Chapter 174: Nightmare (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 174: Nightmare (10)
“An emergency summons?”
Elipheed nodded at Han Jisu’s puzzled tone.
“A carrier pigeon arrived from the Imperial Palace. They want us back immediately.”
“First they rush us out here without a moment’s rest, and now they’re nagging us to come back? They should make up their minds.”
Han Jisu clicked his tongue and rose from the table. Ash stood up to follow him.
“Are you planning to leave right away?”
“Our business here is done, so there’s no reason to linger. Let’s head back quickly and enjoy the soft beds of the Imperial Palace for the first time in a while.”
With that, he unhesitatingly opened the inn’s door and stepped outside.
The soldiers guarding the entrance bowed their heads.
—Sir Hero?
—It’s the Hero!
Hearing the soldiers’ voices, the townspeople began to gather one by one. Before long, he was completely surrounded.
—Our town is safe thanks to you, Sir Hero.
—My daughter is alive. Thank you.
Watching them offer their thanks, Elipheed wore a bored expression.
“What’s so interesting that you all keep gathering like this? It’s not like he’s that handsome.”
“You’ve got a fucking sharp tongue, you bastard.”
“Bastard? Hero, I’ve lived five hundred years longer than you. I’m not asking for honorifics, but could you at least show some basic courtesy?”
“And you’re so proud of being that old and still so immature.”
“What?”
Elipheed’s gaze turned murderous. It was always like this when he used her age to mock her. It might have worked the first time, but Han Jisu was used to it now, so he simply looked away and ignored her.
“Alright, that’s enough chatter. Let’s get going… huh?”
Han Jisu’s gaze fell downward. A little girl had suddenly appeared, holding out a piece of paper folded in half.
He asked the child, “Is this a letter?”
The girl nodded, her face flushed. Han Jisu chuckled and accepted the letter.
—Oh, Yeni. Good for you.
Hearing a voice from the crowd, the girl grew shy and bolted away.
So her name is Yeni.
Han Jisu unfolded the letter. The handwriting was so crooked it was hard to make out the words. Still, one phrase was written clearly.
—Thank you.
“...”
He stared blankly at the words for a long time, until Ash, unable to watch any longer, shook his shoulder.
“Sir Hero.”
“…Huh? What is it?”
“You were thinking about it again, weren’t you?”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Yes, you were. It’s obvious. Sir Hero, it wasn’t your fault. If you have to choose between saving Beastmen and saving humans, it’s only natural to save the humans, isn’t it?”
“...”
The Hero’s party was currently split in two. Asgarth, Jeral, and Felix were on the southern front.
Han Jisu, Ash, and Elipheed were deployed to the southeastern front.
There, they received news that the monsters of the Black Mushroom Forest had begun to rampage.
They were given two choices.
Save the human village, or save the Beastman village.
They couldn’t split their forces.
The monsters were too numerous, and a half-hearted deployment wouldn’t have been enough to prevent casualties in either village.
After much deliberation, Han Jisu decided to save the human village. There was no special reason for his decision.
It was simply because the human village had more people than the Beastman village.
That was all.
It was a bitter pill to swallow, failing to protect the Beastman village, but even if he could go back in time, he wouldn’t change his choice.
And so, he forced himself to shake off the heavy guilt.
“Ash, haven’t I told you to stop talking about Beastmen in such a condescending way?”
“Ah…! I-I’m sorry…!”
Ash clapped a hand over her mouth as if she’d made a terrible mistake. Han Jisu suppressed a sigh. It wasn’t her fault.
The culture of persecuting Beastmen was deeply rooted in this world, especially within religious circles. The fact that she, the Commander of the Holy Knights, was even trying to follow his words was remarkable in itself.
“It’s fine, just be careful in front of Jeral. Don’t get into another fight and get your teeth knocked out like last time.”
“That was because he started it—”
“Ash?”
“…Yes.”
Ash’s shoulders slumped dejectedly. She looked like a sad puppy, which was rather cute. Han Jisu smiled and patted her head.
“That’s enough chit-chat. Let’s get going.”
He gave her a few gentle pats and was about to turn and leave when Ash leaned her head into his hand. When Han Jisu tilted his head in confusion, Ash spoke, her face slightly flushed.
“W-would you mind petting me a little more?”
“Huh? Ah… s-sure…”
His own face turning red, Han Jisu began stroking Ash’s head again.
Watching them, Elipheed narrowed her eyes.
“For fuck’s sake…”
She suddenly missed her lover, Jeral.
*
There is a weapon that can be called the symbol of the Hero.
The Holy Sword.
A sacred blade imbued with the power of the Goddess.
Heroes use the power of this sword to vanquish the wicked demons.
For heroes summoned from another world with no combat experience, it is an absolutely indispensable weapon.
However, the current Hero, Han Jisu, has not only never wielded the Holy Sword, but he has never even seen it.
This was because the previous Hero had taken the Demon King down with him in a final, mutual annihilation, and the Holy Sword was never recovered. Thanks to this, Han Jisu had to struggle on the battlefield as a half-a-hero without a Holy Sword.
But that was all about to end.
The humans had finally discovered the location where the Holy Sword was hidden.
If the Hero who led them to victory in the war even without the Holy Sword were to finally obtain it?
The higher-ups believed the answer was obvious.
And so, they gave the Hero’s party their orders.
—The Hero’s party shall infiltrate the Demon Realm and retrieve the Holy Sword!
Thus, for the sake of stealth, the Hero’s party infiltrated the Demon Realm with just six members. But moving covertly in the unfamiliar Demon Realm was next to impossible.
*
“Looks like I hit the jackpot.”
A demon, clad head-to-toe in armor with even his steed covered in black plate, burst into laughter.
The 4th Legion Commander, Erikis.
He was one of the most skilled fighters in the Demon King’s army.
“…Did you come alone?” Han Jisu asked, scanning their surroundings. It was a desolate wasteland where not a single blade of grass grew. Aside from his party and the 4th Legion Commander, there wasn’t another living soul in sight.
“Of course! You think I’d let anyone else interfere with this much fun?”
“Is that so?”
Han Jisu shot a quick glance at Elipheed. Understanding his signal, she nodded. To buy more time, Han Jisu continued speaking.
“Does your presence here mean the Demon King’s army knows we’ve invaded the Demon Realm?”
“I wouldn’t say we ‘know.’ We just found your absence from the battlefield suspicious and decided to do a little digging on our own. I only came here on a hunch.”
A hunch that had paid off.
Erikis grinned and licked his lips.
“Jackpot? More like you drew the short straw.”
The moment Elipheed struck the ground with the tip of her staff, palm-sized, violet magic circles appeared all over the area.
[Iron Shackles]
Clang—!
Purple chains shot out from the magic circles, binding Erikis. Before he could react, the Hero’s party moved. Ash, Felix, Han Jisu, and Asgarth charged him simultaneously.
Three blades drew arcs through the air, aiming for his neck, heart, and abdomen. A massive fist, meant to crush his head, tore through the air.
Clang—! Thwack!
A dull thud.
The swords all bounced off, and Asgarth’s cannonball-like fist only managed to shake Erikis’s head slightly.
Han Jisu frowned.
“How is he so tough?”
He had never encountered a creature that couldn’t be cut even by a sword infused with aura.
“Khahaha! It’s been a while since I found someone worth hitting! All the ones I’ve met lately have been so soft, it was no fun at all. This is perfect. I’ll beat you until you’re tender.”
Asgarth cracked his knuckles.
“You’re going to beat me until my body is tender? That doesn’t sound half bad.”
The corners of Erikis’s eyes curved into a smile. Sensing danger, Han Jisu moved his sword to strike at Erikis’s neck again, but Erikis’s ploy was faster.
“But it’s no fun if you have all the time in the world.”
A black magic circle materialized above Erikis’s head.
From it, a cylindrical coffin in the shape of a woman slowly emerged.
Click.
The coffin opened, revealing its interior.
It was densely studded with iron spikes arranged in five layers.
Swoosh—!
Chains suddenly shot out from the dark interior of the coffin and wrapped around Elipheed.
“Huh?”
Before she could even resist, she was dragged swiftly inside.
“W-what is this?!”
Elipheed’s eyes were wide with confusion, unable to comprehend the situation. That was the last her party ever saw of her face.
Clank.
The coffin slammed shut.
“KYAAAAAAAAAAK!!!”
A bloodcurdling scream echoed as tears of blood streamed from the eyes of the iron maiden.
Grind. Grind.
The five layers studded with iron spikes began to rotate one by one, out of sync.
“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK—!!!!”
Even though her body must have been ground to pieces by the spikes, Elipheed’s agonized screams showed no sign of stopping.
A torture where death was not permitted.
<Authority>
[Iron Maiden]
Erikis smiled menacingly and said, “The time limit will be until that elf’s screams finally stop.”