NOVEL NEXT Chapter 77
Chapter 77
“Teacher!”
Seere von Debata, the master of the 72nd floor, waved her hand while looking at the sky. With a bright smile and waving hands, she looked like an adorable little girl—except for the elf’s head rolling at her feet, along with the bloodied sword and face.
The expeditionary forces that had lost their hero crumbled in an instant. The soldiers from different countries were able to unite because they had the hero as their focal point.
With that focal point tragically defeated and gone, there was no one to hold them together anymore. Even the experienced and skilled knights who were by the hero’s side had already perished in the explosion.
The expeditionary forces that crossed into the Demon World were brutally slaughtered, with only a few surviving as prisoners.
Nahun couldn’t help but smile gently. He had been prepared to step in whenever Seere might be in danger, but it was unnecessary. This was proof that Seere had grown considerably.
To be honest, she was stronger than he had anticipated. While she had overcome Belial, to think she could defeat even a hero alone was beyond his belief. Though she had received help from items during the process, that was trivial. After all, it was Seere who had maintained the upper hand throughout.
Thanks to that, Nahun didn’t have to risk revealing his existence to the Celestial One. With a smile still on his face, he gently stroked Seere’s hair.
“Was it hard?”
She nodded.
It didn’t seem like a lie. In fact, Seere didn’t look all that tired.
“You did a great job. You handled it really well.”
“Um, does that mean you did well with my request, Teacher?”
“Of course, you executed it perfectly.”
Nahun chuckled as he spoke.
“I can trust you and rely on you from now on.”
“Really?”
“Yes. When did you become so gallant?”
Though she still looked youthful and was actually young, she was growing into a proper Demon King faster than Nahun had thought.
“Then, Teacher.”
“Hmm?”
“Is it about time for me to feel a mature charm as well?”
“…Huh?”
Nahun momentarily felt dazed. He couldn’t comprehend the correlation between what he had said and Seere’s question.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Isn’t that so?”
Seere tilted her head. Her reasoning was along these lines.
‘Now that I’ve become someone Teacher can trust and rely on… isn’t it natural I’m feeling a sense of mature charm as well?’
This was Seere interpreting it with a slightly innocent mindset after hearing Rea’s lessons. Though Rea had given Seere proper sex education, there were things she had said to avoid making Seere think oddly.
‘When His Majesty becomes someone others can trust and rely on, a sense of maturity naturally comes as well.’
Rea had said this. Naturally, Rea’s earlier statement referred to becoming an adult capable of fulfilling a solid role, and the latter statement pertained to physical growth that would have been completed once one became an adult.
However, Seere, with her childish heart, hadn’t grasped that. She had taken Rea’s words at face value.
Watching Seere tilting her head, Nahun pondered how to explain this. Even though they were in the bloody midst of a battlefield, such things didn’t enter his mind.
“You do have a mature mindset and thinking for your age, but Seere… you are still a child. At twelve years old, I doubt anyone would perceive any mature charm in you.”
“B-but you just said you could trust and rely on me….”
“That’s entirely unrelated. The fact that I can now trust you and, at times, might rely on you is a truth without deceit. However, it has nothing to do with the ‘mature charm’ you mentioned.”
Nahun asked why he thought that way. Then Seere recounted Rea’s earlier words exactly, and Nahun realized why such a misunderstanding had occurred.
‘Indeed, she’s still a child….’
Nahun decided to clarify her misunderstanding.
“There’s definitely a charm that comes from maturity of thought, but generally, mature charm often refers to physical attributes. When a child grows into an adult, their physique will also develop, right? That’s what Rea meant.”
“Ah….”
Only then did Seere realize she had misunderstood. With a slightly sulky expression, she quietly muttered.
“I thought I could do it faster… then it means I have to wait until I… become an adult….”
“Seere, what did you say?”
“Ah, nothing! I was just thinking to myself for a moment!”
“…Hmm, alright.”
Nahun let it slide for now, but he found something puzzling. What he had heard when Seere was mumbling earlier was….
‘…What does she mean by “doing something” with me?’
The word ‘Teacher.’
#
Nahun quietly watched the battlefield as the war was winding down.
Carrying the divine weapon that the Celestial One had bestowed upon her, Seeres Eastwood became the archer hero. Originally, in Ebel Queen Maker, she appeared as the second hero, but due to Nahun’s actions leading to the early death of Luke, the first hero, she became the first hero.
‘But….’
But something felt off. The first hero was supposed to be significantly stronger than the later heroes according to the settings of Ebel Queen Maker. Now that Luke was dead and Seeres was the first hero, one would expect her abilities to be beyond what Nahun knew.
‘But that wasn’t the case.’
Objectively speaking, Seeres was strong and created threatening situations, that was true. However, this wasn’t substantially different from the strength Seeres showed in the original work. Even though she had become the ‘first hero.’
If there had been any change, it would have been that a situation arose where Nahun would certainly have to intervene. But there was no need for that at all. While indeed threatening, it was no different from when she had not been chosen as the first hero.
“…In fact, does anything really change after becoming the first hero?”
He even thought that, but no matter how much he considered it, that couldn’t be it. Considering Luke’s abnormal strength and growth after being selected as the first hero….
‘No matter how I think about it, she should be much stronger than now.’
Though he didn’t know the reason, Seeres had become a hero with no changes at all, save for her designation as ‘the first hero.’
“Is there some sort of condition that applies? Perhaps only to the sword hero….”
While Nahun was pondering this, something caught his eye.
“Hmm?”
The bow that the Celestial One had granted turned into a handful of light and then vanished. And where the divine weapon had disappeared, there remained a white gemstone.
“What is this?”
As Nahun approached it, he hesitated momentarily. He wondered if picking it up might alert the Celestial One. Left with no choice, he called someone over.
“Did you summon me, Nahun?”
It was Lin, the commander of the Fourth Legion. In this battle, she had taken down over twenty knights with her own hands, and the number of soldiers was even greater… yet…
‘Not a drop of blood on her.’
This was proof that Lin’s abilities were a level above the other officers. Nahun thought inwardly that it was a relief to have her remain as Seere’s subordinate.
“Commander, could you pick that up for me?”
“Excuse me?”
“That white gemstone over there.”
As Nahun pointed toward the ground while saying so, for some reason, Lin tilted her head as if she were puzzled. Nahun was left feeling bewildered by her reaction.
“Commander?”
“…I’m sorry, Nahun. I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“What?”
“Are you saying there’s a gemstone over there?”
Nahun’s eyes widened in disbelief at Lin’s words. Based on her actions and words, it really seemed that Lin couldn’t see the white gemstone at all.
“You can’t see anything?”
“Is there something there?”
“Ah, never mind. I’m sorry to have bothered you when you’re busy, you can go.”
“It’s fine, Nahun. Then….”
Lin bowed and left, and when Nahun looked back at the gemstone, he couldn’t help but frown. The fact that Lin couldn’t see it, while he could, had significant implications. He wasn’t foolish enough not to comprehend what that meant.
‘Is the Celestial One… intending something?’
Perhaps the Celestial One was suspecting something. That the Great Demon was using the Demon World to meddle in the human realm. So they had laid this trap.
“If I hadn’t confirmed it with the commander, it could have been a serious issue….”
Had he carelessly picked up the gemstone, the Celestial One and the Archangels might have realized that the Great Demon was directly interfering in the Demon World’s affairs.
They were already in a rush to eradicate the Demon World and Hell. Nahun knew all too well that getting caught would immediately lead to the Celestial-Mortal War.
‘Not yet.’
Although the Celestial-Mortal War was destined to happen someday, not yet. At the very least, Seere had to become an adult and rise to the ranks of a mid-level Demon King.
“Speaking of which, isn’t the Grand Assembly of the Demon World soon….”
There were a bit over two years until the Grand Assembly of the Demon World. If he could reach mid-level Demon King by then….
‘…Wait a minute.’
Nahun began to think. While he always said he wasn’t particularly good at schemes, in fact, to others, he was quite a capable strategist.
Especially when he devised plans based on information he solely knew from the original work, it often looked remarkable in the eyes of others.
Of course, his plans weren’t always perfect, but right now, he had crafted a rather plausible scheme.
“Ah-ha.”
Nahun smiled. This situation fit the conditions perfectly.