Novels online

Chapter 95

95Fire Acolyte Zereah(1)

The relic convoy continued south to avoid pursuit..

"This way. Looking at the footprints, it seems like a road that monsters don't often pass by.."

"When that beast is attacked, it has a habit of calling in the surrounding crowd. But they also tend to be cautious in battle. Let's pass quietly."

87Zereah, a seven-year-old acolyte. Although he was a little younger, his skill could still be considered that of a veteran..

Since the attack by the chimera synthetic beasts, they have been hiding their scent to avoid being tracked, and have taken a route that the chimeras would not be able to easily track..

Thanks to this, although we are going back a bit, no one complained, and there was even time to chat..

"Wow, then does Lord Zereah know about His Majesty’s younger days??"

Hari's eyes twinkled, looking forward to hearing a story about Leon. As luck would have it, his second past alter ego was at the same time conquering orcs with Leon..

And even Koo Dae-seong, other kingdom knights, and soldiers were looking forward to Zereah's story..

"Hehe, the memories of that time were very strong. At the time, His Majesty was the youngest Holy Grail Knight in the history of the kingdom, and his prestige as an acolyte knight was also high.."

He is the legitimate successor to the dragon-slaying progenitor, the Grand Duchy of Dragonia, and an ascetic knight who began his training at the age of 16..

In general, it is common to serve the kingdom as a kingdom knight before embarking on a training path, but Leon was the legitimate successor to the archduchy..

Although he may have skipped a few steps, he went straight on the path of training and showed actions worthy of being a great duke..

He single-handedly subdued an orc colony that was murdering the kingdom's citizens, and at the same time intruded on the evil cultists' rituals and cut them down..

An adventure with Sir Gildus, who later becomes the commander of the kingdom's knights, Sir Antok, the guardian of the Star Iron Mine, and Gunlar, a treeman renowned as the sage of the forest..

At the age of just 20, he was chosen by Ariana, the goddess of light and justice, and given a quest..

"Your Majesty overcame the temptation of Ranquel's sea monster, the Weeping Woman, and beheaded it, and punished the wicked witch through trial. In the end, you completed the quest by defeating the Orc Warlord who united the three tribes.."

27count.

Youngest War Knight.

Youngest Holy Grail Knight.

His skills in handling the legions were now tested, and he ended up beheading Gunkar, the warchief of the nine allied orc tribes and the recipient of the protection of the orc fighting god Helkan..

35After defeating the demon archduke Farabiti summoned by warlocks on the outskirts of the empire, Se e ascended to the throne as the 15th King of the Lion Heart, succeeding the deceased King of the Lion Heart. His glory and honor were unparalleled in the history of the kingdom..

"He was a dazzling person. He had such great talent, and there will never be another person with such great skill. It was an honor to fight alongside him."

Zereah smiled kindly at Hari, who had been chosen by the god of the sea and waves and the god of war and flame..

"Sir Hari Han. You will be by His Majesty's side, observing and learning from Him. For there was no human being whom the gods loved so much as he did.."

"Yes, yep!"

Hari's talent was recognized by Zereah while escorting the holy relic..

Indeed, this much growth at such a young age. It is truly an amazing talent that Leon and the gods themselves taught him..

"……."

However, upon hearing the story, the reactions of Han Ha-ri and Koo Dae-seong were completely different..

Hari longed for that and wanted to become like that, and Koo Dae-seong also dreamed of it, but found it impossible..

Ultimately, it is a distant area of ​​talent that does not apply to oneself..

* * * *

Late night. It is a time when the convoy cannot let down its guard as it transports the holy relics and avoids the enemy's pursuit..

Although Zereah established a safety net by using methods such as scent blocking, sound blocking, and presence blocking, the convoy decided to minimize risk by standing guard..

"Hmm… ! Whoop!"

It's Koo Dae-seong's turn. He was spending his boring sentry days swinging his sword at the entrance to a hidden cave in the canyon..

"Phew……."

Since joining the Pantheon, he has been training consistently..

Just over an hour. Sweat from all over my body flows like rain.

"It's the kingdom's swordsmanship.."

Where the voice was heard, there was an old knight with a gray beard..

"Did you wake up because of me?……."

"No, around this age you lose sleep. I came here to help as a guard.."

Zereah did not sit in front of the fire, but stood in front of him..

"My posture is a little off. Don't let your arms go below her belly button."

It was the moment when Koo Dae-seong was about to raise his sword according to his advice. The sword that Zereah drew struck the top of the sword and the sword stumbled..

"A sword is not only a weapon to wield, but it is also the fastest piece of armor. Always keep your sword in a position to respond.."

Zereah's sword penetrated into the empty space of the faltering sword. Koo Dae-seong, who gave up his head in an instant, is amazed..

"Don't take care of me."

As soon as I can finish speaking, Zereah’s sword sharply cuts the nape of my neck..

-Kak!

"Ugh…!?"

fast. If it weren't for Son Dae-jung, I wouldn't have been able to stop it. Nevertheless, my arms are shaking from the numb shock..

-Kang! Kaang!

Stop at the top. Top again from the break. While hitting it with a middle finger, the bottom.

Zereah's swordsmanship was truly a fake mixed with expert skill..

It is obviously a mechanical movement that is only fast and accurate, but it is impossible to counterattack..

"Ugh…!"

My tingling wrist finally let go of the sword. Zereah didn't bother swinging his sword anymore and just watched Daesung..

"The basics are good. The reaction isn't bad either. I trained really well and consistently.."

"……It's no big deal."

Koo Dae-seong found the compliment awkward. He is definitely a hard worker. He doesn't deny that he works hard..

"still… It doesn't seem to be working well. It's not enough."

"Hmm?"

"Miss Han Ha-ri… No, how do you compare Lord Han Hari and me?."

"There's a big difference. Even in the eyes of an old man, Lord Hari possesses outstanding talent and a quality that makes him beloved by the gods.."

Is that so too?.

The youngest Class A hunter. A genius who was chosen by the sea and waves, war and fire at the same time..

That dazzling talent will eventually achieve what you set out to achieve. Your efforts will be rewarded. I might end up becoming a Holy Grail Knight.

Even though he knew the gap in talent was clearly unthinkable, Daesung could not hide his resentment..

In just 10,000 years, he rose from D level to C level. But above the world that went up one level, there were a number of dark skies..

"actually… I knew it. There are things you can't do no matter how hard you try."

What's the point in continuing to make efforts that you don't even believe in? What does it mean to be praised for working hard like you are now??

Isn't it just a waste of effort and a waste of life?.

"You look like me."

"Do you mean me?"

Koo Dae-seong swallowed the words, “Like me.” The opponent is a knight. A genius who pursues his goal of becoming a Holy Grail Knight and eventually becomes one..

How can he resemble himself?.

But the old knight’s perspective was different..

"Actually, I wasn't a knight. My brother was more talented."

Usually, it is the eldest son's responsibility to carry on the family line and become a lord. Unless he is a genius with unrivaled talent, the eldest son has no choice but to prioritize continuing the family..

As the second son, he took a wandering path to become a knight..

"My future self has accomplished the goddess's task, right? It's really unfamiliar and surprising to me now.."

Zereah was just an ordinary knight. No, he was in the lower ranks among the knights of the kingdom..

However, on his endless training journey, he defeated some orcs, subdued cultists, and hunted monsters..

There were some successes, but there were more failures, and no one thought he was worthy of being a Holy Grail Knight..

Rather, they ridiculed him for being foolish and wandering, even in his old age, while still walking the path of training..

"I heard a lot of things back then. Her family, colleagues, even her Majesty and the woman of her dreams who appeared in her dreams told me to give up.."

It was only natural, but Zereah considered it his luck to have people around him who gave sincere advice to someone who was wasting time so foolishly..

"But why... Are you not giving up??"

"Because the challenge does not require evaluation from others.."

Everyone told Zereah that she had an impossible dream..

It was implied that not everyone can become a Holy Grail Knight, and that criminals reach an impossible level..

"impossibility."

Ascetic knight Zereah, 87 years old, spoke firmly regardless of the tasks he had accomplished in the future..

"There's no reason why it should be excluded from the challenge.."

That was the life attitude of a human named Zereah, and no matter what era Zereah was in, he carried it out..

Because he is such a man, Zereah completed his task and became a Holy Grail Knight..

"……."

Even after hearing about that great journey, Koo Dae-seong could not sympathize with it..

In the end, didn't he have a talent that no one else could match?.

That's why I was able to take on the challenge, and that's why I was able to succeed..

Zereah knew how Daesung felt. Because this old knight has had eyes like his many times..

"Young knight. Young man. Do you know dragon??"

"courage… What do you mean??"

"Or maybe it's bravery."

"Or it could be love."

"Or maybe it's hope."

Nogu's attendant said with a smile.

"A knight is someone who wields courage. It's resounding bravery, it's unbreakable hope, it's pure love.."

"The Holy Grail Knight is the pinnacle of such bravery. It's a symbol of courage."

"Do you think the Holy Grail Knight has courage??"

"Of course……."

I thought about this while looking at the knights of this kingdom of Daeseong. They are truly brave knights. Faithful and just, no one is superior..

If they don't have courage, who can say they have it?.

"Nope. No one is born with courage from the beginning. It cannot be owned, it is not given, it cannot be acquired.."

Zereah took a deep breath for a moment and then spoke with a firm gaze..

"Bravery is something that comes into play.."

At those words, Daesung felt his heart pounding. It's still difficult to understand Zereah's words. I couldn't even tell what the difference was..

But strangely, his words touched my heart..

"Young knight. When you pray to be a man of strength, will the gods grant you strength? or not… Will you give me a chance to show my bravery??"

* * * *

The relic convoy, eluding pursuit, reached the exit of the canyon..

"Lord Zereah! It's a surveillance post.!"

An imperial military post that monitors the monsters in the canyon to prevent them from escaping. After passing here, it is a straight line to the kingdom border..

'If you think about it, it borders the empire. I originally heard that it was a place where barbarians were often cleared out in Lionheart..'

Lionheart had no interest in this barren land. He simply sent out troops periodically to supply serfs and punish xie jiao..

It seems that the expansion of the territory to this point was due to the empire's advance decades ago..

'uh?'

Daesung checked the system message once again..

[Help Lord Zereah of Twilight escort the Relic to the Lionheart border..]

-Side mission: Defend Lord Zereah's main army to the end..

The side mission, 'Holy Grail Knight Zereah's' quest to defend the main force, is probably being cleared by others who entered with him..

The problem is the main quest: escorting the relic to the Lionheart border..

'Why all the way to the Lionheart border? Isn't the convoy quest already over by the time we reach the empire??'

"stop!"

It was then. A loud voice interrupts Koo Dae-seong’s thoughts. It was a voice heard from the imperial guard post..

"who are you!"

"We are the relic convoy belonging to the Lionheart Kingdom! There will be a record of previous passes.!"

At the shout of Stella, the leader of the convoy, the guard post opened and a group of imperials came towards them..

"Nice to meet you, knights of Lionheart.."

He was a slim old man. Even if it's not as much as Jerea's, it looks like it could have been roughly seventy. However, in this world, apparent age is different from that on Earth, so it cannot be determined quickly..

He was a man wearing a luxurious cloak and holding a cane. Above all, what made us certain of his identity was the gorgeous circlet that resembled a crown on his forehead..

That's not all. Behind the old man, there were two more people wearing similar ornate red and green cloaks. Their status was in no way inferior to that of the older people before them..

"Pope, the head of the Magical School of Light... Sir Wolfhard, division commander of the Imperial Guard... Even Dean Startout, the heavenly observer……."

Jereah could not hide his disappointment as unexpected big names appeared one after another..

"How come the 13 elected princes of the empire are here??"

Imperial Elector.

The heads of thirteen families, each forming an empire. Even the emperor of the empire is elected from these thirteen families..

Some of them are great warriors and some are great wizards. They become electors and at the same time receive the treasures of the empire and inherit the power of the founders..

In other words, those three people are among the thirteen most powerful people in the empire..

Among them, an old man called the Pope looked at Zereah blankly and guessed who he was..

"Ah, the Holy Grail Knight, Lord Zereah of Twilight. No, a little younger. You are that alter ego.."

It was then. A cloud of dust rose behind the convoy. The orcs who thought they were outcasts and the beast god's leaders... And they are chimeras.

"Welcome. Welcome to the land of empire."

The Pope spread his arms. They don't care about the monsters chasing them from inside the canyon..

"And goodbye."

The next moment, the light shooting from the Pope's fingertips pierced Zereah's chest..