Ch.1616. Truth

At the same time as the bloody battle between the Beast-men Legion and the Imperial Army was taking place in the Lankart territory,

A quiet atmosphere enveloped a small village at the border, located much closer to the Demonic Land.

On the surface, it looked no different from any other small village in the frontier. A village where administrative power barely reached and the population was sparse.

The Hero’s party had been staying here for some time now.

For a village of just a few dozen households where boring days repeated endlessly, this was a major event.

At first, the entire village was in a festive mood. Some villagers even tried to slaughter pigs to entertain the Hero’s party.

However, the enthusiastic response was short-lived.

The Hero’s party had been holed up here for two weeks already.

Even though the villagers were uneducated and self-sufficient, by this point they couldn’t help but feel something was strange. Why would the Hero’s party, who should be busy fighting the Demon Lord’s army, be hiding in a village with nothing to offer?

“…Well, it’s an honor, but this is a bit…”

“Hey, friend. Don’t you know the Saintess healed all the children’s skin diseases? She even gave us gold because she felt bad about consuming our supplies!”

“I’m grateful for that, but I wonder if such busy people should be resting this long.”

“Maybe they’re planning to settle here after defeating the Demon Lord! Perhaps they’re looking at potential house sites in advance?”

“In this… countryside?”

The villagers discussed the Hero party’s extended stay whenever they met.

It wasn’t out of annoyance or dislike, but genuine curiosity. They couldn’t understand why the Hero’s party, who should be busy killing the Demon Lord’s army, was secluding themselves in the shabby village hall. Surely they weren’t planning to become villagers.

However, the villagers’ whispering didn’t continue for long.

“You seem very curious about our whereabouts?”

It was because the Hero party members suddenly appeared.

Silvina, the elf archer with elegant beauty, and Millia Neize, the female knight with pink hair and a strange sensuality. They were exceptionally beautiful compared to the village girls who walked around with dirt on their faces.

But the villagers had no leisure to observe their faces closely. After all, the Hero’s party was still the Hero’s party, even if they had been idling for two weeks.

“Oh my. That’s not what we meant.”

“No, I’m not saying you shouldn’t be curious. From a villager’s perspective, it must be puzzling. But everyone? The war against the Demon Lord’s army requires patience. We need to move secretly and strike unexpectedly to achieve results.”

“Ah, I see.”

“This village… yes, you could call it a secret base. It’s close to the Demonic Land but outside the Demon Lord army’s reconnaissance range. You might be in danger because of us, but please bear with it a little longer. Understood?”

“Yes, of course!”

The villagers dispersed, nudging each other with “I told you so.”

Silvina the archer and Millia the knight carefully observed their retreating figures before letting out deep sighs. They seemed to be lamenting their situation, having to manage the villagers’ gossip.

“Silvina. How long do we have to stay cooped up here?”

“We have to wait until The Hero, who left for the capital, gives us further instructions.”

“But the villagers are getting more and more suspicious of us. Couldn’t we reduce their suspicions by dealing with monsters appearing in the area? That way we could convince them we’re using this place as a base to fight the Demon Lord’s army.”

“And what if our location is revealed to the Empire or the Demon Lord’s army? Even though this village is isolated, it’s not completely cut off from outside contact.”

“That’s true… *sigh*.”

Silvina walked ahead, saying they should trust The Hero and wait. Knight Millia followed behind with slumped shoulders.

During their journey, they sometimes stayed in certain villages for days. Given their grueling schedule, they needed to regroup occasionally to maintain their fighting strength.

In particular, the current generation’s Hero party was unusually large compared to previous ones.

This was because they traveled with dozens of elite holy knights dispatched from the Papal State. It was rumored that they had taken half of the Papal State’s military power.

Despite The Hero’s relatively inferior skills, they were able to achieve results in a short time thanks to these knights. It was natural, given the support of holy knights who combined holy power (doubly effective against demons) with decent swordsmanship.

As a result, the Papal State, weakened in military strength, was occasionally raided by demons, but they didn’t complain, perhaps because they received large donations from The Hero in return.

But now the Hero’s party had been reorganized into a much smaller group.

The reason was simple.

It was because of their battle with the Beast King, one of the Tetrad.

Beast King Leoneo.

Born a lizardman, he was a hero who unified all lizardman tribes before reaching adulthood, thanks to his innate dragon power and genius martial skills. He was so different from ordinary lizardmen that rumors claimed he was half-dragon.

Yes, he was certainly powerful.

But he wasn’t someone the Hero’s party, which had already eliminated two members of the Tetrad, should fear.

When the Hero’s party received intelligence that the Beast King, who had been staying in the Demonic Land for a while, had briefly visited his tribe, their decision to attack seemed natural.

However, the battle with the Beast King wasn’t as easy as the Hero’s party had expected.

First, the holy power of the knights, who had served as excellent human shields and attackers until then, proved ineffective.

Why didn’t it work? Even if he was a beast-man, he must have absorbed demonic energy to become stronger after rising to the Tetrad. The Hero’s party was bewildered.

Regardless, the Beast King mercilessly killed several holy knights before charging at The Hero with terrifying momentum. His tribesmen, emboldened, joined the battle.

Until then, the Hero’s party hadn’t lost confidence.

This was because Gwon Heejin, humanity’s greatest fighting force, was still holding strong.

Although he was considered weak for neglecting his sword training, he was still a superhuman blessed by the Godess and wielder of the holy sword. Moreover, this wasn’t a one-on-one duel; he had support from his party members.

Indeed, Gwon Heejin confidently drew his holy sword to face the Beast King, as if to avenge the holy knights who had died so pitifully.

“Come! I’ll cut you down in one stroke!”

Gwon Heejin’s bold declaration made him seem more reliable than usual. It seemed like he could subdue a mere reptile in no time.

However, the Beast King’s combat power was beyond imagination.

His weapon was made from dragon teeth, and despite being a beast-man, he even used magic. He truly seemed like a dragon hybrid.

A warrior one level above the Tetrad members they had dealt with before. He was a formidable opponent for The Hero, who had been distracted by Cordana and women.

The battle’s outcome was disastrous.

Though not a defeat, the result was practically a crushing loss.

Most of the holy knights dispatched from the Papal State were killed by the Beast King and his subordinates, and the rest were severely injured and hiding in the village with them. Recovery seemed distant.

That wasn’t all.

The mage’s magic circle was damaged from overuse of magic,

The elf archer had broken her bow made from the World Tree branch,

And most importantly, The Hero was injured. Though not a major injury, it was an irreversible one.

At least Knight Millia was unharmed, but she wasn’t particularly effective against powerful enemies to begin with. She was just an ordinary strong fighter who had barely reached the Expert intermediate level.

It would have been some consolation if they had killed the Beast King after paying such a price, but unfortunately, the Beast King had escaped with his life, though severely injured.

Considering a beast-man’s recovery ability, he might regain his condition someday. If the Beast King were to appear on the battlefield again…

The thought alone was terrifying. Knight Millia shook her head, her face pale.

“Silvina. How long can we keep hiding this?”

“Hide what?”

“Why are you asking when you know? If it becomes known that the Beast King is alive, we’ll…”

“Watch your words. This may be an isolated village, but merchants pass through occasionally. If you speak carelessly, an irreversible situation could arise. Considering the Beast King’s injuries, he’s likely to retire anyway.”

“…But, already…”

Millia was about to say “it’s already an irreversible situation” but closed her mouth. She couldn’t bring herself to say they were doomed.

Archer Silvina gently stroked her back.

“It’s alright, Millia. The Hero will find an alternative.”

Silvina’s basis for confidence was, of course, The Hero Gwon Heejin.

“In this situation, how could even The Hero have a solution?”

“He’s relatively clever for a human… And Millia, do we have anyone else to trust or depend on besides The Hero? The best thing we can do is quietly recover until The Hero gives further instructions.”

“If you put it that way, Silvina, yes, I understand.”

Indeed, The Hero was the only one the party members could rely on now.

Although he had fought to a stalemate with the Beast King, not even the Demon Lord, and had submitted false reports to the Empire after discussions with Prince, the investor in Cordana, he was still The Hero.

Only he could find a breakthrough in this worst-case scenario.

“The Hero should have reached the capital by now.”

“Yes… probably.”

While the capital might think he was just making a temporary visit to announce the Demon Lord’s subjugation, the reality was different. How could he go to face the Demon Lord when he couldn’t even kill the Beast King?

The Hero had gone to the capital only to untangle this complicated mess: the mass death of holy knights, his and his party members’ injuries, and the false report.

‘Yes. He must have gone to the capital because he has some solution.’

Knight Millia decided to place her hope in The Hero as well. After all, there was nothing else she could do.

***

At the same time, in the Imperial Palace.

“…No, Your Highness. I took risks to pump it up for you, but you still haven’t disposed of it? I created a safe exit opportunity for you! I’ve already pulled out.”

“There were circumstances. Since Erick dumped 108 at once into the market, the movements of the big players… what do you call them in your terms? Whales? The whales’ activities are receiving unnecessary attention. If I start selling, a crash will begin immediately.”

“Sigh, this has really gotten complicated. The Papal State will start getting suspicious soon too.”

“Find another way quickly, Hero. Only then can I protect you after the truth comes out.”