EP.8
Seven Heroes
Two hundred years ago, there appeared the first End, known as the “Beast of Apocalypse,” without any forewarning, and seven individuals who vanquished it were referred to as the Seven Heroes.
According to legend, the Seven Heroes rose from the depths and fought against the prophesied Beast of Apocalypse, which was foretold to bring about humanity’s demise, for seven days and nights, eventually achieving a hard-fought victory.
Now, after two hundred years have passed, the Seven Heroes have quite literally become legends, celebrated by all. There are even fairy tales written about them.
In any case, the Seven Heroes, who saved humanity from the brink of destruction, established Nineveh to ensure that such an event would never happen again, enabling humanity to develop the strength to defeat the End even in the absence of the heroes.
Moreover, the descendants of the Seven Heroes, who can be regarded as the saviors of humanity and founders of Nineveh, were granted a single privilege.
That privilege allows them to enroll in Nineveh unconditionally, regardless of whether they have taken the entrance examination or not.
Considering that even members of the royal family must pass the entrance exam to gain admission to Nineveh, this was indeed a significant privilege.
“Though calling it a privilege might seem a bit amusing.”
The founding purpose of Nineveh was ultimately to nurture individuals who might become the second and third Seven Heroes, enabling humanity to confront the End without relying solely on their powers.
With such fervor, they accepted not only those from the Empire but also those who wished to study from foreign lands, diligently fostering talent. Therefore, if an individual of such distinguished lineage as a descendant of the Seven Heroes came seeking admission to Nineveh, it was only natural for them to be warmly welcomed.
Thus, the privilege of special admission granted to the descendants of the Seven Heroes was almost irrelevant. Would a descendant of the Seven Heroes ever fail an entrance examination in the first place?
For that reason, although two hundred years have passed since the establishment of Nineveh, the privilege of special admission had never been utilized even once.
“Nevertheless, for me, it is an incredibly useful privilege.”
To be precise, for Jin, the more important aspect was not the right to be exempted from the entrance exam but rather being recognized as a “descendant of the Seven Heroes.”
It is a well-known fact that Jin is officially “a person who does not exist within the Empire.” This is primarily because he is akin to a foreigner with black hair who has crossed dimensions.
As such, he is in a situation where he cannot conduct official business while being visibly present. He couldn’t just flee every time the guards asked for identification, could he?
Of course, if he invested a modest amount of money, creating a false identification would not be difficult. He even had experience in his first life where he fabricated an identity to establish his own residence within the system.
However, simply fabricating an identification and gaining admission to Nineveh with that bogus identity are quite different matters.
As stated, Nineveh is a place designed to cultivate talented individuals with the strength to confront the End. It trains those with exceptional abilities to become literal human weapons.
If one thinks that they would not conduct a background investigation into a student enrolling in such a place, it is simply an exceedingly naive misconception.
While you can pay to create a false identification, the essence of a person’s life cannot be easily fabricated. If one were to enroll in Nineveh with a fake identification, they would undoubtedly find themselves dragged away as a spy from a foreign land within a week.
However, if Jin were to be recognized as a “descendant of the Seven Heroes” and gain admission to Nineveh, the situation would change significantly.
“My nonexistent past, the abilities I must still keep hidden, and the issue of enrollment fees—all would be resolved in one go.”
Jin’s unclear past could be suppressed beneath the radiant halo of the name “Seven Heroes,” and the various abilities he acquired through repeated reincarnation could easily be glossed over as abilities obtained as a descendant of the Seven Heroes.
Most importantly, if he were to enroll as a special student, the astronomical amount of admission and registration fees would be entirely waived.
Sure, one might think what significance that money holds when the entire world could face destruction in ten years, but for Jin, who has lived in a capitalist society, it was a tremendously important matter.
Yet, there is one small problem: the fact that Jin is, in truth, not a descendant of the Seven Heroes…
– “But don’t worry about that. If you just follow my instructions, you will be able to deceive everyone effortlessly.”
‘But isn’t this a scam? Since I can live without the law, I feel a pang of conscience stirring inside me.’
– “Ah, this is definitely not a scam. After all, the House Pendragon is the lineage of the Sword Saint among the Seven Heroes. You merely mentioned that a descendant of the Seven Heroes utilizes the privilege of special admission; you never stated that Jin, a descendant of the Seven Heroes, would claim that right.”
‘That is indeed a scam. What kind of person would suspect that the future Erekaya del Pendragon resides in my mind?’
– “Isn’t that the fault of someone who misinterpreted what you said? And as for my past, I never utilized the privilege of special admission. If it’s a privilege that’s unlikely to be used anyway, wouldn’t it be far more beneficial for the world to use it in this way for humanity’s future?”
At Erekaya’s unabashed words, Jin could only click his tongue in silent disapproval, as he had no real recourse. After all, he was merely riding along on Erekaya’s scheme, and any protest would be akin to spitting while lying down.
“Ugh, a descendant of the Seven Heroes…!”
On the other hand, the Head of Admissions was trembling all over as he listened to Jin’s words.
He had not entertained a single thought that Jin’s claims were mere boasting or lies.
This was because the title “descendant of the Seven Heroes” was far too grand to be used by a mere charlatan.
From the outset, he had anticipated that Jin was no ordinary individual. With an air akin to a monarch looking down upon all, his demeanor hinted at a noble origin.
And yet, contrary to his expectations, Jin was not just of noble birth, but indeed a descendant of the Seven Heroes, whose legends were still spoken of today!
‘Then it makes sense why he carries the same aura as the young lady of House Pendragon.’
The House Pendragon was the lineage of the Sword Saint among the Seven Heroes.
If the youth before him had been directly taught swordsmanship by the Sword Saint and received various training from House Pendragon, it was certainly not unreasonable to find him resembling a noble lady.
Perhaps he was standing right in the midst of a scene where he might eventually become part of a legend—
Carrying such expectations, the Head of Admissions swallowed hard.
“If you truly claim to be a descendant of the Seven Heroes, could you perhaps show us a token that befits that title?”
“…Token, you say?”
At those words, Jin raised an eyebrow slightly.
“If I recall correctly, the Seven Heroes allowed their divine artifacts to be inherited by their successors. If you are indeed asserting that you are a descendant of the Seven Heroes and wish to invoke the privilege of special admission, please provide us with an appropriate token to convince us.”
“…Hmm.”
The Head of Admissions’ words were utterly reasonable and conventional, leaving Jin at a loss for words.
However, he certainly could not present any token that the admissions officer was asking for.
After all, the very fact that Jin was a descendant of the Seven Heroes was a fabrication!
‘What? You didn’t say there’d be a request for a token? What now, what do we do?’
– “Just keep your mouth shut and manage your expression. Did you really think I wouldn’t anticipate such a situation?”
‘If you were anticipating it, you should have given me a heads-up from the start!’
– “It was merely a prediction, so I couldn’t really believe such a situation would actually arise. So stop whining and just say what I tell you to say.”
At Erekaya’s words, Jin had to suppress the urge to scrunch his face in frustration with superhuman patience.
‘Damn it. After all, isn’t it your problem to sort out?’
Wasn’t his behavior just like those bastards who block a public restroom toilet and then run away after finishing their business, leaving others to deal with the mess?
Suppressing the boiling anger, Jin finally spoke up.
“…I regret to inform you that I do not currently possess a token. No, it would be more accurate to say that I was unable to receive a token from my master. This is because my master held only one divine artifact, while there were two successors of that era.”
“True, that does make sense.”
Now that he thought about it, the Head of Admissions seemed to recall having heard that the young lady of House Pendragon had inherited a divine artifact from the previous duke.
If it was indeed true that the young lady of Pendragon had received the Sword Saint’s divine artifact, it was only natural for the young man before him not to possess one.
“Then how do you intend to prove your identity? I apologize, but matters related to special admission are not something I can handle unilaterally, and even if I could, I would still need evidence that would convince my superiors.”
“Do you absolutely require it?”
“Of course, while I personally have no doubt that you are a descendant of the Seven Heroes, some people place great importance on physical evidence.”
Shaking his head, Jin addressed the Head of Admissions.
“As I mentioned before, I do not possess any visible evidence. But—”
If evidence were lacking, wouldn’t it suffice to show an appropriate alternative?
“How about presenting the teachings I received from my master as evidence? As far as I know, there are quite a few individuals in Nineveh who have ties to the Seven Heroes. If those individuals were to assess my skills, they would quickly realize whether I was truly taught by the legendary Heroes, wouldn’t they?”
Indeed, Jin had no tangible evidence to prove he was a descendant of the Seven Heroes from the start. But in his mind, wasn’t Erekaya, a true descendant of the Seven Heroes, always present?
Of course, Jin himself did not know the Sword Saint’s techniques, but if he moved his body as Erekaya instructed, he could at least mimic aspects of swordsmanship.
‘Furthermore, in this case, the likelihood of the current Erekaya del Pendragon being summoned for verification is quite high.’
The Sword Saint, whom Jin intended to claim as his master, had been missing for roughly 50 years. However, no one believed that such a powerful individual had simply succumbed to the ravages of time.
Thus, even if Erekaya were to arrive, nobody would be able to discern whether Jin had truly received the teachings of the residing Sword Saint or if he was merely fabricating stories. Especially if he was able to recreate the swordsmanship, even in a rudimentary form.
In that process, he would have the opportunity to engage with the present Erekaya, and if luck were on his side, perhaps even develop a friendship. It was truly a plan that offered double rewards.
‘Damn, I finally caught a break.’
– “Hmm, indeed. This is why schemes devised by humans are ultimately up to the whims of fate. It’s amusing how a previously unconsidered minor factor almost derailed the entire plan.”
‘…If you had just explained the plan to me in detail beforehand, none of this would have happened.’
Just as Jin and Erekaya exchanged silent barbs, a voice suddenly interjected beside him with a tone of admiration.
“Oh, considering it, that’s quite a plausible method of verification. Given that the powers of the Seven Heroes are so unique, it would indeed be easy to test whether one is a descendant by wielding their strength.”
As soon as Jin heard that voice, his body stiffened.
What on earth was that woman doing here? He hadn’t planned on encountering her at all!
“Oh, speaking of which, weren’t you searching for someone acquainted with the Seven Heroes? Well, you’re in luck. There happens to be exactly one person you’re looking for right here.”
As she spoke and flashed a smile, the Head of Admissions expressed his astonishment.
“Ch-Chairperson?”
Indeed, her identity was none other than the Chairperson, who presided over Nineveh and held ultimate responsibility.
She was also one of the strongest beings among humanity, and on top of that—
“Well, I don’t think it will be a problem. After all, you strike me as a very ‘honest’ person.”
She was also a bearer of supernatural abilities capable of detecting others’ ‘lies.’
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