episode_0101

“When you save me, go.”

No one could refute Kati’s arrogant declaration.

Everyone is already overwhelmed.

Catching a flying dagger and returning it to the correct trajectory.

And, he quickly overpowered the fastest cheetah in the group.

Those two skill events were enough.

There is no need to go all the way to Galatea.

Kati was confident that she would be able to deal with all the demons that came here on her own.

Rhamnus also vaguely felt it, but could not back down.

“Yes. Kill it.”

He took off his robe and stepped forward.

The thick bear’s physique was revealed.

“If I could not achieve revenge and live in misery, it would be better to be killed by my own people.”

“Rhamnus, no… ! No matter what, life… !”

“Shut up you traitor!”

Kati, who looked at the two in turn, intervened.

“Have you heard the story of Galatea?”

“Okay.”

Rhamnus spread his hands and laughed.

“Still, it can’t be helped. Hatred and revenge are like that.”

Is that so?

It was difficult for Kati to understand.

No matter what her feelings are, it’s something she can acknowledge and manage in some way as long as she gets involved with Ian.

… Except for the last time when I couldn’t hold back and kissed.

“Let’s go.”

Rhamnus spoke softly, and everyone in the group beside him took off their robes.

For Kati, this was the first time she had seen a procession of so many prisoners.

“I found the laboratory of the second plan, but this is how I die… .”

As Rhamnus slowly approached and muttered self-deprecatingly, Kati and Galatea made eye contact at the same time.

Galatea shouted urgently.

“Wait! Secondary… What?”

“Pretending not to know. Didn’t you know everything and protect this place? Those people from earlier will be the conductors of the new experiment.”

“What does that mean… ?”

Galatea asked as if she really didn’t know.

From that reaction, Rhamnus also noticed that there was a misunderstanding between them.

The eerie group of beastmen slowly came to a halt.

Carty looked at them and decided that there was room for negotiation.

“It seems like a situation that can be resolved through conversation.”

Rhamnus had no choice but to admit it.

“… Tsk. good. If it’s just a conversation.”

***

-Cow… .

The ogre’s huge ax fell, and the ogre’s body collapsed to the ground.

The huge man, who was up to 4 meters tall, fell down loudly.

Vivian, Helena, Lucia.

As soon as these three confirmed that the ogre had fallen, they gathered together and exchanged opinions.

I watched it from afar.

I’m looking at it like nothing’s wrong, but I’m a little embarrassed.

‘… Why is it so fast?’

Growth is too fast.

The sum even matches well, like veterans who have already been matching for several months.

It wasn’t like that from the beginning.

When I caught my first ogre, it was very creaky.

Lucia misses the entry timing.

Helena forgot to rush in with Lucia while trying to protect Vivian.

Vivian misses the timing of finishing with magic.

Or you miss the move and miss the target.

Etc., there were many twists and turns.

But they gradually made adjustments by repeating mistakes.

Since I wasn’t weak enough to catch the ogre in the first place, it wasn’t a big problem.

It’s just that it wasn’t a good fit because it was our first time working together.

I even helped out with a word or two.

They did not hesitate to actively exchange opinions among themselves.

Every time a mistake occurred, there was no need for me to point out who was at fault.

They themselves admitted that they were wrong and even comforted them by discussing what they should do next time.

I thought things were getting better little by little.

From the 6th ogre onwards, it was killed as soon as the fight started.

‘It’s too fast… .’

Even if I say this, I can’t help but feel good.

Because they are going beyond my advice and finding ways to improve the situation on their own.

In addition, I am continuing to try methods that deviate from the composition I expected.

The standard position I first thought of was Vivian, who has great firepower in the rear.

Lucia engages closest to the enemy.

Among them, Helena appropriately supports Vivian and Lucia.

This is it.

After repeating this a few times, they seem to have decided that it would be a good idea to try another method.

Vivian held back with great firepower from the beginning, and Lucia climbed up here and there to finish.

While Lucia was attracting attention, Helena withstood Vivian’s ‘Flame Strike’ with maximum protection, and at the same time flew up with that explosive power, ending with hitting the ogre’s head.

… Anyway, I’m trying everything I can, and I’m succeeding.

Just now, Vivian used ‘Rock Shot’ in all directions to create a rocky terrain, and then Lucia climbed over it, jumped into the air, and decapitated the ogre.

Helena drew her attention from beneath her feet.

“How was it?”

“It’s definitely more stable than ice.”

“In particular, fighting after transforming the terrain to our advantage seems like it can be used flexibly in any situation. If it weren’t for Lucia’s agile movements, it wouldn’t have been possible!”

“Huh, thank you.”

Soon, Lucia started talking to Helena, and Vivian became close enough to call her sister.

“Mmmmm. Then, for the next magic, I just need to learn a few rock types… .”

I don’t know about anything else, but as long as the three of us cooperate, there’s no need to worry.

After the three of us had a reasonable conversation, it was my turn to say something.

“Helena. When you need to grab attention and fix the opponent like just now, it would be better to reduce the rebound force a bit. The ogre must not stumble and miss Lucia’s sword strike.”

“Yes!”

“Vivian. I understand that you are worried about your allies getting hit due to the size of the magic, but I think it would still be better to support them. Fortunately, the projectile size of the Lightning series is small, so try using that.”

“I understand.”

This time, Lucia had nothing to say.

Lucia seemed to be proud of that alone, grinning and making a V shape at me.

I just smiled at him too.

Among these geniuses, each of whom had different talents, Lucia’s talent was by far the most unique.

Although it is clear that he has no interest in becoming a hero and is not used to this type of combat, he knows how to keep his perspective wide.

He is also good at improvising.

‘Is it because I basically handle multiple weapons…? .’

Today too, just like when she was fighting me, she had all the weapons she could wear all over her body.

‘It’s all basic, but it’s used well.’

Before taking the official exam, we need to provide everyone with good equipment.

So decided.

*

Just because it was a red ogre, it didn’t mean it lasted particularly long.

After a short battle, Vivian’s multiple fireballs struck like a bombardment.

The Red Ogre had one of its ankles cut off by Lucia and the other toe broken by Helena, so there was no way to avoid it.

“Yeee-!”

Vivian jumped up and down, probably excited about the easy solution.

I secretly looked away because of something shaking.

“Wow… .”

Helena looked down at the fallen Red Ogre’s corpse in disbelief.

The burning smell was so strong that even though it was far away, I couldn’t help but look at it.

It was an understandable reaction.

I was confident that it would be possible, but Vivian and Helena would have had a hard time convincing themselves.

It’s a monster similar to the Red Owl.

“Hmm.”

On the other hand, Lucia, unable to estimate the scale of what she had accomplished, did not react strongly.

He just smiled when he saw Vivian running around like a child while wiping the blood off her weapon.

‘I can sign up for the formal exam right away. As your hero level goes up, you can enter higher level dungeons, which will accelerate your growth.’

Soon the floor shook, and a cylindrical platform rose up.

The magic stone at the top of the platform is purple.

It was the color of a D-grade dungeon.

The group climbed the stairs in a single file, holding the magic stone in their hands.

The portal that was swaying in the deepest part slowly became smaller and disappeared.

“Can I take the formal exam?”

I said that to the group that came down.

Vivian smiled shyly and avoided eye contact, and Helena cleared her throat for no reason.

I said earlier that it was too early to say what I said, but I guess I changed my mind after solving this dungeon.

The first to speak was Lucia.

“If Ian can do it, wouldn’t it be okay?”

I’m brave because I don’t know much.

However, because he was so naturally talented, he could not be said to be an easy-going person.

“What… . I think it’ll be okay… . lol… .”

Vivian cooed and then laughed brightly.

“I trust Ian’s judgment! I will try it!”

Helena spoke boldly, as if she had gained confidence.

With this, it has been decided to take on the official warrior exam.

“Good. When I get back, I’ll start by registering right away. Anyway, just because you register doesn’t mean you can take the test right away, so take your time.”

By the way, I need to resolve Helena’s concerns before taking the official exam… .

It seems fine now, but it will definitely get worse if I’m left alone or given time to think.

‘I guess we’ll have to talk soon. I don’t know what it is, but if I waited this long, I would have had some time to organize my thoughts alone.’

“Let’s go out first.”

*

At the entrance to the dungeon, I encountered a completely unexpected scene.

Kati and Galatea guard the entrance.

And Mercy and Marlion.

I understand up to that point… .

“Why are there so many prisoners?”

The area outside the entrance was overflowing with people exuding unusual beastman energy.

In particular, one man who took off his robe had the upper body of a bear.

“Master.”

“What happened?”

“I didn’t notify you in advance because it could be a disruption.”

Does this mean that he didn’t use the Ring of Subordination because he was afraid it would interfere with supervising the warriors?

Judging by the atmosphere, it seems like Kati organized it all by herself, so there is no problem with that.

“And these… This is ‘Les Sentimants’.”

“Les Sentient?”

What about that bear and the beastmen next to him?

Kati explained briefly to me.

To sum it up, it is said that they came to stop the second experiment taking place within this dungeon and encountered Kati, who was guarding the entrance.

“So, an experiment with the Demon soldier training plan is currently underway here?”

“I say so.”

Lescentimants was planning to attack the laboratory, and it happened to coincide with the time when my group came.

“Hmm.”

I took a moment to gather my thoughts.

On the 3rd time, he went to the imperial family and semi-threatened them with the imperial family’s plan to attract the ‘Main’ to the human side.

Cooperate with me.

The very idea of having a demon as an ally is dangerous.

In particular, there may be some religious sanctions known to the Holy Church.

At that time, I did not completely cancel the plan.

Because I thought the demon was just a subordinate of the demon lord.

‘It was after that that I met Katy.’

This Demon soldier training plan experiment conducted in the second round was not carried out twice.

After the imperial family realized that the plan was impossible after a single experiment, they immediately abolished it.

‘By now, it’s already been a long time since we destroyed it. So, the experiment being conducted here is not the imperial family, but a force other than… .’

There are only two powers that can handle that experiment.

Empire.

And Seonghwagyo.

‘Then is the Seonghwa Church the host of the experiment here? It’s just speculation… .’

“Did you say Rhamnus?”

In response to my question, the bear man took a step forward.

“Okay.”

“According to what you said, it seems like the second demon soldier training plan is in progress here. Are you sure?”

“Sure. There are also spies from our organization inside.”

“Hmm.”

I pretended to be worried and stepped back to ask Galatea carefully.

“Do you know a prisoner?”

“Yes. The person who saved me before… .”

“Is it trustworthy?”

“That’s a difficult question. but… I am not a person who is good at lying. Honest and very honest.”

A lot has changed.

In the past, I would have been indifferent even if a plan to brainwash demons was in progress here.

I wouldn’t have negotiated with this group of demons in front of me.

‘but… . Now I know that it’s not a demon person, but a ‘beast person’.’

My gaze shifted to Katy beside me, who had not yet completely let down her guard.

‘More than anything, it will be difficult to pretend not to know because of this person.’

“More than that.”

A man named Ramnus said.

“I have a question about this too.”

“Say.”

“… Why are you going with Mine? That too, humans.”

Rhamnus’ eyes looked at me, Kati, and Galatea in that order, then returned to me.

“So casually… .”

The growling of an animal mixed in at the end.

I read various emotions from that swallowing voice and distorted expression.

Anger and sadness.

And the confusion of facing something difficult to understand.

Also, the fear of ignoring the ideal of harmony between humans and demons.

The longing hidden behind it.

When humans hate something extremely, they can also come to love it extremely.

Love and hate are so similar.

That’s Mine too… .

No, beastmen are no different.

“Is there any reason? Just, if we both agree, we live together.”

“Such a simple… .”

“It’s a simple problem. There’s no need to think deeply. If you knew about Galatea, wouldn’t you know it anyway? At least the distinction between beasts and humans is a lie.”

Rhamnus referred to themselves as ‘demon people’, but I corrected them and said ‘beast people’.

“… … .”

“I think that’s enough of the argument. So, are you going to kill us humans too?”

I stood face to face with Rhamnus.

There are Kati and Galatea here, but there are more of them who are not beastmen.

Even if their original purpose is a laboratory, there is no guarantee that they will leave us, the majority of whom are humans, alone.

Rhamnus looked back and forth between Kati and Galatea with a frown, then slowly shook his head.

“… no. I don’t think there’s any reason to do that.”

“Captain!”

From behind, another prisoner shouted in defiance.

Compared to Rhamnus, it seemed to be full of hostility toward humans.

“Are you saying you’re going to step down with a human right in front of you!”

It was a reptile-type beastman whose body was covered in black scales.

A thick and strong tail was also visible beneath the robe.

The shoulder area of the robe was stained with blood, as if he had been injured.

‘… Could it be that he was stabbed with a dagger by Katy earlier?’

“Then.”

Rhamnus looked at the beastman and Kati in turn and spoke.

“Can you win?”

“… … .”

“This is also a practical reason.”

Rhamnus looked at me again.

“Go. We have something else to do here.”

“I’m talking about that business.”

It’s the second Majin soldier training plan.

Whoever the organizer is, I don’t want to sit by and watch like this.

“I’d like to help here too.”

“… What?”

*

Rhamnus did not reject a temporary alliance.

A few of the prisoners looked uncomfortable, but they could not break Rhamnus’s will.

Before entering after opening the secret wall.

I spoke to Vivian, Helena and Lucia.

“I’m sorry for making arbitrary decisions. But it’s not something that can be ignored.”

“Oh, no… .”

“I think it was a good choice.”

Vivian and Lucia cheered like that.

On the other hand, Helena’s expression was complex, as expected.

“I don’t know the exact details, but the sight you will see once you go inside will be unpleasant. What you will be dealing with will not be monsters, but humans.”

“… I guess so.”

“So, you, the warriors, do not have to follow us.”

I don’t know the scale, but it will be enough for me and Lescentimants.

Because I was able to clean up the laboratory where Katy was located by myself.

“Of course, if you want to follow me, I won’t stop you.”

“… … .”

The group thought for quite a while.

Surprisingly, the first to respond was Helena.

“I will go.”

She said, resolutely checking her armament.

“I can’t turn away anymore… . I really want to know the truth.”

“… I understand.”

“Hey, let’s go… .”

Vivian secretly raised her hand and glanced at Katy.

“I want to help… .”

“Okay.”

“Being a hero is ultimately for world peace, right?”

Lucia grinned.

“Then we should help. I thought we weren’t enemies.”

“Oh… .”

Vivian next to me nodded in admiration.

“You’ve already become a warrior.”

“Of course, right? Who raised you?”

“Then.”

Inside the secret door was a fairly wide passage, and the members of Le Sentimants who were trying to lead the way were lined up against the wall, waiting for us.

“Let’s take a look.”

It was decided that the entire group would be together.

*

“Mine? Mine is nearby?”

“Yes. Isn’t it the Lescentimants that are so numerous? .”

“Holy shit! Shit! How on earth is this hidden place…? ?”

The man was irritated and stamped his feet.

It was an inevitable situation.

This is because this hideout did not even have a back road built in case of an emergency.

This is to prepare in case someone notices the back road and sneaks in.

“Even now, let’s face it head on… . Wow!”

The priest who was reporting to the man collapsed, vomiting blood.

Behind him, who had fallen, was a woman who pierced the priest’s body with an awl-like hand.

Gently rolling her six eyeballs at the same time, she smiled at the man.

“It’s finally today.”

“Experiment… ? No, there could be a spy inside… !”

The man ran away without speaking.

As he passed the main gate and ran through the cavernous passage, he felt numerous signs of presence.

His running slowly stopped, and someone appeared in the darkness ahead.

“… Huh?!”

The man recognized him immediately.

A grim face that seems indifferent to everything, yet strangely angry.

A man who stopped the plan to build a sacred nation early on and returned all the capital and time invested there as waste.

He not only caused his daughter Salome to commit suicide by invading the public examination at MacDerlin Abbey, but also caused his confidant, the paladin Lydia, to confess… .

“Apostle… .”

Second Apostle.

“Ian… . Why are you here… .”

Ian was in front of me.

Ian also recognized the man.

“… Bertolt?”

When he destroyed his plan to build a holy nation, the only person he had ever confronted was the bishop in front of him.

‘Why is he here?’