I Became a Hero With a Lot of Experience

19 – 019: Under the Same Sky (2)

*Riiiiing.*

Momentarily taken aback by the vibration tickling my thigh, but if the smartphone rang, there was only one person who could be on the other end.

No, should I say it’s not just one person, but an entire week because it’s a god?

Setting aside such good questions for a moment, I picked up my smartphone nervously.

As expected, the outgoing number was not displayed. Feeling discomfort in the blank space with nothing written, I clicked the accept button.

“Hel—hello…”

Perhaps because the other party is a god, my voice trembled slightly. My tense appearance must have seemed cute, as I heard a small laughter from the other side.

“It’s okay not to be nervous. My hero. You can think of me as an older sister rather than a god, if that makes it easier for you.”

“Did my appearance not remind you of me?”

“If we talk about the age, I might be called a grandmother instead of a sister. But still, please think of me as a sister. Being considered a child’s child as an unmarried woman is a sad thing.”

“…”

Somehow, in the face of the pure and divine, I momentarily forgot what to say.

Despite hearing the word “crazy” a lot since coming here, compared to this god, am I not normal?

“You really seem steadfast.”

“For some reason, both grandpas and unnie often say such things. Well then, shall we talk about the concerns you hold in your arms now?”

“Could you… read my thoughts by any chance?”

“No, but when a hero stands by the window and looks at the sky with a wet expression, it often means they’re having not-so-good thoughts.”

With confidence, the goddess spoke as if boasting about the vast amount of big data accumulated over the years.

“So tell me, my hero. What concerns are you harboring?”

“I just feel like I don’t belong here.”

I’m certainly not the type of petty human who distinguishes between virgins and non-virgins.

But still, I doubt whether it’s really worth saving a world worse than this public restroom.

“You mentioned that there’s no need for me to defeat the Demon King, but in order to live here, you’ll end up doing a lot of things and indirectly save many people.”

“…”

“But is there really any worth in being saved by those scoundrels worse than sewer water?”

The author, like a king, indulged in countless women, excluding his wife, for the sake of pleasure.

Even the people below, perhaps imitating the king, consider their bodies lighter than toilet paper.

This world is full of impure beings who seem to contract lung disease just by breathing nearby and catch leprosy just by touching.

To be honest, I don’t want to stay here for even a moment.

When I honestly expressed that sentiment, the goddess spoke with a voice soaked in sadness.

“All of this is my fault. Because I haven’t produced heroes since the last one, this world has forgotten the importance of purity.”

“…”

“However, not everyone has forgotten it. Look at the sky, my warrior.”

As I listened to her words and raised my gaze to the sky, what appeared before my eyes were the myriad stars spread across the heavens.

After a journey of the past ten days, they had become entirely familiar to my eyes, no longer evoking the same sense of wonder, as the goddess pointed to them.

“The sky is filled with stars.”

“Yes, as much as a virgin living in the palace.”

“Indeed, but in truth, the night sky isn’t entirely filled with stars.”

Despite the stars appearing so close, there existed an immeasurable space between them.

Simply captivated by the beauty of the stars, one might not even realize this fact, but the universe is vast, with much beyond the stars.

“Virgins are similar. Overshadowed by a presence that feels as immense as a looming sickness, their existence has been forgotten. Yet, even in this kingdom, there exist virgins.”

“…Though I may not see them, there must be at least one.”

“Yes, so if ever you feel overwhelmed by a great duty, look into the spaces between those stars. In this world, there are virgins hoping for salvation, waiting for you.”

“Virgins seeking salvation… But I’m not particularly fixated on virgins…”

Suddenly, a deep sigh came from the other end of the smartphone.

“My warrior, I know what you’ve posted on internet forums. Why do you tell such meaningless lies?”

Taken aback by the unexpected words, I faltered for a moment.

“Oh, no… Maybe in the past, but the recent posts I’ve made…”

“I’ll read one of your posts. Titled ‘Virgins Don’t Exist…!!’ The content goes like this, ‘Human Rights!!’ Besides this, the thousands, even tens of thousands of posts indicate that there’s little doubt you’re suitable as my warrior.”

At the insult beyond limits, I reflexively hung up the phone.

Fortunately, there were no more incoming calls.

Leaving that aside, virgins seeking salvation… Could such beings truly exist?

*****

I opened my eyes.

Reflected on the vast ceiling that seemed to have no thin glass pane was the usual night sky.

It was night even before I closed my eyes.

Whether I had slept for hours or just a few minutes, it was hard to tell, but such a timeframe was a trivial error in the face of centuries.

As always upon waking, Sari reached out to the sky, extending her hand as if gliding through the clouds. However, her hand, as always, couldn’t surpass a certain height.

“….!!”

For centuries, despite employing every means, including growth, in attempts to transcend that sky, there had been no significant progress.

As with every occasion, Sari closed her eyes briefly, withdrawing her hand in resignation.

Yesterday, the day before, and even decades ago, Saeli had pulled the same stunt.

And undoubtedly, if she were to wake up tomorrow, she would do the same.

Originally, that was the nature of desire.

Even knowing in her head that the unattainable would not come to fruition, she still reached out her hand, hoping for a miracle.

“Sigh…”

Saeli once again realized the miraculous nature of today and slumped to the floor.

When would she be able to leave this tower?

She had thrown that question out, but ever since her mother, the only companion she had, passed away, no one paid attention to Saeli’s words.

400 years ago.

The sixth Demon Lord, born amidst a long war and a plague, was truly unparalleled and the strongest Demon Lord in history.

As the population increased, Demon Lords usually grew stronger, but the sixth Demon Lord was an exception among exceptions.

Warriors joined forces to defeat the Demon Lord reigning over countless deaths, but in the end, they couldn’t sever its lifeline.

The Demon Lord’s vitality was so strong that there were suspicions of it being immortal, and ultimately, the warriors and gods of that era sealed the Demon Lord.

The tower erected on the corpse of the fallen Demon Lord became the wedge sealing it.

Simultaneously sealing the Demon Lord, they continuously poured a curse of weakening, siphoning its power, aiming to punish the weakened Demon Lord someday.

For this purpose, the sacrifice dedicated to this tower was Saeli’s mother, the warrior of ancient wisdom, and Saeli, who inherited that mission.

The power of growth possessed by the warrior of wisdom was infinite mana.

Not literally infinite, but with the tower’s support, it boasted a capacity that could be called infinite.

The Demon Lord, weakened considerably by the seemingly infinite mana, couldn’t be confirmed in its weakened state, as there was no way to check.

When would this mission end?

Saeli had spent an undoubtedly not short 400 years, even for an immortal, yet her mission had not ended.

Suddenly, Saeli looked around and wondered if this place was truly a tower.

In this space, adorned with shelves full of ancient scrolls that one wouldn’t dare to observe in the mortal world, there were no walls or ceilings.

Looking up, there was a sky; turning to the side, there was an endless expanse of meadow.

But moving forward was impossible.

It wasn’t blocked by a wall, but rather, it seemed impossible to go forward, as if it were dictated by the laws of this world.

Saeli’s mother had said this was a tower, but was it really a tower?

Even the bookshelf, the only thing that could be considered a friend, stood spirally above, but that alone couldn’t conclusively define it as a tower.

Saeli had never seen this tower from the outside.

From birth until now, she had only seen the tedious scenery, the bookshelves, and her mother’s face.

I want to see the outside world.

Although Sae-ri had only learned about the world through books, she had been yearning for it intensely from some point on.

What does seawater taste like?

What does summer feel like, and how about winter?

… What does a man look like?

Even though Sae-ri was now buried in the scrolls of lost wisdom, she didn’t know the simple things that everyone knows.

Only chosen warriors can enter this tower; ordinary humans cannot.

However, even if someone were able to enter, whether human or warrior, they surely wouldn’t enter this tower.

The moment Sae-ri’s mother’s gift, hidden in the scrolls of lost wisdom, was discovered by the God of Wisdom, this tower was sealed with a curse.

If there is someone who, despite the god’s warning, steps into this tower, they are undoubtedly a warrior with a severely addled mind.

“Listen carefully, Sae-ri.”

Looking up at the sky, Sae-ri recalls her mother’s words.

Though an incredibly long time has passed, the voice remains vivid in Sae-ri’s memory.

“Someday… there will come a time when you can’t endure this loneliness. You… won’t even be given the freedom to die.”

So, she mustn’t miss the opportunity.

If someone sets foot in this tower.

“If they set foot…”

She mustn’t miss that moment and the magic…

With thoughts of the moment that hadn’t come in 400 years, Sae-ri closed her eyes again.