Chapter 283: Reunion (2) (1/2)
Changed ‘great turmoil’ to ‘Great Tribulation.’
Terms used in this episode:
4D – a Korean slang which means that someone is eccentric or hard to understand. This used as a compliment for people with a very strong individuality or unique personality. Since ordinary people are considered “3D”, a person who is very quirky and thinks outside the box is considered as “4D” or 4-dimensional.
There were eleven playable characters in Legend of Heroes 2.
Four in the Sälen Kingdom, two in the wild lands, and five in the empire.
‘Jude, Cordelia, Lucas, Kajsa, and Red Wind.’
Four were from the Sälen Kingdom and already close to each other, with Red Wind from the wild lands being added to the group.
However, the remaining playable characters numbered six.
They were the main character, Maximilian, and the sword genius, Leon Gadreel. There was Adelaide who had a 4D personality and was the most beautiful character in the Legend of Heroes series. There was also Keynes, the only elderly character in the game, Sarah who received the protection of the Drunk Dragon, and Kirara, a cat beastkin from the wild lands.
Jude’s plan was to gather all the playable characters to form a single party, so they would be meeting these people once they had entered the empire.
‘If I remove Keynes and Kirara, it will be four.’
There was a simple reason why he removed the two.
Because among the playable characters who were basically good-natured, the natures of these two were close to evil.
‘There is a difference between the two though.’
Keynes was a criminal who had experienced all sorts of hardships in this world, from pickpocketing to violent crimes such as robbery and murder, so he had a different mindset from ordinary people.
‘He just does whatever he wants to do.’
A character that was truly like an outlaw.
But that didn’t mean he was some kind of vicious psychopathic killer.
He was a criminal and committed crimes as natural as breathing, but he surprisingly had a lot of common sense. He also had some humanity in him.
Still, that did not make Keynes a good person.
One could say that he was like the main character often seen in mafia movies.
He often showed a friendly side to those around him, and kept his common sense to what was right, but was like a villain in the end.
‘As for Kirara… she’s a traitor.’
If Keynes was a proper villain, Kirara was a minor villain character.
She was a selfish and shrewd girl who easily betrayed people, but not a naturally bad person. Kirara was like a stray cat who changed her way of life depending on who she met and how she lived.
If Keynes was chaotic evil, then Kirara was chaotic good.
In any case, excluding these two, there were only four playable characters left, so Jude and Cordelia could not help but worry.
Because Red Moon Leisegang Raid was a card that they could only use once in the future.
‘If we release the seal this time, it will be difficult to seal him again.’
That was why they didn’t release the seal again after the first time.
If they could maintain the seal, they wouldn’t have wasted that opportunity and used him as a sandbag.
‘We only have one more chance to level up a lot.’
In fact, it was difficult to expect an explosive level-up from defeating Leisegang who had been weakened after being sealed for a long time because Jude and Cordelia had already leveled up a lot when they defeated Malekith.
But the other characters were different.
The concept of levels existed in Pleiades though it did not appear as openly as Jude and Cordelia, but it was indeed possible to increase one’s levels by gaining experience from fighting powerful enemies.
In other words, it was possible to increase the levels of the playable characters at once to strengthen their power.
‘Are we going to collect them all or are we going to do it only with the people we have now?’
The former seemed ideal at first glance, but it was actually not.
As the number of participants increased, the experience gained was also split.
Moreover, it was not known how long it would take them to collect all the playable characters.
‘We may not have a chance to catch them all.’
As for the reason why.
It was like a situation wherein you valued and saved a potion to use for the final battle, but it remained unused even after defeating the final boss.
‘You saved it but it became useless later.’
So one must use things when given the chance to use them.
It was better to increase the survival rate by leveling up a lot and using it when needed rather than uselessly saving it because one did not know what was ahead.
“Fuu, fuu. I’m a little nervous.”
Inside the carriage that was heading to the Belkain Mountains.
Lucas said with a flushed face. The closer the carriage got to the Belkain Mountains, the more his heart pounded.
[Isn’t he really excited?]
[Because it’s Lucas.]
Isn’t their current journey to defeat a Demon Prince something like the realization of the dreams of Lucas who’s a hero story enthusiast?
‘Because he was really restless after hearing the story of our battle against Malekith.’
Lucas appeared to have a fever because of his overexcitement when Kajsa told him about it.
If I had been there at that time.
Aaah, I should have been there too.
Why wasn’t I there?
Why didn’t they invite me too?
And so on.
It had already been more than three months since that event, so a lot of rumors about it had spread, but the story told by Kajsa, who personally participated in that battle, differed because of its realism and liveliness.
‘Well… The truth though is that Kajsa only watched the fight against Malekith.’
Still, she saw it with her own eyes.
‘After all, it was a truly spectacular sight.’
The battle against Malekith itself did not last long. But no one could deny how spectacular and grand it was.
A golem over a hundred meters tall fought head-on against a giant dragon.
The Trailblazer Sword that directly slashed the Dragon Breath and split the earth as it struck down.
It was natural for Lucas to be overwhelmed from excitement.
“Oh my, why are you so tense? You look like you’re about to die from excitement. It’s like you’re just going on a picnic, huh?”
Kajsa spoke as she snickered, and Lucas turned redder as he did not deny it. Because he was really excited.
“Lucas, it’s good to be honest at times like this.”
“Excuse me?”
“Come on, repeat after me.”
I’m excited, I’m excited, ahem, ahem, I’m excited.
When Cordelia shrugged and spoke those words, Lucas was even more embarrassed, but reluctantly opened his mouth.
“I-I’m excited.”
“Yes, yes, that’s it. I’m excited. I’m excited. Ahem, ahem.”
“I’m excited.”
Cordelia urged him again, so Lucas also shrugged and responded with an awkward expression, prompting Kajsa to grab her stomach and begin laughing out loud.
“Cute! You’re so cute! I’ve never seen a boy this cute before.”
She was only teasing him, but Lucas started to blush on not only his face but also his whole body. Naturally, Kajsa laughed even more when she saw that.
“Hmph, how silly. A man must have firm and reliable presence. Just like my Sun Song-oppa.”
When Red Wind snorted, Lucas groaned and was troubled while Sun Song had a pleased smile.
[It really feels like we’re going on a picnic.]
[Yeah.]
After a brief exchange of magic with Cordelia, Jude looked out the window.
He smiled when he saw the scenery that was almost identical to the one he had seen a year and a few months ago.
It reminded him of the past.
His first date with Cordelia after they recalled their past life memories.
Back then, both of them insisted that it was a quest and not a date.
Even now when he closed his eyes, he could vividly remember the Cordelia of that day.
She wore a wide-brimmed white hat and had a very awkward expression.
[Why? Why are you suddenly laughing?]
Jude lightly pinched Cordelia’s cheek instead of answering, and she pouted her lips, letting him play with her cheek rather than getting angry or slapping his hand away.
Soft and squishy.
Jude wanted to continue playing with Cordelia’s cheek, but slightly coughed as he noticed the gaze around him before he released his hand.
“Ahem, ahem. Anyway, we’re almost there now.”
Their decisive battle against the Demon of the Red Moon, Leisegang.
Lucas’ eyes lit up at Jude’s words, and the rest of the party nodded with faces as if the reality still hadn’t hit them.
Because there was a huge difference between the current atmosphere and defeating a Demon Prince.
Red Moon Leisegang.
Blood Demon. Vampire Lord.
Just like how Malekith’s notoriety was known in the south, Leisegang’s notoriety was passed down in the north’s legends and myths.
Those who directly died to him numbered in the tens of thousands, and three countries were destroyed by his undead legion.
If Solari’s champion, Gallus, had not sacrificed his life to stop Leisegang, the northern region itself might have been destroyed.
“H-he’s not like Malekith, right? He’s currently sealed.”
Kajsa deliberately spoke in a cheerful manner, but her eyes looked tense.
She also seemed to be nervous.
So Jude reassured everyone again.
“We definitely have a way to defeat him, so don’t worry. Moreover… we’re well-prepared for any problems that may arise.”
“Yes, yes, so don’t worry.”
Cordelia spoke with a wide smile, and everyone forced themselves to smile.
And after thirty minutes passed.
The carriage finally reached the hill, its destination.
***
Beyond the flower fields in full bloom.
Cordelia glanced down the cliff and turned to Jude, spreading out her arms as she waited for him.
“Carry me.”
“Oh, it’s different this time?”
“Because you promised.”
A promise that he would carry her once his Gueumjulmaek was cured.
“Hehe, good.”
When Cordelia hugged his neck, Jude immediately carried her in the so-called princess carry.
A situation that was quite opposite to one year and a few months ago.
“Your father will be satisfied now.”
Because I’m the one who’s carrying you and not you carrying me.
Cordelia buried her head in Jude’s chest instead of replying, and Jude grinned before jumping down the cliff.
“Sun Song-oppa, me too.”
“Shall we?”
Sun Song brightly smiled and carried Red Wind before he jumped down.