Ch.168Chapter 168. The Last Day of the Expedition

As the aged leader stepped down and the time approached for the crown prince to take his place in the succession ceremony.

I was finally about to return to the archipelago after completing my planned subjugation expedition.

If you’re wondering whether anything special happened during that time… Well, every day was a series of special events, so I suppose I’ve become numb to all but the most extraordinary occurrences.

When leaving our base and arriving at the expedition site, we would first conduct reconnaissance to assess the dangers in the subjugation area, establish a base camp, formulate a subjugation plan, and then carefully advance with me at the lead. Once we determined it was relatively safe, we would enter in full force and clear the area…

After repeating this process about ten times, the subjugation period came to an end, and somehow the expedition team, including myself, had been elevated to the status of imperial heroes.

“Is that the rumored Hero?”

Such achievements became tangible when we finished our final subjugation in the Great Forest and set foot in the city located at the gateway.

Resting inside the carriage, I quietly listened to the chatter of the crowd outside.

“Yes, the most talked-about person during this subjugation period. I heard he conquered not only dangerous wanted species but also several unexplored regions?”

“With the imperial family as his patron, and his name becoming so well-known during this subjugation, I heard sponsors are lining up for him.”

“No wonder his equipment gleams so brilliantly.”

Indeed, our expedition team’s equipment had changed significantly from before.

At first, we managed with imperial funding and our own money, but after completing about three missions, money started flowing in from all directions.

Of course, the process wasn’t entirely smooth. When someone rises, there are those who become envious, and their interference can sometimes be more troublesome than dangerous magical beasts.

“I heard many heroes died during this subjugation mission. He must be incredibly strong to have survived while achieving so much.”

But jealousy cannot surpass ambition if one is to succeed.

As time passed, I realized that what matters is achievement rather than petty emotions. Even those who once opposed me began approaching with all manner of flattery and gifts.

Along with that, news arrived of expedition teams being annihilated after participating in reckless subjugations due to heightened competition… Well, from my perspective of focusing solely on moving forward, I couldn’t afford to worry about such things.

“Being strong isn’t all. I’ve heard that whenever he returns, he recites tales of his exploits to those who remain, sharing strategies for defeating all sorts of monsters. These are so useful that even the regular army has adopted them.”

“That’s impressive. A perfect hero skilled in both literary and martial arts.”

However, as is often the case with rumors, I couldn’t attribute all the circulating stories to my own achievements.

While my combat prowess was my own, I had someone who specifically advised me on how to defeat magical beasts and non-human races—those called “aberrant beings.”

Although she’s temporarily away on business now… No, thinking about it this way makes it sound like I’ll never see her again.

It’s simply that with the overflow of sponsorships and the expedition team growing so large, we needed time to organize everything, which is why we’re temporarily separated.

I hope she doesn’t suddenly leave on her own, saying it’s time to return.

We’ve grown close during our time together, and we should at least celebrate together when we return to the empire.

“Waaaaaah!”

Whatever the case, this long expedition is finally over.

As I was reflecting on the days gone by, I heard cheers and briefly poked my head out of the carriage to look at the crowd welcoming the expedition team.

Without exaggeration, everyone in the village had come out to praise me and the expedition team.

Naturally, I, as the leader of the expedition, was at the center of it all.

“Hero Hyo! Hero Hyo!!”

“You’re the best, Hyooooo!!!”

“Thanks to Hyo, we can sleep peacefully!”

“Keep it up, Hyo!!!”

“…Haha.”

Seeing their enthusiastic celebration made my blood boil—not with the joy of a glorious moment, but with anger that my treatment remained unchanged even at such a moment.

Damn it, my ability is supposed to make people remember me, so why does that “Hyo” nickname keep popping up?

My name isn’t Hyo, it’s Hyoseong…

“Oh! Everyone is blessing the Hero!”

“Hey, you guys, wait.”

At that moment, the expedition members began responding to the crowd’s cheers.

I voiced my dismay, but they paid no heed and proceeded with their usual antics.

“We can’t just stand by! Everyone, prepare a cheer!”

“Hey, you guys. Don’t. Don’t do that.”

“Everyone, cheer toward the front for 5 seconds!!”

“Hyooooooooo~!!”

…Damn them, I knew this would happen.

Perhaps I’ve been too lenient over these six months? While it’s one thing for military discipline to have relaxed from what it was initially, it’s another for them to collectively mock me and disregard the hierarchy as they frequently do now.

Moreover, I can’t even scold them immediately when they do this in front of everyone… What good are achievements when my fate is always so wretched?

“Fine, do as you please.”

But perhaps this is better than a consistently heavy atmosphere.

By now, I’ve grown accustomed to this and simply snorted and let it slide.

****

While only news of success was conveyed to the outside world, the expedition team wasn’t without its dangers.

I faced many life-threatening situations, and some expedition members were occasionally isolated in dangerous areas or had to withdraw after sustaining serious injuries during subjugation phases.

The darkest moments were when fatalities occurred… Yes, we were mindful from the beginning that this was a dangerous expedition.

No matter how much Hero power one has or how well-versed in tactics, there are inevitable limitations to being human.

After sponsors flooded in, reinforcements like mercenaries also increased, so progress wasn’t hindered by personnel shortages. However, their empty spaces occasionally remained in a corner of our hearts, sometimes breaking morale.

“Come on, everyone, a toast to Hero Hyo!”

So to prevent such melancholy from interfering with our work, we celebrated more grandly when we achieved results.

With that mindset, the soldiers who had come this far with me raised their glasses high and began to cheer as the end of the subjugation period approached.

“We dedicate all the glory of this victory to Hyo!”

“Come on, Hyo. Drink up, bottoms up!”

“Now you’re not even calling me Hero, just Hyo?”

“Oh, come on, of course we do. We’re just faithfully following your words!”

“Practice like it’s real combat, risk your life in battle, and be like family at drinking parties! Weren’t those your words, Hero?!”

Even in a family-like atmosphere, you shouldn’t address your superior so casually.

“…Fine, do as you please.”

But with the arduous expedition over and our return approaching, it seemed difficult to restrain them at the height of their excitement. As I tilted my glass, the soldiers began to enjoy the feast with boisterous chatter.

I felt no reservations about their uninhibited behavior.

I knew better than anyone that they had earned this right, having gone through life-and-death situations with them.

“Well then, I’ll excuse myself and leave the members to enjoy.”

At some point during the lively banquet, one member attempted to leave the tavern, leaving behind the revelers.

Though slightly intoxicated, it didn’t take long to recognize who it was.

“Where are you going in the middle of the celebration?”

“Where else? There are people who couldn’t be here, so shouldn’t we comfort their spirits too?”

Adjutant Sanson.

After surviving the war against the Undead, he was a valuable assistant who commanded the soldiers for six months in place of the former commander, following me.

I remain very grateful to him for managing the personnel in my stead, as I’m not accustomed to it. Yet what he displayed throughout the expedition was not pride but something closer to guilt and longing.

“Commander Marcus and our fallen comrades deserve to share in this moment too.”

“…That’s right.”

We wouldn’t have made it this far without their sacrifices.

Feeling my excitement dampen with such bitter emotions, I followed Sanson while the soldiers, already immersed in the festivities, didn’t notice our departure.

After all, the celebration shouldn’t be dampened just because the two leaders stepped out.

“I also want to pay my respects to the Commander, let’s go together.”

“That’s fine, but… are you going to train again?”

“I must. Just because we finished the subjugation doesn’t mean all the calamities in this world have disappeared.”

What I’ve eliminated is merely a tiny fraction of the whole.

With so much of my chosen path still ahead, I mustn’t let my determination wane due to a day’s merriment.

****

After paying tribute to those who had gone before us, I left Sanson’s side and entered the forest behind the village to focus on my training.

And this training was conducted solely by my own power.

Although there was an excellent mentor in the expedition team, she unfortunately didn’t know how to handle spirits.

If nothing else, spirit arts was something I had to train in alone.

Irie’s prophecy was immensely helpful in guiding me through this training.

[After meeting with the Beastmen and hearing their advice, make the Linea Great Forest your final expedition site. If you go to the location I’ve designated, spirits interested in you will approach on their own.]

[Remember, the Great Forest is a very dangerous place, so you must enter only after building up sufficient strength.]

Yes, the last expedition site we visited was more dangerous than any place we had been before.

It required extensive preparation, and defeating the giant Duli at the end could have cost me my life if I had made even a slight mistake.

If I hadn’t directly encountered the spirit cluster Phobia mentioned, I wouldn’t have been able to deflect its attack and take it down in one blow.

-Woong… woong.

Of course, the spirit cluster has its own consciousness, but being nurtured in nature, it tends to take the form of beasts or plants.

Therefore, it couldn’t offer me clear teachings, but just meeting and communing with it allowed me to learn a great deal.

It was not only much larger than what humans typically create but also had a precisely constructed form.

To make an analogy… it’s like the difference between charging headfirst without knowing anything and carefully, meticulously constructing the process after knowing the outcome.

-Woong.

In any case, having become accustomed to handling spirits, I also became much more proficient in creating “doppelgangers,” which had previously been stagnant.

At first, it merely mimicked me, but now its form is much clearer, and it can even make judgments and move independently.

Now it’s less my doppelganger and more an independent entity completed by my hand.

“Hello, spirit. Do you remember me?”

The spirit immediately responded with a “woong” upon seeing me.

Then it waved its hand—a greeting method I had consistently taught since I became accustomed to handling spirits.

This showed that it had reached a level where it could not only mimic or observe my actions but also implement what I had directly taught it.

While such growth was pleasing, as the spirit continued to develop, a question kept arising in my mind.

“…By the way, why do you keep taking a female form?”

I had noticed some changes about half a year ago, but they weren’t distinct enough, so I thought it was either my imagination or that the physical form wasn’t consistently constructed.

Now that the form has become completely distinct, I could see the body’s contours changing noticeably toward a female form.

-…

And whenever I pointed this out, the spirit always kept its mouth firmly shut.

Normally, when I spoke to it, it would respond by humming or showing some reaction.

Isn’t it strange that it specifically closes its mouth only when I point out its femininity?

“…You.”

And I’m not entirely without suspicions about the reason.

A spirit cluster begins by mimicking the practitioner’s body, and this child had projected “a being with two personalities.”

“Are you Pailoi?”

If this child has mimicked my other personality…

What if I merely took control with my ability, and perhaps the child, thinking it had become one with me, has now appeared before me again using the vessel of a spirit?

-WOONG!!!

The spirit cluster violently thrashed about as soon as I voiced this suspicion.

My body tensed at the unexpected aggressive response, but that wasn’t enough to block the attack that followed.

-BANG!!!

The magical explosion from the fist that struck my body.

Though I was thrown far away, the spirit cluster didn’t pursue me but simply turned its back.

“Cough! W-wait… why suddenly……”

-Woong!

The spirit cluster then disappeared, emitting a vibration that felt particularly emotional.

I might not understand what it’s saying, but through our communion, emotions are conveyed.

This one is extremely angry right now.

“…So it’s not Pailoi?”

Did I touch a nerve by misidentifying it?

But if it’s not Pailoi, I couldn’t grasp why a being that mimics me would specifically take a female form.

Should I call it back and talk directly… No, calling back an angry child might not be the best approach.

Let me think about it myself first, and if I can’t figure it out, I’ll talk to it again later. As I was thinking this and trying to get up from the ground.

“Are you alright?”

A gentle voice accompanied a hand extended before me.

Feeling a familiarity from it, I took the offered hand and stood up.

“…Why are you here? Everyone’s enjoying themselves, you should join them.”

“As a maid, it’s only natural to prioritize my master.”

So I’m completely treated as the master, even if it’s just a formality.

Chuckling at her words, I greeted the girl in the maid outfit who had helped me up.

“It’s been a while, Flan.”

“Yes, Master.”

Flan smiled brightly at me.

“I am Flan, your maid.”

The joy I felt from her was certainly no illusion.