〈 Chapter 131 〉 Graduation

*

The weather had gradually turned a bit chilly.

Autumn was surely nearing its end.

Of course, this was within the trial realm, but even here, it seemed like there was some degree of shared seasonal awareness.

‘Is it the God of Connection’s consideration?’

Honestly, the trials had no reason to take into account the disconnection we felt.

After all, the trials of the God of Regret had once suddenly dropped us into a desert.

Yet, the God of Connection still did their best to eliminate any sense of discomfort in this space.

‘That’s probably because of me and Elsie being here.’

My face, exposed outside the blanket, felt the cool air.

But inside the blanket, it was warm in contrast.

In the inn manifested within the trial, we were lying under that blanket.

Softly snoring.

Elsie had her face buried against my neck as she slept.

Each time she breathed, her warm breath brushed against my neck, and her fine, blonde hair occasionally tickled my chin.

Though my right arm was pinned under her, no matter how much my strength stat compared to hers, I didn’t feel weighed down at all.

‘The issue wasn’t the strength stat.’

I had put in quite the effort today.

After all, it wasn’t my first experience anymore, and I had become quite skilled.

Plus, every time I reached my limit, Elsie’s provocations didn’t allow me to stay dead for long.

‘Did you know? I’m still a virgin this time too. Want to check?’

I knew without checking.

After all, the last time was also within a trial.

But hearing it directly from her lips was another kind of stimulation.

‘I’m supposed to be a princess of the Leim Kingdom… Could you perhaps show a bit more appreciation and savor the moment?’

That wasn’t something I could control.

From the start, it was Elsie’s fault for having such a seductive body despite being a princess.

Besides, she was clearly throwing out provocative words intentionally.

Eventually, when she even suggested I call her Ershiarah and change the location to an inn we stayed at two years ago, I almost lost it.

No matter how hard I tried not to, I kept picturing her from two years ago.

And the timing of these provocations was so artistic that every time I almost died, I would flare up anew like a fire…

…But still, it was impossible.

Elsie wasn’t a novice either, and it seemed that her talent in this realm even surpassed mine, because if I relaxed for even a moment, the pleasure would almost drown me.

Once again, I had to replenish my stamina at least eight times.

‘What will happen outside?’

If there was anything to take advantage of, it was that, although my stamina was considerably lower than Elsie’s, I recovered strangely quickly.

It might be better to take her overflowing lust in smaller doses rather than all at once.

The journey wasn’t just with Elsie; Yusera was accompanying us too, so time and place would be issues.

‘But still…’

It wasn’t something I disliked.

No, that would be a given.

How many men would say they hated holding a woman?

But Elsie was no longer just a woman to me.

She was a comrade I could trust and rely on.

And…

‘Are we lovers… or not yet?’

Thinking about it, neither of us had confessed yet.

Of course, I liked her, and she liked me too.

But we had never voiced it.

‘But we did everything else already?’

In fact, it felt like we had progressed a bit too quickly.

We jumped straight into the bed before even holding hands.

Or was holding hands while using Night’s Shadow considered holding hands?

‘But that’s not what’s important right now.’

What mattered was being enveloped by Elsie’s soft skin.

And even more important was the warmth of her body.

I was getting quite a bit of comfort from that.

‘Elsie…’

I was someone who didn’t have deep connections with anyone.

Whenever I felt bonds forming, I always had to move on to the next place.

Even Libero, someone I truly wanted to share my time with as a ‘teacher,’ ended up being someone I had to kill with my own hands.

To someone like me, Elsie was a special existence.

To reach me, she had made efforts I couldn’t even imagine, to break through my one-sided thoughts about connections.

And through her, I had started to grasp what ‘connection’ really meant.

The bond between Elsie and me could be seen as the simplest kind of connection.

We were of equal importance to each other.

Holding her like this made me inevitably happy, and unavoidably relieved.

‘At the same time, she serves as my driving force to move forward.’

Ultimately, the reason I wanted to save this world was because of this happiness.

Elsie, and all my other connections as well.

Because I had these connections, I felt a full range of emotions even in tough battles, and I was able to move forward.

‘I have to acknowledge this: connections are as important as regrets or reality.’

That was the biggest reward I had gained through the Hero Academy.

“Thank you for saying that.”

At that moment, I heard the voice of the God of Observation, or rather, the God of Connection.

It was still a surprisingly polite and calm male voice that didn’t quite match the name.

If he had a physical form, I imagined he would look like a scholarly figure with glasses.

“I’ve told you countless times, I’m not the God of Observation. Observation is merely a tool to develop my concepts.”

‘Well, fair enough.’

What I wanted to express was gratitude.

Once I graduate from school, I wouldn’t be able to benefit from the trials in this place anymore.

I wanted to express my gratitude at least one last time since I had depended on him a lot.

“Oh, you don’t need to thank me. Everything I’ve done was ultimately due to our contract. If anything, I should thank you for helping in the development of my concept.”

Then it seemed there was no need to express gratitude.

It appeared he could read my mind about wanting to express thanks.

Then I could change the subject.

“Speaking of which, I tried using the reward from the last trial you gave me. Of course, I felt the cost, but it wasn’t as significant as described in the skill’s explanation.”

“The costs related to lifespan vary greatly from person to person, so you might have felt that way. Besides, you… no, I can’t discuss that.”

‘What can’t you discuss?’

“To talk about it would require going into quite deep waters you’re unaware of. But just know there’s nothing inaccurate in the skill’s explanation; that’s something we can’t touch.”

That felt a bit unsettling.

However, it didn’t seem like he’d intentionally hide something from me since he clearly had an affection towards me.

Therefore, that information was probably something significant that I still didn’t know.

‘Is it knowledge from 500 years ago?’

In terms of the timeframe of the Hundred Braves game, I knew almost everything.

If there was information I didn’t know, it was more likely to be related to the era 500 years ago, during the time of chaos, or even earlier.

“However, you shouldn’t worry too much. If the flow continues as it is, you will eventually come to know that information. If you get close enough, another god may even let you know.”

Another god.

In context, that must mean a god different from Regret, Reality, and Chains.

‘Actually, the identity of these gods is also a mystery.’

Basically, the only information I had about them was that they existed only within the trials, and at least within them, they were omnipotent with respect to their concepts.

After all, they weren’t beings that appeared directly in the Hundred Braves, and based on the timeline, it was said they only existed before the chaos, which I had no way of knowing.

I still had too much to learn.

“Knowing but being unable to tell you is quite a sad feeling.”

That wasn’t the God of Connection’s fault.

It seemed he too was bound by some constraints.

“However, thanks to you, I’ve recovered my concepts significantly, and I can now share a piece of information that you might be able to guess.”

‘Guessable information?’

“Yes, it’s incomplete information but could be made complete if you have the knowledge you’ve acquired.”

Gods couldn’t disclose information, unless it pertained to the concepts they governed.

Yet, even if they gave me some information within what I knew, it wouldn’t necessarily be unhelpful.

“Most of it would likely be important information that I overlooked, forgot, or ignored.”

So, it would be wise to listen closely to this information.

“What is it?”

“The gods worshiped by the Church are somewhat different from us.”

‘Different gods?’

That was unexpected information.

Though unexpected, it wasn’t completely contrary to what I had been thinking.

After all…

“I hadn’t really thought much about the gods worshiped by the Church until now.”

In the first place, I had only thought of them as a singular group.

That was largely influenced by Sung Yoo-rang’s almost atheistic stance.

So naturally, I had been viewing the Church not as a group worshiping gods but simply as one managing heroes.

And in truth, what the God of Connection just mentioned was something I had overlooked but had already been aware of.

“After all, the gods worshiped by the Church are a singular entity.”

That was also a fact presented in the game’s lore.

The god worshiped by the Church was often referred to as the singular god of creation.

In contrast, the gods I had met in the trials had different names.

“I already knew they were different, but… what’s the reason for emphasizing this?”

“I can’t tell you that. However, one more piece of advice I’d like to give is that there is no such thing as absolute good or evil in this world.”

‘No absolute good or evil?’

“Neither you, nor the heroes, nor the demon kings, nor the Church, nor even us gods can be judged solely by good and evil. From the standpoint of the God of Connection, I’d say judging by connections is the most appropriate… but not all have connections to everyone.”

What on earth was he trying to say?

No existence could be judged simply by good and evil.

That was something I was already aware of and an undeniable fact.

But why was he emphasizing such a thing?

To me, the god said.

“But there’s no need for you to feel confused. At least, I see you as a good person and support you. I hope you make the judgments you believe are right.”

‘The judgments I believe are right?’

“Yes, your path ahead will surely be rough and treacherous. But that doesn’t mean it will end in failure. Even the God of Chains has wagered everything in this world on you, so you’re surely making good progress.”

I was progressing well now.

That was something the God of Chains had also mentioned.

However, the God of Connection was about to add another point.

“So there’s no need to be swayed by the good and evil set forth by the world. That doesn’t mean that the Church is evil and demon kings are good. The demon kings are indeed trying to destroy the world. I just wish for you to judge for yourself and have conviction.”

To judge for myself and have conviction.

Certainly, that was something to reflect on more in the future.

Perhaps from this, I might reach new realizations.

And if I were to apply that right now…

“Surely there might not be good or evil, but you, the God of Connection, seem like a good god.”

At least better than the God of Regret with his foul taste for triggering human traumas, and the God of Chains who looked down on people from atop a great tree.

But now, it was time to bid farewell to him.

“For the past year, I’ve depended on you and your trials quite a bit.”

“Back at ya. Well then, our contract is now coming to an end.”

He was right.

Since I graduated, the contract we’d made when we first met had reached its expiration.

The content of that contract was to cooperate in hiding the fact that I was practicing swordsmanship while acting as Sung Yoo-rang.

The term lasted until I graduated from the Hero Academy.

The price for it was to tell him my reasons for wanting to conceal my swordsmanship.

“Speaking of which, I had mentioned to him that it was partly because I wanted to learn archery, which was about my limits.”

Of course, that had indeed been one of the reasons I’d enrolled in the Hero Academy.

But looking back, I realized I hadn’t been completely honest back then.

I had been hiding from even myself how lonely I was.

“But…”

The God of Connection had said he couldn’t read my thoughts.

Because it didn’t pertain to the concepts he governed.

But considering recent events, I realized there was a contradiction.

“He read my thoughts about being thankful to him.”

That was almost a given.

That was certainly a thought related to ‘connection.’

If that was the case, he must have known how lonely I had been since then.

“Is that correct?”

…That’s correct. But the fact that you entered the Hero Academy to learn archery is also somewhat true, so the price was adequate. Now, I’ll return what I received as a fee back then.

The fee from a contract that was separate from the price.

That was to entrust the Relic Gravitas Replicant to him until graduation.

Now it was time to receive it back.

But then…

“However, a fee is just that; I wish to extend the contract.”

‘Extend?’

“Yes, it’s nothing particular, but gods ultimately cannot move by their own volition without contracts. It seems that without extending the contract, I won’t be able to protect the records recorded in the trials concerning you. So I wish to extend the contract.”

That would be no bad deal for me.

If he was right, it felt a bit worrying to end the contract as is.

“Alright then, I’ll extend it.”

“Thank you. It’s been placed in your black inventory, so you can check it.”

As soon as I heard those words, I plunged my hand into the inventory.

It seemed like I had unknowingly put it in there, as I grasped the familiar feeling of a sword hilt.

It felt cold and heavy.

“It’s been a while.”

Though almost all memories of it had faded, it was still a sword I had used for hundreds of years.

Of course, it was even more precious than the bow I received from Ludmilla.

Now, I wouldn’t be pulling it out unless absolutely necessary.

“Still, I missed you.”

Just as I was reveling in my reunion with the sword…

“Allen?”

It seemed my arm moving to reach into the inventory had woken Elsie.

“What’s with that blissful expression…”

Her expression, which had been beaming while looking at me, instantly turned cold.

She must have sensed something as she quickly snatched my hand from the inventory.

Suddenly, the Relic Gravitas Replicant came along with it.

“This sword… is this the Relic Gravitas Replicant you mentioned using before?”

“Uh, yeah.”

For some reason, a chill ran down my spine.

Elsie alternated her gaze between my face and the sword before speaking.

“You’re not thinking of having to bicker with the sword over affection, are you? I certainly didn’t see that coming.”

“Wait, what do you mean by that?”

“It’s nothing. I guess I just have to double my efforts now.”

At that moment, Elsie’s hand shifted under the blanket.

“Wait, Elsie…!”

“Be quiet.”

She bit my lips.

*