Chapter 107

Laurea’s Pale Face.

Facing this, Ulan calmly recited the memories of his past life.

“I returned to the present through death. And ten years before my end, the Gate of the Abyss opened here.”

It’s the truth.

“Monsters poured out from all directions, and the Empire, along with kingdoms, fell one by one. Your Holy Nation wasn’t an exception.”

This too, was the truth.

“Of course, people resisted. To protect their families, to survive, or for their own reasons, they fought against the monsters. I was one of them.”

From saying he came from about 30 years in the future to explaining the situation after the Gate of the Abyss opened, Ulan’s words were all proven to be true.

Once it was revealed that everything he said was the truth, Laurea began to harbor doubts about the power of the Reflective Eye.

After a while, which felt like quite some time, Ulan’s lips that had been fluttering without pause finally closed. After a moment, with a refreshed look on his face, he concluded his tale.

“This is the future that is about to come.”

“……”

In contrast, Laurea still wore a confused expression. Her complexion was pale, and her gaze, twitching, showed no signs of calming.

But who said it?

Humans are creatures of adaptation.

Time passed, and Laurea’s confusion gradually subsided, proving that saying true.

“Then, could it be that the name Irea…?”

“Your future self told me.”

Ulan responded as if he had been waiting for this question.

Well, of course, that made sense.

The existence of the name Irea was only remembered by Laurea and her master.

However, there was a puzzling point.

“But that’s a bit surprising.”

“What do you mean?”

“My real name.”

After letting out a held breath, Laurea turned to him.

“When I became a Saintess Candidate and received the name ‘Laurea’ from my master, I vowed to carry this real name to my grave.”

But she was curious as to why she shared such a secret with Ulan. Gazing at him as if asking for a reason, she soon received an answer.

“It was likely because it wasn’t an ordinary situation.”

“What? What do you mean…?”

“In my past life, you nearly died isolated with me in the Phantom’s Maze.”

To be precise, it was Laurea alone who almost died.

At that time, she lost consciousness after falling into the maze, and due to the influence of the abyss, she couldn’t even use her divine power, finding herself facing death.

It was then that she had to press her bare skin against someone else’s to maintain her dwindling body temperature.

“You must have sensed your end back then, as you told me your real name. In that final moment, you wanted to die as Irea, not as a Saintess.”

“……”

At Ulan’s response, she fell silent.

The reason was simple. It matched perfectly with her thoughts.

No matter how much she lived as Laurea, she always wished to die with her real name.

‘The secret known only to me.’

No one, not even her master, was aware of this thought.

At this point, even if he lacked the Reflective Eye, Ulan was surely a being from the future.

After sorting out her thoughts, she sighed.

“Honestly, I’ll say this.”

Laurea sighed deeply. Then she turned to Ulan once more and opened her mouth again.

“I recognize that your story is true. But I still can’t fully accept it. My head is completely jumbled right now.”

Even if every part of the story is true, understanding and accepting it is another matter entirely.

“So I need some time.”

Time to accept the truth.

Thus, Laurea expressed her need to understand Ulan’s story.

Ulan nodded.

“Understood. That’s enough for now.”

Just recognizing that his story was accepted as truth accomplished his goal. Thus, he smiled with satisfaction.

But briefly, Ulan sensed a subtle change.

It was the way Laurea looked at him and her attitude that had transformed. Noticing this change, he questioned with curiosity.

“Why the sudden reaction?”

“Huh? What, what do you mean…?”

“It seems like your attitude has changed.”

Laurea flinched, as if hit right on the mark.

After a moment, she hesitated before speaking.

“Well, it’s that….”

Struggling to find her words, she finally let out a deep sigh. Then she explained her sudden change in attitude.

“Listening to your story made me feel like I shouldn’t just talk casually…?”

From what Ulan had spoken so far, summarizing it made him the very hero who fought against the abyss for humanity and the world.

Moreover, he returned to the past knowing the Gate of the Abyss would open again, yet chose to face it rather than flee—one would rightly respect that.

‘A truly remarkable person.’

It felt as though she were gazing upon a hero from mythology.

Hence, it was difficult for her to treat him casually.

In contrast, Ulan felt differently.

“I’m not that remarkable.”

“B-but….”

“Even if it were you who returned to the past, you’d surely have made the same choice.”

With conviction in his eyes.

With a voice that showed no trace of doubt, Ulan firmly answered.

“More than anything, you’re my comrade. So there’s no need to act awkward around me.”

Even that statement was true.

Was it because of that?

It felt like the distance she had felt just moments ago evaporated rapidly. With a sense of ease, Laurea nodded.

“Phew, got it. I’ll just treat you as I normally do.”

“Sure, that’s easier for me too.”

Ulan smiled.

Content with her demeanor.

As their conversation ended, they moved on again, focusing on their original purpose of monster hunting.

“Oh, right.”

However, at that moment, Laurea halted again.

Faced with the shocking truth, she suddenly remembered a question she had momentarily forgotten.

“I have something I want to ask….”

“If it’s something I know, I’ll answer.”

Just hearing that brought a sense of reassurance.

Laurea smiled faintly.

Then she posed her question.

“Do you know about the oracle?”

“The oracle?”

Ulan tilted his head.

With that, Laurea relayed the oracle received by the Holy King recently, not leaving out a single particle.

“Fragments of the Abyss have flowed out into the world beyond the Rift, so the day the Gate opens isn’t far off. Therefore, gather the scattered stars, to be a light that illuminates the Abyss.”

Right after sharing the oracle’s content, she looked at Ulan expectantly.

Since he came from the future, he should know how to interpret this oracle. But Laurea’s expectations quickly shattered.

“That’s the first time I’ve heard it.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yep, I didn’t hear it in my past life.”

Ulan shook his head.

Upon seeing this, Laurea couldn’t hide her disappointment. Because his answer was indeed true.

So in her moment of discouragement, a completely unexpected response came.

“But I think I know what the part about gathering the scattered stars means.”

“What? Really?”

Her face turned bright in an instant.

Staring at Ulan with round, astonished eyes, he calmly spoke.

“First, the stars refer to heroes.”

“Heroes?”

“The seven heroes who passed their given trials and fought against the Abyss. In my past life, both you and I were called heroes.”

She roughly understood what heroes were.

But the fundamental question remained unsolved.

“But what’s the connection between stars and heroes?”

He said he felt he knew what the gathering of stars meant, yet all he had talked about were heroes. While she was pondering this.

“There is a connection.”

Ulan’s answer came back.

He fixed his gaze on Laurea and spoke steadily.

“Because I heard it from you.”

“That means… from my future self?”

“Exactly.”

Nodding again.

Ulan recalled the memories of his past life. He wanted to remember what Laurea had said.

“When the seven scattered stars unite, they will clear away the Abyss that looms over the continent and shine as the light of hope.”

This was the message given to him by the gods that Laurea had heard through the voice of the stars in his past life.

Moreover, it became the catalyst for gathering the heroes who had been scattered across the continent.

Meanwhile, after hearing Ulan’s explanation, Laurea adopted a serious expression.

‘The seven scattered stars.’

The seven heroes who faced the Abyss.

The part about being a light that drives away the Abyss resonated strongly with the oracle received by the Holy King. This meant that what Ulan said about the scattered stars likely referring to heroes was plausible.

“That makes a lot of sense.”

Nodding slowly, she voiced her newly formed question.

“You mentioned earlier that we are heroes.”

“I did say that.”

“Then do you know where the remaining five heroes are?”

“Of course.”

With a refreshingly clear answer.

Ulan immediately replied.

“Except for two, all are nearby.”

“Nearby, where is that?”

“Arsen Academy.”

“……What?”

Laurea asked back blankly.

Shortly after, her bright yellow eyes filled with shock. Ulan began listing the three heroes currently in the academy.

[The Sword Hero, Ivella Elea’ad]

[The Witch of Stars, Delia Arpen]

[The Knight, Ian Marcus]

Each time he said one name, Laurea’s eyes widened even more. Watching her reaction with amusement, Ulan wrapped up his answer.

“If you add you and me, plus Fertisha and Sven, that makes seven.”

“And who are Fertisha and Sven?”

“A bard and a sniper.”

After mentioning their roles.

Ulan recalled the events from earlier.

“I saw Fertisha recently in the capital, but I haven’t met Sven yet.”

Sven is a being of another race. He worked as a mercenary in the eastern jungles before the Gate of the Abyss opened. So unless he went looking, it would be hard to meet him.

Just as he finished explaining all the heroes.

Suddenly, Laurea curiously asked.

“Oh? But he’s not here?”

“Who are you talking about?”

“I mean the girl named Noa Darshen.”

With curiosity shining in her eyes, Ulan firmly answered.

“Noa is not a hero.”

“What? Really?”

Laurea’s eyes widened.

It was a rather unexpected conclusion.

Each time she saw him, she thought he was with Ulan, so she assumed she was also a hero.

“Then what is she?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know, why?”

Laurea tilted her head.

Ulan came from thirty years into the future.

This meant he should know most of what was going to happen, so how could he not know something about Noa?

As Laurea pondered this, the reason soon came from Ulan.

“Noa didn’t exist in the future I came from.”

“……What?”

Her voice was filled with surprise.

As an incredulous look spread across Laurea’s face, Ulan explained the circumstances.

After a while, once the story concluded.

She bit her lips and mumbled.

“I see. So, in my past life, I never met her once…”

It wasn’t simply that she had never met her.

In fact, given Noa’s talent and skill, she had never even heard her name or achievements.

With the new information that surfaced.

Laurea sighed.

“Phew, then let me say this first.”

“What is it?”

“About today’s conversation.”

Closing her mouth, she approached Ulan.

She got close enough to feel her breath. Then she whispered.

“This is something you and I should keep between us.”

“Why?”

“There are two reasons.”

Stepping back a pace, Laurea held up two fingers.

Then she folded one and spoke.

“First, while I accepted your words as truth through the power of the Reflective Eye, other people may not be able to do so.”

So, revealing the truth without any preparation or explanation would only bring confusion and distrust. This was what Laurea intended to convey.

After hearing that reason.

Ulan silently nodded.

Indicating he understood.

Then Laurea smiled softly and folded her remaining finger.

“The second reason is Noa Darshen.”

The girl with jet-black hair and blue eyes.

An entity that didn’t exist in Ulan’s future.

Recalling her, Laurea remembered the day they first met.

“When we first met, Ian mentioned there was a monster among the onlookers. He must have unconsciously sensed your power.”

That made sense.

Ian was quite perceptive.

In addition, his survival instincts were sharp, and he instinctively could tell how strong an opponent was. So it was only natural he would recognize Ulan’s strength.

“But Ian never specified who the monster was. So I assumed the monster was Noa Darshen, not you.”

Ulan’s face suddenly hardened.

Observing this, Laurea explained why she thought of Noa as a monster. It was due to the fact that two souls coexist in one body.

And there was another reason.

“You probably know already, but I can penetrate the essence of an object with the Reflective Eye.”

Of course, Ulan nodded in agreement.

Additionally, he recalled that what Laurea perceives as the essence of an object typically resembles clear shapes like flames or lakes.

“But Noa Darshen was a bit different.”

“What was different about her?”

“……Endless darkness.”

As soon as that question ended, Laurea’s complexion stiffened.

As if recalling the moment she first saw Noa. She wrapped her shoulders as chills ran down her back.

“It felt like looking into an abyss where the bottom didn’t exist. I couldn’t see anything at all.”

That was undoubtedly unusual.

As Ulan squinted his eyes.

“Anyway, what I want to convey is this.”

Laurea summarized her story.

Then she revealed her true feelings.

“I can’t trust her.”

“……”

With distrust in her eyes.

Ulan remained silent.

In truth, he partially agreed. Noa had an unsettling number of secrets.

‘And…’

Not long ago, when the Abyssal Rift opened.

Ulan inadvertently heard a voice from beyond the Abyss. Just hearing that unpleasant voice was enough to make a strong impression, as it referred to Noa as…

‘Outsider.’

Further, it spoke in an unrecognizable language.

Although Noa showed signs of great shock at that moment, even now, she hadn’t given a proper explanation of that event.

Hearing Laurea’s words in this context only heightened his distrust.

“Sharing secrets with someone untrustworthy is foolish. That’s why I suggested we keep what we discussed today a secret.”

Laurea firmly added.

Ulan silently nodded.

He had finally comprehended why Noa’s existence made talking about everything they had discussed a secretive affair.

“Oh, of course, if it becomes clear she’s definitely an ally, then it’s fine to share. But the criteria for judging her as an ally will be…”

“Your Reflective Eye.”

“Exactly. You’re sharp.”

Laurea smiled.

Using the power of the Reflective Eye, she’ll be able to see what Noa is hiding.

“Got it. Then the conversation we had today will remain a secret between us.”

“Yes. For the time being, let’s do that.”

As they concluded their agreement.

Suddenly, the bushes ahead rustled.

A presence was felt. The vibrations shaking the ground and the threatening growl.

The monsters had appeared.

“Stay behind me, Laurea.”

At first glance, there were more than ten.

Ulan drew his axe and stood to shield Laurea.

In contrast, Laurea didn’t show any signs of fear.

Instead, her eyes sparkled as if she had discovered something interesting.

“Oh, so that’s what a monster looks like? It’s so oddly shaped.”

“Yeah. It’s dangerous, so stay behind me…”

“Oh, c’mon, it’s fine. You said only C-rank or lower monsters appear in this forest, right?”

After snickering, Laurea stood by Ulan’s side.

“And you should know this, right?”

“……?”

“I’m not the weak type who can just be protected all the time.”

Right after finishing her answer.

She suddenly reached into her skirt.

Clang! Swish!

Two swords were drawn from the scabbard strapped to her thigh.

However, they didn’t look like swords at all.

They were excessively thin for swords. It almost felt right to call them candlesticks instead. Yet, those were undeniable swords.

Sacred Item, Bestia.

The weapon of Saintess Laurea for self-defense.

It was made in the same style as the holy sword used by Ian. Extremely lightweight, razor-sharp, and resistant to damage from ordinary strikes.

With nostalgia washing over him, Ulan smiled.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen your skills.”

“Ahahaha, it has to be that way for you. But for me, today is my first experience.”

It was her first time encountering a monster, and her first time fighting one. Perhaps that was why a strange tension lingered in Laurea’s eyes.

Of course, there was no need to worry.

“It’s okay. I’m right here.”

“Yeah. If it gets dangerous, help me.”

“Of course.”

“Alright. I’ll leave the back to you.”

As their conversation concluded, the monsters charged in from all directions. This was the signal for the enraged axe and twin swords to cut through the air.

Chapter 26. Secrets

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