NOVEL NEXT Chapter 168
Chapter 168: The End
“It’s over. Everything.”
Just when he thought that, the sensation of being connected to his body returned.
“Huh…”
Si-hyun gasped, collapsing to his knees as if the ground beneath him had announced its victory.
Every ache from the brutal beating by Arthur surged back in waves of agony.
On top of that, it felt like someone was gripping his heart tightly and squeezing it mercilessly.
The pain swelled, choking him as if his chest had closed up tight.
Even taking shallow breaths began to feel like a monumental task.
Si-hyun barely managed to prop himself up with both hands pressed against the floor.
His whole body trembled uncontrollably.
His mind began to dim, becoming more and more hazy.
Reality felt distant, as if he were floating away from it all.
Everything that had happened seemed like a fever dream.
He heard hurried footsteps approaching from afar.
— Please take good care of Po-ahim.
The voice of the Sword Master echoed in his mind.
It didn’t sound like it was directed at him.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Miriam’s response came clear.
‘…I see…’
Si-hyun felt the strength drain from his hands.
Thud!
Then, the sharp sensation of his head colliding with the ground struck him.
Yet even in pain, his mind wouldn’t awaken.
If anything, it scattered further.
“Lord!”
Feeling Miriam’s hand nearing him, Si-hyun finally let go of the thread of consciousness.
◈ ◈ ◈
Suddenly, his mind snapped back into focus.
What is this…?
It shouldn’t be possible to regain consciousness so abruptly in this state.
Si-hyun blinked and stared blankly at the ceiling.
It wasn’t the ceiling of a hospital. It was one he recognized from somewhere.
Where am I…?
His eyes widened in alarm, and he shot up to a sitting position.
As expected, there he was—the man in front of him. A hulking figure that appeared more ferocious than any criminal.
“You’ve done well.”
Po-ahim said softly.
“Po-ahim…”
Si-hyun stared at Po-ahim with a baffled expression.
Earlier, he had felt resentment towards him.
But now, facing him, he found himself at a loss for words, unsure of what to say.
After a moment, he managed to speak.
“Please tell me I’m not dead…?”
The first summoning of the Sword Master had been tough, but this time he had physically called Po-ahim, pulling strength from him.
Of course, the burden experienced after his spirit had departed was on an entirely different level.
Before losing consciousness, Si-hyun had felt the agonizing grip of death.
“You’re not dead.”
“Thank goodness.”
Hearing Po-ahim’s response, Si-hyun let out a sigh of relief.
Honestly, it had been a risky adventure, but it seemed to have ended happily.
Calmed from his earlier worries, Si-hyun looked at Po-ahim and spoke again.
“But why didn’t you help me when I was about to die?”
“Eagles raise their young fiercely.”
“….”
Si-hyun’s face reflected his disbelief at Po-ahim’s straightforward answer.
So… what you’re saying is.
…You’re raising me tough right now?
If he got raised any tougher, he wouldn’t even have bones left.
“But still… isn’t there a rescue technique you could teach me?”
“Every technique I’ve given you is a remarkable one.”
“…Huh?”
Sure, they were usable, but they didn’t seem worthy of such self-praise…
“However.”
Po-ahim began, wearing an unreadable expression. Si-hyun watched him intently.
What Po-ahim said next was crucial.
“I was very pleased with how you defeated the Little King this time.”
“Yeeah….”
While he said he was pleased, his face betrayed no emotion. It felt like he was saying it without meaning it.
For some reason, it made Si-hyun feel uneasy.
Po-ahim didn’t care how Si-hyun reacted and continued speaking.
“So, I shall bestow upon you a special gift. My secret technique.”
“Um… what now?”
His tone and expression were so ordinary that Si-hyun belatedly realized what he was saying and reacted.
Eyes wide with disbelief, he stared at Po-ahim.
“…A secret technique?”
“Indeed. With this technique, you won’t just be on the receiving end of punches in one-on-one fights.”
Well, just not getting hit wouldn’t be enough.
He needed to be the one who knocks them out.
And this was limited to one-on-one only…?
Si-hyun regarded Po-ahim with doubt.
Then, out of nowhere, he spoke up.
“Um, Po-ahim-senpai.”
“What is it?”
“Are you strong?”
Before he knew it, he had asked point-blank.
Po-ahim began to answer without hesitation.
“I am…”
Huh?
Suddenly, Po-ahim’s voice faded out.
Oh no, not again.
Am I losing consciousness right at the vital part?
Si-hyun desperately tried to cling to his consciousness, but everything blurred away again.
◈ ◈ ◈
…Where is this?
As Si-hyun regained his senses, he looked around.
It seemed to be a hospital room.
Moreover, a solitary one.
But seeing some sort of notice in English on the wall, it seemed he was still in the States.
Click.
Just then, the sound of the room’s door opening caught his attention.
His gaze turned that way.
A tall woman, Miriam, walked in.
Their eyes met.
“You’re awake.”
Miriam smiled brightly as she approached Si-hyun.
Si-hyun returned her smile with a nod.
“How are you feeling?”
“Um…”
At her question, Si-hyun started assessing his condition.
He raised a hand and waved it around, feeling no pain as if the tremendous agony he had felt moments earlier was a lie.
“You’re looking much better.”
“That’s a relief.”
Miriam commented while sitting on the chair next to Si-hyun’s hospital bed.
She continued speaking.
“You’ve been unconscious for a week.”
“Really?”
Si-hyun’s eyes widened in surprise.
Even during the Ganghwa Island Disaster, he had only been unconscious for two days.
Of course, he had had the help of the legendary World Tree’s fruit back then.
Anyway, to have been unconscious for a week meant his condition had been worse than expected.
“What happened to my party?”
Si-hyun suddenly recalled and asked.
“They went back.”
Miriam replied.
A week had passed, so it was already beyond their planned return.
However, his situation had taken an unexpected turn with him unconscious in a hospital bed.
Given that scenario, they wouldn’t have just left him behind without a word.
Seemingly reading his mind, Miriam hastened to explain.
“The Lord is reported to have been injured during an unfortunate accident while taking a stroll. I spoke directly to the Director of Corrections, and the staff over there handled it well, so there should be no suspicion.”
“…I see.”
It looked like Miriam had taken care of everything while he had been out cold.
After all, being an extraordinary S-Class, she would surely have been in a position to manage at least that much.
“But… what about the Little King and his crew?”
Si-hyun furrowed his brows slightly and asked.
He had felt a bit vindicated after decapitating the Little King, who had been begging for his life.
Even so, the dirty feeling he had felt when being beaten up by them still lingered.
“They moved discreetly, which turned out to be their poison.”
Miriam replied with a cold smile.
“What do you mean?”
“They’re missing.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Understanding what she meant, Si-hyun nodded.
They had sneakily approached him and Miriam, even using teleportation to eliminate them.
Moreover, they had used illusion magic to completely block their presence from prying eyes.
Therefore, whatever happened within that circle was known only to the parties involved.
If Miriam had managed to eliminate their corpses and every trace, then their whereabouts would indeed have been lost to the skies.
Regardless, just knowing he wouldn’t have any annoying problems stemming from them in the future was already a stroke of good fortune.
“You need not worry at all, my Lord.”
Miriam said.
“Oh, but what about me being Po-ahim…?”
Si-hyun asked, recalling a lingering concern.
“Only I would know. If not, there’s no way I’d be this calm about it.”
She answered right away.
“That’s a relief.”
He had thought that once Arthur, Miriam, and Max knew he was Po-ahim, his identity would be exposed in America.
Though he had verbally asked them to keep it a secret, that was merely a promise he couldn’t fully trust.
Yet things had turned out in an unexpected way—those who knew he was Po-ahim had all lost their lives.
Except for one person.
And that one person was more trustworthy than anyone else.
The Sword Master had trusted her with his life.
“…Thank you, my Lord.”
Miriam, who had been gazing at Si-hyun quietly, said suddenly.
“Yes?”
“Thanks to you, I’ve fulfilled my wish.”
Even as a spirit, she had met the Sword Master and shared a brief exchange.
That was what she meant.
“Oh.”
Si-hyun’s face grew a bit wistful as he realized what she was saying.
Her expression had seemed strangely sad.
However, that look disappeared quickly.
She stood up from her seat.
“Chaeel has entrusted me with your care, my Lord. Therefore, while I’d love to serve you by your side, the circumstances unfortunately don’t allow for it. If I were to accompany you, you would definitely attract attention here in America. For the sake of your peaceful life, I believe we should avoid that.”
“Just what you’ve already done is more than enough. I’m the one who ought to be grateful.”
Si-hyun responded with a smiling face and slightly bowed his head.
“What do you mean?”
Miriam knelt on one knee, respectfully bowing to him as a knight.
The scene didn’t feel out of place; rather, it radiated the dignity of a noble knight.
Si-hyun, unsure how to respond, could only stare at her awkwardly.
She rose again.
“Whenever you feel fully recovered, just let me know. I’ll book your flight immediately.”
“Thank you.”
“Well then, rest well.”
She exited the room.
The ward fell silent once more.
Si-hyun sat momentarily, staring blankly at the ceiling. The sense of reality still felt tenuous.
He couldn’t believe that he had experienced so much in such a short time since arriving in America for his exchange program.
As he shook his head, he caught a glimpse of the refrigerator.
Slowly, he got up from the hospital bed, opened the fridge, and pulled out a cold bottle of water to drink.
Finally, he felt his mind returning to him.
And then he remembered something he had completely forgotten in the chaos when Miriam came in.
“The secret technique…”
If Po-ahim had directly called it that, it couldn’t possibly be a mundane skill.
With a hint of expectation, Si-hyun opened the skill window.
<Skill>Passive: Veteran Guard’s Insight, Executioner’s Cold-bloodednessActive: Restraint Technique, Guard Baton Technique, Executioner’s Gaze, Prisoner’s Mark, ??? (Inactive)
“Huh?”
Si-hyun’s eyes widened as he discovered something.
The skill that had been marked as ‘???’ had vanished. No, it hadn’t disappeared; it seemed an inactive skill had been unlocked.
‘Prisoner’s Mark?’
Si-hyun tilted his head, pressing the skill for a detailed description.
<Prisoner’s Mark>Magic Power Consumption: 101 (Cooldown: 24 hours) -Forcefully marks someone as a prisoner for 10 minutes, even if they are not one.
“This is….”
Si-hyun’s eyes grew wide.