I WAS The Rank–1 Hero-Chapter 86: Teleportation and Return [1]

The forest was silent. It was so unnatural.

I walked forward, my steps crisping against the dried leaves scattered across the ground. Every step echoed in my ears, the only sound in this quiet forest.

I wasn’t completely alone, though. Sera was with me. And, of course, she was here too.

Walking beside me, her white-feathered wings ruffled softly with each step she took.

Lilith.

She was guiding me, leading the way until we reached the teleportation point.

But still… Why were we walking exactly?

I glanced at her wings.

’She can fly right? So why are we using our feet?’

Beside me, Sera kept her eyes fixed on Lilith, scanning her every movement. She had been doing this the entire time. I couldn’t blame her.

The Lilith she remembered wasn’t the Lilith standing before us now.

She became a complete stranger to her.

’What the hell even happened?’

She was different from Sera’s stories.

I let out a deep sigh. The gods. The Authority Holders. These things would drive me insane someday.

Their existence, their powers—everything about them was too damn confusing.

’Hey. Ask her.’

Sera’s voice rang in my mind. For the fifth time.

I ignored her.

"Sighhhhh."

Still, I hesitated.

"So, umm…"

My words caught in my throat. Why was this so hard? Lilith wasn’t even doing anything, but the distance between us felt impossible to close.

Maybe I was just bad at communication? No. It wasn’t me. It was her. She was the problem. She was too distant, too awkward.

’What are you scared of? Just ask her!’

I gritted my teeth.

One day. If Sera ever gets a physical body, I swear I’m going to headbutt her. She’s just—too annoying.

’Why don’t you do it yourself? Oh, wait. You can’t. My bad, I forgot… heh.’

I smirked.

’How childish.’

She puffed her cheeks, her pointy ears twitching slightly.

…Huh. Interesting.

Sera’s sharp eyes bore into me. It was even more menacing than before.

’Do you want me to evade your privacy?’

Her voice was calm. Too calm. The kind of calm that sent shivers down my spine.

Damn scary….

The world was too cruel these days. A young, innocent teenage boy like me couldn’t even protect his privacy. What was going to happen to me now?

I took a slow step back. Sera’s gaze didn’t waver from me.

Lilith, who had been walking ahead, finally turned her head.

"You got something to ask?"

Her blood-red eyes locked onto mine.

I swallowed hard.

This was it. My chance.

"Umm…" My voice cracked slightly. "Why are you working under Nathalia?"

I asked. I finally asked.

See that, Sera?

Lilith didn’t respond immediately. Her expression remained unreadable as she narrowed her eyes slightly. Then, without a word, she turned her head away and resumed her walking.

Eh?

She’s ignoring me?

Laughter exploded in my head.

’Hahahahahah! Hahaha! Oh! Poor thing… Maybe she’s just scared of your face.’

Sera’s voice was dripping with amusement.

’Hey! My face is fine! It’s handsome!’

I shot back, scowling.

Sera’s expression twisted into pure disgust.

’Ugh! Don’t you feel ashamed, calling yourself handsome with your own mouth?’

’Well, what can I say? I really am,’ I replied smugly.

’If I were you, I would jump from a bridge.’

"…"

I was left speechless.

This world was too cruel.

But that wasn’t the point right now.

...How could I make Lilith answer my question?

’Give her an apple,’ Sera suggested.

An apple?

I glanced around me. To the dark forest. No fruit trees no matter where my eyes landed.

Where the hell was I supposed to find an apple in the middle of nowhere?

As I was about to snap back at Sera, Lilith’s voice cut through our internal personal chatter.

"Master Nathalia… Despite being a demon… She is way too kind."

Her tone was quiet, and distant.

She’s finally speaking.

And that too—without an apple.

I forced myself to stay silent and listen to her, pushing aside my usual thoughts. Lilith rarely talked.

Her voice was softer now, barely above a whisper.

"She saved me."

Saved her?

From what?

My gaze locked onto her. There was a faint smile on her face—not one of amusement, but something far more gentler. Almost… nostalgic.

"I didn’t always work under her," she continued. "After they abandoned me… after they threw me away… Master Nathalia was the only person who took me in.

Abandoned? Thrown away?

...Who? Her?

So many questions filled my mind.

But more importantly. Who were ’they’? Why was she abandoned? And why did a demon, of all people, take her in?

I hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

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"Who were they?" I asked carefully. Then, a sudden thought struck me. "Were ’they’… some gods?"

Lilith’s head tilted slightly toward me.

For the first time, I saw her expression clearly.

And I will never forget it.

Helplessness.

Regret.

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A sorrow so deep it felt as if, at any moment, she might break apart.

A deity had that kind of expression?

I had always thought of gods and deity as untouchable. But now, looking at Lilith… I wasn’t so sure anymore.

I sometimes wondered—what were we exactly?

...Why does regret exist?

And why is life filled with it?

Even a deity wasn’t free from its grasp.

If gods couldn’t escape regret, then how could a mere human like me?

I had my own regrets, some so deep that I wished they’d just disappear. But they wouldn’t. They clung to me like a parasite.

Regret was a cruel thing. It forced you to remember, to relive, to think about all the what-ifs that could never be changed.

How cruel.

"Some gods understand us," Lilith said, her voice going quiet.

Then her expression darkened.

"While others…"

I could piece together the rest.

She didn’t need to say it.

I had seen enough, learned enough, to connect the dots. The gods weren’t a unified force. There were two sides. Divisions. Conflicts.

"It’s alright," I said.

What else could I say?

I wasn’t in a position to comfort her.

After all, I was a target of the gods too.

The moment they discovered me—which they would, eventually—I would be forced to endure all their schemes. Their manipulations. Their so-called divine will.

The war between the gods over the division of the universe…

It was pointless in my opinion.

Lilith had named it the Divine Conflict.

It was a fitting name, to be honest.

We both walked in silence.

I paced myself to match Lilith’s stride, neither of us were rushing nor lagging behind.

Fifteen minutes had passed since we began walking through this forest.

...I wasn’t doubting her sense of direction though.

End of Chapter.