Chapter 252

“I’m an outsider.”

Noa’s secret slipped out calmly.

However, this alone wasn’t enough to leave anyone in shock, and the group simply stared at her in silence.

At that moment, Ian shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, if you think about it, you are an outsider. You came from the prairie after all.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Noa shook her head calmly.

She then locked eyes with the group and revealed the secret she had kept hidden.

“I come from another world.”

A world completely different from this one.

A world without monsters, magic, and the threat of the Abyss. Noa recalled her memories of her life as Yoomina.

‘But there’s no need to say too much.’

It was only important that her existence as someone from another world was true and that this story would be deemed real.

After a brief explanation of the backstory, a heavy silence enveloped the room.

“Um, so….”

Ian trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words.

The reactions from the rest of the group were generally similar. It wasn’t until quite some time later that a voice finally broke the silence.

“Hah, this is even harder to believe than Ulan’s secret we heard earlier.”

Ivella muttered with a sigh.

Then Fertisha turned to look at Delia, the one who could discern the truth of the story.

“What do you think, Delia?”

“…Surprisingly, it’s true.”

As seen through her Heart’s Eye, everything Noa had just confessed calmly was indeed true.

This made things even more confusing.

Noa’s revealed secret was far more complex and unbelievable than Ulan’s secret heard earlier.

“…….”

The indoor atmosphere became starkly quiet.

A heavy silence crashed down like a wave, just like when they first heard Ulan’s secret.

How much time passed, who knows?

Just when they recognized a reasonably long time had gone by, Fertisha suddenly asked out of the blue.

“So, do you have a special reason for coming here from another world?”

“Ah, well that….”

Noa was about to answer right away but then paused.

After organizing her thoughts for a moment, she changed the topic instead.

“Before answering that question, I think I need to explain ‘Chronicles of Arsen Continent’ first.”

“Huh? What’s that?”

“It’s a game. In the place I used to live, this world was the setting for a game.”

A virtual reality game, Chronicles of Arsen Continent.

The objective was to grow stronger by playing various characters and prevent the Abyss.

Moreover, as she had explained to Laurea before, Noa likened the game to chess.

“And I was a player.”

“A player?”

“To put it simply, it means someone who chooses and moves one of the pieces on the chessboard.”

Living a new life in a body that wasn’t originally hers, carrying all memories, powers, and talents from others.

Through this, Noa had repeatedly lived dozens of lives while taking on the lives of many characters.

“In the process, I gathered various knowledge and experiences about this world.”

Her knowledge about the Lord of the Immortals, Astevan, as well as how to face him, all came from this experience.

Noa finished her story and closed her mouth. She had shared everything she had prepared, ready to take questions from her companions.

“Ugh, this is a bit complicated.”

“Ugh, I feel like my head’s going to explode.”

However, what Noa hadn’t anticipated was that they seemed quite confused due to the sudden influx of information. Of course, not everyone felt this way.

“So, what’s the goal of a player?”

“Yeah. Why do you have to live the lives of others dozens of times?”

Ian and Sven shot off questions in quick succession.

When the awaited questions came back, Noa answered without hesitation.

“To prevent the Abyss.”

Every game has its objectives to achieve.

And in the case of Chronicles of Arsen Continent, the ultimate goal was indeed to block the Abyss. So Noa repeated her play to achieve that.

Just as her response ended, Ivella, who had kept silent, suddenly seemed to notice something strange.

“Wait! Are you saying that during all those repetitions, there was never a time when you defeated the Abyss?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

That was an accurate deduction.

When Noa nodded, Ivella appeared shocked. In contrast, Delia and Sven narrowed their eyes.

“……Noa, you’re useless.”

“I can’t believe how worthless you are.”

“T-this is not something to just brush off!”

Noa waved her hands in panic at the fierce gazes fired at her from both sides. Then she cleared her throat briefly and continued speaking.

“Ahem! Now, let me answer the question about ‘why I came to this world.’

The existence of another world.

In other words, Noa being an outsider, the reason for her coming here was a rather important topic that now drew the group’s attention.

However, what came back was an unexpected answer.

“To be honest, I don’t really know.”

“Huh? You don’t know?”

“I was just trying to connect to the game from my original world like usual, and the next thing I knew, I found myself here.”

Noa elaborated on everything that happened from the time she realized she had entered the game up until meeting Ulan.

After a while, when her lengthy explanation came to an end, Ian let out a low groan.

“Hmm, so that means….”

“It implies that you might have been summoned to this place by some unknown entity.”

Sven’s assumption made Ivella’s eyes widen. She then turned to Delia, the one most knowledgeable about magic.

“Is that really possible? Is there such magic?”

“As far as I know, no.”

Delia replied decisively.

And it made sense.

Summoning someone from another world would require a proper spell and magical power, and even simple calculations yielded absurd conclusions.

“Anyway, that’s all of my secret.”

Noa closed her mouth.

Looking back, she felt as though she had spilled her thoughts a bit frantically, but revealing all her secrets left her feeling lighter.

‘From now on…’

It would be up to her companions to accept this secret. With a relieved smile, Noa nervously awaited their reactions.

How long had it been?

Delia was the first to break the silence.

“One thing I want to ask.”

There was something crucial to clarify.

To acknowledge Noa as a companion and to continue being with her, a verification was necessary.

So she asked directly.

“Are you on the side of the Abyss?”

“Absolutely not. I swear.”

No hesitation in her response.

It was the truth. Delia confirmed Noa’s sincerity through her Heart’s Eye, finally breaking into a smile.

“Okay, that’s good.”

Delia finally felt relieved.

Of course, that didn’t mean everyone was satisfied. Just as Delia tried to end the conversation, Ivella jumped in.

“Wait, we have to ask this too.”

“What is it?”

“Remember when Laurea fell into the Abyss? Noa opened the Abyssal Rift.”

The Abyssal Rift could only be opened by Abyss Worshippers. When Ivella mentioned this, Noa spoke casually.

“Well, I knew how to open it.”

“How?”

“As I said before, I experienced countless lives. Among them were seven heroes and nobles from foreign lands. And…”

Noa paused for a moment.

After a moment, she continued.

“There were also Abyss Worshippers.”

Estelle Autra.

She would later become the leading figure that opened the Gate of the Abyss, leading the Worshippers. As Noa explained this fact to her companions, Ulan suddenly narrowed his eyes.

“…Abyss Worshippers?”

His voice was cold.

Upon hearing it, Noa instinctively felt a threat and hurriedly reassured him.

“W-wait! I was only gathering information about the Worshippers! Knowing about the enemy could be helpful!”

After her explanation, Noa glanced around at her companions who were present at that time, looking for help. Ian and Delia stepped up.

“Certainly, we did get help.”

“Right. Thanks to you, we were able to rescue Laurea and Ulan who fell into the Abyss.”

Responses came in support of Noa.

Ulan squinted at her with a question.

“Did you only live as a Worshipper once?”

“I swear it was only once!”

“Then that’s a relief.”

“What do you mean?”

“You won’t need to use the axe.”

Ulan muttered nonchalantly.

In his hands, a gleaming axe had been drawn without him realizing. Noa fell silent, and Ulan continued.

“Just kidding.”

“…….”

That definitely didn’t sound like a joke.

Noa felt a trickle of cold sweat run down her back and swallowed hard. After the conversation wrapped up, Delia muttered.

“With this, all questions are resolved.”

Noa’s behavior, as if she could foresee the future, arose from utilizing the knowledge acquired through living the lives of others over dozens of times.

Furthermore, the ability to open the Abyssal Rift also came from her memory of having lived as an Abyss Worshipper. Additionally, they confirmed she was not on the side of the Abyss.

‘So now what remains is…’

It was simply about trying to accept the shocking secrets revealed by Ulan and Noa. Just as everyone was sorting through the current situation, Noa suddenly bowed her head.

“I’m sorry too.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because I kept secrets from you all.”

Responding to the confused look from Fertisha, Noa continued while bowing her head.

No matter the reason, keeping secrets meant she had deceived everyone. Therefore, Noa sincerely apologized to them all.

“It’s okay. I completely understand.”

“Even if you had mentioned it from the start, I’m sure no one would have believed you.”

“Honestly, I would have kept it a secret too.”

The group didn’t seem to mind her apology.

Had it not been for the Reflective Eye or Heart’s Eye, they probably wouldn’t have believed it at all. Following Delia’s comment, both Fertisha and Ivella nodded in agreement.

“……Thank you for saying that.”

Noa smiled faintly.

Their words brought a comforting feeling to her somewhat troubled heart. Just as the conversation regarding Noa’s secrets was wrapping up, Ulan opened his mouth.

“By the way, now that we’ve revealed all our secrets, there’s something else I want to say.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“It’s about the remaining Lords of the Abyss and a new enemy that exists beyond the Abyss.”

His crimson eyes sparkled sharply.

Meanwhile, the sudden words from him surprised the group.

“A- another enemy?”

“So there are more than just the Lords of the Abyss?”

“I thought so too.”

In Zone 5’s center.

Before entering the Abyss through the Source of Magic, Ulan explained the monster he had seen beyond the Abyss.

“Hmm, a monster with countless hands.”

“Is it mentioned in the scriptures or prophecies?”

“No, nothing that comes to mind right now. So once we return, I plan on investigating immediately.”

After Laurea finished her answer, both Fertisha and Ivella chimed in.

“Then our immediate task is…”

“To hunt down the Giant King and the Abyssal Lord known as the Wailing Eyeball, I guess.”

Two remaining Lords.

Among them, especially the Giant King must be eliminated without fail. He was the one responsible for dragging Ulan to repeated deaths over the course of time.

As the three girls’ gazes sparked fiercely, Noa suddenly raised her hand.

“Ah, can I add something?”

“Of course. What is it?”

“Aside from dealing with the Lords of the Abyss, I feel we need to head to the southern desert at some point.”

“Desert? All of a sudden?”

In contrast to the confused expressions of the group, Ulan silently nodded. If he said something like this, it meant there had to be a reason.

“Seems like there’s a special circumstance.”

“Yes, I also need to face the eighth Trial of the Hero given to me, and I’m curious about what Astevan said one last time.”

Just before being annihilated by the divine tier of the stars, Astevan had called out to Delia and Fertisha by their names, Artina and Einar.

Noa explained this to the group, and upon learning the details, they displayed similar reactions.

“It does sound suspicious now that you mention it.”

“Right. Could there be some connection between the Lords of the Abyss and the founding king of Arpen?”

“That’s why I’m going.”

Noa replied calmly.

More than anything, that wasn’t the only reason for needing to go to the desert.

‘The architectural style of the Palace of Immortals resembles that of the Desert Order, which also intrigued me.’

There was definitely a reason behind it.

Noa felt that it would likely lead to an important clue against the Abyss.

After the talk about the desert concluded, Delia nodded as if in agreement with Noa.

“We’ve got plans set for the winter break.”

To visit the desert, it would take at least two months. Therefore, utilizing the upcoming winter break would be prudent.

While everyone else was in agreement, all of a sudden, Ivella tilted her head.

“But to do that, doesn’t Ulan need to pass his finals first?”

“…Ah.”

When pointed out, it made sense.

Delia stared anxiously at Ulan. It was only natural. Ulan had barely scraped through the first semester, and he was a candidate for re-examination.

In contrast, Ulan appeared confident.

“No problem. I’ll definitely pass this time.”

“Um, I wouldn’t count on that.”

“I can’t trust you, even if you are Ulan.”

Both girls shook their heads in unison.

In response to their far less trusting reaction to Ulan’s revelation about his secret, the others watching the conversation couldn’t help but chuckle.

After some time that followed.

The group shared various stories. Now that they were aware of Ulan and Noa’s secrets, there was plenty more to discuss.

Even as night fell and the conversations continued, it wasn’t until the dark sky began to brighten that their discussions finally wrapped up.

When the morning of farewell arrived.

On the following morning.

It was early dawn, just as the sun began to rise, but the hotel in Murka was bustling with activity.

Men moved busily.

The ones clad in silver armor and shields were none other than the Knight Order of Eloden.

“Don’t dawdle; hurry!”

“We need to reach the next city by evening!”

The reason the Knight Order was suddenly preparing to depart was that Laurea had announced her intention to return to the Holy Nation today.

Meanwhile, among the knights, one individual stood out like a sore thumb. Sven Isaac, a hunter of the enigmatic race, wore a hood pulled low over his face.

“…….”

He appeared to blend in with the knights as if he intended to leave with them. Just then, Ulan suddenly spoke up.

“By the way, this is unexpected.”

“Huh? What is?”

“I thought you’d be returning to Shulfern.”

This was a reasonable assumption.

For Sven, Milena was like family. So naturally, it seemed he would return to Shulfern with Milena.

However, Sven had made an unexpected decision.

He chose to head for the Holy Nation with Laurea and the Knight Order. When faced with this question, Sven shrugged and replied.

“Well, I was officially hired.”

True to his words, Sven had accepted a request from Laurea to be hired as a mercenary.

Several reasons led to Sven’s decision.

“Besides, I had no more reason to stay in Shulfern.”

The Eastern Jungle neighboring Shulfern had turned into a veritable mess during the battle against the Lord of the Immortals, Astevan.

A consequence of Delia unleashing bombing magic trying to wipe out any potential mazes that could be hidden.

“Now Shulfern should be safe.”

With the jungle gone, the habitat of the Demon Beasts would disappear as well. Thus, Shulfern wouldn’t have to suffer from the attacks of the Demon Beasts anymore.

However, that naturally meant there was no longer any reason for Sven, a monster hunter, to stay. Hence why he wouldn’t be returning to Shulfern.

“Besides, Laurea paid me a hefty sum, so I have no reason to decline.”

Laurea wanted to keep Sven hired until the threat of the Abyss was completely eradicated.

She didn’t know how long it would take to achieve this, so she had handed him a substantial amount of gold coins as compensation.

This amount would significantly aid the bereaved families of fallen soldiers and the reconstruction of the ruined Shulfern.

‘And…’

There was another reason.

His personal goal. Sven clenched his fist as he gazed at the Knight Order.

‘I want to become stronger.’

This battle made Sven intensely aware of his weaknesses. It was a result of being inspired by Ulan, Ian, and Kadel.

So he planned to head to the Holy Nation to devote himself to training, and now he had the perfect match to train with, two of them even.

“Anyway, that’s the whole reason.”

With that, Sven clearly stated his reasons for heading to the Holy Nation. However, Ulan continued to look at him with concern.

“Are you really sure about this?”

“What now?”

“You know they discriminate against demi-humans in the Holy Nation.”

As Ulan pointed out, the Holy Nation did not recognize demi-humans as human. They simply regarded them as beings one rank lower than humans.

Certainly, such a reality meant there would be noise arising when he went to such a place. This was why Ulan showed a worried expression, but Sven shrugged it off.

“I don’t care. I’ve been used to being hated by humans for a long time.”

“No, that’s not going to happen.”

At that moment, someone interrupted their conversation.

It was Ian Marcus, one of the knights and warriors assigned to protect Saintess Laurea.

“He’s a mercenary hired directly by the Saintess. Plus, he’s the star warrior mentioned in the prophecies, so there shouldn’t be any concerns.”

“Glad to hear that!”

That put Ulan at ease.

The last worry had dissipated.

Just as their conversation reached its conclusion.

Suddenly, the knights called out to Ian.

“Lord Marcus!”

“Can you help us for a moment?”

“Oh, I already got permission from the Saintess, so don’t think about running away!”

Ian wore a puzzled expression.

The preparation for departure had already been wrapped up, and he figured there wasn’t anything he could assist with. As he pondered this, his attention was drawn to Laurea.

“Saintess?”

She was looking at Ulan and Ian in turn, then waved her hand vigorously.

A familiar gesture. It meant she wanted them to step aside for a moment. Witnessing this scene, Ian promptly grasped Laurea’s intentions.

“Ah, I see what you want now.”

She wanted to be alone with Ulan.

Conveniently, the other girls who often hovered around Ulan were caught up in their own preparations, making it the perfect chance to say goodbye.

Ian nodded firmly.

“Yes, I’ll gladly help.”

Understanding the situation, Ian readily nodded. Following that, he grabbed Sven, who was lost in thought, and together they made their way.

“Wait, why am I being dragged along?”

“From now on, you are the mercenary we’ve hired. So you have to make yourself useful!”

To create a situation where Laurea could have a moment alone with Ulan, Sven had to be brought along as well.

As the two warriors vanished from view, Laurea took that opportunity to approach the now-alone Ulan.

2.

“Ulan.”

A suddenly soft voice filled the air.

It was Laurea’s voice.

Clad in pure white robes symbolizing the saintess, she stepped forward, diminishing the distance between her and Ulan to just a couple of paces.

“I guess it’s time to part ways.”

“So it seems.”

“I have no regrets about having fun the other day, but still, I feel a bit sad actually leaving.”

With that statement, she released a sigh.

Her expression wasn’t particularly dark.

While the farewell felt unfortunate, she also knew they would meet again soon. Yet still, there was something she wanted to hear.

“Ahem!”

Following a brief cough.

Laurea subtly initiated conversation.

“…How do you feel about it?”

“Feel about what?”

“Aren’t you sad about parting ways with me?”

“Not particularly.”

The question was a bit ambiguous.

Laurea glared at him with fire in her eyes due to his unexpected response. Yet, it was too early to be sulking. Ulan’s words weren’t over yet.

“Just because we’re temporarily separated, our bond isn’t so fragile that it changes.”

They were comrades tied by destiny as heroes.

It was purely a matter of parting for the tasks each had to fulfill and knowing they would meet again soon, so there was no reason for sadness.

After Ulan’s response wrapped up, Laurea appeared to have a slightly ambiguous expression.

“Well, it’s not entirely wrong…”

Still, it wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear. Thus, Laurea’s face puffed up in discontent.

But that didn’t last long.

She suddenly burst into laughter.

“Still, I will forgive you this time. I received a delightful gift from you, after all.”

Laurea, finishing her sentence, swept her hair aside. Hanging from her ear were the earrings Ulan had gifted her the other day.

“So take care until we meet again.”

“Yeah, you take care too.”

After a simple farewell.

The two turned away from each other.

They had different places to return to. But not long after, Ulan suddenly halted in his tracks.

“Laurea?”

He felt a distinct presence.

As Laurea headed toward the Knight Order, she suddenly turned back toward him.

At that moment.

Laurea whispered quietly.

“…I can’t just leave it like this.”

Whatever she couldn’t bear to do, Ulan was about to question with an incredulous face when, suddenly, he felt a soft sensation on his back.

Before he realized, Laurea had closed the gap and wrapped her arms around Ulan from behind. This sudden act of hers didn’t stop there.

“Hold still.”

Rising onto her tiptoes, Laurea grasped Ulan’s arm and had him bend down.

At that moment, he felt her warm breaths on his neck, followed by a soft touch.

It was her lips.

“Hehe.”

Shortly after.

With a giggle following softly, Laurea took a step back.

Her cheeks flushed a rosy hue.

Having accomplished her aim of kissing Ulan on the neck, she wore a satisfied smile.

“Now this is more like it.”

She smiled bashfully.

At that very moment, Ulan was left dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events.

A sound came from nearby.

Clunk!

A backpack tumbled onto the floor. Then, standing next to it were familiar faces.

“W-what are you doing?!”

Ivella, Delia, and Fertisha.

The three girls were taken aback after witnessing Laurea kiss Ulan’s neck.

“What was that?! What are you doing?!”

Delia shouted with wide-open eyes, and Laurea, with a nonchalant expression, replied.

“Huh? Just leaving a kiss mark.”

“But why did you do that?!”

“That’s because…”

Laurea trailed off.

It wasn’t because she was at a loss for words or flustered.

She was merely deciding which of the already prepared answers to choose from.

After a moment, she made her selection.

She decided not to disguise her feelings.

With the intent to speak her heart openly, she smiled shyly and continued.

“I’ve come to like you too.”

All three girls turned pale.

Even though she didn’t mention anyone by name, they all understood who Laurea was referring to.

The three girls glared at Laurea with a fierce sense of wariness. Laurea did not shy away from their gaze, facing it with confidence.

As the tense atmosphere hung in the air.

Ian, who had briefly left the area earlier, approached Laurea.

“Saintess, it’s about time to…”

He was going to inform her that the knight order was prepared to depart. But at that moment, Ian noticed something was off and abruptly halted.

“…But why is the atmosphere like this?”

The suddenly cold atmosphere settled over them like a bucket of ice water. As he eyed the gathering anxiety, he received an answer.

“It’s nothing major. More importantly, are we ready to go?”

“Yes, we can leave at any time.”

“Great. Let’s move out.”

Laurea nodded.

Then Ian stepped away to relay the news of their departure while Laurea smiled at Ulan, waving her hand.

“See you later.”

After their brief farewell, she suddenly placed her finger on her own plump lips and gently tapped them.

Then, with a mysteriously mischievous smile, she whispered.

“Next time, I’ll do it somewhere else, not just on the neck.”

“……!?”

Her words felt like a declaration of war.

The three girls’ faces turned solid.

“Y-You can’t be serious!”

“That can’t happen!”

“You’re now forbidden from approaching him!”

As they flared up angrily.

Conversely, Laurea didn’t respond and turned away. Having said what she wanted, she was done with her business.

“Everyone, get on the carriage!”

“We are heading back to the Holy Nation!”

Following the knight order’s shouts, Laurea, Ian, and Sven, along with their group, set off south from Murka.

As Ulan stood there, quietly watching their receding figures, a familiar voice struck his ear.

“Phew, I’m back.”

It was Noa, who had temporarily stepped away.

She approached Ulan and immediately sensed the unusual atmosphere and asked a similar question as Ian did earlier.

“…What’s up with the vibe?”

“I honestly have no clue.”

How could he know?

Just from the expressions of the three girls, it was exceedingly obvious it had to do with Ulan. Looking around watchfully, Noa widened her eyes.

She had found the clue to understand what the strange atmosphere was all about.

“Oh.”

Ulan’s neck bore the mark of a kiss.

Now that she’d figured out the reason behind the vibe, Noa quietly pressed her lips together.

Just then, Ulan asked.

“By the way, what about the carriage headed to Flute?”

Noa had been searching for the carriage to Flute while she was away.

Once they moved to Flute, the original destination of their school trip, they would think about how to return to Arsen Academy from there.

To Ulan’s question, Noa nodded happily, as if to say not to worry.

“I just found it. We agreed to meet at the north gate, so we can head out right away.”

“Great, then let’s go.”

Ulan turned his body right away.

With Laurea and the Knight Order having left, there was no more reason to linger in this place.

Thus, the group set off toward the carriage Noa mentioned, embarking on their journey toward Arsen Academy.

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