Chapter 61: Behemoth (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 61: Behemoth (3)
“I don't need it.”
Cloud rejected Duke Oller's offer of sponsorship without a moment's hesitation.
The members of the Oller family, who had never imagined being rejected, were all flustered.
“Hero. Did you hear me correctly?”
“You said the Oller Ducal Family wants to officially sponsor me, right?”
“You heard correctly. Yes, none other than our Oller Ducal Family is offering to be your backer. And you're refusing?”
“I refuse.”
“Please reconsider!”
Callion slammed his hand on the desk and stood up, interrupting the conversation between the Duke and the Hero.
“Sir Hero, I understand you might feel burdened. But we are not just some insignificant family; we are the Oller Ducal Family. This will only benefit you, never harm you. So please, reconsider.”
“There's no need to reconsider. My decision won't change.”
“...Don't tell me you're already receiving sponsorship from another family?”
Was he receiving support from a family other than the Ollers? Was that why he was refusing their offer?
Cloud shook his head at Callion's insinuation.
“We aren't receiving sponsorship from any noble family.”
“Then...”
“And that includes the royal family.”
“...!”
Everyone from the ducal family, except for the Duke himself, froze as if struck by lightning.
The Duke also appeared composed, but a closer look revealed the corners of his mouth had tightened ever so slightly.
“Don't get the wrong idea. I have no intention of leaving the Prona Kingdom. I just don't like being indebted to the higher-ups.”
“...Haven't you already received a considerable sum from the royal family?”
He hadn't received any support since his transmigration, but it was a different story before that.
Cloud sighed.
“That's why it's a headache. I have no idea how I'm supposed to pay that back... Anyway, I have no intention of taking on more debt by accepting sponsorships. So let's drop the talk of support and get back to the Behemoth. When do you expect the other Heroes to arrive?”
“Sir Hero, again...”
“That's enough.”
The Duke stopped Callion.
Cloud's refusal to accept sponsorship seemed firm, and pressing the matter further would only earn their animosity.
The Duke dropped the subject of sponsorship and answered Cloud's question.
“I've requested they come as soon as possible, so they should be here within three weeks at the latest.”
“Three weeks...”
Cloud tapped the table with his index finger, lost in thought.
He looked at Duke Oller and asked.
“You said you have soldiers stationed in front of the forest, right?”
“That is correct.”
“Then assign a soldier to guide me there. You guys get ready to move, too. We're leaving as soon as we're packed.”
“Sir Hero, please wait. Are you saying you intend to wait for the other Heroes at the garrison, rather than waiting for them to join you here?”
Cloud answered Callion's question while pushing his chair under the table.
“You said the number of magical beasts has surged. It's a situation where they could pour out at any moment. We need to get there quickly and minimize the damage. When the other Heroes arrive, let them rest for a day and then send them straight to the garrison. If Gis or Lorian give you any shit, just use my name.”
“...We will do as you wish, Sir Hero. But while that may work for those two, we have no sway over Lady Frillite.”
A mere ducal family of the kingdom couldn't force the Empire's Hero, Frillite, to do anything, unlike the other Heroes.
Cloud let out a dry laugh at Callion's words.
“She'll probably want to leave immediately. Do whatever you can to stop her and make her rest for a day before sending her. If you tell her I asked, she'll likely listen without a fuss.”
With that, Cloud left the dining table.
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
Eri, Neria, and Ophelia cautiously stood up and left as well.
The forest where the number of beastly magical creatures had surged.
It wasn't far from the Oller Ducal Family's city, only about a two-hour ride on horseback.
“Are you Sir Hero Cloud? I am Randolph Ark, the commander of this garrison.”
Randolph extended his hand inside the commander's tent. The gracefully aged, elderly knight exuded the air of a seasoned veteran.
I shook his hand.
“Cloud, the Hero. Your surname is Ark? Are you from a vassal family of the Oller Duchy?”
“That is correct.”
“To think the ducal family would entrust command of an operation this size to a vassal family instead of taking it themselves. You must be quite trusted.”
“I receive more trust than I deserve.”
Randolph gave a bitter smile.
He must know it himself.
That the reason he was given command wasn't so much due to the ducal family's trust in him, but more their intention to protect their own hides.
If not for that reason, there would be no cause for a direct heir of the ducal family to be absent from a battlefield like this, where one could make a great name for themselves in the kingdom.
From the soldiers' perspective, an experienced old veteran is better than some greenhorn brat.
But from the standpoint of a vassal family serving the Duke, they must be wondering if this is right.
“We've just arrived, so we're not familiar with the situation. I'd appreciate a detailed briefing.”
I decided not to give him time to dwell on negative thoughts.
“Understood. You may have heard some things already, but the situation on the ground is always different. Let's head out. I'll explain on the way to the tent where you and your party will be staying.”
Once outside the tent, Randolph began to explain as he led us.
“The number of mobilized soldiers is approximately 6,000.”
“That's quite a lot.”
“We've mobilized more than half of the ducal family's forces. That's how serious this situation is. The problem is that the forest is so vast that even this number isn't enough to cover it completely. We could try to force it, but...”
“The defense line would become flimsy. Then breaches would start appearing one by one, and if that continues...”
“It would become a scene of utter chaos.”
Chaos would be a blessing.
The moment the defense line collapses, a massacre will follow.
Because a human army that isn't unified is nothing more than a disorderly mob.
“How are you dealing with the magical beasts that slip through the gaps in the defense line?”
“We're sending knights to take care of them.”
“Have the residents of the nearby villages been evacuated?”
“All the residents from the five villages near the forest have been safely evacuated to the city.”
“That's a relief.”
Now I can focus entirely on the Behemoth without worrying about other things.
As I was thinking that, I noticed Randolph looking at me with a surprised expression.
“What is it?”
“...It's just that your demeanor is contrary to the rumors I've heard. It seems rumors truly can't be trusted. To think I'd be swayed by such gossip at my age... It's quite embarrassing.”
“Nothing to be embarrassed about. It's true I was a total wreck until a few years ago.”
“A wreck? Such...”
Just as Randolph was looking troubled by my self-deprecation...
“Commander! We're under attack by magical beasts!”
A soldier on horseback galloped up and reported the situation.
Randolph's expression turned serious.
“Which defense line was it?”
“The third defense line! The number of beasts is greater than expected, and they're struggling to hold on.”
“Understood. We're heading there immediately. Sir Hero, please wait in your tent.”
“No. We're going too.”
“...It could be dangerous.”
“Are you lecturing a Hero about danger?”
Randolph hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“Understood.”
My party and I mounted our horses and rode with Randolph and the reinforcements toward the third defense line.
Before long, we could see soldiers engaged in a fierce battle at the forest's entrance.
A line of shield-bearing soldiers held back the beasts at the front, while the soldiers behind them stabbed and slashed with swords and spears.
The soldiers were doing their best to hold the line, but the number of beasts was overwhelming.
The defense line was so precarious it looked like it could break at any moment.
“Thankfully, we made it in time. All troops! Quickly join the...”
I whipped my horse.
Even as I neared the defense line, my horse's speed didn't slow; it accelerated. I stood up on the galloping horse. Watching for the right moment, I kicked off and leaped.
-Sir Hero!
By the time I heard Randolph's shocked voice, I had already vaulted over the defense line.
I landed in an empty space behind the pack of beasts.
-Grrrrr...
Wary of the human who had suddenly appeared, the beasts only bared their sharp teeth, not daring to charge.
Thanks to that, I was able to assess their condition.
As I thought, these aren't ordinary beastly magical creatures.
Their muscles were abnormally large, some had grown horns, and others had hardened hides.
They were enhanced in various ways.
It was probably because of the Behemoth's appearance.
With superior numbers, they can even kill knights.
Looking around carefully, I could see the torn corpses of knights strewn across the ground.
There weren't many.
I estimated about four of them.
Seeing their bodies here, it seems they had intended to annihilate the beast pack while the soldiers held the line.
-Grrr...
-Bark!
The beasts began to move.
A wolf with large horns, a boar with thick muscles on its forelegs, and a tiger baring its sharp fangs lunged at me simultaneously.
I drew my sword.
[Wild Strike]
In a single breath, I lopped off the heads of three beasts. No matter how much they were enhanced by the Behemoth, my level was on a different plane now.
===========
Lv.42
Strength: D(312)+(62)
Agility: D(301)
Stamina: E(266)
Magic Power: E(248)
============
My stats, which I checked after leaving the dungeon.
These were my base stats, excluding any effects from equipment or accessories.
Against these beastly magical creatures, whose levels and stats were far below mine, I no longer needed to use single-target skills like [Wolf Slayer].
A multi-target skill like [Wild Strike] was more than enough to kill them in a single blow.
I plunged into the midst of the beasts and swung my sword.
.
.
.
.
.
“Neria, did you bring a towel?”
“Yes. I brought one. I'll wipe you down.”
“It's fine, I'll do it myself.”
“Oh... okay...”
“Sir Hero, are you injured anywhere?”
“I got bitten and scratched all over. Numbers are a bitch.”
“Thankfully, they're minor injuries. I'll heal you right away.”
The ground was covered in the blood and corpses of dozens of magical beasts. Standing atop that gruesome scene, the Hero and his party members chatted nonchalantly.
The soldiers who witnessed the sight were utterly dumbfounded.
Randolph, in particular, was staring at the Hero in astonishment.
He had decided to dismiss the rumors about Cloud as mere gossip. But no matter how false they were, there had to be a reason he was called the Incompetent Hero, right?
Even if Cloud showed a cool-headed side, he had thought his martial prowess would be weak.
But far from being weak, he had single-handedly repelled a horde of beasts that had devoured even knights.
Randolph cautiously asked Cloud.
“Sir Hero. Can the other Heroes also handle something like this so easily?”
Cloud paused wiping the blood from his body. He glanced at the beast corpses littering the ground.
“Yeah.”
He answered as if it were obvious.
Randolph opened his mouth to ask something else, but then closed it.
He couldn't think of anything to say.
After arriving at the garrison, I spent my time dealing with the magical beasts that targeted the defense lines.
After about a week of this, Gis's party arrived at the garrison. Contrary to my expectation that he would start bothering me right away, Gis didn't show his face.
Instead, someone else came to bother me.
“Alright, Adreana Salier. I get that you want to talk. But did you have to come in the middle of the night?”
Gis's companion had come to my tent in the dead of night, saying she wanted to talk.
It was the same with Neria and Ophelia, and now her too.
Do all the people involved with Gis forget the concept of time?
Just come in the morning, please. You fucking bastards...
“The pommel of your sword. Where did you get it?”
Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, Adreana just said what she wanted to say.
Fucking bitch...
When I sighed and didn't answer, she continued.
“You inherited it from your mother, didn't you?”
“That's right. But what's it to you?”
“...Didn't your mother explain it to you?”
“Explain? I think she was about to say something... but she passed away before she could.”
I told a convenient lie to figure out why Adreana had come.
At that, she clicked her tongue, pointed at my pommel, and began to explain.
“The crest on your pommel. That's the crest of my Salier family. That pommel is a gift my father gives to the women he shares his affection with. Do you understand now why I'm here?”
I understood.
So the owner of this pommel is an illegitimate child of the Salier family.
But the real owner of this pommel died in the Four-Way Struggle for Love, and I just picked it up. Because of that, she's mistaking me for her half-brother.
In that case, what I had to do was simple.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-four.”
“Big sis!”
“Kyaa?!”
I threw my arms around Adreana in a tight hug.
I've got a big sis now.
One I share no blood with.