Chapter 78 – Stranger (1)

“Going well?” Did that mean that since the king was dead, all that was left was for him to wear the crown? No, it did not seem like that was all… Adel felt a trace of anxiety from the old noble’s cheerful voice and glistening gaze. Keeping her eyes fixed ahead, she nudged Kara and Isabel by slightly moving her foot. And she whispered softly.

“Draw your weapons. Get in front of Sir Belloc.”

“Huh?”

“…Understood.”

Isabel quickly answered and led Kara, who had not yet regained her senses. Adel also backed away to block the front of Belloc, never taking her eyes off the Duke and his knights. Watching that, the Duke spoke.

“Hmm? I do not know why you are so on guard. Aren’t you the heroes who killed the king and the Archdemon?”

While wearing a smile on his lips, the Duke was gesturing something to the knights next to him. Some of them led soldiers to block the entrance through which they had entered. To Adel, it looked as though they were preventing the intervention of the Church or the lords of other regions. A few others moved stealthily, preemptively occupying spaces in the wide hall. The intention was clear. It was an encirclement. Isabel, who was gasping for breath while clutching her chest, drew her sword.

“Please take care of Belloc.”

After muttering as she looked at Kara, she stepped forward. Kara also grasped the situation from the tingling murderous intent filling the hall. She shook Belloc with both hands.

“Belloc! Wake up, quickly! We’re all going to die!”

Kara pinched Belloc’s cheek and even used a bit of lightning magic, but he did not budge. It was likely due to the aftereffects of dealing with the Archdemon. *Fuck.* Kara cursed inwardly and rummaged through her clothes. It was a good thing she had saved it until the very end. The time had come to risk her life on an eighty percent chance. Adel, who briefly turned her gaze to look at Kara, spoke.

“Heroes who killed the Archdemon… Thank you for recognizing us. Then… let me ask you one thing.”

Standing back-to-back with Isabel while holding her sword up, she bit her lip.

“What is the reason for acting like this now? Sir Belloc clearly said that he has no interest in the throne.”

The Duke did not answer immediately. Instead, he took a few steps forward and bent down. In his hand, a crown that had lost its owner was held before anyone knew it.

A symbol of power that only those who had reached the very pinnacle of the kingdom could wear. A piece of iron decorated with brilliant gems along with strange rune characters. The Duke smiled contentedly and caressed the crown. He spoke.

“This crown is not a mere symbol. There are various spells cast upon it. Aren’t you curious about what they are?”

Now, the knights had built a perfect encirclement around the group near the throne. From Garan, the middle-aged knight who possessed a magic spear that could stretch long, to the man from the desert kingdom who swung a scimitar and rained down daggers, and the elven mage who used powerful elemental magic. Warriors, each worth a hundred men, who had survived even the fight against the fiends, glared at the group. Their master, the Duke, spoke.

“An armory where all kinds of mysterious weapons and armor sleep, ancient books filled with secrets and wild tales unknown to the world, and even the gold and silver treasures gathered from the king’s ancestors until now. The key to all these vaults is the crown. Only the one wearing this can enter those vaults. And now… it is mine.”

The Duke walked forward unsteadily, laughing exaggeratedly like the protagonist of a play. His deep blue eyes shot out the greed inside him without restraint. The ambition in his heart also squeezed through his armor and flowed out endlessly.

He. The man who had now realized his dream placed the crown on his head with a thud. The ridiculous middle-aged man wearing a jeweled crown over his armor opened his mouth. His gaze was directed at the lying Belloc.

“A warrior who killed the Archdemon single-handedly and slaughtered hundreds of fiends. He is too large a vessel for me to contain, and too dangerous to keep as an ally. The agreement between the strong and the weak is bound to be broken all too easily. If so, isn’t there only one way?”

Georg smiled coldly and drew his sword. ‘Moreover, a very good opportunity has come.’ He muttered softly, then shouted in a loud voice.

“Dispose of them!”

Garan, the Duke’s deputy and advisor of the Dawn Knights, had a complicated expression. However, it was the Duke who handed him gold coins and bestowed land upon him. He was a knight who knew honor, but at the same time, he wished to remain faithful to his own desires. Therefore, he thrust his spear without hesitation.

“Do not resent me too much.”

The rune characters flared with light, and the tip of the spear flew like a beam of light. Adel tried to channel her holy power while reciting a prayer. However, unlike usual, the power of the goddess boiling within her was suddenly blocked midway. She gasped.

“This is…”

Adel hastily swung her sword to deflect the trajectory of the spearhead. Leaving behind the screaming blade and scattering sparks, she thought.

She felt another energy inside her body, excluding the holy power. And the paladin could tell what it was at once. It was the underground mana that had been planted inside her body along with the Archdemon’s spell. That dark power was interfering with the channeling of her holy power. *Damn it.* Of all times. As her face contorted in dismay, Kara, who was behind her, shouted.

“Everyone, hold on for just a bit!”

With a sharp tearing sound, a bright blue magic circle rose beneath the group. The elven mage, who was holding a fireball in his hand, shouted urgently.

“It’s teleportation! Stop them!”

Along with those words, the elven mage threw the fireball in his hand. Kara’s lips moved without rest. It was to chant a spell to counter the fireball. Whether it was a misfortune or a blessing, the underground mana dwelling in her body also helped with this. A very rapid chanting took place, and her brown eyes shone cloudily. An ice spear extending from her staff blocked the fireball. With a hiss, steam rose. Kara gagged at the dark energy piercing her mind.

“Ugh.”

In front of her, several daggers flew with a whoosh. They were thrown by the foreigner from the desert kingdom. Kara’s brown eyes widened. Though her eyes could make out the gleaming blades, the crossguards, and even the leather-wrapped grips, her body could not react to them. At that moment, a slender rapier swung here and there, generating sparks. Following that, several thudding sounds of something embedding itself echoed.

Kara closed and opened her trembling eyes. An elf dressed in sleek leather clothes stood blocking the way in front of her.

“Isabel. Are you… alright?”

“It’s bearable… except for something running wild inside my body.”

With those words, Isabel coughed up dark red blood. *Cough.* Kara’s eyes widened. It was because of the daggers and crossbow bolts embedded in her body. Even at a glance, they looked like fatal wounds. At that moment, the light of the magic circle drawn on the floor flickered intensely. It was a sign of teleportation. Kara pulled the injured Isabel toward her and shouted urgently.

“Adel! Hurry over here!”

Adel, who had been parrying the thrusting spear with her sword and blocking an axe swung by another knight with her armor, turned her head. Aiming for that gap, Garan’s eyes flashed. Soon, he spun his spear once and swung it forcefully.

With a metallic clank, the spearhead lengthened in an instant. A faint trajectory rushed in as if to sever her waist. Adel avoided the horizontal slash by pulling in her feet and leaping high, then placed both hands on the floor. She had entered the magic circle before anyone knew it. Garan and the knight holding the axe widened their eyes at this bizarre movement.

“What… kind of movement is that…”

The light of the magic circle now filled the chamber brightly. The figures of the group inside it also began to grow faint. The Duke shouted urgently.

“What are you doing! Stop them at once!”

Along with those words, the Duke raised the sword in his hand high. The rune crest engraved on the blade shone intensely. It was resonating by sucking in his will and mental strength. Garan also extended his spear long and thrust it forward, while the elven mage unleashed the lightning held in his hand.

Instead of her battered companions, Adel stepped forward. She suppressed the dark mana wriggling inside her. Soon, she raised the sword in her hand to the sky while reciting a prayer.

“Helena! Give me the power to condemn that coward!”

Her eyes blazed as if they were burning, and strange patterns began to appear on the back of her neck and hands. Her hair also began to soar into the air. It could have been a grace bestowed by the goddess, who was touched because one of her nuisances had been defeated, or it could have been a mighty power achieved by combining Adel’s amazing will and holy power. The Duke’s magical blade, the extending spear, and the lightning failed to penetrate her barrier of fire and bounced off.

“Damn it…”

While they were panicking, Adel, gritting her teeth, shouted as if spitting it out.

“I remember all of your faces and voices. Just wait a little. I will pull out your tongues and crush your eyes. Then, I will slice your throats, drag out your intestines, and hang you!”

Along with those words, Adel flung the sword in her hand. The scimitar, which embedded itself at the Duke’s feet, trembled and emitted a fierce light.

“Why, you bitch!”

The moment he spat out the curse, the sword exploded with a bang. Inside the fierce storm of flames, the group was enveloped in a cluster of light and softly vanished.

#

When he killed the demon who pried into others’ minds. The moment the missile went off with a bang. The grey city sank to the bottom. It was a natural phenomenon since the caster of the spell was gone. Due to the aftermath, Belloc’s consciousness drifted like a buoy in the vast ocean. He was swimming in a pitch-black sea of darkness.

Nothing was visible, and nothing could be heard. Although his consciousness was clearly here, everything around him was only swallowing him up.

Was this what it meant that even one’s soul would be torn to shreds, making it impossible to return to their original world?

Belloc recalled the last death throes of that bitch of an Archdemon. *Fuck.* If those words were true, he was truly screwed. Because it meant he would have to wander this maze-like sea endlessly. No, was this place even a sea in the first place? What should he do to escape from here?

He fell into all sorts of thoughts like that for a long time. Eventually, it was when he was thinking about the psychoanalysis proposed by some scholar.

Suddenly, the surroundings brightened. As a powerful flash hit his eyes, Belloc frowned deeply. He turned his head. A huge light source was approaching him. Judging by the sizzling heat and bright red color, that was the sun. In other words, a huge planet made of a mass of hydrogen and helium. The sun gradually drew closer. Soon, even its shape began to change.

It was a woman wearing a white veil with eyes blazing like fire. She was also a woman so colossal that she looked down on Belloc as if he were a child. She waved her hand as if glad to see him.

Belloc felt like he knew the identity of that woman. Sun, woman, goddess. Sun God. Helena. It was a very simple deduction, but considering the overwhelming presence she displayed, it seemed roughly correct. As if that was right, she nodded. Belloc spoke.

“Did you come to save me?”

The goddess smiled and nodded. Soon, she moved her palm to gently stroke Belloc’s head. It felt like being struck by a giant hammer. Was she doing this on purpose?

After a while, the goddess’s touch vanished, and Belloc voiced the question he was truly curious about. It was also a question he had kept all along since falling into this shitty land.

“Why did I come to this world?”

The goddess shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. Judging by her blank expression, she did not seem to know either. *Fuck?* Even a god doesn’t know? Belloc was about to open his mouth to argue with her, but then asked a different question.

“I… killed the Archdemon just as you said. Now… will you send me back?”

The goddess did not answer. She merely stared intently at Belloc with the same smiling face. For some reason, he felt uncomfortable. He felt as though those two bright red eyes were piercing through his innermost self. Had quite a bit of time passed like that? Finally, she opened her mouth.

“That is not what you want right now, is it?”

The goddess chuckled and waved her hand, and Belloc opened his eyes. The moment he opened his eyes, what he saw were black eyes and brown eyes filled with worry, and a storm of sand. It felt like one was missing. More than that, where was this place? As soon as Belloc sat up, Adel pressed his chest and shouted.

“Sir Belloc! Are you alright!”

“Belloc! Are you okay?!”

He did not answer immediately. This was because he needed time to collect his senses. Therefore, he thought about all of this: the sandy wind entering his mouth dryly, the desolate surrounding landscape, and even the grains touching his hand. Supported by Adel, he spoke.

“I am fine. But where is this place?”

“That is…”

Kara shut her mouth tightly, as if hesitating to answer. Then, she let out a sigh and spoke slowly.

“It’s the Arian Desert.”

“A desert?”

Kara’s sigh grew louder. Soon, she ran her hands through her hair to shake off the grains of sand, and spoke once more.

“East of the Kingdom of Adria. A land filled only with monotonous yellow wherever you go, a hell of heat and drought, and a place where copper-skinned races gather.”

Hearing Kara’s dramatic explanation, Belloc sighed inwardly. According to her words, they had now come to another country.