EP.126 The Path to the North (4)
The carriage moved without rest.
Outside the window, snow had begun to fall. Even in mid-summer, it seemed strange that snow was falling, signaling that the North was not far off.
Fwoosh!
“Almost there.”
I turned my head at that thought.
Lac, sitting next to me, was mumbling a sentence while keeping his head down.
“The strongest mage is the Ashen Mage, the strongest mage…”
He looked as if he was brainwashed.
Lac, who had been mumbling as though entranced, slowly lifted his head. He seemed to have more questions to ask.
“Why?”
“Um, Professor Rania.”
Lac’s eyes sparkled as he asked.
“I was wondering a little about the Hero, Kyle…”
The moment Kyle’s name came up, I scowled. My face twisted like I had bitten into a bug. It was a perfectly natural reaction, so I didn’t bother to hide my expression.
“Why are you asking me?”
“Well, you mentioned that you exchanged letters with the Ashen Mage.”
“Right.”
“So, I thought there might be some discussion about the hero…”
“There was.”
Lac’s eyes sparkled.
He looked eager to hear more. I sighed inwardly. It wasn’t uncommon to encounter people like Lac. There were quite a few of them back when I was in the Knights Order.
‘Those who have excessive fantasies about Kyle.’
It’s not that I didn’t understand them.
The Holy Church was intent on promoting Kyle. They hired bards to sing about his past achievements. They deified him as the incarnation of Deloheim.
‘That made the fantasies a bit more intense…’
But that was not all.
From a third party’s perspective, Kyle truly looked the part of a proper Hero. The starlight radiating from him was a symbol of victory. When he was on the front lines, the knights would forget their fears.
He had become a kind of symbol.
A symbol of victory and humanity’s unyielding shield.
‘The embodiment of all Heroes.’
It wasn’t surprising that people like Lac were enamored with stories about such an existence. However, knowing Kyle’s true nature left me with a very strange feeling.
‘The bastard with his lower half controlled by his brain, just saying.’
I rested my chin in my hand and opened my mouth.
“So, what do you want to ask?”
“I’m curious about how strong the Hero was, and how the Ashen Mage spoke of him.”
I paused for a moment.
It was a question that was hard to summarize in a word.
‘He was strong.’
Compared to past Heroes, it was hard to find one who could output like Kyle. He was the first to muster the power to slice through the neck of a Black Dragon.
However, that was only in terms of output.
If you asked whether Kyle was proficient in all areas… well, that wasn’t the case.
‘Conditions had to be met to pull that kind of output.’
Kyle wasn’t a jack-of-all-trades.
Unlike Lac and the knights on the battlefield, Kyle was definitely not a perfect being.
I took a moment to gather my thoughts and then spoke.
“To put it bluntly, he wasn’t a fitting Hero.”
“Um, what?”
Lac’s eyes went round.
I smiled bitterly and asked him.
“What do you think a Hero should be?”
“Um… someone who dispels disasters?”
“That’s right. Anything else?”
“Um, a protector of humanity. Humanity’s shield…”
“Exactly, a shield. A Hero should be that kind of being.”
I nodded.
A Hero is humanity’s shield. On the front lines, a Hero should be a protector.
“But apparently, Kyle wasn’t such an existence.”
“If he wasn’t that kind of being…”
“He was more like a spear, a spear.”
I stretched my finger forward.
“There’s no back. Can’t look sideways. Just goes straight. But he is incredibly good at going straight.”
Kyle wasn’t a protective being.
Unlike the Heroes of the previous generation, he didn’t have evenly matched stats in all areas. He had honed and refined one direction, giving up everything else.
Kyle was more like an assault troop.
Not a protective being, but rather one who bites and rampages.
“He doesn’t care about the rear, doesn’t care about the escape route, just charges forward unconditionally.”
But in exchange, his charge was certain.
His record of cutting down three Carapace Dragons in an instant and quickly cutting off the arm of the Gletus backed him up.
“That deficient Hero was complemented by the Ashen Mage.”
I guarded the rear in Kyle’s stead.
I cleared the path so Kyle could look ahead.
I created an escape route for Kyle.
‘That was my role on the battlefield.’
So long as the conditions were met, I could trust Kyle’s output. When that output was coupled with the Holy Sword, I saw potential.
There truly was potential.
Not only did he possess the qualities of a Hero, but he also kept growing steadily. The harder I chased after him, the stronger he became, and that was something I could recognize since I had been grinding alongside him.
‘Right before meeting the Demon Lord, before Kyle’s downfall.’
A second encounter with Ganikalt, the Death’s Blade.
During Kyle’s peak, he held out against that monster for a minute. I broke the gorge to buy time to bury Ganikalt alive.
‘Of course, that monster broke free barehanded, but still…’
In any case, we managed to escape from that spot. That day, I felt a gut feeling. What I had speculated until then became certainty.
At first, he couldn’t even hold a sword.
But in the second encounter, Kyle had endured against the Death’s Blade for a minute.
That gave me confidence.
‘That guy can do it.’
If Kyle continued to grow, walking the path of the sword for five or ten years…
‘He could grasp the Death’s Blade. He could catch the Demon Lord beyond that.’
I saw that possibility.
That was why I couldn’t let go of Kyle.
‘But still, the guy who could do it isn’t doing anything, damn it.’
Suddenly, frustration surged.
‘No matter how I think about it, the fate was wrong.’
Stars have a terrible choice in people.
If that power had gone to Galahal, the Saint with the character, rather than Kyle… we would have taken another Heavenly King’s head by now.
‘Damn star patterns.’
I didn’t vocalize my blasphemous thoughts.
I inwardly flipped the bird at the god the Deloheim worshiped while shaking my head.
“Ugh…”
As I was lost in my thoughts, Lac groaned.
Lac was making a face full of confusion.
“Um… it’s hard to understand…”
It was the kind of face that said he heard something difficult to grasp.
To be more precise, he had a face that said he couldn’t accept what he had heard.
‘Well, that’s true; he must see a different Kyle.’
I smiled bitterly and opened my mouth.
“It’s just that the Ashen Mage saw it that way. From your or my perspective, he truly was strong.”
Wrapping up my thoughts nicely, I looked outside. The falling snow had finally stopped. The carriage had passed through the snowfield.
A single path traversed the snowfield.
At the end of that road stood a massive castle wall. The carriage halted briefly before the wall, which symbolized the North.
“I think we’ve arrived.”
Lac said that.
Soon after, a butler opened the carriage door. A sharp breeze rushed in. I looked outside through the open door. The butler standing on the pure white snow spoke.
“Welcome to the North.”
The land where those who live with snow dwell.
The land of warriors, the North.
The vast expanse of the snowfield marked the end of our travels.
—
Surrounded by snow-capped mountains in the North.
This was not the first time I set foot in this white wonderland. I had often visited during my time as a Wise One.
‘It’s been a while.’
That sense of nostalgia washed over me.
While I’d come often, I hadn’t been here before this, right before my retirement. There were rarely any disturbances on the Northern front.
Thud!
After disembarking from the carriage, we walked a short distance.
Lac mentioned that there was a place he needed to stop by before heading into the Northern capital.
“You could have waited in the carriage…”
“I just wanted to stretch my legs. It felt stuffy being inside.”
Walking through the Northern city alongside Lac, there were times when people recognized him.
“Aren’t you Lac von Grace!”
“Did you do well at the Academy?”
Just like returning home after being away, merchants handed Lac little treats as if they were welcoming back a long-lost grandson.
“That looks delicious.”
“Want to try some?”
“If you give it to me, I wouldn’t mind.”
It was a sweet treat that resembled frozen fruit.
Munching on the tangy snack, I followed behind Lac. After some time, he stopped in front of a forge at the edge of the city.
Snow wasn’t piled just around the forge.
Heat was radiating from the building’s exterior.
“Are you coming in with me?”
“I’ll go first.”
Lac nodded and opened the door.
The moment he opened it, a rush of warm air billowed out. It mingled with the metallic scent.
“Kurak.”
Lac called out someone’s name.
A middle-aged man stepped out from the forge. With scarred hands, he propped himself against the door.
“You’ve finally come. I’ve been waiting, young master.”
“It’s been a while, Kurak.”
After lightly fist-bumping Lac, he turned his head and looked at me.
“And who is this?”
“This is Professor Rania from Apuria. My father invited him to the North.”
The man called Kurak scratched his chin, then abruptly extended his hand.
“I’m Kurak, the blacksmith.”
“I’m Rania.”
I shook hands with him.
It was Kurak who extended the hand, but when I grabbed his hand, Kurak blinked, looking surprised.
“Come inside.”
Following Kurak into the forge, it was filled with various weapons. As I glanced at the weapons lined along the walls, I couldn’t help but admire them.
‘They’re all top-notch.’
Back when I had been dragged around by Kuntel uncle to the forge, I had gained a discerning eye for weapons. So I could recognize at least quality swords.
The forge here was different from the one in the Royal Capital.
It wasn’t flashy. There weren’t any beautiful weapons meant for ceremonial use. It was filled with simple and unadorned weapons.
Clang!
As the heat intensified, Kurak stopped in what looked to be the workshop.
“Hand it here.”
He reached out, and Lac silently pulled an axe from his waist and placed it in Kurak’s hands. Kurak held the axe and approached the workbench.
I subtly asked Lac.
“Are you here for weapon repairs?”
“Ah, yes. I make sure to come at least once every six months.”
Lac nodded, pointing to Kurak.
“Kurak is the one who made my axe. He’s the most famous blacksmith in the North.”
“Well, it does look impressive.”
“Yes, it doesn’t dull easily even without maintenance… but Kurak insists I come at least once. I’m not sure why…”
A sigh came from the workshop.
“Why do you think? I explained it last time too, young master.”
Kurak said.
“No matter how good the material is or how skilled the blacksmith, there can be no weapon that lasts forever in this world. If not regularly maintained, weapons will quickly rust away.”
Clang!
He lightly struck the axe.
“A weapon is a warrior’s companion. A weapon is similar to its warrior. Just as a soldier who stops training falls, a weapon will decay without upkeep.”
He began to remove the grime from the axe.
As he sharpened the blade that had been soaked and pulled from cold water, Kurak dropped a line towards us.
“Once it starts to decay, its collapse happens in an instant. So, it’s crucial to maintain it beforehand.”
Snap!
Something.
‘Something resonates with me.’
I narrowed my eyes.
It was something that struck a chord. Just as I was nodding in agreement, I heard Kurak speak up.
“The only thing that doesn’t need maintenance and remains intact is something like the Holy Sword, crafted directly by the stars… or divine weapons.”
Kurak shrugged his shoulders.
“Ah.”
That remark made me involuntarily smile. Kurak squinted his eyes at me.
“Why are you laughing? Is my joke funny?”
“No, it’s just…”
I grinned wryly as I spoke.
“If you don’t maintain it, it’ll rust, and that also seems to apply to the Holy Sword.”
“You’re a good jokester. How can a weapon forged directly by the gods rust?”
“Indeed.”
It would have been nice if it were just a joke.
I gave a bitter smile while pondering Kurak’s words.
‘If one stops honing themselves, they’ll be useless, whether it’s a weapon or a person…’
Thus.
‘You must never stop sharpening them.’
I etched that single line into my heart.
‘If I ever end up raising a Hero, I’ll have to keep them busy nonstop. To prevent rusting.’
With that resolve in mind, I watched Kurak sharpen the axe for a while.
—
“Hic.”
“…What’s wrong?”
“Oh, it just feels ominous all of a sudden…”
Belnoa tilted her head at Chloe, who suddenly shuddered.
“Out of nowhere?”
“I have a sixth sense, Belnoa. I feel something ominous. It’s like… something bad is going to happen.”
“That sense is always wrong.”
“No! This time, it’s really accurate…! It’s a Hero’s intuition, I swear!”
Chloe spread her arms wide.
“Nightmare! A nightmare is going to envelop me!”
“Did you stay up all night? What nonsense are you talking about now?”
“I did stay up reading, but…! I’m serious! I have a gut feeling that a nightmare is coming…!”
Belnoa shook her head.
Chloe babbling was nothing new, so there wasn’t much value in listening to her.
“Maybe try watching less novels.”
“No way!”
Just another ordinary day.
Author’s note (afterword)
Surprisingly, no Hero has caught Skebal over the past few centuries. While it might have turned into a comedic role thanks to Raniel, he is still a romantic skeleton.
He’s surprisingly powerful.
09/19, 12:06 AM (additional notice)
Perhaps he might not be the weakest among the Four Heavenly Kings after all…!
If the ‘main body’ rather than the Life Vessel shows up, who knows…!
Hang in there, Skebal!
