Super Righteous Player
Chapter 1256 - 288: Unyielding, That Is Hope

Chapter 1256: Chapter 288: Unyielding, That Is Hope

Not long after Gerenz Nuha left.

Fine snow began to fall from the sky.

As Melvin’s territory was directly dissolved by Annan... the small barrier protecting this deep mountain also collapsed along with it.

In the past, this would mean this land had lost its protection. The mountain range leveled by Annan would inevitably be frozen and blanketed by this cursed snow. The wild animals that once lived here would also freeze to death and be reborn as Frost Beasts.

But now, since the Ancestor has awakened...

The small barriers built for insulation in various settlements have finally lost their relevance at this very moment.

Annan picked up the "Hand of Hope" lying on the ground.

It had already lost its radiant brilliance.

The once dazzling gold hand encircled by a mesmerizing rainbow glow had now turned into a dull and rusted brass-like arm. It no longer resembled a holy relic bone, but rather appeared as if it were a battered metallic glove picked out from a heap of junk.

After leaving Gerenz Nuha, the "Hand of Hope" had completely lost the warmth it once carried.

Even the snowflakes landing upon it failed to melt away.

As Annan stared at the falling snowflakes, the Ancestor’s voice rose behind him: "Gerenz Nuha has actually long known that he has lost."

"He simply refused to admit it, isn’t that so?"

Annan spoke softly as he turned to look at the Ancestor, "Because he was unwilling to accept it."

"Unwilling to accept... does that change anything?"

The Ancestor sighed quietly: "But fortunately, in the end, he calmed down."

"...Is this considered calm?"

"For him, it is calm. After all, he was once a savior, once full of passion and blessed by the gods... What he had at his command wasn’t just the [Hand of Hope]."

The Ancestor cast her gaze toward the golden hand in Annan’s grasp: "Which is why I’ve stayed here all along.

"I was very worried he might lose his sanity completely."

It sounded as if she was protecting Annan.

But Annan merely chuckled faintly: "You were protecting him, weren’t you?"

"Indeed."

The Ancestor nodded slowly: "After all, he is still my child. He doesn’t know, but I do... The Heart of Justice is the king of holy relic bones. With the Heart of Justice in your possession, even gods can be punished — let alone someone like Gerenz Nuha, who has lacked talent since childhood."

"Knowing he lacked talent, why did you lead him down this path?"

Annan asked directly, unflinchingly: "Saving the world... such a heavy burden. Without the sight of hope, it would drive someone mad."

"Precisely for this reason, we chose him."

The Ancestor replied, "Gerenz Nuha was neither the wisest nor the strongest... He could not possibly be considered ’outstanding.’ Even among past Winters, he only ranked above average at best.

"But the plan was never about directly confronting the Worm... If we couldn’t obtain the new celestial vehicle, then the Worm would be absolutely invincible, as only the celestial vehicle can destroy the Worm.

"From the very beginning, we weren’t searching for ’the most exceptional hero,’ but for someone who harbored the least attachment to this world, yet possessed the most hope... a mortal with ambition and perseverance.

"We sought someone who, even if the world crumbled behind them, would never turn back; someone capable of severing all old ties, unburdened by any sentiment for the old world; someone utterly devoid of love for this world, who would never rebuild the civilization of the old world within the Otherworld.

"It wasn’t that heroes degraded into villains. Rather, from the beginning, the one we sought was a villain — because heroes can’t always embody hope in every circumstance."

The Ancestor spoke softly, "Sometimes, people don’t even wish for the arrival of a hero. A hero might ignite unnecessary expectations... which would ultimately leave people in even deeper despair.

"If hope had never existed — if one had never believed in hope, they wouldn’t loathe the darkness so much."

"That’s because the hero wasn’t strong enough."

Annan replied without hesitation, "That’s because the forces weren’t united enough; that’s because this world isn’t good enough yet, and still has room for improvement."

The Ancestor’s lips curved faintly.

She smiled softly, and extended her arms to lift Annan.

Holding him in a posture where the child sat on her forearm, she supported his body with one hand, allowing him to wrap his arms around her neck. Her other hand gently stroked his long hair.

"That’s very, very difficult, Annan."

The Ancestor said gently, "From ancient times to now, the regrettable and tragic matters in this world far surpass the perfect ones... And these regrets, these tragedies, stem from the limitations of human effort.

"What Gerenz Nuha referred to as ’lacking talent’ is precisely this.

"Only the heroes of fairy tales are ever invincible — always triumphant. Because each time a hero defeats an enemy, he ascends into a new realm... where he will encounter newer, stronger, even harder-to-defeat foes.

"One day, a hero will halt due to failure. Fairy tales are not necessarily false; they may merely end prematurely."

The Ancestor cradled Annan like a grandmother holding her grandson.

She patted Annan’s back lightly and said softly, "In stories where the brave knight rescues the princess, it is rarely mentioned who the princess marries afterward; in tales where a hero defeats the demon king, there is little said about what the hero does or faces after returning home.

"If fairy tales were extended, all that would await us is tragedy. And that tragedy’s name is ’life.’

"Can you really become the hero who never fails? Even if you can hear every call and confront and resolve all injustices in the world... fairness to one group might still mean injustice to another.

"Would you act as the arbitrator, Annan? Would you overwrite this world using your ’fairness?’"

"No."

Faced with the Ancestor’s query, Annan shook his head: "To claim ’I will never fail’ would be the hubris of a young soul untouched by failure.

"This truth has already been taught to me by Alfonso and his successors. True Courage doesn’t lie in being fearless... but in facing one’s fears head-on."

As he spoke, he looked toward the golden prosthetic hand that began to glow once more in his grasp.

Annan’s voice softened gradually: "I think [Hope] might just be like this.

"Not in never failing, nor in perpetual victory, but in the ability to rally again — to rise once more after failure."

Undoubtedly.

"Perseverance is what defines Hope.

"——That is the Heart of Sisyphus."

Annan softly offered his answer.

The next moment, the Hand of Hope blazed anew in Annan’s clasp—

"Good."

The Ancestor nodded with satisfaction.

She set Annan down, glanced at the surrounding wilderness, and said, "Remember, before you return, clean this place up."

"Clean up?"

"Use your Elemental Power to make this land grow plants once more."

Adopting the tone of a parent urging their child to do chores, the Ancestor instructed, "Doesn’t it look unsightly, being so barren? Moreover, without the solidifying effects of vegetation, it damages the earth... you might not notice it now, but over time it could become desertified.

"This is common sense you should have reached at the level of Stigmatization: when your battles rewrite the surrounding terrain, you should find a way to restore it, or at least repair it. This world belongs to all of us collectively, and naturally, there’s a share that belongs to you.

"Just as one shouldn’t make their home excessively dirty and cluttered... one shouldn’t leave others to clean up after them. That would be unseemly. Once you’ve tidied it, I’ll personally help you attach the Hand of Hope.

"Then, after you’ve announced the arrival of spring in public, I will end Winter’s Year."

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