16 Conclusion and Revelation

[Ding! Support Character System leveled up.]

[Added 1 slot for Supported List]

[Added 0.1 Bonus stats for Support Bonus]

[Gained 0.2 Strength and Endurance, 0.1 Intelligence]

[Hero's Party buff was strengthened; 0.8>1.0]

[Basic Sword Mastery leveled up.]

[Skill and Spell cooldowns reduced by 0.1 for every 3 seconds.]

After that howl from the Smoke Giant, his smoke-like body disintegrated. I might not see the whole process but Yuko and the other three worked hard to defeat him before the Awakening buff wore off.

The Smoke Giant left some threats but his voice became too hoarse that it became hard to understand it. One thing is clear, he couldn't accept that someone he thought as a fledgeling could defeat his incarnation. He vowed to descend here and kill Yuko with his own hands.

'The World' probably accounted everything I did as Yuko's support which led to my system levelling up. 3 more level ups and I'll reach the first bottleneck. They told me that even filling up the experience points needed won't immediately upgrade the system. 'The World' will prepare a task for the system-owner. It varies from person to person but it all corresponded to the System Name. It's almost a certainty that it will be about Supporting.

It's still too long to think about it though, so I'll worry about that later.

When the Awakening buff wore off, Yuko fell to her knees. I immediately went to her side to support her.

Seeing me near her, she jumped into my arms and put all her weight on me. I held her and made sure not to drop her. This girl. She pushed herself too much and that Awakening seems to have a backlash after using it.

Reinys and the other two covered us up so the soldiers wouldn't see how weakened the Hero is right now.

"How are you feeling Yuko?"

I asked her. Her face was buried in my chest, I could feel her gasping for breath. She's really tired from all that happened. If someone else saw her, they wouldn't think she's that invincible Hero. She's just a teenage girl. To be put to this task of saving a world, it's too heavy for her.

"Better now, I got you to hug me."

She looked up for a bit and gave me a smile before clinging more closely. Her face looked comfortable when she did that.

"This girl. I'll give you a hug whenever you want. You're amazing Yuko, I almost kneel when that giant appeared but you defeated him. Seeing you push yourself to this extent, I'm hating myself now for being weak."

Now I don't see her being this attached to me as strange. This is the real her. Maybe she always put on an act in front of others but with me, she's letting her real self surface. She always looks elegant and dignified but to me, she's this weak girl who wanted someone to praise and comfort her.

"Don't be, Dai-kun. We had 3 years of a headstart. You shouldn't beat yourself up from something that cannot be bridged easily."

Don't comfort me, please. I'm her support. I shouldn't be the one receiving that. I should stop talking about how weak I am starting now. It's not right.

"No. I will grow stronger Yuko, I want to stand next to you. Not just as someone who's always at the back, I want to support you by being at your side."

I used my fingers to brush and fix her disheveled hair. When she felt that, she even held my hand like telling me to do it more.

"You will, soon. For now, you being here is already enough support. You still don't remember but you did something like this to me before."

"Really?"

I wonder what it was that I've experienced with her. To have me be imprinted in her mind like this.

And what did I feel about her before? I want to know. I find myself growing more fond of this girl, but that blank page in my memory is holding me back. Her father made me her fiance but it can also break at any moment.

"Yes. Even if you have forgotten it, you're still the same Dai-kun. Those eyes which don't look down. You always stare straight ahead."

She's remembering the me that I don't have any recollection of. That's who she's fond of, not who I am right now. Ah. Am I getting jealous of myself? This is absurd. I guess I just need to believe her right now.

"Then I'll believe you on that, Yuko. Can you stand now?"

"Yes. Just keep holding me. I want to feel you closer to me. I don't care if people see how close I am to you. I introduced you as my fiance, they have no choice but to accept that."

Ah. There's this too. Soon it will be known throughout this world that the Hero already has a fiance, I just don't know if the truth about me being the same as her, a person not from this world, will also be known.

So far, only her Party Members and Zerina were privy on this fact. I don't know about those nobles we met before.

"Then I'll keep holding you like you asked, and I'll answer truthfully if someone asks me about my relationship with you."

I supported her to stand up. Though still weak, she made herself look dignified again, like a Hero who came back proudly from a victorious battle.

Well, if you erase my existence who's holding her by her waist.

When Reinys saw that she pouted again but she didn't say anything. Sooner or later she will have no choice but to accept this. I am Yuko's fiancee and likewise Yuko is already engaged to me. Her brother should forget about her now.

Caila and Noelle moved out of the way to let us pass. 

Zerina along with the soldiers and the mercenaries were still cheering from the victory.

If we didn't come to this city, these mercenaries' fate was to become a blob of World Energy like those influenced residents.

Those Dark Soldiers have no intention to kill those at the inn, they were to be captured and sent to the City Square. Maybe that's why the inn was empty when they arrived in this city. Those unlucky mercenaries and other citizens were already turned to blobs of World Energy that the Corrupted can use.

After briefing them and declaring the threat covering this strange city was resolved they went back to the inn. The residents will all return to normal tomorrow when they wake up since the Priest already died. There may be some preachers but they were already pinpointed by Yuko early on. They're also corrupted so their use of World Energy was cut off. She has a skill to determine whether a person was accepted by 'The World' or not.

Still clinging close to me, we then went back to the Noble Manor. Zerina, as the 1st Daughter of the House came with us. The 3rd Lady and her followers were the last to clean up. That Lady was already corrupted but her son isn't. Yuko confirmed it to Zerina.

About the missing House Head, even Yuko has no idea, maybe he already turned into a blob of World Energy or he really ran away and was killed somewhere.

When we reached the Noble Manor, the 3rd Lady was just getting ready to escape along with her son.

When she saw us appearing, she took her own son as hostage.

In the end, she got too agitated by the Hero's appearance that she didn't see Zerina sneaking behind her. Even with the gap in stats, a successful sneak attack crippled the 3rd Lady.

Zerina's two short swords were stabbed to both her legs. Caila immediately jumped to save the son from the mother.

After tying her up and restraining her, she will be sent to the capital and be interrogated by Caila's Knight Order.

After cleaning the manor of the leftover Dark Soldiers, we finally got some time to relax. Yuko decided to settle everything when the morning comes. It's not just her who's tired after all.

And well, she told me that Awakening couldn't be used successively. It has a 1 month cooldown and she will only have half of her stats for a whole day after using it. So right now, she's only half as strong.

Right now, Yuko and I are together in a room. Since the servants were currently asleep no one could tend to us so Zerina, being the 1st Daughter of the House, prepared rooms for us to spend the night.

Yuko told her to put us in the same room. Zerina who's looking at me with a complicated expression brought us to a huge room with a huge bed enough for two. That girl...

Now that we're here the atmosphere around us turned awkward. What should I do?

Yuko pulled me into the bed and asked me to stay with her. Like earlier she wanted to be close to me.

"Dai-kun, that girl, do you like her?"

She broke the silence between us with that question. Ah. She's talking about Zerina.

"I still don't know but like you, I'm fond of her."

"Then, I'll take her into my Party."

When I heard her say that, I became confused. What is she saying?

"Eh? Why? Shouldn't you be angry at me?"

"Why? I don't mind it. In the end, I'm your top priority, right?"

This girl. To be this open-minded. Isn't it more normal to be angry at me? But she's right. She's my top priority. If I will be asked to choose who I will save between the two of them, it will be Yuko first, everything comes second.

"You. Now I feel like I'm betraying you."

No matter how one looks at it. It's me cheating on my fiance. Am I originally like this? I never had a girlfriend before. Yuko is the first and she immediately became my fiance. I didn't even court her. I'm a complete newbie at relationships. But now, I'm fond of another girl who I had just met.

"Maybe you are but don't beat yourself to it. It's normal."

"No, Yuko. This is not normal."

How can she say that in a straight face? I'm confused at Yuko's actions right now.

"For me, it is. You're bound to become someone great."

"Eh? What's that? I'm just a Support."

Someone great? I have a large amount of dark thoughts. I may become strong through hard work but someone great? I don't know.

"I guess I will tell you that. Something even my father don't know"

"What is that?"

Yuko's face turned serious and with a wave of her hand, a thin aura covered the room. What's that for? To block sounds?

I see. She doesn't want anyone else to hear what she will say.

"My Foresight. When it first manifested back at the Pocket Dimension, it's you who I first saw. No. It's the future you. It's different from my father's Clairvoyance. I clearly saw you through my Foresight. That's you in the future. It's only a split second and that drained all my Psyche Energy immediately but I saw you standing in front of us."

"That doesn't mean I'll be someone great. Maybe I became the cannon fodder to take the first hits that's why I'm standing in front."

Yes. It could be wrong. She said split second. But looking at how serious she is, even blocking the sound, she truly believed in that future she saw.

"Maybe but that's how I interpreted it. I could vaguely see the faces of the others but that girl, she's beside me. The moment I met her, I remembered that. Her fate was tied with you. Now, no matter how hard I try, I can't see through my ability beyond 4 hours."

Yuko is looking at me intently. I couldn't help but start to believe in her but this is wrong. This is something that's better for me not to know. If I believe that I'm bound to be something great, I'll become half-assed at everything I will do.

"You shouldn't have told me that Yuko, I'll be bloated by confidence that I won't be able to progress."

"I'm here, Dai-kun. I'll see to it that what I saw will really happen."

This girl. Just looking at her eyes, she'll really do what she's telling me. I just have to trust her right? I'll try and don't think about what she revealed to me as much as possible.

"What should I do with you?"

"Just do what you have to do. Like how I always tell you, we're equals."

"Then I'll ask you now, Yuko, please take Zerina in your Party. It will feel much better if I ask this of you."

"Yes, I will take her in."

After saying that, I didn't know if she planned to do this since the start but her face drew close to me and before I could even react, she planted her lips to mine. Our first kiss.

"I love you, Dai-kun."

With her most beautiful smile on her face, she uttered those words. Then not waiting for my answer, she fell back down to the bed and covered herself with the blanket.

I don't know how should I answer. I'm clearly fond of her as well but I'm afraid of that gap in my memory.

And this thing she told me. I suddenly felt something heavy dropped on my shoulders. But I'm the Ultimate Support Character. For now, I have to focus on supporting her and other heroes. Prevent that fate of dying first.