NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 32
“Ah… Aaaaa…!!”
Thud. Sowol slumped to the ground, covering her face.
Why is Master not here?
Why are there only traces of Master up to this point? Why?
“Ah, Miss!!”
It’s chaos.
I can’t get my head straight. Anxiety was consuming me.
Master is gone.
Master has disappeared.
Maybe…
Master might be dead.
“Aaaaaaa!!”
Am I remembering Master’s last moments?
What did I say the last time I saw Master?
“Ah… Aaaaaaaaaaaa!! No!! No!!”
I said I hated him.
I said I hated the one I love the most.
I missed the chance to take that back because of my stubbornness.
No. No. No.
What I wanted wasn’t like this!
“Ah…”
I couldn’t collect myself. In the end, Sowol fainted, and Laila, who caught her, bit her lip tightly.
…
…
…
“…..”
When I came to, I saw a familiar ceiling.
It’s a room. With a futile hope, Sowol slowly looked around. I thought Master would be smiling beside me like always.
But he wasn’t there.
Reality was ruthlessly shattering her expectations, and it was someone other than Lee Hyun who was next to her.
“Ah. You’re awake?”
“Serin… Saintess.”
“It’s High Priest. I got promoted after the last event. But let’s set that aside for now.”
The beautiful woman, as stunning as before, lightly closed the report in her hand and handed it to Sowol.
Sowol, gazing at it with a haggard face, took the report in her hands.
“What is this…?”
“It’s an investigation into what happened at Moonlight Mountain.”
“How long was I out?”
“Three days.”
No wonder I feel so weak.
Sowol lowered her head feebly.
More shocking than being unconscious for three days was that Lee Hyun wasn’t there.
“Why are you even sharing this…”
“Just read it.”
Sowol opened the report listlessly.
There was nothing special in its contents.
The people stationed at Moonlight Mountain were the elite of the Asura sect.
And that Lee Hyun had single-handedly defeated that elite.
“Lee Hyun’s trace disappeared at the cliff. Below that is a river with swift currents, so if he fell there, we wouldn’t find any traces.”
“…..”
“We’re searching the lower river for now just in case… but there’s been no significant reports yet. In the end, we couldn’t even find his body…”
“I can’t believe it. Master…”
Lee Hyun is a man with strange artifacts and incredible abilities.
Could it be that he vanished into the sky like a bad joke? Sowol held on to that hope.
Serin, who was watching her, wrapped her face in her hands before speaking bitterly.
“I know how strong Lee Hyun is. But the Asura sect’s troops there are indeed the cream of the crop.”
Serin had experienced Lee Hyun’s strength firsthand.
His outstanding swordsmanship, powerful magic, coupled with bizarre artifacts and a wealth of skills.
But even so, the enemies were too numerous and strong.
No matter how much Lee Hyun was, it would still be a tough battle.
“…Ha.”
Sowol gritted her teeth.
All kinds of emotions were swirling inside her.
Regret gnawed at her from deep within her chest, threatening to tear her apart.
An obsession towards the one she could no longer meet was like fire.
The despair created by her last words was ripping her apart.
With shadowy eyes filled with all that negativity, Sowol clutched the blanket lightly.
‘…Even that is a luxury at this point.’
There’s no reason to despair.
There’s no reason to regret.
There’s no reason to be broken.
Overcoming all the consuming negative emotions, the emotion she ignited was just one.
‘Those bastards…!!’
The reason Sowol had been diligently training with the Moonlight Sword was to bring joy to Lee Hyun, but that wasn’t the only reason.
There were enemies attacking the Eastern Trading Company. It was because of them that she desperately clung to the Moonlight Sword, and thus, her time spent with Lee Hyun decreased.
And. It led to Lee Hyun’s near demise.
‘No!! Master couldn’t have just vanished like that! Right. He’s just missing. We promised to meet again at the Academy, right? Master wouldn’t break his promise!!’
Sowol chased away the gnawing anxiety.
Thinking that he did not die and somehow escaped from there filled her grasp on the blanket with strength.
Watching her, Serin stood up slowly and extended her hand.
“It seems our goals have finally aligned.”
As the High Priest of the Church, Serin wanted to deal with heretical groups like the Asura sect.
And for Sowol, the Asura sect was no different from sworn enemies that could no longer coexist under the same sky.
Those with a common enemy had gathered. Thus, there was naturally one thing to do.
“…Are you proposing we fight together?”
“Yeah. I just met the Eastern Trading Company’s leader. The entire Eastern Trading Company has decided to fight against the Asura sect.”
“…So what do we need to do?”
“First, the Eastern Trading Company has to become a faction that collaborates with the Church. The Church holds influence over the entire continent. Joining us means we have to grow accordingly.”
The Eastern Trading Company had to grow bigger and stronger.
To fit with a colossal entity like the Church.
It wouldn’t be easy.
But both Sowol and others in the Eastern Trading Company were prepared for it.
“But that alone won’t be enough.”
“…”
“Strength. The Asura sect is considered the most powerful among all heretical groups. To fight against them, we need strength.”
Sowol looked at her hands. She had it.
The strength she learned from Lee Hyun.
“…Can I be of help?”
“Of course. If you are Lee Hyun’s disciple. If you learned a lot from him, you’re more than enough.”
Sowol met Serin’s gaze. After that, Serin extended her hand.
“First, become a Paladin. Cultivate the strength to fight against heretics. Ultimately, aim for the position of Saint.”
“Can I really become a Saint? I only know how to fight…”
She had faith since she attended the Church.
But a Saint…
That position surely belonged to more noble women, right?
“Well, it’s not unprecedented. The Saint of the National Salvation, Jand, was just a farmer’s daughter before she became a Saint…”
“Is that so?”
“Moreover, there are no candidates for a Saint in this era… so maybe you could. Of course, even if you don’t become a Saint, I reckon at least you could rise to the rank of Cardinal.”
And if she reached that position, she could independently command the Paladins to fight against heretics as she wanted.
Sowol silently stared at Serin before looking at the hand being offered.
“…Alright.”
Sowol firmly grabbed Serin’s hand.
“I will never forgive the Asura sect.”
Having decided to go to the Church, Sowol immediately sought out her leader, Joongyang, and conveyed her decision.
Upon hearing that, Joongyang hesitated but couldn’t dissuade the serious Sowol.
“The path you have chosen is by no means an easy one. Do you still want to proceed?”
“Yes.”
Sowol was more serious than ever. She had decided to stake everything to fight against the heretics.
The Eastern Trading Company had already faced several attacks from the heretical groups.
And to counter that, they decided to ally with the Church.
In such a situation, if the heir of the Trading Company aimed for a high position in the Church, the leader should ideally be happy, but knowing how difficult it was, he couldn’t be entirely joyful.
“Is this because of Master?”
“…I can’t say it’s not.”
The heretic forces were large and moved secretly.
To catch them, the Church’s strength was needed.
No matter how much she learned the Moonlight Sword from Lee Hyun, she couldn’t fight against the Asura sect alone.
So she aimed to use the Church.
“Master was hostile to the Asura sect. So, it’s only natural that Master’s only disciple, the one he loved and was proud of, opposes heretics, right?”
“Ha… I just wish you could live a little more comfortably.”
“This is the life I want,”
“……”
“Regretting losing Master, being devastated by his absence, and now not obsessing over Master but moving forward. Fighting for Master.”
Sowol’s eyes were serious.
Realizing that further words would not deter her, Joongyang let out a heavy sigh.
“Then what must be done?”
“I think I should act as a Battle Nun alongside Saintess Serin.”
She had already heard the details from Serin.
The plan was to enlist as a Battle Nun and fight against the Church’s enemies.
If Sowol were to achieve significant merit there, she could qualify as a Paladin soon after.
From then on, fighting against heretics would be sufficient.
“Saintess Serin mentioned that she plans to create a Paladin unit soon. Being a part of that would be the first goal.”
She aimed to join the unit that would fight at the forefront most vigorously against the Asura sect.
Sowol held tightly onto the Moonlight Sword she received from Lee Hyun.
“I don’t think it’s impossible. I have the Moonlight Sword… the sword Master passed down to me.”
“I see… But Sowol, do you know? The path you are about to take is that of a hero.”
“……”
“Though the intent may differ, what you wish to do is to follow the good and vanquish the evil. You must understand that that’s what the term ‘hero’ means. Are you okay with that? Knowing how tough that path would be…”
“I understand.”
Sowol smiled brightly, nodded, and closed her eyes.
“But it’s alright.”
“……”
“If fighting against heretics is the path of a hero, then surely Master could be considered a hero too. Thus, it’s right for me to walk the same path.”
She had heard it from Serin.
In the past, Lee Hyun had collaborated with the Church to fight against the heretics.
Why did he fight the cultists?
Was it that he had some kind of grudge against the cultists who practiced human sacrifice?
According to Serin, there was no reason at all.
Even when offered various gains or a comfortable path, Lee Hyun quietly fought against the heretics.
So, Lee Hyun could also be called a hero.
Sowol opened her eyes.
The confusion was no longer there.
“I am the one and only disciple of a hero.”