Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: 13. Division (1)
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Not every hero party travels as a fixed group like the 1st Party or Ian's party.
Some operate independently and only form temporary parties when needed.
Penny was one such wandering hero.
The place where she killed her comrades was an A-rank dungeon.
It was a labyrinthine structure where the terrain shifted periodically, and one wrong turn could leave you hopelessly lost.
That also made it the perfect spot to conceal a murder.
She had formed a party to conquer this dungeon and ended up killing all three of her companions.
There was no special reason.
She was simply curious about their money and gear, and if anything looked useful, she wanted it for herself.
Backstabbing your comrades was far safer and more profitable than actually clearing the dungeon.
And if they happened to carry artifacts or high-grade enchanted equipment, it was like hitting the jackpot.
For Penny, a mage who could no longer grow any further and couldn't handle close combat with A-rank monsters anyway, she had realized that striking from behind was far more effective.
That was her way of life.
Luckily, from a young age, she had worked as an administrator in a small city, where she forged minor documents, embezzled subsidies from various policies, or siphoned off tribute meant for the lord.
She felt no guilt.
Everyone did it, so she thought it was fine.
When her embezzlement was eventually discovered and she faced trial, she ratted out her colleagues and fled.
By then, she had awakened as a superhuman and became a mage, starting her hero activities—but it didn't suit her.
It was too dangerous at its core, and Penny's talents weren't exceptional.
She barely scraped by at the level of an A-rank hero, but it left her unsatisfied.
So Penny devised a safer, more efficient method.
As a wandering hero, she would kill her comrades in hard-to-track dungeons.
Or infiltrate large and small criminal groups under the guise of a hero, steal their spoils, or manipulate their ledgers to sow chaos and make off with their capital.
She just lived swept along by inertia.
Despising humanity's pitiful, glaring imperfections while depending on them all the same.
"Hmm... These guys are a bust. I figured a dangerous dungeon like this would have something decent."
Penny impassively looted the corpses and shoved them into a grave.
There was nothing of value.
She looked down at the man who could no longer respond and let out a snort.
"Blame it on being born so flawed."
Penny hated human imperfection.
Stupid, foolish, impulsive, emotional.
They couldn't think about the future.
No—there were far too many pathetic humans who knew the future but ruined their present anyway.
At the same time, she loved that very imperfection in humanity.
Because they were flawed, someone like her could rise up.
'Is there no such thing as perfection in this world...?'
That was why her greed and curiosity for perfection lingered in a corner of her heart, refusing to leave.
As she prepared to leave after killing her three comrades, she ran into a problem.
She had gotten trapped in the maze-like dungeon.
"Ah. Pfft, hahaha..."
It was amusing.
The imperfection she despised was present in her too.
It was a form of self-loathing.
No monsters appeared, and endless paths stretched out to unknown destinations.
Dying like this would be truly pathetic.
On some day after wandering for what felt like several—though she couldn't be sure...
She finally encountered them.
The 1st Hero Party, whose feats were shaking the entire continent.
She had fleetingly wondered if they might be this world's perfection, but their overwhelming presence far exceeded the rumors.
"What is it, another dungeon lostling?"
Beatrice said.
As the word "another" implied, there were numerous others behind them who weren't part of the 1st Hero Party.
All of them were people who had come to this A-rank dungeon and gotten lost.
Kaily chuckled.
"Let's take her along. We were told to rescue and bring back as many as we can."
"Why such a hassle... Fine, whatever. Follow us."
At the time, she couldn't properly process their words.
Her mind was too overwhelmed just facing the four members of the 1st Hero Party.
She even thought that perhaps they were the perfection she sought.
Watching their battle only solidified that thought.
Perfection didn't even begin to describe it.
It was art itself.
Enemy blood spraying, bones shattering, frozen foes crumbling, searing flames consuming.
Every scene harmonized like a masterpiece painting.
Beautiful enough to make her want to freeze time in that moment.
Captivated, Penny grew curious about their true nature.
Where had such heroes come from?
That trail eventually led her to Philip and Ian.
She first learned Philip's name.
Publicly, all news and achievements of the 1st Party were credited to Philip.
Digging deeper revealed Ian's name.
At that point, she thought Ian was the perfection she sought.
But the deeper she delved, the more Philip's name kept surfacing.
Philip was behind every achievement of the 1st Hero Party.
Their miracles, their paths, the artifacts and holy relics they uncovered, the dungeons and frontlines they secured, all major and minor incidents.
Ian merely followed them around, handling Philip's administrative tasks, while all key decisions and choices came from Philip.
Rumors and city broadcasts mentioned Philip, never Ian.
So she dissected, analyzed, savored, and finally completed his narrative.
The story of the god descended upon an imperfect paradise.
There was no room for failure in his path.
It was as if the entire world had been prepared for his success.
Power, wealth, honor.
Everything lay in Philip's hands, and the 1st Party monopolized it like it was promised to them.
'The being who forged a hero to save the world...'
Even before heroes existed, epic tales of heroes had been passed down orally—myths of a sort.
And in those heroes' sagas, gods always appeared.
Gods who recognized their potential, imposed trials and ordeals, and sometimes guided their way.
No matter how great the hero, what meaning without a god?
Without a god, who would find them?
Humanity's greatest light.
The continent's most prominent hero.
The 1st Hero Party.
Philip, who created them.
If he wasn't a god, then who was?
The world's sole perfection.
When she discovered it, desire bloomed for the first time in her inertia-driven life.
She wanted to become like that perfection.
But she knew she could never reach it.
So instead, she wanted to mar it.
The perfection she had found was Philip.
"Philip..."
Ian.
She didn't know what to call him.
He was so alien to this world.
Because he was the perfection she had so desperately longed for.
And because she had hoped this world was inherently flawed, with no perfection from the start.
Because she wanted to believe her own flaws weren't so bad.
Penny wanted to shatter that perfection, madly so.
Not some crude murder.
She wanted to scratch its surface.
So she worshiped him, founded the Managers' Guild, and compiled his hazy saga to spread it across the world.
Already perfect, but she made it even more so.
Lifted it to unimaginable heights, then drop it.
Make the god who descended to earth plummet just as it ascends to the heavens.
How beautiful would a god's fall without wings be?
Just imagining it sent ecstatic shivers through her core.
To execute that, she drove out Ian.
After years of research, she concluded Ian's existence harmed the 1st Hero Party and Philip.
But.
Surely, that was the case...
"You... Ian, you yourself..."
She had nearly been disappointed in the god she ousted.
Was this failure so pathetic, devoid of any perfection?
But look at him now.
Hadn't he found new heroes as if nothing had happened?
Unlike her, who fled into easier, more vicious acts with every failure.
He stood back up, steadfast.
The new heroes he found were already scripting myths rivaling the 1st Party's origins.
Those influenced around him followed his training methods like prayers to a god.
'Only you make me forget this repulsive imperfection...'
A god ousted by the heroes she had raised.
And the snake-like figure who deceived those heroes with sweet words.
The demon that would ultimately topple that god, never to rise again.
That was the role Penny envisioned for herself.
By defining Ian as god and positioning herself in opposition, she could taste the pleasure of becoming his equal in perfection.
'Even cast out like that, you remain unruined...'
If this wasn't divinity, if this wasn't religion, then what in the world was?
"Thank you..."
Penny murmured, forehead pressed to the ground.
For remaining a god.
No—for advancing to an even greater perfection. She was deeply grateful.
Gratitude mingled with searing contempt.
She realized no matter what she did, she could never reach him.
"Guild Master Penny...?"
"M-Master, when did you return...?"
A few passersby recognized her.
Penny ignored them.
She didn't even look.
Her senses were fully absorbing Ian.
Demonkin, Demon King, wars, empires, religions, the once-in-a-lifetime heroes of the 1st Hero Party.
To Penny, they were worthless compared to Philip's despair.
Even her own life.
Having fully savored her faith, she rose with a smile.
The price for doubting a god's power was harsh.
No need for divine punishment; she self-flagellated upon realization.
For everything she had arbitrarily stolen and ruined.
'Next time we meet...'
She hoped to greet him face-to-face.
To do that, she had to undo her mistakes with her own hands.
Otherwise, she had no face to show him.
Penny turned back.
There was nothing left for her here.
'The Managers' Guild... It was meaningless from the start.'
She had believed a group founded in Philip's name would tarnish his reputation if disgraced.
Only upon seeing Ian did she realize it was delusion.
The truly important thing was elsewhere.
'The 1st Hero Party. The ones Ian personally selected and nurtured with care...'
And she had driven Ian out from among them.
Their relations with Ian had always been subtly strained, but she couldn't deny fanning the flames.
'I can't let them fall apart. They've only been neglected, no major incidents, so I can set them right...'
Penny steeled her resolve.
*
Ian sat at his desk, reading the notice.
[SS-Rank Hero Lorenzo di Fioreene's Tournament Duel Championship.]
Marie had handed it to him.
He'd been busy lately, and with the Vivian situation, he was only now reading it properly.
'This guy's still the same.'
He was like this in the 2nd round too.
Rich, loved showing off, full of vanity.
An obnoxious old noble—that vibe.
The tournament's timing and rewards matched the 2nd round exactly.
[Special Privileges for Weight-Class Winners
-50 gold or equivalent item.
-Bestowal of the Fioreene surname.]
Equivalent to about 500 million won.
And it meant granting the surname of the continent's sole swordsmanship dynasty, Fioreene.
In a world where superhumans arose purely by chance, the title "swordsmanship dynasty" was uniquely prestigious.
Lorenzo had awakened to his strength and talent early on.
Even in the 2nd round without a hero system, he was called a "hero."
Not ranked like now, but still.
Obnoxious personality aside, his skills were the real deal.
He'd earned a countship on prowess alone.
Not just Lorenzo—any SS-rank hero could claim a noble title and fief through feats.
'But his skills still don't measure up to the 1st Party kids...'
He had adventured as a hero for ages and judged leaving his talents to posterity as humanity's long-term benefit.
Superhuman power and talent weren't hereditary, so it was pointless.
But absolutes didn't exist in the world.
By sheer miracle, Lorenzo's eldest son awakened as a superhuman at a very young age.
With talent rivaling his father's, no less.
One case was enough to earn the Fioreene family the "swordsmanship dynasty" name.
Lorenzo sowed many seeds after, but no other superhumans emerged.
His heir's awakening was pure luck.
'Lorenzo couldn't give it up. He'd invested too much in the lie of "swordsmanship dynasty," close to self-brainwashing. He was immensely proud of it.'
So he decided to grant his surname to others.
Bring talented, skilled individuals under his family banner.
The family's prestige would naturally rise.
Blood-related or not.
'It's laughable when you think deeply, but those who think deeply wouldn't fall for it.'
Some deliberately chased the noble perks Fioreene offered.
Villages like Arke tried artificially cultivating or creating superhumans, all influenced by Lorenzo.
He had proven intervention in awakening was possible, somehow.
'Especially since he boasted like an epic tale about harshly training his heir from childhood...'
From Lorenzo's family plans and heir's awakening to this tournament.
Everything matched the 2nd round perfectly.
Ian had attended as a spectator back then.
Pure curiosity.
He remembered the winner and key participants.
They were weaker than current Ian, so the tournament held little appeal.
But one thing.
'This Lorenzo... He's gonna die in a few years...'
That piqued interest.
In the 2nd round, Lorenzo died shortly after the tournament.
Murder.
Soon after, the famed Fioreene sword dynasty declined, and the rest were killed too.
How was that possible?
Even an arrogant braggart like Lorenzo had real skills.
His heir and even surname recipients included powerhouses.
'Who the hell did that...? If it's a dangerous element, better to know.'
As he pondered...
⚙ MEMORY CORRECTION ⚙ 'Poor Fioreene family. Who'd have thought it'd end like that, all unknown.' 'Who knew the whole house would die head-on.' 'By the way, is that true? I heard there's one sole survivor...' 'For sure. I saw her by chance at the tournament back then—a Fioreene. And she's still alive!' The memory correction ended there.
'...A survivor? From the Fioreene family?'
Why show this now?
The deduction wasn't hard.
The survivor hadn't lived by chance.
There was a crucial link between the Fioreene annihilation and that sole survivor.
'Back then, I just watched the duelists... Maybe I should go and scout thoroughly this time.'
He knew the winner, but things had changed from the 2nd round.
No guarantee of new talent, but worth checking.
'Scouting around seems worthwhile.'
The tournament doubled as a festival, perfect for Vivian and Helena to relax.
As he prepared to depart, a letter arrived.
From the Holy Emperor's direct Holy Knights Order captain, Razri.
Just the sender suggested it wasn't ordinary.
And indeed.
[(Omitted)... We've confirmed the forces restarting the Holy Unified State plan have temporarily allied with the 'Anti-Imperial Alliance' that plotted imperial rebellion. The shattered rebel factions have pooled strength and capital to cooperate on both plans...]
[...Below are details on some Anti-Imperial Alliance remnants who contacted the Holy Unified State. We haven't grasped the full picture yet. Please inform the imperial family, Apostle.]
...Henry Somerset, Gustav von Brehem.
Familiar surnames.
Offspring or kin of those Ian had denounced, reigniting rebellion.
'Less rebellion, more simple revenge, probably.'
Scanning the list, one name stopped him.
[...Lorenzo di Fioreene.]
......
Ian blanked for a moment.
Reading again confirmed it.
This made no sense.
Obnoxious and boastful, sure—but Lorenzo was a safety-first type.
Cowardly relative to his strength.
He avoided threatening situations altogether.
'Such a guy joining the Anti-Imperial Alliance, even the Holy Unified State...?'
Lorenzo's ego made religious zeal unlikely.
'Fioreene is in the central eastern inland. The Holy Unified State's key figure, Bertolt Schultz, is in the southeast diocese head. Not too far, but influence is iffy...'
Razri's captain wouldn't falsify reports.
Between Lorenzo and Bertolt... someone connected them.
'Who? No, more importantly, why's it blown up like this?'
Still, he was going to the tournament.
Whatever happened, he hoped to secure his targets safely.
Bonus if it stabilized the empire.
*
Kaily glared irritably at her visitor.
An notice lay before her.
[SS-Rank Hero Lorenzo di Fioreene's Tournament Duel Championship]
Unable to read, she had the guest explain.
After hearing it all, Kaily was dumbfounded.
"What do you want from me? Enter and kill them all?"
"N-No...! Not that! It's just..."
The man trembled, unable to continue.
Impatient under her glare, he finally spoke.
"As a judge, or perhaps as a VIP guest..."
"...Lorenzo wants me?"
Kaily's scowl deepened.
She and Lorenzo weren't on friendly terms, to put it mildly.
"Y-Yes... Precisely, well... I want to invite you, Lady Kaily... L-Lord Lorenzo hopes so too, but..."
"...You want me?"
Who the hell are you?
That's what it meant.
The man broke out in cold sweat and answered.
"G-Gustav... Gustav von Brehem. Remember the banquet last time? I was the one who..."
Too embarrassed to say it, Gustav formed a circle with thumb and forefinger.
Oblivious how crude it looked.
Kaily grimaced but understood.
One of the men who'd paid at Badenverk's "fun" banquet.
"Ahem..."
Gustav, embarrassed yet smug, thought he'd swayed her and grinned proudly.
Kaily drummed the table briefly, then spoke after a short thought.