◈ 229. [Side Story] The arrow that left the demonstration (5)
The day after the defensive battle ended.
Crossroads has completely regained its usual peace.
All the citizens who had been evacuated returned to the city, and the city was crowded as if it had been empty to avoid the invasion of monsters.
Citizens went back to their livelihoods with vigor.
All the heroes who suffered to die on Jormungandr’s back for three days stretched out.
After a hearty dinner at the manor house, everyone, without exception, threw themselves into bed and fell asleep.
Even now, when the sun was in the middle of the sky, everyone was stunned and unable to move.
Turbuck. Turbuck.
Only Damian, who did not climb on Jormungand’s back, was moving his body from early on.
Bandages were wrapped around both arms and a large cardigan was wrapped around the body.
After exiting the mansion, Damian took a quick pace and went out of the city’s west gate.
Outside the west side of the city was a tomb site.
The place where Damian stopped after passing countless stone monuments.
“… .”
It was a high-rise cemetery.
It was a tombstone erected for soldiers who were unable to bury their bodies here during the battle with the Black Spider Corps that took place at the outpost.
Ban died horribly, and Damian cremated her at the outpost.
It was because I had promised my half in my life that if we died, we would cremate them without leaving a grave.
Therefore, there was no separate grave for Ban at the grave site here.
A blue torch was burning in front of the gravestone. Damian stood still in front of him, peering into the flames.
“… More than half a year has passed since you died.”
Damian opened his mouth in a slightly hoarse voice.
“I still can’t believe it.”
Damian’s bandaged hand slowly brushed the tombstone.
“As if yesterday… I think we were together.”
When I close my eyes, I feel like I can catch her smiling face.
Damian recalled his memories with Van for a moment. The days with the girl who had been with him from childhood to the present.
And maybe the future that I couldn’t draw with her who might have been together for the rest of my life.
“There is something I learned after becoming a sniper.”
Damian slowly opened his eyes.
“Life is… … It’s like an arrow that left the protest and a bullet that left the muzzle.”
The boy looked down at his bandaged hands.
“The arrow has already left the demonstration and is flying, and there is no going back to the moment before the launch. No matter how much I want to go back… … I can’t.”
No matter how much you regret the past, no matter how much you reminisce.
There is no going back to the moment before launch.
Life is already thrown into thin air.
“Then I’ll have to decide.”
A faint smile formed on Damian’s lips.
“Where am I going to fly?”
Damian looked up at the tombstone again.
“half. i admired you I wanted to become a strong person like you. … Yes, I wanted to be you.”
So I followed her trail.
I followed her bluff. He portrayed himself as strong.
If you do that, you expect that the difficult and painful moment will pass.
But no. I realized it only after following her and bluffing.
Ban was strong not because she was bluffing… It was because he faced his own life without running away.
“Remember how the orphanage director forced us to be his son Wheeler?”
The hazy smile on Damian’s lips slowly brightened.
“Ban you never tried to be a wheeler. You always tried to live as yourself.”
Life is like an arrow that has left a protest.
“You said you longed for that, but I abandoned myself and tried to become you. Is it funny?”
Will I be thrown at someone else’s target just as they shot me,
or will I set my own destination and throw myself into the future?
Arrows have to decide.
And Damian made a choice.
“I will not follow you any longer.”
There was no more hesitation on the boy’s face.
“Because I’m neither Wheeler nor half Damien.”
Not the life others want,
not following someone you longed for, but
by your own will. with your own beliefs.
“I will stay with me.”
to live
Damian made a choice.
“No matter how long it takes, I will keep my promise.”
Not because of a promise with Ban, but entirely by his own will.
Damian decided to go on an adventure to the ends of the world.
“So half. you also… stay with you.”
Damian slowly removed his hand from the tombstone and leaned back.
“Be beautiful in me.”
The graveyard is silent.
The torch burns quietly, and the dead are silent, locked in eternal sleep.
But at that moment, Damian felt the illusion that the girl’s laughter tickled his ears.
‘Come.’
Hallucinations.
It must be a hallucination.
As if I had a daydream of being with her for the rest of my life.
Damian left the tombstone behind and turned around. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his bandaged hand.
After smiling brightly with reddened eyes, the boy started walking towards the city.
Toward the target of your life.
straight without wobbling.
***
“Uhhhhh.”
I let out a zombie-like scream.
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu”
“Keeeeeeek.”
“Guaaaaagh.”
All the heroes sitting around the table are uttering similar sounds.
The day after the defense battle was over. afternoon past noon.
Ader forced us to wake up and drive us into the dining room, saying we had to eat lunch.
All of us who haven’t recovered from the hard labor of three days all night have become zombies and are doing this.
I think I can sleep for about a week, but the damn aide said, ‘That’s how you’ll damage your health!’ While making the same noise, he dragged everyone to the dining room and pushed the rice into his mouth.
It’s even worse for your health! put me to sleep!
“Gee eh eh.”
Does the rice go through the mouth or the nose, or does it pass in the first place? Do you think you’re drooling? Anyway, I don’t know how the meal ended.
The heroes crawled back into the guest room and passed out, and I didn’t have the strength to go back to the room, so I sat at the top of the table and barely swallowed cold coffee.
I was really craving ice americano during the Jormungand Repulse Battle, but I think I’ll buy it after drinking this.
“ash.”
Then someone came and stood next to me and called my name.
I looked up at the other person with bright eyes. Are you a guy? Who dares to call the lord’s name?
It was a woman with long, snow-white hair.
Pale skin from lack of sunlight is as white as hair.
Clear blue-green eyes as large as lakes and a coolly extended nose. Tightly closed, pale lips… … .
“… .”
She is the first great beauty I have ever seen in my life. Literally, she is a possessor of beauty that is not of this world like a doll.
Yes, she is a great beauty.
“… Who are you?”
I was shocked because it was the first time I saw it.
I’m tired, so I rub my eyes wondering if I’m seeing something wrong. the first person to see
“No what! Who are you! Why did you come into my house calmly and call someone else’s name!”
I was so frightened that I almost spilled my coffee cup and screamed.
“What are you talking about? I am nameless.”
“ah.”
Only then did he realize the identity of his opponent.
It was an unknown merchant NPC from the Lake Kingdom.
… No, but you have become a very different person! Did you take off your ragged robe, put on your guest clothes, and wash your messy hair (?) Does your impression change like this?
“Wasn’t it you who forced me to stay overnight and leave… .”
Anonymous grumbled.
yes it was Originally, Moo-myeong was going to return right away yesterday.
But I forced him to stay at my house for a night. I had a hard time together, but I wanted to eat at least.
However, when I thought about it after taking it in, it was in the state that this bastard Jormungand had gone in the mouth and came out the back (!)!
He said he couldn’t come into my house at this rate, so I put him in the mansion’s bathtub to wash up.
It seems that there was an uproar there.
The maids who were mobilized for the unknown bath screamed, saying, ‘The water that seems to have been there for hundreds of years comes out’.
The nameless laundry(?) went on for several hours and was not even part of the dinner.
Right after the dinner, I and the others fell asleep as if they were fainting.
This is the first time I met an unknown person after taking a bath.
“No, I look different after washing! You should have washed up earlier!”
Shinsoo looked at the clear nameless and admired without knowing.
In other words, how dirty it has been! Are all the people of the Lake Kingdom so oblivious to hygiene?! Are you feeling a bit disappointed?
“How can I enjoy the luxury when everyone in my kingdom is suffering in hell?”
Anonymous shrugged.
No, it’s a luxury, it’s nabal, and hygiene is a matter of course. You resident of the fantasy world! Just wash up and go!
“Anyway, I’m thinking of going back soon.”
Clean-Mumyeong stretched out her long neck and looked around.
“Do you know where my luggage is? I couldn’t see any clothes or swords.”
“Your burden… ?”
I got anxious for a moment. Maybe it was all so dirty that the maids threw it away? Are there enough possibilities?
It was then.
“All of our guests’ luggage is stored here.”
Ader appeared with a clean bag.
“I washed all the clothes and robes you were wearing. And I put the sword here in a new scabbard.”
“Ah, thank you for this.”
Clean-Mumyeong thanked him and took the bag and put the scabbard on his back.
At that time, Ader, who was examining the long gray hair that was dragging on the cotton floor, asked cautiously.
“customer. If it’s not rude, may I tie my hair?”
“huh?”
“I was afraid it would get in the way while walking. If you tie it up a little, it seems to be much better.”
“ah. please don’t There were times when I was swinging my sword and got stepped on and lost my balance.”
Ader walked behind Cotton, took out a long red cloth from his bosom, carefully trimmed Cotton’s long white hair, braided it, and tied it back.
As an outsider, I have no idea how it was tied, but Ader’s skill was quite good, and the nameless hair no longer dragged on the floor.
It was long and long, and still covered her back like a cloak.
“Thank you. It has become quite comfortable.”
“You are welcome. then.”
Ader lowered his head and tried to back away.
Moomyeong tilted his head at Ader and asked cautiously.
“if… .”
“yes?”
Moo-myeong didn’t seem to be sure, but
“… Have we met before?”
I asked.
Ader blinked a few times in the bangle glasses, then burst out laughing.
“no. It can’t be, sir. You seem to have mistaken me for someone else.”
“… .”
Moo-myeong, who had been standing there blankly, smiled bitterly before long.
“but. yes. It can’t be. It’s been hundreds of years since I’ve been out to the outside world, so I’ve been cheating without even realizing it.”
Moomyeong scratched his cheek shyly and smiled at Ader.
“Thank you for tying my hair.”
Ader bowed deeply to such an unknown.
“It was a pleasure for me.”
***
Flash-!
Anonymous took the teleport gate and returned to the Lake Kingdom.
I didn’t bother saying grandiose greetings because I thought we’d see each other soon anyway. We just shook each other’s hands.
I asked as soon as the ignorance disappeared and the magic particles subsided.
“What’s the relationship between the two of you, Ader?”
Ader responded promptly.
“No comment.”
“This bastard… .”
Spoiler please!
“Don’t you have much more to ask of me than that?”
Ader smiled wickedly and spread his arms.
“Let’s have a conversation with the director who has been putting off and putting off.”
“… .”
“I always listen to the opinions of players!”
The moment I heard that, I thought without knowing.
… Why do all the management of Manggame always say things like that?
