‘The mood really is something.’
The place, damaged by war, felt strangely atmospheric. It was completely untended for four years, so vines and weeds had overgrown everywhere. Flowers bloomed here and there, and I could even see small animals like squirrels and birds.
The loud cries of unpleasant bugs rang out, but since I couldn’t actually see them, the atmosphere still felt fitting.
Moonlight shone over a place untouched by human hands.
There was no need to explain why it felt so serene.
By luck, the full moon looked larger and brighter than usual. Its light lingered and settled here. Without exaggeration, it felt like a special scene someone had staged. It was like the timing was planned. Light slipped through the cracked bricks, sweeping across the flowers blooming in between, and the scars left behind by war.
"Ah..."
He was at a sensitive age, so it was inevitable for him to exclaim in admiration at the sight before us. Of course, he had to have seen such scenery many times before. He had been traveling the continent alone as an adventurer before he met me. I could guarantee that he had slept or rested in mountains, beside rivers, and in ruins or dungeons more times than he could count.
Perhaps he had seen it so often that he had grown tired of it. I myself was a little tired of views like this, and yet he expressed wonder at the sight. The reason for his sudden change of heart was obvious.
‘Now it feels real.’
Back then, everything before him looked like fabricated graphics, but today, this place definitely looked like it was real. The flowers, the moonlight, the person standing before him, all of it was real. They weren't nonexistent; they truly existed. For the first time, he realized that this continent was real.
The stars and moon above were real, and he could keenly feel it—he could feel the fact that this continent was so beautiful it was hard to put into words.
An indifferent person would probably think, “So what?”
However, Sung Ji-Hoon, the Holy Sword Hero I knew, had never been an indifferent person.
Sure enough, I saw him slowly looking all around.
"Isn’t it beautiful? It looks especially beautiful tonight..." I asked.
"Uh... I-I guess..." Sung Ji-Hoon answered.
I naturally flopped down on the half-grown tree.
"Come over here, Mr. Ji-Hoon," I said.
He reluctantly settled next to me and looked up at the sky.
"Feeling a bit less troubled now?" I asked.
"I mean... is looking at the moon supposed to make all my worries disappear? Saying that you look at the moon when you have a lot on your mind... What’s that even supposed to mean? I’m not like some edgy kid in puberty. Most people don’t get their problems resolved just by looking at something like that..." he complained.
"Really? That’s surprising. For me, when I look at a sky like this, all the complicated thoughts just wash away. Why don’t you try looking again?" I suggested.
“...”
“...”
"Maybe... it does help a little..." he mumbled.
I revealed a small smile. "See? I told you."
He stared at me blankly.
It was a bit random, but I said something that was going to be important for the Holy Sword Hero's character development.
"I guess it’s because I like the night sky when the moon is out."
"Oh? Really? You like it?" he asked.
"Yes. I really do," I replied.
"W-why?" he asked.
"Imagine if there were no moon," I said.
"T-then wouldn’t the continent be doomed? The mudflats would vanish... the climate would change..." he said.
‘Seriously?! Geez, Ji-Hoon hyung!’
"That’s not what I mean!" I yelled at him.
"..."
"..."
‘Build the mood back. Don’t waver and don’t get dragged by this idiot’s pace.’
"The moon lights up the dark sky," I said, looking stern and sounding solemn this time.
"Ah..."
"Once, I got lost. I was very young, so I don’t really remember it, but I remember it being pitch dark. I cried a lot. I shouted for help, I screamed to be saved, and for hours I yelled in a place where there was no one," I said.
"R-really?"
"Yes. Then I thought I couldn’t just stay there, so I started walking bit by bit. I didn’t know where I was or how much time had passed, but I had to do something, so I just walked," I continued.
"I see."
"Then, at some point, I saw a faint light. When I looked up at the sky, the moon was shining as big as it is tonight. It felt like it was guiding me where I needed to go. At that time, I didn’t know if I was on the right path or where I was heading, but I don’t think I felt scared or overwhelmed. You know what was really interesting?" I asked.
"What?"
"Actually, I wasn’t really lost," I answered.
"Wh-what do you mean?" he asked.
"I wasn’t lost. It’s just that I couldn’t see anything. Maybe because of clouds or something else, but the moon was hidden for a short while. It was only a brief moment, but because I couldn’t see anything, I thought I had lost my way," I explained.
“...”
"Sometimes, I think the people living on this continent are just like I was back then," I said.
"H‑huh?"
"The clouds can only hide the moonlight for a while, but everyone feels like they've lost their way, and in reality, that's true. Because they can’t see ahead, they get easily swayed by their surroundings and by other people. Maybe... your worries are similar to that, Mr. Ji-hoon," I explained.
"I-I’m not sure I really understand... but I kind of do," he muttered.
“...”
“...”
"I-I hope you can become like that full moon I saw that night," I told him.
"What?"
"You said you didn’t know what you’re supposed to do, right?" I asked.
"Y‑yeah... I did say that..." he answered.
"If what you said was true... that it was fate that brought us together, then there’s just one thing I want to tell you. Of course, stopping the war is good, and restoring peace to the continent is good too. And yes, you should definitely face the fate you talked about.
You came here to deal with the threats to this continent, so it would be great if you could resolve them. Maybe even defeat the Demon King, like in fairy tales," I explained.
“...”
"All of those things are really important, but along the way, and even after all of that, I hope you’ll become someone who can light the way for people who’ve lost theirs," I continued.
Right then, his expression began to darken. Even though I kept talking about hopeful things, the confidence faded from the Holy Sword Hero’s face, which was bathed in moonlight. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
He hesitated, hesitated again, and finally opened his mouth just as a cloud passed over the full moon.
"I-I might not even be a hero," Sung Ji-Hoon said.
"What?"
"It’s exactly what I said. T‑to be honest, I might not be a hero at all. I bragged like I knew everything... but maybe I’m just a nobody. I can’t trust those people anymore or believe everything they told me. And look, in the end, even Yuriel abandoned me. What kind of hero gets rejected by the Holy Sword? I... I’m..." he trailed off.
“...”
“I thought this place was something out of a novel or a comic,” he confessed.
‘Ah, here he goes crying again.’
“Heuk... ngh... I thought none of this was real... heuk... ngh... The people I hurt and the ones I cut down with my sword... I thought they weren’t real either... heuk... Yuriel always healed everything for me when I got hurt. It never even hurts... heuk... so I really believed this world wasn’t real.
"Heuk... I thought everyone was just like dolls... I was only a hero in my own fantasies... Things I always imagined just kept happening, so I felt good about it and went around pretending to be some big hero...” he added.
“Mr. Ji-Hoon...” I muttered.
“I-I was never anyone special where I came from... heuk... I was an outcast. Ngh... I wasn’t great at anything, not good at fighting, not good at studying... I was scared to go to school, so I dropped out... I just stayed home reading light novels and imagining using superpowers to beat up bullies...
"I’m no hero. The moment I realized this was real, I froze... Who in the world would summon someone like me as a hero? I-I think I was tricked. Those aren’t gods, they’re demons, and they tricked me just to mock me. I-I’m not a hero. Maybe I’m not... ngh..."
Naturally, he appeared incredibly anxious. He cried and declared that he wasn’t a hero. At the same time, he looked shocked, probably realizing that he had spoken carelessly.
Suddenly, the thought that I could follow him, even though he wasn’t a hero, filled his mind. Of course, his pupils trembled like an earthquake. He even openly showed his anxiety.
“I-it’s okay if I’m not a hero, right? W‑we’re still friends, aren’t we?” he asked.
“What does that matter?” I questioned.
“Huh?”
“Whether you’re a hero or not doesn’t matter at all. So what if you aren’t a hero? So what if the Holy Sword had abandoned you? Even if you weren’t the chosen hero, you’re still you. Anyone can be a hero, and you can be a hero too.
"You heard what Lady Brush said, didn’t you? Think about the young ladies who fought with her, did anyone choose them?” I said.
“Ah... I mean... that’s...”
“They weren’t chosen by the gods, transcendent beings, the Holy Sword either. That doesn’t matter at all. Who chose them doesn’t matter. You said you’re a coward, right?” I asked.
“Uh...”
“From where I’m standing, you’re absolutely not a coward,” I told him.
‘Well, except for his swordsmanship, he kind of is a fool.’
“You’re more thoughtful and considerate than others. You’re warm... sometimes brave, and sometimes impressive. Even if you weren’t specially chosen as a hero, you can... become like the full moon. You can light the way for others, and you can illuminate the world. I-I believe that,” I continued.
One could see it on his face. He couldn’t hide it. It looked like this was the first time someone had ever relied on him.
“And if you think you need to be chosen by someone, there’s really no need to worry,” I reassured him.
“...”
“Because I, a saint, will choose you,” I said.
His eyes widened.
“...”
“...”
Anyone could tell from his face that he was moved. No, more than that, it felt like something had truly reached him. I didn’t know what kind of resolve he made, but in that short conversation, it felt as though he realized countless things.
The moonlight was still shining down on him, and it sounded like I could hear his heart pounding.
Just then, a faint light seeped out of him. It resembled moonlight as it spread outward.
“Mr. Ji-Hoon,” I said.
“Huh?”
“You look strange.” I pointed at him.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“You’re... glowing,” I told him.
“Whoa! Why is this happening? Huh? Wait... Yuriel? Yuriel, is that you? What are you doing there? Yuriel? Yuriel?” he asked while panicking.
The Holy Sword was now clearly visible in my eyes, even though I hadn't been able to see it until now. The light from his body was shaping itself into a sword. The problem was that no matter how much he called Yuriel’s name, there was no response.
Without thinking, I reached toward his chest, and my hand slipped straight inside.
And then...
“W‑what? What is this? What’s happening?” he questioned.
‘That’s what I want to ask.’
The Holy Sword was slowly being drawn out of his chest.
More precisely, I was the one pulling it out.
He felt no pain, and he stared in wonder as it emerged from him.
“H‑how did you do that, Jin Yoo? How did you pull Yuriel out?” he asked.
‘I don’t know either.’
I just felt like I could, so I did. My head was spinning, but I had to say something.
“You... truly are a hero.”