Ch.68Raising a Hero – 2
by fnovelpia
I had a reason for going to such lengths to stage this act and help Brunhilde grow. After all, the hero’s awakening is essential for future developments.
It’s not simply for my own convenience, but also to deal with that black substance that melted into the weapon—the one the Demon Lord himself declared felt similar to the holy sword.
The Demon Lord is no longer the enemy. Now that Elysier has been revealed as a possessed individual suffering from the endlessly repeating cycles just like the other two, the real enemy shouldn’t be the Demon Lord.
‘Though the others definitely need to die.’
For example, the commanders beneath him or humans who cooperate with them.
“Huff… huff… huff…”
Like that fat high priest following far behind us. Even though we’ve only been in here for 10 minutes, judging by his actions and face, he looked like someone who had been walking non-stop for about 12 hours.
“The monsters?”
“Still don’t see any. Let’s keep going.”
Brunhilde pulled the holy sword from the monster’s head and gestured forward.
We were inside a suddenly-appeared discharge-type dungeon. “By chance,” the hero and I had come here to buy dessert, and when we offered to help, the viscount who ruled the area readily accepted.
Logically, rather than requesting help from Academy students, it would make more sense to contact the imperial palace, explain the situation, and ask for support. But Brunhilde was the hero chosen by the holy sword.
And I was someone Brunhilde strongly recommended, saying I might even be stronger than her. Thanks to that, we were treated as core forces without any interference.
That fat priest following us was part of the same context. When the hero said that discharge-type dungeons have extremely high numbers of monsters, so a skilled priest was necessary, there was no reason to refuse.
The fact that the Pope himself had bestowed the Star’s Blessing played a significant role too. A priest of the Starlight Order not helping a hero who received the Star’s Blessing? There couldn’t be a greater contradiction.
‘I didn’t expect things to go this smoothly.’
If that guy had holed up in the temple, making all sorts of excuses to refuse deployment, it wouldn’t have been easy for us to drag him out.
He was so reluctant that even right in front of us, he spouted nonsense about how providing plenty of high-grade potions or assigning several nuns and priests would be sufficient. If he’d been in the temple, he definitely wouldn’t have come out.
‘How do guys like that even manifest holy power?’
No matter how I look at him, he doesn’t seem to have even a shred of faith. Is the goddess completely indifferent to the human world? Anyway, they were people without a single redeeming quality.
“P-please wait…! Let’s take a short break…!”
The high priest, whose breathing had been getting increasingly rough, finally collapsed onto the ground. I figured his limit was approaching around now.
“It’s only been 10 minutes and you’re already done? Besides, we did all the fighting, so why are you, who did nothing, the first to get tired?”
“Your pace is too fast…!”
“Ever consider that you might just be too slow?”
Brunhilde seemed to share my sentiment as she sighed deeply and stopped walking.
“Fine. Let’s take a short break.”
“Kueogh…!”
The priest exhaled strangely and completely slumped down, while the nuns flanking him busily gave him water or wiped his sweat with their sleeves. Taking advantage of the moment, I whispered:
“Keep an eye on him. I’ll scout ahead for traps. That pig looks like he couldn’t dodge a boulder rolling at him from a hundred meters away.”
Brunhilde nodded with a slight smile at my joke. I walked until I was out of earshot, and as a precaution, cast a sound-blocking spell before taking out my necklace.
“Is everything proceeding well?”
As soon as I put on the necklace, Elysier’s voice came through as if he’d been waiting. I had been waiting for that pig to collapse just for this.
If I had come with just Brunhilde or with another priest who was more fit than him, I wouldn’t have been able to do this so freely.
“It is. What about you, Elysier?”
“I have also completed all preparations. As planned, shall I deploy the monsters right before you destroy the dungeon core?”
“That’s right. No need to time it perfectly—you can deploy them after it’s somewhat broken.”
Obviously, this discharge-type dungeon was created by Elysier and me. It was to provide Brunhilde, who had hardly any opportunity to fight real demons until now, with practical experience while simultaneously executing our plan.
Since I’d stolen all her fighting opportunities until now, I needed to give her experience points somehow.
‘And incidentally, take care of that fat priest too.’
He’s someone who only does trash things in the original story before being dealt with by the hero anyway. Now that he’s even been enchanted by a succubus, I don’t need to feel any guilt at all.
That includes the nuns and priests who clung to him and did the same things.
“But… my lord. I am still not certain if this is truly necessary.”
Elysier’s worried voice resonated through the necklace. Just from his voice, I could imagine what expression he was making. I spoke in the gentlest tone I could manage.
“I thought you understood last time?”
“I only accepted because you pushed so strongly, but I am still not convinced. I truly do not wish to hurt you. If you wish, I will kneel and beg, so please, could you not consider another plan?”
“What kind of other plan? Do you have any good ideas?”
“…No, I do not. But my lord, if you would just think a little more, surely—”
“We can try other methods after we’ve tried following the original story first.”
Elysier, still with lingering attachment in his voice, trailed off with “That may be so, but…”
“I’ll be fine, Elysier. As long as I don’t die, it’s okay, right? Healing magic will fix everything afterward.”
“I hate the very fact that you will be hurt! Why do you keep trying to injure yourself! Didn’t you do the same thing last time?!”
His voice rose as if he’d suddenly become upset. The “last time” he referred to was when I bit off my finger to trap Alexander.
I had mentioned it to convince him that this was a strategy I’d already used before, so it would be easy, but mentioning that this would be the second time only made Elysier jump up in protest, having the opposite effect.
“…It seems I am the one who must yield in the end.”
After venting his highly agitated emotions for a while, Elysier exhaled a deep sigh and spoke as if he had no choice.
“Very well. I shall give in after all. But there is something you must know. Please, no matter what, remember that I will be deeply saddened by your plan.”
“I understand.”
“…I will end the communication now. Please do not get hurt, my lord.”
The communication ended. I removed the necklace and put it in my coat’s inner pocket.
It’s understandable that he would react that way. He has to attack me with his own hands, and not just a slight cut—he needs to inflict serious injuries that would tear my body apart, so he’s definitely reluctant.
But it was unavoidable.
‘If someone has to get hurt, it should be me.’
It’s far better for me to be injured than for someone I know, someone around me, to get hurt. I have that weapon I’d rather not bring out, and healing magic too, so there’s almost no risk of death.
After securing the necklace well, I returned to my original position. Brunhilde’s face, which had been looking irritably at the other three still panting, brightened again. The number of monster corpses strewn around had increased by five or six.
“There aren’t any traps. Let’s get moving.”
“Already?”
“We’ve rested enough, what more do you want? Planning to set up house here?”
He cursed me with his face as he got up with the help of a nun. Brunhilde shook her head at the sight.
After that, we continued toward the dungeon core, slaughtering monsters with overwhelming skill. Even ogres, which are considered quite strong monsters, appeared like mere mobs and were swept away helplessly.
“Haha! You truly are excellent people! May I withdraw now? Looking at your skills, it seems just one decent priest would be enough—eek?!”
I brought Eternity to the neck of the priest who was still trying to find a chance to escape while flattering us. He jumped when the tip of the sword poked his neck.
“Are you insane?! What are you doing all of a sudden?!”
“I’ve been hearing a pig making dog noises for a while, so I wasn’t sure if it was a pig or a dog and poked to check. But seeing how the blade doesn’t even go in because of the thick fat, I guess it is a pig after all.”
“…”
Beside me, Brunhilde was trying hard to suppress her laughter. Her expression was in stark contrast to the priest’s flushed face.
If I had been with Aria instead, the reaction would have been different. Rosaria and Priscilla both said she was frustratingly, unbearably kind, so she probably would have tried to endure and overlook this situation.
But I’m far from that type of person. Maybe in the past, but not now—not after realizing that over ten years of patience brings nothing in return.
“Can you handle the aftermath?”
Brunhilde approached and asked in a small voice.
“I don’t do things I can’t handle. Except when others barge in uninvited.”
“That’s good.”
Brunhilde smiled broadly, pleased for some reason.
After some time, we were able to reach the dungeon core at the deepest part—not the replica I’d seen at the Academy, but a real core in the form of densely concentrated magical energy.
“What’s this? Why is there nothing here?”
“They probably released everything and are recharging. Good timing—let’s quickly deal with this and get out.”
Of course, it was designed that way, but I pretended not to know. Brunhilde nodded at my words and was about to approach and swing her holy sword when—
—KUOOOOO!
An ominous roar began to shake the dungeon. Brunhilde destroyed the core with a tense face and then stuck close to my side.
“You heard that just now?”
“I did. Sounds like there’s something serious out there.”
The high priest was trembling with fear along with the nuns, but having seen what we were capable of, he didn’t think of running away. He seemed to believe that being next to us was the safest option.
—KUOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Once again, a roar that shook the entire dungeon echoed, and far away, an enormous silhouette appeared. An orange light approached gradually.
Soon, a Flame Bear revealed itself. Its entire body was covered in orange fur, and the tremendous heat emanating from its skin created shimmering heat waves.
Orange flame footprints remained wherever it stepped.
“…A Flame Bear? This is going to be tough while protecting him.”
I heard Brunhilde mutter beside me.
Flame Bear. A monster that had been introduced in theoretical lectures. Perhaps because of the saying that bears tear people apart, it was equal to or even stronger than an ogre.
“B-behind! Behind too!”
“…Behind?”
At the priest’s almost hysterical warning, Brunhilde turned her head and let out a dry laugh. An Ice Bear, known as a subspecies of the Flame Bear, was approaching from the corridor we had come through.
Its fur was sky blue, and white mist rose from near its skin. The ground nearby was being covered in frost, and white breath leaked from between its jaws.
As a subspecies of the Flame Bear, the Ice Bear also possessed tremendous combat power. In a situation like this, where it was coordinating an attack with a Flame Bear, it was even more formidable.
“What should we do, Mira?”
“What do you mean? We each take one and kill it. We have a priest behind us anyway.”
“…Mira, sometimes I wonder if you’re actually a golem when fighting. How do you never get surprised?”
Brunhilde grumbled quietly. I just laughed inwardly.
I couldn’t tell her that I’d experienced these things to the point of boredom in the past. And of course, right now everything was going according to my plan.
—!!!!!!
The Flame Bear, true to its name, charged at us while spewing flames from its mouth.
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