Chapter 140

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 22, 2025

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“Right after Noah finished speaking.”

Ulan and Laurea fell silent.

The sudden revelation had left their minds in a chaotic mess.

“Um, so…?”

After what felt like an eternity, Laurea finally pieced everything together and spoke with a look of comprehension.

“So, you mean to say that there was a time overlap between you and Ulan?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And that’s the most recent instance?”

She nodded again, confirming that Laurea’s understanding was indeed correct.

This time, Ulan posed a question.

“Then who were you?”

Noah replied.

She had lived the lives of ninety-nine different characters, countless times. Which means one of those past lives must have involved a character called Noah.

“Could it be that you were one of the heroes?”

“Ah, no, that’s not it. I only played as a hero in the early stages.”

“Then who were you?”

“Hmm, well….”

Noah hesitated, her expression turning awkward.

She seemed reluctant to speak up.

But her hesitation didn’t last long. In a voice as quiet as a mosquito, she mumbled,

“…It was Sir Gorphant.”

“What?”

“Gorphant?! Are you talking about one of the Empire’s Five Swords?”

Laurea asked in disbelief.

Noah quietly nodded.

Seoric Al Gorphant.

A knight representing the western Empire and the master who once dueled Ulan. Laurea’s expression changed subtly as she recalled him.

“You have quite the peculiar taste.”

“Ah, no! My choice of Sir Gorphant has nothing to do with taste…”

“It’s okay. I understand.”

Laurea grinned.

“Having an interest in a middle-aged man is completely natural. Personally, I think this combination is perfect.”

“No, what I meant was…”

“But isn’t Sir Gorphant closer to being elderly than middle-aged? Of course, everyone has different tastes, so that’s respectable.”

“I’m telling you, that’s not it!”

Noah shouted back.

Seeing Laurea lost in her own delusion made Noah feel a wave of fatigue. Just then, Ulan chimed in.

“But that’s strange.”

“Huh? What’s strange?”

“In my past life, I never met the Marquis.”

Ulan’s knowledge of Marquis Gorphant came from months prior, during a duel with Count Deorg, Ivella’s father.

This meant he had been completely unaware of Gorphant’s existence in his past life. Meanwhile, Noah shrugged her shoulders and replied.

“Well, that makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“Makes sense?”

“Yes, I’ve never been to the battlefield.”

So it would make sense that they never met.

Right around the time the Gate of the Abyss opened, Ulan had practically been living in the battlefield. However, as the question was resolved, a new one began to sprout.

“Why was he never on the battlefield?”

“You’d think he would have been a reliable force if he was one of the Empire’s Five Swords…”

Laurea also wore a puzzled expression.

Masters were referred to as strategic weapons, making them quite beneficial in the Abyss War.

While they may not have been powerful enough to deal with a lord, they could certainly handle the minions of the Abyss.

But to have never stepped onto the battlefield?

Why not? Facing both of their questions, Noah responded in a calm voice.

“That’s because Marquis Gorphant was fated never to go to war.”

Five years before the Gate of the Abyss opened, under an imperial decree, Marquis Gorphant explored the Eastern Jungle and became afflicted with a mysterious illness, resulting in rapid aging.

Consequently, by the time the Gate of the Abyss opened, he was in no condition to wield a sword.

That was the Marquis’s character story.

“So instead of searching for a healing potion, he chose to build a force to counter the Abyss.”

The Marquis’s wealth placed him among the top tier of the ninety-nine named characters. Thanks to this, gathering talented individuals became rather easy.

And as a result,

A unit that didn’t exist in the original scenarios was born—Noah’s very own group. Once Noah finished her explanation, she smiled at Ulan.

“It’s a unit you know well, Ulan.”

“A unit I know?”

“Yes, they helped in defeating the Lord of the Abyss known as the howling Eyeball.”

“What unit was that?”

Ulan showed curiosity.

Instead of answering, Noah picked up a pen and drew a symbol in her notebook. It was a design featuring a longsword and shield, intertwined with a pair of fangs.

“A unit that used this flag.”

“The Fang Brigade?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Noah beamed.

The Fang Brigade refers to an elite squad made up entirely of experts and mages, consisting of roughly a hundred members.

Those specialized in battles against the Abyss.

In Noah’s past life, they were a group that earned fame just after the hero party.

“So the hidden commander of the brigade was…?”

“That would be me.”

A bit of pride flashed across her face.

With that answer, the last puzzle piece clicked into place. There was definitive proof that Noah and Ulan had existed in the same time frame.

“And it made me realize that my skills were better suited to mercenary work than directly selecting heroes.”

Prior to this, Noah’s highest achievement was defeating two Lords of the Abyss.

Conversely, during her run as Marquis Gorphant, she managed to defeat an astounding four Lords. That moment marked a new personal record.

Just after Noah finished speaking, both Ulan and Laurea looked on, visibly shocked.

“Wait, when you say highest record…”

“Does that mean there were some bad times?”

“Exactly. At the worst point, half of the hero party had died even before the Gate of the Abyss opened.”

“…!”

This was a rather shocking story.

Ulan and Laurea’s faces stiffened.

“How could that happen?”

“There are reasons for everything.”

With a heavy sigh, Noah explained.

“Because each of the ninety-nine characters has their own Death Branch Points.”

“Death Branch Points?”

“It means being in a situation where death is a possibility. A recent incident would be the Abyss Worshipper ambush.”

Noah recalled the Death Branch Point of the Star Witch, Delia.

She concluded her explanation of that time.

Then, she added a new detail.

“Notably, each hero candidate has two or more Death Branch Points. One of them occurs under the same circumstances for everyone.”

“And what would that be?”

“The Trial of the Hero.”

Except for Ulan, who was not included among the ninety-nine, all candidates face their Death Branch Point the moment they take on the trial.

Of course, the odds are quite low, roughly around 20%, but even with that, one cannot rest easy knowing it’s possible.

‘So if you’re truly unlucky…’

As mentioned before, it was not uncommon for more than half of the hero party to perish even before the Gate of the Abyss had fully opened.

As the explanations regarding Death Branch Points and the Trial of the Hero neared conclusion, Laurea suddenly interrupted with a question.

“When does the Trial of the Hero take place?”

“Well, that varies from hero to hero…”

“Then please tell me in order.”

This way, they could prepare in advance.

Laurea took on a solemn look. Simultaneously, the answer she sought was returned.

“First and foremost, the quickest one is Delia.”

Not Noah, but Ulan provided a timely response.

He recalled the order in which the Trials of the Hero happened based on memories from his past life.

“Next is you and Sven, followed by Ivella and Ian. Lastly, Fertisha has her trial.”

“That’s right. Just as Ulan said.”

Noah nodded in agreement.

“Of course, this is all under the presumption that the player hasn’t chosen a hero.”

If the player had repeatedly gone through the original scenario, they would be able to memorize the locations of each trial. Therefore, ignoring the order and just participating in the trial should be feasible.

However, that was not something to worry about at the moment.

Once all discussions wrapped up, an eerie silence enveloped the room. A torrent of conversations had poured out within a short time.

A little while later, Laurea began to bite her lips.

“For now, it’s best to keep today’s discussion a secret from the others.”

“…Huh?”

Noah’s eyes widened in surprise.

It made sense to be surprised. She expected that they would summon the other colleagues to share the organized information, but now this talk of secrecy caught her off guard.

Ulan also asked, seeming puzzled.

“Why?”

“First, it’s to avoid confusion, as I mentioned before. I was fine thanks to the Reflective Eye, but the others wouldn’t be, you see.”

Ulan, who remembered his past life, and Noah, the outsider from another world. The tales the two had shared were simply too unbelievable to accept. Yet the only reason Laurea had faith in their words was solely because of the Reflective Eye.

On the contrary, Ivella and Delia lacked such abilities, so even if they tried to speak, it was highly likely that they’d be skeptical.

“Secondly, it’s about giving time to mentally prepare.”

“Mentally prepare?”

“Didn’t Noah mention that she was afraid of how Ivella or Delia would react?”

Not everyone shared the same mindset as Ulan.

Some might feel uncomfortable with the fact that they were outsiders, so it seemed reasonable to have a bit of mental preparation.

This applied to Laurea as well.

“So, for Noah’s sake, I think it’s best if we allow her some time to prepare mentally. Besides, I need some time to prepare myself too.”

“You too?”

“Of course. I’m also hiding the secret of having the Reflective Eye, just like you guys.”

Laurea responded with a serious face.

Upon hearing that, memories from the past suddenly resurfaced. It was how she had been very reluctant to reveal her ability of the Reflective Eye.

‘Once I reveal the Reflective Eye…’

No one would have wanted to engage in conversation with her. Even those who had been friendly beforehand would feel alienated.

And it was understandable.

It was only if one’s insides matched their outsides could they even begin to talk openly in front of eyes eager to pierce through their soul.

Ulan quietly nodded in understanding.

However, they couldn’t keep this as a secret forever, so he asked for a clear timeline.

“So when do you think you’ll reveal it?”

“Hmm, personally I think it might be best to do it after all the heroes have joined. It would minimize chaos.”

“What? But that would mean…”

It would take way too long.

In his past life, all seven heroes had joined right before the Gate of the Abyss opened.

Conversely, Laurea reacted differently.

“Don’t worry. As soon as we return to the Holy Nation, I’ll gather information on the remaining heroes.”

With the clear threat of the Abyss now present, knowing the existence of heroes to challenge the Lords, there was no longer any reason to hesitate.

It became Laurea’s new goal to summon all heroes and relay the truth, preparing to stand against the Abyss as quickly as possible.

“Understood. Then I’ll leave that to you.”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

Laurea smiled back.

As the two finished their conversation, Noah suddenly raised her hand.

“Excuse me?”

With an awkward expression, she asked.

“If we’re hiding this secret for a while, what do I say to Delia?”

Noah had shared plenty of knowledge regarding the phenomenon of Abyssal Corruption and the re-opened Abyssal Rift, naturally arousing Delia’s suspicions.

As soon as Noah’s dilemma was addressed, Laurea responded nonchalantly.

“Just say your usual.”

“Usual?”

“Tell her you saw the future.”

That way, Delia wouldn’t argue against it.

Since the incident with the Abyss Worshiper ambush, Delia had come to trust Noah’s foresight entirely.

“That should be fine, but…”

Noah trailed off with a sigh.

Now that she had revealed the secret to Ulan and Laurea, it felt uncomfortable to concoct a lie.

At that moment, a loud rumble echoed from Ulan’s stomach.

“I’m a bit hungry.”

“Well, it is already noon.”

The conversation that started at breakfast had only just now wrapped up, with the sun high in the sky. Checking the time, Laurea stood up.

“Shall we go have a meal?”

There was no reason to refuse.

After all, they had said everything that needed to be said.

Perhaps it was due to the relaxation settling in, but Noah felt quite hungry as well. The three of them stood up and left the dormitory, heading for the dining hall.

As they walked along the path, a familiar voice suddenly called out.

“Senpai!”

Three figures were running from afar.

It was Ian, Ivella, and Delia.

In the blink of an eye, Ian closed the distance and shouted in disbelief.

“Where the heck have you been?!”

“What’s all the fuss about?”

“Well, of course! We were shocked when you suddenly disappeared without a word!”

Ian’s duty was to protect Laurea.

He remained by her side until she fell asleep and would come to escort her in the morning.

Yet today was different.

Laurea had completely vanished without a trace.

This led Ian to search for her in a panic, meeting Ivella and Delia along the way to assist in the search.

“Anyway, I’m glad we found you.”

“Where were you, exactly?”

Both girls looked on with curiosity.

Laurea nonchalantly replied,

“In Ulan’s room.”

“…What?”

And in that moment, the atmosphere around them froze.

Delia and Ivella’s faces hardened instantly. After a moment, they exchanged glances between Ulan and Laurea.

“You two were together?”

“No way, were you together since dawn…?”

Ivella asked, her expression one of shock.

Noticing the sudden change in the mood, Laurea’s face lit up with a mischievous smile. She wrapped her arm around Ulan and beamed.

“Well, it just happened to turn out that way.”

“….”

The two girls’ glances turned frostier.

The atmosphere was thick with tension. Unable to endure it, Noah urgently confessed the truth.

“It’s okay! Nothing happened!”

“If that’s the case…”

“Yes, I was there too. They just had a question for us, and we were answering!”

Noah’s clarification revealed that Ulan and Laurea had not been alone, causing the stony faces to relax almost instantly.

“Oh, was that it? Nothing major then.”

“If Noah was there, then I’m relieved.”

The two girls sighed in relief.

However, after the truth was unveiled, Laurea pouted her lips, seemingly disappointed.

But at that moment.

Another loud rumble echoed!

Upon hearing it, Ivella and Delia quickly realized where Ulan was headed.

“Oh, were you on your way to the dining hall?”

“Then I want to join too!”

Thus, they all headed in the direction of the dining hall.

Laurea gazed contemplatively at Ulan and Noah’s retreating figures. The part of the scripture she had not revealed earlier suddenly resurfaced in her mind.

“There is no need for despair. The gods do not vanish; instead, they return to where they originally were and become stars, watching over the world.”

“And one day, when the world is again enveloped in darkness, the brightest star shall descend to save the world.”

The brightest star.

In the Holy Nation, this being is considered the reincarnation of a Divine Being. And now that she had learned Noah’s secret, Laurea narrowed her eyes.

‘So that bright star refers to…’

Could it be Noah?

Or perhaps it meant Ulan?

While the exact answer eluded her, she felt a strong intuition that it must be one of them.

However, her musings didn’t last long.

She suddenly spotted Ivella and Delia shyly trying to grab Ulan’s hand.

‘I’ll think about this later.’

After all, no amount of pondering would yield an answer. So, shaking off her worries, Laurea stretched out her hand.

And as a result…

“……!”

“W-What are you doing?!”

“Can’t you see? I’m holding hands.”