Chapter 11: “In a World Like This” Part 2

It was such a beautiful life.

It was such a brilliant life.

Although their lives would not burn eternally like the moon or the stars in the night sky, Arna thought that precisely because they flared for just a fleeting moment, they were all the more splendid and beautiful.

Arna had seen a meteor shower before.

Unlike stars that move slowly, meteors fall, leaving long and beautiful trails in an instant.

Human lives are like a meteor shower, with hundreds or thousands of them tracing their gorgeous paths as they fall.

You can’t capture that light.

You can only watch from afar, blankly admiring those stunning trails.

Elves’ time is long.

When relationships turn cold, they leave them as they are for decades, waiting for time to resolve things.

They even make century-long plans.

Elves’ emotions move slowly and lastingly.

Compared to them, the progression of human relationships is remarkably quick.

But humans are different.

Their lives are too short to postpone everything.

They get angry easily and grieve easily.

They quarrel and create conflicts quickly.

But just as swiftly, they understand others, accept differences, and seek ways to restore relationships.

They reconcile easily, laugh easily, sing, dance, and enjoy their lives.

In their short span of time, they greedily learn, teach, write, and read.

“I am Kalia, the Knight Commander. I hear you excel not only in archery but also in swordsmanship. I look forward to learning much from each other. Please take care of me.”

Unlike the elves, who kept their distance and approached cautiously to read their opponents’ moves, humans approached with a smile and greeted first.

“How is this kind of magic possible…? I’ve never seen anything like this before. As the master of the magic tower, I can’t just let this slide! Tell me! Please, just tell meee!”

They were willing to set aside their pride to learn.

“How could you let yourself get hurt like this? Why didn’t you say anything until now? Healing such a small wound with divine power is inefficient…? Stop talking nonsense and just show me the injured area already!”

They even got angry over rational conclusions that elves would have merely accepted and moved on from.

To Arna, all these actions seemed clumsy.

They seemed so naive and innocent.

Illogical and uncalculated.

Surely, not all these actions would yield the best outcomes.

And yet.

And yet, she liked all of it.

Helping one another without weighing gains and losses.

Having someone to discuss and debate with openly about what they didn’t know.

Being able to empathize with and shed tears for a stranger’s pain.

Arna loved it all.

“Why go to such lengths?”

One day, Arna asked the hero.

She asked why he would risk his life for a place that wasn’t even his homeland or for people he had never met.

She wasn’t trying to criticize him; she just wanted to ask.

It wasn’t a question born of logical reasoning or calculation.

Perhaps she had unconsciously picked up the illogical habits of her companions.

“Just…”

The hero looked a bit troubled as he gazed into the distance.

The sky was studded with stars, as if they might pour down at any moment.

Under that starlight, he looked up at the sky and spoke.

“Just because the world is like this.”

Then, he lowered his gaze and looked straight at Arna, smiling as he said,

“Because the world is like this, isn’t it wonderful to help each other live?”

Still, she couldn’t understand.

It wasn’t a story that could be grasped through mere logic.

Not for survival, not for money, not for honor…

It wasn’t for any particular reason, just because the world was like this.

It felt absurd.

Having strength but not using it for oneself.

Having power but not seeking wealth.

Throwing everything away and embarking on a journey that could cost one’s life.

Helping others didn’t guarantee help in return.

In fact, betrayal or resentment might await instead.

And yet, he said it.

That it was wonderful to help each other live.

Because the world was like this.

It made no sense.

It made absolutely no sense, and yet…

What truly made no sense was that Arna found herself understanding those words.

Not with logic, but with a part of her heart, she could empathize.

A feeling that couldn’t be explained logically—simply “liking” something.

Through these people, Arna learned that feeling.

She found them all so utterly lovable.

And so, she wished for those she loved not to die.

Even if their lives were short, she wished they could draw beautiful paths for a long time.

She began to calculate her own life as part of the equation.

It wasn’t those who still had a life to live that should die in dangerous moments.

One hundred and fifty years was enough time to be considered a complete life.

For those who had only just turned twenty, death was far too cruel.

If someone had to die, shouldn’t it be the elder rather than the youth?

It happened in the third year since she joined the hero’s party.

“…So, you’re saying you’ll die?”

Arna rarely got angry. No matter how much time she had spent among humans and been influenced by them, she was still an elf.

She hadn’t completely abandoned rational thought.

Thus, her anger carried weight.

It was righteous, justified anger.

“The holy sword you wield can only be used by the hero. If you die, who will deal with the remaining demons?”

The hero closed his mouth at Arna’s words.

But it didn’t feel like he agreed with her; it was more that he simply didn’t want to answer.

That frustrated Arna even more.

It wasn’t just Arna.

Among those present, the only ones who weren’t angry were the Saintess and the Hero.

The Saintess’s demeanor was slightly different.

She sat with her head bowed low, as if she had been persuaded by the Hero.

“Say something, Hero.”

Kalia spoke in frustration.

The mage, Dana, stood with her arms crossed, staring at the Hero intently, as though trying to read his thoughts.

“…Well.”

After some hesitation, the Hero finally spoke.

“I’m already a man who has died once.”

“…What?”

For the first time, an astonished sound escaped Arna’s lips.

“…Are you saying you’re undead?”

Arna asked, even though she knew it couldn’t possibly be true.

Was he referring to some miraculous resurrection from legend?

But the Hero’s explanation was something entirely different.

“I already lived and died in another world. My soul came to this world… at the request of the Goddess.”

All eyes turned toward the Saintess, who was still sitting with her head bowed.

Her shoulders trembled slightly.

“This has nothing to do with Pia,” the Hero continued. “It’s a matter between me and the Goddess.”

Arna stayed silent for a moment, then finally spoke.

“Fine. I know you wouldn’t lie about something like this at this point. Let’s discuss that part later.”

She sighed softly and then asked,

“So, what’s the reason you have to die? I’ve heard that previous Heroes also died during the Demon King’s final struggles. But we can do this. There must be a way to handle it without sacrificing anyone. Dana’s been working on finding one.”

“Yes, that’s right. The theory has already been established,” Dana said, nodding in agreement.

“But there’s no time left now, is there?”

At the Hero’s continued words, no one could come up with a solid rebuttal.

There was a way.

But no one could guarantee how long it would take to implement that method effectively.

Even if it were used, there was no certainty it would completely stop the Demon King.

“I’m not saying I’ll die no matter what,” the Hero explained. “But if someone has to make a sacrifice at the very end to minimize the damage, then that’s my job.”

“Why does it have to be you?” Arna’s voice trembled.

She had rarely been this angry before.

Even if it weren’t the Hero, even if someone else present had to—

But she knew.

This man would never agree to let anyone else make that sacrifice.

“Because I’ve decided to return.”

Silence filled the room again.

This time, no one could speak.

Perhaps sensing the tension, the Hero forced a faint, awkward smile onto his face.

“Even if I die, I can return to the other world. That’s why it has to be me.”

Arna bit her lip.

With him saying this much, there was no way to refute him anymore.

The Hero chosen by the Goddess.

The one destined to wield the greatest holy sword, destroy demons, and save humanity.

If such a Hero invoked the Goddess’s name and spoke like this—

Yes, logically, there was no room for rebuttal.