Chapter 200
Chapter 200
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: Resolve
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Slowly, I clenched my left hand, which still wouldn't accept much strength, and turned my head toward the window.
“……”
The warm sunlight streamed in through the window, revealing a clear blue sky.
I stared blankly, taking in the reality of my situation.
By the time I regained consciousness, most of the wounds on my body had already healed.
My left shoulder, which had been pierced through, and my waist, marked by a deep gash.
They were all healed, with only a faint, lingering pain that made movement uncomfortable.
That was why… none of it mattered right now. No, it wasn't even worth thinking about.
*Huu.* A shallow breath escaped me, but my heart remained steeped in turmoil.
Thanks to Anastasia's miraculous appearance, I had narrowly escaped the jaws of death. There was no question that my life had been saved.
And… that was the problem.
Only I was ‘saved.’
'Really, only me…'
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong?”
“…Yes, Instructor Adelia.”
At the sound of her voice, I numbly turned my head to face the woman who had healed me.
Her eyes were filled with worry, yet held a gentle warmth. But even as I looked at Adelia, my heart felt heavy.
“For now, just focus on resting. I don’t know why such a terrible accident befell you, but… it’s at times like these that you must be strong.”
A faint smile escaped me at her heartfelt words.
“I’m fine.”
I said, my gaze shifting to my side.
To the space one bed over from mine.
There, I saw him, sleeping soundly and breathing softly. The protagonist of this world, the one who was meant to overcome every crisis and trial to save the world.
—Leonhardt Rorient.
When I had barely managed to arrive.
His condition had been incredibly severe. They said his life was no longer in danger, but…
I clenched my jaw.
I bit my lip, the sharp pain jolting my senses.
The metallic taste of blood from my swollen lip filled my mouth, but I felt nothing.
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong, I told you not to bite your lip. Really… you’ll make the wound worse.”
Even as Adelia’s voice took on a slightly sterner, warning tone, guilt pressed down on my heart.
“I’m… sorry, Instructor.”
“This incident… it was just an unfortunate accident. It’s not your fault, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, and you don’t need to regret or blame yourself like this. I don’t understand why you feel that way, but… please, believe what I’m saying. If anything, despite so many instructors being present at the academy… no one was able to respond. The fact that two cadets were put in such danger… is ultimately the instructors’ fault. So…”
Despite Adelia's careful words, my heart refused to accept them.
…On the surface, it was an unavoidable, unforeseeable accident.
'But can I really see it that way?'
The information that appeared only on my status window had foretold the danger, like a prophecy.
What if I had thought more deeply, been more cautious? What if I had considered not just my own safety, but the safety of others who might get caught up in this because of me?
If I had, couldn't I have prevented this catastrophe?
Even though I knew the chances were incredibly slim, my thoughts kept drifting in that direction.
I could see that Leonhardt’s skin, once stained black, was now fully healed. But something far more serious had occurred.
Suddenly, a hand grasped mine. I stared at it blankly.
“I told you not to blame yourself. Why do you keep making that face? You shouldn’t be feeling such regret and blaming yourself, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. Don’t tear yourself down. That… will only lead to worse thoughts.”
“……”
Her voice was endlessly gentle and placating, but no words came to my lips.
I knew Adelia was right.
The power of the two Apostles who were destined to find me was immense.
Even a single Apostle was so absurdly strong that I would have faced certain death had I fought it alone.
In fact, even after my Trait reached level 5 and I fully awakened my skills, I couldn't face it by myself. There was no way Leonhardt could have stood against it either.
As I was once again reminded of how dangerous the Apostles were, I felt my own weakness.
‘I’m weak.’
Incredibly so.
Even with the absolute power of skills in my grasp, I couldn't win on my own. That moment, when the last Apostle caught my spear blade, I felt my limit.
I had felt the Apostle concentrate the bulk of its power into the hand gripping my spear.
If I had been a little stronger, perhaps I could have broken through with sheer force. If I could have unleashed a greater, more powerful spiral, if my body could have endured a little more…
But all those ‘what ifs’ were ultimately meaningless.
What’s past is past; nothing can change it. Gradually clearing my mind, my gaze fell upon the verdant light caressing my hand.
A light that instilled a gentle sense of peace.
It had healed all of my and Leonhardt's wounds, even restoring our vitality.
And yet…
“Instructor Adelia. Is there really… really no hope for Leonhardt?”
I found myself asking the same question I had asked several times already.
“……”
I saw Adelia’s expression stiffen, but I had to ask again. Even facing this reality, I just couldn't believe it.
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong, from the traces of the Apostle I felt while treating Cadet Leonhardt… I realized what a terribly powerful being it was. I could sense the power contained within its source just from how it deliberately erased his Trait. This wasn't just any Apostle; it was likely an absolute being that leads a host of them. And right now… the fact that Cadet Leonhardt survived at all is a miracle.”
…Adelia explained it to me in greater detail.
She shared what little information I didn't know, bringing me up to speed on the current situation.
—Leonhardt’s survival was a miracle in itself.
As for the hope of restoring his Trait, she still offered no optimistic words.
Leonhardt's source. His potential for growth. The very foundation of his greatest strength was gone…
She was only reminding me of that fact once again.
“……I see.”
Even so, I couldn't say anything else. I knew that everything she was telling me was the truth.
The strength drained from my faintly clenched fist.
Reality is heavy.
My heart is heavier still.
I had steeled my resolve and changed my way of thinking about my actions countless times. Recently, I thought I had come to a new understanding of myself and solidified my resolve even further.
That if I gained greater power and grew faster, my power should be used for the right reasons…
And yet, a part of me might have been relying on Leonhardt all along. A belief that the protagonist of this world would resolve any great crisis that arose, a firm conviction that he would naturally overcome any danger.
But reality was different.
“Still, I and countless others will search for a way to restore Cadet Leonhardt's Trait. So, I won’t say… that there’s no hope at all.”
At the resolute will in Adelia’s voice, I nodded blankly… and my gaze inadvertently drifted back to the window.
In contrast to my heavy heart, the sky outside was a cloudless, brilliant blue.
“……”
The blue sky was like the great hope that Leonhardt originally symbolized. A phrase that often appeared in the story, synonymous with him.
—The Azure Sky.
The blue sky itself signified hope, and by imbuing his sword with that azure sky, Leonhardt had overcome every crisis he faced.
In the face of any crisis, any crushing adversity that seemed insurmountable, he would defiantly embrace an even stronger will, never losing hope.
The ‘Leonhardt’ I knew from the story was an incredibly ideal protagonist.
He was a symbol of hope, taking the lead with his own strength to brighten a world shrouded in darkness. There were many times my heart swelled with emotion while reading the novel.
Because I believed… he was the true protagonist.
But now, this unexpected accident had occurred.
His spirit, which should never have been broken, had been shattered. And that meant the most powerful being who could bring salvation to this world was gone.
Lost in an endless stream of thoughts.
*Rustle.*
A gentle touch on my hand brought my gaze down from the sky outside.
“And perhaps… if you and Anastasia hadn't gone there, something even more terrible would have happened.”
“…Do you think so?”
“Yes, I do. So, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, don’t blame or reproach yourself. This is all our fault, the instructors. There is no reason for you, a cadet, to feel such regret and heartache. Furthermore, from now on, the instructors will be on full alert. So that something like this never happens again… we will be properly prepared.”
As Adelia spoke with determination, I found myself nodding as if entranced.
…The look in her eyes was completely different from before. Was this the look of those preparing for war? Even without manifesting any power, her presence felt overwhelming.
And yet, my heart wasn't at ease in the slightest.
A danger that should never have occurred had found its way to the academy.
Even I couldn't understand it.
‘Why… why did such a great crisis appear?’
Even Anastasia, who was with me, hadn't initially sensed the Apostle's intrusion into the academy.
It was only after we headed to the source of the crisis that she tore through space and found the Apostle. But that, paradoxically, meant that even one of the world's strongest beings had to resort to such measures just to locate it.
…I had to assume that the Apostle that came to the academy possessed power beyond the norm.
‘The Nine Apostles…’
The mere thought of that keyword sent a chill down my spine.
It was a danger unknown even in the original story. It felt as if an entire intermediate stage of escalating crises had been completely skipped.
“Well, I’ll go make some tea. Cadet Han Cheon-seong, don’t get lost in needless thoughts or blame yourself. Understood?”
At her slightly firm tone, I slowly cleared my mind.
“…Yes. I understand.”
It was ridiculous to make Adelia worry. I wasn't the one suffering the most. The one in greater pain was right beside me…
I couldn't keep showing this strange attitude.
Slowly, I pushed myself up and watched Adelia walk away, my gaze naturally falling to my side.
“……”
Beneath his disheveled blond hair, I could see his face as he breathed softly.
At a glance, he looked as if he were in a peaceful sleep.
But I couldn't forget the look on his face the moment he regained consciousness. His empty eyes, as if he had lost everything.
…And his face as he desperately tried to feign composure.
His screams, too, seemed to faintly echo in my ears.
“……”
My lips parted, but I swallowed the sigh that threatened to escape.
The Apostle that did this to him. I knew Anastasia had taken care of it. And that it was merely a clone of the real Apostle…
One of the Nine Apostles.
That being was the one who had broken him.
I clenched my fists… and steeled my heart.
“I…”
I have to do it.
Wiping away all self-blame and regret, I forged a new resolve.
I would no longer think negatively about what had happened.
Even if there was no immediate solution, he would surely regain his power before long.
'Leonhardt will definitely make it through.'
Because he possessed a stronger and firmer will than anyone else in this world, never losing hope until the very end… I had to believe in him too.
And that is why…
I will do what I must.
—The void left during the time Leonhardt is without his power.
I will fill Leonhardt’s absence… by facing the crises that will come in his stead.
“I will overcome this, no matter what.”
I spoke as if vowing to myself, solidifying a resolve clearer than any I had ever held before.