Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ruby
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: I! Will Stand at the Vanguard
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Jephron and Commander Vincent were whispering to each other, saying their own words were right.
'What are they talking about?'
I had no way to understand the context of their conversation.
So I decided to just ignore it.
'What would I do even if I knew?'
With that mindset.
"Are these cemeteries marked here the places where abnormal phenomena have been observed so far?"
Commander Vincent immediately answered my question.
"Yes! That's correct."
Hm? Why did he suddenly become so active?
I thought they were strange people.
With that thought, I continued what I had to say.
"I'd like you to mark them in the order of when they occurred."
"The order?"
"That's right."
"Hmm. Understood. I'll do it right away."
He brought over other materials and continued to substitute and write numbers and check them one by one.
The new map completed like that.
I crossed my arms and looked down at it.
'Hmm... I'm getting a feeling about this.'
Those locations.
They were all places I knew.
The places checked first were high-level hunting grounds.
The later a place was checked, the more it was a low-level hunting ground.
'The wraiths that appeared first seem to have gotten progressively stronger?'
Do monsters also grow over time?
It was an interesting phenomenon.
In any case.
I carefully scanned the map.
With all the hunting grounds revealed, I started to remember this terrain precisely.
'Let's see. Then Horaicdon would be... over there.'
But I saw several empty spots.
They couldn't fool my eyes.
Even if I couldn't memorize textbooks well, I memorized dungeon and hunting ground locations in the game amazingly well.
I reached out my finger and pointed to the lacking parts of the map.
"Here. And here too. They haven't been confirmed. Are you certain no abnormal phenomena were discovered?"
At my question, Commander Vincent's face hardened.
"Pardon? There are no cemeteries in these two places..."
"Are you confident about that statement?"
When I asked again.
His face turned slightly pale.
"J-just a moment. I'll check."
And a short while later.
Commander Vincent, who had checked again, returned.
"Sir Rohan. In one of the places you mentioned, there was a similar incident. It seems they failed to connect it because it was quite old content. I apologize."
He pointed to one of the two places I mentioned and spoke.
"But this place definitely had no records."
"No records?"
"Yes."
Seeing him answer quite confidently, it seemed certain this time...
Then.
A knight approached.
"Commander. The Holy Knight Order sent additional information. They say a region where abnormal phenomena occurred has been added."
"Again?"
"Yes."
The knight saw the map spread out right in front of him and pointed to one place.
"This is the place."
At his gesture, everyone's eyes except mine widened.
It was precisely the other one of the two places I had hinted they should check.
"Th-this can't be..."
"How..."
I had no great interest in their reaction.
Just crossing my arms and nodding.
"As expected."
The predictions were fitting together exactly.
When I nodded, Jephron asked.
"Did you... know?"
I only turned my eyes to look at him.
I did know, but... how should I explain?
Unable to find a way to explain.
I chose to roughly evade.
"I merely deduced it. Since that was the expected route."
"Haha. Regarding demons, you already had it all figured out. It's marvelous."
Why go that far...
Feeling embarrassed, I closed my mouth, and Jephron continued.
"Sir Rohan. Actually, I've been staking everything on this case. Here... in this cemetery that those bastards desecrated, my family's first child was buried. It was a life that died without ever opening its eyes, without seeing light, right after being born."
His gaze as he spoke changed to something murderous in an instant.
That was it.
The eyes of Jephron I remembered.
"Those bastards violated that child's soul! How dare they...! How dare they!"
But that gaze disappeared quickly.
"I almost became dominated by maddening rage toward demons. I endured by thinking of my barely obtained second child. But I haven't forgiven them yet. The teachings of the Order always say to forgive, but... I'm still lacking in training, so it's difficult."
He looked at me again.
"I must find the culprit of all this and take revenge for my first child! If there's anything needed to find them, just say anything! And... and! Just find them!"
I also looked at him.
I knew he was a fanatical Inquisitor.
But I hadn't known there were such incidents.
'So that's why... his eyes turned crazy whenever he saw demons.'
It made sense.
That trembling voice conveyed sincerity fully.
How resentful must that demon be who tormented even the soul of a dead child so it couldn't rest in peace.
I pointed my finger at the last point.
The place that would become the decisive battle location.
"There's no need to search. Gather all forces immediately. Inform the Holy Knight Order and the Black Iron Knights that we will subjugate the lich."
After that.
I added the final words.
"Whether demons or monsters. I will clearly show that to set foot on this land, they must have our permission."
A different light shone in their eyes.
"Thank you! Sir Rohan! The Holy Knight Order of Oldrion will follow you!"
"The Black Iron Knight Order! According to Count Soleon's command, we will fight alongside the Arlem Order risking death!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Clank clank, clank clank!
The Holy Knight Order and the Black Iron Knight Order.
Those two knight orders advanced like a single legion.
Standing at their very front were.
Me and Diaz, and Inquisitor Jephron and Commander Vincent.
We mounted horses and headed toward the lich lair where Horaicdon would be waiting.
Diaz spoke to my side.
"Lord Rohan."
"Mm?"
"That rogue... I haven't seen her..."
Was she talking about Revarsen?
But I didn't know about that either.
She hadn't been seen since we eliminated the gravekeeper.
"I don't know."
"You don't want to tell me... I understand."
"I really don't know."
"Yes..."
What?
She seemed a bit sulky.
I tilted my head.
'There's absolutely nothing to be sulky about. I must be mistaken?'
But I had no leisure to pay attention to Diaz.
I quickly turned my gaze and concentrated.
'Horaicdon is... truly a huge wall.'
It was different from before.
He was someone who truly deserved the nickname of a one-man army.
Hell's 9th Legion Staff Officer Horaicdon.
It was precisely Horaicdon who was responsible for half of the 9th Legion's undead forces.
The wraith and undead legion that knew neither death nor fear were by no means easy opponents.
Although all the knights following behind me were elites, there was definitely a shortage in numbers.
'I have to do well...'
I swept my gaze left and right.
At least it was a great comfort that Jephron and Diaz were together.
These two were skilled individuals who wouldn't be pushed back even compared to Horaicdon.
'Whew! Still, it's reassuring.'
While steeling my resolve.
Our allied knight order arrived in front of a small cemetery.
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Caw!
A crow split the sky, screaming.
Even though the sun was clearly up, the tall trees made this place no different from night.
Outwardly, it looked like a small-scale cemetery.
But the reality was different.
Beneath this land.
The high-ranking lich, Horaicdon, would be waiting for the time.
I dismounted from my horse and stepped into the cemetery.
Numerous knights followed behind me.
The cemetery was silent, and the advance continued.
Step, step.
Not one person made a sound.
Even without the Third Eye, everyone seemed to clearly feel this eerie energy.
That gloomy atmosphere heightened the tension even more.
I was equally tense.
That's why I became even more alert.
'It was impossible in the game... but now it's reality. I'll take the shortest route!'
I roughly estimated where Horaicdon would be.
Then, I knelt on one knee.
And started striking the ground with my left arm.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
People who didn't understand my action murmured behind me.
However, Diaz, Jephron, and Commander Vincent quietly kept their mouths shut and watched me.
Not long after.
Rumble...!
The ground seemed to collapse.
A path was revealed inside.
"Underground...!"
"To think there was such a thing."
"No wonder we couldn't find it."
I leaped down into it.
Behind me, Diaz, Jephron, Commander Vincent, and the allied knight order followed.
Thud! Thump!
After descending, a long corridor greeted us.
The quick-witted Jephron recognized the terrain of this place.
"Isn't this... like a maze?"
Commander Vincent nodded.
"Yes. It seems so."
Inwardly, I was surprised.
I knew the interior, but wasn't this the first moment they were encountering this place?
Yet they recognized it at a glance.
Experience seemed to be experience.
But there was no time to be impressed.
This wasn't the position I wanted.
'I tried to enter the central boss room directly. I missed slightly.'
Still, I would be close to the destination now.
While I was regaining my sense of direction, Commander Vincent looked around and asked.
"Sir Rohan. How about sending reconnaissance forces in both directions?"
I approached the wall.
And shook my head.
"There's no need for that."
I had already finished assessing.
Swinging my left arm again.
Crash!
I broke through the path.
"We can go this way."
"...Ah... Yes..."
After crossing the wall, I could tell we were truly right in front of the boss room.
The torches following behind couldn't be seen yet.
But in front of me, a skeleton legion was standing now.
The Third Eye reacted first.
Because it was a danger that threatened life.
As expected, when the torches poured in through the path I made.
Clatter!
Creak...
Screech...!
The skeletons turned their heads this way.
I saw maggots crawling in their white skull eyes.
The remaining flesh created a nauseating atmosphere.
"S-skeletons!"
"Prepare for battle!"
Clang, clang clang!
The knights immediately reacted and drew their swords.
But in my senses, their fear was felt acutely.
It wasn't incomprehensible.
In an underground communal cemetery.
And facing a skeleton legion at that, how could they not be afraid?
I had that fear somewhat subside due to slowly rising rage toward demons.
But they wouldn't be the same.
It was a bit unfortunate.
Now, before battle.
At a moment like this, such morale wasn't helpful.
I took a breath.
And stepped forward once more.
Then.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kyaaaak!"
The skeletons emitted blue light and went mad.
While keeping my gaze fixed on those bastards, I shouted with all my might.
Toward the knights standing behind me.
"I! Will stand at the vanguard."
In an instant, everyone's gaze turned to my back.
I continued my words.
Words to raise their morale.
"I pay respect to your courage in facing death head-on despite being alive. Show those bastards your determination! Remind those demons who forgot death of the terror of death again!"
I clenched my left arm tightly.
And raised black thunder.
Rumble... crash crash crash!
Magnificent thunder that shook the entire underground swirled around me.
Leading with the left arm of the Giant God Soldier that shone with golden light, I leaped forward first.
"Kill them all."
And.
Behind me, the allied knight order, having forgotten their fear before they knew it.
"Charge!"
"Send those bastards back to death!"
"Turn them into bone fragments! Sweep them away!”
The advance began.