〈 Episode 18 〉 Farewell

*

After exiting the lake where the trial took place, we walked for quite some time before entering back into the barrier.

Maybe we had gotten used to it, but now we could breathe freely even outside the barrier. Still, the air inside the barrier was undeniably much more refreshing.

“So, what are you planning to do from now on?”

Gwen suddenly asked me while I was taking deep breaths.

Thinking about her question, I roughly organized my future plans in my mind.

‘I was originally going to head straight to the Hero Academy…’

But then I changed my mind.

Of course, graduating from the Hero Academy would make me a hero, but ultimately, there were limits to that.

One thing I realized through the trial was not to set limits for myself. If I truly wanted to become stronger, there were better ways to go about it than going to the Hero Academy right now.

‘Then for now…’

At that moment, my silence became a bit prolonged, and Gwen spoke first.

“If you don’t have a place to go, how about joining me?”

It was an unexpected proposal.

I asked her, “Join you? But weren’t you supposed to be looking for the Rose Sword? I’d just be a hindrance!”

“Finding the Rose Sword is true. But even if I find it, there’s still the issue of the successor.”

“Successor?”

The successor referred to the church’s heir system.

Due to the nature of heroes and relics being registered with the church, they had to be returned to the church upon retirement.

However, using the successor system could prevent that.

Both the hero’s position and the relic could be inherited.

Of course, it still required the church’s approval.

“I’d prefer to have my direct descendant as the successor, but… I can’t do that due to my circumstances. So I need a hero who can inherit the Rose Sword until my child grows up enough.”

It was true that even if she had a child, it would be impossible to survive until the child grew enough.

Someone needed to hold onto the Rose Sword during that interval.

Still…

“Why me?”

Honestly, it was a real question.

There were plenty of guys stronger than me who could easily join the Hero Academy.

So why me?

“Because you seem to have quite a bit of potential.”

“Really?”

“Considering you’ve reached that level of swordsmanship at your age from learning from some random adventurer.”

Is that how it looks to others?

Well, B-rank swordsmanship was indeed at a level that was nearly impossible to reach for my age.

It seemed Gwen was under the misconception about my swordsmanship talent.

‘But…’

Just because others were mistaking my talent doesn’t mean I should delude myself about my situation.

The skill [Swordsmanship (B)] I had obtained was through inheritance, so raising its rank was tough. Even if I learned swordsmanship from Gwen, it probably wouldn’t increase easily.

In fact, thinking about Allen Pleuk’s dismal talent, it was highly likely I would take longer to reach A-rank than a true genius who didn’t know swordsmanship at all.

Gwen’s proposal for a successor was undoubtedly tempting.

But I had to think coldly about it.

Becoming her successor wouldn’t be good for either me or her.

“I’m sorry.”

“I see.”

Gwen seemed to respect my refusal.

“Could you tell me the reason?”

“Sure, my swordsmanship is indeed high for my age. But let’s look at it objectively. If I were to become your successor, could I really become a High-ranking Hero?”

“That’s…”

There was no way.

Of course, becoming her successor would guarantee me being a hero, separate from the Hero Academy.

But being a High-ranking Hero was an entirely different story.

A High-ranking Hero, one of the Top 100 among all heroes.

It wasn’t just about becoming a hero; now, aiming for a High-ranking Hero and eventually a Saint-level Hero, I couldn’t be satisfied with being Gwen’s successor.

“Does that mean there’s someone out there who can help you reach High-ranking Hero status?”

Gwen looked incredulous.

“Yes, there is. To be precise, that person will only provide a bit of help, and after that, I’ll have to manage everything on my own.”

“If there really is such a person… that would be a sufficient reason to refuse my offer.”

I nodded silently.

Seeing me, Gwen thought for a moment before saying, “Then, as a consolation, how about teaching you swordsmanship as a trait? Your level is quite high, but there are definitely areas for improvement.”

This unexpected good suggestion came right after the successor proposal.

This time, I really had no reason to refuse.

“Really? But why are you going so far to help me?”

“You just don’t seem to trust easily. Are you excessively cautious? If I say it’s just simple goodwill, you wouldn’t believe that, so let’s call it a reward for answering my follow-up question.”

The follow-up question was asking when Gwen had to release her precocious state, which I had no obligation to answer, so I could accept that as compensation.

“Then I’ll gladly accept.”

*

In the forest near the rarely populated barrier.

The only sound resonating in the stillness was that of metal clashing.

And amidst that sound, the conversation between a man and a woman occasionally broke through.

“Turn your left foot about half to the right. That’ll give you some rotational power.”

Most of what she pointed out was about posture.

‘Turn your left foot half to the right…’

<Trait [Absolute Obedience] activated.>

My foot turned just right.

The subsequent movements flowed smoothly, just as I had learned from Gwen.

A sword that started from the lower left suddenly wielded power towards the upper right.

It was definitely more refined than the swordsmanship I had been using.

“Am I using it correctly?”

“Seriously…”

Gwen looked a bit tired of me.

It was a natural reaction since I was absorbing every technique she taught me like a sponge.

“How are you remembering all of the techniques perfectly after just one session?”

It was all due to [Absolute Obedience].

Even the clumsy Allen couldn’t reject a series of movements entered through [Absolute Obedience].

Still, he was struggling to adapt his body to the instructions, but…

‘This feels like programming code.’

I was not joking.

The coding knowledge I had learned before while trying to work from home was actually helping bit by bit.

“It’s definitely impressive, but…”

Gwen suddenly turned her sword while clashing with mine.

Her sword was once again aimed directly at my neck.

“It feels somehow off.”

I felt that too.

While I was using a sword technique similar to Gwen’s, there was still a sense of lag.

It wasn’t just a simple difference in agility stats.

“It feels like I’m a beat behind. It feels unnatural.”

Gwen put her sword away into her inventory.

“Then I’ll stop here for now. This is all I can teach you.”

After days of constant training.

In that short time, I had absorbed all the techniques belonging to Gwen’s swordsmanship.

Moreover, I had even grasped various application techniques. However, my [Swordsmanship] rank remained stuck at B+.

Of course, it was incredibly fast to raise a rank within half a day, but considering I had absorbed Gwen’s S-rank swordsmanship, it seemed rather slow.

“I have no idea what the problem is. One thing for sure is that my methods won’t get you to High-ranking Hero.”

I shared that thought.

Simply mastering Gwen’s swordsmanship had its limits.

Perhaps it was because Allen himself had low swordsmanship talent.

“Well, it’s time to say goodbye, isn’t it?”

Today was the last day we had set together.

With her time running out, she couldn’t afford to dedicate too much time to me.

She would need to move busy in the future.

“Hey, Gwen. Thanks for everything.”

I handed her the Relic Gravitas Replicant.

It was the sword that had saved me during the trial.

Honestly, I was a bit reluctant to return it, but at this point, with my dealings with Gwen over, I had no reason to keep it.

‘It’s okay. After all, there are many ways to acquire at least a 2-star level relic.’

Just graduating from the Hero Academy would grant me a 2-star relic.

No need to cling to it like it was a rare item or anything.

Thus, Gravitas Replicant passed from my hands to Gwen’s.

“Hmm…”

As Gwen took the Gravitas Replicant, she paused for a moment.

It seemed she was reactivating it since I had activated it once.

However, I couldn’t help but be taken aback.

Gwen, pulling out her main relic Ignis, swung it at Gravitas Replicant.

Creeeak.

The heated blade of the Relic Ignis began to cut through the guard of the Gravitas Replicant.

After a bit, a small piece of the guard broke off.

Although its appearance had changed slightly, it was still usable. But even so…

“What did you just do?”

I couldn’t comprehend Gwen’s recent action.

No matter the amount, why would one cut a perfectly good relic?

But instead of replying, Gwen murmured as she put the broken piece of the guard into her inventory.

“Relic Gravitas. Completely destroyed in the Chaos Realm. Only the guard piece has been recovered.”

What on earth did that mean?

She held the Gravitas Replicant out to me, looking puzzled.

“… I thought it was one piece, but it was actually lost, and a young Pathfinder who wandered the Chaos Realm found it.”

Suddenly, it dawned on me what she meant.

“Is this okay?”

“Why do you always seem to overthink things?”

She even handed me a belt that could be equipped to the Gravitas Replicant and said, “I’ll give you a justification for this. This is a farewell gift.”

“A farewell gift?”

“Yeah, take care, kid… No, Allen.”

With that last remark, she turned away.

“Gwen…”

I tried to call out to her, but closed my mouth.

The warm look she had just now vanished in an instant.

Her steps were resolute, as if hesitation didn’t exist.

Even her petite figure grew elongated against the setting sun.

‘Thank you. Gwen.’

In a way, I had used her.

There was no denying I had deceived her in some ways.

Still, she treated me with genuine sincerity.

How many more people like her would I encounter in this world I had to navigate through?

Without a doubt, none. That was the reason I had been waiting for Gwen for months in this place.

I bid her farewell in respect until she disappeared.

‘Now that Gwen is gone…’

Once Gwen’s figure had completely faded,

I tightly grasped the Gravitas Replicant she had given me.

‘It’s time for me to walk my own path.’

I turned my head to face the barrier.

The time spent with Gwen felt somewhat like a tutorial.

So now, from here on… it was the real game.

A farewell and.

For me, it was just the beginning.

*