Hero's Coffin Chapter 41

Chapter 41

#Part 6. 26%

He heard surprising news.

"What? Ten days have passed?"

They said that ten days had passed down below, even though it had been only a day, no, not even 24 hours since they had come down from the sky island. He was very surprised, but all his companions seemed to have expected it and remained calm.

Noi nodded and explained.

"Yes. Time flows differently in places with a lot of holy power. It's recorded in numerous sacred texts and history books, so we expected it. We didn't know it would be as much as ten days... but it means we visited a land full of Solnium's energy!"

He spoke with an excited face as if it was an extremely special event, making him the only one bewildered. Well, there were folk tales in his world too, about people watching celestial beings play Go and coming back to find decades had passed...

Perhaps there was no need to be surprised about time flowing faster after seeing a floating island in the sky. Though he understood it intellectually, he couldn't shake off the dazed feeling as he followed his companions, and they arrived at a truly unexpected place.

"...Why the temple? Do you want to get caught?"

They had said they needed to stop somewhere before going to the next Encroachment Zone, and they arrived in front of a magnificent temple. The temple in Rus was just as enormous as the one he had seen in the holy city.

What, had they left the Order but their faith was so deep that they needed to visit periodically to offer prayers? Had visiting the sky island made them feel Solnium's grace anew and overwhelmed them? But right now, the companions were all targets that the temple would be looking for with burning eyes.

Noi seemed to have heard his muttered question and shrugged.

"Few people know the temple as well as we do, so how would we get caught?"

"Ah..."

Well, with their disguised identities, the probability of getting caught should be zero. Even now, the companions were moving around the temple as if it were their own home.

"We came to the temple to get energy potions and find out various things. The third horn on the succubus is very unsettling, so we want to investigate if there have been cases of demons growing additional horns in history, and also check the atmosphere in the holy city..."

He had heard that the temple had a separate communication network and was the fastest place for news to spread in the empire. Also, since the Holy Knight Order of the Holy Empire had been at the forefront of the human-demon war, the temple supposedly had the most information about demons.

The succubus's third horn.

The sight he had seen on the sky island was still unforgettable. Even to him, who didn't know much about demons, that third horn had seemed abnormal. Since the probability of encountering demons in the future seemed high, it would be good to look into it.

"Anyway, if there's anyone who needs to be careful here, it's you. So don't wander too far away."

Noi warned him in a firm voice. Since he had been moving far apart from his companions all day since coming down from the sky island, he was warning him not to keep such a distance in the temple at least.

Then, where Noi gestured, a bulletin board with various official documents was visible, and unfortunately, his wanted poster was hanging there.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

High-Risk Target: Isaph Dina

Charges: Murder, Prison Break, Theft, Sorcery...

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Though he had expected it, seeing it for real was fascinating. Was that long amount written below the largest bounty in the empire's history?

He nodded obediently. He had no intention of getting caught up in unnecessary commotion either. Since Isaph had never been known to travel with anyone before, just being with companions should reduce suspicion.

So, next to the relatively comfortable Noi...

"Oh right. Only two people can enter the temple archives with mercenary silver badges. So Lady Mela and I will go..."

"Why."

"...Pardon?"

"No, I mean, why aren't you going with the commander."

"Ah, because Lady Mela knows a lot about demons."

Noi was taken aback when he asked with a stiff face, shocked by the news, but then shrugged as if it was obvious in response to his follow-up question. He was dismayed to read the intention that the decision would absolutely not be reversed.

If Noi and Mela disappeared now, his remaining choices were... only Kalterik and Harenir. He had to stay close to those two?

Though he was very displeased, Noi and Mela had already moved away down the opposite corridor. He followed the remaining two, inwardly heaving a deep sigh. The temple was so vast that it would be easy to get lost if one wasn't careful.

He'd been to temples a lot recently. He had seen one just hours ago on the sky island, and now he was in a temple again. Of course, that one had been a tomb in the form of a temple, and it had been covered in vines, so it was quite different from this place, but he felt an unnecessary aversion. It was probably because he was dissatisfied with having to walk close to his companions.

The place the two entered after walking for a while looked like some kind of shop.

"We've come to get potions."

Kalterik spoke in a very low voice, which was probably meant to hide his identity, but it sounded so artificial that the priest tilted his head. It must have sounded almost like a bear growling.

"Excuse me...?"

"Energy potions. One box."

Speaking again in that strange voice, Kalterik held out his mercenary badge. Though it didn't seem to be a situation where identity was an issue, the priest who checked the mercenary badge nodded dazedly and headed to the inner warehouse. It seemed he understood it as just another example of the many strange people among mercenaries.

Meanwhile, Kalterik, seemingly proud of having deceived the priest, confidently asked Harenir,

"Should we stock up on other items too? Considering the terrain of the western Encroachment Zone..."

"That's a good idea. I'll speak about that."

Harenir answered, curling the corners of his mouth. Was this the attitude of a superior covering for his subordinate's shortcomings? Inwardly chuckling, he looked around the space.

This place displayed items said to be blessed by priests, various books, and a variety of potions. While it was interesting to see a place that looked like an adventurer's shop inside a temple, it was also good for overhearing stories from other mercenaries who were numerous here.

"Hey, did you hear that rumor? They say the southern Encroachment Zone has disappeared..."

"What? Really?!"

He quietly listened to the conversation of nearby mercenaries. It seemed the misty forest they had visited last time had finally been completely purified. It was such surprising news that it seemed to be spreading quickly through word of mouth.

A mercenary wearing round glasses spoke in an excited tone.

"So there's talk that the hero might still be alive. He's secretly going around purifying Encroachment Zones!"

"Hmm. While I too hope for the hero's survival, how could he alone..."

However, the other mercenary holding a long rod showed an ambiguous reaction. Shaking his head, he said it was more likely that the Encroachment Zone had naturally disappeared after such a long time. He even added that the southern Encroachment Zone was said to be the smallest.

While saddened by the realization that the Encroachment Zones they would have to go to in the future would be much larger than that forest, he thought this was a rational response. He had expected that when news of an Encroachment Zone disappearing spread, voices hoping for the hero's survival would naturally arise, but the idea of him eliminating it alone was too unrealistic.

Even in a world that revered the hero, that would be hard to believe. Well, it wasn't one person but a party of five together...

However, the fanatic, no, the mercenary shook his head vigorously. He opened his mouth solemnly, as if his expectation was infused with certainty.

"The hero is 'His' son."

"...That's..."

"Even the calamity that seemed impossible to face was perfectly buried by 'Him', so now His son is following in His footsteps and eliminating the Encroachment Zones...!"

This seemed to be a different context from the modifier "son loved by God." At first, he was about to become indifferent, thinking it was another religious reason, but his eyes widened at the next part of the conversation.

Information quickly flashed through his mind.

[When it had been a year since the Dium ran rampant, the Holy Knight Commander of that era stepped forward and perfectly dealt with them.]

A passage he had found in the explanation about 'Dium' in the book he read at the historical hall. And...

'Both my parents were holy knights, so the environment I was exposed to from birth...'

As Harenir's words from the sky island came to mind as well, he almost burst into cheers. Ah, one of his parents must have been the Holy Knight Commander and that being had eliminated the Dium 20 years ago. So, just as the mercenary said, the hero might really be going around resolving Encroachment Zones, continuing his parent's will.

While feeling relieved, questions arose again. Why does everyone talking about the Dium insist they were 'perfectly' eliminated? Curious, he listened more closely to the mercenaries' conversation. Would any more clues drop?

"The hero has always tried to prove it. That he's different from 'that person'. So I can't believe this meaningless death either..."

Whoosh! Just then, his shoulder was grabbed.

"You bastard, where are you going so gloomily again? I told you not to act alone."

Kalterik was looking down at him with very suspicious eyes. Only then did he realize that he had followed the mercenaries and moved far away from his companions. If he had moved a little further, he would have left the shop.

Kalterik threw suspicious glances at him, saying he kept running off to strange places whenever he got the chance.