Chapter 175: Twins (2)
*
Zzzz.
The connection to Violet’s crystal orb started to crackle with noise.
She directed the orb back to the screen she had been looking at moments ago.
However, no one was there anymore.
‘Freira…’
Outside of Hailen’s barrier, where there was now no one.
That meant Freira had already entered Hailen.
In the end, she hadn’t seen her last appearance.
‘Maybe we’ll meet again later.’
No matter how much of a professor at the Hero Academy she was, she wouldn’t stay in Hailen forever.
Surely there would be a time when she could see her again, even if only through the crystal orb.
‘That aside…’
She was quite worried about her recent communication with Luel.
‘Luel…’
From the tone during their conversation, it was clear that Luel was one of her few long-time friends.
No, to be precise, the Water Sage was her long-time friend.
The reason she put it that way was that the Water Sage had not always been a single individual throughout history.
The Water Sage had continued through the ages by selecting those with the right aptitude from the Central Sea System, passing on all knowledge, including personal memories.
And the current Water Sage was Luel.
‘They were quite unfortunate sisters.’
The previous Water Sage had chosen the twin sisters as the next candidates.
Being nominated as the next Water Sage was an incredible honor, but the problem was that neither wanted to become the Water Sage.
The Water Sage was a remarkable figure with all the knowledge of the world.
However, the two preferred to go on adventures rather than hold all the knowledge of the world.
They liked paving new paths on their own two feet.
Yet fate dictated that one of them had to become the Water Sage.
Thus, the younger sister, who had a higher aptitude as the Water Sage and a relatively lower aptitude for Blood Magic, gave way for her older sister.
It was a perfectly reasonable conclusion.
‘The younger sister, confined to the library, ultimately ended up unhappy.’
While her older sister roamed the world as a hero, the younger sister felt lonely.
Sometimes, when her sister returned to share what she had learned, most of it was already in her head.
Yet she laughed as if she were hearing it for the first time.
Even if she already knew, listening to her sister’s adventures was quite enjoyable.
But once her sister left for her hero duties, the younger sister was left alone in the library again.
The only existence she could call her friend was Violet.
Among the knowledge possessed by the previous Water Sage was also a way to connect to Violet’s communication network.
Thus, the two girls isolated in their rooms quickly became friends.
“Hey, today I watched geese flying over the sea.” “I observed a boy living in a rural inn run by Basilium.”
The two shared so many stories.
With the previous Water Sage, they only had formal conversations to supplement each other’s information, but not with Luel.
From trivial matters to their concerns, they shared everything.
But at the same time…
She had to watch the rift between the twin sisters deepen.
“Sister, what are you doing? You should hurry and go on some adventures.” “But Luel, aren’t you lonely?” “Not at all! More importantly, you promised to take on as many adventures as I would. To do that, you can’t just linger here; you have to explore.”
Initially, it was just consideration.
The older sister wished for the younger sister to feel less lonely, and the younger sister wanted her sister to have more adventures.
But after years of this consideration, it ultimately became a source of stress.
“When I’m at home, I get asked every hour when I’m planning to leave. Do you think I’m going to remain sane?” “Then just decide when to go! Once a year, say when you’ll come and when you’ll leave.” “That’s not what I meant… I get it. Maybe it’s better to set a schedule.”
Thus, the days the older sister spent in the library dwindled to only a few each year.
At the same time, the two began to drift apart in their paths.
A hero. And a collaborator of a Demon King.
‘Perhaps they’ve become irreversibly estranged.’
The younger sister, Luel, had already steeled her resolve to cooperate with the Demon King.
In the worst-case scenario…
Lucy might find herself in a situation where she had to kill Luel.
‘But…’
That was just a story from a little while ago.
For some reason, she sensed that Luel’s atmosphere had subtly shifted during their recent call.
‘It’s probably because of Allen.’
Why on earth did she save Allen?
Sure, saving made sense, but why was she still keeping him alive? That made no sense.
‘Is it betrayal?’
Of course, it wasn’t complete betrayal yet.
However, she could feel Luel starting to hesitate.
‘What on earth does Allen have that is shaking you, who was so resolute?’
The Water Sage’s plan was a grand scheme that had been carried out over hundreds of years, transcending generations.
Yet somehow, that plan was being shaken by the change of heart of a girl.
‘Should I inform them?’
If she told Levia, Levia would immediately head to Library Island with the Demon Kings.
If that happened, barring any huge variables, everyone there would be eliminated by the Demon Kings.
But the problem was…
‘There is indeed a major variable.’
The second-ranked hero, who had gone missing.
He was suspected to be hiding in Library Island.
If he truly was there, and he joined forces with other powers like Allen Pleuk, victory could not be assured.
‘It’s best not to inform.’
Of course, even if she did inform, Levia would judge for herself.
But she decided against informing.
‘Freira…’
It wasn’t just because she randomly came to mind.
No, it really wasn’t.
This was merely her own free action following the Demon Kings’ rule that one could not compel actions as long as they didn’t harm each other.
‘I’m just curious.’
Her crystal orb moved back to the fog-covered library.
Though she couldn’t see inside, simply knowing that Allen Pleuk was in there gave her an unfamiliar feeling.
“Allen Pleuk.”
She murmured his name without any particular meaning.
*
Caw!
From afar, the sound of geese echoed.
And on the nearby beach, the sound of waves crashing tickled her ears.
‘It’s peaceful.’
Considering the situation outside, this fog-enshrouded Library Island was oddly peaceful.
‘If possible, I’d like to stay here a while longer.’
Of course, she had the goal of revitalizing the Crow Association, so that was impossible.
And being alone in this place was another story entirely.
‘How did Luel manage to spend time alone here?’
Incredible.
Just as she was lost in thought, a cheerful voice rang out from behind.
“Hey, sis!”
It was Lucy.
“Lucy?”
“What are you doing here, staring blankly?”
“I was just looking at the sea.”
“What’s that, like an old person?”
“Old…”
Now that she thought about it, it made her a bit angry.
“How old are you?”
“Sis?”
“How old are you to be calling me sis?”
As a high-ranking hero, she was certainly older than her.
And yet she persistently called her sis, which was starting to irritate her.
“I-I’m twenty…!”
“Tch.”
She thought she was joking, but she was actually younger.
No, it could be a lie.
“Is that true?”
“I really am twenty! Why?”
“But you’re a high-ranking hero.”
“Ah, that’s…!”
Then Lucy grinned.
“I may look like this, but I’m a bit of a genius! I became the youngest high-ranking hero.”
“The youngest high-ranking hero?”
“Yeah, no one has broken my record since the hero ranking was established.”
The youngest high-ranking hero, huh.
Honestly, that title was jaw-dropping.
To become a high-ranking hero, you needed not only genius but also significant achievements.
‘To have achieved such things at a young age…’
She must have been through a lot.
She probably traveled nonstop for 365 days, cutting down Chaos Beasts all along the way.
“You’re more impressive than I thought.”
“Did you just figure that out?”
She puffed her chest out proudly.
“I have to be someone who’s not ashamed in front of the Water Sage, you know!”
Yet, her expression looked somewhat sad.
Perhaps sensing that, she hurriedly changed the subject.
“By the way, sis, how did you become Allen’s companion?”
“Allen?”
At the sudden mention of his name, Yusera’s cheeks slightly flushed.
‘Well, if I’m going to talk about Allen, I should probably start with that.’
The Divine Seat.
It was something she couldn’t ignore in her encounter with Allen.
“Did you perhaps have a Divine Seat too?”
