Chapter 8:
“Are you, by any chance, the Goddess—?”
“Yes, people used to call me that once.”
Evelyn had uttered the name of the goddess who had once granted the holy sword to humankind. Her name was sacred—one not to be spoken lightly.
The goddess raised her hand and gently stroked Evelyn’s head.
“Congratulations on becoming the new Hero.”
“…What?”
Evelyn blinked in shock at those words.
“The fact that the previous Hero failed to kill the Evil God was my mistake.”
There was a hint of bitterness in the goddess’s voice.
“The holy sword you drew can only be pulled by the Hero. That means you are worthy—you’ve been chosen as this era’s Hero.”
A chill ran through Evelyn’s heart.
“That… That can’t be.”
“Hm?”
Evelyn’s hands, unknowingly clenched tightly, began to tremble.
“I’m cursed!”
No way.
Everyone around her got hurt. Died. How could someone cursed like her be a Hero?
“You must be mistaken. Everyone who gets involved with me ends up suffering.”
“That’s not a curse. It’s impossible for someone chosen by the holy sword to be cursed.”
The goddess’s firm and resolute voice left Evelyn breathless.
“I’m… not cursed…?”
“The Evil God played a cruel trick, it seems.”
The word “Evil God” shocked Evelyn more than finding out she was the Hero.
“Don’t tell me… My brother getting hurt… was because of the Evil God?”
Evelyn’s voice trembled violently.
“The fact that a Hero was born, and that misfortune surrounds you—it all points to one thing. The resurrection of the Evil God.”
Evelyn’s eyes widened.
“But now that you’ve become a true Hero, it won’t be easy for them either.”
“Does that mean everyone will be safe now?”
“Yes. There may still be accidents and incidents, but none of it is your fault.”
The goddess smiled gently.
Hot tears streamed down Evelyn’s cheeks.
Just knowing the truth—that she wasn’t cursed—made her heart feel as if something long trapped was melting away.
She felt hollow and devastated. Even though she didn’t want to believe it, she instinctively knew the goddess was telling the truth.
‘I’m really not cursed.’
But that didn’t mean she could immediately accept that she was the Hero.
“But I’m not someone great enough to be a Hero.”
“A Hero doesn’t have to be great. You only need to carry my will and shine a light even in darkness.”
The goddess’s steady voice sank into Evelyn’s uneasy heart.
“You were chosen because you have the courage to overcome any trial.”
“…”
“If you vow never to give up no matter what, then what you sincerely wish for will come true.”
“…Really?”
The legend said that the one who draws the holy sword will have their wish granted.
Was it really true?
If so…
“My brother… He can wake up, right?”
Evelyn tightly shut her eyes.
She had long decided that if her brother could recover, she would do anything.
Even if she wasn’t a Hero—no matter how difficult the task—she would do it.
“I swear.”
Evelyn’s eyes, now open, sparkled with a newfound resolve.
“I’ll become the Hero. I can do it.”
“Don’t despair in the face of fear, and even if you’re left alone, keep walking to the end.”
I will.
Truly, I will.
Tears flowed endlessly from Evelyn’s eyes.
The goddess, the wheat field—everything turned to light.
And just before the light faded, she thought she saw the goddess’s satisfied smile.
When she opened her eyes again, Evelyn was certain.
Her brother had awakened.
She couldn’t check with her own eyes just yet, but a strong conviction welled up inside her.
While she was struggling to hold back her overflowing emotions—
“You are the Hero chosen by the gods.”
A large hand approached her.
Before she could react, that warm hand gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“We have long prepared to support you.”
The Grand Duke’s voice sounded quite different from before.
Tears fell again from Evelyn’s eyes.
She couldn’t fully grasp what he was saying, but the warmth of his touch triggered even more tears.
A mix of emotions—relief that her brother had awakened, sorrow from years of pain not being hers alone—spilled out in a torrent.
“Graham will always stand by your side.”
Elliot spoke as he looked at the smaller woman’s tearful face.
To think the prophecy about a new Hero drawing the holy sword and the resurrection of the Evil God was true…
The Grand Duke’s family had always suffered from the monsters in the snow mountains.
The North and the monsters had a long-standing, bitter connection. That’s why the House of Graham could never separate monsters from the Evil God and had always followed the ancestral order to prepare for its resurrection.
Still, he had never imagined the Evil God would truly return. Even when monsters began to increase explosively, he had thought it would pass like before.
But now both the Evil God’s resurrection and the Hero’s birth were happening in his lifetime.
‘The Hero… the whole continent is about to change.’
This won’t be easy. Just like in the past, everyone might face death again. But with the Hero’s help, if they could truly eliminate the Evil God, the North might finally be free from the monsters’ threat.
The chance to completely drive out the monsters from the snow mountains—Elliot could hardly believe such fortune had come to him.
Just because they were descendants of a former Hero, the North had been forced to fight endless battles against monsters.
Countless lives were lost every year.
The North, having sent so many loved ones to the grave, grew colder and darker.
After losing his own parents to monsters, Elliot vowed to end the suffering in his time.
He had repeatedly requested support from the capital, but the imperial family always refused.
After endless denials, he had been planning to go to the capital himself to convince the emperor—
Now, finally, he had found the answer. Elliot knelt before Evelyn. In the face of a true solution, pride meant nothing.
“Um, Y-Your Grace?!”
Thinking that this girl might be the one to save the North, her wide, surprised eyes even seemed wise.
Even her voice, broken by crying, sounded sweet.
“Please… save the North.”
“Wait a minute.”
Sniffling, Evelyn wiped her tears and looked at Elliot with a clearer head.
“What have you been saying this whole time?”
“Weren’t you chosen as the Hero?”
Vwooom!
The holy sword in Evelyn’s hand let out a short hum.
“The sword confirms it.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Then, as a descendant of the ancient Hero, I only wish to aid the new Hero and receive a little help in return. Is that so wrong?”
It’s… not wrong?
No, it wasn’t. But it was all too sudden. Evelyn took a deep breath and reconsidered Elliot’s words.
“You believed the legend that drawing the sword makes you a Hero?”
“Of course.”
But just before she pulled it, he didn’t look like he believed it at all, did he? Evelyn widened her eyes and stared at his face before grabbing his arm.
“Please, get up first.”
She tried to lift him up, but Elliot remained kneeling.
“Your Grace?”
“I know I’m being shameless.”
He bowed his head low, letting his silky blond hair fall forward.
It wasn’t the right time to think such a thing, but for a brief moment, Evelyn wondered if the goddess had taken human form again.
Even though the Grand Duke wasn’t wearing a uniform, he looked so devout and solemn.
“You helped me climb the snow mountain, didn’t you? What’s there to be ashamed of?”
Evelyn didn’t know how far he was willing to go to help her, but his words alone were enough.
This was her burden to bear.
Others might support the Hero in different ways, but she couldn’t be greedy about any of that.
“Many people will desire your favor. I am no exception.”
“Me?”
“Yes. If the Evil God’s return is certain, you are the only one who can save the continent.”
But despite his serious tone, Evelyn nodded calmly.
She had accepted this role with the heart to do anything to save her brother.
But becoming a Hero wasn’t just a personal matter.
The fate of the continent now rested in her hands.
“What do you want from me?”
“In exchange for the Grand Duke family’s support, please protect the North.”
“That’s obviously my duty.”
The Hero’s mission was to defeat the Evil God and protect the continent—of course the North was included in that.
Evelyn tilted her head.
“Do I look like someone who would abandon the North and only protect the capital?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I’m asking that you remain in the North, since the Evil God is most likely to resurrect here.”
The Evil God’s seal lies somewhere in the snowy mountains.
