Chapter 282
Chapter Title: Beneath the Crimson Moon
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282
“If the Giant King Gias has really appeared, isn’t it dangerous for the second-year Hero Academy students to proceed with their training?”
Mel asked in a worried tone.
A legion commander of Tartaros was a terrifying monster in and of itself, but what was even more threatening was the demonic legion they commanded.
If a legion commander was on the move, it was highly likely their legion was as well.
“You don’t need to worry about that. Even if he has made a move, the probability of him moving his legion is extremely low.”
“Why is that?”
“Gias only moves his legion when he intends to wage war.”
Back in the Age of Calamity.
Leo had participated in countless wars against Tartaros.
During that era, war with the demons was a daily occurrence.
But in all those numerous battles, he could count on one hand the number of times he had faced the Giant King’s legion.
“A behemoth that size can’t move without being spotted. That forces him to be cautious. Naturally, he has to be cautious about moving his legion as well.”
Leo’s eyes narrowed.
“Of course, his disposition might have changed over the last 5,000 years… but given that he’s never once left his name in the annals of history, I’d say it hasn’t.”
Mel nodded at Leo’s words.
“Still, it’s better to be on guard. Mel, could you keep an eye on the Erdiene Mountains?”
At his words, Mel bent a knee and bowed her head slightly.
“As you command, Lord Leo.”
***
In the tavern, the dwarves of Tarqam were drinking and chatting merrily.
Tarqam was home to many walks of life.
From artisans who crafted weapons to merchants and miners who worked in the mountains.
There were even warriors who hunted monsters.
But being on the fringe of dwarven territory, it was extremely rare to see other races.
That was why all the dwarves stared with curiosity at those entering the tavern.
*Thump!*
“Oof!”
Karl, who had been leading the way into the tavern, smacked his head on the low doorframe.
“A-Are you okay?”
“How pathetic!”
Eiran rushed to Karl in alarm, while Driana burst out laughing at the sight.
Eiran conjured her mana and placed a hand on Karl’s forehead.
Driana, too, took out an ointment from her pouch.
“Apply this. The swelling will go down quickly.”
“Th-Thanks.”
Karl rubbed the ointment Driana gave him on his forehead.
Lunia and Ar muttered as they took in the subtly low ceiling and small furniture.
“It really feels like a dwarven city.”
“It’s different from Dweronia, though.”
The buildings in Dweronia weren’t much different from those of other races.
Seeing the two girls’ confusion, Driana laughed heartily.
“Dweronia is a city frequented by other races, so many of its buildings are built to their standards, making it less obvious. It’s a city where various cultures come together, a true culmination of the arts.”
“That has nothing to do with art.”
Lunia shot back, but Driana paid her no mind.
“But Tarqam is a purely dwarven city. Since other races rarely visit, everything is tailored to dwarves.”
With that, Driana went to an empty table and sat down.
The table and chair were slightly small, but they seemed to be the perfect size once she was seated.
Of course, when the rest of the party sat down, it looked quite comical.
“The spoons and forks are small, too.”
Eiran remarked, fascinated.
“Only the mugs are big.”
Karl muttered, looking at the mugs the dwarves were drinking from.
Just then, a server came, took their order, and left.
They ordered something that would pass for a meal and waited.
All the while, the gazes of the dwarves in the tavern were fixed on their party.
Other races were a rarity in Tarqam.
So if those other races happened to be students from a famous Hero Academy, they were bound to attract even more attention.
As the dwarves stared at the group with curiosity, murmuring amongst themselves, it happened.
“Is it my time to shine?”
A smug Karl stood up from his seat.
“I’m going to go get some information about the rumors.”
Speaking confidently, Karl approached a dwarf who was enjoying a drink alone.
“Hello there.”
“Well now, a human. Judging by your clothes, you’re a Lumerne student, right? What’s a human hero-in-training doing in a place like this?”
When a dwarf who looked like a miner struck up a conversation, Karl replied in a friendly manner.
“I’m here for a mission. I heard a giant monster appeared in Tarqam recently!”
“It appeared, all right! But that’s just a tall tale! Where would you find a monster that big?”
As the dwarf guffawed, Karl grinned.
“Still, there must be plenty of rumors, right? Tell me about them. I’ll buy you a beer.”
“Oho! This one’s got the right attitude! Alright!”
Liking Karl’s friendly approach, the dwarf readily agreed to talk about the rumors.
Watching this, Eiran was full of admiration.
“Sir Karl is amazing, as always!”
“Even I can do that much.”
Lunia replied sulkily.
Seeing this, Driana commented.
“Don’t young ladies from prestigious elven families have trouble with this sort of thing?”
“Hmph. Just watch. I’ll show you I can do it.”
Provoked, Lunia stood up and approached another group of dwarves.
“Hey. I’m a student dispatched from Seirun because of the rumors about the giant monster. Can you tell me anything about it? If you do, your drinks are on me tonight.”
“Get lost. We’re not so poor we need you to buy us drinks.”
Lunia returned with a shocked expression.
“Wh-Why did I fail?”
“If you ask me, your attitude was too condescending. You must have offended them.”
Lunia was taken aback by Driana’s critique.
“What’s condescending about my attitude? Back home, elves are always happy to help when I talk like this!”
“That’s because you’re a student of Seirun. Besides, dwarves and elves generally don’t get along. The Seirun name doesn’t carry any weight here.”
“Ugh!”
Just as Lunia’s shoulders slumped, Ar chortled and crossed her arms.
“As expected, the high-and-mighty elf princess can’t handle this kind of work! Watch and learn from me!”
Lunia shot a frustrated look at the gloating Ar.
Ar strode confidently toward three dwarven mercenaries.
“Hello there! You handsome uncles! I have something I’m curious about!”
“What! Uncles?!”
“We’re women!”
“You damn cat!”
“Mrow?!”
The drunken dwarven mercenaries, incensed by Ar’s words, lunged at her.
Startled, Ar apologized frantically before returning with a long face.
“They were obviously women, and you called them uncles? Idiot.”
“Truly foolish!”
“Don’t call me an idiooooot!”
Ar shouted, her face flushed red at Lunia’s and Driana’s comments.
“I-I’ll try this time.”
“Eiran? What’s gotten into you? I’ve never seen you so proactive about this sort of thing.”
When Lunia asked with a surprised look, Eiran replied in a nervous voice.
“Um… I’ve actually always wanted to try something like this!”
Her eyes sparkling, Eiran approached an old dwarf.
“I’m worried.”
Lunia muttered.
But Eiran returned after having a pleasant chat with the old dwarf.
“Eiran! You did great! So? Did you hear anything?”
“Yes! I heard a lot of new stories about Lord Dweno!”
Losing sight of her objective and returning like a child who had just been told stories by her grandfather, Eiran’s joyful demeanor made Lunia let out a deep sigh.
“You, your name was Driana, right? You try.”
“The despairing man is doing a fine job. Why should I waste my energy?”
Driana shrugged.
Her point was perfectly valid.
Just then, Leo returned to the tavern, sat down, and said.
“Having fun?”
“We’re not playing around! We’re gathering information.”
Lunia glared at Leo.
Meanwhile, Karl approached with a broad smile.
“I’m back! Leo, you’re here?”
“From the look on your face, it seems you had some satisfactory results.”
“Hmph, of course.”
“Wow! That’s amazing, Sir Karl. We all failed!”
Eiran said in admiration.
Karl looked at them with a puzzled expression.
“I don’t get it. You just have to ask. What’s there to fail at…?”
“A-Anyway! So what did you hear?”
“Yeah! Hurry up and tell us!”
Lunia and Ar hastily changed the subject.
Looking at the two of them, Karl cleared his throat with an “Ahem!” and said.
“First off, it seems the guards on duty weren’t the only ones who saw the monster.”
“What?”
“A lot of people in the city saw it too. Though it was late, so most of them were drunk.”
Hearing Karl’s words, Eiran shrank back a little, as if scared.
“If there were that many witnesses, maybe it really was a monster, right? Like the Giant King from Tartaros.”
“No. It couldn’t have been the Giant King.”
Lunia shook her head.
“I don’t know how massive the Giant King is, but he must be enormous to be called that, right? For a monster that size to use spatial teleportation, it would have to leave behind a ripple of mana. But they said the monster vanished in the blink of an eye.”
Lunia crossed her arms.
“Could it be that they all experienced a mass hallucination?”
Driana nodded at Lunia’s words.
“That’s plausible.”
“What happened to the drunks who saw the monster?”
“They sobered up, but since it disappeared from their sight in an instant, they seem to have dismissed it as seeing things.”
“And what’s the condition of the guards who witnessed it from the walls?”
At Leo’s question, Karl crossed his arms.
“They all had mental breakdowns and are in the hospital.”
“Mental breakdowns, huh? That’s a symptom of seeing a high-ranking demon.”
“Do you know which hospital?”
“It’s difficult right now. I’ll find out by tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks.”
Leo nodded.
*‘The most important thing right now is whether the Giant King actually came to the Erdiene Mountains. If their mental breakdown was caused by the terror of seeing him, there might be faint traces of his dark magic left on them. If he really is on the move… there must be a reason. Something important enough for him to move personally would be….’*
Leo’s eyes narrowed.
*‘It would have to be something that could overturn the current balance of power.’*
***
*Thud—! Thud—!*
In the dead of night, the earth trembled.
A colossal monster, one that seemed tall enough to touch the sky, was on the move.
*Thud—!*
The Giant King, Gias, stopped walking and looked up at the sky.
What hung in the heavens was not a pure white moon.
It was a blood-red moon, ominous beyond compare.
Looking at it, the monster opened its mouth.
“GROOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!”
A terrifying roar echoed in all directions.
A look of ecstasy appeared in Gias’s eyes.
The sight of the red moon, for the first time in 5,000 years, was enough to fill Gias with a sense of elation.
How long had it been since he had reveled in this wanton freedom!
The era when that red moon hung in the night sky was their era.
An era where they did not have to hide!
An era when this world was theirs!
But even though he had returned to that era, Gias could not be satisfied.
Freedom in a fake world like this was no true freedom at all.
“How I miss it! Our era!”
Gias roared, thinking of the hateful beings who had usurped their time.
“This time, I will have my revenge on you.”
The corners of his mouth twisted into a hideous grin.
“Wait for me, Divine Blacksmith.”