24 Hearts

52====================

The twenty-fourth fragment, Carpe Diem

Judah slowly opened his mouth.

“Tia, I have to change. I want to be numb to murder. I don’t want to be cowardly in the face of threats. I want to defeat injustice. I’m going to travel to different countries and meet so many people, and I’m going to be very different from now.”

It was inevitable because that was what growth was. Tia tried to question what it had to do with her, but Judah continued his speech.

“And even if I changed into someone like that, I can come back to my innocent days like this one. If Tia waits for me here… I will do my best to overcome the trials, thinking that I have someone to go back to. When I come back, I’ll come back as the same me that you know, no matter what happens to me.”

“…”

“I’m a coward. I don’t want to show you how I’m changing, and I don’t want to lose you in front of my eyes, just like my parents because of my lack of power. I love you the most in the world right now. You are the one I cherish the most. I’m not going to ask you to wait for me in the only place I’ll come back to… I just want you to be here.

Hearing everything, Tia closed her eyes. If Judah was concerned, Tia was worried. Say that Judah didn’t die, but what if he was seriously injured — or even betrayed by someone? She wanted to argue these, but to do so would be to ignore the sincerity that Judah had given her. This boy was mature. There were times when he felt more mature than the people Tia knew. In a whimper, she replied.

“…You are a coward.”

“I know.”

“And it’s a perilous journey.”

“I know that, too.”

“But I understand. Judah, your heart might be struggling too.”

Tia released Judah from her arms. Judah, free from her embrace, sighed before rising from the sofa. He wasn’t leaving yet — but her broken state guilted him. He hugged her, frowning to see the drooping ears on her head. He patted her back, wishing to erase the thought of their imminent separation.

“Do you love me, Judah?”

“Yes.”

Her ears perked up.

“Even though I’m older? Even though others know I’m your teacher?”

“It doesn’t matter. Because Tia is my first love, and my teacher is right. I’m Tia’s and Tia is mine. If someone says anything about our relationship, we just have to show them: we love this way. As an adult, I love what I love. What is so important about people’s opinions when you make your own decisions? We love each other, that’s enough.”

A smile curved on Tia’s lips, and her tail wagged in delight. “Really? You’re so confident about this.”

She then sighed.

“Okay. Promise me this instead.”

“Hey, I’m not leaving yet… But what is it?”

“You must come back. You can sleep with another woman, become a coward, or whatever else. Just come back here. I’ll wait. You don’t need to bring any fortune. The Master will take care of everything. Just come back, alive. Promise me, okay?”

It was an easy promise. After all, Judah never really had a choice. If he died, he would come back to life either way.

Judah nodded, kissing her forehead down to her nose and then her lips. When their lips met, her eyes gleamed with a sultry gaze as she responded to his kiss. They moved apart, and the string of saliva shared between them hung on the air before breaking.

“I will be back.”

Judah whispered an ‘I love you’ to Tia. He couldn’t believe that love, a word that used to make him flinch, would come out so sweetly.

“But I’m not leaving right now, so don’t be so sad. You look like you’re already letting me go.”

Tia blushed and looked away.

“What am I supposed to do? Someone wanted to leave without telling me.”

Ashamed, Tia’s tail fluttered. Sometimes, she could be repressive of her feelings. But a lovely thing about her was that her tails and ears were the least subtle, and you could tell what she really felt just by looking at them. Right now, she was trying her best to keep her heart strong, and Judah doubted her facade but trusted her anyway.

“Just believe me. I haven’t broken my promises so far, haven’t I?”

Tia broke into giggles.

“Right? I haven’t broken any promises, so can you trust me?”

“Yes.”

+ + +

Judah, who had arrived at the threshold, brushed past the crowd with a watchful gaze. Unlike the secluded Eastern Boulevard, mercenaries and adventurers scattered around the road, and the solicitors and merchants hollered as they paraded their goods. It was a lively place, one Judah felt unfamiliar with, as there was nothing much in West Boulevard during this time.

He expected a great deal of them to whisper about his presence, but not much paid attention. Occasionally, some who recognized Judah would murmur in each other’s ears, but they were quickly buried in the noise. The way of passing through the threshold was much easier than that of the east gate. All he needed to do was to show his hand to prove his identity and then pass. After walking through, he hurried down through less crowded paths.

People wandered about, scouring for relics that others might have missed or fragments near but remaining unfound.

When he came to a somewhat secluded place, he opened -Record- and brought up what he had written before.

“1151.6.28: A Blue Lancer and a Flying Fighter will fight in the ruins in the northwest direction of Serenia.”

The event was noted for June 28th. He had two days left. When he first came to this world, it was a godly move to record everything he remembered. He had forgotten many things over a long time, so there were many things that he wouldn’t even remember if he didn’t check what he wrote down in advance.

Lucky enough to have the player’s privileges, Judah compared his -Map- and another map he had bought from a general store with the geography of the surrounding area.

‘I just need to find the ancient ruins before 3 o’clock.’

After 3 o’clock, whatever might happen would wins as his life hanged in the balance, or the Blue Lancer is triumphant in a dying state, or both may have died.

He needed the Blue Lancer to win the fight, but the outcome was uncertain, so he had to arrive and watch before jumping into their battle if possible. With a small sigh, he spent the night in a suitable place, and as soon as the day was bright, he was back up on his feet.

The forest blocked the road ahead like a maze, but Judah had two types of maps, and he had no problem at all. The map purchased at the general store could roughly layout the surrounding geography, and the player’s dedicated -map- was marked with directions, so it was possible to know east, west, north, and south. His current location was marked as well, and getting lost was the least of his worries.

.

‘Hopefully, I think I can arrive this evening or tomorrow morning.’

If he had any doubts, he compared his maps to estimate his journey. As he read his maps, the metallic sound of something hitting the trees came from a distance.

“?”

He looked for its source — Boom! An explosion rippled through the forest, followed by a black smoke soaring in the air. Judah hurried to its direction as silently as he could while the screams of monsters grew closer and closer.

Another explosion rang, and something flew towards Judah. He evaded, hiding behind a tree.

Kyareuk! Kyah!

When he looked out from the tree, a monster stricken by the explosion sprawled on the ground, the figure cried in pain with a charred body, and Judah studied it as he pulled the dagger sheathed on its waist.

‘Hmm, is it a goblin?’

There was no doubt with its green skin and child-like physique. Judah studied the first goblin he encountered in this world, but that interest did not last long. There were more to see of it down the line.

With cunning eyes and cruel personality, these guys were famous for biting their opponents until they died. And despite being tanned in flames, the goblin before him sneered while flailing with hostility.

“There’s nothing else you can do…”

The gaze in its eye that bore no fear of death impressed him. Still, he chuckled as it growled at him. Judah threw a dagger the size of a hand down at the goblin’s neck with a flick of his wrist. The creature spewed out black blood, wriggled, then, at last, it rested.

As the goblin took its last breath, Judah looked around to find where it could’ve come from and saw the black smoke again as it peaked from afar. The towering trees and bushed blocked his view; what more was the flames ahead, making it harder to see what was going on.

As Judah approached closer, he figured the commotion was most likely just the goblins being their usual. He repeated these monsters’ characteristics in the case of an ambush. They may be skimpy, but they were cunning and ruthless. They devour their enemies through bites until there was nothing left of them. He hoped that his prior knowledge was enough. But even though what he remembered could be wrong, what was the backlash in dying by their hands?

Judah held his thought. He couldn’t afford to think so highly of himself. After all, it needed four adventurers to defeat an average hoard of twenty goblins.

‘…’

The raging flames and their enormous smoke suddenly vanished into thin air. Then before Judah, an adventurer clashed against a crowd of goblins.

Ah.

As soon as he saw the adventurer’s face, Judah felt himself freeze. A blond boy, covered with silver armor, wielded his sword and slew the goblins. The form of that armor was given only to those who qualified as paladins. Assuming that most paladins were in their twenties, that boy in armor was too young. And he was also a boy he knew too well.

Kain Sabnak.

This was the Western Forest. He expected the place to be a challenging one, but he could only sigh when he saw the boy in front of him. He didn’t even think he’d run into him.

Judah smiled bitterly before he approached the group ahead.

No one noticed him. Not Kain’s party, nor the ten goblins wearing a -Black Wolf Skin Set-.

Kain’s party consisted of a priest and a wizard. The sorcerer was Riel, with her pink hair and slender body. The two must have decided to go on an adventure together and hunted goblins in this forest to gain experience.

He paused, realizing there was another one. Who was it?

Kain’s party had four members. But right now, only the three of them fought the goblins. Two of the creatures ran towards Riel and the priest, as one of their melee members ran off.

‘This looks dangerous.’

Riel was prepared; a mammoth manifested at the end of her staff, but it was impossible to kill two goblins at once. These sly creatures had survived several explosions already, and evading her attack came easy to them.

Riel struggled with them for a moment, throwing another mammoth by swinging her staff.

The manifestation darted like an arrow towards the goblins, and then it swelled into an explosion. The goblins, wrapped in the flames, bounced off and hit a tree.

Before she could even conjure her next magic, a goblin already had her at arm’s length. Riel’s eyes widened, only able to watch as the goblin brandished its dagger.

“Riel!”

Kain, who had just beheaded a goblin, could only shriek as it happened. Judah saw the fear churning in Riel’s face. He frowned… Then he threw the dagger he was holding in his hand.

Pluck!

The moment his dagger flew, almost simultaneously, in the same direction, precisely behind Judah, a spear flew at the same time.

“!”

His dagger struck the goblin’s head as the spear hit its body. Before his attack had even landed, Judah’s hand already rushed to the bastard sword sheathed on his waist. And at that moment, Judah, seeing the spear flung in the air, hurriedly pulled out his sword.

Clang!

He managed to draw his sword just enough to block. Sparks bounced right in front of my nose, and the clash rang through the open field. Judah was surprised to find out who had attacked him by surprise.

‘I’m not here to fight!’

Seeing the shock upon Judah’s face, a smirk curled on her lips.

“I knew there was a rat scattering about, and it was a person!”