CH 317

Many months passed. Though it was a short period of time, it was enough for a division to emerge between those who got proper professional support from an organization and those who didn’t. A flower grew healthier and more safely under a person’s care than by itself, especially if the person was a gardener with expert knowledge. Likewise, one could see Ho Lactea as an adept gardener. The kind who helped seeds properly lay their roots into the earth and gave them nutrients daily without fail. Thus, it wasn’t a coincidence that Yunael Tania managed to reach silver rank in just a couple of months.

Of course Yunael also worked their hardest, but a large part of their progress was thanks to Ho Lactea’s management. As a result, Yunael—the hero full of desire to prove themselves, successfully achieved Silver I. At this rate, Yunael would reach gold rank any time now.

Yunael walked confidently out of the White Horse General’s temple. Eyes shot toward Yunael wherever they walked. Their fame was only natural considering the amazing speed at which they had progressed since the drafting event. Yunael enjoyed their gazes and found a suitable place to sit. Then they closed their eyes like Aida and heightened their hearing while pretending to be resting. Their surroundings were already in a buzz, and Yunael wondered what those people were saying about them.

“Seems like Yunael rose in ranks again.”

“What? Already?”

“I’m sure of it. I heard Yunael say ‘thank you and I will work harder’ when I was praying alongside them.”

“Hold on a second. Last time, they were at Silver II, so that must mean they are already Silver I now…”

Yunael's chest seemed to swell more and more. Yes, this was the feeling.

“That’s insane. Isn’t their progress faster than even Ru Amuh’s?”

“Don’t be an idiot. You can’t compare his time and now. It’s just incomparable.”

“Ah, is that right?”

“Yeah. You might not know because you came as part of the ninth reinforcements, but the situation on Liber had been brutal even when the seventh recruits arrived. Heroes didn’t get to live in a city like this. They had to scavenge in the forest for scraps to eat and had no place to shield them from the elements…”

Yunael’s eyebrows wiggled.

“That’s certainly true. The environment is very important after all.”

“Not only that, but Yunael also has Ho Lactea backing them.”

“Yes, you have to consider Ho Lactea. But still, they are impressive. No matter how good an ingredient is, it is still up to the chef’s skills to make it shine.”

“But maybe it’s not that unexpected considering the amount of attention they put on just one person.”

Yunael grew angrier the more they listened to the conversation. Who were these heroes calling an ingredient? In a rage, Yunael was about to glare at them when the conversing heroes changed the topic.

“By the way, what happened to that other hero?”

“Who?”

“Ah, you know, the only hero among the tenth reinforcements that Seven Stars drafted.”

“Ah~ I think her name was Aida.”

Yunael’s senses heightened to their peak when they heard the name, ‘Aida’.

“Now that you mention it, I haven’t been hearing much about her.”

“Who knows what’s happening? Seven Stars are usually so quiet.”

“That’s so true. Honestly, it’s sometimes annoying how much the Celestial Lights boast about every little thing they do. But Seven Stars keep things to themselves too much.”

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“Those guys speak with actions rather than words. For all we know, they might have raised that hero named Aida to gold rank.”

Yunael snorted at this, but a part of them felt anxious. What if what they said was really true?

‘No, there’s no way.’ After all, there were three tests that one needed to pass to be promoted from silver to gold rank alone.

“But it’s really strange. In Shalyh alone, there are six gods. Three from humanity, and three from the Cassiubia League. But no one has seen that hero in any of the temples.”

It was then one of the heroes said what Yunael wanted to say all along.

“Does that mean she hasn’t even made a contract with a god, much less rise in ranks?”

Yunael nodded vehemently.

“I agree with what you say, but it’s really strange.” It was then another hero spoke. “Shouldn’t she be unable to wield her powers properly without a contract? But apparently, there’s a hero who witnessed her using her powers.”

“What? How? She isn’t even one of the Celestial Lights.”

“Yes, it doesn’t make sense. But I heard another rumor…”

“What rumor? There’s more?”

Yunael gulped in anticipation.

“You know how that hero named Aida is those rare priestess types.”

“Oh yeah, I heard that.”

“I heard that except for the White Horse General, all five of the other gods were desperate to get their hands on her to make her their saintess. Yet she apparently rejected all of them…”

“What? Really? Why?”

Yunael got up from their seat. They didn’t want to listen anymore.

“In the end, it sounds like Aida made a contract, but she did so in secret, pledging to be some god’s saintess. There’s no way she would keep going outside otherwise…”

As Yunael walked, the voices grew fainter. Their face was downcast. This was why Yunael hadn’t wanted to join Ho Lactea or any of the Celestial Lights. No matter how much they worked, in the end, people would say that it was thanks to Ho Lactea that they achieved anything. Of course, Yunael admitted that Ho Lactea was a great support to them. Yunael received a full set of equipment that they would have otherwise not been able to even dream of and found work to help accumulate merits. Furthermore, they provided Yunael with skilled companions each time to accomplish these works. Yunael admitted that Ho Lactea had provided them with a flawless environment to grow.

…Yes, it would’ve been stranger if they hadn’t progressed this much. The fact that Yunael couldn’t deny this enraged them even more. It was as if they had chosen to tie themselves down. But there was something else that further stoked their rage.

‘Why Aida…!’ The heroes’ assessments of Yunael and Aida were drastically different. Though they concluded their thoughts on Yunael in a couple of sentences, they were endlessly curious about Aida.

‘I also have been trying my best…’ Yunael thought. After passing the square, Yunael stopped walking. Whenever they passed by this place, they glanced at the Seven Stars’ zone. Today, they looked at it from farther away than usual; and after staring at it for a while, Yunael called upon their device and sent a message to Aida. Thankfully, they got a response soon, and it didn’t take long for a familiar figure to come walking to the square.

“Aida! Here!” Yunael purposefully raised their voice and shouted.

“It’s been a while. Have you been doing well?” Aida asked.

“Of course! I…” Yunael couldn’t finish their sentence once Aida got closer with a smile. It was because of the holy energy that was flowing out of her. Yunael was familiar with the energy as Yunael and Aida had wandered across a couple of worlds together.

“Have you awakened your powers?” Yunael asked.

Aida neither admitted nor denied it.

“To which god did you make a contract?”

“I haven’t been able to make a contract yet.”

“Why?”

“I haven’t met a god suitable for me.”

Yunael frowned. That meant Aida wasn’t using her growth system yet, but how was she able to recover her lost powers?

“How does that even make sense?” Yunael asked, and Aida didn’t answer. Aida didn’t lie, and when there were things she couldn’t say, she simply kept her mouth closed. This meant she was hiding something.

“Aida~ Can’t you tell me? It’s not like I’m asking you to show me your user information or anything. Hm?” Yunael continuously pleaded, but Aida remained firm.

“By the way, didn’t you say that you were promised divine blood, Yunael?” Aida suddenly asked.

“Hm? Oh yeah, that’s right…but I haven't received it yet.”

“Why is that?”

“Um, well, I feel a bit reluctant to accept it now that the moment calls for it.”

“Divine blood isn’t something you can get even if you want to.”

“I know divine blood is the supreme essence, and not anyone among the Ho Lacteas can give it to others... But this is a matter of accepting someone else’s blood into yours.”

Aida nodded.

“That is certainly true.”

“But why are you suddenly asking me about divine blood—wait, no way...” Yunael looked at Aida in disbelief.

“I didn’t achieve my current status with divine blood,” Aida responded.

“Then what?” Yunael asked, but Aida shook her head.

“I can’t tell you anything about that, even to you, Yunael.”

“Aida…!”

“I’m grateful that you are worried about me, but there’s no need. It’s true that a great power is giving me the same effects of an awakening, but it doesn’t bind me as divine blood would. You don’t have to worry.”

Yunael looked surprised, and Aida added, “Please keep what I just told you a secret. I told you this because I trusted you, but this isn’t something that you can go around telling people.”

It was understandable. After all, this power that Aida was talking about had no negative effects and only positive ones. It was something all would dream of, and many heroes would seek it out if they knew about it. Even Yunael wanted to immediately get this power.

“…I understand.” Yet Yunael knew that there was no way of getting it and agreed in the end. Then they wondered, ‘…Would I have received this power if I had gone to Seven Stars at that time?’

After that, Yunael and Aida talked about all sorts of things. But soon, Aida received a call to return and had to get up.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to talk to you more since it’s been a while since we last saw each other, but I’m so busy these days.”

“But I thought you just returned from work.”

“There’s always an endless amount of work though.”

“What work? I thought you hadn't gotten a contract yet.”

“Still, there’s a way to accumulate merits and—no, it’s nothing.” Aida stopped what she was saying and turned around. Then she left just like that. She seemed really busy. On the other hand, Yunael sat unmoving for a while before getting up. After asking around personally, Yunael confirmed that most of the rumors they had heard at the White Horse General’s temple were true, such as the fact that Aida received multiple offers from gods to become their saintess, or that even though Aida hadn’t reached gold rank yet, she had accumulated enough merits and test exemptions to rise to it if she wished.

Yunael wrapped their hands around their head as they staggered back to their room. They didn’t know why, but they were very annoyed. Still, Yunael thought they needed to do something, and as soon as they returned to their zone, they filed a report.

“Good work.”

As usual, the only thing that Yunael got was a short and clear response.

“Rest now.”

Yunael rose to their feet and stared intently at Alice, who had her face covered by a white cotton cloth.

“Um…!” After much contemplation, Yunael spoke up. “I want to go on an expedition now.”

Alice, who had been stroking a potted plant on the desk caringly, stopped moving. Then she looked back at Yunael’s eager eyes.

“I also want to organize my own expedition as fast as possible!” Yunael said.

“…I will keep that in mind.” Alice nodded and turned back to her pot. That was all. That was how the conversation between them and the leader of Ho Lactea, Alice, usually ended. Yunael felt as if they were conversing with a doll that only repeated a set string of answers rather than a human. If they could, Yunael wanted to snatch the potted plant from Alice’s hands and shake it to pour everything onto her head, yelling, ‘Get me an expedition right nooooow!’ Yet Yunael repressed that urge.

An expedition was different from an adventure. They couldn’t just set out immediately when they wanted to. Yunael wasn’t such a novice that they didn’t know this and had no choice but to quietly back away. In the end, Yunael returned to their room and slumped onto their bed with their face smashing into the bed sheet. They stayed still on the bed like they were dead for a while.

“Ahhhh—!” Then they struck their bed with their fists and legs in a fury. They didn’t like how things were going at all—not just one or two things, but everything that was happening.

“So annoying!” Yunael yelled.

***

“My Lord, I brought what you requested before…” While clutching onto a couple pieces of documents, Noel hesitated. It was because of the look on Chi-Hyun’s face. He had his head slightly lowered with his fingers crossed like he was deep in thought, and the slight frown on his face seemed to indicate that it was something very serious. Thus, Noel quietly waited. Sometime later, Chi-Hyun let out a big sigh and raised his head.

Noel finally spoke then, “What is it? Did you fight with young master again…?”

“The Celestial Realm contacted me.” Chi-Hyun shook his head.

“The Celestial Realm?”

“They said the prophecy is hurriedly gathering the twelfth reinforcements.”

“What?” Noel’s voice rose sharply.

“And,” Chi-Hyun wasn’t done, “They say that the twelfth reinforcements would be the most elite force among all the past reinforcements and recruits combined.”

Noel’s face hardened. That sounded like good news since they could replenish human resources, yet one shouldn’t take prophecies at face value. They needed to always interpret and deduce the intentions. First of all, they needed to figure out why the next reinforcements were coming so quickly. Of course, the Celestial Realm would probably not send the reinforcements immediately as they needed to make the right preparations. They needed to charge the necessary energy for transmission and go through the selection process. Thus, the reinforcements would only come after quite some time…but even if they considered that point, it was still very soon. The eleventh reinforcements came not so long ago after the tenth, so it was shocking that the twelfth reinforcements were already being decided.

Furthermore, it was astonishing that the twelfth reinforcements were going to be composed of the most elite group of heroes compared to all previous ones. This wasn’t completely unbelievable considering the past deployments. The first was an exemption because of Chi-Hyun, and besides them, there were the seventh recruits, which made the biggest achievements out of all the groups, and the eighth recruits, which got a lot of attention for including members of the Celestial Lights. All the previous recruits attracted interest because of a very selective number of heroes. If one assessed the general quality of the groups, the twelfth reinforcements might turn out to be the most elite. That still left them with one question—‘what was the reason for all this’?

Noel could understand why Chi-Hyun looked so deep in thought. It was as he said.

‘But there must be a reason the prophecy sped things up,’ Noel thought.

Chi-Hyun didn’t know what the reason was yet, either, but he thought it must be connected to Liber’s future. The thought of Chi-Woo passed his head momentarily, but Chi-Hyun shook his head. They could gain information beforehand by rolling Chi-Woo’s die like last time, but things were different now. It was quiet, way too quiet. The Demon Empire, the Abyss, and the Sernitas had always fiercely warred with one another, but they had been dead silent as if they were waiting for something. At a single mishap, an event of a scale that they couldn’t withstand might turn in the wrong direction.

“I should call…Ismile.” Chi-Hyun got up after making his decision. This wasn’t the time for him to leisurely sit around. He needed to quickly make his moves and act according to his title of the legend. “I will be away for a while.”

“How long would you be gone for, my lord…?”

“I can’t say. In order to prepare even a little bit, I need to move in advance. No, maybe it’s already too late…”

***

—Shersha, what do we do now…?

Meanwhile, a worried voice spoke in the darkness.

—Perhaps it’s already irreversible.

Astarte said worriedly while looking in one direction. After a momentary silence, a hollow voice rang out.

—You’ve to make as many preparations as you can before it’s too late…!

The flow of Liber, which had stopped for a moment until now, began to move again like it was waking from a deep slumber. Then it began to fluctuate more fiercely than ever before.