Chapter 58 – EPISODE 58 – DIVINE REVELATION (1)
Flag/Event flag – A condition in game programming that causes a variable to change. Event flags are set off when certain events take place, like boss battles, cutscenes, leveling up, or anything that’s important to the plot or to the character’s stats. Flags can also trigger anything, from changing a character’s status to activating sub-quests or side-plots to adjusting what sort of random encounters show up.
Frog in the well – a Chinese idiom that refers to a narrow-minded person who doesn’t see the larger world around them. An English equivalent would be ‘small/little fish in a big pond.’
Carry – used to refer to a high-level player who tanks for and kills strong enemies for a lower level player to level up. They are thus carrying the low-level player until they get stronger, mooching off their kills to get XP and loot.
Oh yeah, if you see an italicized ‘my’ or ‘her,’ it’s the ‘uri-jip’ word again, which meant ‘my house,’ ‘my home,’ or ‘our home.’ Someone in the comments said that it could also mean ‘my family.’ It has a possessive meaning, implying that someone/something is part of one’s family/home.
In the original version of Legend of Heroes 2, or specifically, its first released version, there were a total of 11 playable characters.
“Four in the Sälen Kingdom, five in the Argon Empire, and two in the barbarian lands.”
As the two major powers in the continent, there were many characters from the Sälen Kingdom and the Argon Empire. And in the case of the Sälen Kingdom, it was quite distinct that the hometown of the playable characters were concentrated in the north.
“Except for Kajsa, the other three – Jude, Cordelia, and Lucas, were all from the 12 northern families.”
So, why was it like that?
Kajsa is from the south, which meant that there was no one in the center at all. Wouldn’t it have been better to distribute them evenly in the north, the center, and the south?
“And when the main story was released, everyone understood it.”
It was because of ‘The Northern Barbarians’ Great Invasion’ event that had a great impact on the Sälen Kingdom as well as the entire Legend of Heroes 2.
Because of the big event in the north, it was naturally reasonable for there to be many people from the north.
Added to this were the playable characters from the land of the barbarians, Red Wind and Kirara.
Both of them were naturally barbarians, so they had no choice but to be connected with ‘The Northern Barbarians’ Great Invasion’ event.
“In the end, five out of the eleven playable characters, or about half, had a direct connection with the Great Invasion event.”
The remaining six people were indirectly affected a lot too. It was a great event that would shake up the Sälen Kingdom, one of the two major powers.
“So if we can completely destroy this event, we can get closer to the ending that we want.”
A world with a truly happy ending where there was no Great Summons and no ma.s.sive war occurring between the angels and demons, did not originally exist.
So they must take good care of that person without fail.
The most important key person who could change the Great Invasion itself into nothing.
“Red Gale.”
Red Wind’s father.
The chief of the Great Storm tribe.
They had to save him.
***
“Ya-ha!”
A few minutes after they’ve crossed the border.
After he ran like a gale and hid themselves in a crevice of a rocky mountain, Jude raised both his arms high and shouted.
What should he call this feeling?
A sense of freedom?
A genuine feeling of being alive?
“I think you’re a little crazy.”
Having sat down on the ground, Cordelia frowned and spoke, and Jude guffawed like Landius and said as he looked back at Cordelia.
“On another note, I kept my promise, right?”
“Promise?”
“I told you I would cross over the wall.”
Wall.
The great wall built at the border was also a wall when viewed from a broad perspective.
Though it was excessively high and broad for a wall.
“Let me see, I hugged or carried you, I crossed over the wall, I also stood in the front line…I’d like to nurse or care for you, but I can’t let you get sick, right?”
“Yes, you can’t.”
Jude seriously spoke as he counted with his fingers and Cordelia threw a s...o...b..ll. She laughed a few times and then c.o.c.ked her head to one side. And just like that, she looked up at Jude and said.
“You’re like a beast.”
He acted recklessly while panting.
It wasn’t just her impression of Jude being nimble so far, but he was really like a beast when in battle. He was like a big cat or savage beast running wild in excitement.
At Cordelia’s words, Jude nodded his head and then said with a serious face.
“Madam, tonight, your servant…”
“Stop saying that.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Jude obediently gave up joking and squatted in front of Cordelia as he said.
“But I’m really overflowing with energy. It feels like my energy is constantly surging?”
“Have you properly absorbed the Sunflower?”
“I think so. As Kamael said, it feels like my Cheonmujiche finally opened its eyes.”
If he thought about it, this kind of growth seemed to be fitting because he ate a flower that bloomed once every 20 years and was also a flower full of Yang energy that bloomed in an area full of Yin energy.
And Cheonmujiche.
It was difficult for people who were geniuses from birth to realize their own genius because all the talented things they did felt so natural to them, but it wasn’t for Jude.
He had memories of a previous life, so it was also possible that it was self-objectification, but as Kamael pointed out, his previous Cheonmujiche was no different to a fake when compared to his current Cheonmujiche.
“It may sound like nonsense, but I can feel it. Jude is a real genius.”
“It really is nonsense.”
However, there was a bright smile on Cordelia’s face.
Be it a cheat, a genius, or a beast, he was her Jude.
“Is it possible that the awakening of Jude, which was scheduled for the last expansion pack of the third episode, was the awakening of the Cheonmujiche?”
“Perhaps. In the original story, Jude never ate the Sunflower and never met Kamael too.”
But the current Jude was different.
He ate the Sunflower, met Landius, and learned the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors. On top of that, he met Kamael and even resolved the distortion.
‘There’s also the Yin-Yang Body.’
What would happen if he could use both the Yin and Yang energy at the same time? What new heights would he reach?
‘Kamael’s extreme Yin energy and Landius’ extreme Yang energy.’
Since he had already built a relationship with the two, he had laid down the groundwork for resolving his flags.
“Huhuhu…huhuhuhu…”
“You sound like a pervert.”
Despite Cordelia’s comment, Jude did not stop laughing. He saw the road to becoming the strongest which didn’t exist before, so how could he, a rotten water, not be happy?
“Anyway, this still isn’t your complete awakening, right?”
“Yes, that’s why I’m so excited.”
It meant that he would awaken to an even greater genius in the future.
“Cheonmujiche is a cheat.”
“Huhuhu, and when you use the Ancestral Regression technique, you’ll become a cheat character. And so is your Witch Transformation.”
Wasn’t it an excellent balance?
Cordelia was not born with a special talent like Jude or Lucas.
She didn’t have a unique physical const.i.tution like Kajsa.
However, Cordelia had Witch Transformation and Ancestral Regression.
‘Although Lucas is also able to use Ancestral Regression, it is different from Cordelia.’
Because Cordelia’s Witch Transformation ability originated from the power of demons.
If Jude had a Yin-Yang Body that could handle both Yin and Yang energy, Cordelia was able to transform into an existence capable of handling the power of angels and demons at the same time.
“I can’t wait to see the Fallen Angel mode. You’ll be like a real powerful monster.”
“Why do you want to see it when it’s mine?”
“Because Madam is my monster?”
At Jude’s a.s.sertion, Cordelia snorted, but soon smiled and laughed.
Because Cordelia herself was looking forward to her Ancestral Regression.
“I can’t wait to do it.”
“Let’s work hard in collecting the ingredients and shorten the time it would take us compared to the original story.”
“Yes, Daddy. I only trust in Daddy.”
Jude and Cordelia looked at each other and laughed ‘hahahoho’ in harmony, before finally realizing that there was one more person with them.
“Huuuk…ugh…blaargh”
At a corner some distance away.
Red Wind, who had been gasping and lying on her stomach ever since Jude released her, eventually couldn’t stand it and threw up.
It wasn’t because she found Jude and Cordelia’s “displays of affection” nauseating, but it was a side effect from the intake of the forbidden elixir/drug.
“Red Wind! Are you all right?”
“Haa…ugh…it hurts. Stomach hurts. Painful.”
Red Wind said with a crying face after having thrown up everything in her stomach. She truly looked pitiful with her tears and runny nose.
“Sorry, sorry. We’ve arrived here now, so it’s okay. Let’s rest here and then go.”
Cordelia said as she hugged Red Wind, while Jude quickly cleaned up Red Wind’s vomit before looking around to find a better place to rest.
And immediately after.
Red Wind in Cordelia’s arms suddenly burst into tears. The tears she shed was different from her tears of exhaustion from before.
“Red Wind?”
“Different. So different.”
“Huh?”
“Two people. Different. So strong. Much more than me.”
Red Wind was someone who was confident in her strength.
She believed that there were few people, at least within her age, who would be stronger than herself.
But she was wrong.
Jude and Cordelia were in a different level than Red Wind herself. Although they were older by one year, it didn’t feel like there was a one-year difference between them.
She was a frog in the well.
Saying that she’ll cure her father, she went to the south alone with just that kind of ability, so it was natural that she got caught and became a slave.
If the Great Storm hadn’t seriously pitied her, would it have chosen Jude and Cordelia, who were both foreigners?
Of course, aside from her being a member of the tribe and the chieftain’s daughter.
“Huuuu…huu…”
Her sadness, self-reproach, and disappointment in herself suddenly flooded and made her cry uncontrollably.
Red Wind started bawling, and Cordelia, with an awkward face, turned to Jude.
‘Do something!’
It was an unreasonable demand, but like most men who were asked to take measures, Jude was troubled.
Though his troubles were slightly off the point from most men’s troubles.
‘First of all, it can’t be helped.’
Red Wind was crying because, frankly speaking, she was weak.
But there was no way to resolve this.
Strictly speaking, Red Wind had not even started her own scenario yet.
In a word, she was a beginner.
She was in a pure state and had not gone through any events or power-ups yet.
However, they couldn’t just take her while they leveled up, or the so-called ‘carry.’
‘Because it’s only me and Cordelia.’
It was a fact he learned as a result of experimenting when he was with Lucas several times.
First of all, only Jude and Cordelia could see each other’s level-up effect.
Even if they hunted together, it was also only Jude and Cordelia who gained experience points as a party.
‘It seems like in this world, you can gain experience by defeating a strong enemy, but…I and Cordelia are the only ones who could form a party.’
Since the menu itself does not exist in this world, it was impossible to use something like a ‘party request’ to properly share experience points except for Jude himself and Cordelia, who were considered as a party from the beginning.
‘It’s a little questionable why only the two of us were a party from the very beginning.’
There seemed to be some cause.
Maybe it was because they shared memories of their previous lives, or perhaps they were connected with something like the red thread of fate.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Jude unwittingly cleared his throat as he saw Cordelia, and Cordelia said again with her eyes.
‘Do something somehow!’
“Well.”
Jude began to be troubled again.
What should he do?
As the most obvious solution of a fast level-up was not possible, he eventually had no choice but to choose the next best solution.
“Red Wind, it’s all right. You’ll soon become stronger quickly too.”
At Jude’s words, Red Wind raised her head in the midst of crying.
She was in the middle of crying because she was sad at herself for being weak, so it was natural for her to react to Jude’s words that she’ll become stronger.
Jude squatted in front of Red Wind and then pat her head as he spoke.
“Great Storm said this. Red Wind was born with the qualities of a great warrior. She has the talent to become the most powerful spirit warrior in the Great Storm tribe.”
(T/N: I used the word ‘spirit,’ but it can also mean ‘elemental.’)
“…really? Did Great Storm said that?”
Red Wind sniffled and asked, and Jude nodded his head.
“Really, I’m not the only one who heard it. Cordelia, you heard it too, right?”
“Eh? Yes! I heard it too. Great Storm certainly said that.”
Once Red Wind went through the original route, she would become a powerful spirit warrior.
Moreover, the Great Storm tribe was supposed to perish during the great invasion of the northern barbarians, so Red Wind had no choice but to be the best warrior of the tribe whether she liked it or not.
“Great Storm…”
Red Wind’s crying gradually stopped. She also slightly smiled.
“Great Storm is looking forward to Red Wind’s growth.”
“Yes, yes, Great Storm is looking forward to it. They really care about Red Wind.”
The smile on Red Wind’s face gradually became bigger as Jude and Cordelia talked back and forth.
Red Wind had become pessimistic of the future due to suffering from a lot of hardships, but it was still before the original story began. Moreover, since she had escaped from the slave auction even before suffering from hardships, her purity had remained intact.
“Okay, I’ll work hard. Become stronger. I live up to Great Storm’s expectations.”
“Yes, we’ll look forward to it too.”
When Cordelia hugged her tightly, Red Wind hesitated for a moment, but soon after, she hugged Cordelia back.
‘It’s nice and warm, heartwarming…’
It was when Jude looked satisfied.
‘Hey, are you sure this is okay?’
Cordelia asked with her eyes, and likewise, Jude asked with his eyes.
‘What are you talking about?’
‘No, can we just pretend like this?’
‘It will work.’
There was no way Great Storm would be able to say anything about this.
Moreover, Great Storm, or rather, the existence of the barbarian G.o.ds themselves were unclear.
In the game, only their names were mentioned as the subject of the barbarians’ faith, but not a single barbarian G.o.d actually appeared.
‘And we already spoke of it.’
Since they first met Red Wind, Jude and Cordelia had worked hard and eagerly used Great Storm’s name to their advantage.
‘Well, that’s true.’
Convinced, Cordelia focused on Red Wind again, and Jude rose from his seat and then looked southwards.
‘Kamael must have taken care of it and escaped.’
Because he wasn’t one of the Four Great Swordsmen for no reason.
And frankly, Jude thought that Kamael was the strongest among the Four Great Swordsmen.
Perhaps his clone alone might have defeated Saluzia.
‘We can do well.’
Although the northern barbarians’ great invasion event was an important event throughout the Legend of Heroes series, the circ.u.mstances were not fully revealed.
What was fully revealed in the game was the great invasion, and not the war of the Angry Bull tribe to unify the barbarians before the great invasion.
Therefore, their information was limited.
Not much was known about the land of the barbarians.
‘But we can do it.’
Or rather, we must pull it off.
Jude steeled himself as he gazed to the north.
***
“I think I know where we are. After two more days, it’s the land of my tribe.”
Right after sunset.
Red Wind spoke in a small voice inside the igloo created with Cordelia’s magic and Jude’s design and skill.
They had thrown away all their luggage while they were running away, so they didn’t have their sleeping bags, but in the first place, Red Wind was a local who inherited the blood of the winter elves, while Jude and Cordelia had the Winter Protection.
In addition, they had stones heated by magic to warm themselves, so it was not an exaggeration to say that there was no risk of them freezing to death.
“Yes, yes, you had a difficult time today, so let’s go to bed early.”
“I understand. Good night, Cordelia. Jude too.”
Red Wind spoke in a small voice again, as she lied down next to Cordelia and closed her eyes.
“Good night.”
“I feel like a baby.”
As soon as she closed her eyes, she fell asleep, and Cordelia kissed the forehead of Red Wind before looking towards Jude and saying.
“Let’s go to sleep too. We don’t exactly need to do a night watch, right?”
“Because there’s an magic circle.”
Even in Frost Anvil, they were able to escape the h.e.l.l of a double-shift night watch thanks to the magic circle.
After almost blocking the entrance, Jude lied down and spoke after a long time.
“Good night, dream of me.”
“Yes, you dream of me too.”
“I’ll have a risqué dream.”
“Bullsh*t.”
Cordelia smiled as she raised her middle finger, before she kissed Red Wind’s forehead once again and then closed her eyes.
And a few seconds, a few minutes.
Jude also fell into a deep sleep.
***
The surroundings were all white.
A white night.
A white snowfield.
While he was walking aimlessly, Jude realized it at some point.
“It’s a dream.”
Now that I realize it, I guess it’s a lucid dream.
Jude looked around again.
He was afraid that it was not a dream because everything was a mess before he came to his senses.
The sun and the moon were hanging together in the sky, and above the snowfield, countless fish were swimming in the air as if they were in some kind of sea.
Then Cordelia appeared.
“Uh.”
The Cordelia that he usually knew was thrown into confusion as she stood among the swimming fish, but suddenly, she widely opened her eyes.
“Ah! It’s Jude!”
The Cordelia in his dream looked his way and came running with a very happy face.
And Jude seriously contemplated.
“What do I do…now that it’s like this, should I dream a really erotic dream?”
“Hey! I can hear everything?!”
Cordelia’s low kick hit him, and Jude thought.
“It’s surely Cordelia. She’s violent even in my dreams.”
“You haven’t been hit enough.”
Again, Cordelia hit Jude on the back, and Jude realized.
“It hurts?”
“Of course it hurts if I hit you! Be hurt more! Be hurt more!”
It really hurt. Because of that, Jude understood it.
“It’s not a dream.”
At least it wasn’t an ordinary dream. The Cordelia in front of him was not a fake created by his own dreams.
“How did this happen?”
Why are our dreams connected with each other?
Were our minds connected?
At Jude’s question, Cordelia stopped hitting him and said seriously.
“I don’t know either. I just slept well, and at some point, I opened my eyes and I was here. I came running because I saw you.”
Jude first looked at himself before he alternately looked at Cordelia.
Now that he saw it, their clothes were different from usual. Each of them were wearing the stylish clothes they wore when they were with their families.
“Dream.”
This was not reality.
It was some s.p.a.ce in their minds.
The minds of Jude and Cordelia were connected.
Why?
How come?
And who?
It was right at that moment. Cordelia suddenly raised her head. Over some distance away, at the sky.
The wind blew.
It was a small and weak wind.
But it soon grew stronger and became a storm.
A boy appeared.
A white-haired boy with wind all around his body.
With his impressively golden eyes shining like stars, the boy looked down at Jude and Cordelia.
His eyes quietly narrowed, and his smile was like that of a mischievous boy before he spoke.
“You continuously used my name as an excuse quite well.”
A child’s voice.
However, his strong presence shook the entire surrounding area.
Like the imposing majesty of a G.o.d.
“Really?”
Jude said, and Cordelia nodded her head. Her senses were wildly shouting.
Barbarian G.o.d.
Due to the Great Storm tribe being still alive, it was a being who had not yet lost its power because the power of Belial, the overlord of corruption, had yet to widely spread over the barbarian lands.
“Nice to meet you, children from the south. I am Great Storm.”
The barbarian G.o.d beyond the northern border.
He settled down on the ground.
And stepped towards Jude and Cordelia.