Chapter 155: War(2)
Chapter 155: War(2)
The Organization was monitoring the hero’s movements in detail.
And as they tracked her, they became certain of one thing: the hero’s next destination was the second Black Monolith.
They had no idea how the hero had uncovered their top-secret information, but given her actions so far, there was no room for doubt.
Of course, the Organization wasn’t just going to stand by and watch. They issued an order to one of their most trusted subordinates to stop the hero.
The one who received that order was the Idol Worshipper.
The moment he received the command, his complexion turned a deathly gray.
“Damned old geezers. How the hell am I supposed to stop the heroes?”
He had already heard reports of the heroes’ progress. Not only had Furuku and Nassen fallen, but even Barikmeteo was dead.
And that was after they had given Barikmeteo the stone that created enemy doppelgängers, his ultimate weapon.
“This is just them telling me to buy some time and die.”
To the higher-ups, the Idol Worshipper was nothing more than a disposable pawn.
And this was his reward after so many years of loyal service to the Organization.
But it didn’t matter. It wasn’t as if the Idol Worshipper was fond of those old men, either.
As long as he achieved his own goals, he couldn’t care less if they lived or died.
There was just one problem.
It wouldn’t be hard to disobey the order and slack off, but if he did, the heroes might actually succeed in destroying the second Black Monolith.
That, he could not allow.
No one could be allowed to interfere with Her resurrection. One Black Monolith had already been destroyed.
Unfortunately, following the old men’s orders had become the most rational course of action for the Idol Worshipper as well.
“Dammit. Is my life cursed or something?”
If someone had to be the sacrificial lamb, how wonderful it would have been if it were one of those old geezers.
“...There’s no way out of this.”
The fearsome hero and her companions.
Besides the hero, there was one other person who concerned him: that troublesome man.
Right up until he received the stone, Barikmeteo had been grinding his teeth in frustration over that man.
“Hmm. He looks ordinary, but he’s the most troublesome one…”
A formidable man.
As expected, anyone who joined the hero’s party was bound to be extraordinary. Perhaps even Barikmeteo had been struggling against that troublesome man until the very end.
The Idol Worshipper tore at his hair. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t come up with a way to stop the hero’s party.
For now, he decided to focus all his efforts on his current task: stirring up conflict in the border region.
*
A fortress steeped in the atmosphere of war.
As the fortress closest to the border, it was in a constant state of tension.
Undead swarmed the surrounding area, and provocations against their territory were ceaseless. No one here could afford to let their guard down.
But for the first time, the tension in this grim fortress began to melt away, like a flower blooming through the frost of deep winter.
It was all thanks to the beauty of Lina and her companions.
Their beauty was so stunning it could thaw even the frozen tension of a battlefield.
Of course, it wasn’t as if any of the soldiers were openly staring or trying to strike up a conversation.
The title of “Hero” was not one a common soldier could approach so lightly.
But it was obvious, wasn’t it? The furtive glances, the focused attention.
There was an atmosphere that couldn’t be hidden, no matter how hard they tried.
I feel like a manager traveling with a real idol group.
William, the commander, must have noticed it too, because he yelled at his soldiers.
“All of you, get lost! Can’t you see you’re making the heroes uncomfortable!”
“S-Sorry, sir!”
The soldiers who had been subtly creating work for themselves near the heroes to sneak a peek quickly scattered.
“Forgive us, Hero. They are not usually like this, but this place is filled with nothing but grimy men. I believe my subordinates have lost their self-control.”
That makes sense.
This is exactly like a female idol group suddenly barging into a military barracks.
The soldiers on guard duty, the soldiers cleaning—all of them pretended to be busy, but their attention was entirely on Lina’s party.
Among them, quite a few sent looks of admiration toward Kerry.
‘So this is what it feels like to be in the hero’s party.’
Until now, he hadn’t been aware of it, as they had done their best to avoid people’s eyes.
Is this what it’s like to be an idol manager? No. An idol manager doesn’t get to sleep with the idols.
While Kerry was lost in his useless thoughts, Lina began to get to the point with William.
“We saw frightened soldiers before we arrived. What happened here?”
William waved his hand as if embarrassed.
“...It is shameful, but I believe you saw deserters. The situation has been dire lately, so it happens from time to time. You need not concern yourself with such cowards, Hero.”
“I’m not concerned about the deserters. I’m concerned about what they saw that made them so frightened.”
The Empire’s front line was a place of frequent skirmishes, both large and small, with Astria. As such, the soldiers here were rich with combat experience.
They may have been acting like fools in the presence of the heroes, but they were veterans in their own right.
And those veteran soldiers had fled in terror.
“...They fled because their spirits were broken by the wicked sorcery the Astrians employ. Undead, illusions, plagues—all are forbidden in warfare, yet those bastards do not hesitate to use them. They are truly evil.”
“...”
I’m pretty sure I heard Lina is from Astria, too.
Lina knew the truth. It wasn’t Astria using wicked sorcery. It wasn’t the Empire, either.
It was The Organization.
They were trying to inflame the sentiments of both nations to trigger a Holy War.
Lina looked at William with pity.
‘William… your devout faith is blinding you.’
She couldn’t tell him the truth now.
Even if she did, William wouldn’t listen. His faith was as strong as his rage toward this wicked sorcery.
‘As I thought, the surest way to prevent the Holy War is to eliminate them.’
Even as Lina was lost in thought, William continued to rant about Astria’s evil.
His voice and eyes, filled with hatred, seemed to hold a hint of madness.
Lina listened for a moment before suddenly cutting in.
“William. We wish to go to Astria. We have something we must do there.”
“...Is this to fulfill the hero’s mission?”
“It is.”
“Understood. I will do my best to assist you.”
The hero title really is convenient. One word about my mission, and a devout believer like William immediately understands.
“However, as you know, the situation is not good. It wouldn’t be strange for provocations to break out between us at any moment. Astria’s border will be just as heavily guarded.”
“...”
“A battle will likely be unavoidable. If you are willing to accept that, I can explain the areas where their defenses are weakest…”
“No, William. We will not fight.”
“What? That’s impossible. As I said, tensions are high, and their guard is up.”
“Can’t we just pass through the dungeon… the Valley of Screams?”
“!”
“If we use the dungeon, we can cross the border without alerting Astria’s guards. Their soldiers don’t guard the dungeon, after all.”
“How did you… Is this not your first time here?”
“I was just lucky enough to find out.”
As expected, as long as I trust and follow Lina, I have nothing to worry about. More importantly, a dungeon, huh?
When it comes to dungeons, I’m pretty confident in my own abilities.
A rough plan was already forming in Lina’s mind.
But even for Lina, the regressor, there was a small problem.
‘I have too much to do.’
Preparations for the dungeon had to be thorough. The Valley of Screams was different from any dungeon they had faced so far.
It required meticulous planning.
Furthermore, since they were now in the border region, she had to assess how much the state of the war had changed compared to her past life.
She had to gauge the new direction of her enemies’ plans. And if possible, she had to persuade William to let go of his blind hatred for Astria.
In her past life, Lina had seen with her own eyes how the small hatreds of individuals could gather and erupt into a Holy War that would destroy the continent.
“If you heroes intend to conquer the Valley of Screams, I will not stop you. You must have a plan if you’re bringing it up.”
“...”
Despite William’s offer of active support, Lina’s expression remained dark.
A hesitant silence.
Kerry saw right through her worries. It was perfectly clear what was on her mind.
‘Trying to do it all by yourself. You’re busy, aren’t you, Lina?’
Kerry spoke to her.
“Please leave the dungeon preparations to me, Lina.”
“Kerry?”
“It seems you have many other things to attend to. Am I wrong?”
“...”
The man was uncannily perceptive. Lina felt as if he had read her mind. But he was just as competent.
‘I can trust Kerry with this.’
Kerry had surprised her with his perfect preparations in the last dungeon.
Moreover, she was grateful for his kindness in stepping forward without even being asked.
“Very well. I will leave the preparations for the dungeon assault to you, Kerry.”
Kerry nodded.
To him, conquering a dungeon was no different from taking a test with the answer sheet in hand.
*
Lina seemed to have much to discuss with William and left in a hurry.
“Then, Kerry. I’m counting on you.”
The responsibility for preparing for the dungeon fell solely on Kerry.
Guided by a subordinate assigned by William, Kerry headed for the Valley of Screams.
True to its name, the Valley of Screams was an eerie place. They hadn’t even arrived yet, but the area was already shrouded in fog and filled with gaunt, dead trees.
The terrified soldier spoke up.
“I’m counting on you, heroes. I’ve got a wife and a chubby son waiting for me at home.”
“...”
Can he even guide us properly when he’s this scared? It wasn’t a major concern. Natasha was right by his side, after all. And Victoria was here too.
“Husband, I’m scared! It’s so creepy here!”
“...”
‘Natasha, you’re way stronger than me.’
Kerry simply accepted Natasha’s whining.
Natasha alone was more than enough for protection, but Victoria had insisted on coming along, claiming she had nothing else to do.
“Kerry, is it really necessary to inspect the dungeon yourself? It’s dangerous outside the fortress because of the monsters.”
“It is necessary.”
All I have to do is take one look with the Goddess’s Eye and I’ll see all the dungeon’s information. I can’t pass that up.
But he couldn’t exactly say that out loud.
It didn’t matter. He could always make up an excuse.
“We can gain a lot of information just by observing the area around the dungeon. The monsters that emerge can tell us what kind of beasts await inside, and the surrounding environment can give us clues about the dungeon’s interior.”
“...”
“If you look closely, there’s a wealth of information to be found around a dungeon. It’s just difficult to explain every detail.”
It was all plausible-sounding nonsense, but it worked.
“Well, I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”
“That’s right. My husband will handle it perfectly.”
Neither Natasha nor Victoria had any interest in such matters. They were the type to believe anything Kerry said without question.
‘Actually, given their personalities, they probably won’t even ask what I’m investigating from now on…’
In any case, Kerry continued toward the dungeon.
They walked through the fog, relying on the faint light of the soldier’s torch.
Whenever the wind blew, the branches of the withered trees would sway. It felt just like a scene from a horror movie.
I hate horror movies.
The name itself, the Valley of Screams, was unsettling. It couldn’t be a horror movie. He despised monsters like wraiths.
Before long, Kerry’s party arrived at the Valley of Screams.
“This is it, heroes. From the valley ahead, the dungeonification has progressed, so we can’t go any further.”
Mountains flanked both sides of the valley.
“Can’t we just climb the ridges around the dungeon to get past it?”
It looked steep, but it didn’t seem impossible for the superhuman hero party.
“It’s possible, but any other passable routes will be guarded by those Astrian bastards.”
The fact that those guard-loving bastards aren’t worried about someone conquering the dungeon must mean this place is anything but ordinary.
Kerry considered asking the soldier about the chances of clearing the dungeon but decided against it.
It was easier to see for himself.
Kerry used the Goddess’s Eye on the dungeon.
Instantly, the dungeon’s information unfolded before him.
[Name – Valley of Screams]
[Grade – Legendary]
[Summary – A dungeon imbued with the soul of an executioner once known as the Grim Reaper. The executioner still desires to carry out executions. Those killed by the executioner will wander the Valley of Screams for eternity, their screams echoing forever.]
“...”
Shit. It was a Legendary-grade dungeon. There was a reason the Astrians hadn’t considered the possibility of someone clearing it.
“What is it, Kerry? You look pale…”
“...”
Do we really have to go through here? The Grim Reaper? Just the name sounds ridiculously strong.
Did Lina know this and still intend to pass through here?
No. I have to trust Lina. There’s no need to get scared ahead of time.
She’s a regressor. She must have suggested this path because there’s a surefire way to conquer it.
‘All I have to do is find that surefire method Lina knows.’
He decided to put off looking into the dungeon’s details for a little later.
There was something else he had to check first. A dungeon of this caliber had to have some decent rewards.
After all, the best part of any dungeon is the reward!
Kerry checked the dungeon’s rewards.
“This is…”
As expected of a Legendary-grade dungeon, there were many good rewards.
But one item in particular caught Kerry’s eye. He never expected to find something so perfectly suited for his needs at just the right time.
He had been putting it off because he was busy, but Kerry was in the middle of learning magic from the White Witch.
[Hidden Reward]
[Name – Archmage’s Pendant]
[Grade – Legendary]
[Summary – Assists the wearer in the use of magic. Aids the multifaceted growth of the wearer’s magical abilities. Allows the use of telepathy through psychic waves.]
The path to becoming an Archmage just opened up.