The Soldier Shouted Save

Chapter 24

With my arm and ribs broken, I changed out of my blood-soaked clothes while suppressing the pain. I grabbed Croa’s dagger and headed toward the church.

“…Is it true that there were heretics here?”

“How could something like this happen in Tallin…”

The church entrance was buzzing with people. I blended into the crowd, observing the situation when I made eye contact with someone.

“Hyung!” Rian mouthed silently, waving at me from inside the church.

I gestured for him to come outside.

“Hyung! …What happened to your arm? Are you hurt?”

Rian’s eyes went straight to my arm, which was bent unnaturally.

“Don’t make a fuss, it’s nothing. More importantly, what happened?”

I kept my tone casual, and Rian glanced toward the gathering crowd before replying.

“…A pillar of light fell on the palace warrior’s head. The church said it was Freya’s judgment.”

Rian, who had fled to the church with Eris, explained everything in detail.

The appearance of Jang Jin-woo and Lee Hyerin in a flash of blue light.

Eris revealing Jang Jin-woo as a heretic.

The church’s prayers, and the final judgment that destroyed the palace warrior.

I nodded, asking my final question.

“That warrior who was judged… Is that him over there?”

I scanned the scene, observing the gruesome sight at the center of everyone’s gaze.

Burnt flesh, scraps of clothing, and steel knuckles were all that remained of what I assumed was the palace warrior’s body.

Pointing at the mess, I asked Rian if that was the body.

Rian nodded.

“…Yes. The priests said they would burn everything, leaving no trace.”

I instantly understood what Rian was saying.

The paladins were already pushing the onlookers back, stacking wood around what was left of Jang Jin-woo’s remains.

‘So they’re just going to let his spirit go?’

I stared at the faint outline of something above the warrior’s remains.

Could it be the palace warrior’s soul ascending to the heavens?

As I kept looking up at the shape, a message suddenly appeared in front of me.

[You have found a soul marked by ‘Notification’.]

[Confirming ‘Contribution to the Kill’.]

.

.

[‘Assist’ recognized.]

[Adding ‘Palace Warrior Jang Jin-woo’ to Soul Slot 2.]

Along with the message, my shadow stretched upward like a snake.

Before I could react, my shadow reached up into the sky and swallowed the ascending soul of Jang Jin-woo.

‘Damn it… Should I run, or do I need to reset again?’

The sight of my shadow snaking into the sky was like an open announcement that I was a necromancer.

“What’s up there?”

But Rian, looking at the same sky, seemed confused, as if he couldn’t see the shadow devouring the soul.

Had he not seen my shadow’s bizarre behavior?

I glanced around, trying to hide my inner turmoil. The crowd and the priests were all focused on their tasks, unaware of what had just happened.

“…Where’s the elder?” I asked.

“He left a while ago with the paladins to hunt down the rest of the heretics. I thought Croa and I were supposed to head back to the inn, but…”

Relieved, I sighed. If the elder had been here, he would have undoubtedly sensed that I was a necromancer.

‘I survived.’

My plan wasn’t wrong. I had led myself and Croa to the outcome I wanted, where both of us survived.

But there was still one issue left to resolve.

[Soul Slot 2 ― Palace Warrior Jang Jin-woo]

New perk: Activate ‘Mic On/Off’.

I frowned at the message in front of me. A strange perk had appeared alongside the devoured soul.

‘…Is this some kind of save function?’

I didn’t fully understand this mysterious perk, but I read the rest of the message.

[Jang Jin-woo is a soul affiliated with a ‘Guild’.]

[Activating ‘Pre-Order Purchase’.]

[Achievement Store: Purchasing ‘Necromancy — Soul Disguise’. -2000pt]

[Using ‘Soul Disguise’.]

[Do you want to connect to the ‘Imperial Palace’ Guild as the soul of ‘Jang Jin-woo’?]

The guild stone began to emit a faint purple light.

I turned to Rian, who was still staring at the sky cluelessly, and asked,

“Where’s Croa?”

“She’s inside the church. Lady Eris said Croa needs to go through a ceremony to become an apprentice priestess.”

Rian beamed as he mentioned Croa’s name, but a wave of nausea rose in my throat.

‘…Is it because of Croa’s blessing?’

Now that I was aware of it, I could see the radiant golden light enveloping Rian’s body.

“…Hyung?”

Suppressing the nausea, I told Rian,

“…I won’t be able to visit the church often, so stay with Croa for now.”

“Of course! Don’t worry, hyung! I’ll take care of Croa!”

As Rian walked back toward the church, I felt a sense of relief settle over me.

‘Should I get rid of being a necromancer first?’

A necromancer was a being that no one welcomed.

But something told me that shedding the necromancer’s identity wasn’t the right order of things.

‘…If I couldn’t control souls, I wouldn’t have seen this.’

Touching the guild stone with my bare hands, a flood of messages appeared before my eyes.

[Jang Jin-woo has connected.]

[Guild Announcement] [Status Screen Update]

[Guild Members List] [Guild Missions]…

The messages were different from the first time I had touched the guild stone.

As I scrolled through the floating notifications, my eyes landed on a familiar name.

[Tracking Status of Lee Hyun-seok (Visible to ‘Executive’ rank or higher)]

‘…Lee Hyun-seok?’

The name listed in the ‘Guild Missions’ tab rang a bell.

As I was about to inspect it further, the messages suddenly disappeared.

[You have been removed from the guild.]

The guild stone crumbled to dust in my hand, slipping through my fingers.

I clenched my fist, watching the remnants fall.

‘The pink text called me Lee Hyun-seok too.’

Though I hadn’t fully uncovered the crucial information, I wasn’t in a rush.

I pulled out my dagger and held it under my chin.

‘…Again.’

When I die now, where will I return to?

There was the slight worry that I might have to face the palace warrior again.

But that fear quickly faded as certainty settled in.

‘Even if I return to before Jang Jin-woo’s death, it won’t matter.’

I had already figured out the method.

No matter how many times I repeated the cycle, getting back to ‘now’ wouldn’t be difficult.

―Thud!

The dagger pierced under my chin.

―You have died from your own attack. [Confirm]

―Loading from the automatic save point. [Confirm]

.

.

As my vision returned from darkness, I saw Rian waving at me, just like before.

I returned to the moment right after Jang Jin-woo’s death.

Only a few minutes had passed since the previous timeline.

‘It’s better to verify everything.’

After consuming Jang Jin-woo’s ascending soul, I reconnected to the ‘Imperial Palace’ guild under his name.

[‘Jang Jin-woo’ has logged in.]

I quickly scrolled through the guild’s information under his identity.

[You have been removed from the guild.]

The messages disappeared in just a few seconds.

‘Memorize it all.’

I began repeating the process, dying over and over again, memorizing everything that appeared.

* * *

How many lives had passed?

I had no idea how many times I had stabbed myself in the throat, each time focusing solely on memorizing the messages.

‘In the end, the “Lee Hyun-seok” they mentioned wasn’t me.’

There were terms I didn’t fully understand, but I was certain that “Lee Hyun-seok” wasn’t referring to me.

The name likely belonged to someone powerful—someone the Imperial Palace couldn’t track down, a formidable existence.

But what I needed to focus on wasn’t “Lee Hyun-seok” but the other guild missions.

‘There was an entry labeled S-Rank NPC Investigation Report under the completed guild missions.’

The message included not only Croa, who had the power of the saintess, but also the locations and brief details about other Gerard natives with exceptional talents.

‘…And these guys haven’t given up on Croa yet.’

Although Jang Jin-woo was dead, the mission had only been temporarily paused. A new task, Kidnapping of Saintess Candidate, had already been added to the guild mission list.

‘It’s clear I can’t handle this alone.’

Just as the palace soldiers had their own jargon, the heroes had their own code as well.

Without the help of another hero, I couldn’t fully interpret or prepare for everything in the guild’s information.

‘I’ll have to bring her in, even if it means repeating my life.’

* * *

A day had passed since the palace warrior’s death.

I sat at a table in a high-end tea house called Cope, tapping my fingers on the tabletop.

The butler-like server approached, bowing politely.

“Here is the Cope you ordered.”

Cope was the name of the tea.

The server placed a cup of black tea on the table and left.

I raised the cup, which had ice floating in it, to my lips.

‘So this is the drink heroes are supposed to enjoy?’

More accurately, it was a replica of the drink heroes supposedly enjoyed.

The bitter taste hit my throat as I took a sip.

‘Not bad.’

―Crunch, crunch.

I chewed on the square ice cubes, savoring the bitter tea when suddenly—

―Ding-a-ling.

The bell on the door rang, and a familiar face walked into the tea house.

“Wow, what the hell? This is a café?”

It was Lee Hyerin, looking around like a country bumpkin who had just arrived in the big city.

A server in a butler’s uniform rushed over to her, looking displeased.

“…Excuse me, ma’am, but I must ask you to leave.”

“Huh? What?”

“This is Cope, a high-class tea house. We do not allow entry to those lacking proper decorum. My apologies.”

The server pinched his nose in disgust, and Hyerin, realizing he was implying she smelled bad, flushed red and pulled her cloak tightly around herself.

“…I-I’m here to meet someone…”

“Please leave, ma’am.”

Looking desperate, Hyerin glanced around the room but sighed in defeat when she saw the server blocking her path. She left the tea house, humiliated.

I watched the scene in silence before placing a silver coin on the table and leaving the establishment.

“Were you waiting outside? Why didn’t you come in?”

Feigning ignorance, I asked casually. Hyerin shot me a glare.

“It’s not that I didn’t come in! Ugh, just give me the money.”

Being turned away at the door of Cope was exactly the reaction I had hoped for.

“Of course.”

With a quick acknowledgment, I turned and started walking.

“H-Hey! Where are you going?”

Hyerin hurried to catch up with me, her short legs moving quickly as she followed.

We arrived at a two-story inn.

“Take us to our reserved room. Two meals, your best dishes.”

After ordering, I walked straight to the second floor without waiting for the innkeeper to guide us.

―Click.

The door unlocked easily, and I stepped into the room, gesturing for Hyerin to enter.

“Come in.”

She followed me into the room with an annoyed look, glaring at me as she spoke.

“You’re not planning anything shady, right?”

“What would I be planning?”

“Like not paying me or not having the money to begin with.”

Was she capable of using powerful attack magic too?

Hyerin aimed her palm at me threateningly, and I chuckled as I reached into my coat.

―Clink.

Two gold coins clattered onto the table.

I flicked one of the coins with my fingers, playing with it as I asked,

“How skilled are you with magic? Village level? City level?”

“I don’t feel like answering. I’ve got my money, so I’m leaving.”

Hyerin snatched up the coins and turned to leave.

I called out to her back.

“Isn’t it tough? Being an Earthling who knows nothing, living on the Gerard Continent?”

“…And if it is, what are you going to do about it?”

“Why don’t you keep working for me? I’ll pay you one gold coin a month.”

She didn’t think long.

After glaring at me for a moment, she sighed and spoke in a disinterested tone.

“…Find someone else. I don’t trust people like you.”

Gerard natives and Earthlings—a relationship built on trust was impossible.

As she moved to leave, I muttered as if to myself,

“They say fake gold coins on the Gerard Continent melt easily, even under a small flame.”

“…What?”

“That’s why it’s common practice to keep matches handy when trading gold. You didn’t know that?”

I tossed her a box of matches as she frowned deeply, but instead of using the matches, Hyerin held out her finger and said,

“Ignis.”

A faint flame shot from her finger, melting a portion of one of the coins.

Her face flushed with anger as she trembled.

“…You planned to trick me from the start?! Explain yourself!”

Hyerin raised her palm toward my head, and a blue light flickered around her hand, making it clear this was more than just a threat.

I let out a small laugh and replied,

“If I wanted to deceive you, I wouldn’t have told you the coins were fake.”

“Then what’s this all about?!”

Such a trivial farce.

I wiped the smile from my face and spoke in a calm tone.

“I need you to survive.”

I pulled four more gold coins from my coat and placed them on the table.

“And you need me if you want to survive on this damned continent.”

―Flick.

I struck a match and lit it.

Setting the match on top of the four gold coins, I watched as it burned down, leaving the coins untouched.

“Do you want the job?”

Even after the match had burned into ashes, the four gold coins remained unscathed.

“….”

Hyerin, who had been about to leave, stood frozen in place.

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