< 215. Heroes and the Hero Guild >
"Hillon Kargil."
A stiff atmosphere, an overbearing tone.
Hillon Kargil sensed that something was coming.
Why the guild's grand elder and elders were interrogating him like a criminal.
Why the shadows— the guild's hidden darkness— had him surrounded.
"You've confessed your own sins."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What do I mean?"
Strength gathered in the grand elder's eyes.
"You vile wretch! I already know you've betrayed humanity and colluded with the Flame Demon King!"
"……."
Hillon's expression didn't change.
He might have panicked if it had come out of nowhere, but he wasn't a fool.
The hero campaign was in full preparation, and he was one of its key figures. In such a situation, the grand elder summoning him in secret was suspicious to anyone.
'The grand elder is the guild master's loyal dog.'
And the guild master was Daniel Dayrus, alias Balaf Disrod— a pawn of the False Tower.
He already knew Hillon had joined hands with Berge. That's why he'd shoved him into the fake hero campaign to sideline him from the real one.
'Fifty in number.'
He quickly scanned his surroundings. Fortunately, this wasn't the guild headquarters but a remote annex. Aside from the grand elder, one elder, and the shadows, there were no signs of life nearby.
'Just as I expected.'
Which meant there was a way out.
"Why don't you answer? Are you admitting your guilt?"
He denied it first.
"I am a hero who slew two Demon Kings. Why would I collude with one? If you don't mind, could you tell me why you think that?"
"We have clear evidence."
"What evidence is that?"
"The guild master's word."
"That's absurd. Is that all you've got?"
"'All we've got'? The guild master's word holds no falsehood. It is absolute!"
It was fanaticism beyond mere faith.
What was it about the guild master that had turned the grand elder— once hailed as a great Star— into this?
'Is it because he's a hero truly worshipped as a god? Does he have some special method?'
Amid stray thoughts, certainty formed in Hillon's assumptions. Why summon a traitor like him not publicly, but in secret.
Because there was no clear evidence. Not everyone in the guild was the guild master's puppet like the grand elder; without proof, they couldn't punish Hillon Kargil openly, so they aimed to handle it quietly.
But.
'You've underestimated me.'
He understood that much.
The shadows. Once active heroes, now retired and sworn to the guild.
Though aged, their accumulated experience, cunning, and the weight of years were no joke.
Especially since some among them had once been Stars, and mana didn't fade with time.
"I am innocent. This is a frame job. If you have doubts about me, I request a formal trial."
"Don't play dirty tricks! Your ties to the Flame Demon King are undeniable fact!"
The grand elder roared. With his fury, the shadows bared their subtle killing intent.
Hillon calmly touched the orb in his pocket.
The recording orb.
He began his performance.
"Then at least bring the guild master who said those words!"
"Shut your mouth!"
"I have devoted myself to the guild and slain two Demon Kings as a Star. I won't submit to this premeditated browbeating."
Hillon turned to leave. The shadows blocked him.
"Stop. You think we'll let you go?"
"…Are you planning to stop me by force?"
"We can't just let a Demon King's lackey roam free."
"If you're going to kill me on such baseless logic, I won't stand idly by."
"There it is— your true colors! Strike him down! Make him kneel before me and confess his sins!"
The shadows drew their weapons. But Hillon was a step faster.
—!
Lightning struck.
The shadows nearest him collapsed without even a scream.
A sword was now in Hillon's hand.
"This is self-defense."
"So you finally show your true face! I never expected a Demon King's dog to come quietly!"
Hundreds of shadows moved in perfect unison. Arrows flew. Spears thrust. Shields, swords, hammers, whips— heroes of every stripe targeted Hillon.
They might look casual, but every attack was from a hero.
Dimensional Interference didn't work against fellow heroes, but these were talents who grew swiftly through superior gifts.
Their caliber dwarfed any ordinary army.
So Hillon didn't let his guard down.
Pzzzt—
Blue lightning arced out, intercepting every arrow.
He spun once, batting away the nearest killing intents. The erupting lightning surged into his foes.
Urk!
Kuh!
Short groans, a momentary stiffening. Hillon's sword struck at the gap.
Slash—
A long gash across the chest. Tiny sparks charred the blood. The air filled not with the stench of gore, but burnt flesh.
He deflected an axe from behind. A lightning bolt from his outstretched left hand felled a 2-meter giant in foaming convulsions.
That was the start.
One sword stroke, one shadow down.
His blade was thunder. Thunder was swift as light, cleaving and burning all.
Lightning discharging from his body blocked every ranged assault.
A perfect harmony of offense and defense. The shadows bit their lips.
Then the formation shifted.
Dozens of spells fired simultaneously, clashing with his lightning barrier and creating mutual destruction— prying open a gap.
In that interval, the true commanders among the shadows moved.
Fierce auras rent the breach wider. They clashed with Hillon's sword.
———!
For the first time, Hillon's strike was blocked. But the shock riding the blade wracked the shadow's body, forcing a groan.
Yet he grinned.
Because he saw comrades aiming for Hillon's flank and rear through the gap he'd created.
The surging auras looked plenty capable of shredding mere flesh.
In that instant, Hillon stepped forward and twisted his blade.
Kagak—
It slid along the blade face. Two fingers severed. A brief scream, then a massive hammer barely grazed the spot Hillon had occupied, pulverizing the earth.
Dust billowed. Amid the chaos, a red flash shot straight at him.
Too fast and fierce to fully evade. It pierced all his lightning in one go, slamming his back.
—!
But that was it.
The armor hidden beneath his clothes rippled. It absorbed the vibration and impact, hurling it back with rebound force.
'Impressive.'
Dwarf-forged dragon armor.
Hillon flashed a subtle smile.
The first gift had been the sword. But as items were completed one by one, Berge had given him more equipment.
The dragon armor too. He could have dodged or blocked with effort, minimizing damage. But he'd chosen not to— to test its utility.
It exceeded expectations. A dull ache lingered, but for an attack that should have pierced him, stopping at that was more than enough.
"…I've lost confidence in this."
Confidence in victory.
He scattered strikes at the man— once a Star, now weakened by age— who faltered as his attack was blocked.
The man screamed, driven into a defensive scramble.
And that defense held only until the battle's end.
"…Wh-what in the world!"
The grand elder panicked.
Only Hillon Kargil and the grand elder stood unharmed. The rest were dead or dying.
"What are that sword and armor?!"
He'd gauged Hillon Kargil's level. Superior to other Stars, but below Balaf Disrod.
Right in the middle. He trusted the guild master's assertion.
Yet in mere months, it was like a different person.
The sword and armor were factors. But was that all?
They played a big role, yet his innate ability had surpassed expectations too. How else without explosive growth in months?
"It's not me who needs to explain— it's you, Grand Elder. You must reveal to everyone why you're branding me a criminal like this."
"……."
That wouldn't do.
It was all based on the guild master's word alone. No hard evidence.
'But….'
In his prime, maybe. Without the armor and sword, maybe. But he had no confidence in beating the current Hillon Kargil.
Fight and lose for sure. Submit, and he'd tarnish the guild master's honor before all.
'Then.'
He had to choose. And his choice was loyalty.
The grand elder drew his sword.
——!
A massive aura erupted. His body might be frail, but the years he'd accumulated were no trifles.
—!
—!
Dozens of clashes in seconds. But limits were clear. The grand elder's aura chipped away. Lightning riding the blade shocked his flesh.
Cough—
At last, the grand elder spat blood and fell.
"This ends it."
Hillon Kargil declared the conclusion. He drew near.
And that was what the grand elder had aimed for.
"You scum!"
Flailing dirt, he swung his sword with all his might.
Hillon reacted on instinct. He parried the strike and thrust.
Stab—
Flesh parted, bones shattered. Agonizing pain wracked the grand elder.
But.
"…Got you!"
Wrinkled hands gripped the blade. The blade's edge and lightning mangled his body further, but for a split second, it bound Hillon.
"We'll go together! For humanity!"
The grand elder detonated all his mana.
A massive explosion devoured everything.
『So the grand elder pulled some stunt, and you handled it well?』
『And you recorded the whole thing with the recording orb?』
"Yes."
Hillon Kargil nodded at the Demon King's question.
"Thanks to you, my lord."
It was true.
Without the dragon blood from the Demon King, he wouldn't have grown this fast.
Without the sword, dispatching the shadows would have been harder.
Without the armor, the grand elder's life-sacrificing blast might have killed him.
But Hillon wasn't reporting just out of gratitude.
The Demon King caught on.
『So, how do they select a new guild master?』
"When the position is vacant, the elders officially elect one."
『With the grand elder dead, that leaves four?』
"Three. There was another elder among the shadows who moved with the grand elder."
The shadows belonged to the elder council, led by Elder Josef Bartin, another devotee of the grand elder and guild master.
『Then sway two of them, and you're set.』
『But can an active hero like you even become guild master?』
"Every rule has exceptions."
The guild was in utter chaos. Even setting aside Berge Dayas as the culprit, this was the lowest point in the Hero Guild's history of prestige.
"That's why it needs a stronger, more renowned hero as guild master. Someone mighty enough to stand at the forefront, end the turmoil, and claim Demon King heads."
『Someone like you?』
"Who else?"
Balaf Disrod, hailed as the greatest, was officially dead.
There were retired great heroes, but Hillon Kargil— slayer of two Demon Kings— held greater renown than those fading names.
『But what about putting up the guild master?』
Balaf Disrod was the guild master, Daniel Dayrus too, but they didn't know that.
They'd assume he'd vanished. In that case, they wouldn't rush a new election.
Not with the guild master threat looming.
"We'll pin it on Balaf Disrod— make sure everyone knows he's truly dead."
『Hmm, not bad.』
『I'll handle the witnesses separately.』
"My thanks."
Hillon Kargil smiled. So did Berge.
『Fine, but can you persuade the elders?』
The guild master was elected by the elders. Their votes mattered most.
"That will require your help too, my lord."
『Speak.』
"Three elders remain."
Tristano Kanief.
Carlo Schweiger.
And Matthias Ollman.
"Carlo Schweiger has ties to the empire, but Matthias Ollman is connected to Akan."
『Move Ravinia and Rozel, then.』
"Yes. That leaves Tristano Kanief… but he's a stickler. He'll likely cling to tradition, refusing an active hero as guild master."
『Sounds tricky.』
"But he's a mage."
『…Oh?』
"And also."
『Also?』
"Aina Diaphrin's grandfather."
『…Well now.』
Berge chuckled.
『What a neatly scripted coincidence.』
"Less coincidence, more inevitability. Hero bloodlines often produce heroes— connections form naturally. Haven't you taken hundreds under your wing, my lord?"
『Fair point.』
『Alright, I'll speak to Aina.』
"Thank you."
『After all this, failing to become guild master would be a grave disappointment.』
"I won't let you down."
Hillon bowed deeply.
Moments later, the communication cut off.
"Finally… it's come to this!"
The guild master seat he'd longed for shimmered before him. Hillon let out a cheer.
Bitter undertones lingered too.
"…A Demon King choosing the Hero Guild's master. Ironic."
But no turning back. The Demon King had grown stronger, bonds with his vassals deeper.
No hope of release remained.
'Even if released, it'd be a problem.'
Most hero leadership was now the Demon King's vassals. Escaping that— was it even desirable?
'Better to rule from the top here.'
With Balaf Disrod officially dead, he was the strongest hero— and Berge's first hero vassal.
The smile on his lips deepened.
< 215. Heroes and the Hero Guild > End