Chapter 26: Something that can never be comrpromised (9)

In the Knightheart family mansion, a massive training ground was constructed.

In fact, calling it a mansion might be an understatement since it was always bustling with soldiers.

Natalia enjoyed climbing the mountain beyond the mansion to gaze at the scenery.

The distant clang of metal and the bleating of sheep from the pasture below gave her a strange sense of calm when she closed her eyes and focused on the sounds.

“Hello, the view is really nice here. Is it a secret spot?”

“…Hero?”

Before she knew it, the hero had come to stand beside her and spoke.

Black hair, black eyes, and a reasonably handsome face—though aside from his rare coloring, there wasn’t much that stood out.

If anything, his unnaturally fast learning speed and the strange feeling of dizziness and heart racing whenever their eyes met were notable.

She avoided looking at him too long, fearing she might lose herself.

“How did you know about this place?”

“The people at the mansion said you might be here. Ah, so I guess it’s not exactly a secret spot? Haha.”

“…It’s not polite to pry into other people’s business.”

“Sorry, but I’m new to this world, and there’s so much I want to learn.”

Kim Su-hyun, a man summoned from another world as the chosen hero, was curious about many things in this unfamiliar realm.

Natalia, as his first companion, felt some guilt for keeping her distance instead of helping him adapt.

“My apologies. I should have been by your side, helping you adjust. Ask me anything you’d like.”

“I heard that before joining me, you went on missions with other companions. Is that true?”

“That’s right…”

Expecting a question about the world’s customs, Natalia was surprised to hear the hero ask about her past. She found his curiosity intriguing.

For the hero, the demon lord was a foreign issue, unburdened by responsibility, or so she thought.

Yet, he seemed genuinely interested in her story.

“What were your companions like?”

“…They were good people. Every one of them.”

Closing her eyes briefly, Natalia answered in a quiet, wistful voice.

The hero sat down beside her without a word.

“Good people, huh… Oh, I heard rumors that you once defeated a massive golem by yourself. Is that true?”

“That was just luck.”

“Haha, I recently ran away during a dungeon exploration. That didn’t seem like something luck alone could handle.”

“Your growth rate is far from normal. You’ll surpass me soon enough.”

The hero was still weak, which was why Natalia, blessed with the grace of the sword, stayed by his side, and many soldiers supported their dungeon expeditions.

Although it was just the two of them now, it wouldn’t be long before a saintess or other blessed individuals joined their party.

Until then, the hero was sure to grow stronger than anyone.

“Hm, so does that mean you won’t need to protect me anymore?”

“Pfft, what nonsense. That won’t happen anytime soon.”

“You’re dependable, knight. Oh, right—I saw the swords you manage in the training hall. They’re well-maintained, but they don’t look used. Is there a reason for that?”

“…They’re not my swords. They belonged to my companions during missions.”

“What about the shields and other weapons?”

“…I had to take them from the temporary graves I made for my companions. The situation was dire.”

“Do you have more weapons like those?”

“…There’s one. It belonged to a fellow knight who became one at the same time as me. He was from the south and very skilled.”

Although she had told him to ask anything, the hero’s questions pained her deeply.

As the daughter of the Knightheart family and now a knight, she had faced countless dangerous missions.

Every time, Natalia was the sole survivor. Using the weapons of her fallen comrades in emergencies felt like her heart was breaking.

“…I thought I’d finally forgotten, but why are you asking about this?”

Covering her face with her hands, Natalia spoke with difficulty. Despite her efforts to appear composed, tears streamed down her face.

“I’m sorry, but I thought if you kept running away, I’d have to be the one to find you.”

Suppressing her ragged breathing, Natalia cried.

The hero placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke gently.

“Both knights and heroes have moments when they must risk their lives. You must hate the idea of losing another companion. I thought that’s why you were avoiding me.”

“I promise, even if I die, it won’t be a meaningless death. At least, I’ll ensure my end is heroic, not tragic. Can you trust me a little more?”

“…At a time like this, shouldn’t you be saying, ‘I’ll never die’?”

“Haha, but I’m the hero. I shouldn’t throw around words like ‘never,’ right?”

“Pfft, what are you even saying? Crying and laughing… I must look ridiculous.”

The hero’s words, though absurd as consolation, brought an odd sense of peace to Natalia.

Having lost so many comrades, hearing him say, “I won’t die in vain,” felt strangely reassuring.

There are no absolutes, as the hero said. As a knight and as a hero, crises would come again and again.

“Hero, I’m glad I met you.”

“I’ll count on you, Natalia.”

That day, Natalia felt her heart race without the usual headache she experienced around the hero.

She realized her feelings were becoming uncontrollable and that she might want the hero more than she anticipated.

“Because of the magic, using mana isn’t easy! If this continues, the barrier will be breached!”

“Hold on! If the barrier falls now, everything is over!”

“Where are the priests? There are too many injured!”

Caputa Highlands Fortress

Inside, the survivors had all gathered in a makeshift infirmary.

With a sudden, seemingly time-stopping explosion of dark energy, most of the soldiers and adventurers either lost consciousness or sustained severe injuries.

Even those who barely survived were in dire straits.

They had gathered in the infirmary, protected by a magical barrier, but even maintaining that barrier under the pressure of the dark energy was a struggle.

“Big sister, what are you thinking about…?”

“Just… reminiscing about the past.”

The biggest problem was the condition of Natalia and Laura, the ones who should have been the strongest assets.

While they seemed uninjured on the surface, the explosion of dark energy seemed to have affected those with divine blessings more severely.

Natalia, who had always been physically strong, was in better shape than Laura, but Laura was now unable to even use her magic properly.

“Where is the Hero? Where could the Hero be in this situation?”

“The Saintess is missing too! Could it be they’ve been defeated…?”

The Hero and the Saintess, whose mere presence boosted morale, were both missing.

The logical assumption was that they had already fallen to the enemy, which only deepened the growing chaos.

Fortunately, the Red Tail Tribe had retreated after trying several times to break the barrier.

However, according to their words, the Demon King would descend soon enough.

Early death or delayed death seemed to be the only two futures left.

“Laura, under no circumstances should you leave this place.”

“Big sister…?”

The soldiers and adventurers had already given up, looking only to assign blame in a futile attempt to find comfort. Even so, Natalia refused to yield.

“We didn’t come here to die like animals in this wretched place!”

“That’s right! The Demon King? No one said anything about that!”

Amid the confusion, Natalia unsheathed her sword and struck its hilt against the wall.

The loud thud drew everyone’s attention, though their eyes were still filled with fear.

“I know. You’re all thinking the same thing as I am. You’ve lost your courage, and you’re abandoning the comrades beside you, desperate to save your own skins.

“But if the Demon King descends, we’ll all die. Sacrificing your comrades or begging for a miserable existence won’t change that. When the Demon King appears, there will be no exceptions.

“If you’re going to die anyway, will you grovel and die in despair? Will you pass the blame to others and claim it wasn’t your fault?

“No! If I must die, I’ll fight until the very end to stop the Demon King’s descent. If I’m going to die, it won’t be a meaningless death—it’ll be a death where I can at least say I tried!”

The Hero will return. He promised not to die in vain.

That’s why they had to infiltrate the special zone deep underground where the Red Tail Tribe was hiding the Demon King’s descent site.

“If any of you feel the same, pick up your weapons and fight with me!”

Raising her sword high, Natalia called on the people gathered in the infirmary.

A tense silence filled the room until a few brave souls began to lift their weapons.

Gradually, more adventurers followed suit, hesitantly at first, but their courage spread like wildfire.

“…When we return to the capital, I’m claiming compensation tenfold for the gear I lost here!”

“Damn it. Looks like I’ve finally got a story worth bragging about to my son!”

The soldiers and adventurers, who had been hesitating moments ago, joined one by one.

Only the wounded were left behind as the rest prepared for battle. Courage had replaced fear.

Those stepping beyond the barrier now were entirely different from the panicked individuals who had fled in the face of the first dark energy explosion.

“Magicians, prepare support spells…”

“What? But just maintaining the barrier is draining all our mana…”

Laura, who had been watching, pulled out a small dagger from her sleeve.

It was beautifully engraved with the figure of a white dragon. Gripping the blade tightly, she shouted,

“I’ll supply the mana—just do it!!”

Leaning heavily on her staff, trembling in pain, Laura began to transform.

Her horns grew longer, her fangs sharpened, and her pupils stretched into reptilian slits.

The oppressive dark energy was pushed back by the overflowing mana radiating from her.

Draconic Regression—a technique to forcibly awaken the dragon’s blood flowing within her.

A dangerous move that risked losing her sanity and devolving into a mere beast, but it was the only option left to regain her power.

In the face of this dire situation, Natalia, Laura, and the soldiers and adventurers staked their lives on one final mission.

Their goal was clear: to stop the Demon King’s descent in the underground special zone.

The final battle was at hand.

“…I must be insane. What am I even trusting right now…?”

As the group advanced into the special zone, Sera looked quietly at the ring on her finger and let out a deep sigh.

She was standing just before the fortress gates, where space was distorting.

Once inside, there was no telling where they’d be sent. And without the presence of divine power, they were entirely on their own.

Still, Sera didn’t stop walking.

“Hero… no, Kim Soo-hyun. What are you, really?”

No sane person would continue in this situation.

Life is the most precious and valuable asset anyone has.

Only two kinds of people would proceed: those foolishly kind or those with ulterior motives.

This time, Sera chose to believe—just this once.

As she followed the Hero’s trail to the fortress gates, her unease refused to dissipate.

Author’s Note
What awaits Sera inside the fortress? Can the Hero prove to be a good person in her eyes?

Stay tuned for the next chapter!