Chapter 524 – I’m just a regular human being! (1)

Pat, pat.

Cale patted Choi Han's shoulder before getting off his back.
He then looked around.

'This is driving me nuts.'

Cale barely managed to stop himself from frowning.
It was unexpected that the Tiger tribe and Lock were on the battlefield.
However, he thought that it was quite a smart decision to get them here. At least on the power side, that is.

'They all look terrible.'

However, none of them looked good.
The Tiger tribe looked as if they were burned by something while the Royal Knights Brigade looked like a mess.

That wasn't it…

"Young master-nim!"

Lock who was smiling brightly and innocently toward him looked as if he had injuries covering every inch of his body.
How did he get so injured while using a shield that was even taller than him?

"…You put a child in such a condition?"

Choi Han peeked toward Lock after hearing Cale's mumbling.
He was not even twenty years old, but Lock was the tallest of them here.
Based on his physique alone, he would be the leader.

In the end, Cale could not help but have a wrinkle on his face.
That single wrinkle soon became many. He was frowning quite furiously.

"Damn it. Why did the supposed future king get beaten up the most?"

Alberu Crossman.
It was because he saw Alberu's current state.

His skin and face were covered by his helmet and armor, but it made his current condition even more visible rather than hiding it.
His hands and feet were shaking, probably because he had pushed himself too hard, while the small amount of skin that should have been visible because the helmet was slightly lifted was not visible because it was covered in blood.

How could he not get angry in such a situation?

"Haaaaa."

Cale brushed his face with hands.
He couldn't see the crown prince's face under the helmet, but he was certain that Alberu was currently in his quarter Dark Elf appearance.

Why else would this man be covering his face?
He was someone who always showed off his handsome face.

"Why the hell did you get beaten to a pulp like this? You shouldn't have come out here if you thought you could get beaten up this bad."

Cale had mumbled out of frustration, but he had realized that Alberu made the decision after realizing that he was the only one who could step forward.
That was why he was frustrated and acting this way.

He looked toward Alberu whose shoulders were moving up and down as if he was breathing heavily before starting to speak to the White Star standing behind Alberu.

"Take your damn hands off. Can't you hear me?"

Cale observed the White Star's eyes through the cracked mask. The White Star stared at Cale before starting to speak.

"How did you return so quickly?"
"Is that any of your damn business?"

The White Star slightly shook his head at Cale's brusque response and did not say anything else.
Cale's eyes furrowed as he watched.

'This is weird. Why is this bastard still so calm? Usually, this is when he would say something like, 'you dare!' and get annoyed.'

In fact, forget being annoyed, he would be extremely angry and ask how Cale managed to escape from the northern mountain on the Eastern continent.

But for some odd reason, the White Star did not have much response.
His calm voice gave off an ominous feeling.
Cale then heard a noise by his ears.

Boom- boom- boooom-

He had been hearing these drums for a while.
Cale's eyes moved before they froze.

Some of the people wearing the grey robe were beating the drums.
They were all wearing either robes or priest uniforms and covering their faces with their hoods.
However, the clothes looked familiar.

'…The Marquis!'

The Marquis he met on the Eastern continent's northern mountain who supposedly served the Demonic race…
He had worn similar clothing.

'Are they his subordinates?'

He recalled how that Marquis controlled an odd power that was stronger than the ancient Dragon.
He also knew that the power was related to the Demon World or the Demonic race.

Boom- Booooom! Boom- boom boom!

The drumming continued to get louder.

'I have a bad feeling about this.'

Cale was feeling nervous seeing the calm White Star and hearing the drumming.
It was because he didn't know how to gauge the strength of those people who served the Demonic race.

The White Star and Cale made eye contact once again.

"Hmm."

The White Star seemed to think for a moment before he moved his arm.

Swish-

Alberu's body weakly flew through the air.
Choi Han quickly ran forward.

Grab.

Choi Han caught the thrown Alberu.

"Huff, huff."

Choi Han could see Alberu struggling to breathe. He looked into Alberu's eyes through the gap in the helmet as Alberu started to speak.

"Wow, my instructor is here."

Choi Han started to frown. Choi Han subconsciously responded after hearing Alberu saying something like that with a shaky voice.

"My disciple-nim is just like his little brother."
"What? Ha, haha-"

Alberu flinched before he started to laugh.
The little brother Choi Han mentioned was Cale and he was scolding him for acting just like Cale.

"Haha-, ugh!"

However, he had to stop laughing to cough up blood.
Cale peeked at him before looking back at the White Star and asking. His voice was very low.

"…You let him go so easily?"

The White Star had released Alberu without any issue.
The White Star responded as if it was nothing.

"If you are here, wouldn't either the ancient Dragon or the black Dragon have come with you?"

Pat, pat.

He patted his arm that had turned black and dropped black ashes to the ground.
Red blood was still flowing through his arm.
It was much less than before, but he was still bleeding.

However, the White Star continued speaking as if it did not bother him at all.

"Either the ancient Dragon or the black Dragon would come to attack me from behind in order to save that crown prince bastard. Am I right?"

Cale's expression did not change.

– That's right! Human! The White Star realized our plan!

A shocked Raon spoke to Cale in his mind as Cale flicked his finger.
It was a signal for Raon to fly up.

– I understand, human! I'll move away from the White Star!

Raon who had stealthily been approaching the White Star from behind quickly flew up.
Cale started to speak.

"You're different than usual."
"Mm. Who knows?"

The White Star chuckled before continuing to speak.

"I was really angry. I was really angry the last time I saw you."

The White Star recalled the last time he saw Cale.
The Caro Kingdom's Land of Death. The underground city located there. The White Star had been really angry as he watched that city crumble and had changed his mindset.

"I then reflected on it."
"What?"

Cale was shocked.
However, the White Star truly had reflected on it.

He had looked down on Cale Henituse.
However, he would not look down on him any longer.

'He's someone who has possessed multiple bodies for a very long time to prepare.'

He was someone trying to stop him.
Of course, this punk was shamelessly acting all shocked right now.

He could come up with only one conclusion about this bastard's true identity.

"One thousand years. You are someone trying to stop something we have been planning for that long."

Cale realized something was wrong as he made eye contact with the calmly speaking White Star.
The White Star's gaze was no longer just simply showing hostility toward his enemy.

'…What is up with his gaze? He looks ready to fight a battle of life or death.'

To live or to die.

His gaze seemed to show that those were the only two options.
The White Star's calm voice continued to speak.

"I debated about your identity once we retreated from the Caro Kingdom."

This bastard who had possessed body after body to stop him…

What could be his true identity?
If he was simply trying to stop him, what was the reason for that?

He then realized something.

Ancient powers.
It was said that people would find it difficult to gain even one ancient power without heavenly luck.

Even the White Star who had many helpers still had to come to the Roan Kingdom after 1,000 years to find the last power he was missing.
However, Cale Henituse possessed many ancient powers.

Thinking about that led him to one conclusion.

'He has someone helping him.'

That helper could not be a regular person if they had been helping Cale Henituse, who had lived a very long time by possessing different bodies.

'But that helper is not one of his current allies.'

The White Star who had thoroughly reflected over everything so far came to the conclusion that the Dragons, Choi Han, and everybody else around Cale did not seem to know that he was a transmigrator.

Then who could it be?
He then realized something else.

He realized that there was an existence that could have helped Cale Henituse out for a long time without being found out.

"…Cale Henituse."

The Demonic race exists, and…
Gods exist.

Gods.

Everything made sense if it was a god that was helping Cale Henituse!

"…You are someone who has received the will of a god."

Everyone on the Roan Kingdom's side turned toward Cale. Their pupils were shaking as they looked at him.
Even Alberu looked toward Cale in shock.

Someone who has received the will of a god.
The weight of those words was significant.

Didn't it sound like something that could be found in a legend? The Knight Captain subconsciously gulped as he looked at Cale.
He was one of the few people who had seen Cale's formidable strength with his own eyes.

This was the thought on Cale's mind at that moment.

'…What kind of nonsense is that?'

He was at a loss for words at this sudden unbelievable proclamation that he was quietly staring at the White Star.
However, his expression seemed more like a calm and relaxed expression than an expression of disbelief to the others.

Of course, the shocked Alberu sighed and shook his head after seeing Cale's expression.
However, the White Star became certain after seeing Cale's calm expression.

'Cale Henituse, this bastard is definitely a messenger of a god. Either that, or he was someone who has received the will of a god.'

He was neither a Saint nor a priest.
But it was clear.

'If I have connections to the Demon World, this bastard has connections to a god.'

The corners of his lips slowly rose.

"There was a reason you and I had a lot of similarities."

Gods and the Demonic race.
It was only natural that they were similar because they were both chosen by such strong existences.

"We were both chosen. In some aspects, we are both great beings. That is why we must kill each other."

The White Star recalled the past 1,000 years.
He had overcome numerous obstacles to head out into the world and become a ruler.

"We have waited a very long time for this moment."

The White Star gently smiled as he said that. However, it seemed more grim and determined than gentle to the others.
An unknown aura was surrounding the White Star.

As for Cale…

'…What kind of nonsense is that?'

He was flabbergasted.
It was getting worse the more he heard.

However, White Star was not done just yet.

Boom- boom- boom-

The White Star calmly continued to speak to his enemy through the drumming.

"And the end is not far. One thousand years. A few months or years is nothing compared to how long I've waited. You will try to stop me, but I will manage to push you aside."

The White Star smiled brightly.

"You and I are fated to be."

'…What kind of chilling bullshit is that? Has this bastard gone crazy?'

Cale was frowning as much as possible.
The White Star saw Cale's frown and laughed.
He then pointed toward Cale.

"The only person I have deemed worthy of being my enemy."

Boom- boom- boom-

The drumming started to get louder.

"I will defeat you and become the ruler. Then, wouldn't that be like defeating a god as well?"

Cale subconsciously started to speak.

"You c-"

'What a crazy son of a bitch. Did he hit his head too much in the past thousand years or something? How can his thoughts be so wrong?'

It felt as if those words might come out of Cale's mouth at any moment.
However, Cale stopped talking for a moment.

Boom- boom- boom- Boom! Boom!

The drumming became even louder than before.

'Hmm?'

Cale saw something odd at that moment.

The White Star's cracked mask was slowly fusing back together.
It looked like a living being's injury that slowly closed. The crack in the mask slowly disappeared.
He had been wondering if he would be able to see this annoying bastard's face if he broke that mask.

'What is going on?'

Boom- boom- boomboom!

The mask restored itself even faster as the drumming quickened.

'Is it an item from the Demon World?'

That thought suddenly popped into Cale's mind.
Shouldn't it be an item from the Demon World since it is influenced by the drums of the people who serve the Demonic race?

"Are you curious about this mask?"

Tap. Tap.

The White Star lightly tapped his mask.
Cale nonchalantly responded even though he was thinking that his inner thoughts were revealed.

"Yes, I am curious. Can you tell me?"
"You must have realized the special aspect of this mask because you have received the will of a god."

No-

That was what Cale was about to say.
However, the White Star did not stop talking.

"Hoo hoo. Great beings are meant to have great enemies. I will gladly accept you."

The White Star continued to boldly speak to Cale.

"But not today."
"What?"

'Not today? What is he talking about?'

Oooooooong- ooooooong-

Cale could hear the rumbling that had been covered by the drumming.

The rumbling suddenly became louder.
The rumbling was coming from the magic circle that the black mages had cast in the rear.

He heard Alberu's voice at that moment.

"It seems to be a teleportation magic circle."

'What? Teleportation? He's running away right now?'

Cale started to frown.

Why would the White Star run away when he had been winning up until now?
Why would he run away when it is obvious that Cale was in a terrible condition right now?
What could he be thinking?

Cale looked around while debating whether he should stop the White Star or let him go.
He needed to figure out the condition of his allies before making that decision.
He soon flinched as he did that.

The Roan Kingdom's people were looking at him with a more ardent gaze than before.
He could feel envy, hope, and respect in their gazes.
They were looking at him in a way they would look at someone who deserved a lot of respect. Their gazes even seem to have admiration.

'…This is bad!'

Cale felt more danger than when the Super Rock had told him that he would faint for a long time if he used his ancient powers once more.
He quickly turned his head and started to speak to the White Star.

His voice sounded urgent and desperate.

"Are you trying to run away? And why am I your fated enemy? I have no relations with any gods."

The White Star sighed as if he found Cale's actions to be cute.

"Pfft. I know everything about you even if you say that. You are receiving help from a god."

'Is this bastard crazy? What the hell does he know?! Is he trying to destroy my dream of being a slacker?!'

Cale was at a loss for words. That bastard seemed as if he would not really listen to anything he had to say.
Cale had lost a battle of words against the White Star for the first time.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]