ch 269
Became a Swordsmanship Instructor at the Academy
Chapter 269
It's already the evening of the last day that I had decided on.
I told Eunseo that I would spend 3 days with Eunseo and 3 days with Luciel, but I've been stuck with Eunseo for the entire week.
I had no choice because Luciel never forgave me in the end.
I tried to convince her somehow, but I failed.
"Brother, is Sister Luciel still very angry?"
I made an excuse to Eunseo that Luciel was sulking because I misspoke.
Fortunately, Luciel said she wouldn't tell Eunseo.
Now I really don't have time...
Once tonight passes, I have to go back to the Trial of Origin and meet Lumiel.
"It'll be resolved when Se-jin returns."
"That's right. It's finally tomorrow. Sister Luciel tends to listen to sister Se-jin's words well."
Looking at Eunseo comforting me, I feel like my heart is going to be torn apart.
I'm so sorry for lying to such a kind Eunseo.
Even though it's certainly a well-intentioned lie, I'm still deceiving Eunseo.
Even if I regress to the past, Eunseo will lose all her memories.
"That's right. When Se-jin returns, Luciel will surely soften her heart."
"Um... Brother, you said you'd focus on sister when sister Se-jin returns, but please take care of sister Luciel too. I'll be fine."
"Huh?"
"I think there will be a lot of work piled up when she returns after resting for a whole week. Well, now that sister Se-jin will take over as guild master again, the paperwork will be over."
Looking at Eunseo speaking with a playful laugh, my eyes start to sting.
"I'll go to the bathroom for a moment."
I hurriedly left my seat because I felt like I would burst into tears if I kept looking.
I have to leave tomorrow, leaving such a lovely woman behind.
Luciel tried to convince me not to leave, saying that if I left, she wouldn't take care of Master, and even if Se-jin or Eunseo met someone else, she wouldn't interfere at all.
Even though she said that, there's no way Luciel wouldn't take care of Master.
I told her that if she didn't visit in advance, Master would leave.
The same goes for Eunseo and Se-jin's situation.
Just as Eunseo is thinking of Luciel and Se-jin now, Luciel must have the same feelings.
I could tell from the question she asked about whether I loved Eunseo when I first visited her.
Even though she's such an honest person who doesn't express herself well, Luciel also thinks of the two of them as family and cherishes them, not just me.
...That's why I feel even more sorry.
To Luciel, who has to do all of this alone with only her memories after I disappear.
And the fact that everyone except Luciel won't remember me is also too...
In the end, tears burst out.
I guess a week was too long after all.
Thinking that I should leave as soon as Eunseo falls asleep, I washed away the traces of tears with water.
As soon as I returned to the bedroom and lay down, Eunseo hugged me.
"I didn't wash my hands."
"Liar. You washed your face, so how could you not wash your hands?"
I tried to make a joke to lighten the mood, but it didn't work.
"Um, brother..."
"Yeah?"
"You remember going to Minhee's house the day before yesterday, right?"
We didn't spend the entire week only in the South Pacific.
It was a very enjoyable time, but after spending two days, she seemed to be getting slightly bored, so we visited acquaintances afterward.
We visited Minhee's house in that sense too.
Actually, I was a bit reluctant.
Minhee was safe because she didn't join the operation due to having a child, but Jinsu lost his life while standing by on the outskirts during the Demon King's descent incident.
Of course, Eunseo didn't particularly mind since she thinks everyone will be revived.
Rather, she visited Minhee's house thinking that Minhee would be really happy if she told her about it.
"Of course. He was really cute."
When we visited Minhee's house, Minhee was holding a baby boy.
"Cute, you say? You don't mean Minhee, right?"
"Of course not. I was naturally talking about Min-su."
She said they named him 'Min-su' by taking one letter each from Minhee and Jinsu's names.
Blood doesn't lie - even though he's still a baby, he looked exactly like Jinsu.
Minhee, who had become a complete mother, was more pitiful than cute.
I could feel a very calm and slightly depressed atmosphere.
Originally, Minhee was a really cheerful student who was as energetic as Jinsu.
It might be because she became a mother, but it's probably because of Jinsu.
Of course, she was very happy when she heard from Eunseo that Jinsu would return, even shedding tears.
In reality, it's not about being revived but going back to the past, but the two were a cockroach couple even in the original work, so they'll surely be connected again... huh?
Eunseo suddenly clings to me even more.
Before I know it, I can feel Eunseo's breath near my ear.
"What is it?"
"Seeing Min-su keeps making me think about this, but can't we have a child too?"
"Isn't our princess still too young?"
My heart sank, but I barely managed to deflect with a joke.
"Young, my foot. I'll be thirty in just a few years."
I first met Eunseo when she was seventeen, and time really flies.
Of course, it feels bigger because I challenged the trial in the middle and lost a month due to the Demon god.
"What do you mean thirty, there's still a long time left. That's right, wasn't your dream in high school to become a Hunter who helps people? Even if portals don't appear anymore, not all monsters have disappeared yet."
"That was the career aspiration I had before meeting you, and from the moment I met you after entering the high school division, my dream changed."
"To what?"
"Naturally, to become your bride. Now that I've achieved that dream, I thought I had no regrets, but..."
"Don't say such things. There's still much more life to live."
"I have another dream. I want to have your child. Preferably a boy who looks exactly like you."
...Did Eunseo also hear from Luciel?
Probably not, but hearing these words keeps making my heart waver.
"Do you prefer a daughter, brother?"
"Huh? I don't mind either way."
"A daughter would be nice too, but then you'd probably love only the daughter too much, so that won't do."
"Haha... So if we have a son, would I be ignored?"
"No way. No matter how cute the son is, you're the top priority, brother."
...Eunseo seems to love me very much.
"I feel the same way. The top priority is you all - Se-jin, Luciel, and Eunseo."
That's why I have no choice.
This is for everyone's sake.
***
After Eunseo fell asleep, I tore a leaf.
I was planning to go straight to the Trial of Origin, but I can't leave without seeing Luciel like this.
Even if it's just a final farewell, I wanted to see her one last time, so I cut through the barrier and entered, but Luciel is nowhere to be seen.
I spread my mental focus and searched the surroundings, but I couldn't feel Luciel's energy anywhere.
With a glimmer of hope, I tore another leaf and returned to the original world.
As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the Grand Canyon, sure enough, I could feel Luciel's presence.
As soon as I used invisibility magic and entered, the familiar view changed and I saw a familiar angel.
It's not Lumiel, but Luciel.
Luciel, whom I met after a week, was completely different from before.
Her long silver hair that had reached almost to her waist over her shoulders was now in a short cut.
"You cut your hair. You look very pretty now too."
"It's not hair, it's hair strands. And don't say such meaningless things. I didn't cut it to look pretty for you."
"Then..."
"Go back. If you're going to continue like this, next time I'll really cut not hair strands but your head."
Really, Luciel is like this until the very end.
But I've already made up my mind.
"Luciel..."
"I won't do anything. I won't take care of Master, and I won't care at all even if Eunseo and Se-jin meet other guys."
"Will you really do that? No, you won't."
I know Luciel.
And I trust her.
Even though I'm about to betray her trust...
"I'm... really serious! If you, Shin-hyeok, abandon me and leave, why would I..."
Transparent tears are constantly falling from Luciel's eyes as she speaks.
"What are you saying? I'm absolutely not abandoning you, Luciel."
"Then don't go... I'm asking like this... no, I'm begging you."
She came close to me, hugged me, and buried her face in my chest.
My chest gradually becomes wet.
Is this really the right thing to do?
No. I shouldn't worry about it.
There's no indecisive Kang Shin-hyeok.
I barely managed to steel my wavering heart and tried to push Luciel away, but Luciel clung to me and wouldn't let go.
"Luciel,"
"...Don't say anything. I'll really die."
"Don't say such things. You know you're the only one I can trust."
"I don't want to, I said no! Don't make such a request!"
"..."
"I'm begging you."
With those words, I used my mental focus to knock Luciel unconscious.
I didn't want to go this far, but if I stayed like this just a little longer, I felt like I really wouldn't be able to leave.
So I had no choice.
I caught the falling Luciel and carefully laid her on the ground, then started walking.
Taking a step is really not easy.
Like walking on a thorny path with bare feet.
Each step was painful, but I finally arrived.
Without even flowing internal energy, Lumiel appeared with light.
"Can't you reconsider even now?"
"Don't you start too. It was really hard to get here."
Lumiel sighed once and then brought her hands together.
She began reciting incomprehensible words, and with white light, a large orange sphere about the size of a child's head appeared.
"Just touch the orb and make your wish."
"Thank you, Lumiel. Luciel is outside right now..."
"I know. I saw two. Both your refusal of sister’s wishes and knocking her unconscious..."
"Yeah. Please take care of Luciel. I'm relieved that you're here."
Since Lumiel is also the administrator of the Trial of Origin, she won't lose her memories.
"To sister, you're more important than I am..."
"I know. I know too. But there's no other way."
Lumiel looked like she had more to say, but she didn't speak.
"I'm asking you."
With those words, I brought my hand to the orange orb.
Along with a warm feeling, I could feel the tremendous energy contained in the orb of wishes.
Much stronger than the energy I felt from Master, the Primordial Heavenly Honored One, or the Demon god.
That's right. It has to be at least this much to turn back time.
I calmly closed my eyes and made the wish I had been thinking about for a week.
'Please turn back time to the past so that it doesn't become a failed future like now. Please let none of the people I know get hurt or die, and grant everyone's happiness.'
Orange light burst from the orb and spread throughout the entire world.
At the same time, I felt the strength gradually leaving my body.
It wasn't simply losing strength.
I started to have no strength at all, and then I began to slowly crumble like sand from my toes.
Soon, even my senses began to disappear, and at that moment, Lumiel approached me.
She seemed to be saying something, but I couldn't hear because my hearing had already disappeared.
She wasn't crying, but her eyes were watery with tears, and I thought she might be saying her final goodbye. At that moment, all my senses disappeared and darkness swallowed me.
***
"It seems like brother-in-law doesn't know our sister well yet. My sister will never give up on brother-in-law."