Chapter 468
Chapter Title: The Executioners of Justice
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468.
After his audience with the king, Jerome walked leisurely down the palace corridor.
The woman who had reported the news of victory to King Petiman followed behind him.
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“Do I look that way?”
Jerome said, stroking his beaming face.
“Yes. You look genuinely happy. Isn’t this merely a small victory for you?”
“It is. For me, it is just a small victory.”
He had presented this victory as a monumental event to King Petiman, but from Jerome’s perspective, it was an insignificant win.
A hero was a being with the power to change the tide of a battlefield single-handedly.
And Jerome Cardium was the guild master of Justice, a guild to which such heroes belonged.
He was the leader of the great heroes who transformed and guided the world.
Verin, the royal court mage of the Petiman Kingdom, couldn't understand why Jerome, a man of such power and influence, was so pleased by this minor victory.
“But this victory was achieved not by our strength, but by Petiman’s. While it may be a trivial win by my standards, its value to the Petiman Kingdom is worth its weight in gold.”
“Ah.”
Verin clasped her hands and let out a soft gasp.
“Sir Jerome. How could you think of such a thing….”
Compared to a hero, she was like a firefly in the night sky, but a royal court mage was by no means a low-ranking position.
She had also had opportunities to meet various heroes at the Magic Association.
However, most of the heroes she had met were arrogant.
But Jerome was different.
Despite being the head of Justice, he was humble and considerate of others.
He truly seemed like a hero of justice.
His every word seemed to be genuinely for the good of this nation.
“Do not worry, Royal Court Mage Verin.”
Jerome extended a hand with a gentle smile.
“As long as Justice is with you, the Petiman Kingdom will know nothing but victory. Trust in us.”
“Yes! Sir Jerome! In the name of justice! We will vanquish evil!”
Verin knelt and bowed her head before Jerome, who wore a smile as serene as a saint’s.
The sight was akin to the worship of a god.
A short while later, having returned to his room, Jerome spoke with a blank expression.
“What’s the situation?”
“Everything is proceeding smoothly, Master. The Kanel Kingdom’s forces are suffering near-annihilation on every front.”
“Isn’t that to be expected, fighting with the name of Justice on their backs?”
“That may be, but they are still only hero candidates.”
“Hero candidates. A nostalgic name.”
Jerome, who had been smiling faintly, shifted his posture.
“But our guild’s youngsters don’t like being called that, do they? Executives.”
Jerome smiled faintly at the executives sitting in a corner of the room.
“They do not like it.”
“They wish to be called reserve heroes.”
“Then let’s change their titles. To reserve heroes.”
Jerome chuckled and said.
“What do titles matter, really? Anyone can become a hero, as long as they have the karma befitting the station.”
“Your karma theory. How much credibility does it have?”
One of the Justice executives asked with a look of doubt.
At the question, Jerome rose from his seat with a smile.
“Only those chosen by the gods can have their names recorded in the Hero Record. In a sense, that makes them agents of the gods.”
Jerome spread his arms wide.
“People think that only those who possess power close to the gods, have noble goals, and have achieved great deeds can become heroes. That is the common perception.”
“That’s certainly true.”
“Yes. But we, who have already become heroes, know better.”
Jerome’s lips curled up as he looked at the executives.
“Weaklings who are hardly heroic. Scum with flawed personalities. Even hypocrites with vile natures become heroes.”
“That is true, Master Jerome. After all, even someone like you became a hero.”
At the words of the Vice Guild Master, Chain, Jerome grinned.
“There are no qualifications to be a hero. Only standards. And I,”
Jerome looked down at his palm.
“became a hero on the battlefield.”
On the battlefield, the one who brings victory is the hero.
The process does not matter.
No matter how many enemies you kill.
No matter how many allies you sacrifice.
Or how many meaningless lives you end.
Regardless of the process, leading a war to victory is the only great deed.
“Is this war a sort of testing ground for that karma theory?”
One of the executives rested his chin on his hand and clicked his tongue.
“That’s right.”
“Getting the guild involved in a war under its own name would cause trouble, so we have to disguise our members as belonging to the kingdom. But it’s an experiment worth the hassle, isn’t it?”
“Why did you involve Lumerne’s dropouts in the experiment?”
Another executive who had been listening asked.
“Guild Master, didn’t you despise the dropouts? You used to insist that only graduates of hero academies were qualified to be heroes.”
“I’ve had a change of heart. In reality, there are many who have risen to the rank of hero without being Lumerne graduates, aren’t there? I realized it wasn't right to deny them. Excessive elitism does no good.”
Jerome crossed his arms.
“Besides, they’re my juniors, aren’t they? It’s only natural for a senior to give his desperate juniors a chance, wouldn't you say?”
Jerome turned and looked out the window.
“To achieve my goal, I need more heroes.”
“And what is your goal?”
“Haven’t I told you? To create a just world led by chosen heroes.”
Jerome smiled brightly.
“In that sense, we need to find the treasury sleeping in the tomb of Tamus, the Knight of the Underworld, who lies dormant somewhere in this land.”
The Knight of the Underworld buried countless treasures in his tomb.
Among them were the armaments of his followers.
“Tamus’s legacy will be a great help in the birth of a new generation of heroes. Our Justice Guild will aid Lumerne and take the lead in creating heroes.”
“Are you not thinking of creating a new hero academy?”
“Is there a need? We have Lumerne, a perfect hero academy.”
Jerome shrugged.
Seeing Jerome, Chain held up her palm.
“A junior from the alma mater you love so much might just stand in your way, you know?”
A magic circle appeared on Chain’s forehead as she closed her eyes.
“Clairvoyance?”
The unique magic of the Justice Guild’s Vice Guild Master.
Chain Ritna.
Jerome, who had looked puzzled, was impressed by the distant scene Chain showed him.
There, a boy with white hair and red eyes was fighting knights from Petiman.
A strange light gleamed in Jerome’s eyes.
There was no one here who did not know this boy.
An All-Class, just like the Hero of the Beginning, Kyle.
And the one who had recently earned the title of hero by helping the Brave Hero, Ar-on, who had reappeared in the modern era, to subdue a fragment of Erebos.
“Leo Flove.”
The corners of Jerome’s mouth curled up.
“My heart is pounding. I’ve always wanted to have a word with Leo Flove.”
“Why? Because he’s famous?”
“No, because he is the chosen among the chosen.”
Jerome offered a benevolent smile.
“I’m curious about his sense of justice. I’d love for him to join our guild.”
“But Leo Flove has refused every guild’s offer to join.”
“I know.”
At Chain’s words, Jerome sat back down in his chair and fell into thought.
“Leo Flove is undoubtedly a fine hero. A true gem who reached that position on his own at such a young age, without anyone’s help. But he’s still young. He hasn’t reached his full brilliance yet.”
“Do you wish to polish him further?”
“Yes.”
Jerome nodded.
“It’s a good age to learn how vast the world is. Trials only make a hero stronger.”
“By that, you mean?”
At Chain’s question, Jerome gave a slight smile.
“Leo Flove needs a baptism.”
***
That night.
Guided by Viscount Eshimon, Leo was led to the Kanel Kingdom’s military encampment.
As students of Lumerne, Leo and Ril were treated with the utmost respect.
“It seems the Kanel Kingdom wants us to orchestrate this war for them.”
Ril said, chewing toughly on the jerky that had been served for their meal.
They were trying their best to accommodate Leo and Ril, but this was the middle of a warzone.
The meal they were served was extremely coarse.
Dried jerky and hard rye bread. And warm soup.
And wine.
‘Just getting warm soup on a battlefield at this late hour is probably the height of hospitality. It seems the Kanel Kingdom itself isn’t in a good situation.’
“You’re eating well.”
Leo remarked, watching Ril eat with disciplined movements.
“A soldier has to eat well when they can. Hmm, this might not be to your taste, Leo.”
Ril looked at Leo with a slightly worried expression.
It was the look one might give a young master from a noble family.
There was no sense of scorn.
It was just the pure concern of a senior for her junior.
In fact, it was common for Lumerne students to find such a meal unpalatable.
“I’m not particularly picky about food.”
Leo dipped his rye bread into the soup and fell into thought.
“Should we intervene in this war or report it to Lumerne?”
At Leo’s question, Ril sighed deeply.
Then she poured wine into a cup and drank it down like water.
Despite downing the rather strong wine as if it were water, she showed no signs of intoxication.
She was so hearty she almost seemed tough.
-Wow, she’s like a real man.
Kiruan exclaimed in admiration, his voice audible only to Leo.
“There probably won’t be any room for us to intervene.”
“Why not?”
“It’s likely true that the Justice Guild is operating in the shadows in the northeastern region’s war. I heard about it from my family during the summer break.”
Ril let out a deep sigh.
“Just as Lumerne students cannot carelessly intervene in another country’s war, guilds are also forbidden from getting involved. But while there’s suspicion, it will be difficult to find any hard evidence.”
“Hmm.”
“Besides, from our perspective, Justice isn’t an enemy, but an ally.”
Ril frowned.
“I don’t know what they’re after by operating here in the northeast, but they won’t do anything to harm their allies. That makes it difficult to investigate the Justice Guild carelessly.”
“You don’t seem very happy about it.”
“Of course not! Leo! I hate politics! And this is the realm of politics!”
Ril scowled, a rare sight.
For the upright and righteous Ril, politics was likely an unwelcome element.
It was only natural, given that in politics, it was difficult to call out what was wrong.
‘I’m not a fan of it either since it’s such a headache. Politics is Lisinas and Dweno’s area of expertise.’
“What do you think Justice is after?”
“I don’t know. The Guild Master of Justice is an inscrutable man.”
“What kind of person is he?”
“Jerome Cardium. He is one of the three great heroes considered to be the ones who will carry the era after Sword Saint Kalian.”
“There are three candidates to succeed the former headmaster?”
“Leo, you don’t read the papers much, do you?”
“No.”
Seeing Leo look at her with a dumbfounded expression, Ril gave a wry smile and drank her wine.
“He’s a hero with the epithet ‘Light Seeker.’ A man known to be fair and saintly, whose goal is to establish justice.”
“Justice?”
“Yes. A man whose life’s purpose is justice. He’s famous for not shying away from any means to punish evil for the sake of justice.”
At those words, Leo’s eyes narrowed.
“Somehow, I get the feeling he’s got a very shady side.”
“Why?”
“I’ve never met a decent person who went on and on about justice.”
“I’ll admit, he’s not a hero I’m fond of either. He may be popular with the public, but… some of the deeds he’s accomplished were certainly inhumane. Though they were all forgiven in the name of justice.”
Ril let out a deep sigh and drank her wine.
Now, she wasn’t even bothering with a cup, drinking straight from the bottle.
‘I hope she doesn’t have any bad drinking habits. She seems fine on the outside, at least.’
Of course, just because she looked fine on the outside didn’t mean she wasn’t drunk.
If you do things you wouldn’t normally do after drinking, that means you’re drunk.
Leo watched Ril for a moment before looking up at the ceiling of the tent.
Ril, who had been drinking, also froze mid-motion and lowered the bottle from her lips.
Leo stood up and clicked his tongue.
BOOOOOM—!
A massive explosion erupted.
“Wh-what was that?”
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”
The sudden explosion threw the Kanel Kingdom’s forces into a panic.
“Sir Leo! Lady Ril!”
Viscount Eshimon, who had rushed over upon seeing the tent Leo and Ril were in burst into flames, called out their names urgently.
Fwhoosh—!
The flames distorted and gathered in one spot.
The fire converged into Ril’s hand that wasn’t holding the wine bottle.
Ril looked up at the sky and said.
“An excellent ambush. I didn’t notice a thing.”
“Impressive. As expected of Lumerne’s student council president and third-year representative. We couldn't even scratch you.”
A robed mage floating in the air remarked in admiration.
Four other figures were with him.
“Who are you?”
At Leo’s question, the mage who had attacked spoke.
“We are the executioners.”
“Executioners?”
“Yes.”
The mage stirred his mana.
“We have come to execute justice.”