I Escaped the Exile Story Only To Find It Was a Regret Trope

28 – 5# Unexpected Reunion with Friends (3)

Like it was floating alone in the sky.

Silvery hair that shimmered softly reached down to her waist. Beneath her soft eyelashes, golden eyes filled with curiosity looked around.

It was inevitable that those golden eyes would meet Yushin’s.

Yushin swallowed dryly as he met those familiar golden eyes. A completely unexpected person had appeared before him. Why is she here?

The woman with golden eyes looked at Yushin and spoke.

“Are you a resident of this world?”

‘…Oh right, I look like Baek Yushin right now!’

Realizing the question mixed in her clear voice, Yushin finally came to his senses. The sudden appearance had made him forget even his own appearance for a moment.

But he couldn’t let his guard down.

After all, she was Athena.

Athena Yugribes.

A demigod born between the moon god and a human, a hero who had saved countless people even before I arrived. And she was incredibly strong.

But the scariest thing about Athena was.

Being an immortal being called a god.

If she got upset, she would just keep fighting until she won, relying on her immortality.

In fact, Yushin had a major disagreement with Athena before. After winning a duel against her, she kept bothering him.

[I can’t accept this! This is invalid!]

[Let’s duel again.]

[Hmm! Do you have time? How about a duel?]

‘Damn, just thinking about it makes me want to puke.’

Moreover, what should I say? She believes too much in her own immortality and uses her body recklessly. Thanks to that, when she meets strong enemies, dismemberment is just the beginning.

She even scattered her entrails in front of her comrades.

Because of this, Yushin found Athena both reliable and extremely troublesome.

But why did she come all the way here?

The answer was obvious. Yushin, who had been active as a hero in the exile, was the one she was looking for. Why? To finish the duel they hadn’t completed until now, of course.

‘This crazy woman has crossed dimensions to find me.’

Because of this, Yushin decided to hide thoroughly from Athena. He had suffered a lot in the exile, and now he would suffer here too?

From that day on, Yushin might seriously consider suicide.

Of course, naturally, that was Yushin’s misunderstanding.

No, should I say it was a conclusion he reached arbitrarily based on facts?

It was true that Athena came to this world to find the hero. However, the reason she was looking for the hero was not the one Yushin had arbitrarily concluded.

‘Where are you, hero?’

To see you.

Even though I came to this unfamiliar world.

You are still not in front of me.

A voice filled with longing echoed in Athena’s chest. But Athena could not show weakness. If there was even a slight possibility.

Then she would just move forward firmly.

Just like you led us in the past.

In the past, Athena was very arrogant. Of course, even then, she was a hero who saved people, but it was similar to a strong person showing mercy to the weak.

Foolish and pitiful humans.

You really can’t do without me.

Instead, you should serve me.

That was the feeling. However, that arrogance was shattered when she met a certain human. A hero who was called a champion among humans.

[Are you the hero who is called a champion among humans?]

The hero was actually a being that only appeared in legends. So Athena didn’t care much at first. Because she knew it was just a bluff anyway.

Humans are weak and foolish.

Naturally, they create heroes they can pin their hopes on.

That could rather be called gilding.

This time, she thought the hero was such a being. But that was her misunderstanding. Indeed, the hero she met at first was very weak beyond imagination.

However, as time passed, the hero began to grow stronger.

Even Athena herself was anxious. Jealousy, inferiority, anger. Countless emotions had dominated her. How could a mere human dare?

In the end, she couldn’t bear it.

Athena challenged Yushin to a duel.

A demigod who protects humans, jealous of a human.

In retrospect, it was a truly laughable story, but at that time, she was already blinded by arrogance. Thus, she dueled with the hero.

And was utterly defeated.

She couldn’t believe it.

Defeated by a mere human?

So, again and again.

She kept challenging that human.

As she continued to challenge the human, Athena’s known world began to shatter. But can that really be called bad?

No, no.

Her world shattered.

What unfolded before her was a vast, new world.

Thanks to this, Athena was able to learn many things. At the same time, she realized how arrogant she had been in the past. All thanks to the hero.

If it weren’t for the hero.

She would never have awakened from her arrogance.

However, when she turned to express her gratitude.

The person was already gone.

I came to know another world thanks to you. But you, who showed me that world, have disappeared from it. Where are you?

To think that an immortal like herself would long for a mere mortal.

If her past self had seen this, she might have cursed her for being foolish.

But even that is an emotion she learned from you.

You are that precious, and because I miss you, I came here to see you once more. That was why Athena descended here.

‘Damn, I just want to avoid being pestered for another duel.’

The problem was that Yushin, the person in question, was trying his best not to reveal his identity to Athena, having been pestered so much.

* * *

As a result, Yushin was able to avoid Athena’s suspicion for the time being.

Of course, he had to. The only thing that resembled the former hero was the color of his hair. Yushin sighed in relief and spoke.

“Who are you?”

It was a voice like that of an ordinary soldier, pretending to be wary. No matter how strong-willed Yushin was, he would want to avoid a persistent leech.

Especially if that leech was immortal?

If there was no way to get rid of it?

Then avoiding it is the top priority.

You avoid poop not because you’re scared, but because it’s dirty.

“I am Athena Yugribes, child of the Moon Goddess. Her knight.”

‘A knight of feelings? That’s a new introduction.’

Usually, the introduction ended with being the child of the Moon Goddess. Had he met a new master while he was away? Yushin cleared his throat and said.

“Are you asking me to believe that?”

Good, this should make me look like an ordinary person. Just as he was satisfied with his performance, Athena spoke with a meaningful look.

“I feel very familiar.”

“……”

“Well, it must be my imagination.”

‘Wow, that scared the hell out of me.’

They say a frog dies from being hit by a stray stone. That was exactly his situation now. Athena kept looking around, her silver hair fluttering.

She seemed to be looking for someone since earlier.

Suddenly, Yushin remembered the days he had been tormented by her. Even her muttering earlier, if this continued, she might really catch on.

Fortunately, Yushin managed to change the subject successfully.

The giant corpse of the ogre turned to dust and disappeared, and soon a familiar face appeared before him. Yushin frowned and said.

“Instructor Lee Young-seok?”

Yes, the ogre’s true identity was none other than the instructor of Class C, Lee Young-seok. That’s why he had charged at Yushin in a rage as soon as he saw him.

He didn’t know what had turned him into an ogre.

Right now, Young-seok was lying unconscious on the ground. Thanks to that, Athena naturally moved towards Young-seok, whom Yushin was looking at.

“Do you know him?”

“Well, we do know each other.”

“Hmm, he’s cursed.”

As expected of a demigod. Athena instantly grasped Young-seok’s condition. He had been cursed by someone and turned into a monster.

Surprisingly, curses that turn people into monsters are quite common.

The problem is how Young-seok got cursed in the first place. Honestly, there’s no way to find out right now, so they had to let it go.

‘This feels familiar somehow.’

However, Yu-shin thought he had naturally changed the subject. But Athena was feeling a familiar, nostalgic sensation towards Yu-shin without wavering.

Well, it was inevitable.

After traveling together for years, whether they liked it or not, Athena had memorized everything, from speech patterns to small habits. No matter how much their appearance had changed.

There was no way to escape.