Chapter 619
Chapter Title: The Hero Slayer
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619.
“We’ve arrived.”
Leo muttered as he gazed at the distant Flove territory, then turned to look back.
Behind him, Chelsea, Celia, and Abad were drinking potions to replenish their stamina and mana.
Leo’s homeland, the Dellad Kingdom, was a small nation on the frontier.
And the Flove family’s domain was a rural territory even within that kingdom.
As such, there was no direct warp gate connecting the kingdom’s capital, Dellan, to their land.
They had used the nearest warp gate and then traveled here at top speed.
It might have been nothing for Lis, Jamua, and Ulta.
But for the three students who were only just becoming third-years, simply keeping up with Leo’s pace was enough to drain their stamina and mana.
“I guess we should be thanking Karl.”
Abad smiled wryly, looking at the potion bottle.
“It’s a good thing he sold us a bunch of potions before the winter break, just in case something happened.”
*‘Ah, come on. I’m only selling this to you, it’s a special deal, you know? Just take it, take it. Don’t you know a special sale when you see one? There’s that saying, ‘better safe than sorry’~’*
“He told me the same thing. That he was only selling it to me as a special deal.”
“He told me he was only selling it to me, too?”
Abad and Celia exchanged puzzled looks.
“He especially emphasized that something might happen to us… That guy. Sometimes it feels like he has real foresight.”
At Celia’s words, Chelsea, who had been gulping down her potion, let out a breath—*Phew!*—wiped her mouth, and spoke.
“He was just saying that.”
“What?”
“He said he needed to clear out his stock, so he approached the rich kids like that to sell them. Karl’s potions are effective, but they have a short shelf life, don’t they?”
Chelsea said dismissively.
“I bet you two aren’t the only ones who fell for it.”
“That guy…”
Celia clenched her fist.
“But why do Karl’s potions have such a short shelf life?”
As Abad waved the potion bottle in front of his eyes with a curious expression, Leo spoke.
“It’s probably because he makes them based on Dweno’s recipes.”
“Huh?”
Leo answered without taking his eyes off the Flove territory.
“They’re recipes from the Age of Calamity, created by the Divine Blacksmith. They didn’t need to store potions for long back then, so they must have focused on potency over shelf life.”
“Ah.”
“Though it seems like Karl is working on improving that.”
Indeed, Karl was steadily conducting his research based on Dweno’s alchemy grimoire.
“You all seem to have plenty of energy to spare, chatting away like that. My dear juniors.”
Just then, Jamua approached the four of them.
Looking at Jamua, Leo replied.
“It’s better to be a little relaxed than too tense.”
“That’s certainly true.”
Saying so, Jamua turned his head with a slightly worried look.
Far from where the group was taking a short break.
There, Lis was staring at the Flove territory with a blank expression.
The Lis of this moment was different from his usual self.
Normally, Lis was a man with a gentle and mild impression.
But the Lis of now was like a flame on the verge of exploding.
It felt as if he would burst into flames at the slightest touch.
“Is Senior Torua okay?”
Chelsea asked cautiously.
At her question, Jamua’s expression clouded over.
“Her life isn’t in danger. But she hasn’t regained consciousness. And she’s lost her mana.”
“……”
For a mage, losing one’s mana was no different from a death sentence.
Chelsea bit her lip.
Her anger wasn’t simply because a senior from her school had been attacked.
Any magic student who attended the academy with her couldn’t help but respect Torua.
Torua’s passion for magic.
Even as a fifth-year, Torua was the kind of person who would seek out her juniors and enjoy discussing magic without any hesitation.
The image of Torua, her eyes always sparkling as she engaged in heated debates about magic, was still seared into her memory.
What had been done to her was tantamount to stealing magic itself from Torua.
“I’ll never forgive them.”
As Chelsea muttered in a daze, Ulta called out to Leo.
“Leo.”
“Yes.”
“We need to be clear about something before we go in. Lis is not in his right mind right now. So, I want you to give us… clear instructions on what we need to do.”
“Are you sure?”
At Leo’s question, Ulta nodded.
“As a knight, a mage, and a summoner, you are more skilled than anyone else here. There’s nothing strange about taking orders from you now.”
A trap was surely lurking.
A battle was unavoidable.
For that reason, Leo had planned to leave the combat-related decisions to Lis, Jamua, and Ulta once they entered the Flove territory.
He had thought that no matter how overwhelming his skills were, the three of them wouldn't be too keen on taking orders from a junior.
*‘They’d do fine even without my interference.’*
But Ulta was specifically entrusting the command to Leo.
*‘More accurately, he wants me to define their roles.’*
The reason for this roundabout approach was simple.
It was to prevent Lis from going on a potential rampage.
Even from Leo’s perspective, Lis’s current aura was unsettling.
*‘He’s the type to fulfill his duty even when he’s on the verge of losing his reason to anger. Setting a clear boundary for him should be enough to prevent him from going berserk.’*
In Ulta’s judgment, that boundary was Leo’s command.
“Why is Senior Lis so angry?”
Of course, it was perfectly natural to be furious when a close friend you’d known since your first year was attacked.
But Lis was a man with the capacity to maintain his composure even in a situation like this.
His current rage was clearly different from his usual self.
At Leo’s question, Ulta said.
“It’s because of love.”
“Love?”
Leo looked momentarily confused by Ulta’s sudden talk of love, a topic Ulta brought up at every opportunity.
“Yes. The two of them are lovers. Besides, Torua is pregnant with their child.”
“Pfft!”
Celia, who had been drinking a potion to recover her strength, inadvertently spat what she was drinking all over Abad.
“S-Sorry! I was so surprised…!”
“No, I completely understand.”
Abad said it was fine as he wiped his face with the handkerchief Celia offered him.
“It’s no wonder he’s not in his right mind.”
Leo nodded.
“Then let’s form a plan.”
“Lis! Strategy meeting!”
At Jamua’s call, Lis approached.
“Before we make a plan, I have something to say.”
As Lis spoke, everyone except Leo looked at him with tense eyes.
It would be troublesome if he were to declare that he would handle the Hero Slayer himself.
They had no way of knowing how strong the Hero Slayer was.
But as a being who had slaughtered countless heroes in the past, it was certain that no one here, aside from Leo, would be a match for them.
“What is it?”
“Something is strange about the state of the Flove territory right now.”
At those words, Ulta tilted his head.
“It doesn’t look much different from when we were here last summer.”
Of course, the Hero Slayer was inside.
But for now, it looked like nothing more or less than a quiet, peaceful rural territory.
“Yes. And that’s what’s strange. After last year’s incident, the Flove territory became the land where the Brave Hero Ar-on reappeared and subjugated a fragment of Erebos. Some people even see this place as a holy land.”
At those words, everyone except Leo’s eyes widened.
He was right.
It had been a quiet rural territory until last year, but not anymore.
“Yes. The Hero Slayer has complete control over that place right now.”
*‘Mel contacted me. She said they suddenly lost contact with the dragons in the Flove territory at dawn yesterday.’*
The Flove territory was now a special place.
As such, dragons were hiding their identities there to protect it.
And contact with those dragons had been lost.
“Since they are likely holding the people of the Flove territory hostage, I need the six of you to focus on rescuing the residents. It won’t be an easy task. They might have brought in forces from Tartaros.”
At Leo’s words, Ulta nodded.
“The formation?”
At that, Leo laid out the formation.
“Why am I in the rear?”
Lis asked in a cold voice.
In response, the others looked at Leo with tense expressions.
“Because right now, it’s the most difficult position.”
“……”
At Leo’s words, Lis looked at the formation he had designed.
Jamua was in the vanguard, at the forefront.
Celia and Chelsea were supporting Jamua from behind.
Ulta was in the middle, tasked with supporting both the front and the rear.
And in the rear, the mage Abad was positioned.
If they were moving down a dead-end path or simply advancing, there would be no need to worry about the rear.
But the party was entering the heart of enemy territory to establish a position.
In that case, someone was needed to guard the rear.
In any party, if the mage in the rear falls, it’s over.
For that reason, the rear was bound to be the target of concentrated attacks.
In the current situation, Lis, who possessed powerful offense and defense as a Knight class, was the optimal choice for defending the rear.
“And the Hero Slayer?”
“I’ll take them on alone.”
“……”
At those words, Lis took a sharp breath, then finally nodded.
“Understood.”
His heart wanted to attack the Hero Slayer alongside Leo.
But…
*‘Is this how Celia’s classmates felt?’*
Lis let out a bitter smile.
Leo’s eyes were telling him in no uncertain terms.
*‘You’re not ready yet.’*
Leo explained all the possible situations that could arise in the Flove territory and the countermeasures for them.
Listening to this, Lis looked down at his hands.
*‘I still have a long way to go.’*
***
After finalizing the plan, Leo entered the Flove territory without hesitation.
And the moment he did.
What greeted Leo’s party was a powerful wave of mana.
Leo’s eyes twitched.
*‘This mana…?’*
It was the mana of a familiar dragon.
And the Draconic magic manifested by that mana was also something Leo recognized.
Magic based on the curses used by the demons of Tartaros.
*‘Nightmare.’*
One of the unique spells of Lisinas, the King of Wisdom.
An illusion magic that forced you to fight an opponent you did not wish to face.
*‘And they’ve altered the spell.’*
Leo quickly analyzed the magic.
“Kyle…”
Just as when Lumerne’s vice-principal, Liven, had used it before, Lisinas materialized before Leo.
“Why… are you the only one who came back to life?”
Lisinas, covered in blood, glared at Leo with what looked like hatred.
“Why are you the only one who gets to come back and enjoy life? I wanted to enjoy it too! The age of peace!”
Leo silently drew his sword.
At that moment.
*Sssk-*
A shadow suddenly shot out and swallowed the illusion of Lisinas.
At this, Leo froze.
The entire space suddenly distorted, and a path opened.
*‘A failed spell? No. This is…!’*
Leo shook off his bewildered thoughts.
*‘First, I get out.’*
Before throwing himself into the distorted space.
Leo looked back.
*Whoosh-!*
The first thing he saw upon exiting the magic was the Flove family mansion.
“Welcome, Leo Flove.”
And standing there was a beautiful woman with black hair and red eyes.
A younger version of Reina.
“My name is Jorua Iner! The one you call the Hero Slayer…”
*Thwack-!*
Leo cut off Jorua’s head without a moment’s hesitation.
For an instant, Jorua’s eyes filled with shock.
“To swing your sword without hesitation at someone who looks like your mother!”
Looking at Jorua’s shocked head, Leo tilted his own.
“So what?”