Chapter 180: Heart

Kaen wandered around the manor, waiting for Aindel.

She had said she would return around sunset due to some business at the palace, but she hadn’t returned even after the sun had completely set.

“She’s late…”

Suddenly, an unfamiliar foreboding feeling crossed Kaen’s mind, but she shook her head.

Hadn’t the atmosphere around Aindel been the same until this morning? It was time, so she would be back soon.

At that moment, Nuremberg came down from upstairs. Kaen asked him, “Aindel is late, Mr. Nuremberg. She said she would only talk briefly with His Majesty the Emperor and return.”

“…”

Nuremberg’s face was bitter without any response.

Kaen’s expression also began to harden as she sensed an odd sign from Nuremberg.

“Kaen, Aindel, she…”

Woosh!

With a dazzling light, the Holy Sword appeared in the empty space right in front of Kaen.

Simultaneously, the surroundings were dyed entirely in pure white. Startled, Kaen looked at the enormous figure that had appeared before her.

-I will begin the succession. Accept the power of me and Aindel.

And in the next moment, an irresistible, immense power surged through his entire body.

At the same time, something continuously flowed into her mind. It was Aindel’s legacy—the profound techniques she had learned and used throughout her life: swordsmanship, martial arts, magic control, all the way to the profound mysteries Kaen had yet to reach.

The seemingly eternal moment lasted no more than the blink of an eye in reality.

After the succession ended, when Kaen regained her senses, the surroundings had returned to the manor’s hall.

Standing dazed for a while, Kaen gripped the Holy Sword before her.

At the sudden change in the atmosphere, Nuremberg realized that the succession had ended perfectly.

“What is this…?”

In an instant, the Holy Sword dispersed into light and vanished.

Tears streamed down Kaen’s face as she sensed something had happened.

“What is this, Mr. Nuremberg? Where is Aindel right now?”

Nuremberg opened his mouth.

“Aindel… went alone to Altelore to fight the Demon King.”

“What did you say?”

“As you know, Aindel’s remaining lifespan was limited. So, instead of dying without accomplishing anything after the succession, she made a choice.”

What more could be said?

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why?!”

Facing Kaen’s gaze, filled with anger and despair, Nuremberg could only utter the words.

“I’m sorry, Kaen.”

***

Kaen, please forgive me for leaving this final farewell in a letter.

I will meet my death at the hands of the Demon King in Altelore. You probably heard from Nuremberg why I made this decision. It was a predetermined fate, but my choice was my own.

If you have successfully inherited the Holy Sword, not only the sword’s power but also everything I’ve accomplished would have been fully passed on to you. The training over the past few years was all meant to prepare you to receive those powers effortlessly. I sincerely hope that the succession has concluded without any major issues.

The invasion of the demons will probably commence very soon. Once my absence becomes known, there will probably be great confusion within the alliance. So, Kaen, I hope you can take on my appearance using the power of the Holy Sword and fight as the hero.

Honestly, I don’t know what else to write.

There are so many things I want to tell you, but I’m not sure what to say. Kaen, you must be curious as well, but you haven’t asked me many things during this time. However, I don’t want to lay out all the intricate stories in detail in this letter.

Kaen, on one hand, I had hoped that you wouldn’t inherit the Holy Sword.

It’s not because I don’t trust you. If the inheritance had gone smoothly, you would have become a much greater hero than me. It’s just that, like how you think of me, you were also a precious existence to me.

I lived my whole life on the battlefield. My family died in the war caused by the demons, and I, the sole survivor, gained the power of the Holy Sword. I killed countless demons and eventually sealed the Demon King, but the war still didn’t end, and my task wasn’t over. To prevent the resurrected Demon King, a new hero who would inherit the Holy Sword was needed.

Although it started because of the inheritance, the past few years were an invaluable time for me to temporarily escape from that battlefield. At the crossroads of life, the reason I could feel no regrets was largely thanks to you, Kaen. I truly mean it.

Kaen, I’m truly sorry.

Even until the end, there’s a truth I can’t tell you directly. So, all I have is a heart full of apologies.

Even if you were to learn of it later, I hope you would understand that it wasn’t that person’s fault. They could only inflict a great wound upon you, but their feelings toward you were entirely sincere. There is absolutely no falsehood in that.

And this is a story for a more distant future.

I have no doubt that, Kaen, you will be able to defeat the Demon King. However, even after that, there will always be an unending cycle of conflicts in the world. Even if the demons are completely wiped out.

I hope you won’t be greatly disappointed by that fact. Remember the conversations we’ve had so far? I wish you could understand why I was able to continue fighting.

As I write this, I realized I’m asking for a lot of things even though I’m someone who left without even saying goodbye.

Even if you forget everything, I won’t harbor any resentment. I have no right to say this, but I truly only wish for Kaen’s happiness.

Defeat the Demon King and surely find your own happiness.

Take care, Kaen.

Kaen read all of Aindel’s letter that were passed on to her by Nuremberg and set it aside.

Her head was spinning, and the contents of the letter didn’t quite register in her mind.

…Wishing for happiness? To defeat the Demon King and find happiness?

Kaen felt resentment towards Aindel.

Leaving without a final word and then saying such irresponsible things—how could she do this?

She had nothing now. There was really nothing.

Aindel, her father, Ran, her friends—they were all gone, vanished, betrayed, fallen into the hands of demons.

All that remained was a burning desire for revenge and the task she had to fulfill as the hero inheriting the Holy Sword.

“I can’t be happy anymore, Aindel.”

Kaen folded the letter neatly, tucked it into her arms, and rose from her seat.

Saaaah.

The Holy Sword summoned into the air enveloped Kaen in light.

After the light disappeared, in her place stood not Kaen, but Aindel.

As she left the room and descended the mansion’s hallway, Nuremberg, who had been standing there all along, was taken aback when he saw her.

“…Is it Kaen?”

Kaen spoke.

“I have to deliver the news to the Emperor. I’m heading to the capital.”

***

After the hero bid farewell and left, I gazed out of the window for a long time.

The crimson sunset descended upon the castle and, as time passed, darkness covered everything. It was only after the day had fully dimmed that I withdrew my gaze from the window.

Was it over?

I had a feeling that by now, the final outcome had been reached.

I sat down at the desk and took out the small notebook from the drawer.

After somehow becoming the Seventh lord, during the time I stayed at the Overlord’s castle, I transcribed all the information I knew into Korean to not forget.

Back then, there was nothing I could feel assured about. I had survived without dying and made it this far.

-The top priority is survival. Obtain the mysteries that can be obtained and acquire the minimum abilities to protect oneself.

-I don’t know when the Overlord will assign tasks to me. I must raise my specs while the Overlord is still firmly in the illusion about my strength. Don’t be swayed by the [King of the Soul] as you were last time, and avoid conflict with the Lords as much as possible.

-Once a certain level of safety is secured, find the hero. By now, the hero is eagerly searching for the heir of the Holy Sword. If I share the information I know and propose cooperation, the hero won’t reject me.

.

.

.

On the back pages of the notebook were notes where I, a fledgling Lord, roughly organized my plans.

I skimmed through them and quickly closed the notebook. I could sense a figure paced the hallway outside the room.

“Come in, Asher.”

A moment later, the door opened, and Asher entered.

She looked around the room and cautiously spoke.

“It’s long past dinner and you haven’t come out, so I thought I’d call…”

I nodded without saying a word.

Asher stared at me for a moment and asked.

“You didn’t meet the hero during the day, did you? What happened?”

The hero turning to ash and scattering. Her endgame flashed through my mind again.

If the hero was dead, then what happened next would be just as she had said.

The invasion of the demons would start soon. And Kaen would take on the form of Aindel and fight as the hero.

“Sir Ron.”

Asher’s call snapped him out of his reverie.

“Are you alright?”

I looked at Asher.

Her gaze was full of concern as she looked at me.

Why was she looking at me like that? I haven’t even mentioned anything about the hero yet. Was it that obvious?

“I’m fine.”

I answered as usual and stood up from my seat.

But after standing in place for a moment, I slumped back down and hung my head.

“Sir Ron?”

Asher approached by my side.

I grabbed her hand. She seemed startled and let out a small gasp.

“To be honest, I’m not okay.”

“…”

“Asher, the truth is, I’m not strong at all. Neither physically nor mentally. I’m afraid of being exposed as weak, so I’ve always put up a front. I never wanted to become the Lord of Calderic, nor did I want to fight for my life against archdemons or other Lords. In reality, I’m just an ordinary human…”

Facing death up close, and watching someone’s death countless times, both were painful experiences.

The [Soul of the King] was only capable of defending against the shock to the mind. It’s not an ability to kill emotions.

That’s the only reason I had been able to endure without losing my mind.

I spilled out the tangled mess of my heart.

There was a moment of silence.

I realized I’d said something stupid and was about to let go of her hand.

Asher pulled me into an embrace.

Stunned by the suddenness of this unexpected gesture, I couldn’t say anything as I was held in her arms.

“I had a vague idea.”

“……”

“After being by your side for several years, how could I not know who Sir Ron is?”

Asher’s voice was incredibly gentle and calm.

I could feel my heart pounding in my head, on the other hand. I couldn’t help but smile.

Come to think of it, Asher was the only one who had been with me from the beginning to the end.

I felt fortunate that it was her and not someone else.

I know what kind of feelings Asher harbored for me.

I had known her for years. There’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed.

And now, I was not much different.

I slowly lifted my head from Asher’s embrace.

“Asher.”

“Yes…”

“The hero traveled alone to Altelore to burn the last bit of her life. The invasion of the demons will start soon.”

The future I knew had finally come to an end.

If there’s something beyond this…

“When it’s all over, then I’ll tell you my story. Who I am and what my real name is.”