Chapter 169 – 169 – Mission and Struggle
At the same time, Dae Elan.
Thena escaped death for the third time.
However, the opponent did not even allow time to sigh of relief. The successive attacks violently swept through the narrow room with no place to escape.
The holy spear that rose from Gunther Waldenhardt’s palm pierced the top of Sanangam’s foot, and the long steel whip pulled from his back blew away Thena’s skull with terrifying force. Death is so fleeting.
However, Tena’s premonition, which had been sharpened by crossing the line of fire, caught her in time to see herself dying in two ways. Thena, with animal-like reaction speed, threw her body towards the narrow gap between the two ends.
But even after avoiding it, trouble followed. This is because she gives up her center to Gunther and moves while being pressed against the wall. Every time the crystal wall touched Gunther’s weapon, the shattered fragments soared and rained down on Thena’s body.
A sharp pain penetrated her skin, but Thena did not turn her gaze fixed on Gunter.
The power that tears apart the roots of the crystal tree, which is stronger than an iron pillar, is like a leviathan rising from the deep sea. The precision of the technique is reminiscent of a sword master who went crazy for murder and became a monster. Thena had experience defeating both sides, but she had never faced two such strong men at once.
If you let your guard down, you will die. In fact, even if she fights without even letting her guard down, the probability that this place will become a grave is infinitely high. Her muscles, loosened by her confinement, are explosively complaining of her fatigue, and her fingers, without the handle of her sword to hold, keep twitching, expressing anxiety.
And the opponent he faced under such worst conditions was the largest fragment of Edin he had ever faced.
But Thena did not tremble. Rather than blinking her eyes to reveal her desire to escape, she didn’t even break out in a cold sweat.
Her pain and danger were as familiar as her friends. She had to get used to having her friends that she couldn’t protect.
“That is a hero.”
Gunter suddenly smiled crookedly. Something I read in Thena’s expression seemed to be extremely satisfying.
“In this cursed age, only you understand the warrior.”
—————–
“···So, is it really dangerous here?”
The hall of the Amethyst Palace, created by carving the inside of a crystal tree over hundreds of years, was very beautiful as its colors changed depending on the movement of sunlight or moonlight.
The fledgling warrior was mesmerized by the aesthetics of the elves for a while. However, after she came to her senses, she clearly showed signs of embarrassment.
Upon hearing the news that monsters and demons were appearing on an unprecedented scale, numerous parties rushed to help the Great Elan Kingdom. However, what they faced in the land of Elan, which they stepped on despite risking death, was not a fight to the death.
A warm welcome and a sweet banquet awaited them. Gentle music, the scent of lavender, and a welcoming banner. No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t look like a kingdom on the verge of war.
“I heard that in addition to monsters and demons, the seal of a legendary demon god was discovered, so I even wrote a will and sent it home to the party alliance… It’s completely a social gathering. What are the expressions on the elves’ faces? Their faces are completely afraid of external enemies. Isn’t this right?”
“You don’t like it because it doesn’t look dangerous?”
“Oh, no. It’s not like that.”
The thief, the senior member of the party, wrapped his arms around the novice’s neck. And with his other hand, he pointed to the surroundings.
“Actually, I heard there was already a big uproar before our party arrived.”
“Uh, has the battle already started? I guess things have calmed down quite a bit thanks to this?”
“No. They said the party that came before us got up and had a fight with the elves.”
“Yes?!”
“Isn’t it obvious? ‘There are monsters and demons, I need help! I’ll give you a lot of money!’ They send out requests all over the place, but after a lot of people have gathered, they suddenly change their stance. ‘Actually, that’s not the only problem. A demonic seal that is about to break was discovered in our land not long ago, right? Soon a monster from a storybook may awaken, so could you please serve as a meat shield?'”
The hero party members, who had gathered like a cloud of joy at the opportunity to gain wealth and career, backed off as soon as they arrived. The party alliance also reacted sensitively after receiving intelligence that Daelan had hidden such important information.
As the adventurers eventually transformed into a vicious armed force, Elan eventually raised the white flag.
“If you tell us you’re going to go home, what can we do for elves who are in urgent need of help? I heard that the request was greatly advantageous to us through the party alliance’s mediation. We only intervene to exterminate the monsters as written in the request, and receive more money. Guess what.”
“I see…”
“I don’t know which corner of the deep coniferous forest the World Temple is located in, but we just have to protect the inside of the city block. We’ll just sit and play for a few days, and when the monsters attack, we’ll fight them off and just cut off a few heads and take them with us.”
The thief snatched wine from the tray of an elf servant passing by. And then he drank it all in one go.
The fledgling warrior watched in awe as his senior enjoyed the banquet to the fullest.
“You, our exceptionally determined junior, may have been dying to kill you, but most of us are not as strong-minded as you, right? Everyone is interested in the reputation of participating in such a big event, or the contents of the wallet of the elf king, Grandpa Danar. “I just came here because I had to. I have no intention of getting caught up in a legendary story and losing my life.”
“Then… Can we just leave the Demon God’s seal alone?”
“Idiot, are you going to make me repeat what I said? If I had known in advance about the demonic seal and all that crap, no one would have come to see how dangerous it was. Where is the idiot who runs a warrior party just to die?”
“But-“
“But it’s the same thing. It might have been a time when there was only one hero in the world, Edin, but now there are countless powerful people at levels you can’t even dream of. Armatam’s special department, the old men of the Empire’s Tower of Magic, and the Vale. Even the dragon lord is wrapped up. If it’s a really big problem, wouldn’t one of them solve it?”
The thief wiped his mouth with the hand holding the glass and pointed to a table a little further away. He smiled conspiratorially.
“And look over there.”
At what seemed to be a women-only party, women were chatting amicably. The twenty-year-old rookie warrior, who was not used to the opposite sex, flinched.
“Look at those bitches who are like human indicators and read the atmosphere. If it was a major incident that had to involve us to solve it, would those bitches go near a place like this? They would probably be the first to run away.”
“···Is it okay to disparage women I don’t even know like that?”
“Brother, can you say that even after seeing that little thing in armor?”
The party’s healer, a Mithraic monk, joined in and muttered dissatisfiedly. The fledgling warrior turned his head again after hearing the words of his seniors and noticed something strange.
Chain mail that exposes the sides. A breastplate with ornate decoration and a strangely accentuated chest area. And even perfume and eye makeup.
Even he, who had only a short career, could easily think of doubts. What they are aiming for may not be the battlefield.
“···What are these people doing?”
“It’s a special group gathered to prey on people like you, you idiot. That’s how all ‘female-only parties’ work. Let me ask you a question, dude. That grandiose ‘Special Monster Destruction Unit’ you claim to respect so much. “The party of the name, where do you think everyone has gone now?”
“How could I-“
“Why do you think the Elf King disappeared together? That’s the way the world is.”
“···That can’t be possible! The Party Alliance’s performance report clearly says-“
“Performance reports are bullshit. How do you know if it’s really your ability or if it’s just a lie? Do you think it’s not? Go and ask those girls what they had in mind to get to a place like this, and if they achieved all of their achievements purely through skill. Someone? No, you might give it a try, right?”
As the thief giggled, the monk closed his eyes tightly.
“Don’t encourage naive newcomers to go astray. Even though the behavior of the ‘Rose Sword Heroes’ Society is accompanied by dirty gossip, they are not people you can deal with just anyone. They are women with clear goals.”
“Isn’t this guy a hero by name? Is there anything to lose by attacking someone like that, Detective?”
“Stop.”
The thief’s sneer stopped at the cold voice. The fledgling warrior and monk both flinched and looked back.
Their party leader, who had his hand on the warrior’s sword, was glaring fiercely at the thief.
“I’m afraid I’m a dirty person, so I keep my mouth shut. They are all righteous people who responded to Elan’s request for help. If you insulted those who will fight back to back on the battlefield and a fight breaks out, will you handle it?”
The monk muttered, wondering why he would get bruises if the women attacked him. The eyes of the party leader turned to the monk.
“The same goes for you, monk. How old are you, and do you naturally disagree with such dirty sexism? Is that really a desirable attitude for a just servant of Mithras? Know some dignity.”
“···I’m sorry, brother.”
“That’s enough. You too, keep this in mind. If you say such unjust words and actions toward a woman again in public, I will put my honor as her warrior on the line and rip out your tongue, you dirty and ugly thief.”
“I’m sorry, party leader.”
The thief lowered his head. And he bit his lip gently.
The thief’s aptitude for detecting other people’s presence or artificial traps gave him a hint that the just party leader had a plan that was different from his words and actions.
The new hero, a commoner, looks at the party leader with respect, but the truth is extremely messy. The party leader was glancing toward the women’s party harder than anyone else.
Soon, he will actively use his status as the heir to the Hero family to lure some of those women into his bed. And after drinking the sweet water in a very pervert way, they will dismiss it as a one-night stand and ignore you without even giving you a glance.
A vicious predator has perfect camouflage. The captain’s history with women who pretends to be clean and noble has a long history. Among them, there were many things that were far from an agreed-upon one night stand.
Wouldn’t it be a good idea to do this because they can all be crushed by the power of the warrior family? In the first place, there were only one or two things like that in the world.
Since there was nothing he could do, the thief could only swallow his frustration and disgust inside.
There is no way to relieve this type of resentment unless you hang yourself and then be reborn as a warrior with a strong family background. Just like an aptitude, it is something you have to embrace for the rest of your life.
“It’s a hundred times better to hold back and save money for retirement than to crash and fall as if it were a mission. No matter…”
————-
“They said, ‘Working in a job with a high mortality rate is different from saying you want to die.'”
Gunter, who suddenly stopped attacking, pointed above his head. Thena stared at the ceiling of the dungeon, her vision blurring.
The palace is made of crystal wood, and all structures are connected in layers. So, somewhere up there, there must be a hall used as a banquet hall. Gunther said something scary would happen there.
So, even if the bleeding from the cut leg disrupts concentration every second, Thena Everlight must somehow stop Gunther Waldenhardt without being hindered. Then, we might be able to prevent a disaster from happening to the people who gathered to help Elan…
“‘Risk is just something you take for the sake of reward.’ ‘If you don’t like it, you can quit at any time.’ Even with the world facing extinction, everyone sipping alcohol up there thinks so. But what about you? Your life. “Aren’t you deeply concerned about the bunch of scum who survive every day without even a philosophy in a situation where even keeping one alive is nearly impossible?”
“Are you going to lecture me and tell me not to do that?”
“Is that possible? That purity is exactly what I was searching for in my dreams.”
Tena wondered as Gunther’s aggression subsided. And she soon lost her words in her absurdity.
Gunter’s face, which had always looked like a statue carved from tin and depicting a madman, suddenly had a smile filled with human loneliness.
At first glance, it seemed like the simple joy of someone who had found common ground. Thena felt an unexpected shock at the glimpse of her humanity in the person who plotted her massacre by citing the law.
“But they are not the only ones you must bear. The weight of the world is on your shoulders. If there is any weakness in either your body or mind, the world will crush you. If you feel overwhelmed even for a moment and try to let go. Conversely, the world will be trampled and disappear. Can you handle it?”
“Now I understand. You were the one and only hero of that era. The only hope, the only opportunity to save the world against the Demon God.”
Gunter nodded his head in a friendly way, as if asking her to say more. Thena continued her words, suppressing her intense disgust.
She hid her thigh, which had been deeply cut by Gunter, in her shadow, and secretly tended to her wound by wrapping a torn cloth.
“Today, there are tens of thousands of warriors. Thanks to Evenna’s children increasing in number throughout the world and the gods giving more people the aptitude to be warriors. However, you alone bear the responsibility shared by tens of thousands of people today. “You had to pay it, right? I’m sure there’s a lot to be said about the sense of responsibility that our generation has forgotten.”
“Are you going to at least comfort me?”
“Can’t you say you understand? Haven’t you always wanted me to accept your beliefs and follow in your footsteps?
Gunter closed her eyes gently. And she let out a refreshing breath and trembled like a priest who felt the heat of the law. In the meantime, Thena used her liver to remove the knot of her bandage.
I bought enough time. From now on, she needs time to catch her breath.
“It looks like you have no intention of denying it. So, did you want to sound a warning to our generation? Wasn’t the fact that you scattered around the world for hundreds of years, claiming to be villains and causing chaos, just to annoy someone? Your values are what we have today? Was this something you planned because you wanted the warriors to learn it?”
“···One unfortunate person who knows such things is enough.”
The strange tone of speech stole Tena’s attention. It didn’t sound like Gunther the killer. It sounded like the mutterings of a warrior from long ago rising from the grave.
At that moment, the Holy Spear flashed again in Gunther’s hand. Realizing that Thena had caught her trying to catch her breath, she quickly threw herself away.
The Seongchang crushed the spot where Tena was squatting and dug into it. Gunther immediately retrieved his weapon and re-aimed, smiling inhumanly again.
“Let’s skip the stories we already know, Tena Everlight. Now show me.”
“What?”
“It’s your ‘blooming.’ It’s your true face that my other fragments have tried so hard to see for themselves, but no fragment has been able to bring out!”
“The flowering of the warrior’s sword? Isn’t that something that only happens in fairy tales?”
“···It hasn’t bloomed?”
This time Gunther was embarrassed. Tena’s fighting sense carefully targeted the gap.
“It seems like something like that happened. You are a mythical figure, so it’s not something strange. There are other parts that I don’t understand.”
“What.”
“You say it’s good when I worry about other people, but why do you think it’s valuable for me to worry about Tan?”
Mithra’s holy spear tried to pierce Thena before she could even finish her words.
But the trajectory was far from an ideal path. Tena, realizing that her intention had worked, gritted her teeth and internally cheered. In a fight like this, you have to use whatever you can.
Gunter was right in some ways. That is the responsibility of a warrior who carries the weight of the world.
TENA Everlight is unbreakable.
————-
“Why should we go through so much trouble? All we have to do is watch them fight hard and then get back to work.”
“Isn’t it hard work to attract a useful man?”
The party members of the ‘Rose Sword Hero Society’ giggled and looked around. And then he wrinkled his face and lowered his voice as if he was displeased.
“See that kid over there glancing at you? Look at how big his shield is. He must be an apt shield wielder.”
“What about the thief at 3 o’clock? Do I really have to dress like that? There’s no need to show off that I’m an apt thief with my clothes, right?”
“They don’t come from a prominent family, much less are they good candidates for being a hero, so they’re making sad faces. They’re probably talking behind our backs again. Tsk.”
“Please turn a blind eye to those who don’t even have a warrior’s sword at their waist, because they’re shit.”
Giggling spread again. A few naive people who did not know the meaning behind the comments smiled and waved at each other, as if they thought they were receiving attention.
One of the party members who was enjoying the attention and smirking looked at the other side of the same table and raised his eyebrows. This was because the new member of the Rose Sword for only a few months was panicking.
“Why?”
“To be honest, I was really happy when my senior offered to give me a seat at this party.”
“Hey, what’s good about being an Academy alumni?”
“But I didn’t know it was a party with this type of tendency. We… I mean…”
The newcomer, who expressed his convictions while trying not to stutter, received a cold stare in return. The newbie couldn’t help but blur his words.
“What kind of tendency?”
“Well, that is…”
It is the right of youth to search for a romantic partner. If you seek to rise in status by approaching the historic Hero family, it is your personal freedom.
However, the party alliance strictly limits the number of hero parties assigned to a mission. In other words, their party, organized to deliberately gain access to famous hero parties, is essentially taking away the opportunities and careers of the personnel needed on the battlefield.
It could possibly lead to the failure of the operation or someone’s death. Even if the mission is completed successfully, having a history of effortlessness added to their reputation can cause another problem.
I was also very concerned that it might further encourage the prejudice attached to the idea of a ‘women-only party’ and take away opportunities for female adventurers.
If you were to point out points that deviate from the standard, you could name countless points. However, the newcomer could not bring himself to show his true self to the end.
Although she was confident in swordsmanship, she also did not have a long career. She was the one supporting her family now that her parents, who were warriors, were dead, and being recruited into her top performing party was not an opportunity she could easily let go of.
But how do I take care of what I said?
“Tell me, you crazy bitch. What do you think our tendencies are like?”
“It’s okay. An immature junior may make a mistake. Please accept it leniently.”
The wave of attacks aimed at the newcomer was stopped by the soft-spoken words of the party leader.
The party leader winked at the newcomer, who nodded her head in gratitude. The party leader skillfully changed the topic.
Soon she realized that, as a newbie, there was a lot she didn’t know. One of them was that the Rose Sword Heroes’ Association was not only sharp for newcomers. Even if she hadn’t made the mistake of speaking a moment ago, her fight would definitely have happened.
It’s a pity, the perfume has changed and the skirt has become shorter, but why is there no one who appreciates my sister’s efforts? Do you all have bad eyesight?
Is there really a need to get attention here? I told you before, the youngest member of the Yelborn family seems to be very infatuated with me.
That little kid? I see, they looked at it with interest. I guess he likes small women similarly.
I guess I like cute things. Sister, have you ever had a good relationship with someone from the warrior family?
Yes, but no one caught my eye.
It didn’t work out for you. You might be a little impatient. I guess not many people have noticed you so far. There is a time for everything.
Yes, there is a time for everything.
Don’t be impatient, sister. Your time will come too.
Why am I impatient? Are you so relaxed that you cheated on the boy I was playing with?
Iknow, right. But where did he go? Isn’t it your position to talk about it as if it were someone else’s story?
The new recruit, who had never witnessed such a conflict at the academy, was mesmerized. Insidious words that seem to be avoided even behind the scenes clash in front and spark sparks. While maintaining a smiling face due to the notice of those around me.
Are these people mentally ill? How can people who are so ready to bite each other still stick together in one group?
The inside story was revealed when the story returned to the party leader.
“Isn’t there a time for all beautiful loves, party leader?”
“What should I do? It seems too early for me. Lately, my father has been telling me to come back to the family, and I wonder if he should do as he says.”
The party leader innocently pouted and looked into the distance. The mouths of the party members distorted.
We’re talking about catching a good guy, but isn’t it obvious to talk about family matters?
This is a reminder that unlike those who have no foundation, the party leader himself can choose his opponents based on the prestige of the Hero family. If she gets tired of this ‘play’, she can always make the ladder known as the Rose Sword Hero Society out of pieces of tissue paper.
They desperately needed a queen who was still connected to the party alliance and was a supporter and focal point.
Someone once again changed the topic in a tone that was trying to sound natural. These days, I don’t know if it’s a popular special monster party or an extermination party, but there are girls walking around acting so proud. I heard it too. He pointed it out to me. Wow, you fucking bitches.
It’s strange that there are so many limited express trains in the first place. There was a widespread rumor that these guys made a profit by selling bed linens···.
Hatred toward the out-group leads to unity within the in-group. The queen looked happily at the worker ants who were normalizing the colony on their own.
————
It was clear that Gunter’s prediction range was as far as gathering the debris from the floor and throwing it into his cloak. Because he withdrew his arm from swinging the holy spear and covered his face.
However, the next blow seemed to be something that even the Demon King had not thought of. Tena, who had dug into the square created by her elbow, threw her front hand, risking her ankle being caught by her iron whip.
Her thena’s thumb pierced the excommunicated vicar’s eyeball. Turning to her other wide-open eye, Thena asked an unspoken question with her blunt gaze. She said, ‘Are you going to say she’s not worthy of a warrior?’
The meaning of Gunther’s painful laughter was clear. ‘No, that’s the hero.’
The affirmation of her self-justifying slayer meant nothing to Thena. Tena just fiercely observed her guy’s movements.
Destroyed eyes, and huge forearms still resting on the face. Gunther’s blind spot is large.
Additionally, his attention was directed towards Tena’s right leg. The thorns of the iron whip that scraped off the flesh of criminals somehow wrapped themselves around Thena’s legs and dug deep into them.
It is clear that Angu’s intention is to take her leg in retaliation.
I did not expect to be able to capture such a powerful fragment of the Demon King for free.
If your leg falls off in the first place, you won’t panic. Because I have already experienced similar pain.
When he was a novice adventurer, he did this when he was rocking on the back of young Tannhäuser van Ty. Newtrak, a bipedal rodent monster, knew how to use the scorpion’s venom.
When the leg that had been stabbed by the poisonous spear swelled and Tena struggled to breathe, Tan cried as if he could fill a glass of water by squeezing her shirt.
So, how sad will she be when she sees Thena, who has become a one-legged person?
The warrior’s sword blooms when its owner’s will is forged to shine. Tena lied to Gunter. I had already experienced that such a phenomenon existed.
In a moment when her heart burned with her fierce determination not to bring anyone to tears, Thena clutched at her darkness. She did so without the slightest hesitation or doubt, as if she expected something to be there.
The handle of the infamous black sword that had cut down the lives of countless demons was indeed there. Towards Thena, who had endured all this time to prepare for the deadly surprise attack, the black sword complained of his late call with a strong vibration.
Gunther did not see the creeping darkness take the form of a claymore. He didn’t even see the sword glowing and burning with color-consuming fire.
The first time he noticed the existence of the Enlightened Hero’s Sword was after the blade of the great sword stole the hand holding his whip and ran away.
Gunther did not scream in his pain. Instead he smiled extremely happily.
————
Some people perceive this game as a crucible of self-interest. Some people use it as a way to rise in status.
However, even in the crucible of distortion and hatred, pure legends bloom. Those who fell into that category were disgusted by the evil spirits that filled the banquet hall.
“There is a reason why wise people claim that ‘true warriorship is dead.’ The pure spirit of fighting for the people seems to be on the verge of extinction at some point. Even places like this are filled with chaff filled with lust for fame, lust for show, and lust. “I see.”
“They say you can breathe if you stop a fight like that? I completely agree with you this time. They are bastards who have no sense of honor.”
The Dwarf Warrior King, the eldest member of the party, solemnly raised his glass, delighted with the agreement for the first time in a long time.
The orc berserker, a descendant of the demon hunting tribe, twitched his fangs and accepted the toast. He then growled, spitting the toothpick between his teeth into the glass.
“To sum up the mess in one word, there was a lot of people fighting each other, doing other things, and making nonsense. Is that a warrior party? Even the devil should show up and kill everyone!”
“I don’t think you did anything wrong to the point of being cursed to death, sister.”
The warrior with long scars on his face grinned as he massaged the orc’s shoulder.
“We are all special combatants. In the first place, those people are normal and we are strange. I’m just saying this, but sister, can’t you learn something from those friends over there called Rose Sword?”
“Say it again, baby.”
“I’m sorry, sister.”
“No, I’m just trying to refer to it. What do you want me to learn?”
The party leader, who was trying to make a joke, changed his stance and fell to his knees in just a few seconds. That only incited the anger of his lover, who was a strong man.
“Hey, tell me.”
“I’m sorry, sister. I went crazy for a moment-“
“It’s been 3 months. We’ve been dating for 3 months! He even confessed to me first! Why is he scared of me 24 hours a day?”
The berserker grumbled, shaking the boy’s neck against his side. The warrior’s pale head hung like a corpse on the gallows.
The archmage, who was questioned directly because he was sitting across from the berserker, briefly looked away from his colleague’s massive green-gray biceps.
“But don’t you all think it’s strange?”
“Don’t change the subject by saying something else, old man.”
“I’m talking about the Special Monster Extermination and Elimination Squad. I don’t know why they put down their spoons and disappeared. As far as I know, they are not the kind of friends who would refuse a banquet dinner. Has anyone heard anything?”
“It’s definitely strange. King Danar said he had some business to attend to, but he’s been away for a while.”
The warrior, whose face was so pale as to be black, twitched the corners of his eyes and looked back at the distant table.
“The grassroots guardian of the elves, Ebenen Nyar, is still here. Isn’t it a bit strange that he is the common denominator between the extermination party and King Danar?”
“How about assuming this? A party of legendary skill is going through some kind of conflict with the king of the elves. Ebenenyar, a vassal of Danar and a fellow annihilator, finds it difficult to take sides, so he takes a neutral stance. “I retreated.”
A necromancer with bone decorations on his body said as he leaned in front of the table. The Orc Berserker and the Dwarf Warrior King looked reluctant and stepped back.
Thanks to this, the warrior who was freed from the stranglehold responded by feeling around to see if any intact cervical vertebrae remained.
“That seems plausible. Now that I think about it, among those people, there is a daughter of an Eastern warlord organization and someone who is presumed to be the daughter of the Dragon Lord. Both of them would be enough to act as agents of their respective groups. The king is being questioned for hiding the demon seal. Are you doing it?”
“This is interesting. Let’s ask the spirits.”
“Oh, please can’t you do that?”
The necromancer pretended not to hear and pushed the dinner plate aside on the table. Then he took the Weezer board out of his arms and put it down.
It was a crude children’s toy that was likely to be commonly found in the city. However, the rest of the party members turned pale when they saw it.
“Now, don’t take it out. Everyone put your fingers on the signboard. It won’t end until it’s already started.”
“I don’t do it. I really don’t. It gives me goosebumps every time I do it.”
“It’s fun, sister.”
“What? What do I hate?”
The warrior made the mistake of saying yes.
It took four people to operate the Wizard board, and the berserker who had to participate on behalf of the fallen warrior regretted hitting his lover.
The hero, who was lying unconscious on the table, closed his eyes tightly and glanced at the trembling berserker with satisfaction.
“Great spirits who stayed on earth to protect future generations, answer my call-“
“Seeing as he runs like a mutt every time I call him, he doesn’t seem like a very great being.”
“…Ignore the monarch’s slip of the tongue, spirits. I will apologize instead. I ask you-“
The spirits moved the display board randomly and pointed to the letters on the Weezer board. The necromancer sighed and glared at the Dwarven Warrior King.
However, the archmage quickly tapped the necromancer on the shoulder.
“Yeon, hoi, eh, ok, seok, uh… Focus! They’re telling us something!”
“···Some of the elves who were talking with the warriors perked up their ears sensitively at the thief’s words? In fact, it was Thena Everlight, not Danar, who spread the news about the Demon God’s seal?”
“····The hero, who had gotten hints while wandering around the continent, broke into the depths of the forest at will and found the World Temple. And in order to disrupt the plan arranged by the king, he tried to spread the secrets to all Elan. Without hesitation, the king hastened the execution of his great work. The complaints of miscellaneous people who do not know such circumstances are extremely insignificant and insignificant to the followers of the ‘King of Jeokseong’…”
“It looks like he’s been able to read the elves’ inner thoughts. He may be creepy, but he’s really capable. But what is the King of Enemies?”
“…Focus on what the spirits say, friend. It’s okay to think about the meaning later. Especially since they’re warning you that archers and wizards have been placed on the ledges on the 3rd and 4th floors… Wait a minute.”
“···It sure looks like they’re planning something, right?”
“Yeah. I’m surrounded.”
“I hope the opponent is not all Elan. If I want to catch the Demon Dragon, I will, but I don’t dare to take on the kingdom.”
“Damn it. Please protect the descendants of Rock Fire…”
The warrior grinned at the warrior king’s grumbling and removed his holy sword from his belt.
“This is it. This exciting stimulation that is new every day.”
“Aren’t you nervous?”
“I’m nervous. This is why I started this adventure. To love, drink, and fight!”
The special hero pulled out his sword and placed it on his shoulder, grinning.
“If it’s not fun, why play the difficult and dangerous hero?”
—————-
“You have to protect it.”
At the same time, hundreds of meters below, another special-class hero twisted the black sword that pierced the demon king’s skull.
Tena then let out her suffocated breath. She escaped the terrible end of being hit directly by a holy spear. However, just swinging her fist as if she was struggling was enough to threaten her.
Judging by the pain, his ribs were broken and his shoulders were misaligned. Tena hoped that would be the entirety of the damage. In this damp basement, there was no Monica who could easily save Thena even when she was about to enter the grave.
Of course, it was Gunter who suffered more serious damage. Unlike the Great Siege of Linden, the ruins where limbs had been shattered seemed no longer capable of repairing the damage.
The guy was muttering hard even though he was out of breath.
“That is it. That is the substance that makes up a hero.”
‘No one but me can protect this position right now.’ Thena steeled her resolve.
A claymore filled with black fire rose upward, tearing off Gunther’s head. At that moment, the pain in her shoulder became clear. It is clear that it is broken, not misaligned. And that too in a completely wrong way.
“It’s you… It can only be you…”
“Stop talking and die, ghost of the past!”
However, Thena gritted her teeth and endured it. She then completed the motion of slashing her sword diagonally with all her might.
Gunther Waldenhardt was cut gently and simply, as if the tough and tough skin until now was just a trick.
As the magical energy that had permeated her body slowly leaked out of her body that had become a lump of meat, Thena fell to her knees, boiling with joy.
It would be a mistake not to get up again. Exhausted, Thena took a moment to calmly catch her breath. She then crawled to her knees, bracing herself. She headed towards a box in a corner of the prison.
Even as the hero and the demon king fought to the death and destroyed all the furniture in the room, the wooden storage box was lucky to escape the fire and remain intact. It was a small bit of luck amid misfortune. Because it contained the items that Danar had confiscated from Thena.
After rummaging around for a while, Tena soon took out the items she needed. The artifact, which was shaped like a round mirror, had the product name ‘Casenna’s Frustration’ in the language of the demon world.
According to what Erina said when giving the mirror as a gift, the great engineer Kasenna was very bad at interpersonal relationships.
It’s not because I’m neglecting social activities because I’m fiddling with machines. He wanted to be recognized by appearing too often in social circles, and as a result, he only acquired the ugly notoriety of ‘seeing all the crazy kids’.
Instead of going to a psychiatrist and getting counseling about his paranoia and narcissism, he created a one-of-a-kind magic tool that can detect ‘people who love him’. He can’t bear to admit the truth because of everyone’s jealousy, but he believes that behind the scenes, everyone is loving, respecting, and protecting the great Cassenna.
It is said that it was only after that that he realized that the problem was himself and turned to his psychiatrist.
Thena was not as thirsty for her love and protection as Cassenna was. Since she was born as a warrior, she tended to think that asking her loved ones to rely on them to protect her was a betrayal.
However, at this moment, I was desperate for help. Do her friends really know that she is here? Did Erina succeed in bringing in reinforcements? She hoped she would. If they were to face the elf guards who would soon return due to the turmoil in this condition, neither they nor Thena would be able to guarantee their lives.
Thena pressed her forehead against her mirror, praying for a miracle. And immediately she smiled, her eyes widening as a holographic light rose up.
Several brightly shining dots were moving busily. Just a few notches away from Tena.
Who could it be? Eshen? Nithro? Or, although it’s just a wish, Sister Monica?
Of course, considering the scale, it would be hundreds of meters away, but the fact that it is steadily getting closer is definitely hopeful…
“Wait for a sec.”
And there was something more. There are a couple of strangely blinking dots. It blinked in random locations, as if it were somewhere immeasurable.
Judging by the intensity of the light, one of the two is Erina. She walked around with me for a long time and showed me what the mirror was for, so she found out without difficulty.
It’s bizarre. If Erina’s dot was moving separately from the rest of the lights, then whose guidance did they receive to realize Thena’s predicament?
Additionally, that unidentified dot that shines dozens of times brighter than Erina’s…
“Burnt.”
Thena’s lips trembled. An old hope rattled in his heart.
A strange thought vaguely crossed my mind. She may have thought that she was not thirsty, but it was just a promise she made to herself.
“I’m here.”
——————-
Same time, Demon World
Thanh Van Thai’s point of view
“Wait a minute, what happens if you get caught?”
I shouted as I filled the empty bottle with alchemy ingredients.
Since they have run out of long-distance means of containment and are making bombs on the spot, logically speaking, they should save time to ask questions, but they have no choice but to ask.
Erina, who was desperately twisting her control stick, shouted in a rather relaxed tone compared to her movements.
“Pastafarian, a level 10 most dangerous monster surrounded by flying balls of thread! Even if you are caught and eaten, there is no problem as long as you pull it out of the snout within 30 seconds! If it goes beyond 30 seconds to even 1 second, it’s over!”
“And?”
“It cooks in the intestines like instant noodles in one minute! In the second minute, it turns into inorganic poop with all its calories removed and is launched into the air! It says so in the Etheria field manual! Did you understand this time? Don’t make me say it again. I’m busy! “
Last night I thought about Tannhäuser Bantay being thrown out of the airship. Today, that imagination was reframed in a slightly more horrifying way.
While the Yagarum rolling around on the deck of the airship was laughing at us and going berserk, I screamed and threw an improvised firebomb.
Towards the faces of those terrifying flying tentacle monsters who had torn off the electrified airship armor with all their might and sat down.
