Arcadia (2)

The Constellations with sharp senses had already noticed.

His mood had shifted the moment he stepped through the gate.

It couldn't be helped. The name Helket at the northern edge of the continent, the bone-chilling cold that came with it, and the Demon King's commander Sirvelis. This was unmistakably the Archidia continent from his first life—the very land where Junil had suffered and struggled for ten brutal years.

And...

The place where Meyrin is.

It was where Meyrin lived.

Being thrown into a place like this without warning filled Junil's head with far too many thoughts. The concept of the "eighth request" was already fading from his mind. If not for the Constellation chat hovering at the edge of his vision, he might have already grabbed the boy beside him and asked whether he knew the fire archmage Meyrin.

"This is the cabin. Let's warm up for a moment."

The snow-covered log door creaked open.

Inside waited a hearth already lit and thick clothing laid out in advance.

Junil warmed himself by the fire before putting on the heavy garments. They ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were certainly cumbersome. Not ideal for someone like him who preferred swift movement.

It was the same back then.

During his first life, the weather had made this particular battle especially difficult. No matter how many fire enchantments Meyrin cast or how many blessings Sei layered on top, nothing could stop the biting winds that howled through this place. A curse clung to the cold air here—the grudges of countless souls who had been slaughtered over the years. The energy of the dead was frigid. According to local legend, those accumulated resentments had formed the very mountains of Helket. That was why snow fell endlessly at the peaks.

To a modern person it would simply look like permanent snowpack caused by elevation, but after living here for ten years, Junil had come to believe the legend might actually be true. The cold of this land was an unsolvable problem.

At least until Sirvelis is dead.

If he killed Sirvelis, the Demon King's commander responsible for this territory, the story would change. Only then could the curse binding this land be truly lifted.

But why is she still alive?

Junil held his hands over the weakly flickering flames and grumbled inwardly. He turned to the boy sitting beside him.

"Hey, do you have a map?"

"Ah, yes. Right here."

The boy pulled out a map and unfolded it. Junil studied it carefully.

Damn. It's exactly the same.

The terrain was identical. He could tell their exact location at a glance. They weren't too far from Helket Castle, but...

There might be scouts.

This wasn't close enough to reach in one breath, and with the war underway, the chances of running into enemies on the way were high. Especially since one of Sirvelis's subordinates specialized in this kind of reconnaissance. The information that a hero had been summoned might have already leaked.

"Ah, um... Hero? Sorry for the late introduction..."

The guide boy bowed his head.

"My name is Pirin. It means 'small flame.' May I ask your name, Hero?"

Junil answered without taking his eyes off the map, even adding a bit of fan service.

"Yeah. I'm Moon Junil. It means Goblin Slayer."

"Ah... Moon... Ju... nil..."

The pronunciation seemed difficult for him.

"Just recommend one of your people's names. Anything's fine."

"Then I'll show you some names of famous heroes from history."

The boy opened a book. Characters that should have been impossible for Junil to read filled the page, yet his eyes stopped on one name in particular.

"Ah. You can't read this, right? Shall I read them for you?"

"No. I'll pick one without reading."

"...Pardon?"

"It's more fun that way."

"Ah, yes. Of course. Leaving it to fate is also a fine choice."

"Fate, huh..."

Thud.

Junil pretended to choose randomly.

"Julian..."

Pirin read it back as if savoring the sound.

"The name is Julian. It means 'shining youth' or 'purity.' Does ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it please you?"

"Yeah, whatever."

Shining youth. Purity.

Julian.

How full of excitement and hope he had been the first time he chose that name. Back then, it felt like anything was possible.

His heart thumped.

Hearing the name Julian again made that old feeling rush through his veins for just a moment.

The Constellations each left their own impressions about the name. None of them seemed to attach any deeper meaning to it. To them, this place was nothing more than a hunting ground for leveling up.

Hmm... I feel like someone's here.

Junil stared intently at the chat. It felt like at least one of them knew. The Constellation who thought of him as Julian.

They're not making it obvious, at least.

They probably realized that revealing too much would ruin the flow. It would be like spoiling a long-running series. If someone started explaining the entire world lore to the person next to them while watching a movie, it would kill the fun.

That's a relief.

Junil felt the same way. Revealing his identity would be a bad move. He had heard it from Fam multiple times—Fairy Corporation strictly forbade reusing protagonists. So even if some Constellations recognized him, they had to stay silent. He had already experienced firsthand what happened when a character stepped outside the boundaries of their story.

"Hoo..."

Junil let out a long breath.

"I've warmed up enough. Let's go."

He stood up, his body now heavier from the thick clothing.

"Ah, um..."

But Pirin stopped him.

"Would you like to choose a different name?"

"What? Why?"

"That hero... is considered a traitor."

"...?"

For a moment, Junil nearly lost control of his expression.

The Constellations thought it was just a funny coincidence, but for Junil this was no laughing matter.

What the fuck is he talking about?

After all that suffering, after finally defeating the Demon King, what the hell was this kid saying? Was this Julian a different person? Or had something gone wrong?

All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind.

Pirin saw Junil's hardened face and quickly withdrew his suggestion.

"Ah, um... I spoke out of turn. It's just a name. I'm sure your choice has meaning, Hero."

"...Yeah. It really was unnecessary."

Pirin went out first and brought back a horse tied behind the cabin.

"Don't I get one?"

"I heard most heroes aren't good at riding..."

"Bring it."

A black horse was led forward. It looked vicious at first glance.

Why'd he bring this one?

Junil met Pirin's eyes. He could read the boy's thoughts instantly.

If someone who can't ride tries to act tough, it'll be trouble. I'll just discipline it quickly and let him ride behind me.

In other words, he'd brought a nasty-tempered horse to put the hero in his place. In a way, it was an attempt to keep the hero safe, but...

Man... you've got it rough.

Thinking that, Junil simply mounted the horse in one smooth motion.

"Neeeiiigh!"

The horse reared up wildly, but—

"Whoa~ Easy! Easy~!"

Junil pressed his upper body firmly against the horse's neck and stroked under its chin. The beast calmed down almost immediately.

"Eh?"

Pirin jumped higher than the horse in surprise.

"Your horsemanship is... incredible! Even our knights have trouble with this one. It's quite the wild horse..."

"Really? Then why the hell did you bring it to me, you idiot?"

"......"

The Constellations assumed Pirin had made it up to flatter him, but since it was actually true, the boy quickly bowed his head.

"S-sorry! I was anxious and wanted to test you...!"

"I get it. Let's go."

Junil didn't press the matter further and took the lead.

"Huh? You know the way?"

"I looked at the map earlier."

"You remember the way after looking at it once!?"

"Yeah, I do."

"But you came from another world, didn't you?"

"I know, kid. That's what makes me the hero."

With those words, Junil surged forward.

"Hya!"

The faster he moved, the sooner this would end.

Junil tore through the forest path like a madman.

"Huff... huff...! Y-you're too fast, Hero!"

At Pirin's weak complaint, the hero snapped back.

"Since when is there such a thing as 'too fast' in war! Pirin! Your ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠discipline is lacking!"

"...No, I was just asking if this is really your first day here."

Pirin grumbled, completely dumbfounded.

About a minute later—

So I couldn't shake them after all?

In truth, Junil had already anticipated the scout's presence. That was why he'd pushed Pirin to ride so hard. It seemed it couldn't be helped.

Keep the fight as short as possible.

He had already taken a dagger out of his inventory.

Left side.

Whoosh!

A knight riding a skeletal horse appeared.

It was a Death Knight, a major force in Sirvelis's army. A dead knight resurrected and bound as a servant. Only a chief necromancer of the Demon King's army could command such a creature. It was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that powerful.

What kind of level is that?

In his first life there had been no level indicators, so he could only gauge an enemy's strength by clashing swords. Looking at it now, he realized he had been fighting monsters with ridiculous stats. The limit for Chapter 2 was supposed to be 30, yet this thing was 41.

A Death Knight... it's too early to be running into one of these.

Depending on which knight had been resurrected, they could be overwhelmingly strong. What made them especially troublesome was that they felt no fear or desire. They simply carried out orders with undying loyalty.

Clack! Clack!

Even while galloping through the freezing air, its eyes didn't blink once. The skeletal horse chased them as if it could run a thousand miles.

They were being caught up to.

"H-Hero! This is bad...!"

Pirin sounded anxious.

Exposed to such an extreme situation, the Constellations' reactions exploded. Some who followed Kang Hae-il were hoping for Junil's death, while others shed tears thinking this was the end for him. The chat was flooded.

"I'll be the bait! You have to escape, Hero!"

Pirin had made a big decision, but—

"What are you talking about, kid? Shut up and ride!"

"...What!? B-but they're catching up... Fighting two of them at once is impossible..."

"What else are we supposed to do? Can't you see they're faster?"

"But if the hero falls... I, I..."

"We'll win."

"...How!?"

"Because I'm the hero."

It wasn't entirely baseless. Junil checked the number of viewers.

[Current Viewers: 2,237]

The audience had already surpassed two thousand.

Countless Constellations had come after hearing the rumors. The transmission rate had risen accordingly.

"Hoo...!"

The high density of mana he had been feeling in the air since earlier was unmistakable. This place was completely different from Earth.

It's doable.

His calculations were roughly correct.

Clack! Clack...!

The Death Knight's hoofbeats drew closer, tightening around his heart. Junil closed his eyes for a moment and focused.

Concentrate properly... 100% power.

It was right beside them now.

The moment Junil opened his eyes, a blue light flashed within them.

Flash!

Those were not the eyes of Moon Junil.

They were Julian's eyes.