Chapter 3

Veldt had no memory.

When he came to, he was in the midst of flames, inside the castle of the small country of Rhoads. He was about to be burned alive, having been attacked by the army of the high-ranking demon Mekira, a senior officer of the Demon King's army.

He did not know who he was or why he was in Rhoads.

However, he had a sense of duty.

He had a consciousness that he must fight.

So, he decided to fight.

First, he crushed the enemy's leader. He leaped out of the burning castle, attacked Mekira, and snapped her neck, killing her.

Then, using the sword Mekira had held, he began to cut down the confused enemies one by one.

The name Veldt came from the eagle engraving on that sword.

At that time, Veldt was estimated to be ten years old. The only one who realized the true identity of the one who had scattered the Demon King's army was Barad, who happened to be nearby.

Barad, who ran a metal shop in Rhoads, was thirty years old at the time. He was a man with a light and carefree demeanor, exuding a suspicious aura, but he was skilled in worldly knowledge and interpersonal skills. Veldt, thinking there was something to learn, decided to travel with Barad.

He must fight.

Driven by that consciousness and a sense of duty.

He did not know what he had to fight against. However, there were enemies in the world, such as demons, monsters, and the Demon King's army. Therefore, he wanted to fight as he pleased.

To Veldt, Barad spoke about the problems of fighting for free.

Those who fight to the death must receive appropriate compensation. If Veldt fought for free as he pleased, those he protected would expect other warriors to fight for free as well. People cannot live for free. If other warriors disappeared, it would not be good for Veldt to fight for free.

Convinced by this logic, Veldt began to avoid working for free. Barad taught him how to do business. Even if the person to be protected had no money, there were ways to get it. By bringing reason and profit to where there was money, one could draw it out. If a dragon appeared in a small city, he would persuade a nearby major lord to secure a reward and support for its extermination. If Scylla or Charybdis appeared in the sea, he would negotiate with the maritime guild, defeat them, and sell their fangs, scales, and organs for profit. He also used fluctuations in land and commodity prices caused by the movements of the Demon King's army and monsters to make a profit, though the details were unclear to Veldt.

As he continued his journey of fighting and making money, the name Veldt grew, and he eventually became known as a hero. A messenger from the great country of Alerista came to confer the title of hero upon him.

He was born to fight.

If someone had to fight the Demon King, he decided to do it.

"I'm going to become a hero, me."

To Veldt's words, Barad said, "Is that so?" It was in the city of Lish, in the Manglar region of the Kingdom of Alerista.

"It's goodbye, then."

Veldt's eyes widened.

"You'll get money, right?"

If he accepted the title of hero, Alerista would pay a reward. Veldt would fight, and Barad would profit; that was supposed to remain unchanged.

"From Alerista. If that's the case, you need a certain status. I'm fine as Veldt's partner, a loose and scatterbrained fighter, but as a hero recognized by a great country, you need a more refined companion, like a holy maiden or a knight. My time as a commoner is over."

"Let's stop, then."

Veldt did not want to travel with strangers after parting ways with Barad. Barad sighed.

"It's not that simple. The Demon King is serious about destroying the world. The human race must unite to survive. To unite the human race, you are needed. A hero."

"Then, let's start with Barad! Let's do it!"

Looking up at his older partner, Veldt pleaded.

"Uniting is good, but I can't go with you. If it comes to fighting the Demon King, I'll just be a hindrance. If I cause you or others to get hurt or die, it will be irreparable."

"I'll protect you!"

"You're not listening. The problem is that I need to be protected."

"There's no problem!"

Veldt raised his voice.

"I'll protect you! I'll protect Barad, and everyone else! So, come with me! Please!"

Tears welled up in Veldt's eyes. Barad exhaled awkwardly.

"Don't shout so loud. You're almost thirteen, right?"

"I don't know. I might be twelve, or even ten."

Veldt had no memory before Rhoads, and his age was only an estimate.

"That's not the point... I can't help it. I'll stick with you until you get along with the others. I won't go all the way, though. It would be ridiculous for me to be part of the Demon King's extermination team."

After this exchange, Barad decided to accompany Veldt on the journey to defeat the Demon King. Barad was thirty when he met Veldt, and thirty-three when the Demon King's extermination began. Veldt was estimated to be thirteen. The Kingdom of Alerista sent four people as the hero party: Prince Meishin, an eighteen-year-old magic knight; Kagura, a fifteen-year-old spy and shapeshifter; Lavanas, a twenty-four-year-old dragon knight from the great country of Bahl Dragon Kingdom; and Farem, a thirteen-year-old genius magician, the beloved grandson of the Great Sage Bosen.

Among the young and talented members, Barad, a middle-aged merchant with declining physical strength, panted but managed to keep up.

Although Barad was concerned about his status and age, his evaluation within the party was not low. Kagura, who was skilled in worldly knowledge, highly praised Barad's business acumen, mediation skills, and organizational abilities. Farem, who called Barad 'a kind of sage, different from his grandfather,' showed respect. The Great Sage's words made Barad look a bit distant.

Lavanas, who considered merchants to be lowly, evaluated Barad as a necessary but lowly man for the journey.

Prince Meishin, who looked at Barad with a cold eye, did not take an openly hostile attitude but maintained a certain distance from the merchant of a different status.

A year after the journey began, the holy maiden Tasha joined the party, and a year later, the Demon King's extermination party was annihilated.

The Demon King's strategist, Degis, who saw Veldt as a threat as he grew stronger and became a spiritual pillar for the human race, launched a surprise attack. Veldt's power was ineffective against Degis, and Lavanas and Farem were brutally killed. Barad lost an arm to a monster. Veldt and Tasha, who were severely injured, were hidden in an old well by Kagura, who disguised herself as Veldt to save him.

Prince Meishin, who was on a separate mission during the attack, proposed reorganizing the party and asked Barad to leave, which Barad accepted.

Veldt could not stop him.

Veldt could not protect his companions. He could not protect Barad, Lavanas, Farem, or Kagura.

He could no longer say he would protect them.

Veldt set out again with Meishin, Tasha, and Asura, Kagura's brother, who joined the party through Meishin's arrangements.

However, Barad's true potential began to shine after this. Equipped with a magical mercury prosthetic arm, Barad, who had accumulated wealth, released it and, with the permission and funding from the Martial Church to which Tasha belonged, established the Martial Imperial Company. This armed economic organization was responsible for procuring and producing materials and weapons necessary for the Demon King's extermination, as well as reconstructing lands and logistics networks devastated by war. Utilizing the networks and information he had built as a member of the hero party, the company rapidly grew by absorbing chambers of commerce, workshops, and farms that had lost land and assets due to war and were struggling to continue their businesses. In about two years, the company rose to become the largest economic entity on the continent.

Through its activities, the human nations rapidly recovered their national strength and began to hold back the Demon King's invasion.

With the support of the Imperial Company, Veldt's party grew stronger and defeated the Demon King's strategist, Degis, in the First Zonda Great Battle on the Zonda Plain.

Veldt's weapons at this time were the Agathos Daimon provided by Alerista and the short sword Soma Lexima, forged from orichalcum adamantium alloy provided by the Imperial Company. Although the Agathos Daimon, one of the five great swords of the continent, could not wound Degis, Veldt brought the fight to close quarters and used the Soma Lexima to cut Degis's throat. The orichalcum adamantium alloy-forged blade, which proved its effectiveness in this battle, was gradually provided to various countries, starting with the lances of the Martial Church's Holy Knights.

The manufacturing technology of orichalcum adamantium alloy weapons was further improved and refined through repeated battles, culminating in the completion of Veldt's sword, Weiss Lexima.

With the establishment of mass production technology for orichalcum adamantium alloy weapons, the tide of the war against the Demon King's army turned in favor of the human alliance. In the Second Zonda Great Battle on the Zonda Plain, the war against the Demon King's army was almost decided.

The human alliance army, which had crushed the main force of the Demon King's army, advanced into the Demon King's territory with irresistible momentum and surrounded Gorma Castle, the stronghold of the Demon King Gales. However, the defenses of Gorma Castle were strong, and the overconfidence and disunity of the human alliance due to their advantage led to a prolonged and protracted siege.

The final battle to decide the outcome was the last task of the hero Veldt.

Veldt, along with Meishin, Tasha, Asura, and the harmonious demon Isuma, infiltrated Gorma Castle and confronted the Great Demon King Gales, defeating him.

And then, he was killed.