Chapter 342

Chapter 342

"When I heard you had lost your memory."

As I approached, Lucas muttered softly.

"Actually, I was relieved."

"...Why?"

"Because we could start over our broken relationship from scratch."

Lucas, who had been silently staring down at Masons corpse, resumed speaking.

"Because I could erase my past mistakes, and bury a past I wanted to forget."

"..."

"But the original sin I committed never disappeared. Every time you treated me warmly with a smile, my hidden past stabbed me inside like a dagger."

Lucas slowly turned around.

"I wish to be honest with you now."

He took a deep breath.

Lucas raised his head to look at me directly, and opened his mouth.

"I am"

"Okay, stop right there!"

Cut-!

I interrupted him mercilessly. Lucas looked stunned.

"Huh?!"

"Didnt I tell you earlier? Im not interested in your past."

Initially, I was quite curious. What had happened between Lucas and Ash? I even thought of asking.

But then... I realized anew.

Thats really none of my business.

"Whatever youve done to me, its okay. Its all in the past."

"But...!"

"If you really want to apologize, do it when I regain my memory."

I grinned.

"Its only fair, right?"

"..."

With an expression as if hed been slapped, Lucas cracked a wry smile.

"...Youre right. Indeed, apologizing to a lord who has lost his memory would only satisfy my own conscience."

Oh, I didnt mean it like that, but

Somehow Lucas seemed relieved. With a faint smile, he bowed his head respectfully toward me.

"Understood. Then, until you regain your memory, Ill postpone my apology."

"..."

Why do I feel like Ive lost out on something? Should I have just accepted the apology?

Sighing, I waved my hand.

"So, hows the weapon? Are you satisfied?"

"All the weapons youve given me so far have been remarkable, but this... this is on another level."

After catching Kellibey eavesdropping, Lucas deliberately raised his voice.

"How on earth did you manage to create something like this?"

"Its the epitome of Lake Kingdoms magical blacksmithing. Amazing, isnt it? Only the prodigious Elder Dwarf Kellibey could pull it off..."

Kellibey puffed up with pride and stroked his shoulders repeatedly. Oh, for goodness sake.

Still, the fact that he crafted an awesome weapon is undeniable. For a while, Lucas and I lavishly praised the weapon. May as well let the guys ego soar a bit, right?

[Bestowed Sword(SSR)] <Lucas McGregor Exclusive Equipment>

- Category: Longsword

- Attack Power: 100-150

- Durability: It wont be destroyed as long as the users will remains.

- Sword of the Heart: This sword can change its form freely. Depending on the users will, it morphs every moment to deliver the most optimal attack.

- Critical Hit Chance + 20~95% (Varies depending on users will)

- Armor Penetration + 20~95% (Varies depending on users will)

- All Stats + 10~50 (Varies depending on users will)

This is one of the games ultimate cheat items, the [Bestowed Sword].

The item had many nicknames given by the games users. From Lightsaber to Sword of Light, Flashlight, Searchlight, and so on...

But the most commonly used nickname was Light Whip.

At first glance, it may seem like some kind of derogatory term, but its actually an abbreviation for Whip of Light.

In-game, when Lucas equipped this weapon, his attack range extended by +3 squares.

Due to its ability to freely change the shape of its blade, it could stretch out like a whip.

They took advantage of this extended range to maintain maximum distance from the enemy, employing long-range Strikes of Will.

Using a melee units infinite stack attack from a distance?

Thats insanely overpowered.

Moreover, Lucas also had an excellent mobility skill called Step of Persistence.

No matter how strong the enemy units were, he could single-handedly maintain distance and defeat them, effectively enabling a kiting tactic.

Hes one of those who players play around of, changing the game genre all by himself.

"Master your skills with this sword. It will be a great asset on our front lines."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Take it."

After briefly checking the stats, I handed the sword back to Lucas.

Lucas hesitated for a moment, then,

[Items Acquired]

- Harpy Legion Mana Stone: 252

- Standard Advanced Mana Core(R): 3

[Stage Clear Rewards Have Been Distributed. Please Check Your Inventory.]

- R-rank Reward Box: 5

>> Get Ready For The Next STAGE

>> [STAGE 15: Before Winter Ends]

***

The next day. Early in the morning.

Knock knock knock.

A courteous knock echoed at the door of the semi-basement house.

Moments later, a scruffy boy opened the door with a yawn.

"Whew, who is it... Ah!"

The boys eyes widened.

A tall blond knight stood at the short doorway. The boy beamed a smile.

"Sir Knight! Youre safe!"

"Thanks to you, we were able to repel the invaders and rescue the Lord."

"Ah, I didnt really do much."

Feeling shy, the boy looked at Lucas, who then presented something wrapped in cloth.

"Unfortunately, the wooden sword you lent me got destroyed. So, I brought this for you..."

Curious, the boy took it and unwrapped the cloth.

"...!"

Inside was a short but exquisite sword.

"Its not much, but please accept it as my token of gratitude."

"Sir Knight...!"

"You said you dreamt of becoming a knight, right? Use it for your training."

"Yes!"

Watching the boy tenderly embrace the sword, Lucas chuckled.

"What kind of knight do you want to become?"

"Um... probably a knight that stands by the weak. A knight of justice, maybe...?"

Holding the hilt of the sword, the boy lifted his head and suddenly asked,

"What kind of knight do you want to be, Sir Knight?"

"Me? I..."

After a moments hesitation, Lucas shrugged with a grin.

"I aim to be the coolest knight in the world."

The boy smiled back.

"You already are!"

"...Thanks, even if its just lip service."

Lucas lightly ruffled the boys hair and turned away, striding off into the snowfall until he vanished from sight.

The boy watched Lucas retreating figure with envious eyes.

There was no hesitation in the knights footsteps across the snow.

Because there were no lingering afterimages to look back on anymore.

***

"So you left all the clean-up to me and you two enjoyed yourselves eating good food and taking a long rest, huh..."

Evangeline puffed out her cheeks and ground her teeth, sitting next to me.

My room. In the mansion.

I was snugly tucked into my bed, under the covers, feeling unwell. Evangeline sat on the sofa next to me.

I bowed my head slightly, receiving my scolding obediently. Getting reprimanded by the teacher the day after staying up late is a universal law.

"I understand youre tired! And I know you worked hard! But you shouldve told me! Do you know how worried I was?!"

"Uh, Im sorry..."

Im sorry, teacher... Just no points off Gryffindor, please...

As I apologized again, Evangeline let out a sigh and sank her small body into the sofa.

"Ugh, fine. What am I doing, scolding someone whos sick."

"Im sorry... Its my fault..."

"When Lucas comes by later, Ill give him a piece of my mind too... Wheres that man wandering off to when hes also quite hurt?"

Lucas was currently out. He said something about briefly going out to return something borrowed.

"Anyway, its good that everyone is safe... As for the defense battle, well, the terrible weather made it tough, but we managed to fend off the monsters without any major casualties."

Evangeline pulled a stack of reports toward her and gave me a sidelong glance with her green eyes.

"But, senior."

"Yeah?"

"Theres something strange."

Strange? What?

"We received a report saying that among the special agents, sixteen died and four were captured alive."

"Right, that should be correct. Why?"

"Well..."

Evangeline furrowed her brow as she examined the documents. After a moment, she slowly said,

"...The number of bodies I processed yesterday was fifteen, you see?"