CH 601

Hans and Lara withdrew their swords. Although they had given it their all, they didn’t appear worn out. After all, the two could fight for several days straight and a short battle like this one couldn’t make them exhausted. However, they did feel slight mental fatigue from evading Zich’s precise and sharp attacks.

“You really became unbelievable, sir,” Hans said in awe. He knew that Zich’s strength had risen along with Windur’s, but after fighting Zich directly, Hans realized the change was beyond his imagination. If he didn’t dare to duel Zich before, now, it was as if he was looking up at a limitless sky with no end in sight.

“You don’t have to be that impressed; it’s not my skills that have improved.” Zich had already recovered all the power from his peak days after his battle with the dragon; the increase in strength after that was all thanks to the World Tree’s mana that was transferred to him through Windur.

Yet, Hans shook his head.

“As someone who uses Estellade, that hurts my conscience.”

“Me too,” Lara added while standing next to Hans.

Zich smiled at them and hung Windur on his back again.

“Good work.” Zich removed the barrier he placed on the ground, and Lyla handed each of them a cold glass of water. The three gulped the water down immediately.

“What are you here for, Sir Zich? I don’t think you came here to train like us.”

“I came to see you guys.”

“Is there something else you would like to order us to do?” Hans said as if he would immediately carry out any command from Zich. It seemed like Hans also couldn’t accept that he had graduated from being Zich’s underling like Snoc and Elena.

“No, we plan to leave soon, so we came to say our goodbyes.”

“Ah…” Hans stared at Zich with his mouth slightly open. Soon, however, his eyes regained focus and he said, “I see. You are leaving.”

Perhaps it was because Hans had traveled with Zich the longest, but unlike Snoc, who had been greatly taken aback when he heard the news, Hans quickly regained his calm.

“Yeah, I have to go. I can’t keep staying here,” Zich said.

“I suppose you won’t be taking us with you?”

“As I said before, you all graduated. It won’t be a proper graduation if you guys keep following me around.”

“That’s true. Furthermore, we would be intruding between you two,” Hans said while looking back and forth between Zich and Lyla. Unlike Lyla, who blushed slightly, Zich put his hand on Hans’ head and ruffled his hair.

“You should keep things like that to yourself even if you notice it, you rascal,” Zich warned.

“I will do that from now on.”

Then Zich took his hand off Hans and stared at him. Hans also didn’t pull his eyes away from Zich.

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

“At first, I planned to show an arrogant servant the bitter taste of the world.”

Hans looked apologetic when Zich brought up the past. “I’m really sorry about that time, sir.”

“Of course, you should be,” Zich replied. Hans’ behavior had been so terrible and out of line that he wouldn’t have been able to complain even if Zich had chopped his head off with a sword.

“I have to admit that it was convenient for me in many ways to have you around. I’m sure it wasn’t only a bad experience for you too.”

“Of course, sir,” Hans confidently said. At the beginning of their journey, Hans had thought the sky was falling down on him, and he felt great despair as if his life had already ended. Now, Hans could say confidently that it had been the luckiest moment of his life. Without it, he would’ve spent the rest of his life as a common servant of a noble, albeit treated well thanks to Count Steelwall’s wife’s favor. Yet instead, he had been able to gain incredible skills and make a great name for himself. Above all, he had been able to accomplish his foolish, almost childlike dream of becoming a hero.

It was true that the path to this goal had been long and difficult, but the fact that he had achieved it made all of that negligible, and he was only grateful to Zich who had made it possible. Even though Zich couldn’t even understand the dream Hans had, he had still done his best for Hans to achieve it. Zich was the one who had sincerely accepted his dream and helped him reach it when everyone else had laughed at him.

“What are you looking at me so intensely for?” Zich asked curiously.

“I suddenly feel so grateful to you, Sir Zich.”

“What? Does that mean you had no feelings of gratitude for me before?”

“Certainly not, sir.” In the past, Hans would’ve been greatly taken aback by Zich’s teasing, but now he responded calmly.

“You are no fun anymore.”

“That is also thanks to you, sir.”

“Ah, it’s fine. It’s fine.” Zich waved his hands. Then, he asked, “What are you planning to do from now on?”

“I want to travel.”

“You aren’t going to return to Steelwall?”

“It’s true that the Count and Countess have done a lot for me, and I may want to return to them in the future. But right now, I want to travel a bit more even without you, Sir Zich.”

“For what?”

“While traveling with you, I became the hero I wished to be. However, that was only thanks to the path you prepared for me beforehand.”

“So, you are saying that you want to be a hero all by yourself?”

“If you say it like that, it sounds like I’m being too arrogant. I would like to describe it as me chasing my dreams without any external help.”

“I see.” It appeared that Hans had a specific goal, unlike Snoc.

“Good. There’s no need for me to say anything more when you’ve already made your decision. I am rooting for you.”

“Yes, sir!” Hans responded heartily.

“Lara, what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to travel alongside Mr. Hans.” This wasn’t surprising news. Lara was someone who always burned with passion for justice, and that was what had made her leave her family in the first place. Hans’ goal of walking the path of a hero while going on an adventure fit her interests perfectly. Of course, her affection for Hans probably influenced the decision too.

‘The owners of Estellade and Tornium are traveling together. That would’ve been unthinkable before the regression,’ Zich thought. Estellade used to be the symbol of the Sun Hero, Glen Zenard, while Tornium was the symbol of the Demon Lord of Strength, Zich Moore. The two existences had fought viciously to take each other’s lives, and it would’ve been unimaginable for them to joyously travel together. Unlike the past owners of the swords before the regression, Hans and Lara were trying to walk the same path together.

“Are you going to do heroic acts of justice beside Hans?”

“Yes. Since Mr. Hans has the same thoughts as me, I decided that it will be good for us to travel together. And…” She trailed off.

“Huh? You can tell me. I’m sure you know that I don’t take things to heart or hold grudges. I’m generous too,” Zich said while ignoring Lyla’s tongue-clicking.

“Well, it’s also because I can see that Mr. Hans has been considerably influenced by you too, Sir Zich. He might try to do kind acts like you, and I would like to stop him then.”

Lyla laughed loudly next to Zich. “Good thinking! If you see even an inkling of that behavior, fix him immediately from the side, just like this. Don’t let him become like that.”

“…It hurth. Let go,” Zich mumbled. However, Lyla kept pinching Zich’s cheek, and even though Zich grumbled, he didn’t try to move her hand either.

Lara smiled at this sight. “I guess we can leave Sir Zich up to you, Lady Lyla.”

“This guy will never change so easily, but I’ll try so that he’ll ease up a little.”

“I sahd it hahts…” Zich’s cheek was now stretched to the extent that his pronunciation was slurred. It was only then that Lyla removed her hand. Zich rubbed his slightly red cheek, reached out to his side, and also pinched Lyla’s cheek.

“Hey, what the…!”

“Revenge.”

“You!” Lyla reached out again and grabbed Zich’s cheek. It looked ridiculous to see two lovers pulling each other’s cheeks. Their childish battle continued for a while.

Then, with slightly redder cheeks than before, Zich asked, “Have you tried talking to Snoc?”

“Yes. It doesn’t seem like he has any clear goal, but he said he was going to move with Elena. Since Elena is going to return to the magical tower later on, he’ll probably follow her.” As expected of a fellow disciple, it seemed as if Hans had already talked to Snoc about his future plans.

Hans continued, “It seemed like he thought he’d continue traveling with you, Sir Zich, for the time being.”

“Yeah, when I said to go our separate ways, he looked clearly surprised.”

“Yes, that was probably the case. Sir, when will you be leaving?”

“In a few days. I’m done packing my belongings, and you two were the last people to say goodbye to.”

“I see.” Hans reached out his hand to Zich. “I will always act so that I don’t tarnish your name.”

Zich also reached out and grabbed Hans’ hand. “If that happens, I’ll come and catch you.”

“Hahaha! Yes, sir. I’ll keep that in mind!”

Like this, Zich and Hans, who had been together since the first day after Zich’s regression, took their own separate paths.

A few days later, Zich and Lyla left Yuras. Many people came out to see them off. Not only those who had close ties to Zich, but even people like the Karuwiman Pope also came out. Since Zich had already said his goodbyes to each and every one of them, they didn’t share a long greeting. He just looked everyone in the eye and waved widely.

Even when Lyla and Zich disappeared from their view, those who came to see them off continued to stay in the same place.

“It feels strange,” Zich said.

“What feels strange?”

“This is the first time so many people send me off like this when starting a new trip.”

Both before and after his regression, Zich’s journey had begun at the Steelwall Estate. Of course, there had been no one there to see him off on his journey. Before his regression, he had been half-kicked out of the estate, and after his regression, he had left on his own after causing a huge commotion. He had been sent off a lot of times during a journey, but that had been only in the middle of it. However, he had now been sent off by numerous people when he just finished one journey and was embarking on a new one. It was a farewell from people who were sad and disappointed to see him go and sincerely hoped that his future would be bright.

Lyla gently held Zich’s hand. “There will be a lot of people like that from now on.”

“I suppose so.” Zich shrugged. “Don’t worry, I’m not such an emotional guy to be shaken by such a thing.”

“I know. I’m doing this because I want to.”

“Well, then.” Zich also tightened his grip on her hand, and they continued to walk along while holding hands. Lyla grabbed Zich’s hand and dragged him forward.

“Where are you going?”

“I should be asking you that. Where are you trying to go?”

Zich looked forward—it was a path away from the main road, which was a mountain full of bushes. Then he looked back at Lyla and said, “Forward.”

“Ordinary people use the word going forward to mean following the road, not walking literally in a straight line–whether there’s a mountain, forest, or river to their final destination.” Lyla pulled Zich back onto the road, and Zich let her drag him.

“What’s with you all of a sudden? We’ve been traveling like this all this time,” Zich said.

“Just because we’ve always been traveling like this doesn’t mean we have to keep moving like this in the future.”

“That’s true.”

“It’s not like we have a clear destination like before.”

“If we’re looking for a destination, why don’t we go to the next city…”

“Let’s use the road, okay?”

“…All right.” Zich nodded as he lost to Lyla. She was smiling brightly, but a vein was slightly bulging from her forehead.

The two slowly walked along the road—of course, while still tightly holding hands.

“Do you have a goal in mind?”

“To do kind acts.”

“Anything else?”

“Not really. At best, maybe to clean up the residue left by Glen Zenard or Ultel.”

“Then can I suggest one?”

“Of course.”

“Why don’t you think about our surname?”

“Surname?”

“Yeah. You’re not Steelwall, Brave, or Moore now. And I’m not Clowon either. So let’s come up with a new name for us to use. Well, you know, we might need one when our child is born,” Lyla stuttered slightly as she said the last words in embarrassment.

“You suggested Brave last time. Did you change your mind?”

“Now that I’ve got my memories back, I don’t really like Brave anymore. Brave is too upright. He's a bit boring for my taste.”

“Haha, that’s true.”

“Also, the current you are different from any other Zich.”

Zich looked at the bright blue sky. “A surname. Well, there’s no harm in having one. Good, let’s think about it from now on.”

“Yeah!”

Even after this, their conversation never stopped. Their figures disappeared from view as they slowly walked along the road. Zich’s path had been full of numerous events, hardships, trials, and bloodshed. Since the Brushel System was destroyed and the path that Glen and Ultel had maliciously laid out for him was now gone, no one knew what the future held in store for him. However, one thing was certain. He would walk a different path than the ones he’d been walking so far.