Ending Maker

Chapter 1: PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE

[Outboxer009 has logged in]

Romantic Cat: Oh, the stagnant water is here.

Outboxer009: Aren't we all stagnant water that are already rotting in this unimportant game? Why are you guys still playing here? It's been more than 10 years since this game was launched.

(Translator's Notes [T/N]: Stagnant water (고인물) is a Korean slang used by the younger generations. It means that someone has played a certain game for a long time that they've mastered the game.

Rotting/rotten water is an extreme version of stagnant water, meaning the stagnant water has pooled for too long that it had gone bad/rotten. Rotten water is higher in level than stagnant water, meaning they have spent time far longer than stagnant water, and are considered game pros, legends, or veterans.)

Source:

Cowabunga: Look in the mirror first and ask yourself.

Outboxer009 – Kang Jin-ho laughed at the reply that came from beyond the screen monitor.

Legend of Heroes 2.

It has already been 10 years since the game was launched, and a third installment was even released. However, it was still a classic game among veteran players.

But why do people play games that are more than 10 years old?

'Because it's fun.'

What other reasons do they need to play the game?

In fact, there was one more decisive reason.

Kang Jin-ho was one of the longest-playing users of Legend of Heroes 2 – No, he has reached the highest level and gained status as a rotten water. He was a ranker.

And in this chat room, there was one more rotten water who as bad as Kang Jin-ho.

Yellow Storm: Are you here, Boxer? Are you ready to come down to 2nd place?

Outboxer009: Oh, you're still dreaming? Please, don't even look up at trees that you can't climb.

Yellow Storm: Bullsh*t. This time, I'll be first place.

Outboxer009: Yes, yes. Everyone has the freedom to dream. You're allowed to dream.

Romantic Cat: Both of you shut up. This month's rankings are up.

Legend of Heroes 2 announced server rankings every month by adding up various points earned in the game such as time attacks. And this leaderboard that has been running for a long time has become the battlefield for the rotten waters.

[1st Place: Outboxer009 – 315,234,999 points] [23 months in a row!]

[2nd Place: Yellow Storm – 315,234,125 points] [22 months in a row!]

[3rd Place…]

Yellow Storm: F*ck! Wht the f*ck is tis? Is this brokenn!

AAA: Look at all the typos. You must have had a mental breakdown.

Romantic Cat: I think I can hear the sound of trembling!

It seemed like he could really hear a trembling sound. After swallowing nervously and then sighing in relief at seeing the results, Kang Jin-ho burst out into laughter from the depth of his lungs.

Outboxer009: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Did you see it?

Outboxer009: You're eternally 2nd place! E etc.! Second-class! Number 2!

Yellow Storm: sdlkghiosdghsodighsdighiofsdoighiosd

AAA: Oh, it's here. Mental breakdown.

Cowabunga: It's more fun to tease because he reacts like that. *shakes head*

Outboxer009: Ah, it was fun. I'm going to have a good night's sleep. Good night to you too, Yellow second-class. Try harder next month.

Yellow Storm: Hey! Why is the difference between us only 800 points?!

Outboxer009: Right. I don't know why you couldn't get that 874 points. Ah, is this the difference between 1st and 2nd place?

Yellow Storm: The use of abusive language is subject to sanctions.

Yellow Storm: The use of abusive language is subject to sanctions.

Yellow Storm: The use of abusive language is subject to sanctions.

Yellow Storm: The use of abusive language is subject to sanctions.

Yellow Storm: F*** is an exclamation, not a curse!

Outboxer009: Anyway, I'm going to sleep. Good night. Dream of me ♥

Yellow Storm: The use of abusive language is subject to sanctions.

A few minutes later…

When a new conversation did not appear in the chat room, the other rotten waters holding popcorn in one hand and watching the monthly event started to speak again.

Romantic Cat: What, did they really go to bed?

Cowabunga: Did Norfolk go to bed? Doesn't he have any other words?

T/N: Norfolk came from baseball player, Yoon Suk-min's nickname, “Norfolk Wars”. Yoon was in a “war” with another Korean baseball player, and he was losing in the war while he was at the Norfolk Tides baseball team. So, Yellow Storm is “Norfolk”, as she had lost the war in the server rankings. More info about Norfolk can be found before the start of episode 8.

Source:

AAA: They're permanently first and second place in order together. Like a married couple that grows old together.

Cowabunga: It'll be published as a dark BL novel.

AAA: Oh, shit. I imagined it.

Romantic Cat: What happened? I don't know about Boxer, but if it's Norfolk, it's normal for him to act rashly and talk nonsense. Did the two of them really go to bed?

[Outboxer009 has logged out.]

[Yellow Storm has logged out.]

[Kang Jin-ho has entered Pleaides.]

[Hong Yoo Hee has entered Pleiades.]

Chapter 2: PLEIADES (1)

Count Bayer.

It was once a famous family of swordsmen, and its head was the Margrave of the Sälen Kingdom's northern frontier, but that was all in the past, as they are now just an old family clan.

But even so, they were the Bayer family.

Even if the father and son fell and their family declined in approximately 3 years, they still maintained their position at the bottom place of the 12 northern families.

In the mansion of such Count Bayer…

There was a struggling man in the second son's room, who was called the 'anguish of Count Bayer.'

“Kkeuoeo…eoo…eoo”

It was a boy in his late teens who held his head and let out strange groans.

He had dark blue hair, a white and slender face, and a pair of mysterious green eyes that all blended together to show off his good looks, but now, he was thinking of his situation as he looked at himself.

The boy was named Jude Bayer, who was also known as the second son of Count Bayer and was now thinking as he stared blankly at the mirror hung on the wall.

'Is this likeness totally real?'

Is everything that he could see in the mirror real?

The fact that Jude Bayer is now Jude Bayer.

The sentence was like a play on words, but Jude was serious. He would be, too, because he was both Jude and Kang Jin-ho at the same time.

'No matter how I look at it, this is the world of Legend of Heroes 2.'

Two days have passed since Jude “awakened” his memory as Kang Jin-ho.

And that time of two days was not short.

The name 'Jude Bayer.'

The situation of Count Bayer.

The Sälen Kingdom and its surrounding circumstances.

None of them were inconsistent with Legend of Heroes 2.

'Pleiades.'

A world that is the background of the entire series of Legend of Heroes.

'Let's face it. This world is Pleiades, and I am Jude Bayer.

It felt a little different from simply entering a game, which was common in novels and manhwa (comics).

Rather, the situation felt like he was born as Jude Bayer, and then remembered his 'past life' as Kang Jin-ho.

So, even though he had become Jude, it almost didn't feel out of place.

Because from the very beginning, he was both Jude Bayer and Kang Jin-ho at the same time.

Jude raised his head and looked at the mirror again.

He saw the beautiful view of a handsome looking boy with superior looks, sitting down in front of the mirror.

'I am handsome.'

He wasn't just handsome…he was exceedingly handsome.

Jude rose from his seat and looked around the room.

It was spacious, nice, and clean.

It seemed to be larger than the villa he had lived in when he was Kang Jin-ho, and though the furniture showed signs of age, one cannot deny that the all the furniture were luxury items.

Jude considered his situation objectively.

The difference between the days of Kang Jin-ho and the days of Jude.

He was young again, a dozen times more handsome than before, and he had become a golden spoon noble.

It was absolutely perfect.

It was an upgrade to the point where he felt like applauding.

But then Jude thought.

'Isn't this f*cked up though?'

It wasn't because of Jude.

Although Jude Bayer was character with some flaws among the characters of Legend of Heroes 2, the bigger problem lies in the fact that this was the world of Legend of Heroes 2 itself.

The background setting of Legend of Heroes 2 was not a peaceful fantasy world.

No, it was a world of great tribulation – demons descended from the demon world, and angels came down to fight against them – all the countries and races of the continent were embroiled and killed in the war.

In short, it was a world destined for Apocalypse.

'I was fortunate that it wasn't the third installment.'

Legend of Heroes 3 dealt with the aftermath of the war between the angels and demons, where all human nations had collapsed.

If he had entered Legend of Heroes 3, he wouldn't be sitting and looking in the mirror like this, but he would've been bitten and torn apart by monsters.

'As expected, there's only one way.'

He must become strong.

So that when the times of great tribulation come, he could endure it.

And if possible, he must become strong enough to protect himself and those around him.

In the real world where Kang Jin-ho lived, there were clearly limitations for humans in becoming strong, but this was Pleiades, the world of Legend of Heroes.

It was possible for an individual here to demolish mountains and become an absolute power that can shake the sky.

'Well…the authenticity of that is questionable, but moving on…'

For a while, he looked at his slender forearm, but soon made up his mind and clenched his fist again.

'Let's do it.'

He can do it.

He must do it.

Jude himself is Outboxer009.

Wasn't he the rotten water that kept the top spot in the server ranking list for a staggering 23 months!

So, Jude decided to consider Jude Bayer's situation first.

Jude Bayer.

The second son of Count Bayer.

He hails from the Bayer family, which has produced outstanding warriors for generations, but he himself hasn't mastered even one of the sword basics.

Of course, he wasn't just a useless guy as he was one of the playable characters.

Jude certainly had a talent.

It wasn't just an ordinary talent but a truly incomparable talent.

Cheonmujiche (Heavenly Martial Body).

As the name implies, it's a heavenly talent for martial arts.

'But there's a trap card here.'

Jude was born with an abnormality in the Yin meridians of his whole body, particularly called, Gueumjulmaek (Nine Yin Severed Meridians).

(T/N: Gueumjulmaek is a fictitious congenital disease seen in Korean martial arts novels, like The Scholar's Reincarnation. To quote its description from the above series, “it is being innately born with Yin energy but with blocked meridians. Treatment is very difficult and most people with this disease die very early.” It means that the Yin energy is so strong that the meridians are blocked, and the circulation of qi/chi does not work properly.)

'Short-lived, weak, inability to use mana, but possessing a tremendous amount of yin energy.'

These were roughly the effects of Gueumjulmaek.

He was an unlucky genius born in a body with both Cheonmujiche and Gueumjulmaek.

That was the boy named Jude Bayer.

'Couldn't I just have been Leon? Or Maximilian?'

In Legend of Heroes 2 where various playable characters existed, it was Maximilian who was the main character of the game.

A cheat character born with a great talent in both sword and magic.

It was the so-called title character prepared by the production team to allow beginners to see the ending of the game.

'Then, Maximilian will be here too, right?'

Maximilian wasn't the only one.

There was a high possibility that all the characters in Legend of Heroes 2 existed here.

'It's making me excited for no reason.'

He had just lamented that he had fallen into this world, but this was Legend of Heroes 2.

His heart began to throb when he thought that he would be able to meet the characters of the materialized Legend of Heroes 2.

'Okay, if that's it, all I have to do is treat my Gueumjulmaek.'

Then the heavenly martial body will start to bloom.

Of course, it was not an easy task to cure Gueumjulmaek.

The evidence was that Count Bayer had not been able to do anything about Jude's Gueumjulmaek even up to this day.

'But there is a way.'

As the rotten water of Legend of Heroes 2, he was a player who knew several treatments for Gueumjulmaek. However, knowing and executing it were different.

Is it possible to secure a remedy with his current body, which is itself weak because of Gueumjulmaek?

No matter how much he thought of it, it was impossible.

It wasn't something he could do alone.

But that was not the case if he could leave it to others.

All of the methods he could think of were quite complicated, and he wondered if the Bayer family members would even believe in Jude's words.

'I need allies.'

Someone who will believe and carry out Jude's words.

Someone who will be on Jude's side anytime and anywhere.

But it was then.

“Young master, may I come in?”

The voice he heard from outside the room was Maja, Jude's exclusive maid.

'Exclusive maid.'

Although it was a world where a great tribulation was predicted and he had a body with Gueumjulmaek, Jude thought that his life was much better now than when he lived as Kang Jin-ho.

After his brief lapse of thought, Jude immediately raised his head and said.

“Oh, it's all right.”

With his permission, Maja opened the door silently and entered.

She was a woman in her early twenties with her blue hair tied neatly, and her cold expression belied her attractive beauty.

As soon as she entered the room, Maja bowed to Jude and said immediately.

“Lady Cordelia Chase, your fiancée, is here to visit you.”

“Ah.”

Visiting a sick person.

Come to think of it, he thought, it was worth it coming here. When he awakened his past memories as Kang Jin-ho, he remembered a lot of nonsensical stuff.

Moreover, wasn't Jude usually considered a sick person here?

'What should I do…'

He had awakened Kang Jin-ho's memories, but Jude's memories did not disappear.

In other words, meeting his fiancée, Cordelia, didn't pose any problems.

'Cordelia.'

She was an incomparably beautiful girl with red hair close to pink.

Wasn't the ratio of handsome and beautiful people here too high? Then again, wasn't the original game characters all like that?

Anyway, if it's Cordelia Chase, Kang Jin-ho knew quite a lot about her.

'Chase, the famous family of wizards.'

If Jude's family, the Bayer's, were a famous family of swordsmen, the Chase family were a famous family of wizards.

Of course, both families were now weak compared to the past.

In any case, Cordelia Chase was a wizard character, born with a fairly outstanding magic talent.

She didn't have a natural-borne talent like Jude, but instead, she lacked a weakness like Gueumjulmaek, making her easier to handle in the game.

'I'm nervous.'

He didn't think he would meet his fiancée who's also a playable character in Legend of Heroes 2.

“Young master?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, okay. I'm going to see her right now.”

When Jude willingly answered, Maja hesitated for a moment, but soon nodded and stepped back.

“She is waiting in the drawing room.”

After Maja said that, she began to take the lead as she guided him to the place.

'I am a real nobleman.'

It was a new experience for him, but as he stepped out of the hallway, Jude realized that this was a noble family's house, a residence that once boasted great power.

It was a hall that emphasized practicality rather than splendor, but it was so big and grand that it felt like he was walking in a big castle rather than a mansion.

“Mr. Jude Bayer has arrived.”

Maja, who raised her voice once they were in front of the drawing room door, opened the door with a restrained movement.

Unlike the hall which gave a stark impression, the drawing room was well-decorated. Inside, there was a girl with red hair close to pink, and a female knight right next to her who served as an escort.

'Cordelia Chase.'

Jude Bayer's fiancée.

Jude swallowed deeply as stepped into the drawing room. He faced Cordelia with a natural smile.

But right after…

The moment he made eye contact with Cordelia…

Jude widely opened his eyes. And so was Cordelia.

The two shouted almost at the same time.

““Why are you here?!””

Chapter 3: PLEIADES (2)

“Young master?”

“Miss?”

Maja and Cordelia's escort, a knight, said almost simultaneously.

That's because Jude and Cordelia looked at each other out of the blue and said strange things.

Why are they here?

'Didn't we come here to meet the visitor?'

'Isn't it because we came here to visit?'

At a time when Maja and the female knight were thinking rationally, Jude calmed his astonished self and thought of the girl in front of him. And like himself, Cordelia was full of emotions too, such as embarrassment, surprise, and so on.

'What? Why is Yellow Storm here?'

The girl in front of him, Cordelia, was so beautiful that the word “great beauty” could be attached.

The 2nd place Yellow Storm had nothing to do with Jude's own fiancée.

But it was strange.

When their eyes met with each other, the player named Yellow Storm came to his mind.

It was good to say that it was an absolute feeling.

Moreover, it was important that the opponent showed a similar reaction to him.

'No way.'

Is she really that Yellow Storm?

It was a dizzying story, but it wasn't impossible.

In the first place, Outboxer009, who was Kang Jin-ho, also became Jude Bayer.

“Hmmm, uh, well. Excuse me for a moment.”

“Uh… Me, me too.”

When Jude mumbled first, Cordelia also mumbled.

However, the way he looked at her side was also unusual.

“First… Please sit down.”

“Uh… yeah.”

Once he sat down…

Maja and the female knight tilted their heads at the awkwardness of the two, but it was only for a short time.

Maja brought out the newly prepared tea, and Jude continued to exchange awkward glances with Cordelia.

'Let's test her.'

He didn't know if only he felt something, but he thought that she would have felt something similar too.

If the opponent really is Yellow Storm like he felt, it would seem like a catastrophe has come, but if it really is, he would likely understand.

“No, no.”

Hi, Yellow Storm.

Jude's voice trembled because he was embarrassed to say it out of his mouth.

But her reaction was good.

Cordelia flinched for a moment and her eyes opened widely.

“Ah…Aha.”

Hi, Outboxer.

Cordelia also spoke quietly, and at the time when Maja and the female knight tilted their heads again, Jude drove a wedge in.

“Hey…you too?”

“Yeah…me too.”

“Young master?”

“Miss?”

Maja and the female knight's face now had a rather serious look of concern.

Why are the two suddenly acting like that?

But Jude couldn't care less about the reaction of those two.

'Crazy! Are you really Yellow Storm?!'

When he spoke with his eyes, the other returned a similar answer.

Jude took a deep breath for now. He wanted to ask a lot of questions right away, like what happened and when did she became Cordelia, but there was Maja and the female knight here.

Therefore, Jude tried to turn around.

“Coop reset 9:00 3-9.”

One of the contents of Legend of Heroes 2 is the coop mode that resets every night at 12:00 – meaning it was reset at midnight.

9 o'clock refers to the 9 o'clock direction, and 3-9 meant 9 blocks down – that is, 18 meters below the entrance coordinates.

Therefore, the interpretation of Jude's words was as follows.

'Let's meet at midnight in the corner of my garden.'

Honestly, it would be difficult for a normal Legend of Heroes 2 player to understand what he meant, but it would have been understandable if it was the rotten water Yellow Storm.

And indeed, Cordelia nodded and said in a whisper.

“Roger that.”

It was a radio term meaning “understood” and is one of the most distinctive phrases of Yellow Storm.

“Hmmm, I'm glad you're healthy. It's already late today, so I'll see you next time.”

“Hmmm, it was nice to meet you. I look forward to seeing you next time.”

They couldn't have a proper conversation here.

So, after deciding on when and where to meet, they quickly ended their meeting.

When Cordelia and Jude stood up after talking to each other, it was Maja and the female knight who were confused again.

“Eh, you're going already?”

“Miss?”

She was so surprised that Maja's usual expressionless face was now full of surprise.

However, Jude and Cordelia had already reached an agreement and exchanged their greetings.

Jude laughed awkwardly and saw off Yellow Storm – no, Cordelia, who likewise walked out with an awkward smile and a quick walk.

“Young master? This is…”

“Well, that's it.”

What the hell is going on here?

But one thing was certain.

The appearance of an ally who would be on his side and believe Jude's words.

Looking at the entrance of the drawing room where Cordelia had left, Jude clenched his fist.

Jude Bayer's father, Count Bayer, was out on a northern expedition with his successor, Gaël Bayer, who is the older brother of Jude.

It was a small-scale expedition, called the Northern Monster Subjugation, which was like an annual event, and the period from departure to return was one month.

In any case, the quiet part of the house was now even quieter. This is because most of the vassals here went on the expedition following his father and brother.

Having finished dinner alone in the room, Jude waited impatiently for midnight to come.

And finally, the deepest of night, midnight, came.

Jude sneaked out of his room and hurried to the garden.

It was still summer in terms of time, but the night air was cold as they were in the northern part of the country.

'You'll be able to find me, right?'

Standing under a big tree, the promised place, Jude looked up at the night sky with a worried face.

'It's a real Pleiades.'

There were two moons in the sky.

Selene and Helene.

Twin goddesses illuminating the night sky.

In fact, the two moons were even more beautiful and mysterious looking than when they were seen through the monitor screen.

“Hey.”

It was at that moment. With a very small voice that came out of nowhere, Jude became alert and looked up the wall, and identified the owner of the voice.

The owner of the voice was a red-haired girl wearing a hard-pressed brown hood reminiscent of monk's robes.

“Yellow Storm.”

“Outboxer009.”

Speaking quietly, the same little voice came back.

And, whoosh…

Cordelia crossed over the wall using magic and looked at Jude with a face full of mixed feelings.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

They just confirmed each other's nicknames.

“It's really something.”

“What?”

“I'm madly pleased to see you.”

At Cordelia's words, Jude nodded. It was the same with himself.

He thought that he had fallen alone in a completely different world, but he knew a face – no, he was glad to see another person like him.

“Since when?”

“Two days ago. What about you?”

“Two days ago, too.”

“It happened suddenly when you opened your eyes?”

“Yeah.”

Jude and Cordelia squatted under the tree then and looked at each other with saying anything first.

It was Cordelia who first opened her mouth.

“Hey, aren't you supposed to be a guy? How did you get a girl to go over the wall of a man's house?”

“What is this sexism all of a sudden? And don't you know Jude? Jude Bayer. Gueumjulmaek. How am I supposed to cross the wall?”

Come to think of it, it wasn't just that.

“And since when did you become a woman?”

“From birth.”

“Huh?”

“From birth, you crazy guy.”

At Cordelia's confession, Jude rubbed his eyes and soon spoke in an embarrassed voice.

“Yellow Storm was a woman?”

“Then were you a man?”

“I was a man.”

“I was a woman.”

“Yes, yes.”

Then again, they've known each other for five years, but they've never talked with each other in the common voice chat. When they met in the game, they met as game characters, so there was nothing for them to recognize about the other's real sex.

“That's not what really matters now.”

When Jude spoke, Cordelia nodded, though she frowned a little.

What mattered was that Outboxer009 became Jude, and Yellow Storm became Cordelia, and that this world was the world of Legend of Heroes 2.

Jude decided to try to lay the basics first.

“So do you? I mean…rather than feeling that I'm inside the game, it was more like my past life was 'Outboxer.' So…it seems to be the same for you too, 'Yellow Storm.'”

“Me too. I feel the same.”

At first glance, there may be little difference, but in fact, there was a decisive difference between the two.

Whether or not they could return.

If you were really reincarnated in Pleiades, the world of Legend of Heroes 2, 'Log Out' would not exist. You were reincarnated in the first place, so where are you going to go?

But neither Jude nor Cordelia thought deeply about it. Though they felt strongly about the fact that they were both Jude and Cordelia now, there were also more important issues that they had to resolve.

““The Great Summons.””

An event where the angels and demons come down in earnest.

At first, he only thought about being strong enough to survive in a time of great tribulation, but that was not enough.

They had to stop the Great Summons itself, which would bring destruction to this world.

Of course, it was a vague story.

The advent of angels and demons was indeed the fate of the world of Pleiades.

No matter how much of a rotten water he was, it was too much for him to do it all alone.

But if he's not alone.

If it was also with those who ranked as the 1st and 2nd places in the server rankings together.

“I like our picks.”

Jude Bayer and Cordelia Chase.

Both were non-mainstream characters that were far from weak ones, but the picks that she spoke about weren't just about character performance.

Cordelia said with a bitter smile.

“Perfect for sharing.”

“Bingo.”

Jude was a warrior, and Cordelia was a wizard.

As with all goods in the world, there was a limit to the number of various gifts and items that existed in Pleiades.

If Jude and Cordelia were characters who walked the same path, they would inevitably interfere with each other's growth.

But they were both warrior and wizard, so they could share the goods of the Pleiades with each other.

“I never thought I'd have a party here that I haven't had in five years.”

“I know, this world is so weird.”

It's ridiculous to be reincarnated in the world of games, but he couldn't believe he reincarnated with the forever 2nd place girl. Moreover, they were also engaged.

“Anyway, I'd like to ask you to cooperate on this.”

“What cooperation?”

“We're going to have to treat my Gueumjulmaek.”

“Doesn't it automatically heal with an event?”

Indeed, it was true.

In the game, after starting as Jude Bayer and somehow spending half a year, an event was supposed to take place where Count Chase would send to Count Bayer the cure of Gueumjulmaek.

In other words, it meant that if he just waited calmly, he could completely cure the Gueumjulmaek.

But at Cordelia's question, Jude said, kicking his tongue.

“That's why you're still second place even in a thousand years.”

“What?”

“Hey, be honest. You've never played Jude, have you?”

“No? I've tried? I know it gets cured because I've played him.”

“But do you agree to that? To just wait for half a year to get treated?”

There are 6 months in half a year, 180 days in 6 months, and 4320 hours in 180 days.

It was a such a waste of a long time.

Cordelia frowned back at Jude's point.

“Then what will you do?”

“I need to treat it before that. Using all kinds of tricks.”

In a way that only they who have climbed over the stagnant water and reached the stage of the rotten water can do.

“Come closer.” Jude, who beckoned to Cordelia, began to talk.

Chapter end

Chapter 4: PLEIADES (3)

Terms used in this chapter:

Reading a Korean book – () it refers to monotone acting. It came from students reading aloud the Korean textbooks indifferently without showing any emotion. This expression is usually used for those who can't act, so they end up saying things in a monotone manner.

Gueumjulmaek refers to a constitution in which the inner Yi energy is so strong that an abnormality occurs in the whole meridians and the circulation of qi is not properly achieved.

Therefore, in order to treat Gueumjulmaek, it was necessary to relieve the Yin energy that were blocking the meridians at once.

“Do you know what Jude will eat in half a year?”

“I know. It's the Sunfire Carp.”

“Oh, it's not 2nd place anymore.”

“Hmmm, I'm a little…rather, why do you keep saying second, second place?”

Cordelia warned sharply, but Jude just laughed.

It was fun when he teased her in the chat window, but now that Yellow Storm had become an incomparably beautiful girl and showed her expressions, it had become more interesting.

“Well, as you know anyway, the Sunfire Carp is a carp that possesses extreme Yang energy.”

“So, let's go fishing to catch it?”

“Are you really the second in the server?”

“I am? I'm the second in the server?”

“Yes, I'm the first.”

When Cordelia trembled and clenched her fists, Jude moved on to the next topic. Controlling the degree of anything was important.

'And…this person was a little different from me.'

They were Outboxer009 and Yellow Storm that had ranked 1st and 2nd on the server back-to-back, but in fact, it was not an exaggeration to say that their playstyles took completely different paths.

'I was an attacker, and she was a fighter.'

If Outboxer009 was an attacker who gained points for achievements by digging into the limit of characters, events, and items that exist in the game, Yellow Storm was the ultimate combat fighter that raised scores by hunting a lot.

Of course, both were rotten waters, so Outboxer009 is also a good fighter, and Yellow Storm also knew enough about Legend of Heroes 2, but their majors were different.

'Whatever.'

Jude, who erased the distractions from his head, spoke quickly.

“If we can get in our hands an item with powerful Yang energy, we can treat the Gueumjulmaek much faster.”

“I know that, but was there something like that?”

Cordelia frowned and groped her memory.

Although there were quite a lot of items with Yang energy other than the Sunfire Carp that Jude had mentioned, it was questionable if Jude and Cordelia could find it for themselves now.

“There is one. Near that, too. You know what I'm talking about, right?”

“Huh? Uh… Well… Oh, that's it. That. Well, there was that.”

Cordelia nodded, as if awkwardly reading a Korean book.

“Yes, that. So please help me deal with it. That's what I need to prepare.”

“Oh, I know. Yes, I know.”

What does she know? Jude could completely see that she didn't know anything.

Jude shook his tongue and decided to give the right answer. It was fun to tease her, but time wasn't infinite.

“You can just wear the Sun's Necklace that Leisegang has.”

“Yeah, if you wear the Sun's necklace of Leisegang…Leisegang?! Demon Leisegang- Eep!”

A startled Cordelia jumped up from her seat and tried to raise her voice, but fortunately, she was able to cut it in the middle.

Jude, who hurriedly shut Cordelia's mouth, said in a low voice.

“Hey, we're meeting each other in secret, remember?”

It was midnight, a quiet time for the entire place.

It was a good thing that most of the people in the house followed Jude's father and were out. Otherwise, someone would have come by after hearing the sound.

“Be serious, okay? I'll take my hand off only when you've calmed down, okay?”

Cordelia nodded at Jude's reminder.

“Okay, here.”

“Fuuhu! Hey, are you really talking about that Leisegang? The Red Moon Demon Leisegang?”

As soon as Jude pulled his hand out, Cordelia asked quickly in a low voice. She looked dumbfounded.

“Yes, the Red Moon's Leisegang.”

“Are you crazy? How will you defeat him? Don't you know that its level is like a bully to us right now?”

The Red Moon's Leisegang.

A demon sealed in the north of the Sälen Kingdom, and one of the mid-bosses that appeared in the middle of Legend of Heroes 2.

Outboxer009 and Yellow Storm were rotten waters, but no matter how much rotten Cordelia was, it was impossible to defeat him with her current power, which is as if she had just started the game.

Jude also admitted it.

“Yes, how do we defeat it? But this is really like you, Yellow Storm. You can only hold your head tightly.”

“You said you needed the Sun's Necklace. That's the Leisegang drop item.”

Five hundred years ago, it was the Sun Paladin Gallus who sealed the Red Moon's Leisegang.

Leisegang took Gallus' life at his last attack just before being sealed, and in the process, the Sun's Necklace, the relic of the sun god that Gallus possessed, was sealed with Leisegang.

Because Gallus was already dead, the priests of the sun god completed the seal, believing that the nature of the Sun's Necklace would weaken the power of Leisegang, and thanks to this, the Sun's Necklace became the drop item of Leisegang.

“We won't kill the demon. We'll just steal the item.”

“How? And don't you have to unseal it in the first place to get to Leisegang? What are you going to do with that? I'm still only a 1-star wizard.”

“Yes, and I have a disease, so I can't even be villager A. So, we use Bellastin's Magic Circle.”

“Bellastin's Magic Circle?”

“Bellastin's Magic Circle. If you use it, it'll be possible to call out Leisegang for some time while maintaining the seal's power. We just need to take the Sun's Necklace away from the one who can't move because of the seal, and then seal it again.”

“Say… It seems to be that…”

Bellastin was a powerful wizard who appeared in the latter half of the heroic period.

With proper application of his chain magic, it would be possible to call out the main body of the bound demon for a while, as Jude had said, while maintaining the seal of Leisegang.

“That… But.”

“What is it?”

“That… Wasn't it really complicated? The magic circle?”

Cordelia had once visited the walkthrough website.

It was rumored to be the perfect magic circle for sealing a demon, but she found it too complicated to draw now even if it was right beside her, so she had abandoned the thought of using it.

At Cordelia's question, Jude nodded.

“Of course, I know. I've already ripped off the item a few times from Leisegang. Oh, can't you draw?”

“Ah, no? I can draw it too? How many times have I drawn it? Because I memorized everything too?”

“Right? Yeah, I think so. It's 2nd in the server. Don't tell me you can't memorize that one.”

Cordelia smiled awkwardly with a tearful face as Jude patted her shoulder and gave her a trusting look.

'Wow, it's all over her face.'

He now knew why she didn't use the voice chat. She seemed like the type who could never lie.

“Yes, since the wizard is you, I'll ask you to draw it. Really reliable, reliable. I will only believe in you, Yellow Storm.”

“Uh… Yes. Trust me, only me. Yes. Only me…”

The appearance of Cordelia, who smiled with no confidence, was indeed spectacular.

“Then let's take the Sun's Necklace that Leisegang has as our first quest target.”

“But isn't it a little far away? I don't think I'll be able to make a short trip at night.”

The place where Leisegang was sealed was an abandoned temple in the middle of the Belkain Mountains.

It was a half-day drive from the frontier city where Count Bayer and Count Chase lived.

“Yes, so I thought about it. There's a solution for this, too.”

“What is it?”

“You and I are engaged for now, aren't we?”

“Well, that's true?”

Cordelia slipped back at the word of “engagement”, and Jude also felt awkward by it.

Yellow Storm and engagement.

Meaning a promise of marriage.

It seemed like he was going to feel dizzy thinking of it, but in any case, using anything available was the mindset of an attacker.

“So, let's go on a date.”

“Date?”

“A date in a carriage.”

“Who? You, you and me?”

“You and I. Outboxer and Yellow Storm. 1st place and 2nd place.”

What would the people in the chat room say when they see this situation?

Cordelia had already made her white face even whiter – a creepy look in a word, and she hardened, and Jude had a similar expression.

“Oh, it seems like the time limit is coming.”

“Time limit?”

“Yes, my Gueumjulmaek.”

After a long time in the night air, his hands and feet were already cold, and it seemed that the night dew would continue to spread throughout the place.

“Are you okay? Would you like a ?”

“I'd appreciate it. But the way, how do you use magic? What about magic usage? Is it okay? It's a little different from the game, right?”

“It's a lot different. It's amazing. Well, it's really fantastic.”

Unlike Jude Bayer who was born with a disease, Cordelia Chase was a wizard who had been well-established from the beginning.

She used magic to cross over the fence just ago.

Since arriving at the garden, Cordelia had felt tired and weak from being swayed around by Jude. But now, she was smiling confidently.

“Fufufu, take this .”

“Yes, yes.”

Cordelia put her hand on Jude's forehead, closed her eyes and chanted the spell. The beautiful appearance of Cordelia and the green light coming from her hands were combined, making it a truly spectacular sight.

“What do you think? Did it work?”

“Yes. It's a little easier to breathe now.”

Jude thought he could get back to his room safely.

“Then I'll go back for now.”

Cordelia put the hood on again. Although Count Bayer and Count Chase were neighbors, but they weren't right next to each other, so it would take some time to get back.

“I'm sorry, if I can treat my disease, I'll try to cross over the fence of your house.”

“No thanks? I'm fine with just the date plan, okay?”

A date request.

“Hey, shouldn't we just call it the quest for Leisegang?”

“Yes, yes. That would be good for our mental health.”

Jude and Cordelia stood side by side and awkwardly bade each other farewell.

“Then, go. Good night.”

“Yeah, good night to you too. Dream of me.”

Cordelia, who answered with a middle finger to his habitual greeting, flew up and crossed the wall.

“Ha, that's real magic.”

The world where angels and demons exist, as well as magic.

Looking at the wall where Cordelia had disappeared for a moment, Jude turned in the direction of the Belkain Mountains.

Red Moon's Leisegang and the Sun's Necklace.

It was the beginning of their plans.

Chapter end

Chapter 5: PLEIADES (4)

The next morning.

Jude thought as he woke up with a groan.

'I'm really weak.'

Although he was healed by Cordelia, his Gueumjulmaek was still there.

When he woke up, he felt heavier and dizzy than usual.

'I must hurry too.'

He couldn't bear to wait for a month, let alone half a year. He had to cure his disease as soon as possible.

'We don't have time.'

There was still a few years left until the Great Summons, but the problem wasn't just the Great Summons.

Various events and items that appeared in Legend of Heroes 2.

They were literally left unattended. In other words, it meant that there was every possibility that anyone other than Jude and Cordelia could get their hands on it.

In the first place, even in Legend of Heroes 2, if a certain deadline was missed, there were many cases where a person who didn't participate in an event or collect an item wouldn't have a chance to do it again, so it would be even more true in this world where everything had become reality.

Even a little night walk in the garden was beyond his limits with the current Jude's body that's in a bad shape.

After curing his disease and gaining a healthy body, he had to start training and optimizing it.

'Okay, first, the date… Let's start by applying for a quest instead of a date.'

After Cordelia accepted his offer and tried to maintain their peace of mind from the word date, Jude got up from the bed and began his morning routine.

Wake up, wash up, and eat.

Usually, there would have been a greeting for his parents here, but both his father and mother were away from home.

'Thanks to that, it's easy to apply for a quest.'

A full-fledged day outside while riding the carriage – No, it's a picnic, so it would usually be difficult to get permission because of Jude's weak body.

'Of course, it's not going to be easy now.'

Upon returning to the room after the meal, Jude glanced to the side. Maja looked differently at him than usual, because she was thinking of his mysterious conversation with Cordelia yesterday.

Her eyes were mixed with worries, concerns, and doubts that the young master might have something wrong with his brain.

'In the meantime, should I say I want to offer Cordelia a carriage date?'

'In the meantime, how should I say that I want to ask out Cordelia for a carriage date?'

How should he even apply for a date?

He knew that they couldn't just meet on the same day after deciding where to meet, unlike in the past life where they could use a messaging app.

'No, isn't there a similar method?'

According to Jude's memory, he could write a letter asking for a date and send it to Count Chase, and if Count Chase and Cordelia agreed, we could then go on a date.

'It'll take about two days.'

But he couldn't help it. Although they were engaged, they were both minors and even one side was weak with a disease.

“Hey, Maja.”

“Yes, young master.”

“That… I am.”

“Yes, young master.”

“That… Yellow… No, I'm requesting a quest from Lady Cordelia – No, I mean a date… Do you have any sites to suggest? That… Well, like going out for some drinks in a nice place near the mountain… Uh, yesterday! That's right, we couldn't talk properly during her visit yesterday.”

Why does he have to say that he wanted to go on a carriage date with Yellow Storm?

Jude was currently in deep agony, but what mattered most right now was Maja's help, not the anguish of his heart.

Even if his parents were away, it was not possible to do everything according to his will.

It was impossible to go out of the mansion without Maja's help, who is practically his elder sister, and is famous and recognized in the family.

Therefore, Jude looked at Maja's lips with nervous eyes.

He had done a lot of 'nonsensical' stuff in the past few days, but what if he was told to just stay home and get drunk here?

'Please…please, Maja! Don't make me say that I want to date Yellow Storm again!'

Did Jude's earnest heart reach her?

Maja nodded with a subtle smile instead of a cold expression.

“Okay, let's get ready.”

And then Maja smiles again, with her face expressing her following thoughts…

I see, you actually wanted to get closer to Cordelia. You did it because you were embarrassed yesterday, and I thought you were all grown up, but you still haven't. No, is this because you're a grown up now? Ufufu – I think I can see the true intentions of your heart.

'No, it's not. It's not what I'm thinking.'

However, Jude was in a position where he could not deny it openly.

“Then let's write an invitation to Lady Cordelia. In the first sentence, how about To my Dear Lady Cordelia whom I deeply love?”

Maja Tantalotte.

Jude Bayer's exclusive maid.

She is usually called the Ice Princess because of her cold expression, but in reality, she is a broad-minded woman.

“Yes, yes…”

Accepting with a long sigh, Jude lifted his pen and began to write a love letter to Cordelia.

Two days later.

The carriage that departed from Count Chase's manor and stopped at Count Bayer's was now running smoothly over the road leading to the Belkain Mountains.

Four people were inside the carriage.

The first two was Count Bayer's youngest son, Jude Bayer, and his exclusive maid, Maja Tantalotte, and the other two were Count Chase's daughter, Cordelia Chase, and her escort knight, Dahlia Ale.

The people of both families took their place in the form of facing each other.

In other words, Cordelia sat opposite Jude.

'Do you not like it? I hate it too.'

Cordelia also had to reply to Jude's love letter.

Cordelia's letter was also a love letter, as it was about going out on a date in a carriage and drinking together.

'Yes, I know how you feel.'

He felt the same way when he wrote the letter.

But instead of sighing, the corners of Jude's mouth raised slightly. It was because of the sight of Cordelia in front of him.

'It's a complete full set, perfect for a date.'

She was going to see flowers with her fiancé.

She wore a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun out and her white and heavy dress, with a long skirt filled with laces, made her pinkish-red hair stand out.

Of course, it completely looked good on her.

Anyone would admit that Cordelia was a very beautiful girl.

Honestly, if you separate the fact that she was Yellow Storm, her appearance was pretty and cute enough to the point of applause.

'Yes, if only she was not Yellow Storm.'

As the pretty girl in front of him was also letting out looks of admiration at his looks, and as he thought that she was Yellow Storm, he couldn't help giggling and letting out a laugh.

'Well, I'm in the same situation.'

Jude also came here dressed in the best clothes for a date. Furthermore, Jude also had an Adonis kind of look. So, Cordelia who saw him, was blushing.

'As expected of Yellow Storm. You're true to your instincts. It's just a beast, a beast.'

'No, I'm not? It's not like that? Aren't you the one whose eyes are wide open?'

They only exchanged glances once and they felt like they could hear each other's thoughts.

Then Maja and Dahlia looked at the two, each with a happy face.

'They're a good match.'

'You're both cute.'

As the pair looked at each other, snarling and laughing, the other two who misunderstood their behavior as embarrassment, smiled warmly.

And half a day passed by.

The carriage finally reached their destination, the middle of the Belkain mountain range.

“Hey, isn't the weather nice?”

“I know. The flowers are very pretty. No, not as much as Cordelia, of course.”

“Oh, dear heavens! No. If you make fun of me like that…”

The two walked for a few minutes while exchanging words awkwardly as if reading a Korean book.

The pair, barely keeping their distance from Maja and Dahlia who looked pleased, sighed at one point.

“F*ck, I really can't do this.”

“I don't care how much you curse but do it with a smile. Because I can see your face.”

“Oh, f*ck. Really f*ck. I can't f*cking do this.”

Jude felt dizzy and tried to speak, but at the same time, he felt a sense of self-destruction that he was thrilled with the appearance of a beautiful girl who kept cursing.

“By all means, hold it in. We've already come all the way here.”

“But what are we going to do now? It's still quite some distance from here to the seal.”

“I have an idea. Did you bring all the supplies?”

“Excuse me, of course. Who do you think I am?”

“Yellow Storm who's 2nd in the server.”

“Yeah, I'm the server's… DIE! No, should I just go back?”

“Aww, don't be upset being second. Don't lose your smile even when you turn around, okay? Now, smile?”

Cordelia, who gave him a middle finger instead of a smile, laughed as she glared at Jude, who said after coughing in vain.

“At least, you've got the items.”

“Huh, did you know I was troubled hiding it inside my skirt?”

As she said that, she lightly shook her skirt.

“Good. As expected, it's Yellow Storm. I believed in you. That's my Yellow Storm.”

“I don't really want to be your Yellow Storm, so tell me the plan first. How do you intend to go from here to the seal?”

It was just the two of them here, so Maja and Dahlia were watching with their eyes wide open.

Jude stealthily moved his body, completely turning his back on Maja and Dahlia, and said in a quiet voice.

“It's simple. See that cliff over there?”

“I see it. It's the end of the flower field.”

“Once we get there, you carry me and jump off.”

It sounded crazy, but Yellow Storm was convinced of his plan. She could tell that Outboxer009 could say this to her because he had a 'map.'

“Is there a secret passage under the cliff?”

“It's not a secret passage, but about 10 meters downwards, there's a path under the cliff. We'll go that way to the seal.”

Jude had checked the terrain on his way here.

And he was sure of one thing.

Although there were some slight differences, if one looks at the big picture, the terrain of this world and that of Legend of Heroes 2 matched.

Of course, remembering the way was possible because he was the one who had reached rotten water status from just stagnant water.

“Will Maja and Dahlia come after us?”

“Because it's 10 meters down, they won't be able to come down quickly. And we have a solution for that too.”

“What is it?”

Instead of answering Cordelia's question immediately, Jude took a moment to pause. At the time that Cordelia, who as always tried to interject him, he opened my mouth.

“Just make one promise first.”

“What promise?”

“The promise to hear me and not be angry. Don't even hit me.”

“…what are you going to say?”

“Is that a promise?”

“Yes, so what the hell is it?”

“It's this…”

Jude started talking in a low voice.

After a while…

At the edge of the flower field.

Jude looked behind his back and signaled to Cordelia.

'Now!'

As promised in advance, Cordelia suddenly held Jude's hand. Maja and Dahlia, who saw the bold skinship, let out surprised voices, but there was still more to be surprised.

“Run!”

Jude and Cordelia ran towards the cliff edge and leapt without any hesitation.

“Young master?!”

“Miss?!”

No, what are the things that those who are already engaged doing now? It's not that their love is unachievable in this life that they're trying to achieve it in the next life.

Either way, the surprised Maja and Dahlia reached the cliff edge in the blink of an eye. And they both breathe a sigh of relief.

This is because they witnessed the sight of Cordelia, who carried Jude in her arms, landing on the ground with magic.

“Young master!”

“Miss!”

Maja and Dahlia, who both raised their voices, looked around helplessly. They were trying to find a way down.

'As expected!'

Dahlia did not know how to use magic.

Jude hurriedly urged Cordelia, and Cordelia shouted with a completely red face.

“I want to spend time together with Ju-Jude! We'll be back before dinner, so just wait! Don't worry about us!”

“Miss!”

Dahlia shouted out of panic, and Jude urged Cordelia again.

“Quickly! Quickly, the next line!”

“We're not going to do anything weird! So, don't worry! Ju-Jude is a gentleman!”

This was enough.

Maja and Dahlia were the only ones here anyway. Count Chase's coachman was taking a nap in a faraway place, so if only Maja and Dahlia were to shut their mouths, the coachman would not know.

Either way, they succeeded in getting away from Maja and Dahlia, and they also finished making excuses to earn time. Now, the only thing left was to head for the seal quickly.

“Let's go! Quickly!”

Cordelia reacted quickly to Jude's prompting. It was also because she felt like she wanted to hide herself in a mouse's hole.

After a few minutes.

Once they could no longer see Maja and Dahlia, Cordelia burst into anger.

“Oh really! Why did I have to do it! No, carrying you while jumping off a cliff, making excuses, and then I felt like you tried to hit me!”

She said that with a terrible face.

For such a Cordelia, Jude explained in his calmest possible tone.

“I've already said it once, I have Gueumjulmaek. I can't carry you with this slender arm. And how will I hit you? It doesn't make sense if I hit you. Why, I'm a man with a disease.”

“That Gueumjulmaek! Gueumjulmaek! Just heal that Gueumjulmaek!

“Yeah, I'll hug you so that you'll feel better, I'll also hit you.”

“No thanks? What is this crazy guy saying?”

“Yes, yes. Anyway, are you feeling better now? Then let's hurry up. We don't have much time.”

The possibility that Maja and Dahlia would really wait for them was zero. They had to finish their job before the two finds them.

“Ha, really. Just heal that Gueumjulmaek.”

“Yes, as soon as it gets better, I'll bake or boil or do whatever you want, so let's go to the seal first.”

“Take the lead.”

“Come along then.”

Looking back on the surrounding terrain, Jude strode along.

Chapter end

Chapter 6: PLEIADES (5)

“Haa…haa…haa….”

How long has it been since I started walking?

At first, it seemed like Jude, who was well ahead of her, was walking side by side with Cordelia at some point, but now he was completely behind and panting.

Eventually, the worried Cordelia turned around and asked.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Haa… haa… No, it's okay. Not good… haa.”

I fell and barely continued talking, but it was at that moment that I felt like vomiting.

At the sight of the sweat-soaked Jude, Cordelia said with a slightly dazed face.

“You're really weak.”

“Haa… Don't talk big… Come on, come on.”

“What?”

“Okay, I'll ask you. Time… in… I have to go… Haaa.”

Jude, who sat on the ground, stretched out his hands like a zombie.

“Haa… quickly.”

“Whoa, really.”

As Jude fluttered his arms again, Cordelia sighed and walked to the front of Jude, turning her back and sitting.

“Here.”

“Haa…”

Jude buried himself on Cordelia's back, almost as if he were falling. The sweaty Jude smelled and didn't feel very good, but Cordelia was more surprised by something else.

“Hey, you have to gain some weight. Why is a man so light?”

“Gueum…julmaek.”

“Just use Muan Sweet Water, Muan Sweet Water.”

T/N: Muan Sweet Water (무안단물) is a Korean meme that originated from a religious group in Muan which claimed that their “sweet water” was miraculous. However, it was not sweet tasting, and upon actual testing, it was found to be just seawater. It became a parody that if you're suffering from troubles, just throw/sprinkle Muan Sweet Water, wish for a miracle, and voila, your troubles will end. A famous parody of it is that throwing Muan Sweet Water to a raccoon will allow it to be able to walk upright like a human.

Source: ,

Cordelia, who stood up from her sitting position, adjusted her position as she raised Jude. This is because it was difficult for her to lift Jude properly without supporting his buttocks.

“Hey… don't sneakily touch strange places.”

“Aren't you too? Where are you placing your hands?”

Cordelia, who struck down Jude's protest, strode again. She didn't need any guidance because they were on a single track anyway.

After a few dozen minutes.

Cordelia, who looked at the distance, asked Jude behind her back.

“Hey, is that it? I think we're almost there. Don't sleep.”

“Huh? Uh… Yes, there it is. It's almost the same as what you saw in the game.”

At the end of the winding path next to the cliff, there was a cave entrance large enough for several people, and although it was damaged by rain and wind, it was a structure that was easily touched by human hands.

“Let's hurry. Giddy up, giddy up.”

“This is real.”

It was a low growling Cordelia, but for now, she was in a hurry. She wanted to get in quickly once she saw the entrance.

“The Temple of the Sun God…”

“The paladins protected this place two hundred years ago, right?”

“I suppose so.”

Two hundred years ago.

The denomination of the Sun God, who had always been at the forefront in the battle against the demons, suffered a devastating blow from the Great Demon Anguirus, and was virtually destroyed.

Thanks to this, even the temple, which seals the powerful demon of the Red Moon's Leisegang, was now in such a forgotten ruin.

“Now drop me off.”

“Should I go inside more first?”

“It's okay.”

“If so, then.”

Cordelia let down Jude from her back, cast a Light spell, and stepped into the cave first.

At that moment.

“Oh, can you feel it?”

Cordelia looked back and asked, and he nodded with his eyes wide open.

“Oh, I can feel it. You too?”

“Uh, me too.”

The moment they passed through the cave entrance, the air around them changed.

To be precise, it felt like 'sacred power' was filling the cave.

'Oh, this is how it feels.'

In the game, there was one line that said, 'I can feel the divine power of the sun god.', but it was not something that I could only express in words.

“I think my heart is being purified.”

As Cordelia looked around and spoke with sparkling eyes, Jude also nodded.

“I think it's going to be the same as the game. I don't think you have to worry about monsters.”

The divine power of the sun god had the power to drive out monsters belonging to the demons.

As Jude said that, Cordelia agreed, and he took the lead again.

“From here onwards, I know the way, so I'll take the lead.”

“Be careful just in case.”

“Yes, watch your step too.”

The inside of the cave was wider than expected, and sculptures of the sun god were all over the place, leaving Jude and Cordelia in amazement.

“Why do all the divine creatures look scary?”

Cordelia who was ahead, said in a quivering voice. It felt like I was in a haunted house because there were pieces of scary divine creatures in a dark cave.

“Come on, we're almost there.”

Moreover, unlike the sculptures, the Red Moon's Leisegang was a real demon. Even if it was trapped in a seal, the fear would be incomparable to that of a divine creature statue.

“We're here.”

We arrived at a fairly large hemispherical room on the way through the winding outer path.

Is this where the Red Moon's Leisegang was sealed?

Strangely enough, unlike elsewhere, there was subtle glow all over the room, so it was not dark at all.

“The whole room is a facility for sealing.”

Cordelia said, squinting her eyes. As a wizard, she was much than the current Jude at detecting paranormal energy.

However, Jude had knowledge of it in Legend of Heroes 2. After a nod, I looked at the magic circles engraved on the ceiling and the floor.

“Okay, it's the same as what I saw in the game.”

When I came here, I was honestly uneasy.

Install a magic circle and call out the demon.

It was so dangerous and special that it was incomparable to checking the geography or maintaining human relationships.

'Let's be confident. I've already checked several things on the way here, haven't I? Moreover, Cordelia can use magic. So, it's possible. There is magic in this world.'

Jude, who spoke to himself as if he were admonishing himself, looked back at Cordelia after he had hardened his mind.

“Cordelia, the supplies.”

“Just look over there and wait.”

All the supplies were inside her skirt.

When Jude turned around awkwardly, Cordelia separated the skirt itself, and laid out the items she had tied to her thighs and calves on the floor.

“I'm done.”

“Wow, you've been hiding all this in your skirt? It looks like Doraemon's pocket.”

“It was so hard, so thank you. Don't be ignorant of grace like Nobita.”

T/N: To those unfamiliar with it, Doraemon's pocket refers to the magical pocket of the Japanese character Doraemon that can store any item regardless of size. And Nobita is the main character who always gets helped by Doraemon with his items.

The two who exchanged whispers began preparations for drawing the new magic circle.

“The best method is to draw it on the ceiling and carve it in the floor, but that's difficult. So, let's draw a magic circle using a magic drug made by mixing catalysts.”

“Here, the magic drug.”

Cordelia pours a fourth of a red liquid into a spacious paper bowl. At first glance, it looked like blood, but it was a pure magic drug mixed with various medicinal ingredients.

'I'm glad Cordelia's a wizard.'

Otherwise, it would've been difficult to get the ingredients to make the drug.

“Give me a pen.”

“I secretly brought my father's, so don't break it. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Cordelia checked her items and brought out a pen made of griffon feathers.

'We're definitely Jude and Cordelia.'

Yellow Storm did not possess Cordelia's body. Cordelia had remembered her memories as Yellow Storm.

The image of Cordelia worrying about being scolded by her father right away proved it.

“You're not picking it up?”

“You should get it.”

Instead of making fun of Cordelia, Jude received a pen without a hitch.

No matter how fun it was to tease Cordelia, he had to consider the place and that their time was limited.

“Let's get started.”

“Yes, fighting.”

From now on, it was Jude's solo stage.

Cordelia, who shook her fist as she cheered 'fighting', sat down in the corner and watched Jude's actions.

He had to draw a large magic circle that had to use almost the entire floor, so he shouldn't be disturbed.

One hour after.

Jude gestured to Cordelia as he sweated after having finished drawing the magic circle.

“Let's get started. Come this way.”

“Huh? Ah, yes!”

At Jude's call, Cordelia came up with a startled face.

“Why?”

“No, it's just…”

Actually, it wasn't just. Cordelia was admiring Jude – to be exact, to Outboxer009.

'As expected, he's Outboxer009.'

Now that we've come this far, it's only natural, but I never thought he really memorized Bellastin's magic circle.

“Why? Are you respecting me now? This is how I got into first place, isn't it?”

“No, it's not? Because I can do it too? You were playing around too much, so I just stepped back to make a fool of you.”

“Yeah, I'm sure you will.”

Jude grinned, and Cordelia somehow became awkward and pouted her lips.

“Let's start then. I need your help again. I'm afraid I don't have much mana in my blood.”

“Huh, okay. I just drop it over there, right?”

“Yes, I don't need a lot, so don't hurt it too much. Scars will remain.”

“Wow, were you worried about me?”

“Yes.”

In fact, both Jude and Cordelia were extremely nervous.

The Red Moon's Liesegang was a powerful demon that could only be defeated in the mid- to late half of the game.

No matter how many times I have done it in the game, my hands and feet trembled when I'm going to do the same thing in this world.

That's why we spoke more miscellaneous words than usual.

“Let's do it then.”

“Yes, let's do it. I'm sure we can do it.”

Cordelia, who strengthened her heart, stood in the area corresponding to the 'inlet' of the newly drawn magic circle, took out the needle and poked her fingers.

“Activate, Bellastin's magic circle.”

There was a reaction as soon as the low-pronounced Cordelia lost her blood.

The magic circle drawn by Jude glowed red, and the whole air inside the seal began to vibrate.

“Cordelia! Get back!”

Jude shouted, looking at the center of the seal, and Cordelia stepped back and stared at the seal's center too.

The seal was being opened.

In addition to Jude's magic circle, the magic circle on the floor and ceiling of the seal began to shine too. It was a brilliant golden glow reminiscent of the sun.

“Jude! Get back!”

This time, Cordelia exclaimed. This is because the mana density of the seal increased rapidly. The air inside the seal would've been poison to the current Jude, who is worse than villager A.

But Outboxer009 wasn't a rotten water for no reason.

In the first place, Jude, who had been predicting the current situation, quickly took out the mask he had prepared at home and covered his mouth and nose.

It was similar to a simple oxygen respirator used on airplanes, but the Bayer family had a few items like that, as they frequently battled against monsters.

“Here it comes!”

Shouted Jude.

At the same time, the space at the center of the seal began to break. A crack formed in the air, and soon a huge presence emerged with dazzling light.

The Red Moon's Leisegang.

Undead – Among them, the mighty blood demon that invokes vampires!

A red and giant creature with a bat's head and wings spread out a red glow towards Jude and Cordelia.

Chapter 7: PLEIADES (6)

Jude was bogged down by the sight before his eyes.

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

A huge being.

Despite its kneeling and crouching posture, the hideous bat head touched the ceiling.

The wings that rose behind its back covered the entire floor, making its presence clear.

The Red Moon’s Leisegang.

Demon Prince that covets blood.

I couldn’t even compare it to when I saw it in the game.

The appearance itself was the same, but the pressure was different.

The limbs had been bound.

A chain that seemed to be thicker than Jude’s waist covered the entire body of Leisegang.

Nevertheless, I felt afraid.

Just by facing it, Jude felt like his own existence was trampled and crushed.

“Get a hold of yourself!”

Just then, Cordelia shook Jude’s shoulders.

Unlike Jude, who can’t handle mana itself because he had Gueumjulmaek, she was a true wizard, even though she was only a one-star. She put the necklace she prepared in a hurry on Jude’s neck.

“Are you okay? Is your mind okay?”

It was a magic tool that slightly raised one’s magic resistance.

I brought it just in case, but I think it was a good thing that I did. Jude’s eyes began to refocus.

“Cordelia?”

“Yes, it’s me! Get a hold of yourself! Huh?”

Jude blinked. Took a breath. He was so nervous that he could feel the enormous presence behind his back.

“Leisegang of the Red Moon…”

It was real.

The mighty Demon Prince was before us.

“You can do it.’

Jude thought. The seal of the sun god was still working. Bellastin’s magic circle was also playing its part.

The given time is about 3 minutes.

More than that, the Bellastin’s magic circle could not hold out.

“There it is. Over there, by the waist.”

Cordelia said in a tense voice.

Leisegang’s waist.

To be exact, the Sun’s Necklace hung on the handle of the sword, which was worn at the waist.

“Huu…”

Jude, who once again sighed, swallowed again.

Leisegang’s eyes were still closed.

It fell asleep on its own to endure the time it was trapped by the seal, but as the seal itself was being maintained, it did not seem to know that it had temporarily come out.

‘It’s a chance.’

Take only the Sun’s Necklace and immediately release Bellastin’s magic circle again. Then get out of its sight.

‘You can do it. You can do it.’

It was the moment when Jude took a step forward.

“Hey.”

“Heuk-?!”

When Cordelia suddenly reached out and grabbed his shoulder, a startled Jude let out a bizarre sound, and the surprised Cordelia also jumped back and screamed.

“You scared me!”

“I was really surprised!”

Why all of a sudden?

When Jude looked at her, Cordelia swung a baton that was slightly shorter than her forearm. Then the baton expanded by five times in a second.

“Here.”

It was not magic, but an assembled baton that could be pushed inward in the first place. Jude was puzzled for a moment, but soon understood Cordelia’s intentions.

“You want me to take this?”

“It’s better than sticking to it yourself, right?”

It’s definitely better.

Jude gave a sincere look of gratitude, and Cordelia gave a merry, pleasant snort.

In any case, time was ticking along in the midst of all this.

With a baton, Jude crept to the side of Leisegang.

“Here it goes.”

I stretched out the baton and somehow reached the distance. Jude used the baton to poke between the strings of the necklace and lifted it carefully.

“Good, good. Almost done.”

Speaking very quietly, Cordelia nodded and swallowed slowly.

And immediately after.

The moment I finally took the necklace out of the handle!

Jude was frozen once again. The same was true of Cordelia this time.

And the two almost instinctively raised their heads and looked up to the heights.

The Red Moon’s Leisegang.

It was opening its eyes.

It glared at Jude and Cordelia and let out a red glow like when it first appeared in the seal.

One second like that.

No, it felt like an eternity.

“Take it!”

“Bounce back!”

Cordelia and Jude shouted almost simultaneously. Jude quickly pulled the baton and backed away greatly. He grabbed the Sun’s Necklace that came down along the baton.

[NO!]

Said Leisegang.

It opened its mouth, and the roar shook not only the seal but also the entire cave.

Jude stumbled and fell.

Leisegang gave strength to its arm to hold onto such Jude.

Kaduk!

But there was a chain.

The seal of the sun god still held tight on Leisegang.

“Hurry up!”

Cordelia yelled. Jude stood up staggeringly, and Leisegang spoke again.

And at that moment.

Jude once again witnessed an incredible sight.

A small light burst.

In the open mouth of Leisegang.

To be exact, an arrow of light flew towards the mouth of Leisegang and exploded.

<Magic Missile>

The most basic attack magic that 1-star wizards can cast from the beginning.

It was Cordelia.

No, it was Yellow Storm.

The moment Leisegang tried to attack Jude, her instinct as a fighter to the bone was triggered.

“Hey! Crazy…?!”

As he was about to shout loudly, Jude blinked in surprise. And so was Cordelia.

“Level…up?”

Cordelia was enveloped in a ring of white light.

The level-up effect that I’ve seen countless times in?Legend of Heroes 2?was clearly seen.

“Ah.”

Cordelia spoke out.

Then she shouted again. This time, together with Jude.

“Ah!”

We understood it.

It was an embarrassing situation, but the two who were rotten water immediately understood the current situation.

In?Legend of Heroes 2, levels existed.

However, for NPCs of?Legend of Heroes 2, the status window does not exist, so they had to somewhere like a level temple to measure their level.

The important thing was that levels itself existed in this world, and it was also possible to become strong through leveling up.

Then why did Cordelia level up at this moment?

‘Combat experience.’

It wasn’t necessary to kill the enemy to gain experience. The act of attacking the enemy itself could gain experience points.

Of course, the latter was far too insignificant compared to the former.

But with Cordelia and Leisegang.

If you’ve just started as a 1-star wizard and fought against a mighty demon that you can only be dealt with in the second half of the game.

A vast gap in levels.

If it was the original game, a person would never even attempt an attack.

That’s why the combat experience was amplified!

[Vermin garbage!]

Leisegang roared again. But it was still stuck in chains and unable to move.

Cordelia and Jude looked at each other and understood the moment they exchanged glances. The fact that their gamer brains started to turn.

“<Magic Missile>!”

Cordelia fired a magic missile with a cheerful cry.

Instead of fear, it was a face of joy.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of magic missiles exploded. It was simply a ticklish little magic for Leisegang, but somehow, the attack was an attack.

“Oh yeah!”

After three shots, a white ring appeared again around Cordelia’s body.

It was the second level up.

“I, I will level up too!”

Outboxer009’s gamer brain crushed his fear. It was unforgiveable as Outboxer009 to miss out on these easy level up points.

“Here we go!”

At one stroke, Jude, who narrowed the distance to Leisegang, swung the baton like a sword.

“Ugh!”

I swung hard, but it was as if I had knocked on steel. Rather, the backlash was likely to damage Jude’s wrist.

‘But as long as you’re leveling up!’

Even if it’s painful-

“Huh?”

But nothing happened. No white rings were formed.

“Well… Ah!”

Like rotten water, Jude soon figured out the cause of the problem.

That’s why Cordelia burst out laughing.

““Too weak!””

He was.

Jude was too weak.

He was so weak that Jude’s attack was not even recognized as an attack on Leisegang.

It wasn’t even itchy, literally!

[Which vermin dares to…]

Boom! Boom!

Leisegang’s voice was overlapped by the sound of magic missile’s explosion.

Cordelia laughed and created another stretch of magic missile. It was proven that the seal of the sun god was firm, and there was no reason to hesitate.

“Oh yeah! Level up!”

Cordelia once again leveled up.

The impatient Jude thought over and over again.

I couldn’t be left behind like this here. Somehow, he had to make an effective hit to gain combat experience.

But how do you do that?

But what…

“Bingo!”

Habitually shouting, Jude threw the baton and clenched his fist after letting the decorative part of the Sun’s Necklace rise on his fingers.

“May the great sun god Solari’s blessing be with us,

O Sun that illuminates the morning,

O Light that drives the night away,

Arise,

Let fire light at my fingertips!”

As I recited the prayer of the sun god Solari, the necklace of the sun god began to shine in a golden color.

Of course, the effect was negligible because he was not a believer of Solari, but it was also a prayer that was recited by Jude, who had no mana.

But even so, it was the power of Solari, the sun god who destroys monsters and burns injustice!

“Haaa!”

The sound of Jude running,?dododo, echoed as he struck Leisegang’s shin with his fist.

Like Cordelia’s Magic Missile, it was a tickling attack for Leisegang, but it was still an attack.

“Level up!”

A white ring appeared in Jude’s body.

And Jude could feel it.

It was a little, but he became stronger.

His overall physical ability rose.

[These vermin!]

Leisegang roared again, but Jude and Cordelia did not stop. The rotten waters’ desire to level up overweighed their fear at this moment.

“We don’t have time!”

“One more shot!”

Bellastin’s magic circle has a three-minute time limit.

Cordelia made magic missiles while drinking mana potions, and Jude sweated and shook his fist like a boxer hitting a sandbag.

[Keuaa! These bugs! I’ve remembered your faces! I’ve imprinted your souls in my brain! On the day I am released! I’ll let you suffer pain worse than death – these vermin! Hear me! Listen!]

Jude and Cordelia did not listen to it. The time left now was only 10 seconds.

I had to hit one more before the easy points passed.

And 10 seconds later.

A fifth ring arouse simultaneously around the waist of Jude and Cordelia.

It was Cordelia who first started to attack, but it happened because the experience effectiveness of Jude, who was a raw level 1, was better in the first place because he had Gueumjulmaek.

Once 10 seconds passed, Bellastin’s magic circle took effect.

As the space began to close again, Leisegang vented his anger as he glared at Jude and Cordelia.

[Vermin! I’ll see you again! Watch my words!]

“Yeah, see you again at Act 7.”

“It was nice meeting you, and I’ll see you again next time.”

When Jude and Cordelia laughed and waved their hands, Leisegang, who was close to having Hwabyeong, grunted and closed its eyes. If its hands and feet were free, it would’ve caught them by the scruff of their necks.

T/N: Hwabyeong (??) is a Korean somatization disorder, a mental illness which arises when people are unable to confront their anger as a result of conditions which they perceive to be unfair. It is known as a Korean culture-specific syndrome.

Source:?Hwabyeong

And light shone again.

The golden color symbolizing the sun god Solari filled the seal, and the Red Moon’s Leisegang disappeared again to the far side of space.

“Haa.”

“Whoo.”

When Leisegang’s huge presence disappeared, Jude and Cordelia undoubtedly sighed. And then they burst into laughter

“Ha, really. I always knew it, but you’re a crazy bastard.”

“Well, you’re not sane either.”

Even if it was sealed, we ignored the warnings of the great demon and attacked it.

Jude and Cordelia looked at each other again and cheerfully laughed.

This quest had been a great success.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“It will take some time, but I will get better.”

Unlike the Sunfire Carp, the Sun’s Necklace couldn’t cure the Gueumjulmaek at once. I had to melt away the excessive Yin energy blocking the meridians with the Yang energy of the Sun’s Necklace little by little.

But that was enough. It was clear that things would get better day by day.

“Please get better.”

“Yes, yes. When I get better, I’ll give you a hug, I’ll hit you, and I’ll cross your wall.”

“What is this crazy guy saying?”

Cordelia, who laughed small, stretched her shoulders once and suddenly pushed her fist straight forward.

It was one of the moves the characters take when they clear the quest in?Legend of Heroes 2.

Therefore, instead of sitting down, Jude walked towards Cordelia. Then he bumped fists with Cordelia.

“Fine play.”

“Fine play.”

It was a little childish, but they did it like in the game.

Jude and Cordelia faced each other and smiled.

Not only did they get the Sun’s Necklace as planned, but they also raised their levels by 5, so it was a great success.

“Let’s go now.”

“We’ll be in a lot of trouble, right?”

“I’m sure we’ll get scolded.”

Even if they were engaged, an unmarried young man and woman said that they want to have time alone, so they went on a midnight – no, daytime flight.

“Ugh…”

Cordelia stretched her shoulder as if she was worried, and Jude held down her shoulder in one arm.

“What, what are you doing?”

“Please carry me.”

Because I’m exhausted.

At that outrageous moment, Cordelia asked dazedly.

“Didn’t you level up?”

“Why do you think I’m asking for a piggyback?”

“Yes.”

Cordelia laughed as she gave Jude a piggyback ride, and the two stepped in good harmony side by side.

And at that night.

Jude and Cordelia, who had returned home, were grounded for 10 days.

Chapter 8: DUNGEON BOOK (1)

The amount of martial arts terminologies in the first half of this chapter drove me crazy. I feel like I went to a crash course of Korean martial arts with all the terms. Because of that, I ended up making some changes to the previous chapters to correct several mistakes or clarify some ambiguous words. Here are the changes:

Heavenly Body is now Heavenly Martial Body – Cheonmujiche (천무지체 or 天武肢體) is made up of heaven (천, cheon), martial (무, mu), and body (지체, jiche), so it's now Heavenly Martial Body. Solar Flower is now Sunfire Carp – The Chinese characters are 太陽火鯉, which means Sun (太陽)Fire (火) Carp (鯉). In hindsight, the fact that it mentioned it was a carp in the next paragraph should've been a clue to me that it was a fish and not a flower, hahaha. I chose Sunfire Carp over Sun's Fire Carp because most carp names are one word only if you exclude the carp word.

I've also edited phrases related to extreme power, as it actually meant extreme/powerful Yang energy. The previous ones were quite ambiguous as you may wonder what kind of power it was referring too. There's also the fact that the sun is associated with yang energy, so the Sunfire Carp and Sun's Necklace having lots of yang energy to cure/combat Gueumjulmaek's excessive yin energy makes sense, as yin and yang are dual opposites.

And if you're curious what Gueumjulmaek (구음절맥, 九陰絶脈) means, it's Nine Yin Severed Meridians. The name is too long, so I'll still call it Gueumjulmaek in the following chapters.

Count Bayer.

The Bayer family is one of the 12 northern families that defend the northern part of the Sälen Kingdom and is famous for producing powerful knights for generations.

Victor Cromwell, a long-time vassal of the Count and now a retired knight, reddened his eyes with tears at the sight in front of him.

“Haa…. Kuhaa…. Kuhaa…”

Jude Bayer, who was called the anguish of Count Bayer because of his Gueumjulmaek disease that even disrupted his daily life, was now running in the training courtyard.

Though he gasped for breath as if he was going to die soon.

“It is indeed a gift of the heavens…”

During Jude's and his fiancée's tryst… no, their “daytime escape”, they got the sun god Solari's divine item, which helped in the treatment of his Gueumjulmaek.

A literal eccentricity that is too coincidental to be seen as a coincidence but can only be seen as a coincidence.

“O Askantor, thank you for watching over the Bayer family.”

Victor, who prayed to Askantor, the god of war, looked back at the training courtyard with a smile.

A red-faced Jude was turning around the corner to complete the last lap.

10 laps around the training field.

For ordinary knights, it was only a warm-up and a barely possible amount of exercise, but for Jude, it was simply a great development.

Just a week ago, he couldn't even properly run a lap around the training field.

“Haa… Haa… Kuhaa…”

Jude, who managed to keep the running form itself, collapsed in place almost as soon as he finished the last lap.

“Kuhaa…”

The sky seemed to be spinning.

I didn't think of anything as if my head were empty.

“Kuhaa…”

I ended up lying down. I sweated so much that my whole body was wet as if I were drowning.

“Haa…”

How long has it been since I laid down?

When my breath calmed down to some extent, I was able to think.

'I'm dying.'

10 laps around the training field.

Considering the distance, it is just over 1 kilometer?

It wasn't that short, but it wasn't that long either.

'Still.'

A smile began to spread on Jude's face.

I could clearly feel that I was getting better little by little.

'Sun's Necklace.'

The necklace of the sun god, Solari, was still hung on Jude's neck.

Unlike the Sunfire Carp, which injects an enormous amount of Yang energy at once, the Sun's Necklace slowly but continuously supplied Yang energy.

Gueumjulmaek meant a blockage of the meridians due to the immense Yin energy.

The Yang energy little by little had melted the excessive Yin energy, thus the symptoms of Gueumjulmaek began to ease.

Moreover, that was not the only effect of the Sun's Necklace.

As the energies of Yin and Yang met to covet each other, the result was the creation of a clear and pure energy.

Right now, the mana training method – in other words, the inner Qi cultivation method, was something that Jude couldn't properly train yet so he couldn't use the pure energy that was created, but that didn't mean the energy disappeared.

All these pure energies remained in Jude's body, so if he fully absorbs them later, he could achieve great achievements at once.

“Young master.”

As I rolled my eyes at the call, I could see Victor with a face full of smiles.

Having retired after reaching the age of sixty, he didn't follow Count Bayer's expedition, but his will to continuously reform/train himself knows no bounds.

“I saw you achieve your goal without giving until the end. The Count will be very pleased when he comes back.”

What he said wasn't just flattery.

Jude had managed to finish running 10 laps around the field even though he suffered and had a hard time breathing.

Even though Jude's body was still in the process of being restored, Victor appreciated his strong will.

'As expected, Jude is also a Bayer.'

Gueumjulmaek was no different from a curse when it was appeared, but the spirit of Count Bayer, the master of the warriors, was also continuing to Jude.

“If you recover a little more, you'll also be able to master the family's martial arts. Young master, I do you think you'll be able to unfold the Bayer family's martial arts… Hoho, I may be old, but it gets my heart pounding.

It was Victor who was not very eloquent.

But what he said was good, so Jude ended up smiling.

'Count Bayer's Mugong (martial arts).'

Like a playable character, Jude was also given his own growth points.

One of them was Count Bayer's Mugong.

The Bayer family now barely occupies the lowest level among the 12 northern families, but at one time, Count Bayer was the head of the 12 families and held the margrave position.

The Mugong that have been passed down through generations never declined.

'It's Mugong.'

It was not just a martial art, but something superhuman that uses inner Qi, that it is not an exaggeration to say it is magic in a sense.

There was nothing strange about the world where not only angels and demons but also magic existed, but I felt amazed every time I felt it again.

“Now, young master. That's enough for today. It's not good if you overdo it. Don't forget that getting enough rest is part of the training.”

After Victor helped him stand up by holding him with his giant-like hands, Jude nodded and took another breath.

'One week.'

It had been a week since I got the Sun's Necklace from the Red Moon's Leisegang.

In the next three days, the ban on going out would end, so it was time to prepare for the next step.

'If I were alone, I wouldn't have dreamed of it.'

Attempting to get it after the Sun's Necklace.

The ultimate goal of Jude and Cordelia was to protect the world from the armageddon of angels and demons by stopping the Great Summons, but they haven't made any progress yet.

'We're still powerless.'

It was obvious to say that it was impossible with the combination of a 1-star wizard and a guy who can barely run 10 laps.

For now, they had to suppress their impatience and lay the foundations for growth.

'We can do it together.'

I hadn't intended to do so, but I had leveled up thanks to Leisegang, and so with Cordelia, I'll be able to proceed to the next step right away.

'But…'

How to contact Cordelia.

It was not that he hadn't had a means of communication.

It was just a burden.

'Maja would like it…'

After last week's flight, she was happy with her eyes even though she scolded me.

'Dearest Yellow… No, Lady Cordelia.'

Recalling the first verse of the letter to his fiancée, Jude became a face of misery without realizing it.

The next morning, at Count Chase's.

Cordelia, who was training in meditation to raise mana hearts, suddenly opened her eyes shaking.

Because I had an ominous feeling.

'What, what is it?'

Since her time as Yellow Storm, her senses were good enough to beat Outboxer's.

I can't believe it's so sinister that I can't help but wake up in meditation.

However, there was no need to worry for a long time.

This is because I saw someone who is believed to be one of the causes of her premonition.

“Miss.”

Dahlia Ale, Cordelia's escort.

She was approaching with a suspicious, no – rather, an ominous smile.

“Dah…lia?”

Why?

Why is she smiling like that?

In fact, she had a rough idea for the reason.

I've seen her several times in the past week, and the name 'Jude Bayer' always came out when she looked like that.

'It wasn't the act of a chaste maiden, but I support your love.'

Dahlia came up to her and said it to her, who had received a restraining order.

Her words were creepy enough that I could remember it without a mistake.

'Why, why are you laughing like that again?'

You're going to say something strange this time again.

When the anxious Cordelia smiled awkwardly, Dahlia nodded as if she understood everything and said in a soft tone.

“Miss, you have half a face. I understand.”

T/N: Half a face came from the Korean idiom, 얼굴이 반쪽이 되다, which literally means, to become half faced. It means to look very haggard from sickness or pain.

Source:

“I'm telling you. I've been training hard. It's not for any other reason.”

“Haha…if you insist.”

She said she understands it, but her eyes say otherwise.

It was clear that she was thinking completely different things.

'Oh, really.'

This was all because of Jude.

If it wasn't for that day, or those shameful lines and dialogue, Dahlia wouldn't have misunderstood this much.

In fact, Cordelia wasn't the only who got punished for her weekly run with Jude.

Dahlia was also given a pay cut for failing to escort her properly, but she was still taking the same attitude.

'That… she's like a sister.'

If Maja was like a sister for Jude, for Cordelia, Dahlia was like a sister she had grown up with since childhood.

'No, come to think of it, isn't this an act of revenge?'

While Cordelia was doubting her, Dahlia spoke again.

“Anyway, miss. There is good news for the troubled lady.”

“Good news?”

“Yes, good news.”

“What, what is it?”

“Ufufu…it's news from Mr. Jude Bayer.”

Dahlia smiled briskly, took out a letter from her arms and held it out.

“It's a letter full of warmth from Mr. Jude Bayer.”

Letter.

Love letter.

The moment she heard it, Cordelia got goosebumps all over her body, but she also felt glad.

It was because she received news from Boxer after a week.

“Come on and read it.”

When Dahlia urged her with shining eyes, Cordelia had a complex and subtle expression as she opened the letter.

To my Dear Lady Cordelia whom I truly yearn for.

I couldn't stand it from just the first line.

But still, Cordelia swallowed her breath and firmly prepared herself.

I had to read anyway.

Moreover, it couldn't have been just a letter. There could be some hidden message.

'Is it a vertical drip?'

Or a diagonal drip.

T/N: Vertical drip (세로드립) is the Korean version of an acrostic cipher. An acrostic cipher or code is when the first letter or syllable of every word, line, or paragraph spells out a secret message. Vertical means that the message is hidden vertically. A variation of it is diagonal drip, meaning the message is hidden diagonally.

Source:

Cordelia, who painfully read a letter full of sweet sentences from Maja's corrections, widened her eyes suddenly.

It wasn't because she found a vertical or diagonal drip.

At the end of the letter full of words of love.

One line of Hangul that is written honestly, without any finesse.

Two days later, let's meet at the temple of Varuna at 2pm.

'Oh, you've used your brain?'

The only ones who can recognize Hangul in Pleiades are Yellow Storm and Outboxer.

At this rate, it was almost a perfect code.

'More than that, Varuna's Temple?'

It was two days later, when the ban on going out was over, so I understood the date itself, but the temple of Varuna was on my mind.

Varuna, the god of the mirror wall.

A guardian and watcher of secrets.

There was a temple of Varuna in the border city where Count Bayer and Count Chase lived.

It wasn't that big, but as the god that governs 'secrets', people visited the temple to make confessions.

'Is there anything there?'

If you're asking me to see you there, there must be something.

Cordelia traced her memories for a moment, but nothing came to mind.

'Anyway, the problem is…'

Cordelia, who folded the letter after reading everything, glanced slightly towards Dahlia.

And as expected.

Dahlia's brightly shining eyes greeted Cordelia.

'I hate to say it. I really hate to say it.'

But I still had to.

I had to take Dahlia with me to go out in broad daylight, whether the ban is over or not.

“Dahlia.”

“Yes, miss.”

“That… two days later.”

“Yes, miss. Are you going to have a secret love affair with Mr. Jude Bayer a day after the ban ends two days later?”

“Eh…huh? Se-secret love affair?”

“Haa…Mr. Bayer must have been very sweet. I can't believe he's asking you out as soon as the ban ends.”

At that moment, Cordelia's mind went blank, but she nodded her head for now.

I had to go anyway.

The misunderstanding was a bit annoying, but I couldn't help it.

“Ah, anyway. I'm going to the temple of Varuna in two days.”

“Oh, even the place looks pretty good. Having a secret love affair at the temple of the god of secrets. Don't run away this time. I'll make time for you two.”

Dahlia, who finished talking with a smile, even winked.

What should I say?

It's definitely a helpful story, but I feel like I'm strangled.

Cordelia closed her eyes once and took a very long breath. It was for her peace of mind.

But Dahlia's views on it was different.

'You're very relieved.'

The fact that I can finally meet my beloved Jude.

Didn't Cordelia focused on training for the past week to suppress the pain of not being able to meet him?

It is not known when love has become so deep, but in nature, instant communion was more important than absolute time between men and women.

'Miss, I'll help you a lot. Fighting!'

Dahlia looked at Cordelia with warm eyes, and Cordelia who had just opened her eyes, thought with astonishment.

'What, what's wrong with her? What are you delusional about!'

But I didn't ask out loud.

Because I was afraid of what to say.

“Ah, anyway. Two days later. Keep that in mind.”

“Yes, miss. Two days is not short but hang in there. Okay?”

She said it cutely, but it wasn't cute.

Why do I have to endure this?

'I'd rather die than suffer.'

With a dry nod, Cordelia drooped her shoulders.