#212
Jeron’s Hardship (1)
Jeron, the capital of the Ajerion Empire.
It was a city that had suffered the great calamity of the Immortal King’s attack only a few months ago, yet now it was so cleanly restored that not a trace of that time could be found.
Repairs to damaged buildings, reorganization of roads, even an increase in security forces.
As though trying to erase every remnant of that day, the empire poured in effort and capital without restraint, and thus Jeron had come to look even cleaner and more orderly than it had before the incident.
However, even if what happened then had been the direct action of the Immortal King, a disaster no different from a natural calamity—
The abduction of the imperial heirs in the very heart of the imperial capital was a disgrace that could never be overlooked.
And had the crown prince who had been taken then not still failed to return?
“Welcome back, Your Highness. You have worked hard representing the empire abroad. From here to the imperial palace, we shall escort you.”
Since that incident had occurred on the day she returned after the first summit, it was only natural that the security this time would be even tighter than it had been then.
“I didn’t expect Sir Stav to come in person. Even if it is some distance from the palace, we are still moving within Jeron, where public order is good.”
Princess Riley widened her eyes in surprise as she looked at the middle-aged man standing at the head of those waiting for her at the main gate of Jeron’s Grand Temple.
She had fully expected the finest elites to come out to meet her, but the fact that the man before her had personally come all the way here was quite unexpected.
“Was it not because we were so complacent last time that such a disaster occurred? If we failed to prepare even after experiencing that, calling us incompetent would not be enough.”
That was only natural, for he was one of the master-class knights stationed in the imperial capital.
He was the captain of the Imperial Guard, who oversaw the security of the imperial palace.
Since the Royal Knights focused solely on protecting the emperor, responsibility for defending the imperial palace, the empire’s most important facility, fell entirely to the Imperial Guard.
And yet the head of that organization had personally come to wait here, a place more than an hour away from the palace by carriage.
“Even if the Immortal King were to appear again this time, we have made every preparation to ensure that you, at least, can escape safely. Please do not worry.”
Stav continued bluntly, then bowed his head slightly.
He, too, must have been one of those who had directly fought against the Immortal King during the attack, yet his words were full of confidence, as if he truly had prepared with extraordinary thoroughness.
‘Come to think of it, that man was the knight who fought Hans together with that incredibly strong old man back then. I think he was injured pretty badly at the time, but has he fully recovered now?’
Hesperon, who had been watching their conversation from behind, gave a small nod.
Well, several months had passed since then, so for a knight of that realm, it was more than enough time to recover.
“Viscount Pristin? That is what he says. So please don’t worry too much.”
At that moment, after hearing Stav’s boast, Riley turned her head slightly and looked at Isea, who was standing behind her.
“...I understand. With this much military strength present, it would certainly be inefficient for me to force my way in.”
At that, Isea reluctantly nodded in acceptance.
Originally, she should have been with the hero’s party by now, but at the moment, she had asked for their understanding in advance and delayed joining them for a short while.
Even so, considering her strategic value, it was only natural that the longer that delay became, the worse it would be.
‘Teleportation isn’t possible in the capital, so if I follow them from here to the palace, it’ll take three or four hours just for the round trip. I’ve already wasted a considerable amount of time, and if I go that far...’
As expected, that would be a terrible thing to do to the companions who were trusting her and waiting.
“Then I shall take my leave now, Your Highness.”
“I am always grateful for your service in representing the empire, Viscount Pristin. Please take care of yourself.”
Isea exchanged farewells with Riley, who held her hand, both of them wearing smiles.
Then, after looking over the people who had come to escort the princess once more, she finally turned her gaze to Hesperon and gave him a small nod.
Although he would not be of much help in terms of force, aside from herself, he was the person Riley trusted most. Wouldn’t his mere presence at her side be of some help?
Of course, the loose smile he gave in response only made her feel more uneasy.
“Then, Your Highness. We shall escort you to the imperial palace. Please board the carriage.”
And so, after she disappeared into the Grand Temple to use the gate once more,
The escort and the delegation each mounted their horses and carriages and began to move.
‘Mm, I thought this might happen.’
And Hesperon lightly scratched his head inside a carriage quite far from the princess.
It was only natural, really, that an unrelated man of no particularly special status could not ride with the princess in her exclusive carriage.
Of course, if Riley had insisted strongly enough, it might have been possible, but with the important occasion of her appointment as crown princess coming soon, it was better to avoid anything that might invite needless gossip.
‘Well, Hans isn’t planning to attack, so nothing major should happen. And even if something does happen, there’s one knight who’s reached the pinnacle, dozens of upper-level knights, mages from the imperial palace’s magic tower, and all kinds of magic tools overflowing everywhere.’
Besides, even if he were by her side, there wasn’t much he could do in particular.
Although he was showing abnormal growth, having already passed the lower level and reached the intermediate level, he was still only at the point where he might or might not be able to face even one knight here.
‘And even that is only possible thanks to my skills and stats.’
He rested his arm against the window of the carriage he shared with the servants of the delegation, gazing blankly at the passing scenery as he sank into thought.
Since he had given up strengthening his unique skill for a while before his main body passed out and invested in his stats instead, the current him had advanced to a level completely different from before in every aspect.
‘And the investment paid off, since I got new skills too.’
「Monstrous Strength」, acquired after evenly strengthening the muscles throughout his body.
「Hypersensitivity」, manifested from sensory abilities such as reflexes and dynamic visual acuity.
「Insight」, born while raising mental abilities such as deductive and thinking power.
Unlike when he had focused solely on enhancing his recovery power and obtained 「Super Recovery」, these skills had been created by raising multiple stats in combination, and perhaps because of that, every one of them possessed abilities whose initial correction values greatly surpassed 「Super Recovery」.
‘For avatars who have already established themselves properly in their respective fields, they’re only better than nothing, but for me, who still has nothing special, they’re quite useful.’
His already outstanding abilities now had skills attached to correct them, creating an incomparable synergy.
Because of that, even things that had been impossible before had become possible...
The representative example was Hesperon’s initial skill, 「Thread of Bond」.
‘Though I couldn’t use it because I hadn’t learned summoning magic.’
This skill, which provided additional correction when forming contracts, had seen no notable use since being employed to maintain his connection with Princess Riley.
But now that his mental abilities had grown greatly and 「Insight」 had been added on top of that, new possibilities had begun to bloom.
Since it had come to mind, and for the sake of practice, he once again focused his mind on 「Thread of Bond」 as he had been steadily doing all this time.
Then, through a faint connection, he began to clearly sense Riley’s presence in the carriage up ahead.
‘If I concentrate a little more in this state, I can even figure out things like the other person’s condition or mood.’
But feeling that if he went any further from here he would become a real pervert, he made no further attempt.
Still, now that he had realized the possibility, if he used this well, he felt like he could take truly good care of any summoned beast he might get later...
‘Hm? What is this?’
Just as he was about to cut off the connection of 「Thread of Bond」,
A portion of Riley’s hazy emotions began to flow in through that faint line.
Suspicion. Puzzlement. And a slight sense of wariness.
‘All of a sudden?’
His brow furrowed at those incomprehensible fragments of emotion.
Such worries were emotions that did not suit this peaceful road home.
But she would not have felt that kind of unease without any basis.
At that, after hesitating briefly, he focused his mind a little more in order to obtain clearer information.
And at that very moment—
Kwaaang—!
A powerful explosion burst out from close by, a short distance away.
“Be on guard!”
In time with it, the command of Imperial Guard Captain Stav rang out.
Shing—!
Clang, clang!
The escorts drew their weapons all at once, instantly surrounding the carriages in a square formation and releasing a sharp aura as they watched every direction.
“Sir Stav? What is happening?”
“The cause has not yet been determined, Your Highness. Still, it is dangerous outside, so please close the window and wait inside the carriage.”
From where Hesperon was, he could only see the rear of the princess’s carriage, but the voices from the front were unmistakably Riley and Stav.
However, he ignored all that commotion and instead focused even more on 「Thread of Bond」.
Unlike the voice he heard with his ears, her conviction toward an ominous feeling was gradually growing stronger.
And from a certain point on, there was a change in the emotions he felt from her.
Bewilderment, surprise, and delight.
And the target those emotions were directed toward was none other than—
Hesperon himself.
‘...It seems the other side can sense my existence too.’
Well, now that he thought about it, the ability itself had never been about reading the other person’s mind, but about strengthening the bond, so it was only natural.
When it had been faint, only he, as the subject of the skill, had vaguely sensed it, but it seemed that as the connection grew stronger, that difference diminished as well.
‘Maybe I’ll be able to use this for mutual telepathy.’
But that was something to consider later.
Even though this situation must have been sudden for her as well, several urgent thoughts were flickering through her emotions as if she were trying to convey something.
‘Suspicious... outside...? Does she mean the commotion happening now? ...No? She isn’t certain either?’
He focused his mind even more on the still incomplete connection.
His outstanding growth rate was displaying its brilliance even at this moment, and as both parties actively accepted the connection, 「Thread of Bond」 began to stabilize at a rapid pace.
Kuuung—! Kwaang—!
Even in the midst of that, explosions erupted one after another from every direction.
Faint screams of people could be heard from far away, so it seemed certain that something had happened.
“Do not act rashly, and do not let down your guard! The fact that this happened at this place on this very day means the culprits are aiming for Her Highness! Be suspicious of everything that approaches this place!”
Stav, weapon drawn, shouted roughly and stepped inside the square formation, taking up a position by the princess’s carriage and the clustered mages.
‘Wait, what she’s suspicious of is... surely not...’
With several keywords given, Hesperon’s thoughts began to flow rapidly.
All of his senses, including his five senses, opened wide, and in a state of 「Hypersensitivity」, he absorbed information from his surroundings in an instant.
His realm was only that of an intermediate mage, but his specifications could not be defined by that alone.
And from the information thus collected, 「Insight」 extracted something foreign.
‘This is... unpleasant.’
A subtle mismatch.
A distortion that would not have been easy to notice had he not been suspicious from the start could be felt throughout the escort.
Of course, if people had never coordinated with each other before, issues of this extent were common enough, so it was not yet at the stage where he could assert anything.
‘If the people in question weren’t the empire’s finest elite knights, that is.’
In that instant, caution surged within Hesperon’s mind, and a sense of crisis rang like an alarm.
But before he, having realized the situation, could take any action—
The situation was already rushing to an extreme in the blink of an eye.
Saaaaak—
In a world where his thoughts had expanded and time flowed slowly, only a single streak of sword light moved swiftly and beautifully through the air.
He had only just begun to marvel, wondering whether that was truly a slowed speed.
Crack! Crunch!
Slaaash—!
In the places where that aura passed, red flowers slowly began to bloom.
And with only that,
That man—around Stav, not a single living mage remained.
‘Ah, damn it! Why do bad feelings never miss!’
The barriers and magic tools the mages kept around themselves at all times were meaningless before a surprise attack delivered in earnest by a knight who had reached the pinnacle—especially one of Stav’s caliber.
And the problem did not end there.
For countless streams of aura, launched a little later than his, were simultaneously burrowing into the bodies of the comrades beside them…
No, into the bodies of those who had been comrades.
Puk—
“Keheuk!”
Slash—!
“Urgh, what is the meaning of this…!”
As expected of knights, there were some who endured despite being ambushed, and some who reacted swiftly to the sudden attack… but that did not have much effect on the overall tide.
Not only had a great many died in this attack, leaving the survivors fewer than those who had betrayed them,
“Keheuk! Captain, why…!”
“You should have taken my hand when you had the chance.”
But above all, on their side was Stav, captain of the Imperial Guard.
He eliminated every mage except a few who seemed to be his accomplices, then mercilessly drove his sword into the bodies of those who had once been his subordinates.
-Hannibal Strauss: This is hopeless. The avatar’s death would be a great loss. At least you should get out. With how much 「Hero’s Footprints」 has grown, it should have some effect even within Jeron’s barrier.
-Hesperon: If I leave like that, what happens to Riley? Isn’t there any way? If the Immortal King showed up right now with a flourish…!
-Hannibal Strauss: Impossible. Where do you think you are right now? I’d need at least an hour of preparation.
And within his accelerated thoughts, Hesperon continued searching for a way out.
With the main body unconscious, reinforcements through the teleportation circle were impossible, and so was an emergency escape using unsummoning.
On top of that, judging by the way things were unfolding, time was short; and with the barrier sealing the place off, assistance from other avatars had been cut off at the source.
‘There’s no answer.’
To trust that they wouldn’t harm Riley right away and flee alone with 「Hero’s Footprints」…
Crunch—!
…was impossible when the presence of that bastard Stav, who was now breaking the barrier around the princess’s carriage together with the accomplice mages, was far too vicious.
“S-spare me! I’ll cooperate with anything!”
“Hiiik! I didn’t see anything! Please…!”
No, more than that, the atmosphere of the knights approaching the carriage he was in right now was anything but ordinary.
No matter how he looked at it, they were brimming with the intent to kill everyone and silence all witnesses.
-Hannibal Strauss: It’s impossible to turn this situation around with your abilities. I’ll say it once more. Abandon the princess and escape, even now.
‘Ah, shit…! That useless bastard…!’
As expected, no matter how he looked at it, they were screwed.