Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Reward
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Sophie teared up the moment she saw Do-yoon, just like Eloa had. It seemed she felt terribly guilty about crossing over without him.
After he comforted Sophie, the items sent from the Lockenmeyer royal family arrived at the guild house.
"To the unnamed benefactor of Lockenmeyer. Or so it says?"
A long wooden box exuding an antique charm. It was the javelin stored in the royal vault, just as the lord had mentioned.
"I didn't expect them to actually open the royal vault for just one small-scale battle."
"That just shows how important that city is to Lockenmeyer. The enemies were none other than Satan's imps, after all. Even if there weren't many of them."
But even accounting for that, the reward felt a touch generous. This was thanks to the city's lord pulling strings and Lockenmeyer's message expressing a desire for good relations with World Tree.
World Tree's reputation had skyrocketed from this incident.
Since Do-yoon—the one who actually defended the city—remained anonymous, with only his affiliation revealed, all the spotlight poured straight onto World Tree.
This was precisely what Do-yoon had intended, and Eloa was deeply moved by the hero's profound consideration.
'It's still too soon to make my name known.'
At the very least, he needed to reach a level where he could defeat the finance minister weakened by the holy stone.
If Do-yoon's fame spread too rapidly, his identity as the Boss Monster Killer would quickly bubble to the surface. The Demon King's forces would naturally make their move then.
Of course, he couldn't hide it forever. Even with Skeletonia pouring effort into information suppression, Cradle cadets had already graduated and scattered to the world. It was only a matter of time before the Boss Monster Killer's existence leaked out.
'I need to grow as strong as possible before that.'
But Do-yoon felt a twinge of despair. No matter how quickly he leveled up, it would all be pointless if the legion commander Death God made his appearance.
'I should have finished him off back then...'
The continent's greatest assassin and Demon King's army legion commander, Death God. Even Enoch at the peak of his power had failed to kill him in a one-on-one duel and let him slip away.
'I only ever clashed with him once...'
No mistake about it. He was the strongest of the legion commanders—the second most powerful individual in the Demon King's army after the Demon King herself.
In truth, no matter how fast Do-yoon progressed, it was utterly impossible to grow strong enough to face Death God within a holy stone barrier by the time his identity came to light.
'...I need some kind of countermeasure.'
When Death God eventually came for him. He needed a way to survive that encounter, somehow.
And soon.
"Hero?"
Putting his thoughts aside, Do-yoon turned to Eloa.
"Um... Are you feeling unwell? I called, but you didn't answer..."
"No. Just mulling over something. Don't worry about it."
Eloa nodded at his response. The hero often lost himself in deep thought like this.
"Open it quick!"
"Alright, alright."
Do-yoon flashed a smile at Eloa—who was more excited than he was—and opened the wooden box.
Inside lay two javelins gleaming with a green light.
"Hm? Two of them?"
"Ah...! Is this what I think it is? The Wind Sisters' Spears!"
Do-yoon checked the item details through his [Seventh Sense].
[Typhoon Spear Anemos, Gale Spear Aër] (Anemos and Aër are the names of the greatest typhoon and hurricane from ancient times. They were twin winds born from the same gale on the same day, but Anemos swept out to sea to become the largest typhoon, while Aër roared over land to become the mightiest hurricane. Anemos, the most colossal wind, once obliterated an entire ancient kingdom. Aër, the most ferocious wind, claimed the life of a green dragon hatchling. These two spears house the mysterious power discovered at the hearts of Anemos and Aër. In antiquity, they were known as the 'Wrath of the Wind God'. Anemos unleashes a vast, sweeping wind upon being thrown, engulfing the entire area. Aër hurls a narrow, piercing gale that skewers its target clean through.)
The longer spear was the piercing-type Aër. The relatively shorter one was the explosive-type Anemos.
Eloa, who had already read the description using an appraisal scroll, was jumping up and down in excitement. "It's incredible!" Do-yoon, too, felt his anticipation build as he scanned the effects.
"Hero! Check this out! These spears are one of the most famous treasures even in Lockenmeyer's royal vault! They're legendary across the continent for javelin throws!"
He had no idea of their exact power yet, but seeing Eloa this thrilled, they had to be exceptional.
"Wow... To hand over something this valuable...!"
"Almost makes me regret turning down their invitation."
The Lockenmeyer royal family had originally invited Do-yoon to the palace. But he had refused.
As mentioned before, he didn't want his fame spreading just yet.
Of course, he hadn't simply snubbed a king's summons. Skeletonia's royal family had spoken on his behalf after hearing the reason. Do-yoon was an exceedingly precious asset to his homeland. And hadn't he already survived one assassination attempt?
The lord of the city that Eloa and Do-yoon had saved stepped up as well. On top of that, Heineken—who somehow got wind of the matter—even spoke directly with the Lockenmeyer king to lend his support. It seemed the title of hero carried far more weight in this era than expected.
For merely declining an invitation, it had caused quite the uproar. In the end, though, the Lockenmeyer royals backed off in a panic. Those in neighboring nations who heard the news came away with the impression that Apostle Han Do-yoon was a hidden powerhouse wielding tremendous influence from the shadows.
Unintentionally, an atmosphere had formed where no major power dared touch Do-yoon lightly.
'I do feel a little bad for Lockenmeyer... but gaining more freedom in the power dynamics is a good thing.'
In compensation, World Tree had agreed to show them goodwill later on. After all, Lockenmeyer had done Do-yoon a favor, so letting it end awkwardly would leave both sides uneasy.
Eloa, for her part, welcomed the opportunity.
As leaders of the continent's top guild, both Eloa and Millane were highly capable. They would transform this little fiasco into a chance to strengthen ties with Lockenmeyer through apologies, gifts, and open communication.
"Don't trouble yourself with such minor details, Hero! You're one of us now—we'll handle the rest!"
"Got it. You're a real rock, Eloa."
"Hehe."
As Do-yoon ruffled her hair, Eloa beamed from ear to ear.
With such bold assurances from his little chick, Do-yoon decided not to dwell on it any further.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Now that he'd finally wrapped up the post-war business, Do-yoon received his room assignment from Millane.
"Right here! It might not be perfect—the room quality depends on the guild's evaluation rankings, which determine the grades assigned."
"It's more than fine. This is excellent."
"I'm so relieved you think so!"
How polite, Millane thought to herself with a bright smile.
She liked everything about Do-yoon, from one to ten. His immense talent, handsome features, refined aura, courteous demeanor.
And to top it off, he'd decided to entrust his 10,000 gold contract payment to World Tree's custody instead of a personal vault!
This offered zero personal benefit to Apostle Han Do-yoon.
The guild could quietly renege on the payout, or if the guild ever went bankrupt, he'd never see that money again.
In exchange, during the period of custody, it counted as his asset on the books—but in practice, it became part of World Tree's liquid funds for operations.
In other words, World Tree didn't have to worry about its cash reserves dipping due to the 10,000-gold expenditure.
It was a decision Apostle Han Do-yoon had made purely out of consideration for World Tree. When the master relayed the news, Millane had wanted nothing more than to hug him and plant a big kiss on his cheek.
'And starting filial duty from day one, no less...!'
This raid had elevated World Tree's status dramatically and even forged friendly ties with the Lockenmeyer royals. They'd reaped enormous intangible gains.
From the perspective of Millane—the guild's vice-master and chief of staff—Do-yoon was nothing short of a walking blessing.
"Just hold on a little! In the next guild achievement evaluation, bumping Apostle Han Do-yoon up from E-rank is a done deal!"
"Is that right?"
"Yes! Strictly by merits, we could fast-track you to D-rank right now and it wouldn't be enough. But since you're such a fresh recruit from yesterday... it'd stir up talk internally. Sorry. Can you bear with it?"
"Guild cohesion is a serious matter. Just follow the rules—no need to worry."
"Ugh, how do you manage to say everything so perfectly!"
Do-yoon gave Millane a gentle smile. For him, it was a relief to know such an energetic, thoughtful woman stood by Eloa's side.
Eloa had to uphold her dignity as guild master in public, but with Millane around, that burden would lighten considerably.
'They say she cherishes her like a little sister... I should look into extending her lifespan someday.'
Lifespan-boosting items weren't commonplace, but if it meant keeping her by Eloa's side longer, it was entirely feasible.
"Well then, get some rest! See you tomorrow!"
Millane kept smiling radiantly right up until she closed the door behind her.
After taking a moment to survey the room, Do-yoon opened his Status Window. It was time to address the curiosity he'd been putting off.
'Let's have a look.'
Do-yoon called up the description for his skill [Manifest Sword].