Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 229

Not long after leaving the royal palace of the Chersea Kingdom, a system alert chimed.

[You have completed a Hero Quest]

[You have acquired 3,000 Hero Points]

[You have gained a massive amount of experience!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

…

As expected, it was the notification that I had completed the Hero Quest.

However, the system messages didn’t stop there.

A special reward was given.

[Gatren’s influence has been reduced throughout the continent!]

[A special reward will be given!]

[You have acquired 5,000 Hero Points]

[You have gained a massive amount of experience!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

…

The Hero Points I received from completing the previous quest were 3,000.

But I got a whopping 5,000 points as a special reward.

This meant that the experience gained as a special reward exceeded the original completion reward.

‘I wonder how much my level went up?’

Choi Hyun-seok wanted to check his status window immediately but decided to postpone it.

There was something he had to do first.

“Ms. Sarah, thank you.”

Choi Hyun-seok bowed deeply.

“And I’m sorry for asking you to do such a dirty job.”

Sarah Dunphy chuckled.

“Don’t worry about it. As you said, I was just doing what needed to be done.”

Choi Hyun-seok said it out of concern, but she genuinely didn’t seem to mind.

She looked up at the rising morning sun.

“Humans are like that. Sometimes they are as bright as the sun, but sometimes they are darker and gloomier than any darkness.”

Sarah Dunphy, who was staring blankly at the sunrise, continued.

“The brightness and darkness of human nature are inseparable, like light and shadow. You can’t always be bright, and you’re not always dark either. That’s why human affairs are bound to be complicated. This is just one of those human affairs. I’ve already experienced countless similar situations.”

Sarah Dunphy had lived for 500 years as a human.

Of course, she had no choice but to experience many eventful occurrences.

Humans were inevitably beings who caused incidents.

Just listing the incidents she had experienced would be enough to fill a book.

Choi Hyun-seok, who had listened to her long explanation, sighed deeply.

“It’s difficult.”

Choi Hyun-seok was still confused.

To him, who had only lived for about 30 years, such grim and disheartening events weighed heavily on his heart.

“This isn’t a big deal. It’s just something to accept as a part of life. Choi Hyun-seok, you’ll understand when you get older.”

“But, Ms. Sarah…”

Suddenly, Choi Hyun-seok smiled playfully.

“Considering you’re talking like a sage, aren’t you also quite sentimental?”

“What do you mean?”

“At the end, when you were talking to Ian?”

He meant the advice of a seasoned elder.

He was referring to what Sarah Dunphy had briefly told Ian about the mindset a king should have.

Sarah Dunphy chuckled and shook her head.

“You have a mischievous side too.”

“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. My hearing is just very sharp.”

“I admit it. I don’t know if I was reminded of the old days… I got sentimental.”

Perhaps she saw her past reflected in Ian.

Even when Abelson became king, Sarah Dunphy often wore a complex expression, as if she was reminiscing about the past.

“Do you miss that time?”

Sarah Dunphy turned around at the sudden question.

Choi Hyun-seok was simply waiting for an answer with a calm expression.

“I miss it… It would be a lie if I said I didn’t.”

When she was human…

There were vassals who would throw their lives away for her without hesitation.

There were disciples who revered her like a god.

She founded the Ballington Kingdom.

She created the foundation for all magic systems.

In those days, Sarah Dunphy shone dazzlingly.

So she was able to close her eyes without regret, even at the very end.

“But… more than anything, there’s something else I miss the most.”

“What is it?”

“My soul.”

Choi Hyun-seok was taken aback by the unexpected answer.

However, he hesitated to ask what she meant by missing her soul.

Sarah Dunphy’s eyes were filled with deep sadness.

“What am I here? My soul disappeared from this world a thousand years ago.”

“Aren’t you here in front of me now?”

“I wonder about that too… What is moving me now? My soul must have already been reincarnated [the cycle of death and rebirth]. What kind of lie is animating this false shell made of magic…”

Choi Hyun-seok fell silent.

‘I think I’ve had a similar conversation before…’

He couldn’t recall exactly when, but he remembered having this conversation with Sarah Dunphy.

At that time, Sarah Dunphy hadn’t taken it seriously, so he assumed it was nothing to worry about.

But she seemed to be driven closer to the edge than he had realized.

“Haha! Why are you making such a troubled expression?”

Sarah Dunphy laughed brightly and stretched.

“Don’t worry too much. This is just a contemplation to help me move forward.”

“It’s too difficult to talk to Ms. Sarah.”

“Haha. I hope you understand. It’s inevitable because it’s a characteristic of all old people to overcomplicate simple stories.”

Choi Hyun-seok scratched his head with an awkward smile.

“Is age really that important? Since ancient times, all pretty people have been called older sisters.”

Sarah Dunphy is pretty.

For Choi Hyun-seok, that one fact was enough.

***

The story of the Chersea Kingdom quickly spread throughout the continent.

The nobles who supported the kingdom…

It was inevitable that the heads of those families were massacred en masse.

In particular, the Chersea Kingdom was the focus of the continent’s attention due to its treaty with the demons, so the news spread even faster.

“The Gatren Holy Empire did it! They sent assassins to the banquet hall to destroy the Chersea Kingdom!?”

“Is that true?”

“Hey! You people! You’ll be punished for saying such blasphemous things!”

The identity of the person who massacred the nobles of the Chersea Kingdom was not revealed.

The assassins were all unknown.

The only survivors were King Molin and his daughter, Ian.

However, the Chersea Kingdom pointed to the Gatren Holy Empire as the prime suspect.

Of course, Gatren denied any involvement, saying that it had nothing to do with them.

“You can’t make such accusations without evidence!”

“You guys! God is angry!”

Although its influence had diminished compared to before, the Deusis Church [the main religious institution] still wielded considerable power.

Therefore, most people kept their opinions to themselves, but it was inevitable that Gatren’s image would be tarnished by this incident.

“Kian, are you really not going to tell me?”

Then one day, Ian Nell Chersea visited the basement of the royal palace.

This was a warehouse that stored the royal family’s treasures.

There was Kian Del Chersea, who was believed to have died.

He was bound by thick iron chains.

“I’ve told you so many times. I did this on my own.”

“Please… Kian. I want to help you.”

“Heh heh… help me? Then just kill me. Killing me without bothering me anymore is helping me.”

Kian said, giggling as if he was enjoying some twisted joke.

Ian sighed.

She looked at the chief court wizard who had accompanied her.

“Can’t you do anything with magic?”

The chief court wizard shook his head.

“There is a strong magical prohibition. If you try to probe his mind with magic, he will surely die.”

“That’s…”

She had hoped to extract a confession using magic, but even that was impossible.

Ian’s expression was filled with sadness.

She was truly heartbroken for her brother and even teared up.

“Kian, stop this now. The Gatren Empire can’t save you.”

“You’re still saying that after becoming the successor to the throne? You’re not qualified, sister.”

Kian shook his head.

“Kill me now. Otherwise, you’ll regret it again. You’re making the same mistake as before.”

“No. I won’t give up on you.”

“You’re stupid! You’re still saying that…!

The moment Kian made eye contact with Ian, he trembled.

His sister…

Ian’s eyes were strangely twisted.

“I won’t give up… I won’t lose anything anymore…”

“… What?”

Kian’s voice trembled without him realizing it.

His sister was different somehow.

He couldn’t explain it exactly, but she was definitely not normal.

“No. I’m perfectly normal.”

Suddenly, Ian clapped her hands.

Then a muscular man wearing an eerie mask appeared.

“Please help Kian. We need Kian for our kingdom. You know what I mean, right?”

“Yes.”

The masked man put down a heavy bag.

When he opened the bag, it was full of tools that were creepy just to look at.

Each and every one of them was an extraordinary torture device, with dried blood stubbornly clinging to them.

Sweat ran down Kian’s back as he saw them.

“What… what are you trying to do…?”

Kian was a member of the royal family.

Although he was imprisoned in the underground prison, he had never been tortured before.

Ian smiled brightly.

“Kian, don’t be too scared. I’m just trying to help you.”

“You’re crazy! Father! Does Father know about this!? It was strange from the beginning. Father has been interrogating me all along! But why did you suddenly come!?”

Originally, Kian’s interrogation was conducted by King Molin.

It was something that should not be known to anyone else.

Because he believed he couldn’t entrust it to others.

But for some reason, Ian had come today.

“Call Father quickly!”

He needed to talk to his father soon.

His father would not allow such torture.

Then Ian tilted her head.

“Oh, you don’t know yet?”

“What do you mean?”

“Father passed away yesterday. His heart suddenly gave out.”

Kian couldn’t say anything.

His heart gave out?

King Molin was a healthy man who had never even suffered from minor illnesses.

But the shock didn’t end there.

“Oh, and my mother also passed away. She committed suicide. She hanged herself with a curtain. I guess she was very heartbroken.”

“What…?”

“So, now I’m the queen.”

The smile on Ian’s lips grew wider.

“I, Ian Nell Chersea, am the queen of the Chersea Kingdom.”

“You don’t mean…?”

Kian’s eyes widened.

The moment Ian raised her index finger and brought it to Kian’s nose.

“Shh.”

As she got closer, her eyes, stained with madness, became clearer.

“So from now on, I’m going to interrogate you.”

“You, you’re crazy… you’re completely crazy!”

“Please take care of me from now on, Kian.”

Kian struggled with the fear that was washing over him.

The chains that bound him rattled sharply.

“Untie this! Untie it right now, you crazy bitch!”

“Kian, don’t be afraid. I won’t give up on you.”

Ian turned around and muttered.

“We’re family, aren’t we?”

She approached the torture technician and whispered.

“Please heal Kian quickly.”

“I will obey your orders.”

The torture technician raised a huge pair of tongs and approached Kian.

“You! How dare you do this to a member of the royal family! Do you want to die! Stop! Stop…! Ahhhhh!”

Since that day.

Every day, a desperate scream echoed from the underground prison of the royal palace.