Chapter 249

Chapter 56. The Revealed Truth (5)

10.

A sparsely populated plaza.

In a time when only faint lights revealed their presence, a shadow flickered in a corner of the square.

Two figures huddled close together.

It was Ulan and Laurea.

“So, how’s it? Comfortable?”

Laurea giggled as she looked at Ulan, who was resting his head on her lap.

But the smile didn’t last long.

Ulan suddenly sat up, causing Laurea to furrow her brows and ask back.

“What? Why are you getting back up?”

“My back feels awkward.”

So he chose to sit beside her.

Of course, it was still cramped either way.

Meanwhile, Laurea, who had been frowning, quickly wore a smile again.

“Well, this isn’t half bad.”

Sitting close meant she could naturally lean her head on his shoulder. Without further ado, she rested her head against Ulan’s shoulder.

A while later, Laurea spoke up.

“Hey, Ulan.”

“Hmm?”

“If, you know, we defeat the remaining Lords and all the fighting ends, what would you want to do the most?”

An unexpected question.

But Ulan couldn’t answer immediately.

Perhaps because he was so focused on the mission to eliminate the Lord of the Abyss, he hadn’t thought of what would come after.

After a moment of contemplation, Ulan voiced the first thing that came to mind.

“I’d want to graduate from the Academy.”

“Huh? Why? Once the Lord of the Abyss is gone, you won’t need to go to Academy anymore, right?”

Laurea questioned with a hint of confusion.

Ulan had enrolled in Arsen Academy to gain insights into the Realm Beyond Mastery to confront the Lord of the Abyss.

Therefore, the reason for attending the Academy would vanish once all the Lords were defeated. It made sense that she looked puzzled.

“Not necessarily.”

Ulan shook his head in reply.

As she pointed out, his original goal in entering Arsen Academy was to seek clues about the Realm Beyond Mastery.

However, living in the Academy, he learned a variety of knowledge and studies, discovering the fun of learning something new.

“So, I plan to continue my studies at the Academy without quitting. I aim to graduate, if possible.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Was it such an unexpected answer?

Laurea nodded with an expression of surprise. Then, this time, she got a question from Ulan.

“So what about you? What do you want to do?”

“Me? I want to….”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Laurea trailed off in her response.

But her pondering didn’t last long.

Unlike Ulan, she already had a clear idea of what she wanted.

“I’m quitting being a Saintess.”

“…What?”

“Huh? Why are you so surprised?”

Of course, it was shocking.

No one could have predicted that answer.

Especially not the Laurea from her past, who would never have said such a thing. She had once held pride in being a Saintess.

“Why do you want to quit being a Saintess?”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly aiming for it, and above all, the voice of the star really gets on my nerves.”

Thinking back, it made sense.

The voice of the star that spoke out of the blue was the fundamental reason Laurea started drinking every night.

And there was another reason.

“Also, if I quit being a Saintess, I’ll be free. Then I can live a normal life, like dating and having kids.”

Laurea wore a shy smile.

As she fidgeted with her fingers, she glanced at Ulan, her eyes strangely flushed.

Meanwhile, Ulan appeared lost in thought, seemingly oblivious to her gaze.

“A normal life…”

This answer struck Ulan as new.

From his memory, Laurea showed little interest in relationships. But thinking it over, that life didn’t sound so bad after all.

Ulan knew better than anyone how hard and painful a path Laurea had walked in her past life.

He silently nodded.

“That could be nice.”

“Hehe, right?”

Laurea beamed with a bright smile, pleased that Ulan didn’t deny her decision. Ulan then mumbled.

“If that day really comes, I’ll have to call you ‘Irea’ from then on.”

Laurea’s real name, Irea.

The moment Ulan mentioned it, Laurea suddenly shook her head vigorously. Then she offered a somewhat unexpected reply.

“No, you can call me that right now.”

“What? But you…”

Ulan’s eyes widened a bit.

And no wonder, as Laurea had despised being called by her real name.

This was because it brought back memories of her impoverished and miserable childhood before she became a Saintess Candidate. Then again, Laurea shook her head.

“You’re an exception, Ulan.”

When she was young, she made a promise.

If she ever found someone she could fully open up to and rely on, she wanted that person to call her by her real name instead of Laurea.

“Of course, that’s only when we’re alone.”

Since Laurea was a Saintess, her real name, Irea, couldn’t be used carelessly. Mentioning her worldly name would be a violation of doctrine.

However, it was okay now.

Nobody was around.

“So go ahead and call me.”

Was it the effect of the alcohol?

Laurea leaned her flushed face closer to Ulan. After a moment, Ulan slowly nodded and said,

“Understood. Irea.”

“…Say it again.”

“Irea.”

“One more time.”

She insisted multiple times for him to call her by her real name, and after a while, she finally smiled brightly in satisfaction.

Just as their conversation wrapped up, suddenly, the lights illuminating the plaza went out all at once.

“Hmm? What’s with the sudden darkness?”

“Probably because it’s past midnight.”

Laurea pointed at the clock tower in the plaza.

Just as she said, it just passed midnight. A moment later, she deeply sighed with a stiffened expression.

“Haa, it’s finally here.”

The moment when she had to reveal the truth to everyone.

In just a few hours, she would have to disclose Ulan and Noa’s secret. She had promised to do so.

“Still, I’m a bit scared.”

“Scared? Of what?”

“Of revealing secrets to everyone.”

After finishing her answer, Laurea hugged her shivering shoulders. Then, with a darkened expression, she murmured.

“I’m scared. As you know, Ulan, I’ve had similar experiences in the past.”

Laurea’s special power, the Reflective Eye.

After this ability was revealed, those around her gradually started to distance themselves.

‘Of course, there were exceptions.’

Kadel and Ian didn’t change their attitude even after knowing about the Reflective Eye. It was the same for Ulan and Noa, whom she met at Arsen Academy.

‘But this time…’

The situation was different.

The secret of Ulan and Noa was much more shocking and hard to believe than the Reflective Eye. So, there was ample room for their attitudes to change.

That’s when Ulan spoke.

“I’m not particularly worried.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah. It was something we inevitably had to tell everyone eventually.”

Ulan answered in a calm tone.

Laurea looked at him with surprised eyes.

After all, there was no tension or fear in his voice whatsoever.

“Besides, there’s no need to worry about something that hasn’t even happened yet. If a problem arises, we’ll think about it then.”

Worrying about it now would only pile on more burdens.

Nothing would get solved.

After hearing this, Laurea stood there for a moment before bursting into soft laughter.

“Ahaha, that’s kind of amazing.”

“Amazing, how?”

“Just a moment ago, I was anxious, but after hearing your words, I somehow feel strangely at ease.”

It was a useless reply, but at the same time, it was a straightforward solution. Laurea’s worries were about something that hadn’t happened yet.

‘Yeah, there’s no need to be afraid already.’

Nothing would change anyway.

So, it was better to follow Ulan’s words. As the worries and anxiety that colored her heart began to fade, Laurea smiled brightly.

“Ah, if you ever get abandoned by the others, come to me. I’ll always be on your side, no matter what.”

“Hmm? Abandoned?”

“Hehe, you know, that kind of thing.”

Seeing Ulan’s puzzled expression, Laurea laughed again.

Along with a refreshingly pleasant feeling.

Meanwhile, after wrapping up the conversation, Ulan looked back at the clock tower. After confirming it was well past midnight, he muttered.

“It’s better to head back now.”

They had rested enough, and the discussion had been sufficient.

Laurea’s anxiety seemed to have eased somewhat, and above all, to reveal the truth to everyone in the morning, they had to start heading back.

On the other hand, Laurea had a different thought.

“…No.”

She suddenly hugged Ulan, who was about to head toward the hotel from behind. Then she whispered in a tiny voice.

“I’m not ready yet.”

She wanted to stay together just a little longer.

Preferably until dawn.

In fact, this was an act that violated doctrine.

However, Laurea didn’t mind.

After gathering the heroes and battling Astevan according to prophecy, she thought that such a little deviation would surely be forgiven by the Divine Being.

‘So just a bit longer…’

She figured she could indulge a little.

Just a little more sweet time to enjoy. Laurea thought that way.

But the sweet time she anticipated didn’t last as long as she expected. It came abruptly with a sudden presence of many people.

“Finally found you.”

A girl with her eyes icy and wide open.

It was Ivella.

She wasn’t the only one. Delia and Fertisha also surrounded them, while Sven could be seen a bit further away.

“…Oh.”

Realizing Sven was there, Laurea understood how the three girls had tracked her down.

Just then.

A furious shout echoed.

“Grab her now!”

With Delia’s angry voice as the signal.

Ivella and Fertisha, who had surrounded them, charged in. The two girls wasted no time separating Ulan from the clutches of Laurea.

The sweet day spent monopolizing Ulan.

It was the moment when their brief escapade came to an end.