Purity and Innocence (1)
Harkon recalled his final day in the Empire. His liege's bitter voice still lingered, unforgettable.
"The trials never end, do they, Harkon."
"...Your Majesty."
"What does the divine one truly desire from me? Even as emperor, I cannot fathom it. It feels as if I've been cast into an abyss of utter darkness, without a single ray of light..."
Demons had appeared, and adventurers vanished. But that wasn't all—the Empire's lands, its people, even the Mage Tower, evaporated without a trace.
Harkon was certain. Demons were behind it all.
Yet knowing the cause offered no solution. Fighting demons that surpassed all strength was an endless chain of despair.
His liege knew it too.
"They say a demon legion commander has appeared in the northwest. A legion commander... This expedition will claim thousands more lives. I'm the one driving them to their deaths."
"Your Majesty, such words..."
"Harkon. Every night, I ask the gods, the goddesses—what have we done wrong? If they pity us even a little, why not tell me what choice to make?"
The emperor smiled wryly.
"But there's never been a single answer."
Harkon could say nothing. He could only fulfill his duty as his liege's sword.
"I shall slay the demon legion commander and return, Your Majesty."
That was his last memory.
When he came to during the expedition...
"...!"
Harkon awoke in a strange world. For the first time, he understood his liege's heart—the feeling of true abandonment by the divine.
"Why?! Why us?! We had the demon legion commander...!!"
This unfamiliar world was the adventurers' homeland. The vanished adventurers were here. The evaporated buildings, people, and Mage Tower existed here too.
Learning that sparked faint hope.
But it shattered like foam soon enough.
"...You don't know the reason either?"
The adventurers' homeland was plunged into chaos too. The demons' clutches had reached even here.
What must I do in this place?
His first thought turned to the Mage Tower.
Perhaps the Mage Tower holds answers.
Their wisdom might offer a way out.
Yet these were the mages the emperor himself dismissed. Expecting real help was unrealistic.
Then rumors spread.
"...Yusra Archipelago?"
The legendary treasure island. Yusra Kingdom had appeared in this world.
A slender thread of hope? He hadn't truly expected much.
Legends are just legends.
Even if Yusra's treasures existed, what use were they now?
Still, Harkon and the Lionheart Knights sought Yusra for a simple reason: staying idle would drive them mad.
...I cannot yield.
If demons were the root of all this, he wanted to resist their schemes to the end.
Then he met a man—an adventurer.
That brooch? Surely from the Mage Tower...!
At first, it seemed like a golden opportunity. An adventurer close to the Mage Tower? Through him, contact was possible.
That was his intent in approaching.
But the more he observed, the more his view shifted.
...Even sensing my impure motives,
he didn't reproach, only magnanimously overlooked it.
That generosity shone in battle too. Despite his immense magical prowess, he simply cleared paths for them to shine.
Harkon, well-acquainted with the arrogant mages of the tower, could only admire.
True nobility in demeanor...!
From then on.
"Sir Hoyeol."
His title for the adventurer, Hoyeol, changed.
But admiration wasn't the end.
The island quaked, revealing the Golden Palace.
Harkon knew that chilling aura well.
Demons here too.
A particularly mighty one.
He swallowed a sigh.
In the end, dancing in their palms again?
But the sigh turned to relief.
"I've been waiting."
"...?"
"Vile demon who calls yourself a great evil."
"...!!"
It was thanks to Hoyeol.
Harkon could scarcely believe his eyes. How could one face a self-proclaimed great evil with such confidence?
What is that unshakable poise?
Not even he or the emperor possessed it.
Harkon could only reproach himself.
"...My failing, Your Majesty. If only I'd known sooner."
If he'd known of Sir Hoyeol before the demons' reach extended to the Empire.
They could have been slain then.
Regret was fleeting. Harkon's eyes flashed.
Yes. This is my chance to correct the mistake.
No more excuses. Demons existed here too.
Divine trial or punishment—it mattered not.
I shall fight.
How could he claim to protect Empire and emperor without slaying even this world's demons?
As if endorsing his resolve, Hoyeol continued.
"I put no faith in gods."
A declaration worthy of Sir Hoyeol.
Perhaps our hearts align.
Harkon smiled faintly.
Thump—
The slumbering lion's heart beat once more.
*
The Lionheart Knights. Now I see why they're called Arcana's strongest order.
Crunch—
Skeletons approached, bones grinding.
Those pitiful things were Lv.500.
Shock was natural upon confirmation.
Leoni's incredulous voice rang out.
"...What the actual fuck with this difficulty. For real."
Of course, tones varied, but I agreed.
Even for a great evil, this difficulty was insane.
Even undead with clear weaknesses become threats when the level gap is this vast.
Can't conserve mana, it seems.
...Or so I thought.
"Offer your hearts! That Sir Hoyeol may reach the great evil!"
Harkon's sudden cry.
"Our hearts!"
The Lionheart Knights' morale surged palpably. No illusion.
Knights charged the frontlines, smashing skeletons.
Most striking: three knights, including Harkon.
Hooo—
Harkon's blade gleamed faintly. Skeletons crumpled with each swing. His level dominated.
But Jessica and Enoch...
Clear level disadvantage. Yet...
They rampaged fiercely, if not quite at Harkon's level.
Strength beyond levels.
I saw the reason.
Glowing blades. Sword aura, perhaps.
Hooo—
Not as vivid as Harkon's, but faint light danced on their blades.
That was the source transcending levels.
Through Grandfell's eyes, I analyzed it—like witnessing magic for the first time.
Probe, interfere, manifest...
Like scrawling unknown words on paper.
I discerned its nature.
...Sword aura.
Did such a thing exist? Even I wondered.
No need for deep thought. Experience would reveal, like magic.
More pressing now:
Offer hearts... for me?
Harkon's deference grew ever more profound.
Scary. Truly scary.
I took it in stride, naturally.
But fellow players reacted intensely.
"...How'd you build that rapport?"
"Ugh, monster. Absolute monster."
"As expected, beyond imagination, Mr. Hoyeol!"
Nam Taemin, top ranker, found it novel too.
A situation to puff up one's chest?
Perhaps.
But mine weighed heavy.
Noblesse oblige.
That tiresome trait made me responsible for the Lionhearts' sacrifices.
Thus.
"Found you."
The shadowed throne-sitter.
I stood unflinching before the great evil.
Clack—
Confident steps.
Straight back, precise angle.
Gaze unbowed before the lofty throne.
I spoke.
"How long do you intend to sit there, you worthless demon."
As always.
"Devoid of manners, as befits your inferior breed."
...
"!"
Nam Taemin and Leoni shouted in unison.
"Everyone, fall back!!"
"Don't get close!!"
Not ordinary monsters—demons.
Stronger than levels alone. Inflicting horrific status ailments.
Not something numbers can overcome!
His guildmates, lower in level and gear, couldn't endure.
A sound judgment.
Still.
"Fuckin' hell."
Leoni bit her lip.
She wasn't immune either. Lv.352.
A 300-level gap.
"...This looks bad, doesn't it?"
Lv.369.
Nam Taemin fared no better.
Berserker and barbarian. Their battle sense screamed peril amid unfavorable odds.
They judged swiftly.
...Even if we can't contribute,
we won't be burdens.
Nam Taemin resolved.
"We'll hold as long as we can. But if status resistance fails... I'll withdraw smartly."
"Me... too. If it gets bad, I'll just snap my Achilles tendon..."
"Oh, solid plan."
Snap their own tendons.
Befitting berserker and barbarian.
Brutal, but optimal.
They'd seen it: players turned by ailments, threatening allies.
Better crawl than harm comrades.
Injuries could heal if survived.
"...?!"
Then the throne-sitter stirred.
Chest tightened abruptly.
The Incarnation of Gluttony, Sin of Greed gazes upon you.
...What message is this?
"This sucks."
Resistance impossible in an instant? No ordinary demon—a true great evil.
Status ailment inevitable. Might turn blades on allies, on Hoyeol.
Withdraw now...
Judgment clouds from overwhelming desire.
...Or is withdrawal necessary?
Just slash this stifling chest.
Wouldn't everything end?
Gluttony status occurs.
As trembling hands reached for swords.
Hoyeol's voice came.
"No need."
Utterly magnanimous.
"I am here."
Enough to quell the boiling gluttony.
Clang—
Two swords hit the floor.
...What was I thinking?
They snapped awake.
No illusion.
Hoyeol had nullified the great evil's ailment.
For one so arrogantly throned.
"W-Who are you? How...?"
His anxious tremor proved it.
Vampire Count's Orb selected as offering.
Exorcism Ritual activates.
Inviting Incarnation of Gluttony, Sin of Greed to the ritual.
Demon hunting began.