Tale of the Fake Hero - Chapter 227



Only Noblemtl

Season 3: Episode 35

At first, I just thought it was dazzling.

However, I thought it was beautiful.

During my childhood, when I was exposed to stories of warriors through fairy tales…

Because it doesn’t deal with the fairy tale of the warrior.

Because the legend of the warrior doesn’t tell.

The path of the warrior is established on the endless spiral of killing, where someone dies, someone is killed, someone dies, someone is killed, someone is killed, someone is killed, someone is killed, someone is killed…

Your scent, first expedition (1)

“John, look at that! The birds are starting to appear!”

The yellow city, , was located at the southernmost point of the civilized world among the seven major cities of the Republic.

“Finally arrived.”

A glare like frost flashed in John’s eyes. Of course, it was only for a moment, and John’s characteristically timid nature appeared.

“A 30-day journey… … If I try to read a book, I get seasick, and if I just look at the sea, it’s a waste of time… … .”

It takes 30 days by boat from the blue city, , to this place, .

I was honestly shocked to hear that even this was shortened enormously by the advent of the steamship.

is a coastal city in the extreme southwest, and has been a military stronghold where troops have been concentrated since ancient times.

“This is the troop transport ship ‘Niels-26’. Requesting port entry.”

As proof of this, the entire island group of Ilga Archipelago, large and small, scattered around the peninsula where is located, was a barrier base.

Those islands are the 3rd Army and 6th Division.

Now, the bases that controlled the force field that was shining translucently above the sea surface were all located on those islands.

“In the past, such a complicated process wasn’t necessary.”

“Then how do I stop Nagana Uruk from landing?”

“They say things are much better now thanks to the ‘Lighthouse of Pyras’.”

It is said that the lighthouse erected by Pyras, one of the ancient red dragons, when he died illuminated the sea with fire rather than light.

It is said that the flames instantly burned the abyssal limbs out of the sea when they appeared.

However, the lighthouse of Pyras was destroyed by the warlock Xernix in the 15th century and disappeared into the back alleys of history.

“Hmm, anyway, this is the end of civilization that I only heard about. Wow, it’s so hot.”

Camilla looked out over the southern horizon, where the stench of sulfur mingled faintly with the sea breeze that tossed her hair.

Of course, if you go down by land for about 30 days from here, the southern limit line called appears.

But there is no one in that land.

South, volcanic ash flowing from the Demon World eats away at all life, making it impossible for humans to live there.

That is why people have regarded as the real end of the world.

“Oh my, those idiots didn’t even know what we were thinking and ended up following us here.”

Delfred sighed as he watched the backs of the chattering boy and girl.

“I tried everything I could to get him off, but now that he’s been commissioned as a warrant officer, I can’t even find fault with him. Well, I guess that won’t be a big problem.”

“It’s still too early to feel at ease.”

Lamine smiled bitterly.

“You should be congratulated for the experience you’ve gained so far, but… … neither Kamina nor Johan have ever been in a real fight.”

Real life… … .

A world of slaughter where you have to kill something endlessly, and someone else dies countless times right next to you… … .

“Neither of us have ever lived in a world where our lives were threatened. A world where someone we were laughing and talking with until yesterday could die so easily.”

“… … .”

“Not losing willpower on the battlefield is a basic quality of a Payquerier… … Kami’s aptitude will be tested from now on. The same goes for Johan.”

Laminea looked down sadly. She said that the relationship between the priests and the payqueriers was similar to that between parents and children.

Is that really true…?

Where are the parents who drag their beloved children to the battlefield?

[Identification signal confirmed. Entry is permitted.]

Someone answered from the lighthouse on the largest island in the Ilga Archipelago, called ‘Father Island’.

Camilla opened her mouth wide.

The station gates were opened on both sides. Did it really look like a door leading to a dream world?

“Ah, no, no, this is not the time to be doing this.”

Camilla ran down the stairs to her cabin below deck.

First, I opened the beer keg.

The light armor gleamed with a whitish glow in the gravel-filled bucket. Just looking at the armor, a gift from Hannah Ludwig, made me happy.

“Um, uh, huh.”

Perhaps because I had little opportunity to practice, putting on the armor alone was actually quite burdensome.

“Kami, today we’re just reporting to headquarters, so there’s no need to wear all your gear.”

A gentle warmth seeps into those clumsy hand movements.

Warmth helped him put his arms into the sleeves of his armor, opened the chain link for him, and straightened his appearance. The name of that warmth was, Master.

When I was young, whenever I let out even the slightest groan, you were always there.

“No! Today is my first day debuting in the payqueer society. I have to go with all my might.”

I couldn’t say it. I was still embarrassed to say what I really felt.

I want to look proud.

I hope that the fact that I am your disciple will not tarnish your honor, but rather make it shine even brighter.

“Kami is always so energetic. Whenever I see her, I can’t help but laugh.”

“Right?”

During this period, infantrymen wore wide, short-sleeved uniforms over chainmail, secured with a sword belt.

The uniform of the Red Lotus Corps is pure white.

The red lotus emblem embroidered on the front and back was the ‘unit mark’ and symbol.

Later, I felt uncomfortable and tore off all the sleeves and moved around, but at that time, I treasured each piece of newly equipped military equipment more than my body.

“Oh my, you look like a girl warrior.”

The teacher, who had brightly lit the lamp, placed both hands on Camilla’s shoulders and led her in front of the mirror.

I can’t forget that moment… … .

For the rest of my life, I will never forget that day… … .

The sight of myself as I looked at it with the Master, the red lotus blooming in my uniform, seemed to be… …as if I was proudly announcing to the world that I was your disciple.

“Let’s not wear a helmet today because it will ruin our style.”

I felt like I could fly in the sky at any moment. I couldn’t contain my excitement.

Camilla was the first to jump aboard the steamer when it docked at the dock. A new city, new smells, new sights… .

was a military city. The strictness of the soldiers, rather than the excitement of the merchants, dominated the port.

“Welcome, I’ve been waiting for you.”

A railway convoy was waiting for the Red Lotus Corps at the port.

For the rapid transport of troops and supplies, numerous railways overlapped the port of .

Soldiers who entered by sea headed to key bases along the railroad, and vice versa.

“This is a call to action for shift change and troop deployment. Please lead the executives to the headquarters immediately. The monorail has been prepared.”

Laminea nodded, politely accepting the transport’s salute.

On the continent of Acrad, everyone was amazed and curious when they saw a Payquerier, but the soldiers here greeted their master indifferently.

And the soldiers of this city, what should I say, are lifeless, seem to have no emotions… … .

‘So what?’

That day, my excitement couldn’t be suppressed by just those looks or reactions.

I saluted next to my teacher.

The basics of salute, learned while getting scolded by Patisserie Dune Jera.

“Sergeant Camilla, please take good care of me!”

The tired eyes of the transport captain wavered in confusion as he received Camilla’s salute. Amidst the laughter of the soldiers, the captain also responded with a hollow laugh and a salute.

“Welcome to , Lieutenant. However, since your immediate superior received my salute first, there is no need to salute like this. It is rude to your superior.”

“all right!”

“Excellent. Rest. Excuse me, Payquerier.”

“No, I laughed out loud because I took Kami’s prank so well.”

Delfred, who was directing the disembarkation and unloading of the soldiers, shook his head.

“Why is that guy so excited all of a sudden? He didn’t even come to play.”

The veterans of the corps, carrying their military gear and passing through the main gate, passed by Delfred and spoke.

“If you don’t know that, you won’t be popular with women even though you have family background and wealth.”

“What, Inma?”

“Look at those clothes. And look at the envious eyes of our poor former youngest.”

“Hey, you crazy bastards! Don’t you know how gross it is when guys give each other gifts?”

“Ugh. Let’s stop talking, Nari.”

Camilla ran around and arrived at the train station in no time.

I saluted each and every soldier who saw my warrant officer’s insignia with all my might, and even that was enjoyable.

The Master was saluted with a light raise of the hand, which was probably only possible after he had had some time.

… … .

This was the first city I had ever been in that had a monorail. It was also my first time looking out over the city while the train was swaying.

‘Wow, there’s a place like this in the world.’

The people of had a custom of covering their entire faces except their eyes with turbans.

It seemed like a natural measure, given the murderous heat that had to be coexisted with.

Oh, truly, I wondered if there could be such a large and unfamiliar city.

‘Why is it so strange?’

Because it was a frontline military stronghold, the technological prowess of the Dwarves was concentrated amidst explosive financial support from the Qing Dynasty’s Mirngardia and the Holy See.

The city was full of Ajin technology that ordinary humans could not even dream of (because Ajin were reluctant to share it).

The city stood out as an even more exotic place, as human culture and Ain culture met and harmonized.

‘It has a mysterious beauty behind its heavy and hard appearance.’

Although it was called a military city, the city was crowded with soldiers’ families and those who provided entertainment and food to the soldiers.

It was common to see shirtless soldiers running along the city streets, honking their officers’ whistles.

Soldiers were often seen giggling and drinking in the pub’s front yard, playing dice.

Within the wide-area magic barrier, not a single volcanic ash or sandstorm from the demon world reached , and the city seemed sturdy.

A fleet of Griffins took off and landed without stopping, and on the other side of the monorail, numerous infantrymen were heading to the port, but for some reason the city seemed peaceful.

[The next stop is the old city hall building, the Unified Armed Forces Command building.]

The monorail stopped, and Camilla followed Laminea down to the command center.

The building, which was converted from a city hall built during the era of the old Seven Great Cities into a headquarters, boasted ostentatious grandeur rather than practicality.

There was a long corridor, an old architectural style, and in the center of the corridor was erected this main character of peace.

Yong Hyun, Rain Ludwig.

Unlike the statue erected in the courtyard of the Vatican, he was not alone. He was with his famous colleagues who had prevented the 15th-century massacre.

Demon Sword Miria.

Yongchang Bart.

Palace Rem.

This place is said to be especially popular with women. Sadly, it’s not because of their colleagues.

That’s right, because of the existence of the baby dragon.

The girl that Yong-Hyeon is putting his hand on is the young version of ‘Akirea of ??the Red Flame’, and the one he is holding in his arms is the young version of ‘Setsunen of the Brain’.

“Aren’t they too cute to be called the guardians of humanity?”

The Master placed his hand on Camilla’s head, just like the statue, and spoke.

“Who would have known at the time that the two of you would become such beings? You would have been so cute that it would have been impossible to leave you alone.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s how Kami looks to me. Right now, he’s just cute… … You know the providence of creation. What kind of hero Kami will become in the future.”

What will my future self look like…?

I can’t even imagine it. It would be nice if at least the tips of my teacher’s feet resembled it.

Just as I was thinking carefully about what the future would look like, a welcome voice was heard and my heart raced.

“Camilla? It’s Camilla!”

We met again… … ‘Childhood Goal’ had a more beautiful presence than two years ago.

“Uh, Asher… … Sister?”

The being that ran towards me in one stride, placed both hands on my sides, and lifted me up high into the sky should have been familiar, but it felt extremely unfamiliar.

It felt so, so far away.

The reason was quickly apparent: her once brilliant blond hair was turning white.

“Are you my sister?”

When he met Asher again, he might have mistaken him for his master for a moment… … He had the presence of a dragon in his soul.

And on top of that, he was dressed in a cold uniform.

The 10-character and 11-character swords, which emphasize mobility, do not wear heavy armor unless they reach the realm of the expert.

“How have you been, Senior Laminea?”

However, even in the future when Camilla became a master of the Ten-letter Sword, she continued to wear the light armor that Hanna had given her as a gift.

Repairing broken and broken chains to the limit, and adding quilted armor as inner skin… … .

Until the day I die after completing my mission, my whole life.

“Yeah, it’s good to see Asher looking healthy too.”

As Laminea smiled brightly, Camilla shouted.

“Key, why are you so tall?!”

Ashir, who had placed Camilla back on the floor, ran his index finger under her nose.

“Oh well, when I was a teacher, I said I wouldn’t join the sect, so he told me to go every six months and get injected with the Yongryongseok. I ended up growing this tall after doing that.”

He was really, really tall.

Camilla, who was proud of her height despite being smaller than her teacher, was now in a position where she had to look up to him.

“Oh, so Asher will be given a field commission? That’s unprecedented.”

“I don’t know yet. Well, whatever happens, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“Hmm, in , you have to receive a lot of military theory education, but are you saying that you want to skip all that?”

“There’s Aydin Oppa. He knows more about the Demon Tribe than all the information in . What do you mean? You can learn tactics and strategies by observing them in actual combat.”

From the way he spoke, it seemed that Asher was no longer a disciple, but rather a payquerier.

“I thought I was following you a little, but you’ve grown so far away… … .”

“Kami, um, so this is.”

“This is so awesome! You look so cool right now, unnie! I want to be like you soon.”

At Camilla’s bewildered reaction, Asher blinked and then burst into a bright laugh.

“Oh, Camilla. You don’t know how much I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again. What a joy it has always been to read about you in the newspapers.”

“Haha! Well, I guess it’ll be fun to watch the story of a genius growing up, right?”

“Yeah! And what the heck, what the heck, what if you come here looking so cute? Even the demons will probably run away instead of attacking Camilla because she’s so cute.”

The voice that refuted that pun was… …a blade. Not a real blade, but a voice filled with a fierce murderous intent, as if the tip of the blade was aimed at the heart.

“The demons may look like they’re empty-headed, but they’re not. Why would they do something like that? They’d just be more likely to attack.”

Leading pay querier, Vinessa Alter Renault.

Really… … I get overwhelmed every time I see it.

I thought that if there was a human being who could kill an enemy with just a look or a movement, it would be this heroine.

“It’s been a while, Laminea. Did you have a nice vacation?”

Vinessa stood facing her master. Aradmantel and Renold greeted the twin holy swords with red breath.

Even a child who knew nothing could tell that this woman was now the most powerful person in the world.

The teacher smiled brightly.

“Yes, thanks to you, senior.”

Asher spoke to Vinessa in a tone that was almost affectionate.

“Child, Master, that’s what you say. But at this rate, it might really happen.”

Seeing that look, that smile… … Camilla thought, “Ah.”

Asher is just like me.

He is a disciple of the Payquerier who respects and follows the Master just like me.

“Isn’t that right, Aydin?”

Aydin, a peerless, handsome priest who completely changed the standards of handsomeness after seeing him once, was also there.

“There are many types and numbers of demons, so it would be difficult to say for sure that there are none.”

It’s because he never appears at official functions, but if this person was a person who showed off spontaneously, it would have been a good showdown with Jabal.

It is a showdown between the most handsome man on the continent of Acrad and the most handsome man on the continent of Adrion.

Of course, neither of them were to Camilla’s taste.

“You heard what Aydin said? You can be confident, Camilla.”

Then Vinesa brought her face closer and said.

“Forget about such nonsense on the battlefield. There are no enemies who will spare you. There are only those who will kill you if you don’t kill them first. Those fools who take such tricks to heart will die on the first day. They are no better than a piece of luggage.”

Such a trivial action itself arouses instinctive fear.

It’s the fear that the prey feels when they see the hunter, or an overwhelming presence, right in front of them.

Camilla, who had been clenching her fists and barely swallowing her saliva, soon came to her senses.

– When receiving advice from a superior, always salute.

In the warrant officer training, I received instructions from the party chef, and my body moved on its own, and I saluted perfectly.

The pronunciation is clear.

The movements are restrained.

Then I learned that what should have been hit once won’t be hit, and what should have been hit twice will be hit once.

“Net! Warrant Officer Camilla! The advice you gave me! I will definitely! keep it in mind!”

For a moment, a thick silence fell across the hallway.

It seemed like something was wrong.

Meeting the gaze of the lead pay querier was an area where my instincts appealed to the impossible, so I unconsciously shut my eyes tightly.

“… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Camilla’s prediction was only half right.

It’s true that a problem occurred, but it occurred in a different direction.

‘What is this kid’s reaction…?’

As if seeing a living creature for the first time in her life, Vinessa’s head tilted slightly, really slightly.

It was half-simultaneous that Lamine and Asher burst into laughter.

He stopped laughing when he saw Vinessa’s murderous gaze, but laughter continued to leak out through the gap in his silence.

‘How can you not laugh?’

‘I’ve never seen a teacher react like that before.’

Even the unidentified priest, Aydin, looked at Camilla with interest for a moment.

“What are you doing instead of coming in?”

Delfred, who had entered the command building first, asked.

“I was just watching the Kami talent show for a moment. I’ll go now. You go ahead, Senior Vinessa.”

April 14, 1671 AD.

Laminia Alter Aradmantel Makha Hongryeon Corps, arrives at the frontline base .

The number of Payquerier units called up that day was as many as seven, including the Blood Horse Units stationed permanently.