I Became God of War’s Youngest Disciple - Chapter 308



Only Krnovel

Episode 308

When I went out to the living room, Rukuruku was nowhere to be seen, but instead two other familiar figures were sitting there eating their meal rather hurriedly.

I wondered who it was, and it was Oimer and Sandra.

“Ah. You’re awake.”

“They’re both alive?”

“Well, yeah. I almost died though.”

Sandra ate the bread, waving her hands.

As I stare at his face, he feels the bandage covering one eye.

“Oh. This? My eye got scratched a little by those corpse guys.”

“Is it very serious?”

“Well, it’s not visible right now, but I don’t know much about this area, so I don’t know. I don’t know. If you go to the system and stop by the church, they might be able to fix it right away. Well, you’d have to be a bishop to heal a wound of this level.”

“Well, I know a bishop. Can you introduce me to him?”

“… Really?”

I told Sandra about Bishop Helsta, then we sat down and shared some bread.

Then, Oimer, who seemed to have almost finished eating, looked at me and asked.

“Are you feeling better?”

Oimer is one of the branch managers of the Zyren Trading Company, and is the merchant who had an altercation with the Corrupted when he first came to this town.

Somehow, since I haven’t seen him in a while, he’s lost a lot of weight. It looks like he’s had a hard time too.

“Except I’m hungry.”

“I heard you were unconscious for three days. You should eat a lot.”

“How about you?”

“It’s okay, except that I’m busy. Actually, being busy isn’t such a bad thing for a merchant.”

Our first impressions of each other weren’t very pleasant, but now we’re close enough to say hello to each other.

After experiencing things like being entangled with the Dark Church, the Legion Commander, and even the Demon King, this man no longer has any regrets.

After that, we just ate and filled our bellies without much conversation.

It wasn’t that tasty, but the food was good because it was a market side dish.

When we were halfway through filling our stomachs, Oimer and Sandra got up first, saying they had something to do.

Even so, Sandra seemed quite busy as well.

“What can Sang-Hwi do in this situation?”

I wasn’t being sarcastic, I was just asking out of genuine curiosity. Oimer seemed to have gotten my intention across, and responded without showing any sign of displeasure.

“Ryzen Trading Company has a close relationship with not only the Empire but also Heros. In particular, we have an exclusive contract with Heros for the supply of certain items, so we should help rebuild the village that suffered such great damage from the sect.”

“Free?”

“I’m sorry, but there’s no such thing as a free lunch in the merchant dictionary. But I can say that the discount rate is quite high.”

“aha…….”

“Then, excuse me.”

I nodded and said goodbye to Oimer… … .

I asked Lanfero, who had been eating without saying much until now.

“Come to think of it, you’re still using this place.”

By ‘here’ I mean this building.

A mansion built quite far from the town of Snowville.

I thought it would be okay to go back now since I was kicked out of the village because of the village chief’s scheme.

“It’s just better overall. It’s bigger, and they cleaned it up a bit, so it’s pretty clean. Plus, since those guys are so noisy, it might be better than being in the village… … Chief Snero wasn’t completely wrong. Regardless of our intentions, if guys like us were to hang around the village, the residents would feel uncomfortable.”

“… … .”

“Enough with the sloppy talk. Since you’ve finished eating, force yourself to sleep a little longer today. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to start working you right away. I don’t have enough work to spare since you just got out of bed.”

“great.”

I nodded coolly.

It was obvious that staying locked in the room when you have so many distracting thoughts was a bad thing, and it was something I had hoped for.

***

the next day.

I reunited with Araxad, who had returned to the hideout.

“You’re awake. How are you?”

“Pretty good. I guess I can loosen up my stiff body by moving around.”

“What amazing resilience.”

“… … .”

I feel a bit awkward when a lizard compliments me on my resilience. Of course, I can’t say it out loud because it’s rude.

I asked, clearing my throat.

“By the way, did you take a shower in blood this morning?”

It was not that Araxad was not there, but he had a bloody and murderous appearance since dawn.

Araxad, who had caught my gaze, responded while wiping the blood from his clammy eyes.

“The surrounding beasts have mutated and are running wild due to the influence of the instrument. If you don’t hunt them periodically, there is a risk that they will attack innocent people or even invade the village.”

“There’s no time to rest… … . Even you, senior, have been working quite hard.”

“Yes. But I feel more comfortable moving around like this.”

I felt the same way.

Now that I think about it, Corrupted said that he was just flying around every day because there was no work coming in, so I think he might actually welcome the current situation.

“When are we leaving again?”

“Just fill your stomach, sharpen your weapons, and grab some supplies, and then go.”

“Okay. Then I’ll go too. I’ve been sleeping for three days and I’m so tired.”

“Okay. And… … .”

Araxad hesitated for a moment and then shook his head.

“No. I’ll talk about that later.”

“… … ?”

I was a bit curious, but I didn’t bother to ask any further since I thought there must be a reason why Araxad didn’t say anything just now.

Anyway, for the first time in a while, I got to relax in the sun and check out the inside of my body.

This is the first thing I checked after the incident ended, and first of all, the internal energy of Dantian had greatly increased.

Perhaps it was because it absorbed the heat of the lava.

What was also disturbing was that the number of instruments had also increased… … .

I don’t know the exact cause of this.

Could it be because I came into contact with that corps commander?

Or maybe it was because I was wandering around a land full of instruments.

Anyway, after finishing the breakfast, I warmed up my body by doing some warm-up exercises, and then started patrolling the area with Araxad.

We headed northwest from the mansion, and as we walked through the pure white snowfield without a single footprint, the experience of the sect and the bloody battle felt like a dream.

‘Come to think of it, this wasn’t my original purpose for coming to the North.’

The original purpose was to prevent a catastrophe at the Utgard concentration camp, and the Corrupted were only recruited because they were close to the camp.

Then, I ended up clashing head-on with the religious cult members and fighting against the commander of the legion… … . Somehow, I felt that every single event in this life was significant.

Of course, the disaster I prevented was separate from the one in Utgard… but somehow it doesn’t seem like they might be completely unrelated.

Later, when we have time, we will also have to look into the connection between the two incidents.

Even though I’ve overcome a pretty big hurdle, it seems like the amount of work I have to do isn’t decreasing, but rather increasing. Is it just my mood?

Anyway, while I was thinking about this and that, the scenery that had been nothing but a pure white snowfield with a few trees here and there began to change, and a vast ice lake came into view.

Near the lake, monsters… perhaps beasts before being affected by the instrument, their corpses were strewn about the ground.

“Did you do this alone?”

“I had some help from Sandra and the mercenaries. I almost destroyed it myself.”

“You must have had a hard time.”

“It was more of a hassle than a pain. I was wandering around this area because it seemed like monsters showed up near the lake.”

“I see. By the way, is it okay to just leave the corpse like that? If we leave it like that, the scavengers in the north will take care of it.”

“That’s not true. Any beast in its right mind would instinctively feel uncomfortable with instruments.”

“Then what about burning it with fire?”

“If there is no other way, then this may be the only way, but I think it would be better to leave it to a priest who can professionally purify the instrument.”

The moment I mentioned the word priest, there was a person who came to mind.

“Come to think of it, I don’t see Razbet.”

“You said you woke up yesterday. Sister Razbeth came to her senses two days ago.”

“Yeah? How did it look?”

The last time I saw him, Razbeth was in pretty critical condition.

I wasn’t too worried though, since he seemed like a guy who would never die.

“It didn’t look like anything was wrong to me, but I don’t know what’s on the inside. We don’t know each other well enough to sense something wrong with each other’s attitude.”

“hmm.”

“There are few priests with as much divine power as that nun, so she was placed where needed. Incidentally, most of the heroes, including the Mir Giant, are also there.”

“There?”

Araxad did not respond, but looked into the distance.

Then, across the icy lake, a giant’s figure appeared awkwardly jutting out from an unusually large snow-covered mountain.

“ah.”

These are the remains of Ymir.

This is my first time seeing it with my own two eyes. Even from this far away, I could tell its overwhelming size… … .

I definitely thought it was big.

It must have been so big that people could have been supporting and frying it inside.

“Heroes have set up camp near the remains of Ymir and are working on the cleanup. Checking for possible survivors, collecting the bodies, and dealing with the remaining members of the cult are secondary.”

“We definitely need at least one more Inquisitor.”

“Yes. I did request assistance, but it would take some time for any agency to arrive. This is the North.”

“hmm…….”

“By the way, I just came back from a quick tour, so I don’t see any particularly dangerous people nearby. I guess I can go and come back for a bit now.”

“Where?”

“I’ll tell you as I go.”

Why are you measuring it like that?

I followed Araksad, feeling puzzled.

Araxad’s footsteps seemed to be heading towards the village of Snowville, but he passed the village and walked a little further west.

I was slightly taken aback by the sight that was finally revealed.

“Here… … ?”

“This is a site used as a graveyard.”

It certainly was.

There was a fence, a tombstone, and dozens of tombs jutting out from the ground.

Although it was a little dirty, it was clearly a regularly maintained cemetery.

“I heard there were quite a few casualties in Snowville Village. To begin with, the village’s combat force consisted of only a few mercenaries, including Sandra, so that’s only natural. They didn’t show it because they were in front of us, but they must have fought a fierce battle as well.”

“… … .”

“We haven’t even had a formal funeral yet. Even at this moment, bodies are still being discovered.”

“Is Senior Ramon’s grave here too?”

The moment Araxad nodded, I realized why this Lizardman senior had brought me here.

“Follow me.”

Araxad kept moving, and I followed behind him in silence.

Ramon’s tomb was located a little away from the other tombs, and surprisingly, there was a passenger there.

The guy must have sensed our presence because he stopped praying and looked this way.

“uh……?”

The already bright eyes widened even more.

I thought he looked familiar from the back, and it was the boy I had briefly bumped into in the village.

I’m sure your name was Daniel.

A native boy of the village of Snowville, whose younger brother’s body was insulted by the church members.

“hello.”

When their eyes met, Daniel nodded.

“hi.”

I greeted them and looked to the side.

Next to this guy was another little girl, a girl who looked three years younger than Daniel.

Daniel introduced me.

“This is my younger brother, Raviel.”

“… … .”

I have another younger sibling.

Raviel was the shy type, so she bowed with a blushing face and hid behind her brother’s back.

I stared blankly at the two.

Was this meeting also what Araxad had intended?

Daniel nodded and spoke again, still wondering.

“I heard that you worked very hard to save the village and stop the sect’s plot this time. Thank you.”

“… It’s not just me who did it.”

“So I greet everyone I meet. And… … .”

Daniel’s gaze turned to the grave next to Ramon.

“… I also heard about your younger brother.”

The presence of a tomb means that the death of my younger brother, Andro, has been confirmed.

How much did Daniel hear?

Did you even hear the truth that your brother’s body was abused by the church members?

A girl named Raviel grabbed Daniel’s clothes.

I saw Daniel.

Her voice was calm, but there were traces of redness and swelling around her eyes. It was an emotional scar that only appears after crying for quite some time.

“Sorry.”

“No. It was my carelessness.”

Is that really true?

I still think about it.

Even if Andro’s death could not be prevented, wouldn’t it be possible to recover his body intact?

Come to think of it, the first mistake I made in Snowville Village was opening the stone gate too hastily.

After discovering Andro beyond that, he was rescued, but he was actually a cult member and blew himself up right after his identity was discovered.

It was from then on.

That’s when things started to get messy.

“Sorry to bother you. Are you here to see your little brother?”

“But I didn’t come just to see my younger brother.”

“what do you mean?”

“I came to say thank you to Ramon too.”

“To Ramon?”

“Yes. Thanks to Brother Ramon, the damage to this village was minimized.”

Daniel said with a small smile.

“They said that while they were away, beasts or monsters that had lost their minds could attack. They advised me that instruments were heavier than air, so if possible, they should stay on the second floor so that they wouldn’t be affected as much. They also told me how to survive, what to do if I encountered a monster, and what to do if I got hurt. Not just for me, but for all the residents.”

“… … .”

Before leaving for Seokmun, we had about a week to spare.

When I was concentrating on my training while sparring with Araksad.

At that time, Ramon was walking around the village, warning the residents.

“Actually, at that moment, no one listened to Ramon. They cursed at him for talking nonsense and saying that he was actually the devil’s lackey. Ramon didn’t care. Even when he was being pelted with stones, he kept a serious face and continued to give advice. And when the monsters really attacked, the first thing we thought of was what Ramon had said.”

… how to lock yourself in your house and hold out. How to fool the eyes and ears of the devil. And what to do if you get caught.

Daniel recited each piece of advice Ramon had given him.

I looked quietly at Ramon’s grave.

I really felt like he was an unbeatable senior in many ways.

“So none of the residents objected to burying Senior Ramon in this cemetery.”

“I see.”

“yes.”

Daniel was silent for a moment.

I have a feeling that he still has something to say from his side profile.

This is because my lips would twitch intermittently or my throat would twitch.

“I am…….”

The voice that came out eventually was faintly wet with moisture.

“… I still grieve over the loss of Andro. Every morning when I wake up, I still can’t believe he’s no more. But thanks to that, I was able to avoid making the same mistake this time. I was able to protect Raviel.”

“Same mistake?”

“When the demons attacked the village, we took refuge on the roof of the house. However, the frozen tiles were more slippery than I thought, and Raviel almost slipped and fell down. It was a dangerous situation. Right below were the swarms of mindless snow trolls. But Raviel didn’t fall. I had tied a rope to my body in advance.”

“… … .”

“It was a thought that came to me when I lost Andro. If we were tied with a rope, we would never be separated. Even if we fell into the water, I would be able to rescue us right away. That, that’s why… … .”

Daniel’s voice trembled violently, and the young boy finally burst into tears.

“… It wasn’t me who saved Raviel, it was Andro.”

‘ah.’

At that moment, I realized.

This young boy lost his younger sister due to a momentary mistake, but thanks to that experience, he was able to save her.

If Andro had lived then, he would not have experienced the terrible memory of losing his brother.

If so, Daniel may have lost Raviel when the monsters attacked.

Of course, that might not be the case.

All three might have survived.

I also don’t want to force meaning into Andro’s death.

but…….

I just realized.

The fact that this flow can never be predicted or calculated by the human mind.

Then why on earth did I continue to feel so uneasy and uncomfortable?

At some point, my ability to go back in time felt like a curse rather than a blessing.

Because living a life of regret and wishing it could go back every moment is nothing less than a curse.

It was only then that I realized that I had been too caught up in regression.

Why was it like that?

If I can’t choose to return anyway, there’s no point in thinking deeply about it, but I couldn’t.

I just need to live my life the way I am.

Live the way you want to, do the things you want to do, live the way you want to live, remembering that you only live once.

Then, like this time, you will regret it and even have delusions of wanting to turn back.

As is the case with everyone.

When you’re faced with a major disaster, or witnessing someone’s death, or whatever shit happens, those thoughts are going to be even stronger.

If you don’t regress, then that’s the end of it.

If I were to regress, wouldn’t it be okay to think about it then?

“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

As the two siblings left, Araxad said:

His gaze was still directed at Ramon’s tombstone.

“I haven’t known you for long, but I’m closer to you than Sister Razbeth. I don’t think you’re the type of person who thinks too much.”

That’s certainly true.

Araksad was looking at me very clearly.

“It’s a cliché, but Ramon’s death isn’t your fault. You were the one who showed the greatest performance in this all-out war against the cult. You performed to a level that you wouldn’t expect from a B-class hero who just entered Heroes. This operation… was successful.”

Successful.

This was the difference between the retreat and this incident.

The retreat that time was a failure.

Anyone could see that it was the same.

But what about this disaster in the North?

Have we failed?

… absolutely not.

If anyone calls this mission a failure, it is an insult to all the heroes who participated.

Regardless of whether they are dead or alive.

First of all, I’m going to smack the face of the guy who said that.

Crack-!

In the same sense, I slapped myself hard in the face.

The cold wind hit my cheek, and of course it hurt as if it was going to tear.

I giggled, wiping away the tears that were welling up in my eyes.

And looking at the tombstone he said:

“… I’ll stop by often, senior.”

… … .

“Maybe next time you come back as an S-class hero.”

At that moment, the wind blew.

The moment the moderately cool breeze touched my flushed cheeks, it felt just like a spring breeze.

It was just a physical illusion, but it was the first warm breeze I had felt since coming north.

“ha…….”

The moment I exhaled, the lump in my heart also flowed out.

And I left the cemetery, exhaling pure white breath.

I look forward to coming back here again.