Let’s Block the Ruined Route in Advance Chapter 54

“Mr. Lucian!”

 

Neumann’s eyes flickered as if he’d been caught red-handed.

 

“You two. Can you say what you just said again?”

 

“That, that—”

 

Lucian’s cold gaze flickered in the moonlight. The first years who had finished eating and were on their way, sensing the commotion, gathered around. The blood drained from Neumann’s and Gray’s faces as they gathered.

 

“A scion of the prestigious Kamar family publicly disparaging a classmate from an equally prestigious Verotanis because of his origins, you should think twice before you utter such filthy words.”

 

“No, it’s not like that… Neumann, say something.”

 

“Who are you?”

 

Gray’s trembling hand stopped shaking on Neumann’s forearm, his face contorting with humiliation. Unlike Kamar, Lucian didn’t even know he existed.

 

“Damn, I didn’t want to face him like this.”

 

Gray finally managed to regain control of his expression and spoke up, his face straightening with effort.

 

“I’m Gray Dolta. Dolta of the Southwest Province…”

 

“Dolta? I’ve never heard of it.”

 

He’s playing dumb on purpose.

 

Eileen glanced over at the students who were giggling at the situation. Lucian was acting cold and high-handed in an attempt to embarrass Gray Dolta. His expression and aura were so ferocious that Eileen briefly thought of the Duke.

 

Hearing the jeers around him, Gray lowered his head to hide his blushing face, and Lucian’s gaze turned to Neumann as he looked pitifully at Gray’s crown.

 

Neumann’s mouth twitched a few times, then closed completely. He made no excuses, no apologies, and Lucian walked past him without a word.

 

“Eileen, what’s the point of listening to this, just kick his ass.”

 

“I was about to kick it when I saw you coming.”

 

Eileen shrugged. Cordelia, who had been watching with interest, whispered to Lucian.

 

“You didn’t just come running down here because you heard she was having dinner with Laquerta, did you?”

 

“No. You want to duel for a change?”

 

“You’ll regret it.”

 

Ignoring the two people who had started a fight out of spite, Eileen looked around. There were still a lot of eyes on her.

 

“Laquerta, are you okay?”

 

“I’m not okay, there are too many people.”

 

Noticing that Laquerta’s pupils were dilating and constricting, Eileen tugged at his hand in a panic.

 

“Let’s go back!”

 

“Eileen’s hand!”

 

Lucian was about to yell when Cordelia pinched it out of sight.

 

“Come on, you’re coming with me, don’t be a pussy in front of everyone.”

 

Lucian nodded at Cordelia’s whisper and started to follow her.

 

“Oh.”

 

Lucian turned to Neumann and Gray, who were frozen. His voice sounded bored, like he’d just found a piece of trash he’d forgotten.

 

“I hope you’re never seen again, not for me, not for Eileen and Cordelia.”

 

Next time it wouldn’t end with a warning.

 

With that chilling warning, Lucian disappeared and the disinterested crowd quickly dispersed, some of them laughing at their shabby appearance.

 

Even Neumann’s usual supporters took notice and mingled with the crowd. When they were gone, Neumann stumbled back and collapsed on the bench. Gray remained standing, seething with frustration.

 

“Damn it, why did I do this to myself?”

 

A dark-faced Neumann caught his eye, his vision burning with rage.

 

The eldest son of an imperial marquis. With a father who was Chancellor and a sister who was a genius who had earned the title of Transcendent at the tender age of thirty.

 

The walls surrounding him were huge. This made him even more fascinating. His only boast was that he was Neumann Kamar’s childhood friend.

 

“You keep your mouth shut at times like this, even when your friend is being humiliated? How can you call it friendship when you ignore me when I’m in trouble? I tried to punish the arrogant ones for your sake!”

 

Neumann looked at him with a dazed expression. Embarrassment was followed by bitterness and resentment.

 

“You don’t always listen to me.”

 

Neumann replied, and the expression vanished from Gray’s face. It didn’t matter that he actually enjoyed torturing the weak. Neumann had betrayed him. The consequences of ignoring cause and effect only fueled Gray’s inferiority complex.

 

With a hard step, Gray walked away, leaving Neumann behind. Their friendship had been a sham, and it had crumbled so easily. Standing over the ruins, Neumann sobbed quietly.

 

 

 

 * * * 

 

 

 

“So what’s going on with you two?”

 

Lucian asked Eileen and Laquerta across from him, sitting solemnly at a picnic table in the garden.

 

Cordelia frowned openly at the way he held his weight, like a father who’d just stumbled upon his daughter’s boyfriend.

 

“What kind of relationship? Same class, same faculty?”

 

Eileen couldn’t say they were raising a child together.

 

For some reason, Eileen’s throat burned. Even though they were sitting together with help, Laquerta and Lucian had not usually been enemies in their previous lives.

 

‘I can’t believe they’re sitting together like this, plus Cordelia.’

 

Sitting up straight and looking down at Lucian, Laquerta spoke.

 

“Who are you?”

 

Lucian didn’t want to ask, since he didn’t know him, but the intimidation of his appearance and the stiffness of his tone gave him a different impression.

 

“Are you trying to control me?”

 

Lucian’s eyes widened at the sight of an opponent beyond Felix. The thickness of his biceps on the table showed that he had been training.

 

“Are you a magical swordsman, and what do you use for your sword?”

 

Dueling was the best way to get to know an opponent. Lucian was about to let go of his arm. Eileen stopped him and said, “Don’t.”

 

“Stop, he’s a healer, his name is Laquerta, he’s 16 years old.”

 

“What?”

 

Lucian’s expression remained ambiguous, and when he looked back at Cordelia with a shaky gaze, she nodded.

 

“He’s a healer… in this condition, and he’s younger than Eileen?”

 

While Lucian was stunned, Eileen introduced him to Laquerta.

 

“This is Lucian. He’s 18 years old and a second year swordsman.”

 

Laquerta looked at him without a reaction, then looked away with an expression of lost interest. Lucian, on the other hand, looked shocked.

 

“Eileen, do you have bad taste?”

 

Lucian asked Eileen in an urgent tone.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Eileen slapped the back of Lucian’s hand in disbelief. She couldn’t understand why the story had suddenly taken such a turn.

 

Cordelia was intrigued as well and turned to the confused Eileen.

 

“I’m curious too. Do you prefer the younger one?”

 

As the three of them stared at Eileen, as if waiting for her to answer, Eileen sighed heavily, obviously embarrassed.

 

“I’m… kind of a memory guy, okay?”

 

Cordelia gasped, Lucian squealed in amusement, and Laquerta made a face of inexplicable displeasure.

 

“That’s it! We’re going in now!”

 

Eileen, unnecessarily embarrassed, stood up. Lucian was glad that Felix wasn’t there.

 

“I’m the only one who should know such advanced information.”

 

He smiled, brighter than the moonlight. It was a look of deep contentment.

 

“Yes, good night!”

 

 

 * * * 

 

 

A woman in pure white priestly robes smiled benevolently from the pulpit.

 

The theology class was taught by a priest sent from the temple, and today was the day.

 

“Today we’re going to talk about the Clan of Heroes, the living grace of Goddess Fiora herself, so why don’t you all share what you know about them first?”

 

The hesitant children opened their mouths in competition, drawn by the gentle priest’s smile.

 

“It’s a clan that was born when the Empire was founded, chosen by the most faithful and pure souls!”

 

“They are the apostles of the gods, using their divine power and transcendent physical abilities to hunt demons.”

 

“Only one is born in a generation, and it is an imperial favor that continues indefinitely!”

 

“His noble silver hair and brilliant golden eyes that resemble those of a goddess are the mark of a hero.”

 

“The hero of this generation is the seventh shield of the Empire, Aire.”

 

The priest clapped his hands in satisfaction.

 

“All are right, the goddess Fiora has given the purest of souls the most perfect power to defend her faithful subjects.”

 

She raised her hands to the sky in ecstasy, as if she could see the hero standing before her.

 

“As long as the bloodline of heroes continues unbroken, the glory of the Empire will be limitless, and no evil demon will be able to destroy our lives.”

 

The excited students nodded. Living proof that the gods protect us. A clan of heroes, a clan that would not betray its faith.

 

But…

 

‘He was…’

 

Eileen thought of the man she’d first seen in the original, when everyone was worshipping the hero.

 

The man who’d held Cordelia as she lay dying. The man who had promised to see the ocean with her.

 

It seemed bizarre to Eileen that a hero’s life should be one of lifelong devotion just because of blood and power.

 

Perhaps it was because she had known the hero who cried like a child when he couldn’t stop a life from slipping through his hands.

 

‘I hope it’s not too much.’

 

Eileen glanced at Cordelia’s neck. Lorea’s diminished sword hung from her necklace, hidden under her shirt.

 

Cordelia was no longer unhappy, so she might as well not cry.

 

Wordlessly, Eileen stroked the seal of the goddess Fiora embroidered above her theology book.

 

 

 * * *

 

 

“What must be cut must be cut.”

 

“I will snatch what must return to the darkness and smother it.”

 

When that is done, she moves on to her next opponent, her feet bleeding.

 

“Hah.”

 

A creature resembling a rotting wild dog lunges at Aire, aiming for his waist. Without even turning his head, Aire slashes at its throat with his greatsword, kicking the creature’s head off as it falls nonchalantly.

 

“How many are left?”

 

“We just need to clear the entrance to the forest where the Templars are. The danger rating isn’t very high, so the knights alone should be enough, so you might as well get some rest.”

 

The knight urged him to rest, but before he could finish his sentence, Aire was rushing towards the final battle.

 

“I can’t rest yet.”

 

The number of demons had increased, but the demon had not been found, and the fanatics had gained the upper hand.

 

So much to do, so little accomplished.

 

“We must not rest.”

 

The Sword of Despair mercilessly slashed the creature’s head. He could not rest until all danger was eliminated.

 

“It’s okay.”

 

After killing the last of the demons, Aire wiped the blood from his face.

 

It was okay, for now. It had to be okay.

 

If only for their complete happiness.