Chapter 247. C Between B and D
In the Ca.s.siubia mountain range, the earth that had turned red from battle recovered some of its green by sunset. Their enemies’ sporadic attacks had suddenly stopped, and after a lull, the Ca.s.siubia League confirmed that their enemies were backing away. That marked their success in defending their lands, and the mountain range was bustling with celebrations for the Demon Empire’s and the Sernitas’ retreat. They had beaten not only one, but two formidable forces that they usually would’ve struggled to deal with separately. They were overjoyed.
However, Chi-Hyun couldn’t celebrate the news. When Bael fought in the frontlines and the Sernitas ambushed them using the Demon Empire’s paths, it had been truly dangerous. It was thanks to the information that Chi-Woo unearthed that they were able to safely defend against the attacks. Their enemies didn’t back away even when they failed to accomplish their goal of capturing the final dragon, and the reason for that was obvious: their purpose was to tie down Chi-Hyun and the Ca.s.siubia League’s main forces. With that alone, their enemies had reached a part of their other goals. And the fact that they were retreating now meant…
—Seems like the Demon Empire has finished their preparations to invade Shalyh.
A voice rang. It didn’t come from physical vocal cords, but materialized from thoughts. Chi-Hyun glanced below him and saw the great dark shadow cast by a dragon’s body.
—Thank you. I am alive thanks to you.
“…”
—If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve died.
The final dragon thanked Chi-Hyun politely. As a creature that had survived thousands of years, she had the sense to know the relations.h.i.+ps she should build.
—I finally have something to celebrate after a long time.
The final dragon looked in the same direction Chi-Hyun was looking in and continued.
—So, I am planning to enjoy it as much as I can and hold a big festival tonight. How about it?
Chi-Hyun snorted at the final dragon’s softly-spoken suggestion. The dragon knew that Chi-Hyun wasn’t simply turning her invitation down, but suggesting that she had lost her mind.
—Then what else should we do? Should we gather troops and send reinforcements now?
But that would be the truly nonsensical thing to do. They didn’t know if and when the two enemy forces would return, and the Ca.s.siubia League’s forces were already exhausted. Furthermore, it was too late to send the troops now; even if they sent elite members who could fly, they might not be able to arrive at their destination on time.
—Didn’t you leave the work to them because you trusted them?
The final dragon was telling Chi-Hyun to hold onto that belief until the end. Chi-Hyun sighed deeply. Usually, he would’ve agreed with the final dragon, but right now, there was something preventing him from acting like the legend he was. Chi-Hyun didn’t listen to the conversation any longer, and as if he thought standing around like this was a waste of time, he kicked off the ground and flew into the air. The final dragon didn’t stop him and appeared as if she had expected this to happen. She simply watched Chi-Hyun get further and further away.
‘Chi-Woo…’ Chi-Hyun bit his lips. He told Chi-Woo that he could try to fight if he saw a future where he saved Shalyh, but there was no way that Shalyh’s fall could be prevented. That was the judgment Chi-Hyun made in the beginning and still had. Even if they managed to thwart that future somehow this time, the same future would re-emerge later—in a much fiercer and powerful form so that there really was no way to prevent it then. That was how a definite future worked. Thus, Chi-Hyun hoped that Chi-Woo would just give up on Shalyh.
And that was why Chi-Hyun had entrusted Ismile with authority over this matter. Chi-Hyun knew Ismile was a formidable hero who wouldn’t be easily swayed by only the t.i.tle and appearance of the youngest son of the Choi family, who had never shown himself before. Unlike Noel, he was the type to respond nonchalantly, ‘Oh is that so? What does that have to do with this matter?’ Thus, Chi-Hyun had thought Ismile would’ve led the heroes to evacuate Shalyh by now, yet there was still no news of that happening. That seemed to mean only one thing.
‘What in the world are you thinking?’
Shaaaa! Chi-Hyun’s figure fiercely pierced through the air.
***
Zelit felt nervous after receiving Chi-Woo’s call. Though he had borrowed thousands of royals from Chi-Woo, he still wasn’t making any clear progress. He thought it would be understandable for Chi-Woo to be upset with him. Of course, Zelit didn’t waste any of the money he received. Instead, he used them frugally while even foregoing his food expenses sometimes. He was able to establish the framework of his plan, but it was still too lacking. Considering how involved the plan was, there were many expenses to make, and Zelit wondered if he would have to ask for more money when Chi-Woo happened to call him, saying that they needed to talk.
Thus, Zelit readied his heart, knowing that he would have to relay to Chi-Woo disappointing news. But when he actually met up with Chi-Woo, he was stunned to hear something completely unexpected: the Demon Empire was planning to invade Shalyh. Chi-Woo’s explanation was more complicated than he thought, but Zelit was able to understand the situation with his high intelligence.
“Then…since that traitor must not know about this plan, you are calling each person individually and explaining the situation.”
“Yes, and I’m only telling people I can trust.”
“It’s a plan where secrecy is priority. I thank you for trusting me, but it’s more dangerous the more people know about this secret. It would put all of our lives at risk.”
“The only people I told are you and Mr. Jin-Cheon. I’m sure the Celestial Lights are keeping quiet too. They are probably making preparations under the guise of a large-scale expedition or requests. Then, when that day comes…”
“Hm, if that’s the case, I understand.” Zelit nodded. “It makes me anxious that the legend is missing…but if Ismile from Nahla also agreed to this plan, he must’ve seen hope in it,” Zelit said. Chi-Woo wondered why Zelit mentioned only Ismile among the other Celestial Lights.
“Hm…why do you specifically mention him?” Ismile was a person who Chi-Woo couldn’t understand at all, and he was curious what Zelit thought of him.
“The Invincible Ismile,” Zelit answered. “He’s famous for never having lost a single fight. It’d be no exaggeration to say it’s all thanks to that man that the Nahlas are grouped with the Chois and the Ho Lactea.” Zelit continued, “Of course anyone among the twelve families is special…but how should I say this? Apoline, Yeriel, and Emmanuel are the new generation.” They were the newcomers catching up to the original strongest fighters. “That’s how they differ. Ismile Nahla is someone thought to be one step below the legend. If you consider how great the legend is, you must realize how amazing Ismile is to be compared to him like that.”
Chi-Woo’s mouth slightly gaped open. He thought Ismile was special, but not to this level.
“Since it’s a plan that a hero with a 100% success rate is taking part in, he must believe there’s a good chance of success,” Zelit said and looked to Chi-Woo. “Anyways, thank you for telling me. I will also make my preparations. If you succeed, it will help the heroes grow tremendously, and…” Zelit trailed off and glanced in another direction. He felt a person’s strong gaze on him and saw that someone was looking at him through the slightly ajar door. It was Ru Hiana, who had an expectant look on her face.
“…What is Ru Hiana doing there?” Zelit asked, and Chi-Woo also stared at the door, meeting eyes with Ru Hiana.
“Senior! Senior!” Ru Hiana asked with her eyes sparkling. “Did you tell him? Or can I?”
“…” Chi-Woo was speechless. Ru Hiana had been acting like this ever since he revealed his ident.i.ty. Chi-Woo felt as if he had become the most popular animal at a zoo.
“…I already told him.”
Ru Hiana shrieked and turned to Zelit. But soon, she was forcefully dragged away. “Ru Hiana. He is in the middle of talking with a guest.”
“No! Wait!” Ru Hiana shouted.
Chi-Woo felt a bit conflicted seeing this. Ru Amuh was right. Ru Hiana had been looking all impatient and excited after learning Chi-Woo’s secret. Although Ru Amuh promised to keep Ru Hiana’s mouth sealed, it seemed the secret would spread across the whole city considering her current state.
Zelit looked confused because he didn’t realize Ru Hiana was talking about Chi-Woo’s ident.i.ty rather than the plan. He coughed and asked, “Do you have anything more to say?”
Chi-Woo shook his head, and Zelit asked again, “Really?”
“Rather than me, it looks like you are the one who has more to say.”
Zelit squeezed his eyes shut and said, “I wanted to ask if I could borrow some more money.”
“Money?”
“Yes. There are a lot of expenses to pay…”
“How much?”
Zelit replied carefully, “About 10,000 royals…”
“Ah, I have that much.” Chi-Woo tapped on the bun on his shoulder and made him spit out a pouch full of money. There were roughly 100 gold coins.
“Is this enough?”
“Wait, are you really alright with this?” Zelit asked.
“Yes, I have money left from last time. Also, I gained a considerable amount from the expedition not too long ago—” Chi-Woo stopped speaking because Zelit was madly shaking his head.
“No, I know I’m in no position to say this as the one borrowing from you—but is it really okay to just give away money like this?” There was a limit to how good a person could be. Unable to wrap his head around Chi-Woo’s response, Zelit asked, “Aren’t you worried? Were I in your place, I would’ve set up conditions or something.”
“Ah…” Chi-Woo rolled his eyes as he thought about how he should explain himself. “Should I call it my intuition?”
“Intuition?” Zelit frowned. “You mean a feeling?”
“Yes, I suppose so… I don’t know exactly, but I’ve always had good intuition since I was young.” Chi-Woo crossed his arms. “I can always tell what I should and shouldn’t do pretty well.” And in this case, Chi-Woo had a feeling that it was all right—no, that it would be a very good investment to lend Zelit money right now.
Zelit’s mouth gaped open. He knew Chi-Woo wasn’t the type to lie, but these words were hard to believe. Still, it would be a truly cheat-like ability if true, especially in a world where one’s every choice and judgment were directly linked to their survival. Zelit wanted to ask more about it, but refrained. It wasn’t polite to dig into other people’s user information.
“Well…if you are feeling so unsure, would you answer a question for me in exchange?” Chi-Woo thought it was a good chance to bring up a problem that had been haunting him. Though thanks to Shersha, Chi-Woo was able to learn about the future and enact a plan, there was still one thing he couldn’t understand: it was what the red-haired great demon had told him before she died.
“Sounds good to me. What is it?”
“Will there be any benefit to helping an enemy in need?”
It was unexpected. Zelit wondered why Chi-Woo was asking such a question, but decided to focus on answering it.
“Do you mean joining hands with an enemy?”
“Something like that.”
“It’s a pretty deep question,” Zelit said while stroking his chin. After gathering his thoughts, he spoke while pointing at the ground, “There are always enemies anywhere, including in this city, Shalyh.”
“Are you talking about the traitor?”
“It’s not limited to the traitor.” Zelit shook his head. “Even if two people are on the same side and have the same goal, they could be enemies.”
“Why?”
“Because whether it’s an animal or human, a living creature is loyal to its own emotions. Everyone’s feelings are bound to be different, and as these feelings clash, problems would arise.” These clashes happened countless times, be it in the forms of differing ideologies, interests, or pursuit of power… The possible triggers were endless. There weren’t big clashes among humanity right now because everyone was too preoccupied with their survival. As the desperate need to survive occupied all their minds, there was no room for other emotions. But there was no guarantee this situation would continue to be.
“Do you perhaps remember what I told you before?” Zelit asked. “I don’t know if it happened in your world’s history too…but think about the process in which a revolution first succeeds and collapses.”
Even when many gathered for the same goal, the group often dispersed for individual reasons. This was the reason many revolutions failed. But when an environment or situation was so terrible, people didn’t even have the time or luxury to think of anything other than their goal. Chi-Woo could understand what Zelit was telling him by recalling his time in the military. Unlike what people would commonly think, there was less bullying in bases that had harsher training such as the general outpost. People were too tired to do much of anything else, and everyone knew others were already suffering just like them.
“And this logic doesn’t only apply to us, but everywhere else including the Ca.s.siubia League, the Demon Empire, the Abyss, and even the Sernitas. It’s the same everywhere. That’s why civil wars happen, and people join hands with their worst enemies to defeat another enemy.” There was a reason why there was a saying, ‘an enemy of your enemy is your friend’.
Zelit concluded, “So if it’s for that purpose, I think it is worth a try depending on the situation.”
“…I see.” Chi-Woo nodded after listening quietly and smiled. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. I just said my thanks. This isn’t a big deal.” Zelit waved his hand and looked at the gold coins on the table greedily.
“But…can I really have this?”
“Of course,” Chi-Woo answered easily. After Zelit answered his question, Chi-Woo wasn’t completely refreshed, but he felt like he had cleared a lot of thoughts in his head.
***
—There’s no reason for you to go.
A calm voice rang.
—You already fulfilled your role splendidly. You can just wait here like you usually do, and we will respond to the changes as best as possible. There’s no need for you to step onto the frontlines…
The voice sounded uncharacteristically pleading.
—No…
But his addressee firmly refused, unlike her usual self.
—I…will…go…this time…
She emphasized again to show that she had made up her mind.
—I…hope you…will…listen to…me…this time…
She said in a faint voice, and the calm voice sighed.
—This is the first time I’m seeing you being so stubborn.
The owner of the calm voice couldn’t understand how Shersha, who was usually so level-headed and meek, would act so firmly like this. What in the world did she see?
—Our…empire…is at stake…
Considering Shersha’s worth, it didn’t make sense to bring her to a dangerous battlefield, but even he could not change her mind this time.
—…I believe you, but I can’t promise you that everyone will listen to you.
The demon with a calm voice said and went inside the dark s.p.a.ce.
—I must see…with my own eyes…
Shersha whispered to herself.
—I have to meet…and listen…
That day, the Demon Empire headed for the holy city, Shalyh. Among them was the princess who was said to have never partic.i.p.ated in battle before.