#251
The monster’s huge arm, which had risen to the point of reaching the sky, suddenly stopped in the air as if it had reached its limit. A dead silence came briefly. But the silence soon turned into an angry roar.
A huge arm tore through the air and struck down terrifyingly. What blocked that enormous power was the basalt iron wall that rose countless times above the battlefield. That was the <Iron Fortress> of the Bangho Empire.
The arm of ‘Beusbrihel’ collided with the huge iron wall, creating a sharp sound. After that, with a loud crashing sound, the iron wall disappeared without a trace.
“What is this… . “Hey, it’s not a joke, is it?”
Ri-jeong, who seemed to have come to her senses and crawled next to Se-hyeon, wiped cold sweat from under her mask and spoke to her. It was as if he had barely escaped the fear infection.
“Are Hume and Ryoma okay?”
“I am… Cluck, cluck… !”
“This is Heo-eok, it’s okay, don’t worry about it.”
Hume was coughing continuously, probably due to the aftereffects of nausea, and Ryoma looked quite fine, although his complexion was pale.
“Haha, the ruling empire that told us to deal with that, or the protection empire that stopped that… . “What does it look like?”
“But thanks to Mr. Teo, I think we all escaped the fear infection.”
Sehyeon’s eyes turned to the barren battlefield. In that place where the desolate wind blew, there were tens of thousands of troops rising up one by one with weapons in hand. People who were in panic were breathing heavily and looking back at themselves.
“We prepare too. Mr. Hume, it would be better for you to get some rest.”
“No, now let’s go…” ! “It’s okay!”
Hume violently stood up, shaking off the saliva on the back of his hand. Now that the battlefield was coming into its own, Sehyeon also had to prepare to fight back.
The role played by Sehyeon’s team in this mock battle was the limbs of ‘Beusbrihel’. It is a matter of becoming a member of the heretic sect and engaging in a fierce battle against the opposing empire.
In all likelihood, ‘Beusbrihel’ will not be the only enemy you will face on the final day. It was not possible to rule out the possibility that his limbs would take on some form, as was realized in the tower.
Therefore, in order to prepare for large-scale battles, it was necessary to separate training into ‘friendly’ and ‘enemy’ forces.
A shout was heard from the battlefield. Thousands of vassals rushing forward with blood vessels on their necks were gnashing their teeth in preparation for the fierce battle ahead.
Everyone was shouting that they wanted to live. I was crying because I wanted to see the end. Sehyeon watched that scene for a long time.
If there really is such a thing as fate, I wanted to ask. Can we live?
I closed my eyes, and everything that shimmered disappeared. The first time both sides began to fight against ‘Beusbrihel’ was when a huge explosion occurred over the battlefield. And as if that was the starting point, thousands of armies began to meet like waves over the barren land.
It was the beginning of a mock battle for a three-month long journey.
***
3 months. It was a time I had never thought of as being too short in my life. Although there were times when I hoped it would go quickly, I never prayed that each day would not come, so these three months were particularly short.
“Mr. Sehyeon.”
Sigh-
Kwak Jeong-han appeared at the feet of Se-hyeon, who was sitting on the dockside of a lake at dusk and dipping his feet in the water. Water dripped down his chin as he leaned out onto the calm surface of the water. Owl’s head soon popped out next to Kwak Jeong-han.
“Can’t you sleep?”
“A croak?”
Kwak Jeong-han grabbed Se-hyeon’s feet in the water and began massaging them gently, as if applying acupressure. Sehyeon’s toes trembled.
“ah… . That too, I came to see Kwak Jeong-han and Aul for the last time.”
Owl, who was watching Kwak Jeong-han’s hand carefully, grabbed Se-hyeon’s other foot and started massaging it in the same way. It was so cute to see him wriggling his little hands, so Sehyun had to giggle along the way. Different body temperatures were felt at his toes.
“You both go in and sleep for today. And Kwak Jeong-han, ugh… . “It hurts a little.”
“Does it hurt?”
The hand that was pressing the round area under my foot quickly relaxed and lazily brushed my skin. Owl’s touch also became softer. Sehyun stretched out his hand and touched the two people’s faces. He handed over Kwak Jeong-han’s wet hair and stroked Owl’s soft hair.
“… “You both know what day tomorrow is.”
Instead of answering, Kwak Jeong-han buried his lips in Se-hyeon’s hand and closed his eyes. Owl just blinked his clear eyes and quietly looked up at Sehyeon.
tomorrow. It was finally the day when the long and short three months came to an end.
It was a harsh three months. It was a series of days like a thorny road, and it was a long moment so harsh that I vomited blood. In fact, there were many times when many people almost died. There were some who gave up for a moment and turned away, and there were many who collapsed under the pressure and were unable to stand up.
Every minute and every second was a waste. Resting for half a day, let alone a day, was as if I was out of breath, so I got up and ran the long way again. Everyone is.
Three months when I felt like I was going to die. With the ending finally over, everyone was spending their last night.
“So, go in and rest today.”
“yes.”
“A croak.”
Unlike other days, Kwak Jeong-han and Owl answered without regret. Kwak Jeong-han and Owl had already been promoted to hero level. All existing heroes have become legendary grade, and all existing knight grade vassals have also completed their promotion to hero grade.
“What a time… “That’s fast.”
I met many vassals during the day and exchanged greetings for what might be the last time. Even though they looked like they were going to cry, no one was crying. After traveling around the empire for a long time and meeting all the heroes and legendary vassals, Sehyeon visited this place for the last time.
I couldn’t decide right now if it was okay or not. Even though my heart was beating rapidly, it stopped beating as if it disappeared at some point. Even though it didn’t stop, I felt like I was dead.
There were times when I was so tense that I even forgot to breathe. And now, everything was quiet, as if empty.
“Mr. Sehyeon.”
I could see Kwak Jeong-han’s eyes right in front of me. His wet hand gently touched Sehyun’s cheek.
“You don’t have to worry. Haven’t you put in a lot of effort to fight? “It won’t be a waste of time.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
Sehyun said that with a smile. And then he stretched out his arms and hugged Kwak Jeong-han tightly. I felt arms tightening around my back. He hugged him and then gave Owl an equally tight hug.
It was almost time to go. The wind scraped across the lakeshore like a long sigh. It was at that time that Kwak Jeong-han offered something. When the moon above the water becomes cloudy.
“Aul and I made it together. Originally, I wanted to give it to you earlier… “I’m giving it to you now because circumstances don’t allow it.”
What Kwak Jeong-han presented was a wooden sculpture. It was rough, rough, and even sloppy, but you could see at a glance that sincerity and effort had been put into it.
It resembled Sehyeon. The calm atmosphere of the abundant wings was reflected in the sculpture. For some reason, it felt like more effort was put into the face and wings than other areas.
“It’s me. But I think you glamorized it too much. “I’m not this pretty.”
“That’s who we see, Sehyun.”
“A croak.”
Kwak Jeong-han spoke with a calm smile, and Owl timidly nodded and agreed. As I touched the rough wooden surface, I thought of the shapes that must have been refined over a long period of time.
Sehyun held it in her hand and smiled softly.
“Thank you, Kwak Jeong-han and Aul. When I return, I will give you both one of my feather pillows in return. You said you would give it to Kwak Jeong-han a while ago, right? He also collected a lot of feathers and, well… “If I give it to you, will you go to bed early?”
Kwak Jeong-han and Aul’s eyes turned to the neat wings over Se-hyeon’s shoulder. He glanced at me once and then looked away, but even though he didn’t say anything, he didn’t show any displeasure.
Until then, Sehyun didn’t know. Kwak Jeong-han and Awl are going to carry pillows in their inventory.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“You two, stop coming up. “Let’s go together.”
“I’ll take you to the bar, Sehyeon.”
As soon as Kwak Jeong-han and Aul, who came out of the lake and climbed up, shook off the water, the three started to leave the lakeside together. For the first time, Kwak Jeong-han and Owl did not look back the entire time they left the lakeside.
It may have been an act of wanting to get rid of lingering regrets. Otherwise, they don’t want to disparage their hard work and have done their best to grow.
As Sehyun brushed the backs of the hands of the two people tightly held in her hands, she remembered the smell of the lakeside that might be her last. Even though it was a smell I was used to, for some reason, it was a night that felt particularly unfamiliar.
The way to see off Kwak Jeong-han and Awl was the same. It was an unusually quiet street, as if everything had stopped. The reconnaissance unit, which was always visible, had all returned to their lodgings early today, so the streets were empty.
“Please go in.”
“A croak.”
Kwak Jeong-han and Aul said goodbye in front of the castle tower. Instead of answering, Sehyun nodded and turned his back. Then, he took back the wooden statue he had put in his arms and held it.
After climbing the tower, sweeping the surface of the statue out of habit, Sehyeon was standing in front of the door of her room when she came to her senses.
Inside the room I opened the door expecting cold air, there was a familiar shadow. Wings large enough to cover the window. And a face with its back to the window has a vague outline.
The sight of Ruhak there took the chilly air out of the room. Sehyun just looked at Ruhak. He had his back against the moonlight, so he couldn’t even see his face, but he felt intense gazes on him.
After a while, when Sehyeon was shivering from the cold wind, he put down the wooden statue on a nearby table and slowly approached Ruhak.
