The Troublesome Hero and the Sisters of Grann Valley

“Are the clothes all packed?”

Rolan ceaselessly loaded essential supplies onto their family’s single trailer.

“They’re all packed.”

Freya produced several unsightly bags, everyone’s clothes haphazardly crammed inside.

Rolan’s eyelid twitched. “Are you packing clothes or collecting junk? Ugh… never mind,” he muttered, exasperatedly tapping his forehead. “What about food?”

“For food, there’s black bread and some pastries…” Freya turned away guiltily, her small hands rubbing together behind her back, unwilling to meet Rolan’s gaze.

“That’s all?” Rolan frowned, pressing her. “Didn’t we agree to take the sheep from our farm earlier—”

“No!” Freya declared, a stubborn look on her face. “The sheep are so adorable, and their wool is so soft. How could we possibly—”

Rolan gave the little Demon Lord a sharp flick on the forehead. He realized he was growing increasingly fond of hitting her head.

‘This is unbearable. The little Demon Lord has completely changed since losing her memory. I was quite used to her carefree nature before, but now she’s taken on an entirely different persona. Not only has she become gentle and considerate, but her personality has also grown overly virtuous. It doesn’t suit the Demon Lord’s image at all! No, no, as the Hero, I must correct this behavior!’

‘A Demon Lord should act like a Demon Lord. At the very least, she shouldn’t be so sanctimonious.’

“What do you mean, ‘no’?! You have no idea how delicious those sheep are!” Rolan scolded her fiercely, then rummaged through the bags on the trailer. “Fine, I’ll do it myself.”

Ignoring the little Demon Lord’s mournful gaze behind him, Rolan stepped out the door. Wielding Thunder’s Fury in one hand and the Holy Sword in the other, he plunged into the flock of sheep as if activating a dual-wielding skill.

Sword shadows danced like a forest, and sword energy rained down. He slowly entered a trance, his excitement growing with each strike, effortlessly butchering the sheep one after another, slicing them into strips as if preparing them for a hotpot.

Surveying the countless strips of lamb on the ground, he couldn’t help but marvel at his increasingly refined swordsmanship. After finishing, he called Old Jenny to help him store the meat, finally feeling a sense of relief.

“Don’t look at me like that!” Rolan tried to ignore Freya’s reddened, tear-filled eyes. “I dare you not to eat any on the road!”

“The sheep were so adorable, how could you eat them…” Freya wiped away sorrowful tears as she looked at the sheep’s carcasses, then declared petulantly, “I won’t! Even if I starve to death, even if I jump off a cliff, I won’t eat a single bite of that meat!”

****

Meanwhile, high above Grann Valley, a battle was erupting.

The Templar Knights and the Church’s clerics were locked in a standoff with a pair of stunningly beautiful sisters.

Dozens of Templar Knights gripped their sharp swords, radiating killing intent, while several solemn-faced clerics in the rear surged with magical power.

“So, you are the culprits behind this plague after all,” Silvio said, his eyes filled with coldness. “The mad mages, Pinoshu and Krache.”

“Heh heh… so they’ve finally come knocking,” Pinoshu remarked, her long hair billowing as she gripped a red staff, her gaze coldly sweeping over the encircling crowd below. “The Church and their dogs.”

“Sister…” Krache watched her sister, whose killing intent was rising, and asked hesitantly, “Aren’t we going to escape?”

“Escape? Whether we could even get away is beside the point. For years, I’ve wanted an opportunity to teach these bastards who drove us from our home a lesson.” Pinoshu’s eyes blazed with killing intent, but as her gaze fell upon her sister, it softened into tenderness. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you.”

Meeting Pinoshu’s gaze, Krache, the younger sister, seemed to draw courage. Her fear vanished, replaced by a surge of bravery as she stepped in front of her sister, her magical power erupting. “I’ll protect you too.”

The elder sister, Pinoshu, was a mage specializing in fire magic, wielding a staff called the Scorchmoon, which greatly amplified her fire spells. Her younger sister, Krache, excelled in water magic, and her staff, the Frostmoon, could transform gentle water elements into devastatingly cold and lethal ice magic.

“These two are powerful,” Silvio, the Grand Master of the Templar Knights, remarked, his gaze sweeping over each of his teammates. “Be careful, everyone.”

“Yes, sir!” “Understood!”

Silvio tightened his grip on his knight’s longsword and quietly spoke to Celia, the cleric beside him: “Celia, if we fall in battle, remember to protect the Hero and ensure their return.”

“Yes…” Celia nodded, about to speak.

“No, even if all of you die,” Kayar interjected from the rear of the formation, a slight smile playing on his lips, his eyes fixed intently on the sisters. “I will not retreat.”

“Your Highness, the Hero, you must return…” Silvio urged, a hint of desperation in his voice. “Paimon Fortress still needs you to aid the afflicted. If we don’t help them, those living dead—”

“Silence, Silvio,” Kayar commanded, completely disregarding his words. “I will not die. You should focus on how to fight those sisters instead.”

‘Ugh, what a troublesome Hero.’

Silvio shook his head, realizing it was too late to say anything more to Kayar.

For the enemy had already made their move.

Pinoshu brandished her staff, gathering an immense surge of magic. In a blink, a colossal, fiery-red boulder erupted from the chasm above Grann Valley, plummeting to strike the center of the knights’ formation.

The Templar Knights, agile and seasoned warriors, were not so easily caught. They scattered in every direction before the massive rock could even land.

With a resounding crash, the boulder slammed into the ground, causing the entire valley to tremble violently.

Just as the Church’s forces wondered why Pinoshu would unleash such a spell, an instant later, an endless scorching sensation emanated from the colossal rock.

“Heh heh…” Pinoshu’s face held a sinister smile. “Savor this. It’s the result of combining the Meteorite spell with the aura of the Demon Realm.”

Winds shifted dramatically, and a crimson glow abruptly intensified.

The fiery-red boulder began to crack, and endless flames surged outward like long, coiling serpents, assaulting the Templar Knights. These serpentine flames possessed no physical form yet radiated an incredibly terrifying heat, forcing the knights to channel their magic into their swords just to barely ward them off.

“[Light Magic: Holy Dispel]” The clerics, skilled in support spells, began casting from the rear. “Close in on them! Mages are weak in close combat!”

As they spoke, several knights had already closed in on the sisters, swords drawn, radiating murderous intent, poised to strike them down.

“[Water Magic: Ice Needle Barrage]” Krache’s magic suddenly erupted, conjuring countless conical ice needles in the sky that descended like a sudden downpour.

Silvio gasped in alarm. This was a Fourth-tier Intermediate spell; he hadn’t expected these sisters to reach such a level of power after years away from human territory.

“Dodge now!”

Yet, before his words could fully escape his lips, the ice had already arrived.

A cold gleam flashed, and sharp ice instantly descended. No one had anticipated that Krache, the younger sister, possessed a magical intensity even greater than her elder sister, Pinoshu.

A few approaching Templar Knights managed to block a couple of ice cones, but they were powerless against the torrential assault and fell to the ground, filled with defiance and regret.

Silvio gazed at the corpses of his subordinates, falling into a state of panic and hesitation.

As Grand Master, his own magical level was approximately LV30. The fallen knights had been around LV20. Since Krache had used a Fourth-tier Intermediate spell with her Ice Needle Barrage, her strength must certainly be no lower than LV30.

Two LV30 mages… could he and his remaining forces possibly win?

Silvio took a deep breath, a flicker of complex emotion in his eyes.

“Heh heh…” Pinoshu watched the fallen knights, a look of pleasure on her face. “Since when has the Church become so weak? Didn’t you once declare you’d hunt down heretics like us? Hahaha, do you even qualify now?” As she spoke, she raised her hand again, unleashing several demonic flames that consumed several unwary clerics.

“Captain! Should I retreat first?” Celia used a Holy Shield to block a few ice needles, but as a Second-tier cleric, her magic was nearly depleted. “My magic is almost gone…”

At that moment, Krache, having slain the last Templar Knight with her Ice Needle Barrage, unleashed an Ice Barrier, sealing off their escape route.

“Anyone who harms my sister must die,” Krache stated, her voice as cold as ice.

Silvio slowly stepped forward, surveying his surroundings. All Templar Knights except himself had fallen. Of the clerics, only Celia remained, and behind him stood only the Hero, who had recently awakened their magic.

“Quickly, I’ll buy you time. You must get the Hero away…” Silvio feared death, but as a Templar Knight, he had duties he could not shirk. So, despite the intense fear churning within him and his trembling body, he still stood before the Hero.

‘What a pity. I hadn’t anticipated these two would be so powerful.’

Pinoshu revealed a cruel smile. “Your body is trembling quite violently, isn’t it… I’ll take good care of you, just as you once did me.”

Silvio prepared for a desperate fight, but the next moment, another figure stepped in front of him.

“Your Highness, the Hero?”

The Hero? Pinoshu didn’t react immediately, but Krache struck at once. She didn’t care if the opponent was the Hero or anyone else; if they intended to harm her sister, they had to die!

Kayar watched the approaching ice cones. Far from fear, not even a trace of panic flickered in his eyes.

“Heal—”

Degradation activated. Instantly, all the ice cones within a meter of him transformed into pure water elements.

“What?!” Just as Krache reeled in surprise, Kayar’s figure was already a meter in front of her.

Krache’s ice blade took form, and the Frostmoon staff swung like a scimitar towards Kayar.

Kayar extended his left hand, and the Divine Gauntlet Georgius emitted an eerie glow.

“Heal—”

Plunder allowed him to seize an opponent’s memories and magic, turning them to his own use.

In an instant, Krache’s magic was forcibly extracted. Her staff slipped from her grasp, and her body collapsed to the ground like a rag doll.

“No…” Krache’s eyes brimmed with terror and shock. “Impossible… What kind of power is this…”

“Bastard!” Pinoshu’s eyes blazed with hatred. She swore to kill the one who harmed her sister, regardless of whether he was the Hero or not. “Die—”

Meteorite Fall x10

As Pinoshu unleashed her full magical power, an unparalleled surge of arcane energy swept forth like a tsunami. The chasm tore open, and ten massive, fiery-red meteorites ripped through the air, plummeting down to block all of Kayar’s escape routes.

“This woman is insane! Releasing ten spells at once! How can her mental energy possibly endure that?” Silvio’s face turned ashen as he shouted, “Your Highness, the Hero! Danger!”

Kayar’s gaze remained unchanged. He extended his hand once more, causing the Divine Gauntlet to radiate light.

“Heal—”

Imitation allowed him to replicate an opponent’s combat skills, though it couldn’t copy skills from special classes.

Suddenly, an Ice Barrier materialized out of thin air. In the clash of ice and fire, the ice wall proved superior, blocking all the fiery meteorites.

“What…” Pinoshu, her magic depleted, collapsed to the ground, her face filled with disbelief. “That’s Krache’s skill…”

Kayar, holding Krache’s limp body with one hand, slowly approached Pinoshu.

“W-what do you want?!” Pinoshu’s face was pale, and she lay sprawled on the ground, drenched in sweat.

“Heh heh…” Kayar tossed her sister beside her. “What do you think?”

Pinoshu’s face burned with shame and indignation. She stared at Kayar, then, as if making a grim resolution, said, “Let my sister go. Whatever you want, direct it at me!”

“Sister…” Krache’s beautiful eyes welled with tears, her hands clutching her sister’s back. She dared not imagine what would happen next. As enemies of the Church, Krache knew well its cruelty and tyranny. For heretics like them, the Church would surely devise every possible method to torment and abuse them.

“Heh heh…” Kayar’s face twisted into a terrifying smile. “I heard the previous Hero, the one who symbolized the sword, had several beautiful retainers. As his successor, I can’t let such an excellent tradition die.” He extended his hand, ignoring their anger and fear, and began to unleash his unique skill upon them.

“Heal—”

Plunder + Refinement

“I will seize your magic, steal your memories, take everything you are! Then, I’ll transform you into whatever I desire!” Kayar trembled with excitement. “And then, together with me, we’ll properly thank this damned world!”

“No! Aah—” “Don’t! Aah—”

As a flash of crimson light swept over them, a faint flush bloomed on the mages’ faces, and the defiance and terror in their eyes slowly faded.

Opening their eyes once more, both women gazed at Kayar with complete obedience.

“Master…”

“Master.”

“Excellent,” Kayar murmured, looking at the Divine Gauntlet in his hand, filled with confidence. “Truly excellent…” He slowly swept his gaze over the two figures sprawled on the ground, a smirk curving his lips. “I might as well give you both new names…”

After a moment of thought, Kayar suddenly recalled a clothing store near Paimon Fortress he had once passed, which displayed very attractive black-and-white maid outfits.

‘I’ve got it. I’ll pick some simple names related to maids, common maid names in the Continental Common Tongue…’

“I’ll call you… What!”

Suddenly, an indescribable tremor surged through Kayar’s heart. Sensing something profound, he looked up at the firmament, finally confronting the enigmatic, great power from another dimension.

“What!”

The immense power, like a colossal sun from myriad heavens, tore through the firmament, ripping apart the very fabric of the sky.

In that instant, time and space stood still; the surrounding scene froze as if turned to ice.

Then, a flash of light, and the figures of the two girls he had just brought under his control vanished from his sight.

“Tsk… What kind of power was that…”

After the girls vanished, Kayar could finally move again, but at that moment, a profound fear pierced his very soul.

‘That power was truly terrifying…’

“Your Highness, the Hero… where are the two girls?”

Silvio approached Kayar, looking at the now empty spot where the girls had been, and asked, bewildered.

“I don’t know… and don’t ask about it.” After a moment of thought, Kayar said, “We’ll just buy two ordinary maids later.”