Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented-Chapter 147

*Clang.*

The sound of the lower half of the armor I slashed off hitting the ground.

And then, silence.

Thud.

I sheathed my sword and turned my head.

"Hmm."

I scratched my face.

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Where my sword had cut through her waist, a faint blue light was shimmering.

I thought I had truly cut her, but it seems the only thing I cut was her armor. Of course, her protective aura wouldn’t let a Master be slashed so easily. Should I feel relieved?

Well, I expected she had that kind of protection. It’s a power I’m most envious of right now. Come to think of it, the 'Ancient Hero' had such an aura too. If I had something like that now, I’d probably hurt a lot less.

As I watched her back, I nervously fiddled with my fingers.

"...I did win, right?"

Despite the fierce battle we just had, I asked with a meek voice.

If she didn’t acknowledge the result, then it would turn into a real named fight. I’d have to keep pounding away until her protective aura shattered.

But this was a duel, right? I won, didn’t I?

"......."

Just as my cheeks started puffing up in frustration at her silence, one of Eleanora’s knees hit the ground.

Thud.

Her sword stabbed into the ground.

Then, from her lips, in a voice barely loud enough for me to hear, she spoke.

"I’ve held this sword for twenty years. In all that time, I never questioned my family’s swordsmanship, nor my own."

Her voice was dry, emotionless. I slowly approached Eleanora, inching closer to her.

"I’ve been called a genius like no other. By my mid-twenties, I became the youngest Master in the history of the Empire. Swordsmanship was merely a process to build mana within the body. The training of this era revolves around how much mana one can accumulate within and whether they can manifest it as visible energy."

She raised her hands, staring at them with a hollow smile.

"I was never a swordsman, but merely a practitioner of energy."

"Uh..."

I stood there, mouth agape.

Wait, why is she falling into such deep self-denial?

Sure, by the standards of a duel, I completely crushed her, but if this had been a real life-or-death battle, I would have been cut down several times before I could have struck her. To properly break through her protective aura, I would have needed to unleash the full power of the hero.

"Sister! Hey, come on, sister! Get a hold of yourself!"

I grabbed the disoriented Eleanora and shook her, forcing her to lift her head.

Her vacant eyes met mine.

Grabbing her face, I spoke firmly.

"How much combat experience do you have?"

"Huh?"

"You’ve fought monsters outside your estate, right? In the Eastern regions? When did you start going out to fight?"

"Uh... I think I first went out when I was nineteen. About six or seven years."

"Really? I think I was eleven or twelve when I started fighting for my life. So, I’ve been fighting for one or two years longer than you. There were times I fought for hours, dozens of times a day. I’ve got way more combat experience."

"W-what...?"

Eleanora looked flustered. For her, it must have been hard to believe that a tiny girl who looked barely fifteen or sixteen had gone through countless life-or-death battles.

Of course, I’d had my share of insanity.

There were times when I lost everything—my body broke down, I lost my strength, and I was hit hard by the loss of my comrades. There was a time I had no attachment to life anymore. Even after returning to this world, I was trapped in the game system, limited by the stats that weakened me.

I smiled softly.

"You still lack experience and time. If you gain more of both, you’ll grow even stronger. It might also help to go back to basics and revisit everything step by step."

"...W-who exactly are you?"

Her voice was full of confusion. She just called me an old fossil.

I idly fiddled with her face. She didn’t resist. Was it the harsh wilderness wind? Her skin was a bit rough, but she was still pretty. Her teal hair, braided just like Melissa's, reminded me of her. I touched her forehead. Hmm, I’m not a doctor, but she didn’t seem feverish or unwell.

I hadn’t planned on explaining everything, but if I left her like this, she might break down from the shock. I didn’t want the Empire’s pillar to crumble because of me. I needed to convince her that she had simply lost to someone who deserved it.

How should I introduce myself?

Scratching my face, I gave a sheepish smile. Leaning close to her ear, I whispered softly.

"Um... I was a comrade of one of your ancestors."

---

I didn’t really explain much, but when I brought Eleanora to the Emperor, things seemed to work themselves out.

*Boom!*

"Godmother...! Are you truly a companion of the forgotten hero of the Roeide family...!"

Eleanora fell to her knees, prostrating herself in front of me. Startled, I waved my hands.

"N-no, I’m not such an amazing person...!"

*Boom! Boom!*

Eleanora kept banging her head against the floor.

I had saved someone on the verge of dying from self-loathing, and now she seemed ready to die from prostrating in front of me.

Is this okay, even with the Emperor here?

The Emperor only smiled. It seemed like it wasn’t an issue.

I kept glancing toward the gathered players. This kind of scene was starting to make me uncomfortable.

"Sister, get up! Stop that, seriously!"

I clung to Eleanora, trying to stop her.

Suddenly.

*Whoosh.*

*Lift.*

"Gasp!"

Eleanora suddenly stood up and grabbed me by the armpits, lifting me into the air. With a height difference of over 30 centimeters between us, I dangled helplessly in the air. So strong.

"You’re so small and cute, but so powerful."

"W-wait! Put me down! You said I was a godmother!"

"Ah, sorry. I did it unconsciously."

She blushed and quickly set me down, coughing awkwardly.

What’s with this woman?

Melissa used to pick me up like that sometimes, too. Despite not being a direct descendant, Eleanora’s actions were strangely similar.

I told her the name of her ancestor.

'Melissa von Roeide.'

The forgotten hero of the Roeide family was remembered again by 'Eleanora von Roeide.'

"T-to think that I, a mere descendant, would reclaim the name of my long-lost ancestor...!"

Tears of gratitude welled up in her eyes.

"I shared it because I see potential in you. Master Melissa, and now Master Eleanora, after a thousand years. You must live up to the title of Master."

"Please, visit the Roeide Duchy. I, along with all the knights of the family, wish to receive the teachings of our godmother."

"I’m quite busy, so I won’t be able to stay long."

Eleanora repeatedly wiped her tears, expressing her gratitude before leaving the training ground.

---

"Rain! Why did you engage in such a dangerous duel without telling me?!"

"I’m sorry."

I twisted awkwardly in front of Chris’s stern expression.

"Haa... My heart almost stopped. Of course, I know you’re strong, but please consider how I feel, okay?"

Chris quickly softened her expression and smiled at me. Her smile lifted my spirits as well.

"And one more thing."

Chris suddenly glared toward the spot where Eleanora had disappeared.

"That woman... She picked you up without permission? Next time, I’m killing her."

"Gasp."

Even though she couldn’t hear what happened, it seemed she had seen it. I was just glad she didn’t throw some magic at Eleanora.

For Eleanora’s safety, I had to calm Chris down.

I held out both my hands to Chris.

"Here! Here!"

"Hm?"

"You can pick me up too, can’t you?"

"Heh!"

Chris’s trembling hands reached under my arms.

*Lift.*

"Hehe, Rain, you did so well today. Your duel was amazing. Good job."

Being praised by the grinning Chris as she lifted me, I found myself suspended again.

What is this situation?

From this slightly higher perspective, I looked around with a red face. I wanted to cover my face, but I couldn’t do that in this position.

As I glanced around, I made eye contact with Scada. The look in her eyes was intense. Had I shown too much today? It reminded me of how Chris used to look at me before.

"Aaah, I want to lift her too!"

Before I knew it, Beimerung joined in, lifting me into the air as well.

After showing such a dazzling performance to the gathered players, I was quickly turned into a child being tossed around.

It’s all because of that descendant.

I used to be a hero.

---

---

*Astria Online's* new expansion pack, 'Endless Gorge.'

The 30 days announced by the Emperor’s world quest had passed quickly.

Today was the final patch day for the expansion pack.

Sending Chris off to work, I sat on the living room sofa, checking the time.

10 minutes left until the maintenance was complete.

It wouldn’t be long before I could log into the game.

I hadn’t been idle either. The day after the royal

banquet, I got a call from Hana Games.

I sighed heavily.

"Another ad shoot."

Following the expansion pack *Frozen Lands*, I was once again starring in the advertisement for *Endless Gorge*.

Though filming the ad didn’t tire me out since it was all done in the game, it was still a bother.

But the money deposited into my account always brought a smile to my face.

Now that I was debt-free, all the money I earned was pure profit. Financial security brought me a great sense of peace. Even without Chris buying me fancy meals, I could now afford to treat myself. If I saved up steadily, I could even realize my dream of buying a luxury suite in the heart of Seoul.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the TV I had left on out of habit began to play grand music, and an image of a white-haired girl appeared against the backdrop of a fortress wall.

It was an ad starring me.

"Ah!"

My face flushed red as I stared at the commercial. I hurriedly turned off the TV.

It was still embarrassing to see the ads I starred in.

Soon, the server would be open.

I thought about checking the patch notes, but maybe I’ll just log in first.

---

[Welcome to Astria Online]

Wooong.

As a strange floating sensation washed over me, a new cityscape unfolded before my eyes.

This was the Roeide Duchy.

Beyond the city walls, the wilderness and gorges filled with ferocious monsters would be the setting for this new expansion pack.

And today, something unusual caught my attention.

"Huh?"

A faint green barrier appeared before me.

It must have appeared after the patch.

What is this?

[Safety Filter]