NOVEL NEXT Chapter 76
Chapter: 76
The boy was nothing.
He didn’t even know his hometown, had no idea who his parents were, and barely survived by rummaging through garbage in the corner of the village.
All he had was a tattered rag someone had thrown away – a total broke kid.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he suddenly collapsed and died, being just an orphan.
The turning point in this boy’s short life came when he met the pilgrims of the Temple of Life.
Those folks traveled the world, spreading the message about the nobility of life.
They were the great Mother of Life’s devotees—praising her name while healing and caring for other lives.
So, it was probably no shock that the small, dried-up kid caught their eye.
The pilgrims took him in because nurturing orphans with nowhere to go was part of their life’s work.
Some of these pilgrims were orphans themselves who had been taken in this way.
And just like that, the boy began to wander the world alongside the pilgrims.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The boy thought,
Why is the world so harsh?
If everyone just helped each other out a little bit, wouldn’t the world be a better place to live in?
Just a tiny bit of compromise, just a smidgen of understanding, and life could be so much better for everyone.
But people didn’t do that.
He watched them bicker over limited resources, envy their neighbors, and live greedily, and he couldn’t wrap his head around it.
No, it was actually that people couldn’t understand him.
The boy’s inherent goodness just didn’t click with this era.
You could even say he was a heretic of his time.
Thank goodness he got picked up by the pilgrims of the Temple of Life; at least his goodness didn’t get crushed under societal pressure.
As the boy served as a little helper to the pilgrims, they traipsed around together,
“Find the one who can grasp the sword. That person shall become a warrior’s sword to protect mankind.”
The goddess’s oracle spread amongst all the pilgrims.
The boy didn’t hear the voice; it was a call for them to find the one worthy of the goddess’s sword, and wow, the pilgrims were over the moon!
There were tales of folks in the past who could chat directly with the Mother of Life, but those days were long gone.
So, the oracle from the Mother of Life sent waves of excitement through the Temple of Life’s members.
“There’s a sword we’ve never seen before in the temple!!”
“Is this the sword granted by the goddess!!!”
“Spread the word! The goddess’s sword is right here!”
“Whoever pulls out the sword will become the goddess’s warrior!!”
News traveled faster than a speeding bullet.
Pilgrims scattered across the globe quickly spread the word, and soon enough, the world was buzzing because of the goddess’s sword.
For the following year, anyone with free time flocked to the Temple of Life’s headquarters, all eager to try pulling out the sword.
And guess what? They all flopped.
Some folks exclaimed,
“It’s weird that so many failed!”
“The goddess must’ve intentionally given a sword that can’t be drawn!”
Others chimed in,
“No one matching the criteria has shown up yet.”
“The one who can draw the sword hasn’t made an entrance yet.”
The disgruntled grumbled,
“This sword is just the goddess messing with us!”
In reality, the goddess probably cooked up some monsters to have humans duke it out against each other.
Of course, the last guy who tried got the stuffing knocked out of him and had both arms broken before being shooed away. But he lived to tell the tale, likely a last act of mercy from the Temple of Life.
Anyway, once no one dared to attempt drawing the sword and embarrass themselves anymore, the boy boldly approached the sword that had seen countless failures.
Thanks to tagging along with the pilgrims, he didn’t go hungry, but he wasn’t exactly well-fed either, so he stood there, a scrawny kid, looking at the sword while the other onlookers began chuckling at him.
“What’s this weak little kid thinking, standing in front of that sword?”
“Leave him be. Just a naïve child acting foolishly.”
“Seems like he’s one of those orphans taken in by the Temple of Life. Dreaming away in vain is no big deal, right?”
Ignoring the adults’ jabs, the boy stood in front of the sword.
What surged in his heart was simple curiosity.
What kind of sword was this, crafted by the goddess herself?
Is it true that it grants wishes?
And the rumor about marrying the goddess… well, that’s probably just a tall tale. But if it’s the real deal, wouldn’t he finally meet the Goddess of Life?
With such thoughts swirling in his mind, he grasped the sword.
Clank.
The sword didn’t budge.
As expected. Even the burly adults couldn’t manage to pull it, so how could a small, fragile boy do it?
The person suited for this sword was definitely someone strong and dashing—not a scrawny child like himself.
Still, despite those thoughts, the boy gave it one last heave and yanked the sword out.
And then.
Clang.
Whoosh.
The iron chains released, and the sword embedded in the rock was finally pulled free.
The boy was completely baffled by what he saw.
Why was the sword coming out? He couldn’t figure it out at all.
As the large sword dug into the rock began to surface, an eerie silence enveloped the crowd.
They were staring in disbelief, their eyes wide with astonishment.
The sword, which hadn’t moved for a year, was now held aloft by that puny child.
“You! You! Hand over that sword!!”
“Money! I’ll give you however much you want! Just sell me that sword!”
“What the heck! I am Orcus, the Second Prince of the Arcad Kingdom! If you hand that sword over, I might spare your pathetic life!”
It was only natural for everyone’s gaze to shift to the boy in this wild situation.
Unconsciously, the boy took a step back, and the mob of adults closed in on him.
It was a scene akin to madness. They were losing their sanity and turning into wild beasts. The boy began to feel scared as the predators seemed ready to devour him.
But someone came to save the boy.
“That’s enough,”
said a silver-haired girl with horns on her head, who had appeared out of nowhere.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
I let out a little sigh at the crazy look in the greedy people’s eyes.
Human greed knows no bounds! Repeat the same mistakes over and over… But that’s probably not the right thing for me to say now.
Well, I certainly don’t want to allow the hero I just picked to dive headfirst into misanthropy. It’s best to nip this in the bud.
Hmm. I was thinking about assigning a dragon or a child from the Temple of Life to assist the hero, but, oh well, since he’s the first hero, I guess I’ll take care of him myself, even if it’s a bit of a hassle.
Human lifespans only stretch a few decades. Even if I’m super busy, squeezing just a bit of time shouldn’t be a problem.
So.
“That’s enough.”
I presented myself.
“Those who aren’t qualified cannot wield this sword, so everyone else ought to back off and withdraw.”
A quiet warning. At the same time, all human footsteps came to a halt.
Every gaze fixed on me. What’s with the staring? Haven’t you seen a girl sporting horns before?
But that mindset only lasted a brief moment, as they kept advancing. My mere appearance wasn’t enough to halt their tracks.
Of course, that was expected. The sword made by the goddess herself. Its allure was strong enough to cloud the judgment of even the wisest mortals.
So, I clicked my tongue softly.
“Step behind me.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
After shielding the boy behind me, I addressed the advancing crowd.
“If you retreat now, it will all be as if nothing happened. Your rudeness, your insensitivity, your slip-ups, and your mistakes will all be swept under the rug. But—”
With a casual flick of my right hand, I carved a line into the stony ground with an invisible slash.
“If you cross this line, brace yourselves.”
At my calm words, the humans’ footsteps paused momentarily.
“A beast person…?”
“No way, beast women don’t have horns like that…”
“Then, is it a man with that appearance?”
“No way!!!!”
“No, with looks like that, I guess a guy could be possible after all…”
Possible? What possible?
I forcefully tamped down the anger bubbling up inside me and spoke.
“I am the representative of the Goddess of Life. The chosen one has appeared, and I’ve come to guide him. So, everyone else should back off.”
With my plea, they began to step back, little by little. No matter how wild their eyes were, surely, no one would dare to challenge a representative of the Goddess?
“Get out of the way! Get out of the way, you weaklings!!”
I too have felt that way at one point…
“The Second Prince of the Arcad Kingdom, Orcus, demands you! Hand over that sword immediately! Then, I’ll spare your life!!”
Ah, the fool was found. No, “fool” doesn’t even cut it.
The Arcad Kingdom must be the strongest among human nations now, but this second prince is throwing a tantrum like this? The kingdom’s future looks bleak!
I couldn’t help but sigh softly.
“Oh ho! Did you say you’re the representative of the Goddess? You’re exceptionally beautiful too! Excellent! Hand over that sword and that girl! Or else, you’ll face the wrath of the Arcad Kingdom! The Temple of Life, just a bunch of weak pilgrims, will crumble by dawn!”
Now, talk about crossing lines. Seriously. I would’ve loved to smash him to bits, but this is the first hero I’ve picked, and he’s still just a kid, so I want to keep his hopes up.
Taking a deep breath to ease my rising fury, I spoke with composure.
“You silly brat, you’ve got zero manners. Did your parents raise you like this?”
Oops, that was a slip-up.