Chapter 67
Chapter 67
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: Starting Point
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"DJ, bring some food. Gugu gu."
I tapped DJ's head with my chopsticks.
"Get lost, damn it!"
"Hey now. Watch your language."
DJ shook off my hand and headed to the fridge. I drummed the chopsticks on the table while waiting for the dinner he'd bring.
I was the only one sitting at the table. The others had already eaten and gone out on patrol or retreated to their rooms.
I'd skipped dinner tonight because my appetite just wasn't there for some reason. But what do you know—as time passed and night drew near, my stomach started growling! So I called DJ over and told him to fix me something.
"Now I have to do the dishes twice because of you."
DJ brought the food over, grumbling nonstop as he sat down across from me. The fact that he'd brought it so quickly meant he'd probably set aside a portion for me in the fridge ahead of time.
Good kid. He gripes, but he takes care of everything. Smart DJ.
I picked up my spoon and started eating. Halfway through, it got boring just shoving food in my mouth, so I turned to DJ.
"What are you gonna do from now on?"
"Huh?"
"What are you gonna do in the Central District?"
"...Dunno."
He thought about it for a long while before giving that deflating response. I told him,
"If you don't have any plans, go to the academy."
"......Me?"
"Yeah."
His face crumpled like I'd just said something ridiculous.
The truth was, I'd already talked it over with Fergus. DJ was heading to the Central District to enroll in the intermediate academy. It was a tough place for slum kids to get into normally, but Fergus had pulled some strings.
Then graduate from the intermediate academy and pass the entrance exam for Acamedy Academy. That was what I wanted for him.
That's where it would all begin.
"What, me become a hero?"
Daniel let out a mocking laugh, his attitude pure negativity.
"Just enroll first. Even if hero doesn't work out, you have to get into Acamedy Academy."
"What the hell? Don't joke around. I can't do it."
"No excuses. Enroll."
Even with my firm tone, DJ wasn't convinced. A slum orphan like him becoming a hero? No way, he kept saying, hanging his head and tearing himself down.
"Just do it."
"No, but... I..."
"Daniel."
I called his name. My serious voice made him look up.
"Enroll first. Head to the Central District and get into Acamedy Academy. You have to."
"...Why?"
"Because that's the starting point."
My starting point. Your starting point.
"You'll restart from there. Wipe the old world clean and begin again from scratch."
Our eyes met. He narrowed his, staring into mine for a long moment before finally looking away.
"......Got it for now."
He didn't seem fully convinced, but he gave a small nod.
As Daniel stood to leave, I emphasized it one more time. He absolutely had to enroll in Acamedy Academy.
He nodded as he brushed past me, muttering under his breath.
"Fine, but why there of all places..."
I thought to myself.
Why?
Because I said so.
Because that's where I restarted from the beginning.
The place where I erased everything and started over.
So,
that's where you have to start over too.
And I have to witness the result.
Zone A, Hero Association headquarters—the topmost floor.
Yeriel muttered from the president's chair.
"Why is it that the head of any group always holes up in the highest spot in the building? First floor or tenth—it's all meaningless."
"...Reaching high places and placing everything beneath your feet is an ancient human instinct. Plus, the unobstructed view clears the mind and sharpens your thoughts."
The middle-aged man seated across from her spoke up. He was the association president, the man in charge of the entire organization.
"Ahahaha!"
Yeriel burst into loud laughter at his words.
"Right. Exactly. I know all about it. Instinct. That's the driving force that let humans advance this far."
"......Well said."
"And that same instinct drove God away and turned angels into demons."
"......"
"Of course, now there's only one angel and one demon left."
Yeriel lifted her teacup and took a big gulp. It was a crude gesture that didn't suit her aristocratic features.
"This tea's good."
Brewed from premium leaves, it tasted as luxurious as its price, the rich aroma lingering pleasantly on her tongue. Yeriel's lips curved in satisfaction.
"...Lady Yeriel. I still don't understand. Is it really right to keep shifting Central District's talents to the outskirts?"
"Oh dear."
She sighed at the man's follow-up.
"I get why you're anxious, Hainkel. Sure, that beast raid on Zone B involved a lot of them, and plenty of people died—mostly civilians, though. We lost heroes too, but it wasn't catastrophic. Even if another one hits on that scale, we can hold it off."
"But... what if a bigger force comes than last time...!"
"The odds are low, so relax."
Yeriel dumped the last of the tea into her mouth as she spoke.
"Kahatel's caught on to Anis Harper and Han U-sol's presence. He probably has a vague idea of the barrier's state too. He'll want to shatter it as fast as possible. No point wasting beasts on the Central District—he'll gather them all for a frontal assault on the fortress."
Talent and resources are always finite, even for the enemy. Magic beasts weren't some infinite undead horde.
He had to break the barrier before Han U-sol fully mastered his authority. No way he'd split his forces.
Lately, beast activity had noticeably quieted. He was surely preparing a breakthrough in the north, east, or south.
That's why Yeriel had ordered as many heroes as possible deployed outside the barrier and to the outer zones.
Not perfect, but they were ready. They wouldn't break easily from any direction. If one side got hit, they just had to hold until reinforcements arrived from the others. They could manage.
"But if the enemy defies expectations and shows up in the Central District..."
"Hainkel. You've gotten old. Age has made you timid. It's been so long—I'm starting to wonder if you're really the Hainkel I remember."
Betty's ability was a pain, no doubt. He might cram mid-tier and high-tier beasts into the Central District this time.
But summon stones were finite, and the mana to fuel them had limits. Besides, weak or not, the Central District was inside the barrier. Beasts wouldn't exert their full power there like they could outside. No way he'd pull that stunt.
If he did, all the better.
While droves of beasts poured into the Central District, every hero at the fortress could charge out beyond the barrier.
Didn't matter if the Central District turned to rubble. As long as they killed Kahatel and wiped out the beasts, they could rebuild someday.
"Does that mean you're abandoning the Central District's citizens?! I can't allow...!"
"Hainkel Kaias."
Yeriel's icy voice cut off Hainkel as he slammed the table and shot to his feet.
"Arguing every point I make—it's just like Fergus. I said it was only if."
Her voice grew colder, her gaze even more so. Sweat beaded on Hainkel's forehead.
"Even if they pull some insane move like that, isn't that why I'm here in the Central District? Don't worry. Or do you mean to say..."
Yeriel glared at him. The sweat on Hainkel's brow trickled down.
The association was rotten. It exploited and extorted everything, hoarding wealth in the Central District. And the man before her eyes was no different.
As president, he was the pinnacle of that corruption. While Yeriel had ignored the association for over ten years, he'd hidden wealth and scandals on another level.
He'd stayed quiet out of fear of her in the past, but it was in his nature all along.
Yeriel's mood soured rapidly. Sure, it was partly her fault for neglecting things, but this was too much.
Facing the raw reality of what she'd failed to fix stirred a surge of anger.
"Are you worried about the Central District falling into danger? Or are you afraid for your own safety?"
The former, she could dismiss as a fretful child's whining. But if it was the latter...
Yeriel swallowed the rest of her thought.
"...My apologies."
"...Sorry for threatening you. My head's been all over the place lately."
She composed herself and reached for another sip, only to see her empty cup and set it down. Her gaze shifted to the window, taking in the cityscape sprawling below.
'Is this why they live in the highest places?'
The clear view really did refresh the mind, just as he'd said. Seeming calmer now, Yeriel sank into thought.
Kahatel, you're desperate. You figured out too late that Auriel is dead.
If you'd noticed a year sooner, it wouldn't be this urgent.
What do you even have?
That girl Betty? Spatial jumps are handy, sure. But her limits are clear.
The Celestial Slayer? No matter how strong, he's still human territory. We have heroes who can match him.
Against that, we have Han U-sol and Anis Harper.
Just endure this once.
If we make it through unscathed,
wait until Han U-sol fully masters his authority and Anis Harper regains her power.
Then the counterattack comes.
Come at me, Kahatel.
Time to end this tiresome game.
"...I'm gonna lose it."
"Why?"
"...Where the hell is that Han bastard? What’s he doing that he’s not showing up?"
"Right? Hmm... Think he'll come if we wait? By the way, first time I've heard you curse Lord Kahatel."
"Maybe he's off having some fun?"
"No way. You think he'd ditch you, Betty?"
"Gasp! He got caught and killed already!? What do we do!"
"Then it's your fault."
"I hope you get caught and killed."
"Karma."
"......My head hurts."
"You okay? Chronic migraine maybe?"
"What's that?"
"...Both of you, shut up."