NOVEL NEXT Chapter 63
An orphan with no parents, no name, and nowhere to go.
The girl was a common orphan in the slums.
She was a lost soul living in fear of death like everyone else.
The slums were an adult’s underworld. This meant a living hell for children.
Kids were bought and sold as slaves, often becoming easy targets for venting anger.
The five-year-old girl had endured the slums alone.
She survived by begging, merely trying to fill her growling belly.
But who could look at her and see a living person?
She wasn’t alive; she was a person on the brink of death.
When a child sat on the slum streets, they were often subject to numerous abuses.
The girl also ran away after being beaten by beggars for no reason.
There was even a time when she was betrayed by an adult she trusted and almost sold as a slave.
The only reason the girl managed to survive alone was that being alone was her only means of survival.
The girl wandered around with sores that festered and a hideous appearance.
Her whole body was covered in bruises, and one of her eyes wouldn’t even open properly.
As the visible scars increased, so did the scars on her heart.
Some adults showed pity upon seeing the girl.
However, they only expressed sympathy but never tossed a coin her way.
The girl’s world felt as dark as if it were cut off from sunlight.
In this place, children were beaten for no reason.
After all, life was something that was destined to be beaten to death eventually.
It’s probably more comfortable to die than to live like this now.
The girl clumsily reached into a passing man’s pocket.
Thud!
Before she could pull her hand out of the pocket, her wrist was grabbed.
All that remained was to be beaten to death now.
The girl closed her eyes and wished to be beaten to death quickly.
After that, the sensation she felt wasn’t painful at all.
A warm hand gently pressed down on her head.
“What’s your name?”
Coincidentally, the sunlight became a halo around the man.
The girl blinked twice and looked up at him again.
A smile as warm as the sunlight.
It was the first time she had seen someone smile like that in the slums.
“Would you like to come with me?”
“….”
He was clearly planning to sell her as a slave again.
Even though she was aware, she had no choice but to follow him.
How could she refuse when he offered such a large loaf of bread?
At that moment, the desire to fill her empty stomach came first.
Whether she was beaten to death by a passerby or a slave trader, it was all the same.
The girl rationalized her decision and nodded her head.
The man took her out of the slums and they reached the city.
In a grand inn, he filled the girl’s belly, washed her body, and disinfected her wounds.
“Are you okay? How did you manage to endure all this? You must have been in so much pain.”
His expression seemed to empathize with her pain.
The girl felt an unbearable warmth from him.
On one hand, the thought that this happiness might be all fake made her heart ache.
When morning comes, she would probably be seen as a slave again….
When night fell, she requested a night’s stay in a cozy bed.
As days passed, then two, then three.
Even after a week had gone by, the man filled her belly, washed her, and disinfected her wounds.
He was always there beside her, his warmth surrounded her.
The girl, filled with a tiny bit of hope, opened her mouth.
“Why did you save me?”
She was dying to know.
If he felt pity, it would have sufficed to just toss a coin or give her a piece of bread.
“Because you asked me to save you.”
“…I?”
“Yes. With your eyes.”
The girl’s eyes widened.
At that moment, her gaze had been one of pleading for death, but he saw a different kind of light in her eyes.
The girl began to learn a bit about him.
He was endlessly kind and gentle, someone who surely cared for others.
“…Name.”
“Huh?”
“Tell me your name.”
Until now, the girl had not known the man’s name.
She hadn’t particularly wanted to know.
But now she wanted to know.
“Wow, you’re in a hurry. I’ve waited a long time. How about Cecilia?”
“…?”
She had wanted to ask for his name.
Cecilia had inadvertently received a name.
For some reason, it felt even sweeter.
Cecilia awkwardly sat on his lap.
And then she burrowed into his arms, feeling his warmth.
He stroked her head as she gazed up at him cutely.
“What’s your name?”
“Ah, that was it. Just call me Dad.”
Cecilia shook her head.
“I don’t want a dad. He beat me and threw me away.”
“…I see.”
“And you’re younger than my dad. You can’t be my dad. Maybe if you were an older brother.”
“Thanks for saying that. Calling me ‘older brother’ might be too much of a stretch. Just call me Lucas.”
Cecilia slowly began to open her heart to him, believing he could care for her wounded spirit.
The man’s name was Lucas.
He also introduced himself as the Empire’s Hero, which sounded so romantic.
Lucas. My hero.
*
A month passed and Lucas said he was leaving to return as a hero.
Naturally, Cecilia followed him to the island.
Whenever Lucas was home, she clung to him every moment.
Seeing his warm smile and cozy warmth made her want to burrow deeper into his embrace.
It felt like the wounds in her heart were healing and the emptiness was being filled.
“Lucas. I wish you could stay home forever.”
Even this moment felt too short and she was dissatisfied.
It would be nice if they could be together every day, but Lucas spent half the day outside.
These days, when she acted spoiled in his arms, he often smiled awkwardly and pushed her away.
“It seems Cecilia needs me.”
“Yes. For a lifetime.”
“But Cecilia, I’m a hero of the Empire. There are many people who need me more than you do.”
“I hate the Empire. Be my hero.”
“Haha….”
Cecilia vaguely understood what a hero was.
She knew they were great people who protected the Empire, but that didn’t matter to her.
Cecilia only felt jealousy.
What’s the Empire to take my hero away?
Lucas was Cecilia’s hero.
*
Three years passed, and Cecilia turned eight.
Lately, her time with Lucas seemed to decrease significantly.
“Did you come, Ria?”
Ria was the affectionate name Lucas called her.
Cecilia loved his calling her name so much, but seeing him now, she pouted.
Lucas devoted himself to sword training outside whenever he had the chance.
Even now, he was out swinging his sword alone at dawn.
Cecilia approached Lucas and reached out her hand.
“Not the sword, Ria’s hand.”
“Hand?”
“Hold Ria’s hand.”
Each time she asked, Lucas smiled awkwardly but took her hand.
His hand was sticky with sweat and rough with calluses.
Only Lucas’s hands felt like they mattered more to her.
“Hey, Lucas.”
“Yes?”
“I want to marry you. You’re Ria’s hero.”
Lucas, as usual, took it to mean, “When you grow up, you want to marry Dad!”
Though Cecilia caught on that he took it that way, she meant it sincerely.
She didn’t know if her feelings would change when she grew up….
*
Five years passed, and Cecilia turned ten.
“Ria, do you want to try using a sword?”
When she showed jealousy and told him to stop training, Lucas made that suggestion.
Cecilia shook her head sulkily but then felt curious and asked.
“If Ria does it, do you like Lucas?”
“Of course. I’d be proud of you.”
“Then I’ll do it. Give me a sparkly sword.”
“This one… No, it’s not that you can’t, you just shouldn’t.”
“Ugh! Lucas, that’s so unfair.”
The sword Lucas held was more dazzling and beautiful than sunlight.
That sword was solely Lucas’s possession.
Cecilia took hold of a different sword he had given her.
She awkwardly drew the sword as he taught her, and soon Lucas let out a heartfelt exclamation.
“Oh. Ria has talent!”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. You’ve clearly learned something from watching me.”
“Ria is short. I can’t see over your shoulder.”
“Haha….”
Cecilia continued to train in swordsmanship with Lucas.
She didn’t find sword training particularly fun. She just enjoyed his compliments.
“The more I teach you, the better you get. If you keep this up, you might become a hero too!”
“A hero?”
“Yes. Will you become a hero for the Empire when you grow up?”
“I like heroes, but I hate the Empire. I just want to be Lucas’s hero.”
“Either way, you’ll be a hero. If you really become a hero, it would be destiny. Since we’re both heroes.”
“Destiny? I’m Lucas’s destiny?”
“Of course. If you become a hero like me.”
A fated partner….
Lucas was Ria’s hero.
Ria was also Lucas’s hero.
We are destined.
***
Ten years passed, and Cecilia turned fifteen.
Her feelings for Lucas remained unchanged from ten years ago to now.
Cecilia began to take care of herself as a woman.
She tried to show her feminine charm, but Lucas still saw her like a daughter.
No.
Now he didn’t see her as a daughter but as a disciple.
“Ria, you’re here.”
“Good morning, Master.”
Cecilia officially became Lucas’s disciple.
Her talent in swordsmanship was exceptional and caught the attention of the royal family as a future hero.
But it was merely in name.
Cecilia felt that they were not so different.
Living together in the same house.
They hadn’t married, but Cecilia thought they were basically like a married couple.
The two once again stood side by side, swinging their swords.
After a while, Cecilia noticed the sweat on her body starting to bother her.
As she released the sword, her rough callused hand emerged.
There were no characteristics of a woman; her hands were ugly and hideous.
Cecilia loved that Lucas liked to train with swords, so she had kept at it.
In reality, she wanted to hold her Master’s hand, not the sword.
“Can I stop here for today?”
“Why, is your body hurting? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just want to take a break.”
Cecilia looked at her Master, recalling the nightmares she had been having lately.
Her inner anxiety was growing.
What if she disappeared while dutifully serving as a hero?
“Master.”
Cecilia clutched the hem of her robe.
After a pause, she mustered the courage to say.
“Can you quit being a hero?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“I mean it literally. I’m worried for you. I’m so anxious. I feel like you’ll disappear one day.”
Cecilia took a deep breath and laid bare her feelings that she had been holding in.
“Please. Quit being a hero. And let’s build a house in the mountains where you love, just the two of us, living peacefully together. I want to live like that with you, can’t you do that?”
“Ria.”
“Of course, I’m happy now. I love being with you, Master. But sometimes, no, every day it’s too anxiety-ridden for me. Please, Master. Can’t we just live in peace like others?”
“Who will protect that peace?”
Cecilia bit her lip in silence.
Throughout their ten years together, she had felt him with her whole body.
Just from looking at his eyes, she could tell what kind of feelings he harbored.
“If you don’t quit being a hero, then I’ll leave.”
“Ria…? Why all of a sudden?”
“It’s true. I’m not lying.”
It was like a child’s tantrum. She wanted to break her Master’s stubbornness, even if it took that kind of statement.
Cecilia showed him her actions without saying any more.
She packed her things at home and stepped outside with her backpack, staring blankly at him.
“Master. I’m not joking.”
“….”
“I want to live a long time with you. Is that too selfish a desire? Just promise me. Quit being a hero. That alone is enough.”
Silence hung between them.
Cecilia bit her lower lip, her heart swelling.
“I’m leaving.”
With those parting words, Cecilia turned her back on him.
With each step she took, the distance between them grew.
Secretly, Cecilia wished he’d stop her.
However, even after leaving the house, she did not hear a single voice.
Cecilia gazed blankly at the house.
And then, as if sulking, she left that place, going against her feelings.
Little Cecilia had been overtaken by a rebellious spirit.
“…Don’t you dare regret it.”
Those were her words, but at least she planned to return in four days.
She thought that if she disappeared for a while, her Master might put some thought into it.
***
Four days passed, but Cecilia lost her way home.
She couldn’t believe the reality. She hadn’t heard of the Ten Hells invasion beforehand.
But people were saying that he died at the tenth level of the abyss.
“….”
The one who had become her whole life had vanished forever.
It was only then that Cecilia realized too late.
She had suspected in the back of her mind.
If she continued being a hero like this, she might die.
Even knowing this, she hadn’t stayed by his side and instead had acted out in annoyance.
If only she’d clung to him by force.
Even if just to not leave his side.
As the days went by, Cecilia’s mind deteriorated, and she felt increasingly hollow.
Even though she missed him so dearly, she couldn’t afford to die like this.
Only by dying could she face him again.
Yes, revenge.
Let’s kill the Ten Hells that made my Master die.
With that thought, she rallied her broken body and pushed away her sorrow, immersing herself in a thirst for revenge.
Cecilia steadied her shaken mind, leaning against her desire for revenge.
The imperial family supported her both materially and emotionally.
In the royal palace, Cecilia devoted herself to training almost daily.
She didn’t believe that healing her wounds meant she could just succeed in revenge.
If, after subduing the Ten Hells, the emptiness remained, she would willingly choose to die.
They said that when a hero dies, they become a star in the night sky.
Whenever she looked at the night sky, his face would come alive again, along with the tender feelings she had in those times.
If I die, will I become a brilliant star in the night sky and reunite with him?
***
Ten years with him.
Ten years without him.
During the time Cecilia lived after losing her Master, she only recalled the past.
She lived with the ten years of memories layered over each other.
And now.
The opportunity to take the first step in revenge had come.
The Abyssal Palace, 7th tier, the Shrine of Faith.
If she systematically attacked the Abyssal Palace, it wouldn’t be long before the Ten Hells would be subdued.
With that mindset, upon entering the 5th tier of the Shrine of Faith, Cecilia felt a question arise.
Dullahan, Insect, Vampire.
It was hard to believe these weaklings were the spawn of the Abyss.
Crash!
Even the Witch standing next to the boss was pathetic.
Cecilia turned her gaze once.
In her sight, the Death Knight remained still and unmoving.
“Why do you keep standing still?”
He was none other than the boss of the Abyssal Palace.
The monster of the newly formed Abyssal Palace that brought despair and fear to the Empire by easily killing two heroes.
Why was he watching while his underlings fell one by one?
The only action he had taken was following her movements with his eyes.
What kind of scheme was he hiding?
Cecilia shook off such thoughts and launched her attack.
Since he had been standing still, she allowed a direct hit.
For just a moment, Cecilia hesitated when she questioned her thoughts.
Creak—!
The sensation in her chest hit her at that moment.
“Ugh!”
In an instant, the overload staggered Cecilia. Simultaneously, she squeezed her eyes shut.
Thanks to Luna, the Moonlight Sword supporting her spirit, the recoil was just that.
Master, guillotine, the Witch’s village.
In a split second, memories swirled and began to fit together like a puzzle.
“…What is this, right now.”
It felt like her brain was going to break.
Nonetheless, the memories were painstakingly making their way back to place.
Finally, Cecilia’s eyes widened beyond their limits.
By reflex, she looked down at her chest.
The ruby crystal had vanished without a trace.
Her thought processes churned rapidly.
The ruby crystal was destroyed, and she regained her memories.
Her Master was executed for protecting the Witches.
Unable to control her rage, she had drawn her sword against the Empire.
After being subdued, her memories were artificially manipulated along with the ruby crystal.
“Oh….”
Within the natural gaze handling, the Death Knight came into view.
The Death Knight was collapsed with deep wounds all over his body.
This memory hadn’t been distorted.
He was indeed the boss of the Abyssal Palace.
But it was strange that the boss of the Abyssal Palace did not resist even now, moments from death.
Even at death’s door, the light of the holy sword he held shone exceptionally bright.
Until now, that brightness had reminded her of her Master and filled her with killing intent.
“…Why.”
Yet another question arose.
Why did he keep staring at her?
Whether close or far away, no matter which way he moved, his gaze obsessively followed her.
At first, she thought it was mere vigilance.
If it were true vigilance, why did he allow her to attack once it came down to it?
No. Before that, why was her ruby crystal destroyed?
When she stood before the Death Knight, was it purely coincidence?
In an instant, the words her Master left right before his execution came to mind.
Her Master had outright cursed humanity before passing.
And those with deep hatred for humanity are meant to be resurrected as undead.
“…No way.”
The holy sword’s light sparkled just like the time in her memory.
In the corner of her vision, she saw the Witch pinned against the wall.
This Witch, not even a monster, but a human, whom the Death Knight had kept by his side all this time.
Why throw a human who is equally hostile into the dungeon?
…The Death Knight’s gaze appeared to be fixated solely on her.
If there was any reason, it had to be to scrutinize her.
‘Is he trying to figure out who I am?’
The boss of the Abyssal Palace neither attacked nor resisted.
Instead of resisting, he had ended up destroying Cecilia’s ruby crystal.
In a situation where everything was poised against a razor’s edge, rather than anyone else, he broke the ruby crystal.
The jigsaw puzzle pieces were snapping into place.
Her frozen heart began to tremble once more.
With a sense of feebleness, Cecilia sank to the ground.
Instinctively, she crawled across the floor and approached him.
“Ah….”
Watching the Death Knight, whose purity began to fade, Cecilia moved her trembling fingertips.
“Don’t…. don’t, don’t, don’t…. Me, I, why…?”
From their touch, emotions welled up.
She had let him die while simultaneously ending his life by her own hand.
Only after the act had she realized what she had done.
This Death Knight was her Master.
“…Cecilia.”
“Yes, yes! That’s me! Ugh…. Why, why did I…?”
“Dog….”
A hoarse voice emerged feebly from her Master.
He could say no more, but Cecilia felt she somehow understood those final words.
Even while dying, he was fine.
He looked at her crying and asked if she was okay.
He would surely say it like that if it were him.
In an instant, Cecilia’s vision dimmed.
Her body wavered with the pain emanating from her shoulder. The black magic shot through her shoulder.
As Cecilia opened her eyes, she saw Charlotte bleeding from her head.
While she was preparing to cast again, Cecilia rushed towards her.
Just before Charlotte could widen the distance, Cecilia knelt.
“I’m, I’m so sorry. I’ll apologize for everything. So please…. Save my Master, please…. You’re a summoner, right? You can save Master, can’t you?”
“…What are you saying right now.”
“My Master is going to die like this. You can kill me right away. So just, please…. Save my Master….”
Charlotte stared at Cecilia with wide-open eyes.
Her fingertips pointed at the boss.