Chapter 48: Meanwhile, the Hero's Party...[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48: Meanwhile, the Hero's Party...[R-18]
Hansen Drake, a royal knight assigned to the Dark Forest defense line, let out a deep sigh.
The reason, needless to say, was the Hero's party that had just arrived as reinforcements.
Normally, a Hero, a being of overwhelming power, would be a welcome asset, but…
‘Of all things, Lee Hyun-woo the magician isn’t with them.’
Lee Hyun-woo was the core of the current Hero's party.
To put it bluntly, Hyun-woo was more important than the Hero himself.
Even the sword-wielding knights trusted Hyun-woo more than Leon, the wielder of the Holy Sword.
‘Well, when there’s such a gap in skill and reputation, it’s inevitable.’
His skill and strength were such that even the knights, who tended to look down on magicians, had to acknowledge him.
In swordsmanship alone, how many could claim victory over Hyun-woo?
If he were to enhance his body with magic, you could probably count them on one hand.
Hansen himself remembered being impressed by his swordsmanship and his attitude toward the sword.
His dedication was worthy of respect, not just as a knight, but as a human being.
And this was the Hero's party that had banished such a man.
Naturally, neither Hansen nor his knights could possibly see them in a favorable light.
‘Is the Hero out of his mind?’
For now, the royal family was keeping the news of Hyun-woo's banishment a secret to maintain morale.
The secret was kept rather well, known only to the knight commanders and a few nobles.
The other soldiers were told that Hyun-woo was away on another important mission.
Though it was anyone's guess how long that temporary measure would last.
‘Hah, no use thinking about this.’
Hansen, who had been seriously considering the possibility that the Hero was secretly colluding with the demons, shook his head.
Whatever the case, Leon was the Hero chosen by the God of Heroes.
Until he lost that title, he needed to be treated as the Hero, at least on the surface.
“Commander, the Hero has arrived.”
“Yes, show him in.”
As the Hero entered, a group of women followed behind him.
With Hyun-woo gone, every member of the party, aside from the Hero himself, was a woman.
There were whispers behind their backs that it was the Hero's harem, and many reports suggested that was indeed the case.
Looking at them now, they were certainly all beautiful.
But since beauty doesn't kill monsters, it was a matter of no concern to Hansen.
“Hm?”
Hansen’s expression turned quizzical as he observed them.
Including the Hero, only three people had entered.
Even with Hyun-woo gone, shouldn't the Hero's party have four members?
He was sure there had been an elf.
“One of you seems to be… missing. Did something happen?”
“Ah, the journey here was a bit rough, so she’s resting for a while.”
Hansen shut his eyes tightly.
How could a member of the Hero's party, who fought demons for a living, be laid up because the road was a little rough?
Given the rumors about the Hero, it wasn't hard to imagine what had happened during the night.
‘God, I want to quit.’
He understood that young men and women in their prime were full of energy.
But wasn't there such a thing as self-control?
Even a common mercenary rolling in the dirt would prepare themselves thoroughly before a war.
But a member of the Hero's party was too exhausted from having sex to attend a strategy meeting?
Was he supposed to take that seriously?
If Leon were his subordinate, he would have thrown him out on the spot.
And the adjutants who tried to stop him would, after hearing his explanation, probably beat the man up themselves.
‘Hah… Patience.’
Still, he was the Hero.
The one and only Hero in the world, chosen by the Goddess.
He had no idea why she made such a choice, but a Hero he was.
“Ahem! Ahem! Then, I will now brief you on the current operation.”
He had to work with them for a while anyway.
Besides, it didn't seem like they would listen to anything he had to say.
Of course, if Leon were his subordinate, he would have raised hell one way or another.
But this wasn't someone he'd have to see after this was all over.
He decided to just get on with his job.
“As you know, the Dark Forest is a key stronghold for the demons. The demonic energy there fundamentally strengthens their magic.”
It went without saying that magicians were strong on the offensive, but their true power was in defense.
Ordinary knights had no way of breaking through a magician who was holed up and spamming spells from a fortified position.
To break through, you needed another magician.
“As for the demonic energy, Claire here can handle it.”
The Saint, Claire, who was standing beside him, beamed.
Hansen gave a nod, but his reaction wasn't particularly positive.
“It’s impossible for a single person to purify all the demonic energy in the Dark Forest. Of course, your help will be crucial in breaking through the initial line.”
“Are you looking down on the power of a Saint? Hmph! I’m pouting!”
“...I am merely speaking of practicalities. Besides, wouldn't the Hero be in trouble if the Saint who is supposed to heal him is unavailable during the actual fight with the demons?”
“Hmph! Hmph! That’s true. The Hero absolutely needs me by his side!”
Forcing an awkward smile, Hansen moved on with his explanation.
“To be blunt, without a magician, conquering the Dark Forest is currently impossible. Therefore, I want to hold the line and endure. With the Hero's party here, we should be able to minimize casualties among our soldiers.”
“What? So you’re just going to sit back and watch the Dark Forest?”
“If we go in now, we’ll only suffer greater losses. I’ve requested magicians from the Magic Tower, so our best option is to hold out until then.”
In fact, that was the reason the conquest had been delayed.
First, they had expected the Hero's party to arrive, but they banished their magician and then dawdled.
Second, the Magic Tower heard about it, got pissed off, and cut off their support.
The result was a pointless waste of time that made the conquest even more difficult.
‘The problem is, we don’t even know when the negotiations with the Magic Tower will conclude.’
The Magic Tower was royally pissed off about Hyun-woo’s banishment.
As in, completely furious.
They had declared a boycott, refusing to dispatch any magicians to the royal family.
Magicians were essential and hard-to-find assets.
And now, their only stable means of securing them had been cut off.
‘…Well, I can understand how the Magic Tower Master feels.’
The problem was that even those fighting on the front lines could understand it.
To use a Knight Order analogy, it was as if they had sent a promising, future Sword Master to escort the Magic Tower, only for the Tower to banish him and have him go missing.
And yet, fireballs weren't raining down on them from behind.
That alone told him just how hard the Princess must be working to smooth things over.
“Why exactly do we have to wait for a magician?”
Whether he knew of these circumstances or not, the Hero spoke with a frown.
“We’re here now, aren’t we? We can just smash our way through.”
It was probably a natural question for the Hero.
Never before had they arrived somewhere only to be told to wait for a magician's support.
And to be fair, that was supposed to be the Hero's party's role.
They were, in essence, a special forces unit for conquest.
At this, Hansen finally said what he’d been holding back.
“Your party, Hero… does not have a magician, does it?”
The Hero’s shoulders flinched.
Hansen heard him mutter, “That guy again…” but forced himself to ignore it.
“Our Knight Order is likewise without a magician. A magician is essential for this conquest. Therefore, we have no choice but to wait for reinforcements.”
On one hand, Hansen was trying to persuade the Hero. On the other, he was blaming him.
He was implying that things had gotten this bad because Leon had banished Hyun-woo.
Hansen was only human, after all; it would be a lie to say he felt no resentment toward the Hero.
Unfortunately, this particular Hero was a man who lacked both the common sense and the conscience to understand such a thing.
“There’s no need for that. We don’t have time, either.”
“Pardon?”
“If it’s just an executive and not the Demon King, we’re more than enough. We’ve actually taken down an executive before. And you have the Knight Order here as well. That’s more than enough power.”
…Of course you did. You had Lee Hyun-woo the magician with you back then.
Hansen praised himself for managing to hold that thought back.
“We’ll break through the forest and take down this magician executive. Magicians are just a bunch of weaklings who can’t do anything once you get close and swing a sword, right?”
Hansen had seen many young men in his time leading the Knight Order.
That was how he could read the Hero now.
He saw the pathetic pride and vanity typical of a greenhorn.
‘…This is driving me insane.’
The grand strategy the Hero comes up with right after arriving is to just charge in headfirst?
If it were that simple, why would they be going through all this trouble?
Even with thorough strategy and preparation, the odds of defeating a magician in a defensive position were not high.
Even if they succeeded, it was obvious how great the loss of forces would be.
“Hero, that is far too dangerous. Let’s just wait a little longer. Good news should be coming from the Magic Tower soon.”
“Frankly, I don’t like that Magic Tower either. Engaging in a pride battle in a dangerous situation like this. They have no chivalry.”
It’s all your fault, you bastard.
Hansen managed to swallow those words as well.
It was a truly astonishing display of patience, forged over many years.
“If you’re really that worried, just provide support from the rear. I will personally bring you the head of the Demon King’s army magician.”
Hansen let out a deep sigh.
It seemed the Hero had no intention of listening.
In truth, he had no grounds to stop him.
The Hero's party had the authority to act independently, exempt from any military command.
It was a case of a special privilege, created for a previous Hero, now becoming poison.
‘Ancestors, please watch over us.’
Hansen lamented inwardly.
The reason he couldn't bring himself to pray to the gods was that he resented their judgment in choosing a man like this as the Hero.