Tale of the Fake Hero - Chapter 288



Only Noblemtl

Season 3: Episode 96

“On January 15, 1675 AD, a month before the end of the war and the dawn of the new year, the defeated forces of the three clans, including the humans, demons, and children, gathered in .”

.

Named the ‘City of Beginnings’ or ‘Port of Beginnings’, it is a land steeped in history where the journey of the old Lista Party began.

“Now, the lands south of have become lost to humanity.”

The Red City .

Solond’s palace, .

Among these, 7 out of the 11 wonders of the world were all incorporated into the Demon World.

“The eastern end of the Adrion continent, which is under the jurisdiction of the fairies, was still under fierce siege, but at the call of the Qing Dynasty, key figures such as King Saoro I of the Fairies and Hwang Eun’s disciple Balbray arrived in .”

Cheongseong thought that he could no longer avoid a decisive battle.

Right here and now, I thought I had to subdue ‘Old Eldia’, which was the best variable in the ancient war and the worst variable in this war.

The remaining troops numbered 1.3 million, but most of them had fled, abandoning supplies and weapons, so the battle situation and morale were at their worst.

“Now, there is only one battle left until the end of the ‘Black Summer’. Today, we will cover the background and consequences of that ‘Eldia Disaster’.”

The hero I saw and learned, the end of ‘Black Summer’ (1)

The train ‘Jerome-II’ carrying the defeated soldiers of passed through and the Ranoa Bridge and headed to .

Camilla woke up.

It was about two days before I arrived at the Ranoa Bridge, and despite being in a coma and not receiving enough nutrients, I felt more energetic than before.

“Kami… …?”

As I clenched and unclenched my fist, I heard a voice from the bedside… …a voice that made it impossible to imagine a world without it now.

“Kami… … !”

Camilla couldn’t figure out where the sadness that seemed to shine through the darkness came from when the Master embraced her.

Maybe, that sadness is… … .

Just as a candle must eventually go out, and even the sun that illuminates the entire world sets and falls at night, wasn’t it an intuition that this relationship would soon end?

The sadness didn’t end there.

John was dozing off at the foot of the bed. According to the Master, he had been nursing Camilla for ten nights.

“The battle… How did it go?”

“Ah~ Kami must have passed out so he didn’t see it. Uncle Mir sealed Neigalas, and the volcanoes that erupted with a “Puberbang!” wiped out all the demons that had come there! It was truly a great victory! Sharon also woke up yesterday. Do you want to go see her?”

“So, did everyone come back alive?”

I was embarrassed by how few people were included in the word ‘everyone’… … but I still asked.

The teacher lowered his gaze.

At the end of that lowered gaze, a sadness that was neither suppressed nor rubbed away hung faintly.

“I wish that were possible. I still can’t get in touch with my uncle, and Senior Tars… … .”

How nice it would have been if that had been possible. If only the Master had nodded happily and his eyes had sparkled at that nod.

So if I could say.

The sight of the ‘beginning’ and the ‘end’.

But the teacher I met again… … No, the sadness of everyone I met again was so deep that I couldn’t say anything.

First pay querier.

Tars Alter Surpin is missing.

Roberis didn’t eat anything, didn’t say anything, just sat with his head buried in his knees, hugging himself at the corner of the train. His eyes were sad and swollen.

how…….

What comfort… … .

I don’t know if I should do it… … .

The Master said that it would be enough for him to just be there. Camilla hesitated awkwardly and then sat down next to him.

“I’m fine.”

“Roro… … .”

“Master told me to carry my Iron Cross and come to my goal. I’m just drawing the blueprint. So don’t worry too much about it.”

How is this guy so strong?

If my master had died… … .

But soon, seeing the water droplets falling between Loro’s legs, I realized that Loro was not weak at all.

So I couldn’t leave your side.

Around noon, Sharon came here after hearing news about Camilla, and Sharon stayed with Loro instead while Camilla went to get lunch.

‘He died… … .’

It seems like only yesterday you said I have nice eyes, that I have good eyes… … .

The teacher followed along very well… … .

Still, the death of Tarth was a story from a distant world. It was hard to believe, but the sadness was indirect.

That got on my nerves.

Traces of a hasty retreat were visible through the train window… … All kinds of corpses were covering the mountains and fields.

All the lumps of iron or weapons that could not be taken in time were smashed and burned, turning them into rust.

You could also see the new giants of Ain being destroyed by the artillery fire of Ain’s artillery unit on the open wagon.

That selfish sadness that could only be excused as indirect was extremely irritating.

But other deaths were different.

I heard of his death from Eshir.

Ashir knelt on the roof of a train running along the railroad, praying with the pole-sword Renault on his knees, he met Camilla.

“No, who is this? Isn’t this Mrs. Camilla who just got her skin treated at the Ogre Dermatology Clinic?”

“What are you talking about, seriously?”

As the train traversed the continent, shaking with a steady beat, I made idle chatter with Eshir.

As the river swirled, they playfully shared stories about Camilla’s growth in swordsmanship.

As the ridges of the hills curved toward the horizon, Eshir told them of the events that had occurred that day, shortly after Camilla had disappeared.

Indifferently.

As if it wasn’t fate.

As if it wasn’t that important.

I still remember the faces of those three people, as well as their voices. They were the ones who had firmly supported the backbone of the Blood Demon Corps even after Shapell’s death.

They told me a lot.

I learned about my colleagues from them.

I also thought that someday, I would like to find colleagues like these four, with whom I can lean on each other’s backs and laugh together in any situation. But they’re all dead?

“Now there are less than a hundred Blood Horse Legion members left.”

“Sister… … .”

“There, the only person who was there when I became a disciple was Aydin.”

There was not a single trace of sorrow in Asher’s expressionless smile. He had probably never shed a tear before.

“There’s only one left… … .”

Ashir said that and said nothing else.

The sun set and hung on the horizon.

As if to celebrate the return of light, the magnificent Ranoa Bridge was revealed in the distance. The twilight shone brilliantly upon its framework.

Ranoa Bridge.

This is a great bridge called the gateway to the continent of Adrion, and as one of the 11 wonders, it boasts an unrealistic scale.

The saying, ‘It makes all the bridges in the world not be bridges’, could be said to best describe that bridge.

The two sat in silence, gazing at the approaching bridge, beautifully reflecting the twilight.

As dusk began to fade and dusk began to fall, Eshir began to cry, burying his head on Camilla’s shoulder.

All night long, quietly.

* * *

The operation force finally crossed the Ranoa Bridge and passed through the strait.

The city of beginnings, , was located on Tashin Island. Tashin Island is located right above the continent of Adrion, but is tectonic separate.

Even the air on the island was good.

Because it had not yet been affected by the abyss, the trees on both sides of the railroad were growing thickly, singing the summer with their various colors.

‘I came here because… … .’

Camilla thought.

Everyone would have thought so.

‘How nice it would have been if I had been on my way home… … .’

How happy I would have been if I had finished my term, embraced the news of victory, and passed through this place with my loved ones. How dreamlike it would have been.

‘huh?’

It was a single sword that cut off all thoughts and stopped me in my tracks on the street.

ironworks…….

It was because of the knives on the counters of the old ironworks, where they constantly hammered iron to produce new weapons and repair damaged ones.

‘what?’

I was thinking of just leaving, but my feet wouldn’t move and I kept going back there.

“Are you selling this?”

For almost five years, I lived looking at iron.

Although I do not have the ability to forge iron, I can immediately tell that the iron ore used to make this sword and the technology used to smelt it were incredibly advanced.

The blade was of the size of a small sword, but the iron had a bloody smell and the edge was sharp enough to cut through the eyes.

“I’m selling it.”

“Why didn’t it sell?”

The foreman, who was hammering the weapons on the anvil, glanced at him.

Camilla didn’t recognize him right away, but the night watchman’s name was Stan.

Even with the advent of factories, he was one of the top three craftsmen who maintained his position with the best ironmaking technology.

“As expected of a disciple of Payquerier, you immediately recognize a good sword. I poured all my effort and skill into making it, accumulating over 35 years. However, these days, there aren’t many people looking for a good sword, so it’s become a burden.”

“How much are you selling it for?”

“Fifteen gold coins. I forged it by mixing the three major types of steel: the cold iron of the North, the slashing iron of the Slashing Iron Archipelago, and the hot iron of the Adrion Continent, using my experience and skills. It can even cut through iron with certainty. If you don’t believe me, you can try it out.”

Fifteen gold coins… … .

A silver coin is the typical daily wage for a factory worker.

One gold coin was worth one hundred silver coins, which was the amount that an ordinary person would have to work and save for one thousand five hundred days without rest to live on.

“Don’t even think about bargaining. I don’t lower the price or anything like that just because it doesn’t sell. I think that lowers the value of my skills.”

I could clearly see why it didn’t sell.

There was no extravagant decoration on this sword. It was just a hilt, a scabbard, and a blade.

However, the wood that made up the handle seemed solid, perhaps made of deeply aged cedar, and the texture of the leather wrapped around it was also amazing.

‘It’s not fancy, but it’s definitely one of the top three swords I’ve ever seen.’

The Master would like this.

This person prefers practical things over extravagant things.

This is because I am the type of person who absolutely hates showing off and showing off to others.

‘For fifteen gold coins… … Ugh, I should have lived a little frugally.’

As a disciple of the Paqueurier, her salary came from the Vatican, but Camilla always gave generously to everyone.

If you can give, give.

Because that was the teacher’s teaching.

“I have seven gold pieces now… … and I can withdraw eight more from the Vatican. You can write down in the ledger my name as Camilla, disciple of Laminea Alter Aradmantel.”

Camilla didn’t hesitate.

After going through all the events so far, I decided to convey my completed beliefs to the Master, and I thought it would be perfect to give this as a gift at that time.

Stan wrote Camilla’s name in the ledger, and after receiving her signature and seal, he held out a dagger roughly wrapped in a greased rag.

“I don’t know what you’re dealing with, but unless you’re trying to cut a mountain or something, it will never break. If the teeth fall out or the blade breaks within six months, I’ll give you a full refund.”

Camilla chuckled.

It was a smile whose meaning was known only to the speaker himself.

“Then don’t do that. This is a gift that I’m giving you to tell you not to do that anymore.”

* * *

After arriving at the city of beginning, , it took ten more days for the Blue Castle Mirngardia to join us.

Until then, Camilla had been learning the last of the ten cardinal directions, fasting, from Laminea.

Fasting, eternal extinction.

“The Island of Destruction is the last of the Ten Characters. To use it, you must be able to perfectly master all the core techniques of the Ten Characters. In short, Kami is now ready.”

With just one slash, dozens of sword energies remain and swirl in the dimension cut by that slash.

It’s not just a simple whirlpool.

Each of those vortices was the first step of the Ten-Character Form. The sword energy was practicing the Ten-Character Form.

“Should I say it’s similar to the legendary swordsmanship, the Eogumsul? It’s less flashy, but if you can use it well, it won’t be hard to seduce a cool guy!”

The difficulty of acquiring the Immortal Island was several times more difficult than all the other herbivores combined… … .

Those days were happy.

That moment was happy.

We laughed, chatted, swung our swords together with the Master, then while catching our breath, we joked around with each other, laughed and chatted again… … .

‘I have to give it to you.’

I always carried a dagger hidden in my bag, but it took a long time before I could give it to him as a gift.

Why is that?

I’ve become quite good at mustering up the courage to fight, but I don’t know why I can’t muster up the courage to give a gift like this.

“Master, this… … .”

“huh?”

“… … It’s a birthday present.”

“Oh my, this is so pretty… … What should I do? I’m so happy right now I’m crying.”

After spinning the short sword around here and there, I was satisfied when my master pulled out the blade and let out a heartfelt exclamation.

“It’s nothing special. I just saved up and bought it. The Master has a holy sword, so he might not like it… … .”

“No! I will treasure it for the rest of my life. For the rest of my life… … .”

At that time, after that day of our first meeting, the first birthday present I received from you was exactly the same… … .

So cool… … .

I wish I could tell you such tearful words. No, let’s not think about that. Let’s just focus on conveying my true feelings.

“Now your hair has turned completely white, so you look almost like a grandmother.”

“Yes, I only have one daughter, but she won’t tell me about her childhood friend, so I’m going to die without seeing my grandchildren.”

“Oh, I told you, we’re not that kind of relationship!”

“Seeing you getting so worked up like this, I think it must be true?”

Calm down. Let’s calm down.

I’m not trying to joke right now.

“Master, I. Actually, I haven’t made much progress in my prayer practice up until now. I think I know why. I think I’ve been fighting because I just want to stay by your side.”

“huh?”

“But during these five years, I have come to know my own heart. Now, I want to walk in front of you, not behind you or beside you.”

“what?”

“I want to become a better pay querier than my master in my mid-twenties. So I will succeed Aradmantel. Then, my master, you can retire comfortably and, what, how about you and Priest Aydin start a family in a remote village in secret? Or maybe adopt a child.”

I want to be a warrior.

I may not be able to become a warrior who protects the whole world.

I will become a warrior who can protect my teacher.

“You protected me from the moment we first met. Now I will protect you, Master. Then, won’t you be able to achieve that absurd dream you mentioned before? Biscuits… … I will always carry the most delicious ones with me. I will also practice smiling while looking in the mirror and putting my index finger in front of my lips.”