—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Hello, Professor Lyudmila.”
I greeted Lyudmila, who had come to find me.
“Have you found a successor this year?”
I wasn’t trying to tease her. It was just that it was still too early to be sure, even now that she was standing before me.
There were many others with archery skills similar to mine, so she might have simply come out of curiosity.
“A successor… I was considering Wilhelm, but he seems to be absent.”
That was true. Wilhelm hadn’t been visible since earlier. He might have gone to inherit his family’s bow.
‘If he’d had a Constellation, he might have inherited Lyudmila’s bow.’
Without a Constellation, the default was to inherit the Rosemound family bow. That would explain his absence. Lyudmila also seemed to understand the situation that way.
“Then…”
The options were narrowed down.
“Is it possible I could become the successor?”
“Well, honestly, based on archery skills alone, there’s no particular reason to choose you.”
She said that and glanced around.
“But the same could be said for the others.”
Indeed, she hadn’t chosen any of the promising candidates who had gathered the previous year.
None of them, except for Wilhelm, could have truly satisfied her. It was a little surprising, however, that she had approached me.
‘I wasn’t really expecting anything.’
Her prior interest in me was probably because she had sensed a bit of Allen Blake in me. But with my performance today, I had completely separated Allen and Seo Yoo-rang.
So I had assumed she’d no longer have any reason to be interested.
‘But was there something else that caught her attention?’
Lyudmila had sought me out. I wasn’t sure if she’d choose me as her successor, but it was clear she was still interested.
“So, what can I do for you?”
Why had she come to me?
She answered my question.
“I was curious.”
“About what?”
“About your identity.”
Her words were vague. Did she still suspect I was Allen Blake? Or was there something else she wanted to know?
‘Whatever it is…’
There was a limit to what I could reveal.
‘Well, I’ve also given a lot of thought to my own identity.’
Simply put, I was Allen Blake. But the existence of Seo Yoo-rang’s memories within me was difficult to ignore. I had lived as Seo Yoo-rang for the past few years.
‘But I wasn’t really Seo Yoo-rang.’
So, was I simply Allen Blake then? No, that didn’t feel right either. This whole line of thinking seemed pointless.
“I’m just me.”
That was the answer I had settled on. Call it avoiding the question, but there were far more important things to worry about.
“That’s enough.”
Perhaps it wasn’t the answer Lyudmila was looking for. But whatever she wanted, that was all I could offer.
“You’re just you…”
She nodded, as if my answer had somehow satisfied her.
“Is that why I felt it?”
She looked me in the eye.
“Because you’re just you. That’s why you could remain so composed, no matter the situation.”
That was partly true.
“Even if the earth splits and lightning strikes, I won’t change.”
No matter how strong my rivals, no matter how powerful the enemy I faced, I would remain myself. So I didn’t compare myself to others. I didn’t get scared.
‘It’s not just because I’m strong.’
Defeating three Demon Kings hadn’t made me arrogant. I was still weak. I had a slight edge in sword fights, but there were still countless opponents in this world I couldn’t defeat.
‘There’s no point in being afraid of them.’
Of course, I hadn’t always been this way. I used to be terrified of even a dying wolf. But I’d experienced a lot since then.
From the first Trial to the 71st Demon King. The second Trial in Sak and the Libero incident. In terms of sheer experience, the second Trial was far more significant.
‘That’s when Absolute Submission became practically useless.’
But at the same time, I, as myself, had limitations. That’s why I needed companions.
Yuseora, who could be considered stronger than me, Elsie, who would surpass me if the operation in the Lodreim Kingdom succeeded, and Gwen, who, upon recovering the Rose’s Sword, would burn brighter than anyone.
‘And I learned something from the third Trial.’
That trial, crafted by the God of Fate, had been horrific, but it had taught me something valuable: connections are a part of me. That’s why I decided to embrace them.
Now, I was fairly certain.
“So, to you too, I’m just me.”
Being Seo Yoo-rang didn’t change who I was. To her, I was Seo Yoo-rang. I didn’t insist Yuseora call me Allen partly to prevent any slips of the tongue, but also because, to her, I was Seo Yoo-rang.
“My archery skills are exactly what you see.”
I wasn’t hiding anything. I’d proven I was different from Allen, so swordsmanship was irrelevant. Regarding archery, I had nothing to hide. All she needed from Seo Yoo-rang was archery anyway.
“You mean your clumsy archery.”
The word “clumsy” stung a little. I’d practiced just as diligently as Wilhelm for a year.
‘Well, I suppose it has only been a year.’
And compared to Lyudmila’s skill, I couldn’t really argue with being called clumsy. Her next words were the surprising part.
“However, I am rather interested in your ability.”
“Which ability?”
I’d shown her two: Overload and the authority of the wind.
“Your wind magic.”
It seemed to be the latter. Wind magic… Well, magic was also a form of borrowing power through a contract with a god, so perhaps there wasn’t much difference on the surface.
“Yes, and?”
“If you use it well…”
She looked away.
“I think it would be quite compatible with my bow.”
Her bow—the 4-star sacred relic, Resonance. I’d never considered that the authority of the wind would be compatible with it. My knowledge of bows was limited to Seo Yoo-rang’s game knowledge, after all.
‘I never thought this would be the real world.’
How many people meticulously read item descriptions in games? But those descriptions were actually quite important.
Items that seemingly just had hidden stats could have variables based on their effects. And Lyudmila’s 4-star sacred relic, Resonance…
‘Honestly, it wasn’t very well-regarded.’
Most sacred relics were swords, so bow-type relics were rare. Among the few 4-star bow relics, Resonance’s reputation wasn’t great. There were even rumors that its hidden stats were on par with a 3-star.
‘Of course, in Lyudmila’s hands, it seemed much better than the Rosemound family bow…’
Strangely, the bow’s performance seemed to plummet once she wasn’t using it. And yet, Lyudmila was suggesting it would be a good match for my wind authority.
‘What kind of function does the bow have?’
I was curious.
“What do you mean, compatible?”
“Hmm, I think you’ll have to try it to understand. But I believe it will be a good fit.”
Her intention was clear.
“Are you offering me the position of your successor?”
Lyudmila nodded.
“I’ll likely be pressured by Kyle if I wait another year. But I don’t want to just give it away to anyone.”
Inheriting her sacred relic wouldn’t be bad. The question was whether I could use it. As she said, I’d have to try.
‘If all else fails, there’s still the reward from the God of Fate’s trial.’
I hadn’t used it yet, but this might be a good opportunity. Though it would be best not to rely on it.
“Alright. If I can use the bow, I’ll inherit it.”
Whatever the effects, a 4-star sacred relic was better than a 2-star from the church. If I could use it, that is.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Wilhelm! Wilhelm!”
A middle-aged man’s voice echoed in the hallway outside the auditorium. It was Lord Rosemound.
“Wilhelm, where are you?”
Wilhelm hadn’t returned after stepping out for some air. At the time, I hadn’t thought much of it, assuming he’d gone back to his classmates.
But he was still missing, even now that the graduation competition had ended.
“Where are you?”
The other candidates were gathered in the arena, waiting to meet with the Heroes. But Wilhelm was nowhere to be seen.
“Wilhelm!”
Just then, a figure appeared before him.
‘Hm?’
A pure white robe, seemingly out of place, like a ghost. The hood concealed an endless darkness.
‘This is…’
As a seasoned Hero, he recognized the figure.
“Are you an Apostle?”
An Apostle. Members of a special group within the church who served as the Pontiff’s agents, discovering Heroes and retrieving sacred relics. A group shrouded in secrecy.
“Lord Rosemound. It’s been a while.”
The figure didn’t deny being an Apostle. It seemed safe to assume it was one.
“High-ranking Hero, Yulen Rosemound, at your service.”
Whether or not it was an Apostle didn’t matter. He had a strong feeling this was connected to Wilhelm’s disappearance.
“Apostle, have you by any chance seen my son, Wilhelm Rosemound?”
The Apostle answered immediately.
“That’s precisely why I’m here.”
As he suspected, it was related.
“Where did he go?”
“Don’t look for him anymore.”
“What?”
Don’t look for him? That wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s the Apostles’ decision. You don’t need to know.”
“But he’s my son.”
“Isn’t it enough that he becomes the strongest archer?”
He was at a loss for words.
“That’s…”
“We will make him the strongest archer. Perhaps even more than that.”
“What does that even…”
“You don’t need to know any more.”
The Apostle turned to leave. Then, as a final decree,
“Hero Yulen Rosemound. When you retire, return your sacred relic to the church.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
