In exchange for saving the Fairy Forest, I had gained the power of Embrace, and I continued to think about the word "embrace."
It wasn’t because I was a serious or good person.
I just thought that if I didn’t think this way, I wouldn’t be able to reach the power of Embrace.
It couldn’t be helped!
The perverted priest had shut his mouth, saying that there was no other way but to figure it out for myself from now on!
The grandfather was only rambling, asking if I didn’t already know everything!
Cheon-eon, who couldn’t answer, kept silent!
Even the long-awaited tutorial feature showed a "tutorial unavailable" message!
So, what was I supposed to do when none of these guys who were supposed to give me advice could give me proper answers? I had to figure something out, even if it was by trial and error!
In my frustration, I even looked through the dictionary, and this was the definition of Embrace I found:
“To accept something generously. To respect and try to understand opinions that are completely opposite to your own.”
As I read the definition over and over, I suddenly recalled a video I had seen before stepping into this world.
In that video, the clergyman, instead of scolding the one who was causing a disturbance and insulting not only himself but also the church's god and its followers, embraced the person.
He defended him, saying that he was just a poor, wounded little lamb.
The video spread widely, but beneath it, there were more mocking comments than praise.
People called it manipulation, said he was a fool, and claimed he would regret it later.
Although I couldn’t accept these opinions, given how deeply the video had moved me, the clergyman himself, despite the ridicule, only smiled.
He said that if others accepted it that way, that was also fine.
Although I realized what Embrace truly meant from my past memory, before I could feel joy, a sense of helplessness took over me.
That kind of goodness was something someone like me could never attain.
People who practice Embrace aren’t respected for no reason.
It’s not like I could embrace everything. I could embrace a mischievous fairy like that, but how could I embrace the disgusting tastes of an evil god?
Anyone who would embrace that was not showing kindness, but stupidity!
Even as I arrived at this castle and climbed up here, I still wasn’t sure about Embrace! But now, something had clicked!
Or so I should say, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
I still don’t know what Embrace really is.
It’s not the same as swinging a weapon, fighting an opponent, or conquering a dungeon.
There’s no clear answer here.
At least, that’s how I feel.
So, I decided to do things my own way.
I’m pissed off!
Does the fact that I’m still thinking about it and struggling with it really make it such a big deal?
Do you think I’m some philosopher?!
Philosopher Mesugaki! What kind of lines am I supposed to say?!
Do you know that you’re a failure?
You’re a failure. Therefore, you’re a failure?
Enough! Forget it! I realized while changing my shield today! I’m at my best when I just do things my way!
By "my way," it’s infuriating to think of it as being Mesugaki-like, but anyway, I’m going to follow my heart!
If you have complaints, go complain to the useless god who gave me this power!
As soon as I grabbed the sword’s hilt, the bitterness contained within the sword was conveyed to me.
The pride of a knight from the mythic age, the strong will hidden beneath a light exterior, the confidence of someone who had never been broken in front of any formidable enemy—these all flowed into me through my hand.
The bitterness contained in this sword is surely the truth. A knight with such a heart must have been able to live through the mythic era.
But is this the only heart the knight possessed?
Exhaling long, I faced the history the sword carried.
One of the powers I gained after overcoming Ganshu’s trials.
There can’t be a record that doesn't exist in the obsessive history of a historian like me.
So, I can see it.
I can see the knight Garad’s weaknesses, the guilt he felt when taking lives, the sadness he felt when stepping over the bodies of those he couldn’t protect, and the fear that rose when he faced a mighty enemy.
One by one. One by one. Whether Garad desired it or not, I stepped forward, indiscriminately, into the history contained in the sword.
I understand that some actions can’t be called good, but so what?
I decided to do things my way.
With a journal that might become a laughing stock right in front of me, there’s no way a Mesugaki like me would respect someone else’s privacy, right?
Of course, I’d open it and dig into that person’s dark history one by one, preparing to laugh!
This is my Embrace!
I’ll accept whatever others think of it!
What I don’t think is right, I’ll crush it!
I’ve decided that!
I, who possess the power of Embrace, who am the apostle of the god and the disciple of my grandfather!
So, long-dead you, just give me everything!
Your will!
Your sorrow!
Your regrets!
Everything!
I’ll fix everything that you, the failed knight, left behind by making excuses and leaving things for the future!
Give it to me!
As I followed my will, the red light carved into the sword traveled up the hilt and seeped into my hand.
At the end of it, the sword revealed a shield-like pure white light.
Hmm. This pure white light suits Garad’s sword better than the ominous red one.
Satisfied with the white I had created, I nodded, but then a strange sound reached my ears.
A cracking sound. The sound of debris falling.
...
The castle is collapsing!? Why!?
<It’s only natural it’s collapsing. You took away what was supporting the castle.>
“If you knew that, you should have told me earlier!”
<I’m sorry. I’ve been quite scattered myself.>
“What!? What do you mean suddenly...”
Ah. This isn’t the time for this. I need to escape...!
Ugh!? As I tried to take a step forward, the ground seemed to rise up to meet me.
Is this dizziness?
It makes sense.
I’ve been suppressing an unstable physical state with continuous battles and using my powers.
My body was already exhausted. My limits were much lower than usual.
Just before my forehead touched the ground, a rough but careful hand pulled me into an embrace.
"This is ridiculous! I’m glad I came without saying anything! What would I have heard if I had mentioned destroying Garad’s castle!"
"If you have time to say that, run! We need to release the smoke to slow down the collapse of the building!"
"Thank you, Rina! Let’s get out of here before the commotion causes even more trouble!"
I relaxed in the steady speed and comfort, so fast that it seemed to pierce the wind, and without realizing it, I closed my eyes.
Lucy’s mental world.
She was in a place she called the training ground. Usually, when Lucy lives in reality, it's a place where only Ruell stays, but today, an unexpected guest had arrived.
"You're really becoming a grumpy old man."
Ruell, the knight from the mythic age, has been a respected figure since his time. Anyone who knows his name wouldn’t dare speak disrespectfully to him. Except for a few exceptions.
"I really wouldn't want to serve you as a superior."
"And your face isn’t any better. If you spoke to a woman looking like that, you’d probably run away in fright."
"Ha! Ruell! You’ve never had a proper relationship with a woman in your life!"
"I’ve always said, I followed the laws of the clergy! If I wanted to get into relationships or marriage, I could have anytime!"
"Then what? You ended up not doing any of it. You spineless bachelor."
"You, who were abandoned by women, shouldn’t be talking to me!"
Two men, who sounded like something from a tavern brawl, laughed out loud at the same time.
Ruell, who always swore to serve the god with the seriousness of a knight, was now showing a lighthearted side that only appeared in front of his old friend.
"So, Garad. How did you end up here?"
Garad, who had been permitted an exception, replied while brushing his hair—now a dull, pale white—and his hands, which looked more like a monster’s than a human’s.
"I didn’t come on my own. I was dragged here."
"Dragged here?"
"Yeah. That little girl over there grabbed me by the nape and forcibly sat me down here."
The actions of the little girl were clearly violent.
Garad, the knight, could not be satisfied with leaving behind the legacy he wanted.
He yelled, demanding everything the knight had left behind on the earth.
He could accept everything.
The little girl screamed and took everything the knight wanted to leave, even the things he didn’t want to.
"What’s with that little girl? I can’t even describe her, but I’m a hero. The things engraved on my heart aren’t small enough to fit in such a tiny body."
"That’s right. I know better than anyone. Your will can’t be light. But, you know, you also know well that size of appearance and size of heart don’t correlate."
"I’ll ask again. Who is that child?"
"She is the first apostle chosen by the great god, a warrior who has faced countless evils, a hero who accomplished what even we couldn’t, and my student. She’s also a little one who cherishes her friends and teachers."
Ruell, who used to talk about Lucy’s evaluation with ease, now hesitated, then looked at Garad with a playful smile that he had never shown in his life.
"The knight you acknowledged."
"Me?"
"Yes. You."
"What nonsense are you talking? I’ve never seen that child before."
"Of course not."
"Hey, Ruell. Stop joking around."
"But you know, Garad, the skeleton made by Erginus, who received your memories, recognized that child. That’s why she was able to wield your shield."
Erginus. So that’s why he took my shield.
Ha. Damn it. Even though we’ve been together for so long, how could we think so differently?
So now, I can’t be special alone in the future. This damn wizard!
"That little girl is the great hero now?"
"She’ll probably be the last hero."
"Ha. I see."
With my shield and my skill in her possession.
"She’s the one who embraced the regrets. If you can give, give as it’s right."
It would be nice if it could help.
"Also, I’m soothing your loneliness."
"...Sorry, Garad. But that’s not my taste."
"What? I’m not into that either! You know well, I..."
"Ha ha ha! Ah! Finally, I get to tease you!"
Ruell clapped and laughed cheerfully, and Garad, forgetting what he was supposed to say, blinked and then chuckled.
This content is taken from freёwebnovel.com.
So this child was the one who had made that stiff person like this.
Good. I like it. She must be a good person.
I can’t wait to talk with her.