The Return
The sled glided quietly across the snowy expanse, while Popo chattered endlessly with an excited face.
“Waaah! It’s really the hero! I’m so moved! Seeing the hero right in front of me! This is something I’ll brag about in the village forever! The first penguin to welcome the hero, Popo! Wow, hero, could you do an interview? No, while going to the village, if I ask questions, just answer them...!”
Popo’s voice didn’t stop. The excited little penguin kept talking to Aaron without a moment’s rest.
But, “...” Rumiel stared blankly at the sky. Her face was expressionless, body crouched, eyes half-closed. And somehow, an earmuff had been stuck in her ear. Popo’s voice didn’t reach Rumiel.
Rumiel slowly looked at the sky, organizing her thoughts. The events from the ice cave flashed through her mind. A hero who had awakened after hundreds of years. But her body was level 1. Still, she held the sword to fulfill her mission as a hero. Aaron was indeed a good NPC. A character with excellent narrative. He had the demeanor of a ‘protagonist’ seen only in games.
Aaron was not a player. He was just an NPC who had been a ‘hero’ in the game. Rumiel’s babo-teol slowly wiggled. It was a shame. It was regrettable. It didn’t really matter. It’s not bad that he’s an NPC. But, it was regrettable, there was nothing to be done about it.
Rumiel looked at the sky quietly, blinked, then took off the earmuff and gave a faint smile. Once her thoughts were organized, her heart felt lighter.
And at that moment. “...eh?” Aaron leaned his body slightly forward, adopting a defensive stance. His red eyes shone sharply. Popo was startled and grabbed the edge of the sled.
“Eh, eee?! What is that!!” Popo pointed ahead with trembling wings. There, a massive white shadow was blocking the road.
Thud. Thud. Heavy footsteps echoed. Heavy steps that shook the snowy plain. And, “Grrrrr...” A low growl. On the snowy plain, a giant bear wrapped in white fur appeared.
[Lv.20 Polar Bear] The air instantly froze. The Polar Bear was slowly approaching the sled. Its huge paws dug deep into the snow, creating massive footprints.
“Eh, eee...” Popo flinched and shrank back. “W-why is there a Polar Bear here? This is near the village, you know, they usually appear in deep snowfields! And it’s a rare monster that only appears in the deepest parts of the snowy mountains!”
Popo tried to use his soothing speech, but it seemed the bear didn’t respond to his soothing lullaby. It just glared sharply at the sled. It was unfortunate. Anyway, the Polar Bear’s heavy front paw. Inside it, sharp claws slowly emerged. To the bear, the small creatures in front looked like easy prey.
The Polar Bear let out a big roar. Snow flew. Soon, the attack would begin. Aaron, sensing this, raised his sword.
“Back.” A short word. His voice was calm. But it carried firm resolve. Popo hesitated and stepped back.
“H-hero...?” “That guy, I’ll handle it.” Aaron’s red eyes shone coldly. His eyes, which seemed about to burst out fiercely, were fierce.
But unfortunately, someone took the lead before Aaron. “Um...” It was Rumiel. Rumiel, with eyes half-closed, covered her mouth as if yawning. Then, she slowly extended her hand towards the Polar Bear.
In Rumiel’s small hand, a small wand had appeared. A long, thin rod. At the end, a small jewel sparkled. “Shining Ball.” Rumiel’s soft voice echoed quietly in the snowy plain, and suddenly, a massive flash exploded.
The snow-covered plain was instantly dyed with light stronger than the sun. The sky flashed white, and a tremendous noise spread. “U-uwah. What was that suddenly?!” “Blinded...” After the light disappeared, what remained there was, ...nothing. It disappeared without a trace. Not even a single hair of the Polar Bear remained.
Aaron and Popo stared ahead silently. What lay ahead was just a normal snowy plain. There was no evidence that a giant bear had existed there just moments ago. Aaron was bewildered. What the hell was this? The girl in front had just muttered one spell while holding a small wand. Yet, a level 20 monster had disappeared without a trace.
Was this possible? It was an art level that even peak-era Aaron couldn’t do. Aaron slowly turned his head to look at Rumiel. Rumiel, as if not knowing how amazing her deed was, casually put down the wand. And her small lips moved slowly.
“...Let’s go.” Leaving that short word, Rumiel quietly sat back down. As if it was nothing, she again crouched her body and leaned on the sled.
“...eh.” Popo, who had been stiff, opened his mouth as if something occurred to him. “Ah, right! That thing just now! Is it the ‘legendary light swordsmanship’ I’ve only heard about? Ah, no! Is it the special power given by the ‘God of Light’! No way, no way, the hero still had power...?”
“It wasn’t me.” At Aaron’s words, Popo flinched. “...huh?” A moment later, Popo, who had understood the situation, plopped down. “Lie... lie...” Muttering like that, he covered his head with both wings. He just stared blankly at the sky.
The sled was still cutting through the snowy plain. Heading towards the small village where penguins were bustling, with white roofs.
The sled was smoothly gliding towards the end of the snowy plain. In the distance, a small village with white roofs began to appear. Small buildings were scattered among the cozy snow piles.
“V-village!!!” Popo suddenly raised both wings forcefully, and before the sled completely stopped, he jumped off the sled. “Everyone! The hero has returned!!” Popo started running towards the village without thinking.
Shaking his body, he ran around the village with his round penguin body. “Everyone come out! The hero has returned!!” “Now our village has a historic moment! Wooah!!” The quiet atmosphere of the penguin village was instantly shattered.
In response to Popo’s loud voice, small penguins peeked out from behind windows one by one. They tilted their heads looking at Popo. “...Hero?” “No way, that legendary...” “Impossible.” Even in the skeptical atmosphere, Popo ran around the entire village shouting.
Amidst all that, two people remained on the sled. Precisely, two people and one spirit. “...” Aaron slowly looked at the village. It was a new feeling. Compared to the village he remembered, the ice village looked much more peaceful.
Even after hundreds of years, there were things that hadn’t changed. And the familiar voice that brushed his ears. The sound of penguins chattering was strangely nostalgic. Aaron quietly exhaled. Then, he stepped down from the sled.
“...” His red eyes quietly turned sideways. Rumiel was standing up with a blank face. A quiet movement. Rumiel slowly stepped forward, intending to move somewhere.
“Wait.” Aaron blocked Rumiel’s path. The blue eyes that had been looking at Aaron calmly slowly turned to Aaron. Aaron took a short breath. Then, he said to Rumiel in a calm voice.
“...Thank you.” A concise greeting. His eyes held sincerity. And Aaron naturally extended his hand. He was about to shake her small hand and greet formally.
But, Suddenly. Rumiel’s figure disappeared. “...eh?” Aaron’s hand cut through empty air. The small girl who had been right in front of him moments ago had disappeared in an instant.
“...” Raising his head, Rumiel was standing a bit away with a blank face. Aaron slowly looked at her. Had she teleported just now? Aaron blankly stared at his own hand. He had been unable to continue speaking due to the unexpected reaction, but Soon, he said again in a calm voice.
“...You were able to wake me up. Thank you.” Rumiel quietly wiggled her babo-teol. Then, she nodded her small head slightly. “Yeah.” A short answer. After leaving just that one word, Rumiel moved her feet again.
Aaron looked at her back. His blue eyes moved quietly. Arte smiled softly beside him. “Then, shall we go too?” “Yeah. There are a lot of things to do.” Aaron nodded his head. And they took a step towards the noisy penguin village.