Chapter 161
[437th Attempt, 3 minutes 51 seconds]
From a certain point, Martin of the Apocalypse, instead of drawing his dual pistols, took out a shotgun from the start, wary of . It was a natural consequence that my record, which had been exceeding 20 minutes, plumted.
‘This is a good phenonon.’
It's not falling behind. It's just the painful process of advancing toward the ultimate.
[451st Attempt, 5 minutes 14 seconds]
However, even the shotgun, which was frightening at first, began to look slow after the 21st attempt. And from so point on.
“You… are the who foolishly started trusting others?”
The arrogant Martin of the Apocalypse looked at with an expression of disbelief.
The level of Firearm Proficiency has risen from 8 to 9!
[498th Attempt, 25 minutes 43 seconds]
“You… what are you?”
And finally.
The level of Firearm Proficiency has risen from 9 to 10! Firearm Proficiency (Lv 10) has t the maximum conditions and evolved into Firearm Master (Lv 1)!
The level of Saint Gunner’s Dual Pistols (Temporary) has risen from 2 to 3.
[499th Attempt, Currently in Progress]
“….”
The battle began anew. The Martin of the Apocalypse who appeared looked at and watched without a word.
“I don’t feel anything.”
“….”
“Are you a powerhouse on the sa level as .”
You have overco the singularity. You did not yield even against an enemy that seed utterly unbeatable through endless deaths. Your spirit, instead of being worn down, has been beautifully crafted, and you have succeeded in absorbing the techniques of your opponent who tried to break you, reaching the sa state.
“This makes no sense.”
Martin of the Apocalypse looked at , terrified.
“This, this can’t be happening.”
He took a step back.
“It can’t be like this…!”
Absurdly, didn't he fall backward and land on his butt? I was flustered at the sight myself.
“…What are you so afraid of?”
“Don’t be ridiculous…. Why? How? Why are you and I on the sa level. You’re supposed to be impossible to beat!”
Watching Martin of the Apocalypse scream while ssing up his hair… I got a feeling.
“Why did you give up on Lilac?”
“….”
At my question, he remained silent for a long ti in the sa posture he was screaming in.
“…Because the end was coming. I had to get stronger to survive and go back ho.”
He slowly lifted his head and looked at .
“In that process, whoever died, whatever was sacrificed. I thought, why should I care.”
Bloody tears flowed from his eyes, which looked like those of a deranged madman.
“…So, what was your true heart?”
“It wasn’t!”
Martin of the Apocalypse shouted.
“I! I didn’t want to lose Lilac either! I didn’t want to send her away like that!”
Perhaps, he had distrusted Lilac. He must have constantly doubted her utmost devotion.
“I was wrong. I should have trusted her! If I had trusted her! If only I had believed! I wouldn't have pointlessly separated from Lilac and run into an assassin while going sowhere else! And Lilac, who was carefully following , wouldn't have been sacrificed trying to protect !”
Ah, that story… it was from the beginning of my possession. The story from when I left the Ulvhadin estate.
“The truth is, I wanted to believe. I really wanted to believe…. I didn’t know she was the only person who believed in …!”
Finally, Martin of the Apocalypse scread. He wailed, coughing up blood. He proved the truth with bloody tears. The essence of the guy who seed endlessly strong and charismatic was already in a state like a tattered rag.
“Oh, oooooh, ooooooooooh─! You, I envy you! You who protected Lilac and ca this far! That your state, who has everything, is the sa as mine, who distrusted everything and climbed here in solitude! I can’t believe it! If so, what was it that I believed in until now?! What aning did my actions have?!”
“….”
There was no need to fight.
“For what have I…!”
Martin of the Apocalypse had already lost.
“Aaaaaah─!”
He was already in no condition to fight.
“Uwaaaaaaaah! Aaaaaah! Aack! Aaaaaaaaack!”
Martin of the Apocalypse, who despaired that the solitude he had endlessly ruminated on was in reality a aningless act, wept ceaselessly. As if to prove his purity.
‘It’s red.’
However, there was no way sothing pure and transparent could co out of the body of the Apocalypse. The screams he spat out, his tears, even his saliva, were all a bloody red.
But just as life is, just as winter was. There's an end to sadness. It gradually began to subside, and in the end, the sight of Martin of the Apocalypse sitting still like a broken doll caught my eye.
“….”
“….”
I couldn't bring myself to kill him and just stood there.
“Lilac is.”
“…?”
“Lilac, did she look happy?”
He asked if Lilac looked happy.
“To call that a question. The answer is not even worth contemplating.”
It was an obvious question with a set answer. But I declared it as exaggeratedly as possible, for him to see.
“Lilac is the happiest in the world. She’ll be even happier in the future. I’m going to make it so.”
“Ha, right.”
Martin of the Apocalypse snickered as if my answer was funny. And then.
“In this world, I couldn't beco the apostle of chaos, so be careful. Soone will surely be chosen by Chaos and arrive as the end….”
“….”
“Fate has inertia. Since I couldn't beco it, it's highly likely that those connected to will….”
It was clearly advice. Before I could say anything, Martin of the Apocalypse raised a blackened pistol to his temple, and bang.
Simultaneously, the illusion shattered. Before my eyes was only the altar. The bloody tears that Martin of the Apocalypse had shed were nowhere to be seen.
‘Poor thing.’
I pity him. It's sothing only I can do.
The level of the skill, Wild Instinct, has risen from 4 to 5! The level notation has disappeared and it has beco Master! You can now use the new derivative skill of Wild Instinct, ‘Sensory Acceleration’!
Wild Instinct (Master), which was abandoned by the young Martin, awakens through you and accompanies your journey of twisting fate.
The penance bore fruit. Because the process was difficult, the fruit was all the sweeter. And there were even two.
The Hunting God of the Ulvhadin Family is impressed by the content of your trial! It grants you a unique skill passed down to the successive patriarchs!
You have acquired the unique skill ‘Ulvhadin’s Vow Bullet (Lv 1)’!
This was it. I was certain. I took one more step.
‘I am heading toward the correct ending.’
***
On the way ho after completing the Ulvhadin succession. Gazes gathered wherever I went, but the amazing thing was that I could feel all of them clearly.
Wild Instinct (Master) is confident that it is in top condition.
Even with my eyes closed and ears covered, I could feel it. The houses built of brick and wood, the people walking around, the wild grass on the roadside, even the falling water droplets. I could feel it all with my senses as if I were seeing it with my eyes.
‘The world I live in has changed.’
Isn't it said that the 1st dinsion is a point, the 2nd is a line, and the 3rd is a plane. It literally felt like the dinsion of my senses had changed.
‘But.’
There is one thing that doesn't change. My ho. A two-story house built right in front of a park decorated with flowers and fallen leaves. As I opened the door and entered, the doorbells chid, clinking against each other and making a clear sound.
‘This is no ordinary doorbell.’
It's an enchanted alarm device. It must be Nerjin's work.
“Master?!”
I heard the sound of soone hastily clattering down the stairs. Despite that, the light footsteps… were Lilac's. Lilac, who was coming down the stairs, saw and.
“Master!”
She ran over with a happy expression. I wonder how long it's been. Since I hadn't seen her for almost a month, I also felt a growing affection. I really wanted to hug her tightly, but Lilac, who was running over, seed to rember sothing and put on the brakes.
“Master.”
She then held both ends of her maid uniform's skirt and greeted formally.
“Welco back.”
“Yes, I’m back.”
I also responded to her greeting with a faint smile. Only then did Lilac approach , looking over from front to back and firing off questions like a rapper.
“Master! Have you eaten? What about a bath? Why do you look so tired…. Your clothes are torn here, too! I’ll nd them for you.”
She, who was worrying about , looked especially radiant today.
“…?”
For real, she's glowing.
“Lilac.”
“Yes?”
“….”
This light is not a light seen with the naked eye.
“While I was away….”
A light visible with spiritual eyes.
“Nothing… happened, right?”
“….”
Lilac seed to hesitate for a mont at my words.
“…Actually, Master. I must first apologize for doing sothing without your permission….”
Seeing Lilac apologize with a deep bow, my heart sank. I wondered if it was really sothing serious.
‘No, it’s not that. Calm down.’
The light dwelling inside Lilac is the light of a star, Stellar Force.
‘She learned Stellar Force. It can’t be a bad thing.’
Rather, this is the problem. Whenever Lilac is involved, I lose my composure.
“It's okay. If it’s your decision, I can respect anything. What happened?”
“Well, the person you call the Star Child visited….”
Like a child quietly confessing her wrongdoings, Lilac confessed the process of learning Stellar Force from the Star Child.
“I’m sorry.”
And then she looked at with teary eyes. While filled with apology, I could feel an unyielding resolve. Just like when William had put the position of patriarch on the line to make a deal with for Martin.
“But I couldn’t just stand still while everyone else was moving forward.”
I flinched.
I never imagined Lilac would harbor such thoughts without my knowledge. Because she was the Lilac who always told it was okay, that she would always be waiting here.
“I want to stand by your side, Master. I want to look at the sa world as you. Where you are, Master. Where your heart is headed. Where your gaze points, I wanted to go with you. I did, too.”
“Lilac. I… have always thought that you helping with the housework and the coffee wagon business was a great help.”
“I know. This is my greed. To always stand by your side without being separated. No, even if I can’t, it’s fine. I, I….”
Lilac said carefully.
“I didn’t want to be a burden to you, Master.”
“Lilac!”
Startled, I shouted her na. A startled Lilac looked at with wide eyes. I carefully held her shoulders with both hands.
“I have never once thought of you that way! Not even once! It's true that thanks to the work you've handled so far, I was able to carry out my external activities with peace of mind! And more than anything, I didn't wish for you to be exposed to such dangers…!”
The mont I was about to say more, my words caught in my throat.
‘No.’
Lilac had courageously stepped into an unknown territory. Though she said it was what she wanted, it was ultimately for . But if I spoke to her like that… wouldn't it be like saying I'd confine her like a bird in a cage.
“…Lilac.”
I cut off my previous words and raised my hand.
“You did well.”
And then I gently stroked Lilac's brown hair. Her purple eyes looked up at .
“Master….”
“I’m sorry for shouting earlier. There’s no way I would think of you as a burden. It’s just, I got emotional for a mont.”
“It’s alright. I also failed to properly distinguish what I should and shouldn’t say as a maid.”
“It’s okay. You have to say what you need to say.”
I continued to stroke her hair. It sohow slled nice.
“While I may be your master formally, I have no intention of binding you with that. Whatever choice you make, I respect you.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“Rather… I’m truly happy that your choice was a decision you made for . It’s selfish, isn’t it?”
“Not at all. I am also being suprely selfish for your sake, Master.”
I smiled at Lilac. A smile finally graced her lips as well.
“It feels good to be back after a while. Are there any snacks?”
“Yes! Of course!”
We headed to the second floor.
I read the newspaper and the information booklet Bianca had prepared, catching up on the news of the capital and the continent that I had missed. The main news was the ‘Founding Festival,’ which would begin in just a few days.
‘I was there for a whole month.’
And there was a hot potato issue that rivaled the Founding Festival.
[To Whom Will the Diplomatic Rights of Fog Island Go?]
[Deminiyan and Elidore Finally Heading Towards an All-out War.]
It was a battle for diplomatic rights, with the rare specialties from Fog Island at stake.
‘Hmm, this is bigger than I thought….’
The scale is huge. It’s spectacular enough just reading about it in the newspaper.
‘Personally, I want to side with Elidore.’
Marquis Elidore is not only a sponsor of the Peacemaker but also Luri’s father.
On the other hand, Duke Frohadin of Deminiyan… we’re like cats and dogs. We didn't throw punches at the Fog Island victory banquet, but we tore at each other like wild dogs.
[Founding Festival, Elf Queen’s Participation Confird!]
[The Showdown Between the Two Great Nobles at the Founding Festival?]
This Founding Festival won't be boring.
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