◈ Chapter 300. The First Akshan Was Stabbed in the Back Before the Holy War.
But if you ask whether that led to Akshan’s annihilation.
Not exactly. ‘Akshan disappeared overnight, after all.’ Why, even if the demon hunters were wiped out.
The region called Akshan should normally have remained.
But Akshan vanished without leaving even a trace. ‘Though I didn’t see it for myself.’ I try blaming it for the first time in a while. The gap of ten years and several more.
Even so, right after the players awakened.
I had tried in every possible way to fill that gap.
Thanks to that, I found out belatedly.
Akshan had definitely been deleted in a patch. ‘There was no reason to announce it in the first place.’ Demon Hunter was the very definition of a trash class.
Akshan, too, must have been outside the players’ interest.
You can tell from the class quest as well. ‘Because I must have been the only demon hunter.’ For my sake, someone whose login records had been cut off years ago.
They wouldn’t have bothered putting up an update notice.
In the first place, Demon Hunter wasn’t the only class that had disappeared from Arcana. Arcana Continent Chronicles had tens of thousands of classes. Classes that failed to be chosen by players must have vanished without anyone knowing. ‘Deletion and creation, huh.’ I recalled the Omen’s ability again.
Then I became certain.
As expected, Akshan had been swallowed whole by the Omen. ‘They said it was a being for the sake of plausibility…….’ Even before such an absurd enemy.
I could not retreat.
The reason was simple.
“Do not resent me.”
It wasn’t anything else—it had swallowed Akshan, hadn’t it?
“Your vessel will be too lacking to contain them.”
It must have truly seemed hopeless.
Why, you could tell just from AAU Branch Manager Park’s reaction.
The Omen wasn’t a monster made to be hunted in the first place. ‘The anomalous demon race was also a monster that would appear someday.’ But the Omen was different in nature from monsters.
It wasn’t even a demon, so I couldn’t bring out what could be called my greatest weapon.
[Natural Enemy]
In that sense, nothing could be more reassuring than this. ‘Our Akshan seniors.’ I, Lee Hoyeol.
There is a lesson I learned from social life. A lunatic notorious enough to be acknowledged by friend and foe exists everywhere. But when that lunatic is on your side, nothing could be more reliable. ‘Truly amazing, aren’t they?’ Even in reality.
Even on the Arcana Continent, I have seen all sorts of people.
But I have never seen characters like our seniors.
So they must have left this behind even as they were deleted.
A quest like this!
[Class Quest: Akshan-Style Diversionary Operation]
Even if the Arcana Continent abandoned Akshan, Akshan did not break. Last demon hunter. Inherit Akshan’s tenacity and complete Akshan’s final operation.
─Track the Omen of the southern sea that swallowed Akshan. (In Progress)
●Find the final mark left behind by Akshan. (In Progress)
They were literally “tenacity” itself.
“You overlooked Akshan.”
Raymon Sean, who must have approved Akshan’s deletion.
I bet you didn’t know this either.
How could you have expected it?
Akshan, already dealt a great blow by the betrayal of the Holy War.
That they had been planning an operation like this.
And you won’t know this either.
That, in this moment, their pride has been passed down to me.
“I cannot simply stand by either.”
It goes without saying.
Once pride has been set in motion.
Even if I end up sinking.
I have no choice but to advance.
So there is no time to lament my lot.
To avoid sinking, I have to struggle in a planned and efficient manner. Every minute, every second must be cherished.
In Grandfell’s style of expression, I must regard it like afternoon teatime.
Soon, my spinning brain presented an answer.
“We return to the estate.”
My estate does not exist in reality.
So, naturally, I was speaking of the Claudi family estate.
They called it an Omen, did they? ‘Good. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’ To deal with an absurd enemy like the Omen.
This side, too.
Shouldn’t we put forth an absurd setting?
“Prepare grandly.”
*
Azentress looked around the area.
“Not even a trace can be seen.”
The primordial evil that had been curled up within Mother.
Azentress had not ceased her steps in order to find the thing that had escaped Sisley and been released onto the Arcana Continent. Yet she could not inquire after its traces anywhere.
“And yet this is a task entrusted to me.”
The being chosen by Mother, Dawn.
He had trusted her and her kin and returned to his original world. But for there to be not even the slightest progress in the task entrusted to her. Like this, how could she have the face to meet him?
“Lizards…….”
Oh dear.
The habit had been thoroughly ingrained over the course of eternity.
Azentress quickly corrected herself.
“No, the dragons are also not in a situation where they can move.”
They had swallowed the evil fruit (惡果), had they not? ‘Damn it.’ Gnash—Azentress bit her lip. If they had fulfilled their duty, such a disaster would not have occurred. Swallowing down her regret with effort, she turned her gaze away.
The landscape of the Arcana Continent was utterly desolate.
Toward the humans who had survived on such a continent.
For the first time since being born an elf, she felt a sense of awe.
To think they endured on such a continent with such frail bodies and minds.
At the same time as admiration.
Flash!
Toward the demons, only cold words could spill out.
“There truly is no end to them.”
Was it thanks to reclaiming her pride?
The elf’s sense of superiority was being expressed in a positive way.
Slice—The path Azentress had walked.
“Do not defile nature with your filthy bodies.”
On that path, not a single demon remained alive.
Was it not a course of action no different from the past?
From the outside, it might look that way.
But Azentress knew.
Large ears.
A small noise burrowing into her innate senses.
“……I’m hungry.”
“Shh. Be quiet.”
“But I’m hungry…….”
“When it gets quiet around here, then let’s try to find something.”
The voices of humans hiding from demons.
In the past, they would have been voices she would not even have listened to.
But the sense of superiority built up over eternity did not disappear easily.
Azentress shook her head. ‘……Forgive my inadequacy, Dawn.’ If it were you, you would have offered them help.
But Azentress lacked the confidence.
To face humans other than Hoyeol without hesitation.
Because afterimages kept rising up and scattering her mind.
The village that surfaced in her mind—the sight of Polestar. ‘I still do not have the right to face humans.’ The deal with the Seven Deadly Sin of Gluttony.
For she had tried to seize eternal life by offering the residents of Polestar as sacrifices.
Step—Azentress erased her presence and moved toward the humans.
It was not easy for ordinary humans to notice Azentress’s approach.
Therefore.
Thud—
“……Huh?”
It was only natural that they were startled by the food that had fallen right in front of their hiding place. Wondering if it might be a trap, the humans kept looking around before taking the food.
Only then did Azentress nod.
“Live.”
In the current situation, this was the best form of pride she could put into practice.
Then, let her hurry her steps again.
It was the moment Azentress was cutting through the forest with an elf’s footwork.
Flutter—
“?”
Something suddenly fluttered in midair.
No, as though it had flown toward Azentress from the very beginning.
The fluttering object was quietly caught in Azentress’s hand.
“……Parchment?”
On the Arcana Continent.
The only ones who would send her a letter were her kin.
There was no reason for her kin to go through the trouble of sending a letter when they had telepathy.
Then, could it be……?
Killing intent filled Azentress’s eyes. ‘The Seven Deadly Sin of Gluttony—is it him?’ If it was the one called a great evil.
Perhaps he might know something about the primordial evil as well.
Azentress unfolded the parchment while considering the possibility.
“!”
And then she flinched.
──────Invitation──────
She was not surprised by the word “invitation.”
“You truly see straight through my heart.”
The reason Azentress was surprised was because of the sender.
As though reflecting the sender’s appearance exactly.
The invitation, written only with the simple matter at hand, stated as follows.
──────The House of Claudi invites you.──────
...
An invitation from the House of Claudi.
It was not delivered only to Azentress. It was an invitation sent to those who could answer Claudi’s call on the current Arcana Continent. 『It is no exaggeration to say that the continent moves for a banquet hosted by Claudi. Those who receive that invitation are all giants of the Arcana Continent. Even so, not a single person has ever refused the invitation. After all, there is no one who would decline such an honor…….』 However, because the House of Claudi had fallen and been forgotten.
There were not many who received the invitation.
Yet everything was a matter of perspective.
To put it another way.
Those who currently knew of Claudi on the Arcana Continent were figures who could be classified as giants among giants. Merely by having them receive Claudi’s invitation.
“Does this truly mean Claudi has returned?”
“……This will need to be confirmed!”
“Seeing as they have summoned this old man, it is certainly Claudi.”
[Shahin of the Red Eyes appears on the Arcana Continent.]
[Diamond Merchant Guild Master Gamond Phil appears on the Arcana Continent.]
[Great Sage Rise appears on the Arcana Continent.]
…….
It was enough to shake the Arcana Continent.
Of course, Claudi’s invitation was also delivered to the Four Families.
However, the reactions of the family heads could not help but be distinctly different from the others.
“Truly, Grandfell?”
“How in the world is that fellow……?”
“……Will everyone answer the invitation?” Even as the heads of the Four Families agonized, time on the Arcana Continent flowed about four times faster than in reality. In other words. One by one, giants were gathering at Claudi’s estate.
...
『Heir of the great family. In past social circles, Grandfell’s existence was like an oasis in the desert, or perhaps a mirage. Because he did not enjoy social gatherings, there were not many days when he showed himself. Yet on the days he appeared out of nowhere, he inevitably drew everyone’s attention…….』 [Duke Swalin’s Prized Possession] was refining my appearance.
The Dawn set, no different from banquet attire.
I recited.
“I must endure it.”
A banquet that even Grandfell of all people did not welcome.
The reason I suddenly sent out banquet invitations?
It was simple.
I didn’t know about demons, but I simply could not get a read on that Omen.
At a time when I could not even grasp what level my opponent was at.
The more, the better. ‘The more allies I have, the better.’ That’s right.
When I discovered Claudi’s estate.
Had I not declared that this, too, was a burden I had to bear?
Since I had shouldered such an enormously heavy weight.
Even if only out of resentment, I thought I ought to make use of it. ‘Of course, I’m not expecting much.’ At the present point, it would not be wrong to say that Claudi has completely disappeared from the history of the Arcana Continent. But still, everyone needs to meet face-to-face after so long, don’t they?
Yunaxus, Azentress, and the others as well.
Yes, I had merely done what I had to do.
But why did my stomach ache even as I repeated that to myself……? ‘……Damn it.’ Why else?
When I wrote those damned invitations.
In the end, I had written it with my own hand.
『Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo』!!
If it was an invitation from Claudi but I put forward the name of me, Lee Hoyeol, then no matter who saw it, it would look like a prank letter. Because of that, I had no choice but to write down that damned full name, bitterly and against my will.
“This, too, must be a weight I have to bear.”
Having already said I would take responsibility.
I cannot speak out of both sides of my mouth.
In that sense, let’s think positively. ‘Yes, maybe……?’ Wouldn’t it be better to just live under the name 『Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo』 on the Arcana Continent?
In reality, it is a terrible name.
But on the Arcana Continent, it would look like a plausible noble name.
Of course, even for a noble name, it is long……. ‘Good, it would be better to separate them.’ In reality, Lee Hoyeol.
On the Arcana Continent, Grandfell.
I reached the conclusion that it would be better in many ways to use the two names separately.
In any case, reality and the Arcana Continent are completely different worlds, aren’t they? ‘I just need to hide it well. Just me.’ However, it was a misjudgment.
There were already those who knew both of my names.
And of all people, they happened to be the gentlemen with the loudest voices……!
The Earth Dragon, Kudhannax.
Landed in Claudi’s estate.
And shouted in a ringing voice.
“Earth Dragon Kudhannax has answered the invitation of the Black Dark Dragon, Lee Hoyeol Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo, and has come here to Claudi’s estate!”
Lee Hoyeol Grandfell what?!
Please…….
Do something about that mouth of yours……!
You really want to see me die, don’t you?!