#149
Hero Party (3)
Those watching the battle noticed Heinrich’s change at once.
They could not help but do so.
For a suffocating pressure had begun to emanate from the trajectory of his sword as it split the air, from the heavy steps he took, and even from the light breaths he exhaled.
“...The Saint has crossed the wall.”
“Gasp! Sir Tuskin? When did you arrive—”
“Shh.”
And the one who marveled at it was none other than the Paladin, the symbol of the Order’s martial might.
Paladin Tuskin, commander of the Silverwing Holy Knights, had quietly come to observe upon hearing news of the Saint’s spar, and as he gazed at the training ground, he was filled with extraordinary emotion.
Back when Heinrich had been a crusader, had it not been he who had seen only his potential and brought him here from the Thalia Temple?
Yet that crusader had become a holy knight in the shortest time, rendered great service, and not only that, had drawn the holy sword and become both Saint and Hero. How could he possibly remain calm?
‘And that dragonkin warrior facing the Saint as well... He’s remarkable. If we were to fight in earnest, even I would have a hard time.’
The Paladin of the Order of the Chief God was not merely a knight who had reached the level of a Master.
Attainment as a martial artist was only the foundation; it was an honorable position one could reach only by possessing at least bishop-level divine power and five or more blessings.
Naturally, their combat strength could not be judged by ordinary standards, and especially in terms of defense, they were truly unmatched.
‘Physical ability surpassing monsters, wild instincts, and even the refined combat system of a martial artist. As expected... to become the Saint’s companion, one must be at least that capable.’
Tuskin slowly nodded in acknowledgment as he watched Harley from outside the training ground.
And at that moment, the massive axe blazing with dark red aura and the brightly shining holy sword clashed once more.
Kooong—!
With the great impact pounding against the protective barrier as the last exchange, the two stepped back as if by prior agreement.
“Kahahaha! As expected of the Hero! I’ve never met such a powerful warrior before!”
Harley, looking utterly disheveled, returned his mutated body to its original state and burst into a hearty laugh.
In the aftermath of the fierce battle, his entire body was covered in blood, but thanks to “Super Regeneration,” there was already not a single wound left on him.
Crunch, crunch!
Instead, he had spent so much energy that a fierce hunger came rushing in.
From the subspace magic tool tied at his waist, he pulled out dragon meat and devoured it ravenously.
“Phew—.”
Watching Harley polish off several chunks of meat on the spot, Heinrich let out a light sigh and straightened his formal robes, torn here and there.
No matter how much of a Hero he was, there was no way he could avoid even a scratch against Harley.
But thanks to the powerful blessings and divine power protecting his body, there were now no notable traces left on him besides his clothes.
Even those were wounds from the early to middle stages of the fight, before he obtained “Path of Martial Arts.”
‘I got too immersed for a moment.’
Still, it was a satisfying result, with unexpected gains included.
Through this incident, Heinrich’s “Martial Bones” had been stimulated, broadening his perspective on martial arts, and that had led directly to the evolution of the skill.
It was an unexpected synergy born from blending his usual combat, which emphasized reason, with Harley’s method, which prioritized instinct.
Perhaps thanks to the realization gained through that unforeseen collaboration, his head felt clear, and a pleasant exhilaration filled his heart.
“Congratulations, Saint! I knew you were strong before, but to think even that was still only a stage of growth. As expected, you truly are the hope of this continent!”
“That dragonkin warrior is amazing too. ...At that level, we have no choice but to acknowledge him as the Saint’s companion.”
“Warrior, do you perhaps have a special muscle-training method of your own? Our Holy Knights have a special routine as well. How about we take some time to exchange techniques?”
“That sounds good! The Saint’s companion becoming stronger is a good thing for everyone. Even if we cannot join him directly, we can help in this way!”
The masses of muscle who had been watching swarmed around them as they left the training ground and began talking noisily.
They treated Heinrich, with whom they had formed bonds while training together, and Harley, who had proven his skill this time, without reserve. Their one common topic was training and nothing else.
And at their words, another thought suddenly crossed Heinrich’s mind.
‘Companions... A party to defeat the Demon King, the Immortal King...’
It was a sense of doubt about what was currently underway.
In truth, the present situation was developing far more urgently and with far less leeway than he had originally planned.
If he were truly trying to face a Demon King who intended to destroy the world as the Hero, then naturally, that would be the right thing to do.
Rather than respecting individuals’ opinions as he did now and dealing with them in a “if you don’t want to, then never mind” manner, he would have negotiated further with their affiliated nations or taken a more forceful approach.
‘Even now, the Intelligence Department has been bringing me various lists, subtly asking me to take additional measures.’
But from the beginning, his goal had not been to defeat the Immortal King, but to build a narrative like a heroic tale.
And in such a “classic story,” the process of the protagonist overcoming all sorts of hardships and gathering companions one by one was also an important part of the development.
‘Yes, like Harley’s Great Adventure.’
Harley, who had lived a life like a struggle itself, escaped in Act Four while being subjected to biological experiments by the evil black mage Hans.
After that, he met the merchant Hubert, the elf Harris, and the dwarf Howard, forging friendships with them.
And finally, in Act Seven, he awakened the blood of the dragonkin.
‘And the conclusion of that Act Seven is right now. Becoming the Hero’s companion.’
That had been the direction of development he had initially envisioned for his “living room theater” in the first place.
In the end, however, various incidents had erupted one after another, and things had flowed all the way to the current situation.
‘To proceed with the story that way now... the Heaven-Defying Oath bastards have set off so many major incidents that the plan has gone completely off track.’
In truth, from the perspective of the people here, it was only natural to prepare for war as quickly as possible, but Hans, too, had lost his pace and run wild as events unfolded differently from his initial thoughts.
In the current state, he could no longer maintain his existing policy of minimizing sacrifices.
There were already plenty of people who regarded him with suspicion, and the further the story progressed, the more the plausibility of the Immortal King would inevitably collapse.
‘When I first came up with the plan, I thought it would be enough to just appropriately punish the bad guys... But after actually doing it, the presence carried by the name Immortal King was too enormous.’
Simply doing something turned it into a calamity-level event, so it was difficult to steer the situation as he wished.
On top of that, the matter caused by the Heaven-Defying Oath overlapped with it, and at some point, war had truly come right to the doorstep.
‘If that happens, no matter what I do, “sacrificing the few for the many” becomes unavoidable. War itself is structured that way to begin with. This isn’t something I can do anything about.’
Then was there truly no way?
Was he forced to choose between closing his eyes and forcing others to sacrifice themselves for his greed, or simply being satisfied with this much and folding the board?
‘That can’t happen! I just need to avoid the war somehow, don’t I?’
In the end, the subject of the invasion was also himself, so without needing any complicated process like agreements or negotiations, it was something he could do at any time as long as he set his mind to it.
The only problem was finding a way to make that happen naturally...
Just as Heinrich frowned and sank into thought, his mind troubled by those ideas—
“Saint? Do you have time right now?”
An emergency meeting was convened under the Saintess’s leadership, gathering all the leaders of the Roselia Great Temple.
***
A small conference room located in the deepest part of the Roselia Great Temple.
The space itself was not very large, but every person gathered inside was formidable.
The Saint and Saintess, two cardinals, as well as the Chief Inquisitor, the Paladin, and the archbishops.
Truly, all the leadership of the Roselia Great Temple had assembled in one place to discuss what was to come.
“Phew, this is a grave matter. The work of uniting the continent’s strength is still sluggish, and yet the Immortal King Hans has begun to make his move in earnest.”
“A northern forest not far from the Rohan Principality... As expected, this must be intended to mock us, no? As if he means to watch from close by as the principality he brought down collapses completely...”
“Did many not lose their lives in the Rohan incident? And those sacrifices will continue to increase. Those countless deaths will become the Immortal King’s power as they are.”
The topic of the emergency meeting was the aura of death detected not long ago within the northern mountain range.
Though the Immortal King’s concealment ability was so outstanding it could be called the worst in history, completely blocking such a massive flow of energy was still beyond him.
Naturally, that movement was detected by those with detection-type blessings, including the Saintess, and an investigation was immediately launched while this emergency meeting was convened.
“This matter is more serious than any before it! It is on an entirely different level from the previous cases!”
Saintess Riesta sprang up from her seat and raised her voice in a firm tone.
Her detection ability was the best in the Order, so the others listened to her words with serious expressions.
“It was not simply the aura of the Immortal King Hans that was detected, but also the presence of more than tens of thousands of undead. He has brought out all the forces he has been gathering and placed them in one location. That means...!”
“...A declaration of war, then.”
“Hah— At a time like this... No, I suppose we should say precisely because it is a time like this. And in the direction of the Rohan Principality, no less...”
‘Huh?’
The expressions of the Order’s leaders grew heavy.
It had not even been long since they had received word that the refugee rescue efforts were facing difficulties because of the monsters endlessly swarming in.
The defense line had completely collapsed, and the territory had fallen into chaos, becoming a lawless land.
The citizens of the ruined nation had gathered in the capital and begun holding out there, while others banded together among themselves in an attempt to survive.
Even under those circumstances, they had been struggling to manage the situation, and now, out of nowhere, an army of the undead had revealed itself in the immediate vicinity.
Of course, in the current state, proper defense was impossible.
“Even without this, the entire continent is groaning under the movements of monsters, making it difficult to gather an army...”
At the situation that had gone from bad to worse, Cardinal Fion let out a low sigh.
For the greater cause, they should boldly abandon the principality and establish a new defensive line at the empire’s border, but there were still easily over a hundred thousand people remaining within the principality’s territory, holding on. How could they turn their backs on all of them?
“...The Immortal King must be watching our choice and laughing.”
A situation in which either option was nothing but a bad move.
Everyone trembled at his cruelty.
‘So it turns out like this again? ...No, my thinking was too shallow. It was only natural it would turn out this way.’
Except for one person.
Heinrich, the Saint of the Order of the Chief God, nodded with a serious expression and busily turned his thoughts.
‘Ugh, how am I supposed to clean this up again...?’
Looking at how the situation was unfolding, it seemed his actions, though taken with good intentions, had only become an obstruction instead.
He had resolved only moments ago to find another way, and immediately, a new concern had been thrown at him.
“...What has happened with the empire’s troops?”
“The first units to finish assembling at the northern border have just entered the territory of the Rohan Principality. So far, three legions of ten thousand soldiers each have headed toward the capital by different routes. Additional reinforcements are continuing as well.”
“If the empire learns of this...”
“...They will immediately cancel all operations and try to withdraw their army.”
The mood of everyone present sank.
If the empire, which could mobilize large-scale troops, did not step in and lead the refugees out, there would be no meaning no matter how long the Order held out.
But that did not mean the Order of the Chief God could refrain from passing the information they had obtained on to the empire.
If the army of the undead truly began moving south, not only the Rohan Principality but the empire as well could be shaken greatly.
‘No, the empire isn’t stupid. They’ll notice soon on their end too. Maybe they’re in a meeting right now, just like us. ...Yes, in the end, there’s no other way.’
With Hans positioned in the north, the influx of monsters from that direction would decrease, but if the rescue operation did not continue, it would have no meaning.
In the end, Heinrich made up his mind, closed his eyes on the spot, and entered into prayer.
His faith surged for an instant under the immense mental power focused within him, and accordingly, the spiritual vein connected to the Chief God rapidly expanded.
Since he had used “Mental Strength Enhancement” amounting to a staggering 640,000 points through the karma gained from accomplishing various incidents and achievements, the effect could not even be compared to before.
Then, naturally...
Wooong—
Amplified divine power burst forth from his body, and the aura that had been like transparent flame began spreading with a deep radiance.
“Huh!?”
“...Saint?”
The leaders’ gazes gathered on the holy fire that filled the conference room in the blink of an eye.
The energy, blazing as if it might take form, was astonishingly pure, and so overwhelming that it made them feel awe before they even realized it.
At the moment everyone’s attention was focused on him—
Heinrich rose from his seat with a reverent expression.
Inwardly praying to the Chief God to permit him to become a righteous fraud.
“Would you please listen to me for a moment? ...The Chief God has shown us the way.”
And the aura that shone brilliantly as it wrapped around his body was proof of that permission.
Probably.