Jeron’s Trials (1)
The capital of the Azerion Empire, Jeron.
Just a few months ago, the city had undergone a great calamity due to the Undead King’s attack, but now, it was so cleanly organized that one could barely find any traces of that incident.
Repairs to damaged buildings, road maintenance, and an increase in security forces were all in play.
The Empire poured in efforts and funds as if to erase the remnants of that day, and as a result, Jeron appeared even more pristine and orderly than it had before the incident.
However, no matter how extraordinary the event was, with the Undead King himself taking action like a natural disaster…
The kidnapping of the imperial heirs right in the heart of the capital was an utterly shameful incident that could not be overlooked.
In fact, the crown prince who was taken back then still hadn’t returned.
“Welcome, Princess. Thank you for your hard work representing the Empire. From here, we will escort you to the Imperial Palace.”
Since that day marked the return from the first summit meeting, it was only natural that this security detail was even more rigorous than before.
“I didn’t expect Lord Stav to come personally. I know Jeron is a safe city, but still…”
Princess Riley opened her eyes wide in surprise as she looked at the middle-aged man leading the group waiting for her at the entrance of Jeron Shrine.
While she eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Empire’s best elite, it was quite unexpected for the man before her to actually come this far.
“Remember what happened last time? Letting my guard down led to a disaster. If we don’t prepare after experiencing such an event, it would be too much to call it incompetence.”
Indeed, he was one of the master-level knights stationed in the capital of the Empire.
He was the captain of the royal protection unit responsible for guarding the palace.
The Royal Guard focused solely on protecting the Emperor, while the responsibility for defending the Imperial Palace, the Empire’s most important facility, rested with the royal protectors.
So, seeing the leader of that unit come out all the way to this place, over an hour away by carriage from the palace, was quite a sight.
“Even if the Undead King comes again, rest assured that we have taken all necessary measures for your safe escape, Princess.”
Stav continued speaking bluntly and then slightly bowed his head.
He was among those who fought directly against the Undead King during the attack, and his self-assured tone suggested he had prepared quite thoroughly.
‘Come to think of it, that guy fought alongside that incredibly strong old man against Hans. I think he got hurt quite badly then, but has he fully recovered now?’
Hesperon, who had been watching their exchange from the back, nodded slightly.
After all, a few months had passed since that incident, so a knight of that caliber would have long since recovered by now.
“Duke Pristine? Yes, I have heard that. So, there’s no need to worry too much.”
Hearing Stav’s confidence, Riley turned her head slightly and shifted her gaze to Isea, who stood behind her.
“…Understood. It would indeed be inefficient for me to force my way into this situation with such strength backing us.”
Isea reluctantly nodded in agreement.
Originally, she should have been with the Hero party by now, but she had requested their understanding to defer joining them for a bit.
Considering her strategic value, it was only reasonable that the longer this delay lasted, the worse it would be.
‘Since we can’t teleport inside the capital, traveling to the palace from here would take only three to four hours round trip. We’ve already wasted quite some time; if I do that too…’
Definitely, that wouldn’t go well with her companions, who trusted and waited for her.
“Well then, I will take my leave now, Princess.”
“I always appreciate your efforts representing the Empire, Duke Pristine. Please take care.”
Isea exchanged smiles and farewells with Riley, who held onto her hand.
Then, after glancing at the imperial escorts gathered again to speed up the princess, she finally turned her gaze to Hesperon and nodded slightly.
While he might not provide much direct help, aside from her, he was the person in whom Riley had the most trust, so having him nearby could be beneficial.
Of course, his carefree smile in response only heightened her anxiety.
“Well then, Princess. Let’s escort you to the palace. Please get in the carriage.”
As she vanished into the shrine once more to utilize the gate,
The escort and delegation climbed onto their horses and carriages, starting to move.
‘Hmm, I figured this would happen.’
Hesperon scratched his head lightly inside a carriage, considerably distanced from the princess.
It was only natural since a man of lower status couldn’t join the princess in her exclusive carriage.
Of course, if Riley had insisted strongly enough, it might have been possible, but given the important occasion of her upcoming declaration as crown princess, avoiding any unnecessary gossip was wise.
‘Besides, Hans has no plans to attack, so there shouldn’t be any big problems. Even if something did happen, with a knight at the peak level and a dozen upper-tier knights, along with mages from the palace magic tower and various magical tools, we would be well-protected.’
Besides, it wasn’t as if he could particularly do much even if he were there.
With his growth reaching abnormal levels beyond the intermediate stage, he was still barely qualified to match even one knight present.
‘That being said, it’s all thanks to skills and stats.’
Leaning his arms against the carriage window, he gazed blankly at the passing scenery outside, lost in thought.
Having put off enhancing his unique skill after his main body fainted, investing in his stats had led to a vastly improved him in every aspect compared to before.
‘At least I have new skills that are worthwhile from my investment.’
Having enhanced his entire body’s strength, he acquired “Great Strength.”
From boosting his reflexes and dynamic vision, he gained “Nerve Sensitivity.”
By raising his reasoning and cognitive abilities, he developed “Insight.”
Unlike when he focused solely on recovery and obtained “Super Recovery,” the skills born from combining various stats had initial bonuses significantly exceeding even “Super Recovery.”
‘While it’s not much for the avatar that has already settled well in their areas, it’s still quite useful for someone in my position who is yet to be special.’
With the impressive stats enhanced even further by these skills, features that once seemed impossible were now achievable…
The prime example being the initial skill of Hesperon, “Bond of Connection.”
‘Even though I still can’t use it since I haven’t learned summoning magic.’
This skill granted additional enhancements during contracts and had seen no real use since being used to maintain the bond with Princess Riley.
However, with his mental capabilities having greatly improved and adding “Insight,” new possibilities began to emerge.
Remembering this, he decided to practice again, focusing his mind on “Bond of Connection.”
As he did so, the faint connection suddenly began to clarify, allowing him to sense Riley’s presence in the carriage ahead.
‘If I concentrate a bit more like this, I could also discern her condition or mood…’
But the thought of going any further made him feel like a complete creep, so he decided not to pursue it.
Still, realizing this potential, he thought perhaps he could take good care of his summoned creatures in the future…
‘Hmm? What’s this?’
As he was about to sever the connection of “Bond of Connection,” faint emotional fragments from Riley began to flow in through that weak link.
Uneasiness. Confusion. And a hint of vigilance.
‘Suddenly?’
A frown formed on his brow at the puzzling emotions.
Such concerns didn’t quite fit the peaceful journey they were on.
But she wouldn’t feel such anxiety without a reason.
For that reason, he briefly hesitated before deciding to concentrate his mind further to gather more concrete information.
At the same moment…
KWAAM!
An intense explosion erupted a short distance away.
“Alert!”
In sync with that, the commanding voice of Captain Stav rang out.
TCHACHACHING!
In unison, the escort drew their weapons, quickly surrounding the carriages and forming a defensive perimeter, exuding a fierce aura.
“Lord Stav? What’s happening?”
“The cause is yet to be determined, Princess. But it’s dangerous outside, so please close the windows and wait inside the carriage.”
From Hesperon’s position, only the rear of the princess’s carriage was visible, but he could definitely hear the conversation between Riley and Stav coming from the front.
However, he chose to ignore all the commotion, further concentrating on “Bond of Connection.”
Unlike the voices he could hear, the sense of foreboding about her was gradually escalating stronger.
Then, at some point, he sensed a shift in those feeling fragments.
Panic, surprise, and elation.
And that feeling was directed right at…
Hesperon himself.
‘…So they can sense me too.’
Thinking about it, it made sense that his skill’s essence wasn’t to read the minds of others but to strengthen bonds.
At first, when the connection was weak, he could only vaguely feel the subject—or in this case, Riley’s—as that connection strengthened, the gap began to close.
‘Perhaps I could use this for telepathy between us.’
But that was a consideration for another time.
Given how sudden this situation was for her, she seemed to be trying to convey something, and several urgent thoughts flickered through her emotions.
‘Suspicious… outside…? Is she referring to the commotion happening now? …No? It’s not a certainty?’
With the imprecise connection still in play, he concentrated further.
His remarkable growth was surely shining in this moment, and as both parties actively complied with the connection, “Bond of Connection” began to stabilize rapidly.
BOOM—! KWAAM—!
In the midst of all this, explosions erupted from around them.
Distant screams could be faintly heard, confirming that something was indeed happening.
“Do not act recklessly and remain alert! The fact that something occurred today at this location means those responsible are targeting the princess! Suspect everything approaching this place!”
Drawing his weapon, Stav shouted fiercely as he stepped inside the defensive circle, bracing himself near the princess’s carriage and the gathered mages.
‘Wait, is it possible that they are actually suspecting…?’
With a few keywords crossing his mind, Hesperon’s thoughts began racing quickly.
All his senses flared wide open, and in the state of “Nerve Sensitivity,” he absorbed information about his surroundings in an instant.
Though his skill level might be that of a mere intermediate mage, his capabilities could not be defined solely by that.
Extracting something anomalous from the information collected, “Insight” made its judgment.
‘This feels… unsettling.’
A subtle dissonance.
It was a twist that wouldn’t have easily been caught if he hadn’t been skeptical from the start, felt across the escort unit.
Of course, such issues were common when they hadn’t coordinated before, and it wasn’t yet time to declare anything with certainty.
‘If the concerned parties weren’t the Empire’s top-tier knights, that is.’
Suddenly, vigilance surged in Hesperon’s mind, ringing alarm bells of crisis.
However, before he could give any sign of understanding the situation, events began to unfold at breakneck speed.
SSSSWISH—!
In a world where thoughts expanded and time flowed slowly, only a single blade of light cut through the air quickly and beautifully.
Just for a moment, he admired the speed that seemed slow.
CREEK! SNAP!
TCHAAACK—!
Where that aura passed, red flowers slowly began to bloom.
And that alone…
There was not a single living mage left around Stav.
‘Ah, damn! Why do my bad vibes never miss?!’
The protective barriers and magical tools that the mages had surrounded themselves with were useless against Stav’s ambush, especially coming from a knight at the peak level.
Moreover, the issue didn’t end there.
Countless auras, launching a bit later, simultaneously burrowed into the bodies of the allied comrades nearby…
No, former comrades.
POOF!
“KACK!”
HACK, what’s the meaning of this!?
While some knights managed to stand their ground against the surprise attack, others swiftly reacted to the abrupt attack, but…
This did not greatly influence the overall situation.
Many fell dead in this assault, and the number of survivors dwindled to less than those who betrayed them.
“GACK! Captain, why…?!”
“Should’ve just gotten a hold of my hand earlier!”
Most concerning was the presence of Captain Stav among them.
He had mercilessly slain all but a few of the mages who were his accomplices, then without hesitation struck his own subordinates with his sword.
– Hannibal Strauss: This is bad. The death of your avatar is a significant loss. At least you should escape. With the growth from your “Hero’s Footsteps,” it should have some effect even within the barriers of Jeron.
– Hesperon: What about Riley if I do that? Is there no way? If only the Undead King popped up at this moment…
– Hannibal Strauss: Impossible. Where do you think you are now? At least an hour is needed for preparation.
And as Hesperon’s thoughts accelerated, he continuously sought a way out.
With the main body unconscious, reinforcements through teleportation and emergency escape using summoning release were both impossible.
Besides, observing how things were progressing, there was no time to waste, and due to the barriers, he was uniquely cut off from the aid of other avatars.
‘This is impossible.’
Trusting that they wouldn’t harm Riley immediately while he simply fled with “Hero’s Footsteps”…
KRAK!
…but Stav, as an accomplice with the mages, was heading straight toward the princess’s carriage, seemingly ready to break the barriers.
“P-Please, let me go! I’ll cooperate with anything!”
“YIIIK! I saw nothing! Please…!”
Moreover, the atmosphere among the approaching knights towards the carriage did not look good at all.
It was clear they were filled with murderous intent.
– Hannibal Strauss: It’s beyond your capacity to maneuver the situation. Once again, I say. Abandon the princess and escape now.
‘Ah, damn it!… That useless person…!’
Indeed, it seemed they were thoroughly in the crux of it all.
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