Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 82

Ep. 82 Lucia

Lucia watched Miria, who was practically jumping with excitement, and asked,

“What’s the big deal with a golden goblin?”

Miria stared at her in disbelief.

“…You mean you don’t know what a golden goblin is?”

Lucia guessed this was the kind of expression people made when others lacked some common knowledge. Miria, after a brief pause, began to explain.

“A golden goblin, as its name suggests, is a goblin that’s gold in color and can move between dimensions at will.”

“Dimension hopping? So, it can go anywhere?”

“Exactly. It’s one of the hardest monsters to catch—like trying to grab a star from the sky…”

Hana really did something incredible, then.

Lucia looked over at Hana, who was now sitting atop the goblin, and a thought struck her.

‘If I could use this little guy, maybe I could get a message to the Demon King’s castle…’

She had been struggling to find a way to contact the Demon King, and with a dimension-hopping goblin, it might be surprisingly easy.

Lucia beamed and patted Hana’s head.

“Great job, Hana.”

Hana’s eyes sparkled, and she grinned widely.

“Hana did good?”

“You did amazing.”

“Really?”

Hana kept asking, delighted, each time smiling wider at Lucia’s praise. Lucia continued patting Hana’s head, charmed by her joy, until Hana’s eyes shone even brighter. Then she announced she was off to catch even more and began scanning the surroundings.

Lucia chuckled, gently coaxed Hana back, and lifted her up.

“Alright, let’s take this one back. It’ll probably be really useful.”

“Absolutely!”

Miria, more excited than anyone, grabbed the goblin’s hand and urged them to return to the lodge.

“Oh… but we’ve only been out an hour.”

Lucia murmured, suggesting they stay out a bit longer.

Jeong-hyeon, meanwhile, safely placed the golden goblin into a subspace pouch.

“Today’s for spending time with Hana. We’ll focus on work tomorrow. Let’s just enjoy the day.”

Knowing there’d be regrets otherwise, they decided to stay out a while longer.

***

‘How do kids have so much energy?’

Jeong-hyeon sprawled out, exhausted. Even after countless days training in the Trial Room, he hadn’t felt this drained.

‘First time I’ve been this tired since I came back.’

He thought, carefully laying Hana, now fast asleep, on the bed. Then he called over Miria and Lucia.

“Alright, time to take a closer look at the golden goblin…”

He said, pulling the creature out of the pocket dimension.

Miria approached, looking both thrilled and exhausted. Lucia, though, had already dozed off.

“…Wow. Never thought I’d actually see one in my life.”

Miria murmured.

Jeong-hyeon looked at the trembling goblin, then turned to Miria.

“Do you think we could use this little guy to send a message to the Demon King’s castle?”

Miria hummed thoughtfully before shrugging.

“In theory, it’s possible, but… no one’s ever tamed a golden goblin before. Capturing one is already rare enough, let alone taming it.”

“But we did capture it, right?”

“Well… that’s true.”

Jeong-hyeon considered the idea, glancing at Hana.

“Since it listens to Hana, maybe she could help. It’s probably our best shot.”

“Oh, right! It was Hana who caught the goblin in the first place…”

Miria seemed convinced and nodded in agreement, then shared a bit more about what made golden goblins so unique.

“And there’s this rumor too.”

Miria continued, clearly enjoying the topic.

“Goblins are known for being pretty greedy, right? So, most goblins have a personal stash of treasure, but it’s usually just a pitiful pile because they’re not very resourceful.”

“But golden goblins can dimension-hop, which means…”

She trailed off, a glint of excitement in her eyes.

“They can fill their hoard with whatever they want! That’s why they say a golden goblin’s stash is loaded with treasures beyond imagination.”

It was clear Miria had taken a real interest in golden goblins, judging by her detailed explanation. Jeong-hyeon listened half-heartedly, though he couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. He returned the goblin to the pocket dimension.

“Let’s save that for later and finish what we didn’t get to today.”

“Already prepared!”

Miria replied, handing him a report.

“Here’s the latest update.”

Jeong-hyeon flipped through the report on Karina’s activities, checking if she was following his instructions. She’s lying low for now, he thought. Though it was unclear whether that was intentional or for some other reason, he decided it might be worth a personal visit to confirm things.

“Alright, so I’ll be balancing the goblin training and checking in on Karina for now.”

He stretched, feeling the weight of upcoming tasks.

***

Surprisingly, training the golden goblin went quickly. The goblin followed Hana’s commands as if its life depended on it—which, truthfully, it might.

‘Not that it’s out of loyalty, more like fear.’

Jeong-hyeon mused, watching Hana instruct the goblin.

She babbled on in a way that didn’t make much sense to anyone but her, but the goblin, terrified, nodded frantically at every word.

‘It’s like watching a rookie trying to understand the manager’s instructions.’

He thought with a smirk, deciding to leave the training to Hana. He called Lucia over.

“Yes?”

She responded, quickly swallowing the bread she’d been munching.

Watching her, Jeong-hyeon finally brought up something he’d been meaning to discuss.

“Tell me about the Order.”

At this, Lucia blinked in surprise, then suddenly hiccuped, her shoulders jumping nervously. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded.

“I’ll tell you everything I know… but I’m not sure it’ll be much help.”

Jeong-hyeon felt a bit of doubt. Lucia’s a Saintess, after all. Typically, someone in her position would wield considerable influence and be privy to significant knowledge about the Order.

‘She feels more like a novice nun than a Saintess.’

As he watched her squirm, Lucia fidgeted with her fingers before looking up at him.

“Jeong-hyeon… do you think we could go for a walk? There’s something I want to show you.”

Since he had some free time, Jeong-hyeon agreed, asking Miria to keep an eye on Hana before he and Lucia headed outside together.

Once outside, Lucia glanced at the lights made of magic stones, and then, with a calm expression, turned to Jeong-hyeon.

“Do you remember where we first met?”

‘The first time we met… that was in front of the grave near the dormitory’

He thought, nodding as the memory came back to him.

Taking his wrist gently, Lucia said,

“Let’s go there… we haven’t been back since. I’d like to visit.”

Surprised by her sudden gesture, Jeong-hyeon simply nodded, and Lucia smiled, guiding him to the spot where it had all started.

The sign read, [Hero’s Grave], the clumsy handwriting unchanged. Staring at it brought back memories of everything he’d gone through since then, filling him with nostalgia. Just as he was absorbing the moment, Lucia took a deep breath and began speaking steadily.

“As you know, I’m the Order’s Saintess.”

He nodded. It was something he’d come to accept without much surprise by now. Lucia gave a bitter smile, brushing leaves off the gravestone as she continued.

“But… there’s one thing you don’t know about me.”

“One thing I don’t know?”

“Yes…”

She hesitated, her gaze dropping as if unsure whether to say more. Then, seeming to resolve herself, she closed her eyes and spoke softly,

“I may be the Order’s Saintess, but I’m a discarded Saintess.”

A discarded Saintess… He’d had hints of her unusual situation before, so he could understand part of what she meant. But what he couldn’t figure out was why.

‘Lucia didn’t seem like someone who’d commit any serious offense, and even if she did, the influence of a Saintess should protect her from harsh punishment.’

When he asked why she’d been abandoned, Lucia’s voice softened even more.

“It’s because… I was meant to be the Hero’s companion. That’s why they abandoned me.”

Her words took him by surprise, and he could only stare at her in silence. She quickly shook her hands, anxious.

“I-I never once blamed you or felt any resentment! In fact, every time I watched your adventures from that prison, it hurt so much that all I wanted was to help you.”

“…Watched me? And what prison?”

Jeong-hyeon asked, his voice laced with confusion.

Lucia’s eyes widened as if realizing she’d said too much. She covered her mouth with both hands and took a step back, but he caught her wrist before she could retreat, demanding an explanation.

“Tell me.”

“…Okay.”

She sighed, hesitating again.

“In the prison… if I closed my eyes, the goddess would show me your journey. I saw everything. From beginning to end.”

Her words revealed more than he’d anticipated, making him realize just how long she’d been connected to his story.