Quit The Hero Party

EP.74 Extra, The Apostate (2)

The Hero’s party consists of a small number of members.

Throughout history, there have been several Hero parties, but the number of members has never exceeded five.

Hero, Mage, Cleric, Scout and Marksman.

The most basic party composition is part of the Knights Order and operates similarly to a commando unit. They move across various fronts, hunting down powerful beings that cannot be dealt with by the Knights Order alone.

Things humans Cannot fight against.

Even if faced, immense damage is expected.

What the Hero hunts are exactly those kinds of beings.

However, it’s not just the Hero who targets these beings. There are also superhumans who, although not on par with the Hero, surpass the Hero in certain aspects.

– Rodimel Fortress has been breached.

– The apostate, Gletus, has intervened.

– A calamity has appeared.

Rumors spread quickly.

Hearing the rumors that spread across the battlefield, renowned knights gather at the western front.

And among them are also superhumans.

The superhuman of the sword.

Sword Master, Kuntel.

The man with the sword arrived at the battlefield a day before the Hero. He immediately drew his sword and scouted the captured Rodimel Fortress.

“Ugh.”

He smirked and muttered.

“You expect me to break through this?”

The gray fog enveloped the fortress.

Facing the gleaming eyes within the fog, Kuntel let out a hollow laugh.

Kiik, kiiiik.

Something beyond the ordinary wriggled within the fortress.

2.

“…Uncle, what happened to your arm?”

“I was bitten by some crazy mutts. But I’m alright now. I had a potion bath.”

Kuntel shrugged.

He unwrapped the blood-soaked bandage and began to rebind his arm as he spoke.

“Well, it’s been a while. You brats.”

In one corner of the barracks, Sword Master Kuntel looked at two visitors. They were once his disciples in martial arts and swordsmanship.

The Hero, Kyle Toven.

The Wise One, Raniel van Trias.

These individuals are called the hope of humanity.

Of course, Kuntel didn’t teach them for a long time.

“Actually, it’s more accurate to say we fought together on the battlefield rather than I taught them…”

Having frequently crossed paths on the battlefield, he merely pointed out their shortcomings and adjusted their movements a little.

“I haven’t officially taught them much.”

Still, they can be called his disciples. Although in terms of the Wise One, since her focus is on spells, Kuntel didn’t teach her much… The situation is a bit different with the Hero.

“It’s been a while, Master.”

The Hero, Kyle, bowed his head.

Kuntel smiled at him, one of the best swordsmen he taught over nearly half a century.

“Yeah, Kyle. I heard you took down the Black Dragon? Kid, it feels like just yesterday when you were learning from me.”

“It was possible because Raniel restrained its feet.”

“Restrained the feet of that Black Dragon? You kids are still so ridiculous.”

Kuntel burst into hearty laughter.

However, that laughter didn’t last long. Clearing his throat, Kuntel continued.

“If it were up to me, I’d like to have a drink and hear about your Black Dragon hunt… but given the situation, that’s going to be difficult.”

“They say an apostate has appeared?”

The Ashen-Haired Man spoke.

He took off his robe and lightly shook his head. His blue eyes sparkled amidst his ashen hair.

“I heard Rodimel Fortress was breached.”

“Yeah. They say it fell. In an instant.”

“What’s the situation?”

Kuntel lightly swung his sheathed sword.

One side of the tent opened, revealing the view of the plains.

A vast, black plain stretched across the land.

On a cliff resembling a gorge at the edge of the plains stood the Old Castle, Rodimel Fortress.

The watchtowers of Rodimel Fortress, remodeled from the old castle, should have always been glowing with magical light, but were completely dark.

“As you can see,”

pointing to the darkened Rodimel Fortress, Kuntel spoke shortly.

“It’s the worst.”

Rodimel Fortress is surrounded by a gray fog.

The fog surrounding the fortress is abnormal. Visibility is almost nonexistent.

“Have you tried breaking through?”

“I’ve tried.”

“Someone like you should be able to sneak in, right?”

“I thought so too.”

Kuntel slowly drew the hilt from its sheath.

“But it didn’t work out.”

The blade emerged from between the sheath. The blade is completely dull and seems like it could break at any moment.

Kyle’s eyes widened at the sight.

“…That sword was made of rare metals, wasn’t it?”

“It’s from the Sacred Site of the Sword, so it must be made of rare metals. This is the first time I’ve seen a blade get this dull.”

Kuntel smiled bitterly.

“There were all kinds of beasts surrounding the fortress. I managed to clear a path, but if I went any further, I felt like I’d die too.”

At least he could not break through alone.

Even if he tried, he would have to sacrifice knights.

Muttering this, Kuntel returned the sword to its sheath.

“I feel sorry for calling you two so soon after defeating the Black Dragon. But I still think this is something only you can handle.”

Normally, the absence of the Hero would have been filled by Sword Masters like Kuntel. However, the emergence of calamities like the Four Heavenly Kings changes that narrative.

‘Among them, this one is particularly unique.’

It’s not the usual Ancient Lich disrupting the battlefield.

In centuries of history, instances where it has revealed itself are extremely rare, and most of its existence remains shrouded in mystery.

Apostate, Gletus.

Each time that calamity appeared, the knights fled. They abandoned the battlefield ravaged by the calamity. However, that is not possible this time.

“We cannot afford to lose Rodimel Fortress.”

“……”

“If the fortress falls, the future battlefield will become incredibly difficult. We must reclaim the fortress at all costs.”

“I understand.”

Raniel nodded.

“I know how important Rodimel Fortress is. And you don’t need to feel sorry for us.”

He stood up from his seat.

“After all, it’s going to be difficult to push through with a Summoner who relies on numbers and a Sword Master.”

“…That’s true.”

“So, it’s right that we handle this.”

Raniel, who stood up, lightly tapped Kyle on the shoulder.

“I’ll head out first. I need to scout ahead.”

Then he exited the barracks. As Kuntel watched him leave blankly, he suddenly spoke.

“…Are you really the Hero? Kyle?”

“Yes?”

“I mean, sometimes I think that guy seems more like a Hero than you do.”

“Ahahaha…”

Kyle scratched his head.

“His head is better than mine. Most strategies are devised by him, especially in situations like this.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. Usually, you can charge in on a battlefield, but it’s not the case in situations like this. And also…”

He touched the hilt of the Holy Sword as he replied.

“His judgment can be sharper than a star, sometimes. He makes better decisions than I do.”

“A star, you say.”

Kuntel laughed as he looked at the Holy Sword Kyle was holding.

“Kyle, let me give you a piece of advice.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t trust the star too much.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Kuntel replied.

“At critical moments, stars do nothing for you.”

3.

The barracks assigned to the Hero party.

Raniel was caressing her chin as she alternated between checking the map and the blueprints of Rodimel Fortress.

“So, what are you planning to do, Raniel?”

“Wait, I’m thinking.”

“Can’t we just do it like always?”

Sitting on the desk, Sara swung her legs as she spoke. Raniel glared at her and waved her hand.

“Don’t sit on the desk. It’s distracting.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

Sara leaned her head towards Raniel.

“Honestly, I saw you differently during the hunt for the Black Dragon. Your spell shone like never before. It’s rare to see such starlight even at our church.”

“I drew circuits for almost a month. It’s only natural to restrain the Black Dragon’s feet to that extent.”

“Anyway, it’s a compliment.”

Leaving Sara humming behind, Raniel continued to move the quill. She was mapping out the entry route through the path the Sword Master had created.

“Shall we infiltrate?”

“We need to see the extent of it.”

“Can’t we just handle it like when we took down the Black Dragon? You bind its feet with spells, Kyle rampages, and my blessings along with Remia’s moonlight arrows will suffice?”

“The situation is different now.”

Raniel said, resting her chin on her hand.

“We had a long preparation period back then. The Black Dragon was unable to leave its nest since it was protecting its hatchlings. That allowed us to take our time hunting it down.”

“…That’s true.”

“That preparation period was about a month. Even with that time, we still suffered considerable damage.”

He rolled up his robe.

On his exposed arm was a long burn mark. It was an injury that had not fully healed even with Sara’s healing.

“Plus, there were a lot of records about the Black Dragon. Black storms, ancient dragons, etc… We had information on hand, so we could respond to nearly all attacks.”

“But you didn’t respond to its breath attack.”

“Seriously, who can counter that? Unless someone charges through like Kyle, there’s no solution.”

Anyway, saying that, Raniel grumbled.

“Compared to the Black Dragon, we have less information about the Apostate. It has rarely shown up on the battlefield… and even when it did, it’s only been described in this manner.”

He pointed to one side of the book.

“It appeared with the fog and vanished with it. Descriptions like that are all we have. What we know is… the Apostate is both an alchemist and a summoner.”

“A summoner…”

“Right, a summoner. A summoner so notorious that it’s called a calamity. We have no idea what it might summon.”

Raniel tapped the quill.

The ink it dropped fell at the center of Rodimel Fortress. Since it was remodeled from the old castle, a notably empty hall exists.

“I don’t know what might be in there.”

The strength of a summoner is determined by the number of prepared minions. Moreover, the number of minions released in the outer area easily exceeds a hundred.

‘That level is already absurd.’

Even the minions positioned outside the fortress are so.

‘Then, what about those inside the fortress?’

It’s unimaginable. Even a guess is impossible.

“We need to go take a look.”

“Then should we go with Kyle?”

“How would he sneak in? He needs to go with Remia, that ear girl.”

Raniel organized the map and stood up. Seeing her, Sara asked.

“But Raniel.”

“What?”

“What will happen to the knights inside the fortress?”

“…What?”

What on earth is she talking about?

Raniel tilted her head and glared at Sara. Asking about the knights inside the fortress…

‘Could she be asking seriously?’

A night had passed since the Apostate engulfed the fortress.

The chances of the knights stationed in the fortress still being alive are slim. No, it’s more appropriate to say they’re simply gone.

‘…That’s just how it is.’

It’s right to assume they all died.

And despite how foolish Sara may be, there’s no way she wouldn’t know that.

‘She must be asking what we should do with the knights’ corpses.’

That interpretation seems to fit Sara’s character. Letting out a sigh, Raniel responded.

“…What should we do with the dead knights? We can think about holding a joint funeral after reclaiming the fortress.”

“I’m talking about the living knights.”

Sara said nonchalantly.

“There are Holy Knights still alive in there, you know?”

“…What?”

“I can hear them praying.”

She tapped her ear with her fingers.

Watching Sara scratch her ear as if it tickled, Raniel asked.

“…What are they saying?”

“Hmm, the distance is far and it seems like something is blocking it, so I can’t hear it well…”

Sara replied, expressionless.

“They’re asking to be killed.”

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