“Keep your eyes open and see it clearly.”
“I—I was going to anyway!”
Bati gives a faint smile.
He’s already handsome, but with the Holy Sword glowing behind him, he looks even more breathtaking—like he’s standing in his own divine light.
Since that sword is his, I guess that light is his, in a way.
The shining Hero is my boyfriend?
Even after months of dating, it still doesn’t feel real!
Batista leans down. I feel his breath against my ear.
“Since that day, I’ve never doubted. Not even once.”
“…”
God, he’s so cool.
“I won’t let you down.”
As if I could ever be disappointed in you!
Even if that holy light goes out, there’s nothing about you to be disappointed in.
If anything, I’d want to argue with the gods about what kind of standards they’re using.
But I don’t have the chance to object.
Bati, after leaving those wonderful words behind, turns away and heads toward the sword.
Even the way he walks—with his balanced, steady stride—looks cool.
I, and everyone else, stare after him in anticipation.
The crowd stirs with excitement.
Bati glances around at the commotion and gives a slight nod.
That single reaction from the soon-to-be Hero makes the crowd erupt even louder.
The mood heats up.
‘It’ll be okay.’
I’m sure of it.
Bati loves me.
And I love Bati more than anyone.
Everyone in Swindlin knows how much he looks after me.
If this isn’t true love, then what is?
Please.
Please…
Is the god who sent me here watching this moment?
What are they thinking?
I press my hands together, praying—for the first time in a long while.
I clasp my hands tightly.
Bati places his hand on the sword.
With his gloved hand, he grasps the hilt of the Holy Sword.
Instantly, the sword—which hadn’t moved no matter who touched it—trembles.
A ripple of excitement sweeps through the crowd.
Up to this point, it’s exactly the same as last time.
Everyone watches Bati, waiting for a Hero to be born.
Just like before, I’m here, watching Bati.
Back then, I thought he hated me.
I remember it clearly.
“The sword… it turned pitch black.”
“The gold light disappeared.”
“What happened? What is it? Did the Holy Sword break?”
The mood, which had surged so hotly, now turned icy cold in an instant.
The murmuring spectators stood bewildered.
Sensing their chance, the ones who had always criticized Bati, claiming he was unworthy, began to sneer and lash out…
That cold atmosphere—I could never forget it.
The terrible memory flickered before my eyes, and I almost closed them out of reflex.
But I held on.
Bati had told me to look straight ahead.
Not to avoid it, not to run away in fear. I had to watch.
And in that moment, our eyes met.
Bati smiled softly, as if in praise.
As though he was showing me, he slowly drew a massive sword.
A greatsword, similar in size to the one he usually used, emerged with unhurried grace.
“It came out!”
“The sword has been drawn!”
A holy radiance burst forth, bright enough to pierce the darkness of night.
The sacred sword’s light—
“Ugh, it’s blinding.”
“It’s like broad daylight.”
—it didn’t fade at all.
The disaster from before the regression, the one that left everyone panicking, didn’t happen.
It was as if it had never existed.
Just a fragment of memory lingering in my head.
Thank goodness—truly, truly thank goodness.
Now, it didn’t matter if I buried that memory deep within me forever.
A brilliant golden glow filled my vision.
A beautiful gold, more radiant than the moon in the sky.
A color shining as brightly as the love he held.
A noble light that suited someone as brave and virtuous as him.
My eyes stung with emotion.
It was too bright, too dazzling… and because I was so happy in this moment…
“Crying again, are you?”
Bati walked toward me, holy sword in one hand.
My vision blurred, and I quickly wiped away the tears.
I wanted to close my eyes from the intense light, but I resisted, forcing them open.
I wanted to truly see my hero with my own eyes.
Bati gently wiped my cheek.
Strangely, the tears just kept falling.
“Why cry on such a good day?”
“B-because it’s so bright…”
Obviously an excuse, yet Bati put the sword down upon hearing it.
I truly loved that kindness of his.
Even after he let go, the holy sword continued to shine.
As if declaring it would never fade easily.
As if proving the existence of true love.
“Bati.”
He looked at me. His kind eyes gazed down at me.
Just meeting those eyes, so full of affection, made my heart tremble.
There was no doubt—it had to be love.
It was true love.
I wasn’t wrong.
“I don’t regret it anymore.”
“Regret what?”
I suddenly wrapped my arms around his waist and buried myself in his chest.
His strong arms embraced me in return.
It felt so good.
“That I was the one who regressed instead of you.”
Back then, I’d suffered in both body and heart from that choice and regretted it immensely.
But not now.
Now, I could even say I was grateful.
If I hadn’t gone back in time, Bati would’ve been left to carry the horrors of the demon invasion all alone.
He would’ve worked hard, fought hard—on his own, as always.
Maybe, if he’d met someone sincere, he could’ve found true love.
But knowing how awkward he was with others, who could say how long it would’ve taken?
What he would’ve had to endure?
I couldn’t even imagine.
It wasn’t just Bati who could change the future—I could, too.
My regression had meaning.
I can do it.
So many things will change from now on compared to before.
I was sure of it.
“You’re late.”
Bati wiped my eyes.
The lingering tears finally vanished.
“I believed in you from the moment I sent you off.”
Even though he remembered nothing from before the regression!
Still, the fact that Bati said he believed in me—because I knew he meant it—made me smile.
This was just the beginning.
I knew the road ahead of us was long.
But in this moment, I wasn’t worried at all about the future.
Not scared at all.
Because Bati was with me.
My hero who loved me, who always believed in me.
