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Chapter 346: The Hero Party From 1000 Years Ago

"It\'s Hangul."

"Ugh... H-Hangul?"

"It\'s nothing."

The fact that Hangul was written here meant this place must be an ancient ruin.

More precisely, it could be said to be the territory of the First Hero, who is also my Ancestor.

Anyway, I had to admit that the Church has a good nose for places that would be beneficial to them.

To think they built their headquarters right above the ruin.

It also made sense why the investigation team sent to the Western Continent during the vacation didn\'t discover this place.

Anyway, unauthorized individuals are not allowed, huh?

As I opened the closed door and read the sign next to the entrance, my expression naturally frowned.

Unauthorized persons cannot enter.

No matter how you look at it, it seemed to say that entry was prohibited to anyone but the First Hero.

But the Cardinal and the first executive had gone inside.

Could there have been some kind of security mechanism that the Church deactivated?

Or maybe they couldn’t decipher it and met their doom after entering?

"Hmm..."

No time to ponder about useless things.

We had to finish the all-out war with the Church as quickly as possible.

That way, I could proceed to the Fourth Ordeal on time, and finish everything within the year.

Maybe I should try pushing my left arm, which I could afford to lose, inside.

- Swoosh...

I pushed my left arm further inside, but nothing happened.

Even if the spirit of my Ancestor wouldn’t leap out shouting \'You rascal!\' and attacked me, I expected at least an alarm to sound,

It didn’t seem dangerous, so it might be alright to enter.

Since Ruby was with me, it probably didn’t matter anyway.

"Hey, Frey."

"What?"

As I stepped into the ruin, Ruby quietly came to my side.

"Li-Link arms with me."

As Ruby quietly wrapped her arm around mine, I asked her.

"Are you finally becoming honest with your feelings?"

"Stop talking nonsense. The day I feel enough love to beat you up is the day you’re finished."

"Look forward to it."

I gazed at her tenderly and gently stroked her chin, causing Ruby to fluster again.

"You bastard... Don’t think you can fool me forever. Do you think I’d fall for such obvious tricks?"

This time, too, I did nothing to her.

Yet, Ruby’s heart started to pound on its own.

To go on a date in the Western Continent until the academy reopens after we finish overthrowing the Church… That seemed like a perfect plan.

Anyway, this was really happening, wasn’t it?

Even though it was my plan, I\'m honestly a bit amazed it was working so well.

"Why did you fall asleep looking at me as if I’m already yours earlier? The disrespect. What do you think I am... Heu."

"I think of you as my girlfriend."

As I lightly flicked Ruby\'s stomach, causing her to flinch, I led her inside.

n> Glare: By the way, why were my points reset? I didn\'t use them!nn

n

Glare: Hero, squandering is not good!

n

n

Glare: By the way, Hero! I\'ll tell you about the recent quests I’ve been on!

nnn

I looked happily at Glare’s chat that appeared before my eyes.

n> Glare: Recently, in the Western Continent...nnnn

If only I could chat her back. That would be perfect.

What a shame.

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Some time later.

"H-How did you get here?"

"How did we come? We smashed everything and got here."

As I encountered the Cardinal and the first executive in a small room deep within the ruins, I greeted them warmly, but they stepped back, ready for a fight.

I just wanted to greet them, yet they overreacted. I was very disappointed.

"Let\'s negotiate, Frey. First..."

"Nego?tiation!"

As I tried to approach them again to greet them, the first executive suddenly intervened, suggesting negotiation, so I used the most effective negotiation I knew.

- Zzzzzzt...!

"Ohooo…"

But my extended fist... no, my negotiation was interrupted midway.

"Calm down, Frey."

As I tilted my head and lowered my gaze, I saw a petite figure even smaller than Ferloche clearing his throat and extending one of his hands forward.

He summoned a divine shield powerful enough to stop my negotiation halfway.

Was this guy really the second-in-command of the Church?

"I know very well that if you fight me and my friend here, the outcome is uncertain."

As I quietly met his gaze after giving up on the negotiation, the Cardinal spoke calmly.

“It would be impossible for you to fight with the two of us.”

That statement held some truth.

In fact, I only managed to defeat the Emperor by forcibly buying the ‘Ultimate Skill Permit’. Besides, his unique personality played a part in it.

While the other executives or paladins could have been easily dealt with, the first executive and the Cardinal were a different story.

The first executive\'s special ability was \'acceleration\'.

His speed was so fast that it looked like time around the world had slowed down, except for himself. No one could beat him in terms of speed.

And the Cardinal\'s innate talent in soul manipulation was also quite tricky.

Although not as powerful as Ferloche, he could wield it freely and actively, which was a problem.

For someone like me with many flaws in my soul, it was safe to say it was one of the worst matchups.

"Frankly, I\'m very angry right now."

He seemed to know that too. He blinked and walked towards me.

"I want to tear you to pieces for treating my precious sister like that. I want to rip you apart right now."

I didn\'t treat his sister like that.

I just tapped her a few times on the stomach. And experimented on her to see if my actions towards Ruby would work on others by sticking stellar mana in her heart.

Each time I filled her with mana, making her unknowingly accumulate a lot of mana in her belly...

Come to think of it, I did treat her like that.

But it was her own fault.

If you wanted me to treat you kindly, you shouldn\'t have used the powers you gained by sacrificing children to kidnap even more children.

Shouldn\'t he be thankful that I didn\'t kill her?

"I\'m really pissed."

Suddenly, anger surged within me.

Why should I just accept this brat\'s words?

"But the situation is uncertain, and the ruins could be damaged. Let\'s call it a day for now–"

"You brat talks too much."

"What?"

"Just because you talk like an adult doesn\'t mean you are one, kid."

Unable to hold it back any longer, I advised him, momentarily stunning the Cardinal. He then responded with a fierce voice.

"Even if I look like this, I\'m ten years older than you! But how–"

"Oh, really?"

That was good to hear.

"So you\'re not a kid then?"

I was wondering how to deal with this brat, but he removed the constraints himself.

"You’re an adult, right?"

"That\'s right. Isn’t that obvious... Hmm?"

As the Cardinal nodded in agreement with my words, he suddenly began to tilt his head.

"Why are you emitting killing intent?"

"..."

"Are you trying to fight? If so, I won\'t stop you."

He might be as tricky as the Emperor if I didn’t use my ultimate skills.

Well, if it came down to it, we had to fight.

"Ruby, use bite."

"Shut up, you bastard."

Of course, it wasn’t me, it was Ruby.

"Hmm...?"

As Ruby, drawn by my touch, stepped forward, the Cardinal narrowed his eyes.

“Aren’t you the Hero who was beaten to death by Frey?”

"Uh oh, that\'s Ruby\'s reverse scale."

"Did you think fighting alongside the Hero would make things any better? That\'s–"

- Crackle...!

"A big mistake...!?"

Despite my warning, the Cardinal, who continued to babble, widened his eyes at the sound coming from ahead of him.

"Wh-What the?"

Ruby\'s fingers dug into the divine shield he had created.

"Tsk..."

The final boss, who can destroy everything, including the Emperor and the Hero with a single finger, approached him with disdain.

It was quite surprising, I thought she’d at least threaten me in this situation.

Of course, if she did, I would have killed them anyway, but for her to help so willingly?

"D-Don\'t misunderstand, you bastard."

As if reading my thoughts, Ruby, who glanced at me, whispered with a cold look.

"I\'m just taking care of my toys."

This plan worked out better than I expected.

"Huh? Wha-what?"

"...!?"

But not for those two, though.

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"Guuk, kkeo-euk...!"

Ruby lifted the first executive by the neck with a detached expression on her face.

- Crack, crackle...

The guy, whose complexion turned pale, desperately tried to use his acceleration ability, but Ruby’s terrifying grip strength didn’t allow him to escape.

"Hey, Ruby."

"What is it?"

"How did you catch him?"

While quietly observing, I couldn\'t contain my curiosity and asked.

He was darting around the ruins hundreds of times faster than a fly, but how did she subdue him so easily?

Perhaps she has a secret technique against fast-moving enemies?

"I caught up to him with my dynamic vision."

"Ah."

There was no secret technique. Ruby was just immensely strong.

"Uhm."

Was I staining such a terrifying being with my influence? The realization hit me anew.

- Crack...!

"Kkeuk."

The first executive, who had been struggling like a fly until his last moment, eventually went limp with the sound of his bones breaking.

"Alright, then..."

"Uh, ugh..."

Ruby gazed towards those lifeless eyes beneath her feet, she soon shifted her gaze towards the Cardinal.

"W-Why? Why can\'t I interfere with her soul?"

The Cardinal stammered. His once confident gait was nowhere to be found as he was pinned to the wall, spitting blood. In response to his question, Ruby replied nonchalantly.

"I, too, possess the ability to manipulate souls, you brat."

"I-It can\'t be."

What did Ruby just say?

She has the ability to manipulate souls too?

"That’s rea–"

Frowning, I was about to question Ruby, but I swallowed my words.

I had to act as if I knew everything about Ruby.

Asking such a question could get me caught.

But was what she said true?

It probably is.

Just as Ferloche communicated with the Sun God by offering her prayers, Ruby too had to be communicating with the Demon God.

Perhaps she chose soul manipulation as a method of communication?

The more I thought about it, the more dangerous she looked.

That was why this plan must succeed.

"Goodbye."

"Wait a moment!!"

I watched Ruby raising her finger, when the Cardinal suddenly raised his hand.

"T-There is information I found in the ruins!"

Then he started waving a note in his hands as he spoke.

"Information?"

"Information that has been sleeping in this thousand-year-old ruin, it could dominate the world!"

Though the information was quite tempting, I was merely indifferent to it.

I am interested in saving the world, not in dominating it.

And, the Cardinal was a cunning man with a knack for trickery.

Unless it was someone of Serena\'s caliber, it was not good to converse with him for long.

Before I realized it, I had been drawn into his pace.

The power of the Cardinal\'s special ability, \'Eloquence\', couldn’t be ignored...

"Ho."

Look at that. Even Ruby reached out to him with an interested look in her eyes.

"Then hand it over and die."

But it looked like she was not like other people, who become fanatics or followers after just a few honeyed words from the Cardinal. She was, after all, the Demon King.

She just became quite interested in that note for her own purposes.

- Gulp...!

"Huh?"

But the moment Ruby\'s hand touched the note, the Cardinal quickly shoved it into his mouth and started chewing it vigorously.

"You bastard."

- Chew chew... gulp!

Thanks to that, Ruby only managed to get half of the note.

She looked quite upset. Was she always this emotional?

"T-the next part is known only to me. If you kill me, the contents of the note will forever..."

Seeing her like this, the Cardinal hurriedly spoke, then tilted his head with his eyes shining.

"But, you... are you really the Hero? Why are you interested in this?"

"What."

"Your hand speed is too fast, and just now, that momentum was... like–"

- Crack!!

The Cardinal couldn\'t continue his words.

Because Ruby quickly hit his head and knocked him out.

...I hope she just knocked him out.

He shouldn\'t be killed yet.

There were still uses for him, and I am slightly curious about the contents of that note.

"Hey, hand it over."

"Um..."

As things settled down, I walked over to her side, extended my hand, and spoke.

"If you don\'t hand it over..."

"Take it."

"Um."

I was about to beat her to death if she didn\'t, but surprisingly, I was able to receive it obediently.

Did the training really work that well?

“Bluffing with information you don’t even understand.”

Hearing her grumbling, it looked like the training wasn’t over yet.

Could the note be written in Hangul?

Since it was the territory of the First Hero, so maybe–

"What is this?"

I had expectations, but looking at the top torn part of the note, it was written in characters I couldn\'t even understand.

nn

- Frey Raon Starlight

- Glare

nnn

The letters were twisted like a snake.

I didn’t know what it was, but I should keep it for now.

Perhaps showing it to Serena or the Sun God might reveal something.

"Let\'s go now."

"Where to?"

Putting the note in my pocket, I answered Ruby\'s question with a gentle smile.

"We\'re going on a date."

"Eh?"

It seemed I might need to knock on Ruby\'s stomach a bit before we head up.

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"Ugh... You, why do you keep hitting my stomach..."

"You want more?"

"That\'s not it... Hmm?"

I was walking, holding the cardinal\'s leg with one hand and linking arms with Ruby with the other, wiping the saliva that was flowing out of the girl\'s mouth. But I stopped for a moment when I saw her strange reaction.

"Something is coming."

"What?"

What nonsense was she talking about?

I had been trying to feel for any signs since earlier, but there was no one here except us.

"There’s quite a few of them. Five? Seven? No, maybe around eight."

But Ruby\'s serious tone made me reach for the sword at my waist and start preparing for battle.

The warning message I saw before entering the entrance suddenly came to mind.

"Come out. I already noticed you."

But still, I didn\'t see anything, just looking around, but Ruby stepped forward and raised her voice.

Was she trying to shield me?

"If you don\'t come out, I\'ll attack."

"Huh."

Ruby, who had been glancing back at me, raised her voice even louder, and then we started to hear voices from where nothing was visible before.

“It’s a thought form.”

“A what?”

As I quietly drew my sword and stepped back, Ruby whispered in a low voice.

“Those guys are thought forms that protect these ruins. But something is strange.”

With a relaxed expression, she tilted her head and continued.

"They seem slightly more formidable than regular thought forms..."

"...Heuk."

"W-What\'s wrong?"

As I looked at them more carefully, I gasped and froze on my spot with my mouth wide open, causing Ruby to look at me in surprise.

"What\'s wrong, Frey? Could it be..."

"Shut your mouth and step aside."

"..."

She closed her mouth at my words and started to look somewhat offended, but that wasn\'t my intention.

"What the… you guys are just kids?"

"Don\'t judge by appearances alone. You always have to look into the depths..."

"Intruders are to be eliminated."

These people in front of me weren\'t ordinary.

"This is not a place for kids like you to enter."

Standing at the forefront, a girl with golden bun hair, stood with a confident and reserved expression.

She was none other than the First Empress of the Sunrise Empire.

“…”

Next to her, a timid-looking mage with ice-colored hair, keeping her mouth shut and exuding coldness from her entire body.

She was none other than the Ice Witch, known to have reached the pinnacle of magic as the first Archmage.

"Hello~!"

Meanwhile, the sturdy, black-haired girl who just greeted me from the far left was none other than the Empire\'s first Saintess.

"...He somehow looks similar to the Young Master."

On the far right, the girl with white hair muttering in a maid outfit was none other than the legendary White Mage.

"However, intruders must be terminated. That\'s our mission..."

"Wait. Maybe we can negotiate..."

The woman with a scar over her left eye, muttering with a fierce expression in the back, was the founder of the Bywalker family and the first Sword Saint.

And the person next to her... Who was she?

“Please identify yourself.”

While I was frowning at the unfamiliar figure, someone walked in front of me and spoke softly.

"Uh... That\'s..."

From her hair color and eyes, or even without seeing such, one can guess who this girl was.

She was none other than the first Head of the Moonlight family.

Anyway, how should I answer this?

"Hmm."

When you didn’t know, ‘honesty is the best policy’.

I should trust my mother\'s words.

"...I’m the second-generation Hero."

As I suddenly scratched my head and said that to the fully assembled first-generation Hero Party, a long silence began to flow.

"Uh..."

Ignoring the frozen thought forms behind her, the founder of the Moonlight family, who was floating around me, tilted her head and whispered in my ear.

"Tell me about the secret of the pact."

"Actually, the Starlight family can violate the pact. However, no one has violated the pact so far."

"The name of the game based on this world."

"Dark Tale Fantasy?"

"Where is Han-byeol from?"

"From Korea."

With tension building up in this sudden moment of verification, I nervously replied, and she extended her hand and whispered.

"Try using the stellar mana."

- Shaaa...

As I gently manifested the stellar mana in my palm as was told, the thought forms began to gasp.

- Slurp.

Meanwhile, as she quietly watched, she lightly snatched my stellar mana with her finger and licked it with her tongue.

“Slurp…”

Then she started rolling it around in her mouth for a while.

"So it’s true..."

As she opened her eyes and confirmed my identity, the thought form behind began to exclaim.

"Wow!"

"So, he’s the second-generation Hero?"

"He’s so cute!"

The thought forms suddenly began to approach me with sparkling eyes, surrounding me,

“Look at his cheeks. They’re stretched out!”

“He looks like a cat.”

“Ubeeh...”

Before I had time to prepare, I was surrounded by them and didn\'t know what to do. Then, the unknown girl who was glancing at me from behind approached me with a shy expression.

"Um, excuse me..."

"Hmm?"

"Are my descendants doing well?"

With an expectant look in her eyes, she asked me.

"Um... Excuse me, but who are you?"

"Victoria!"

"Uh, um..."

Thinking that I had heard her name somewhere before, I desperately rolled my eyes and searched through my memories.

"Oh, you might not know if I say it like that."

After hearing her next words, I was stunned.

"My name is Victoria Solar Sunset. I\'m the first head of the Sunset family and Han-byeol’s strong helper."

"Ah..."

"So, how are my descendants? Are they supporting the Hero well?"

"..."

I didn’t know how to respond.