Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Senior Fake Hero - 4
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Adwin asked, sounding puzzled.
[You’re saying that thing watching us is helping us?]
[Yeah. I’ll explain from now on. So...]
I continued with the explanation I’d been about to give earlier.
The faces of my companions, who had been listening quietly, filled with admiration.
Of course, within the bounds of not contradicting the audible conversation.
Offense spoke up.
[You little...]
[Don’t call me clever. Keep praising me and it’ll go to my head.]
[Hoo.]
That was when Neril opened her mouth.
[I’m sorry. It’s impossible.]
[Why?]
[Why? I told you from the moment I handed over that headband. It’s an item that ‘can’t be recreated.’]
[Shh. Soviers might hear.]
[As if he could.]
It was the resonance of souls, yet it felt like I could hear a snort.
Amazing.
[I believe you can pull it off.]
[I told you I forgot that inspiration.]
[I believe you’ll remember it too.]
[Maide...]
[I’m begging you, Neril. It has to be you.]
The next moment, she gave her immediate answer.
[I’ll give it a shot.]
...
What?
For a split second, my companions all managed their expressions simultaneously.
After a long silence, Neril spoke.
[What? You ask me to do it, so I say I will, and now what?]
[No, I mean, thanks.]
[Whatever.]
[Anyway, if we follow this plan, we can shatter the lie Idria completed two hundred years ago. The problem comes after that.]
[After that?]
I swallowed hard.
[Once we smash Idria’s lie, Padania will get pretty desperate too, don’t you think?]
The Demon King’s goal was to create a fake world.
To do that, he had to absorb the lie of ‘deceiving the entire continent’ twice.
The first time, he succeeded through Padania.
It was ‘still’ a success.
[From our perspective, if everything goes smoothly this time, Idria’s goal will be safe forever. Even if Kaild succeeds.]
[...]
[So Padania would rather wipe out this entire territory than let the lie be exposed to the world.]
[Uh... even as the first finger, could he really massacre the millions of people in this territory all by himself?]
With ‘that ability’ of his, he could and then some.
It was the very ability I was most wary of.
I fell silent for a moment before speaking.
[Everyone has a last resort. It’s best to prepare for the assumption that Padania does too.]
[That makes sense, but what kind of preparations are you planning?]
[Hmm. I never thought I’d be the one saying this first...]
I already felt my stomach churning.
Ah, do I really have to go this far?
Being a hero is tough.
After several deep breaths, I turned to Offense.
[Offense.]
[Yeah.]
[You still have that greed sludge, right?]
Offense, true to his assassin nature, did his best to control his expression.
But he couldn’t hide the glee in his soul’s voice.
[Want to try drinking it yourself?]
For the three days leading up to the duel tournament.
Soviers monitored Maide’s party intermittently using the authority granted by Idria.
He had no idea that Maide had noticed the surveillance.
That was why he could only believe what he saw with his own eyes.
“Maide’s training.”
“What?”
Kaild peered through the rift in the empty space.
Sure enough, Maide was diligently swinging his sword deep in some mountain.
His expression was serious, his movements nimble—it truly looked like he was fully committed to training.
“Why’s that guy suddenly training now?”
“Probably because of the duel with me.”
“I don’t want to admit it, but Maide’s physical abilities are already at their peak. He doesn’t need training.”
“He’s not doing it just to build stamina.”
Soviers crossed his arms.
“He said he’s developing a new technique.”
“Ha. That’s even more ridiculous. What technique can he create in three days?”
“Who knows... I agree with you on that, but then why does he look so serious?”
Kaild had nothing to say.
Soviers watched his training intently.
Maide silently and steadfastly kept swinging his sword.
But a moment later.
“It bent!”
Soviers rarely shouted loudly as he jumped to his feet.
Kaild had missed Maide’s movement just now, so he tilted his head.
“Bent? What did?”
“His final sword strike was thrusting toward the waist.”
“What? Wasn’t it clearly aiming for the head?”
“You only saw the result. That body is apparently much weaker than Bion Kunze’s, after all.”
Sparks flew in Kaild’s eyes.
But Soviers ignored it and removed his helmet.
“At the last moment, he twisted his wrist to redirect toward the head. If I hadn’t seen this scene and gone into the duel, I would’ve defended my waist.”
“...”
“How can he redirect an attack with that much power so effortlessly? As expected of the one Idria-sama warns about most.”
“Is it okay to praise the enemy like that?”
“As someone who wields a sword myself, I can’t help but admire remarkable talent, friend or foe.”
He stroked his chin once.
“I think I know what Maide’s aiming for.”
“What?”
“He’s trying to shatter my helmet with that new technique.”
“...”
“Then reveal my identity to the world.”
Kaild tilted his head.
“You mean Maide’s figured it out? That you’re Padania Brook.”
“Yeah. I sensed something off in the waiting room.”
“How exactly?”
“No idea up to that point.”
Soviers’s voice grew cautious.
“Whatever method he used, everyone will freak out seeing me alive and well, when I’m recorded as long dead and buried.”
“...”
“Then he’ll ride that atmosphere, stir people up about suspicions and investigations. It’s a good plan... but it has one fatal flaw. Me catching on.”
He flashed a sinister smile.
“Go ahead and shatter it. Thanks to Idria-sama’s blessing, I can disguise myself as someone other than Padania. Just like Ophelia or Hiren.”
“...”
“I’ll use that opening to slice off his headband.”
Kaild momentarily thought, ‘Will things really go that smoothly?’
Maide, whom he’d faced so far, had been extremely meticulous.
Whenever he thought he’d blocked one scheme, a second would always emerge.
Only after everything ended and he looked back could he painfully realize it.
That he’d been dancing in the palm of Maide’s hand from the start.
“Will it really?”
“You saw it with me just now and still say that? No, you said you missed it.”
“I know Maide well.”
“No need for advice from a loser.”
Soviers neatly ignored Kaild.
He mumbled something with his lips but shut his mouth.
But the nagging doubt in his heart wouldn’t fade.
If he could, he’d want to ask Maide directly.
‘Is that really all?’
Unfortunately for Kaild, his prediction was correct.
Maide perfectly succeeded with the new technique and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
‘It’s still red.’
[Yeah. Being watched... Hmm, it’s over now.]
The screen in Maide’s vision returned to blue.
He smirked and muttered.
“This should be enough bait.”
The day of the duel tournament dawned.
The lord, having decided to go all out now that things had come to this, generously opened the soldiers’ training grounds.
Countless spectators gathered in the vast parade ground.
They whispered excitedly, their faces full of tension and anticipation.
“Kaild’s party member will probably win, right?”
“I think Maide will win.”
“What? You believe that flimsy second oracle is real?”
“Hey, keep it down.”
“Honestly, judging by looks alone, Maide seems more like the hero.”
I don’t know who said that last bit, but they have great taste.
They’ll succeed at anything.
My party members clustered together at the front of the spectator seats.
I lightly stretched and glanced at the opposite side.
Kaild fidgeted anxiously in the designated seat, shaking his leg.
Serein said.
“Why’s he acting like that?”
“Hmm... He hasn’t figured out our plan, has he?”
“Trail told us the timing of the surveillance. We recited our lines perfectly each time.”
Exactly.
[Maybe he’s developed a tolerance after getting beaten by you so much?]
‘No way.’
[No, think about it. Kaild was the one and only celebrated hero on the continent. And it wasn’t long ago he hit rock bottom because of you.]
‘...’
[Better stay cautious.]
I nodded.
Then whispered to my companions.
“Neril. Apent View ready?”
“All set. Just need to form the final hand seal.”
“Good. Time it perfectly. The moment I distract Soviers.”
“Don’t worry. But can we really divert his attention? He was pretty sharp when we first met.”
“If the plan works, it’ll be plenty. He won’t even have time to glance at the spectator seats.”
I turned to the others.
“If our plan wraps up in the first round, you guys won’t have much to do, right?”
“We’ll cheer.”
“Uh... besides that.”
“Well, nothing much else.”
“Keep an eye on Kaild. Feel free to half-kill him if you want.”
Risel cautiously said.
“Is that possible? Magic and spells don’t work on that guy.”
“Trail said... Hmm. No, it should be fine now.”
“You were about to say something but stopped.”
Trail had explained, while revealing he’d once possessed Kaild’s body, why the guy had been so invincible.
It was because it was a body prepared for a hero.
Even Idria, master of fakes, couldn’t perfectly replicate a hero’s flesh.
“Of course, I’m not saying push too hard. Do what you can.”
“Got it.”
“Good. Let’s get started.”
Clack.
I turned around.
Soviers was already standing in the center of the duel arena, waiting for me.
Neril spoke up.
“Don’t get hurt.”
I smirked and replied.
“Yeah. I’ll be careful. Wouldn’t want you scolding me if I do.”
“Ah, that’s...”
“See you soon.”
Step by step.
I slowly walked toward Soviers.
The spectators’ cheers grew deafening.
“Woooah!”
“Hero...”
“Are we witnessing a historic moment right now?”
“It’s not ‘maybe’—it’s definite!”
Clack.
Today’s duel had no judge or mediator.
Even the start time was free.
So I spoke to Soviers in a casual tone.
“Aren’t you hot?”
“What’re you talking about?”
“You look pretty uncomfortable in that helmet.”
“...”
“I won’t aim above the neck, so feel free to take it off. Promise.”
Snicker.
Laughter leaked from beneath the helmet.
“I’ll think about it if you take off your headband first.”
“So... you knew.”
“Yeah. The illusion magic engraved on the headband. Who’d have thought you’d use it to carve the mark.”
“How the hell do you know that?”
“Who knows.”
“Did you see it yourself or something?”
Twitch.
I felt him tense slightly.
I licked my lips.
Then slowly began luring him into the trap.
“Ah, of course you saw it. You look pretty old yourself.”
“...”
“When’d you meet Idria? Padania Brook.”
Padania fell silent for a long while before speaking.
“Heh. So you knew. What trick did you use?”
“Who knows.”
“Exposing someone’s carefully hidden identity? No manners toward your senior.”
I scratched my ear and said.
“I don’t see you as a senior. My seniors are only from the first to the third.”
“...”
“A hero serving the Demon King? Shameful. I’ll punish you in place of our predecessors.”
“...Heh heh.”
Padania let out a chilling laugh.
“Arrogant.”
He growled lowly.
“I know what you’re scheming, Maide Mohan.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“You want to crack my helmet. To announce to the world that the dead Fourth Hero is here. But can you pull it off with your skills?”
“Easily.”
“I look forward to it, fake hero.”
“Ha.”
I let out a hollow laugh.
“Who’s calling who fake!”
Thud.
Quick Dash!
I charged at him with terrifying speed.