The Last-Seat Hero Has Returned - Chapter 79



79. The Moon Swallowed by the Sun (1)

Stigmata.

A divine blessing that every hero possesses, allowing mere humans to wield magic and reach the realm of the gods.

These stigmata are divided into seven types, depending on the god who bestowed the blessing.

Sun, Moon, Stars, Sky, Earth, Sea, Forest.

Of course, there is one more ‘Mark of the Demon God’ created by the blessing of the Demon God, but generally, the marks that heroes speak of are those bestowed by these seven gods.

So, what differences exist according to these marks?

To conclude from the start, the conclusion was ‘there isn’t much of a difference.’

Of course, depending on the type of mark, the nature of the magic might be a bit more destructive, delicate, or flexible, but in the grand scheme of things, they were all the same marks without any decisive differences.

Regarding this, Jade Bastian, the continent’s top mark researcher, made a direct analogy.

He said that marks are similar to ‘skin color.’

Just as the people of the southern empire have dark skin, the people of the holy nation have particularly white skin, and the people of the republic have yellow skin.

There are differences in skin color according to race, but in terms of being the same ‘human,’ there were no differences. Similarly, even if the types of marks were different, in terms of being the same ‘mark,’ there were no differences.

But because of this.

But therefore.

The history of discrimination against these ‘marks’ has never ceased since heroes appeared in the world.

Among them, the two marks most avoided by heroes were the marks of the Moon God and the Forest God.

The reason these two marks were treated with contempt and regarded as half-wits among heroes was simple.

None of the ‘Great Five Heroes’ who sealed the Demon God and saved humanity 500 years ago had the marks of the Moon God or the Forest God.

Reynald, the Sun’s Sword, had the mark of the Sun God.

Julius, the Great Sage, had the mark of the Sea God.

Ryujin, the Iron Fist, had the mark of the Earth God.

Baek Seung-hyuk, the Divine Spear, had the mark of the Star God.

Grace, the Light of Life, had the mark of the Sky God.

Of course, during the Demon War, heroes with the marks of the Moon God and the Forest God also fought to the death against the Demon God’s army, but what people remembered in later generations were only the achievements of the ‘Great Five Heroes.’

The ‘mark hatred’ that started for such a trivial reason.

This mark hatred was even more prevalent among long-established noble families and powerful figures.

The technique created at the end of this long hatred was ‘mark replacement.’

It was a technique to overlay another’s mark on the original mark.

Naturally, this technique was immediately abandoned after a few attempts.

Not only did the holy nation vehemently oppose the blasphemous idea of artificially changing the marks bestowed by the gods, but the bigger reason was the enormous ‘flaw’ of this mark replacement technique.

Marks were not simply vessels for magic.

The soul of the owner of the mark was embedded in the mark.

What would happen if such a stigma were arbitrarily replaced with another’s?

Memory confusion and physical changes are the basics, and in severe cases, seizures occur, and it is common to die before the procedure is even completed.

Therefore, ‘stigma replacement surgery’ was banned as a forbidden technique, and now it has become a forgotten technique to the extent that almost no one knows of its existence except for scholars who specialize in researching stigmas.

But, why.

“You’re going to… overlay my brother’s stigma?”

I looked at my mother with trembling eyes.

My mother nodded with an expression full of excitement.

“Yes. Fortunately, Yuren’s stigma has been kept in the family. There’s no problem with the procedure.”

“Ah, no. That’s not it…”

“Yurina, you’ve been struggling a lot to imitate Yuren, haven’t you? Training in swordsmanship every day without rest, always feeling the pressure to be number one.”

My mother stroked my cheek as if she felt sorry for me.

“But if you just receive Yuren’s stigma, you won’t have to work so hard anymore.”

No longer.

“You won’t have to imitate the sun.”

“……”

Beep.

A ringing sound echoes in my ears.

My vision blurs.

My throat is blocked, I can’t breathe.

I knew it.

That what my mother wanted was not me.

That I, who bears the stigma of the moon god, could never become the ‘sun’.

I knew it and ignored it.

Clinging desperately to the rotten thread of hope.

That this day would eventually come.

“Mom…”

No.

“…Mother.”

“What’s wrong? Surely you’re not saying you won’t undergo the procedure now, are you?”

My mother’s eyes, which had been gentle just a moment ago, turned cold.

“Have you forgotten who caused your brother’s death?”

“…….”

“If you hadn’t asked Yuren to pick the flower on the cliff that day, none of this would have happened.”

The following words from my mother pierced my heart sharply.

From the reopened wound, the memory of that day resurfaced.

– Brother! Can you pick that flower for me?

It was when I went to the sacred mountain where the past heads of the Helios family were buried, following my brother.

I pointed to a flower precariously blooming on the cliff and tugged at my brother’s sleeve.

Not knowing what might happen to him while picking that flower.

The little lady, knowing nothing, even shed tears as she begged her brother.

And then.

– If only… if only you weren’t here! If only youuu!!!

My brother died.

The hope of the Helios family vanished so futilely, so vainly.

Disappeared from the world.

“Ha, haha.”

Yes.

This is punishment.

A punishment for the irreversible ignorance committed by a ten-year-old little lady.

“…I’ll accept it.”

I nodded weakly.

My mother smiled brightly as if satisfied with my answer.

“There is someone I want to introduce to you.”

“……?”

As I tilted my head and looked at my mother, she took out a communication magic tool from her bosom.

As she infused magic into the palm-sized orb, a clear light spread and an image appeared.

[Hello? Nice to meet you. My name is Faust.]

A man with snow-white hair and a golden monocle.

“Mr. Faust is much more skilled in the field of stigma research than that ‘Jade Bastion.’”

“…….”

From noble mtl dot com

Is that person the one who will transplant my brother’s stigmata into me?

I stared at the white-haired young man on the screen with my lips tightly sealed.

The white-haired young man, who introduced himself as Faust, smiled brightly and spoke in a gentle voice.

[Haha. There’s no need to worry. None of the people who have undergone the ‘stigmata replacement surgery’ with me have ever had a seizure or anything like that.]

“…….”

[Of course, since it’s a procedure with risks, there are some minor side effects.]

“…What are the side effects?”

At my question, Faust shrugged his shoulders.

[First, some memories may disappear as the stigmata change. Ah, don’t worry too much. The memories that are erased are only extremely minor ones.]

Faust continued speaking with a sly smile.

[Isn’t it human to forget what you had for lunch a week ago? Even if some memories disappear, you won’t feel much discomfort.]

Watching Faust spout such absurd words as if it were nothing, I clenched my fist roughly.

Even if it’s just a part, losing the memories of one’s life can’t be considered a ‘minor side effect.’

I wanted to punch that sly face hard, but there was no way to hit someone on the other side of the screen.

“Is that the end of the side effects?”

[There’s one more thing.]

“…What is it?”

[You’re using a disguise magic tool to pretend to be a man right now, aren’t you?]

I nodded, gripping the pendant around my neck tightly.

[Even if you can adjust your chest size and basic skeleton to look like a man, you must have had difficulties because you can’t change your reproductive organs.]

“What are you trying to say?”

[If you transplant Yuren’s stigmata, your body will undergo changes, and your ‘gender’ itself will change.]

“…What?”

At Faust’s continued words, I widened my eyes.

My gender will change?

Then.

I will never again….

[It means you won’t have to bother pretending to be a man anymore. Isn’t this a good thing for you, Yurina, rather than a side effect?]

“…….”

Suddenly.

I remembered the mannequin I saw at the clothing store with Dale today.

The mannequin dressed in a pretty, fluttering outfit.

‘I guess… I won’t have a chance to wear something like that anymore.’

Why is that?

I thought I had given up on living as ‘Yurina’ a long time ago.

I thought I had crumpled up all the delusions of a naive girl and shoved them into a corner of my heart.

“Ah, ugh.”

Why does my heart ache so deeply?

“Yurina.”

My mother hugged me and continued speaking.

“For this mother, for the Helios family… and for your brother.”

My body is hot.

The heat spreading from my heart burns my entire body.

“Become the sun.”

Yes.

As if I were swallowed by the sun.

* * *

“Ugh. I never thought Professor Lucas would be waiting at the dorm entrance.”

I rubbed the spot where Professor Lucas had hit me on the head as I entered my dorm room.

I had skipped class on my own, so I was prepared to be called out and beaten up tomorrow, but I never thought I would be beaten up today.

“I wonder if Yuren is okay….”

Rosanna told Yuren not to return to the dorm today and to hide in the private training ground, as she didn’t know what she might do to him, but Yuren went to his dorm without giving me a chance to stop him, saying he would be fine.

‘Should I send him a message?’

I sent a message to Yuren through the Hero Watch, asking if he got back safely.

“Ugh. Is he asleep?”

Well.

The time I spent being held by Professor Lucas was so long that quite a bit of time had passed.

‘I guess I’ll ask him directly tomorrow.’

When I took off the Hero Watch and lay down on the bed.

-Ding.

The clear chime from the Hero Watch.

“Huh?”

Getting up from my seat, I turned on the Hero Watch and saw a message from Yuren.

The content of the message that appeared on the hologram window was.

[Dale, can we meet for a moment now?]

“…Huh?”

Meet?

At this hour?