the injuries caused by the elves of Perigeo. What do you think will
happen if it suffered a serious blow?”

At Jude’s question, Kajsa smiled as if it wasn’t something to think deeply about.

“It must have run back home.”

When a person or animal suffered from a serious injury, they would hide in their
homes.

They needed time to heal their wounds.

“It thinks of the seal as its own house, perhaps because it’s been sealed there for a
long time. In the first place, there are very few places where a monster as big as a
Kraken can hide its body.”

“Anyway, it crawled back into the seal on its own.”

As Bentham said as he chuckled, Kajsa also said with shining eyes.

“It pushed itself into a place where its movements are restricted. No way… Are you
saying that the sirens are thinking of using this opportunity to finally kill it instead of
sealing it again?”

Just like Cordelia, Kajsa’s intuition was also good.

Moreover, the accuracy was bound to be higher this time because it had a fairly
reasonable logic.

“Yes, the sirens are asking us, or more specifically, Cordelia, since we have done a
huge blow to the Kraken. So let’s defeat the Kraken together.”

Kajsa very much welcomed the decision as she raised both her hands. So did
Bentham since he lived in the south.
‘And Cordelia… ’

Jude looked back at Cordelia and tried to suppress his laughter.

He couldn’t help it because Cordelia was reacting exactly as he expected.

Her blue eyes began to sparkle, her cheeks were glowing, and her lips slightly
opened in her excitement. In addition to that, even her heart began to pound loudly.

‘Kraken! Raid Boss! Raid rewards!’

Cordelia’s gamer brain began to work, and she expressed her excitement through her
trembling hands as she sent a <Message> magic to Jude.

[Jude, Jude. The sirens are also thinking of something, right? They must have
prepared something like a trigger to weaken the Kraken, or something that could
deal a decisive blow to it, right?]

[Yes, it seems like they’re preparing something. And…]

[And?]

[I have one in mind.]

[Wow, is this a new special move?]

Cordelia asked in excitement, and Jude replied as he lightly pinched her cheek.

[It’s still a secret.]

[Hmph, that’s unfair.]

But contrary to what she said, she had a smile on her face. Even though he was
pinching her cheek.

‘Because I can’t just leave it to Cordelia.’

Summoning the Spirit King’s right arm was certainly a powerful technique, but it
was also a reckless technique that used up all of Cordelia’s mana at once. The burden
on Cordelia was enormous, so he couldn’t let her abuse it.
In that case, it would be better for him to do it himself since he could handle the
burden much more.

‘I want to try it.’

I want to see if it’s possible.

I want to know if I can handle that much power.

Jude made a firm resolution as he pinched Cordelia’s cheeks with both hands. And
Cordelia who had been smiling earlier now looked at him coldly and raised her
hands.

She wanted to pinch Jude’s cheeks in the same way.

But fortunately for Kajsa and Bentham, that didn’t happen.

Because someone came to see the group at that right moment.

“Jude, this is Chloe. May I come in?”

At that very gentle and beautiful voice, Cordelia hurriedly hugged Jude’s arm and
raised her vigilance like a cat with its fur raised. And Jude tried to hold back his
laughter before shouting to the door.

“You may come in.”

Chloe Gallas.

A knight of the Siren Monarchy who saved their party.

She’s certainly our benefactor, but apart from that, I have to be alert since she’s an
erofu of the sea!

Cordelia swallowed hard and tightened her arms around Jude’s arm. She focused her
gaze on the appearance of Chloe, which began to appear through the crack of the
door.
Chloe Gallas’ appearance was as beautiful as her voice.

She had long and ebony black hair, and white skin to contrast it.

She also had blue eyes that were as mysterious as the sea, that it seemed like she
could charm sailors without having to sing.

As a result, Cordelia became more alert and hugged Jude’s arm a little tighter as she
observed Chloe once more.

Chloe was wearing tight-fitting white clothes that were like fish scales, and had a
thin sword on her waist.

‘She has legs.’

The sirens were able to freely switch between a mermaid form, wherein their lower
bodies were like that of a fish, and an elf form, wherein their entire body had a
humanoid form.

The room itself had air flowing inside in the first place, so if she had been in her
mermaid form, she wouldn’t have been able to come this far.

In any case, the unbelievably beautiful Chloe had a shy expression.

Her cheeks were slightly red, and she was smiling brightly.

‘A-as I thought, she’s aiming for Jude!’

That’s why she’s making that face!

In the eyes of Cordelia who had not yet escaped from the aftermath of her dream, she
could only see that Chloe had fallen for Jude.
‘L-look at that smile in her eyes!’

It wasn’t an illusion.

Chloe was indeed looking their way with a shy smile.

Even someone from the same sex would find her expressions cute.

‘Huh? Why this way though?’

Cordelia was sticking close to Jude now, but she had always been as sensitive as a
wild animal.

Chloe was looking at Cordelia and not at Jude, and the smile in her eyes was also
directed at Cordelia and not Jude.

‘Eh? Me? Why?’

Not Jude?

When Cordelia was feeling confused, Chloe lightly walked to Jude, or to be exact, to
Cordelia, and greeted her very politely.

“My humblest greetings to thee. I am called Chloe Gallas from the noble family of
Gallas.”

Then she gently held Cordelia’s hand, lowered her posture and kissed the back of
Cordelia’s hand.

‘W-wait. Why are her cheeks blushing? Why are you being so shy?’

Aren’t you the erofus of the sea?

The embarrassed Cordelia unconsciously turned to Jude, and she realized that Jude
was also surprised by Chloe’s attitude.

‘What’s wrong with her?’ (Cordelia)

‘Wait, just wait.’ (Jude)

Come to think of it, did Chloe speak to me that politely back then?

She didn’t.

She was evaluating me right after we were rescued and even when we talked about the
Kraken.

So why is she suddenly being polite?

And seeing the current situation, she’s only that polite to Cordelia.

‘J-Jude?’ (Cordelia)

Why is she not letting go of Cordelia’s hand? Why does she keep touching it? And why is
she breathing roughly now?

S-she’s panting?

T/N: The Korean word used here for panting/gasping is the kind of panting a fan
makes when the situation they had wished for had finally come. In short, a fangasm.

Jude then turned to the door. The two sirens who came together with Chloe also had
flushed faces as they looked at Cordelia.

Their eyes were filled with ecstasy, joy, envy, and so on.

What’s going on?

Of course, it’s true that Cordelia is the most beautiful and cutest girl in the world–

Jude lightly thought of that, though Kajsa would have coldly stared at him if she had
heard it. But he soon figured out the reason why.

‘Ah! Is it that?’

‘That? What is the ‘that’ you’re talking about?’

Chloe had begun to rub her cheek against the back of Cordelia’s hand, so Cordelia
flinched and quickly asked Jude with a glance, and he replied with a bitter smile.
‘The Spirit King.’

‘The Spirit King?’

‘Yes, the Spirit King.’

Ynix, the Spirit King of Storms and Lightning.

‘Ah! I understand now!’

I think I somehow understand now. Because Chloe and the sirens by the door have the
smell of spirits on them.

‘Smell? Is it a real smell?’ (Jude)

‘No, it’s not a real smell but a feeling? Like the feeling of mana?’ (Cordelia)

The elves of the Forest of Eternity smelled of spirits, but there were differences in
their scents. However, the sirens in front of them now had a similar smell to the
Spirit King of Storms and Lightning.

‘Because Ynix is also the Spirit King of the Sea.’

The sea was basically the realm of the Spirit King of Storms and Lightning, though
the Spirit King of Water dispute that claim.

Thus, many sirens established contracts with storm and lightning spirits. And among
those spirits, the Gallas family all had contracts with storm spirits.

‘And this is happening because Cordelia is the contractor of Ynix, the Spirit King.’

Making a contract with a Spirit King was more difficult than one would think.

Just like the elves in the Forest of Eternity, there was no one among the sirens who
managed to establish a contract with the Spirit King in the past.

But Cordelia appeared.

A contractor who established a contract with the Spirit King of Storms and Lightning,
and not just anyone else!
‘Is that why she’s panting like this?’

‘Uh… sort of? This analogy might be a bit vague, but the situation’s something like a
pope appearing in front of a devout believer, I think? No, perhaps it’s more than
that?’

For the sirens who had deep bonds with the spirits more than the elves of the Forest
of Eternity, the Spirit King was pretty much no different from a god.

A being had managed to communicate with such a god, so from the perspective of
the sirens, Cordelia was considered an agent of god on earth or an existence close to
a demigod.

‘Aren’t you the same too? You also have the smell of that spirit.’

‘Eh? You’re right. But you’re the one who summoned that Spirit King’s right arm a
while ago, right?’

The sirens probably wouldn’t have responded this much if things were normal, but it
was a little different now.

Because the scent of Ynix, the Spirit King, was so strong from Cordelia that getting
closer to her was enough to drive them into ecstasy.

“Your Excellency, Cordelia…”

Chloe gasped as she gazed at Cordelia in tears, and Cordelia groaned as she was at a
loss on what to do.

She found it hard to coldly shake off her hand because Chloe was too pretty.

‘Ueueu.’

This isn’t right.

It’s nice that Jude isn’t in danger, but I don’t think this is right either.

When Cordelia continued to groan, Jude immediately stretched out his hand and
interfered.
“Chloe, Cordelia is uncomfortable with that.”

Jude spoke in a firm tone, and Chloe finally came to her senses and hurriedly
lowered her head.

“Ah! My deepest apologies. I humbly ask for thy forgiveness.”

“I-it’s fine. I understand. Please get up.”

Cordelia quickly helped her up because it seemed like Chloe would put her head on
the ground if she left the latter alone, but at the touch of Cordelia, Chloe had an
excited expression again.

“Aaah… she helped me herself…”

Chloe blushed and made an ecstatic expression, so Cordelia ended up groaning

again. Even Jude was feeling uncomfortable.

‘For a person to change like this… ’

Back then, she clearly had a calm expression when she had just saved us – no, even
when I was talking to her.

‘I don’t think she knew about it then… Was she feeling confused when she was
talking to me at that time?’

The fact that Cordelia was the contractor of Ynix.

And it was as Jude had thought.

When Chloe first saved Jude and Cordelia, she did not know that Cordelia was the
contractor of Ynix.

Because the aftermath of the storm caused by the Kraken was so strong, and
Cordelia was on the verge of death after exhausting all her mana, so Chloe wasn’t
able to sense the scent of the Spirit King properly.

But it was different now.

The Spirit King’s scent was so strong that she was already in a daze just from facing
Cordelia.

And Kajsa who was watching everything from behind was silently laughing.

Because it was very fun to see the embarrassed Cordelia and the jealous Jude who
looked uncomfortable.

“Now then… let’s proceed with our conversation.”

They couldn’t stay like this forever.

Jude broke the silence, and Chloe came to her senses again before turning to
Cordelia.

“Contractor of the Spirit King, O Most Venerable One. The head of the Gallas family
has instructed me to bring thee.”

“Head?”

“Yes, this humble one is to accompany thee to the conference room where we’ll
discuss about the Kraken.”

At Chloe’s reply, Cordelia turned to Jude who nodded his head.

Considering the situation, they were likely heading to a place where the queen of the
sirens had gathered the heads of each family in order to discuss on how to deal with
the incident – to be exact, on how they should kill the Kraken.

‘Let’s go first. Let’s continue our conversation after the meeting.’

‘Okay.’

Cordelia nodded her head and said as she looked back at Chloe.

“I understand. Please guide us.”

“Yes, this humble one is greatly honored to serve you.”

Chloe had an ecstatic smile again before she stretched out her hand to escort
Cordelia, but Cordelia’s hand was already held tight by Jude.
“Please guide us.”

“…I understand.”

Chloe glared at Jude for a moment before she turned around and begin to guide
them, while Cordelia finally decided to accept the situation.

In any case, Jude seemed to be safe from the erofus of the sea.

‘Well, this is okay. What’s good is good.’

It seems like the opposite has happened though, but anyway.

Cordelia made up her mind and smiled in satisfaction as she glanced at Jude who
was the one now alert of his surroundings, just like how Cordelia did five minutes
ago. The two then slowly walked.

***

Electra Gallas, the head of the Gallas family, almost looked like Chloe since she was
Chloe’s mother.

‘They’re more like sisters though, and not like mother and daughter.’

In the eyes of humans, they were really like elves.

Electra, who seemed to be in her late twenties, was standing next to Chloe who
appeared to be in her early twenties, and the two seemed to be sisters.

‘They’re also acting the same.’

“Your Excellency, this way please.”

“Eh? Uh… yes.”

As the head of the Gallas family, Electra was contracted to high-ranking spirit from
the storm and lightning spirits, and she seemed to be more mesmerized with
Cordelia than Chloe.

“Please wear this necklace and get in the carriage behind thee.”
Chloe gave her a gold necklace with a white gem on the pendant, which had a magic
spell that allowed anyone to breathe underwater.

Cordelia quickly put on the necklace and was in awe at the carriage that she saw in
front of her.

‘Wow, Jude, Jude. Look at that.’

‘It’s certainly amazing.’

The carriage itself was not much different from the carriages above ground, but the
animal pulling the carriage was different.

There were large seahorses instead of horses.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Cordelia climbed into the carriage with Jude, and Kajsa and Bentham saw the two off
with sour expressions.

Unlike Jude and Cordelia, Kajsa and Bentham were not allowed to participate in the
meeting.

‘I’m from the 7 southern families.’

She was the daughter of a prominent family in the south.

But Bentham was the only one who responded to Kajsa’s grumbling.

And after 20 minutes or so.

After Jude and Cordelia had an awkward and uncomfortable time facing Chloe and
Electra who was both panting with ecstatic expressions, they finally arrived at the
conference hall of the sirens.

***

The siren’s royal palace was located deep in the sea and had a hemispherical shape.
There were colorful corals around the white and pretty dome, and many sea
creatures were swimming around the palace, so it felt like they were at an aquarium.

‘No, it wasn’t this much back then.’

Cordelia recalled the aquarium she had went on a field trip when she was an
elementary school student, and after shaking her head, she tightly held Jude’s hand.

Because she suddenly remembered her teacher’s words that they should tightly hold
their partner’s hand.

“This way please.”

Electra and Chloe led them as they passed through a long corridor lined with armed
soldiers, and a very large and round door appeared.

“Please wait for a moment.”

As they stood in front of the door and waited, they soon heard a loud voice from
beyond the door.

“The head of the Gallas family, Electra Gallas, and the contractor of Ynix are
entering!”

And the door opened.

Cordelia unconsciously swallowed hard, and looked beyond the door with slightly
stiff shoulders before she was left in awe.

“Wow…”

The form of the place was not much different from the national assembly hall that
she saw in the news.

The room had a very high ceiling, and the seats were arranged in the shape of a fan,
and in the center was a platform.

But its splendor was different.

The floor was made of white marble, and the seats as well as the colorful jewels
everywhere were beautiful, but the real highlight was the ceiling.

‘Pretty.’

She could view the sea beyond the transparent ceiling.

In addition, some kind of magic made it look like light was shining down from the
ceiling, as if there was a sun shining directly on it, even though they were deep in the
sea.

[Cordelia, let’s go.]

[Yes!]

Cordelia passed through the red carpeted path with Jude, and sat down in a long seat
that Electra and Chloe had guided them to.

‘Are we the last to come?’

‘It seems so.’

All the other seats were full.

And as expected, everyone was looking at Cordelia.

Among them were those who were gasping like the mother and daughter, Electra
and Chloe, but there were others who only showed little interest to them like some
of the elves in the Forest of Eternity.

Perhaps the varying degrees of their reactions depended on the spirit they were
contracted to.

‘Well… that’s good. It’s not bad.’

Cordelia nodded with a satisfied expression.

She had been worried about the erofus, but she also liked the way Jude was restless
and alert of their surroundings.

‘He’s cute.’
He’s completely different from my dream.

The Jude in my dream.

He had lost everything and just fought against the demons in his obsession with
revenge.

The man who shed tears of blood as he helplessly killed with his own hands his former
fiancée, Cordelia, who was the only survivor among the people he loved.

‘A pitiful person.’

She had smiled as she looked at Jude, who didn’t feel any sense of accomplishment
despite defeating a powerful demonic human.

She had faced her end with a wicked smile that hid all of her emotions.

Cordelia.

She was kidnapped by the Devil’s Hands and eventually became a demonic human.

In Cordelia’s last moments, she regained her past self, but did not reveal it to Jude.

Because she knew how much it would be harder for Jude.

“Cordelia?”

“Huh?”

When she came to her senses, she turned her head and saw Jude’s face.

Not the Jude who had become vengeful like Kamael, but the Jude of the present
Cordelia.

“Are you all right? Are you feeling sick?”

“Eh? N-no. I’m all right. Just. Uh, it’s just…”

Her cheeks were damp. It seemed like she had cried without realizing it.
‘What’s going on?’

What did I just see? What was I thinking?

She didn’t remember it well. It was like she had a dream with her eyes open.

“Would you like to go back and rest?”

“No, it’s fine. Yes, really.”

Cordelia nodded again and widely smiled after wiping her face with the
handkerchief that Jude gave her. Jude furrowed his brows and appeared to be
worried, but was soon convinced.

“Okay, let me know right away if you’re feeling sick.”

“Yes, I will.”

Cordelia obediently replied and deliberately made a livelier expression, and the
surprised Electra and Chloe began to pant at Cordelia again.

And a few minutes later.

“Her Majesty the Queen has arrived!”

The court attendant loudly cried, and the door at the center of the podium then
opened. The queen of the sirens appeared from it.

‘The queen is the same.’

The same as the queen of the sirens who had appeared as Malekith’s subordinate in
the latter half of Legend of Heroes 2.

Her atmosphere was different from when she became a slave after death, but her
appearance was almost the same.

She had white hair that was close to gray, and blue eyes full of wisdom. Unlike
Princess Daphne and Princess Leica who had delicate impressions, her impression
was strong as she led a country with dignity and elegance.
“Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen.”

Jude and Cordelia followed the sirens in the conference hall who bowed and greeted
the queen in respect, and the two swallowed hard. Because the queen seated on the
throne was looking their way with a face that seemed to be interested in them.

Iliana Calacanis, the queen of the sirens.

In Legend of Heroes 2, she appeared as Malekith’s loyal slave and evil witch.

“Begin the meeting.”

The sirens responded to Iliana’s declaration. The meeting began after they gave a
bow again.

‘For now, the flow itself is as expected.’

As what Chloe had already told them, the sirens’ plan itself was simple.

After completely confining the Kraken in the seal, they would launch attacks towards
the trapped monster in order to kill it.

There were two things that mattered then: their method to confine the Kraken in the
seal, and their method of attack that would deal the final blow to the monster.

‘Fortunately, they seemed to have made preparations for those two.’

Iliana’s gaze at them had been unusual since the meeting began though.

She seemed to be wishing for something.

‘As expected, it’s about the Spirit King.’

It was clear on what the sirens wanted from Jude and Cordelia, or to be exact, from
Cordelia alone.

They wanted her to summon the Spirit King and deal the final blow to it.

In fact, it was a reasonable request.

The reason why they saved Jude and Cordelia in the first place was because they
wanted the two to help in the fight against the Kraken, rather than just wanting to
save their lives.

They were also using it as a justification – that the two should return the favor of
having their lives saved.

‘Moreover, it’s highly likely that they’re not the only ones in a bad position.’

The sirens weren’t the only ones who would suffer damage from the Kraken if it
wreaked havoc in the southern sea.

And as expected, such stories emerged.

The family heads who were drawn to Cordelia declined to comment, but those who
were less affected by Ynix – the family heads who had contracts with other kinds of
spirits, were explicitly demanding that she summon the Spirit King.

‘What should we do?’

Cordelia asked with her eyes.

She couldn’t say that she couldn’t summon the Spirit King himself, but something
else was on her mind.

‘Because there’s no way that he’ll just let it go.’

In a situation where the other side desperately wanted something, it was impossible
for Jude to not attempt to get anything from the royalty and the nobles who had been
making unreasonable demands to them.

But what and how can we get anything from this situation?

If I summon the Spirit King and ask them to pay a price, our relationship with the
sirens will become uncomfortable.

‘We owe them for saving our lives.’

But he was Jude.

He must have thought of another way.

The blackened Cordelia looked at Jude in anticipation, and Jude made a wicked smile
that Cordelia had become fond of these days. He stood up and responded to
Cordelia’s expectations.

***

“Do you really need all these things to summon the Spirit King?”

“Yes, it’s absolutely necessary. It’s a must.”

“Do you really need all these things to summon the Spirit King?”

“Yes, it’s absolutely necessary. It’s a must.”

Malthias Barranto from the Barranto family had no choice but to furrow her brows
when Jude answered her question with a steady gaze and confident voice.

‘Some of it makes sense.’

The items Jude had requested.

Most of the items were related to magic, such as items that amplified or restored
mana, or items that granted attributes and so on.

‘But still, isn’t this a little too much?’

Do you really need a trident that releases lightning magic or a magic tool that reads
the flow of the atmosphere in order to summon the Spirit King?

I mean, Ynix is definitely the Spirit King of Storms and Lightning, so those items are
somewhat related to him, but…

And it was at that moment.

Jude said with a very serious expression.

“This may be a rude question, but has Lady Malthias ever summoned a Spirit King?”

“No, but it’s just…”

Malthias, whose words trailed off in the end, eventually had no choice but to groan
and step back.
Jude didn’t say it out loud, but Malthias could understand what Jude wanted to say
by just looking at Jude’s eyes.

‘Oh, are you really saying that? Our side has summoned him. We need these things to
summon the Spirit King. Ah, of course you might not know about that since you’ve
never summoned him. I understand. Yes, I understand. You’ve never summoned him
before, so what can I do?’

It was Jude’s unique way of saying ‘So how can you verify it?’

He managed to push ahead by using his advantage of having complete information,

but in fact, it was also because of the peculiarity of the situation that this coercion
worked.

‘Because they have to defeat the Kraken.’

Moreover, it was also true that Cordelia was the contractor of the Spirit King.

What could she do if the Spirit King’s contractor actually needed those to summon
the Spirit King? And their fight against an enemy called the Kraken was just around
the corner.

For Malthias, there was nothing she could do but believe in them.

And at this scene that took place after the meeting was over, Cordelia pulled Kajsa’s
sleeve who was standing next to her as they watched Jude’s discussion with Malthias
Barranto at the Gallas’ mansion.

“Kajsa, Kajsa.”

“Why?”

When Cordelia called her in a low voice, Kajsa unconsciously tilted her head and
answered in a small voice. Cordelia then said with a smile.

“My Jude is amazing, right? Isn’t he?”

Kajsa blankly stared at Cordelia who was eager to show off, and she pinched
Cordelia’s cheek before turning to Jude and Malthias. Cordelia pulled her sleeve
again, but Kajsa ignored it as she thought.
‘I should be careful too when I go home.’

She was sure that Jude and Cordelia would try to rip her off of this and that in return
for saving her.

Furthermore, her wild instincts were telling her.

These two are genuine…

‘They’re… a genuine scammer couple!’

Kajsa trembled when she thought of those words that perfectly described the two.

After his negotiation with Malthias, Jude winked at Cordelia, who gave him a thumbs
up and praised him excessively.

***

Their busy schedules continued after their meeting with Malthias.

Because they wanted to completely defeat the Kraken while it was still staying inside
the seal.

Iliana Calacanis, the queen of the sirens, was a powerful and mighty ruler who led
with absolute power and authority unlike her delicate appearance.

When she decided to fight against the Kraken, the entire country prepared for war
without any objections.

“The basis of this battle is the human wave attack.”

The operation set up by Sarandis Vassallo from the Vassallo family was simple and
effective.

“A hundred spirit warriors from each family will block the Kraken’s movement, and
the rest of the armed forces will concentrate their firepower to completely kill the
monster.”

In Legend of Heroes 2, Sarandis appeared as one of the seven sirens serving Malekith,
just like Siren Queen Iliana, and was like a completely different person then, though
her appearance was the same.

In the game, she was a witch overflowing with sexiness, but the current Sarandis was
a spirit knight who had the solemnity peculiar to warriors.

“Please look here.”

When Sarandis moved her finger, a hemispherical structure appeared in the air.

It was an image of the seal that was used by Perigeo’s elves to seal the Kraken.

“The width of the seal’s inside is just good enough for a Kraken to lie down. In short,
if we keep it inside the seal and attack it through a hole in the upper right corner, the
Kraken will not be able to avoid the attacks. It will have no choice but to receive the
attacks.”

The sirens nodded as she pointed to a large hole that the Kraken was believed to
have used to exit the seal. Because it seemed to them that it was actually possible to
defeat the Kraken as long as it all went according to plan.

‘It’s quite attractive that the operation itself is simple.’

Because the longer and more complex an operation would be, the higher the chance
of failure.

In that sense, the simple plan of holding down the Kraken, which was already in the
seal, and defeating it with concentrated attacks, seemed to guarantee the success of
the operation.

“Lady Cordelia, we would like thee to lend thy strength to increase our firepower.”

Sarandis’ words drew the attention of the family heads, and Cordelia nodded her
head while slightly nervous.

“Yes, I understand.”

She had to be in the attacking group if she wanted to deal the last hit.

Though it was questionable if she could deal the last hit in such a large-scale
operation.
In any case, once the details of the plan were decided, Siren Queen Iliana who had
been watching quietly then opened her mouth again.

“All right, there’s no point in delaying it any longer. Let’s begin our final preparations.
We’ll head out in two hours.”

To begin with, doing something like a practice run for this operation was impossible.

Moreover, they did not know when the Kraken will come out of the seal, so they had
to move as quickly as they could.

“We receive thy commands.”

The family heads led by Sarandis then bowed down and received her orders, and
Jude and Cordelia also showed their respect to the queen in accordance with the
etiquette of the Salen Kingdom.

And two hours later.

The siren’s operation to defeat the Kraken finally began.

***

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sound of the drums caused great ripples as it surprisingly spread well despite
being underwater.

Together with the sirens from the Gallas family, Jude and Cordelia stood on a battle
chariot pulled by four seahorses, and they unconsciously let out voices of admiration
because of the sight that unfolded in front of their eyes.

“Wow…”

There were sirens everywhere.

Hundreds of sirens in their mermaid forms were gathered together with their
families as they lined up in an orderly manner, and a hundred cavalry rode on top of
various huge animals, such as seahorses and domesticated sharks, as they showed
off their splendor on the left and right.
The infantry in the center. The cavalry on the left and right. And spirit warriors who
rode on battle chariots while on the second row.

And finally, a very huge sea turtle tank was at the end with Siren Queen Iliana on
board.

“It’s completely like a tank. No, it’s not a tank, but what should I call that? A mobile
fortress?”

Jude nodded as Cordelia pointed to it. Since the giant sea turtle had a shell of around
30 meters in diameter, it was different from a normal tank.

The walls resembled fortress walls, and various siege weapons were also mounted
on the shell.

And in the center of such a shell.

Queen Iliana sat on an ornate seat that was like a throne, and when she tilted her
beautiful huge staff forward, whistles sounded from all directions, and the flag
bearers of each family raised their flags high.

“Begin the advance.”

At Iliana’s command, the drums boomed again, and the infantry in the front row
began to move forward. It was quite a spectacular sight as mermaids with colorful
scales advanced under the light spirits they had summoned in order to illuminate the
dark sea.

“Let’s go.”

Chloe drove forward the battle chariot.

Kajsa joined the cavalry by riding on a seahorse, and she shouted out loud too as she
lifted a trident high. Bentham remained since he had to protect Sebastian, and he
saw off the group by waving his hand, though no one looked back at him.

The total number of troops that Iliana mobilized this time was over 1,200.

If one compared them to the 10,000 Jackdaws that were stationed in the northern
border, it was not a very large number, but it was good to remember that they were
all sirens.

Just like the elves of the Forest of Eternity, the sirens were also very good at fighting
because they were a race that lived long.

‘Did they actually mobilize the whole army?’

It had only been two days since they arrived in the siren’s country, but Jude already
had a rough idea of their country’s size.

Except for the minimum number of troops to protect their country, the entire army
was mobilized.

And around 30 minutes later.

The movement of the siren troops who had been moving forward then slowed down.
Because they had almost reached the seal.

“Let’s not delay it any longer. Let’s move according to plan.”

At the command of Iliana, the flag bearers raised their flags again to convey her will.
They refrained from blowing a whistle or beating a drum in order to not provoke the
Kraken.

“Advance.”

“Advance.”

It was a simple order, but because they had already been informed of the plan, the
heads of each family moved forward to the sides as if to surround the seal, instead of
rushing forward. The middle naturally became empty then, and the gap was filled
with the spirit warriors who rode on battle chariots, and the sea turtle carrying
Iliana.

“Begin.”

Sirens were basically spirit warriors who had contracts with one or more spirits,
though there were differences in skill.

When Iliana stood up from her throne and lifted her staff, the water spirits
responded, and the hundred spirit warriors also summoned their own spirits and
conveyed their commands.

Block it. Tie up it movement using the water currents. Lock up the Kraken in the seal.

The spirits responded.

A water current was formed to suppress the seal, and a huge magic circle was drawn
by the light spirits as they spread around the seal.

The current was just a barrier for a what-if scenario, but the magic circle was
actually the one that would be used to confine the Kraken.

“Unite everyone’s power.”

As Iliana wrapped her hands around her staff and exuded her power, the 100 spirit
warriors also closed their eyes and began to focus. They spread out their power to
the magic circle.

And it was at that very moment.

—————–!

The Kraken’s silent roar shook the surroundings. But at the same time, an intense
light came from the magic circle, and a huge sword made of light was formed. Before
the Kraken could even go out of the seal’s hole, the huge sword penetrated the seal
and pierced the monster.

————–!

The Kraken screamed again.

They couldn’t see it because of the seal, but it was clear that the Sealing Sword of
Light had pierced the Kraken and prevented it from moving.

“Attack team forward!”

Sarandis commanded the rest of the troops because Iliana was concentration on the
magic circle.
The melee cavalry waited from behind as their role was to respond to emergency
situations. The hundreds of infantry units then gathered in front of the large hole in
the seal.

The battle chariot carrying Jude and Cordelia were also placed behind such cavalry.

And light shined towards the hole.

As it drove away the darkness in the seal, they saw the Kraken struggling from the
Sealing Sword of Light.

Its middle eye was crushed by Cordelia, but it still had its left and right eyes. The
Kraken glared at them with its yellow eyes, and its eyes alone seemed to destroy the
minds of the sirens by just its look.

“Attack!”

Thus, Sarandis hastened the attack. All possible long-range attacks poured down
towards the Kraken, starting with weapons like bows and crossbows, to attacks
using spirits and magic.

—-!

—!

——!

It worked. The Kraken was trapped in the narrow seal, and was helplessly beaten up
by the attacks, unable to avoid or block any of the attacks.

A smile spread across Sarandis’ face.

She and the other sirens became confident of their victory and raised the momentum
of their attacks.

“Your Excellency.”

Chloe turned to Cordelia with eager eyes.

She was telling her to summon the Spirit King and deal the final blow.
But instead of summoning the Spirit King, Cordelia prepared another magic with the
help of the magic tools all over her body.

Because in the current situation, there were several more attack magic spells that
were effective than summoning the Spirit King’s right arm to throw a punch.

Cordelia transformed into a witch.

Chloe was surprised when she first saw the witch transformation, but Cordelia
continued to chant the spell.

By using Arkeman’s treasure to amplify her mana, she prepared a Spear of Calamity.

‘I have to wait first.’

She had to throw the Spear of Calamity right after the sirens launch their ultimate
attack, the Sea God’s Trident.

Because she wanted to get the last hit, and that this was more effective too.

‘The true Spear of Calamity contains a witch’s curse.’

It guaranteed death to those who were already dying.

In game terms, the lower the monster’s HP, the higher its damage would be. So the
Spear of Calamity was truly an attack that dealt a decisive blow.

Therefore, it was a more efficient choice to throw the Spear of Calamity right after
the Kraken was hit by the Sea God’s Trident.

A huge black Spear of Calamity formed above Cordelia’s head as it glowed green.

Jude turned to Sarandis who was holding the Sea God’s Trident.

She was also reciting a spell while in a position to throw the Sea God’s Trident. This
was to bring out the true power of the Sea God’s Trident, which was a treasure of the
sirens.

The attack continued.

Sarandis’ spell reached its peak, and Cordelia’s Spear of Calamity began to emit a
tremendous magic power.

And Kajsa raised her head.

Unlike Cordelia who was focusing on her magic and couldn’t focus on anything else,
Kajsa was her usual self. She suddenly sensed it. Her instincts sent out a signal that a
fierce threat was coming.

“Storm.”

Her word was like a prophecy.

It was a small wave like a ripple at first, but soon became huge.

The huge underwater waves from afar came with a momentum to devour the siren
forces.
Some changes I made to the last episode:
 sword of light -> Sealing Sword of Light
 march -> advance
 ripple -> underwater wave

“Block it!”

The moment Kajsa shouted out loudly, the sirens turned towards the waves. Some
summoned spirits, and some used magic in order to block the waves.

Swiiiiiiiiiish-!

With a dull sound, the waves broke as it got blocked. But its aftermath shook the
sirens. Moreover, that was not the end. New waves appeared again.

“The Kraken!”

Jude had figured out on what had happened. The Kraken trapped in the seal was
trying to destroy the battle formation by creating underwater waves from afar. It was
an application of its abilities to summon a storm.

Swoooooosh-!

The second group of waves broke.

The spirit warriors manipulated the sea current surrounding the seal, which they
had prepared earlier for a what-if scenario, in order to stop the underwater waves,
and Sarandis opened her eyes and tightened her grip on the trident after finishing
the spell.

And at that moment, the Kraken’s second counterattack began.

Psssh-!

Black ink gushed out from the seal’s hole.

Because the current surrounding the seal was gone, the black ink flowed out
straight. It turned the surrounding area black, and also engulfed the sirens in the
frontlines.

“Aaaaaah!”

The black water caused the sirens to scream and twist in pain because the ink had a
strong poison in it.

“Sarandis!”

Jude cried out. But even before his cry reached her, Sarandis had already realized on
what she needed to do. So instead of hesitating from her confusion, she threw the
Sea God’s Trident with all her might.

“Haaaa!”

Baaaaang-!

A thunderous sound was heard even though they were underwater.

The Sea God’s Trident covered in golden lightning penetrated the space at once, and
its shockwaves broke through the black water, scattering the Kraken’s ink at once.

And that was why Jude was able to see it.

Sarandis who was in front must have also seen it.

Baang!

The seal’s ceiling collapsed. Because the Kraken broke the ceiling and tried to swim
up.

Boom!

The Sea God’s Trident struck the ground, and the Kraken that was still pierced by the
Sealing Sword of Light then struggled as it flailed around its dozens of legs
simultaneously. As it continued to be pulled back to the ground by the power of the
Sealing Sword of Light, the Kraken let out its powerful mana.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The Kraken’s legs couldn’t reach the sirens. Its legs were tens of meters long, but the
distance between the sirens and the Kraken was quite far.

But the Kraken’s struggles didn’t simply end at just that.

The shockwaves generated by its flailing legs struck the sirens. The mana it emitted
penetrated the minds of the sirens who were using magic.

“Aaaaah!”

The sirens who were using magic screamed and collapsed. Those who were hit by
the shockwaves had their bodies be flipped and smashed. The attacks on the Kraken
were naturally reduced, and at that moment, Jude figured out the Kraken’s goal.

Because he saw its two yellow eyes looking at the magic circle spread over its head.

“Attack!”

Sarandis ordered just then.

The cavalry who were waiting on the left and right charged towards the Kraken, and
Kajsa who was with them gripped her trident.

Malthias who was standing besides Iliana was still focusing on maintaining the
Sealing Sword of Light, but she delivered a new command to the spirit warriors.

“Use the currents to push it down!”

What she meant was that they had to push down the Kraken so that it couldn’t touch
the magic circle.

But that wasn’t easy. Because the Kraken was causing a storm even in the midst of
this. As new groups of waves came rushing towards them, the sirens who were
maintaining the Sealing Sword of Light and those manipulating the current were
both swept away by the shockwaves.

————-!

The cavalry and the Kraken began to clash at that moment.

The Kraken writhed and swung its dozens of legs at the same time, and the cavalry
dug in between and struck their weapons into its body.

But the Kraken was huge. Even though the tridents were huge for the sirens, it was
only a small thorn for the Kraken, so they could only stab the surface but not
properly wound it.

“Your Excellency!”

Chloe turned to Cordelia. And so did Sarandis.

Cordelia was the only one who could deal a fatal blow to the Kraken.

And Cordelia acted instinctively. She threw the Spear of Calamity to the Kraken.

Shwaaaa-!

The Kraken struggled even harder when it saw the Spear of Calamity flying with a
terrifying power, but it couldn’t properly evade because of the Sealing Sword of
Light.

The Spear of Calamity pierced the Kraken’s torso, and it struggled even harder as it
loudly screamed.

———————!

It worked.

But Cordelia did not create a second Spear of Calamity. Instead of summoning the
Spirit King, she turned to Jude.

Cordelia’s senses were telling her something like always.

That they couldn’t defeat the Kraken with their current method.
In fact, the Sealing Sword of Light was getting weaker.

“Jude.”

Jude also saw Cordelia. And he nodded his head. They then launched Plan B which
they had planned in advance.

When Cordelia threw the Spear of Calamity, she then conveyed what she had
observed and thought via <Message> magic.

Boooom!

The underwater waves caused by the Kraken became even stronger.

It spewed ink again, and the cavalry in the vicinity hurriedly retreated. But Kajsa
didn’t do that. She spitted out a curse and deeply pushed the trident that had already
been stabbed into the Kraken’s head.

————–!

Even if it was a small thorn, the situation was bound to change if that thorn stuck
deeper inside.

The Kraken screamed and flailed, spewing ink that almost covered its body.

And Jude and Cordelia did not miss that gap.

“Your Excellency?!”

Instead of responding to Chloe’s call, Cordelia spread her wings of light. She flew
down straight to the seabed, while Jude released his energy and used Landius’
signature flying technique. He rushed towards the Kraken.

“Die! Die!”

Kajsa pushed down another nearby trident in the Kraken’s head. She ignored the
poisonous ink as her body could handle it.

——————!
The Kraken roared. It smacked itself with its leg in order to attack Kajsa, but she
hurriedly swam away to evade the monster’s leg. And suddenly, Jude’s firm arm
wrapped around Kajsa’s waist.

“Eh?”

The surprised Kajsa looked back at Jude, but he did not even look at her. He simply
released his energy again to soar at a high speed as he evaded the Kraken’s legs and
headed to the magic circle above them.

The Sealing Sword of Light became weaker.

The Kraken glared at Jude and Kajsa with its yellow eyes, and let out its immense
magic power again.

It prevented the sirens from daring to charge towards it.

And Jude glared at such a Kraken. After roughly throwing Kajsa, he chanted the
mnemonic chant of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors. At the same time he opened the
sixth door, he activated the power of the black sun.

Booooooom!

Everyone on the battlefield turned to Jude when he let out such an immense power.
Even Kajsa who was cursing after being roughly thrown could only admire Jude at
the tremendous force he released.

So the Kraken focused its attention on Jude again.

It was just as Jude had wished.

—————-!

The Kraken no longer caused underwater waves. Instead of struggling to remove the
Sealing Sword of Light, the demon of the sea scattered around a curse.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The sirens screamed as they grabbed their heads. Kajsa also struggled as she
groaned in pain.
It was the result of the Kraken further strengthening its unique mental attack that
caused fear and terror to its targets.

But Jude ignored it.

One of the abilities he got from opening the sixth door of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine
Doors was an ability to protect the mind.

So instead of feeling fear and terror, he treated the Kraken with anger and hostility.

The Kraken stretched out its legs towards Jude. Dozens of tentacles on its mouth
quickly extended and tried to capture Jude.

Jude calmly used Valencia’s swordsmanship. He let out black energy to his legs as he
cut off the monster’s tentacles to protect himself. He remained in his current
position.

If the Kraken had rushed and attacked, he wouldn’t be able to perform such
acrobatic moves even if he was Jude, but the Kraken was now held down by the
Sealing Sword of Light. It couldn’t do anything else to Jude as it could only stretch out
its legs to him.

The sirens barely came to their senses at Jude’s amazing moves and were impressed,
but Sarandis gritted her teeth.

Jude’s power was obviously great, but she realized that they couldn’t beat the Kraken
in this way.

She had to focus her power again. The Sealing Sword of Light wouldn’t be able to last
long, so they had to deal a fatal blow to it in that time.

‘The Sea God’s Trident.’

She had to recover it. The trident didn’t hit the Kraken, so it still had the power she
had gathered.

Sarandis searched the seabed in a hurry. But she widely opened her eyes then.

Because the Sea God’s Trident had disappeared.

And it was at that moment.

[Juuuuude!]

Cordelia shouted.

Plan B.

To not kill the Kraken but to seal it again!

Cordelia grasped the Sea God’s Trident and inserted it into the sealing place where
Perigeo’s Crystal Ball was originally located inside the seal. But this action alone
wouldn’t reactivate the seal.

So Cordelia took an additional step.

Using the power of the trident as a resource, she poured mana into the sealing place
and brought Moonlight to the place at the same time.

“Melissa!”

[You only look for me when you need me!]

Melissa let out her resentment, but she still responded to Cordelia’s wish as she was
a kind and gentle artificial spirit.

Perigeo’s elves shared the same roots with Magellan’s elves, so Melissa could utilize
the ancient system that the sirens gave up on because they couldn’t handle it.

“Oooooooo!”

The Sea God’s Trident replaced Perigeo’s Crystal Ball. And Cordelia herself
replenished the lack of magic power!

All of the various magic recovery and amplification tools she received from the
sirens were now utilized.

Under Melissa’s command, the seal system was restarted, and the powerful force of
the seal overwhelmed the Sealing Sword of Light in its power as it began to pull the
Kraken.
—————————————!

The Kraken struggled and resisted, but the sealing power was different from that of
the Sealing Sword of Light.

It wasn’t long before it realized the situation – that it was bound to be sealed again.

—-!

——!

————!

Therefore, the Kraken prepared for a powerful curse.

Even if it was impossible for the human in front of it, it prepared a curse that would
bring death to the sirens.

But Jude didn’t let it continue.

The moment it gathered magic for the curse, he ran towards the opposite direction.

As the monster tried to cast a curse as its final move, he headed to the Kraken’s head
– to be exact, the eyeball that Cordelia had destroyed. He landed on it and at the
same time, he struck out his sharp sword-like hand.

But for the Kraken, it was still only a small thorn.

So instead of screaming, the Kraken continued to prepare its curse without worrying
about Jude.

But Jude moved a little faster this time.

Having seen Cordelia use up all her mana at once to summon the Spirit King’s right
arm, he put into practice what he had thought.

The Black Sun.

Until now, Jude had only used the power of the Black Sun to generate powerful
energy or to strengthen the energy of the black dragon.
But it was different this time.

He released the energy in his entire body at once, just like what Cordelia did.

Instead of using a skill or creating a wave of energy, he concentrated the pure power
of the sun.

Yang energy in contrast to Yin energy.

Although its color was black, it was definitely the power of the sun.

At that moment, he activated the Supreme Sun Divine Art.

He maximized the Yang energy of the Black Sun.

Light.

And heat.

The true power of the sun was released through Jude’s fingertips!

———————————–!

The Kraken screamed.

It cried out.

It was on the verge of losing its mind at the tremendous pain it had experienced for
the first time.

Its head was burning.

The immense heat of the sun messed up its head.

———————!

The Kraken was unable to resist anymore.

It could no longer cast the curse as it just screamed.

[Jude!]

Jude responded to Cordelia’s call. He removed his sword-like hand from the Kraken
and kicked its head at the same time. Kajsa grabbed Jude who was unable to move
because he had exhausted all of his energy.

“Melissa!”

When Cordelia saw the scene, she urged Melissa to activate the final stage of the
sealing system.

The Kraken temporarily became unconscious as a subspace door opened and

dragged the monster inside it.

Booom-!

The Kraken’s body touched the bottom of the seal, causing a vibration, but that was
it.

The subspace door swallowed up the Kraken once again, just like how it did a long
time ago.

The seal was completed.

“Haa… haa…”

Cordelia panted as she leaned against the Sea God’s Trident that had completely
become part of the seal now.

She slowly raised her head, and smiled when she saw the unconscious Jude being
supported by Kajsa.

Several rings of white light surrounded Jude’s body, though it was unknown if it was
rewarded from repelling an enemy or from successfully sealing it.

And right after that.

At the moment when Cordelia began counting the number of rings that surrounded
her own body.
“Uoooooooooooo!”

“We won!”

“We defeated the Kraken!”

The sirens shouted and cheered. They also shouted the names of Jude and Cordelia
as they rejoiced.

She couldn’t hear it much because they were underwater, but Cordelia also smiled.
She sat on the floor, picking up the fallen Moonlight and saying.

“We won.”

[Congratulations.]

Melissa plainly said, and Cordelia smiled again.

In the midst of their victory, she kissed the Moonlight’s golden jewel as if to soothe
Melissa who was sulking a bit.
Buster Call – a reference to the manga, One Piece. It is used by the Marines to
summon/call their entire fleet in order to destroy a dangerous criminal or
organization.

The battle with the Kraken was literally short and massive.

The actual fight itself only took around twenty minutes.

But during that short period of time, the damage suffered by the sirens was massive.

Nearly half of the troops were injured due to the various wide-area attacks of the
Kraken.

“It’s fortunate that the death toll is small.”

More than 30 sirens were killed out of the hundreds who were injured, and the
group that received the most damage was the cavalry who was in direct contact with
the Kraken.

Some were directly hit by the Kraken’s legs or tentacles, while others were strongly
affected by the Kraken’s mental attacks because of their close distance to it.

“We’ve been too complacent.”

Iliana, the queen of the sirens, felt responsible.

Stop the Kraken’s movements and then concentrate their attacks to kill it.

The operation itself was simple and seemed possible to do, but the reality was
completely different.
They did stop it, but could not completely confine it to the seal, and the firepower the
sirens prepared was not enough to kill it.

‘Is this the reason why they had no choice but to seal it… ’

The reason why the elves of the ancient kingdom of Perigeo only sealed the Kraken.

It was impossible to kill it with just a fair amount of firepower.

‘Perhaps it’s impossible to completely defeat it even if we used the Sea God’s
Trident.’

Because it was so powerful.

If it weren’t for Jude and Cordelia, the Kraken might not have been sealed again.

Many sirens would have been killed by the Kraken who would have eventually
destroyed the Sealing Sword of Light, and begin to move freely.

“It’s not Your Majesty’s fault.”

There was no way for the sirens to fully know the Kraken’s power.

They didn’t know how powerful the Kraken was until they fought it themselves.

“We were able to seal it again because it was crouching inside the seal. If we had
neglected it, our country would have been devastated without us being able to do
anything against it.”

Malthias spoke as if to comfort her, but Iliana shook her head.

“Indeed, that would have been the result. Still… as the leader of a country, I should
have investigated the Kraken a little more, and prepared even a little more
firepower.”

That was the responsibility of a leader.

At Iliana’s words, Malthias felt both frustration and joy.

Her frustration came from the fact that despite their victory, Iliana was distressed
because of her strong sense of responsibility. Her joy was due to the feeling of
serving an intelligent and benevolent monarch.

“My queen, we still won, right? The injured will also recover in no time. If we guard
the seal well, the Kraken will no longer be a problem.”

Malthias said with a smile, and Iliana also a smiled a little. She did it for Malthias’
sake.

“Yes, we’ll have to thoroughly guard the seal this time to prevent something like this
from happening again.”

In fact, the sirens had barely paid attention to the Kraken’s seal until now.

For hundreds of years, no one had thought that someone would break the Kraken’s
seal.

‘We also need to find the culprit who broke the seal.’

As Malthias had said, guarding the seal was necessary, but finding the culprit who
broke the seal in the first place had to be prioritized.

Iliana made up her mind on what to do in the future, and shifted the topic to a more
pleasant one rather than troubling Malthias with depressing stories.

“So Malthias, where are our heroes now?”

It was obvious that she was referring to Jude and Cordelia, who made the biggest
contribution in sealing the Kraken, so Malthias replied with a broad smile.

“They’re resting in the house of the Gallas’ family. Both of them are tired, but they’re
not injured, so they’ll be attending the victory celebration tonight.”

“That’s good then. We’re indebted to the two, so we’ll have to properly compensate
them.”

“But… Your Majesty. I think they’ve already taken a lot.”

Because the two had already taken a lot of things in the name of summoning the
Spirit King.
‘Wait, now that I think of it, they didn’t even summon the Spirit King in the end.’

Were we deceived?

Did they not plan on summoning the Spirit King in the first place?

If Cordelia had heard Malthias’ thoughts, her conscience would have been pricked
and she would be at a loss on what to do. But if it was Jude, he would have calmly
said, ‘No, you’re wrong. We tried to summon it, okay? But the situation was just
different from what we expected, okay?’

But it was at that moment when Malthias recalled his shamelessness.

“We can’t do that, Malthias. And most of the items they took were used to activate the
seal, right?”

“They did, but…”

There were many items that they took but didn’t use like the lightning trident.

But even Malthias had a conscience so she decided to not question such things like
that.

She was a bit upset since she was in charge of the country’s financial affairs, but it
was true that Jude and Cordelia helped them overcome a huge crisis.

“But you have a point. It’s also true that we’ve already given a lot, so we don’t have
enough to compensate them now.”

The battle was short, but the expenditure was big. A huge amount of money would
also be spent on the recovery and rehabilitation of the injured.

“Then…”

“But we can’t just thank them in words. So I think…”

Iliana stopped speaking for a moment, but smiled and spoke of the item that she had
thought of as a reward for Jude and Cordelia, and Malthias’ expression turned
strange.
They would be able to save on their immediate expenses if Iliana handed over what
she thought to Jude and Cordelia, but in the long run, something much bigger might
happen.

“Malthias, I’ve already made a decision. Please follow it.”

“I understand.”

Because the queen was quite stubborn in this regard.

‘And… it’s true that we’re indebted to them.’

Their country would have been devastated if not for the two.

Malthias thought of them nicely as she turned her gaze towards the direction of the
Gallas’ mansion.

***

At the same time.

In the Gallas’ mansion.

Jude and Cordelia, the key players in today’s victory, was sitting down together and
busy giving compliments.

“We would have been in big trouble if it wasn’t for Melissa.”

“Melissa is the best.”

“As expected of a genius! An expert of the ancient elven kingdoms! An amazing being
who could understand and use the sealing system that the sirens instantly gave up
on!”

“That’s right, that’s right! You’re pretty, nice, cool, and reliable!”

Jude’s praises were specific, and Cordelia’s compliments were simple but sincere.

And Melissa responded to their barrage of compliments with a standard response.

[Hmph, I’m not a child. I’m not so simple as to fall for those words.]

But despite saying that, her voice sounded strangely excited.

The gem part of Moonlight seemed to be glowing red, perhaps because of her mood.

Therefore, Jude and Cordelia exchanged glances and began to fuss about it.

“No, what are you saying? We’re not flattering you. We’re just listing the facts. Right,
Cordelia?”

“He’s right, he’s right. It’s all true. Our Melissa is good, pretty, nice, and reliable –
aren’t all those facts?”

“Without Melissa, we wouldn’t have been able to implement Plan B.”

“That’s right, too. Melissa completely saved us. We wouldn’t have lived without
Melissa.”

[Ahem, ahem.]

It worked. If she was a person, she wouldn’t have been able to stop her chest from
puffing up, and her smile from appearing.

“Melissa, thank you very much.”

“Yes, thank you. Not only the two of us, but also the entire country of the sirens are
indebted to you.”

[A-a bit more.]

Melissa eventually revealed her true feelings after continuously being baptized with
praise.

She had always been hungry for interest and affection, perhaps because she had
lived alone waiting for her masters that never returned for more than a thousand
years, or perhaps it was her natural personality.

Jude and Cordelia nodded and continued to praise her again.

“Melissa is good.”

“Melissa is pretty.”

“Melissa is reliable.”

“Melissa is smart.”

[Aheeem, ahem.]

At the sound of Melissa trying to suppress her cough, Cordelia giggled and looked at
Jude.

‘Good, good. She heard you too. Melissa is feeling really good now.’

‘With this, she’ll be relieved for a while.’

‘Huh? What do you mean by for a while?’

‘Won’t Lady Cordelia from the Chase family forget her again?’

‘No, I won’t? I’m going to talk to her really often, okay? We’re going to chat every day,
okay? We’ll be having girls talk, okay?”

‘Okay, if you insist, then so be it.’

‘Argh, seriously.’

Anyway, Jude and Cordelia succeeded in placating Melissa, and the two smiled again
afterwards.

The fact that they were able to argue with each other like this was also because of
the victory in this battle.

“Huaaa… it was tough.”

Cordelia mumbled and hugged Moonlight as she sneakily leaned on Jude’s arms as if
she had collapsed, and Jude hugged her shoulders, touching his lips on her head.

“I’ll sleep for a bit.”

“Sleep soundly. I’ll wake you up later.”

“Okay.”

She was exhausted from pouring her mana into the seal.

Unlike Jude whose stamina was constantly being replenished because of the Sphere
of Life, Cordelia needed to rest in order to regain the mana she discharged.

[Sleep well.]

“Yes, Melissa too.”

Cordelia closed her eyes, and Jude adjusted his posture so that Cordelia could sleep
comfortably. He closed his eyes and tried to restore the power of the black sun that
he had used up in the battle.

***

The scale of the sirens’ victory banquet in the central square was truly huge.

Except for those who were injured to the extent that they couldn’t attend the
banquet, almost everyone attended, as even the men of each family who did not
appear in meetings or battles also appeared.

Most of them had been captured, but surprisingly, everyone had a good expression,
whether they liked the life here or perhaps the sirens only brought out those who
had adapted well.

‘Isn’t the cost of this banquet more than the cost of the entire battle?’

But it was also necessary.

Because man was not a machine.

People expressed their emotions by crying when they were sad, or smiling when
they were happy.

As Jude walked through the banquet hall thinking that way, Cordelia was thinking of
something completely different.
‘Yes, good. My Jude is the coolest.’

The men of each family were all dressed up, but none of them could compare to Jude.

Cordelia was in a good mood and hugged Jude’s arm a little tighter as she raised her
chin, and Kajsa who was watching them from behind then clicked her tongue.
Because she could tell what Cordelia was thinking inside.

‘They’re seriously made for each other.’

I’m sure they’ll love each other like that even when they grow old.

They clearly must have been flirting ever since they were born.

In the first place, they were engaged ever since they were in their mothers’ wombs.

“They must have been flirting even in their past lives.”

“That’s possible.”

Kajsa unexpectedly agreed with Bentham who didn’t see through the true nature of
the two, before she turned to the men of each family.

She was wondering if there was a face she might know.

And half an hour passed like that.

After the banquet passed by to some extent, Iliana climbed onto a high platform in
the center of the square and called Jude and Cordelia.

Her move was aimed at celebrating the achievements of the two in front of everyone,
and giving them their reward.

‘It somehow reminds me of the king.’

‘Because the situation now is similar to that time.’

Cordelia smiled as she recalled the time when they were bestowed the count rank
and a new fief in front of countless people after stopping the tragedy in the royal
capital. Jude looked away a little as he turned to Iliana.
Unlike Cordelia who was pleased with the event itself, Jude’s attention was more
focused on the reward prepared by Iliana.

‘What will they give us?’

As Malthias had already grumbled to Iliana, the two had already received almost
everything they deserved.

‘Surely, it’s not more money.’

Although money was good, and that the more money, the merrier, Jude and Cordelia
were already financially well off.

‘Because we don’t even have time to spend our money.’

When he looked back, they were always busy wandering around to prevent the
destruction in the future ever since they recalled their past life memories.

He couldn’t even remember buying luxurious things except for the time when he
bought things for the ball in the royal capital.

“This way please.”

When Jude and Cordelia climbed onto the platform, Iliana informed everyone of their
contributions and added words of praise, just like what King Henry II of the Salen
Kingdom did in the royal capital.

Cordelia truly enjoyed this moment.

Because when they received recognition, she felt that they were doing the right
thing, even when they were in the wild lands or the royal capital.

We did well.

We did a good job.

We just have to continue doing this from now on.

In fact, for Cordelia, everything that had happened since she recalled her past life
had been very difficult.
Because she had to fight with her life on the line over and over again.

She had suffered many injuries in the process, and there were times she suffered
extreme pain whether physically or mentally.

The destruction that awaited them in the future.

Just knowing it made her heart feel heavy.

‘If Jude wasn’t here.’

If she was alone.

Then she would have to endure alone everything she had been through so far.

Cordelia was scared from just imagining it, and quickly shook her head.

And a question arose in her mind at the same time.

What about Jude?

Will it be difficult for Jude if he was alone too?

Is Jude also mentally dependent on me, just like me to him?

I hope he is.

Cordelia looked up at Jude, and at that moment, she was brought back to reality
upon hearing the enthusiastic applause that rang out, and looked straight ahead.

“We are grateful for your hard work and contribution, and present you this.”

Iliana presented a flute – no, a whistle, that was made from a horn.

‘What is this?’

She had never seen something like this in Legend of Heroes 2.

And it was true. In the world of Legend of Heroes 2 where the siren monarchy was
destroyed by Malekith, the whistle in front of them did not mean much.
But it was different now that the siren monarchy was still intact.

As Jude accepted the flute that was as white as a conch or seashell, Queen Iliana said
in a low voice.

“It’s the Divine Spirit’s Whistle. No matter where you are, blow it three times and
we’ll be able to hear it. Then our entire country will rise and help you.”

At Iliana’s explanation, Jude’s eyes widened in surprise while Cordelia blinked her
eyes. Because something else came to her mind.

‘Buster Call!’

Obviously, it was quite different from the one in the manga, but it was also similar.

Anyway, what the queen meant was that if they blew the whistle three times, the
siren army would appear to help them.

“Thank you very much.”

“You are the benefactors of this country, so it is right for the entire country to return
the favor. But you two, don’t use it too hastily. You should use our whistle when you
really need the power of us sirens. Do you understand?”

“We understand.”

Jude answered Iliana, but he was feeling a bit strange.

‘Because we have to blow it sooner or later.’

The ancient dragon Malekith.

By itself, he was already powerful enough to fight a Demon Prince, but he also had
Dragonflights under his command.

To fight such a Malekith, the two also needed a powerful force.

‘Anyway, this is good. This is much better than receiving any other items.’

Jude felt better and took the whistle, once again smiling as if he was having his
picture taken, and Iliana – or to be exact, Malthias who was standing behind the
queen, shuddered in nervousness for some unknown reason.

“Now, let’s cheer for our two heroes again!”

“Uoooooooo!”

The sirens reacted to Iliana’s words, and Jude and Cordelia smiled at the applause
that began again.

And that night.

Jude and Cordelia wrote a love letter to quickly escape like always.

Because there was Iliana, and the people of the Gallas family such as Electra and
Chloe who seemed to be unwilling to let go of Jude and Cordelia yet.

“W-with my beloved Lord Jude…”

Cordelia was writing down what Jude was saying, and blushed as she glared at Jude.

“Hey, isn’t this a little expressive?”

And now that I think of it, why am I the one writing it?

But Jude slyly smiled, shrugging his shoulders as he said.

“Would you like me to write it down then? That would be fine with me. I’ll beautify
the contents of the letter.”

“N-no. I’ll just write it down. Yes, it’s better for me to write it myself.”

She was scared on what nonsense he would write if she passed it to him.

As Cordelia turned to the stationery again, Jude had a faint smile as he eagerly
thought of sentences that would embarrass Cordelia.

And they continued to write the letter in that way.

The red-faced Cordelia who was writing the letter in a neat and beautiful
handwriting suddenly raised her head.

“Cordelia?”

“Huh? Uh… well, umm… I suddenly thought of something.”

“Eh?”

“I can’t say what it is, but I think I’m forgetting something.”

[Me?]

Melissa spoke with good timing, but it was not her this time.

“No, not you.”

Something else than Melissa.

No, someone else.

Who is it?

Who am I forgetting?

“Well, it must not be that important, right?”

So you forgot about it.

“You’re right.”

Cordelia nodded as always to Jude’s reasonable words, and erased that forgotten
person in her mind.

She then continued to write the love letter as she struggled in her embarrassment.

And at the same time, in a completely different place.

Someone – the person who had been completely forgotten by Cordelia, was sitting
on the roof of a famous noble family’s mansion as she pouted her cheeks.
“Ah, seriously! When are those two coming!”

You said we’d meet in the south!

You said we’d compete in the south!

It was Scarlet, a descendant of the Rogue Master, and Pink Bomb’s rival.

The red-haired woman looked towards the north with resentful eyes.
Around dawn in the morning.

Jude said as he looked at the sleeping Kajsa curled up next to Sebastian.

“You look alike.”

“Eh? What are you talking about?”

“It’s fine if you don’t know.”

“???”

He had thought that Cordelia and Kajsa were similar since they liked to sleep in a
curled up position, just like how animals sleep.

But Jude did not dare to say that aloud, so Cordelia tilted her head and said as she
looked at Kajsa.

“I feel guilty waking her up when she’s sleeping so soundly.”

Kajsa was sleeping so well that the phrase ‘a good night’s sleep’ perfectly described
it. But Jude did not care about that as he shook Kajsa’s shoulder.

“Hey, Kajsa.”

“Uh? Huh?”

“Wake up.”

She indeed had a beast as an ancestor.

Unlike Cordelia who was almost defenseless when sleeping, Kajsa opened her eyes
as soon as he touched her.
Jude gave some cold water to the half-asleep Kajsa before carrying the sleeping
Sebastian on his back and leaving the room.

“Mister? Huh? W-wait! Where are you taking him!”

“We’re going home.”

“Eh?”

“Let’s go to your house.”

At Jude’s words, Kajsa instantly flinched. Because she thought that it was finally her
turn.

‘I have to stay alert!’

Because these two will rob me if I let my guard down.

Anyway, apart from her, Cordelia woke up Bentham who was lying down with his
stomach on the floor, and they hurriedly prepared to leave.

“We’ll have to leave the sirens secretly. Because we don’t know when we’ll be able to
leave if it keeps going like this.”

“You’re right. I don’t think Electra and Chloe will let us go easily.”

Cordelia had a bitter smile at Kajsa’s words, and Jude also smiled.

“Anyway, let’s go now.”

“Okay!”

Kajsa immediately answered as if she wanted to step on land again like the two.

If one thought about it, Kajsa’s family, the Ophands, thought that Kajsa had been
captured by the pirates, so it was proper to go back as soon as possible.

‘Because it’s been around 3 days since we left the pirate island.’

The Ophand family would have been anxious about Kajsa whom they had lost
contact with because she had been kidnapped by the pirates for the past 3 days.

‘Perhaps they’ve already taken over the empty pirate island.’

They might be looking for Kajsa who was nowhere to be seen.

Calix Ophand who fought against Gael in the fighting competition was a person who
dearly cherished Kajsa.

Even in the game, the relationship between the two was so close that in fanfiction,
the most frequent pairing with Kajsa was neither Sebastian nor Wolfe, but Calix.

TN: WTF… Incest route? Or are Kajsa and Calix not blood-related siblings?

‘Among the three men, Calix was the only who didn’t die in the beginning as he even
appeared later.’

In any case, Kajsa and Calix had a close relationship, so they would be able to get
support as well as rewards if they return her to the Ophand family.

Support in helping them rob the other 7 southern families.

‘They’ll probably help after knowing the entire situation.’

Because it was about the family heirloom of the other 6 families.

Perhaps they would help the two more than they could imagine.

“Anyway, let’s hurry.”

Jude urged the group again, and they hurried out of the mansion.

Everyone was drunk because of the banquet, so they didn’t encounter anyone while
they were moving.

“Okay, let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Jude and Cordelia rode together on a seahorse as the group left the Gallas family’s
mansion and the country of the sirens.

***

“Fuaa! Fwoo! I can breathe air now.”

At the seashore.

Kajsa deeply breathed the fresh air she had not breathed in a few days, while
Bentham continued to pant next to her.

And Jude turned to Cordelia instead of the two as he asked.

“Are you feeling cold?”

“Yes, but it’s fine.”

Their hair and clothes were soaked since they were in the water, but unlike the last
time they fell into the water, she didn’t have a pale face or lips.

Because they had received from the sirens a magic tool that maintained one’s body
temperature in the water.

“But let’s get out of the water so that we can dry up quickly. We might catch a cold.”

“Okay.”

The two were very sweetly looking at each other.

Therefore, Kajsa instinctively wanted to interrupt them, and she quickly stepped in
between the two and said.

“This is the coast of Piares, right? Then Argon is just nearby!”

When Kajsa shouted loudly at the sight of such a large city, Bentham also smiled
happily.

“Oh! Argon! I’m glad since this is where the guild headquarters is! Wait, did you
purposely bring us here in the first place?”
At Bentham’s question, Kajsa also looked at Jude in curiosity, and Jude slowly
nodded.

“Because this is where the 7 southern families are gathered.”

Argon Port.

It was the largest city in the south that was under the royal family’s jurisdiction. The
city was like an island on land because it was situated between the territories of the
7 southern families.

For this reason, Argon Port served as a neutral zone for the 7 southern families who
had been fighting for a long time.

‘That’s why it became the biggest port here. However… ’

The 7 southern families would fight whenever they met, but they did not get into
physical fights on Argon Port which was under the direct control of the royal family.

Instead, the 7 southern families used Argon Port as the stage for their fierce battles
of power, which eventually led to the growth of Argon Port into the best city in the
south.

So the city was overflowing with money and people.

“Daram is nice, but I think it’s better to go straight to the marquis.”

“Hmm, you’re right. That’s a good idea.”

As it was an important land, the 7 southern families built their own mansions in
Argon Port and assigned their family’s influential talents there.

There were also many cases where the head of the family lived there.

‘That is the case for Marquis Ophand and Count Kagehama.’

In other words, it was highly likely that Carlos’ tokens, the heirlooms of Marquis
Ophand and Count Kagehama, were in Argon Port.

“Okay, I’ll take the lead from here. Follow me.”

The excited Kajsa lifted Sebastian, who was twice as tall as her, and began to take the
lead.

Jude deliberately let Bentham walk ahead before he whispered to Cordelia.

“Let’s join up with Scarlet once we arrive at Argon Port.”

They had told Scarlet that they would be robbing the 7 southern families, so she was
probably staying near Argon Port too.

‘Because we told her that we’d compete in two months.’

Preliminary investigation was necessary for thefts.

More than a month had already passed, so if she wasn’t at Argon Port, it was highly
possible that she was traveling around the south to investigate the seven families.

But Cordelia’s reaction was a bit odd.

“Ah?”

She blinked her eyes with a slightly dumbfounded expression.

And Jude knew very well what that expression meant.

“What the… Did you forget Scarlet?”

Was Scarlet the one that you forgot last time?

Jude asked in surprise, and Cordelia flinched and shifted her gaze.

“N-no. Uh…”

It was clear to him that she was avoiding his eyes.

It seemed like she had indeed forgotten Scarlet.

“Wow, you’re amazing. Isn’t this too much?”

You’re the one who wanted to compete with her in the first place.
“It slipped my mind for a bit. Just a bit. I didn’t completely forget about it.”

It was at the moment when Cordelia wiggled her fingers and made excuses.

[Forgetting someone, huh… It happens often. I think it’s quite possible.]

A cold-sounding voice came out of Moonlight, and the really guilty Cordelia shrank
even more.

“Uuuuh… I’m sorry.”

[Are you really sorry?]

“Yes, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

Scarlet is the one who got forgotten, so why is she asking Melissa for forgiveness?

In any case, Cordelia’s shrinking appearance as she asked for forgiveness was cute,
so Jude decided to not say anything. He continued their conversation after taking a
few pictures with a magic tool.

“Moving on, let’s begin the match right away after meeting up with Scarlet.”

“We’re stealing the 7 southern families’ heirlooms, right? The tokens of Carlos.”

Cordelia immediately replied as she was eager to change the topic, so Jude pinched
her cheek and said.

“That’s right. The side with the most heirlooms of the 7 families wins… or the side
who steals a family heirloom first wins. It would be easier for us if we attach
conditions like the loser helps the winner afterwards.”

Jude said that in a straightforward manner like always, but Cordelia lightly pursed
her lips instead of agreeing immediately.

She pulled Jude’s sleeve as she asked.

“But Jude. What made you so confident?”

This wasn’t just a fight since this was a stealing match.

Unlike Jude who was new to stealing, Scarlet was born into a thief family and was a
stealing professional who had sharpened and polished her thieving skills up to the
present, so it was not a situation where he could confidently win.

But he had said that with a confident expression.

“I’m confident because I can do it. Have you ever seen me lose in a fight?”

“No. But why are so cheeky?”

“Woah, woah… calm down. Anyway, even if it’s a stealing match, there’s a high
chance that we will win. So don’t worry about it too much.”

He seemed to be really confident given the way he talked.

‘Why?’

How come? Where does his confidence come from?

Cordelia tilted her head and at some point, her eyes widened in surprise. Because
something flashed into her mind.

“Ah! You were a thief, huh? A professional thief and not a scammer, right?”

She thought that it was reasonable when she said that.

It wasn’t just scammers who were good at disguising or forging.

Rather, it was one of a thief’s specialties!

“It’s… possible!”

When Cordelia said that with sparkling eyes, Jude flicked her round and white
forehead.

“Ouch.”

“I told you before that I’m not a criminal, okay? Rather, I was a model citizen who
faithfully fulfilled his duty to pay taxes, okay?”
“Argh. Then what in the world were you?”

“Figure that out on your own. Anyway, there’s a reason why I’m confident that we’ll
win this match.”

“What is it? Can you teach me about that?”

As Cordelia touched her forehead, Jude pinched her cheek and spoke while drawing
his face closer to her ear.

“We’re going to rob Kajsa’s house.”

“Eh?”

“We’re going to hold the match in Kajsa’s house.”

Cordelia looked surprised at Jude’s words. She couldn’t help it.

“Kajsa’s house?”

“Yes, of course, we’ll ask Kajsa for her cooperation. Don’t you think that we’re
definitely way ahead of Scarlet then, who has to do a preliminary investigation first?”

Kajsa could just hand it over to them.

It was a match that they had no way of losing.

“So, what do you think?”

Jude was expecting her to say, ‘Yes, I love it!’ and smile brightly, but he was soon
confused.

Instead of smiling brightly, Cordelia glared at him with a disagreeing expression.

“That’s unfair.”

“Huh?”

“That’s unfair. Really, really unfair. You’re not even a human. You’re a beast. A demon.
A scammer. An evil guy.”
“C-Cordelia?”

“How can you do that to Scarlet? She’s a friend. No, she’s MY friend. But you’re going
to cheat her? Huh?”

Cordelia’s sound argument made Jude flinch.

And he realized it again.

The fact that Cordelia is a real angel.

But it was at that moment.

“And it’s not very efficient.”

“Huh?”

“Efficiency. It’s Kajsa anyway, so we can get it if we just ask her. Wouldn’t it be a
waste of resources then if we have to compete? It’s better if we compete for
something else.”

It was a sound argument again, but it was a bit different from the previous one.

“Cordelia, you’ve become black too.”

“No, I’m cleaner than anyone else. I’m like a white tissue.”

And whose fault was it that I’ve become black in the first place?

As Cordelia looked up at him cutely, Jude eventually laughed out loud and then said.

“Okay, I’m a bad guy.”

“Yes, that’s right. You’re a bad guy.”

When Cordelia called him a bad guy as she widely smiled, the mental damage he
received was unexpectedly huge.

Therefore, Jude unknowingly groaned and quickly changed the topic.

“Moving on… what if we lose against Scarlet?”

“Then we lose. Scarlet will become the new Rogue Master after Pink Bomb, right?”

“Is that fine with you?”

“Yes, because my goal is not to become a Rogue Master. And if it’s Scarlet, she’ll help
us even if she wins the match. She’s kind after all.”

“She’s kind…”

He wondered if she was kind to everyone, but he was sure that she was kind to
Cordelia.

“Okay, Scarlet is indeed kind.”

“Yes, she is. So let’s not cheat her. I want to properly fight Scarlet too.”

“Okay, let’s do that.”

Cordelia smiled again when Jude agreed.

“Yes, that’s good. My Jude is good.”

“You said that I was a bad guy earlier.”

“Yes, that’s right. You’re also a bad guy.”

“Anyway, you’re saying that I’m good, right?”

“I don’t know about that.”

Cordelia replied with a giggle, and moved behind his back as if she was hiding before
she climbed on his back so naturally.

Jude naturally adjusted Cordelia’s position and said.

“Let’s go. Kajsa’s staring at us with an irritated expression.”

“Yeah, Bentham too.”

If Sebastian was conscious, would he have a similar expression?

Jude had a small smile as he thought that, and he adjusted Cordelia’s position again
before he stepped forward.

***

A few hours later.

The Ophand family was in an uproar in a good sense.

Because Kajsa, whom they had not heard of after being captured by the pirates, had
returned safely without any injuries.

Moreover, she didn’t just return.

She completely destroyed the pirate island, and also rescued Bentham, a dwarf
artisan who had been previously kidnapped.

And there were two more things.

Sebastian, one of the Ten Great Swordmasters from the south, and the fantasy couple
who were the rising stars of the royal capital.

At this point, it had gone beyond an uproar as the rumors spread throughout Argon
Port.

The ‘Sea Wolf’ was back.

Sebastian returned.

The fantasy couple who had runaway for the seventh time had appeared at Argon
Port this time, and so on.

Cordelia was at a loss when she heard the words ‘runaway’ and ‘elopement’, but Jude
was very happy.

Because he liked Cordelia’s cute appearance when she heard those rumors, and also
because it saved him some effort.
“You two are always impressive.”

“Scarlet!”

At the very night they arrived at Marquis Ophand’s mansion.

Cordelia had a wide smile at Scarlet appearing from the open window in the room
where Jude and Cordelia were staying, and Jude had a sly smile.

“You look good.”

“Ha.”

Scarlet sarcastically replied to Jude’s greeting before she hugged Cordelia who had
rushed to her.

“Anyway, did you know, Pink Bomb?”

“Eh? About what?”

What are you suddenly talking about?

Cordelia blinked her eyes as if she didn’t really know, so Scarlet frowned and looked
at Jude.

“Black Cloak, you don’t know?”

“Shouldn’t you say what it is first? I won’t know what you’re talking about if you
don’t say it.”

“It seems like you really don’t know.”

Scarlet furrowed her brows as she looked troubled, and sighed before she pinched
Cordelia’s cheek and said.

“We have a big problem.”

“A big problem?”

Cordelia seemed to have gotten used to having her cheeks pinched these days, and
she opened her eyes wide as she asked Scarlet, who nodded and spoke while
stroking the cheek she had just pinched.

“There’s someone who’s robbing the 7 southern families.”

“What?”

“There’s someone who’s robbing the 7 southern families of their heirlooms. Of

course it’s not me, and now that I see you, it’s not you either, so it’s a third party.”

The heirlooms of the 7 southern families.

Carlos’ tokens.

It was something that Jude and Cordelia must get.

But someone was already collecting it.

At Scarlet’s words, Jude and Cordelia turned to each other.

“Tell us a bit more in detail.”

Scarlet looked a bit displeased at Jude’s words, but she sat in a chair near the
window and answered.

“Someone is literally robbing the 7 southern families. The families are keeping this
information under wraps, but I’m sure of it. Four out of the seven families have
already been robbed.”

“Do you know what they robbed?”

When Cordelia approached her and asked, Scarlet provocatively smiled instead of
answering right away.

“Guess it.”

“It must be Carlos’ tokens. The tokens Carlos gave to each family.”

Jude immediately answered, and Scarlet pouted at him before she raised her chin
and asked.

“Why do you think that?”

“There are two possible reasons why the occurrence of a robbery is being kept
secret. One is that it is something you possess that you do not want others to know…
An example is having drugs or stolen goods at home. The other is that it is something
that will cause a big problem if it is known to be stolen.”

Naturally, this alone did not prove that it was Carlos’ tokens.

He couldn’t just say ‘My intuition told me’, just like how Cordelia did.

“There are two more clues. One is that the 7 southern families are being robbed in a
row. Of course, the thief in question may be doing something symbolic by robbing
the 7 southern families alone, or perhaps they’re just doing plain thievery. As for the
second clue, it’s you, Scarlet.”

“Me?”

“Yes, when you said that it was a big problem, that was a clue in itself.”

Cordelia tilted her head at Jude’s words, but soon nodded and pretended to
understand after Jude and Scarlet looked at her.

Therefore, Jude almost couldn’t suppress his laughter that was about to come out,
but he calmed down and continued his explanation.

“Because we decided the match to be held at the south, you must have considered
the 7 southern families as your targets, right? And to win the match for the Rogue
Master position, stealing a symbolic object is better than a sellable item. Like Carlos’
token.”

But there was someone who was one step ahead of them.

Moreover, the thief had already stolen four out of seven.

It was a really big problem for Scarlet, as this had more significance to her than
Cordelia.

“Gathering all the clues that have appeared so far, I can conclude that there is
someone robbing Carlos’ tokens that the 7 southern families have highly treasured.”

The clues were not convincing when considered separately, but combining them
made his assumption quite plausible.

‘And above all, it’s Scarlet.’

If he considered Scarlet’s personality and behavior, there was no other answer

except Carlos’ tokens.

“Am I right?”

At Jude’s question, Cordelia excitedly turned to Scarlet who replied with a frown on
her face.

“Damn it, you’re right.”

“As expected of my Jude. Isn’t my Jude amazing?”

As Cordelia brightly smiled and said that, Scarlet’s expression turned worse and she
pinched Cordelia’s cheek.

“Ouch! It hurts! It hurts!”

“I can’t help it when your cheeks are so soft.”

Having said those words, Scarlet released her hand before Cordelia could
counterattack, and she looked back at Jude and said.

“Black Cloak is right. Some unknown person is collecting Carlos’ tokens. Without
even a notice.”

‘It strange to send a notice in the first place.’

She would clearly be angry if he said that out loud, so Jude held it in and only
touched his chin as he asked.

“Any clues about the culprit?”

“None at all so far. But their method is quite rough. They infiltrate in secret, but once
they’re inside the mansion, they become violent. In addition, they do not hesitate to
kill people. They’re not a righteous thief.”

“Righteous thief?”

When Cordelia asked, Scarlet frowned before she pinched Cordelia’s cheek again and
said.

“Great thieves only steal objects and not people’s lives.”

“Those are the words of the Rogue Master. The first one.”

“Yes, though it would have been better if it was Pink Bomb who knew that and not
you.”

Scarlet sighed again at Jude’s answer, and she spoke to the groaning Cordelia who
was covering her red cheek that had been pinched earlier.

“Anyway, the situation is like this, so it’s a bit awkward to have a match here.”

It was fine if they were going to steal something other than Carlos’ tokens, but the
situation was already chaotic, so it wouldn’t look good for them.

Because everyone’s attention was already focused on an unidentified thief.

“Do the ordinary people still not know about it?”

“They still don’t know about it, but rumors will soon spread. Four families have
already been robbed in succession… and as I’ve said before, the thief does not
hesitate in killing people. So there are a lot of victims every time the thief steals from
someone.”

There was a huge difference between injuries and deaths.

So it would be strange if a rumor did not come out at this point.

[Jude, what should we do?]

The match against Scarlet was important, but stopping Malekith was much more
important.

‘First of all, who’s the culprit?’

In Legend of Heroes 2, there was no one who collected the tokens of the 7 southern
families.

There were no quests related to it.

‘There are too many candidates.’

It was Carlos’ tokens and not just some simple object.

Perhaps one of the seven southern families was behind this.

“Scarlet, has Marquis Ophand been robbed yet?”

“Not yet. The other two families are Count Kagehama’s family and Count Luculia’s
family.”

Jude nodded again at Scarlet’s answer, and sent a <Message> magic to Cordelia.

[Cordelia, choose between the two.]

[If we’re going to rob Kagehama or Luculia?]

[…We need to choose between securing the three remaining tokens or defending
Kajsa’s token when the thief comes to attack… because they’ll definitely attack her
family.]

Come to think of it, isn’t the answer to that natural?

After all, Cordelia is a beast girl who likes to bomb things.

[Okay, then let’s rob the two remaining families first.]

[Yes, that would be nice. Just like Dragon Ball, it will only be useful if we collect all
seven tokens. Even if we only secure one or two tokens, it would be enough for the
culprit to try attacking us.]

Because if the culprit’s true goal was Carlos’ legacy that could lead the 7 southern
families, it was possible that they would try to confront Jude and Cordelia in order to
collect all seven tokens.

But it was at that moment.

“Hey, why don’t you two stop talking secretly and let me in your conversation too?”

She didn’t know how they did it, but it was clear to her that they were talking
secretly.

Scarlet spoke in dissatisfaction, and Cordelia turned to Jude who nodded and said to
Scarlet.

“Before that, there’s someone we have to bring here first.”

 ***

Having been suddenly called in the middle of the night, Kajsa looked down at
Cordelia as she narrowed her brows.

And Cordelia, whose face, ears, and neck were red, said with some hesitation.

“Y-you see.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I…”

“I?”

“I’m Pi-Pink Bomb.”

She said it. She finally said it.

Cordelia’s already red face turned even redder.

It was so difficult and embarrassing to introduce herself as Pink Bomb without

wearing a mask.

But it wasn’t over yet.

“What bomb?”

“Huh?”

“No, what kind of bomb is it?”

“Pi-Pink Bomb.”

“Pink what?”

“Pink Bomb.”

“P-bomb?”
“Pink Bomb! Hey! Are you doing this on purpose?!”

“Yes, it’s on purpose.”

“Hey!”

The tearful Cordelia lunged at Kajsa who hugged her to stop her from moving.

“Woah, woah, calm down. Calm down. Uh, I just didn’t expect that you’ll say that. But
it’s not as bad as you think, okay?”

The giggling Kajsa said as she put her chin on the head of Cordelia whom she was
tightly hugging.

“Anyway, so the Pink Bomb in the rumors was Cordelia. Then naturally, Jude is…”

“That’s right, I’m Black Cloak. For your reference, it was Cordelia who came up with
that name and not me.”

“I see. It’s indeed a name that Pink Bomb would have thought of.”

As Kajsa nodded as if she was convinced, Cordelia struggled in Kajsa’s arms and
protested.

“I’m not the one who came up with Pi-Pink Bomb! It was Jude who did it!”

Jude’s the one who started it first, okay?!

But it was useless.

Because Kajsa enjoyed teasing Cordelia, whose reactions were very cute, more than
teasing the shameless Jude.

Therefore, Kajsa said with a grin.

“Then, you’re the one who came up with Black Cloak?”

“Eh?”

“Aren’t you the one who came up with that?”

“T-that’s right. I-I am, but…”

Cordelia struggled to come up with an excuse, but she gave up in the end. Because
the more that she spoke, the more that she felt like she was digging her own grave.

“Ah, you’re seriously cute. I really want to bite you.”

“No, you can’t. Five seconds have already passed.”

Jude said something incomprehensible and pulled Cordelia away from Kajsa. Kajsa
wasn’t the only one who had superhuman strength after all.

“Ah, it was stolen.”

“I didn’t steal it, I just took it back.”

Jude shamelessly spoke as he tightly hugged Cordelia whose face turned redder at
his words. She was somehow panting as she buried her face on Jude’s chest as if she
was a mouse hiding in a hole.

And Scarlet, who was watching the entire scene, spoke with a miserable expression.

“What a mess.”

What the heck are you all doing?

This is the moment when the Rogue Master’s identity is revealed, but why is this kind of
scene unfolding in front of me?

Scarlet swallowed her bitter tears as a descendant of the Rogue Master, and she
glared at Jude who was the culprit of everything. Jude then said with a brazen face
like always.

“And this person is…”

“I’m Scarlet. Descendant of the Rogue Master.”

No one knew who the first Rogue Master was.

So when Scarlet revealed herself, Kajsa looked at her in admiration before greeting
her in the same manner.

“I’m Kajsa Ophand. Descendant of the divine creature, Fenrir.”

Both were beautiful women, but one was like a seductive fox and the other was like a
fierce black panther.

‘What an interesting combination.’

Is this a dream collaboration that one couldn’t see in the game?

Jude’s gamer brain thought of that for a moment before he patted Cordelia’s back
and told Scarlet and Kajsa.

“Moving on, Cordelia and I have one more identity besides the Rogue Master.”

“What is it? Is it that you’re a scammer couple?”

When Kajsa tilted her head and asked them, Scarlet burst into laughter.

“Wow, that’s perfect. That’s perfect. Scammer couple.”

“It is, right? It’s really perfect, right?”

As Kajsa giggled with excitement, Jude spoke with a bitter expression.

“…I’m glad that the two of you are getting along well.”

“Because I like pretty people. What’s your other identity anyway?”

Kajsa shrugged and asked him, while Scarlet smiled when she heard the words
‘pretty people’ before she also turned to Jude.

“Scarlet already knows about it.”

The other identity of Jude and Cordelia.

“Cordelia and I are both nobles of the Salen Kingdom, and also the Rogue Master…
But we’re also members of the Guardians of the Holy Cross. And in my case, I’m also
Master Landius’ disciple.”
“Wait, Iron Man Landius? The Red-Haired Warrior?”

Kajsa asked in her surprise.

She was not surprised that they were members of the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

Even in the south, there were some people from the noble families who had joined
the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

But he’s Landius’ disciple?

That Iron Man Landius, and not just anyone else?

“Yes, that Iron Man Landius.”

“Wow, ohmigosh. Seriously, OMG. Wow, wow, wow. No wonder you’re so strong.
Wow, you’re Landius’ disciple! That Iron Man Landius!”

Kajsa was so thrilled that she even jumped from her spot.

She couldn’t help it because she was a big fan of Landius.

“Is Landius really that big? Are his muscles firm? No, it must be firm. That’s right, it’s
firm. It must be big and beautiful.”

Kajsa fell into her own world halfway when she was asking questions.

If it was the usual Jude, he would have just observed her, but this time, he
immediately brought her back to reality because they didn’t have the time for this.

“Anyway, the story that I want to tell is not about my master. It’s just to increase the
credibility of the story we’re about to tell you.”

Having said that, Jude took a deep breath and lightly patted Cordelia’s back. It was
his signal to her to join the conversation again.

Because the words he was about to tell them was important for both Jude and
Cordelia.

“Black Dragon Malekith. He’s aiming for the south.”

Jude slowly talked about what had happened so far.

Their encounter with Gamorr Khan, the boss of the Black Hand Mercenaries.

The fact that they learned from him.

“The resurrection of Malekith is near. The Guardians of the Holy Cross have already
asked my master and the other Paragon heroes for help in fighting Malekith.”

Ghostblade Kamael and Holy Angel Lena.

At Jude’s words, Scarlet crossed her arms.

“I see. So you’re trying to collect Carlos’ tokens, right? In order to unite the 7
southern families who are busy fighting each other.”

“Yes, Malekith is a strong enemy that cannot be stopped even if the entire south
unites against him. And in order to face him, a new Carlos must be born to lead the 7
southern families together.”

A new ruler of the south who would succeed Carlos.

“Hmm, all right. I somehow understand it.”

Kajsa nodded her head and crossed her arms like Scarlet as she said confidently.

“From what you have said so far, you’re asking us to fully cooperate in protecting the
south, right? Okay, I will cooperate. I’ll lend you all the powers of the Ophand family,
whether it’s my older brother or father. But on one condition.”

“To hand over Carlos’ legacy?”

“Because our side should also receive something. I won’t ask for it right now. If we
try to command the families by using it, some of them might rebel. So Carlos’ legacy
will be given to my Ophand family only after the fight is over. Because Carlos’ legacy
belongs to us in the south.”

To summarize, she wanted the two to help them become the rulers of the southern
region after the fight against Malekith.
‘As expected of the Sea Wolf.’

Someone who took advantage of an opportunity whenever there was an opportunity.

Her fierce smile and look were like that of a wolf.

“Okay, Cordelia and I are nobles from the north anyway. Our fief is also in the center.
It would be much better for us to do business with the Ophand family when they
become the ruler of the south.”

Even if they had all of Carlos’ possessions, it was impossible to become the ruler of
the south during peacetime, unless there was an emergency.

Jude readily accepted her condition, and Kajsa grinned again while Scarlet frowned.

“I’m saying this again because both of you seemed to have forgotten it, but there’s
someone who’s robbing the 7 southern families, right? They’ve already collected four
tokens.”

In other words, it was not the time to think of giving Carlos’ legacy to someone when
they had yet to obtain it.

“That’s right. So Kajsa, what do you think?”

“Out of the three remaining – no, there are two if you exclude my family. So you’re
asking on who we’ll pick first?”

Choosing attack over defense was something common for beast-like girls.

Kajsa snickered as if she was amused the moment she made her decision.

“Then it’s definitely Count Kagehama. Let’s start from there. Those b*stards have the
worst luck. Especially the second son.”

It was very much like Kajsa to give an emotional and personal reason rather than a
tactical reason.

Therefore, Scarlet felt pity for that family while Jude briefly had an internal conflict.

Should I agree to her decision or not?

But it was then.

[Jude, let’s do what Kajsa says. Somehow, I want to hit Count Kagehama first.]

She didn’t have a proper reason for it.

It was just her intuition.

Her intuition was somehow telling her to attack them first.

But because this was Cordelia’s intuition and not anyone else, Jude nodded
immediately.

“Okay, then let’s rob Count Kagehama first.”

“Yosh! All right! Let’s go!”

As Kajsa jumped in excitement, Scarlet looked at Jude with a disagreeing expression.

“Are we really going to do that?”

“Yes, because Cordelia also wants to hit Count Kagehama first.”

“And the reason?”

Scarlet was already looking at Cordelia and not at Jude.

So Cordelia replied with some hesitation.

“J-just because…”

I just felt it.

My intuition told me.

Scarlet sighed at Cordelia’s reply, and Kajsa laughed even louder.

“Kekeke, as I thought, we’re alike. My friend is like me, huh?”

Should I be happy or sad about that?

Cordelia awkwardly laughed at her beast friend’s declaration, and Jude turned to
Scarlet.

“Hey, Scarlet.”

“What? Black Cloak.”

“Have you made preparations?”

A preliminary investigation on Count Kagehama.

The layout of the mansion, their security system, and so on.

“You want me to give it to you when I’m the one who worked hard for this?”

“Because it’s for world peace.”

Scarlet frowned at Jude’s shameless answer as she really hated it, but it was only for
a moment. Her shoulders soon drooped and she nodded her head.

And that night, at a time close to midnight.

The ‘Night at Argon Port’, which lasted longer than usual, finally began.