Chapter 63: For the sake of hopes and dreams

Chapter 63: For the sake of hopes and dreams

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"Your Grace, the witness is a divine personage!"

"Indeed, Your Grace. Attacking a divine personage is..."

"Please think again, Your Grace!"

They were a small-minded lot who were fine with killing the prince and princess of their motherland, yet were reluctant to commit the sin of attacking a divine individual; however, the man to become the next king wasn't shaken even by the persuasion of his subordinates.

"You're all noisy! He is certain to become a source of misfortune if we let him go for being divine! Send him off as respectfully, as painlessly as you can!"

I had come to realize one truth from his words; not all natives of this world were vulnerable to divinity. It was possible they would ignore it saying "So what if you're divine?" due to their own desires, selfishness and such despite knowing I was divine. But I didn't fall into disappointment.

It was because there was the new possibility of Divinity(Z)'s effect extending to Earthling as well, even though I had thought it only worked on this fantasy world's natives. This incident signified that anyone would feel I was divine upon seeing me, after all. Divinity(Z) was bound to be quite useful on Earth as well, though it wouldn't be as much as on Fantasia's continents where the existence of God was definite.

"Understood, Your Grace."

"For our beloved fatherland!"

"O divine sir! May you forgive me!"

The men wielding fearsome weapons sprang rushed towards me. Their horses galloped at a speed of 60km per hour, and so the time it took for the humans riding them to charge over was extremely short; however, this was also relative. I contemplated upon numerous thoughts until they arrived.

Would the biased and unfair grader deal me a penalty if I were to kill these people? Or would he smoothly pass over it? But I quickly came to a conclusion—as someone who possessed this much ability, there was really no need for me to be risk-taking.

▷Race: Chaos Human

▷Level: 586

▷Job: Hero(EXP 500%)

▷Skills: Divinity(Z) Blessing(Z) Dark Energy(SSS) Fabrication(SS) Summon(S)...

▷Condition: Divine, Holy Sword, Saintess, Blessed

Killing wasn't my only talent. If I were to persuade the other party and lead them onto the correct path, then I would be able to settle the matter peacefully without dirtying my hand. And I was already prepared to do so.

1) Don't have a certification, but have 10 years experience in therapy

2) Have Divinity(Z) which will prove my clean identity

3) Have Blessing(Z) which will bring calm to the body and mind of patients

4) Have Dark Energy(SSS) which is effective on demon worshipers

5) Have Fortune(A) which will reduce unexpected circumstances and lead things in the right direction

6) Have Fabrication(SS) which will encompass all this in harmony

I would be slightly difficult or troublesome to do with only Divinity(Z), but I could overcome and bring under control anything with the help of these numerous Skills.

"Stop the fighting!"

Clippity-Clop—

All of them reigned in their horses at my resonant cry. I enveloped my body in Divinity and Blessing like they were the vestment of a Pope, and cast Blessing on my enemies, agitated by the will to fight, to calm their hearts. And last of all I presented an expression that was the culmination of my 10 years of know-how.

"Gasp!"

"Hiik?!"

All trembled in body, deeply moved.

"The act of murdering the prince and princess of a nation stands to treason. Think of your wife and children who wait for you and for pay day back at home, everyone. If not, then think of your aged parents and cute younger siblings, girlfriends."

"That..."

"Mm..."

"Do not listen! No one will know if they are all killed!"

The Sweet Potato Duke, who had been so close to becoming to the next king, urged his subordinates with a flustered face; however, coming from a man who would have nothing if you took away his status of royalty and D-rank dignity, his words of persuasion didn't have the slightest effect.

Here, I dealt the final blow.

"Please make the right decision. I have the Sage at my back, and furthermore, the prince and princess are royalty even if they are incompetent mere children, and the duke you all follow is a heartless man trying to kill his own nephew and niece. If a king is incompetent you only need appoint a regent. There is no real need to be obsessed with the king himself. Now! What will you all do?"

My throat felt dry, having used the language of gentlemen after so long. But even though I had put in this much effort, they were still at a loss, unable to make a choice. I could tell they were bound rather tightly by faith and loyalty; however, I had a hidden card to play—the existences who were, at the same time, everywhere and nowhere throughout the continents of Fantasia.

"Glory to the great one-!"

"Kuugh?! W-why...!"

Stabbed from behind by the sword of a subordinate, the Sweet Potato Duke was astonished. It was understandable for him to feel that way, since he was betrayed by the close aide who had even firmly supported his designated successor upon his becoming the king of the Magic Kingdom. It couldn't be helped if he felt disbelieving and aggrieved.

▷Race: Human

▷Level: 235

▷Job: Noble(Pedigree=Elegance↑)

▷Skills: Swordsmanship(C) Dignity(C) Sociability(C) Dark Energy(D) Politics(D)...

▷Condition: Blind Devotion

After all, we were bound by something even firmer than loyalty—Dark Energy. You could tell by just looking at Demon King Pedonar, who sent off his subordinates and children to become the Hero's EXP, while he idled about sitting on his throne. Yet not a single rebellion would arise. The society of demons was the true, thoroughly hierarchical society, where one would absolutely submit to someone with greater Dark Energy.

Flomp.

Done in from behind, the Sweet Potato Duke fell off his horse without even having the chance to even use a single spell of magic, which was held in greater esteem than even royalty. This was the fruitless last moment of a man, who was expected to become the Sage if only he had purely pursued the path of magic.

"To think that Royal Uncle tried to kill us..."

"This truth must be made known to His Majesty!"

"Princess, let us hurry back to the palace."

The princess, female knight and maids cluelessly babbled on among themselves. What were they thinking, saying such things in front of the men who were full of worry that they might be treated as accomplices of treason and end up ruining both themselves and their families?

Thus, I decided to calm them down a bit.

"Why is Royal Uncle here...?"

"Eh? Oh my!"

"D-did something happen?"

Using Black-Box, I erased the memories of the four women, who had seemed like they would tattle to the perpetually ill king the moment they returned to the palace. The Skill was so convenient that I could almost cry.

Confused: Student Kang Han Soo. I wonder if this is still okay?

'Miss Trainee Teacher, there's no need to worry at all.'

I had neither killed somebody nor brought them misfortune. Since I had become involved in this, I would perfectly take care of the aftermath.

It was time to play my second hidden card—I summoned forth Saintess H.

"Resurrect them."

"Yes, master. Ahhh~𝅘𝅥𝅮"

The people who were murdered by the Orcs all came back to life. Although their Levels did fall somewhat, that could be solved by steadily raising it again. The prince, the knights, magicians, soldiers... I had all of them resurrected except for the Sweet Potato Duke. The sin of trying to kill me was a heavy one. If I were to leave him alive, he was bound to try and kill his nephew and niece again, or raise a rebellion and cause the country to be split in two. It was better to remove the seed of trouble here.

"I definitely died..."

"What on earth..."

"Gasp! Why is the Saintess here...!"

"A miracle! This is a miracle!"

A small commotion followed afterwards, but I cleanly settled it using the fantastic combination of Fabrication and Oblivion, by claiming that the Sweet Potato Duke had come running over to the hunting ground in order to save his nephew and niece, but was murdered by an unknown assassin. There were very few who knew of the truth, and the number of deceased who couldn't be resurrected was four in total, comprised of soldiers whose corpses were damaged too severely and the Sweet Potato Duke. This was the most ideal conclusion. Only...

"I hear that you lowly things saved me. Y-you?! How dare you look at me, the prince, with such eyes! Get out of my way. I will specially forgive you this time only for being divine. And... Ahem-hem! You, the cute Magician girl beside him. Considering the great merit of having saved me, I shall invite you to the party that will be held tomorrow. Be honored."

The resurrected prince wasn't to my liking. It was fine however much he lewdly gazed at the cute-acting Lanuvel's body, but I couldn't forgive his attitude of ignoring me.

This confirmed it for the second time. The prince, royalty, the Sage, nobles, the female priest... it seemed that those with an amazing Job or with lofty statuses had a strong tendency of not being affected by my holiness.

As such, I wondered: how should I deal with this prince? There were many eyes around, for starters. If I were to kill him again, the matter which I had taken pains to settle would become complicated again. It was bad enough that there were some who held the question of "Why couldn't the Duke be resurrected?". I had to deal with it as quietly as possible, and so...

"Prince. Please look at my face once."

"Hmph! Your vulgar face..."

"What do you see?"

"That is to say... Who am I? Where is this?"

I had completely wiped the prince's memories, while leaving him with only the capability to carry out a basic livelihood and speak the language. Since he was going to become a retarded king the way he was anyhow and screw over the country, I outright resetted his software. With this, the future of the Magic King had become brighter.

I felt it a pity that I couldn't make my achievement public. My tendency to meddle and do free service was definitely an occupational disease.

Confused: This will have settled the matter cleanly, right...?

Miss Trainee Teacher worried too much.

'Let's go over the whole episode...'

The men who had followed the Sweet Potato Duke also had friends and families of their own. If those soldiers died, the number of people who would feel sorrowful wasn't few, and there were also bound to be people whose livelihoods would become difficult or be put in danger as a result. Furthermore, the soldiers possessed outstanding combat ability. In this fantasy world where competent high-quality manpower was always lacking, their deaths would lead to the deterioration of the kingdom's public order, as well as the loss of its citizens' lives.

The Sweet Potato Duke who had aimed to usurp the throne had died, and the incompetent prince would begin anew due to memory loss.

With this, the idiot princess would become next in line to the throne; however, the right of succession in the Magic Kingdom had been held by 'men' for generations. Considering its tradition and history, it was very much likely that a son-in-law with exceptional talent in magic would be placed on the seat of regent. It was perfect from a logical point of view—there couldn't be a happier settlement of an affair than this.

"Sir Hero, something's strange."

Lanuvel, who had been walking beside me, thus grumbled.

"What is?"

"It's just strange somehow!"

"It's stranger that you're grumbling, you know? If you don't want your ass thrashed by your brother who doesn't resemble you at all, follow along quietly."

"Aww..."

When the princess invited us to the scheduled party tomorrow in place of the prince, who had fallen into amnesia, I courteously declined her. I had no more business with the Magic Kingdom, after all, and even Holy Sword 3 recommended independent adventuring 'for the time being'. We thus set forth to go on an adventure again.

As for our next destination?

The time had come to try out the Sage's Staff.

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Snowy Mountain M, an enormous snow-covered mountain that lay in the center of the northern continent. The natural hot springs that gushed out from various spots across Snowy Mountain M had attracted countless travelers there, and the villages which had come to naturally form as people gathered gradually developed into tourist sites. But if that was all, then only ordinary folk would have gathered.

The average Level in the area of Snowy Mountain M sharply rose due to the monsters drawn over by the immense mana that flowed out of the mountain along with the hot spring waters. And what happened when the Level of monsters rose? Evildoers used them as a natural line of defense and began to prepare hideouts in the depths of Snowy Mountain M. Vicious criminals, bandits, Magicians, exiles, serial killers, escaped prisoners... they were a truly various bunch.

And where the needle went the thread was bound to follow—where there were villains, there were heroes, too. Heroes rushed over to Snowy Mountain M in order to punish the villains who attacked the tourist sites formed around the hot springs, who would enjoy the romance of the beautiful sightseeing spot from where Snowy Mountain M could be seen as they protected the public order, and then more visitors would come to see these heroes.

The village we visited, Village Q, was one of those places.

"Gasp! Could that cute archaeologist be...?"

"It's real! It's Archaeologist Lanuvel!"

"Oh! I'd heard she was in the northern continent, but it was real!"

When a baseball player went to a golfing course, few people would realize them. Only when a baseball player went onto a baseball court could they be recognized by people who might go "By chance... are you the player of some team?". This was something which also applied in this fantasy world.

Of course, an amazingly famous person would be recognized by many wherever they went, but Lanuvel wasn't that well known; she had never performed a distinguished feat on a battlefield, and neither had she ever defeated some powerful monster or demon all by herself. Her Job was that of a sneaky grave-robber—put elegantly, she was an archaeologist who delved into the secrets of the world. Nevertheless, she was rather well received in a certain village of Snowy Mountain M.

"But who is the man beside her?"

"Ohh! Whatever the case, it's certain that he's a divine personage."

"Could it be that he's Lanuvel's boyfrien-... Hiik?!"

I shot a glare towards the passerby Villager 5 for having an unpleasant misunderstanding.

"Sir Hero! I'm a bit famous, you see!"

Lanuvel acted pompously in an irritating manner, putting strength into her shoulders and buttocks.

"Lanuvel, listen carefully. In this neighborhood, if you show a bloodstained knife to some bards and drunkards while treating them to some free drinks, you could transform into an Orc slayer within a single day."

"Eh?! Really...?"

Despite being a native of this world, Lanuvel was less informed than even an Earthling about the ways of the world.

"I'll show you a demonstration."

It just so happened that I needed information on the 'Hero of Origin', and this was also the reason I had chosen to come to Village Q of all the many villages established on Snowy Mountain M. The Dark Commerce... they would sell anything that was worth money. They were a determined bunch that would even find out the color and design of the underwear Saintess C frequently wore, so long as there were customers and demand. For reference, it was pink with a phoenix drawn on it.

Bang!

I kicked open and entered through the doors of the biggest pub in Village Q, and the eyes of the noise-making rabble inside gathered on me. First came building a reputation.

"Remember well my face and name! I'm the divine Hero who'll be the one to make the vicious Ice Princess who lives on the snowy mountain to submit! Hey, bartender! Open up the liquor cellar! I'm taking over this pub until the sun rises tomorrow!"

"Ohh! Another Hero, is it!"

"Divine Brother Hero! You can do it!"

"Liquor? Now there's a friend who knows what's what!"

The drunkards cheered in response, and rumors of this event soon spread throughout Village Q.

It didn't matter even if the teaching staff were to play some kind of trick. If the Z-rank prince came attacking again, I would simply strike him dead. Like how the high-schoolers on Earth entered the universities they were admitted into, I just had to get to Earth whether it be by graduating or escaping.

The previously hazy path before me began to clear up.

"My fellow adventurers! Dreams and hopes are alive! Hahah!"