༺ Korin Guardians (5)༻
“Let’s end it here for the day.”
Master said, dismissing us once she was done looking over everyone’s postures and progress one last time.
“It’s already night. I didn’t realize it because the sun was up the whole time.”
“…Food.”
“Korin! Do you want to drop by the city and have a bite to eat?”
“Shall we?”
It was very likely that we would have to stay behind till late quite often from now on, so it seemed like a good idea to find a place to have dinner together or look for ingredients and cook at home. Fortunately, our office was in a good location and it probably wasn’t going to be hard to look for a nice restaurant.
“Can you stay behind for a bit, Korin?”
“Master?”
I gazed at her for a while, before turning to the members of my guild.
“You guys can go without me.”
When I sent everyone else back, Master Erin hopped forward and started caressing my head.
“You were excellent today. I could see a lot of your expertise in the fine and profound details, let alone your fundamentals.”
“It’s… still far from being enough.”
There was something I noticed during the fight against Tates Valtazar when our spears were aligned.
He wasn’t going all-out. He didn’t even use everything in his arsenal, and yet I had been absolutely crushed.
“Don’t feel too concerned about what happened with Tates. I am here to help you reduce that gap.”
“Thank you.”
Standing on her toes, she caressed my hair one more time before retrieving her spear through the Rune of Return.
“The reason I told you to stay behind is to help you grasp the dormant power inside you – the one that you can’t fully control yet, which right now you are just using as a storage for aura.”
“You mean the Aura Core of Sebancia Duke…?”
“What a nostalgic name. He was an outstanding person.”
“Do you know him?”
“Of course. Because he used to be my disciple 800 years ago.”
“Huh?”
The Great Hero, Sebancia Duke, who used to have absolute status 800 years ago was one of her disciples?!
“Mhmm. That was when I was roaming around the continent. It was only for 3 years but in his youth, he learned from me before going out into the world.”
After that, in reminiscence, she added how there used to be a rumor about her being an unaging witch.
“That young boy became a great hero after 20 years of time. It wasn’t so good towards the end, but…”
I told her about how I met Sebancia Duke’s soul in the library. She replied in awe, seemingly unaware of the fact that Sebancia Duke’s grimoire had been inside the campus.
“It must have been put in by one of my disciples from 100 years ago, Arum. Back when we were building the Great Library, there was a lot from my collection but there was also the contribution of my disciples.”
It was things like this that made me think about how human relationships tended to mysteriously link over time.
“The fact that Sebancia’s Aura Core ended up in your body, could perhaps be the work of fate.”
Master then said while tapping my spear with her’s.
“Try activating that power.”
I touched the Aura Core inside me – the one that used to belong to Sebancia and pulled out aura from it.
❰1st Demonic Spear, Darkness❱
“Sebancia used to embed the power from his Aura Core into his weapon, but what you are doing right now is not the correct way to use it.”
She rested her spear on my Silver Spear which was now tainted in darkness. When she did, the dark aura that used to dwell in the Silver Spear started moving over to her spear.
“Huh?”
“This is evidence that you have yet to master your control over aura. Besides, most importantly, it is because you haven’t understood the nature of Sebancia’s aura.”
Her spear that finished absorbing every bit of aura was now pitch black. She raised the spear high into the air… before striking down as if drawing a cross.
❰2nd Demonic Spear, Heaven Falling on Five Dragons❱
—Kwaaaaaang!
A roar resonated across Paradise. The mighty spread of aura sliced apart the distant clouds and injured the earth below.
“This is one of the skills that he polished time after time to behead the five evil dragons that were bringing chaos to the kingdom. As for the result… I’m sure you know that already.”
[Look. This is the heaven-defying power – the one I used in my youth to kill a dragon.]
I couldn’t help but gulp as I looked at the damage done to the world. It was something that would come out in the legends… Well, it might not be anything strange considering how he was a legendary hero himself.
“Right now. You have three things to work on.
“Firstly, be used to the manifestation of the Sun.
“Secondly, increase your skill with the spear even further, until you can truly master the Void.
“Lastly, you must perfect this power that Sebancia has left behind for you. You must learn how to embed the aura into the weapon using the 1st Demonic Spear, and use the 2nd Demonic Spear to release it, and also learn its final form.”
Master said with a smile while holding her white, glistening spear which regained its luster after releasing every bit of dark aura it had swallowed. It was a perfect and wonderful demonstration of aura manipulation. How much time would it have taken for her to reach that level? And how long did Sebancia take to reach that stage?
“Will I… be able to do it?”
It was then. Suddenly, her spear started flying at me. I used my spear to block that sharp, piercing attack and the clash of the two spears created a fluctuation in the air around us.
-Guuuuuung…!
The air continued to resonate as howling blades of wind surged out in all directions. It was a simple stab – just one stab and yet… it was followed by all sorts of world-quivering phenomena.
“Who do you think the one standing before you is? I, myself, am the first guardian of this world; the master of countless heroes. I am the Goddess of Heroes.”
Danann of Justice.
Master of Heroes.
Guardian of Humanity.
“I can assure you as the one who has raised innumerable geniuses, that you truly have the talent of a hero. Your talents are real.”
“Well… I also do think so myself.”
“Fufu. And I’m not just talking about your talent with the spear. You are talented in something that, believe it or not, is by far the most important thing for anyone looking to fight.”
“And… what would that be?”
“Conviction. An unbending conviction that lets you pronounce your presence to the world. That is the aptitude, talent, and foundation of a hero.”
Even though it’s not like I’m full of myself… there are actually a lot of big shots that spoke positively about me.
Lunia and Garrand the Sword Emperor were such examples, and even in the last iteration, Master had chosen me instead of Park Sihu. Even in this iteration…
[You have the right to inherit everything I once had.]
Sebancia Duke had chosen me as his inheritor. Like what Master said, there might be something about me that made them acknowledge me.
“I will pass down everything I have to you and perfect you. You will become the hero that will save this world, becoming stronger than anyone else.”
Saying that it was a gift to the one who volitionally vowed to become a hero, the goddess gave her blessings.
***
After the training was over, Master and I left Paradise and walked down the streets together.
“The restaurants seem to have changed a lot.”
“Have you not been here as Chairman Eriu?”
“That was a puppet after all. I did pretend to eat sometimes to avoid suspicion but that was it.”
It appeared that for her, who had been sealed for 80 years, meals were just a way to avoid suspicion.
“Ah, but Clara sometimes brought me food. Is it true that people eat raw fish these days?”
“You mean sushi?”
“Yes. Clara was appalled by it. That seems to be one of Hua’s favorite dishes though.”
“Let’s try it one day.”
“Sure. Any time.”
We started walking again. Even though she should have been here a few times as the chairman, she seemed quite excited now that she was walking down the streets with her true body.
“By the way, how did it feel manifesting the Sun?”
“…Honestly, it still feels like my inside is churning.”
It was possible to continue manifesting the Sun thanks to the infinite mana supply of Shadow Paradise but that came at the cost of my body. Making sure that it stayed there on top of swinging the spear was quite a horrendous experience.
“You have to get used to it. Claiomh Solais has already acknowledged you as its owner.”
“If I could compress the power of the Sun…”
…I would be able to reenact the ability of the all-powerful King, Eochaid Bres, who had pushed Park Sihu and me into a corner in the last iteration.
That would literally make me the God of the Sun, but there was another prerequisite that had to be met for that to happen.
“Don’t push yourself too much. If you overcome the trial at the Treasury, Mag Mell… You will receive Airgetlam of Nuada, made personally by Dian Cecht.”
Dian Cecht, and Nuada… When saying those names, there was a flicker of reminiscence and nostalgia in her eyes.
“…Were they your family?”
“Yes. Dian Cecht, Nuada and Lugh… We were all part of a family, because we – the Danann were one big community.”
Danann.
The race that used to reign over this land before humans – the so-called gods.
This continent, which was created by the Sky Titans, and enriched by the Danann, was invaded by the Goidels. They absorbed the goodwill and teachings of the Danann and eventually rebelled against the gods, opening up the era of heroes.
Buried in greed, they took Paradise for themselves, which was recorded in the Book of Invasions of Erinn.
The Danann thus fell from grace. Everything crumbled down, with the future weighing on the shoulders of a young Danann who had the same name as Paradise.
“Looks like I have gotten old, seeing how I feel nostalgic out of the blue.”
“That has nothing to do with age. Everyone’s like that.”
“Fufu… I don’t think you should, considering how young you are but…”
Master turned towards the sky with a blank gaze. She stared at the dark night sky as if relying on the stars above to reminisce about the past.
“They have all left. They left after fulfilling their duties. At times, I used to resent my ancestors for leaving preemptively, while leaving everything behind in my hands.”
A thousand years.
There was most likely no one in the world who could understand what was going through the mind of the final Danann, who had been quietly fulfilling her duties for over a thousand years.
“That must be why I was so delighted. Valtazar – Tates… was a child left behind by the ancestors. When I realized that I wasn’t the last of my kind like I had originally thought… I must have become too emotional.”
She blankly lowered her gaze towards me.
“I made a very big mistake in the past, and I have the duty to rectify it. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Are you… really going to involve yourself?”
“I can’t leave it to children, can I?”
This topic had been a constant source of dispute for us. I wanted to hide her in the Shadow Paradise as much as possible but… in the end, I couldn’t dissuade her.
“Adults can’t hide behind children. Even if something bad were to happen to me, I…”
“Erin.”
“Huh?”
When I suddenly called her by her name, Master widened her eyes into circles and looked straight at me while blinking her circular eyes. Looking down into her eyes, I forced her next to the wall and declared.
“In the future, I lost a lot of my companions. To Fermack, Dun Scaith, Dumnorix, and Eochaid… my comrades were killed, and there were many people I couldn’t save.”
“Ko… rin?”
“That includes you.”
“But this… is something I must do…”
“No. This time, it’s different. I won’t let a single person slip by. No one will be left to die.”
“Uht…?”
This might be a form of obsession and me being stubborn, but if I really was someone worthy of being chosen by the God of the Sun, by the system, and by the Master of Heroes…
“You are not going to die this time. Because I will save you.”
“But that’s…”
“Trust your disciple. You said I have the qualifications of a hero, did you not? Erin. All you have to do is trust me and stay behind my back.”
Perhaps I was being arrogant. Maybe I was way too self-centered.
“I will not disregard the misfortune of the good. Ever since I engraved that vow onto this body, I have never given up on you.”
“…”
“So don’t act like you have lived enough or like you are ready to leave the world in front of your disciple. Ask anyone here and they’ll say you look like my younger sister.”
“That’s just because I don’t age…”
“It doesn’t matter if you have lived a long life or not. Both you and I still have a long way to go. We can continue to live while anticipating what will come tomorrow.”
Facing her, who still seemed dumbstruck, I floated a wide smile.
“E~verything will turn out just fine. I am sure it will.”
“Fufu…”
At last, she started to smile again. She appeared dumbfounded seeing a youngster like me acting like an adult.
“Right. You are an adult.”
“Of course. I am obviously a very mature adult if you consider my experience from the future. I’m 22.”
I was actually over 40 but… that was beside the point.
“You are still wayyy~ too young. Compared to me.”
“Nope. Everyone’s a friend above 20.”
“Really?”
“So go out, have some delicious food, make friends, buy nice clothes and enjoy your life. You have someone who is willing to do all of that together right next to you.”
“???”
Master looked around, before turning back to me with flushed cheeks for some reason.
“Then can you do that with me, Korin?”
“Why not.”
I was actually talking about Lady Josephine but… well, I guess she wasn’t here right now.
“Let’s do everything together.”
“Ah~ I’m so lucky! I wasn’t expecting such a fortune to arrive near the end of my life… Uht!?”
She was acting like this was the end of her life again so I chopped her head with my hand. Master Erin gazed up at me in stupor with blinking eyes after being hit by her disciple all of a sudden, but I brazenly opened my mouth.
“You look so pretty and young but that’s all for nothing when your mind is so old! Cynicism and pessimism are far from being helpful.”
“Umm… Right.”
“The amount of time you have lived until now doesn’t mean anything. Stand up. Make your back straight! Bring your chest out! If you have the belief that everything will be fine, you can be considered young no matter how old you really are.”
“Haha. Where did you learn to say these things?”
“They all come from the honesty of my heart, beautiful lady.”
Holding onto her hand, I kissed the back of her hand and looked at her with a smile.
“Seriously… I can’t beat you with words.”
“A master shouldn’t be trying to beat their disciple.”
The reason I went back in time–
The reason I shouldered the destiny of saving the world instead of the player.
It was all because I was one hell of a greedy bastard, who wanted to save everyone.
This was something I could not back down on.
The world saved by me needed to have everyone in it. No one was allowed to be out of that picture.
That night, I pledged to myself yet again.
***
Germain Luther was a spy dispatched by the Old Faith.
His role was to save Captain Laurent, who was arrested while attacking Hua Ran under the command of Bishop Renault Lusignan, as well as gathering information from Merkarva and sending it to the headquarters.
The original plan was to save Laurent in collaboration with the Tower of Mages, but unfortunately for them, the stupid mages of the Tower ended up ruining it.
After Elder Morushtan was arrested by Saintess Estelle, they became too hasty and were in too much of a rush.
This was why he didn’t like the heretics of the Tower… And yet despite all that, they still had the guts to tell him to find out the date of Elder Morushtan’s relocation to the Grand Chapel of Zeon.
It was incredibly irritating, but Germain was the only one inside the Academy who could gather meaningful information so there was a lot on his shoulders.
“Huu…”
It was great that he was able to smooth his way into the Academy without raising any suspicion, but because of the aggressive actions of the special ops of the Old Faith and the rash terrorist attack of the mages of the Tower, the Academy was currently on full alert mode.
He was stopped no matter where he went and gathering information became a lot harder, meaning that it was going to be an arduous battle.
As a single student, who was a mere freshman, it was difficult to find reliable pieces of information.
That day was the same as always. Germain was walking across the campus without any success.
“Hoh~. Look who it is. It’s one of our promising juniors, isn’t it?”
Someone amicably spoke up to him. It was a very familiar voice.
“Umm… Senior?”
“How are you doing these days? Doing alright?”
A 2nd-year Senior threw his arm around his shoulders with his usual wild-looking smile on his face. Germain was quite fond of his open attitude that easily let him befriend anyone.
“Haha. We just finished our interim exams so… I can finally take a breather now.”
“Oh yeah? It is a lot harder in your 1st year, because of all the other subjects that you need to take apart from your electives.”
That was one of the other problems that deterred Germain from gathering information. Although the Academy was well-known for giving a lot of spare time, that was only for the 2nd years and above.
Freshmen students had to learn survival skills, map-reading skills, and whatnot, so it was incredibly difficult to find time apart from late afternoons.
“Oh right, Junior. Do you remember my offer?”
“Umm… By offer, you mean…?”
“I just created a Guardians Guild. It’s hard to find someone with good skills like you even from the 2nd year students after all. So, how does it sound?”
Thoughts on joining our Guild?
[Be mindful of the help that comes when you need it the most.]
Germain Luther was still too young to be rational enough to understand that concept.
