Book 1 Chapter 544

From the furthest memories, the sky was gray.

And darker and gloomier than that was the surrounding environment.

Death was always with Bihar.

Day by day, she desperately clung to life.

But the longer she lived, the more she felt she was falling into a deeper abyss.

One day, while living in such a deep and dark world.

A man with hair and eyes the same color as the sky and a beautiful woman with deep dark hair and eyes appeared before Bihar.

The man, Kyle, sat down and looked down at Bihar, who was looking up at him, and said,

"Surviving somehow is similar to me."

With that, Lissinas let out a small sigh and knelt down in front of Bihar.

"What do you want to do from now on?"

"I wish people like me wouldn't exist."

Bihar didn't know about the outside world, but she knew that what she had been doing was wrong.

To survive, you have to trample on those who strive together.

To survive, you have to kill those you laughed with with your own hands.

The only warmth and kindness you can offer others is to kill yourself.

'That is definitely wrong.'

"I cannot tolerate those who do such things."

Bihar calmly conveyed her will.

Looking at Bihar, Lissinas's eyes wavered.

The girl, raised in a terrible environment, showed hatred for the things that made her this way.

But more than that, she wished that no more victims like herself would emerge.

Seeing the girl who cared for others at an immature age, Lissinas instinctively realized.

'This child will live in darkness.'

She was like a black dragon.

Black dragons have always carried the mission of protecting the world from the darkness.

If the world were different, Lissinas would have lived such a life.

'It's the mission of the black dragon passed down through generations. But now, who is doing that in my stead?'

*Swish-*

Lissinas turned his head at the hand extended next to his face.

There, Kyle was reaching out to Bihar.

Bihar took his hand.

Kyle, who helped Bihar up, walked away without a word.

As Bihar was about to follow him, Lissinas said,

"Little one."

"Yes."

"Don't live in darkness your whole life."

Lissinas, speaking with a worried voice, gently pushed the young Bihar's back.

Bihar dazedly watched Lissinas walk alongside her.

It was the first light Bihar had ever seen.

"Who is she?"

"My disciple."

"I am your master's disciple."

Berkia, an elf girl somehow brimming with defiance towards Kyle, stood in front of Bihar after the introduction and said sternly.

"I am your senior. Take good care of me from now on."

"Okay."

"Then, this senior is thirsty, so go fetch some water."

She ordered as if it were obvious, and then was soundly hit by Kyle.

At that sight, she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Bihar didn't dislike Berkkia.

She was fundamentally different from herself.

It wasn't simply because of different races.

The eyes of those born in the age of disaster all held darkness.

Even the hero Arion.

But Berkkia felt none of that.

'Just like Lissinas-nim.'

She gave a sense of relief to those who looked at her.

A person like bright light.

Beautiful to the point of not even feeling jealous.

That was her first impression of Berkkia.

'Her path is different from mine. But someday… just as Master supports Lissinas-nim, maybe there will be a day when I have to support this child.'

Someday, when they have to take the place of the great heroes.

She vowed that she absolutely would.

Bihar became Kyle's disciple.

Days of training with Berkkia continued.

After growing to some extent, Bihar began to be assigned missions with Kyle to eliminate traitors.

She had no complaints about it.

No, it was something Bihar wanted more than anyone else.

A necessary task, but not one that anyone could do.

'This is dirty work.'

As she thought that, someone placed a teacup in front of Bihar, who was looking down.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Bihar looked up and at the person who sat before her.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?"

"Nothing."

"Shall I guess?"

Lissinas said, bringing the mug in his hand to his lips.

"You're thinking that what you're doing is dirty, aren't you?"

"……"

Seeing Lissinas who could see through her heart, Bihar hunched her shoulders.

Bihar was staying at Lissinas's house.

Lissinas had taken Bihar in on the day she first came to Guardsron.

As the lord of Guardsron, his days were busy, so he didn't have many opportunities to encounter her at home like this, but they often talked like this.

"What you're doing is by no means dirty work."

Lissinas said, sipping his tea.

"Of course, as it's a task of eliminating traitors in the darkness, you will use any means necessary."

Traitors are more vicious than demons towards the hunters who come to judge them.

Because it is a task of eliminating such beings, the hunters also become more brutal, using any means necessary.

Absolute terror must be instilled in traitors.

Lissinas knew this better than anyone.

If it weren't for this era, he would have been the one doing this.

Bihar knew this too.

However…

'It doesn't suit him at all.'

To Bihar's eyes, Lissinas was a person too dazzling.

She couldn't imagine such a person like Lissinas getting his hands dirty by eliminating traitors in the darkness like herself.

'I see why Master took Lissinas-nim's place.'

Lissinas said, watching Bihar sip her tea.

"But Bihar, what you're doing is undeniably for the sake of this world. I hope you realize that yourself."

"Do you think what I do is something to be proud of, Lissinas-nim?"

"Of course."

Lissinas smiled.

Bihar was a little surprised by the unwavering answer.

"I believe those who can stain themselves with darkness for the sake of the world are noble."

Bihar spent as much time with Lissinas as she did with Kyle.

As if to heal Bihar's darkness.

Despite his busy schedule, Lissinas cared for Bihar.

And time flowed again.

The great heroes began preparations for their final expedition.

"I probably won't be able to come back. So…"

One morning, Kyle, who had visited Lissinas's house, said.

At those words, Bihar's eyes widened.

Lissinas scrunched up his face.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I think you should have at least that much resolve."

"We will all return alive."

Kyle did not reply to Lissinas's scoffing words.

He merely placed the food he had made in the kitchen on the table.

"Does Lissinas cook?"

"Sometimes."

"It must have been hard every time."

Seeing Kyle genuinely mocking him, Lissinas's hands trembled.

Watching him, Bihar smiled.

"I'll ask you to make it. It reminds me of something."

"Do you ask to be made when you want to punish yourself? I don't think you'd commit such a severe wrong?"

"Die!"

Lissinas brandished the knife in his hand.

Of course, Kyle dodged without batting an eye.

Bihar was usually in charge of meals.

But very occasionally, when Bihar seemed to be struggling, Lissinas would do his best to cook.

It couldn't be called delicious, but it was certainly energizing.

Bihar, watching Kyle and Lissinas bicker, burst into laughter.

"It's like… you're like a family like this."

At those words, Lissinas paused and then smiled gently.

It was the first time Bihar had said something like that.

Thus, in the final expedition, the two saved the world and did not return.

***

After the world was saved.

Bihar spent days in a frenzy.

The first thing she did was tear out Kyle's record from the Hero Record, where he had acted as a shadow.

Bihar was proud of her teacher, who had gotten blood on her hands by eliminating traitors.

But at the same time, she knew.

'The world will never accept that appearance with only positivity.'

Kyle wouldn't care.

But Bihar hated that.

That's why she tore out the record and kept it separately.

After that, Bihar lived in darkness.

As Bihar had thought, Berkkia took Lissinas's place.

As Berkkia led the world with her bright light, a long, dark shadow was cast.

And that shadow was the world Bihar lived in.

She never felt ashamed of this work.

But Bihar never revealed herself.

The more she did that, the more she grew tired.

Then, one day.

Bihar saw children in the darkness in the same predicament as her past.

And like Kyle and Lissinas in the past, she reached out to those children.

It was the light Bihar found in the darkness.

Bihar took in many children.

And those children brought normalcy into her life, which she thought would never be ordinary.

She found loved ones and had children.

After a long time, as she found peace, she heard about Berkkia.

***

"Mother!"

Seeing Bihar return covered in blood, her son's face turned pale.

Seeing her son like that, Bihar said,

"Shan."

"Mother, please get treatment…"

"Don't resent me."

"……!"

Seeing Bihar speak with a faint smile, Shan trembled.

"Anyway, I didn't have much time left due to my illness. So don't resent her."

"Mother…"

"She is like a sister to me, with the same father."

Shan knew.

That her mother had worked tirelessly behind the scenes to support Berkkia her entire life.

"Lissinas-nim told me. Shadows are the most noble beings. So it's okay if others don't acknowledge it. If you are going to walk this path too. I want you to know that it's not a misfortune that no one acknowledges you."

Bihar smiled.

"You said you weren't, but I want you to live like my teacher, who always devoted herself to the world."

"Yes… Son."

"Yes, my son. I entrust my younger siblings to you."

"Yes…"

Seeing her son bravely accept his death with gritted teeth, Bihar smiled brightly.

It was a smile like Lissinas, who had become her light.

Her life had no regrets.

The only thing that weighed on her mind was not being able to stop Berkkia.

***

-I didn't think my last words would torment you for thousands of years.

Chen Xia, who saw the past, was silent.

It was a very long story.

But in reality, it was a very fleeting moment.

During that time, Chen Xia saw the past through Bihar's spirit.

Bihar woke up in the present world because of her worry about Berkkia.

But just as Chen Xia saw Bihar's past.

Bihar also saw Chen Xia's past.

And she learned how her descendants had lived.

That her last words had become a curse, tormenting her descendants for thousands of years.

That countless shadows had despaired of themselves.

-You resent me too, don't you?

'Yes, I resented you a lot.'

Although she dreamed of being a hero from a young age, the mission of a shadow had bound Chen Xia.

Chen Xia resented her ancestor, who had caused her clan to live in darkness their entire lives.

But…….

'Are you ashamed of us, Bihar-nim?'

-No. I am very proud.

Bihar's descendants, despite their suffering, did not lose their mission.

How could she not be proud of descendants who had continued her will for so long?

Chen Xia smiled faintly at Bihar's words.

Bihar had clearly confined her descendants to darkness.

Even if it was unintentional.

Countless people suffered.

But one thing was certain.

'I resented Bihar-nim, but I was also proud of her.'

No one acknowledged them.

Countless people pointed fingers at the Shan Empire.

They were discriminated against for not being able to be named in the Hero Record, despite dedicating themselves to the world.

Even so, the Shan Empire pursued their path silently for so long because they were proud of Bihar, who had devoted herself to the world her entire life.

'I think it's the same for the previous generations. Because they were proud of Bihar-nim, even though they resented her, no one strayed and lived in darkness for thousands of years.'

Chen Xia said.

'Therefore, Bihar-nim is fully qualified to be called an ancestor.'

Bihar could not say anything in response.

-Thank you for saying that.

She merely expressed her gratitude for Chen Xia's words, which comforted her with a trembling voice.

'It's strange. I don't have talent as a spirit summoner, yet I can talk to an ancestor like this.'

-What awakened me was my master's spirit summoning. But it was your spiritual power that completed the contract.

The contract Leo made through Bihar's dagger reacted to Chen Xia's spiritual power.

Hearing Bihar's words, Chen Xia said.

'Then, can you possess my body too?'

Chen Xia looked towards Leo.

'I need strength.'

-Yes. It's actually something I wanted to ask of you.

***

"Bihar, you…"

"We can talk later."

Bihar smiled faintly.

"I will stop Berkkia from now on."

Bihar gripped her dagger again.

"Master, please eliminate that elf."

"Understood."

Leo walked towards Ulein.

Leaving that behind, Bihar stood before Berkkia, who was clutching her head.

"Berkkia."

"Ugh…"

Berkkia, clutching her head, shook it wildly.

Seeing Berkkia like that, Bihar said,

"I don't resent you. But if you crumble like this."

"Aaaaah!"

"I will never forgive you."

*Flash-! *Boom!*

Berkkia's sword swept through Bihar.

Berkkia's gaze quickly turned back.

Though she moved with invisible speed, Berkkia's senses tracked Bihar in an instant.

*Thump-*

For a moment, confusion appeared in Berkkia's eyes, who had lost her reason.

Suddenly, Bihar became two people.

*Thump-* *Thump-*

Two became four.

Four became eight.

Eventually, countless Bihars stood before Berkkia.

"We were like sisters. That's why we fought so much. Do you remember what we fought about?"

There was one thing they could never yield on.

Bihar said calmly.

"In the 5000 years ago, I died first due to illness, so we couldn't settle it."

Bihar's gaze shone sharply.

"Let's settle it now."