I Picked Up the Abandoned Hero

121. The Price of Orcus

Those about to die will salute you.

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May eternal salvation be granted to the poor lambs.

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Glory to those who move into the future.

“…”

After defeating the knights, the queen, left alone in the throne room, looked at the moon with eyes closed to the light.

I really had to travel a long way to get here.

It was impossible to count how many people were sacrificed and how many separations occurred in the process.

But this is the last time.

The sacrifices it took to get here were all worth it.

If this incident ends safely, humans will be given the honor of accomplishing an impossible feat.

No more war, no more conflict.

The evil parasites will be banished from this world forever, and now God will bless only them.

Then, with that, we will be saved.

There will be no such thing as following a predetermined tragedy.

Finally, eternal and complete peace will come to this world.

†††

“Now that I think about it, I understand that you separated from your body when you met your maternal grandmother. Did it start from then?”

“What you need to do there can be done with just your head, so if your body is good, your head will be at ease.”

Alfred seemed to be trying to show off his muscles by stretching his arms.

Unfortunately, the physique is thinner than it looks, so the muscles are not particularly emphasized.

“I would say it’s an actual compressed muscle, because muscles like oak are uncomfortable for everyday life.”

“I didn’t say anything in particular.”

Arsel leans against the wall, closes his eyes and concentrates as if he is lost in thought for a moment.

“Alfred, so did she find out where the queen stored her magical powers?”

“Not yet, because the basement of the royal castle is more complicated than I thought. “It’s bigger than the place the demons used to be.”

“As far as I know, the deepest part of Hermod’s basement is a place only allowed to Hermod’s royal family. “If there is, it’s probably there.”

“I think my thoughts are in the deepest part, but the problem is that it is difficult to find that deepest part.”

Hermod’s basement was as complex as a maze and as cruel as a monster’s cave.

Of course, there are traps to exclude intruders, and if those who do not know the way enter on their own, they will be trapped forever and the place will soon become a tomb.

“I want to just destroy everything and go, but if I do that, the entire basement will collapse. Besides, I don’t know what form her magic power is stored in, so I can’t do it carelessly.”

Depending on its form, magical power can become a fearsome weapon.

The power of magical power has infinite potential depending on the quality and quantity of magical power. In particular, if a high concentration of magical power is mishandled, even a small amount, it causes an explosion that can blow up the entire city.

Especially if it had the highest level of magical power and a huge amount, if you touched it incorrectly, a huge disaster could occur.

“Umm…”

Arsel wondered in what form his magical power was stored.

If, as Alfred said, he was really storing 5 years worth of magic power, then it was no longer at a level where he could store his magic power in a magic stone.

To contain all that magic, you would need a top-quality magic stone the size of a fairly small castle, and I have never heard of such a magic stone existing.

In what form did the queen store her magical power?

In order to store such enormous magical power, a few magic stones would definitely not be able to handle it.

“There is no need to store it in the form of a magic stone. To begin with, magic stones are not very efficient. Also, there are many other ways to store magical power.”

“What other ways are there?”

“For example, in the case of your holy sword, it is unknown what material it is made of, but it has so much magical power that it cannot be compared to most magic stones.”

“That’s certainly true, but…”

“Plus, it recovers its magic power on its own. Normally, when it comes to artifacts, magical power must be supplied from outside. “If anyone looks at it, it looks like a living creature.”

There is also a theory that the special power contained in the holy sword originates from the magic contained in the sword itself.

“…Sometimes I can hear something like a voice coming from the Holy Sword.”

“Isn’t that a bit scary? “It’s a bit weird to hear voices coming from the sword when you’re alone at night.”

“I didn’t feel particularly scared. Even if a ghost or monster appears, you can just cut it with a sword.”

Alfred nodded his head with a surprised expression.

I thought that if I was alone and something scary like a ghost appeared, I would just cut it and that would be enough.

“First of all, Alfred, if you still haven’t found the deepest part of the underground, I have an idea.”

“What are you thinking?”

“After all, isn’t the magic power stored up by the queen my magic power? If so, I’ll probably be able to feel it when I get nearby. “It will be faster than finding it on your own.”

“That’s what I looked for when I was looking for the holy sword. Still, I need to think about it…”

But this time it’s a little different.

Currently, the Queen does not know that Alfred has infiltrated underground, but this is only possible because Alfred has kept his presence to a minimum.

If he goes all the way to Arcel, he will naturally detect an underground intruder, and then the pursuer will return straight underground without chasing the illusion.

If you don’t find the storage location in time, it will be difficult to escape because it is underground.

“But that seems like it would be the fastest, and besides, my body is moving without a head right now, so I can’t use magic properly.”

“What do you plan to do? I will follow your opinion. “No matter what choice you make, you must be aware of the risks that come with it.”

Arsel decided to follow Alfred entirely.

Anyway, everything is possible only with Alfred’s help.

He decided to entrust himself to Alfred, saying that he could be used as a sword by his master’s will.

He believed that Alfred would definitely use him in an efficient way.

“Which do you think is better? A method that takes a long time but is safe; a method that can significantly shorten the time but is dangerous. “Which of the two would you choose?”

But this owner seems to even respect the opinion of the sword.

Divide into two options and ask for their opinion once more.

On one hand, it is a safe but time-consuming method, and on the other, it involves gambling.

However, Arcel had already answered this question in the past.

“Then choose the latter. If you choose the safe method, you will miss out on a lot of what you could gain.”

Arsel chose to attack the demon king directly as a way to win the war against the demons.

Of course, it was a gamble that was destined to end if he made a mistake and lost, but he confidently won the jackpot in that gamble.

If that hadn’t happened, more people would have been sacrificed in the war than now.

“Really? Okay. “Then we have to do it in a safe way while greatly reducing the time.”

“Wait a minute, doesn’t that mean something different?”

Strangely enough, Alfred said that he makes a choice that only depends on the merits of the two options.

There was no such option from the beginning, so I wondered how such an option suddenly appeared.

“In the first place, I don’t leave any disadvantages behind and always make only favorable choices. Although sometimes I find myself unexpectedly at a dead end. “It was like getting beaten to the dust by you at Grandma Clen’s auction house.”

“…Did you still have that in your memory?”

“In the first place, a perpetrator easily forgets the victim’s pain. That was probably the first time I thought that it would be better to get stabbed in the back by my mother.”

Alfred shook his head and sighed deeply.

When I think about that time, I still get the illusion that smoke is coming out of my whole body.

“I want to return that literally.”

Arsel also had a lot to say about that.

“What did I do?”

“I also remember that every time you met me in the past, you would secretly put things on my shoulder, starting with a caterpillar, and then something like a disgusting stick.”

“Hey, I hope you accept that as cute cuteness.”

“Is it okay if I want to be cute to you too? “It might hurt a little.”

When I think about what I suffered from Alfred in the past, I want to spend 24 hours alone with Alfred in a cell.

It was good in Clen’s territory, but unfortunately, she was unable to recover her strength at that time.

I don’t like violence very much, but if possible, I wanted to spend a rough night of pain and groaning with Alfred while I was recovering.

That too physically.

“I will politely decline.”

Alfred smiled broadly and refused.

They say that if something like that happens, it might be better to die.

“…Are you planning on spending time alone?”

Arsel also smiled slightly at first, but then asked Alfred with a worried expression.

She already knew that the queen would notice if she went underground.

That’s why Alfred said that although it was possible to quickly find the magic storage, it was dangerous, and the reason it was dangerous was because the pursuers were immediately driven underground.

“Yes, the Queen said it confidently, but in the end, her main power is that unpleasant fake. “If she can keep him from going, there’s nothing that can stop you.”

But the only way to make it not dangerous is to catch the pursuer and take the time.

And the only one who can waste time here is Alfred.

In other words, it was a story about how Alfred had to stop a monster alone, with a power comparable to that of a warrior, but with the magic power of hundreds of warriors.

“I know that most wounds regenerate right away. However, the blow from the holy sword will not be easily recovered…”

“What? Are you really worried about me now? “The most useless worry in the world is worrying about myself.”

“…”

Arcel bit his lip.

Alfred was smiling as if nothing had happened, but he already knew it was a bluff.

This time is different.

Perhaps he is an opponent more dangerous than the Demon Lord.

No, but Alfred seems to really think that way and not just bluff…

Anyway, if Alfred retreats even for operational reasons, it is because the opponent is truly dangerous, and if he is caught incorrectly, it becomes very dangerous, so he chooses to do so.

Alfred originally considered stability to be important.

“If it seems dangerous, you can abandon me, so run away on your own. I don’t want to see you get hurt because of me.”

“…You were the one who hurt me the most so far? Even the Demon King didn’t treat me that harshly. “There are hundreds of bones broken by you right now-“

Alfred frowns as he remembers the past.

“Hmm! Even if you get hurt, I just want to hurt you with my own hands. No, I just want you to think that I don’t want you to be in danger.”

Arcel cleared his throat and corrected his words.

“Whatever, if your head is bad, your body will suffer.”

Alfred smiled and prepared his magic circle.

It seems that he is thinking of changing the location of his body and Arcel in the basement.

In this way, he could delay being discovered by the queen as much as possible, even if it was just a little longer than if he went directly underground.

“…Alfred.”

“Why are you calling me?”

Before Arcel went underground, he held his shoulder and called Alfred.

“I feel so fortunate to have met you.”

“What’s new-“

With her sincere words, she smiled and kissed Alfred.

That kiss was a wish for Alfred to be safe.

Alfred was a little embarrassed by Arcel’s sudden behavior, but soon smiled and slowly pulled Arcel away.

“…Alfred?”

Arsel’s eyes seemed to have some regret and concern.

“Don’t waste your time on things like this. Look carefully for the location of the stolen magic power. If it takes too long, I might deal with the counterfeit first.”

Unfortunately, there is no time to fill in regrets now.

With that, Alfred disappeared from Arcel’s sight.

It was moved to the basement of Hermod’s royal castle.

Alfred, who was left alone, stretched lightly and turned his gaze.

“Let’s see, I’m in a good mood today and I shouted loudly, so I need to sweat for the first time in a while.”

I originally hated hard work, but I thought it was okay to do light exercise every now and then.