[1]

“Miss Hye-Jin, what brings you…”

“Master, Miss Jung Ha-Yan has passed away. The cause of her death is still unclear, but we’re assuming it’s su-suicide,” Jo Hye-Jin said.

“What? What do you…”

“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true,” she said, interrupting Kim Hyun-Sung.

“I’m sure you’re making a mis…”

“...”

“So, she really died,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

“Yes. The guild members of the Devil’s Guild found her hanging from her neck this morning in her room,” she said.

“Y-You don’t think it was murder? What about the possibility of assassins breaking in and…”

“No, I’m certain it’s suicide. We found her will and… I’m not sure about this either, but… we found unidentifiable letters in Miss Jung Ha-Yan’s room. It’s difficult to decode because it’s encrypted with magic, but after we heard the news, we’re considering the possibility that she’s been colluding with another guild,” she explained.

“Are you saying that she was a traitor?”

“It’s only an assumption.”

“I don’t think that’s true. When considering the performance of Lindel’s genius mage, it’s illogical to think that she would do something like that. If she had the chance to collude with them, she would’ve been on their side a long time ago,” he pointed out.

“The master is right, Miss Hye-jin. If it wasn’t for Lindel’s genius mage then we wouldn’t have been able to maintain the battle from the start. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it was because of her that we were able to endure it up until now. It’s all thanks to Miss Jung Ha-Yan that we were able to win the battles at Ramadel Mountain, the Northern Frost Wall, and even the defensive battle at Benigoa. Her colluding with another guild is probably the wrong information and it’s possible that they’re saying that in order to divide us…”

“...”

“Her will… what was written in her will, Miss Hye-Jin?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.

“I was told, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’ was what was written, but the Devil’s Guild is refusing to reveal her will, so I wasn’t able to confirm everything that was written on there, but… they said that there were signs of abuse on her body,” Jo Hye-Jin said.

“Are you certain that she wasn’t murdered?” he asked.

“Yes. I heard that the injuries were from a long time ago. They’re speculating that they may have been self-inflicted, given that the wounds weren’t treated and pus had formed on the wounds. Despite the fact that they could be treated with potions and holy magic, she didn’t get her wounds treated,” she answered.

“Self-inflicted…”

“Yes, it’s possible, Master. I heard that Miss Jung Ha-Yan had a really hard time killing others, that she would have nightmares after each fight, and that she really disliked participating in battles. She didn’t even like killing an ant, so I’m sure that she felt guilty when she suddenly had to participate in battles,” she said.

It made sense. After considering Jung Ha-Yan, Lindel’s archmage’s nature, it was natural for her to think that way.

‘Being on the battlefield was…’

Too much for her.

“If that’s true… then it’s entirely my fault. I shouldn’t have called her to the battlefield,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

“No, it’s not your fault, Master. You weren’t the only one who convinced Miss Jung Ha-Yan. Everyone in the Holy Empire, the Republic, and the Union of Kingdoms hoped that Miss Jung-Yan would join the battle and the person that made the final decision was her. She didn’t make her decision because you convinced her, Master. Miss Jung Ha-Yan said that she was always indebted to the free citizens of the Holy Empire and Lindel. If she ran away and hid, then I’m sure no one would be able to find her. I’m certain that she had her reason to be on the battlefield,” Jo Hye-Jin explained.

“...”

“We still haven’t figured out the reason why she committed suicide. Master, I’m sure she really did feel guilty, but I don’t think she took her own life for that reason. It’s an undeniable fact that she felt pain, but… I’m sure she felt proud of the things that she had protected. When I first met her, that was the kind of person she was,” she said.

He saw it with his own eyes. He remembered how despite the fact that she had a difficult time socializing with other people, she would display a faint smile and shake the hands of the soldiers she saved, and she would even have conversations with them.

- It was worth it. 

- You made a tough decision.

- It was nothing, Mr. Hyun-Sung. O-Of course it was difficult, but everyone’s fighting. A-And, I don’t feel annoyed by it. I feel better seeing everyone’s smiles, hehe… thank you for calling for me.

- It’s nothing. I should be the one thanking you.

He was certain that Jung Ha-Yan felt guilty and just as Jo Hye-Jin said, she had to endure a pain that Jung Ha-Yan herself had to endure by herself. The fact that she committed suicide because of guilt didn’t make sense.

“Then why…”

“We’re still trying to figure out the reason and we believe that the encrypted letters have some clues about it. The mages on the continent have been trying their best to decode it, but it isn’t easy,” she said.

“I see.”

Kim Hyun-Sung looked at Jo Hye-Jin with a slightly bitter look.

Boom!

He heard an explosion from somewhere, so for a moment, he thought that it was the enemy, but after hearing a voice, he had no choice but to put down his sword.

“Kim Hyun-Sung!”

“Miss Kim Ah-Young! You shouldn’t…”

“Shut up and open the door. I know you’re in there, Kim Hyun-Sung, so open the door!” she yelled.

“Please calm down and… h-he’s in a meeting right now.”

“Open the door while I’m asking nicely. I’m starting to lose my patience,” she threatened.

After hearing the loud noise, what Kim Hyun-Sung saw was a familiar face.

“Miss Ah-Young.”

“Kim Hyun-Sung, you bastard!” Kim Ah-Young yelled.

The large sword that was pointed at him was getting closer. When he instinctively raised his sword, there was another loud noise and the sound of swords clashing in the air filled the room. The objects around them immediately flew in all directions and the windows shattered upon being unable to withstand the pressure.

“You bastard! You killed my unnie!” Kim Ah-Young yelled.

“...”

“You dragged her into war, you piece of shit! It’s because of you that unnie died!”

“...”

“Miss Ah-Young, what do you think you’re doing? We’re in the middle of a war. How dare you barge in here and point your sword at our guild master?! We’re going to file an official complaint to your guild,” Jo Hye-Jin said.

“Shut up, Jo Hye-Jin. If you continue blabbering like that, I won’t stand down. Complaint? Go ahead and do it. What’s the point of filing a complaint at a time like this? Do whatever you want since we’re all going to die anyway. I don’t give a fuck about that!” Kim Ah-Young said.

“But…”

“I’ve told you before, right Kim Hyun-Sung? That unnie wasn’t going to participate in the war… she died because of your petty greed,” she said.

“If Miss Jung Ha-Yan didn’t participate on the battlefield, then many innocent people would’ve died, Miss Kim Ah-Young,” Jo Hye-Jin said.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay quiet? I’m talking to Kim Hyun-Sung,” she said.

“He didn’t have any choice. Even though our master did convince Miss Jung Ha-Yan, it’s because of her that we won many battles…”

“It’s because of those battles that unnie was killed. She died! You should’ve listened to her when she said that she didn’t want to participate,” Kim Ah-Young said.

“We still haven’t figured out the reason why she committed suicide. The fact that she committed suicide as a result of the shock of the battle hasn’t been confirmed yet. We need to check her will and the encrypted letters,” Jo Hye-Jin explained.

“Do you hear yourself when you’re talking? We’ve already come too far for you to talk bullshit like that, you dirty hypocrites. I should’ve listened to them!” she said angrily.

“Who…”

“It’s none of your business!” Kim Ah-Young yelled.

“I’m sorry.”

“So now you’re apologizing? Kim Hyun-Sung, you bastard… a hero? A hero my ass!” she exclaimed.

“If you would just think calmly…”

“Shut up. Our guild will no longer be part of this alliance. It was all bullshit when they said that the people that once fought against each other can become one. Holding hands with the Republic and with the Union of Kingdoms was impossible, and listening to you in the first place was a mistake on my part. Kim Hyun-Sung, the hero that saved hundreds of thousands of lives, is all bullshit. What’s the point of that when my unnie is dead? She’s dead! It doesn’t matter to me how many people had been saved because of her. Got it?” she said.

“...”

“You won’t be seeing me again.”

“Please wait, Miss Kim Ah-Young,” Jo Hye-Jin said.

“Jo Hye-Jin.”

“I’m sure Miss Jung Ha-Yan didn’t take her own life because she felt guilty,” she said.

“Bullshit,” Kim Ah-Young said.

“Even if that was the reason, I’m sure that she wouldn’t want you to act this way. It’s true that she was in a lot of pain, but I can clearly remember how happy Miss Jung Ha-Yan was when she saved all those people,” Jo Hye-Jin told her.

“...”

“We still haven’t confirmed the information that was written in her will and we haven’t looked into whether it was an assassination or not. There could be a clue in the encrypted letters or her will. After the investigation is complete and it’s revealed that Miss Jung Ha-Yan’s death is connected to us…”

“...”

“I’ll apologize for it with my own death,” Jo Hye-Jin said.

“I don’t care about your life,” Kim Ah-Young said.

It would be strange not to know what Kim Ah-Young was thinking, so Kim Hyun-Sung had no choice but to talk to her. “I feel the same way. After everything is over, I’ll apologize for it with my own death.”

“Master!”

“This is the right thing to do, Miss Hye-Jin. I’m sure that I’m responsible for it as well and after this war is over, I was going to put an end to my own life in my own way, anyway,” he said.

He thought that maybe he didn’t deserve to live because he made so many mistakes to get to where he was right now. Honestly, it was ridiculous to try and apologize for those mistakes now, but he didn’t have a choice because he believed that there was still work that had to be done.

It was understandable for Kim Ah-Young to feel complicated about this and she probably had a lot going through her head. Just when she was waiting for his answer…

Boom!!!

They heard an explosion from somewhere and when another loud sound reverberated, they realized that there was an enemy invasion.

“What?”

“The enemy is attacking!”

“Master!”

“It’s an attack! Miss Jo Hye-Jin, currently behind the wall… ahhhhhh!”

Kim Hyun-Sung was used to attacks coming from places he couldn’t see, but this attack was a different type of magic. The unknown energy was targeting Kim Ah-Young, so of course, she started dodging. When she blocked it with her sword, the magic split and completely destroyed the walls on both sides.

“We’ll move to the walls.”

“B-But… I’m!”

“We need to work together for now and after it’s over, you can decide what you want to do with me, Miss Ah-Young. Please lend me your strength for now,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

“Damn it,” she cursed.

“Miss Hye-Jin, is Miss Cha Hee-Ra still in the city?” he asked.

“Yes, she’s been sending reinforcement signals since 12 o’clock. The Red Mercenary Guild is probably heading toward…”

Booooooom!

A white light swallowed Lindel.

The white light that appeared out of nowhere filled the surrounding area and his closed eyes started to open.

1. Kim Hyun-Sung’s POV ☜