Chapter 155: The Beings of the Ancient Era (1)
The Holy Land, Crossbridge.
That was the name derived from the six bridges that connected each temple to the center of the Holy Palace.
Anyone who visited the Holy Land for the first time would be amazed by the sight of these gigantic bridges.
And in the middle of those connected bridges,
On the bridge that linked the Holy Palace and the Temple of Hunting, Hus, a hero of knowledge, was walking towards the Holy Palace with another hero, Sion.
“The weather is still nice.”
Sion, who had his divine bow Astra on his shoulder, said as he looked at the scenery beyond the bridge.
The race of heroes were all eccentric in their personalities, but among them, Sion Arius was one of the few who could be considered mild-mannered.
That was also the reason why Hus had frequent encounters with Sion.
He had gone to the Temple of Hunting early in the morning to ask for a duel, but he was summoned by the Holy Palace and had to move with him.
Since he had left right after finishing the duel, Hus also had a hieroglyph in his hand.
“Isn’t it? Hus?”
Ting.
Sion pulled the string of Astra as if to make Hus listen, and smiled.
The clear sound that echoed was like playing an old-fashioned string instrument.
As I walked side by side with Sion on the bridge, I looked at him and opened my mouth.
“Sion. We don’t have much time left.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Sion asked me with an innocent attitude, as if he didn’t know anything.
Did he really not know?
Or was he just teasing me?
I sighed and swung the hieroglyph I was holding.
Sion quickly stepped back and dodged my attack, which was aimed at the side of the thick book.
Whoosh.
I bit my tongue at the sight of the hieroglyph cutting through the air.
“Tsk. I mean we only have one day of leisure left.”
“One day?”
“Until the gods’ contract that protects us disappears.”
The gods’ contract.
It was the grace period given to them by the evil god, who exercised his power.
After one more day, it would be over.
We couldn’t ignore the threat of the evil god outside the holy land anymore.
Of course, if the saintess used ‘Sanctuary Declaration’, we could escape his sight for a while, but that was only a temporary measure.
We couldn’t be free from the evil god’s gaze forever.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about the contract ending. It’s not like we’ll face the apostles right away.”
Sion shrugged and replied to Hus’s words.
He didn’t seem to care about the contract ending.
He was either thoughtless or optimistic, I couldn’t tell.
Either way, it suited Sion, the hero of hunting, well.
“Have you grown a lot since then?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I won’t lose my prey like I did in Cuebaerg?”
“…”
Hus closed his mouth quietly at the mention of the Cuebaerg expedition.
He remembered his shameful self when he brought up the past.
It was a famous story in the holy land that Hus was smashed into a swamp by Evan’s attack.
He was a mage who lost a firepower duel to a former paladin.
It didn’t matter that Evan had received the evil god’s power, it was still humiliating for a mage.
“What’s wrong, Hus? You’re suddenly quiet?”
“…It’s nothing.”
“Are you blaming yourself again for what happened? Don’t worry about it too much.”
Bang.
Sion’s palm, which was making a smug laugh, hit Hus’s back.
Hus frowned at the sensation from his back.
The hieroglyph, which reacted to the user’s emotion, also moved right away.
Chrrrrrrr.
The pages of the hieroglyph turned and the magic that was stored in it unfolded.
“Sion.”
A crimson circle grabbed Sion’s arm and began to twist it slowly.
Sion’s eyes widened at the sight of his arm being tied up by the magic.
He twisted his body along with his arm and clung to Hus.
A loud scream came out of Sion’s mouth as he looked at Hus.
“Ugh! I surrender! I surrender!”
“I’m not the same as I was before. A month was enough time to change a person.”
“Hus! It hurts! It hurts!”
“I’ve buried my naive past with my blood and flesh.”
He had learned magic from Arien Crost during that time.
He became the second user of space magic, and Hus learned how to deal with close combat.
He also prepared his mind to face Evan every day.
Evan Allemier was Hus’s brother, but he was also a huge wall that he had to overcome.
Now it was his turn to reach something beyond him.
“So now… I won’t lose miserably like before.”
“Just untie this first and then talk! Aaah! I’m dying! Is this how a hero dies in the holy land?”
Crack.
Hus clenched his fist with a firm will.
He had to end the second apostle, Evan Allemier, with his own hands.
It was all for that purpose.
The next battlefield where he would face Evan would be the place to prove it.
It was the fate given to heroes and apostles.
***
Whooosh-.
As he watched the blizzard raging with the fierce wind, Philrun enjoyed the warm bonfire in the cave.
How much time had he spent outside looking for the holy relics?
His ear was completely numb from the cold wind.
The bright light of Clawsolas also faded.
Clawsolas ignored Philrun’s attitude and continued his words.
-“The goddess has recovered a lot of causality. Of course, you deserve some credit for that.”
“So my actions helped the goddess, right? Then, what happens next?”
-“If you face any danger, the goddess will give you a little help.”
Direct help.
That was an unexpected story for Philrun, who had only received help through the divine device.
It was a great meaning for a hero that the goddess could intervene directly.
“Will all six goddesses be able to come forward from now on? Like the evil god did until now?”
Did his actions help all the goddesses find their freedom?
When Philrun asked that question with such a thought, Clawsolas vibrated his blade briefly.
It meant no.
-“No. Only the goddess of harmony and the goddess of order can move right now.”
“What? Only two goddesses?”
-“Even then, they can’t pour out their power endlessly like the evil god. The balance of causality is not properly adjusted yet.”
“So you’re saying that the goddess of order is the most amazing right now? Well, it would have been hard without hero Philrun.”
Philrun shrugged with Clawsolas on his shoulder.
It was thanks to him that the villagers were slaughtered and the plan was expedited.
He deserved to be proud of his achievement.
When Philrun boasted of his glory, Clawsolas reluctantly agreed with him.
– “You were a great help.”
“Right? That’s right, right?”
– “Yes.”
“Isn’t this becoming more and more like a heroic tale? It would be perfect if there was a cute saintess by my side.”
The image of the saintess flashed through Philrun’s mind as he bragged about his feat.
There was always a saintess who helped the hero by his side.
And sometimes, love blossomed between the hero and the saintess.
Who would be the saintess chosen by the goddess of order?
Clawsolas added one last word to Philrun, who was dreaming of heroism.
– “…When the time comes, the saintess will find you too.”
* * * * * *
Pluto Austria.
She was called the progenitor of vampires, but she was not used to the cold.
Of course, that didn’t mean she was strong against the heat either.
That’s why Pluto was wrapped in warm clothes to protect herself from the cold.
She made her clothes as thick as possible without hindering her movement.
Perin tied a thick scarf around Pluto’s neck.
“There, it’s done!”
He let go of his hands and smiled at Pluto.
Pluto looked around her head, wearing the scarf.
Under the blue scarf, she wore a thick coat that the Order had prepared for her.
She felt the pressure of the tight coat as she moved her arms.
With this outfit, she wouldn’t be bothered by the blizzard in Alterias.
“Hmm… I feel a bit suffocated.”
“But it’s not too uncomfortable to move, right?”
“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be a problem.”
Whoosh.
Pluto swung her Death Scythe in the air.
There was a possibility of an unexpected battle while exploring Alterias.
In that case, the mobility of her outfit was important.
Pluto put away her weapon after checking its condition, and Perin brought her a large bag.
Pluto’s eyes were filled with questions at the sudden appearance of the bag.
“Pluto, take this with you too!”
“Perin… What is this?”
“It’s emergency food that I prepared for you. And this is a secret… I also put a demon doll in it.”
Pluto looked blank as she looked at Perin’s bag.
Emergency food? Did he put blood in a bottle?
But as far as she knew, fairies didn’t like to see blood.
In that sense, the emergency food that Perin prepared for her was unexpected.
“Emergency food…”
Pluto opened the bag with anticipation, and found it full of fruits.
There was no sign of the blood bottle that she had hoped for.
There was nothing that could be called emergency food.
His eyes, which had grown bigger than before, looked at Perin.
“Have one if you get hungry!”
“Perin. Vampires only drink blood. If I’m hungry, I can just hunt some animals with my Death Scythe…”
“But what if there are no animals?”
It didn’t matter if there were no animals.
She wasn’t so weak that she would faint if she didn’t drink blood for a few days.
She was the progenitor of vampires, a being far from the inherent weaknesses of her race.
But Perin seemed to have a different idea.
He grabbed Pluto’s hand and spoke with sparkling eyes.
“You have to eat them all!”
Pluto couldn’t easily answer his words.
She didn’t mind drinking wine, but she felt uncomfortable eating fruits often.
She tried to avoid Perin’s gaze and mumbled an answer.
But Perin didn’t give up and asked her again.
“You got it? Don’t leave any!”
“…Yeah.”
Pluto had no choice but to nod at Perin’s shining eyes.
She didn’t like fruits, let alone wine.
Especially this many fruits. She didn’t have the confidence to eat them all.
But for some reason, she felt like she would become a vegetarian vampire on this journey.
Sigh. Pluto looked at the contents of the bag again with a sigh.
Beyond the fruits rolling in the bag, a Cuebaerg doll was raising one arm.
