Chapter 229 GUARDIANS OF THE HOLY CROSS (1)

Terms used in this episode:

Catlike face

a Korean term for a person with a haughty and elegant face that resembles a cat. People with catlike faces are said to have slanted eyes and a slender jawline.

Shuten-douji

a mythical oni/demon in Japan, and known as one of Japans three most evil youkai/monsters.

Cordelia had a dream.

It was the memories of the time before she was reincarnated in Pleiades, of the time when she was still living as Yellow Storm, or Hong Yoo Hee in real life.

Ah.

Like most dreams, it began out of nowhere, but Cordelia didnt feel that anything was strange.

Because it was a dream.

She was in Hong Yoo Hees room.

Cordelia stood in the middle of a room with a lot of pink colors, such as the wallpaper and curtains, and then looked at the bookshelf.

In the top section, various books related to certifications, including CAD, were tightly placed together. And in the bottom section, comic books and fairy tale books that she liked since her childhood were sparsely placed together.

And in another place.

Cordelia quietly gazed at the shelf filled with figures and plastic models, and she laid her eyes on the most eye-catching object there.

It was a Cordelia figure that was released when the popularity of

Legend of Heroes 2

reached its peak.

It was hard to get.

Not because the quantity sold was not enough, but because it was expensive.

Her pocket money was not enough, so she eventually had to sell some of her in-game items in exchange for real cash.

Its so pretty.

She remembered being really happy for a while whenever she opened her eyes every morning and saw the Cordelia figure on the bookshelf.

Cordelia.

She stretched out her hand and took the Cordelia figure. Cordelia quietly looked up and looked around.

No ones here, right?

Having checked that the door was tightly closed, Cordelias lips twitched a few times before she turned the Cordelia figure upside down to look inside the skirt.

Whenever she saw figures dressed in a skirt, Cordelia strangely wanted to turn it over.

Its white.

Cordelia grinned unconsciously and returned the Cordelia figure to its spot.

She recalled the results of an experiment wherein most people of all ages, whether men or women, would check the inside of the skirt out of curiosity. Cordelia then walked towards the desk.

My desk.

Unlike her cute-looking room, the desk had a formal design as if it was used in an office, but because of the props placed here and there, it did not hurt the atmosphere of the room at all.

Cordelia tapped the heads of the little teddy bears lined up on the desk and sat down afterwards.

She put her hands on the desk as her small body leaned on the stupidly expensive but comfortable chair which her paternal uncle took from an office that his workplace was contracted to demolish.

Cordelia touched the mechanical keyboard, or to be exact, the blue keyboard made by Leopold that was next to the VR device and exclusive controller.

Legend of Heroes 2

was originally played with a keyboard and mouse, but after the release of

Legend of Heroes 3

, the addition of a VR device and a control stick, which was similar to those in aircraft simulators or those that one could see in almost any robot cockpits in anime, elevated the gaming experience.

Its performance is as good as its complexity.

One of the reasons why Yellow Storm was called a human disaster was because of this control stick.

People who could handle it perfectly were rare even within the

Legend of Heroes

community that were full of rotten waters, but once a person handled it perfectly, the level of character control was raised to a completely different level.

Outboxer must be the only one aside from me, right?

A person who could use it perfectly like herself.

Cordelia smiled and grabbed the gaming mouse instead of the VR device as she opened

Legend of Heroes 2

.

As soon as she logged in, she saw a familiar name.

Cowabunga:

Oh, youre here?

One of the chat room regulars was Cowabunga.

She had never seen him in person, but because he was a guy who often played with his mic on, she felt like she could hear his voice in her head just by looking at the words in the screen.

Yellow Storm:

Yes, Im here.

After answering properly, she looked at the chat room list and saw that only Cowabunga and Outboxer009 were online now.

Cowabunga:

Hey, do you not use Dico?

Discord. Also known as Dico. It was a program mainly used for voice chat.

Although she knew of its existence, Cordelia shook her head and tapped on the keyboard.

Yellow Storm:

No, I dont.

Cowabunga:

Why?

Yellow Storm:

Because theres no microphone at home. Ill think about it if you buy me a microphone.

Actually, it was just an excuse.

There was a real reason.

Theres too many people talking.

It was a bit embarrassing for her to say it herself, but Hong Yoo Hees voice was on the very good side.

She had been constantly asked since elementary school on whether she wanted to be a voice actress in the future.

Moreover, she was a woman, which was quite rare for players.

As a result, there were many guys who catcalled her when she played games with her voice on.

A lot of them even get into fights.

Since

Legend of Heroes

itself was a male-oriented game, around 80% of the players were men, and there were many of the so-called gamers who pretty much lived in

Legend of Heroes.

So why did she say that?

Because a pretty girlfriend who was good at games was the ideal type for gamers.

Hong Yoo Hee was just the perfect fit to that.

Ahem, ahem.

Cordelia gently pressed her red cheeks with her hands in her embarrassment before she concentrated on the monitor again.

Come to think of it, Ive never even heard the other regulars voices in the voice chat.

She had already seen them for 5 years in the game, but she had never heard their voices, let alone see their faces.

No way is Romantic Cat-unnie not a woman?

After all, Jude was a popular character that female players used.

Hmmits perfectly reasonable to be suspicious.

Cordelia closed her eyes for a moment and imagined the appearance of Outboxer009.

When he made fun of Yellow Storm, he always acted like a mean elementary student, but he was quite serious when he talked with others. No, one could say that he was cold in a sense since he didnt talk much.

I feel angry now that I think of it.

Why are you always so mean to me?

Even when they first met, he mocked her for not being able to play games well.

Yellow Storm always lost her temper to him, but strangely enough, she always imagined Outboxer009 as a pretty woman.

If Outboxer was really a woman, it reminded her of those stylish older women who were tall, sexy, and had excellent capabilities.

Outboxer would look fierce in a well-fitted suit, but would also look like a cool older woman.

What if she wore a racing suit and rode a big and black motorcycle?

Will her eyes be a little fierce?

A catlike face?

Cordelia then recalled that Hong Yoo Hee herself also had a catlike face.

She had heard people say that she was pretty like a doll because she was small, but at the same time, she was also said to be like a ferocious kitten.

Ah, Outboxers definitely not a woman.

Its impossible for Outboxer to be a cool older woman if he always says mean things to me.

Then

Cordelia suddenly remembered one of Outboxer009s weaknesses, and she smiled as she tapped the keyboard.

Yellow Storm:

Outbo, Outbo. If youre online, answer me.

Yellow Storm:

I know youre there.

Yellow Storm:

Out

Yellow Storm:

Bo

Yellow Storm:

Xer

Yellow Storm:

Baldie.

Yellow Storm:

Impotent. Baldie. Hey, Baldie.

Outboxer009:

You wanna die?

Yellow Storm:

Oh, as I thought. Youre really bald, huh? After all, every time I say baldie, you always retort back.

Outboxer009:

No, thats nonsense.

Outboxer009:

Whats going on anyway?

At Outboxer009s question, Cordelia briefly raised her hands off the keyboard and thought about it.

There was another reason why she thought that he was a cool older woman.

Because every time the monthly rankings was released, Outboxer would super evolve from a mean kid into a kind person who answered nicely.

Outboxer009:

Norfolk?

Yellow Storm:

Seksu

Outboxer009:

Have you gone crazy?

Yellow Storm:

Pawa Seksu

Outboxer009:

F*** This game censors everything else, but why isnt it censoring that?

Yellow Storm:

Seksu a seksu

Yellow Storm:

Pawa Seksu!

As she typed that, she could feel that Outboxer009 was hitting something on his end.

Yellow Storm:

Stoo-pihd kekeke

She usually said all sorts of things, but when she said something dirty, Outboxer009 would suddenly become embarrassed, and that was one of his weaknesses.

Sometimes hes completely like a virtuous person.

Maybe Outboxer is a lady of quiet and well-behaved character.

So shes uncomfortable when she sees something dirty.

Outboxer009:

Hey kid. Youre really just an elementary schooler, right? Youre not even a middle schooler, right?

Yellow Storm:

Seksu

Outboxer009:

Hey.

Yellow Storm:

Pawa Seksu

Outboxer009:

F***

Cordelia tapped the keyboard and smiled as she imagined a furious Outboxer009 on the other end.

T/N: Adding this note because some were confused by Pawa Seksu. It means power sex, but Cordelia deliberately writes it as pawa seksu to avoid the chat rooms censor/filter. The word power here is used as an intensifier, so power sex actually means intense sex.

***

Pawa sek su.

Cordelia muttered in a small voice before opening her eyes.

Sunlight.

The smell of grass.

The sound of trees swaying in the wind from afar.

Cordelia blinked her eyes and realized that she had woken up from her dream.

Ah.

This is Pleiades.

Im Cordelia.

As she yawned and stretched out her arms, the dream that remained clear in her mind scattered at once and became a mess.

Unnn.

After blinking her eyes again, Cordelia sat up and saw a familiar back.

Are you awake?

Yes.

It was the back of Jude who was preparing their breakfast.

Umm, it seems like I said something weird in my sleep, but surely, he didnt hear it, right?

Cordelia then shrugged her shoulder and focused again on Jude and their surroundings.

There were cooking utensils on top of the bonfire, and there was a delicious smell.

Bacon, eggs, and carrots?

I hate carrots.

She spoke out loud as if she wanted him to hear it, but Jude said something else instead of talking about the side dish as if he didnt hear her.

Ive filled it with water so you should wash your face first.

Yes, mommy.

Cordelia opened the lid of the basin near her bed and dipped her hands into the clear water.

The water was warm.

Hes kind.

No, should I say that hes thoughtful?

She was honestly grateful that he prepared some water for her to wash her face, but he even warmed it up.

Jude was now able to freely use some basic magic spells, so preparing warm water was naturally much easier for him than before, but a bothersome task was still bothersome.

Hehehe.

Cordelia laughed without realizing it