NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6
Boom!
A thunderous explosion echoed from afar.
Instinctively, Yohan turned his gaze toward the source, where an uncountable number of people had gathered.
Like a swarm of ants, they were clearly engaged in battle.
“First things first… I need to figure out where I am.”
The moment Yohan had grabbed the magic pen, he woke up on the side of a mountain.
‘At least I got lucky.’
Had he woken up further down the mountain, things would have been much worse.
Yohan took a short breath and quickly began analyzing the situation.
Since this was the trial associated with Bryan Hart’s magic pen, whatever challenge he was about to face would be related to that.
The reason Yohan had chosen Bryan Hart’s magic pen wasn’t particularly profound.
‘Bryan Hart’s pen has the highest chance of success.’
Among the past heads of the family, Bryan Hart was the only one Yohan knew well.
Even as the creator of the original story, there were areas he hadn’t fully fleshed out.
Yohan hadn’t designed intricate details for the past heads of the Hart family, who were only side characters, unlike the protagonist.
But as one of the founding heroes of the empire, Yohan had at least created a solid background for Bryan Hart, so he had some information to rely on.
‘I can only hope that information will help me with this trial.’
And as expected, Yohan’s prediction was correct.
“Is this… The Battle of Nox?”
As he calmly observed his surroundings, he realized where he was.
This was the battle that marked the turning point of the long war for the Noxister Alliance, where Bryan Hart played a crucial role.
His accomplishments here earned him the title of duke after the Noxister Empire was established.
“Watching that battle unfold can’t be the trial though…”
Yohan turned around.
“What’s the trial exactly?”
“This is quite interesting.”
How long had he been standing there?
An elderly man with a long beard stood behind Yohan, stroking it with amusement.
“Do you know who I am?”
The man wore a robe of black cloth embroidered with gold thread.
His face looked exactly like Yohan Hart’s.
Most notably, Yohan recognized that face immediately.
It was a face he had seen in portraits hanging in the Hart family estate…
“Bryan Hart.”
More than that, it was a face Yohan himself had drawn.
The founder of the Hart family.
One of the four heroes who opposed the ‘Lord.’
The Mage of the Fallen Star.
He smiled as he looked at Yohan.
———
As Yohan stared intensely at his face, Bryan Hart spoke up.
“Even though I’m your elder, you casually call me by name and just stare? You’re a ruder descendant than I expected.”
“… My apologies. I didn’t mean to.”
Yohan apologized in response to Bryan Hart’s words and spoke with a smile.
It was the first apology Yohan had made since inhabiting this body.
Having lived the life of a troublemaker, acting with respect felt instinctively uncomfortable, but…
‘Maybe because he’s my ancestor.’
Even for Yohan, it appeared he couldn’t act rudely toward his own ancestor.
Bowing his head didn’t feel too difficult.
“No need to apologize. What’s your name?”
“I am Yohan Hart, son of the current head of the family, Grayson Hart.”
“Yohan Hart, huh? It’s a good name.”
Bryan shrugged his shoulders and pulled out the very magic pen that had just been sitting on the pedestal.
As Yohan continued to gaze at the pen, Bryan spoke again.
“You’ve come to earn the approval of this magic pen, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
Without hesitation, Yohan nodded.
“The trial is simple. From now on, you will experience my entire life, from the moment I first encountered this pen to the moment I died.”
“Is that the trial?”
“More precisely, the trial is to correct the moment of my life that I regret the most.”
Bryan Hart explained.
Hearing this, Yohan immediately understood why no one had ever been able to earn the approval of Bryan Hart’s magic pen.
‘This is… An unsolvable problem.’
Yohan’s face stiffened.
He had believed that since he had created and designed Bryan Hart, it would be easier for him to earn the pen’s approval.
But the trial he was facing was a question without an answer.
“Your expression is quite grim.”
“Wouldn’t yours be if you faced an impossible task?”
“Why do you think it’s impossible?”
When was Bryan’s most regrettable moment?
This was an easy question.
“Your most regrettable moment is when you were cursed by the Lord, isn’t it?”
“… As expected. Interesting.”
Yohan shifted his gaze to the battle raging on the plains below the mountain.
The Battle of Nox.
It was there that Bryan Hart achieved his greatest victory.
‘And in that very moment, Bryan received the curse from the Lord.’
From then on, Bryan spent the rest of his life regretting it.
From the very moment Yohan had entered the space created by the magic pen, the sight of the Battle of Nox was a clear hint.
“Yohan Hart, was it? You guessed correctly. I lived my life without leaving any regrets except for one.”
Yohan turned his head toward the voice beside him.
Bryan Hart stood there, gazing at the battlefield with eyes filled with regret.
He continued.
“If I have only one regret in my life, it’s the moment I was cursed by the Lord.”
During the Battle of Nox, Bryan had achieved great renown by standing in the way of the dark lord, ‘The Lord,’ and his dark magic forces.
It was a miracle only possible because Bryan was an archmage who had reached the pinnacle of magic, the 8-star level.
However, the price for blocking the Lord’s magic had been severe.
“The Lord’s power took root in your heart.”
The power of the Lord.
That was the origin of the curse that had plagued the Hart family for generations.
Bryan nodded.
“That day, I lost my star.”
Bryan had fought the Lord, and in doing so, lost his magic due to the curse.
The Mage of the Fallen Star.
That’s why people referred to him as the mage who had lost his star.
It was also why Bryan had taken the family name ‘Hart.’
He had sacrificed his heart to block the Lord’s magic.
“You began researching a way to lift the curse but passed away before you could find a solution. And yes, that curse has been tormenting the Hart family ever since.”
“That’s right.”
Bryan nodded in acknowledgment and looked back at Yohan as he spoke.
“Since you know so much, why do you still believe it’s an unsolvable problem?”
“Because even if you had avoided the curse, it wouldn’t have erased your regret.”
Many from the Hart family had attempted to lift the curse over the years.
Was it possible that none of them had tried to evade the Lord’s magic?
Moreover, from the beginning…
“With your skills, you could have easily avoided the Lord’s magic.”
Bryan Hart had clearly seen the Lord’s magic coming.
If he had wanted to, avoiding it wouldn’t have been difficult for him.
“……”
“But instead, you chose to block it head-on, didn’t you?”
The truth was, Bryan Hart had deliberately made the decision to block the magic instead of dodging it.
Why?
The answer wasn’t far away.
Yohan subtly turned his head to look at the battlefield.
More precisely, at the area behind Bryan Hart, who was casting magic.
“To protect the comrades behind you.”
Standing behind Bryan were his allies.
Serhen Demon, the demon who sided with humans;
Montania Orfen, the contractor of the World Tree;
Ark Diaz, the magical engineer.
To protect them, Bryan had chosen to sacrifice himself.
“Even if you had dodged the magic, Bryan, you would have been left with another regret.”
Bryan, who had been silently listening, spoke up.
“That’s correct.”
He nodded in agreement.
That was the reason there was no solution to this problem.
Defend the attack and be cursed.
Dodge the magic and lose the comrades.
No matter what choice he made, regret was inevitable.
Still, a choice had to be made.
It was the rule for gaining the magic pen’s approval.
Bryan spoke in a calm voice.
“So what will you do? Knowing it’s impossible, will you still try? Or will you give up and return?”
Bryan had no intention of blaming his descendant. No matter what choice Yohan made.
Whether he blocked or avoided the magic, either was fine.
He just hoped Yohan wouldn’t give up on the trial altogether.
As Bryan was thinking this, Yohan spoke up bluntly.
“If it’s a problem with no answer, then I’ll just change the problem.”
“My only remaining regret is this. If you can’t solve it, I can’t give you the magic pen.”
Bryan frowned at Yohan’s words.
He felt both sympathy for his descendant and a fondness for the way Yohan reminded him of himself.
But even so, there was nothing he could do.
This was the only regret he had left.
Yohan, however, shook his head, indicating that wasn’t the issue.
“The problem itself is wrong.”
“What do you mean, the problem is wrong?”
“Your real regret isn’t that you couldn’t block the Lord’s curse, is it?”
“… And how do you think you know that?”
“I know. I know it very well.”
He knew Bryan Hart’s regret, and he knew the only way to resolve it.
“You specifically asked me to experience your ‘life’ and correct your regret.”
“That’s right.”
“Why did you do that? If the curse was the real issue, you could have just thrown me into that situation.”
“That’s…”
Bryan trailed off.
If the curse itself were the only issue, there would have been no need to make Yohan experience Bryan Hart’s entire life.
He could have just thrown Yohan into the scenario of the Battle of Nox.
The fact that Bryan insisted Yohan live through his entire life pointed to one reason.
“You wanted your descendant to live the life of ‘Archmage Bryan’ and perhaps gain some kind of enlightenment, didn’t you?”
“… You really are quite an unusual descendant.”
Bryan let out a short laugh.
The fact that he didn’t deny it confirmed that Yohan had hit the mark.
“So how does that lead to your conclusion that the problem is wrong?”
“Because that consideration of yours proves that your real regret lies elsewhere.”
At Yohan’s words, Bryan’s face hardened.
When Yohan first heard the trial, his face had stiffened. Now, it was the opposite.
Seeing Bryan’s reaction, Yohan continued.
“Your true regret is not that you couldn’t block the curse, but that you passed the curse down to future generations.”
“This is a first.”
“What do you mean?”
“A descendant like you… A situation like this…”
Yes. It was probably the first time.
After all, it was also Yohan’s first time being possessed by a villain in his own webtoon.
Bryan spoke again.
“Let’s see what gives you such confidence.”
With those words, Bryan pulled out his magic pen and swirled it through the air.
The world flipped upside down.