The Hero Luna's Awakening (1)
Lee Junwoo looked at her with a serious expression.
“Luna, what is your sword?”
Runa turned the question over in her mind.
What is my sword? He’s not asking about the type of wooden sword, right?
She had never thought about it before. She was just a village girl who had never even swung a real blade. She hadn’t picked up the sword with a knight’s mindset. The only reason she had ever swung it was to defeat Uncle.
Then… isn’t my sword the ‘victory sword’?!
This must be the right answer!!
Runa answered confidently.
“My sword is the sword of victory! The sword meant to defeat Uncle!”
“…How surprising.”
“Huh?”
“I’m surprised by how incredibly stupid that answer was.”
“Ehh?”
She had answered so seriously. Before she could protest, Junwoo’s wooden sword came down on her head.
“Kyeng!”
“That’s incorrect. Think about it again, Luna.”
“Ugh, I said my sword is the sword of victory! Why are you calling it wrong, Uncle!”
Tap—
Junwoo raised the wooden sword again. Runa, pretending nothing had happened, sank deep into thought once more.
Hmm, my sword…
It was a sword meant to defeat Uncle. To defeat Uncle…
Why do I even want to defeat Uncle?
The answer had been right in front of her all along.
Runa let out a small laugh and shouted with confidence.
“My sword is for escaping—wait, haha. Let me think about it one more time!”
“A wise decision, Luna.”
Since Junwoo had raised the wooden sword again, Runa decided to reconsider. If the sword for escaping was wrong, then why did she want to escape in the first place? More importantly, why was she staying here?
I’m staying for the money.
Even though she was being held against her will, her goal was still money. Then… what was she earning that money for?
That was…
“The sword for my family…! The sword to protect my family!”
“Correct, Luna.”
A sword to protect her family. That purpose would gradually expand, eventually reaching out to protect all people. That was the fate of a hero.
Junwoo was satisfied with her answer.
“Yes, Luna. Your sword is a sword meant to protect. Then I will teach you how to truly protect with it.”
“O-ohhh!!”
A sword to protect. Was she finally going to learn real swordsmanship?! Runa gripped her wooden sword tightly at Junwoo’s words.
What kind of technique would he teach her? She hated to admit it, but Junwoo’s swordsmanship was refined and sharp. Runa waited with high expectations.
“Alright, please teach me! Teach me swordsmanship!”
“…First, I’ll correct how you’re holding the sword. Your stance is completely wrong.”
“Ehh?”
It was off to a rocky start.
Junwoo approached her. From the outside, it looked like Runa was holding the sword properly. But that was only on the surface. There were mountains of things that needed fixing.
“Luna, stay still. I’ll show you.”
“Huh? S-stay still—kyaa! Where are you touching?!”
“I’m correcting your posture. Stay still.”
Junwoo examined her body as if he were fixing a machine—finding the broken parts and reassembling them correctly.
“Your front leg is sticking out too far.”
“O-okay—! I’ll pull it ba—aaack! D-don’t touch me there!”
“Be quiet. Stop making such a fuss.”
In Junwoo’s eyes, Luna was nothing more than a child. He felt absolutely nothing while adjusting her posture. Only Luna was blushing furiously, rejecting his touch with embarrassment.
Junwoo moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her in a guiding embrace.
“The hand holding the sword should not be stiff. It must be soft…”
“Y-yes…? S-soft…? Ehh…?”
“…Focus, Luna. Do you want to go back to basic training?”
“N-no…! I’ll focus!”
Her head felt like it was about to explode, but she hated basic training even more. So she did her best to follow Junwoo’s guidance.
…Uncle’s muscles are really firm.
Discovering a new side of him, Runa trained with genuine enjoyment and steadily absorbed the swordsmanship.
And.
There was a pair of red eyes watching their training from afar…
Grind—
“U-Uncle… have you grown tired of me…? Is that why you went to Luna… and you’re so happy with her…? Please… don’t abandon me… Uncle…”
While biting the flesh of her fingers, Hare watched them through the window that would not open. Anxiety and jealousy became kindling, setting her heart ablaze.
“…Luna is a thief… While I was locked away, she got to be with Uncle like that… It’s not fair… She said she wasn’t interested in Uncle… but she’s making such a happy face… Hic…”
Hare’s eyes were bloodshot from tears that refused to fall. Her gaze was fixed solely on the two of them.
And during her time in solitary confinement, Hare was slowly realizing what her mistake had been.
“I shouldn’t have gotten caught… I have to make sure Uncle can never notice… I need to be more cunning… more meticulous…”
Because if you’re not caught, it’s not a crime. She should have planned more precisely. The direction wasn’t right, but at least Hare was reflecting in her own way.
Minerva’s Library
In Minerva’s Library, where only the sound of an owl could be heard when Junwoo was absent, Minerva sipped her coffee while reviewing the story so far.
“The confinement is going smoothly! The thief is getting a little closer to her true nature as a thief. This is an excellent development.”
In Minerva’s hands was the book titled Yuriana Hare. It contained her future, and it predicted that this confinement would have a positive effect on her.
Mostly on Hare as a thief, rather than as a human being.
“After failing once, she’ll realize her mistakes and plan even more meticulously next time. Very good, isn’t it, Myeong-i?”
“Buu— Buu—”
The librarian owl of Minerva’s Library—shortened to Myeong-i—nodded its beak up and down.
“Right. Her obsession with Junwoo has grown a bit, which I don’t like… but the fear of being abandoned should stop her from trying to kill her comrades. And even if she does act on it in the future, she’ll move so meticulously that no one will ever notice.”
A thief must be meticulous for the sake of the future. This was the same isolation method Junwoo had once experienced in the Room of Thought. It was a method that forced one to realize their own faults and think in their own way. Even Minerva considered it an exceptionally effective plan.
“…It’s a little immoral by human standards! But since Junwoo is just using what he learned from his mentor, he probably thinks it’s the right method, right?”
“Buu—! Buu—!”
Myeong-i agreed.
Naeldia Aina. The name of the person who had taken the first-year adventurer Lee Junwoo as her disciple. She was a genius mage overflowing with talent, but she had lost her life for Junwoo’s sake. It was no exaggeration to say that Junwoo had been influenced by everything Aina did.
Four months. That was how long I taught you, Junwoo. Do you have any reflections?
It’s my first time. How can I do it perfectly from the start? Please give me a little more time.
Our disciple has no manners. Then I have no choice but to make you realize it by force. Go on in, Junwoo.
Huh? Go in where…
The period is thirty days. Realize it on your own and come out. If you can’t, you will be expelled.
…Huh?
Thud—
Aina, dissatisfied with Junwoo’s magical progress, had locked him in the Room of Thought. For thirty days, Junwoo had suffered the agony of loneliness. But they say pain becomes nourishment that helps a person grow.
While confined in that room, Junwoo had been able to precisely identify which part of his magic was wrong and what mistakes he had been making. It was truly a room designed only for thinking.
When Minerva recalled that part of Junwoo’s past, goosebumps rose all over her body.
“Ugh, that mentor was completely insane. Learning from such a weird person… maybe that’s why Junwoo turned out a little strange too…”
But well, the hero party had to defeat the Demon King. There was no more effective method than that!
“And although Aina had a terrible personality, she did treat Junwoo well. That’s what makes it even sadder…”
“Buu… Buu…”
Myeong-i also seemed to pity Aina. At the moment of her death, she had sent away the disciple she loved. She knew better than anyone that if she said “I love you,” those words would become a curse that pierced Junwoo’s heart. So she couldn’t even convey her feelings and passed away.
“Whatever! The past is over. The present and the future are what matter! Myeong-i! Bring me Junwoo’s future book right now!”
“Hoot—!”
Myeong-i saluted, then flew back with a book clutched in its wings. It was a warm, freshly printed copy of Lee Junwoo’s Future.
There were many variables in the world, and the biggest variable for Junwoo was the ‘hero party.’ That was why Minerva had to check every time a new edition came out.
Junwoo was someone who should have died from the beginning. He was a person who had escaped the fate of death. Because the world desired an end for the one who had defied death, Minerva always checked his future.
If the only human apostle, Lee Junwoo, died, Minerva would be forgotten by the world.
Minerva opened the book and began to read.
“The changes in this new edition are… Hmm…”
Let’s see… Hmm…?
There was nothing special until the middle… but the ending…?
“Why is Junwoo in Luna’s hometown, Aden Village? And why is he dying?”
In Runa’s hometown of Aden, Lee Junwoo met his death. There was less than a month left.
“W-what?! Damn it, if I want Junwoo not to die, what kind of quest should I give him…? Argh, my head hurts!”
Minerva, who was always thinking about Junwoo, clutched her aching head.
Back at the hideout
“Hehe, today’s sword training was so much fun!”
Runa swung her wooden sword up and down, trying to memorize the stance.
Use your entire arm, not just your wrist, to swing the sword.
Just as Junwoo had said, Runa swung the sword.
“One!”
Whoosh—
“Two!”
Whoosh—
“Three!”
“Stop!! Stop swinging that in the room…!! I’m going to die!!”
“Ah, right. Estia was here.”
She had been so focused on the sword that she hadn’t noticed… Estia was curled up in the corner. The wooden sword had just grazed her face, and her heart was pounding wildly.
“There’s a person here! Hey?! I almost died!! I’m already on edge because I don’t have any Holy Water!!”
“Ah, sorry! My bad! My bad! I’ll be more careful next time!”
“…Will swinging it carefully mean it won’t hit me? Goddess. Please pray that I survive today… Pray that I don’t die from that wicked sword…”
Whoosh— Whoosh—
Listening to the sound of the blade cutting through the air, Estia clasped her hands together in the corner of the room and prayed. Runa didn’t notice the desperate sight at all.
Her concentration had reached its peak as she analyzed and corrected the sword stance. Nothing around her entered her eyes.
“Like this, step forward with the leg… and slash sideways…”
Clang—
“H-hiiik…!! Goddess…! Today I am ascending to heaven…!! Please, before I die, grant me just one drop of Holy Water…! I beg you with all my heart…!!”
Despite Estia’s cries, Runa’s training continued.
And from within Runa’s heart, someone’s voice was beginning to leak out.
-Hero…s…
She thought it was Estia’s voice because she was concentrating so hard. But it was a clear, different voice. At that voice, Runa…
“If I change the stance like this, it feels more efficient? Or not?”
She was too focused to hear it. As Runa’s swordsmanship gradually improved, that voice seemed to grow clearer and clearer.