Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Side Story, The Apostate (2)
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EP.74 Side Story, The Apostate (2)
The Hero Party is made up of a small number of members.
Throughout history, there have been many Hero Parties, but the number of members never exceeded five.
Hero, mage, priest, scout and archer.
The most basic composition belongs to the knight order but operates like a kind of guerrilla unit. They roam various front lines. Hunting major threats that the knight order alone can't handle—that's the role of the Hero Party.
Things humans can't face.
Things that would cause massive casualties even if confronted.
That's what the Hero hunts.
However, targeting major threats isn't the Hero's domain alone. There are superhumans who can't match the Hero overall but surpass him in certain aspects.
-Rodimel Fortress has fallen.
-The Apostate, Gletus, was involved there.
-A calamity has appeared.
Rumors spread quickly.
Hearing the rumors on the battlefield, renowned knights from various places gather at the western front.
And among them are superhumans mixed in.
Sword superhuman.
Swordmaster Kuntel.
The man wielding a sword arrived at the battlefield a day before the Hero. He immediately drew his blade and scouted the occupied Rodimel Fortress.
"Hah."
Kuntel let out a hollow laugh as he muttered.
"You want me to break through this?"
Gray mist was devouring the fortress.
Facing the gleaming eyes flashing within the mist, Kuntel burst into hollow laughter.
-Screeech, screeeeech.
Something beyond the laws of nature was writhing inside the fortress.
2.
"...Uncle, what's wrong with your arm?"
"Got bitten by some crazy bastards. But it's better now. I bathed in potions."
Kuntel shrugged his shoulders.
Unwinding the blood-soaked bandages and wrapping new ones, he opened his mouth.
"Anyway, it's been a while. You greenhorns."
In one corner of the tent.
Swordmaster Kuntel crossed his arms as he looked at the two guests who had come to see him. They were people who had once learned hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship from him.
Hero, Kyle Toben.
Sage, Raniel van Trias.
Those called humanity's hope.
Of course, the time Kuntel taught them wasn't long.
'More like we fought together on the battlefield than I properly taught them...'
They often crossed paths on the battlefield, so he just pointed out their flaws and corrected their movements a bit.
'I didn't drill it into them formally much.'
Still, they were disciples worth calling that.
Of course, the sage mainly used spells, so there wasn't much taught... but the Hero was a bit different.
"It's been a long time, Master."
The Hero, Kyle, bowed his head.
Among the children Kuntel had taught over nearly half a century, the greatest swordsman.
Looking at him, Kuntel smiled.
"Yeah, Kyle. I heard you took down the Black Dragon's neck? Kid, it feels like yesterday you were learning the sword from me."
"It was possible because Raniel bound its feet."
"That Black Dragon's feet? You guys are still spouting nonsense."
Kuntel burst into hearty laughter.
But the laughter didn't last long. Clearing his throat once, Kuntel continued.
"If I had my way, I'd love to share a drink and hear about the Black Dragon subjugation... but given the situation, that's not happening."
"An Apostate appeared, right?"
The man with ashen hair spoke.
He took off his robe and lightly shook his head. Blue eyes gleamed between the ashen strands.
"...I heard Rodimel Fortress fell."
"Yeah. They say it fell in an instant."
"What's the situation?"
Kuntel lightly swung his scabbard.
One side of the tent flap opened, revealing the plain's scenery.
A vast black plain.
On the cliff rising like a canyon at the plain's edge stood the ancient fortress, Rodimel Fortress.
The watchtower of the old castle renovated into Rodimel Fortress had all its magic lights extinguished, which should always shine.
"As you can see."
Pointing at the darkness-enshrouded Rodimel Fortress, Kuntel said curtly.
"It's the worst."
Rodimel Fortress was surrounded by gray mist.
The mist encircling the fortress was abnormal. Visibility was zero.
"Tried breaking through?"
"Did."
"Someone like you could at least infiltrate, right?"
"I thought so too."
Kuntel slowly drew the hilt from the scabbard.
"Couldn't."
The blade emerged between the scabbard.
The blade's teeth were all gone. The jagged blade looked like it would break at any moment.
Seeing that, Kyle's eyes widened.
"...That sword wasn't made of rare metal?"
"It's from the Sword Sanctuary, so rare metal it is. First time I've seen it chipped this bad."
Kuntel smiled bitterly.
"The fortress perimeter was crawling with all sorts of magic beasts. I cleared a path, but going further felt like even I'd die."
At least alone, can't break through.
To break through, I'd have to sacrifice knights.
Muttering that, Kuntel sheathed the sword again.
"Sorry for calling you right after the Black Dragon subjugation. But this seems impossible without you guys."
Originally.
Swordmasters like Kuntel would fill the Hero's absence. But if calamities like the Four Heavenly Kings appear, that changes.
'And this one's unique.'
Not the ancient lich that always ravages battlefields.
A being shrouded in mystery, appearing so rarely in centuries of history that you could count them on one hand.
Apostate, Gletus.
Whenever that calamity appeared, knights fled. They abandoned the battlefield it swept through. But this time, that's impossible.
"We can't lose Rodimel Fortress."
"......"
"If the fortress falls, the future battlefields become hell. We must recapture it at all costs."
"I know."
Raniel nodded.
"I know how important Rodimel Fortress's position is. And you don't need to feel sorry, Uncle."
He stood up.
"Summoners who overwhelm with numbers have bad matchup against Swordmasters anyway."
"...True."
"So, this is our job."
Raniel, standing, patted Kyle's shoulder.
"I'll go ahead. Need to scout first."
With that, he left the tent. Watching blankly, Kuntel suddenly spoke.
"...You're the Hero, right? Kyle?"
"Yes?"
"Sometimes that guy seems more like the Hero."
"Ahaha..."
Kyle scratched his head and said.
"He's smarter than me. He plans most strategies. Especially in situations like this."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes. Normal battlefields just need charging, but not here. Plus..."
He fiddled with the holy sword's hilt as he answered.
"His judgment is sometimes sharper than the stars. Better than mine."
"Stars, huh."
Kuntel looked at the holy sword Kyle held and smiled.
"Kyle, one piece of advice."
"Yes?"
"Don't rely too much on the stars."
"...What do you mean?"
Kuntel answered.
"In the decisive moment, the stars give nothing."
3.
The tent assigned to the Hero Party.
Raniel stroked his chin while checking the map spread beside him and the structure diagram of Rodimel Fortress alternately.
"So, what's the plan, Raniel?"
"Wait. I'm thinking."
"Can't we just do it like always?"
Sara, perched on the desk, swung her legs as she spoke. Raniel glared at her and waved his hand.
"Don't sit on the desk. It's distracting."
"What's wrong with it?"
Sara stuck her head toward Raniel.
"Honestly, I saw you differently during the Black Dragon subjugation. First time your spells shone like that. Even our church rarely sees such starlight."
"I drew circuits for nearly a month. Had to, to bind the Black Dragon's feet."
"Anyway, I'm impressed."
Ignoring humming Sara, Raniel kept moving the quill. He drew infiltration routes through the path the Swordmaster cleared.
"Infiltration?"
"Need to see the extent."
"Can't we do like the Black Dragon? You bind its feet with spells, Kyle rampages. My blessings and Remia's moonlight arrows would do it."
"Situation's different."
Raniel said, resting his chin.
"We had prep time then. Black Dragon couldn't leave its nest protecting hatchlings. So we could hunt over a long time."
"...True."
"Prep alone took a month. And we still took that much damage."
He rolled up his robe.
A long burn scar remained on his exposed forearm. An injury not fully healed despite Sara's healing.
"Plus, Black Dragon had records. Black storm, ancient dragon, etc... Lots of info, so we countered most attacks."
"Couldn't counter the breath."
"Who the fuck could? Only way was charging through like Kyle."
Anyway.
Grumbling like that, Raniel continued.
"Compared to Black Dragon, Apostate has little info. Rarely appears on battlefields... And descriptions are like this."
He pointed to a page in the book.
"Appeared with mist, vanished with mist. That's all. We only know the Apostate is an alchemist and summoner."
"Summoner..."
"Yeah, summoner. A summoner called a calamity—who knows what it'll call."
Raniel tapped the quill.
The ink fell on the hall at Rodimel Fortress's center. Being a renovated old castle, there's an unusually empty hall.
"Don't know what's there."
A summoner's strength depends on prepared familiars. And just the outer familiars number over a hundred.
'That level's already insane.'
The outer fortress familiars alone are like that.
'Then, inside the castle?'
Can't calculate. Can't even guess.
"Need to check once."
"With Kyle?"
"How's he infiltrating? With Remia, that elf girl."
Raniel gathered the map and stood. Watching, Sara asked.
"But, Raniel."
"What."
"What about the knights inside the castle?"
"...What?"
What’s she saying?
Raniel tilted his head and glared at Sara. What to do with knights in the castle.
'Is she seriously asking?'
A night passed since the Apostate swallowed the fortress.
Odds of surviving knights are slim. No, not slim—none.
'...Kinda harsh, but.'
Assume they're dead.
And even if Sara's dumb, she knows that.
'Probably asking about the bodies.'
That fits Sara. Raniel sighed and answered.
"...What to do with dead knights? Joint funeral after recapture, or think later."
"I mean living knights."
Sara said calmly.
"Holy knights are still alive inside."
"...What?"
"I hear prayers."
She tapped her ear.
Seeing Sara scratch her ear like it itched, Raniel asked.
"...What do they say?"
"Hm, distance is far, something blocking, hard to hear clearly..."
Sara answered blankly.
"They want to die."
Author's Note (Afterword)
This is the story when the Hero still had some sanity.
His brain was still ruled by his lower half... but at least he did the Hero's job to some extent.
That's why Raniel saw potential.
I'll cover the rest in the remaining side stories.