Tru?st
Tru?st
After killing the Tower Master of the Dead.
Tension and exhaustion crashed down all at once, and my consciousness cut out.
Not the so-called power-saving mode. Even the consciousness I had split off for vigilance shut down, leaving me completely defenseless.
I still had safeguards in place, but I couldn't help feeling anxious.
The moment I spurred my sluggish awareness awake, the first thing I felt was warmth.
It was like being buried in fire.
But it wasn't hot. This flame did me no harm whatsoever. It simply held me tenderly.
Sensation slowly returned.
A soft texture, a sweet fragrance, a steady thumping pulse.
Deeply familiar. The unease and worry burned away. Held in Yeon-hwa's arms, I smiled faintly.
Tears nearly welled up. It was Yeon-hwa's embrace, the one I had yearned for so desperately.
'It's warm...'
I'd defeated the Tower Master of Bitter Cold, taken on the curse, and my physical body had temporarily died.
My soul, contrary to plan, had formed on a completely different Fairy Tree. And before my soul could even stabilize, the Tower Master of the Dead came crawling in.
From the Tower Master of Bitter Cold to dealing with the Tower Master of the Dead, I'd been through a brutal wringer in a short span of time.
I can't even express how desperately I'd wanted to be held in these arms, to be loved, to be spoiled.
"Are you awake?"
"......."
"Baby? If you're awake, you should say something, hm?"
At the voice coming from above my head, the corners of my lips trembled.
An affectionate tone. The arms holding me were infinitely gentle, but inside me, dread crept up stealthily.
The karmic debt I'd shelved in the urgency began to surface.
Trying to save Baek A-rin. Telling her to meet at Siyoram's Fairy Tree, only to appear somewhere completely different.
Managing to connect a call, just for it to abruptly cut off. And then getting beaten to a rag and passing out from grappling with the Tower Master of the Dead...
'I'm, I'm dead...'
The karma had piled up like a mountain. I'd broken far too many promises.
Whatever my intentions, I had caused heartache and disappointment to the people who love me.
I bit down hard on my lip.
- Strooooke... Strooooke...
Yeon-hwa stroked my hair.
'...?'
She just kept stroking and patting without a single word.
Still trembling, I blinked. When I cautiously lifted my head, I met a pair of vivid crimson eyes.
"Hik."
"You're awake?"
Yeon-hwa asked, her eyes curving gently.
I nodded warily while reading her mood. Smiling brightly, Yeon-hwa pressed a kiss to the top of my head and drew me preciously into her arms.
"You came back. I'm so relieved..."
My eyes wavered at Yeon-hwa's soft, trembling murmur.
There was none of the scolding I'd anticipated. My fear was practically rendered pointless.
Not just Yeon-hwa. Everyone around me, instead of scolding, was stroking their chests and sighing with profound relief.
But that, somehow, hurt far worse.
I lowered my eyes and hugged Yeon-hwa tightly.
"I'm sorry for lying. I didn't want to get hurt, but I wasn't capable enough, so there was no other way..."
"Who on earth said our little one isn't capable? If you're lacking, then every person in this world must be a failure, hmm?"
Professor Liana, who was beside me, spoke soothingly, but my gloom didn't lift.
"Why are you crying? Hm? Does something hurt?"
"No... it doesn't hurt anymore..."
"Then why are you crying? It breaks my heart."
Yeon-hwa smiled ruefully and patted my back.
"It's not a bad thing you did—it's a good thing. Do you know how many people Ha-yul saved this time?"
The number I saved was high.
The Tower of Bitter Cold would have devastated the world's climate, and the Tower of the Dead would have caused catastrophic damage with its army corps.
What they had in common was that as the invasions dragged on, the damage grew exponentially.
But I had swiftly crushed both towers the moment they invaded. Compared to the original work, the damage was practically nonexistent.
"...The towers... I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was afraid you'd worry too much, so I was planning to say it later..."
"Yes, you'll need to be punished for that one. Still, it's no exaggeration to say it's tantamount to saving the world. Not to mention Taesan, and our family is the same."
"Huh?"
"The Calamity Flame territory is right next to Taesan. That snake bas— ahem, if the Tower Master's invasion had continued, our family would've taken a direct hit too."
Wearing a gentle smile, Yeon-hwa gave me a light kiss.
"Thanks to you, Ha-yul, our family stayed safe. Thank you so much."
"Yeon-hwa..."
At the sudden gratitude, a surge of emotion rippled through me. I felt the worth of having fought the Tower Master of the Dead head-on.
"Still, it's true that Ha-yul broke his promise and recklessly handled his body. So I'll scold you later."
"Eung..."
"What 'eung.' That and this are separate matters."
"She's right. For now you get to be still because you're a baby, but once you're all recovered and back, just you wait."
"This time your mind hasn't regressed either, so there shouldn't be any problem."
Ellia and Professor Liana, who had been quiet, exchanged remarks.
The terror I thought was subsiding rose right back up.
My eyes trembled hard. At that, my master let out a snicker, then abruptly shot a sidelong glance behind me.
"...In the first place, the child didn't really do anything wrong. If you had to point to the ones at fault, it'd be the ones who egged it on."
"Mm."
Those who had been giggling in relief at my master's remark also glanced behind me.
Behind me.
I had been trying hard to swallow it down, but I felt a presence that bothered me enormously.
With a disgruntled expression, Yeon-hwa turned me around in her lap.
A pure white woman appeared in my blurry field of vision.
The only thing my eyes could register was her long white hair, but I wasn't confused.
A bright smile naturally blossomed on my face as I spread out my Detection.
- Lady Ariel...!
The Tower Master of Knowledge, Ariel. To be precise, an incarnation formed through magic.
Lady Ariel smiled softly and inclined her head to me.
"We meet again earlier than expected, Lee Ha-yul."
- I'm so, so glad to see you...! Have the restrictions been lifted?
"Not all of the burden has disappeared. However, the pressure has eased somewhat, so I have come, albeit belatedly, to lend my support."
- Yes! Thanks to the Floating Island and you, Lady Ariel, the Tower of the Dead was resolved far more easily.
If not for the Floating Island and Lady Ariel's appearance, I could not have killed the Tower Master of the Dead so easily.
The technique that killed the Tower Master of the Dead was 'Five Ends.'
A technique that combines Calamity Flame, Azure Sea, Taesan, Heavenly Thunder, and Gale—it's difficult to use in actual combat.
The heart power consumed during its invocation is one thing, but the opening left while preparing Five Ends is too critical.
Without support, it would've been a grind of creating gaps through close combat and hammering in Three Ends.
Naturally, the time spent, the damage incurred, and the wounds I took would have all increased manifold.
- Thank you so much! Thanks to you...
"Ha-yul, are you that happy to see that person?"
"Uh, uh...? Yes...?"
As I eagerly shook both hands, unable to contain my joy and gratitude, Yeon-hwa's brow twitched.
Displeased eyes flashed beneath her eyebrows.
The mood around us was odd. It was unmistakable—none of them looked favorably upon Lady Ariel.
'Ah.'
I realized the reason immediately.
They must have figured out that the Tower Masters had designated me as the Savior and engineered my growth.
That was why Lady Ariel, too, was silently enduring the sharp stares and reactions.
Letting out a quiet sigh of admiration, I carefully fluttered both hands.
"So, um... please don't blame Lady Ariel too harshly..."
"What?"
My master knitted her brows.
Flustered by her incredulous reaction, I shrank back but cautiously opened my mouth.
"Even without the Tower Masters, I would've had to fight someday anyway. In a far worse environment than now, suddenly, without any preparation."
"So you don't resent them? For throwing you into whatever battlefield?"
"There's that, but..."
All eyes had gathered on me before I knew it. Fidgeting with my itchy fingers, I continued.
"If I hadn't fought like this now... um... I wouldn't have... have been able to meet or protect... the... people I l... love."
Thanks to the Tower Masters summoning me here, I met the people precious to me. Thanks to their support, I was able to protect those precious people.
That was the most fundamental reason I did not resent the Tower Masters.
Setting aside complicated reasons like the world being doomed anyway or that only I could do it.
Because of them, I met Yeon-hwa, my master, Ellia, Professor Liana, Baek A-rin, Lee Ji-yeon, Senior Daera, Lee Ha-sol...
I met Seo-yul.
Just like stopping this invasion, I was able to fight and protect them.
"So I'm grateful."
"I see... it's not that I can't understand... ahem, never mind."
My master, who had been cornering Lady Ariel, reddened faintly at the cheeks.
Emotion glistened in Lady Ariel's eyes as she gazed at me.
I smiled brightly at her, then scanned the blurry strings of text swarming the corner of my vision.
[Savior Correction System: Pioneering Progress]
[Main Quest 「Tower Master of the Dead」 cleared!]
[Acquired an exceptionally large amount of Points!]
[Acquired an exceptionally large amount of Points!]
[Acquired an exceptionally large amount of Points!]
...
[Player Correction System: Trading Window]
[The Tower Master of Harmonization manifests Authority 「Harmonization」]
[Consumable Skill 「Advanced Recovery」 manifested]
[Consumable Skill 「Advanced Regeneration」 manifested]
[Consumable Skill 「Recovery Acceleration」 manifested]
...
[Savior Correction System: Salvation Progress]
[Providing full support to the Savior!]
[Stat 「Endurance」 amplified!]
[Stat 「Stamina」 amplified!]
...
[「Curse of Beauty's Misfortune」 is consuming vitality... consuming...]
[The Tower Master of Harmonization suppresses 「Curse of Beauty's Misfortune」]
[The Tower Master of Knowledge suppresses 「Curse of Beauty's Misfortune」]
...
[The Tower Master of Growth manifests Authority 「Growth」]
[The Savior's soul and physical body grow]
...
[The Tower Master of Space manifests Authority 「Space」]
...
'So long...'
There was an absurdly massive amount of accumulated text strings.
Interpreting the blurry characters, it seemed the Status Window had reconnected from the moment the Floating Island shattered the Spatial Isolation.
After that, it had corrected me throughout the entire battle, and after I passed out, it had poured its strength into healing my wounds.
No wonder my condition was far better than expected.
Normally, firing off Five Ends would've scrambled my head a bit, and recovery would've taken much longer.
Yeon-hwa, who had been listening to my inner thoughts with a grin, abruptly shrugged and said,
"Geez... Ha-yul, you're too kind for your own good. It honestly scares me, I'm afraid you'll get scammed somewhere."
Checking my own condition, I pouted my lips.
"No matter how it looks, it's not that bad..."
Of course, my usual image wasn't exactly the most reliable type.
But I'm not someone whose nature is so timid that I'd gobble up whatever people feed me and fall easily for scams.
"Don't think, just give me your hand."
"?"
Yeon-hwa held out her hand. I placed my hand on top of hers and tilted my head.
With a cryptic look in her eyes, Yeon-hwa pulled a piece of paper from her Subspace Pocket.
"Ha-yul, please do me a favor. Don't check the contents, just sign it."
I turned off my Detection for the paper and wrote my signature with my small hand before handing it over.
"See this? Once this one gets attached to someone, it's serious. If he latches onto the wrong person... ugh, I don't even want to imagine it."
Shaking her head from side to side, Yeon-hwa fluttered the paper she'd received. The people watching my actions gaped in astonishment.
"No, little one...? No matter how close you are, you should at least read the contents before signing...?"
"Seriously! I mean, no matter how much Ha-yul has the power to nullify a scrap of paper like this—!"
Everyone blinked as if looking at something bizarre.
My master spoke in a shocked voice, and Professor Liana pinched my nose firmly.
"Kkyaeek... but still, there's no way Yeon-hwa would do something bad to me..."
There's no way Yeon-hwa would do anything with the intent to harm me.
Even if it feels strange right now. The intent behind it is surely for my sake.
It was an obvious truth.
.
.
.