Chapter 8
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: He Looked at Me
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Luke wasn't heading toward the waterfall.
He let out a sigh so faint it was barely audible, then slipped into a crevice in the cliffside.
Relying on his double-edged sword, which lit up the pitch-black passage like broad daylight, he pressed forward step by step.
The Red Dragon Knights boast many outstanding knights. They must have sensed me the instant I bestowed the blessing. Even with mana sealed, if several of them attacked at once, even a sacred beast could be in danger. Just to be safe, I sent the sacred beast off to eat.
Ah, so that's why he told Delma to go grab a meal—because he was worried the red knights might attack her?
'No matter how tough a hippo is, it could still be risky against that many knights. They caught that lizard pretty quick earlier, after all.'
'That's why he said there's no need to come back.'
He's a good guy.
The passage was so narrow that even two people walking shoulder to shoulder would struggle.
It twisted and turned, but there was only one path, so no risk of getting lost.
It's been ages since I felt like I was off on an adventure.
For the first time, a personal sentiment slipped from Senior Luke.
His heart raced with a faint smile.
Mine's racing too.
I had no idea he liked adventures.
'Coming here reminds me of that time at Gosu Cave. But this place is rock, so it's way tougher, and since it's not a real cave, the humidity's lower too. Oh, speaking of Gosu Cave—back when I was in Korea, before becoming a firefighter. It was my third or fourth girlfriend, Soyeon, we went there for fun, but the battery died—smartphone battery, that is. So we had no choice but to book a pension, and man, that girl was dead set on killing me that night, all through...'
Luke came to an abrupt halt.
'Why?'
Did I ramble too excitedly?
Damn it, come on. At least show some interest or nod along.
"Light... Hellite's moon entrusts its authority to thee. Shine even brighter!"
Huh.
Luke had stopped for a different reason.
The light from the double-edged sword intensified.
A long, pitch-black gash of a passage split off to the right.
The sanctuary lies to the right.
Ah, got it.
Then why go straight ahead!
You're like that senior who points at galbitang saying it's amazing, then drags you to sundaegukbap instead!
I want galbitang! Extra glass noodles!
Luke's steps quickened.
I could feel it.
My heart pounding, churning, filled with a tender ache.
'We came in from the north, so heading this way should lead south, right?'
The gently curving passage suddenly brightened. Even though it was night.
They'd finally reached the edge of a vast, open cliff.
Aside from footing and the passage behind, nothing obstructed the view.
Turning his body, Luke first gazed at the moon.
Beautiful.
I wouldn't have dared turn my back to the cliff like that—impressive courage and sense of balance.
El Ravina...
So full of wistful romance.
His heart beat even harder as he gazed at the moon.
The moon hung perpetually in that spot, even during the day.
But now, at night, another moon rose in the east.
A much larger one, faintly visible.
Luke turned his head toward the smaller moon.
And beside it, a familiar star was watching me.
That star was the supreme Holy Knight, the moon the Saintess.
The Saintess was Luke's woman.
If your heart aches this much and you still don't notice, you're a total loner. Put a knife to my throat and argue all you want—you're wrong.
Luke turned back, his gaze dropping below.
Over low hills cloaked in darkness, past black forests, plains, and rivers, his eyes settled on a massive city gleaming pure white in the distance.
'Whoa...'
If I had a mouth, my jaw would have dropped. It was a breathtaking sight that stole your breath away.
Only then did I realize what Negaf Arron encircled and protected.
That is Hellite. The nest cradling divinity. The homeland of all Saintesses and Holy Knights. The high land where the moon never sets.
A land crafted by the moon goddess herself.
No other description fits.
'Makes me want to drop to my knees.'
A lofty land born of wisdom.
The Holy Kingdom Hellite.
The plateau.
I couldn't gauge the elevation.
Not on the level of the northern ramparts reaching the sky.
'Still, insanely high.'
The name "high land" suited it perfectly.
A single mountain rising tall from the central plains.
If you scooped out the mountainside with a Titan's spoon somewhere around there, you'd get that shape.
Multiple peaks embraced the sunken crater like outstretched arms.
'The moon lights it up like a spotlight.'
Outer walls, inner walls, and the towering central spire—all dazzling white under the moonlight.
Streams flowing from the Hellite plateau cascaded gently downward, pulled by gravity, merging into broad rivers that wound around the mountains and away into the distance.
'Feels so cozy, like a white nest.'
The epithet "divinity's nest" felt utterly natural.
Dazzling. Tear-inducingly beautiful.
A place I'd never even dreamed of in my fantasies.
No flowery words in the world could capture Hellite's sacred beauty. Not even half.
And its scale was no joke.
It looked massive from afar—wonder what it's like up close.
For 3,000 years, no one has breached it. Not even dragons.
'3,000 years...'
How much time is that?
To me, who'd only lived 30 years, it was incomprehensible.
Thorn cliffs drape it like a mantle. Beyond them lies a sheer chasm. Even if you survive the fall, the sacred beast awaits with jaws wide in the waters below.
This senior sure loves bragging about his hometown.
Luke's voice brimmed with pride as he introduced Hellite.
I came straight to Hellite after my adventures. It's my second home.
Ah, so not his actual hometown?
My father was a lord of a minor border realm.
Luke began recounting his life story.
Like that senior on the last day of OJT, nursing a drink as he shared his life tale.
We'd been bummed that, with our individual duties as newbies, we couldn't stick together as mentor and trainee anymore.
I heard he cherished my mother deeply.
Lucky guy.
My dad treated my mom like a trophy for his career climb.
Didn't even pay child support or living expenses!
Then she divorced his ass. Served him right.
I am the exiled son.
Suddenly?
He said he'd only know the reason for entering the sanctuary once he got there, so he held back for now.
Against the lingering winter winds, the Holy Knight reminisced about his past.
Regulating his breathing slowly to recover his strength.
That was when it started.
The invisible barrier between Luke Seid and me truly began to crumble.
A tale containing one man's entire life.
Spoken aloud, it would have taken days.
But words transmitted through consciousness outpace time.
Luke Seid's story flooded my mind in an instant.
My original name is Kalruk Seid.
Luke Seid's legend began in a tiny border fiefdom far, far away.
I listened to the short span of his life unfold—over and over.
Silently.
My father often spoke of my mother. But I have no memory of her.
It wasn't pity for a boy raised without a mother.
I was the lord's legitimate heir. I had no friends.
Nor just because Luke's emotions felt like a plea to hear his story.
Suddenly, it hit me.
'I've hardly ever listened to anyone else's story.'
I was the son who found joy in my mom's smiles.
That positive experience made me the fun guy in any group.
I was always the main talker at gatherings.
'What a clown I was.'
Calling them friends, brothers, while only yapping and never listening—how fake was that?
No one sought friendship with the lord's son. Vassals bowed to me out of my father's influence, and the fief's folk merely flattered.
The boy's tales of befriending forest heteromorphs and sea-dwelling demihumans were intriguing.
It was a small fief. A day's ride covered it all. Stifling. I snuck out without the steward knowing. Met her amid the bustling market.
The tale of young Kalruk falling head over heels for a girl he chanced upon from a neighboring metropolis was a bit clichéd.
'Romance and pure love just aren't my thing, huh.'
I eased my boredom watching fat snowflakes begin to drift.
A fleeting encounter, yet an eternal bond. I couldn't sleep.
Teacher, cut the crap and tell me about your first night already.
...I held back, lest Luke perform an exorcism.
She was all I could think of. She sent a yellow bird too. Said it made her think of me...
Ugh, sleepy.
My father exiled me.
Finally, romance arc over.
The rigors and adventures of trainee Saintess El Ravina-smitten boy Kalruk to become a Holy Knight followed.
Eaar Continent is vast and perilous.
He survived dozens of near-death brushes, enduring by thinking of El Ravina.
I had to grow stronger.
Becoming a Holy Knight wasn't the end.
He hadn't chosen that path just to see the Saintess up close.
Maybe because he had no friends—only one figure appeared in his tale.
Just one.
The Ruler of Frost was formidable.
The swordsman who subdued the Ice Queen and claimed her eye.
Insight Ability. With that power, I grew stronger than any. I cherry-picked only mythic abilities. By the time I reached Hellite, no one doubted my prowess.
At last, Hellite's Star—the supreme Holy Knight.
My brothers trusted me, standing firm against the empire's provocations.
The sole force to defy the empire.
Pitiful. That guy, whose very name meant calamity and ruin, was the strongest foe I'd ever faced.
The hero who quelled the calamity.
All for Hellite and its weak folk—or so it seemed. In truth, to wipe away El Ravina's tears.
The Saintess's man.
El Ravina, Hellite—they were my reasons for living. As Hellite's guardian, I never slacked in building my strength. Power was my conviction, my justice.
Only a brief moment had passed while Luke spoke.
The large moon still hung over the eastern mountains.
Not once did I waver. My first torment came subduing the calamity. And today, weighing my life against killing, my second anguish.
As I listened to Senior Luke's tale, my own thoughts wandered.
'Ever since he plucked the Ice Queen's eye and put it in his heart, that star appeared in my mind. The queen's grudge etched into the star, making its voice audible.'
Bingo. A signal from the heart.
Like the thrill of guessing right on a multiple-choice question.
'So that's why the star in my head flickered when Luke was conflicted?'
Buzz. Wrong.
Not that.
Then maybe it was warning of danger.
'What if it just happened to overlap with my danger and Luke's conflict by coincidence?'
Thump-!
Holy crap.
Guessed it right.
If I'd had this ability in school, I'd have been top of the class—wait, not the point right now.
'Coincidences overlapping from completely unrelated worlds? No way, that's impossible.'
Suddenly, Luke's voice vanished.
Did he stop again because I was pathetic?
The small moon filling my vision was gone, replaced by an eyeball.
Luke Seid raised his double-edged sword to illuminate his face.
Deep golden eyes tinged with brown peered from beneath his helm, looking right at me.
Losers lock eyes and start a staring contest; cool kids lock eyes and say hi.
Attention! Salute.
'Uh, hi. I'm a firefighter...'
You...
First time.
Luke, who'd spoken like he was training a subordinate—never once addressing me directly, just monologuing—finally called to me.
You, firefighter...
Damn it, seriously.
Time to fix this guy's interpreter first.