The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 232

Veronica

Midnight. The witching hour, when all good children are fast asleep.

Yuji Woo was already tucked in bed, and Swanel was in her room, engrossed in her games.

Nox, having regained his composure, was also asleep, leaving only Veronica and Yoo Sung-woo in the living room.

“How is it? Cute, right? Cute, right?” Veronica, clad in sky-blue pajamas that swallowed her hands and feet, twirled in front of Yoo Sung-woo.

He was watching television, and when she obstructed his view, he replied distractedly, “Yeah, yeah, cute.”

Then, he gestured for her to move aside, but Veronica persisted, imploring him to take a proper look.

Yoo Sung-woo waved her away, but instead of going to bed, Veronica squeezed in next to the reclining Yoo Sung-woo and sat down.

“…Captain, being like this reminds me of the old days. Don’t you think?”

“Not really.”

How much time had they actually spent together like this…

She was probably embellishing his memories again.

Yoo Sung-woo glanced at Veronica while half-watching the late-night drama.

Veronica was hugging her knees, her attention fixed on the television.

Curious about what Yoo Sung-woo was watching, she leaned closer to him.

Observing her quietly, he finally spoke. “…Veronica, how did you live after coming to Earth?”

“…You’re asking now?”

“I just became curious.”

Yoo Sung-woo realized that he had been so focused on his own experiences that he hadn’t truly considered Veronica’s life.

She must have had so many thoughts and feelings.

After dying, she made a wish to the goddess and was reincarnated on Earth.

And when she reached a certain age, she remembered her past life.

That was all Yoo Sung-woo knew.

“Veronica, what kind of life did you live?”

At Yoo Sung-woo’s gentle question, Veronica hugged her knees tighter and leaned against the side of the sofa.

Curled up, she said in a soft voice, “…It would be a lie if I said it wasn’t hard.”

Sweden, Stockholm.

Sweden was one of the countries that suffered the most devastation during the Great Cataclysm [a global disaster].

Due to the Abyss [a source of monsters and chaos] manifesting within major government institutions during the Great Cataclysm, nearly all the government officials capable of leading the country perished.

As a result, Sweden descended into chaos.

It took several years just to elect new public officials and begin the arduous process of disaster recovery.

They barely managed to stabilize with the help of other nations, and even then, simply maintaining that stability was a constant struggle.

Veronica, having lived in such a place, must have endured a difficult life.

“The memories of my childhood and the memories of my past life were intertwined, which was incredibly confusing at first.”

When she first remembered her past life, she couldn’t distinguish between reality and delusion.

It took a considerable amount of time to accept those memories.

Terrible memories.

Her family was attacked by bandits while traveling through the mountains, and her companions, who were like family, all perished.

All that remained was a burning desire for revenge. A journey fueled by that desire, consuming her remaining life.

It was such a harrowing journey, far too painful for a child barely over ten years old to bear.

She also lost her family due to the Great Cataclysm on Earth, which compounded the trauma from her past life, creating a deep-seated wound.

“I locked myself in my room for days. Or rather, I couldn’t bring myself to leave…”

“I see.”

“It took a long time to accept the memories. I was trapped in a dark room, burying my face in my knees, reliving those memories thousands of times before I could finally get up.”

That must have been the most crucial decision in Veronica’s second life.

If she hadn’t accepted it, she would have remained trapped in her memories, unable to move forward.

She chose to accept and move forward, just as she chose to follow ‘Yoo Sung-woo’ at the end of her past life.

After emerging from the dark room, Veronica took up the sword once more.

“I relearned everything I had learned in my past life. To restore the greatsword technique I learned from you to its former glory. It was a truly tearful training…”

That was undoubtedly the unvarnished truth.

Even having walked that path once before, reaching the level of a Sword Master [a master of swordsmanship] again from scratch would have been incredibly difficult.

She achieved it again in less than five years.

Her younger body in this life allowed her to aim even higher than her prime in the previous one…

Yoo Sung-woo reached out and gently placed his hand on Veronica’s head, saying, “Forget about the training for now, tell me about how you lived. I’m curious about the life you’ve led so far.”

At his words, Veronica began to chatter.

The stories of what she saw and heard in Sweden, and the people she met there.

The story of the first monster she killed after being reincarnated and taking up a sword.

The stories of the food she ate and the breathtaking night sky she witnessed from the rooftop of a tall building…

The long, winding tale of a young girl’s journey that began anew.

Veronica’s story continued well past midnight, long after everyone else had fallen asleep.

Yoo Sung-woo listened quietly to Veronica’s story.

The spacious sofa and the sight of Veronica curled up in front of him evoked memories of their time in the other world.

He recalled the times they spent chatting around the campfire.

“…Captain, actually, I knew?”

“Knew what?”

“The day we first met, you told me that the bandits would have backers.”

“…I did.”

The day the two first met.

Veronica’s family was all dead, and she was also on the verge of giving up on life.

Yoo Sung-woo had postponed Veronica’s death, claiming the bandits had backers.

Veronica had burned her life for revenge.

“…Thinking about it later, I realized. Captain lied back then to save me.”

“…….”

Veronica wasn’t very bright, but her intuition was excellent.

After growing up a bit, Veronica’s intuition, combined with a slightly sharper mind, realized that Yoo Sung-woo’s words were lies.

The bandits had no backers.

They were knights and deserters who had fled from other territories disguised as bandits, and they had only attacked the merchant group out of desperation.

Of course, Yoo Sung-woo realized all this after attacking the territory that he *claimed* was backing them…….

In that moment, Veronica felt a profound emptiness. She realized that the fuel she had poured into her revenge was wasted.

The next thing she felt was anger towards Yoo Sung-woo.

Why did he lie like that? Was he trying to deceive her?

At that time, she and Yoo Sung-woo were operating separately, so she couldn’t grab his collar and demand an explanation directly.

“…I was angry at first.”

It was brief.

She was a child when Yoo Sung-woo saved her, but she wasn’t a child when she learned the truth.

She understood that Yoo Sung-woo had lied to save her, and also…….

The time she spent with him had become so precious.

“I just thought, what’s the point of all this? The time I spent with Captain was so enjoyable…….”

A world gradually being destroyed by the Demon God. Veronica learned swordsmanship from Yoo Sung-woo, and she learned about people and the world.

She also learned that there are things that should be said and things that shouldn’t be said, depending on the situation…….

To Veronica, Yoo Sung-woo was like a father.

A precious person who taught her the knowledge necessary to live.

Now that she had such a person in her life, even the thought of pursuing revenge disappeared.

“I’m so glad I could meet Captain again. In that world, or this world… the most precious person to me is Captain.”

“…….”

Yoo Sung-woo couldn’t say anything.

The girl who used to run wild on the battlefield that he remembered had become such an adult.

Her body is younger… but is her mind the same?

“It doesn’t have to be me who is the most precious person to Captain. I just, just… I just want to be able to stay by Captain’s side… Dad.”

Yoo Sung-woo closed his eyes at the word ‘Dad.’ He wasn’t even married, but he had a third daughter…….

A strangely tickling resonance.

He opened his eyes and glanced at her; it seemed she needed considerable courage to say those words.

Her face was flushed red, and her eyes were tightly closed.

Yoo Sung-woo chuckled and gently stroked Veronica’s hair.

With a gentle touch, he opened his mouth in a gentle tone.

“You guys were the most precious people to me. Comrades I wouldn’t trade for anything. So, I have to tell you too.”

Yoo Sung-woo got up and sat properly on the sofa.

Then, he reached out and lifted Veronica up, sat her on his lap, and hugged her tightly.

Like a father hugging his child, with his arms wide open.

“…Veronica, thank you so much. For following me to the end of that difficult journey. And for finding me again. I really wanted to say that.”

“Captain…….”

“I defeated the Demon God by stepping on your sacrifices. I used you as scapegoats for my own selfishness, to return home.”

He was sorry, so sorry.

The Sword Soul Expedition was an expedition to kill the Demon God, gathering several Sword Masters and Archmages [powerful mages].

They chose a path that would not be recorded in history, a path of no return, by their own choice.

With the single-minded desire to leave a brilliant future for those precious to him.

Those who followed Yoo Sung-woo.

Strange guys who had no particular beliefs or anything, but were thrilled by the idea of challenging God.

Veronica was one of the latter.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry… I resented myself for having to move forward without even holding funerals for you who had died.”

The Demon God’s defeat was a result that Yoo Sung-woo could not have achieved alone.

The Demon God’s own power was terrifying, but the number of demons under his command was also large.

There were several leaders of the demons, called Demon Kings.

Most of the Sword Soul Expedition died fighting the Demon Kings.

Veronica also died like that.

Yoo Sung-woo moved forward by sacrificing the deaths of his comrades.

He knocked down the Demon Kings, stepping over the corpses of his comrades, and reached the Demon God alone.

“…I don’t know what else to say to convey this feeling. Even if I squeeze out my worn-out emotions, the only word that comes out is ‘sorry.'”

Veronica reached out and grabbed the back of Yoo Sung-woo’s shirt, burying her face in his chest.

Then, she said in a mumbling voice.

“…No, you don’t have to say sorry, Captain. It was all our choice. We knew we could die if we made a mistake, and we were just too weak and lost.”

“…Is that so.”

There’s something more he wants to say, but it doesn’t come out properly.

His head is so full of complicated thoughts that his words are not properly organized.

Yoo Sung-woo gently stroked Veronica’s back, who had begun to sob.

‘…When Ji-woo cried when she was young, this would stop her quickly.’

After stroking her back for a while, Veronica’s crying subsided.

When he took her out of his arms, she was already asleep, breathing softly.

‘…Tear stains are still on my shirt…….’

Yoo Sung-woo picked up Veronica, laid her down on the bed in the guest room, went out to the veranda, and opened the window.

When he leaned his upper body out and looked at the sky, the cold night breeze that awakened his mind and the sparkling stars were dazzling.

“Hoo…….”

He took a long breath and stroked his chest.

The corner of his heart, which had been heavy until now, seemed to have lightened a little.