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Chapter 229: Guardians of the Holy Cross (1)

I was redoing the translations of the first 11 episodes of this series, and it was like reading my dark history. So I wanted to say thank you to everyone who managed to read that and made it this far. On a positive note, doing that made me realize how much my ‘translation’ has improved since I began this series.

Anyway, we now enter the Guardians mini-arc. It may seem like a filler arc, but it is not. This is where all the foreshadowing begins for one of the big questions of this novel, which will be answered after 107 more episodes.

Terms used in this episode:

Catlike face – a Korean term for a person with a haughty and elegant face that resembles a cat. People with catlike faces are said to have slanted eyes and a slender jawline.

Shuten-douji – a mythical oni/demon in Japan, and known as one of Japan’s three most evil youkai/monsters.

Cordelia had a dream.

It was the memories of the time before she was reincarnated in Pleiades, of the time when she was still living as Yellow Storm, or Hong Yoo Hee in real life.

“Ah.”

Like most dreams, it began out of nowhere, but Cordelia didn’t feel that anything was strange.

Because it was a dream.

She was in Hong Yoo Hee’s room.

Cordelia stood in the middle of a room with a lot of pink colors, such as the wallpaper and curtains, and then looked at the bookshelf.

In the top section, various books related to certifications, including CAD, were tightly placed together. And in the bottom section, comic books and fairy tale books that she liked since her childhood were sparsely placed together.

And in another place.

Cordelia quietly gazed at the shelf filled with figures and plastic models, and she laid her eyes on the most eye-catching object there.

It was a Cordelia figure that was released when the popularity of Legend of Heroes 2 reached its peak.

‘It was hard to get.’

Not because the quantity sold was not enough, but because it was expensive.

Her pocket money was not enough, so she eventually had to sell some of her in-game items in exchange for real cash.

‘It’s so pretty.’

She remembered being really happy for a while whenever she opened her eyes every morning and saw the Cordelia figure on the bookshelf.

‘Cordelia.’

She stretched out her hand and took the Cordelia figure. Cordelia quietly looked up and looked around.

‘No one’s here, right?’

Having checked that the door was tightly closed, Cordelia’s lips twitched a few times before she turned the Cordelia figure upside down to look inside the skirt.

Whenever she saw figures dressed in a skirt, Cordelia strangely wanted to turn it over.

‘It’s white.’

Cordelia grinned unconsciously and returned the Cordelia figure to its spot.

She recalled the results of an experiment wherein most people of all ages, whether men or women, would check the inside of the skirt out of curiosity. Cordelia then walked towards the desk.

‘My desk.’

Unlike her cute-looking room, the desk had a formal design as if it was used in an office, but because of the props placed here and there, it did not hurt the atmosphere of the room at all.

Cordelia tapped the heads of the little teddy bears lined up on the desk and sat down afterwards.

She put her hands on the desk as her small body leaned on the stupidly expensive but comfortable chair which her paternal uncle took from an office that his workplace was contracted to demolish.

Cordelia touched the mechanical keyboard, or to be exact, the blue keyboard made by Leopold that was next to the VR device and exclusive controller.

Legend of Heroes 2 was originally played with a keyboard and mouse, but after the release of Legend of Heroes 3, the addition of a VR device and a control stick, which was similar to those in aircraft simulators or those that one could see in almost any robot cockpits in anime, elevated the gaming experience.

‘Its performance is as good as its complexity.’

One of the reasons why Yellow Storm was called a human disaster was because of this control stick.

People who could handle it perfectly were rare even within the Legend of Heroes community that were full of rotten waters, but once a person handled it perfectly, the level of character control was raised to a completely different level.

‘Outboxer must be the only one aside from me, right?’

A person who could use it perfectly like herself.

Cordelia smiled and grabbed the gaming mouse instead of the VR device as she opened Legend of Heroes 2.

As soon as she logged in, she saw a familiar name.

Cowabunga: Oh, you’re here?

One of the chat room regulars was Cowabunga.

She had never seen him in person, but because he was a guy who often played with his mic on, she felt like she could hear his voice in her head just by looking at the words in the screen.

Yellow Storm: Yes, I’m here.

After answering properly, she looked at the chat room list and saw that only Cowabunga and Outboxer009 were online now.

Cowabunga: Hey, do you not use Dico?

Discord. Also known as ‘Dico.’ It was a program mainly used for voice chat.

Although she knew of its existence, Cordelia shook her head and tapped on the keyboard.

Yellow Storm: No, I don’t.

Cowabunga: Why?

Yellow Storm: Because there’s no microphone at home. I’ll think about it if you buy me a microphone.

Actually, it was just an excuse.

There was a real reason.

‘There’s too many people talking.’

It was a bit embarrassing for her to say it herself, but Hong Yoo Hee’s voice was on the very good side.

She had been constantly asked since elementary school on whether she wanted to be a voice actress in the future.

Moreover, she was a woman, which was quite rare for players.

As a result, there were many guys who catcalled her when she played games with her voice on.

‘A lot of them even get into fights.’

Since Legend of Heroes itself was a male-oriented game, around 80% of the players were men, and there were many of the so-called ‘gamers’ who pretty much lived in Legend of Heroes.

So why did she say that?

Because a pretty girlfriend who was good at games was the ideal type for gamers.

Hong Yoo Hee was just the perfect fit to that.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Cordelia gently pressed her red cheeks with her hands in her embarrassment before she concentrated on the monitor again.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never even heard the other regulars’ voices in the voice chat.’

She had already seen them for 5 years in the game, but she had never heard their voices, let alone see their faces.

‘No way… is Romantic Cat-unnie not a woman?’

After all, Jude was a popular character that female players used.

‘Hmm…it’s perfectly reasonable to be suspicious.’

Cordelia closed her eyes for a moment and imagined the appearance of Outboxer009.

When he made fun of Yellow Storm, he always acted like a mean elementary student, but he was quite serious when he talked with others. No, one could say that he was cold in a sense since he didn’t talk much.

‘I feel angry now that I think of it.’

Why are you always so mean to me?

Even when they first met, he mocked her for not being able to play games well.

Yellow Storm always lost her temper to him, but strangely enough, she always imagined Outboxer009 as a pretty woman.

If Outboxer was really a woman, it reminded her of those stylish older women who were tall, sexy, and had excellent capabilities.

Outboxer would look fierce in a well-fitted suit, but would also look like a cool older woman.

‘What if she wore a racing suit and rode a big and black motorcycle?’

Will her eyes be a little fierce?

A catlike face?

Cordelia then recalled that Hong Yoo Hee herself also had a catlike face.

She had heard people say that she was pretty like a doll because she was small, but at the same time, she was also said to be like a ferocious kitten.

‘Ah, Outboxer’s definitely not a woman.’

It’s impossible for Outboxer to be a cool older woman if he always says mean things to me.

‘Then…’

Cordelia suddenly remembered one of Outboxer009’s weaknesses, and she smiled as she tapped the keyboard.

Yellow Storm: Outbo, Outbo. If you’re online, answer me.

Yellow Storm: I know you’re there.

Yellow Storm: Out

Yellow Storm: Bo

Yellow Storm: Xer

Yellow Storm: Baldie.

Yellow Storm: Impotent. Baldie. Hey, Baldie.

Outboxer009: You wanna die?

Yellow Storm: Oh, as I thought. You’re really bald, huh? After all, every time I say baldie, you always retort back.

Outboxer009: No, that’s nonsense.

Outboxer009: What’s going on anyway?

At Outboxer009’s question, Cordelia briefly raised her hands off the keyboard and thought about it.

There was another reason why she thought that he was a cool older woman.

Because every time the monthly rankings was released, Outboxer would super evolve from a mean kid into a kind person who answered nicely.

Outboxer009: Norfolk?

Yellow Storm: Seksu

Outboxer009: Have you gone crazy?

Yellow Storm: Pawa Seksu

Outboxer009: F*** This game censors everything else, but why isn’t it censoring that?

Yellow Storm: Seksu a seksu

Yellow Storm: Pawa Seksu!

As she typed that, she could ‘feel’ that Outboxer009 was hitting something on his end.

Yellow Storm: Stoo-pihd kekeke

She usually said all sorts of things, but when she said something dirty, Outboxer009 would suddenly become embarrassed, and that was one of his weaknesses.

‘Sometimes he’s completely like a virtuous person.’

Maybe Outboxer is a lady of quiet and well-behaved character.

So she’s uncomfortable when she sees something dirty.

Outboxer009: Hey kid. You’re really just an elementary schooler, right? You’re not even a middle schooler, right?

Yellow Storm: Seksu

Outboxer009: Hey.

Yellow Storm: Pawa Seksu

Outboxer009: F***

Cordelia tapped the keyboard and smiled as she imagined a furious Outboxer009 on the other end.

***

“Pawa… sek… su.”

Cordelia muttered in a small voice before opening her eyes.

Sunlight.

The smell of grass.

The sound of trees swaying in the wind from afar.

Cordelia blinked her eyes and realized that she had woken up from her dream.

“Ah.”

This is Pleiades.

I’m Cordelia.

As she yawned and stretched out her arms, the dream that remained clear in her mind scattered at once and became a mess.

“Unnn.”

After blinking her eyes again, Cordelia sat up and saw a familiar back.

“Are you awake?”

“Yes.”

It was the back of Jude who was preparing their breakfast.

Umm, it seems like I said something weird in my sleep, but surely, he didn’t hear it, right?

Cordelia then shrugged her shoulder and focused again on Jude and their surroundings.

There were cooking utensils on top of the bonfire, and there was a delicious smell.

Bacon, eggs, and… carrots?

“I hate carrots.”

She spoke out loud as if she wanted him to hear it, but Jude said something else instead of talking about the side dish as if he didn’t hear her.

“I’ve filled it with water so you should wash your face first.”

“Yes, mommy.”

Cordelia opened the lid of the basin near her bed and dipped her hands into the clear water.

The water was warm.

‘He’s kind.’

No, should I say that he’s thoughtful?

She was honestly grateful that he prepared some water for her to wash her face, but he even warmed it up.

Jude was now able to freely use some basic magic spells, so preparing warm water was naturally much easier for him than before, but a bothersome task was still bothersome.

“Hehehe.”

Cordelia laughed without realizing it, and after washing her face, she sat next to Jude and looked at the frying pan.

Bacon and eggs were being fried as she had expected.

“Can you take out some bread and cheese from the bag?”

“Okay.”

Cordelia took out some bread and cheese as Jude had ordered, placing them on a wooden plate before she stared at Jude again.

She smiled strangely again.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. I just like this situation.”

Because there were no elves around, and only Jude was present.

Those cheeky ero elves.

Don’t you f*cking dare covet someone like that.

“Hehehe.”

Running away at night was the right decision, the right decision.

When Cordelia snickered again, Jude tilted his head as he didn’t understand what she was laughing about, but he soon smiled.

Two days after leaving the Forest of Eternity.

A morning scenery where peace had been completely restored.

Propping up her chin with her hands, Cordelia watched Jude put the cooked food into a bowl and suddenly remembered one fact.

‘Come to think of it, Valencia is an elf too, right?’

She’s also an elf from the high elf royal family in the Forest of Eternity.

‘Don’t tell me…’

Cordelia’s eyes were deeply filled with suspicion at that moment, but she didn’t say it out loud.

‘I’ll have to talk to my sword spirit quickly and figure out the situation.’

He said that he could meet with his sword spirit, but she couldn’t exactly understand how that happened from just hearing it.

Cordelia herself needed to meet her sword spirit in order to check if it was really possible for him to cheat(?).

“Have you talked to Grand Order?”

Cordelia nodded when Jude asked her as he placed a bowl on a wide rock that she didn’t know where had picked up.

“Yes, I called her, but she didn’t answer.”

“Maybe it’s a problem with meditation? You always doze off, you know?”

“Hey, my main job is a wizard. I’m really good at meditation, okay?”

“Well, if you insist, then it must be true.”

“Hey, I’m telling the truth, okay?”

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

I take back what I said of him being thoughtful.

Cordelia was annoyed when Jude spoke meanly, so she opened her mouth to badmouth Jude just like in the dream, but she quickly closed it again.

Because there was a difference in saying it through online chat and saying it with your actual voice.

‘N-now that I think of it.’

He really didn’t hear me speak before, right?

The words that I muttered in my sleep.

“Cordelia?”

“Eh? N-nothing. Anyway, are we almost there?”

“Yes, we’ll arrive there before lunch today.”

The southern branch of the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

It was the largest of their branches in the S?len Kingdom, and Ghostblade Kamael was known to be staying there.

“Can we get in touch with Kamael if we get there?”

“It’s possible. Unlike my master, Kamael is one of the Guardians of the Holy Cross’ leaders. He’s a man of integrity, so he’ll definitely leave behind a way to contact him.”

“I see.”

Nodding her head, Cordelia briefly closed her eyes and thought about the southern branch.

The trading city of St. Crute.

Next to it was the monastery of the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

In fact, it was too large to be called a monastery.

Hundreds of people lived there.

‘Because it’s actually a sacred place.’

It was not publicly known, but the ‘St. Crute Monastery’ was one of the sacred places of the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

It was also a unique and very important sacred place right after the headquarters of the Guardians of the Holy Cross in the center of the continent, and one of the top three most significant sacred places on the continent.

But even within the Guardians of the Holy Cross, only those who had some rank were aware of those facts.

They would be like that because there was nothing special about the St. Crute Monastery itself.

The monastery was not the birthplace of a famous saint, nor was it a place where an important part of history occurred.

It was just a monastery of some size.

But Cordelia knew the truth.

‘It’s the land of a god. The residence of a god.’

A god lived in the St. Crute Monastery.

Not a self-proclaimed god, but a real god of this world.

‘No one met him in the game though.’

All the playable characters were able to know of his existence, but none of them ever met him in person. The first reason was that there were no characters who were deeply involved with the Guardians of the Holy Cross, and the other reason was that the god in question had already disappeared in the second half of the game when the characters became deeply involved with the Guardians.

‘The young god Atalia.’

Jude had once explained it a long time ago, but the gods of this world were actually classified into three main groups.

The first group were the high-ranking angels from heaven.

The second group were the divine beings from a completely different world.

And the third group were the true gods of this world, who came to be in this earth.

An example of the first group was the sun god Solari, and for the second group was Shuten-douji, the god of misfortune and one of the 7 major calamities. As for the third group, they were the wild gods like the Golden Dragon King.

‘It was not until we came into this world that we found out that wild gods actually existed.’

(T/N: Jude had earlier classified the wild gods as outside of the three main groups, but that was because he didn’t know back then that wild gods were real.)

In any case, the young god Atalia who lived in St. Crute Monastery belonged to the third group.

As someone who came into existence in this earth, he was a guardian deity who truly wanted to protect this world.

But he was still a young god, so his power was less than that of a Demon Prince, let alone the sun god Solari.

‘But a god is still a god.’

If he continued to grow up in the future, he could become a stronger entity than Solari.

‘Maybe…we can meet him this time?’

They were going to the St. Crute Monastery in order to contact Kamael, but Cordelia was also looking forward to meeting Atalia.

“Anyway, shall we go?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Cordelia happily replied before carrying the backpack and climbing on Jude’s back, and Jude said after fixing Cordelia’s position.

“By the way, Cordelia.”

“Yes, Jude.”

“Uh… We’re not in the chat room so you have to be careful, okay?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, uh… just remember that.”

What are you talking about?

Cordelia blinked her eyes and soon understood what he meant. Thus, her face turned red.

“Ahem, ahem. Let’s go then.”

Towards St. Crute, a land where a god lives.

Jude kicked the ground, while Cordelia groaned in her embarrassment instead of answering.