Chapter 270 |
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[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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It was when the Hero had recovered about seventy percent of his strength that contact came from Izaro.
[Let’s rendezvous in this village. We’ll discuss our future plans when we meet.]
Ironically, the village Izaro had designated was Lonkers.
Nyhill used her emblem of the dark division to borrow two horses from a nearby relay station.
[TL/N: Dark Division and the shadows are the same, just diff ways of calling them.]
It was late autumn.
The morning air was cool yet refreshing.
Clop, clop.
The Hero’s gaze turned to the girl riding beside him.
Nyhill, adept at disguise, appeared quite unfamiliar.
However, the Hero couldn’t shake off a sense of déjà vu.
‘…It’s been less than a year, but it feels like several years have passed.’
He recalled the time earlier this year when they headed to Lonkers together to meet Noubelmag.
Back then, he was incomparably weaker and more inexperienced.
His relationship with Nyhill was vastly different too.
At that time, he couldn’t have imagined that she would disregard all danger to assist him.
If Nyhill weren’t by his side now, let alone the fiasco at the academy, he would have struggled immensely emotionally.
“I am not the Hero.”
“That doesn’t matter to me.”
Her words were sincere.
Nyhill’s attitude had remained unchanged.
She had nursed and assisted him devotedly over the past few weeks.
‘Even though you’re now free from the orders of the dark division.’
…She could have left to live a completely new life.
Knowing her life had been relentless and fiercely competitive from birth until now, the Hero resolved to repay her kindness someday.
Nyhill, rarely flustered, suddenly stopped.
“…Please wait a moment. I think we took a wrong turn.”
She then hurriedly rummaged through her belongings to check the map.
The Hero smiled wryly.
“That’s Lonkers, alright.”
Lonkers, bathed in the morning sunlight, was bustling and lively.
Nyhill, looking bewildered, entered past the wooden fence.
Busy merchants brushed past them.
On the newly paved wide stone path, stalls displayed fresh produce from farmers.
Children ran around laughing between the stalls.
Aromatic food scents filled the air.
The streets were clean and tidy.
Though it wasn’t on the level of cities or towns in the central region, it had changed so much that the previous desolation was unrecognizable.
“What on earth…”
Having seen Lonkers once before while heading to the extreme west, the Hero was less shocked, but Nyhill seemed quite surprised.
The girl, standing dumbfounded, quickly scanned her surroundings.
“…I thought I had read the map wrong.”
“This is undoubtedly Lonkers. The village you saved.”
Nyhill replied softly.
“We saved… it together.”
Then, feeling embarrassed, she scratched her cheek.
“It would be nice to show this to Noubelmag.”
Imagining how the blacksmith might react, the Hero smiled for a moment.
“He would surely be pleased. Despite pretending otherwise, he seems quite attached to the villagers.”
He might grumble but wander around exploring.
Then he’d likely sit at one of those stalls and drink his fill of beer.
The Hero chuckled quietly and turned to look for a place to stay.
It was at that moment that a group of familiar-looking men passed by.
“The vigilante corps.”
They were the ones who had fought alongside him against a horde of monsters.
Now appearing to be fully committed to their roles as guards, they were clad in sturdy-looking armor, far removed from their previous ragged state.
“Oh, are you travelers? Have a great time!”
“If you need any help, feel free to ask.”
“Welcome to Lonkers, a safe village, though modest!”
Of course, none of them recognized Nyhill and the Hero, who were in different guises.
The guards passed by, offering friendly greetings.
“…Hmm?”
Only Hans, trailing behind, looked curiously at the girl and the young man.
He was still wearing the gauntlets enchanted with electric magic that the Hero had gifted him.
The Hero nodded slightly at Hans, who couldn’t take his eyes off them.
“It’s become a nice place.”
Shaking his head as if dismissing a ridiculous thought, Hans soon smiled brightly and responded.
“Welcome to Lonkers. Enjoy your stay.”
The sight was a great comfort to the Hero.
.
.
.
The Hero booked the largest room at the Lonkers inn and waited.
Izaro arrived at midnight.
Knock, knock.
Opening the door, the Hero frowned momentarily at the unexpected situation.
“…I didn’t expect you to come together.”
“Hello, my foolish champion.”
There was no time to question why she called him foolish.
Maktania, the grinning celestial being, intruded into the room without permission.
Nyhill looked at her with wide, surprised eyes.
The Hero was just as bewildered, because even though Maktania was generally friendly towards him, she was essentially an angel sent to this world for the ‘punishment of humanity.’
If she decided to go on a rampage, the disaster that Malekia’s minions had caused in Lonkers would be nothing in comparison.
The peaceful scenery of the village that he had seen in the morning briefly crossed the Hero’s mind.
“A modest village, but definitely safe, this is Lonkers!”
…Or it might not stay that way.
Under Nyhill’s critical gaze, Izaro muttered defensively.
“Since she’s freed from her seal, keeping her close for monitoring is the best option.”
Of course, Maktania was already chatting with Nyhill, paying no attention to this.
“Hello, you must be Nyhill. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“…Who, who are you?”
“Hehe, well, who do you think I am?”
Nyhill was strangely flustered.
The Hero suddenly recalled the conversation he had during his first meeting with Maktania.
“You incarnated in a rather ordinary form.”
“Do I seem so?”
“What?”
“It seems the goodness you think of resides in an ordinary human form.”
Maktania’s appearance varied depending on who was looking at her.
So, how did she appear to Nyhill?
“Nyhill, what does Maktania look like to you?”
“Huh, what do you mean….”
Nyhill hesitated before answering.
“She looks exactly like you, like twins.”
Maktania burst into delighted laughter in the next moment.
“How adorable. Just as I heard. For you, goodness is entirely embodied in this person.”
“…Just as you heard?”
The Hero sighed and turned his gaze away from them.
“Is resealing her impossible?”
“It is. This issue is beyond our control now. Fortunately, sharing your journey with Maktania has fostered a…”
“Silence.”
“Alright.”
Izaro nodded obediently.
Maktania, having decided to observe humanity with the Hero as her champion, was unlikely to cause any immediate trouble, so in fact, Izaro was effectively freed from his long-standing duty.
“Although I have new duties now.”
“…New duties?”
“With Rosalyn gone, I must take on some of her responsibilities. Guiding you and progressing alongside you.”
When Rosalyn’s name was mentioned, the Hero fell silent for a moment.
He had learned about her death from Mother Ghost.
Rosalyn, a homunculus who had significantly aided him since the early stages of his mission.
Although sometimes inscrutable in her intentions, her presence had been a considerable support.
She had shared memories of Ted and the Hero’s own life as a fellow homunculus.
It felt as if a strange void had formed in his heart.
“She used all her magic to buy time until I arrived.”
“Ted.”
Her voice echoed in his mind like a phantom.
Izaro asked, observing the Hero carefully.
“Did Rosalyn leave you anything? A message, perhaps?”
The Hero shook his head.
“Nothing at all.”
“That’s odd. Rosalyn would have likely left you something in her final moments.”
“…The last time I spoke with her was before I came to see you.”
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[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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“I see….”
Izaro ran a hand over his deeply wrinkled face, seemingly relieved for some reason.
“Anyway, let’s get to the main point. Is there anything I should know before we plan our next steps?”
The Hero explained the comments that appeared during his battle with Yol.
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Error detected.
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Critical error detected in user’s condition.
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Some safety locks are being deactivated.
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These unprecedented comments appeared as the Hero’s ??? factor reactivated and Polymorph evolved.
Unlike past growth, which relied solely on ‘progress’ and ‘comprehension,’ this was entirely different.
The growth rate was enormous, allowing him to defeat Yol.
However, this development wasn’t entirely welcome because ??? must never be resurrected, even partially.
‘It mentioned limited synchronization would begin.’
Upon later checking, unfamiliar individuals had been added to the Polymorph list.
They were likely some of the figures ??? had replicated during the First Era.
‘If I succumb to him in this situation….’
Humanity would face extinction in no time.
Therefore, it was necessary to understand the exact nature of this change.
“Do you have any idea about this?”
“Hmmm….”
Izaro pondered before shaking his head.
“The ones who created you were Zero and Depikio Lugo.”
“So, you don’t know anything.”
“I do know one thing.”
Izaro continued with a calm expression.
“Their priority in creating you wasn’t potential or strength. It was excluding ???’s malevolent nature.”
“……”
“Although they failed to artificially instill goodness, ???’s consciousness was surely eradicated. If that weren’t certain, they would have definitely discarded you.”
As the Hero, this was somewhat reassuring.
Izaro’s deep-set eyes turned toward him.
“But aside from that, you must have felt the need to analyze ‘this change’ in detail.”
The Hero nodded.
“It’s a stepping stone to becoming stronger.”
“Exactly.”
His rapid growth was bound to slow down now.
He had to take a step back from human society.
Of course, he was already incredibly strong among humans.
But as long as Theo, Malekia, and the Demon King were alive, he could never afford to stop growing.
“You’re currently in a position where you have to act independently.”
The Hero nodded.
‘My very existence is like a seed of discord.’
Thus, his options were greatly limited.
“Either you fight or you focus on growth.”
The Hero’s eyes slightly furrowed at Izaro’s words.
“If I fight, I’ll end up joining the fray as a third force.”
“Indeed. It’s uncertain if you can ally with humans… Most likely, you’ll end up conducting guerrilla warfare in the demon territories alone.”
…This wasn’t an immediately appealing option.
“What about focusing on growth?”
“It means stepping back and concentrating solely on growing stronger.”
In other words, disappearing from the human world for a while.
“It won’t have a significant impact on the grand scheme. Whether you’re the Hero or a doppelganger, your existence alone can still deter the demons.”
“…….”
“You’ve already given humans the impetus to grow. Now, it’s time for each to spend time achieving their results.”
It was clear from his tone which option Izaro favored.
“…It sounds like you have a specific method for growth in mind.”
“I need to explain something briefly.”
Izaro leaned towards the Hero.
“As you might have noticed, Zero has been doing everything possible to conceal all information about the ‘doppelganger’ since the beginning of the Second Era. This was for your future activities. Of course, I also helped him deal with the mistakes you made during your inexperienced days.”
“I’m aware.”
“During that process, we discovered the existence of a hidden family. They, like us, had been delving into the tragedies of the First Era.”
The Hero tilted his head at the unexpected news.
“A family…?”
Izaro asked in a calm voice.
“Do you remember Platooz Namsov?”
The Hero’s body stiffened.
Platooz Namsov.
The name of the master of the Magic Tower, seen in Zero’s memories.
An arrogant and ignorant man who opened the ‘door,’ bringing endless misfortune to this world.
He was also the worst human being who evaded responsibility by committing suicide.
Sensing something, the Hero asked with a hardened face.
“Are you saying his descendants are still around?”
“…They’ve been atoning for generations.”
Izaro briefly explained the history of the surviving Namsov lineage since the catastrophe of the First Era.
They had been collecting all data and records about the doppelganger and the Demon King, preparing countermeasures.
“The Namsovs didn’t know of your existence until now. But they must be aware now.”
“…Can you guess what stance they’ll take?”
“They’ll likely see you as the only savior. The only one who can absolve their sins and the misfortunes of this world.”
An unexpected answer.
“You’re suggesting we contact them.”
“If we combine the strengths of those people, myself, and you, there will surely be results. Perhaps you’ll even come to terms with the mysterious power of ??? you mentioned.”
…It was a task that could take an unknown amount of time.
Izaro’s eyes glowed blue as he looked at the contemplating Hero.
“Don’t forget.”
“…….”
“In the end, this fight will only be resolved when either you or the Demon King dies.”
As long as the Demon King lived, the demons could never be eradicated.
“You said there’s a little over three years until the Demon King returns.”
“…….”
“The final battle will be then. If we’re not prepared by then, everything we’ve done will be meaningless.”
The Hero was well aware of this fact.
Izaro stared at him with deep eyes.
“I await your decision.”
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[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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