◈ Episode 28. The Lionheart Knight Order (1)
They say that if a dog spends three years at a village school, it will learn to recite poetry.
‘Well, it hasn’t been three years, but still.’
Surely my head was better than a dog’s, no matter what.
Thanks to that, I was able to recall it.
The lesson at the Akshan base.
—The Seven Deadly Sins. Like the Demon Kings, they are beings known as great evils.
The Seven Deadly Sins.
Yes, the seven sins people commonly spoke of.
Pride, greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, sloth.
Right. Even the words themselves carried the scent of something monumental.
From their very names, they were different from ordinary demons.
—You won’t be encountering them anytime soon. Even so, recognize them and stay vigilant. One day, you will inevitably face those great evils.
The demon hunter of Akshan had said as much.
Great evils. Of course they were strong.
Back then, it probably meant that it wasn’t the time for them to appear yet.
There had been no need for further explanation either.
But wasn’t that story from ten years and two more years ago?
‘Unfortunately, that’s all I know.’
I had quit Arcana outright, after all.
Once again, the twelve-year gap cut me to the bone……!
However, for now, it was enough.
‘It’s certain.’
The quest window.
And the message just now made me realize it for sure.
[Yusra Archipelago is beginning to be stained with greed.]
[Collapse Progress: 1/10]
The great evil crouching in the Yusra Archipelago.
It was one of the Seven Deadly Sins—“Greed.”
In that case, the collapse progress made sense too.
‘When the progress fills completely, the great evil will awaken.’
……
Damn. Wait a second.
For a moment, goosebumps almost rose across my skin.
Because the setting of the Yusra Archipelago suddenly came to mind.
‘……Isn’t this way too perfect a trap?’
Wasn’t this an environment far too favorable for a great evil?
The Yusra Archipelago was a legendary treasure island.
Even setting Greed aside.
If you were human, of course you would want to find a legendary treasure.
Just like now.
The players were murmuring.
One of them shouted.
“It was Shining! I heard they’ve already finished conquering one island!”
“Wait, then one out of ten, does that mean……?”
“Yeah. It looks like the Yusra Archipelago’s progress goes up every time one island is cleared. More importantly, what did they get? The treasure, I mean!”
“Are you crazy? You think they’d just openly reveal that? But it does seem like they obtained the island’s treasure.”
The Yusra Archipelago was made up of ten islands.
Shining Guild had cleared one of them.
And then the collapse progress had risen.
‘That’s right.’
No, it was certain.
The moment all ten islands were conquered.
The great evil sleeping in the Yusra Archipelago, Greed, would awaken.
But for a great evil, wasn’t this a little too petty?
“Despicable.”
To think that something supposedly so grand had even set a trap like this.
“But because they are despicable, they are demons.”
That was my impression after learning the truth.
And the moment I realized that truth.
“!”
The quest window flickered.
[Class Quest: Quickening]
The curtain has risen, and the beacon fire has flared.
O last demon hunter.
Illuminate the world covered in evil.
─Train your weakened body. (Repeat)
─Investigate the great evil of the Yusra Archipelago. (Success)
─Prevent the resurrection of the Seven Deadly Sin, Greed. (In Progress) ▲
●Prevent the island’s treasure from being stained by greed. (In Progress)
A blessing in disguise.
Because it wasn’t “defeat Greed.”
Still, whether it was defeating or preventing.
It was equally daunting.
‘As if they’ll just sit still.’
I turned my gaze back toward the players.
“Let’s hurry. The island’s treasure or whatever. We have to grab at least one too!”
“……But is it okay to touch it? Just looking at it, it seems like it’ll make the collapse progress rise.”
“Senior, what does that have to do with us? It’s not like things will be solved just because we stay still. The other bastards won’t care about collapse progress or anything and will just go hunting for the treasure.”
I had no desire to say anything.
Because that was the reaction of a normal person.
People weren’t saints, after all.
If they had come to find treasure, then they should search for it.
‘And they don’t know this is a trap.’
So I didn’t feel like blaming them.
It wouldn’t just be those players.
At this moment, every player in the Yusra Archipelago was probably thinking the same thing as them.
That was why it was so daunting.
I thought realistically.
‘Persuasion? Absolutely impossible.’
As if they would believe me.
First of all, they wouldn’t even believe that I was a demon hunter.
They would ask where the hell such a class existed in Arcana.
Even if it did exist, they would say all of them had deleted their characters ten years ago.
In that case……
In the end, there was only one method.
I had no choice but to take that island treasure myself!
The goal of the quest, as always, was.
To prevent the island’s treasure from being stained by greed.
Then wouldn’t it be fine if I obtained the island’s treasure without greed?
Of course, that too would be something only a saint could do.
However, I knew.
That saint was right here.
『To Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo, wealth was fleeting. Born the heir to a great house and having tasted the height of abundance, he had no reason to cling to riches and glory.』
Yes, even before 110 billion.
Even before the unique material item, the Pure Emerald Crystal.
Far from greed.
Wasn’t I the one whose lips hadn’t even twitched?
So I did not hesitate.
“We must hurry.”
Everything was to prevent the resurrection of Greed.
I had to take the island’s treasure……
No, I had to monopolize it.
*
Shining.
Rocks checked the message.
“……Collapse progress? Camilla, Dmitri.”
“Yeah, it popped up for me too.”
“Me too~”
The world’s greatest guild, Shining.
Player rank 2, Rocks.
His talent, and of course his accumulated experience, told him.
“Looks like it’s because we acquired this treasure.”
Rocks shrugged.
Right. There was no way the Yusra Archipelago would hand over its treasures this easily. The real game would likely begin after all ten island treasures had been obtained.
“Has the countdown started?”
“Ugh. I hate this~ I thought things were going smoothly for once.”
“By the way, when is Jesse getting here? Ow!”
Go a little easier, please.
Dmitri was having his injury treated.
Even if Jesse had been absent to attend the Magic Tower’s conference.
It did not create a major problem for Shining’s strength.
Even without Jesse, they had just defeated the named monster that existed on each island and obtained the island’s treasure.
“Who knows. There’s been no contact yet.”
There had been no contact from Jesse.
However, Rocks had a rough understanding.
Of the incident that had occurred in the Magic Tower.
The world’s greatest guild, Shining.
Even without Jesse, they had plenty of players who were qualified to participate in the Magic Tower’s regular conference.
And every one of those guild members was saying the same thing.
‘As expected, it was good that I flagged him as a dangerous individual.’
Lee Hoyeol.
His movements were unusual.
Of course, this Magic Tower incident had exceeded even Rocks’s imagination.
‘I’ve never even been to the upper floors myself.’
Of course, he had never had a conversation with the chief mage either.
So at this point, they had to make things clear.
“What stance should we take?”
Friendly or hostile.
They had to decide their position regarding Lee Hoyeol.
Rocks swept up the bangs that had fallen over his forehead.
“I’d like to keep things as amicable as possible. Don’t you agree?”
“I agree. One Skal is already tiring enough.”
“I agree too~ Just Skal and Jesse are enough to make my head split.”
Then there was no particular reason to be hostile.
When Rocks murmured that, Camilla whispered.
“More than anything, if you don’t want to get on Jesse’s bad side, everyone had better be careful. It’s suspicious~ The way her eyes sparkle. Just like when I first learned what love was……”
“Isn’t that just because of some weird skill? Jesse’s eyes only sparkle at times like that.”
“……You’re such a killjoy, seriously. And do you even know a woman’s heart? Well, if you did, you wouldn’t have rented out an entire hotel lounge and still gotten dumped~”
“……Have you lost your mind? Hey, are you done talking?!”
In any case, the moment Shining decided on their position regarding Hoyeol.
Another message appeared.
[Yusra Archipelago is beginning to be stained with greed.]
[Collapse Progress: 2/10]
So it had begun in earnest.
As expected, Cheonha Tongil must have obtained an island treasure.
Leaving the two bickering behind, Rocks spoke.
“Let’s start moving. To the next island.”
*
[Yusra Archipelago is beginning to be stained with greed.]
[Collapse Progress: 2/10]
Was it because a definite reward was on the line?
The pace was fast.
At this rate, I had no choice but to revise my grand ambition.
Of monopolizing the island treasures.
‘For now, at least on this island.’
I had to obtain the island’s treasure no matter what.
In truth, even one would naturally be difficult.
Not only top guilds like Shining and Cheonha Tongil.
But there was also a high probability that rank 1 player, Skal, would move too.
In other words, I had to obtain the island’s treasure while competing against players like that.
What was fortunate, at least, was that acquiring just one island’s treasure would be enough to prevent the great evil’s resurrection.
‘Because even if just one is missing, the conditions cannot be fulfilled.’
……
Still, I was curious.
What kind of item was it?
For it to be called an island’s treasure.
‘Is this what greed is?’
Of course, this greed would never sway my body and mind.
Why, I recalled it.
Grandfell’s pride, which had not broken even in a life-or-death situation.
I knew that very well through experience.
That was when I emerged from the palm grove.
I saw something shining in the distance.
‘Armor, and plate armor at that.’
It wasn’t a strange sight in the Yusra Archipelago, which was packed with players.
If anything, I, dressed in a suit, would look much stranger.
In any case, the reason I paused was the sense of uniformity.
‘All of them are wearing plate armor.’
There seemed to be at least a hundred of them.
And every one of them was wearing plate armor.
That was enough for me to realize.
‘They’re not players.’
The ones who wore plate armor.
Were only players with warrior or knight-type classes.
‘There’s no reason for them to move around in a group.’
Nothing was as inefficient as a single class moving together.
Then were they NPCs after all?
Even as my mind worked, my dignified steps did not stop.
‘As expected.’
Thanks to that, I saw the emblem engraved on the armor.
The lion’s head on the shoulder.
I opened my mouth.
“The Lionheart Knight Order.”
That was an emblem even I, who had cut ties with Arcana for a full twelve years, could never forget.
The lion’s head.
Because that was the symbol of the Lionheart Knight Order, which had been renowned as the strongest knight order in the empire.
‘Like the Magic Tower, the Lionheart Knight Order must have been summoned too.’
Indeed, fitting their reputation as the strongest in the empire.
Above all, their ranks and files were perfectly aligned.
Their plate armor shone like mirrors, without a speck of dust.
Enough that even Grandfell’s aesthetic eye would naturally declare them acceptable.
“Indeed, you are just as your reputation says.”
Of course, Arcana was no longer a game.
The same would be true of NPCs.
Meaning, they would not simply ignore me even if they heard me talking to myself.
“Who are you?”
A man who appeared to be the leader of the knights asked.
……What is this speech that makes me feel a sense of kinship?
As always, I answered.
“I am Lee Hoyeol. I did not expect to meet the Lionheart Knight Order in a place like this.”
……
Wait, anyone watching would think we were filming a historical drama!
This was a different kind of embarrassment from before.
Rather, should I say I felt shame because we understood each other too well?
However, just like greed.
My inner shame was not expressed outwardly.
Brazenly, I asked the man in return.
“May I ask your name as well?”
At my question, the man visibly flinched.
“……Judging by your attire, you are surely an adventurer, and yet.”
How nostalgic.
NPCs used to call players adventurers.
Still, I hadn’t expected even an NPC to point out my clothes.
I’m so miserable I should really get myself some armor or something.
Soon, the man continued.
“You feel somewhat different from other adventurers. I am the commander of the Lionheart Knight Order, Harkon Kingsguard.”
He was the knight commander?
Belatedly, I found myself wondering at the state of my own nerve.
‘At this point, hasn’t my courage gone far beyond reckless?’
The greatest knight order of the empire.
Even in front of the commander of the Lionheart Knights.
To think I could stand so stiff and straight.
Well, it wasn’t exactly strange.
I had just done something even worse to the Magic Tower’s chief mage, Marcelo.
“However, adventurer. Regrettably, now is not the time to share idle chatter.”
Harkon spoke as though in regret.
Just as he finished speaking.
Kuuung──!
My vision shook.
To be exact, it was because the ground beneath my feet shook.
I could sense it instinctively.
‘A named monster.’
The one I had seen in the update details.
There was no doubt it was the named monster said to exist on each of the ten islands.
Judging by the situation, Harkon seemed to be planning to hunt that named monster together with the knights.
Of course, even so.
My plan would not change.
“You are right. There is no time for idle talk.”
The knights drew their swords and shields.
I too raised my mana.
Then Harkon spoke with a startled expression.
“Adventurer. That demonic beast is dangerous. You should withdraw……?!”
Withdraw what?
Harkon trailed off.
For some reason, his gaze was fixed on my suit……
No, on my brooch.
With an expression of disbelief, Harkon asked me.
“Could that brooch possibly be……? Adventurer! Do you perhaps have some connection to the Magic Tower?”
……
Wait, this is a somewhat interesting reaction.
However, as he had just said.
Harkon waited only for my lips to part.
To him, I spoke firmly.
“Did I not say so? We will discuss personal matters after the work is done.”
Thud─!