Chapter 48: Nightmare (1)

“Th-Th-Three minutes and 07 seconds…? Is this… possible…?”

“It worked when I did it? Oh right. What’s your time, Ayeon?”

“… Usually… under 15 minutes is S-rank hunter… Mine is… 30 minutes…”

30 minutes was also a very fast clear time.

It meant she had quite a sense for combat.

In fact, although Yu Ayeon was usually very timid, the guts and spirit she showed in crisis situations were not bad.

Like last time when she carried me in a princess carry on the subway.

She also participated in gate raids without any problems, even when faced with monsters that ordinary people would run away from or faint at the sight of.

If I teach her how to use mana muscles later, wouldn’t she have another useful means of protecting herself besides the Ring of Protection?

But I put this thought aside for now.

I couldn’t even create mana muscles myself right now, it was a situation where the cart was before the horse.

“Can you edit this?”

I handed Yu Ayeon the video recorded from my point of view and the third-person view video.

Virtual reality provided its own recording function, so there was no need for a camera or other equipment.

“Yes, leave it to me…! B-But… it will take some time…”

“How long does it usually take you to edit?”

“Uh… Usually 8 hours… If I concentrate… it takes about 6 hours… This one has a short original… so it will be shorter…”

“Wow. You make it very quickly?”

I heard that it usually takes about 11 hours to edit a video of about 10 minutes.

The quality of the practice video that Yu Ayeon showed me was also quite good.

If she could make this kind of video in just a week…

The Dr Pepper channel would be a catalyst to further improve Yu Ayeon’s editing skills.

“It will be finished around dinner time.”

“Yes. Around that time…”

“Then what do you want to eat for dinner? If there’s anything you want to eat, I’ll make it for you.”

“R-Really…?! T-Then… curry…”

“I looked in the refrigerator earlier and there was nothing. I’ll go to the mart and buy ingredients! You can edit.”

Time flew by quickly.

I quickly bought the ingredients, made curry with all my heart, and then watched Yu Ayeon edit in her room.

“It’s done…!”

And I finally saw the finished video.

The video, with its clean and concise editing, might seem plain at first glance.

But the shocking fact that the tutorial was cleared in just 3 minutes, combined with Yu Ayeon’s unique video sense, made it even more explosive.

There is no editor more suitable for the Dr Pepper channel than this.

I glanced at Yu Ayeon.

“…W-Was it… fun…?”

“Yes. It was very fun. Your editing skills are amazing? I didn’t even notice the time passing!”

“… Ehehe… I-I’m glad… T-The original was such good content… I just cut it appropriately… Hehehe…”

Even while saying that, she couldn’t hide her embarrassed expression, smiling shyly. Yu Ayeon seemed to be particularly weak to praise.

“W-What should we… title the video…?”

“Hmm…”

A title suitable for this video…

“Farming Noobs?”

“… Yes?”

“Is this wording too strong…?”

“… Pfft… W-Would… that kind of title… be okay…?”

“You laughed, Ayeon.”

“N-No, I didn’t… Pfft…”

Seeing Yu Ayeon trying to hold back her laughter by tightening her lips, I also laughed.

I translated the title I just thought of into English appropriately and uploaded the edited video to iTube.

The reason I translated it into English was to avoid being identified as much as possible.

Now all that was left was to wait.

“Shall we eat in the meantime? I made the curry delicious.”

“Yes…!”

We sat at the table and ate beautifully plated curry rice, karaage bought at the mart, and side dishes such as kimchi.

“…! T-This curry is very, very delicious…!”

“Hehe. I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

“C-Can I… have another serving…?”

“There’s plenty, so eat more. I’ll serve you.”

Yu Ayeon kept asking for more and emptied four bowls of rice piled high and five plates of curry.

She’s surprisingly a big eater.

It was rewarding to make it with all my heart because she ate it so deliciously.

“It feels like we’re newlyweds when we’re like this.”

“…… N-Newlyweds…!”

“I heard that couples cook together on home dates.”

“…C-Couple… date… cooking…”

We were having a moderately quiet conversation while eating, but the anchor of the news that came out while turning the TV channel was reporting with a serious expression.

[Everyone. Do you remember the gate backflow incident that occurred in Incheon a while ago?]

[Including this incident, known as the Ogre incident, there have been a series of gate-related incidents in Korea recently.]

[Recently, the Hunter Association announced that the appearance of high-level monsters, a phenomenon that occurred once or twice every six months, has occurred 21 times in the last 3 weeks.]

[It was also announced that monsters eroded by an unidentified black aura have recently begun to appear in gates all over the world. Accordingly, citizens are requested to familiarize themselves with the disaster response manual…]

“… Wow… T-These days… there really is… no end to incidents…”

Beeeeeeeeeeep——-

“Suhyeon…? Su……..”

My ears are ringing.

Without realizing it, I dropped the spoon on the floor, but I didn’t even think about picking it up.

My head was spinning, and I involuntarily let out a rough breath.

Calming my trembling hands, I approached the TV.

The appearance of ‘it’ was still being reported on the TV.

I knelt in front of the TV and slowly recalled ‘it’.

The unnamed monster was eroded by ‘it’ and was rampaging around, losing its reason.

As expected, I didn’t see it wrong.

There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize that in the first place.

Something I hadn’t seen even once since I returned to this world.

But what I saw every day in Grandia.

The Demon King’s black magic.

That power, which should never exist in this world.

It was right in front of my eyes.

I somehow came back home.

Seeing my sudden serious look, Yu Ayeon expressed concern, but I couldn’t hear anything.

No, it would be correct to say that I didn’t want to think about anything.

Smelling the scent of blood that stuck to the floor and filled the room, I fell asleep as if collapsing.

“…H-Hero…! Hero-nim!”

A still young voice called out to the existence of the hero.

“Wake up! Hero-nim!”

As soon as I heard that unforgettable voice, I knew that I was dreaming.

Nevertheless, I looked around first.

Even though I was sitting, my field of vision was high.

It seemed that the Goddess had returned to my huge figure before changing my appearance because it was a dream.

The armor I was wearing had a pattern of two swords crossed like a cross.

Seeing that I was wearing armor with the kingdom’s symbol on it, it was before the kingdom was destroyed.

I was leaning against the wall, hugging a greatsword as tall as me, and trying to sleep.

Even when I lowered my head slightly and touched my head to the greatsword, I couldn’t feel Cutie♡Angel’s reaction.

Wasn’t it an ego sword yet at this time?

There was no jewel embedded in the pommel.

It’s before Shane died.

And above all, I could hear her voice trying to wake me up.

There was no way Cutie♡Angel could exist when her voice could be heard so vividly.

“Eeeek…! W-Wake up, Hero-nim…! Nngh…!”

When I turned my head to the side, I saw a girl who was leaning her head on my shoulder and pushing me while tilting her body diagonally, grunting.

A girl with a cute appearance like an angel with golden hair, pure white skin, and sparkling golden eyes.

“Eek…!”

When I slightly tilted my body to the side, the girl who was leaning her head on my shoulder screamed and fell onto my lap.

I stared blankly at the girl who fell on my lap and slowly stroked her cheek.

“Uh… H-Hero-nim…?”

The girl made eye contact with me with a bewildered expression.

“Why… are you crying…?”

I had nightmares dozens, hundreds of times.

When I met her, whom I had never been able to face properly while experiencing terrible nightmares, tears came out without me realizing it.

I couldn’t believe that she was alive and well.

It must be a dream, but I felt deep gratitude that her body temperature could be felt.

“Have you been having a hard time lately…? Did your father nag you again? Ugh…! I told you so many times that Hero-nim needs to rest…!”

The girl, with her cheeks puffed up, stood up and huffed as if she was about to run out at any moment.

Even when she had a physical body, her angry appearance was not much different from now.

It was only for a moment, and she collapsed as if she was leaning on me, losing strength just by being angry for a moment.

She had been sickly since she was a child, and her stamina was particularly weak.

My body moved faster than my will to hug her and support her.

At that moment, I realized again.

This is definitely a dream.

The difference from the nightmares I had before was that it was a more detailed and realistic dream.

“Hero! What are you doing to Her Highness!”

Immediately after supporting her body, a clear yet upright voice was heard.

When I turned my gaze to the direction where the voice was heard, a nostalgic person was approaching us.

A woman with blonde hair tied in a ponytail and red eyes filled with burning passion.

The woman was wearing the same kingdom-made armor as me, and two rapiers locked in scabbards were placed on her waist.

If there was a difference, the woman had a red cloak on her back.

The cloak, which only the apex of the kingdom’s knights, the knight commander, could wear, fluttered slightly whenever the woman approached.

The woman’s name was Anastasia Raines.

The proud knight commander of the kingdom.

And the teacher who once taught me swordsmanship.

And the woman who died at the hands of the Demon King’s army.