The Elixir's Worth
Just how...? Lustran's claws pierced Laterion's abdomen with a horrifying screech. Laterion tried to put more strength into his hand for the killing blow.
Whoosh
Slash
But no more power entered his grip. In an instant, Lustran's vision spun wildly.
"Wha... how...?"
He died on the spot without even knowing what had killed him. What had severed his neck was the Holy Sword of the Hero.
"..."
Capier stared down at Lustran. His own abdomen had been grievously wounded, internal organs shredded clean through.
"Heal him," Capier said to Rasitena and Merian.
But Merian shook her head vigorously.
"I... it's impossible..."
"Why?" Capier's voice was ice-cold.
Merian looked troubled. "A wound this severe... we can't restore it."
Priestesses' healing wasn't omnipotent. They could close wounds, but regenerating organs and flesh torn completely away was beyond them.
"Sob... Captain..."
"Captain... please open your eyes..."
"Captain... please..."
Tears began streaming from the knights around them.
Laterion was their Knight Order Captain, the man who led them—their father figure. Most of the knights under him were orphans from the orphanage he regularly supported.
One knight, weeping, recalled a childhood conversation with Laterion.
"Uncle, can I grow up to be as cool as you someday?"
"Good kid. Maybe you will."
"How do I become a cool person?"
"Don't scorn the weak. Don't fear the strong. Don't weigh profit and loss. Follow your heart. Never deceive others, and give every moment your all. Then maybe at least one person will think you're cool."
"Aw... that's totally dumb. You'd be exhausted living like that. Who's gonna appreciate it?"
"I would, wouldn't I?"
"..."
"Even if others don't know, I do."
"Dummy."
"Maybe I am. But even living like that, someone will appreciate you."
"Who...?"
"You know, kid. At least to you, I'm cool, right? That's enough."
That day, the young child made a vow. To become a knight under him, to protect the weak and stand firm against the strong, to act with full sincerity.
Yet now...
"Captain, please... please open your eyes..."
The man who had smiled so brightly in those memories, who led them with unshakeable resolve, was turning into a cold corpse.
Frensia and Henessi turned away. They couldn't bear to watch the knights grieve.
"Do...n't... di...e..."
The captain forced out the words through a throat that refused to cooperate. But no one heard.
"Captain... I... sob... I truly respected you..."
"..."
"Captain... you were more than a father to me... you can't go like this... I haven't repaid you yet..."
They wailed like children. Laterion's forced movements stopped, his face growing pale.
Then Capier shouted.
"Henessi. Hand over the Elixir."
"Wh-what?!"
Henessi yelped in shock. All eyes turned to her.
"An... Elixir?!"
The knights spoke urgently. But they couldn't bring themselves to beg her to use it.
It was only natural. Henessi explained, shouting, "The Elixir was bestowed by the king for your battle with the Demon King! It's not for personal use. They call you humanity's last bastion, Hero—the Hero! It's the one and only in this kingdom. What if you lose to the Demon King without it?"
The knights knew this well. If the Hero fell to the Demon King, the saintesses and priestesses at his side would die too. Losing the Hero and saintesses in one blow would cripple the kingdom, handing the Demon King's army a massive advantage.
The Elixir was a ridiculous potion that could prevent such a disaster once.
So the knights clenched their fists until blood welled, holding back. They desperately wanted to beg for the Elixir for their captain—but they knew it meant asking the Hero, saintess, and priestess to risk their own lives.
But Capier spoke as if he couldn't care less.
"I'm strong. And I'll get stronger. I don't need two chances. Relying on some damn potion like this just makes you complacent. Knowing you have one more shot makes you slack off, not give your all."
"Hell, I was planning to smash it anyway. Just knowing it existed was making me lazy."
Everyone stared in stunned disbelief.
Impossible. The Elixir was said to revive even the dead. Not truly the dead, but even if every organ burst and the body was shredded, one sip restored you fully. Any wound, any disease—perfected once.
It could restore Laterion's dying life in seconds.
What was the Elixir's value? 100 gold? 1,000? No. Priceless, beyond money. That's why only the Hero received one.
He's gonna use it...?
Henessi was aghast. She'd already thought it odd that he didn't carry it himself but entrusted it to a comrade. Using that precious thing for someone else? Unfathomable.
Not that saving a life was bad. But the Elixir's value made it absurd.
"Didn't you hear me? Get the Elixir out now. I was gonna smash it on the ground anyway, but there's a whiner right here. Perfect—I'll waste it on him."
The Hero's words sounded arrogantly dismissive at first glance. He'd been like that since meeting the knights—haughty, looking down on them.
But his actions were always different. The Hero who'd berated them like inferiors had saved dozens of knights. And now he was offering to use the invaluable Elixir on their captain.
One knight thought: If I were in the Hero's position... would I use the Elixir?
If he were the Hero, forced to use it for some stranger? Could he do it without hesitation?
Absolutely not.
Drip...
Drip...
The Hero took the Elixir from Henessi and poured it over Laterion.
Fwoooosh!
As the Elixir touched his body, intense heat and light erupted from Laterion.
"Guhhh..."
His body regenerated at an unbelievable speed. Everyone held their breath, watching.
Sizzle...
The sound of flesh searing on fire echoed across the battlefield.
"Hah... hah..."
Laterion regained consciousness amid the agony, pushing himself up. He scanned his surroundings, piecing it together.
"How... am I alive...?"
It didn't take long to realize. Capier stood before him, holding the empty Elixir vial.
"This... this is insane! Are you mad?!"
The captain bellowed furiously.
"Th-that's not something to waste on trash like a mere Knight Order Captain! Not something that can just vanish like this!!"
"..."
"Hah... hah..."
He'd screamed so fiercely that everyone fell silent.
"Without it... you can't beat the Demon King... Hero... Past Heroes lost even with Elixirs. But now there's none. What are you going to do... what?!"
Tears streamed down Laterion's cheeks.
"Ah... saving my worthless body might doom countless people inside the walls. No. It can't be."
Laterion grieved not for his survival's joy, but for the Hero who might lose to the Demon King without it—and the kingdom's people who would suffer the Demon King's merciless raids after.
"Shut up, you're annoying."
Capier snapped irritably.
"I hate worms who whine 'impossible' without even trying."
"..."
"I'm strong enough. I can kill the Demon King without this shitty potion."
"But I've only got one body. I can't handle all the Demon King's remnants alone. When I charge in, they'll split forces to raid the kingdom."
"That's why I need someone to stop them. Captain, I figured you'd do for the job."
"But..."
"Don't whine weakly. If you hadn't shown what you did on this battlefield, I would've skipped you and found another captain to hold the Demon King's army."
"But after seeing you, I changed my mind."
"Couldn't find anyone else like you anyway."
Laterion swallowed a surge of tears and slowly knelt.
Don't scorn the weak. Don't fear the strong. Don't weigh profit and loss. Follow your heart. Never deceive others, and give every moment your all.
Words he'd once told his knights.
Kneeling, he looked up at the Hero. For the first time in his life, he'd met a true fool.
An utterly absurd one.
But that feeling was thrilling beyond words.
"Great Hero. Second Knight Order Captain Laterion. Henceforth, I pledge to follow you, safeguard the kingdom, and if needed, gladly offer this one life."
The knights beside him knelt in unison.
"The knights under Second Knight Order Captain Laterion. Whatever you command, Hero, we shall do—even if it costs our lives."