Chapter 192 : Trip
Chapter 192: Trip
The Great War.
The war that had begun in primordial times over possession of the ‘Gate,’ which connected countless dimensions, had finally come to an end.
Every High-ranking Executive, including the Leader of Pandemonium, was dead, and the remaining forces had scattered in every direction.
The enormous Gate still stood where the Academy had once been.
As though it had always been there.
Debate erupted over the colossal Gate that had suddenly appeared.
Some argued that it should be sealed, while others insisted that it should be destroyed.
In a way, the Gate was the source of every problem.
It was because of the Gate that Earth had become a target of the Demons, and countless Monsters and Dungeons had proliferated throughout the world.
But in the end, no suitable solution was found.
There had been two reasons why the Gate had remained hidden from the world until now.
The first was that Metatron, a transcendent existence, had shattered the Gate.
The second was that Baek Hyun-joong had sealed it afterward to conceal the Gate while it restored itself.
But neither of them existed in this world anymore.
In other words, humanity had no choice but to accept the change.
The government acknowledged the existence of the ‘Gate’ and shared information about it with numerous countries.
With the help of the United Nations, the ‘Gate’ was registered as a World Heritage Site, while support from various nations ensured that it received the highest level of management and protection.
Naturally, the Academy that had originally occupied the site of the Gate had no choice but to relocate.
That was only obvious.
Humanity still knew nothing about the unknown entity called the ‘Gate.’
There was no way they could teach students beneath a ‘Gate’ when no one knew what dangers it might contain.
Relocation wasn’t difficult.
No, there was nothing difficult about it in the first place.
The Academy that had once stood where the ‘Gate’ now existed had already been destroyed during the Great War.
And not merely destroyed.
It had been completely obliterated.
The land where the Academy’s buildings had once stood was now a vast plain.
The End’s Demonic Energy had swallowed everything.
Thanks to that, Sirius Academy was also facing a new beginning.
Since the buildings themselves had to be rebuilt from scratch, it would take quite some time before anyone could see the new Academy.
For the Cadets who had lost their school, the Sword Emperor lent the Swordmaster Family’s training grounds as a temporary Academy branch.
Apparently, he absolutely refused to allow his grandson to end up with only a middle-school education instead of even graduating high school, even if dirt had to be thrown into his eyes.
That was what had happened during the month following the End’s death.
I stirred beneath the blankets before opening my eyes at the savory smell brushing past my nose.
Faint light seeped through the curtained window.
When I checked the time, it was six in the morning.
Habits ingrained into the body didn’t disappear easily.
Even if I wanted to sleep in, my mind became completely awake whenever this hour came around.
Blinking, I stared blankly at the ceiling.
Had it already been a month?
A month had passed since I returned from death.
The world continued moving busily, while I had been living the life of a completely unemployed bum.
I got out of bed and opened the door to my room, where a small girl wearing a rabbit apron greeted me.
“Mr. Seongwoo! You’re awake?”
“Yeah. Did you sleep well too, Wol-ah?”
“Yes. Breakfast today is soybean paste stew.”
“Smells good.”
Wol-ah sat me down at the table and served breakfast.
Wol-ah was currently living with me.
Originally, she would have been sent to an orphanage, but I had decided to take responsibility for her as her guardian.
Of course, there had been a few problems.
First of all, I wasn’t legally an adult yet, and Wol-ah hadn’t even had her birth registered.
I borrowed the power of authority to deal with those issues.
It was embarrassing to say it myself, but since I was one of the Heroes who had saved the world, it wasn’t particularly difficult.
Anyway, officially, Wol-ah was now registered as my younger sister.
And I really did think of her as my younger sister.
Although we hadn’t known each other for very long, we were deeply connected through the Heavenly Demon.
Before I knew it, Wol-ah had finished eating and began clearing the table.
I stopped her when she tried to wash the dishes.
“I’ll finish up. You need to get ready for your academy.”
“Oh, right!”
Wol-ah suddenly raised her head, her eyes sparkling.
Today was the first day Wol-ah would meet children her own age.
Even back when she had lived at the Heavenly Demon’s residence, I had felt bad watching her spend most of the day doing housework while treating it like play.
I wanted Wol-ah to behave like a child her age.
Sometimes, she seemed far too mature for how young she was.
Of course, I couldn’t think of Wol-ah as an ordinary child.
After all, Wol-ah wasn’t human.
Wol-ah was the last Angel remaining in this world.
Even so, that didn’t change the fact that she was still a young child who needed care.
That was why I wanted her to enjoy everything a child her age should be able to enjoy.
Before long, Wol-ah finished getting ready and stood in front of me.
Wearing a yellow dress, she spun around once and asked,
“How do I look?”
“Cute. You look like a little chick.”
When I stroked her hair, a bright smile blossomed across Wol-ah’s face.
I held Wol-ah’s hand and waited with her for the school bus that would take her to the academy.
“I’m off!”
After confirming that Wol-ah had left, I checked my phone.
It had been ringing noisily for a while now.
When I answered, a familiar voice came through.
“Slave, where are you?”
My face naturally twisted at the playful voice.
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
“Hm? Why does your voice sound dissatisfied?”
“How long do I have to keep doing this?”
“Didn’t you say with your own mouth that you’d become our slave until we were discharged?”
“Damn it. My mouth really is the source of all my problems.”
As for how this had happened…….
It was not long after I revived.
Back then, something must have been wrong with my head because I felt guilty toward them.
There were the injuries they had suffered during the battle against the End, and seeing them bawling over my death had strangely moved me.
I had no idea what I had been thinking at the time.
Anyway, I said something I never should have said.
‘I’ll be your slave until all of you get discharged!’
I really shouldn’t have said that….
“Anyway, hurry up. We’d appreciate it if you brought some snacks or drinks on the way. Hospital food really doesn’t suit me.”
“I’d like a zero-calorie drink, please.”
“Haa. My damn mouth.”
With a sigh, I started heading toward the hospital.
The others still hadn’t fully recovered from the injuries they suffered against the End, so they were continuing treatment.
On the way, I stopped by a convenience store and bought lunchboxes and drinks before arriving at the hospital.
A promise was still a promise.
The hospital they were staying at was the same hospital where Instructor Kang Jae-seok had once been admitted.
When I entered the VIP ward, I saw a familiar face.
Seo Da-hee, who had been chatting with a Nurse, waved at me.
“Seongwoo? You’re here again today. Haven’t you been coming almost every day lately?”
“I wouldn’t be coming either if I had a choice. How’s your body?”
“A lot better. I think I’ll be discharged soon.”
That was pretty welcome news.
If Seo Da-hee was being discharged, it meant Park Siwoo and the others would probably be discharged soon as well.
At that moment, Seo Da-hee’s pupils turned grayish-white.
“What? Why aren’t you greeting me?”
Lia glared at me with a sharp voice.
She had been like that ever since I revived.
Apparently, she had felt deeply betrayed that I had gone and died while leaving her behind without permission.
Even this was much better than before.
When I first revived, she had hugged me while bawling her eyes out, then beaten the hell out of me, and from the next day onward, she exploded in anger every time she saw me.
Thanks to that, the others had also learned about Lia’s existence.
“Are you getting along with Park Siwoo and the others?”
“She gets along with them even better than I expected. If I’d known it would be like this, maybe I should’ve told everyone about Lia sooner.”
Seo Da-hee, having regained control of her body, answered in Lia’s place.
“Helena especially takes really good care of her. Sometimes when I see the two of them talking, I get jealous.”
“That’s good.”
It was a good thing for Lia’s circle of relationships to expand.
Just like Wol-ah, Lia had very few personal relationships.
She had at least gained various experiences by sharing Seo Da-hee’s body, but the only people Lia could actually talk to had been me and Seo Da-hee.
Naturally, the loneliness she felt had to be even greater.
Maybe that was why Lia sometimes seemed so fixated on me.
“I’ll get going. Those bastards called me.”
“Did I keep you too long?”
“As if that matters now. I’ll contact you again later.”
“Okay. By the way, Siwoo and the others should be in the rehabilitation training room right now.”
I nodded and headed toward the rehabilitation training room as she suggested.
The moment I entered, my face twisted.
A spear and sword collided, scattering sparks.
Clang! Kagang! Bang!
The sword and spear repeatedly collided and rebounded through the air at speeds invisible to the naked eye.
Park Siwoo spun his spear in midair and swung it with centrifugal force.
Dan Chun-woo protected his upper body with the flat of his sword, twisting his body to redirect the blow.
Faint Mana began gathering around Dan Chun-woo’s sword.
What the hell was I looking at?
The gale created by their clash made my hair flutter.
Noticing my arrival, Park Siwoo and Dan Chun-woo stopped their duel.
“You’re here? We were waiting for you.”
“Tell me the truth. You guys are already completely healed, aren’t you? You’re just staying hospitalized so you can boss me around.”
“Of course not.”
“You’re saying that while having a duel?”
Park Siwoo immediately protested.
“Get your facts straight. This is all part of rehabilitation.”
“Sure it is.”
I tossed the snacks and drinks I had bought toward them.
Park Siwoo caught them skillfully, opened a drink, and gulped it down refreshingly.
“So why did you call me today?”
“When have we ever needed a reason to call you?”
“That’s true.”
“You bastards.”
It seemed like today might be the day I needed to beat some sense into these idiots.
As I loosened my hands and cracked my knuckles,
Park Siwoo hurriedly continued.
“Of course, today we actually did call you because there’s something we wanted to say.”
“You’re not just making something up right now, are you?”
“Of course not.”
“Go on, then. Spit it out.”
After cautiously checking my expression, Park Siwoo spoke for the group.
“The doctor said they’ve done everything they can for us at the hospital, so we’re allowed to be discharged.”
“And?”
Since Seo Da-hee had already told me, it wasn’t particularly surprising.
What mattered was what came next.
Without unclenching my fist, I looked at them.
“What does that have to do with why you called me?”
“How about we all take a trip together after we get discharged?”
“A trip?”
“Yeah. The Academy is on winter break anyway. If we don’t all travel together now, when will we ever get another chance? Everyone’s been through a lot. We deserve to have some fun too!”
I thought about it for a moment.
It wasn’t a bad suggestion.
If anything, it sounded great.
I had also been bored after spending the past month living like a completely unemployed bum.
“But I’m a little worried about Wol-ah.”
“We figured you would be, so we already found someone who can look after her.”
“My older sister has been waiting for the chance. She said she wanted to set aside a day and take Wol-ah out to have fun.”
The Sword Empress.
She had helped me quite a lot when it came to taking care of Wol-ah.
She had fallen for Wol-ah’s cute appearance, bought her all kinds of clothes, and even helped get her officially registered into my family.
I could definitely trust her with Wol-ah.
Wol-ah seemed to like the Sword Empress too.
“Where are you thinking of going?”
“Busan! Let’s go see the ocean.”