Chapter 768: The Last (1)
-Later, if someone asks what the battle was like, I will tell them that it was the day I saw the most beautiful scenery in my life.
“…”
-If someone asks about the landscape, everyone will sing that at that moment, one of the most sublime lights shone upon us. That’s right. The continent has won. By driving out the hordes of demons that threatened the continent, we have achieved what we deserve. It was a valuable victory.
“…”
-But the reason we are here today is not to celebrate this victory. Rather, it is about the sacrifice of a saint who gave all of himself for it.
“I still can’t believe it.”
“…”
“Really… I can’t believe it.”
-To commemorate the sacrifice of a saint.
“…”
-Yes. The Blue Vice Guild Master, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, has always been a self-sacrificing person. Really… He was a man who sacrificed a lot. Closest to him… I… as his friend… to say… how much… how much… he was dealing with… is not… enough… even if I talk all day… yes… I’m sorry. Again… I’m… about Kiyoung… my friend… Sniff… I’m sorry.
As I looked ahead, I noticed Cho Hyejin, who was unable to talk.
It was difficult to express how she couldn’t take her eyes off the memorial service held in her hand.
She was trying to say something somehow, but in the end, her façade, which she couldn’t hold together until the end, seemed to be enough to tell how hard it was for her.
Unable to expect that she would shed tears in such an official event since she had never fallen apart in front of others, a lot of people began to feel the grief even more.
‘It must be harsh.’
It was harsh for her to be seated in that place. It was hard to imagine how difficult it would be for her to be talking about the past life of the Vice Guild Master.
Her eyes were already red. Without even taking a proper break from the desperate news that reached her, preventing her from rejoicing in the victory of the continent, she set foot in a h.e.l.lish place. She still couldn’t speak, but she was at least forcing herself to open her mouth.
Still, I knew she would fall soon. The voice she somehow squeezed out was quickly buried in a screaming cry.
-Sniff… Sniff… Sniff… I’m sorry… Sniff…
-I would like to apologize to all of you who are here. Yeah… Please give us a brief moment… to change the order…
Soon, the voices of the church officials were heard. Several priests climbed up the podium and took care of the collapsed Cho Hyejin.
I wasn’t sure what to do in that unexpected situation, but I thought maybe the memorial service would continue. It was that important of an occasion.
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was very important to the Church and continent.
He was the hero and the saint who devoted everything to the world.
Cho Hyejin’s position in that difficult event must’ve been for such a reason.
Someone had to endure through his death. Someone in the Blue Guild had to tell the continent how n.o.ble and self-sacrificing he was, what his life was like.
As she said, the continent won the war. It was a war that never would’ve ended, and it was a more severe and tougher one than any other battle they had ever fought in.
After the foreign light disappeared, the world dyed with the sunset light became more beautiful than any landscape I had ever seen.
Everyone sang the song of victory, unable to notice the greater sacrifices behind such a feat. I wasn’t an exception.
The moment the new sky opened, I burst into laughter and sang of the victory of humanity.
Had I not seen the body of the Vice Guild Master, who was smiling with joy and with his eyes closed, I would have continued raising toasts with others.
It was a very clear memory even now. Under the dazzling sunset light, the image of Jung Hayan grasping the body of the Vice Guild Master, and the way that the Guild Master stared up at the sky.
Park Deokgu denied the death of the Vice Guild Master and the guild members, who seemed to have lost their ability to speak.
I was so confused that I couldn’t express it properly. Instead of joy, sadness filled that day.
No, it wasn’t much different now.
From a place not far away, I could see Jung Hayan bowing her back, her shoulders shaking.
She probably wouldn’t have come to this place had it not been for Han Sora, who held her hand tightly while sitting next to her.
No, maybe it didn’t matter. Because Jung Hayan still denied the reality.
I sometimes could hear her talk to Han Sora. It was a kind of conversation where the Vice Guild Master was talking and was with her.
Han Sora, who was released from the demon’s seal, smiled faintly and nodded to her words, but…
‘It can’t be like that.’
I didn’t really think that Jung Hayan didn’t believe in the Vice Guild Master’s death.
She looked more precarious than anyone else in the guild and even prayed for the end of her life to meet Vice Guild Master. To be honest…
No one thought that Jung Hayan would be here.
I could see a lot of empty seats. Neither Elena nor the Guild Master was present. No, it would be more appropriate to say that they couldn’t come. As such, his death made a lot of changes.
Less than three days pa.s.sed, but it was enough to make a big impact across the continent.
They comforted their grief in their own way, but neither the Blue nor the continent could escape the shock of losing the Son of Light.
The same was true of others. Lee Jihye of the Black Swan disappeared shortly after hearing the news about the Vice Guild Master’s pa.s.sing.
Sun Hee-young and Yuno Kasugano also disappeared at the same time. I heard that Lee Jihye had a separate meeting with Sun Hee-young, but nothing was known about where they headed or whether it was true that they disappeared together.
Cha Hee-ra, the Red Mercenary Guild Master, also wasn’t here. Although I received a separate message saying that she would attend…
“Alps?”
“…”
“Alps?”
“…”
“Alps.”
“Ah… Yes. I’m sorry, Manager Kim Miyoung.”
“No. I am… sorry.”
“…”
“If it’s okay, may I ask you a favor?”
“Yes. Sure.”
“I think Cho Hyejin is coming back now. She will take a break for a moment, wait here, and then go up to the podium…”
“Ah… Yes. Are you going now?”
“Yes. I… I think I have to talk to the Church one more time.”
“It’s hard… in many ways.”
“Yes. Anyhow, we have to keep ourselves together… there are a lot of problems to deal with. I didn’t think I would have to talk about this even in a memorial service, but…
“Isn’t the guild dealing with the problem?” 3333
“I don’t want to make other people care about this. I think it’s better to handle it quietly, especially considering Jung Hayan’s condition… I don’t think I should tell them.”
“Ah… Yes.”
“Then, please. The memorial service will probably start again in a while. Cho Hyejin really wanted to finish it up… please, take care of her… until she calms down a little.”
“I will.”
With this, Manager Kim Miyoung stood up quietly. Looking at her swollen eyes made me feel sad.
Wouldn’t she be sad just because she was manager Kim Miyoung? She was one of the closest people to the Vice Guild Master. Perhaps more than anyone else, she would want to deny this reality.
‘She wouldn’t have wanted to discuss that… even here.’
It was a simple matter, a matter of ownership of the Vice Guild Master’s body.
The Church wanted to take the body of Benignore’s son in a symbolic sense. Actually, the expression that they wanted to take it was not strange…
It would have been a difficult problem for the Church to yield. This happened after the Vice Guild Master officially left the Blue Guild, so as a result, the Blue Guild could not claim ownership over his body.
Since he was officially held as Honorary Cardinal, the Church claimed the body was theirs, and the Continental Protection and Management Committee, which remained, insisted that they would take over.
Until the memorial service, the Blue Guild kept the Vice Guild Master, but each group would claim ownership after the memorial service was over.
Perhaps even armed conflict would happen. It was something I hated to imagine and shouldn’t happen, but some, including myself, were already familiar with the manual in case of armed conflict.
Even in a time when it was difficult to handle sadness, she faced a painful political problem.
I wondered if she wanted to take on such a job. She wanted to have her own time, but the circ.u.mstances around her didn’t even allow it.
Apart from clearing up the war, she had to respond to the suspicions surrounding the death of the Vice Guild Master and defend the Blue Guild.
She would have thought it was important. She knew how much the Vice Guild Master loved the guild, after all. She might have thought that it was the best mourning she could ever do.
‘It’s sad… Something like this… wouldn’t have been the sight that the Vice Guild Master wanted…’
He wouldn’t have wanted something like this…
As I slowly got up and pa.s.sed by, I saw Yoo Ahyoung and Kim Chang-ryul nodding their heads.
Kim Ye-ri was holding and talking with manager Kim Miyoung, who was just about to head to the officials of the Church. I didn’t know what exactly they were talking about, but it was probably related to what she just told me.
“Who they think they are to ask for the uncle? What have that b.a.s.t.a.r.ds done?”
“Kim Ye-ri. Let’s not do this here… can we go to… another place…”
“Me too. I want to go with you.”
Jung Hayan raised her head slightly as she heard them.
After talking with Han Sora for a second, she once again lowered her head, but a chill of unknown origin suddenly pa.s.sed by behind my back.
I couldn’t figure out why my hands and legs were shaking, but I imagined it would not have been strange if something just burst.
I could see Han Sora breathing slowly. Hw.a.n.g Jung-yeon and Ahn Ki-mo also stood up for a while and talked with manager Kim Miyoung.
At the corner, Cho Hyejin, who was sitting quietly and crying, caught my eyes. I approached slowly and sat next to her, but I couldn’t figure out what to say.
Still, I had to do what I could.
There was nothing I could do other than to hold her hand tightly quietly.
“…”
“…”
“I looked unsightly.”
“…”
“I really… looked unsightly.”
“Everyone will understand.”
“I shouldn’t have been stubborn… It seems that I have been… a nuisance until the end. I’m sure that the Vice Guild Master… would be laughing at me. He would be laughing at me, asking if that’s the only thing I could do.”
“…”
“I couldn’t read it.”
“…”
“I couldn’t tell them that we had to stand up in honor of his sacrifice, and that it would be what the Saint of the Continent wanted. Even as to how much he truly loved the continent, I couldn’t tell them what kind of life he endured.”
“…”
“If I just read… what was in front of me… It would be over if I read it as it was… I couldn’t read it. Sniff… I couldn’t do it right. I couldn’t do… anything right…sniff… until the end.”
I noticed her slumping down and crying again.
As I gazed at her, I noticed blood smearing from her thighs. The red color dyeing the black bottoms seemed to represent her feelings.
Same as last time. I bit my lips tightly for a moment. I thought it would be right to mention it again. I spoke up.
“Cho Hyejin. Perhaps…”
“…”
“Perhaps…”
“Thank you for your concern, but this is the last time. If I don’t do this… even this way… I don’t think I can finish it…”
“Still…”
“Thank you. Thanks to you… I think I cheered up a bit. Go back to your seat. I have to finish this. Yes. I think I can do it now.”
Once again, I could see her going to the platform and talking quietly.
She stopped again and again and forcibly swallowed the tears, but she continued talking.
-His… His sacrifice was meaningful.
There was no such thing as meaningful death.
-You can definitely get over it… Yes. You can endure it. It’s not a big deal… He would say that to us. My friend, who loved us more than anyone else, smiled and closed his eyes at the last minute… And just like that moment… he will continue to smile and watch us.
There was no option to overcome someone’s death or to stand up from it. Death had always been painful and cursing, and it had already devoured so many people.
- Let’s rise… above the sadness. Let’s remember that he was with us.
“…”
-The Saint of Light, Son of Benignore, and my friend will be with us as the light that illuminates the continent. In our hearts… he will remain forever.