[LSB] Chapter 139: A Life Of This Magnitude - Part 2

Silvie had only been “alive” for less than an hour, and yet right now, she was completely frozen. Paralyzed.

She had read about it. Heard it. Even had protocols built into her programming to recognize and respond to it, so she could keep Julian safe at all times.

But this was the first time she felt fear for what it truly was.

And it was terrifying.

She didn’t know why the Shield Saint was glaring at her, but she knew exactly what kind of power the military leader of the Order of Artemia held. From the thousands of forum threads she’d read, the Otherworld players theorized that the Shield Saint was somewhere close to level 200.

And according to Exhalia, similar to Julian… she housed more than one spirit inside her.

Silvie didn’t know what that meant in concrete terms—but if even Exhalia, arrogant and ancient, had said the Shield Saint was stronger than anyone in this village…

Then Silvie believed her.

“What… do you want?” Silvie asked nervously, narrowing her eyes at her.

The Shield Saint shook her head slowly, then placed a hand gently over her chestplate as the glare in her eyes turned soft.

“Forgive me for staring, Lady Silvie,” she said. “But I fear you will forever receive this kind of attention. You do not yet understand the gravity of your existence.”

“Wh—”

Silvie blinked. There was something strange in her words. Something… familiar. But before she could dwell on it, a plate of juicy, golden-browned grilled meat landed in front of her.

Courtesy of Juliet.

“This is…”

Silvie stared at the food like it was glowing. Its reflection in her eyes almost sparkled, and her mouth began to water.

She didn’t say anything else—she simply grabbed the fork and knife with clumsy enthusiasm and started devouring it.

She didn’t speak. She didn’t need to. It was clear to everyone there what she was feeling.

Her cheeks became wet, though it was hard to tell if it was from the meat juices or the tears streaming down her face.

Both, probably.

“You really fucking did it.” And while Julian was listening to her eat, a familiar voice muttered beside him.

It was Kitty, sliding close to him and leaning closer to whisper,
“So… is your quest done?”

Julian slightly turned his shoulder at her. He waited for someone to tell him about the quest by instinct, but Silvie was no longer connected to him, while Exhalia and the Avatar of Searadyn were currently slumbering from having most of their lifeforce absorbed by Silvie.

So, for the first time in a long while… Julian had to check the Guidance of Artemis himself.

“…It’s not complete yet,” he said quietly. “It says… to just wait.”

“Wait… for what?” Kitty raised an eyebrow. “Man, you really did it this time. You’ve been playing Otherworld what—less than a year? And now you’ve got a god-tier class, a cult following, and a billboard? You’re practically the most important person in both worlds right now.”

Kitty made sure to keep her voice low. As for Julian, he only hummed in response again.

“I’m just a blacksmith,” he murmured, almost like he was trying to convince himself.

“Speaking of being a blacksmith… we still on for the giant’s weapon after this?”

“Of course,” Julian’s voice slightly turned lively, “We’ll leave once I recover and Silvie gets used to everything.”

“Good. Great.” Kitty tapped the table a few times, then shot a glance at his face.

“And yeah—you really should rest. You look like shit. And your eyes…” She lowered her voice even more, “…you haven’t opened them once. Are you alright?”

“I’m blind again,” Julian said casually.

“Wait… what?” Kitty’s eyes widened in alarm, but Julian only hummed, already tuning her out to focus on the sound of Silvie.

…and she was no longer seated at the table.

Instead, she wandered the village square, still holding her plate like it was a prize. Julian listened carefully as she approached the musicians who had played during the previous night's festivities, and requested them to play again.

Tonight was meant to be quiet. A solemn celebration.

But how could anyone refuse a spirit made flesh?

The musicians rushed to gather their instruments. And just like that, the air was once more filled with music—soft, hesitant at first, then swelling into something joyful. Much joyful than ever yesterday.

And so, the festivities resumed.

But Julian wasn’t listening to the music.

He was listening to her.

The rhythm of her breath. The lightness in her steps. The way she hopped in place and tapped her feet, bobbing her head with delight. The way she danced… clumsy, but filled with joy.

She lived. And she loved it.

She was human now—so human. She felt like she actually belonged with other people, more than Julian ever had. In some ways, she'd always been the human part of him.

And now… and now she was truly free to be just that.

Julian let out a long and deep sigh, then began to rise.

“Boss!” Juliet was immediately at his side, catching him before he could stumble.

“Where—where do you want to go?” She asked..

“I’ll… rest now,” Julian muttered.

“Oh. Uh… Okay, wait—let me help you there.”

“I can walk perfectly fine, Juliet,” he said with a tired smile. “I was born blind. This is just me… going back to what I really am.”

“I know that, Boss,” she sighed. “But you also have almost zero MP, which is a very different matter.”

She carefully draped his arm over her shoulders again. Julian didn’t resist. His body was too spent, and he knew he wouldn’t make it back to the cottage without her.

“Should I call Silvie?” Juliet asked.

“No,” Julian hummed. “Let her enjoy herself. I’ll just sleep on Earth for a few hours. Just… keep an eye on her while I’m gone.”

“Of course, Boss. You don’t even need to tell me that.”

Juliet grinned, adjusting his arm more comfortably around her as she helped him down the path. Once inside the cottage, she carefully sat him on the edge of the bed.

She was just about to step away—but then she paused.

They were truly, completely alone now.

Silvie was no longer watching from inside Julian. The other contracted spirits were asleep. His so-called chat wasn’t active.
For the first time… it was truly just them.

“T…” Juliet quickly pulled away, taking a step back as if her thoughts might betray her if she stayed too close.

She moved to the wall, resting her back against it as she stared at Julian.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, tilting his head toward her. “Your heart rate just elevated.”

“Wh—no, it’s not!” She snapped, quickly pressing her hand to her chest like that might slow it down.  “I’ll… I’ll take my leave now, Boss. I’ll see you later.”

“I won’t.”

“Huh?”

She narrowed her eyes—only to see Julian wagging his fingers slowly in front of his clouded, sightless eyes.

She stared at him for a moment before a snort escaped her nose, “Y-you… still find time to jest, Boss?”

She shook her head, chuckling softly—not because it was particularly funny, but because of the way he said it. Flat. No emotions. So… Julian.

Letting out a long, amused sigh, she nodded—despite knowing he couldn’t see it. Then she turned and quietly made her way to the door.

Her hand was just about to open the door when someone suddenly opened it from the other side.

“What…” Juliet quickly took a step back as she stared at the two men who entered, with one carrying a bottle of mead,

“…Aren’t you part of Kitty’s party?” she asked cautiously.

The man with the bottle blinked at her, confused for a moment. Then he turned to his taller friend.

“You didn’t say he was with his girl!” he muttered, and his friend only shrugged.

Juliet continued to stare at the two for a few moments before returning to Julian’s side.

“Are you guys drunk? What are you doing here?” She said to the two sudden visitors.

The two men didn’t answer at first and only stared at each other for a few seconds. They gestured with their eyes and slight tilts of their head before the taller man nudged his friend forward.

The man with the bottle offered an awkward chuckle and raised the drink toward Juliet.

“We thought we could celebrate with the Sword Junkie with a drink,” he said before glancing at Julian, “We didn’t really want to do it outside since the Order’s there.”

“The Boss only drinks water,” Juliet crossed her arms as she once again glared at the two, “And he’s tired. You two should just come back later.”

“C’mon, just one drink! Please?” the man pleaded, turning to Julian. “My chat would love it. Sword Junkie! Maybe… maybe just a shoutout?”

“I only drink water,” Julian echoed Juliet’s words, “And I’m tired.”

“O… okay,” the two men looked at each other. And soon, their shoulders dropped at the same time.

“Sorry, Sword Junkie,” the man holding the bottle muttered weakly, “Just… some of your fans are on my stream since you didn’t turn on yours. Maybe… maybe next time? We—”

“Give me that.”

And before the man could finish his words, Juliet rushed toward him and snatched the bottle from his hand and immediately opened it,

“The Boss’ fans are watching, right?” She said as she stared at the man’s eyes, “Then on behalf of Sword Junkie—this is all for you.”

And before the two men could even register what was happening, Juliet suddenly chugged the bottle.

“W-wait!” The man holding the bottle reached for it, but he quickly retracted his hands and clutched his head when he realized she had already downed half the bottle in seconds. It wasn’t only him; the other man also gasped beside him.

And before Juliet could even start to wonder why they reacted like that, the bottle was smacked clean out of her hand.

Not by either of the men. But by Julian.

“B-boss?!” Juliet’s eyes turned wide as Julian was suddenly in front of him, falling while still swinging his arm, using strength he didn’t even have anymore. 

Juliet grabbed him by instinct, only to fall to the floor with him.

Her face bounced hard against the wooden boards, but her eyes remained locked on Julian, watching him try to rise again.

“W-what…” She tried to get up with him, but it suddenly took everything from her to even move her lips. She tried to lift herself up again, but the only thing that moved was her finger.

 Only her eyes could still move.
Only her finger twitched.

And all she could do… was watch. 

Watch as the two men started stomping on Julian.

“Sh-shit! We’re gonna die after this, Hank!”

“Does it fucking matter?! This is our best chance! Vijya’s dad said he was going to give both of us a hotel A fucking hotel, Mike!”

“Fuck, we’re gonna get so many haters…”

“Shut the hell up and kill him! He’s weak—we’ll never get a shot like—ACK!”

And while the two were arguing, Julian pulled out Searadyn’s Veil and stabbed Hank clean through the calf.

“F-fuck!”

***

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I would like to apologize for the diabolical cliffhanger.