Chapter 27: Lumer(2)
The dim, shadowy mountain valley.
The sight of completely dark mountains filled Eclipse’s eyes.
The serene night scenery enveloped everything, and Yoo Soha felt a sense of calm wash over her.
Following faint lights, a quiet, desolate road came into her view.
She drove on, carrying a sense of tranquility.
[You look relaxed.]
“Yeah. The road to Grandpa’s house is quiet with no people around, so I like it.”
Eclipse found it a bit surprising.
From what he’d seen of Yoo Soha, he thought she preferred lively things.
[That’s a bit unexpected.]
“Hm? What is?”
[Given how much you like flashy things, I thought you’d prefer bustle over silence.]
“Oh, I like both. Sometimes silence is nice, and sometimes bustle is better.”
[Fair enough. No need to draw a line between them.]
“Yeah.”
After the brief exchange, silence fell again. Yoo Soha seemed deep in thought, her expression contemplative.
[Is something troubling you?]
“…It’s probably because of the North Korea expedition.”
[Worried?]
“Worried… yeah, you could say that. No matter how strong you are, it’s a dangerous place. Even with Shin Sungmin joining us, it’s the same. I’m not worried about myself, but about the team.”
[I see.]
“Getting injured is one thing, but I’d prefer it if no one died.”
[No one will. That’s what this preparation is for, isn’t it?]
For a moment, Eclipse thought Yoo Soha seemed a bit somber.
“I hope so. Honestly, that’s part of why I’m going to Grandpa’s house this late. The team’s working hard, so I can’t just sit still as their leader.”
[That’s an admirable attitude.]
“It’s not really admirable. It’s just what a leader should do. If I don’t show excellence, why would the team follow me? If you give advice without the skills to back it up, it’s just embarrassing.”
[That mindset itself is admirable. Many fail to recognize their own shortcomings. I’ve been reflecting on whether I was like that before.]
“Should I say thanks for the compliment?”
[If you think you deserve praise, you should feel proud of it. Especially since I’m not one to give compliments freely.]
“Haha. My pride already pierces the heavens. I can talk about arrogance because I’m confident in myself.”
[I see. Watching you, I’m learning things. Perhaps in my previous life, I lacked confidence in myself.]
“You? Even just looking at your recent actions, you’re overflowing with arrogance.”
Yoo Soha recalled how he had acted during the Hwanryeong Grand Tournament.
When he defeated her sister, he’d said it wasn’t even a warm-up—an undeniably arrogant attitude.
[I learned it from you. In my previous world, I never pushed my opinions. I lacked confidence. I only had vague thoughts of fighting for people…]
As the atmosphere turned to one of opening up, Eclipse found himself talking about his past world.
Yoo Soha, noticing that he, who usually avoided mentioning his past, was suddenly bringing it up, looked at him with curiosity.
“What’s up? You usually don’t talk about your past.”
Hearing this, Eclipse thought for a moment before responding.
[Well… I just thought, since I told you to teach me about arrogance, I should share how I lived before.]
“Fair enough. Then let’s hear about you. All I know is that you lived in a world on the brink of collapse and were summoned by me just before you died.”
[It’s like a typical novel. The last remaining warrior fighting against an unstoppable enemy… and in the end, except for me, all of humanity was wiped out.]
“…”
It was a heavier story than she’d expected.
Yoo Soha listened quietly to Eclipse’s tale.
“How did you live there?”
[Do you remember me saying I was a vagrant before?]
“Yeah. You asked me not to talk about your world back then.”
[Then… I’ll tell you a bit more. My master took me in when I was a vagrant. He gave me my name.]
“So that’s why you’re Eclipse…”
[Exactly.]
“That’s a bit surprising.”
[Why’s that?]
“On Earth, eclipses have long been seen as negative omens, so they’re not suitable for names.”
[That’s different from my world. In my world, an eclipse was a symbol of good fortune.]
“Oh?”
[The first emperor of my empire was born on the day of an eclipse. Since it was believed the emperor’s birth was blessed by the eclipse, it became a symbol of luck through the generations.]
“That’s interesting… A different world really is different.”
[Anyway, that’s how I got the name Eclipse.]
“I see. So after getting your name, it was just endless training?”
[You could say that. I trained constantly. I learned how to live according to my master’s will and began living by the values he pursued.]
“Your master’s values?”
[Nobility.]
“Nobility…”
Yoo Soha, unsure of exactly what nobility meant, couldn’t help but sink into thought.
“It feels like a value that’s too lofty for me to grasp right now. I’ve never really thought about such things.”
[That’s understandable. Even I still don’t fully understand what nobility is.]
“You’ve lived a tough life.”
[Well, I just lived the way I had to. Anyway, after countless hardships and efforts to save people, I couldn’t stop the destruction. That’s my story. Even if I go into detail, it wouldn’t change much.]
“I see. So the scar on your face is from that time?”
[…You could say that.]
He had previously dodged questions about his face, but now, feeling it awkward to admit the lie, Eclipse doubled down on it.
“That’s a shame.”
[Is it?]
“Yeah. I wanted to see your face at least once.”
[Could you wait a little longer?]
“How long is a little?”
[Until I’m ready.]
“…Heh.”
Yoo Soha just laughed.
After laughing, she said to Eclipse,
“Then, can you make me one promise?”
[What promise?]
“I want to be the first person in this world to see your face. I’m your summoner, after all.”
[…I promise.]
With a subtle loneliness, Eclipse responded, gazing straight ahead at Yoo Soha’s words.
“Yeah. That’s enough.”
Silence fell again. Neither Yoo Soha nor Eclipse said anything about the quiet.
As the silence grew long and Eclipse felt uneasy, he spoke up.
[How much farther?]
“Just a bit more. We’re almost there.”
[Got it.]
Yoo Soha’s car continued along the winding road.
After some time.
At the end of the winding road.
A small house came into view atop a high hill.
An unremarkable house. Not luxurious, just a typical countryside home.
Yoo Soha drove up the hill and parked in a small lot near the house.
“We’re here. You can materialize now.”
[Alright.]
As Eclipse materialized, the towering knight appeared behind Yoo Soha.
Yoo Soha stepped out of the parking lot and looked at the quaint red-painted mailbox.
“It’s still the same here.”
Walking a bit further, she knocked on the door of the small house.
“Grandpa, Grandma! I’m here!”
Brightly and cheerfully.
Like a girl excited to see her grandparents, Yoo Soha called out.
Clunk. Creak.
The somewhat old door opened.
“Oh my.”
A surprised voice rang out. It was a voice Eclipse recognized.
One he’d heard during the Hwanryeong Grand Tournament.
Refined, calm, and noble. If nobility could be expressed through a voice, could there be a better fit?
“Dear, what brings you all the way here?”
It was Yoo Soha’s grandmother, Lumern.
“You came because you want to learn something?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. Let’s hear it. What do you want to learn?”
“I’m going to North Korea.”
“…North Korea? What’s that about?”
Yoo Soha began recounting the events to Lumern.
To achieve S-rank, she needed accomplishments, but with Korea recently stabilizing, it could take years to rack up achievements.
So, like Shin Sungmin had done, she was heading to North Korea to quickly build her record.
“That’s a dangerous decision.”
“I still want to do it. With Eclipse, I think it’s possible.”
“…I see. Then I understand why you came here.”
Lumern closed her eyes quietly.
“…Yes.”
“To become stronger, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then what do you want to learn from me?”
“How to better control the mana I have. And… how to increase my mana capacity.”
“Alright. If that’s what you want, I can’t stop you. I’ll teach you. But…”
“But?”
“It’ll be tough. Are you still willing to learn?”
“…Yes.”
Yoo Soha looked at Lumern with determination.
“Alright. Tomorrow, as soon as the sun rises, we’ll head to Seoul. The kids under you need training too, so I can’t keep you here.”
“Yes!”
“It works out well. I was planning to go to Seoul for a while anyway, so the timing’s perfect.”
“Huh? For what?”
“For what else? It’s almost time for the government to annoyingly summon us.”
“Oh… right. Around this time, there’s that government-hosted banquet to resolve conflicts between Korea’s five major guilds.”
“Exactly. I have to go for that, so it’s good timing. I’ll oversee your training then.”
“Yes!”
“By the way, where’s that old man?”
“Oh, yeah, where’s Grandpa?”
“He’s probably off training. It’s a bright moonlit night. Let’s go find him later.”
“Okay.”
“And you, Eclipse, was it?”
Lumern addressed Eclipse, who was standing there quietly. Her tone was subtly different from before.
Unlike her previously dismissive attitude, she now spoke with a hint of respect.
The reason was simple. Eclipse was a formidable figure she acknowledged, and he would continue to protect Soha by her side.
Treating him casually didn’t sit right with her.
“Yes. Is something up?”
“Probably. That old man will likely want to spar with you when he sees you, so humor him appropriately.”
“Understood.”
Lumern gave a small smile, as if she could already predict what would happen later, and looked at Eclipse.