Chapter 50
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Fairy Forest (3)
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From the moment I first entered the dungeon, I'd felt it, but this place didn't resemble a typical dungeon at all. It evoked the image of ancient ruins.
Ruins that had crumbled over a long passage of time and been buried beneath the earth to form this space.
That was exactly what this place was.
'If I hadn't borrowed the torch from Vince, it would have been a real struggle.'
Without the torch Vince had prepared, the pitch-black darkness would have made it nearly impossible to navigate the long stretch ahead.
After walking for a while, Gransesia, bored by the empty passageway stretching on endlessly, spoke up.
[But is this Damian guy really that strong?]
Gransesia and Damian had lived in the same era, but Damian had only begun to make his name known after Gransesia's death, so she knew nothing about him.
"Of course. The Continental Seven Heroes essentially began with Damian Viet."
Sword God Damian Viet.
Countless tales surrounded him, but the most famous was how he traveled across the entire continent, challenging the strong wherever he went.
[There's actually someone who went through all that hassle?]
"Not just the western continent—he even went east in search of worthy opponents. The astonishing part is that in all those battles, he never lost once."
From the stories about Damian, he seemed like a man who knew no satisfaction. No matter how powerful his foe, he was said to always say the same thing after victory.
"It's not enough. This won't get me there."
[Get him there?]
"No idea what that meant. In the end, after his long journey, Damian settled in the Asktalin Empire for a time."
Naturally, people showed interest in Damian, who had fought so many powerful foes, and asked him.
Among all those you fought, who was the strongest?
To that question, Damian replied:
"I can't name the strongest, but there are six who were worthy adversaries."
[So those six plus Damian made the Seven Heroes?]
"Exactly. People called them the Continental Seven Heroes out of admiration for Damian and those six."
A title referring to the seven strongest warriors on the continent.
That was the Continental Seven Heroes.
The name had been passed down through the ages and remained an object of aspiration even now.
"To claim one of those spots, you have to defeat one of the current Seven Heroes and earn their recognition. It's no easy seat to take."
There was one exception.
The Asktalin imperial family had held one of those seats for generations.
[Well, they're descendants of dragons, so that makes sense. But Damian... I've felt something familiar about him for a while now.]
It was a vague reaction, but nothing specific came to mind right away.
'But how far down does this go?'
The path that appeared after passing the traps was longer than expected.
We'd been walking through the impenetrable darkness for what felt like ages, yet nothing special had shown up.
'No monster presences either. What the hell is down here?'
Even the Synopsis wasn't clear on that.
What was certain was that Fabian had learned swordsmanship from Damian here.
Afterward, an incident occurred in this place—not resolved by Fabian, but by Damian—and its aftermath led Damian to leave the world.
[But Damian lived hundreds of years ago. How is he still alive?]
"Maybe someone of ancient Seven Hero status found a way. Your body hasn't aged a bit either, after all."
Gransesia's corpse, from the same era as Damian, hadn't rotted or aged; it was preserved in the form of a young woman.
So I figured Damian must have found some method to sustain his life.
[...Well, we'll find out when we see for ourselves.]
I agreed with Gransesia.
And so, I continued down the dark passage.
How much time passed?
It felt like about an hour when I finally reached a massive cavern.
"This place..."
The vast hemispherical space was utterly bizarre. When I shone the torch around, bright light reflected from every direction.
"No way—is everything surrounding this place made of mithril?"
It was absurd. I knew there was a mithril vein here, but I never imagined it being used like this.
[Wow, what a massive waste of money.]
"It's not about the money. Creating something like this requires real skill."
Mithril was tough and highly attuned to magic.
Refining it naturally demanded exceptional technique.
And to line an entire cavern like this? That was no small feat.
"There has to be a reason for making something like this. Definitely something..."
I stopped mid-sentence.
Something was moving in the darkness.
[No way—is that 'Damian' you were talking about?]
Gransesia's tone was distinctly displeased.
It was understandable.
Whatever was approaching me from the shadows was no ordinary human, no matter how you looked at it.
Armor and a helmet encased its entire body.
Peeking through the gaps was flesh rotted to ruin.
"Who are you?"
Its voice was harsh, like metal scraping against metal.
Less a human voice and more the howl of wind echoing through cracks.
"How did you reach this place?"
I was too stunned that the thing could speak to respond.
And rightly so, because that thing was...
[A Death Knight.]
Just as Gransesia said.
A knight who had forsaken human dignity to attain immense power.
'I've never heard of Death Knights that can talk.'
Knights didn't usually become Death Knights willingly.
But black mages sometimes turned powerful knights' corpses into them, sparking major incidents each time.
"Who might you be?"
I'd already guessed the Death Knight's identity but played dumb and spoke up.
"Calm one, aren't you. Not afraid of me?"
"No hostility from you means I can stay calm."
At my words, the jaw visible beneath his helmet clattered as it moved.
Was that a laugh?
"I wondered what kind of human made it this far. You're an interesting one."
With that, he slowly removed his helmet.
Beneath it emerged a half-rotted face. Hideous, yet traces of his former self remained vivid.
"I am Damian Viet. What is your name?"
[...Huh?]
For some reason, Gransesia seemed startled by his calm self-introduction.
Curious as I was, introducing myself to Damian came first. He being a Death Knight was unexpected, but that didn't change him being one of the past Seven Heroes.
"I am Clay Banheart. I never imagined I'd meet the Sword God, one of the Seven Heroes, in a place like this."
"Seven Heroes... So that pointless title is still remembered."
"It's not just remembered—the seats of the Seven Heroes are still passed down today, honoring the heroes of old."
"Amusing."
He sneered, replacing his helmet.
"So, what brings you here? You didn't come without reason."
"I came at the request of the Fairy Queen Beatrice."
"Beatrice? Ah, yes. There was a fairy forest nearby."
"Not nearby—this dungeon is inside the Fairy Forest."
"...Has the forest grown over time? Makes sense."
He probably hadn't left this dungeon in ages.
'What has Damian been doing here all this time?'
Questions swirled, but I needed to explain the situation to Damian first. Beatrice's request had to be fulfilled.
"According to Beatrice, a wicked aura leaks from here periodically. But this time, despite the cycle, nothing has happened."
"So you came to investigate why?"
"Yes."
He nodded slowly at my answer.
"I see. But explaining will take some time."
With that, he turned.
"Follow me first. I'll tell you the reason."
The situation unfolding smoothly, I let out a sigh of relief.
'When I saw he was a Death Knight, I wondered how it'd go...'
If it had been a mindless one, just the thought was terrifying. Even if I had an edge over undead summons, there were limits.
[Yeah, that name sounded familiar...]
Then Gransesia muttered weakly under her breath.
'You knew him?'
[Yeah. But the Damian I remember would never become something like a Death Knight... There must be a reason.]
Her words carried a hint of longing and sorrow.
Gransesia seemed more shocked by his Death Knight state than his Seven Hero status.
I didn't think much of it, but as a priestess, it must have hit her differently.
'We'll know once we follow and hear his story.'
[Yeah, got it.]
Her uncharacteristically compliant response felt refreshing.
At the same time, it was clear Damian held significant meaning for her.
* * *
"Sorry, but this is a place for the dead only—no hospitality to offer."
"No problem."
Following him led to a room of moderate size.
He must have lived here long-term; ordinary furniture was arranged inside.
'All mithril.'
As I stared, Damian spoke.
"Mithril doesn't rot or rust over long periods—best suited for it. Not trying to show off."
"Ah, sorry."
"No need to apologize. You must have questions for me?"
He sat facing me, his sword propped against the wall.
"First, about the aura not leaking—it's because the bastard is gathering power here longer than usual."
"Bastard?"
"Rugal Necris. Master of black magic, now a lich endlessly resurrecting."
Dark Lord Rugal Necris.
As expected, Damian's presence here tied to him.
Damian becoming a Death Knight was shocking enough, but Rugal a lich too? Totally unforeseen.
Hearing that far sparked one suspicion.
"...No way—did the Dark Lord Rugal turn you into a Death Knight, Sir Damian?"
"That bastard did this to me? Ha, funny joke. You think I'd lose to him?"
"No, but..."
"Fair enough. Only someone of his caliber could turn me into this. I get it."
He crossed his arms, nodded, then dropped a bombshell.
"I became a Death Knight of my own will."
Willfully?
Stunned, I barely managed to speak.
"So, Sir Damian, you stayed here to stop Rugal."
"Ho, sharp."
"Not really. Anyone hearing your story would figure it out."
The exact details were unclear, but the circumstances made it obvious.
'How it happened doesn't matter to me anyway.'
Beatrice's worry was uncertainty about some catastrophe.
But if everything stemmed from Rugal—and Damian was blocking it—there was no issue.
Rugal might revive endlessly, but he'd meet death at Damian's hands each time.
'The request is basically done.'
All that remained was learning swordsmanship from Damian.
Or so it should have been...
'This is insane.'
I couldn't hold back a curse upon checking the plausibility for Damian's swordsmanship, 'Severing Moon Divine Sword,' in Setting Addition.
==
[Severing Moon Divine Sword]
Required Plausibility
1. Spar with Damian Viet 50 times
2. Acquire at least 1 ultimate technique of Severing Moon Divine Sword
3. Deliver the finishing blow to Rugal Necris
==
The first two? Fine, understandable.
The first was grindy, but repeatable over time.
The second could be taken slowly.
But the third... what? Land the final blow on that Dark Lord Rugal?
'I'm screwed.'
That single thought echoed relentlessly in my mind.