Ch.90Chapter 90 – The 12 Heroes (2)

# 12 Heroes

It had been a month since the party known as the 12 Heroes crossed the Gates of Hell to assassinate the Demon King and end the insufferable Great War.

“That makes it the three hundred and forty-fourth attack.”

Kyle calmly withdrew his sword from the demon’s corpse, wiping the green blood that had splattered on his face. Sabah, the assassin responsible for the party’s scouting duties, kicked the demon corpse with its intestines protruding, while cursing.

“These goddamn bastards! Give it a rest already! Fuck, let me catch a break!”

“Still, thanks to your excellent stealth skills keeping watch, we’ve managed this well… I’m always grateful.”

“…Ah, shit. When you talk like that, I… Ugh. Let’s drop it.”

Longinus tried to calm the raging Sabah. Sabah was the only assassin among the 12 Heroes. Some distrusted having an assassin as a comrade, but an assassin was essential to prepare for any unexpected situations in Hell. True to his reputation as the best in the Assassin’s Guild, Sabah perfectly performed reconnaissance and sentry duties with remarkable skill.

At any rate, the unfortunate party that had suffered three hundred and forty-four attacks in a month could finally take a rest. Gode, an alchemist and mystic scholar, offered an optimistic outlook as he retrieved food from a spatial artifact.

“Judging by the types of demons appearing, it seems we’re on the right path. At this rate, we should be able to pass through Baalzebul’s territory, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and reach the Demon King’s castle within two weeks.”

“Baal… My axe thirsts for his blood. Is he strong?”

Hurik, the barbarian warrior, asked aggressively while sharpening his fearsome twin axes. Longinus, who knew the dangers of Baal all too well, tensed his face.

“…He’s strong. And extremely cunning. Hurik, you’re a brave warrior, but don’t underestimate him. He’s a very dangerous Heavenly King.”

*Run away! Longinus!*

*Call the adults—gah!*

*No—! At least you should—*

He heard phantom voices. Longinus’s hand trembled slightly as he pressed his throbbing forehead. The childhood incident remained deeply etched in his mind, an indelible trauma…

“…It’s alright, my Longinus. I’m here with you.”

Ortesia, the saint and his lover who understood his circumstances, firmly held his hand. Longinus’s trembling subsided at the high elf’s warm touch. She embraced him tenderly, stroking his head.

“I’ll always stay by your side.”

“Yes… you will.”

Longinus’s mind relaxed, his eyes growing hazy. Her warm embrace gave him the assurance that he was safer with her than anywhere else. Enough to momentarily forget the dark memories and terrible past…

“Ugh, ptui. Disgusting couple.”

Raymond, the grand magician, spat as he watched the eyesore scene. He was a genius who had reached the 8th tier at the young age of 25, but unfortunately, he was also a single man with zero romantic experiences. He took a swig of beer with a gloomy face and grumbled.

“Rubbing salt in a virgin’s wounds. I should hurry and get a girlfriend because I’m so pathetic…”

“Hehehe! With that face? Did you know that these days in the magic tower, ‘grand magician’ is slang for a 25-year-old virgin?”

At the mischievous words of Sophia, another 7th-tier grand magician in the party, Raymond’s face contorted in anger.

“Fuck! Stop talking shit! What’s wrong with my face?! This beast-like face is much better than those pretty boys! Right, Orion?”

“…You are objectively ugly, Raymond.”

“What?! You bow-wrapper! How dare you betray me…!”

Orion, the elf archer with delicate features, disagreed. Bruce, the dwarf blacksmith, remained silent while sipping his beer, and Raika, the wolf beastkin fighter, giggled along with Sophia as she watched their banter.

“And I’m not a bow-wrapper, I’m a ranger. Please use the correct title, spell-wrapper.”

“Hahaha! As expected of Orion, never backing down!”

Ignoring Raika’s roaring laughter, Raymond fumed. He gulped down his drink to cool his heated head, and the alcohol began to take effect. Drinking in the middle of enemy territory could be dangerous, but there was no problem—one spell from Ortesia could easily clear away the intoxication.

While the group enjoyed their rest, Shin Jaehyuk approached Iscariot, whom no one else paid attention to.

“Iscariot. You seemed to be straining your magical power earlier. Are you alright?”

Iscariot had become an indispensable force among the 12 Heroes. The demons swarming in Hell knew how to cunningly exploit their numerical advantage over Eden. In situations where they were outnumbered 10 to 1, or even 100 to 1, overcoming that difference was entirely due to Iscariot’s contribution.

Thanks to him, mass battles had become much safer. Most of the attacking demons were imps, the lowest-ranked demons, which could be sufficiently blocked by low-level undead. With a single gesture, he could raise dozens or hundreds of undead to hold back the demons while the heroes methodically reduced their numbers. Without Iscariot, they would have perished from exhaustion within a week.

Despite his excellent contributions, the heroes’ attitude toward Iscariot remained awkward. It was undoubtedly because of his status as a black mage. In Eden, black mages were traitors who had betrayed humanity and sided with demons. They were all dangerous criminals…

Even under the protection of the Papal State, Iscariot’s treatment didn’t improve. The heroes were all frontline fighters who had personally experienced how terrible black mages could be and how inhumane their research was.

Raymond, being a magician, particularly disliked Iscariot. In fact, most magicians did. Black mages are born when priests or magicians fall from grace. Because of this, magicians were often treated as potential threats and had to endure various humiliations due to prejudice.

Moreover, Iscariot belonged to the Papal State, which had a poor relationship with the magic tower. About a hundred years ago, when the Gates of Hell first opened, there was an incident where fallen holy knights hunted down and massacred magicians. After this incident, which nearly wiped out all magicians, relations between the magic tower and the Papal State could hardly be described as even tolerable.

“Longinus! Why bother worrying about that guy! Come drink with us~ Are you going to act all holy and not drink today too? It’s fine once in a while! This is Hell, after all!”

For these complex reasons, Raymond despised Iscariot. Iscariot’s existence was the perfect target for Raymond to vent his frustrations without feeling guilty, especially when drunk and on edge.

“He’s a comrade. It’s only natural to worry about a comrade’s condition.”

“The great holy knight is kind even to black mages, I see.”

Despite Longinus’s polite response, the heavily intoxicated Raymond didn’t stop his provocation. His brain, numbed by alcohol and just freed from the fear of death, wanted to release stress. He taunted further.

“Let that necromancer fuck corpses to relieve his stress, and let’s have a drink among ourselves. Hey!”

“Raymond, you seem drunk, so let’s stop here…”

Longinus frowned slightly at the insulting words directed at his comrade and tried to calm Raymond. However, this response only provoked Raymond further. Bang! A fireball cast without incantation incinerated a demon corpse.

“You, a holy knight, why do you always take that bastard’s side? He’s a black mage! Fucking bastards who consort with demons!”

“Raymond, you’re getting excited—”

“It’s fine. Let’s do as the grand magician says.”

Just as Longinus was about to defend Iscariot, the subject of the insult joined the conversation.

“There’s no need for heroes to fight because of a mere black mage like me. He’s right, after all…”

“See! Even he admits it… Ah, you’re just ruining my buzz.”

With Iscariot taking a submissive stance, Raymond felt smug but ran out of things to say. Feeling that continuing would only sour his mood, Raymond returned to his seat, waving the bottle.

Despite the obvious discrimination and hatred, the heroes resumed sharing drinks with Raymond, chattering boisterously. They completely ignored the recent disturbance. Hatred toward black mages was prevalent even among the heroes.

Left alone, Longinus carefully checked on Iscariot’s condition.

“Are you alright?”

“What do you mean, sir?”

A serene face without any emotional fluctuation. However, unable to read the emotions hidden beneath the surface, Longinus felt uneasy.

“When it’s just the two of us, you don’t need to be so formal. You can speak casually like before…”

“…I respectfully decline. I don’t want to cause seeds of discord if others see us.”

The distancing attitude. The contrast between the kind Iscariot of his childhood and the current figure created a sense of dissonance for Longinus. Instead of the priestly garments Longinus remembered, Iscariot was quiet and unfamiliar in the black robe characteristic of black mages, like the darkness of night. Feeling an instinctive unease, Longinus made a final check.

“Are you really okay? No problems?”

“Yes, of course everything is fine. Everything is proceeding well…”

Iscariot smiled faintly.

***

“Why are Sabah and Orion taking so long?”

Raika complained. She seemed restless, unable to move and just waiting for Sabah and Orion to return from reconnaissance. Especially since the group was currently traversing desert terrain, where their feet sank into the sand, the two had been expressing frustration for days.

“Just be patient a little longer. Once we pass that valley, we’ll say goodbye to this desert.”

Kyle pointed to a sand-covered valley ahead. A single path between sandstone cliffs. Once they passed that valley, they would reach Baalzebul’s territory.

Since the party’s goal was to assassinate the Demon King, they planned to pass through Baal’s territory quietly and stealthily, avoiding his notice. For this reason, Sabah and Orion, skilled in stealth, were out scouting.

Reconnaissance was essential in Hell. The chaotic magical energy lingering in Hell’s atmosphere confused one’s ability to sense energy. Because of this, they often failed to notice demons even a meter away.

That’s why Sabah the assassin and Orion the ranger served as the party’s eyes, spying on enemy territory and returning. But today, the two were unusually late in returning.

Sophia cautiously suggested:

“Shouldn’t we start moving soon? We can’t wait forever.”

“Hmm… let’s wait a bit longer. They might be taking longer because we’re near a Heavenly King’s territory. In the meantime, I’ll give your weapons a final maintenance, so please be patient.”

Blacksmith Bruce calmly picked up his hammer. Though less powerful in combat than the others, Bruce was the continent’s finest blacksmith who supported the party. Whenever allies’ weapons were damaged in fierce battles, he restored them to their original condition with his craftsmanship and blacksmith artifacts.

Raika, the only one who didn’t use weapons, sulked:

“…Still, if they don’t come back in thirty minutes, I’m leaving on my own. I’m dying of boredom.”

Making Raika’s threat meaningless, Sabah returned alone a few minutes later. Sophia slapped his back.

“Why were you so late!”

“Sorry, Orion got a stomachache…”

“I warned that bastard not to eat undercooked pork yesterday, but he just had to…”

“After a lifetime of vegetarianism under his parents’ pressure, he finally discovered the taste of meat thanks to us. Hehehe, it’s still hilarious thinking about it. Hahaha!”

Raymond facepalmed while Sabah burst into cheerful laughter.

“Come to think of it, you came alone. Where’s Orion?”

“He’s still up ahead, shitting. Looks like it’ll take a while, so he told me to bring you all. Must be constipation. Hehehe.”

“Ugh, disgusting bastard. I thought elves were a race that only ate dew and didn’t shit or piss, but this past month, that guy has shattered my illusions.”

Raymond grumbled with a grimace. Kyle calmed the excited atmosphere.

“Everyone, quiet. Focus. Sabah, what’s the reconnaissance result?”

“Haha, it’s safe. Not a demon in sight. We can pass through the valley without worry.”

“…That’s fortunate. We can proceed easily.”

Kyle Leonhart was slightly puzzled that the border area’s defenses were empty, but he didn’t doubt Sabah. There was no reason why Sabah, the best assassin, couldn’t detect hidden demons, nor did he have any reason to lie.

The rest of the party also sighed in relief at this stroke of luck. Ortesia clasped her hands in prayer.

“It’s fortunate we can conserve our strength until we reach the Demon King’s castle. This luck must be the blessing of light…”

“Luck? A warrior’s blessing comes from blood and battle!”

“Yeah, having to sneak around like rats to avoid the Heavenly Kings’ eyes—I don’t like it.”

While everyone was excited by the rare good news, the two battle maniacs, barbarian Hurik and fighter Raika, couldn’t hide their disappointment. These two seemed to grow more excited rather than tired or bored after hundreds of battles.

Raika pointed at Hurik and shouted:

“Alright! It’s a match, Hurik! Betting a week’s worth of beer on who reaches the other side of the valley first! Whoever finds Orion first wins!”

“Oho, a week’s worth of beer? A warrior never refuses a challenge!”

“Hey, hey, wait! Stop! They really left? These crazy bastards!”