Chapter 74

EP.74 Side Story, The Apostate (2)

The party of heroes is made up of a few members.

Throughout history, there have been several parties of heroes, but the number of members has never exceeded five.

Hero, Mage, Cleric, Scout and Marksman.

The party, formed with the most basic composition, operates under the knights, much like a guerrilla squad. They move around various battlefronts. The role of the hero party is to hunt down the big catches that the knights alone cannot handle.

Things that humans cannot face.

Even if they do, it is expected to cause massive damage.

What the hero hunts is precisely such things.

However, hunting big catches is not a story exclusive to heroes. There are also superhumans who, while not on par with heroes, surpass them in certain aspects.

- Rodimel Fortress has fallen.

- The apostate, Gletus, was involved.

- A calamity has appeared.

Rumors spread quickly.

Hearing the rumors that spread across the battlefield, knights from various regions gather at the western front.

And among them, there are also superhumans.

The Sword Superhuman.

Sword Master, Kuntel.

The man with the sword arrived at the battlefield a day before the hero. He immediately drew his sword and scouted the occupied Rodimel Fortress.

"Huh."

Then, he chuckled to himself.

"Break through this?"

A gray fog engulfs the fortress.

Facing the glowing eyes within the fog, Kuntel burst into laughter.

-Creak, creak.

Something beyond the norm was writhing inside the fortress.

2.

"Uncle, why is your arm like that?"

"Those crazy bastards tore it up. But, it's better now. I bathed in a potion."

Kuntel shrugged.

Untying the blood-soaked bandage and wrapping a new one, he spoke.

"Well, anyway, it's been a while. Kids."

In a corner of the tent.

Sword Master Kuntel, with his arms crossed, looked at the two visitors who had come to see him. They were once his students, learning martial arts and swordsmanship from him.

Hero, Kyle Toven.

Sage, Laniel van Trias.

These are the ones called the hope of humanity.

Of course, the period Kuntel taught them was not long.

'Actually, it's more accurate to say that we fought together on the battlefield.'

Because they often met on the battlefield, he pointed out their weaknesses and corrected their movements.

'I didn't really teach them much formally.'

Still, they are worthy of being called his students.

Of course, on the sage's side, since he mainly uses spells, there wasn't much to teach... but on the hero's side, it's a bit different.

"It's been a while, Master."

Hero Kyle bowed his head.

Among the children Kuntel had taught over nearly half a century, Kyle was the most outstanding swordsman.

Looking at him, Kuntel chuckled.

"Right, Kyle. I heard you cut off the Black Dragon's head? Damn, it feels like just yesterday you were learning swords from me."

"Thanks to Laniel restraining it, it was possible."

"Restraint on a Black Dragon? You guys are still as ridiculous as ever."

Kuntel burst into hearty laughter.

However, his laughter did not last long. Adjusting his throat, Kuntel continued.

"I'd like to hear about the Black Dragon hunt over a drink, but given the situation, that's not possible."

"The apostate has appeared, right?"

The man with ash-gray hair said.

He took off his robe and shook his head lightly. His blue eyes shone through his ash-gray hair.

"Rodimel Fortress has fallen, I heard."

"Yeah, it fell. In an instant."

"What's the situation?"

Kuntel lightly swung his scabbard.

One side of the tent opened, revealing the plains.

The vast black plains.

On the edge of the plains, the ancient castle, Rodimel Fortress, stands on a cliff like a gorge.

The magic lights in the watchtowers of the fortress, which should always be shining, were all extinguished.

"As you can see."

Pointing to the darkened Rodimel Fortress, Kuntel said briefly.

"It's the worst."

Rodimel Fortress is surrounded by a gray fog.

The fog surrounding the fortress is abnormal. It's impossible to see even a step ahead.

"Did you try to break through?"

"I did."

"Uncle, shouldn't you be able to infiltrate at least to some extent?"

"I thought so too, but..."

Kuntel slowly drew the hilt from his scabbard.

"It didn't work."

The blade was revealed between the scabbard.

The edge of the blade was completely worn out. It looked like it could break at any moment.

At the sight, Kyle's eyes widened.

"Isn't that sword made of rare metal?"

"It is a rare metal sword, given to me at the Holy Land of Swords. I've never seen it worn down like this before."

Kuntel laughed bitterly.

"The fortress is surrounded by all sorts of monsters. I managed to clear a path to some extent, but if I went further, I would have died too."

At least alone, it's impossible to break through.

Even if he tried, he would need to pin down the knights.

Saying this, Kuntel put his sword back into the scabbard.

"I feel bad for calling you here so soon after you defeated the Black Dragon. Still, I think this is something only you can handle."

Originally.

Sword Masters like Kuntel would have filled the hero's vacant position. However, if calamities like the Four Kings appeared, the story would be a bit different.

'Especially, this one is unique.'

It's not an ancient lich that always stirs the battlefield.

A creature that has rarely shown its face in the hundreds of years of history, mostly shrouded in mystery.

The apostate, Gletus.

Whenever this calamity appeared, the knights fled. They abandoned the battlefield swept by the calamity. However, this time, it's an impossible situation.

"Rodimel Fortress must not be taken."

"..."

"If the fortress falls, the future battlefield will become extremely difficult. We must retake it no matter what."

"I know."

Laniel nodded.

"I know how important Rodimel Fortress is. And there's no need for you to feel sorry."

He stood up from his seat.

"Summoners who rely on sheer numbers and Sword Masters don't go well together, anyway."

"True."

"So, this is something we should do."

Laniel, who stood up, poked Kyle's shoulder.

"I'll go first. I need to check it out."

Then, he went outside the tent. Kuntel, who had been staring at him blankly, suddenly spoke.

"Are you the hero, Kyle?"

"Huh?"

"Sometimes, I think that guy looks more like a hero."

"Ahaha..."

Kyle scratched his head and said.

"He's smarter than me. Most of the strategies are set by him. Especially in situations like this."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. In most battlefields, I just need to charge, but not in situations like this. Besides..."

He stroked the hilt of the holy sword and answered.

"His judgment is sometimes sharper than the stars. He makes better judgments than I do."

"Stars, huh."

Kuntel laughed, looking at the holy sword Kyle held.

"Kyle, let me give you some advice."

"Yes?"

"Don't put too much trust in the stars."

"Excuse me, what do you mean by that?"

Kuntel replied.

"At the decisive moment, the stars do nothing."

3.

The tent assigned to the hero party.

Laniel stroked his chin while alternately checking the map and the structure of Rodimel Fortress.

"So, what are you going to do? Laniel?"

"Wait and see. I'm thinking."

"Can't we just do it like we always do?"

Sara, sitting on the desk, swung her legs and said. Laniel glared at her and waved his hand.

"Don't sit on the desk. It's annoying."

"So what?"

Sara thrust her head toward Laniel.

"To be honest, I saw you differently during the Black Dragon hunt. Your spells were shining like never before. I've never seen such starlight in our order."

"I drew the circuits for almost a month. That was necessary to restrain the Black Dragon's feet."

"Anyway, it's a different story now."

Laniel continued to move his quill pen, drawing the infiltration route through the path the Sword Master had cleared.

"Infiltrate?"

"We need to see how far we can go."

"Can't we just do it like we did with the Black Dragon? You restrain it with spells, Kyle charges, I bless, and Remia's moonlight arrows should do the trick."

"The situation is different this time."

Laniel, with his chin in his hand, said.

"Back then, we had a long preparation period. The Black Dragon couldn't leave its nest because it was protecting its hatchlings. That's why we could spend a long time hunting it."

"True, but..."

"That preparation period alone took a month. Even with a month of preparation, we suffered significant damage."

He pulled up his robe.

Long burn marks were visible on his exposed arm. It was an injury that hadn't fully healed even with Sara's recovery.

"Besides, the Black Dragon had a lot of records. Black Storm, Ancient Dragon, and so on... we had a lot of information, so we could respond to almost all attacks."

"You couldn't handle the breath attack, though."

"Damn, who can handle that? The only answer is to charge through it like Kyle."

Anyway.

Saying this, Laniel grumbled.

"Compared to the Black Dragon, the apostate has less information. It's rare for it to show up on the battlefield, and even when it does, it's only described like this."

He pointed to a part of the book.

"Appeared with fog and disappeared with fog. That's all the description we have. All we know is... the apostate is an alchemist and a summoner."

"Summoner..."

"Yes, a summoner. A summoner called a calamity, it's hard to guess what it can summon."

Laniel tapped his quill pen.

The ink from the quill pen fell on the hall at the center of Rodimel Fortress. The hall, which exists in the fortress remodeled from an ancient castle, is unusually empty.

"I don't know what's in there."

The strength of a summoner is determined by the number of prepared familiars. And the number of familiars released in the outer area is at least a hundred.

'Even that level was unrealistic.'

The familiars placed in the outer area of the fortress are like that.

'Then, what's inside the castle?'

It's impossible to calculate. Even to guess.

"We need to go and see once."

"Then, will you go with Kyle?"

"How can he infiltrate? I need to go with Remia, that damn elf."

Laniel, organizing the map, stood up. Seeing this, Sara asked.

"By the way, Laniel."

"What?"

"What will you do with the knights inside the castle?"

"..."

What is she talking about?

Laniel tilted his head and glared at Sara. What to do with the knights inside the castle?

'Is she seriously asking?'

It has been a day since the apostate took over the fortress.

The possibility that the knights stationed in the fortress are still alive is slim. No, it's more accurate to say they are not.

'...It's a bit harsh, but.'

It's right to assume they are all dead.

And even if Sara is as stupid as they say, she couldn't be unaware of this.

'She must be asking what to do with the knights' bodies.'

That's a question that sounds like Sara. Laniel sighed and answered.

"Dead knights? We'll have a joint funeral after retaking the fortress. We'll think about it later."

"I'm talking about the living knights."

Sara said calmly.

"Inside, the paladins are still alive."

"..."

"I can hear their prayers."

She poked her ear.

Seeing Sara scratching her ear as if it were itchy, Laniel asked.

"What are they saying?"

"Well, it's far away, and something seems to be blocking it, so I can't hear clearly... but..."

Sara answered expressionlessly.

"They're asking to be killed."

Author's Note:

This is a story when the hero was still in his right mind.

Even then, his brain was dominated by his lower body, but... at least he did what a hero should do to some extent.

That's why Laniel saw the possibility.

I'll cover the rest in the remaining side story.