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〈Chapter 250〉 The Most Heroic Hero (2)
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The knights gaze upon the hero who stands before them.
Galahal, the Holy Spear (??).
One of the heroes chosen by the Star.
“Galahal-nim…!”
A knight who lay on the ground with his arm severed.
Those who barely clung to life.
Knights awaiting death now look at Galahal.
Hope ignites in their eyes.
Galahal does not turn away from their hopeful gazes. He steadies his spear and steps forward. Clink, the blood spilled by the knights rises to the sky.
And then.
ZOOOOOM!
The spear swings and strikes the Harvester’s leg. In a fleeting moment, Galahal charges at the reaper. He leaps, THWACK, and spins in the air. The platinum spearhead traces a chaotic path.
SWISH!
The spearhead does not aim for the reaper’s torso.
It targets the reaper’s arm. The spearhead relentlessly rends the reaper’s wrist.
Green blood splatters.
The reaper’s hand, with severed tendons, can no longer grasp anything. It drops what it once held.
“Gack, guh….”
The knights, who barely clung to life, fall to the ground. Galahal lands and uses the spear to catch them and send them behind him.
Then, he strides forward once more.
This time, he puts more force into swinging the spear. It strikes the reaper’s torso, sending the reaper stumbling back. Galahal chases immediately.
To shield those behind him from the battlefield’s turmoil, Galahal continually drives the reaper back.
As more hits and critical strikes pile on, the spearhead glows brighter. Like gathering starlight into one place.
Haa…
Once a sufficient distance is secured, Galahal exhales shortly and leans back. The ground splits with a CRACK around him.
The posture of a throwing spear (??).
The platinum spearhead shines brilliantly, and Galahal twists his waist to throw the spear.
SHHHHHEEEERK!
A flash pierces the Harvester’s eyes. Blood bursts forth, and the reaper’s head snaps back violently. Galahal grasps the air with the hand that held the spear.
THOOM!
A burst of platinum light erupts from the spearhead.
Unable to endure the erupting starlight, the reaper’s head explodes, flesh raining down onto the ground.
As the blood pours, the spear makes a CLANG sound as it falls.
Collecting the fallen Holy Spear, Galahal finally turns back. There stand the knights who barely survived. He smiles at their battered forms.
“You did well to hold on.”
There are knights who survived.
Even after losing their arms, even after losing their sight… They endured, barely staying alive.
“Thank you for holding on.”
Those words seem to validate their existence, as if telling them that the deaths of their fallen comrades were not in vain… The knights bow their heads.
Galahal, the Holy Spear.
While Kyle Toven is called a symbol of victory and the hope of humanity… Galahal is known among the knights as the most heroic hero.
—
“Why is Galahal retiring?”
I blinked.
I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
Galahal, the Holy Spear—who is he?
The knights call him the most heroic hero.
And it’s not just the knights who think so. I do, Kalt does, and even the Knights Order Leader, Heinkel, thinks the same.
While Kyle leads most battles to victory… Galahal pursues a slightly different path.
In battles with Galahal, victory is not always guaranteed. But casualties are less than in any other battle. That’s why we hold Galahal in high regard.
‘He never abandons anyone.’
Even in the heart of a battlefield where lives are disposable, Galahal never bends his principles. Seeking to save even one more person, he often takes the long way around instead of choosing the easy path.
‘…Unlike Kyle.’
Kyle wasn’t always this way.
But after encountering the Demon Lord… Kyle began to abandon those he could save if it suited his needs.
Anyway, that’s who Galahal is.
It’s not just his beliefs; it’s also his character. The news of such a responsible person retiring from the battlefield… I couldn’t fathom it.
“I don’t really know either.”
Kalt tapped the table awkwardly.
“The letter sent by the Knights Order Leader Heinkel only stated that Galahal would soon be retiring. No details were given.”
“…Did you ask him?”
“Yes. I sent a letter right away, but… he didn’t reply.”
…Didn’t reply?
There’s no way Heinkel would hide information from a knight of Kalt’s caliber. If he didn’t tell Kalt, it meant he wouldn’t reveal it to anyone else.
“There are only two reasons for Heinkel to act this way.”
It’s either related to someone’s pride or information that needs to be kept hidden for humanity’s sake.
It doesn’t seem to fit the latter, so the only thing left is the former.
“Pride.”
“…”
“Something related to Galahal’s pride.”
I stroked my chin.
“It’s unreasonable to speculate like this. So, when is Galahal’s formal retirement?”
“I think it will be around spring this year. He mentioned he would gradually distance himself from the battlefield before then.”
“…Spring? That coincides with Chloe’s trial.”
“It seems he’s timed it on purpose.”
It wouldn’t be the case of a hero disappearing from the battlefield, but rather a natural substitution with the next generation of heroes.
“It’s definitely needed.”
I nodded.
The departure of one hero from the battlefield leads to ripples along the front lines. It’s not just due to the hero’s power. A hero is symbolic.
‘Especially in Galahal’s case…’
His absence will be felt even more.
Though we can’t immediately fill Galahal’s shoes, just showing the existence of the next hero might prevent the worst-case scenario.
“Whenever someone shows up, they shout, ‘The age of extinguished lights has come!’ to silence the idiots shouting everywhere.”
“…So, what do you think, senpai?”
Kalt subtly asked.
“Do you think this Chloe kid has promise?”
“Abundant promise.”
“…Huh?”
“Abundant! Given enough time… she might really substitute for Kyle’s role.”
“…Is it that much?”
I nodded.
“If Kyle had the strongest output among the previous heroes, Chloe’s strengths lie in utilization. She instinctively understands how to work with starlight.”
“I’m not knowledgeable about magic or stars…”
“Simply put, think of it this way.”
I pointed at myself.
“Imagine if I were a hero. How would it look?”
“The heretic would have been broken long ago. Skebal would be shedding blood tears…”
“If Chloe can ‘perfectly’ develop and if certain conditions are met… that’s the kind of potential she has.”
Kalt gulped.
“…Isn’t that a bit much?”
“Well, Chloe and I are different. She’s more suited as a pure wizard than a battle mage. So, that much potential is what I’m talking about.”
The front line to protect Chloe.
For dispersing the enemy’s attention.
And enough time to complete the spell.
If these three conditions are met… Chloe might unleash firepower greater than mine on the battlefield.
“It’s unfortunate she lacks talent as a battle mage. That’s all.”
“Battle mage?”
“Yeah. The royal family seems to be raising Chloe as a battle mage to substitute for me… but she doesn’t really fit in that category.”
I tapped on the stock of the circuit I had stored.
“This stock is for compressing spells and carrying them in a ready state. It’s easy for fewer spells, but if you’re carrying hundreds like I do, you need to have complete control over your mana…”
Chloe finds that impossible.
“She’s like starlight itself with her mana. It’s nearly impossible for her to maintain control of that constantly. She’s more suited to the pure wizard side.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, anyhow…”
I let out a long sigh.
“If Galahal’s retiring… I can’t complain about the trial being pushed up. It’s truly necessary.”
Galahal’s retirement.
“I want to stay a hero and remain a hero.”
Suddenly, I recalled the conversation I had with Galahal.
What he had told me, his beliefs… As I reminisced, I unconsciously murmured.
“I want to make sure she meets Chloe at least once.”
That would be of great help. Definitely.
“Oh, about that.”
Kalt clapped his hands.
“I think Galahal-nim will make a visit to Apuria.”
“What?”
“The Knights Order Leader mentioned he might send Galahal-nim to Apuria after his retirement, so he wouldn’t flow elsewhere. He should be coming.”
What’s decided will be done.
Kalt muttered that.
I blinked.
“Hey, Kalt.”
“Yes?”
“Why did you just now mention that?”
“…”
Whoosh, my fist cut through the air.
Instinctively dodging, Kalt blinked. For a moment, he grinned and shrugged.
“Senpai, who am I? I’m a superhuman now…”
Smite!
“GAAAACK!”
—
“Ah, Galahal-nim.”
In the early dawn, Galahal returned to the barracks and faced a knight waiting for him.
“Roks?”
“Yes, Roks. The Dynamic Roks.”
Roks exaggeratedly clenched his fist.
Seeing the same sight, Galahal chuckled and placed the Holy Spear down in a corner of the barracks.
“What’s going on, Roks?”
“I heard you’re retiring.”
Galahal paused.
He turned his head to look at Roks, who gazed back with an expression that seemed a bit apologetic.
“I heard from the Knights Order Leader Heinkel. And, I have been chosen to assist with your retirement process.”
“Roks, you must be busy too.”
“It’s only right to give that much treatment to a hero who has defended humanity, even at the cost of his own flesh. It’s actually terribly insufficient.”
Roks smiled bitterly.
“I will serve you without any deficiency.”
Why is he retiring?
Has he sustained a terrible injury?
Why would a hero like you?
It’s curious, yet Roks didn’t ask Galahal anything. Understanding why Roks had become Heinkel’s aide, Galahal felt grateful for Roks’s consideration.
“If you have any places you’d like to visit or plans after retirement, I will assist you as much as I can.”
“I don’t have any immediate plans. I’m considering just touring the battlefield and a nearby village…”
“Hmm.”
Roks seemed to ponder as he wiggled his lips.
“Uh, the Knights Order Leader Heinkel specifically instructed me… Please don’t visit any places related to the battlefield. He emphasized it several times.”
Galahal chuckled wryly.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, please…”
“Then Roks, how about I take your recommendation? Do you have any suggested places?”
“A resort? A tourist spot?”
“Do you think I would go to such places?”
“I was just tossing ideas out there.”
Since both had stood on the same battlefield multiple times, Galahal and Roks exchanged light-hearted banter and shared a laugh. After a moment, Roks cleared his throat.
“By the way, didn’t you mention wanting to meet the next hero candidate?”
“I did mention that before.”
“Then I think it would be a good opportunity to visit. It’s conveniently the place where the hero candidate is currently staying.”
Galahal tilted his head.
Roks patted his chest proudly.
“My alma mater. Apuria Academy.”
“Oh.”
“There’s a hero candidate enrolled there. And, as a bonus…”
Roks whispered in a low voice.
“There’s a stunningly beautiful professor there. She’s from the same lineage as the Ashen Mage.”
Ashen Mage.
At that word, Galahal’s eyes narrowed.
“Now that I think about it, it has been a while since I met Raniel. I had promised to share a drink with her before retiring…”
“Is that so?”
“Well, that sounds good.”
Galahal nodded.
“In this case, it wouldn’t hurt to ask my friend’s sister about how my friend is doing.”
“Are you referring to Raniel-nim?”
“Yes.”
Galahal looked at his hands.
His hand aimed at something small, visible only to Galahal himself, and he murmured.
“I have things I need to ask Raniel.”
Things to inquire about.
And stories that must be heard.
With a firm grip, Galahal clenched his hand.
CRUNCH.
A sound of something crumbling echoed.
*
