Chapter 184 – The Hero (5)
“If you know manners, you should first reveal who you are before asking questions.”
The man, presumed to be a knight, replied in a calm tone.
“Amolang. I am a priest chasing the Blade Phantom that defies the gods.”
“A priest… From which order?”
“That’s a secret. I don’t want to leak important information just because I saved you.”
“I didn’t intend to interrogate the swordsman who effortlessly defeated a Blade Phantom that even the Grand Swordmaster couldn’t handle. If it offended you, I apologize, Priest Amolang.”
“I accept your apology.”
So, where’s the hero?
“Thank you for saving my territory. I am Duke Eisen, the lord of this land.”
“Ah, so you’re the duke.”
“I know very well where that arrogant hero went.”
“Oh!”
Things were going smoothly.
“Oppa! In this situation where Father has passed away, are you really going to act like a duke?!”
A female knight with a refreshingly clear voice—quite attractive—interrupted.
“My beloved little sister. That’s a misunderstanding. In this emergency where everyone is shocked by the sudden death of the seemingly invincible Grand Swordmaster, if even the legitimate heir panics, the territory will face a great crisis.”
“The funeral comes first. The succession issue can wait.”
“Little sister, you should speak honestly. Aren’t you just using the funeral as an excuse to stall until the hero who grants any request arrives?”
“You’re going too far. Hero-nim is someone Father acknowledged.”
“Acknowledged… And if he hadn’t? Would that barbarian who barged in and threatened us with a sword have spared Father and me?”
“Hero-nim stepped forward for my sake.”
“Yes. To break off your political marriage. Because of that, we fell out with the count family that controls the trade routes, and business came to a halt. The merchants are still weeping over it.”
“That political marriage was Father’s idea from the beginning—”
“Enough. Are you going to insult our deceased father?”
“…I said I didn’t want it.”
“A noble must do even the things they dislike.”
“Ah! So that’s why oppa drank and partied with women every day?”
“I was on an undercover investigation.”
“Please come up with a more convincing excuse.”
Blah blah blah.
I thought it would end quickly, but because of the siblings who clearly didn’t get along, the conversation showed no sign of progressing.
However,
‘I’m no longer a beginner.’
I politely interjected into their argument while maintaining a gentlemanly demeanor.
“Excuse me for interrupting, but there’s something you’re all overlooking.”
“Hm?”
“What is it?”
“The Blade Phantom holds a grudge against the hero who plundered the ruins. That’s why they target the hero and his companions. If you don’t believe me, investigate the locations and times where Blade Phantoms appeared. They’ll almost perfectly match the hero’s route.”
The Sword Demon’s purpose is clear. It could massacre and destroy on the opposite side of Earth where there’s no patient, but that would be meaningless.
“Now that you mention it…”
“That’s just speculation!”
The female knight, who clearly favored the hero, flared up immediately, but the other one took it seriously.
Half success.
But it’s still too early to be disappointed.
“You’re free not to believe it, but that foolish judgment could get the hero killed.”
“Hero-nim is strong.”
“So that’s why he lost precious companions?”
“Th-that was… an accident because the princess recklessly charged in.”
“Is that so? Then go tell the same thing to those who died today: ‘It’s your fault for recklessly charging in.’”
“……”
She absolutely couldn’t. Because among the dead was her own father.
She had dug her own grave.
“Where did the hero go?”
“I’m curious about that too.”
A new male voice suddenly cut into our conversation.
He belonged to the race that had been the most popular among users in the virtual reality game <Molang Fantasy>—the ‘elf’.
Who?
The soon-to-be duke introduced him in a very friendly tone.
“This is Legoris, son of the great elder from the Elf Kingdom, who came here to hunt Blade Phantoms—”
“I came all this way to hold the human accountable for failing to protect my fiancée.”
“Ahh.”
So your political marriage got ruined because of the hero too?
The former novelist-turned-Ranuvel patient ‘Jeong Yong-sang’ must be a pervert who enjoys breaking off political marriages.
“Disrupting a sacred wedding and kidnapping the bride, only to end up like this. If she had become my woman, she could have lived comfortably bearing children.”
“That sounds like something you should say when you meet this hero, Legoris-ssi.”
“Hm. A human who speaks sense to me. What’s your name?”
“Amolang. I’m a priest.”
“A priest, huh. Though your attire looks more like a traveler’s.”
“It’s a disguise. Like this.”
Blink!
To avoid the concentrated gazes, Valentine, hidden in my sleeve, changed form.
“A sword… The very blade that felled the Blade Phantom in one strike.”
“You saw it?”
“From afar. I’m not a swordsman, after all.”
The elf gestured with his eyes toward the large bow slung across his back.
‘As expected…’
If it could pierce the Sword Demon’s steel-like skin, a bow wouldn’t be a bad choice. No—in fact, it’s a hundred times better than a suicidal sword!
Anyway,
“Where did the hero go?”
“Sigh… I’ll tell you. But there’s a condition.”
The female knight tried to bargain for the information.
“…Duke-nim. Could you ask the temple to tell us where the hero went? I’ll offer compensation.”
“I’d love to help if it were up to me, but persuading the temple won’t be easy.”
Even the friendly knight gave a negative response.
‘Look at this guy?’
He acted like he knew something when he spoke to me, but he knew nothing at all.
“However, if I solidify my position as the lord of this territory, it might become possible.”
He immediately revealed his true intentions.
“Then let’s do this. I’ll hand over the information I know about the Blade Phantom to you, Duke-nim.”
“I’m not a mercenary…”
“You may not need it personally, but those who hold a grudge against the Blade Phantom will desperately need it, won’t they? Isn’t that right, Legoris-ssi?”
I sought agreement from the elf.
“Ah, yes. His Majesty, who seeks revenge for his daughter, would certainly need that information. Sell it to me, and as the representative of my country, I’ll support the new duke.”
“Oho!”
The knight seemed a bit dense, but this elf was sharp. He understood everything perfectly without needing explanations.
To marry the princess the protagonist covets, one needs at least this level of competence?
He wasn’t incompetent.
“W-wait a moment! This is blatant interference in internal affairs…!”
The female knight flared up, but there was nothing she could do.
“Then, Duke-nim. I’ll wait at the inn for good news.”
“Haha! I’ll come soon!”
A reasonable deal that satisfied three out of the four parties concluded.
***
I explained everything within the range that fantasy natives could understand.
‘The more people who know, the better.’
When the Ranuvel patient’s health becomes critically unstable, the Sword Demons will swarm in droves. To avoid dying pointlessly like that noble uncle, this information needs to be shared widely.
By the way…
“What are you?”
“I’m Erona.”
“I’m not asking for your name.”
The female knight, now dressed in traveler’s clothes, had followed me without permission.
“If my brother becomes duke, he’ll try to push through another political marriage.”
“So you skipped your father’s funeral and ran away from home?”
“It’s not that I skipped it—I can’t go.”
“I get it now. You’re just as selfish as I am.”
I wonder if this was how the imperial princess felt every time she looked at me?
Everything except her appearance was unappealing.
‘Honestly, even the appearance…’
Her face was pretty, but her legs were average—not my type at all.
“It seems only women like this flock around the hero.”
Legoris, the elf who had formally commissioned me, let out a dumbfounded laugh.
“……”
“……”
Behind him followed an elite squad specially tasked with killing the Blade Phantom that murdered the princess and protesting to the hero.
Why did I allow them to tag along?
‘They’re the trigger.’
From what I heard, the hero—wearing the mask of the Ranuvel patient—had fled the city like he was running away before these elves even arrived.
Honestly, isn’t this hopeless?
He ruined the wedding and stole the bride, but instead of making her happy, he turned her into a cold corpse. At this point, the only way to take responsibility is suicide.
“What’s wrong with me?”
The female knight Erona, who had followed of her own accord, flared up in response.
The elf replied in an irritated tone,
“She’s just as self-centered. She was the same way. Because of the broken engagement, the two tribes completely split apart. His Majesty, who insulted me by saying the hero would make a better son-in-law, lost both his daughter and the people’s trust, and now lives like a wreck.”
“Ah…”
“The duke’s territory seems to be in a similar situation. No—since the Blade Phantom killed the Grand Swordmaster instead of some insignificant bride, it might be even worse? To begin with, what kind of person runs away without taking responsibility after leading the engagement breakup…”
This elf also seemed extremely displeased with the human woman ‘Erona’, who was in a similar position to his deceased fiancée.
“…Hero-nim knows everything. He’ll definitely resolve this one too.”
“I hope so for your sake.”
Was the atmosphere going to stay like this all the way to the hero’s destination?
I gave up.
‘Let’s think positively.’
The Sword Demon will definitely come. And the longer the Ranuvel patient remains cornered and mentally worn down like this, the wider the crack in the world will become.
The end result?
A large-scale offensive by the Sword Demons!
Exactly the moment I want.
“Hero-nim said that to revive the princess killed by the Blade Phantom, he needs the Dragon King’s heart.”
“The Dragon King’s heart… That does sound plausible.”
It seemed he planned to reuse a setting straight from his own novel.
“The saintess made a similar report to the temple and followed the hero. But for someone who provoked the Dragon King, it’s awfully quiet.”
Legoris raised a question.
“That is strange.”
In <I Became an SSS-Class Hunter>, whenever a powerful monster fought, the surrounding area was devastated.
The same went for the virtual reality game <Molang Fantasy>. In the final battle, the shockwaves from rapid movements turned into storms comparable to cataclysms.
“I think I know why.”
I pointed with my fingertip toward the side of the forest path leading to the dragon’s lair.
“What do you mean?”
“Look closely at this tree.”
“The tree… Hm?!”
The elf’s eyes widened as he followed my finger.
On the trunk of what appeared to be a perfectly normal pine tree ran a straight line of resin.
Resin is a substance secreted by conifers when wounded—like a plant’s scab.
It seemed the Sword Demon had brushed against it while passing through the narrow trees. Because it cuts through anything, traces like this were left behind.
“Blade Phantom.”
“Hm. The resin is slightly cloudy and viscous. The thing passed through here quite a while ago.”
Legoris added after touching the resin with his hand.
“You know a lot.”
“It’s common knowledge for elves who live in the forest.”
Erona pounded her chest in frustration at our calm exchange.
“Then this isn’t the time to be leisurely talking about resin…!”
“Erona-ssi, don’t worry. The hero is still alive.”
If the Ranuvel patient had died, this dream wouldn’t continue like this. Otherwise, he would have already turned into a Sword Demon himself and started massacring.
“Captain Legoris!”
“Captain! We found it!”
The shouts of the elf squad members who had begun searching centered around the resin we discovered. The moment we saw what they found, we all had the same thought.
“Two of them.”
“Two, huh.”
Tired of passing quietly between the trees, the things had started cutting down anything in their way to make a path.
Even one was overwhelming—two?
In this world where magic, the substitute for powerful firearms, was mainstream, this was nothing short of a catastrophe.
“Hero-nim~!”
Erona began running ahead, desperately calling for the hero.
“Reckless… She’ll get herself killed like that.”
“Let’s hurry a little too. Legoris-ssi doesn’t want to protest to a corpse, right?”
“Tch. Increase speed!”
We ran along the forest path the two Sword Demons had carved, quickly pursuing them.
_____________________________________________
TL Note:
This novel is fully completed.
You can either:
- Unlock this novel individually through shop or its Collection "Shaman: Breaker of Dreams" and access remaining 48 chapters for only $3
- Or join the Premium Tier ($7) for access to all 6 novels and ongoing updates
Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/Vritratls
_____________________________________________