Chapter 363: A Hero’s Heart in Turmoil (Part 2)
A Hero’s Heart in Turmoil (Part 2)
"In the end..."
"Was I..."
Her voice stopped.
Before the words could leave her lips...
Victor’s familiar voice echoed inside her mind.
Calm.
Mocking.
Uncompromising.
"Is that it?"
"Is that all your dream meant to you?"
Videl’s pupils trembled.
The next instant—
Bang!
Her fist slammed into her own face.
She staggered backward from the force.
"What the hell am I doing?!"
Her own shout echoed through the empty dormitory.
She refused to let herself finish that sentence.
She refused to abandon the dream she had protected for so many years.
Videl’s chest rose and fell violently.
Her fist remained pressed against her cheek where she had struck herself.
The sharp sting of pain brought clarity to her muddled thoughts.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
She knelt on the floor.
The cold stone beneath her forehead grounded her restless mind.
"...No."
Her voice was barely audible.
"I already made my choice."
Her fingers curled tightly against the cracked floor.
Fine fractures had spread outward from where she had slammed her head moments before.
She stared at those cracks in silence.
They reminded her of herself.
Broken.
Shaken.
Yet not beyond repair.
She closed her eyes.
The memories she had buried began surfacing one after another.
The countless people Victor had saved.
The impossible burdens he silently carried.
The difficult choices he made without ever asking for praise.
Only now did she truly understand what he had meant during their earlier conversation.
Victor had never claimed he could save everyone.
He never chased an impossible fantasy.
Instead...
He struggled to save as many people as possible while sacrificing as little as he could.
It sounded simple.
Yet only now did Videl realize how cruel those words truly were.
Every decision carried a price.
Every life saved sometimes meant another life couldn’t be reached in time.
No matter how powerful someone became...
There would always be limits.
"I wanted..."
"...to save everyone."
A bitter smile appeared on her lips.
"But I never thought about what I’d do..."
"...when that became impossible."
She slowly shook her head.
"I kept chasing a beautiful dream..."
"...without preparing myself for reality."
Silence filled the room once more.
Then...
A faint smile appeared despite the tears lingering in her blue sapphire eyes.
"Victor..."
"You really are..."
"...annoyingly right."
She let out a quiet laugh at herself.
"I called you cold."
"I thought your way of thinking lacked compassion."
"But..."
"The truth is..."
"...you’re simply stronger than I am."
Not stronger in body.
Not stronger in talent.
Stronger in resolve.
Victor accepted painful truths without allowing them to destroy his convictions.
Videl had nearly allowed one tragedy to erase the dream she had carried since childhood.
She slowly rose to her feet.
Her posture remained weary.
Her eyes were still red.
Yet the hesitation clouding them had begun to disappear.
She inhaled deeply.
"...Nothing will change..."
"...if I stay locked in this room."
She wiped the remaining tears from her face.
"I can grieve."
"I should grieve."
"But..."
"I can’t stop walking."
The dream she sought hadn’t disappeared.
The road had simply become more painful than she had imagined.
Her gaze drifted toward the dormitory window.
Outside...
Students and academy staff continued repairing damaged buildings.
Some carried timber.
Others rebuilt broken walls.
Everyone was moving forward despite the losses they had suffered.
"...If they can keep moving..."
"...so can I."
She picked up her sword and fastened it to her waist.
Without another word...
She quietly left the dormitory.
...
The academy grounds were unusually peaceful.
Only a few days had passed since the undead invasion.
Scattered repair crews worked tirelessly throughout the campus.
Collapsed towers remained surrounded by scaffolding.
Broken statues had yet to be restored.
The scent of fresh timber mixed with lingering traces of smoke carried gently through the evening air.
Videl walked without any particular destination.
She simply needed space to think.
Each step gradually eased the pressure weighing upon her heart.
As she wandered through Fantom City’s recovering streets, Victor’s earlier explanation replayed repeatedly in her mind.
Save as many as possible...
With as little sacrifice as possible.
She quietly repeated those words.
"...Maybe..."
"...that’s what being a hero really means."
Not perfection.
Not miracles.
But refusing to stop moving forward.
Even after failure.
Even after loss.
Even when the road ahead was stained with tears.
A faint breeze brushed across her long blonde hair.
For the first time since the battle...
Her breathing became steady.
Then—
Her attention shifted.
Someone ahead caught her eye.
At first glance...
The man looked completely ordinary.
He wore plain clothing.
His appearance wasn’t memorable.
His pace matched everyone else’s.
Nothing about him stood out.
Yet...
Something felt wrong.
Videl slowed her steps.
Her blue sapphire eyes narrowed slightly.
What is it...?
She couldn’t explain the feeling.
It wasn’t his face.
Nor his clothes.
Nor his movements.
Everything appeared perfectly natural.
Almost...
Too natural.
The more she watched him...
The stranger he seemed.
It felt as though he was deliberately trying not to attract attention.
As if blending into the crowd had become second nature.
Videl unconsciously continued observing him.
Several moments passed.
The man never looked back.
Yet an uneasy feeling settled in her heart.
Why does he feel familiar...?
She searched her memory.
Nothing.
No answer came.
Still...
Her instincts refused to let the matter go.
...
Several streets ahead...
The assassin immediately noticed the young woman watching him.
Without changing his expression, he continued walking naturally through the crowd.
Inside...
His heartbeat skipped.
Damn it...
That’s one of Victor’s companions.
Although he never meet Videl personally but he had already gathered information about Victor’s full circle.
Anyone associated with that terrifying man was very dangerous.
Its any chance did she recognize me?
He forced himself to remain calm.
No.
She couldn’t have.
If she truly knew who I was...
I’d already be restrained.
Even so...
Cold sweat slowly trickled down his back.
He resisted every urge to glance over his shoulder.
Instead...