The Heroes' Fury
The war heroes.
It all happened in an instant.
“Alright, that concludes the mercenary exam! Great work, everyone!”
The mercenary exam came to an end after the final rookie’s test, with words of appreciation for the Gold Plate mercenaries who had overseen it.
“Quite a few promising ones this time around.”
“Should I go build some rapport with that kid over there?”
Mercenaries chatted among themselves about the standout rookies from this exam, already trying to make early impressions.
“Thank you all for your hard work. Those who passed, please proceed to the counter to receive your Bronze Plates. Those who need to retake the exam, register again and try your luck next week.”
Even the examiner, announcing the end of the test and dismissing the rookies, added to the clamor.
The testing grounds were in chaos as everyone spoke at once, trying to wrap things up.
“Right, then… That rookie looks good. Hey, little miss, come with me!”
“Yes.”
“Miss, over here please.”
With the exam finally over, Martin leaped down from the terrace to grab the rookie he had been eyeing. Zenle knelt to lift Elia into his arms and follow after him.
And right at that moment.
In a place where nothing should have been out of the ordinary, where everything had been perfectly normal, a roar that shattered it all erupted alongside a deafening explosion.
KWAAAAAAAAAAAAANG─────!!!!!
“Miss!”
“Ugh…!”
The massive shockwave shook the entire guild building. The instant he heard the blast, Zenle wrapped his arms around Elia, covering her ears and pulling her tightly against his chest. At the same time, he quickly formed mana earplugs to protect his own ears that he hadn’t been able to cover.
Rumble rumble rumble───
It didn’t seem like the explosion had directly targeted the guild building, so the structure didn’t collapse. But the blast had been so enormous that the ground trembled and the ceiling shook violently.
Only after another ten or so seconds did the vibrations finally subside, leaving the building in eerie silence.
“Miss, are you alright?! Are you hurt anywhere…!”
“I-I’m fine… My ears are just ringing a little…”
“Let me check your ears for a moment, miss.”
As soon as the shaking stopped, Zenle’s first priority was checking on Elia, whom he still held in his arms. Perhaps because the building hadn’t actually collapsed, there were no visible injuries on her body. When he examined her ears after she mentioned the ringing, he confirmed it was merely tinnitus from the blast rather than a ruptured eardrum, and let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness there are no serious injuries. We don’t know what’s happening yet, so please stay right beside me at all times, miss.”
“…Yes, I understand.”
Perhaps because he had never spoken to her in such a commanding tone before, a flicker of fear crossed Elia’s usually expressionless face. Zenle wondered if he had been too harsh, but in this dangerous situation, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
Srrrrng───
With his face still set in a hard line, Zenle drew the real sword he had rarely unsheathed over the past few years.
He shouted down to Martin, who was urgently speaking with a guild employee below the terrace.
“Martin! What the hell is going on right now?!”
“Looks like those underworld bastards started a fight near the guild and turned the whole area into a mess! They’re not attacking the guild building directly, but the shockwaves are wrecking it!! I’ll head outside—you stay there and protect the little miss, Zenle!!”
“Got it!!”
Amid the screams and shouting coming from all directions, Zenle raised his voice to gather information, then quickly scanned the surroundings and made his decision.
The inside of the building is too dangerous. If the fighting outside causes it to collapse, a sword won’t be much help.
Whether the floor or ceiling gave way, staying inside would make quick reactions nearly impossible in an emergency. On the other hand, heading out to the open area visible from the terrace would make it difficult to assess the situation amid the cloud of dust kicked up by running mercenaries and guild staff.
What they needed was a place where they could react quickly even if the building collapsed, keep an eye on what was happening outside, and provide the best protection for Elia.
And in Zenle’s mind, there was only one such location.
“Miss, I need you to hold onto me. We’re going up to the roof of the guild building.”
The roof of the three-story guild building was the perfect spot that met all those conditions. If necessary, they could leap to the roofs of nearby buildings to escape. It offered a clear view of the situation, and the underworld thugs would have a hard time climbing all the way up to the roof while avoiding the guild’s mercenaries. Even if they did make it up, Zenle—who would already hold the high ground—would have the advantage.
So they would head to the roof.
At Zenle’s words, Elia unhesitatingly stepped into his arms. Holding her securely, he stepped onto the terrace railing and leaped.
Thud───!!
His mana-enhanced legs kicked off the railing, launching both himself and Elia effortlessly into the air. He spun once in midair and landed smoothly on the roof.
“Miss, we still don’t know exactly what’s happening, so stay close and hold my hand—”
Zenle had been about to warn her in advance when two figures landed right in front of him at incredible speed. He swiftly raised his sword.
“Who goes there!”
The moment he recognized them and was about to swing, his eyes widened for a split second before softening with relief.
The two people who had landed before him were none other than the last individuals he had expected to see here.
“Master! Lady Luina!”
It was Kael and Luina.
Yet even at Zenle’s call, their gazes didn’t turn toward him. Their eyes were fixed on Elia, who stood pressed close behind him. From head to toe, their gazes swept over every inch of her body without missing a single detail.
“Mom… Dad…”
“…Haa, thank goodness. You’re safe, Elia.”
Upon confirming that Elia was unharmed, Luina let out a shaky sigh and staggered slightly. Kael roughly tousled Zenle’s hair with his large, calloused hand and spoke.
“Sorry for sending you ahead, Zenle. And thank you for protecting Elia.”
“Not at all, Master. It was only natural, since it was my duty.”
It was the first time Zenle had heard such raw fear and genuine gratitude in Kael’s voice. Even as he stroked Zenle’s head, Kael’s hand trembled faintly with relief, revealing just how much he had been worrying.
When Zenle smiled and said there was no need for thanks, Kael slowly withdrew his hand and turned around.
“Then, could you watch over Elia a little longer?”
“Of course. In that case, you and Lady Luina…?”
“Luina and I… are going to deal with those bastards and come back.”
Srrrrng───
With those words, the real sword that had never once been drawn during all these years slid from Kael’s waist.
“Yes, that’s how it should be, Kael.”
Crack, crack───
At the same time, Luina drew the wooden branch hanging at her waist. It transformed into a bow in her grasp.
Was it an illusion that the two of them now overlapped with the figures they had been during the Human-Demon War? No, it probably wasn’t. Though the killing intent radiating from them now wasn’t quite as fierce as it had been in wartime, it was even more densely concentrated with murderous rage.
“We’re entrusting Elia to you, Zenle.”
“Zenle, I’m counting on you.”
Before he could even respond to their trusting words, Kael and Luina vanished from the roof in the blink of an eye, leaving only footprints behind.
Watching their forms disappear in an instant, Zenle could only mutter with an awkward smile.
“I’ve never seen the two of them this angry before…”
He didn’t know why those underworld scum had done this or how they had grown so bold. But there were only two things Zenle could be certain of in this situation.
One was that the timing of the underworld’s stunt couldn’t have been any worse.
And the other was—
“Those underworld bastards… they’re not walking away from this alive.”
Not a single one of those responsible for today’s incident would make it out of here unscathed.
Atop the clock tower, which offered a clear view of the mercenary guild building.
There, Sherda and Benjamin—the executive officers who had been reviewing their final plans in the underground waterway—stood watching the northeastern district where explosions were going off.
“Kyaha…! Now this is beautiful! How many do you think died in that blast? At least a few dozen of those disgusting kingdom bastards, right?”
“It was a densely populated residential area, so at least thirty must be dead. Add in the injured and the number will be even higher.”
“And the aftershock alone completely rattled the guild building. Isn’t that just tragic?”
What began with a massive explosion marked the opening act of a clash between underworld organizations. The inevitable collateral damage to the mercenary guild had begun in spectacular fashion in the northeastern district.
As the groups fought, they accidentally cut down civilians and inevitably sent several bombs flying toward the guild building. Blood began to flow through the streets, and citizens fled from the northeastern district amid piercing screams.
The mercenaries still hadn’t emerged from the guild, apparently still trying to grasp the situation and arm themselves. Watching them, Benjamin couldn’t help but chuckle. It looked like turtles hiding their heads in their shells.
“The soldiers haven’t been deployed yet either.”
“Yeah. The report just went up, so they’re probably scrambling like colts with their tails on fire. It’ll take at least ten minutes.”
“What about the security forces?”
“There aren’t even thirty of them. Even if they rushed over right now, they’d only take out five or six grunts before getting wiped out.”
Perfect. Benjamin nodded at Sherda’s words and turned his chuckle into a wide, tearing laugh.
The security forces were meaningless, and it would take the kingdom’s soldiers at least ten minutes to arrive. The mercenaries would probably need about the same amount of time.
Ten minutes. That was more than enough time for the underworld thugs causing chaos down there to finish their bloody work in style.
Ten whole minutes of grace time while dozens, maybe hundreds more people died. Laughing at the pathetic state of a kingdom that would allow such a thing—both for the citizens dying down there and for himself—Benjamin turned his gaze back to the chaotic northeastern district still filled with blood and slaughter.
Boom───!!
Suddenly, something shot through the air, and Benjamin’s eyes snapped open in confusion.
“…What was that just now?”
Two figures had flown forward with a sharp burst of sound. When he followed their trajectory, he saw they had landed on the roof of the mercenary guild building—the very spot where the knight commander had climbed up with some little kid and had been watching carefully.
And now two more people, the source of that recent burst of sound, stood in front of the knight commander.
“…Who are those two?”
Benjamin focused mana into his eyes and carefully examined their faces. They looked strangely familiar. He tilted his head, certain he had seen them somewhere before.
And the very next moment, he realized exactly who they were.
───.
“N-No way… Did they notice us?”
The man was staring directly at them from hundreds of meters away, clearly indicating that he had detected their presence. The moment their eyes met, the man’s distinct features flashed through Benjamin’s mind, and the answer came to him.
“K-Kael…?”
The war hero Kael.
The unparalleled powerhouse who had overwhelmingly shortened the Human-Demon War, the pinnacle of all swordsmen and the object of every swordsman’s admiration.
Why was that man standing there right now?
He was supposed to have retired to a remote countryside village and be living a quiet life. So why was he in the capital today, of all places, and right there?
Even after realizing their identities, the flood of questions tormented Benjamin’s mind.
But before he could find any answers, Kael slowly mouthed words that were unmistakably clear even from this distance.
Don't even think about dying easily.