Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: The Sage's Support
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Sage Rotern was a living legend.
In terms of levels, he had surely surpassed the cap long ago.
His combat power was, without a doubt, EX-rank.
However, he was now so old that his role was reduced to that of a quest NPC.
Though he was practically unable to fight, the Sage was still a great man.
Having lived for so long, there was almost nothing he didn't know. He was a monster who had mastered not only magic but also alchemy.
Out of respect for his abilities, I had given the Sage the title 'Scroll Machine'.
“...”
Hmm, is that a little weird?
What can I do? It's the truth.
The Sage's role didn't end with being a navigator.
Every time I visited him, he would load me up with all sorts of scrolls and potions. These high-quality consumables would prove very useful in the future.
That's why it was fine not to have a mage in the party.
It was the reason I hadn't considered Gale and Skadi, though they would become necessary later on.
The reason I was having these stray thoughts... was simply because the Sage's speech was dragging on for an eternity.
Ah, there's no skip button in real life...
Listening to things I already knew for three hours was an ordeal. Of course, it wasn't entirely meaningless, since it was all new to the princess.
“The Hero... grows stronger by overcoming trials.... Your fate... will be no different from the heroes before you.... Please, take my words to heart.... First, the Demon King's abilities are...”
He slowly explained the characteristics of the Demon King and his subordinates. The princess focused intently, as if determined not to miss a single word.
I had no choice but to wait in silence. It would have been unnatural for me to be the one explaining these things.
Well, I'll just think of it as cross-verification. I listened closely, and sure enough, the original story's settings remained unchanged.
Next, he mentioned the dungeons scattered across the continent. He advised us to collect the items the Hero would need from those places.
“The Canyon of the Dead... the Great Pyramid of the Punden Desert... the Labyrinth of the World Tree hidden in the Great Northern Forest.... Visit those places after you've grown stronger....”
He even laid out the order in which to tackle them.
Of course, I didn't have to follow it strictly. I planned to boldly skip the less important items and only grab what was necessary.
The plan was to be swift and precise.
Visiting every single place would be inefficient.
“The rest of the details... I have recorded in this book, so please take a look....”
He handed over a book.
It looked like an ordinary book, but it was actually an artifact in the form of a grimoire.
A sort of guidebook, you could say.
With this, our journey ahead would become somewhat easier. Starting with the guidebook, the Sage's barrage of gifts continued.
“This is a dimensional pocket.... The way to use it is....”
Ah, this is great!
I finally have my own personal inventory!
Right, it wouldn't feel right without an inventory.
This eliminated the risk of the Hero's adventure turning into a backpacking trip.
I was the Hero's party's porter, but they kicked me out!
There would be no chance of such malicious rumors spreading.
A comfortable journey was expected, but it might get a little annoying for me.
I could already picture my companions asking me dozens of times a day, 'Put this in! Take this out!'
I'd have to tell them in advance to manage their own personal belongings.
“And these... are scrolls and potions for you....”
At last, the long-awaited moment arrived.
My empty inventory was instantly filled to the brim.
-Teleport Scroll x10
-Return Scroll (Imperial Palace) x10
-Return Scroll (Academy) x10
-Tier 2 Attack Magic Scroll (Single Target) x10
-Tier 2 Attack Magic Scroll (Area of Effect) x5
-Tier 3 Attack Magic Scroll (Single Target) x10
-Tier 3 Attack Magic Scroll (Area of Effect) x5
-Defense Magic...
-Support Magic...
-Superior Health Potion x10
-Superior Mana Potion x10
-Superior Antidote Potion x10
Now, do you see that magnificent list?
My heart couldn't help but swell with awe.
Scrolls were incredibly rare; most mages wouldn't even dream of crafting them.
You could somehow manage to get your hands on Tier 3 scrolls, but Tier 2 scrolls could only be obtained from the Sage.
To give you an idea of how powerful Tier 2 magic is... it's on par with the ultimate skills of S-rank mages like Gale and Skadi.
Now I, too, could use such powerful magic.
It goes without saying, but scrolls were extremely expensive.
If I sold all the scrolls the Sage gave me, I could build a mountain of gold coins. The princess's eyes were already trembling.
Crucially, there was no need to conserve these consumables. It was a system where he would refill them every time I visited....
“That is not the case....”
“—??”
“Scrolls are not easily made.... Use them only when absolutely necessary....”
“...”
Hmm, it seemed a reality correction had been applied.
He said he would prepare what he could, but there were limits. I guess Tier 3 might be manageable, but Tier 2 scrolls would certainly be difficult....
Well, that was fine.
A newbie might have wasted them recklessly, but my case was different. Since I knew the entire strategy, what I had just received was more than enough.
It wasn't like he said he wouldn't refill them at all.
Inventory, scrolls, potions... I felt a sense of satisfaction from this incredible haul.
“To think you would so readily give us these precious items....”
“We will be sure to live up to your expectations, Sage.”
We expressed our gratitude in unison.
Just as I was relaxing, thinking things were going exactly as expected, the Sage spoke abruptly.
“Wait.... Something unusual seems to be happening.... You must go and check....”
“—??”
It seemed he had foreseen something.
But at this point in time, nothing was supposed to happen.
No way... it couldn't be, could it?
They say a bad feeling always comes true. The Sage finally mentioned the Hero Academy.
“Burning buildings... students in chaos... I suspect it's an attack or an act of terrorism....”
“...”
I wasn't surprised.
It just felt like the inevitable had arrived. There was a high probability that Cedric had caused trouble.
The Sage's foresight was imperfect.
It was never wrong, but the images he saw were limited, and the timing could be next year or even today.
Hmm, what should I do about this....
I was planning to just let him go if he left quietly, but if he was resorting to terrorism, that changed everything.
It seemed it would be best for me to stop him myself.
By now, he must have gotten involved with a spy from the Demon King's army.
I could picture myself finding the evidence and apprehending Cedric. It wasn't the best-case scenario, but it wasn't bad either.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside.
Urgent footsteps approached rapidly, as if to deliver a message.
I had a feeling that something had happened. The Emperor's face had also hardened.
“Your Majesty! An urgent message has arrived from the Academy!”
The details soon followed.
The damage wasn't that severe, but the source of the problem had not yet been dealt with.
“We should go.”
“Hmm....”
The situation was escalating quickly.
There was no time to use a gate. The moment the Emperor nodded, I tore a scroll.
***
The entrance to the Hero Academy.
We were instantly transported there.
“This doesn't look like a joke....”
“...”
She looked bewildered as she took in her surroundings.
I felt no different from the princess.
The traces of battle remained starkly visible.
It was obvious that S-ranks had clashed here. The main gate was even destroyed beyond recognition.
“That story about Cedric falling to a spy from the Demon King's army... could it be true?”
She couldn't seem to understand.
It was only natural to be puzzled without knowing the full story.
“He was overly jealous of you, but that alone doesn't explain this.”
Cedric was the heir to a great family.
He was destined to inherit everything his family possessed. Who would give up such immense rights just because their feelings were hurt?
Normally, the correct course of action would have been to bide his time and wait for me to show a weakness.
Despite that, Cedric had fallen. Perhaps he had lost half his sanity when Chloe showed interest in me.
I didn't know the exact details, but it seemed a spy from the Demon King's army had contacted Cedric and done something.
Since he was consumed by rage, it probably hadn't been very difficult.
Or...
There was also the possibility that the will of this world had intervened.
With the possibility of this body's corruption gone, some unknown force might have acted to fill that void....
Anyway.
It had become an irreversible event. Since it was a situation I had secretly hoped for, it was a good thing, not a bad one.
Still, I felt strange.
No, I really didn't think it would turn out like this!
Chloe's bizarre dream had come true. I wasn't stabbed in the back, but it felt like I'd been hit head-on.
Well, aside from that, the flow of events itself was fine.
This would surely strengthen the bond between the Hero candidates.
For reference, when Jace fell to darkness, it went something like this.
-Hey, isn't that Jace?
-To think he'd betray humanity and become a pawn of the Demon King's army....
-I know he feels wronged, but even so, this is unforgivable!
In Cedric's case, however, it would be like this.
-That crazy bastard... I kind of saw this coming.
-Seriously, what was he so upset about to cause such a scene?
-It just means he was never cut out for it.
-Well, at least we don't have to worry about him betraying us.
-It's better this way. We're much better off without a guy like that.
I expected a more explosive development along those lines.
It doesn't seem like it's my fault. It's not like I did anything, right?
I'll just entrust myself to this unstoppable flow. We slowly passed through the main gate and entered the academy grounds.
The situation here had already ended. I heard that after committing the act of terror, Cedric had fled with the spy from the Demon King's army.
Of course, they couldn't just let him escape, so I also heard that the student council president and the three other Hero candidates had given chase.
“Jace is here!”
“Esterize is here too. We can relax now.”
The students seemed relieved at our arrival. They must have been anxious that it wasn't over yet.
The rubble of a collapsed building caught my eye.
Overall, the damage was minor, but the immediate vicinity was completely devastated.
Just how fiercely did they fight? From the looks of it, Cedric seemed to have powered up.
He had withstood a group attack from the Hero candidates and even managed to shake off the student council president; his original power level would have been no match.
A moment later, I met an eyewitness.
“...”
“...”
Largo, who had recently become an S-rank.
He was covered in bandages from head to toe, as if to proclaim how badly he'd been beaten.
Hmm, he's supposed to be pretty strong... yet every time I see him, he's suffered injuries that would take four weeks to heal.
Would he get angry if I called him pathetic?
The words were on the tip of my tongue, but since I was partly responsible, I let it go.
“That look... seems you were done in by Cedric.”
“That bastard has become extremely dangerous. I almost lost my head.”
“...”
The guy who never complains was exaggerating his pain.
That alone gave me a rough idea of Cedric's transformation.
“I'm not sure, but he seems to have gotten as strong as you did when you became the Hero. Maybe even stronger....”
Huh? I doubt he's that strong.
Largo didn't seem to realize I'd grown even stronger. Well, even by my old standards, I needed to be cautious.
“A dark power, close to that of a demon... It was terribly strong, but he tired out just as quickly. And it felt... unrefined.”
A friend who gives help generously.
Without being asked, he explained everything from A to Z.
At this point, it felt like I should ask him to join the party out of courtesy. Of course, I had no intention of letting a wild boar into the noble Hero's party.
“His appearance?”
“He's still mostly human, but he's developed some demonic features.”
“...”
This was completely different from the original Jace.
This body had only exuded a dark aura; its appearance hadn't changed.
Hmm, will he become stronger than the Four Heavenly Kings version of Jace?
The current Cedric was closer to a villain, so it was a definite possibility. It was a variable, to be sure, but it didn't seem like something I needed to worry about too much.
It's an unwritten rule that a traitor's end is always in vain.
Following that formula, I could safely ignore the likes of Cedric.
“Anyway, hang in there. And stop getting hurt.”
“—??”
I clapped Largo on the shoulder and walked past him.
It was far too late to chase after Cedric now.
It would fail unconditionally anyway. Cedric's destiny was to become a traitor to humanity.
That flow of events was impossible to stop, and I had no intention of wasting time.
First, I should find Chloe.
She must have been very surprised by Cedric's sudden actions.
The academy's central plaza.
Chloe was there, surrounded by men in black suits.
“...”
The moment she saw me, the girl looked like she was about to cry, as if pleading for help.
I had a feeling I knew what was going on, and my head started to ache.
I wanted to pretend I hadn't seen her, but....
Her presence was necessary to control the Venice family.