(One)
One.
A girl smiling brightly in front of me.
Face to face with turquoise hair blowing in the wind and bright yellow eyes resembling ginkgo leaves.
Delia opened her eyes wide.
“Laurea?”
“yes that’s right. “It’s me.”
After answering, Laurea approached Delia. Meanwhile, Delia asked back as if she still didn’t understand.
“Why are you here… … ?”
“I told you, right? “I will see you again.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
When Delia frowned.
Laurea’s answer came back.
“I’m just curious.”
“what?”
“I have never actually seen a monster since I was born.”
From the time she was a candidacy for a saint, Laurea received all kinds of attention and special care.
Leaving the monastery was strictly prohibited, and even if one did, there was strict security from the Holy Knights.
So there was no chance of encountering monsters or demonic beasts in the first place. On the other hand, Delia frowned at her answer.
“… … “I’m full, I’m making noises.”
To a person from the Principality of Arpen, who has had to fight monsters all his life, Laurea’s answer is a comment that only flowers in a greenhouse would make.
So, when I looked at it with a sad gaze.
Stella’s voice was heard from afar.
“Now, everyone pay attention!”
Professor Stella, who was on the podium, looked around. She exchanged a look of her own with Laurea and then continued her words.
“Today’s practice will be conducted in a way that we will hunt in groups of two and dissect the game brought by each group to analyze its weaknesses.”
The hunting location is the northern forest.
This is the exact place where the Abyss Cultist attack occurred. However, there was no need to worry about the same thing happening again.
After the attack became known.
This is because the Ruben Empire and Kingdom Alliance have significantly strengthened patrols outside Arsene Academy.
Five times the existing force was deployed to repeat patrols, and a high-ranking knight corps composed of high-ranking knights was stationed at each street corner.
In other words, unlike before, the northern forest has become a very safe place. That’s why Stella resumed practice last week.
“For your information, since this will be Cadet Laurea’s first time hunting monsters, I will especially assign the strongest hunter here as a member of the group.”
“Wow, really? “Who are you?”
“It’s right behind you.”
As soon as those words were finished.
Delia immediately frowned.
There is only one person behind Laurea and herself. Because it was Ulan.
“But Ulan, with me… … .”
“I’m sorry, but it won’t work this time.”
At that time, Stella spoke firmly.
“Even during the midterm exams, you’ve been in the same group as Ulan, right? So this time, let’s form a group with another student.”
“… … .”
Delia gave a disapproving look.
However, I couldn’t refute it.
It was also true that I had never been in a group with students other than Ulan. Leaving the sullen-faced Delia behind, groups were formed in an instant.
“Okay then, let’s go to the designated area!”
Cue Stella’s energetic cries.
The monster hunt has begun.
2.
After setting foot in the northern forest.
Laurea walked diligently along the forest path.
Jump, jump, jump!
Perhaps because it had rained the day before, I was walking on damp soil. She kept glancing at the back of Ulan walking ahead of her.
‘You’re surprisingly considerate.’
From right after departure until now.
Ulan swung his ax and cut down all the lush bushes and tree branches. It was probably out of consideration for those who followed.
I felt something new.
Laurea recalled her personal purpose.
‘The reason I ended up in the same group as Ulan.’
In fact, this was Laurea’s intention. The purpose was to obtain additional information related to the abyss through Ulan.
‘Because I walked a fair distance… … .’
Shall we ask a question now?
When I was about to close my lips with that thought.
Suddenly, Ulan spoke first.
“Laurea.”
“… … yes?”
“You can speak comfortably now.”
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“huh? “What do you mean by that?”
Her eyes widened at the sudden remark.
A puzzled expression, as if he didn’t know what he was talking about. Ulan continued speaking in a blunt tone.
“It means you don’t have to use honorifics.”
“Hmm, I’m comfortable with this?”
Laurea, who thought for a moment, smiled brightly.
It’s a smile so innocent that if someone who doesn’t know her sees it, they’ll believe it’s real.
However, it was not Ulan.
He knew that that expression was a mask, so he spoke without hesitation.
“I know your true self.”
“What are you suddenly saying… … .”
“I know that you find it extremely annoying to use polite language, and I know what your personality is like.”
A word that continues calmly.
Ulan answered softly.
“So, act like you normally do in front of me.”
Because there are no eyes to see here.
After his answer, Laurea closed her slightly opened lips. He also quickly removed the smile that had been on his lips.
Some time after that.
She looked at Ulan with dry eyes.
“… … .”
Nothing much was said.
I just keep looking at Ulan.
Although it may have felt a bit burdensome, Ulan did not avoid her gaze.
At a time when the silent snowball fight continued.
“Hmm.”
Laurea spoke first.
She turned around with her back to her and walked briskly. She then circled around Ulan and muttered slowly.
“I thought about it from the first time I saw it… … .”
A moment when I was speechless for a moment.
Laurea’s eyes sparkled like stars.
Like I discovered something interesting.
“You really are an amazing person.”
A completely different way of speaking than just now.
It wasn’t just a change from polite to informal speech. The timbre and tone of voice also became much calmer than before.
This is Laurea’s true form.
Ulan, seeing this, grinned.
“As expected, this one is much better.”
This is the appearance of Laurea that he remembers.
Meanwhile, Laurea still asked with an expression of doubt.
“More than that, I saw you for the first time yesterday. How do you know me so well? “Did you even do a background check on me?”
Questions poured out one after another.
But Ulan did not answer.
However, I didn’t intentionally keep my mouth shut.
The moment I encountered her true face, I couldn’t hear the question because memories of my past life suddenly came to mind.
“Well, that’s okay.”
When Uhlan didn’t reply, Laurea decided he was reluctant to give his reason.
So I shrugged my shoulders.
As if he doesn’t care at all.
“If you don’t want to talk, just leave it. “I can find out separately later.”
There is no particular need to rush.
You can ask again later, or you can request an investigation from the Holy Kingdom’s intelligence department.
Afterwards, I was about to take another step.
Stand tall!
Suddenly, Ulan’s steps stopped.
Looking at the reaction, it seems like they discovered something. Laurea, who noticed this, immediately spoke up.
“what’s the matter?”
Did a monster appear?
When that thought occurred to me, Ulan grabbed hold of the axe. Then he spoke in a whisper without looking away.
“Wait here for a moment.”
“what? but… … .”
“Okay. “It only takes a moment.”
After giving a calm answer.
Ulan walked alone.
A feeling of tension that I don’t know for some reason. Laurea swallowed her dry saliva. But for a moment, she let out a dazed exclamation at the sight that unfolded before her eyes.
“Yes?”
It’s because of Ulan’s eccentric behavior.
When he arrived in front of the bush, he immediately clung to the tree and headed to the top. Afterwards, he quickly swung the ax he had pulled out earlier.
thud! Coo!
A loud noise was heard all at once.
It sounded like a stone falling to the ground. After a while, Ulan came down to the ground and picked up a large fruit.
“… … .”
I thought he had gone to fight some kind of dangerous monster, but I never thought he had simply gone to pick fruit.
At the time when Laurea looked dejected.
Before I knew it, Ulan approached me and handed me some fruit.
“It’s a gift. “I’ll give it to you.”
“… … “What is this?”
“It’s a good fruit for hangovers, which I mentioned last time.”
After briefly answering.
Ulan added a detailed explanation.
“You can take it the next day, or you can take it with alcohol. “Not only will hangover symptoms but also heartburn symptoms will be alleviated.”
Afterwards, it was time to hand over all the fruits.
Laurea stared at him with her mouth closed.
Eyes filled with strange doubt. On the other hand, Ulan seemed not to have noticed this, and she immediately turned around.
“Then let’s move again.”
To resume the original purpose of hunting monsters.
However, Ulan soon had no choice but to stop walking.
“Laurea?”
It was because Laurea did not follow him and was still standing there.
Why are you acting like that all of a sudden?
Just as she was making an incomprehensible expression, she suddenly raised her head. She then closed the distance with great strides and opened her mouth.
“I want to ask you something.”
“what?”
“I’ve always been curious about this, both yesterday and today. How on earth did you find out?”
“You notice, what… … .”
“I mean, I’m suffering from a hangover.”
Laurea stared at Ulan.
As if he couldn’t bear it because he was curious.
Ulan, who was asked this question, answered with an expression that said it was no big deal.
“I know when I see your eyes.”
“eye?”
“Yes, the eyes say it all.”
Right after I finished answering.
Ulan stared into her eyes.
The distinction is surprisingly simple.
On days when I didn’t have a hangover, my eyes were clearer, but on days when I had a hangover, they were all blurry.
Then Laurea took out a hand mirror from her pocket and started a snowball fight with herself in the mirror.
“It looks the same to me as usual?”
“Isn’t that because there isn’t a single day when I don’t drink, so there is no change?”
“… … .”
After hearing it, it makes sense.
Laurea nodded without replying.
Then, as if a new question suddenly occurred to me, I looked back at Ulan and spoke to him again.
“You’re even more unique than that.”
“What do you mean?”
“That’s right, right? “Usually, when someone who is about to become a saint says they drink alcohol every day, most people start by asking why.”
Why on earth do you drink so much?
This was the same for Laurea’s escort, Ian. As soon as he found out about this, he asked me why I drink alcohol every night.
“Aren’t you curious? “Why do I drink alcohol?”
“I’m not particularly curious.”
“huh? why?”
“Because I already know the reason.”
Laurea chuckled at those words.
There is no way he knew.
The reason she drinks alcohol is special.
In other words, unless she first reveals the reason, there is no way for a third party to know this.
‘It’s probably just something I said.’
Laurea thought so.
Until I heard Ulan’s answer.
“It’s because of the star’s voice, right?”
“… … ?!”
Ulan’s reply came back calmly.
The moment Laurea heard this, she was startled, as if she had seen a ghost.
Feelings of surprise, embarrassment, and astonishment.
Facing this, he recalled a story he had heard from a saint in his past life.
‘Star God.’
A god worshiped by believers in the Holy Kingdom and a collection of numerous deities that support the world.
Among them, the saint, who is called God’s agent, can be said to be a very special being who serves the Holy Spirit in the closest place.
Is that why?
Saints who serve the Holy Spirit receive enormous divine protection and are granted several abilities.
The ‘voice of the stars’ that Ulan had just mentioned was one of them.
‘It was said that when night falls and the stars rise, the gods each speak to them.’
If you simply listen to it like this, you can say that it is a very mysterious and sacred ability.
As a saint who serves God, it was a great honor to hear God’s voice.
‘I have actually received help.’
The Holy Spirit sometimes tells us about the ominous future or gives advice through the Virgin.
Thanks to this, the warrior party was able to overcome crises several times.
‘but… … .’
A fatal problem exists.
When night comes, it keeps talking to you all the time, and there is nothing you can do to stop this divine intervention.
It is said that she continues to talk to her even when she is trying to sleep, so I cannot even imagine how great the suffering the saintly woman must be in.
‘That’s why you said you were drinking.’
To fall asleep even if it means getting drunk.
And, incidentally, this was also the reason why the saints’ personalities were bound to be impure.
From the moment I was chosen as the next saint until I step down from my position as a saint, I have to listen to the voice of God every night until I get tired of it.
Meanwhile, around that time.
Laurea still looked surprised.
It was natural. This story is a truth that no one knows except for a few close associates.
‘But what about…? … .’
How do you know?
Laurea bit her lip as she felt questions rising like crazy.
Then he glared at Ulan and asked.
“… … “What on earth are you?”
“Even if I tell you, you won’t believe me.”
Ulan gave a vague answer.
Same thing I heard at the restaurant.
But this time, I had no intention of backing down easily.
“No, I believe it.”
After shaking my head.
Laurea had a serious expression.
“First, let me tell you my secret. Actually, I have special abilities. “It is the power to see through the essence of others and distinguish truth from lies.”
A story about projection.
In her last life, a secret that she could barely hear after half a year had passed slipped out of her lips.
“And from the moment we first met until now, you have never lied. “This is why I can trust you.”
“… … .”
“So tell me.”
What is your identity?
Laurea looked at Ulan with sincere eyes. But when there was still no response from her, she spoke again.
“If it’s because you don’t trust me, then I swear in the name of the Holy Ghost… … .”
“No, you don’t have to swear.”
Then.
Ulan shook his head.
“I can trust you.”
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
A smile full of confidence.
Laurea was momentarily taken aback by the answer that exuded strong trust. He didn’t expect to receive such strong trust from someone he met for the first time yesterday.
“If you can’t trust your colleagues who have been fighting against the abyss together for a dozen years in the first place, then there is no one in the world you can trust.”
“Poetry, abyss? colleague?”
What does this mean all of a sudden?
Laurea looked embarrassed.
The reason for my embarrassment was not only because of the unexpected remark. This was because the story Ulan had just told turned out to be true.
Then at that moment.
Ulan’s face became serious.
“If you’re curious about my identity, I’ll answer you.”
He strengthened his resolve.
There are two reasons.
First of all, Laurea simply possessed projection eyes.
If she can distinguish between truth and lies, she will be able to easily accept Ulan’s secret.
‘And the second reason is… … .’
Currently, Ulan needed a comrade.
If the abyss opens again, and another monarch emerges, it will be difficult to deal with Ulan’s power alone.
So he planned to tell his old colleague his secret and get their cooperation. And Ulan chose Laurea as the target.
After throwing away all hesitation.
Ulan’s low voice followed, with eyes burning like flames.
“I am Ulan Bator. “He is a great warrior who was born in the grasslands and roamed the battlefields, and a warrior who faced the abyss with you for dozens of years.”
“… … what?”
Laurea asked blankly.
Ulan said, as before, that he had been with her for a dozen years. And this time, Ulan’s words turned out to be true.
“Now, wait a minute! “Wait a moment.”
A very absurd story.
On the other hand, projections accepted this as truth.
I felt like my understanding was depleted as I was experiencing a situation for the first time in my life. So, after interrupting Ulan’s conversation, I tried to organize the information.
“What do you mean, I’ve been with you for ten years? We obviously met for the first time yesterday, and… … .”
The moment I was spewing out gibberish.
Ulan grabbed Laurea’s shoulder.
Facing eyes filled with confusion, he whispered someone’s name.
“Irea.”
The moment you hear that name.
Laurea’s thoughts stopped.
This is because the name Irea was Laurea’s ‘real name’ that she used in the past before becoming a candidate for sainthood.
“How did you come up with that name…?” … .”
A secret that only you and your teacher remember.
As Ulan’s real name, which not even Ian knew, came out, Laurea’s voice trembled uncontrollably.
On the other hand, Ulan remained calm.
He looked at Laurea’s violently shaking eyes and spoke again in a whisper.
A secret that only he knows.
“I am from 30 years in the future.”
Just hearing this is an absurd answer.
However, Laurea couldn’t laugh at all.
The reason was simple.
Because there was not a single lie in Ulan’s answer through the projection eye.
Faced with a confession that is only the truth.
Her mind turned white.
Chapter 26. secret
fantasy,
