Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: Chapter 39
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Under the blooming fireworks, Betty extended her hand to me.
"Anis, come with me."
"……"
I couldn't move. I neither took Betty's hand nor pushed it away. I just stared blankly at it.
"We'll wipe everything clean and start over."
"From the very beginning."
"……"
Fireworks continued bursting in the sky.
My chest churned. Words caught in my throat and wouldn't come out.
No matter how hard I tried to force them, all I could do was gaze at Betty with trembling pupils.
"…Anis?"
"Betty. I…"
Betty called my name once more, and just as I finally managed to get her name past my lips, another voice cut between us.
"Stop it, Betty."
It was Han U-sol.
"…Put that down."
Han U-sol aimed his weapon at Betty.
[Welcome, son of Auriel.]
Those were Yeriel's words to Han U-sol when he went to see her.
Auriel. It was a name he'd never heard before. When Han U-sol asked if she might be mistaken, Yeriel replied,
[…I am an angel who governs souls. I can peer into a human soul just fine. Yours is unmistakably infused with Auriel's power.]
Yeriel's expression twisted.
[It seems Auriel told you nothing.]
Deep anger seeped from her words. It was a complete 180 from her initial benevolent aura.
Yeriel covered her eyes with her hand. She stayed like that for a long while before finally lowering it.
Once she did, the fury in her eyes was gone. Han U-sol was a bit flustered. Her emotions swung like she had bipolar disorder.
Han U-sol thought to himself that angels weren't necessarily all-knowing and emotionless.
[…Very well. At what age did you lose your mother?]
She passed when I was ten. Han U-sol answered Yeriel's question.
[Ten years old… I see. Was your mother happy?]
Han U-sol recalled his mother. Even bedridden, she had smiled brightly while talking about his father.
That smile was undoubtedly one of true happiness.
[I see… So she was.]
Yeriel gave a sad smile upon hearing his answer.
Han U-sol heard all sorts of things from Yeriel.
Countless angels had died and vanished, leaving humans ever weaker.
Auriel herself was gone, and the barrier she'd erected was weakening by the day.
Only he, who had inherited her power, could restore it to its original state.
Son of an angel. It was the sudden revelation of his hidden heritage.
[Your role is of utmost importance.]
Yeriel told Han U-sol.
Only he, bearer of the Guardian's power, could maintain and repair the barrier over the city.
She had been forcibly holding it together all this time, leaving her greatly weakened.
[I'm sorry to burden you so much.]
Han U-sol began training under Yeriel.
[Think of it as pulling the ability you grant to weapons outward. Manifest your mana directly outside your body. Since you can already imbue weapons with powers, it should be easy for you.]
Han U-sol focused his training on wielding the power. The city's barrier was the most urgent matter.
Yeriel's training was grueling. He'd exhaust his mana, recover somewhat, then exhaust it again, repeating the cycle.
But the brutal regimen rapidly increased his mana reserves, and now he could manage small-scale barriers. He still couldn't touch the city's yet.
At first, the sudden heavy responsibility left him bewildered, but he accepted it quickly. His ultimate goal hadn't changed.
Train harder. Grow stronger. Protect people. That was all.
That scent related to magic beasts—something no one else could detect, only him. Could it be tied to his bloodline too?
Han U-sol, who had been pondering this, finally asked Yeriel during one training session.
[I smell something from magic beasts?]
[…Come to think of it, Auriel was adept at tracking magic beasts and miasma. You must sense it as a smell.]
There was something called miasma.
A aggregate of negative emotions obtained by sacrificing humans.
This miasma energy harmed humans but strengthened magic beasts.
And.
All magic beasts exuded miasma.
[A smell… Hmm… Like…]
It's kinda dog-like.
Yeriel's gaze toward Han U-sol grew subtly odd.
It was a rather rude look, but Han U-sol had no time to mind.
A certain girl came to his mind.
——Then, could that smell come from a person too?
[……]
Yeriel's expression shifted. An "oh no" kind of face. And Han U-sol caught it.
Yeriel tried to dodge the question, but Han U-sol pressed relentlessly. Uncharacteristically, he even threatened to refuse training until she answered.
At his threat, Yeriel sighed and finally spoke.
[…Anis is human.]
Han U-sol's face lit up, then hardened at her next words.
[But strictly speaking, you could call her a magic beast too.]
[She's a human summoned from another world.]
Another world. A human from a different realm.
[So, to be precise, classifying her as a magic beast fits. Magic beasts are defined as 'entities summoned from other worlds.']
But calling her a magic beast makes her sound like a monster. Maybe "otherworlder" is better. Yeriel added.
[At any rate, what I can say for sure is that she's human.]
She emits miasma because she came from another world.
Han U-sol was speechless.
Until now, all summoned otherworld entities had been lumped together as magic beasts. Otherworld beings were inhuman monsters that attacked humans. That was common sense. But a human?
Yeriel said no more. Even threats using training as leverage didn't work.
[I'll tell you later. When you can fulfill your role.]
[What is certain is that she's human.]
With that, Yeriel resumed training.
"Anis. Wanna hit the vending machines?"
"…Sure."
Han U-sol had agonized alone all night.
In the end, his worst suspicion was confirmed.
The scent he'd been tracking was miasma. The smell of magic beasts. And…
Anis was a magic beast.
He recalled Anis coldly telling him to put away his dagger not long ago. Now he understood why.
Purification dagger. Lethal to magic beasts. The energy leaking from it must have been unpleasant.
Realizing that made her nature hit home even harder.
Anis was human, yet also a magic beast.
And magic beasts were hostile to humans.
Han U-sol wavered. He didn't know how to look at Anis or treat her.
After buying snacks from the vending machines, he watched her eat on a bench and asked,
"…Anis. You still wanna be a hero and save people?"
His voice trembled slightly, but Anis answered with unwavering conviction, as if it were the most obvious thing.
"Yeah."
Hearing that, Han U-sol felt the tension drain from him for some reason.
The girl who saw saving those in peril as a given.
The girl striving to become a hero.
Anis was still Anis.
A wry smile tugged at his lips unbidden. What had he been so worried about?
With a girl this beautiful and pure.
"What about you?"
"Huh?"
"You said you wanted to save people too. Still the same?"
Anis asked, sensing his subdued mood with concern. It made him glad, drawing out a smile.
"Yeah."
"Same as you."
Anis was human.
A slightly unusual girl who wanted to be a hero, just like him.
From another world, sure—but human all the same. She liked sweet foods, hated studying, and had a playful streak now and then.
Human.
Han U-sol reaffirmed his resolve.
Get stronger.
Stronger still, to save people,
And protect her.
It was a detour, but nothing had really changed.
As soon as training ended, Han U-sol headed straight for the amusement park in District D.
It had run later than expected, and dusk was falling, but he figured he'd at least show his face.
Tracking Anis's scent through the park, Han U-sol sensed something off.
Beside her scent was another. Coming from the same direction.
Feeling ominous, he pushed through the crowds enjoying the fireworks.
Following the smell led him to Betty and Anis, facing each other in conversation.
"Anis, come with me."
Betty, speaking to Anis, held a palm-sized purple gem. That was the source of the scent.
Han U-sol knew what it was. The magic beast summon stone Yeriel had mentioned. Why did Betty have it? A hypothesis he didn't want to entertain surfaced.
"We'll wipe everything clean and start over. From the very beginning."
Anis's eyes shook violently at Betty's words.
Han U-sol sensed the atmosphere was dire. Betty's vibe was nothing like her usual innocent self.
He summoned a weapon behind his back. He needed to intervene and stop her.
"…Anis?"
"Betty. I…"
"Stop it, Betty."
Betty and Anis turned slightly to look at him.
"Put that down."
"…Thought you weren't coming. But here you are."
"Betty. That's a magic beast summon stone, right?"
"Yep."
"…Can you explain why you have it?"
Deep down, he hoped she'd say she found it by chance. He didn't want to aim a weapon at the girl he'd seen as a friend.
"Well… Because I've been the one summoning magic beasts to the city all this time."
But Betty's answer was the absolute worst of his fears.
Betty was a traitor. Han U-sol bit his lip.
He moved in front of Anis, shielding her with his body.
"Move. Anis is coming with me."
"…Ridiculous."
"In my eyes, Anis becoming a hero is even more absurd."
You can't understand Anis. Betty said.
"…That's the real nonsense."
Han U-sol spat coldly, and Betty shot back sharply.
"What do you even know about Anis?"
"More than you, seems like."
"Anyway, you don't even know Anis's true—"
Boom! Fireworks exploded overhead.
The festival's highlight. Far larger than before, they launched in sequence.
The blasts were so huge, like bombs going off, drowning their conversation.
"……!"
Anis jumped, looking up at the sky. Her body trembled faintly, as if the sudden noise unnerved her.
Han U-sol glanced at her and cast a small barrier around her to block the sound.
Her shaking eyes slowly steadied. He turned back to Betty.
"…I'm the only one who can understand Anis."
More than you, who knows nothing.
More than you lot who just want to use her. She'd be happier with me.
"…Nonsense."
"It's not. Once you know her true nature—"
"I know."
"…What?"
Han U-sol glanced back. Anis couldn't hear them thanks to the barrier.
"Otherworlder."
I already know. Han U-sol said.
"…Oh right, you mentioned training with some Yeriel. So you heard. That Anis is a magic beast…"
"She's human."
"Not a magic beast. Human."
A human who wants to save people and become a hero.
Just from another world—one who loves sweets, hates studying, and gets playful sometimes.
Human.
"……"
Betty fell silent, staring at Han U-sol with his weapon trained on her, then murmured quietly.
"…Fine."
Betty pocketed the gem.
"Wasn't planning to fight anyway. I don't know how."
She said, stroking the tattoo on her arm.
"Hope you don't change your mind."
Whoosh. With those words, Betty vanished in an instant.
Swoooosh—
The highlight's grand finale.
The largest firework shot into the sky.