Chapter 133: Fall of the Hero (2)

Chapter 133: Fall of the Hero (2)

Eutenia Hyrost, the First Apostle of His Majesty.

She held a shining relic in her hand as she rode in a carriage across the eastern part of the empire.

On her front seat sat Peter, who drove the carriage and held the reins.

They had one goal for their exploration of this region: to find a relic that could create the 'Philosopher's Stone'.

"Is the compass still pointing in the same direction?" Peter asked Eutenia, turning his head slightly.

His eyes were drawn to the relic she held. It had a special power: it could point them towards their target relic.

Their plan relied on this power. They would travel through sanctuaries and narrow down their search area based on where the compass pointed. Then Eutenia would investigate that area herself.

"Yes, it is. Watch out for the uphill road," she replied.

"I wish we could get some signal of a relic. This is frustrating," he muttered.

They had been searching for three days now, but they had not found any trace of a relic yet.

They could only estimate a rough range by using the compass from above, but finding a relic required them to search on foot.

They knew it would take time, so they had brought enough food for ten days.

"It seems like finding this relic is harder than we thought," Eutenia said as she ate a piece of cake. She wore a ring-shaped compass on her finger and kept an eye on it while she ate.

The compass of Etalia was an amazing relic, but it also came with a serious drawback. While using it, she could not use any magic at all. And if she stopped using it to cast magic, it would take days for it to reactivate. So she had to be very careful during their search.

That was why she asked Peter to do some small tasks for her.

"I hope we can find it soon," she said, putting another forkful of cake in her mouth.

She hated being without magic for so long.

Peter seemed to share her impatience. He nodded and said, "Me too. Then we can return to the church sooner..."

"And we'll be one step closer to His Majesty's advent."

"Ah, yes... that's right."

But Peter looked embarrassed and turned to the front at Eutenia's words that followed.

Eutenia smiled faintly as she saw Peter's expression.

He was diligent in carrying out his mission, no matter what.

Lately, he even showed signs of talking comfortably with other apostles or Roan.

He still seemed to be afraid of Eutenia, though.

"Peter."

"Yes."

It was a natural thing to think about.

The reason why Peter was still alive was close to Eutenia's whim.

Now there was no reason to get rid of him either.

Eutenia decided to play a light prank on Peter.

"Peter, would you save me or Roan if we fell into the water?"

Eutenia asked Peter, who was driving the carriage, with a playful face.

Roan and Eutenia.

They were both people who were bound by a bad fate with Peter.

Peter looked back with a blank face at Eutenia's question.

"Will I die if I tell the truth?"

"That won't happen. I promise."

"Then... I don't plan to save either of them."

Peter answered without hesitation.

He wouldn't save either of them.

Eutenia asked him why he would abandon both of them so ruthlessly.

"Why?"

"Why should I save the monsters who roam around the city by themselves? Unless they save me."

"Is that so?"

Monsters who roam around the city by themselves.

It wasn't a very wrong thing to say.

Since they started following the great being, they had received countless blessings.

After giving his reason, Peter hesitated for a moment and added one more thing.

"Actually, Archbishop Roan might be worth saving once because he gave me a lot of meals..."

Snort.

Eutenia's lips curled up as she heard Peter's words.

She spoke to the back of Peter's head, who was driving the carriage, with a more playful voice than before.

"Do you want to skip dinner tonight?"

"Right... of course."

Peter felt awkward and looked ahead as Eutenia continued her words.

She smiled softly at his reaction.

He was always faithful to his mission, no matter what happened.

He had even started to talk more casually with other apostles or Roan lately.

But he still seemed scared of Eutenia.

"Peter."

"Yes."

It made sense, when she thought about it.

The only reason Peter was alive was because of Eutenia's whim.

She had no reason to kill him now.

She decided to tease him a little bit.

"What if I or Roan fell into the water? Would you save us?"

She asked him with a mischievous grin as he drove the carriage.

Roan and Eutenia.

They were both his enemies by fate.

Peter turned his head with a blank look at her question.

"Will you kill me if I tell you the truth?"

"No, I won't. You have my word."

"Well... then I wouldn't save either of you."

He answered surprisingly boldly.

He wouldn't save either of them.

She wondered why he would say such a heartless thing.

"Why not?"

"Why should I bother saving those monsters who wreak havoc in the city by themselves? Unless they save me first."

"I see."

Monsters who wreak havoc in the city by themselves.

That wasn't entirely wrong.

They had received many blessings since they followed the great one.

He paused for a moment after giving his reason, then added another sentence.

"Actually, Archbishop Roan might deserve to be saved once since he fed me well..."

She chuckled at his words.

She spoke to his nape with an even more playful tone than before.

"How about no dinner for you tonight?"

"Yes...? You said I could tell the truth."

"It's okay to tell the truth. I didn't intend to scold you from the beginning."

"But why are you saying that...?"

Eutenia pointed to the grimoire on her lap with her finger as she met Peter's resentful gaze.

Tap. Tap.

She tapped on the thick cover of the divine instrument and clasped her hands.

She prayed and said to Peter.

"It wouldn't hurt to fast for a day and thank His Majesty."

"No..."

Peter's flustered voice echoed around.

But she tried to ignore his gaze and held back her laughter.

She felt a fullness in her stomach filled with cake.

She felt like she wouldn't be hungry even if she didn't eat dinner today.

"I'm kidding."

Clatter. Clatter.

Only the sound of the carriage driving on the deserted mountain road echoed.

***

"Daniel! We have a big problem!"

A small ranch in Eberlint province.

Daniel, who was sharpening a butcher knife there, looked up and saw his opponent.

A young man wearing the clothes Daniel gave him was looking at him with a serious face.

The young man joined the ranch at Roan's order and became a believer of the church who was now an assassin and a ranch worker.

"Really...? But you said I could be honest."

"You can be honest. I wasn't going to scold you anyway."

"Then why do you ask...?"

Eutenia pointed at the grimoire on her lap with her finger, facing Peter's indignant look.

Tap. Tap.

She tapped the thick cover of the sacred device and folded her hands.

She pretended to pray and spoke to Peter.

"How about fasting for a day and showing gratitude to His Majesty?"

"No..."

Peter's voice was full of panic.

But she ignored his eyes and suppressed her laughter.

Her stomach was satisfied with cake.

She didn't think she would need dinner tonight.

"I'm joking."

Clack. Clack.

The sound of the carriage moving along the empty mountain road was the only thing that broke the silence.

***

"Daniel! We have trouble!"

A small farm in Eberlint territory.

Daniel, who was honing a slaughter knife there, raised his head and met his visitor's gaze.

A young man in the clothes Daniel had given him looked at him gravely.

He had followed Roan's orders and joined the farm, becoming a follower of the church who doubled as an assassin and a farmhand.

He put down the knife he was holding and looked at the young man who looked urgent.

"What's going on?"

Daniel's expression was very serious as he looked at the young man.

He was a young man who had come here risking his life to become an assassin.

If he said it was a big deal, it wouldn't be a normal thing.

Daniel looked at the young man nervously, trying not to show his shaken heart.

'What is it? Did the holy knights of the temple come? Or is it another heretic inquisitor?'

Of course, there were many worries in Daniel's head.

The holy knights of the temple. The heretic inquisitors.

They were both people who wouldn't be strange to come looking for Daniel.

"That, that's..."

'Or maybe... did the archbishop come to dispose of me because he thought the assassin training was not going well?'

It was also a possible situation for Archbishop Roan.

While he was worrying about everything, the young man couldn't hide his confusion.

Daniel grabbed his shoulder hard and pressed him.

"What happened? Tell me quickly."

"That's... two cows that pulled out their stakes ran wild and broke the fence of the barn!"

"!"

The fence of the barn collapsed.

Daniel's heart pounded at the news.

The collapse of the barn fence was definitely a serious matter.

Daniel picked up the butcher knife he had polished.

As soon as Daniel picked up the knife, the young man who saw him flinched and backed away.

"Uh, uh..."

"Get out of the way."

"Yes, yes..."

Daniel pushed the young man aside and went outside.

And then he started walking towards the barn where the stakes had been pulled out.

Thud. Thud.

The staff were surprised by the sound of Daniel's footsteps filled with emotion.

'Stupid bastards. They can't even manage one barn.'

As the young man said, there were cows running wild right in front of the barn.

Daniel felt angry as he saw them.

All the grooms who gathered here were those who came to become assassins.

Daniel didn't know much about assassination, but he knew enough that those who couldn't handle animals couldn't become assassins.

"Da, Daniel..."

"Get out of the way. I'll take care of it."

He dropped the knife he was holding and stared at the frantic young man.

"What is it?"

His face was grave as he eyed him.

He was one of those who had risked their lives to become assassins and followed him here.

It must be something serious if he was so alarmed.

He tried to calm his nerves and not show his fear as he watched him.

'What could it be? Did the temple's holy knights find us? Or another heretic inquisitor?'

He had many things to worry about in his mind.

The holy knights. The heretic inquisitors.

Either of them could come after him without any surprise.

"It's... it's..."

'Or maybe... did the archbishop decide to get rid of me because he thought I wasn't training them well enough?'

That was also a possibility with Archbishop Roan.

He kept fretting over everything, while the young man looked lost and flustered.

He grabbed his shoulder firmly and demanded an answer.

"What happened? Spit it out."

"It's... two cows that broke free from their stakes went berserk and smashed down the barn fence!"

"!"

The barn fence was smashed down.

His heart raced at hearing that.

It was a big problem indeed.

He picked up his butcher knife again.

The young man shrank back as he saw him wield it.

"Uh... uh..."

"Move."

"Y-yes..."

He shoved him aside and headed outside.

He walked towards the barn where the stakes had been torn out.

Thump. Thump.

His footsteps were heavy with emotion, startling his workers.

'Idiots. They can't even take care of one barn.'

Just as the young man said, there were cows rampaging near the barn entrance.

He felt a surge of anger as he saw them.

All these men here had come to be assassins.

He didn't know much about killing people, but he knew that those who couldn't handle beasts had no chance of being killers.

"Da-Daniel..."

"Stand back. I'll handle this."

"I understand."

Elliot nodded and stepped back as Daniel approached the rampaging cows.

Daniel pushed past Elliot and looked at the cows dragging the stakes.

The animals that had escaped from the broken barn fence were frolicking as if their time had come.

They looked nothing like the gentle creatures that had been in the barn.

'I could probably drag them around now.'

Daniel clenched his fist as he watched the stakes being pulled.

He felt a strong vitality in his fist that was different from before.

It was a change that had occurred when he obtained the miraculous Latimeria.

His body had also become stronger since he became an apostle, so he thought he should use some of his strength to deal with them.

"..."

Daniel lifted his knife and glared at the cows with a determined expression.

He didn't intend to use the slaughter knife, he was just holding it out of habit.

Then, the cows that met Daniel's eyes froze.

Blink. Blink.

The cows that were staring blankly at Daniel slowly began to back away.

"The cows are going back to the barn!"

Maybe even beasts recognize their master.

The cows that faced Daniel quietly returned to the barn.

The stakes that had tied them up were also dragged back to the barn.

Seeing the cows returning to the barn on their own, Daniel took a few more steps forward and drove them completely into the barn.

"This, this is... the silent butcher..."

"Even beasts can't withstand Daniel's aura."

"Master. I learned something new today."

The employees who watched Daniel send the cows back with just his eyes all exclaimed in admiration.

Daniel felt a strange impulse at their sight.

He felt like teaching those stupid guys a lesson with his knife.

He suppressed the urge that rose in his chest and glared at them.

The employees closed their mouths at Daniel's fierce eyes and the aura that emanated from them.

"Shut up."

"..."

"Make sure you secure the stakes. If this happens again, I'll tie you up in the barn instead of the cows."

"Yes, sir! We'll make sure this never happens again!"

As the disciples carried planks and headed to the barn, he finally put away his knife and clicked his tongue.

Maybe it was because he hung out with those who wanted to be assassins.

Lately, he felt more weird impulses than usual.

Of course, taking care of the beasts calmed down my impulses quickly.

'Assassins? They can't even raise cows.'

I turned away from the employees who were repairing the barn and headed back to the slaughterhouse.

There was still a thief left in the farm, who was lucky enough to be taken care of by one of the employees last night.

I planned to erase his traces completely by burning him at night.

Of course, I had to do it secretly from the villagers.

I carried the load with a cheerful heart and moved on.

The red gem ring on my little finger reflected the sunlight.

***

In the history of Crossbridge, there was a hero who was called the peak of magic.

Arien Crost.

A genius of the Crost family, who had dedicated glory to the holy land for generations.

He mastered all kinds of magic before he became a knight, and all the magic towers of the empire accepted him as an honorary member.

He was also the one who re-established the space magic, which was considered obsolete.

From the moment Arien became a hero, it was natural that everyone in Crossbridge expected him to do great things.

"Arien..."

The most precious person for Arien Crost, who was the greatest hero, was the saintess.

Aurora, the saintess of knowledge.

She guided him, who was the hero of knowledge, and was closer to him than anyone else.

Her brilliant and beautiful existence was enough to captivate his heart.

Their feelings deepened as they crossed the battlefield, and Arien worried about Aurora, who would be left alone until he died.

The oath that promised eternity was also for Aurora, who would be lonely.

'I will protect this world and you forever.'

The words of a great mage have power in them.

He came back from death to keep his oath, and he would also destroy his enemies according to his eternal promise.

Someone would have to pay a huge price to carry out the forbidden plan, but it was certain that it was not Arien himself who had to bear it.

Arien stroked the cheek of the saintess in front of him.

He felt her cold palm and her pitiful appearance.

"Arien. I found out where the apostles are aiming for the holy relic."

Aurora, who held his hand stroking her cheek, handed him a paper and opened her mouth.

It had been several days since Arien came back to life, but he was still not used to the changes that time had made.

Most of the minions led by the evil god had been taken care of by Arien's hand long ago.

The continent must have had a short but peaceful days until then.

Until he fell into an endless sleep.

"The apostles of the evil god..."

"I know it's hard to understand, but this is reality. The heroes are not fully grown yet, and the minions of the evil god are running wild in the broken balance of causality."

"They pushed a new evil god into their place without bearing their own burden. They used a despicable method."

In the unilaterally broken causality, even faith would be hard to come down properly.

Arien quickly understood what kind of fight they had been through.

And they would have to endure such a fight in the future as well.

In that sense, the forbidden magic that Crossbridge prepared was not a bad trump card.

Except for the fact that the research that started when Arien died bore fruit when Aurora's time was almost up.

"The apostles of the evil god are coveting the lost holy relic... but we don't have enough power to stop them as a holy land."

"Is that so."

He looked at his lover withering away with his eyes soaked in obsession.

Many years had passed.

His youth, which was like a bright flower, withered away in time, and his heart, which used to beat wildly, had also become calm long ago.

Still, he had to fight.

There were values that did not change even after time passed.

"Let's move right now."

"Arien...!"

Arien was the only mage in the continent who could handle space magic.

Even if their destination was in the east of the continent, there was no problem in moving quickly and preparing for a response.

As soon as he got up from his seat, Arien tried to prepare for battle, but Aurora reached out and hugged him tightly.

Arien, who was embraced by Aurora's arms, also stroked her hair.

Many emotions crossed his eyes as he looked at his lover.

"Don't worry. I'll be back soon."

"I trust you. Arien."

Aurora stepped back after hearing Arien's answer.

He met her eyes and lifted his hand in the air.

It was like lifting a light book with his hand.

"Hieroglyph..."

As he lifted one hand and looked for his magic, Arien's eyes stopped.

He remembered the hero he met last night in his memory.

The hieroglyph, which was the symbol of the hero, was no longer his.

He smiled bitterly and activated his magic with his bare hands.

"It's not mine anymore."

"It's been a long time."

"A long time..."

Many rays of light spread out, drawing geometric shapes.

It was the moment when Arien's specialty, space magic, unfolded.

On top of the complex magic circle, Arien said a short goodbye to Aurora.

Aurora also waved her hand with a smile at Arien.

"Then I'll see you again. Aurora."

"Come back safely."

Paah!

Right after a short flash in the underground laboratory.

Arien Crost completely hid his presence there.